EDITORIAL

Peter Stano, the Spokesperson for the European Commission on Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, has made inflammatory remarks against the Republic of Azerbaijan at a time when the European Union cannot afford to damage its economic relations and political dialogue with Baku.

Peter Tase, an independent American political analyst, and expert on the South Caucasus told Azernews in his comment on the anti-Azerbaijan statement by the EU official.

European Union is in a deep economic meltdown and its banking and financial sector forecast are not promising. Given these circumstances, Brussels must press the reset button and be cautious when dealing with the Republic of Azerbaijan. It is in the best interest of EU to preserve a strong alliance with Azerbaijan and its executive government. Brussels and its useless bureaucratic channels, through Peter Stanos recently made statements, is showing to the world that the main partner of EU in strengthening regional energy security, i.e. the Republic of Azerbaijan is abandoned and harshly offended in exchange of dirty money that Armenian lobbyists (former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen S.K. and others) are paying to European Commission leadership, he stressed.

According to the expert, some political associations of the EU serving the Armenian lobby cannot digest the changing geopolitics of the South Caucasus. For this reason, politicians of this type constantly resort to actions such as disruption and provocation.

Speaking about Peter Stanos recent anti-Azerbaijan rhetoric, he said that he believes that his campaign against Azerbaijan has a hidden agenda that attempts to harm and fracture the ongoing bilateral dialogue between Baku and Yerevan, at a time when the EU cannot contain the fallout of Ukrainian-Russo War, nor ensure safer borders and effectively fight terrorist organizations inside EU member countries.

Stano seriously damaging image of EU in Caspian region

Given his out-of-reality statements, and inflammatory rhetoric made against the Nation of Azerbaijan, I presume that this politician undermines the authority of the European Union in the region.

The expert noted that if looked at the diplomatic history and at a detailed study of alliance formation in the European Union geopolitical environment of today, close cooperation with Baku is imperative and it will help the economies of Europe and the Caucasus region to thrive and reach unexpected growth.

Tase also assessed the current act of Stano as barely damaging mutually beneficial relations between Baku and Brussels in exchange for a little favour that he receives from his Armenian allies.

While EU and Azerbaijan are most likely to join together against threats, Peter Stano, allegedly bribed by Armenian interest groups, is adding turmoil and offensive discourse to the highly important diplomatic relations between Brussels and Baku.

Ursula Gertrud von der Leyen should visit Baku immediately in order to help control the damage that has been caused by Stano during the past year, the expert sarcastically noted.

During the conversation, Peter Tase commented on the response of the spokesperson of the Azerbaijan Foreign Ministry, Aykhan Hajizade, to the member of the German Parliament, Frank Schwabe, regarding his inappropriate statement against the Azerbaijani authorities.

"Of course, I fully support the views of the Azerbaijani MFA official regarding Frank Schwabae. It is completely unacceptable for a politician whose name is corrupt to talk about human rights and interfere in the internal affairs of a country. Frank Schwabe has expressed prejudice against Azerbaijan for a long time. It is clear from the position of him and other politicians like him that it is difficult to restore relations between Azerbaijan and PACE in the background of such prejudice," said Tase.

The American political analyst added that Frank Schwabe's open bias against Azerbaijan cannot bring any benefit to either European politicians or PACE. He said that the fact that PACE is behind the door today, on the eve of parliamentary elections to be held in Azerbaijan, is due to the incompetence of politicians like Schwabe.
BT Ireland has announced that there is just one month to go before applications close for the 2025 BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition (BTYSTE), at 5pm on September 27, 2024. This year, BT Ireland opened entries for the BTYSTE earlier than ever in May, to allow students as much time as possible to turn their creative ideas into project entries.

Next years BTYSTE will take place from January 811 2025, and will once again showcase incredible projects from students across the five categories of Technology, Social and Behavioural Sciences, Biological and Ecological Sciences, Chemical, Physical, Mathematical Sciences, and Health and Wellbeing.

Hundreds of prizes will be on offer to finalists across the various categories and age groups, amounting to a total prize fund of 50,000. The overall winner(s) of the BTYSTE 2025 will also take home the BT Young Scientist & Technologist(s) of the Year Award, worth 7,500, and will go on to represent Ireland at the European Union Contest for Young Scientists (EUCYS) in 2026.

Speaking ahead of the 2025 BTYSTE project entries deadline, Mari Cahalane, Head of the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition said: Throughout BT Irelands 25 years as lead sponsor of the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition, it has been fantastic to see first-hand the impact that the Exhibition, and the students taking part, have had on Irelands science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) sector.

The BTYSTE is an opportunity like no other for secondary school students in Ireland to turn ideas into initiatives and develop a lifelong passion for STEM. We are thrilled that this year we are able to provide further funding to schools through the Accommodation Grant Scheme to support as many schools as possible to participate in Exhibition week.

Since BT Ireland launched the Accommodation Grant Scheme in 2006, the company has contributed 1,358,950 in funding to qualified projects from schools located 70km or more outside of the exhibition venue in Dublin - including 44,700 in funding to Louth schools.

Donal Enright, teacher at Desmond College, Limerick said: The accommodation grant has really made all the difference for us in being able to send our students to the BTYSTE to represent their school. Desmond College has participated in the BTYSTE for over 50 years now, with many of our students going on to win awards across the various categories.

The BTYSTE has been the first step for many of our students into the world of STEM and lots of our alumni have gone on to enjoy successful careers in STEM after school. Were delighted that thanks to the grant scheme, we can continue to send pupils to the BTYSTE each year.

To give more support for schools in the DEIS schools programme taking part in the BTYSTE, DEIS schools located 70km or more from the RDS in Dublin will now be eligible for 20% more grant funding under the Accommodation Grant Scheme. In those schools, an individual project finalist will receive 180 and a group of finalists 360 towards their accommodation costs for attending the BTYSTE in Dublin.

For those DEIS schools that are not eligible for the accommodation grant, they will receive separate funding of 50 for each shortlisted project, to a maximum grant of 500 per school.

For more information on the 2025 BTYSTE, visit btyoungscientist.com.
Primary school teachers in Louth are being urged register for the Blue Star Programme, the award-winning programme that teaches children about the European Union. To date, over 1,200 schools and an estimated 200,000 pupils have completed the Programme, with 10 schools in Louth participating in the Programme last year.

Schools participating in the Blue Star Programme may receive a visit to the school from a politician or a diplomat, previously, Senator Erin McGreehan visited Mullaghbuoy National School in Dundalk.

From now until 11 October 2024, the National Implementation Body, European Movement Ireland invites primary schools across Ireland to register and complete the Blue Star Programme, in particular Gaelscoileanna, island schools and DEIS schools.

Noelle OConnell, CEO of European Movement Ireland said: The Blue Star Programme provides young people with the wonderful 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. 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 learn about European history, geography, culture, and the EU institutions in a fun, 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. Additionally, the programme encourages pupils to learn about the European elections, in particular the role of MEPs and the differences between the EU Institutions.

Teachers have the flexibility to integrate the programme into their lesson plans and tailor EU projects to their classes aptitude and ability. The programme is open to all primary school ages, from junior infants to sixth class, and is designed to be run in all school settings across Ireland. Gaelscoileanna can avail of Clar na Realta Goirme i nGaeilge.

European Movement Ireland (EM Ireland) is the National Implementation Body for the Blue Star Programme. EM Ireland is an independent not-for-profit, membership organisation dedicated to developing the connection between Ireland and the EU and the Programme is funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs.

Further information about the Programme can be found at www.bluestarprogramme.ie.
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
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Louth County Council celebrated the screening of two short films in An Tain Arts Centre, Dundalk, as part of an age friendly project to challenge ageism and promote positive ageing in County Louth. The screenings included an invited audience of family and friends.

Paul Hayes, Director of An Tain Arts Centre, opened the event and explained that whilst it had initially started out as a drama project to challenge ageism, it quickly became evident that the participants on this community-led arts project were wonderful examples of positive ageing and brought with them an array of stories and experiences from all walks of life. One of the stories shared during the project became a catalyst for the final idea behind the film.

Sinead McVerry, Age Friendly Programme Manager, Louth County Council said: The project provided a safe space for participants to explore the subject of ageing and ageism. It also provided an opportunity for participants to get to know one another, to build up trust and friendships and to share stories and life experiences.

"A wide variety of adults from lots of different backgrounds, with a range of ages and abilities took part. Through the workshop participants helped to reframe the conversation around growing old in County Louth.

She added; The result, entitled Ordinary People is far from ordinary, indeed this extraordinary piece of work is a powerful and moving tribute to each person involved in the film.

Each participant selected an item or object from their life that has a very special meaning for them. For some it was an item of clothing a dress or a coat, for others a ring or a teddy bear. All objects and items selected were individually of special significance to the individual person and they explained the back story to the object and why it has such a special place in their life.

The second shorter film shot in dramatic black and white depicts each of the project participants introducing themselves and making a personal statement in relation to ageism and ageing. This shorter film will be launched at the Louth Age Friendly Expo on October 2nd 2024 during Positive Ageing Week and will be a great opportunity to celebrate positive ageing in County Louth.

This is the first initiative that the Louth Age Friendly Programme has delivered as part of an ongoing suite of ageism awareness initiatives.

The project, which is part funded by Creative Ireland, also saw a variety of creative professionals involved with the project. Paul Hayes from An Tain Arts Centre facilitated the workshops and has engaged a writer, a videographer, director and a sound engineer to assist with developing and scripting the groups ideas and with filming the final pieces.
Three Cork artists have been shortlisted from hundreds of entries for a pair of prestigious national portrait prize competitions at the National Gallery of Ireland.

In all, 46 artists from across 20 counties have been shortlisted by the National Gallery for this years AIB Portrait Prize and AIB Young Portrait Prize.

Three Leeside artists feature in the shortlists this year, with two announced for the AIB Portrait Prize and one for the AIB Young Portrait Prize.

Photographer David Creedon, whose work regularly features in The Echo, is shortlisted in the AIB Portrait Prize for his photograph Miss Evans in her Sweetshop, and Joy Kavanagh is listed for her self-subject In Bloom, an acrylic on wooden board.

Young Cork artist Avni Mittals Inner Reflection, a piece in acrylic on canvas, has been shortlisted in the AIB Young Portrait Prize.

The winner of the AIB Portrait Prize will receive a cash prize of 15,000 and will be commissioned to create a work for the national portrait collection, for which they will be awarded a further 5,000. Two additional awards of 1,500 will be given to highly commended works.

The AIB Young Portrait Prize returns for its sixth year in 2024 as a showcase for the artistic talent of young people from across the island of Ireland.

Five winners, and an overall winner, will be selected from a shortlist of hundreds of entries from young people aged three to 18.

Winners will receive a bespoke art box and a cash prize, and the overall competition winner will be awarded a personalised wooden box of high-quality art materials and a cash prize of 500.

Exhibitions of the shortlisted works in both competitions run at the National Gallery of Ireland from November 9 to March 9.

The winners of the prizes will be announced at a ceremony held in the National Gallery of Ireland on November 27.
The annual interfirm Dragon Boat Challenge is returning to Cork city next month.

The competitive event, organised by Meitheal Mara, will take place on September 21, with companies across Cork encouraged to take part in the charity fundraiser.

The spring Dragon Boat Challenge, held earlier this year, was a roaring success, with 16 crews battling it out on the River Lee in colourful vessels vying for the title of champion.

Cork Penny Dinners came out victorious, with teams from Apple, ESB, Musgraves, Cork County Council, Boston Scientific, and Alcon also putting up a great fight.

The Lee is expected to come alive again with the rhythmic beat of drums, the splash of paddles, and the roar of dragons as new and returning fleets of crews battle for the title of 2024 autumn interfirm champions.

The event offers teams a fantastic opportunity to get active, support a worthy cause, and experience Cork city from a whole new perspective on the water, as all proceeds will be donated to Meitheal Mara  Corks community boatyard and nationally-accredited training centre.

The race will start opposite the former iconic R&H Hall, with teams travelling 250 metres to the finish line at Lapps Quay.

Each crew, made up of 17 determined members, will strive to make it to the cup final and claim the winning title.

The Dragon Boat Challenge is a fun, social, and vibrant event that welcomes participants of all experience levels  with no prior training required to participate.

Pre-race training sessions will be provided for all crews in the two weeks leading up to the challenge, with full details shared upon registration.

Meitheal Mara is dedicated to fostering and promoting maritime culture and seamanship through traditional currach and wooden boat building skills.

The charity provides training and development programmes to those who are at risk of social exclusion, recovering from addiction and to those living with disabilities.

As a registered charity, contributions made toward the event are tax-deductible and an ideal opportunity to demonstrate a companys support for a local organisation.

The Dragon Boat Challenge is 680 for a full crew, coming in at 40 a head, encompassing the cost of the training night and the race day.

Places for the challenge are filled on a first-come, first-served basis, with Meitheal Mara encouraging organisations across the county to contact them as soon as possible to register their interest.

To register a crew from your firm, email dragons@meithealmara.ie or phone: 021 4847673.

For further information on Meitheal Maras programme offerings, visit: https://meithealmara.ie/.
This years Ballycotton Comedy Festival is expected to attract big crowds to East Cork, with the festival now a solid feature on the Irish comedy calendar.

The 2024 edition of the festival will have renowned Cork comedians Chris Kent and Ross Browne as MCs, and will feature high-profile performers such as Danny OBrien, Emma Doran and Colin Murphy.

Murphys Irish Stout has been announced as the main sponsor of the fourth Ballycotton Comedy Festival, which will run from September 26 to 29 in the East Cork seaside village, with events taking place in Sea Church and The Blackbird.

Commenting on the festival, general manager of Sea Church, John Kidney, said securing such a high-profile sponsor is a fantastic endorsement of the festival.

Id like to thank Heineken for supporting the event which is now a solid feature on the Irish comedy calendar, he added.

For information on the festival, and other upcoming events at Sea Church, see www.seachurch.ie.
Cork Airport Hotel has been granted conditional permission for additional bedrooms by Cork City Council, which would bring its total rooms to over 100.

The hotel at Cork Airport, Lehenaghmore, Cork, had applied for permission for the construction of a permanent single-storey detached building comprising 20 hotel bedrooms to the rear of the existing hotel building.

Cork Airport Hotel is an 81-bedroom hotel spread over three floors with a building footprint of just over 3,300sq m, and the proposed development consists of the construction of a new single-storey detached building to the rear of the existing Cork Airport Hotel.

The proposed works will also include the provision of external access steps and ramps connecting the new building to the existing hotel, as well as other associated site works.

The hotel is currently used for temporary residential accommodation for people fleeing the war in Ukraine and is currently fully occupied, housing 203 people across the 81 bedrooms.

In the planning application, Cg Hotels Cork Airport Ltd stated: Initially, the proposed new building will also be used to provide such temporary residential accommodation.

It will subsequently be used as hotel bedrooms as soon as the Cork Airport Hotel reverts to the established use as hotel accommodation.
Two Cork projects are due to benefit from part of a 2.6m Town Centre First fund.

The funding, announced by the Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys, will assist local authorities in creating a pipeline of significant, well-developed projects in local towns across Ireland.

A total of 53 projects will be supported nationwide, with up to 50,000 of funding per project, including two innovative projects in Cork.

Among the projects approved is the development of a community hub in Ladysbridge, to service the needs of the locality including childcare facilities and a remote working hub; as well as the pre-development planning for a new town centre plaza in Kinsale.

The funding will support costs involved in each project, including detailed design, planning, procurement, professional fees, assessments and other development costs.

Minister Humphreys said: Im delighted to announce funding of 2.6m, which will support local authorities and town teams to develop a strong pipeline of shovel-ready projects in our local towns.

I am announcing funding for a wide range of projects, from the development of green spaces and parks in our town centres, to projects which look at how vacant and derelict buildings in our towns can be brought back into use.

I look forward to seeing these exciting projects and initiatives progress and make positive impacts for our rural towns and villages.
A man arrested on Friday night by gardai investigating a number of incidents in Cork city has been released from custody.

Gardai say they continue to investigate an incident of criminal damage at a property in the Shanakiel area of Cork at approximately 5.40pm on Friday evening and a road traffic collision which occurred at approximately 6.10pm on the Churchfield Road.

A male pedestrian (60s) was taken to Cork University Hospital for treatment following the collision where his condition was described as serious.

A man in his 20s was arrested on Friday evening and detained under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act, 1939 at a Garda Station in the Southern Region.

He was released on Saturday.

Gardai are appealing to anyone with information in relation to these incidents or road users with video footage to contact them.

Gardai can be contacted at Gurranabraher Garda Station on 021 494 6200, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda Station.
Met Eireann has issued a weather warning for Cork with heavy and persistent rain expected from Monday afternoon and into Tuesday morning.

The yellow rain warning, which covers Cork, Kerry, Donegal, Galway, Leitrim, and Mayo, is due to come into effect tomorrow at 3pm and will remain in effect until 10am on Tuesday.

The forecaster has warned that the potential impacts include localised flooding, difficult travelling conditions, and impacts on outdoor events.

Despite the wet weather, Met Eireann says that temperatures over the coming days will be close to average for late August.

The current outlook for the week ahead is for wet and unsetlted weather.

It's not all bad news though and Met Eireann says that current indications suggest that next weekend will be "warm with a fair amount of dry weather and some showers and with temperatures in the low 20s".
Sean McCarthaigh

A new tourist attraction is planned for Dublin with the proposed opening of a museum dedicated to the history of medicine in Ireland.

The Royal College of Physicians of Ireland has applied to Dublin City Council for planning permission for the development of a Medicine Museum at its headquarters on Kildare Street.

The college, which has become a repository for medical artefacts, records and documents over the past 350 years, now hopes to open the proposed museum in the basement of the building.

The RCPI, which was founded in 1653, said it had decided that it wanted to make the colleges exceptional legacy, its global footprint, its modern impact and its ongoing advocacy of the publics health more accessible to the public at large.

The college said the goals of the museum were for it to become a centre of excellence for education, research and public engagement with the history of medicine and medical humanities in Ireland.

The building, which is located close to Dail Eireann and the National Library, has been home to the RCPI since 1864.

The plans for the new visitor attraction, which are designed by the architectural firm, Scott Tallon Walker, provide for the creation of a new entrance to the Medicine Museum at basement level.

Visitors to the museum will be guided through a total of five different zones in a circular loop of the exhibition space.

One zone will allow visitors to explore the mediaeval and early modern world of physicians and their interactions with barbers, surgeons, apothecaries, midwives and periwig makers.

The displays will also inform the public about the historical approaches of medical practitioners to treatments and sources of herbal medicines and their evolution in the role of the physician over the centuries.

Another area of the museum will highlight the first charter for the college in 1692 as well as items from the collection relating to the founding members and early years of the RCPI.

The various displays and touchscreens will also inform visitors about the evolution of the practice of medicine, training methods and technology more familiar to todays patients.

People visiting the museum will be brought up to date with the colleges current overseas learner programme and public campaigns, including an interview with the physician who developed the first Covid-19 vaccine.

Dublin City Council welcomed the proposed development and considered it appropriate and acceptable in principle, but council planners also sought further information about the project to ensure it was acceptable in terms of good planning and conservation.

The RCPI said the opening hours for the museum would be 10am-4pm on Monday-Friday with seasonal weekend opening.

The college said no more than 50 visitors would be allowed entry to the attraction at any one time, but it anticipated such a number would be the exception, not the norm.

A decision on the application for planning permission for the new museum is expected in the coming weeks.

The RCPI headquarters, which is a protected structure, is also almost a true replica of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.
The mayor has written to authorities arguing families with children should not be allowed to camp outside fenced areas after the latest dingo attack on K'gari.

Dingoes are seen on K'gari, formerly Fraser Island, where the local mayor has called on children to be banned from certain parts of the holiday hotspot. Source: Supplied

The mayor of one of the country's most popular holiday hotspots for families is calling for a ban on children camping in certain sections of the island, after more than a dozen dingo attacks in 2024.

Fraser Coast Mayor George Seymour said it's just a matter of time until a child gets seriously injured or worse, as a result of an encounter with a dingo on K'gari, formerly known as Fraser Island. He said children under 12 should be banned from camping in unfenced areas for their own safety, after a four-year-old girl was mauled on the island just a week ago.

She suffered puncture wounds to her chest and was the 16th child under the age of 17 to be attacked by a dingo on the island this year alone. Seymour said the situation had become "frightening" for parents.

Laine Cameron said the dingoes 'weren't aggressive', but they did eat through his good pair of thongs. Source: Supplied

Mayor calls for change amid 'frightening' string of dingo attacks

Sometimes, it's simply unwitting tourists who make the mistake.

"This is getting to the stage where it is frightening, whether the next one will be a fatality or not," he told the ABC. "I just don't think that it is an appropriate place for children to be, given the number of attacks, the changing nature of attacks, and the potential for a fatality here."

Seymour called for families with children under 12 to be restricted to fenced-in zones of the island, writing to the state government in a formal submission to push the proposed rule change.

Queensland's Minister for the Environment Leanne Linard said "the risk is not isolated to camping areas", urging travellers to "remain vigilant on the island at all times."

K'gari is a world heritage-listed sand island along the south-eastern coast of Queensland, approximately 250km north of Brisbane. An estimated 400,000 people tour the island each year, with visitors to the Fraser Coast region spending $730 million in 2022-23, according to data from Queensland Tourism.

While dingoes, known by Indigenous Australians as Wongari, are synonymous with the island and a large part of the appeal among visitors, it's "not a fun experience" having to constantly keep a watchful eye on kids, Seymour argues.

Dingoes part of K'gari appeal, but it's 'not fun' worrying about kids

Speaking to Yahoo News Australia, a spokesperson for the Department of Environment and Science urged people on the island to report the dingo incidences to authorities as soon they occur.

"Wongari interaction reports from the public are important as they provide information to rangers about potential high-risk animals," the spokesperson previously said. "Rangers use the information to keep people safe by monitoring high-risk wongari and targeting specific areas to deliver 'Be Dingo-Safe!' messaging."

Dingoes are known to feed on deceased marine life on the island, including on whale carcasses as seen here. Source: Supplied

Seymour argues that he'd rather see families vacation elsewhere than risk their safety.

"When families go over there, they are told that they need to keep children within arm's length of them at all times  now, that doesn't make for a fun experience, either for the children or the parents," he said.

"If there is a reduction, and I think there needs to be a reduction, in the number of people camping [on K'gari], that is a good thing," he said. "My concern is for the safety of children and the preservation of wilderness."

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The new Terminator anime heading to Netflix looks absolutely brutal in a trailer that dropped this weekend. Terminator Zero is set in 2022 and 1997 (the year of Judgment Day, as described in Terminator 2) and focuses on new characters: Eiko and the scientist Malcom Lee, who are being hunted by a Terminator. The series is produced by Skydance and Production I.G., the Japanese animation studio behind Ghost in the Shell and Psycho-Pass.

Fittingly, it drops on August 29, in a nod to the date of the fictional nuclear annihilation event. You can check out the new trailer below  but just a heads up for anyone who isnt into anime gore, this clip is packed with it.

Netflix also released a six-minute look at the shows tense opening on its companion site, Tudum, earlier this week. It begins in a nightmare version of 2022 before traveling back in time. Per the site:

Eiko later arrives in 1997 to protect a scientist named Malcolm Lee (Andre Holland) who works to launch a new AI system designed to compete with Skynets impending attack on humanity. As Malcolm navigates the moral complexities of his creation, hes hunted by an unrelenting assassin from the future, which forever alters the fate of his three children.

The show was first revealed to be in production late last year, when Netflix dropped a teaser under the working title of Terminator: The Anime Series. The first season will have eight episodes. And, dare I say it, it looks pretty good.
French news outlets report that the arrest relates to an investigation into a lack of moderation on the app.

Pavel Durov, the CEO of Telegram, was reportedly arrested at an airport near Paris on Saturday as part of a preliminary investigation into the apps lax approach to moderation and failure to curb criminal activities, according to Reuters, which cited the French news outlets BFM TV and TF1. Telegram is also reportedly being accused of not cooperating with police. On Sunday afternoon, Telegram posted a statement to its official news channel and on X, saying that CEO Durov has nothing to hide and that it is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform.

Telegram abides by EU laws, including the Digital Services Act  its moderation is within industry standards and constantly improving, it said. Durov was taken into custody after arriving at Le Bourget airport on a private jet, Reuters reported. According to the BBC, the concerns of the current investigation include the apps failure to crack down on drug trafficking, child sexual abuse materials, and fraudulent activities.

 Telegram abides by EU laws, including the Digital Services Act  its moderation is within industry standards and constantly improving.



 Telegram's CEO Pavel Durov has nothing to hide and travels frequently in Europe.



 It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner  Telegram Messenger (@telegram) August 25, 2024

Telegram is one of the most popular social media platforms in the world, and is widely used in parts of Europe and Asia especially. Durov said earlier this year that it was nearing one billion active monthly users. The app uses end-to-end encryption and supports groups containing tens of thousands of members, allowing mass sharing of information and uncensored content.

NPR reports that a statement from the Paris prosecutor's office will be released on Monday. Were awaiting a prompt resolution of this situation, Telegram said in its own statement.

Update, August 25 2024, 4:48PM ET: This story has been updated to include a statement from Telegram.
A Black detective has filed a civil rights lawsuit claiming he was wrongfully arrested after being accused of sexually assaulting his white neighbor during a celebration at his new home.

According to the lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, on November 9, 2023, John Edward Mark and his friend Freddie Douglas Jr. engaged in consensual sex in Marks' pool with Amanda Zawieruszynski, a nearby resident with whom Marks had an "intimate" relationship.

Zawieruszynski later reported she was held against her will and sexually assaulted by both men over the span of several hours. The 'El Campo Leader-News' reported that all three had been drinking, and Zawieruszynski claimed she physically resisted 43-year-old Douglas.

Marks, 40, was arrested on December 7, 2023, and charged with aggravated sexual assault and aggravated kidnapping, offenses carrying severe prison sentences. Douglas was also arrested and dismissed from his job as an El Campo police detective. Both men were released on bond and maintained their innocence.

On March 23, a grand jury in Brazoria County reviewed the evidence and decided not to indict either man. Marks' lawsuit, filed on August 21, argues that the Manvel, Texas, police acted solely on Zawieruszynski's claims without proper investigation. He contends that surveillance footage from his home would have easily disproved the allegations.

The footage reportedly shows Zawieruszynski arriving with cupcakes, entering the home without distress, and willingly participating in sexual activity with Marks and Douglas. It also shows her moving freely around the house, with opportunities to leave if she felt threatened.

Marks claims Officer Taner Truitt and Police Chief Thomas Traylor ignored this evidence. The lawsuit also accuses the police of using excessive force and mistreating him during his detention, alleging systemic abuse by the Manvel Police Department.

Marks is seeking a jury trial and damages for lost wages, medical expenses, and damage to his reputation.
Rapper Enchanting's official cause of death has been determined, two months after her tragic demise.

On Friday, the Dallas County Medical Examiner's Office told TMZ that Enchanting died of an accidental overdose.

The rapper -- real name Channing Nicole Larry -- overdosed on oxycodone, a synthetic opioid, and benzodiazepines, a type of depressant sold under the brand names Valium, Xanax and Klonopin.

Enchanting died at age 26 on June 11 after being taken off of life support at a hospital.

Gucci Mane, the head of Enchanting's former label 1017 Records, announced her passing via Instagram at the time.

The rapper and record executive shared a photo of his protegee alongside the message: "So sad to have to say R.I.P to such a great young lady a true star we gone (sic) all miss you Chant @luvenchanting."

Following her passing, her family also released a statement via Enchanting's social media account.

"We are deeply saddened to announce the death of our sweet and beloved daughter. She lived her life with grace and blessed so many with friendship, laughter and love," the family wrote in the statement, obtained by The Shade Room.

They continued, "We also appreciate everyone's respect of our family's privacy as we continue to navigate through this difficult loss."

A representative from Enchanting's management team said in a statement to The Shade Room at the time that the young rapper had suffered from withdrawals and had overdosed.

"She came to my house the last four days to get clean. She tried her best and I did everything I could to help her, she tried," the rep said.

Enchanting signed to 1017 Records in 2020 and appeared on three compilation albums before parting ways with Gucci Mane's label three years later, according to New York's Hot 97 radio station.

During her time at 1017 Records, she collaborated with Pooh Shiesty, Foogiano and the late Big Scarr.

Enchanting's manager also previously revealed that the artist had "a whole vault" of music that were yet to be released, including several singles and an entire album.

Less than two years before his pal's passing, Big Scarr -- real Alexander Woods -- had died at age 22 on Dec. 22, 2022, from an accidental overdose.

The rapper overdosed on prescription pills at his girlfriend's house in Memphis, Tennessee, his uncle Arthur Woods told TMZ at the time.

According to his uncle, Big Scarr experienced several traumatic incidents before his passing, including getting shot and sustaining a serious injury from a car accident.

The injury, caused by being thrown through a windshield, left a big scar on the rapper's body -- which later inspired his moniker.

Big Scarr was hit in a 2020 shooting by a bullet that traveled up his spine.

He also underwent surgery to have his appendix removed and battled depression, according to his uncle.
Sunday, August 25, 2024

Formally known as the 2025 Presidential Transition Project, Project 2025 is an initiative spearheaded by the Washington, D.C.-based conservative think-thank, The Heritage Foundation. Its goal is to create a conservative policy agenda for a potential Trump administration beginning in January 2025. Among other things, the organizers are putting together a 180-day playbook, vetting personnel, and training them to be ready to hit the ground running on day one of a next Trump presidency.

On the surface, there is nothing unusual about such an initiative. There are several high-profile think-thanks across America, from progressive to conservative, that engage in these types of activities all the time. They play a highly useful role in helping shape the domestic and foreign policies of whichever administration is in office. Because of its conservative bent, Project 2025 unsurprisingly focuses on familiar issues such as abortion, immigration, gun control, and others that Republicans have talked about for decades. But the entire initiative has become highly controversial and has garnered lots of press coverage due to its scope and the radical nature of some of the things it aims to do.

What has generated the most controversy is the stated goal of Project 2025 to dismantle the administrative state and vastly expand presidential powers. Under that proposal, thousands of career civil servants would likely be fired and replaced with loyalists who would be willing to carry out the presidents ultra-conservative agenda. Independent agencies such as the Justice Department would be placed under direct presidential control, as part of a broader concept known as unitary executive theory. Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts said in a recent podcast interview that the nation is in the process of the second American Revolution, which will remain bloodless if the left allows it to be.

Naturally, Democrats have made Project 2025 a key campaign issue. Leading party figures and grassroots members have consistently argued that extremist Republicans are aiming to create an autocratic form of government in America. Fearing that this narrative is harming his campaign, former President Trump recently sought to distance himself from the project. In a social media post last month, he wrote: I know nothing about Project 2025. I have not seen it, have no idea who is in charge of it, and, unlike our very well received Republican Platform, had nothing to do with it. According to some press reports, that disavowal is what prompted Paul Dans to resign as director of the project. The status of Project 2025 remains unclear, but the Democrats are keeping the issue alive.

Our national political environment is in such turmoil now that every single effort should be toward healing, not further division of our society. That is why it is so unfortunate that some people at the Heritage Foundation chose to embark on an initiative that is so radical that even the former president has been forced to disown it.

In my view, the Democrats expressed fear that Project 2025 would turn America into an autocracy is somewhat overblown. But the concern still has to be taken extremely seriously.

In his book, They Thought They Were Free, Milton Mayer recounted conversations that he had with ten ordinary Germans from various walks of life in 1952. Those engagements were part of an effort to get a sense of how fascism took hold in Germany so easily during the Third Reich. All ten men had been members of the Nazi Party. Mayer had traveled to Germany to spend a year at the University of Frankfurt as part of that sponsored research project. Among the people he interviewed were a policeman, a teacher, a baker, a tailor, and a carpenter. Mayer admitted to being a little afraid for his country upon his return to America. He wrote: I feltand feelthat it was not German Man that I had met, but Man. He happened to be in Germany under certain conditions. He might, under certain conditions, be I.

Mayers point was that we are all highly susceptible when it comes to surrendering control of our societies into the hands of would-be totalitarian rulers like Adolf Hitler. He recalled a conversation in which one of his German colleagues at the university told him that it was difficult, even for a highly educated person like him, to detect what all those little measures that the authorities employed to gain power might eventually lead to. In his colleagues words, One no more saw it developing from day to day than a farmer in his field sees the corn growing. One day it is over his head.

There is no resemblance of the Germany of the 1930s to todays America. The Germany of that period was nowhere near the mature democracy that America is now. The Weimar Republic, which preceded the Third Reich, existed for a mere fifteen years. America has robust institutions that have stood the test of time, and a democratic culture that is quite unique even in todays world. These constitute the basis of my belief that even if the proponents of Project 2025 were to get their way, the risk of their policy implementations turning this country into a fascist state is slim to none.

Nevertheless, those ideas could still do a lot of damage so we shouldnt be overly sanguine that our institutions would save the day. The architects of Project 2025 belong to the same ideological club that has helped Viktor Orban turn Hungary into an illiberal democracy. The danger is that once it takes hold, that type of political corruption is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to undo.

Expanding on his concern for America due to what he learned in Germany in 1952, Mayer wrote: If Iand my countrymenever succumbed to that concatenation of conditions, no Constitution, no laws, no police, and certainly no army would be able to protect us from harm. That was a chilling sentence to read. Our nation has become so dangerously divided that our collective faith in our institutions is eroding at an alarming rate. That is why no one can take for granted that our governance system will hold in a national emergency. Even the Supreme Court, which is the final arbiter on all manner of contentious issues, is widely seen nowadays as heavily politicized and corrupt, and is therefore increasingly distrusted. That should worry everyone.

Americas strength has historically derived from its citizens openness to all kinds of ideas, the willingness of its people to have their viewpoints challenged robustly, and their readiness to make compromises to settle differences. That national character is being lost, unfortunately. It is frankly quite irresponsible for any American to talk in such revolutionary terms as the Project 2025 architects have. That type of conduct should not be condoned in a nation that is supposed to be an example for the rest of the world on how to build democratic governance systems.
Jai and Kate said 'an odd collection of colours' is what first caught their eye. Then they noticed what the Lamington Spiny Crayfish was doing.

Wildlife photographers and soon-to-be-married couple Jai Randhawa and Emily Kate Boys have spent "countless hours exploring" what Australia has to offer, particularly in and around Queensland's national parks. The Gold Coast pair, aged 27 and 29, are "avid lovers of all things wildlife and nature"  but never before have they been quite so excited by a discovery.

While exploring Springbrook National Park in the Gold Coast Hinterland earlier this year, they discovered what Jai described as a "very rare sight". Images and video shared with Yahoo News Australia show a bright blue Lamington Spiny Crayfish feeding on a vibrant green orange-eyed tree frog tree frog.

Despite their time spent outdoors, Jai admits they've never seen anything quite like this when speaking with Yahoo. He said it's the "craziest thing we have ever seen". Mostly because the crayfish in question is known to be a scavenger, feeding off "dead and decaying plant matter". But in this instance, it was "actively eating the frog alive"

"Throughout the year we go on all sorts of adventures looking for cool wildlife," the hobbyist photographer told Yahoo. "On this night it was nice and warm with lots of rain so we were driving around looking for frogs, snakes and crayfish  pretty much whatever is out and about".

Couple 'blown away' after seeing 'odd collection of colours'

Emily was first to see the crayfish feeding on the frog from afar, Jai explained. Not knowing what it was they admit there was some "confusion" at first.

"We saw an odd collection of colours in a puddle and we couldn't work out what it could be," he said. "When we pulled over and saw what was happening we were blown away, there was shock, amazement and disbelief."

Jai said it's an "incredibly rare sight", and while they have seen "quite a few Lamington Spiny Crayfish" they've always been feeding on "rotting plant matter or fallen rainforest fruit".

"To come across an animal that is typically a scavenger, actively feeding on a live frog that it had caught was unexpected to say the least. We had never seen or heard of something like this before," he added. "It's pure luck that we were out that night and in that location."

The couple said it was an 'incredibly rare sight' and one they were extremely excited about seeing. Source: Supplied/Photographers Downunder

The couple, who are due to be married in May next year, share their amazing photographs on social media under their business name Photographers Downunder. The incredible video showing the unique encounter was a hit with Aussies, with one describing it as "the best wildlife video I've seen".

However, some were quick to question why they didn't save the frog from being eaten. "Next time save the frog," one wrote.

Explaining why they didn't, Jai told Yahoo, "We are steadfast on this as we believe in letting nature run its course".

"We never interfere or take it upon ourselves to enforce our will on a wild animal, we only ever film and photograph so that we can share all the beautiful, amazing, incredible and sometimes brutal parts of the natural world."

Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? Get our new newsletter showcasing the weeks best stories.
Russell Howard is a dad.

Baby joy for Russell Howard

The 44-year-old comedian revealed he and wife Cerys Morgan secretly welcomed a son three months ago.

He told The Times: "I wake up at 8 oclock most mornings, have a shower, then head to the station for a train into London. After 12 years of living in Primrose Hill weve moved out to Beaconsfield. We have a three-month-old son and a new puppy. My wife, who is a doctor, works in a hospital nearby. So were giving this new life a spin.

"Six months ago my evenings would have been spent getting ready to go out and perform in front of a thousand people, but now evenings find me sitting on the sofa watching TV with my son on my chest.

"I'm tired a lot. It's funny, when you become a parent everybody compliments you on your baby, but they will freely turn to you and say that you look like s***, that your face should be on a government watch list or something.

"So I try to get sleep whenever I can. Right now, I need it."

Russell and Cerys - who works as a geriatrician - first started dating in 2004 and announced their engagement in 2018.

They tied the knot in 2019 and moved from London to Buckinghamshire to raise their son.

And Russell - who is working on a podcast 'Wonderbox' - revealed he has had to make a number of adjustments to his routine since becoming a dad.

He said: "In the afternoons I like to run or lift weights in the gym, but these days  because of the podcast and the baby  I fit things in when I can."
Matthew Perry is said to have had a whole network of doctors and nurses illegally supplying him with drugs for more than 10 years.

Matthew Perry is said to have had a whole network of doctors and nurses illegally supplying him with drugs for more than 10 years

The Friends actor was killed on 28 October, 2023, aged 54 from the acute effects of anaesthetic ketamine after receiving three injections of the drug, and his former assistant Kayti Edwards, 47, has now insisted there should be so many more medics who should be terrified of being investigated over his death besides the two doctors currently being probed in connection with his death.

She told the Daily Mirror in the wake of a total of five people being investigated over the actors passing: Theres a whole network of people beyond those facing criminal charges who the police need to investigate. Detectives need only delve back into his medical history.

There are so many more doctors who have been on his books over the years who will be terrified right now.

Whenever he was in active addiction, he knew instantly where to turn. Its a scandal.

Matthews live-in assistant, two doctors and a woman dubbed Los Angeles Ketamine Queen are the five people charged following an investigation into the actors ketamine death.

Kayti  the step-granddaughter of 88-year-old British actress Julie Andrews  added: Ketamine was his new thing, but it all started with unscrupulous doctors oversubscribing prescription pills like Vicodin.

When the charges dropped, I knew they would be doctors because that was what he always did.

I was not surprised. His addictive brain would think, Well, it was prescribed from a doctor so I can take it.

In his head, it wasn't like he was out on the street, scoring drugs.

Kayti dated Matthew in 2006 and was his assistant in 2011, and has also questioned the circumstances of his death.

She says she finds it suspicious it is said he died after three injections of ketamine after he told her he had such a terror of needles he thought he may die when being jabbed.
The Bangladesh customs department is keen on a quick completion of export- and import-related activities of the apparel industry as that is a need that arose amid the ongoing crisis, Chattogram customs commissioner Faizur Rahman recently told members of the Bangladesh Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA).

BGMEA first vice president Syed Nazrul Islam said export-oriented readymade garment (RMG) industry is struggling hard to survive, facing competition from neighbourhood peers despite adverse global situation.

BGMEA vice president Rakbul Alam Chowdhury said the sector has suffered an image crisis much more than that of economic losses, according to domestic media reports. Several foreign buyers have cancelled their orders.

The Bangladesh customs department is keen on a quick completion of export- and import-related activities of the apparel industry, Chattogram customs commissioner Faizur Rahman has told BGMEA members. The new Chattogram Port Authority chairman sought BGMEA's cooperation in the speedy implementation of various plans for infrastructural development at the port.

BGMEA representatives met Rear Admiral S M Moniruzzaman, new chairman of the Chattogram Port Authority. The latter sought BGMEAs cooperation in the speedy implementation of various plans for infrastructural development at the port.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)
The Australian senate recently passed the Net Zero Economy Authority (NZEA) Bill, introduced in March by the Australian Labor Party government led by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

The standalone statutory authority for the energy industry will work with communities, state, territory and local governments, regional bodies, unions, industry, investors, First Nations groups and others to take advantage of the of the country's net zero transformation opportunities.

It will oversee the countrys transition to Net Zero by 2050, with a targeted 43-per cent reduction of emissions by 2030, relative to a 2005 baseline.

The Australian senate recently passed the Net Zero Economy Authority Bill. The statutory authority will oversee the transition to Net Zero by 2050, with a targeted 43-per cent reduction of emissions by 2030, relative to a 2005 baseline. It will work with communities, state, territory and local governments, regional bodies, unions, industry and investors.

It will coordinate with them through this massive change and facilitate the jobs and benefits of the economic transformation that come with moving to net zero, whether it is retraining and redeploying workers in traditional energy industries or cutting red tape in clean energy investment, an official release said.

Over 150 countries have now committed to net zero by 2050, including almost all major economies and most of Australias trading partners.

And with our renewable energy abundance, skilled workers and world class technologies, investors around the world want to invest in Australian industries, the release noted.

"These Bills represent our commitment to ensuring no region, no community and no worker is left behind. This is about building the industries and creating the jobs that underpin our future prosperity, Albanese said in a statement.

The Authority will have the job of looking after the workers in regions like the Hunter, Central Queensland, Gippsland in Victoria and Collie in Western Australia who are at the core of this transformation, minister for climate change and energy Chris Bowen said.

NZEA will also try to encourage public and private sector participation and investment in greenhouse gas emissions reduction and net zero transformation initiatives.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)
Caroline Crosling continues to find eastern brown snakes in her backyard  there's been nine already this year.

A woman's home continues to be visited by one of the world's most venomous snake species, and the snake catcher who responds to her rescue calls is completely stumped by the why the eastern browns keep turning up.

For the ninth time this year, Mark Pelley  commonly known as the Snake Hunter  received a phone call on Thursday from Caroline Crosling, a resident who lives in Diamond Creek in northeast Melbourne. He admits he may as well have put his shoes on before he answered her call, knowing very well why she'd phoned. He's attended more than a dozen rescues in the last two years at her property.

"She called me and basically said, 'Hi Mark, it's me Caroline'. We're on first-name basis now," Pelley told Yahoo News. Crosling explained that, yet again, another eastern brown snake was on her property.

"She doesn't even have to tell me her address anymore," he said, travelling to her home and finding a "brown snake looking at her from the back door".

Eastern brown snakes are the most common cause of fatal snake bites in the country. Their small volume of venom packs a punch with it's intense potency, however, bites from this species are relatively rare.

Snake catcher 'racking his brain' for eastern brown visits

Despite trying to figure out why so many eastern brown snakes are visiting Crosling's home, Pelley is no further forward with the answer.

"I've been racking my brain about this question for the longest time. I've even stood there and I've gone through the property to try and figure it out, but I can't figure out why they like her so much," he said, before joking, "She's a very lovely lady, so that could be it".

Due to her frequent visitors, Crosling has built a sheltered pen for her cats and has been forced to limit the time her dog spends outdoors in fear of what would happen if her pets and any reptiles interact.

Despite the unusual happenings, the snake catcher praised Crosling for her "patience" and for being the "sweetest lady" towards the snakes.

"When it comes to snakes a lot of people just panic, and they do silly things, but she does the right thing," he said. "She knows to watch it from a safe distance. She knows to make sure she doesn't engage with it. She keeps all animals away, and she just gives me a call and waits for me to attend."

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.

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RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Aug. 25, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre (KFSHRC) is revolutionizing clinical training through its iLearn Portal and comprehensive simulation-based programs in a bold move towards excellence in medical education and training.



KFSHRC's simulation training initiatives utilize virtual reality (VR) and scenario-based learning to offer hands-on experience in a controlled environment, preparing healthcare professionals for complex medical situations. Designed to promote patient safety and reduce medical errors, these programs aim for Zero Harm and cost reduction. In 2023 and early 2024, the Simulation Centre in Riyadh hosted numerous successful workshops in Riyadh, including the "CRM Anesthesia Workshop," "Ultrasound-Guided Central Venous Catheter Insertion Workshop," and the "Fluid and Hemodynamic Management Workshop," providing practical, multidisciplinary training.

While at KFSHRC Jeddah Hospital, the "Very Realistic Learning" (VRL) sessions also offered immersive and interactive training experiences for a significant portion of the medical staff. Recent upgrades to the audio-visual system further enhance the learning experience by ensuring comprehensive training documentation.

Also, the iLearn Portal, an e-learning platform, enhances hospital staff's continuous learning and training experience with its wide range of courses, assessments, and resources, available anytime and anywhere. Recognized for its impact, the iLearn Portal received the "Best Learning and Development Program" award at the 2024 International Business Excellence Awards (IBXA).

KFSHRC's technology-driven approach fosters a culture of continuous learning, ensuring healthcare professionals are exceptionally prepared to provide high-quality patient care, contributing significantly to advancing the global healthcare ecosystem.

It is noteworthy that King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre has been ranked first in the Middle East and North Africa and 20th globally in the list of the world's top 250 Academic Medical Centers for the second consecutive year and recognized as the most valuable healthcare brand in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East, according to the 2024 Brand Finance rankings. Additionally, in the same year, Newsweek magazine ranked it among the world's best 250 hospitals.

Media Contact:

Essam AlZahrani

+966 55 525 4429

mediacoverage@kfshrc.edu.sa

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at:

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/0843687a-f778-4082-9709-12912cd62eab
The filmmaker has reportedly rejected Mitras charge and said he was the real victim in the case read more

A Bengali actor has levelled accusation of misbehaviour against eminent Malayalam film director and chairman of the state-run Kerala Chalachitra Academy, Ranjith, spelling fresh trouble for the Pinarayi Vijayan government which is facing opposition heat on its alleged inaction over the Justice Hema Committee report.

The report had revealed instances of harassment and exploitation of women in the Malayalam cinema industry, prompting calls for action against the guilty.

The filmmaker has reportedly rejected Mitras charge and said he was the real victim in the case.

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Key LDF constituent CPI was among those seeking a probe into the allegation of Bengali actor Sreelekha Mitra, who has recalled a years-old incident in the backdrop of the ripples being created by the Justice Hema Committee findings.

The person concerned (Ranjith) is a big name in Malayalam film industry and a national award winning director. I went to his residence to discuss an upcoming film project and I did not like his behaviour. He made certain advances subtly and I felt uncomfortable while we were discussing the script, Mitra told PTI in Kolkata.

He did this without her consent and she her made her disapproval very clear.

I immediately communicated my decision not to be part of the project any more, left the place and came back to Kolkata the next day, she added.

I dont know if he has treated other female actors in the film industry in the same way. It is upto them to open up or not if they had faced similar situation. May be his power and influence played a role for others to not to speak out, she added.

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Mitra said she did not have any such experience in the Bengali cinema industry, but that there could be similar situations for other female actors as well with regard to someone. Such women should muster the courage and speak out without any fear.

The incident in Kerala was years backbut it is heartening that women are speaking out with greater vigour and conviction against any form of misconduct now, taking out rallies, and I am looking forward to the day when number of any instance of gender abuse, misconduct will go down and women will not have such harrowing tales any more, Mitra added.

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In Kerala, many demanded Ranjith stepped down as the Chairman of the film academy. Several people including well-known filmmaker Dr Biju came out against Ranjith.

While opposition Congress said it expects Ranjith would step down as film academy chairman, BJP said he has no moral right to continue.

CPI national leader Annie Raja urged the government to carry out a probe based on Mitras allegations and wanted to keep Ranjith away from the position during investigation.

Kerala Cultural Affairs Minister Saji Cheriyan assured the government would not protect anyone who had committed a wrong.

If the allegations against Ranjith were proved, action would surely be taken against him, he said in a Facebook post on Saturday.

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He told the media earlier Ranjith is one of countrys eminent filmmakers and that he had already responded to the actors allegation.

The allegation raised by the actress and the reply given by Ranjith are in front of us. If she has a complaint, let her come here and lodge a complaint. Then we will take action in accordance with the law, he said.

No case can be registered based on just allegations and such cases wont stand, Cheriyan added.

He underlined the governments support for women who face harassment at their workplaces and said stringent action would be taken against wrongdoers.

Health Minister Veena George said all facilities and support would be provided to the actress to lodge a complaint against the director.

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If she wishes to go ahead with the complaint, the government will provide all facilities for the same. The governments stand is clear in this. The CM has already made it clear that the government wont protect wrongdoers, she said.

Higher Education Minister R Bindhu said action would be taken after understanding the facts in the issue and said she expects the government would do it, as a woman has come up with such a complaint.

Sharing similar views, Womens Commission chairperson P Sathidevi said she came to know about the allegations about the actress through the media and if it is proved correct, Ranjith should step down as academy chairman.

Opposition leader V D Satheesan also said Ranjith is an acclaimed director who has contributed several good movies in the Malayalam film industry.

As a friend and as a brother, I request him to step down as film academy chairman. I think he will step back from his current responsibility, the Congress leader told reporters BJP state chief K Surendran attacked Cheriyan and Ranjith and said both of them should quit.

Ranjith has no moral right to continue in the position. A victim herself has come up with the complaint. She raised the allegation openly.before the public society, he told a press conference in Thiruvananthapuram.

He accused Cheriyan of challenging the legal system in the country by defending Ranjith.

Annie Raja said the actress has raised the allegation and named the accused person also.

So, the government should carry out a probe into it and action should be taken based on that. When such a probe is being carried out, he should be kept away from the position of Academy chairman, she said. The legal system permits him to return to the same position if the allegations are proved wrong.
While the divorce rumours of Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai have been in the news for quite some time, a throwback story has surfaced about Jhanvi claiming to be the actors wife read more

Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai considered one of the loved couples, have garnered headlines since their separate arrival at the Radhika Merchant-Anant Ambani wedding. While their divorce rumours have been in the news for quite some time, a throwback story has surfaced where a model named Jhanvi Kapoor landed at the wedding on April 20, 2007, and claimed to be Abhisheks wife.

It was labelled as a publicity stunt and this model attempted suicide by slitting herl wrist and was then taken to a nearby hospital. Jhanvi Kapoor was soon released from custody after paying a sum of Rs 10000.

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While their divorce rumours have been in the news for quite some time, a throwback interview has surfaced on the internet, where the Ghoomer actor has spoken about the first meeting with his wife.

My dear friend Bobby Deol was shooting his first film, Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya. I was at the same location, I went to say a hi to him when he said, oh come for dinner. That was Aishwaryas first Hindi film and thats the first time I ever interacted with her, said Abhishek while talking in The Ranveer Show in 2021.

He added, Whenever she talks about it, she jokingly says, I couldnt understand a word of what you were saying. Because here I was, this kid from an international boarding school, then went to Boston. I mustve had some really heavy accent at that point. And she was like, What were you saying?

My formative years, my training in acting and in the world of cinema and stage, my boarding school days was in English, the actor revealed.

The Yuva star recently grabbed the headlines when he liked a post on Instagram about divorce. Shared by author Heena Khandelwal, it featured an image of broken hearts and written, When love stops being easy. Couples who have been married are now parting ways. What has prompted their decision and why are grey divorces on the rise?
One of the worlds largest sailing superyachts sank in high winds off Sicily on Monday, causing the death of UK tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch and six other passengers and crew. Heres all this and more in our weekly roundup read more

Italian firefighters and scuba divers bring ashore in a green bag the body of one of the victims of the Bayesian. The sail yacht was hit by a violent sudden storm and sunk early Monday, while at anchor off the Sicilian village of Porticello near Palermo, in southern Italy. AP

After a news-heavy week, its time to sit back and enjoy.

A lot happened in the week gone by  from the Democratic National Convention in Chicago where Kamala Harris accepted the partys nomination to a superyacht, named the Bayesian, sinking off the coast of Sicily in Italy, killing seven people, including tech mogul Mike Lynch  also known as UKs Bill Gates.

The mpox outbreak and the subsequent public health emergency being declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) also continues to make headlines around the world, with many wondering if the world has enough vaccines to fight the virus.

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The Bangladesh political turmoil also persists. After her ouster, the Muhammad Yunus led government has also cancelled former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasinas diplomatic passport.

And circling back to the US, theres been uproar and outrage over the super commute that Starbucks new CEO, Brian Niccol, will undertake once he takes charge of the coffee giant.

All this and more in our weekly wrap from around the world.

1) In the early hours of Monday, one of the worlds largest and most luxurious sailing superyacht, the 56-metre Bayesian, sank off the coast of Sicily, Italy. The sinking of the ship, which was owned by UK tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch, has led to the death of seven people, while another 15 escaped. As divers carried out rescue operations, several theories and some conspiracies emerged about the tragedy. But what actually caused the superyacht to sink? Read our explainer to know more.

2) This week also saw the Democratic National Convention being held in Chicago. Held from August 19 to 22, several Democratic leaders and celebrities came out to rally support for its candidate in the US presidential elections, Kamala Harris. Of the many who appeared on the DNC stage, the Obamas were the most anticipated, and they didnt disappoint. On the last day of the event, the US vice president took the podium and gave a message of optimism and hope. She also leaned on the memory of Dr Shyamala Gopalan in her speech. But who is this woman? We explain.

Democratic presidential nominee and US Vice President Kamala Harris celebrates with her husband Doug Emhoff, following her acceptance speech on Day 4 of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago, Illinois. In her speech, she spoke of her mother, Dr Shyamala Gopalan. Reuters

3) Its been over two weeks since Sheikh Hasina resigned from the post of prime minister in Bangladesh and fled the country. A new interim government, led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. And on Thursday (August 22), the interim government announced that it had revoked the diplomatic passport granted to Sheikh Hasina and other members of her Cabinet. Why is this significant? We have the answer here.

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4) The US presidential elections are not far and both candidates  Donald Trump and Kamala Harris  are locked in. Amid their presidential campaign, Trump, last Sunday, put up on social media several images of pop icon Taylor Swift and her fans, implying that she had endorsed him. However, it later turned out that they were AI-generated images. Swifties, as they are known, quickly pointed out that the Republican candidate could be sued by the pop queen. But is that true? What does the law say?

A person holds doses of Bavarian Nordics Imvanex vaccine, used to protect against mpox virus, at the Edison municipal vaccination centre in Paris, France. File image/Reuters

5) This week also saw several countries outside of Africa reporting mpox cases. As the cases continue to rise, many have asked if there are enough vaccines against the virus. To that, Danish biotech firm Bavarian Nordic has responded with a yes. Interestingly, the mpox outbreak is also helping the Danish firm to boost its earnings. How, you ask? Read our report to find out.

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6) How long is too long a work commute? Ask Brian Niccol, the new CEO of Starbucks, who will start next month. When the 50-year-old takes the rein of the coffee giant, he will be expected to make a 1,600 km-long commute  from his home in Newport Beach, California to Starbucks Seattle headquarters at least thrice a week. But dont sweat it. He wont have too tough a time making this travel, as he will be provided the company jet. Talk about a carbon footprint. Read here to find out more about Niccols deal with the company and the reactions its evoked.

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And with this, you are all covered for the week. If you like what we do and want to read more, bookmark this page.
Alyssa Ramos was holidaying in Madagascar when tragedy struck unexpectedly. Now she has a message for other travellers.

Alyssa Ramos enjoys travelling the world on her own but says there's one important thing to remember. Source: Jam Press

A solo traveller has issued an important reminder for people travelling overseas after she experienced unexpected "excruciating pain" which left her with no choice but to take herself to hospital where she remained for a few days.

Alyssa Ramos, a travel influencer from the US with a passion for globetrotting, was on a recent trip to Madagascar when things took a terrifying turn. "I assumed I had food poisoning, but after four days, I knew I had to see someone," she said.

The 36-year-old began experiencing "excruciating stabbing pains" in her stomach. Worried she was "going to be found dead on the toilet," she eventually took herself to hospital.

"It was so bad I had to cancel all tours and plans and was starting to think it might be appendicitis or a gallstone. I was sleeping on and off when the pain would stop, until finally I went to the hospital," she explained.

"I felt uncomfortable because most people seemed to be looking at me, but its likely because I was sweaty and looked disoriented".

Upon seeing a doctor, she was informed she had "a stomach bacterial infection, probably from something I ate" and required a drip with fluids.

Excruciating stabbing pain landed Alyssa Ramos in a hospital in Madagascar during her recent trip. Source: Jam Press

"I was texting to keep me calm because I hate the idea of needles in my veins, and the nurse missed getting it into one in my hand," she said describing the hospital as "outdated".

"I asked her to please try my forearm, which she did and it was fine. I also had to call for nurses when I noticed the IV bag was empty both times."

After two days of rest and recovery, Alyssa was told she could go home with antibiotics.

Importance of insurance while travelling overseas

Thankfully, Alyssa had nomad travel insurance which covers all medical costs if something serious happens while overseas. Reminding others who might not be considering insurance while travelling abroad she said, "get travel insurance" as you'll never know when you'll need it.

"Whether its through a credit card or a separate company, get it, especially if youre planning to do something adventurous," she said. Plus, always travel with a credit card  if you have one.

"Even if its just for emergency purposes. You dont know how much something will cost and you dont want to be denied treatment  plus credit card charges are easier to refund if you use insurance," she explained.

This is probably a no-brainer, but take photos of every receipt and document and keep the originals until your insurance clears.

And to any travellers needing to seek medical care abroad, she said: "Remember doctors and nurses exist to help you, and again your health is more valuable than your wealth."

Jam Press

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The circumstances under which the ouster of Sheikh Hasina has happened in our neighbouring country are not only a dark chapter in the history of Bangladesh but are also bad news for the whole of the Indian subcontinent. Bangladesh, run by the Awami League under the leadership of Sheikh Hasina, used to be a friendly neighboura nation India could geopolitically rely on in matters of national security and cross-border diplomacy.

Under her leadership, Bangladesh also used to be a relatively safer place for its minorities, specifically Hindu minorities, that were always under threat from radical Islamist organisations such as Jamaat-e-Islami. The political landscape of Bangladesh has abruptly changed almost overnight; it has become a harbinger of death and destruction for its minorities and a forerunner of geopolitical trouble for Indian diplomacy.

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Superficially, the story started with student protests demanding a rollback of a job quota given to the family members of war veterans, but within no time, the protests evolved into an anti-state march, and before you knew it, the government fell. One has to be bafflingly ignorant to buy the story of job quotas and student protests for two broad reasons: One, Bangladeshs top court had already rolled back most of the controversial job quotas by July 20, a full 15 days before the Sheikh Hasina ouster. Second, why would a student protest categorically be hostile to the countrys non-Muslim minorities? Soon enough, the cat was out of the bag. Rolling back the controversial job quotas did nothing to quell the protests; if anything, they were further intensified.

Ousted former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina later revealed that she could have remained in power had she surrendered the sovereignty over Saint Martin Island in the Bay of Bengal to the United States. This was perhaps the most important revelation that came after Sheikh Hasina landed in India as a refugee former Prime Minister. However, the US maintaining its military bases around the world, specifically in geopolitically sensitive areas, is not news for anybody, nor is it surprising that it destabilised a whole nation and its polity to achieve those aims. In fact, one can confidently bet that any nation in the world undergoing anarchy and turmoil in the name of democratic protests has the US to thank for it in some way or form.

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The realities and historical memories of India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh make this development much more sinister and concerning. After a painful and bloodied partition of India on communal lines, tensions had already started simmering between East and West Pakistan. The reasons included deep-seated cultural, linguistic, and ethnic differences between the two regions. East Pakistan, predominantly Bengali-speaking, had a distinct cultural identity that clashed with the Urdu-speaking, Punjabi-dominated leadership of West Pakistan. Economic disparities further exacerbated these tensions, as East Pakistan, despite being more populous and economically significant due to its jute exports, received far less government investment and development aid.

The centralisation of political power in West Pakistan, coupled with the marginalisation of East Pakistani voices, led to widespread feelings of alienation and resentment. These tensions were further inflamed by the central governments refusal to recognise Bengali as an official language and by the harsh repression of any attempts by East Pakistan to assert its autonomy or demand fair representation. All these factors created a growing sense of injustice and fuelled the desire for independence in East Pakistan.

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Indias role in helping Bangladesh attain its independence was not just an act of geopolitical strategy but a moral imperative in the face of unspeakable atrocities committed by the Pakistani military. The Pakistani army, in a ruthless bid to suppress the Bengali independence movement, unleashed a campaign of terror that can only be described as genocidal.

Between March and December 1971, approximately 300,000 to 3,000,000 Bengali civilians were brutally slaughtered, a bloodbath that stained the soul of the subcontinent. Women were not spared either; an estimated 200,000 to 400,000 Bengali women were subjected to horrific acts of sexual violence, used as instruments of war by a barbaric regime desperate to cling to power. Entire villages were razed to the ground, and millions were forced to flee, creating one of the largest refugee crises of the 20th century.

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Faced with these atrocities, India could not stand idly by. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, India provided crucial military, diplomatic, and humanitarian support to the Bengali liberation forces, known as the Mukti Bahini. Indian armed forces launched a decisive intervention in December 1971, culminating in the rapid defeat of the Pakistani military and the birth of Bangladesh. The intervention was not just a strategic victory for India; it was a liberation of a people who had been subjected to unimaginable cruelty and oppression. Indias involvement ensured that the Pakistani armys campaign of terror was brought to an end and that a new nation could emerge from the ashes of genocide.

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Fast forward to 2024, and it is both mind-bogglingly tragic and ironic that a significant portion of the same Bengali population, who were once literally rescued from the brutal, repressive clutches of the Pakistani Army by India, is now being manipulated by the very forces that once sought their annihilation. Orchestrated by the Pakistani Army and ISI, this segment is now pursuing an alarming anti-India agenda, betraying the legacy of their own hard-won independence and the sacrifices made to secure it.

Vandals smashed the statue of the surrender of Pakistani forces to Indian soldiers to bits; the Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre, which promoted cultural exchange between India and Bangladesh, was damaged in the violence. and the statue of Sheikh Mujibur Rehman, the Father of the Nation in Bangladesh, was also desecrated and brought down.

The ouster of Sheikh Hasina also unleashed a wave of terror on the Hindu minorities in Bangladesh, plunging them into a nightmare of violence and persecution. In the aftermath of Hasinas resignation, Islamist extremists, emboldened by the political chaos, have carried out systematic attacks against the Hindu community. In just a matter of days, over 200 attacks were reported across 52 districts, leaving Hindu homes, businesses, and temples in ruins. The violence has been marked by arson, looting, and even the murder of community leaders, with the death toll rising alarmingly. This eruption of violence is not just an attack on a religious minority; it is an assault on the very principles that Bangladesh once prided itself on.

Bangladeshs interim leader, Muhammad Yunus, condemned attacks on minority communities in the violence-hit nation, terming them heinous, and urged the youth to protect all Hindu, Christian, and Buddhist families from harm.

However, with the possibility of ISI and Jamaat-e-Islami effectively steering the government in Bangladesh, India faces an ominous reality: managing not just one hostile neighbour in the form of Pakistan but another emerging on its eastern flank. The security implications are dire. A Bangladesh aligned with Pakistan on its northeastern border could open up a new front of instability, potentially enabling cross-border terrorism, illegal arms trafficking, and the infiltration of radical elements into Indias sensitive northeastern states.

The strategic Siliguri Corridor, often referred to as the Chickens Neck, which connects mainland India to its northeastern territories, could become increasingly vulnerable. This scenario would force us to divide our military and intelligence resources, stretching them thin at a time when the security apparatus is already burdened by challenges on the western front.

India must tread cautiously, fortifying its borders and reinforcing diplomatic channels, while preparing for a long-term strategic contest with an emboldened, Pakistan-backed government in Dhaka. The stakes have never been higher, and complacency is simply not an option.

The writer takes special interest in history, culture and geopolitics. The views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstposts views.
The recently signed military logistics and communication enabling agreements have supported interoperability between the two democracies partnering in the Indo-Pacific region read more

Before Defence Minister Rajnath Singh began interactions with his American counterpart, Lloyd Austin, in Washington on Friday, the senior defence officers of the two countries concluded the Security of Supplies Arrangement (SOSA) agreement. SOSA is a key enabling pact, which would allow closer defence industry cooperation between the US and India. The next step will be the signing of the Reciprocal Defence Procurement Agreement (RDP), which will be legally binding. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has also been signed regarding the assignment of liaison officers to each others select defence formations to seek to bolster defence ties between the two countries.

The end of the Cold War and growing US interest in taking on China in the Indo-Pacific brought the US closer to India. Since the turn of the century, there has been increased activity in security fields with many military, industrial, logistics, and communication-related agreements. As India and the US further their geostrategic interests, there is a congruence of views and visions. The militaries are exercising more regularly and needed logistics agreements. India needs some high-end technology to further Atmanirbharta in defence production. The US needed assurance about security of communications and end-use of equipment and technologies. The military-industrial complexes of both countries wanted to engage more and without sensitivities and hindrances. And therefore the continued need for agreements.

Logistics and Communication Agreements

In 2002, the two countries signed the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) to facilitate sharing military intelligence between India and the US. The Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) was signed in 2016, which allowed the two countries to use each others military bases to carry out repairs and for resupplying during exercises and transit of ships and aircraft.

Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA), signed in 2018, allowed to share and secure communications exchange between the two during training exercises and operations. The agreement allowed India to procure and transfer specialised equipment for encrypted communications for US-origin military platforms like the C-17, C-130, and P-8Is, thus improving operational efficiency.

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And in 2020, the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA) was signed. The BECA focuses on providing American geospatial intelligence to India. Geospatial intelligence is the intelligence on human activity that is gathered by closely examining satellite images and other allied information. This agreement was signed in the backdrop of deteriorating US-China relations and the India-China border clash in the Galwan Valley. Using these accurate maps and satellite images, India can enhance its topographical and aeronautical data, which will aid in guarding its borders more effectively.

Security of Supplies Arrangement (SOSA)

In recent years, the US has emerged as the biggest defence importer of India-made subsystems, which has contributed significantly to the big jump in Indias defence exports. SOSA is not a legally binding agreement, but it would give US companies more freedom and allow them to widen their base in India by manufacturing and sourcing from within the country.

America and India have now agreed to provide reciprocal priority support for goods and services that promote national defence.

The US has signed SOSA with 18 other nations, including a few non-allies and non-NATO countries. These, alphabetically, are Australia, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.

SOSA will allow the US to request priority delivery for its contracts, subcontracts, or orders from companies in India. Similarly, it also permits signatory nations to request priority delivery for their contracts and orders from American firms. The arrangement will enable both countries to acquire the industrial resources they need from one another to resolve unanticipated supply chain disruptions to meet national security needs.

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The US will provide India assurances under the US Defence Priorities and Allocations System (DPAS), which will be supported by the Department of Defence (DoD) and rating authorisation by the Department of Commerce (DOC).

In turn, India will establish a government-industry understanding, wherein Indian firms will voluntarily make reasonable efforts to provide US priority support. There will be no legal bindings, but both sides will work to build goodwill. The SOSA provides reciprocal priority support for goods and services that promote national defence. The SOSA encourages the defence industrial ecosystems of both countries to work together and enhances the supply chain resilience. SOSA will also support commonality and strengthen interoperability.

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The arrangement will be institutionalised, furthered, and supervised by specially designated and created working groups. These groups will also proactively iron out hindrances to supply chains in peacetime, emergencies, and armed conflict.

The SOSA represents an important moment in the US-India major defence partner relationship and will be a key factor in strengthening the Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI) between the two countries.

Reciprocal Defence Procurement (RDP) Agreement

The next logical step after the SOSA is to make it binding on companies to prioritise the selection of the other, eventually opening up joint production and sourcing on a larger scale. It will also pave the way for standardisation, interchangeability, and, in turn, interoperability of conventional defence equipment. The US has signed RDP agreements with 28 countries.

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Such an agreement would provide a framework for interaction regarding market access and procurement matters. The agreement will also allow American companies to bypass the Buy American Statute and more easily allow them to set up manufacturing bases in India.

Liaison Officers MOU

Based on an earlier joint decision, India had deployed three colonel-level officers, one each at the Hawaii-headquartered Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM), the Special Operations Command (SOCOM/USSOCOM) in Florida, and the US-led multinational maritime force, called the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), in Bahrain early this year.

The above arrangements are over and above the increased number of defence attaches, keeping in view Indias overall global stature and defence and security profile. One of the tasks being given to defence wings in Indian embassies abroad is promoting defence exports.

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Other Ministerial Discussions

Rajnath Singh, during his meeting with Austin, also highlighted the various co-development and co-production opportunities in India in areas identified in the India-US Defence Industrial Cooperation Roadmap, adopted last year. Both leaders held wide-ranging discussions on bilateral defence cooperation, industrial collaboration, regional security, and other international issues.

They also appreciated the progress made in operationalising the Indo-Pacific Maritime Domain Awareness, a Quad initiative, and praised the ongoing efforts by India to enhance the Maritime Domain Awareness for the partners in the Indian Ocean Region.

Singh and Austin welcomed the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement between India and the US regarding the deployment of liaison officers.

US-India Strategic Congruence and Quad Connection

The USs interests to contain competitor and possible rival China brought India into the US Indo-Pacific strategy. India, a long-term friend of now-weakened Russia, needed US cooperation on global security matters: support for inclusion of India in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC); greater role in the World Bank and IMF; and admission into multilateral export control regimes like Nuclear Suppliers Group, MTCR, Wassenaar Arrangement, and Australia Group. Post-2000, the US became more open to selling high end military equipment to India.

India is an important member of Quad now. All four partners have regular summit level and 2+2 minister level meetings. There are military logistics agreements between all, and they all take part in regular military exercises. The US has been supplying military equipment.

The US Military Aircraft in India

Among the increasing cooperation in defence, aviation has seen the fastest results. IAF first ordered the Lockheed C-130J-30 Super Hercules aircraft in early 2008 for special operations under the US governments Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program. The Indian Navy received the Boeing P-8I Poseidon for maritime surveillance, Electronic Intelligence (ELINT), anti-submarine warfare (ASW) roles. In 2009, the IAF inducted three specially equipped Boeing 737 Business Jets (BBJ) for VVIP duties. Boeing C-17 Globemaster III strategic airlift military transport aircraft were inducted next. Two custom-made B-777 have also been procured to replace the older Air India B-747 jumbo jets for VVIP duties. Boeing Apache Longbow AH-64E attack helicopters and Boeing CH-47 D/F Chinook heavy-lift helicopters formed the rotary-wing purchases. In June 2017, the US State Department approved the sale of General Atomics MQ-9 Guardian/Predator-B long-range unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) drones to India. Two had been on lease with the Indian Navy since 2020. The case for procuring 31 of these is under final negotiations. 10 each for the three armed forces is under processing.

Boeing Make-in-India

Other than the civil airliners, Boeing also has a huge presence in military aircraft with the Indian Air Forces (IAF) C-17, BBJ, VVIP B-777, and Chinook and Apache helicopters, and the Indian Navys P-8I.

A public-private partnership brings together Boeing, Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL), and Mahindras global scale, manufacturing, and supply chain expertise. HAL has been the single-source producer of 757 overwing exit doors. HAL has also manufactured the 777 up-lock boxes, F/A-18 gun bay doors, F/A-18 wire harnesses, P-8I weapons bay doors, and P-8I identification friend-or-foe transponders. BEL is also on contract to provide F/A-18 flight deck cockpit panels. HAL makes gun-bay doors for the F/A-18.

Boeing has invested in engineering centres in Bengaluru and Chennai with a talented pool of over 3,000 engineers. Boeings joint venture with Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) is for aerospace and defence manufacturing in India. TASL is already manufacturing aerostructures for CH-47 Chinook and Apache helicopters, including for global customers.

Boeing is also working with many others, like Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), Dynamatic Technologies (DTL), Tata Advanced Materials Limited (TAML), TAL Manufacturing Solutions Ltd, Avantel Ltd, Cyient (formerly Infotech), among others.

Lockheed Martin Big in India

Lockheed Martin, the worlds biggest arms manufacturer, is looking for a game-changing partnership in India. They have a joint venture company with TASL where airframe components for the C-130J airlifter and the S-92 helicopter are manufactured in India in large numbers. All C-130Js delivered to customers around the world have major aerostructure components from India. TASL has been chosen to produce the F-16s in India. Meanwhile, Lockheed Martin is promoting many defence and aerospace start-ups. Lockheed Martin also provides research grants for teams from Indian universities to work with local industry partners to develop design specifications.

General Electric (GE)

GE Aviation is the worlds leading producer of large and small engines for commercial, military, business, and general aircraft. GE supplies F404IN20 engines for the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas Mk-1. The F414-INS6 engines are selected to power the Mk-2 version. These will be made in India through a technology transfer clause. GE has joined with Tata Group to make LEAP engines in India.

India Innovation Growth Program

As a part of its larger commitment, Lockheed Martin has sponsored and supported the India Innovation Growth Program (IIGP) since 2007 in partnership with the Indian Department of Science and Technology, Indo-U.S. Science and Technology Forum, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Stanford Graduate School of Business, and the IC2 Institute at the University of Texas. IIGP has supported more than 400 innovators and start-ups with in-depth technology commercialisation training and handholding support to commercialise and scale their ventures. To date, the revenue generated for the Indian entrepreneurs through this program is over $1 billion.

Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI)

The India US Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI) was signed in 2012. DTTIs main aim is to strengthen Indias defence industrial base, explore new areas of technological development, and expand Indo-US business ties. The DTTI has now matured enough where its varied activities could be translated into accomplishments. Among the ambitious projects identified are a plan to share jet engine technology, an initiative that has floundered given a strict export control regime in the US and the lack of a strong business case. Focus on start-ups is likely to enable US-based research labs to work in coordination with Indian companies for cutting-edge defence technologies. In addition, the two sides are also discussing the possibility of jointly developing systems for approved third nations to pursue export opportunities. Cooperation in the field of space technology is also of interest.

Strategic Trade Authorisation

The US has designated India as a Strategic Trade Authorisation-1 (STA-1) country that will allow it to buy highly advanced and cutting-edge sensitive technologies from America. This coveted status brings India on par with the US closest allies and partners, such as NATO, Japan, South Korea, and Australia. With this, there is an ease in restrictions for high-technology product sales to India, and India will receive license-free access to a wide range of dual-use technologies in conjunction with steps that India has committed to take to advance its export control objectives. It will benefit US manufacturers while continuing to protect its national security. Bilateral defence trade, which was essentially zero in 2008, had reached $22 billion by the end of 2022.

US-India Business Council (USIBC)

The US-India Business Council (USIBC) was formed in 1975 as a business advocacy organisation to enlighten and encourage the private sectors of both India and the US to enhance investment flows. The organisation serves as a direct link between business and government leaders, resulting in increased trade and investment to strengthen ties between the two nations. Aerospace and defence are major areas today.

Defence Policy Group (DPG)

The India-US Defence Policy Group (DPG) in Washington is the top official-level meeting mechanism between India and the US on defence issues, which comprehensively reviews and guides all aspects of bilateral cooperation between the two countries. The meetings take stock of the progress made in various fields of defence cooperation, including defence trade, technology, procurement, industry, R&D, and mil-to-mil engagement. There are various working groups.

Way Ahead

India is already a leader of the Global South. It is fast becoming the most sought-after country. India maintains excellent relations with Russia, Europe, and the US. PM Narendra Modi has recently had very successful visits to Russia, Poland, and Ukraine. Indias relations with the US are also special because the two are the largest and oldest democracies. With increasing security action in the Indo-Pacific, defence cooperation has been on the increase.

The recently signed military logistics and communication enabling agreements have supported interoperability. The SOSA and RDP will ease military-industrial cooperation. India and the US are both taking slow but firm-footed steps as they come closer as global security partners. Yet India gets to retain its strategic autonomy.

The writer is former Director General, Centre for Air Power Studies. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstposts views.
The Russian-born tech mogul lives in Dubai, where the messaging app is based and holds the dual citizenship of both France and the United Arab Emirates read more

Co-founder and the Chief Executive of the Telegram app Pavel Durov was arrested at the Bourget airport outside Paris on Saturday evening. According to the TF1 report, the co-founder of the messaging app was about to board his private jet when the arrest was made with an arrest warrant.

As per the reports, the 39-year-old billionaire was travelling from Azerbaijan and was arrested around 8 pm (local time). The Russian-born tech mogul lives in Dubai, where the messaging app is based and holds the dual citizenship of both France and the United Arab Emirates.

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Russian embassy look into the matter

As per an estimation by Forbes, the Russian entrepreneur has a fortune of a whopping $15.5 billion. Durov left Russia back in 2014 after he refused to comply with the Russian governments demands to shut down opposition communities on his VK social media platform. However, the billionaire eventually sold the platform.

Telegram has yet to respond on the matter. Meanwhile, the Russian embassy in France is taking immediate steps to get clarity on the situation. According to Russian news outlet Tass, the countrys embassy has received no appeals from Durovs team, but it is proactively taking immediate steps.

Durov and his brother Nikolai founded the famous messaging app back in 2013. Over the years, Telegram has acquired over 900 million active users. It emerged as an alternative to Metas Whatsapp and provides end-to-end encrypted messaging. Users can also set up channels to disseminate information quickly to followers.

Interestingly, Telegram was banned in Russia, back in 2018 after Durov refused to hand over user data to the government. However, the ban was reversed in 2021.

Why was he arrested?

According to TF1, Durov was reportedly arrested due to Telegrams lack of moderation, cooperation with law enforcement and the tools the app offers. As per the reports, the French authorities believe that the apps access to malicious elements makes it an accomplice in drug trafficking, pedo criminal offences and fraud.

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It is important to note that the arrest warrant under which the billionaire was arrested was only valid if he entered the national territory. He made a blunder this evening. We dont know why Was this flight just a stopover? In any case, hes in custody!, a source close to the investigation told TF1. The French news outlets stated that Durov was aware of the looming arrest warrant.

The co-founder will now be presented to an investigating judge before a possible indictment over a multitude of offences: terrorism, narcotics, complicity, fraud, money laundering, receiving stolen goods, pedo criminal content, etc. According to TF1, the indictment can take place by Sunday.

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Pavel Durov will end up in pretrial detention, thats for sure, one of the commentators told the French news outlet. On his platform, he allowed an incalculable number of offences and crimes to be committed, for which he did nothing to moderate or cooperate, he added.

With inputs from agencies.
Ambrogio Cartosio, the head of the prosecutors office in Termini Imerese, said in a press conference that his office has opened an initial investigation into manslaughter and negligent shipwreck 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

Days after seven people died in the sinking of the superyacht Bayesian off the coast of Sicily, Italian prosecutors suggested that the whole debacle could be a human error. The British yacht was carrying 22 passengers when it sank off the coast of Sicily on Monday. The ship sank after it was struck by a powerful type of wind called a downburst.

Seven people who died in the incident also included British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah. 15 others including Lynchs wife survived the incident along with the yachts captain.

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On Saturday, Ambrogio Cartosio, the head of the prosecutors office in Termini Imerese, said in a press conference that his office has opened an initial investigation into manslaughter and negligent shipwreck.

This tragedy would be even more heart-wrenching if our investigations were to prove that the sinking of the vessel was caused by actions not in accordance with the maritime code, Cartosio said. in a press briefing.

We are only in the initial phase of the investigations  At this stage, precisely because the investigation could develop in any way, we are absolutely not ruling anything out, he furthered, making it clear that the investigation is not aimed at any single person.

The sleepy Italian port came to the centre of world news in just 16 minutes. So what happened within those 16 minutes? Lets take a closer look.

The 16-minute window

Lynch was hosting a party with his friend on his luxury boat. In June, he was acquitted after a lengthy trial in the US on charges that he had fraudulently inflated the value of his company, Autonomy, before selling it to Hewlett Packard in 2011.

Among the notable people who died were Chairman of Morgan Stanley international Jonathan Bloomer, and his wife Judy; Mr Lynchs lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda. Much of the focus for the investigators is now to understand what happened in the 16 minutes before the ship sank.

The authorities are investigating the conduct of the captain, 51-year-old James Cutfield from New Zealand who survived along with his eight crew members. We didnt see it coming, he told Italian media while referring to the storm. This is his only public comment so far.

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However, the head of the company that built the Bayesian, Giovanni Costantino, cast doubt over the proclamation. He told BBC that he is certain about a litany of errors on board. At the back of the boat, a hatch must have been left open, he said, but also perhaps a side entrance for water to have poured inside."

Before the storm, the captain should have closed every opening, lifted anchor, turned on the engine, pointed into the wind and lowered the keel. That would have stabilised the vessel, they would have been able to traverse the storm and continue their cruise in comfort, he added.

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Instead of this, while looking for wreckage, the rescuers found the keel raised, 50 meters in the water. The Bayesian was a model for many other vessels because of its stability and exceptionally high performance, Costantino said. There was absolutely no problem with it. If water hadnt surged in, it was unsinkable," he exclaimed.

16 minutes are crucial because this was the time between the yachts lost power and the GPS signal being lost, indicating the moment it sank, BBC reported. Now the investigators will try to find what happened in that period along with any measures taken to mitigate the extreme weather.

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Who was on the watch overnight?

Rino Casilli, one of Sicilys top ship surveyors, questioned why no one realised that a storm was brewing. There should have been two members of the crew taking turns to be on watch overnight, given the storm warning, he told BBC. And it should have been moored in the harbour, not out at sea," he added. It is still not clear exactly how many people were on watch duty.

While the five bodies were found on the first day, access for the emergency teams was extremely difficult since the yacht remained largely intact with its furniture obstructing entry. The coastguard compared it to an 18-storey building full of water.

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While the wreckage is extremely important for the investigation, bringing Bayesian to the surface could take six to eight weeks and cost 15 million euros by some estimates, BBC reported. Hence, while the divers painstaking work to recover the dead has ended, the investigators hunt for answers has commenced.

With inputs from agencies.
Pakistans President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in separate statements offered their condolences and expressed sorrow over the two accidents read more

The wreckage of a bus is seen after falling into a ravine, near Kahuta, Pakistan. AP

Two separate bus accidents hours apart in Pakistan on Sunday left at least 35 people dead and dozens more injured, officials said.

The first happened when a bus carrying Shiite Muslim pilgrims returning from Iraq through Iran fell from a highway into a ravine in southwest Pakistan, killing at least 12 people and injuring 32 others, police and officials said. The driver lost control on the Makran coastal highway when the brakes failed while passing through Lasbela district in Baluchistan province, local police chief Qazi Sabir said.

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Authorities in Baluchistan said arrangements were being made to send the bodies of slain pilgrims to Punjab province for burial. Maryam Nawaz, the chief minister in Punjab, also expressed her condolences over the accident.

Hours later, 23 people were killed when a bus fell into a ravine in Kahuta district in the eastern Punjab province, police and officials said, including two women and a child. At least seven others were injured.

The bus was heading to the Pakistan-administrated disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir  claimed in its entirety by both India and Pakistan  when it fell from the Panna bridge in the Kahuta district, said Sardar Waheed, a senior government official, adding that heavy machinery was needed to lift the wreckage and ensure no one was trapped underneath.

Pakistans President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in separate statements offered their condolences and expressed sorrow over the two accidents. They asked authorities to ensure the provision of the best medical treatment for the injured pilgrims.

The accidents on Sunday occurred days after 28 Pakistani pilgrims were killed in a bus crash in neighboring Iran while heading to Iraq. A Pakistani military plane flew the bodies of the victims home on Saturday to be buried in the southern Sindh province.

Thousands of Shiites travel to Iraqs holy city of Karbala to commemorate Arbaeen  Arabic for the number 40  to mark the death of Prophet Muhammads grandson, Hussein, who became a symbol of resistance during the tumultuous first century of Islams history.

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Bus accidents are common in Pakistan, mostly because of the negligence of the drivers who often violate traffic rules.
The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan has voiced strong concern over the Talibans new morality law, which imposes extensive restrictions on behavior and lifestyle, particularly targeting women. The law, which formalises previously informal restrictions, includes severe measures for non-compliance and reinforces gender-based limitations, drawing criticism from the international community read more

The Taliban recently ratified a new morality law in Afghanistan that introduces strict regulations on behavior and lifestyle. This law, which codifies many existing restrictions, has sparked significant concern due to its impact on daily life, particularly for women.

Here are key points to understand about this new legislation:

1. The law contains 35 articles that outline detailed behavior and lifestyle restrictions based on the Talibans interpretation of Islamic law.

2. Violations of the law can result in verbal warnings, threats, fines, and varying lengths of detention. These penalties are enforced by the morality police, a group tasked with monitoring compliance.

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3. The law imposes severe restrictions on women, including mandatory coverage of their faces and bodies when outside and prohibitions on their voices being heard publicly. This is part of a broader pattern of limiting womens public roles and freedoms.

4. The law includes specific rules such as penalizing individuals for being late to prayers, interacting with non-family members of the opposite sex, or possessing personal photos.

5. The law restricts media content, banning anything that opposes Sharia law or depicts living beings. This limits press freedom and religious expression.

6. Some provisions in the law address the mistreatment of orphans and the practice of bacha bazi, where boys are exploited and dressed as girls. These measures aim to protect vulnerable children.

7. While many restrictions have been informally enforced since the Talibans return to power, the formal codification of these rules may lead to even stricter enforcement.

UNs Criticism

The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has expressed deep concern about the new morality law, particularly regarding its impact on women.

Roza Otunbayeva, head of UNAMA, described the law as a distressing vision for Afghanistans future. She criticised the broad and vague nature of the restrictions and the discretionary powers given to morality inspectors, which could lead to arbitrary enforcement and further abuse.

The UNs criticism highlights the severe limitations on womens rights and freedoms imposed by the law, calling for better treatment of the Afghan people amidst ongoing humanitarian crises.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has declared a 48-hour nationwide state of emergency following pre-emptive strikes against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon. This comes as Hezbollah retaliated with over 320 rockets, intensifying fears of a broader regional conflict read more

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has declared a 48-hour nationwide state of emergency starting at 6:00 am local time (03:00 GMT) following pre-emptive strikes launched by the Israeli military against targets in Lebanon. This emergency measure aims to enable the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) to issue directives to citizens, including restrictions on gatherings and closures of certain sites.

Gallant cited a high probability of attacks against civilian areas, stating, I am convinced that there is a high probability of an attack against the civilian population in areas of the country where the declaration of a special situation did not apply. He emphasized that the special situation would apply nationwide for the next 48 hours.

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The defense ministry confirmed that Gallant briefed US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on the situation. Gallant explained, We have conducted precise strikes in Lebanon to thwart an imminent threat against the citizens of Israel, and stressed that Israel is committed to defending its citizens while avoiding further regional escalation.

Hezbollah, earlier, reported launching more than 320 rockets at Israel overnight, targeting military positions. The group claimed that their strikes successfully targeted Israeli bases and barracks, to enable the passage of attack drones into deeper Israeli territory.

In response, the Pentagon stated that the US is postured to support Israels defense and is closely monitoring the situation. A Pentagon spokesman affirmed, We continue to support Israels right to defend itself, and highlighted ongoing communication between senior U.S. and Israeli officials.

The U.S. National Security Council also reaffirmed its support for Israel, stating, We will keep supporting Israels right to defend itself, and we will keep working for regional stability, as directed by President Joe Biden.

The West Asia had been on edge for weeks after the group and its patron Iran vowed to respond to the Beirut strike, and to the assassination in Tehran of Hezbollah ally Hamass political leader hours later.

In a statement released shortly before 5:00 am (0200 GMT), the Israeli military said its jets were striking targets in Lebanon that posed an imminent threat to Israelis.

From right next to the homes of Lebanese civilians in the south of Lebanon, we can see that Hezbollah is preparing to launch an extensive attack on Israel, while endangering the Lebanese civilians, military spokesman Daniel Hagari said in a video statement released at the same time.

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He urged civilians to move out of harms way.

Hezbollahs ongoing aggression risks dragging the people of Lebanon, the people of Israel, and the whole region into a wider escalation, Hagari said.

In a message addressed to the residents of southern Lebanon early Sunday morning, the Israeli military said: We are monitoring Hezbollahs preparations to carry out large-scale attacks on Israeli territory near your homes. You are in danger. We are attacking and eliminating Hezbollah threats.

Anyone who is near areas where Hezbollah operates should leave immediately to protect themselves and their families, the message posted on Telegram said.

Hezbollah said in a statement that it had launched more than 320 Katyusha rockets towards Israel as part of its initial response to top commanders Fuad Shukrs killing last month.

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The group began an air attack with a large number of drones targeting Israeli territory, the statement said, while fighters had also targeted a number of enemy positions and barracks and Iron Dome platforms with a large number of rockets.

The military operations will take some time to complete, it said.

Prime Minister Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was set to hold a security cabinet meeting at 0400 GMT, his office said.

- Obliged to respond -

Israel and Hezbollah have traded near-daily cross-border fire since the outbreak of the war in Gaza, triggered by Hamass unprecedented October 7 attack on southern Israel last year.

Fears that the deadly exchanges could escalate into a full-scale conflict in Lebanon have only grown since Hezbollahs chief said his group was obliged to respond to Israel whatever the consequences after the Beirut strike last month that killed its military commander Fuad Shukr.

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Hezbollah will retaliate alone or in the context of a unified response from all the axis of Iran-backed groups in the region, he added.

Shukrs killing, and that of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Beirut hours later  prompting fury from Hamas backer Iran as well as Hezbollah  only served to ratchet up concerns that Israels war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip could spiral into a broader regional conflict.

Hamass October 7 attack on southern Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,199 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.

Israels retaliatory military campaign has killed 40,334 Palestinians in Gaza, according to Gazas health ministry, which does not give details of civilian and militant deaths.

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With inputs from AFP
Cases have been filed against many officials or ministers of the ousted Hasina-led government after she resigned and fled to India on August 5 following massive protests against the quota reform system in Bangladesh. read more

At least four more murder cases have been filed against Bangladeshs deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina, her former cabinet ministers and aides, media reports said on Sunday.

Earlier today, Bangladeshs former textile and jute minister Golam Dastagir Gazi was arrested here as the police take stern measures against officials and ministers of the ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasinas Awami League government, according to media reports on Sunday.

A murder case was filed on Sunday against 76-year-old Hasina, former director general of Border Guard of Bangladesh Gen Aziz Ahmed and 11 others over the death of Abdur Rahim, an official of the then Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) in 2010, state-run BSS news agency reported.

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Rahim, then deputy assistant director of former BDR, was an accused in the case lodged over the carnage that took place in Pilkhana in 2010. He died in jail custody on July 29 of the same year.

Another murder case was filed on Sunday against Hasina and 48 others for killing a student of the Military Institute of Science and Technology (MIST) during the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement on July 18, the agency said.

Victim Shaikh Ashabul Yeamins uncle Abdullah-Al Kabir filed a plea to Dhaka Senior Judicial Magistrate Md Saiful Islams court Sunday, appealing to lodge a murder case against the 49 accused, it added.

Accepting the petition, the court ordered police to record the statement of the plaintiff and register the complaint as a first information report (FIR).

Awami League general secretary and former road transport and bridges minister Obaidul Quader and former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan, among others, have been made accused in the case.

A separate case was filed against Hasina and 27 others over the killing of a seller of Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) products in the capital during the recent protests.

Mamunur Rashid, the brother-in-law of victim Md Eusuf Sanowar, filed the complaint with Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Saddam Hossain. The court asked the officer in charge of Jatrabari police station to accept the matter as a first information report (FIR).

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The other prominent accused in the case are - Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader and former ministers Anisul Huq and Tajul Islam.

Another case was filed against 25 people, including Hasina, over the killing of an auto-rickshaw driver in the capital during the recent protests.

Hasina, the Awami League chairperson, now faces at least 57 cases, including 48 for murders, seven for crimes against humanity and genocide, one for abduction and one for an attack on a Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) procession.

A Bangladesh court on Saturday sent Salman F Rahman, private industry affairs adviser to ex-prime minister Sheikh Hasina, former law minister Anisul Huq, former social welfare minister Dipu Moni and two others on different terms of remand for interrogation in four murder cases.Many Hasina-led Awami League party members are in jail after the new interim government led by Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus took charge on August 8 following the fall of the previous government.

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On Thursday, five more murder cases were filed against former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina, her former cabinet members and top police officials on Thursday, taking the total number of cases against her to 49.

Hasina, the 76-year-old Awami League chairperson, resigned and fled to India on August 5 after unprecedented anti-government student-led protests against her government over a controversial quota system in jobs.

Hasina and 46 others were sued for the killing of a street hawker during protests in Ashulia on August 4 in Dhaka.

Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader, former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan, former AL lawmakers Md Saiful Islam and Talukdar Mohammad Towhid Jung Murad and former inspector general of police Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun were among the accused.

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With inputs from agencies.
Golam Dastagir Gazi, former textile and jute minister of Bangladesh, was arrested late Saturday night in Dhaka as part of a broader crackdown on officials from the ousted Awami League government. The arrest follows the resignation and flight of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and increasing legal actions against her allies read more

Bangladeshs former textile and jute minister Golam Dastagir Gazi has been arrested here as the police take stern measures against officials and ministers of the ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasinas Awami League government, according to media reports on Sunday.

The 76-year-old leader was detained late Saturday night from a house in the Piergoli area of the capital Dhaka around 3 am, The Daily Star newspaper quoted Paltan police station officer-in-charge Mollah Mohammad Khalid Hussain as saying.

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The Dhaka Metropolitan Police detained him and brought him to the Detective Branch (DB) office, according to The Dhaka Tribune.

Gazi was kept at the DB office as the police station is badly damaged following recent violence, Hussain said, adding that a group of people besieged the house after knowing his location there.

However, the police officer did not provide any details regarding the case for which he was arrested.

Earlier, a case of murder was filed against 105 individuals, including Hasina and Gazi, at Rupganj police station in Narayanganj.

Gazi was elected MP from Rupganj-1 constituency in Narayanganj in the 12th parliamentary elections held in January with Awami Leagues boat symbol.

On Saturday, a Dhaka court placed Salman F Rahman, private industry affairs adviser to Hasina, former law minister Anisul Huq, former social welfare minister Dipu Moni and two others on different terms of remand for interrogation in four murder cases.

Apart from the three, former chief whip ASM Feroz and former army officer Major General Ziaul Ahsan were also placed on remand in murder cases.

Cases have been filed against many officials or ministers of the ousted Hasina-led government after she resigned and fled to India on August 5 following massive protests against the quota reform system in Bangladesh.

Most leaders of the Awami League have gone into hiding since Hasinas resignation.

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Many Hasina-led Awami League party members are in jail after the new interim government led by Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus took charge on August 8 following the fall of the previous government.
Late Saturday, Sao Paulo Governor Tarcisio de Freitas declared a state of emergency in 45 towns and cities and announced around $1.8 million was being allocated to help farmers who lost crops to the flames. Some 40 cattle on one farm died in a fire read more

Aerial image of an area of Amazon rainforest affected by illegal fire on the banks of the BR-319 road between Porto Velho, Rondonia State and Manaus, Amazonas State, northern Brazil, on August 22, 2024. (AFP)

The Brazilian government is deploying military planes to combat wildfires ravaging Sao Paulo state in the southeast, as more than 40 cities have been placed on high alert, the regional development minister announced Sunday.

Minister Waldez Goes said that four planes will be mobilized initially to fight the flames and monitor affected zones.

They include a KC-390 Embraer, a troop transport craft converted to be able to drop loads of up to 12,000 liters of water on fire zones.

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Among the cities most threatened is Ribeirao Preto, with a population of more than 700,000, about 185 miles (300 kilometers) from Sao Paulo.

Residents of one upscale neighborhood there have already had to leave their homes, the G1 news site reported.

Videos posted on social media showed Ribeirao Preto plunged into near-darkness Saturday by a dense layer of smoke.

Its apocalyptic. Lots of wind, lots of smoke  you cant even see the city. And it is 5:00 pm, a person wearing a protective mask is heard saying on one video.

Two factory workers died Friday in Urupes, in the northern part of the state, while fighting a fire, officials said.

Locals are hoping that rain, expected to reach much of the area in coming hours, will help douse the fires. Prolonged drought in the region has aggravated the situation.

The region has been plagued with the worst wildfires in decades, according to local news organization Folha de S.Paulo, which counted 4,973 fires in the region just this year.
Chinas import of seafood right after it halted shipments from Japan has decreased by about 10 per cent read more

A year after banning import of seafood from Japan, China continues to keep up with its demand. Representative Image: Reuters

A year after China banned imports of seafood from Japan, the country is now turning to South America to keep up with its demand. Beijing banned importing seafood from Japan in response to Tokyos decision to release treated wastewater from the disaster-hit Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

Since, then China has attempted to fill the gap with purchases of seafood from South America, Asia and elsewhere. According to Nikkei Asia, Chinas import of seafood right after it halted shipments from Japan has decreased by about 10 per cent. As per the data released by Chinas General Administration of Customs, imports of mollusks, which include scallops, were down 11 per cent and imports of fresh fish saw a 4 per cent decline.

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Before the release of the treated water, China had imported $290 million worth of scallops during the first eight months of the year 2023.

Other countries try to fill in the gap

From last September to July this year, mollusk shipments to China rose 42 per cent from Indonesia, about 150 per cent from the United Kingdom and almost tripled from Argentina. This is similar to how imports from South America grew when imports from the US decreased due to US-China trade friction, Toru Nishihama, chief economist at Japans Dai-ichi Life Research Institute told Nikkei Asia.

Since the ban, the Japanese government has been trying to improve its trade relations with China. Japanese Prime Minister Yoko Kamikawa has been asking his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi to drop the import ban. While the discussions are still ongoing, there is no prospect of China lifting the ban, anytime soon.

The precautionary measures taken by China and some other countries in response to Japans move are aimed at protecting food safety and peoples health, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a news conference Friday. These measures are entirely legitimate, reasonable and necessary, she added.

Japan looks for alternatives

Meanwhile, Japanese seafood companies have been trying to venture out in search of alternatives. Those based in Hokkaido, where about 90 per cent of Japans scallops are produced, have increased exports to the US and Southeast Asia.

From January to June this year, the scallop shipments to the United States has doubled on the year to 3.6 billion yen. The Japanese companies have also increased their export to Vietnam. However, losing China as a customer affected Japan as well.

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The countrys overall scallop exports during those six months fell 37 per cent to 24 billion yen. The US has now replaced China to be the biggest buyer of Japanese scallops.
The separatists blamed the army of the Malian junta and Russian mercenaries from the Wagner group for the strikes at Tinzaouatene, near Algeria, giving a provisional death toll of 21 civilians, including 11 children read more

At least 15 civilians including children were killed Sunday by drone strikes in Malis north, where the army and its Russian allies are fighting separatists and jihadists, local sources said.

The separatists blamed the army of the Malian junta and Russian mercenaries from the Wagner group for the strikes at Tinzaouatene, near Algeria, giving a provisional death toll of 21 civilians, including 11 children.

Tinzaouatene was the site of a major late July battle in which the mainly Tuareg-led separatists claimed to have inflicted a serious defeat on the Malian army and Wagner.

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Sundays strikes initially targeted a pharmacy, then other strikes followed, targeting human gatherings near the first damage, said separatist spokesman Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane.

A local politician told AFP at least 15 civilians were killed in the strikes.

Meanwhile a local NGO official said at least 20 civilians including children had been killed in the drone strikes on Sunday, and a retired local official told AFP at least 20 people were left dead.

Heavy defeat

Since seizing power in a 2020 coup, the West African nations military leaders have made it a priority to retake all of the country from separatists and jihadist forces linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group.

After an eight-year lull, hostilities between Bamako and separatists fighting for an independent homeland resumed in August 2023.

Under Colonel Assimi Goita, the junta broke off its traditional alliance with former colonial ruler France, turning towards Russia instead.

This led to troops from Russias Wagner mercenary group being deployed to the country, though the junta insisted they were only there as instructors.

But on July 25, the Malian army and its Russian allies became embroiled in an ambush on the outskirts of Tinzaouatene.

In three days of intense fighting, separatists claimed to have killed 84 Wagner fighters and 47 Malian soldiers.

The Malian army and Wagner acknowledged significant losses without giving a precise toll.

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In the aftermath Russias top diplomat Sergei Lavrov reaffirmed Moscows firm support for Mali, and Malis army retaliated with drone strikes on Tinzaouatene in the following days.

Malis offensive in the north has given rise to numerous allegations of abuses committed against civilians by the army and its Russian allies since 2022, which the Malian authorities deny.

On Saturday Malian authorities suspended French news channel LCI on its territory for two months, alleging false accusations were made on air against the army and Wagner.
President Emmanuel Macron led the commemoration, also attended by Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo and an audience including prominent cultural figures including American actor Jodie Foster read more

People take images of French Air Force elite acrobatic flying team "Patrouille de France" (PAF) releasing smoke trails in the colours of the French national flag during a ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Paris from the Germans in the World War II, in Paris. AFP

Paris on Sunday celebrated the 80th anniversary of its liberation from German troops in World War II with tributes, military marches and the hoisting of a flag at the Eiffel Tower.

On August 25, 1944, the 2nd French Armoured Division entered the capital under the command of General Philippe Leclerc de Hautecloque, ending 1,500 days of German occupation.

Their triumphant arrival followed a tumultuous week of uprisings, strikes, combat at barricades and street battles between French Resistance fighters and occupying forces.

On Sunday a parade followed one of the itineraries of the French division from the south of the capital to its centre.

The parade featured vintage military vehicles, as surviving veterans of the 2nd Armoured Division looked on.

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President Emmanuel Macron led the commemoration, also attended by Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo and an audience including prominent cultural figures including American actor Jodie Foster.

Beyond all divisions and contradictions, to be French is to be together, Macron said in a speech. Free, and true to the great things that have been achieved and determined to achieve more together.

A torch for the Paris Paralympics, which open Wednesday, was lit, ahead of a flyover by the Patrouille de France, a unit of French air force fighter planes.

Earlier Sunday, the French flag was raised under the Eiffel Tower in memory of firefighters who at midday 80 years ago took down the Nazi flag that had been flying there for four years, and replaced it with the tricolour.

Sundays events were the culmination of a week of festivities in and around the capital, matching in length the week of fighting in 1944 before the Germans surrendered Paris.

On Saturday, there was a tribute to the 160 men of La Nueve, mostly made up of Spanish republican forces, who were the first to enter Paris on the evening of August 24.

On Saturday night, Paris city hall was the venue for a brass band performance, a concert and a dance.
The leader of the Lebanese armed group said in a televised address that it had been able to carry out its attack as planned, denying statements by the Israeli military that its pre-emptive strikes had stopped a wider attack by the group. read more

People listen to a speech by Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah broadcasted on Hezbollah's al-Manar television channel, at a coffee shop in a southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024, hours after Israel and Hezbollah traded heavy fire. Image- AP

Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said on Sunday that his group would assess the impact of its rocket and drone attack on Israeli military targets earlier in the day before determining whether it would carry out further attacks to avenge a slain commander.

Nasrallah, speaking about 12 hours after the most intense exchange of fire between Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israel since hostilities broke out in parallel with the war in Gaza, said We will assess the impact of todays operation. If results are not seen to be enough, we will respond another time,".

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Nasrallah said the group would assess the results of the operation, a retaliation for Israels killing of top Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr on the edges of Beirut last month.

Hezbollah fighters had successfully launched a volley of more than 300 Katyusha rockets to distract Israels Iron Dome defences before sending attack drones, he said. They included drones fired from the eastern Bekaa Valley, a first for the group, he said. None of the drone or rocket launchers were damaged in Israels pre-emptive strikes, he said.

Israel and Hezbollah said they aimed only at military targets. Israels military said one soldier with the navy was killed and two others were wounded either by an interceptor for incoming fire, or by shrapnel from one. Two Hezbollah fighters and a terrorist from an allied group were killed, the groups said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the military eliminated thousands of rockets that were aimed at northern Israel and shot down drones heading for the center of the country.

I repeat  this is not the end of the story," he added.

Meanwhile, the UK calls for restraint in the Middle East, after the largest exchange of fire between Israel and Lebanons Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group since the start of the war in Gaza.

Further escalation in the Middle East must be avoided at all costs, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy posted on X, following a call with Israels Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer. I reiterated the UKs support for Israels security, the importance of restraint, the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the release of all hostages.

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Further escalation in the Middle East must be avoided at all costs. In my call with Israeli Minister @AmbDermer I reiterated the UKs support for Israels security, the importance of restraint, the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the release of all hostages.  David Lammy (@DavidLammy) August 25, 2024

With inputs from agencies.
Israel launched a wave of airstrikes across southern Lebanon early Sunday in what it said was a preemptive strike to avert a large Hezbollah attack. read more

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the attacks on Israel are not the end of the story after Israeli warplanes launched a series of airstrikes on dozens of targets in southern Lebanon on Sunday to thwart what Israel described as Hezbollahs preparations for a significant assault.

Iranian-backed Hezbollah on Sunday said it had begun an attack on Israel with a large number of drones and rockets as retaliation for the killing of its top commander in a Beirut suburb last month. Despite these intense exchangesthe heaviest between the two sides in monthsboth Israel and Hezbollah later signalled a willingness to de-escalate the situation.

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However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel had successfully intercepted Hezbollahs attack but warned that todays events are not the final word. We are and will be striking Hezbollah with surprising, crushing blows, various media reports quoted him as saying. The Israeli military confirmed that it continued to conduct airstrikes on Hezbollah targets.

Meanwhile, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi warned Americas top general during a meeting on Sunday of the dangers of a major conflict in Lebanon.

U.S. Air Force General C.Q. Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, arrived in Egypt hours after a significant missile exchange between Israel and Lebanese Hezbollah.

In a statement, Sisis office said the Egyptian leader told Brown that the international community needed to exert all efforts and intensify pressures to defuse tension and stop the state of escalation that threatens the security and stability of the entire region.

(Sisi warned) in this regard of the dangers of opening a new front in Lebanon, and stressing the need to preserve Lebanons stability and sovereignty, the statement read.

According to reports, three deaths were confirmed in Lebanon and none in Israel, where damage appeared to be limited. Hezbollah indicated it was not planning further strikes yet. Israels foreign minister said the country did not seek a full-scale war.

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Any major escalation in the fighting, which began in parallel with the war in Gaza, risks morphing into a regional conflagration drawing in Hezbollahs backer Iran and Israels main ally the United States.

Sundays strikes came as negotiators were meeting in Cairo in a last-ditch effort to conclude a halt to the fighting in Gaza.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said the additional funds would not add to the budget deficit and that the deficit would reach its 2024 target of 6.6% of gross domestic target. read more

Israels cabinet on Sunday approved an expansion of 3.4 billion shekels ($923 million) in the 2024 state budget to help fund evacuees until the end of the year, the Finance Ministry said.

Tens of thousands of Israelis in the north have been displaced into hotels in the wake of daily rocket attacks by Hezbollah since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war that began on Oct. 7. Those from Gaza border communities are also included in what the cabinet called conflict zones.

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The ministry also said that 525 million shekels of the total budget was returned to state coffers after prior spending cuts, while another 200 million shekels would finance army reservists.

The ministry said it was working to bring the budget adjustments for a vote in parliament as soon as possible.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said the additional funds would not add to the budget deficit and that the deficit would reach its 2024 target of 6.6% of gross domestic target.
Turkey severed ties with Syria in 2011 after the outbreak of the Syrian civil war, in which it supported rebels seeking to oust Assad. Assad views the rebels as terrorists read more

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said on Sunday that efforts to mend ties with Turkey had so far brought no tangible results.

The initiatives did not yield any results worth mentioning despite the seriousness and genuine keenness of mediators, Assad said in a speech to the Syrian parliament, referring to conciliation efforts by Russia, Iran and Iraq.

Turkey severed ties with Syria in 2011 after the outbreak of the Syrian civil war, in which it supported rebels seeking to oust Assad. Assad views the rebels as terrorists.

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The solution is openness, Assad said. Restoring a relationship requires first removing the causes that led to its destruction.

The Syrian president made clear that while he wants Turkish troops to withdraw from Syria, that was not a precondition for talks.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said earlier in July he would extend an invitation to Assad any time for possible talks to restore relations.

A Turkish newspaper earlier reported Erdogan and Assad could meet in August, but a Turkish diplomat denied the report.

Russia has been trying to facilitate a meeting between the two leaders in an effort to restore ties. Iraq also said in July that it may seek to try to bring the two leaders together.
While it is believed that the Prime Minister will likely skip the event, it will be interesting to see if he would depute a minister to represent India and attend the event read more

As Pakistan gears up to host the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, reports are emerging that the country has invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with other world leaders for the international event. Pakistan is slated to host the SCO leaders for the Council of Heads of Government (CHG) in-person meeting in October this year.

While it is believed that the Prime Minister will likely skip the event, it will be interesting to see if he would depute a minister to represent India and attend the event.

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Islamabad is scheduled to host the meeting on October 15-16, since it holds the rotating chairmanship of the CHG, the second highest decision-making body in the Eurasian group after the Council of Heads of State.

Not the first time

It is pertinent to note that the Prime Minister has also skipped the CHG meeting in Kazakhstan this year as well since it clashed with the July session of the parliament. Last year, External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar attended the CHG meeting in Bishkek. It is also not clear if India will be allowed to address the meeting virtually if none of the representatives attend the meeting in Pakistan.

Both India and Pakistan are full-time members of the group led by Russia and China. However, India remains wary of the groups anti-west platform. In light of this, India has never endorsed Chinas Belt and Road Initiative in the SCO joint statement. Despite all this, SCO is the only multilateral forum where India and Pakistan have managed to work together.

Pakistans then-Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari visited India last year, for a SCO foreign ministers meeting. One of the main reasons why both nations managed to cooperate with each other in these summits is because the SCO charter doesnt allow member-states to raise bilateral issues.

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Multiple factors can lead to India skipping the event altogether. One of them is the recent terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir. Meanwhile, since 2019, Pakistan has expressed discontent over the abrogation of Article 370. The last Indian foreign minister who visited Pakistan was Late Sushma Swaraj, who went to Islamabad in 2015.

With inputs from agencies.
Thai authorities raided an illegal bitcoin mine in Ratchaburi after residents reported frequent blackouts. The operation, which had been using power without proper payment, was the fourth such raid in the province this year read more

An employee works on bitcoin mining computers at Bitminer factory in Florence, Italy, April 9, 2018. Picture taken April 9, 2018. REUTERS/File Photo

Thai authorities raided an illegal bitcoin mine west of Bangkok after residents complained of frequent blackouts in the area for more than a month, local authorities said Sunday.

Police and officials from the Provincial Electricity Authorities (PEA) raided the house in Ratchaburi town on Friday.

We found bitcoin mining rigs, pointing to people using this house to operate a mine and using power they didnt fully pay for, said Jamnong Chanwong, a chief district security officer.

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He told AFP records showed that electricity consumption in the house was large, but they had paid for very little of it.

Mining virtual currencies such as bitcoin requires powerful computers that consume huge amounts of electricity.

Bitcoin miners are considered manufacturers in Thailand and must pay associated taxes, but illegal mining has been on the rise for years.

Jamnong said his team tried to enter the house on Thursday but a guard denied them entry. They then returned with a search warrant and found most of the equipment had been moved.

He said the house had been rented by a company for around four months, but the power outages began mid-July when the mine likely became fully operational.

No-one was arrested during the raid, he added.

It was fourth time this year that authorities have raided an illegal bitcoin mine in Ratchaburi province.
While the police are yet to comment on the matter, before the arrest took place, the German authorities have said that they are not ruling out a terrorist motive in the case read more

Police vehicles are parked at the area of an incident, after several individuals were killed on Friday night when a man randomly stabbed passers-by with a knife, at a city festival in Solingen, Germany. Reuters

Police have arrested the man who was suspected of the stabbing rampage that rocked the western German city of Solingen on Friday. The arrest took place 24 hours after the attack, The Guardian reported. Herbert Reul, North Rhine-Westphalias interior minister, said the arrest occurred after the authorities spent the whole day following a hot lead.

Before arresting the suspect, the local police made two arrests earlier. However, they were not likely to be the perpetrators. The real suspect is the one that weve arrested just now, Reul said to local reporters. He noted that the individual is currently being questioned and the authorities have seized evidence.

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While the police are yet to comment on the matter, before the arrest took place, the German authorities have said that they are not ruling out a terrorist motive in the case.

The first two arrests

During the press conference on Saturday, the police said that they had arrested a 15-year-old from the teens parents house. Public prosecutor Markus Caspers said that the 15-year-old was alleged to have spoken to the perpetrator shortly before the crime.

Meanwhile, a second arrest was made when the police raided a refugee home in Solingen. However, the authorities did not provide any details about the person they arrested and the persons connection to the alleged incident.

Caspers said that a terrorist motive could not be excluded, partly because the alleged assailant did not appear to know his victims. The stabbing rampage led to the death of a woman, 56, along with two men, 56 and 67. Eight others were injured and out of them, four people are still in critical condition.

During the preliminary investigation, the police found at least one weapon that may have been used in the alleged assault and are analysing it for DNA traces. While the investigation continues, people are leaving flower bouquets and candles at the site of the incident to pay tribute to the victims.

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Meanwhile, authorities have set up a website for people to send in footage or information about the alleged attack as well as a telephone hotline. They also asked witnesses not to post relevant videos directly on social media. The frenzied assault happened at a festival of diversity during celebrations to mark the citys 650th anniversary. However, the event only lasted for a few minutes before the attack.

Meanwhile, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz condemned the incident and called it a terrible event. I wish the injured a speedy recovery, he said in a post on X. The perpetrator must be caught quickly and punished to the full extent of the law.

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Den Verletzten wunsche ich eine schnelle Genesung. Der Tater muss rasch gefasst und mit der vollen Harte des Gesetzes bestraft werden. (2/2)  Bundeskanzler Olaf Scholz (@Bundeskanzler) August 24, 2024

Reul warned against the speculation about the alleged perpetrators background. You dont want to believe what you see here at the crime scene. Its upsetting, the German interior minister said.

Out of nowhere, someone stabs people indiscriminately. We cant say anything about the person or the motive yet, he furthered.
Read the full story on The Auto Wire

Bobcat Pulled From Cars Grille

People are astounded after badgecam footage of law enforcement removing a bobcat from the grille of a car in Wisconsin has spread online. The wild cat didnt just climb in there, but instead was likely hit by the driver and trapped inside the honeycomb-like structure.

Learn why police apprehended a dog for reckless driving here.

Weve seen deer and other wild animals get trapped inside modern car grilles, which are made of plastic and will often swallow them up without completely breaking apart. However, this is the first time weve seen a predator of any kind fall into this automotive trap.

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The driver, who wasnt identified, called dispatch in Portage County and said they heard the front end of their car hit something, even though they didnt see anything in the road. Since it was at night and bobcats can move incredibly fast, this likely wasnt a case of distracted driving.

When the driver pulled off the road to see what damage might have been done to the car, they saw the bobcat trapped in the grille. The sheriffs office had to call in a conservation warden thanks to the bobcat posing a serious threat to anyone lacking experience or the proper tools to safely remove it.

In the video, the conservation warden uses a snare pole to securely hold the neck of the wild cat before pulling it out of the Toyotas front fascia. Once free, the bobcat struggled with the pole, but the conservation warden adeptly lifted it into the his covered pickup truck bed and deputies slammed the tailgate closed. The man must have ice in his veins as well as experience with bobcats.

One of the deputies laughed nervously once the threat was contained. We would probably laugh nervously, too. Thankfully everything went off without a hitch, because the situation easily couldnt gone sideways in a hurry.

The bobcat was returned to the wild, according to the sheriffs office.

https://youtu.be/tluZKXoVex8

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Ishak Ali Khan Panna, the former general secretary of the Chhatra League, died on Saturday morning. Pannas nephew said that he had a heart attack when he slipped from a hill in Shillong in Meghalaya, while fleeing from Bangladesh. read more

Ishak Ali Khan Panna, a leader of the students wing of ex-Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasinas Awami League party died of a heart attack while attempting to flee the country, a media report said on Sunday.

According to a report by The Dhaka Tribune, Pannas nephew, Laikuzzaman Talukder Mintoo, who is the Organising Secretary of the Kaukhali Upazila Awami League and a representative of the Chirapara Par Satoria Union Parishad, said that Panna suffered the heart attack after slipping from a hill in Shillong, Meghalaya.

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Another relative, Jasim Uddin Khan said that he had spoken with Panna three days earlier and learned that Panna had crossed into India through the Tamabil border in Sylhet before his sudden death.

During his escape attempt, Panna was accompanied by a leader from the central committee of the Awami League and a leader of the Jhalakathi Chhatra League, the newspaper said, quoting sources.

Panna was elected the general secretary of the Chhatra League in the 1994 central council and became a member of the central sub-committee of the Awami League after the 2012 council, the paper said.

Most leaders of the Awami League have gone into hiding since Hasinas resignation. Bangladesh witnessed chaos after Hasinas government collapsed. She resigned and fled to India amid violent protests over quota reforms for government jobs, while the Army stepped in to fill the power vacuum on August 5.

With inputs from agencies.
Pavel Durov, who has Russian and other nationalities, was detained at Paris Le Bourget airport on Saturday and was expected to appear in court on Sunday on offences related to Telegram read more

The Russian embassy in Paris on Sunday accused French authorities of refusing to cooperate after the arrest of Telegram messaging platform owner Pavel Durov.

Durov, who has Russian and other nationalities, was detained at Paris Le Bourget airport on Saturday and was expected to appear in court on Sunday on offences related to Telegram.

We immediately asked French authorities to explain the reasons for this detention and demanded that his rights be protected and that consular access be granted. Up to now, the French side is refusing to cooperate on this question, the embassy said in a statement reported by Ria Novosti news agency.

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Durov is accused of failing to take action to curb criminal use on his platform.

Russian officials have rushed to his defence.

Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Moscow had asked for consular access to 39-year-old Durov, saying that as he also had French citizenship France considers that it is his main nationality.

She said that when Russia blocked Telegram in 2018, the move was denounced by rights groups and asked: What do you think, will they call on Paris and demand his release, or will they bite their tongues this time?

Other Russian officials accused France of censorship.

Rights ombudsman Tatiana Moskalkova said that it is obvious that the real reason of Pavel Durovs arrest is an attempt to close Telegram as an internet resource where you can find out the truth about world events.

Former president Dmitry Medvedev, Russias main hawk during the Ukraine offensive, said he had once a long time ago asked Durov why he did not want to work with Russian state authorities and told him that he would have serious problems.

He said that Durov had made a mistake by going abroad and that he should finally realise that the fatherland, like an era, cannot be chosen.

Telegram is widely used in Russia and is popular among state officials.

Margarita Simonyan, an influential personality on state TV, called on people to delete their Telegram chats.

Everyone who is used to using Telegram for sensitive conversations/chats, should right now delete those chats and not do so again, she said on social media.

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She said Durov was arrested to take away (Telegrams) keys. And he will give them.
Trumps statement comes amid escalating tensions in the Middle East following Israeli military pre-emptive strikes against what it said were terror targets in Lebanon after it claimed to have identified Hezbollah as preparing to fire missiles and rockets toward Israeli territory.Hezbollah rejected the allegations, terming them baseless. read more

Former US President Donald Trump has launched a scathing criticism against the Joe Biden administrations approach to addressing the ongoing situation in West Asia. Trump also questioned the Biden administration, saying that Biden is sleeping on a beach in California while Vice President Kamala Harris is holding a campaign bus tour with her running mate and Minnesota Governor, Tim Walz.

In a post on X, Trump stated, Who is negotiating for us in the Middle East? Bombs are dropping all over the place! Sleepy Joe is sleeping on a Beach in California, viciously Exiled by the Democrats, and Comrade Kamala is doing a campaign bus tour with Tampon Tim, her really bad V.P. Pick. Lets not have World War lll, because thats where were heading!

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Who is negotiating for us in the Middle East? Bombs are dropping all over the place! Sleepy Joe is sleeping on a Beach in California, viciously Exiled by the Democrats, and Comrade Kamala is doing a campaign bus tour with Tampon Tim, her really bad V.P. Pick. Lets not have World  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 25, 2024

His comments come after Iranian-backed Hezbollah on Sunday said it had begun an attack on Israel with a large number of drones and rockets as retaliation for the killing of its top commander in a Beirut suburb last month. Despite these intense exchangesthe heaviest between the two sides in monthsboth Israel and Hezbollah later signalled a willingness to de-escalate the situation.

Earlier on Thursday, Trump said, There will be no future under Comrade Kamala Harris, because she will take us into a Nuclear World War III! She will never be respected by the Tyrants of the World!

He made the remarks after Harris in her acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) spoke about the war in Gaza, The Washington Post reported. Trump took to his Truth Social account to make statements against Harris over her speech.

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In her address, Harris said, I will always stand up for Israels right to defend itself, and I will always ensure Israel can defend itself, because the people of Israel must never again face the horror that a terrorist organization called Hamas caused, Harris said, also stressing the widespread suffering of Palestinians, according to The Washington Post report.

Earlier in the day, Israel declared an emergency for the next 48 hours amid the countrys escalating tensions with Lebanon. Israels Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, declared an emergency. This comes as a special situation in the home front, which enables the IDF Home Front Command to issue restrictions.

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In emergencies, the legal term special situation is used to give authorities more authority over the civilian population, simplifying attempts to protect them. It is valid for 48 hours, unless extended by cabinet ministers.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that he told Indias Prime Minister Narendra Modi he would support India hosting the second summit on peace but added that Ukraine cannot organise it in a country that did not sign the communique from the previous summit. read more

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said negotiations were ongoing with Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey and Switzerland regarding the second summit on peace, according to reports.

Zelenskyy also said that he told Indias Prime Minister Narendra Modi he would support India hosting the second summit on peace but added that Ukraine cannot organise it in a country that did not sign the communique from the previous summit.

Ukraine has consistently emphasised its interest to end the war but on its terms. The Ukrainian government is pushing to hold a second international summit later this year and encourage participation from global representatives including those from Russia.

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The first summit, held in Switzerland in June, pointedly excluded Russia, while attracting scores of delegations, including one from India, but not from China, the worlds second largest economy. Zelenskiy urged Modi to sign the summits communique, which India has not done.

During Modis visit to Ukraine, he encouraged Zelenskyy to engage in talks with Russia to end the ongoing conflict, offering Indias support as a neutral friend to help facilitate peace.

The first visit by an Indian prime minister in modern Ukrainian history came at a volatile juncture in the war launched by Russia in February 2022. Moscow is making slow gains in eastern Ukraine as Kyiv presses a cross-border incursion.

The optics closely resembled the Indian leaders visit to Moscow last month where he called for peace and embraced Russian President Vladimir Putin, angering Ukraine, where a Russian missile strike hit a childrens hospital on the same day.

The road to resolution can only be found through dialogue and diplomacy. And we should move in that direction without wasting any time. Both sides should sit together to find a way out of this crisis, Modi said in Kyiv.

I want to assure you that India is ready to play an active role in any efforts towards peace. If I can play any role in this personally, I will do that, I want to assure you as a friend, he said.

Speaking later on Friday in his regular address to the nation after the visit had ended, Zelenskiy said it is important to us that India remains committed to international law and supports our sovereignty and territorial integrity.

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He also said he appreciated that Modi had begun the visit by paying tribute to the children killed in the July hospital strike.

India, which traditionally has close economic and defence relations with Moscow, has publicly criticised the deaths of innocent people in the war, but also strengthened its economic ties with Moscow.

With inputs from agencies.
Adding to older thread re Clevelands in F trucks.

I have been reading some of the older threads in this forum as a newer member.

Something that struck me was that the 351 Cleveland was not recommended as a suitable truck engine due to low torque at lower RPM and were not fitted to Ford trucks as it was only generally a performance engine 4V or fitted to sedans in 2 v form.

Ford actually did fit Clevelands to F100, F250, and F350 trucks.

They were a common option in Australian trucks in the 2V form albeit with 4bbl Carter Thermoquad carburettors in 1977/8 through 1982 with either 4 speed New Process manual gearbox or C6 autos with the small block bell housing pattern.

Also, a unique Australian Cleveland 302 cu engine was offered in if I remember correctly in 1974 - 1977 F series, again the New Process 4 speed or a C4 auto.

The heads had the 2v port sizes, much better for low torque than the huge 4V Boss or Australian Falcon GT heads.

( Incidentally, the late 60's early 70's Australian Ford Falcon 4V 351 GT's were at the time the fastest 4 door production sedans in the world capable of 145mph)



The 302 or 4.9l litre Cleveland was a des-stroked 351 Cleveland utilising longer rods on a crank with 1/2 inch less stroke.

The earlier imported 260/289/302 and 351 Windsors were dropped, and Cleveland blocks were cast at the Ford Geelong casting plant in the state of Victoria, the reason for a 302 Cleveland was to utilise a economy of parts in order to offer a smaller V8 to replace the Windsor 302's used in earlier Australian Ford Falcons and Fairlanes.



Clevelands were manufactured in Australia until 1982 long after they ceased production in the USA, around 1974 if I remember correctly.

Even after compressions were dropped in USA engines, the last lower comp Australian engines were running 8.9:1 compressions and if the unique quench combustion chambered 59cc 2v 302 heads were bolted on to a 351 the compression jumped close to 10.75:1.

I fitted a set of these unique to Australia heads and although requiring 100/130 octane AVGAS to avoid pre-detonation the performance was blistering and even in a relatively warm climate the original fitment radiator provided sufficient cooling.

The factory fitted carter Thermoquad provided a very smooth fuel supply and a modest Sig Erson TQ-20 cam worked very well providing plenty of torque from around 1600 rpm and I could fry 11R15 tyres on a 3.5:1 LSD 9 inch rear easily.

This my first "new" vehicle was a red LWB August 1980 F100.

The "dentside" 73 - 79 US model lasted another year in Australia before the Bull nose Bronco and truck were introduced in 1981, again mostly fitted with 351 Clevelands although an Australian 250 cu 4" stroke crossflow 6 cylinder was an option.



This truck pulled my Kevlar hulled "Bullet" ski race boat all over the East coast of Australia on many long overnight runs between races and would overtake most vehicles on steeper ranges without any effort.

IMHO the Cleveland with few mods is a very reliable and strong power plant.



Also the Australian F trucks had a unique dashboard featuring padded top, differing from the US ones after 1973/4 and disc brakes were fitted standard from around late 73 early 1974 to meet Australian design rules, except for F250 4WD Hi Boys that continued with the 44HD closed Dana drum brake front until 1976, when the open differential Dana 44HD was supplied with twin piston caliper disc brakes and still with the US steel dash board until 1976/7.

My 1976 Hi Boy ex Australian Airforce ambulance still has the unpadded US dash with open front Dana 44HD front axle and disc brakes and my 1974 F250 Hi Boy truck has the closed Dana 44HD drum brake front axle, however I have replaced the original cab with an Australian one fitted with the newer dash and more modern steering column with key in column rather than dash, and indicator headlight dip switch and horn on column.



Australian Hi boys were sourced in CKD form from Ford Canada and I think converted to Right hand drive in Australia, I could be wrong as many R/H earlier cars were sourced from Canada after the major US manufacturers stopped manufacturing them for overseas R/H drive markets around 1966.

Also I am aware of a small number of Australian assembled Hi Boys that ended up being exported to South Africa and one in Zimbabwe.



Please, any Australian or Canadian enthusiast correct me if I have some incorrect details!



Hope this is of interest to other F' truck enthusiasts.

Roscoe "downunder"






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bohlah at 25-08-2024 08:20 PM (1 month ago) (m)

Nigerian actor Yemi Solade has raised concerns on social media regarding the validity of doctorate degrees awarded to Nigerian celebrities by universities in Benin Republic and Togo. This follows recent revelations by the

Nigerian actor Yemi Solade has raised concerns on social media regarding the validity of doctorate degrees awarded to Nigerian celebrities by universities in Benin Republic and Togo. This follows recent revelations by the Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, about the alarming number of fake degree certificates held by Nigerians

The Minister disclosed that between 2019 and 2023, a staggering 22,789 Nigerians were found to be using fake degrees obtained from institutions in Benin Republic and Togo. Of these, 21,684 certificates were from Benin Republic, while 1,105 were from Togo. The Minister emphasized that these degrees were from schools not recognized by their respective countries to offer such programs.



"We have had to take some major decisions here at the Ministry of Education. Some staff members who were affected faced disciplinary measures," Mamman stated. "We cannot have in our midst people who procured fake certificates competing with students who graduated from universities and polytechnics through their sweat."



Reacting to the scandal on his Instagram page, Solade questioned the fate of the honorary doctorate degrees that have been "splashed" on Nigerian celebrities by these foreign institutions. The Minister disclosed that between 2019 and 2023, a staggering 22,789 Nigerians were found to be using fake degrees obtained from institutions in Benin Republic and Togo. Of these, 21,684 certificates were from Benin Republic, while 1,105 were from Togo. The Minister emphasized that these degrees were from schools not recognized by their respective countries to offer such programs.Mamman stated.Reacting to the scandal on his Instagram page, Solade questioned the fate of the honorary doctorate degrees that have been "splashed" on Nigerian celebrities by these foreign institutions. Quote "What happens to ALL the absurd doctorate degrees splashed on Nigerian celebs since FG has pronounced that degrees acquired from Benin Republic since 2017 are INVALID?" he wrote, using hashtags such as #fakedegreescam and #invaliddegrees.



Solade's comments have sparked discussions about the credibility of foreign degrees and the implications for Nigerian celebrities who have been awarded such honors.

he wrote, using hashtags such as #fakedegreescam and #invaliddegrees.Solade's comments have sparked discussions about the credibility of foreign degrees and the implications for Nigerian celebrities who have been awarded such honors.

Post Reply I have been reporting on latest news from Nigeria for almost 10 years now. I report on every possible news area I come across, but always ensure my reports are compiled with dignity and fact to uphold my personal values and duty as a journalist Posted: at 25-08-2024 08:20 PM (1 month ago) | Addicted Hero
An explosion of ammunition has occurred in Azerbaijan's Fuzuli district, Azernews reports.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA), the Prosecutor General's Office, and the Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action (ANAMA) jointly reported this on August 24.

It was stated that the incident was recorded in the Zarg?r village, which has been liberated from occupation.

"A resident of Fuzuli district, 1978-born Aslanov Racu Murad oglu, sustained various injuries as a result of an ammunition explosion in an area that had not been cleared of mines and other explosive ordnance. His life is not in danger. An investigation has been launched by the Fuzuli District Prosecutor's Office regarding the incident. ANAMA, MIA, and the Prosecutor General's Office once again urge citizens to adhere to safety regulations, pay attention to mine hazard signs, and avoid entering unfamiliar areas," it was noted.
Xem them

...

Tin bai cuoi cung

Khong con du lieu e load
Fri Friday

85 /54

Mix of sun and clouds. Highs in the mid 80s and lows in the mid 50s.
Readout of President Biden's Call with Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani of Qatar

August 23, 2024

President Biden spoke today with Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani of Qatar. They discussed the urgency of bringing the ceasefire and hostage release deal to closure under the comprehensive bridging proposal that is now in the table, which would free the hostages, bring life-saving relief to Palestinian civilians in Gaza, and de-escalate regional tensions. They discussed upcoming talks in Cairo and efforts to remove any remaining obstacles to the deal. The President thanked the Amir for his leadership. Both leaders agreed to remain in close coordination directly and through their teams over the coming days.

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By Zheng Yongnian

As some American scholars have acknowledged, Sinophobia in the US today has reached its highest level. In fact, if someone regularly reads American newspapers, they can find a wealth of hysterical rhetoric - constantly criticizing, opposing and attacking China.

In the US, Sinophobia exhibits several characteristics. First, this fear is comprehensive, covering almost all aspects, including geopolitics, military, trade, technology and systemic issues. Second, it is a government-wide phenomenon. Third, the government's fear has spread to all corners of US society, as reflected in various opinion polls. Fourth, it has a strong tendency to spread and infect other countries.

In the economic realm, the US remains the world's largest economy. Whether in terms of market or technology, the US continues to be admired by many countries. In this realm, the US' fear stems from the fact that, despite the country having invested in suppressing China, the Chinese economy is not only surviving in an increasing number of areas and showing remarkable resilience, but also growing stronger.

The deepest layer of the US' fear regarding China lies in the realm of systems and institutions. In this regard, US Senator Marco Rubio's statements are particularly representative. This outspoken critic of China stated that "Capitalism didn't change China. China changed capitalism," leading the US to face "this historic and catastrophic mistake." President Joe Biden framed the competition between the US and China as a struggle between "democracy" and "authoritarianism," and has shown confidence that the former will win. However, American society has long lost its confidence in US democracy. This is because US democracy is facing unprecedented internal challenges, primarily due to extreme social inequality and division.

All of this fear ultimately translates into geopolitical anxiety toward China. Anything China does can be interpreted by Washington as part of its geopolitical rivalry with the US which absolutely will not tolerate any other country challenging its hegemonic position. Clearly, for China, a core issue in international relations and diplomacy for the foreseeable future is how to manage the US' Sinophobia.

First, to address the US' fear of China, we need to stay calm, closely analyze how this fear is expressed and understand its reasons before developing and taking effective countermeasures.

Second, it's crucial to present China in a positive light. We need to "tell China stories well." The goal of that is to help other countries understand and accept China. China stories are aimed not at anti-China critics but at the majority of foreign readers.

Third, in specific areas, including economics and trade, technology, and political systems, we can respond. But we should be aware that responses must be purposeful and rational rather than simple emotional reactions.

Fourth, in terms of geopolitics, China does not pursue the same ambitions as the US. Since China's major geopolitical interests are in its surrounding regions, the US concentrates on containing and encircling China in these areas. Therefore, China needs to enhance its national defense to ensure it can adequately protect itself.

To effectively respond to the US, China's cooperation should extend beyond its neighboring countries, such as the Belt and Road Initiative. While the US focuses on containment and encirclement through alliances in China's surrounding regions, China emphasizes defense and seeks breakthroughs through inclusive multilateralism. Globally, while the US prioritizes national security, China focuses on economic development, helping regional countries balance their security and development needs.

The US has framed the competition between China and itself as a clash of political systems, which is something China must confront directly. It is important to highlight that China's political system is tailored to Chinese civilization, culture and its national conditions. It is a non-Western system, not an anti-Western system. China does not aim to impose its system on other countries, but rather it hopes that every nation can find a political system that aligns with its civilization. At the same time, China also supports mutual learning and exchanges between countries, encouraging countries to share and adopt the best practices from different systems through civilizational dialogue.

This article was first published on the Gobal Times.
Readout of President Biden's Call with President Abdel-Fattah El Sisi of Egypt

August 23, 2024

President Biden spoke today with President Abdel-Fattah El Sisi of Egypt. They discussed the urgency of bringing the ceasefire and hostage release deal to closure under the comprehensive bridging proposal that is now in the table, which would free the hostages, bring life-saving relief to Palestinian civilians in Gaza, and de-escalate regional tensions. They discussed upcoming talks in Cairo and efforts to remove any remaining obstacles to the deal. The President thanked President El Sisi for his leadership. Both leaders agreed to remain in close coordination directly and through their teams over the coming days.

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Press Briefing by IDF Spokesperson RAdm. Daniel Hagari- August 24, 2024

IDF Press Release

August 24, 2024

24.08.24

IDF

This evening, we are updating that four IDF reservist soldiers fell in combat on the Netzarim Corridor over the weekend.

Yesterday, in the early hours of the morning, three IDF soldiers

Sergeant First Class (res.) Evyatar Atuar z"l, Sergeant First Class (res.) Danil Pechenyuk z"l and Sergeant First Class (res.) Nitai Metodi z"lmay their memory be a blessingfell during a raid in the Zeitoun area as a result of the detonation of an explosive device.

In a separate incident, yesterday evening, four terrorists opened fire on a position where IDF troops were stationed. The troops returned fire, killing three terrorists, and a fourth who fled was struck by an IAF jet. IDF soldier Sergeant Major (res.) Yaniv Itzhak Oren z"l, may his memory be a blessing, fell in the battle.

Four IDF reservist soldiers, heroes of Israel, who left their lives behind to defend the citizens of the State of Israel. May their memory be a blessing.

We embrace their families during these difficult times and will continue to support them. We do not forget, and must not forget, the immense cost borne by many families in Israeli societythe bereaved families, the wounded, and their families.

Over the past week and throughout the weekend, IDF troops continue to engage in combat across all arenassouthern, northern, and in Judea and Samaria. In Gaza, the 162nd Division's troops are continuing their operations in the Rafah area. To date, many terrorists have been eliminated and dozens of underground terror tunnels have been destroyed. Simultaneously, the 98th Division's troops are operating in the Khan Yunis area and the outskirts of Deir al-Balah. Throughout, we remain steadfast in our commitment to the 109 hostages who are still being held cruelly by Hamas in Gaza, and we are exerting every effort to bring them all home as quickly as possible.

In the north, IDF troops continue to operate with determination and strength against Hezbollah. In recent days, we struck approximately 70 terrorist targets, including warehouses containing numerous weapons directed at the State of Israel, and eliminated over 20 terrorists, including senior figures in Hezbollah's rocket operations.

It is important for me to explain our operational approach: on the offensive, we conduct systematic and orderly strikes to impair Hezbollah's capabilities and its operatives. On the defensive front, we focus on removing threats while eliminating terrorists who have conducted launches or emerged from military compounds, including senior commanders. We target bases and terrorist sites, while Hezbollah targets civilian areas and civilians.

We have a wide range of offensive plans of action and will act according to decisions made by the political level. I want to address the residents of the north. I understand that you have been enduring very difficult months, facing constant threats and launches. We will not rest until you can return to your homes in safety.

In conclusion, it is important for you to know that we are facing a significant week ahead due to the negotiations in Cairo, combat in Gaza and on the northern border. Our preparedness is extremely highboth in offense and defenseand we will continue to work to remove threats and combat our enemies. The public must remain vigilant and alert, as you have been so far. We will provide immediate updates on any developments.

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Three Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Aug 24, 2024

Tehran, IRNA -- The Israeli military has announced the deaths of three more soldiers in battles in the Gaza Strip.

The military said on Saturday that the trio were killed in two separate incidents in Gaza a day earlier.

Two died when they were hit by an explosive device planted on the outside of a building they were searching in Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City, the regime said.

It added that the third soldier was killed in clashes with Palestinian fighters in the Netzarim Corridor.

According to the Israeli military, a total of 338 soldiers have been killed in Gaza since the regime began its ground offensive there in mid-October.

Palestinian resistance groups say the toll is much higher as the regime hides the real number of its military casualties amid growing public discontent over the Israeli cabinet's handling of the war and its failure to release dozens of captives still held in Gaza.

Protests have been taking place on an almost daily basis in Israel in the past months, demanding the cabinet of PM Benjamin Netanyahu accept a ceasefire deal for Gaza in order to secure the release of the captives.

Netanyahu however has remained adamant, with critics saying that he is prolonging the war to achieve his own political purposes amid corruption charges. He is facing trial after he was charged with fraud, bribery and breach of trust in cases filed in 2019. Netanyahu can be sentenced to up to 10 years in jail if convicted in a bribery case.

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Hezbollah hits several Israeli bases in new attacks

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Aug 24, 2024

Tehran, IRNA -- The Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah has launched new attacks on Israeli positions in the north of the occupied Palestine.

Hezbollah said in a statement on Saturday that its fighters had used an armed drone to target the Israeli-controlled Hermon military base earlier in the day.

It said another attack by drones and shelling had targeted Israel's al-Raheb military base.

Hezbollah said a gathering of Israeli forces in Misgav Am had been directly targeted in an attack using appropriate weapons, adding that armed drones had also been fired to hit a newly-created military command headquarters in Ya'ara.

The Lebanese group said all the attacks had been carried out as a show of solidarity with the people of Palestine fighting the Israeli aggression in Gaza and to respond to the regime's attacks on towns and villages in southern Lebanon.

It said one of its fighters, identified as Ibrahim Hassan Fadhil, had succumbed to injuries suffered in an Israeli attack.

Hezbollah has been trading fire with Israel since early October when the regime launched its brutal war on Gaza.

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Hezbollah launches 15 attacks on Israeli military sites: Report

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Aug 24, 2024

Tehran, IRNA -- Lebanon's Hezbollah has announced that it has carried out 15 attacks targeting Israeli military sites in a bid to show solidarity with the Palestinian cause, media outlets have reported.

In a statement issued on Saturday, Hezbollah said it targeted the Israeli army's Malkieh site, Al-Sammaqa, Ruwaisat Al-Alam, and Hadab Yarin sites.

The group also said it attacked the surveillance and spy equipment in the army's Meron base, the Ramim site, and the Ein Zeitim military base.

Hezbollah said it also attacked a gathering of Israeli soldiers near the Metula military site and another gathering in the vicinity of Talat al-Khazan area with artillery shells.

This marks the largest number of attacks launched by the group in 35 days.

Israeli regime and Hezbollah have been exchanging fire across the frontier since October 8, 2023, a day after the Zionist regime launched its genocidal war on the Gaza Strip.

Hezbollah has pledged to continue its operations in support of the defenseless Palestinians in Gaza and response to the Israeli aggression against Lebanon. It has marked the worst escalation along Lebanon's southern border since the 2006 war, in which, Hezbollah fighters forced the Zionists to retreat.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza announced that over 40,220 Palestinian people have been martyred in Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023.

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Yemen releases footage of attack on Greek-flagged tanker

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Aug 24, 2024

Tehran, IRNA -- The Yemeni Army has released footage of its attack on Greek-flagged oil tanker Sounion in the Red Sea, which was targeted as part of the Arab country's operations in support of Palestinians in war-ravaged Gaza.

The army released the footage on Friday a day after it attacked the vessel, saying that its owner company cooperates with the Israeli regime and had violated Yemen's ban on entry of ships in ports of the occupied territories.

The footage shows the moment the Sounion oil tanker caught fire after it was hit. The fire is said to be still burning and the tanker is sinking, according to Yemen's Al-Masirah news network.

Yemen has time and again said that any vessel heading for Israeli-occupied ports will be the target of its pro-Palestine operations in the high seas.

The country also says its maritime operations will continue until the Israeli regime stops its war on Gaza and lifts its blockade of the Palestinian territory.

Yemen began its pro-Gaza attacks in mid-November 2023, more than a month after Israel invaded the besieged Palestinian territory.

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China fires flares while PH patrols vs. poachers near Zamora Reef

Philippine News Agency

By Joyce Ann L. Rocamora

August 24, 2024, 12:01 pm

MANILA -- China has "unjustifiably deployed" flares from Zamora Reef while a Philippine aircraft was on patrol to monitor and intercept poachers encroaching on the country's waters on Aug. 22, the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) confirmed Saturday.

The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) Cessna 208B Grand Caravan was conducting a maritime domain awareness flight within the country's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and the territorial seas of the Kalayaan Island Group features when China fired the flares.

"We firmly reiterate our call on the government of the People's Republic of China (PRC) to immediately cease all provocative and dangerous actions that threaten the safety of Philippine vessels and aircraft engaged in legitimate and regular activities within Philippine territory and EEZ and the right of all vessels and aircraft exercising freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea," the NTF-WPS said in a statement.

"Such actions undermine regional peace and security, and further erode the image of the PRC with the international community."

Zamora Reef, also known as Subi Reef, is a feature in the West Philippine Sea that China reclaimed and militarized.

The atoll, situated within the territorial sea of Pag-asa Island, has been declared as a low-tide elevation by the 2016 Arbitral Ruling, which means it does not generate a territorial sea or an EEZ of its own.

The NTF-WPS said the BFAR plane was the same aircraft that the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) harassed while on a similar patrol flight near Bajo de Masinloc on Aug. 19.

The PLAAF fighter jet 63270 at that time engaged in "irresponsible and dangerous maneuvers" and deployed flares multiple times at a dangerously close distance of approximately 15 meters from the Philippine aircraft.

"The Chinese fighter jet was in no way provoked, yet its actions demonstrated hazardous intent that jeopardized the safety of the personnel on board the BFAR aircraft," the NTF-WPS said.

Meanwhile, the task force said the Philippine government would continue conducting maritime domain awareness activities within its sovereign territory, national airspace, and EEZ, as well as on the high seas, in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the 2016 Arbitral Award. (PNA)

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Israeli forces raid several areas across occupied West Bank

Iran Press TV

Saturday, 24 August 2024 6:52 PM

Israeli forces have conducted a series of raids across the occupied West Bank, leaving a Palestinian injured and detaining several others.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) reported on Saturday that a 16-year-old Palestinian sustained an injury from live gunfire in the foot after Israeli troops stormed the town of Beit Furik, east of Nablus, on Saturday.

Violent clashes reportedly broke out between Israeli soldiers and young Palestinians. The regime forces detained a young Palestinian man. They also hindered the movement of a Palestinian ambulance in the area.

Meanwhile, confrontations erupted between Palestinians and Israeli troops, with occupation forces shooting live fire in the village of Abwein, located north of the city of Ramallah.

Israeli soldiers also raided the town of Hajjah, and arrested several Palestinian in the town of Baqat al-Hatab in Qalqilya as well.

The PRCS further reported that Israeli settlers have attacked the Masafer Yatta area, south of the West Bank city of al-Khalil, leaving two women injured.

Earlier in the day, Israeli settlers raided the village of Sarra, west of Nablus, setting fire to Palestinian lands.

Israel has ramped up attacks on Palestinian towns and cities throughout the occupied territories since the beginning of Israel's genocidal war on Gaza. As a result of these attacks, dozens of Palestinians have lost their lives and many others have been arrested.

Violent acts by Israeli settlers in the West Bank have also increased dramatically since then.

Israel launched the barbaric campaign of death, destruction and genocide in Gaza on October 7, 2023 after the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas waged the surprise Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against the occupying entity in response to the Israeli regime's decades-long campaign of bloodletting and devastation against Palestinians.

Israel has so far massacred over 40,300 Palestinians, mostly women and children.

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Hezbollah launches drone strike on Israeli military base in occupied territories

Iran Press TV

Saturday, 24 August 2024 3:18 PM

Lebanon's resistance movement Hezbollah says it has conducted a drone strike on an Israeli military base in the northern part of the occupied territories, as tensions continue to escalate between the two sides across the border.

In a message on Telegram on Saturday, Hezbollah said it had "accurately" targeted the positions of Israeli soldiers stationed at the "Western Brigade" headquarters near Ya'ara settlement.

It also stressed that the drone strike came in support of the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and their resistance, as well as in response to the Israel regime's attacks on residential buildings in southern Lebanon.

Hezbollah further noted that it had carried out a separate attack, targeting the Misgav Am base in the Upper Galilee region "with appropriate weapons," hitting it directly.

The resistance group also said it had targeted a position of Israeli soldiers in the Hadab Yaroun site with artillery shells, hitting it directly.

Hezbollah also claimed several other attacks on targets in the northern part of occupied territories earlier in the day, some of which were confirmed by the Israeli military.

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.

Hezbollah has been responding with strikes aimed both at retaliating against the regime and supporting the war-hit Gazans.

The regime, which waged wars against Lebanon in 2000 and 2006, has repeatedly threatened to expand its attacks into another wholesale military onslaught against the country.

Hezbollah has vowed to defend the Lebanese soil with all its resources.

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ICC chief prosecutor urges ruling on arrest warrants for Israeli leaders

Iran Press TV

Saturday, 24 August 2024 11:33 AM

The International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor Karim Khan has urged pretrial judges to urgently address the issuance of a ruling on warrants for Israeli leaders wanted for the genocide of the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.

Israeli forces launched their war on Gaza last October after Hamas carried out a landmark operation inside the occupied territories which caught the regime by surprise.

Now, it has been more than three months since Khan announced that he had reasonable grounds to believe Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders pushing the continuous war on Gaza "bear criminal responsibility" for "war crimes and crimes against humanity."

In May, Khan released a statement outlining a list of crimes, including "starvation of civilians" and "intentionally directing attacks against a civilian population."

Khan, a British national, cited "widespread and systematic attacks against the Palestinian civilian population" as crimes that in his assessment have continued to this day.

The panel of pretrial judges was to consider Khan's request for the arrest warrants.

On Friday, Khan called on the judges of the tribunal to "urgently render its decisions" on his request for the arrest warrants.

Khan noted that the ICC court has jurisdiction over the most serious crimes facing the international community as a whole, namely genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.

"It is settled law that the Court has jurisdiction in this situation," Khan wrote in his legal briefing in response to legal arguments filed by dozens of countries, academics, victims' groups and rights groups either rejecting or supporting the ICC court's power to issue arrest warrants in its investigation into the war in Gaza.

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NewMatilda.com : You have said that the most dangerous part of the world is North Asia within that triangle of unresolved tensions between China, Japan and the Korean Peninsula. Why?

Paul Keating: Simply because there was no settlement after World War II, there was no resolution of issues in North Asia. Japan got tucked under the wing of the United States, the communists in China had their revolution, [and]you know the history of the Korean Peninsula. So there was no resolution and the enmities have gone on ever since.

China is a different State now a rising one. Japan moreover is a declining one, because its population is beginning to shrink. People say the Middle East is the most dangerous place but there are four and a half million Israelis and the Palestinian population is about one and half million that is not 1.3 billion, 160 million, and 73 million respectively, that is of an altogether different scale. And it is scale that creates the problems.

But what evidence have we that the tensions are increasing between China and Japan?

What evidence we have is from anyone who knows these countries, anyone who goes there.

The attitude among young Chinese today is far more vociferous against the Japanese than that of their parents. And the younger members of the conservative Japanese elite, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), remain resolutely in the position of their grandfathers about the war in the Pacific, and their attitude toward China and the Chinese. So this is pretty worrying. Its not just that there is a bit of latent antipathy there, it is growing.

But youve talked about an arms race. Are you saying that Japan and China are arming themselves in the event of a future war?

As I said in my Evatt Foundation speech, the Chinese are certainly arming themselves. They would say that theyre arming themselves in a defensive way because we are complicating any force projection calculations over a future fight over Taiwan.

But as well as that may be, its all just going up and up: the Chinese having 2600 combat aircraft 800 of them capable of being ship borne; the Japanese, for their part, asking the Americans if they can buy the F22 Raptor aircraft, which is not a defensive plane; and the development of the substantial Japanese blue-water navy.

If it was just the two of them, you would say lets keep an eye on them. But you have two tinderbox points: Taiwan and the Korean Peninsula. We now have North Korea in a position where it can make nuclear weapons and, should it wish, fire them across Japanese cities all the Japanese cities. This drives the Japanese mad. So it may not be the Japanese and Chinese who end up in some incident with each other but a third party that lights the torch to the trouble.

Do you think there are enough diplomatic efforts being made to stop a future war in Asia?

There are no diplomatic efforts being made. That was my point about the current APEC meeting; that is why I built the APEC leaders meeting to begin with. The point of it was to recognise the post-Cold War opportunity for regionalism to have a structure where the Japanese and the Chinese could actually meet each other. Before APEC, before the leaders meeting, there was no place. And no structure that was pan-Pacific in the sense that the strategic guarantor of Japan and Korea and the Philippines that is the United States could be present.

Its all very well leaders turning up in their funny shirts and moving forward gradually with an economic and trade agenda. The APEC meeting is of its essence a strategic meeting anything where the US President puts his knees under the table with the Chinese President, and the Japanese Prime Minister and the Indonesian President is a strategic body.

What do you do with strategic bodies? You use them to resolve strategic issues. And the big unresolved strategic issue in our own world is, what place in the Chinese scheme of things does Japan have in the longer run; and what attitude will Japan take towards China as China becomes the predominant economy in North Asia, other than believing in the US strategic umbrella as the answer to all problems?

There were criticisms of your comments saying that China and Taiwan would never sit down at a table together. How can APEC, quite frankly, deal with this issue?

Well of course you would not be sitting down with the Taiwanese on this. You would sideline them to facilitate the China-Japan discussion. Simple as that. You see there are bilateral meetings at APEC. And trilateral meetings go on. There is no reason why we could not have an executive group within APEC including the US President, the Chinese President, the Japanese Prime Minister and the Indonesian President, perhaps the Prime Minister of Australia, and in that group you could focus on these issues.

This is a furphy about Taiwan and Hong Kong. Hong Kong could be gone from APEC tomorrow if the Chinese decided that.

A piece in The China Daily last week called Australia and Japan best friends. We have our joint security agreement with China and we have been a loyal partner to the US in the War on Terror. We now have a strategic relationship with India as well  and the military exercises of the Quadrilateral Initiative which brings together those countries, and Australia, Japan and the US are having separate talks during APEC. Our defence interests in the last couple of years have very clearly looked to the United States. Can Australia realistically be a mediator?

Let me step back a little from the question and put this context to you. There have been two basic thoughts about Australian foreign policy: there are those who seek to find Australias security in Asia, and those who seek to find Australias security from Asia. I am the leader of the in Asia camp, and John Howard is the leader of the from Asia camp.

When I was the leader and Prime Minister of the in Asia camp, I put the APEC leaders meeting together. It might seem a bit fanciful to suggest that a country like Australia could bring together countries like the United States, China, Japan but it happened. Just as the Chemical Weapons Convention happened, just as the Cambodian Peace Accords happened, just as the development of the ASEAN Regional Forum happened these are the express outcomes of Australian foreign policy.

So, Australian foreign policy in the hands of an ambitious person could deal with the US, Japan and China on broader stability issues. But of course there has to be cards up for a game like this you cant be having trilateral meetings on the side with the Japanese. And the problem for Australia is that it has a Prime Minister, John Howard, who basically has most of his eggs in the North American basket.

So do we have an indication that Rudd is willing to look at this in a different way?

Well, at least he understands the issues.

Youre saying his background as a Sinologist 

No, not simply because he speaks Chinese. I happen to like scrambled eggs but I am not a chicken. You dont have to speak Mandarin to understand Chinas issues. Kevin Rudd understands the issues where the current Prime Minister of Australia does not. Always take the person who understands the issues over the one who doesnt: it is always the shortest way to a solution.

So, I think that Australian foreign policy can still play a more substantial role in the Australia Pacific dialogue but Australia would have to have good intentions towards everyone to be effective at a table.

Good intentions towards everyone, meaning?

The Chinese, the Japanese, the Koreans, and the Americans.

Keating at the APEC meeting in Bogor, Indonesia in 1994

Youve mentioned that the inability of Europe to accommodate the interests of a rising Germany started a cycle of conflict including World War I and World War II. I quote: the world has never seen the rise of a major new power without a war. What is currently in place to prevent that happening again in Asia?

We have seen recent significant redeployment of the US military into East Asia; weve just had reports of a US build up in Guam; were seeing a military build up of Japan; support for Taiwan independence; pressure for an embargo on Chinese goods by the EU and the US; currency revaluation pressure; and a long war that has prevented Chinese access to energy. Couldnt we argue that international politics is doing nothing to prevent simmering Chinese resentment and belligerence the same sentiments that were in Germany prior to World War II?

I think you can argue that. The great problem for the world is that at the end of the Cold War the Americans cried victory and walked off the field. Four American presidential terms have been more or less wasted the two Clinton terms, and now the two Bush terms. There was no new structure built in recognition of the fact that the Cold War bipolarity had gone. So the US should be trying to build a structure where it is the first amongst equals, where it actually helps bring China and India into the world. And not continuing to push away the Russians.

And in this way we would actually have an alignment by these States of their foreign and defence policies with their economic policies. At the moment the economic policy of China and the defence structure of China are different. The Americans were so successful with liberal internationalism during the Cold War, but right at the penultimate moment of their success they abandoned it in favour of a militant unilateralism of the kind we now see. That means there is no structure.

The world is run unrepresentatively, that is the principal problem. You have half of humanity in India and China but they are not in the power game. The world is still set up on the template of 1947 in the G8 you still have States like Italy and Canada. Now I happen to like Italy and Canada, but you wouldnt have them there at the expense of China and India. But we do.

So when 11 September 2001 came along, the American Republican elite took from that the wrong message, in my opinion, instead of trying to set up a more representative world structure. We dont have an international structure which reflects the post-Cold War world we now live in.

You have talked about easing China into the world. But isnt the reality that China doesnt want to ease into the world at all.

Thats a wrong judgment by you. Of course they want to ease into the world. Thats why they joined the World Trade Organisation they want to be in the world.

Sorry the emphasis was on easing into the world they are very ambitious.

Ok, they are growing very strongly 11-12 per cent per annum you could hardly call that easing. But look where they started from. The last time China was really powerful was at the end of the 17th century. You can say most of the 18th century, all of the 19th century, into the 20th century they have had misery, and in the 21st century they have made a great leap. Of course they are growing rapidly, and the base of the Chinese economy is picking up, but its not doing more than Japan did in the 1960s really.

So what you mean by easing is: slowly allowing it to be part of the international system?

To be a part of the international economic trade and payments system and having a strategic place that recognises Chinas unique entitlement as the largest continental power in North Asia.

John Mearsheimer wrote an article called Conflict Is Inevitable about future US-China tensions and Aaron Friedberg and others have cast doubts on economic interdependence preventing future tensions between the United States and China. What is your view of this? Because America is starting to talk very long and hard about China and its economic and military power 

I do not think China is going to be a military threat to the United States. It certainly will be a commercial threat of a kind, but then the Chinese, reasonably wise as they are, have now decided with their mercantilist policy of reserves, to recycle those reserves into US dollar assets and have lived with the ignominy of the US dollar assets falling in value by 30 per cent. In many respects, it is not much of a policy: you work hard, you make wealth, you invest it in US dollars and you lose 30 per cent. At least you would have to say that there is a co-operative if not jovial quality to them.

They are part of the world, they are part of the monetary system now and they are part of the world saving system.

I think more than anything else they want recognition that they are not simply a former agrarian State getting two big for its boots rather that they have a right to lift one and a quarter billion people, a quarter of humanity, from poverty. And attempts by anybody in the US or Europe to hold them back are as foolish as the attempts made by Russia, Britain and France, to question the legitimacy of Bismarcks creation of Germany at the end of the 19th Century. And we all know where that led us.

You said quite a while ago that this was going to be the Asian century. Do you still believe this and if so, how should our foreign policy be placed?

Population is a principle driver of GDP. And that means this will be the Asian century. This will be the Chinese century.

If you look at the last couple of hundred years, you could say the first half of the 19th century belonged to Britain; the second half belonged to the east coast of the United States; the first half of the 20th century belonged to the United States especially its west coast; the second half of the 20th century belonged to Japan, and the first half of the 21st century will belong to China.

One way or another it is clear to me that the Asian economies 80 million Vietnamese, 1.2 billion Chinese, 160 Japanese, 200 million Indonesians this is going to be the growth focus of the world. Its not going to be the Western economies, its not going to be Europe. This will be the growth place and all the more reason why the US will have drag along rights with the Chinese; drag along rights for growth and prosperity from China. So jerky movements would be most ill-advised.

I dont take this simplistic view that economic interdependence means that there will be no strategic rivalry of a military variety. I dont think that is true. World War I makes that point pretty well.

But how has the emergence of China changed the international system? What are we seeing with the emergence of China and India?

Were seeing the development of a multi-polar world whether the American Republicans like it or not. The question is: does the US have the humility and wit to shape that world to best serve its longer-term interests?

In other words, is it able to shape the world so that in 20 years or 30 years from now when it is not the only dog on the street but when there are other large States with big populations sitting beside it.

Will those populations say as the Europeans say to the Americans: in your magn

animity at the end of World War II with the Marshall Plan, you gave us back our civic life and civic progress. Will Chinese and Indian people be saying that of the United States in 20 or 30 years time? Or will they come by their position despite them? That is the big question for the United States.

US Pacific commander, Admiral Tim Keating recently said that Chinese leaders offered to carve up the Pacific into Chinese and American spheres a notion the Admiral rejected. The Chinese said Here is what well do: youll take care of the Eastern Pacific, well take care of the Western Pacific, and well just communicate with each other. Keating said he rejected the plan. It seems the Pacific is becoming an interesting theatre, and were obviously a part of that.

I wouldnt take too much notice of admirals and commanders they all like big ships and big fleets. Go to governments and the heads of government in making the shape here.

There was an epiphany at the end of the 20th Century few people expected: the fall of the Berlin Wall and the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The Reagan and George Herbert Bush Administrations did everything in their reasonable power to facilitate that event. And they facilitated and helped it very well. Since then, what have we seen?

Nothing. Nothing from the Clinton Administration, nothing from the Bush Administration. Nothing. The problem is that we have now lost 17 years.

Meanwhile China is now a larger economy. It is about 6 trillion of GDP. It is about the same size as Japan but Japan is growing at 1 per cent, and China is growing at 11 per cent. India is coming up, as are parts of South America, and Russia. It is just incompetent for the United States, having managed the post World War II world so well, to run off the field when foreign policy and structural dexterity really mattered.

But we havent seen any leadership in challenging the United States in the last couple of years, we have seen in my view in the War on Terror Britain, Australia, so many countries go to Americas aid. Has there been much challenging behind closed doors?

No. The last big idea in the world belonged to Helmut Kohl and FranAois Mitterrand, trying to divine a common market in Europe a European community, a European Union with a single currency and a single constitution. That was the worlds last big idea.

There havent been other big ideas since. There could have been, but middle power countries like Australia rolled over, seeing most things American in terms of the current Administration. And we just dont see the Statecraft being applied and brought to bear in the world anymore. The whole notion of Statecraft has disappeared.

Many have talked about strategic hubris overcoming China as well as an implosion within its borders. Whats your view of how the Chinese are managing the vast problems and many issues they have to deal with?

They are managing quite well. I think in terms of competence, they are the best government in the world. There is no doubt about that. There is no OECD government within coo-ee of it. Imagine giving the French Government or the United States Government the Chinese problem. They would not know what to do with it.

So lets say we give the Chinese strong marks for trying. The problem is that China is a patchwork quilt of prosperities. China is not just one place. There is prosperity in various places in China and this puts a tension across the whole State. The Chinese Government understands this and it is seeking therefore to develop the centre and the west of China so that all the prosperity is not simply in the eastern provinces. This is hard to do.

In Britain and the United State at the beginning of the industrial revolution, people in what were essentially agrarian societies moved off farms into cities, and we ended up with quite small farm communities able to produce food through increasing productivity. The problem the Chinese have is that theyll have 600 million people on the coast in the cities, theyll have about 800 million in the hinterland of which probably 400 million maximum will be produce food. So there are 400 million people surplus to requirements in China. This has never been true of the US or Britain.

So what do you do with those people? Well what they do with those people will tell us a lot about Chinese unity and cohesion.

But at least this is a government in China which is thinking about and trying to deal with this problem.

What about the idea that in the lead-up to the Beijing Olympics, the US might put a bit of pressure on, and there is the chance of a Chinese strategic mis-step an inability to contain the idea that this is their century?

I cant see it in the immediate future. None of us have crystal balls, but I dont think so. The problem is that if the growth continues as it is and the wealth continues to compound on the eastern seaboard of China, can they hold the polity together, and the answer is: we dont know. We hope so.

People worry about a burgeoning China, but they may well worry more about a divided China. Weve got to hope that, as a nation, they keep their act together and keep their country together. In that way at least, we are dealing with a unified whole with whom we can do business.
Aug 23: 'Axis of Resistance' operations against Israeli occupation

Iran Press TV

Saturday, 24 August 2024 6:11 AM

By Press TV Website Staff

Amid Israel's genocidal war on Gaza, which has killed more than 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 Friday, August 23, are as follows:

Al-Qassam Brigades' operations on Aug 23:

In a complex ambush, targeted several Israeli military vehicles advancing in the vicinity of the "Star" factory southeast of the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood in Gaza City with Al-Yassin 105 shells.

Engaged in fierce clashes with Israeli forces that had infiltrated south of the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood in Gaza City.

Targeted an Israeli military Merkava-4 tank with an Al-Yassin 105 shell near the Abu Sultan Junction in the Tal Al-Sultan neighborhood, west of the city of Rafah city, southern Gaza Strip.

Targeted an Israeli force stationed inside the Kamal Adwan School with an anti-fortification TBG shell, followed by clashes at point-blank range in the Tal Al-Sultan neighborhood in the west of Rafah city.

Targeted four Israeli military Merkava-4 tanks with Al-Yassin 105 shells and a Tandem shell near the Abu Al-Daqqa junction in the Tal Al-Sultan neighborhood west of Rafah city.

Al-Quds Brigades' operations on Aug 23:

Targeted the "Zikim" military base with heavy-caliber mortar shells.

Engaged in fierce clashes with Israeli soldiers and their military vehicles who had infiltrated south of the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood in Gaza City.

Bombed Asdod, Asqalan, and Israeli settlements in the Gaza envelope with rockets.

Targeted Israeli forces with three anti-personnel and anti-fortification shells, and then engaged in clashes with the regime forces using hand grenades and automatic weapons in the Tal al-Hawa neighborhood in Gaza City.

Targeted Israeli soldiers and military vehicles who had infiltrated south of the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood in Gaza City with mortar shells.

Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades' operations on Aug 23:

In a joint operation with the Al-Nasser Salah Al-Din Brigades, targeted the "Netzarim" military axis with a barrage of 107-caliber rockets.

In a joint operation with the Al-Quds and Al-Nasser Salah Al-Din Brigades, targeted the "Kissufim" military site with regular 60mm mortar shells.

Targeted Israeli forces that had infiltrated the vicinity of Hamad City, west of Khan Younis city, with regular 60 caliber mortar shells.

Targeted Israeli forces with a barrage of mortar shells south of Al-Zaytoun neighborhood in Gaza City.

Detonated a number of pre-prepared explosive devices against Israeli soldiers and military vehicles in the fighting axis in the Old City of Nablus, occupied West Bank.

Engaged in fierce clashes with Israeli forces storming the Old City of Nablus, occupied West Bank, using machine guns and explosive devices.

Mujahideen Brigades' operations on Aug 23:

In a joint operation with the fighters of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, targeted the Israeli military's supply lines in the "Netzarim" axis with a number of 107mm rockets.

Targeted the supply line of Israeli forces on the so-called "Netzarim axis" with a barrage of 107-type rockets.

Al-Nasser Salah Al-Din Brigades' operations on Aug 23:

In a joint operation with Saraya Al-Quds and Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, targeted the "Kissufim" military site with a barrage of mortar shells.

Hezbollah's operations on Aug 23:

The Branit site was targeted with artillery shells.

Israeli soldiers in Kiryat Shmona were targeted with drones.

Surveillance equipment at the Jal Al-Alam site was targeted with drones.

Israeli soldiers near the Metulla site were targeted with appropriate weapons.

Israeli soldiers near the Ghajar site were targeted with appropriate weapons.

The Al-Malikiyah site was targeted with artillery shells.

Al-Marj site was targeted with appropriate weapons.

Military buildings in the Metulla settlement were targeted with appropriate weapons.

Military buildings in the Manara settlement were targeted with appropriate weapons.

Military buildings in the Zarit settlement were targeted with appropriate weapons.

Israeli soldiers near the Avivim site were targeted with appropriate weapons.

Al-Samaqa site in Lebanon's Kfar Shuba was targeted with rockets.

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Azerbaijan Moves Closer Toward China And Courts Investment Through New Deals

By Reid Standish August 24, 2024

Azerbaijan is laying the groundwork to boost its ambitions in the South Caucasus and is looking to China for help.

In just two months, Baku's ties with Beijing have quickly moved forward as the oil-rich country has inched closer politically and economically through a series of agreements that could boost China's presence in the region and open the door to newfound Chinese investment into Azerbaijan.

The series of recent moves began on July 3 when Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Astana and declared they had upgraded bilateral ties through a new strategic partnership that calls for them to work closer together economically, militarily, and politically.

A few weeks later, Baku applied to upgrade its status within the SCO from dialogue partner to observer, setting the stage to potentially become a full member.

And then on August 20, Azerbaijan announced it had applied to join the BRICS group of emerging economies led by China and Russia that also includes Brazil, India, and South Africa as founding members.

Taken together, the collection of moves is part of China's growing momentum in the region as an investor and trade partner since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, which has left governments and shipping companies looking for alternatives due to sanctions on Russia that have left its vast rail network -- previously the main route between China and Europe for overland trade -- less viable.

For Azerbaijan, which is at a crossroads for trade on the Caspian Sea, this has led to new energy for the so-called Middle Corridor, the alternative trade route that bypasses Russia by cutting through Central Asia and the South Caucasus to connect to the European Union, and seen new investment worth billions of dollars.

"The Middle Corridor is a key issue and Baku needs Beijing's support," Zaur Shiriyev, a nonresident scholar at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, told RFE/RL. "The immediate concern is that the success of the Middle Corridor depends on a steady flow of goods from China to establish a strong China-Europe route in the long term."

A Series Of New Deals And Beyond

Attracting more Chinese interest and investment in the Middle Corridor is a main priority for Azerbaijan and is at the center of the strategic partnership agreement signed in July.

China pledged in the document to help develop and use the trade route and Baku is hoping that it will lead to more Chinese investment in infrastructure, which would make the route more competitive and strengthen Azerbaijan's role as a central hub in the region.

But Baku's "cooperation menu with Beijing is extensive," says Shiriyev, with Azerbaijan eyeing further deals in green energy, advanced technology, and military purchases.

The Azerbaijani government has also expressed a desire for Chinese companies to set up a regional manufacturing hub for electric vehicles in the country and has been actively calling for more Chinese investment.

Bilateral trade between the two countries is also on the rise, although heavily slanted in Beijing's favor, with China overtaking Turkey as Azerbaijan's second-largest source of imports (behind Russia) with $3.1 billion worth of goods in 2023, a 40 percent rise from the previous year.

"Chinese companies are already participating in the diversification of Azerbaijan's economy, but we expect more," Hikmet Hajiyev, Aliyev's foreign policy adviser, told the Chinese state broadcaster CGTN during a March interview in Beijing.

Increased trade and investment appear to be motivating the recent moves by Baku as the country looks to diversify away from the hydrocarbon wealth that has underpinned its economy for decades.

Another part of the strategic partnership agreement calls for China's support for Azerbaijan's full membership in the World Trade Organization and the application for BRICS membership could also open new markets. While there is no clear procedure for admitting new members or an application timeline for joining BRICS, it expanded in January to also include Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia, and Egypt -- and has a long list of other countries who have expressed an interest in applying.

"Membership could offer Baku the opportunity to expand access to the large and rapidly growing markets of the BRICS countries, potentially creating new opportunities for bilateral trade agreements and investments in Azerbaijan's economy," Shiriyev said.

A New Balance Of Power

The appeal of closer ties with Beijing isn't limited to trade and investment, says Vadim Dubnov, a regional expert at RFE/RL's Echo of the Caucasus, who notes that China is also an increasingly important partner for Baku to lean on in the region's fast-changing geopolitical environment.

A decreasing footprint from Western powers combined with Russia being weakened and distracted by its war in Ukraine has given Azerbaijan more room to maneuver in foreign affairs. This has led to Baku deepening ties with Turkey and Iran and inviting China in to play a larger role.

"Aliyev is trying to reposition himself and find a new balance with all the major players in the South Caucasus," said Dubnov. "Stronger ties with China allow Baku to not sit totally in any one camp."

But the warming ties between Baku and Beijing are not a one-sided process.

Since Azerbaijan's success in its 2020 war with Armenia, China's interest in the South Caucasus has grown and Beijing hopes that Baku's stronger regional standing will lead to more stability and opportunities for more Chinese investment and influence in the region, such as additional trade routes connecting Azerbaijan to Turkey through Armenia.

Azerbaijan is also eyeing other opportunities to use its geographic position to its advantage.

While the Middle Corridor makes up an East-West trade route that bypasses Russia, the shake up to global trade brought by the war in Ukraine has also created new interest in other alternatives, including those that look to cut out the West.

As the Middle Corridor has grown, Moscow has looked to drum up investment in the International North-South Transport Corridor that flows south from Russia to Azerbaijan and then aims to connect to Iran and India.

China, which has strong trade ties with Central Asia and the EU as well as Russia and Iran, has expressed support for both the Middle Corridor and the North-South route, which Azerbaijan is looking to capitalize on given its central position in both.

"If Baku previously was able to use its energy resources [as leverage] in its relations with the West, international trade corridors are also now tools with strategic importance in Azerbaijan's foreign policy," Nurlan Aliyev, a lecturer at the University of Economics and Human Sciences in Warsaw, told RFE/RL.

RFE/RL Armenian Service correspondent Lusine Musayelyan contributed reporting to this article.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/azerbaijan-china-brics- sco-corridor-russia/33088846.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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Defying Controversial 'Foreign-Agent' Law, Georgian NGOs Are Ready To Fight

By Joshua Kucera August 24, 2024

TBILISI -- Georgia's notorious "foreign-agent" law has come into effect. But not everyone is obeying it.

Georgia formally launched its database of "organizations serving the interests of a foreign power" on August 1; NGOs and media organizations that receive more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad were given one month to register.

That includes the Tbilisi-based International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED), a Tbilisi-based election-monitoring group that gets virtually all of its funding from Western donors such as the European Union, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Washington, D.C.-based National Endowment for Democracy, and various European embassies.

But ISFED isn't registering in the database. Along with over 400 other organizations in Georgia, they are publicly refusing to submit as an act of civil disobedience.

"The 'Russian law' will not work in our country!" the organizations wrote in an open letter. "It will remain to be an unrecognized document to which none of us will obey!"

They call it the "Russian law" because, in 2012, Russia also created a registry of "foreign agents" made up of groups who got funding from abroad. Over the years, Russia's laws on foreign agents became stricter and stricter, eventually strangling nearly all independent voices in the country.

Many fear the same fate could befall Georgia, and the refuseniks here say their Russian counterparts made a tactical error by trying to comply with the first, relatively mild version of the law.

"We saw this scenario in Russia, [and] we know where it leads," Irina Mamulashvili, a program manager at ISFED, told RFE/RL.

Both the ruling Georgian Dream party and the opposition see the adoption of the law as a turning point in the country's politics.

For Georgian Dream, which pushed the law through this spring over huge street protests and the objections by its U.S. and European partners, the legislation is a necessary tool to strengthen the state's sovereignty against what it sees as the corrosive influence of foreign donors and their local "agents."

For Georgia's opposition and large NGO sector, it is rather a dangerous power grab for a ruling party they believe is bent on taking the country in an authoritarian, anti-Western direction.

By demonstratively refusing to obey the law, the NGOs are setting the stage for a standoff with the authorities. By not registering they will face substantial fines, with unclear prospects of how to pay them.

Their hope is they can hold on and keep afloat until parliamentary elections, scheduled for October 26. If the opposition wins, it has vowed to repeal the law. If not, the organizations face an uncertain future.

"Our immediate priority is to somehow get to this election," Mamulashvili said. "After the elections," she said, "we honestly don't know what we're going to do."

Transparency Or Harassment?

The refusal to register is evidence that the groups have something to hide, Georgian Dream leaders have charged.

The ruling party released a report tracking the public disclosures of 474 organizations who had announced that they refused to register. Eighty percent of the organizations did not publicly disclose the amounts of their grants, and 70 percent did not reveal who their donors were, parliamentary speaker Shalva Papuashvili said at a July 15 briefing.

"This proves their resistance to the transparency law is not about stigmatization but about hiding how funds are spent," he said.

Party officials have further accused the NGOs' Western donors of abetting that evasion.

"We are receiving information that, on the one hand, [donors] are telling [NGOs] that the organizations that will register won't receive grants," Papuashvili told another briefing, on July 30.

"On the other hand, there are consultations on how to circumvent this law and the various ways and machinations they can use so that they do not register and, at the same time, receive grants."

Georgia's major donors have denied those allegations.

"USAID does not provide legal counsel to partners or organizations, and as such, we do not provide any advice regarding their compliance with laws," the agency told RFE/RL in a statement. "The decision whether to register lies with the organizations and is not subject to our conversation with [civil society organizations]," the EU delegation in Tbilisi told RFE/RL.

The donors and their Georgian grantees argue further that the rhetoric around "transparency" is a red herring and that as a rule the biggest organizations (including ISFED) proudly display information about their funding on their Web pages.

At a July 30 briefing to roll out the registry, Justice Minister Rati Bregadze said organizations who fail to sign up will be fined 25,000 lari (about $9,300) and would be subject to "forced registration," a phrase he has not elaborated on.

Any organization entered in the registry -- forcibly or not -- would then have 10 days to submit various forms detailing their income and expenditures. Failure to submit them would incur an additional 10,000 lari ($3,700) fine.

The amount of paperwork required came as a shock even to those who had already opposed the law. The forms required information about every expenditure the organization made and the name, personal identification number, and bank details of the person being paid for it. All the accounting had to be completed retroactively, back to 2023, bolstering critics' claims that mere transparency was not the aim.

Given how detailed the forms are, there are "serious questions about how feasible it is, especially within the time limit," said one official at a Western donor institution speaking on condition of anonymity because they didn't want to endanger their grantees.

"The level of detail required amounts to harassment," an official at a second Western donor institution said, who also requested anonymity so as not to put their grantees in danger.

Moving Abroad

Although there are over 20,000 "nonentrepreneurial legal entities" -- the formal term in Georgia for the organizations subject to the law -- on the books, most of those are inactive, and there are probably somewhere between 1,000 and 3,000 groups actually operating, the first donor official estimated.

It's not known how many intend to register, and strategies for those who intend to evade the law vary. While some plan to openly defy the law, others hope that by moving their legal registration abroad they can both continue to do their work in Georgia legally without having to register.

One opposition news website, Tabula.ge, announced it would be dropping its domain name and moving to a yet-undisclosed European country to keep publishing.

"Tabula is a Georgian media [organization]. It will remain a Georgian media [organization], and it will continue to do Georgian work," its editor in chief, Levan Sutidze, told RFE/RL's Georgian Service. In Europe, he said, Tabula "will be legally protected from the influence and manipulations of the Russian government."

Another organization is shutting down and planning to recenter operations in Armenia, the group's head told RFE/RL on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue.

"It is a very big fine," the person said. "We really don't have the resources to pay out the fines, because we can barely make ends meet."

The organization's plan is to continue to operate in Georgia, but pay employees in Georgia from the Armenian bank account. Given that the "foreign-agent" law only applies to organizations, not individuals, the organization's lawyers advised them that would not violate the law.

Georgian-based donors say they can keep funding organizations who do that.

"In principle, there is no problem registering in another country," the first donor official said. "If you keep a bank account here [in Georgia] and open an affiliated entity abroad, we can pay to the bank in the other country and they can move the money to Georgia."

Still, Georgian Dream leaders have criticized organizations planning to move abroad. Parliamentary speaker Papuashvili called the idea "ridiculous and beyond the bounds of seriousness." Organizations who legally move abroad but continue to work in Georgia "directly turn into a foreign actor," Papuashvili said.

The first donor official said further amendments to the law were likely: "If people find loopholes, the government will close them very quickly."

'Not Everyone Can Afford to Be So Principled'

While a relatively small number of Tbilisi-based, politically engaged NGOs have been at the center of this conflict, the law equally affects the many more civic organizations around the country who help citizens and get foreign grants to do it. And for many of them, paying such a large fine just isn't an option.

"I don't know why they did that [imposed such a large financial penalty]. They knew very well that it's very difficult for local organizations to mobilize those kind of funds," said Marika Mghebrishvili, head of the Biliki organization in the central Georgian city of Gori.

Biliki runs a variety of educational and social programs for children in Gori and the surrounding region. The organization gets funding from the Georgian government to run a daycare center in Gori and from USAID to conduct civic educational programs for schoolchildren around the region.

In response to the law, Biliki is splitting into two organizations: one for foreign-funded projects and one for the rest. Mghebrishvili told RFE/RL's Georgian Service they're not sure if they will comply with the law.

"We don't want to register, but we will know the exact answer later. We are still debating this matter," she said. "There are many unanswered questions."

In general, organizations such as Biliki are more likely to register. They are "less concerned with image and ideology" and are "service providers who don't care too much about being in some kind of registry," the first donor official said. They also are less likely to be able to afford the fine.

"Not everyone can afford to be so principled," the official said.

Still, many small, regional organizations are on the list of those vowing to flout the law -- the Akhalsopeli Youth Center, Gori Photographers' Club, and Racha Tourism Club, among others.

But the first donor official added that the government is likely to be selective in its enforcement of the law -- especially before the elections, when time is short -- and so less likely to go after apolitical service providers.

"They're not going to bother with the small organization in [the rural region of] Kakheti helping disabled people. This is designed to keep certain organizations from operating," the first official said. "At the top of the list: independent media and election watchdog organizations."

Passing The Hat

It remains unclear how the organizations who will be fined are going to pay up.

Donor-funded organizations typically get money for specific projects, with expenses accounted for in advance. Most don't have tens of thousands of dollars on hand for paying fines.

"There is no clearly defined way how we are going to pay this [fine] or from which donor, or from which budget, because we don't have a separate section for fines or something like that," ISFED's Mamulashvili said.

One possibility is crowdfunding. Another is the hope from many in Georgia's NGO community that their donors -- who have vociferously opposed the law -- might help pay the fines they incur for resisting the laws.

"I cannot say they 'should' do that, but they of course know we have project-based budgets, which is something that makes it challenging to pay fines," Mamulashvili said. "So, let's see, maybe they will also show a willingness to support us."

There is a rough precedent: Under a 2021 EU-brokered deal between Georgian Dream and the opposition, the EU paid the bail for opposition leader Nika Melia on charges related to anti-government protests he helped organize.

But officials from Western aid agencies say NGO requests to pay the fines have been repeatedly rebuffed, citing laws in their own countries.

"We're not paying the fines. It's as simple as that," said one Western diplomat based in Tbilisi, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue. "We are all about observing the rule of law."

Asked whether they would pay the fines, the USAID mission in Tbilisi sent RFE/RL a statement: "Costs associated with fines and penalties are generally not covered by USAID." Asked the same question, the EU delegation in Tbilisi responded: "EU grant agreements do not make provisions for the payment of fines."

Meanwhile, a parallel group of NGOs and media organizations is pursuing lawsuits against the legislation, in Georgia's Constitutional Court and in the Strasbourg-based European Court of Human Rights. And they are bracing for September, when they will start to see how strictly the government intends to enforce the law.

"That is the big question," the first donor official said.

"One thing that I'm sure was intentional was to keep the NGOs and media organizations distracted," the official continued. "And it's worked -- they're all figuring out how to survive at the moment."

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/georgia-ngos- foreign-agent-law/33090157.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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Hamas Delegation Heads to Cairo to Assess Results of Gaza Talks

Sputnik News

20240824

BEIRUT (Sputnik) - Palestinian movement Hamas said that its delegation would arrive in Cairo on Saturday to learn about the results of the mediated Gaza talks.

"This evening, a Hamas delegation led by [deputy political leader in Gaza] Khalil al-Hayya will arrive in Cairo at the invitation o the mediating brothers from Egypt and Qatar. The purpose of the visit is to hear the results of the negotiations that will take place in Cairo," Hamas said in a statement.

Hamas said it had not changed its stance and would stick to the proposal submitted on July 2, which is based on the initiative from US President Joe Biden and the UN Security Council's decision.

"Hamas confirms its readiness to adhere to the conditions under which the agreements were reached [on July 2] and demands that pressure be put on [Israel] so that they fulfill the conditions and stop obstructing the negotiations," the statement read.

A new round of negotiations on a deal between Israel and Hamas on a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of hostages may take place on August 25 in Cairo, media reported on Friday. Participants are expected to include CIA director Bill Burns, Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, as well as senior officials from Israel and Egypt.

 Sputnik

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Houthi Attacks on the SOUNION Oil Tanker Threaten Becoming an Environmental Disaster

US Department of State

Press Statement

Matthew Miller, Department Spokesperson

August 24, 2024

The United States is gravely concerned by the Houthis' attacks against the oil tanker MT DELTA SOUNION. The Houthis' continued attacks threaten to spill a million barrels of oil into the Red Sea, an amount four times the size of the Exxon Valdez disaster. While the crew has been evacuated, the Houthis appear determined to sink the ship and its cargo into the sea.

Through these attacks, the Houthis have made clear they are willing to destroy the fishing industry and regional ecosystems that Yemenis and other communities in the region rely on for their livelihoods, just as they have undermined the delivery of vital humanitarian aid to the region through their reckless attacks. We call on the Houthis to cease these actions immediately and urge other nations to step forward to help avert this environmental disaster.

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USS Kingsville Commissions in Corpus Christi

US Navy

24 August 2024

From Commander, Naval Surface Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas -- The U.S. Navy commissioned Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Kingsville (LCS 36) at the Solomon P. Ortiz Center, August 24.

In the week preceding the ceremony, the crew built ties with their namesake city and visited the King Ranch for a luncheon at the Henrietta Memorial Museum and a tour of the historic ranch. The crew visited with the mayor of Kingsville, the ship's sponsor, Ms. Katherine Kline, and her parents Dr. Rich and Mrs. Sue Sugden. The U.S. Navy prides itself on a strong tradition of the relationship between a ship and their namesake community or family. These enduring ties at the beginning of Kingsville's service will strengthen bonds between the ship and the communities of Kingsville and its commissioning location of Corpus Christi.

Leaders and distinguished guests wished the crew of Kingsville fair winds and following seas as they brought the ship to life and began its commissioned service.

Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Financial Management and Comptroller, the Honorable Russell Rumbaugh, delivered the commissioning ceremony's principal address. The ceremony also featured remarks from Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Integration and Capabilities and Resources, Vice Adm. Brad Skillman, United States Representatives, the Honorable Vicente Gonzalez, Jr. and the Honorable Michael Cloud, the Mayor of Kingsville, the Honorable Sam Fugate and the Mayor of Corpus Christi, the Honorable Paulette Guajardo.

"A ship commissioning is one of the ways the U.S. Navy keeps itself tied to the nation it serves. It's why we name ships after cities and states. And what better moment to celebrate our long and intimate relationship than commissioning a ship named after Kingsville," said Rumbaugh. "This ship will provide maritime security in each of our fleet operations. We in the Department of the Navy are proud of the Littoral Combat Ships."

During the ceremony, Kingsville's commanding officer Cmdr. Ludwig Mann III, reported the ship manned and ready, and ship sponsor, gave the traditional order to "Man our ship and bring her to life!" Helping to welcome the ship to the fleet, T-45C aircraft assigned to VT-21 at Naval Air Station Kingsville flew over the ship as the crew ran aboard the ship - bringing her to life.

"This experience is a unique one and should be cherished. You will create a culture that I am sure will last as the Kingsville way for decades to come," said Skillman. "To the triad, Cmdr. Mann, Cmdr. Kavanaugh, Command Senior Chief Moran, I also know you and the crew are ready to get out there and do the Navy and the nation's business around the globe. Tough and confident, go get them."

The night prior to commissioning, the Kingsville Commissioning Committee held an evening reception onboard the USS Lexington Museum where the committee recognized the crew of Kingsville for their service and dedication that ended with a fireworks display.

Kingsville, the 18th Independence-variant LCS, is the first to bear this name and pays homage to the city of Kingsville and the King Ranch. The ship's sponsor is a member of the sixth generation of the King Ranch family, descendants of steamboat captain Richard King who founded in the King Ranch in Kingsville in 1853. The King Ranch continues to foster a relationship with Naval Air Station Kingsville which was founded in 1942 and is located three miles from the city's center.

Independence-variant littoral combat ships are fast, optimally manned, mission-tailored surface combatants that operate in near-shore and open-ocean environments, winning against 21st-century coastal threats. LCS integrate with joint combined, manned and unmanned teams to support forward presence, maritime security, sea control, and deterrence missions around the globe.

The mission of CNSP is to man, train, and equip the Surface Force to provide fleet commanders with credible naval power to control the sea and project power ashore.

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Cholera poses new risks for millions of Sudan's displaced

By Lisa Schlein August 24, 2024

U.N. agencies are scaling up cholera prevention and treatment programs to get on top of a new, deadly cholera outbreak in Sudan that threatens to further destabilize communities suffering from hunger and the ill effects of more than 16 months of conflict.

The recent cholera outbreak has resurged after several weeks of heavy rainfall and resulting flooding," Kristine Hambrouck, UNHCR representative in Sudan, told journalists Friday in Geneva.

Speaking on a video-link from Port Sudan, she warned, "Risks are compounded by the continuing conflict and dire humanitarian conditions, including overcrowding in camps and gathering sites for refugees and Sudanese displaced by the war, as well as limited medical supplies and health workers."

She expressed particular concern about the spread of the deadly disease in areas hosting refugees, mainly in Kassala, Gedaref and al-Jazirah states.

"In addition to hosting refugees from other countries, these states are also sheltering thousands of displaced Sudanese who have sought safety from ongoing hostilities," she said.

The United Nations describes Sudan as the largest displacement crisis in the world. Latest figures put the number of people displaced inside Sudan at more than 10.7 million, with an additional 2 million who have fled to neighboring countries as refugees.

Additionally, the UNHCR says Sudan continues to host tens of thousands of refugees from countries such as Ethiopia and Eritrea.

Sudan's health ministry officially declared a cholera outbreak on August 12. In the one month since the first suspected cases were reported, the World Health Organization says 658 cholera cases and 28 deaths have been reported by five states, "with a high case-fatality ratio of 4.3%."

Kassala has reported the highest number of cholera cases at 473, followed by Gedaref with 110 cases, and al-Jazairah with 51 cases. Two other states, Khartoum and River Nile, have reported fewer numbers.

"These cases are not linked to the previous cholera outbreak, which had been declared in September 2023," said Dr. Shible Sahbani, the WHO representative to Sudan, noting that the outbreak "technically ended" in May 2024 after no cases were reported for two consecutive incubation periods.

Speaking from Port Sudan, Sahbani described the situation in Kassala as very worrisome. He said the state's health system already was under stress because of the large number of displaced people and refugees living there. "So, the health system is not able to cope with the additional influx of refugees and IDPs [internally displaced persons]."

"But in addition to that, it puts a big burden on the WASH system  the water, sanitation, and hygiene system. So, this makes the situation more complicated in favor of the spread of cholera," he said.

Besides the dangers posed by cholera, UNICEF representative Hambrouck also warns of an increasing number of cases of waterborne diseases, including malaria and diarrhea, which also need to be brought under control.

"Constraints in humanitarian access are also impacting response efforts. Violence, insecurity and persistent rainfall are hampering the transportation of humanitarian aid," she said.

She noted that more than 7.4 million refugees and internally displaced Sudanese living in White Nile, Darfur and Kordofan states are having to do without "critical medicines and relief supplies" because of delays in delivery.

The WHO and UNHCR are working closely with Sudan's Ministry of Health to coordinate the cholera outbreak response. Among its many initiatives, UNHCR says it is working with health partners to strengthen surveillance, early warning systems and contact tracing in affected locations.

"Disease surveillance and testing are ongoing, and awareness-raising and training on cholera case management for health staff are also being conducted," said Hambrouck.

For its part, Sahbani said the WHO has prepositioned cholera kits and other essential medical supplies "in high-risk states in anticipation of the risks associated with the rainy season."

He said the WHO was spearheading a cholera vaccination campaign, noting that "a three-day oral cholera vaccination campaign in two localities of Kassala state concluded Thursday."

He said the campaign already has used 51,000 doses and "the good news is that we got the approval of an additional 155,000 doses of cholera vaccine. So, this is the good news in the middle of this horrible crisis."

One dose of the vaccine, he said, would protect the population against cholera for six months, while two doses would provide protection for up to three years.

"So, this is really good news because this will help us to contain the outbreak," he said. Without more funding, however, he warned the good news will quickly evaporate, noting that the WHO has received just one-third of its $85.6 million appeal.

"This will indeed limit our capacity to launch a robust response to reach a larger segment of the people in need," he said.

His UNHCR colleague, Hambrouck, echoed the sentiments.

"With the humanitarian situation and funding level already precarious prior to this latest cholera outbreak, funds are desperately needed to support the provision of health care and other life-saving aid," she said.

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Operation Iron Swords / Operation Arbaeen - 25 August 2024

Two versions, one Israeli and one from Hezbollah in Lebanon, were circulated regarding the escalation of the conflict that occurred on Sunday morning, 25 August 2024. The Israeli military's narrative focuses on carrying out a preemptive strike prior to Hezbollah's attack, which prevented a larger attack from occurring. The Israeli army confirmed that Hezbollah "was preparing to launch thousands of missiles," noting that "thousands of its missile launch pads" were destroyed in southern Lebanon.

Debunking Israeli claims of carrying out airstrikes that nipped Hezbollah's operation in the bud, the Lebanese Resistance leader Hassan Nasrallah affirmed that the enemy had no intel whatsoever, stressing that all its raids an hour before the operation were the result of the natural movement of the fighters on the ground in preparation for the operation. Sayyed Nasrallah further debunked Israeli claims that the Resistances intention was to target civilians, as he detailed the aforementioned guidelines the Resistance followed in choosing its targets, one of which is it not being civilian.

On Israeli claims that the military carried out preemptive strikes in Lebanon, Sayyed Hassan affirmed that "all the raids launched by the enemy did not target the area of operation" and that "this was nothing less than an aggression," before adding that supposedly it was a preemptive strike, "it did not have any impact whatsoever on todays operation." In a related context, Sayyed Nasrallah noted that the Resistance launched drones from the Bekaa for the first time, confirming that they successfully crossed the borders into occupied Palestine despite the long distance.

The Lebanese Hezbollah movement completed the first stage of its operation against Israel on Sunday 25 August 2024 in response to the assassination of one of the commanders of the movement's military wing, Fuad Shokr. The corresponding statement was published on the Hezbollah Telegram channel. It notes that the strikes on targets in Israel were carried out "at the appointed time and from all positions." "Our military operation is complete for today," it states.

The core of the Resistance's operation involved drones targeting a vital military site deep within the heart of the occupied territories. To strain the Israeli defense systems and the Iron Dome, over 320 rockets were fired. The attack covered a vast area of 1,500 km in northern occupied Palestine, causing fires to engulf occupied al-Jalil. Hezbollah announced in its second statement that it launched 320 missiles in the first phase of the attack to facilitate the passage of the offensive drones towards their target.

Hezbollah stressed that Israel's claims about preemptive action and the disruption of the operation "do not correspond to reality." According to Al Mayadeen's sources, the Israeli claims of having thwarted an attack of over 1,000 missiles, including precision-guided missiles, are baseless. Despite being aided by American intelligence capabilities, the Israeli occupation was unable to prevent Hez-bol-lah from striking its intended targets.

Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah said that the party targeted the Glilot base of the Israeli military intelligence, called the " Aman Division ," and other sites in response to the assassination of Shukr. Nasrallah explained that the party launched 340 Katyusha rockets and a number of drones at the targeted sites, and that the party chose its targets based on several criteria, including avoiding civilian sites and infrastructure, and that the target should be qualitative in the Israeli depth, and linked to the Shukr assassination operation.

Sayyed Nasrallah explained that the codename Operation Arbaeen was chosen deliberately as the world commemorates the Arbaeen of Imam Hussein. He specified that the operation was set to commence after the dawn prayer, after the Resistance fighters had everything set in place, precisely at 5:15 am. Concerning the delay in the response, he confirmed that the Resistance was prepared to take action from day one following the martyrdom of Commander Fouad Shokor. However, the delay was intentional, serving as part of the strategy for punishment. He stressed that the waiting period was also meant to allow the Resistance to assess whether the response would be coordinated across the Axis of Resistance or handled by each front individually and to make way for the negotiations, as the ultimate goal was to halt the aggression on Gaza.

Sayyed Nasrallah explained that the operation entailed two phases. The initial phase was focused on targeting sites and barracks in northern occupied Palestine with the hundreds of intended rockets to exhaust and deplete the Iron Dome and interceptor missiles, which paved the way for phase two, which saw the swarms of drones heading toward their intended targets. Regarding the guidelines set by the Resistance for selecting the said targets, Sayyed Nasrallah noted that they had to be military, not civilian, directly related to the assassination of the martyred leader, and located deep inside the occupied territory and close to Tel Aviv.

The Lebanese Resistance leader explained, "Our initial plan was to launch 300 rockets in this operation, but we ended up launching 340," affirming that the enemy "did not thwart anything." "What was planned was achieved to the fullest," Sayyed Nasrallah asserted.

Sayyed Nasrallah stressed that "the enemy's claims about bombing strategic and precise missiles that were prepared to target Tel Aviv are sheer lies," stressing that the Resistance, with a clear and precise strategy, had no intention of using such weapons in this particular operation. Yet, this does not mean that the Resistance would not use them in the future, or the near future to be more precise, according to Sayyed Nasrallah. He further pointed out that the sites targeted by the occupation forces this morning on the outskirts of towns were either empty or had been evacuated at the request of martyr Fouad Shokor.

Sayyed Nasrallah emphasized that the Resistance would monitor the outcome of the operation, especially amid the enemy's obscurement of the truth regarding the two targeted bases. "If the outcome is satisfactory and achieves the intended goal, we will consider the retaliatory operation complete, but if the result is not sufficient [as per the Resistance's terms], we reserve the right to respond at a time of our choosing," he maintained.

Hezbollah's Secretary-General concluded that the Resistance will remain steadfast in its support for Gaza, its people, Palestine, and the nations sanctities, regardless of the circumstances, challenges, or sacrifices, noting that today's operation may benefit the Palestinian side or the Arab side in terms of negotiations." He emphasized that the message to the enemy and the Americans behind it is that any hopes of silencing the support fronts are futile, no matter the sacrifices, particularly on the Lebanese front. The Second Statement read: First, the first stage was completed with complete success, which is the stage of targeting Israeli barracks and sites to facilitate the passage of the offensive marches towards their desired target deep inside the entity, and the marches, thank God, passed as planned. Second, the number of Katyusha rockets launched so far exceeded 320 rockets towards the enemys sites.

Third, the sites that were targeted and hit:

Meron base Naveh Ziv barracks Zatun base Zaoura barracks Al-Sahl base Kela barracks in the occupied Syrian Golan UF barracks in the occupied Syrian Golan Nafah base in the occupied Syrian Golan Yarden base in the occupied Syrian Golan Ein Zei Tim base Ramot Naftali barracks

Fourth, the rest of the details about the military operation will come in later statements.

Hezbollah indicated that it targeted the Glilot base, which is the main base of the Israeli Military Intelligence Division "Aman", and is located on the northern outskirts of Tel Aviv and is 110 kilometers from the Lebanese border. The base includes the main headquarters of Unit 8200, which is responsible for signals and cyber intelligence, as well as the Military Intelligence School and a group of military leadership colleges, in addition to the communications battalion of the Military Intelligence Division.

Hezbollah also targeted the Ein Shemer base, which is a multi-layered air defense missile base, containing the Arrow , David's Sling , and Iron Dome systems. According to Hezbollah, the base is located east of the occupied city of Hadera, 72 kilometers from the Lebanese border, and includes the headquarters of the regional "Menashe" Brigade, as well as an airport for testing drones.

Hezbollah announced in its First Statement the start of the attack on Israel, in response to the assassination of one of its most prominent leaders, Fouad Shukr, in an air strike on a special Israeli military target. Hezbollah said in its statement: At dawn on Sunday, August 25, 2024, and within the framework of the initial response to the brutal Zionist aggression on the southern suburb of Beirut, which led to the martyrdom of the great jihadist leader Sayyed Fouad Shukr, may God have mercy on him, and a number of our honorable people, women and children, the Islamic Resistance fighters launched an air attack with a large number of drones towards the Zionist depth and towards a qualitative Israeli military target that will be announced later, and in conjunction with the Islamic Resistance fighters targeting a number of enemy sites and barracks and Iron Dome platforms in northern occupied Palestine with a large number of missiles.

The statement added: "These military operations will take some time to complete, after which a detailed statement will be issued about their course and objectives." Hezbollah concluded its statement by stressing that "the Islamic resistance in Lebanon is now at the highest level of readiness and will stand firmly and vigilantly against any Zionist transgression or aggression, especially if civilians are harmed, as the punishment will be severe and very harsh."

As Tehran's response to the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh on its soil dragged on , Iranians woke up Sunday morning to the news that the Lebanese Hezbollah had carried out a large-scale attack on the Israeli side. The news quickly spread and moved to the million-man marches marking the 20th of Safar, with participants chanting against the "Zionist entity." While participants in the annual marches praised the Lebanese resistances bombing of a qualitative target deep inside the occupied territories, speakers and organizers of the religious processions extending from Imam Hussein Square in eastern Tehran to the threshold of Shah Abdul Azim al-Hasani in the south were quick to issue calls reassuring the participants that there is no truth to the rumors about the occupation entity thwarting the resistances attack by launching preemptive strikes. observers in Iran agree that the Israeli operation was the result of the confusion resulting from the prolongation of Iran's and the resistance's response to the recent assassinations.

Political researcher Jalal Jaraghi read the Israeli talk about carrying out a preemptive operation despite 320 rockets and dozens of drones exceeding the airspace of occupied Palestine in the context of the confusion and chaos that Tel Aviv has been experiencing for 25 days, adding that "admitting Hezbollah's success in launching hundreds of drones and missiles means another intelligence failure for the Zionist entity." Speaking to Al Jazeera Net, he said that Hezbollah had indeed succeeded in deceiving the Israeli intelligence services, through camouflage and misleading the Israeli air force, and then confusing its air defenses with dozens of missiles, in order to open the airspace for the drones to reach the strategic targets that it had planned.

Pointing out that Hezbollah's attack came at a time when all Israeli military units were at a high state of readiness, Jaraghi believed that the qualitative target that Hezbollah was talking about targeting might pave the way for more retaliatory operations, and facilitate the capture of larger targets deep inside the Israeli side. The Iranian researcher believed that Hezbollah deliberately mentioned that the operation at dawn on Sunday was only the first stage in a series of operations in response to the assassination of Fouad Shukr, in order to keep the Israeli home front tense.

Abu Obeida, the military spokesman for the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ), said that the Palestinian resistance "blesses Hezbollah's initial response to the assassination of Commander Fouad Shukr and appreciates the sacrifices of our people in Lebanon." Abu Obeida added in his speech that Hezbollah's operation "confirms once again the change in the strategic reality of the entity since the Al-Aqsa Flood," stressing that "all fronts will remain burning and escalating in the face of the enemy if the aggression against our people and our people continues, and that the enemy has no safety from punishment and there are no limits to the possibility of crushing it anywhere and from any front."

Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) has praised Hezbollah for succeeding to launch courageous and bold attacks on Israel that confirm its adherence to its stated positions and its fulfillment of its promises. These attacks have confirmed that the enemy only understands the language of power and cannot be deterred except by the resistance and its fighters, the PIJ said in a statement on its Telegram channel.

The Houthis have congratulated Hezbollahs leaders for the major attacks on Israeli positions. This powerful and effective response deep within the entity that remains vulnerable reaffirms that the resistance is capable, steadfast, and sincere in its promises and threats, the Houthis political bureau said in a statement. We stand by the hands and shoulders of the heroes of the Islamic resistance, congratulate and support all options and retaliatory operations against the Zionist enemy. We also reaffirm that the Yemeni response is inevitably coming, and the coming days and nights and the battlefield will prove this.

Te IDF reported that approximately 100 IAF fighter jets, directed by IDF intelligence, struck and destroyed thousands of Hezbollah rocket launcher barrels that were located and embedded in southern Lebanon. Most of these launchers were aimed toward northern Israel and some were aimed toward central Israel, and more than 40 launch areas in Lebanon were struck during the strikes. The Israeli army press service reported that fighter jets attacked Hezbollah facilities in Lebanon in connection with preparations for a missile strike on Israeli territory. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant declared a state of emergency in the country for 48 hours. Later, more than 320 missiles were fired from Lebanon toward Israel. Israeli media promoted Israel's launch of a preemptive attack with the participation of about 100 warplanes on more than 200 targets in southern Lebanon and the thwarting of the "threat before launching the large-scale attack".

Israeli Army Radio quoted Israeli security officials as giving some details of the preemptive strike that Israel launched on southern Lebanon. According to officials, Hezbollah planned to launch an attack with hundreds of rockets and missiles toward central Israel at 5 a.m. today. About half an hour earlier, at around 4:30 p.m., the Israeli Air Force, using some 100 fighter jets, launched a preemptive strike that "thwarted the threat within minutes and prevented a large-scale attack on the country's territory." Officials added that more than 200 targets were attacked in a short time in southern Lebanon.

Media outlets quoted an Israeli official as saying that "a major attack on strategic facilities in the center of the country was thwarted," and that "the continued escalation is related to Hezbollah." Earlier, the New York Times reported, citing a Western intelligence official, that the Israeli preemptive attack targeted missile launch pads in Lebanon that were scheduled to be launched at 5 a.m. toward Tel Aviv. The official added that "all the targeted platforms were destroyed" and that Israel expects "a harsh response from Hezbollah."

"We are carrying out attacks in Lebanon to remove Hezbollah threats after it was identified preparing to fire rockets and missiles at Israeli territory," the Israeli military said in a statement. "Air Force warplanes, under the direction of the Northern Command and Military Intelligence, are attacking Hezbollah targets that pose an immediate threat to the Israeli home front," the statement added. The Israeli military addressed residents of southern Lebanon, urging "all those in the vicinity of areas where Hezbollah is active to leave immediately to protect themselves and their families." The Israeli military added that it "will do whatever is necessary to protect the citizens of Israel."

In a video message via the X platform, Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari said that "fighters are currently attacking Hezbollah targets." The Israeli cabinet is meeting at 7 a.m., and reports say that Netanyahu and Galant approved the attacks in Lebanon during the night hours when they met with security chiefs at the Defense Ministry headquarters in Kirya, Tel Aviv.

Netanyahu remarked at the start of the Government meeting, at the Kirya in Tel Aviv: "What happened today is not the end of the story.... Nasrallah in Beirut and Khamenei in Tehran need to know that this is an additional step in changing the situation in the north, and returning our residents securely to their homes. And I reiterate  this is not the end of the story."

Netanyahu remarked at the start of the Security Cabinet meeting, at the Kirya in Tel Aviv "This morning, we identified Hezbollah preparations to attack Israel. In consensus with the Defense Minister and the IDF Chief-of-Staff, we directed the IDF initiate action to eliminate the threat. Since then, the IDF has been taking strong action to foil the threats. It has eliminated thousands of rockets that were aimed at northern Israel. It is thwarting many other threats and is taking very strong action  both defensively and offensively. Citizens of Israel, I request that you adhere to the directives from IDF Home Front Command. We are determined to do everything to defend our country, to return the residents of the north securely to their homes and to continue upholding a simple rule: Whoever harms us  we will harm them."

The Israeli Prime Minister said: "The army was able to intercept all the drones launched by Hezbollah at a strategic target in central Israel. The army intercepted all the drones launched by Hezbollah for a strategic purpose in the center of the country." The series of Israeli airstrikes reportedly targeted the Iqlim al-Tuffah region and the outskirts of the towns of Ain Qana, Kfar Fila, al-Luwaizeh, Basalia, and forested areas in the towns of Kounine, Beit Yahoun, Hadatha, Rshaf, al-Tayri and the outskirts of the town of Haris, and other villages in Lebanon. Israeli artillery shelling targeted the area of ??Al-Dees, Wadi Al-Hayr, Hama Rashaya Al-Fakhar, the outskirts of Halta, Kfar Hamam, Kfar Shouba, Kfar Kela, Naqoura, and Alma Al-Shaab, and that there was intensive flying of Israeli warplanes in the skies of the city of Nabatieh. Two Israeli air raids targeted the outskirts of the towns of Bani Hayyan and Talousa in southern Lebanon. A series of new Israeli raids that included the towns of Zawtar Al-Sharqiya, Beit Yahoun, Kfar Melki, Wadi Barghoz, the course of the Litani River, and Al-Shaitiya.

Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee confirmed that Hezbollah "was preparing to launch thousands of missiles" in response to the killing of its militia leader, Shukr, saying: "We prevented Hezbollah from achieving its plan, as the missile launch pads were destroyed (before they were launched), and what was launched was intercepted, and therefore there were no significant human or material losses."

The Israeli army spokesman stressed during his interview with Alhurra that "operations are ongoing" against the Lebanese Hezbollah, as "preemptive strikes are being carried out to prevent any attacks." Adraee said: "The Israeli army is closely monitoring things and detecting any movements, and therefore directing preemptive strikes to prevent any attacks, as happened today when we were able to thwart most of the terrorist plan." He pointed out that the problem "does not lie only in the huge arsenal that Hezbollah possesses, which is estimated at about 150 thousand missiles," adding: "The issue relates to the necessity of the Lebanese government dealing with that party that poses a danger to its people," accusing that group of "establishing warehouses and weapons stores in residential areas."

The announcement by the Lebanese Hezbollah party on Sunday that what it called the first phase of its attack on Israel had ended raises questions about whether this attack, which has been expected for weeks as a response to the killing of its military leader, Fouad Shukr, may continue or develop into a wider war, or whether it is merely an attempt to save face that it is content with, especially with the renewal of international and regional calls to stop the escalation of the conflict.

What was stated in the groups statement regarding the first phase does not mean that it will attempt to carry out new, large-scale attacks on Israel. "When Hezbollah talks about 'phase one,' it aims to keep things vague about the next steps, allowing it to take additional actions in the future, but that doesn't necessarily mean it intends to implement those steps," Israeli political analyst Yoav Stern said. He added to Alhurra that Hezbollah "is saying this now, and it does not necessarily mean that there will be a second phase later," noting during his speech that Hezbollah "ignored the truth of what actually happened, as Israel thwarted the attack through a preemptive strike."

Lebanese political analyst Fares Saeed agreed with this view, telling Alhurra that Hezbollah is promoting the attack for political propaganda among its supporters. He added: "What the party wants to say is that it responded to the killing of Fouad Shukr. But in reality, what it did was 'raise the bar' and showed that it is unable to carry out its threats." Saeed expected that "Hezbollah will be satisfied with what it did," noting that "the international community and world public opinion realize the reality of Israel's military superiority over Hezbollah, which may have found itself forced to respond alone to Shukr's killing, after Iran abandoned it at this stage." The Lebanese political analyst considered that what Hezbollah did "is not entirely proportionate to the killing of a prominent military leader," saying: "There is no comparison between the killing of a prominent leader in the party and a limited response through a group of shells that were targeted even before they were launched."

experts ruled out in their statements to Alhurra that the attacks would lead to a wider conflict or a comprehensive conventional war, as Saeed said that the military situation in the coming hours or days will not develop beyond the rules of engagement known for months. The Lebanese political analyst added: "It is completely unlikely that a conventional war will break out in southern Lebanon," noting that "the United States naturally rejects the outbreak of a regional war, even though Iran is seeking it through its agents."

Israeli political analyst Yoav Stern considered that "Iran was aware of what was happening and what was expected, and it seems that this response came in coordination with it and with its approval, which indicates that it preferred a limited response from Hezbollah, even if it failed."

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Russo-Ukraine War - 24 August 2024 - Day 913

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A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While GlobalSecurity.org takes utmost care to accurately report this news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.

On 24 February 2022, Ukraine was suddenly and deliberately attacked by land, naval and air forces of Russia, igniting the largest European war since the Great Patriotic War. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a "special military operation" (SVO - spetsialnaya voennaya operatsiya) in Ukraine in response to the appeal of the leaders of the "Donbass republics" for help. That attack is a blatant violation of the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine. Putin stressed that Moscow's goal is the demilitarization and denazification of the country. The military buildup in preceeding months makes it obvious that the unprovoked and dastardly Russian attack was deliberately planned long in advance. During the intervening time, the Russian government had deliberately sought to deceive the world by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace.

"To initiate a war of aggression... is not only an international crime; it is the supreme international crime differing only from other war crimes in that it contains within itself the accumulated evil of the whole." [Judgment of the International Military Tribunal]

The UK Ministry of Defence reported that in a message on the social media site, Telegram, Dmitry Rogozin, the so-called Russian senator for the temporarily Russian-controlled parts of Zaporizhzhia Oblast and former Deputy Prime Minister, boasted of having burnt Ukrainian books and called for all 'Ukrainianess' to be 'burnt out at the root'. He also commented that 'any truce is certain death for our children'. These comments are the latest in a long line of Ukrainophobic sentiments by senior Russian officials that undermine and threaten Ukrainian identity and culture.

There are likely many individuals within the Russian state who retain maximalist objectives for the war, including the destruction of Ukrainian culture, identity and statehood. This is despite the alleged Russian willingness to negotiate, as repeated by presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov on 1 July 2024. In 2017 Putin stated that not many countries have sovereignty, and Russia is committed to the extirpation of that of Ukraine.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that in total, 119 combat clashes have taken place since the beginning of this day. Ukrainian defenders continue to decisively interrupt the attempts of the Russian enemy to advance into the depths of Ukrainian territory, giving him a fiery impression. The hottest situation remains in the Pokrovsky direction.

Russian zagarbniki made two strikes on the territory of Ukraine, launching 10 rockets, and 71 air strikes, dropping 95 cabiv. In addition, 506 kamikaze drones were recruited to impress and carried out more than 3,100 shelling at the positions of Ukrainian troops and settlements.

In the Kharkiv direction, there were two clashes near Glybokoye and Vovchansk, where one fight is currently continuing.

In the Kupans 'komu direction, Russian forces 10 times attacked the defensive borders of Ukrainian warriors near synkivka, novoselivka and stelmahivka. Nine combat clashes completed, one is still ongoing.

In the Lymans komu direction throughout the day, there were 11 combatants. Russian forces carried out assault actions near Druzhelyubivka, Makiyivka, Novosadovy and Dibrova. At the moment, two attacks continue.

In the Siversky direction, defenders of the Ukrainian land repelled four Russian assaults in the area of Vyimki and Spirny. Three attacks have been stopped, one is ongoing. The situation is under control of Ukrainian troops.

In the Kramators komu direction, 16 battles near Grigorivka, Kalinivka, Chasovogo Yaru and Stupocok. At this time, three of them are going on.

Nine boezknen  took place in the Torets komu direction. Russians attacked Ukrainian troops near diliivka, nelipivka and toretsk. One Russian assault is currently underway.

On the Pokrovsky direction, from the beginning of this day, 45 battles began in the areas of the settlements of Vozdvizhenko, Zelene Pole, Hrodivka, Mirolubivka, Novogrodivka, Kalinove and Ptiche. Defense forces repelled 41 attacks, four are still going.

Today 288 Russian invaders were defecated in this direction, of which 121 were irrevocably. Also destroyed an infantry fighting machine, a self-propelled artillery rig, a 120-mm mortar, three BPLs, three cars and three units of motor equipment. In addition, a tank, an armored transporter, BMP, an armored repair and evacuation machine, six artsistems, a mortar and 11 vehicles were damaged.

In the Kurakhiv direction, Russian forces 15 times attacked Ukrainian positions near karlivka, krasnogorivka, georgiivka and konstantinivka. Eleven clashes completed, four are still going.

In the Vremivs komu direction, Russian forces committed three unsuccessful offensive actions towards Vugledar, Vodanogo and Katerinivka.

In the Orikhiv direction, the Russian enemy also unsuccessful, attacking the defensive borders of Ukrainian units near Small Tokmachka and Novoandriivka.

In other directions - without much change.

The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation reported that in Volchansk and Liptsy directions, units of the Sever Group of Forces inflicted losses on formations of the AFU 22nd Motorised Infantry Brigade, 36th Marine Brigade, 101st, and 118th territorial defence brigades near Grabovskoye, Glukhov (Sumy region), and Volchansk (Kharkov region).

The AFU losses amounted to up to 135 troops, one German-made Marder infantry fighting vehicle, two BTR-4 Butsefal armoured personnel carriers, and six motor vehicles.

Units of the Zapad Group of Forces improved the tactical situation and inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of the AFU 14th, 44th mechanised brigades, 77th Airmobile Brigade, and 110th Territorial Defence Brigade near Petropavlovka, Kruglyakovka, Stepovaya Novosyolovka (Kharkov region), and Torskoye (Donetsk People's Republic). Six counter-attacks launched by assault detachments of the AFU 43rd and 63rd mechanised brigades were repelled.

The AFU losses amounted to up to 520 troops, one U.S.-made M113 armoured personnel carrier, six motor vehicles, two U.S.-made 155-mm M777 howitzers, one UK-made 155-mm Braveheart self-propelled artillery system, two 122-mm D-30 howitzers, two UK-made 105-mm L-119 howitzers, and one Anklav-N electronic warfare station. Four AFU ammunition depots were destroyed.

Units of the Yug Group of Forces took more advantageous lines and positions and inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of the AFU 79th Air Assault Brigade, 46th Airmobile Brigade, 37th Marine Brigade, 116th, and 119th territorial defence brigades near Pereyezdnoye, Vasyukovka, Zaliznyanskoye, Katerinovka, Chasov Yar, Pleshcheyevka, Kurakhovo, and Grigorovka (Donetsk People's Republic).

One counter-attack launched by units of the AFU 5th Assault Brigade was repelled.

The AFU losses amounted to up to 690 troops, four motor vehicles, one U.S.-made 155-mm M777 howitzer, one 152-mm Msta-B howitzer, two 152-mm D-20 howitzers, two 122-mm D-30 howitzers, three U.S.-made 105-mm M119 howitzers, and one Anklav-N electronic warfare station. Three AFU field ammunition depots were destroyed.

Units of the Tsentr Group of Forces improved the tactical situation and inflicted losses on formations of the AFU 32nd, 53rd, 110th mechanised brigades, 25th Airborne Brigade, 111th, and 129th territorial defence brigades near Vozdvizhenka, Kirovo, Rozovka, Zelyonoye Pole, Grodovka, and Sergeyevka (Donetsk People's Republic). Seven counter-attacks launched by units of the AFU 150th and 151st mechanised brigades were repelled.

The AFU losses amounted to more than 580 troops, one tank, two armoured fighting vehicles, eight motor vehicles, two U.S.-made 155-mm M777 howitzers, two 152-mm Msta-B howitzers, two 122-mm D-30 howitzers, and two 100-mm Rapira guns.

Units of the Vostok Group of Forces improved the tactical situation along the front lines and inflicted losses on manpower and hardware clusters of the AFU 72nd Mechanised Brigade and 58th Motorised Infantry Brigade near Razliv and Vodyanoye (Donetsk People's Republic). Four counter-attacks launched by assault detachments of the AFU 5th Tank Brigade and 128th Territorial Defence Brigade were repelled.

The AFU losses amounted to up to 130 troops, one U.S.-made M113 armoured personnel carrier, one armoured fighting vehicle, eight motor vehicles, and two French-made 155-mm CAESAR howitzers.

Units of the Dnepr Group of Forces inflicted losses on formations of the AFU 35th Marine Brigade, 39th Coastal Defence Brigade, and 124th Territorial Defence Brigade near Ivanovka, Tokaryovka (Kherson region), and Malaya Tokmachka (Zaporozhye region).

The AFU losses amounted to more than 65 troops, one armoured fighting vehicle, three motor vehicles, one U.S.-made 155-mm M198 howitzer, one 122-mm D-30 howitzer, and two electronic warfare stations.

Operational-Tactical Aviation, unmanned aerial vehicles, Missile Troops and Artillery of the Russian Groups of Forces destroyed one S-125 SAM launcher, two electronic warfare stations, one POL depot, one UAV workshop, as well as engaged AFU manpower and hardware in 138 areas.

Air defence units shot down three U.S.-made ATACMS operational-tactical missiles, five French-made Hammer guided aerial bombs, 12 U.S.-made HIMARS MLRS projectiles, and 44 unmanned aerial vehicles, 16 of them outside the special military operation zone.

In total, 640 airplanes and 283 helicopters, 30,434 unmanned aerial vehicles, 575 air defence missile systems, 17,557 tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, 1,425 combat vehicles equipped with MLRS, 13,594 field artillery guns and mortars, as well as 25,139 units of special military equipment have been destroyed during the special military operation.

The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation also reported that the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue to repel an AFU attempt to invade the territory of the Russian Federation.

Over the past 24 hours, units of the Sever Group of Forces supported by Army Aviation and artillery fire repelled attacks launched by the enemy's assault detachments in the direction of Borki, Spalnoye, Cherkasskoye Porechnoye, and Malaya Loknya.

The AFU attempts to launch attacks in the direction of Komarovka and Kremyanoye were thwarted.

The AFU losses amounted to more than 60 troops killed and wounded. In addition, one tank, seven armoured fighting vehicles, and two motor vehicles were destroyed. Ten AFU servicemen surrendered.

The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue reconnaissance and search operations to locate and eliminate the enemy small sabotage and reconnaissance groups attempting to get to the depth of the Russian territory.

Army Aviation and artillery strikes and actions of troops inflicted losses on manpower and hardware clusters of the AFU 22nd, 61st, 115th mechanised brigades, 82nd Air Assault Brigade, and 1st National Guard Brigade near Apanasovka, Vishnyovka, Borki, Krasnooktyabrsky, Kruglenkoye, Mikhaylovka, Lyubimovka, Malaya Loknya, Plekhovo, Snagost, and Yuzhny.

Operational-Tactical Aviation delivered strikes at the enemy's reserves in concentration areas of manpower and hardware of the AFU 41st, 54th, and 61st mechanised brigades, 82nd Air Assault Brigade, 103rd, 106th, 119th, 129th territorial defence brigades, 1st and 17th national guard brigades near Atinskoye, Glukhov, Druzhba, Zhuravka, Zapseliye, Kalinov, Novaya Sloboda, Pervomayskoye, Pavlovka, Sadki, Svessa. Sumy, Surovatka, Chuikova, and Yampol.

Over the past 24 hours, the AFU losses amounted to more than 360 troops and 29 units of hardware including two tanks, three infantry fighting vehicles, two armoured personnel carriers, 22 armoured fighting vehicles, two artillery guns, 12 motor vehicles, one Bukovel-AD electronic warfare stations, and one counter-battery warfare station.

Since the beginning of hostilities in Kursk region, the AFU losses amounted to more than 5,500 troops, 71 tanks,

30 infantry fighting vehicles, 57 armoured personnel carriers, 372 armoured fighting vehicles, 170 motor vehicles, 36 artillery guns, five SAM launchers, 11 MLRS launchers, including three of HIMARS system and one of MLRS system, seven electronic warfare stations, one counter-battery warfare station, 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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Xi to address key forum on China-Africa cooperation

Global Times

Diplomatic event showcases friendship, charts future course of relations

By GT staff reporters Published: Aug 23, 2024 11:05 PM

Chinese and African leaders will meet in Beijing in early September for the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) - the largest diplomatic event to be hosted by China in recent years with the highest attendance of foreign leaders. The event will showcase the sincere friendship and achievements from decades of China-Africa collaboration and set the new direction for future cooperation, said analysts from China and African countries, stressing that the gathering is also expected to set an example for Global South cooperation and contribute to global development and stability.

Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend FOCAC's opening ceremony on September 5 and deliver a keynote speech. During the summit, President Xi will host a welcoming banquet and related bilateral events for the leaders of FOCAC's African members and representatives of related African regional organizations and international organizations invited to the summit, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying announced on Friday.

The 2024 FOCAC will be held in Beijing from September 4 to 6. Chinese and African leaders will discuss the theme of "Joining Hands to Advance Modernization and Build a High-Level China-Africa Community with a Shared Future," focusing on friendship, cooperation, and future prospects, Vice Foreign Minister Chen Xiaodong said at a briefing on Friday.

Chen explained that during the summit, four high-level meetings will be held in parallel, covering the topics of governance, industrialization and agricultural modernization, peace and security, and high-quality cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative.

The summit marks another grand gathering of the China-Africa big family. It is also the largest diplomatic event China has hosted in recent years, with the highest attendance of foreign leaders. Leaders of many African countries and the Chairperson of the African Union Commission will lead delegations. The UN Secretary-General will be a special guest and relevant international and regional organizations will also attend the summit as observers, said Chen.

Analysts said the summit will boost China-Africa relations, advance modernization, and foster a high-level China-Africa community with a shared future, ushering in a new chapter for Global South cooperation and offering new hope for global peace and development.

The summit is to be held as the global community seeks a vital dialogue amid rising anti-globalization trends such as isolationism, populism, protectionism, political instability, and retreating democracies, Dennis Munene Mwaniki, Executive Director of the China-Africa Center at the Africa Policy Institute, told the Global Times.

FOCAC has elevated China-Africa development cooperation to new heights, boosting investment and financing in Africa. Moreover, it has introduced tariff-free measures for more African products and supported Africa's economic diversification, industrialization, and processing industry development. FOCAC has also enhanced political dialogue and high-level exchanges, allowing China to share its governance experience with African countries, Mwaniki told the Global Times.

New tech fuels cooperation

Many African scholars expressed hope for more cooperation in high-tech fields between China and Africa.

A significant number of the telecommunications infrastructure on the continent today was built by China, financed by China or implemented by China, in less than 30 years. We are hoping these companies that have already landed in China will bring more digital technology in Africa, Mwangi Wachira, advisor to the government of Kenya and former economist at the World Bank, told the Global Times on Friday. With regard to Chinese new-energy vehicles, Wachira said that in terms of attracting foreign direct investment, the new energy sector is the fastest growing on the continent, and is led by Chinese companies.

Under the current wave of global sci-tech revolution and industrial change, technological cooperation and innovation are of great significance in promoting the transformation and upgrading of China-Africa industries, according to a report released by the China-Africa Business Council on Friday.

Currently, Africa's digital economy stands at $115 billion. In its report, Endeavor, a global network of entrepreneurs, predicts that by 2050, the continent's digital economy will reach $712 billion, representing significant potential for growth. This means that Chinese companies will share more digital tech achievements to promote the connectivity of digital infrastructure construction, according to the report.

Innovations in financial cooperation including promoting the internationalization of the yuan and helping African countries develop inclusive financing are also on the way, the report said.

"China-Africa cooperation is important, as the world needs more than one point of view. The world needs to be truly multilateral. We want a multipolar world. The collaboration between Africa and China does help to create that multipolar world. It is a world that gives Africa all the hope that their voices will be heard," said Wachira.

"Through this summit, the profound friendship between China and Africa will be further deepened, and a more active voice will be raised in the global governance arena under the Global South to strive for more development opportunities for developing countries," Song Wei, a professor at the School of International Relations and Diplomacy at the Beijing Foreign Studies University, told the Global Times.

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I read the article ALIVE AGAIN, written by Pearl. S.Buck.

It tells a story of 87 years old lady,she made a lot of money when was young. At the age of 75, she fell in love with dancing and spent a lot of money on dancing lessons. She was sued by her daughter and be thought was a senile. She moved into a nursing home and was given money weekly by daughter. The male teacher who taught her dancing lost his job due to scandal. 12 years later, she found the male teacher with the help of the nurse. She used her accumulation to help him open an inn. She felt young and alive again.

1(A) Ellie Jason, a new nurse, took care of Mrs. Lettie Gainesworth at the Retirement Home. She told Miss March, the supervisor of nurses:  Mrs. Gainesworth is just very sad about something. Sad indeed!, Miss March said sharply.  Twelve years not going out of that room. Shes making herself sad. And her with all that money it gives me the creeps.

Ellie insisted : we must try to understand .

Miss March reported : Theyre just old people waiting to die. She has a beautiful house and a married daughter who wants her to live with them.

Ellie took the breakfast tray to Mrs. Gainesworths room. Mrs. Gainesworth said: Ellie, I dont feel hungry. Ill be eighty- seven next Monday. How long does this life continue? Will you buy me some books at the Village Bookshop?

At Ellies mid morning break she rushed to the book shop, and asked for the book buyers guide.

The bookseller muttered:  Is that senile old fool still around?

Ellie retorted:  what do you know about her that gives you the right to speak so of her?

The man said:  It was in all the papers. About fifteen years ago, she went to a dance studio and got mixed up with one gigolo and spent a fortune on dancing lessonsthirty thousand dollars.

Ellie demanded:  Did she inherit it in trust for her children?

The man admitted:  No, that was hers, lady Gaines Cosmetics was the business woman. None of her own children. They adopted a girl, she married. Her kids took her into court said she was incompetent, spending all money on dancing. Made a big stink in the paper. The dance studio had to shut up.

Ellie had not realized that Lady Gaines was her Mrs. Gainesworth. Somehow she must hear Mrs.Gainesworth tell her own story.

Ellie gave her the book and asked:  Did you enjoy your dancing lessons, Mrs. Gainesworth? Mrs. Gainesworth said firmly:  No one knows the truth. They called me a senile old fool. I did what I want to do with my own money. I was just bored. One day, I heard a radio announcement dancing being good exercise for old people. I made an appointment for that. The manager, Bill Poltergeist, greeted me. I bought a few lessons. Expensive, of course, twenty dollars an hour. I didnt tell my daughter about that, it was my money. I went every other day for about six months. Then I heard about a dancing Olympic, so I bought a hundred more lessons and went everyday. Bill Polter was a wonderful teacher. I came in first in the competition. I was never bored. The newspapers were always writing something about me. My daughter didnt approve of my dancing, but I didnt care. It was my life- and my money. But I never dreamed theyd do what they did. My daughter had hired a private detective to find out how much money I was spending. When the detective told her that I had spent thirty thousand dollars on dancing, she got a lawyer and took me to court . The newspapers called Bill  the thirty thousand dollar lover boy! I was declared  mentally incompetent.

I went to my own attorney, my daughter and her husband had to pay my expenses wherever I live and give me twenty-five dollars a week for spending money. I adopted that girl out of a poor orphanage when she was only a few weeks old years. Poor Bill. They ran him out of the town. Ill make up it to him. I havent spent a dime in the twelve years, I have fifteen thousand dollars, its all been invested in Lady Gaines stock. Ive put it all in trust for Bill Polter. He can make a fresh start some day.

 Its a horrible story, Ellie said.  And I wish I could help you.

(B) Ellie thought, she must help Mrs. Gainesworth to get back into life where she belonged.

Tomorrow morning, Mrs.Gainesworth said to her:  Ellie, look at this newspaper. Ellie read the headline:  Thirty Thousand Dollar Lover Boy Handles Public Funds. Rodney Benson, whose real name is Bill Polter. Ellie continued reading: He was head of a fund drive. A member of of the Board had hired a detective agency to investigate and they had unearthed the story. Rodney Bodley resigned his job.

The old lady snapped:  I want you to buy me all the other newspapers.Im going to tell the head nurse I need a full-time nurse-thats you.

The old lady glanced at one paper after the other.  Ah, here it is-Rodney Benson lives at Cornell Towers. Go to the phone and call him. Go, find him, Ellen, and bring him back.

Ellie told her:  He wouldnt come. He says he doesnt want to get you into more trouble.

Well, Ill just have to go to him. Ill be ready at tomorrow morning.

When Ellie entered the room next morning she was startled.Ellie said:  you are really a very beautiful woman. Are you in love with him. Mrs. Gainesworth?

 No. I do love him, of course, but Im not in love with him.

Mrs. Gainesworths spirits rose higher as the miles slipped by .Rodney Benson came to the door at the sound of the car.Lady Gaines, how are you? He kissed her.  You shouldnt have come, Ive caused you enough trouble.

It was I who have hurt you, Bill. Well, we must capitalize on it. Well make a fortune on all this publicity. People will come just to see us. I must do something.

Ellie said:  You can, Mrs. Gainesworth. All the money youve saved the last twelve years.

Bill interrupted:  I dont want your money, Mrs. Gaines!

 Bill, dont be proud, Ellie said.  Shes saved it for you and its been her only pleasure.

Mrs. Gainesworth said:  Bill, you made everyone have such a good time in the studio. Why cant we do something like that? Perhaps an inn, we could make a success of one place and then another Lady Gaines and Bill Polter.

Why not? Bill demanded.

 Its done, Mrs. Gainesworth decided.  Im twelve years younger!

(C) Six months later, finally a house to accept to become a part of their lives. It was an old inn with a vast porch.Now, Bill, Mrs. Gainesworth had commanded,  This is another beginning and well keep on.

That night, now a month ago, Mrs. Gainesworth danced just as she always had wanted to do. Bill caught sight of her, sitting in a high- backed chair that made her look like a queen.  Will you open the dance with me, Lady Gaines? he asked.

 Let Ellie take my place tonight, Bill she looks so pretty.

Bill laughed:  Youre right. She is the prettiest girl.

 Im alive again,Mrs. Gainesworth thought. Im alive.

2) I think: (A) This is a woman with ideals and passion. Under the pressure of public opinion, when her daughter sued her in court, people with weak willpower may commit suicide, but she is not depressed, but thinking about how to overcome difficulties. She succeeded.

(B) It is very bad for some newspapers to report some untrue news for the sake of sensationalism.
Xi urges advancing socialism with Chinese characteristics on 120th birth anniversary of Deng Xiaoping

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 08:04, August 23, 2024

BEIJING, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping lauded the "outstanding contributions" of late leader Deng Xiaoping and urged advancing socialism with Chinese characteristics initiated by Deng, as the country marked Deng's 120th birth anniversary on Thursday.

Addressing a meeting held to mark the anniversary, Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, said the country must continue to thoroughly study and apply Deng Xiaoping Theory.

"Deng made outstanding contributions to the Party, the people, the country, the nation and the world," Xi said, adding that Deng's achievements have been immortalized in history and will always inspire future generations.

Deng was the core of the second generation of the Party's central collective leadership, the chief architect of China's socialist reform, opening up and modernization, and the trailblazer of socialism with Chinese characteristics, Xi said, adding that Deng was also a great internationalist who made major contributions to world peace and development.

"Comrade Deng Xiaoping had lived a glorious, fighting and extraordinary life," he said.

Xi noted that, after the Cultural Revolution, a decade-long turmoil that ended in 1976, Deng had led the Party and the people in achieving China's historic transformation.

Deng pushed China to achieve a new breakthrough in adapting Marxism to the Chinese context, break new ground in socialist modernization, and set a correct path for the country's complete reunification, Xi said.

Deng's historical achievements are comprehensive and groundbreaking, with profound and lasting impacts on both China and the world, Xi said.

"We will forever remember his great historical achievements and forever revere his noble revolutionary conduct," Xi said.

The most important intellectual legacy left by Deng is Deng Xiaoping Theory, Xi said, calling for thoroughly studying and applying the theory to address real-world problems.

"The best way to honor Deng is to continue advancing the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics that he initiated," Xi said.

Xi called for further comprehensively deepening reform to continuously provide strong momentum and institutional safeguards for Chinese modernization.

He urged moving faster to build a modernized economy, working toward greater self-reliance in the science and technology sector, and developing advanced socialist culture.

Xi also urged efforts to achieve more notable and substantive progress in promoting common prosperity for all.

Realizing China's complete reunification has long been the aspiration of Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping and other members of the older generation of revolutionaries, Xi said.

He urged resolute efforts to promote the peaceful development of relations across the Taiwan Strait, and demanded firm opposition to "Taiwan independence" to safeguard China's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Stressing that China has always been a staunch force for world peace, Xi called for unremitting efforts to uphold peace, development, cooperation and mutual benefit.

Xi said China will take an active role in the reform and development of the global governance system, and create new opportunities for the world with new progress in Chinese modernization.

Senior leaders Zhao Leji, Wang Huning, Ding Xuexiang, Li Xi and Han Zheng attended the meeting, which was presided over by Cai Qi.

Zhao, Wang, Ding, Li and Cai are all members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee. Han is the country's vice president.

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China open for discussion if conducive to stabilizing ties with US, observers say ahead of Sullivan's visit

Global Times

By Liu Caiyu Published: Aug 24, 2024 04:10 PM

US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan will visit China from August 27 to 29, Chinese Foreign Ministry announced Saturday, andatheatwoasides will hold a new round of China-US strategic communication.

Observers said maintaining open communication channels at a high level between China and the US is crucial to avoiding misunderstandings in the current complex China-US relationship. The visit to China, the first by Sullivan, will also provide an opportunity to discuss urgent issues of concern and manage differences.

Sullivan's visit is at the invitation of Wang Yi, member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning announced on Saturday.

The Financial Times described the visit as "part of a broader effort to stabilize the relationship between the two superpowers."

Sullivan's upcoming visit comes only months before the US presidential election.

During recent discussions on drug control and financial stability, the overall atmosphere between the two countries was calm, with a focus on addressing specific and practical issues. However, tensions remain elevated due to actions taken by the Biden administration in areas such as economic and trade policies, in addition to national security. These actions have had a detrimental effect on the relationship between the two countries, LA Xiang, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times. "We may now find it very difficult to rely on a national security advisor to ease ties."

However, China will remain open for discussion as long as it is conducive to developing situation in a stable direction.

Maintaining open communication channels at a high level between China and the US is crucial in preventing misunderstandings, and the visit will provide an opportunity to discuss pressing issues and address differences promptly, accurately, and effectively, Li Haidong, a professor from the China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times.

As two major global powers, China and the US maintain that high-level visits are crucial for stabilizing the expectations of other countries. This is particularly true regarding the current and future development order and the handling of transnational issues, Li noted.

Li believed that China will express core concerns to the US during Sullivan's visit. The US persistently interferes in China's internal affairs, including issues related to Taiwan and human rights. Recently, on the South China Sea issue, the US has been encouraging the Philippines to provoke tensions, reflecting its ulterior motive to create problems for China, Li said.

Such behavior clearly violates the basic principles of international relations and the UN Charter. The US defines its relationship with China as one of competition, which clearly goes against the objective reality that neither side can do without the other or change the other, Li said.

In areas such as drug trafficking, climate change response, and the maintenance of the non-proliferation system, there may be progress, but whether both sides will have very practical measures to stabilize their strategic relationship remain to be seen, Li said.

"The most important thing is to look at the actual actions of the US. The US talks big, but its actions could be very disappointing."

Wang Yi and Sullivan have met four times over the last year and a half, according to a recent AFP report.

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White Paper of Disarmament and Peace Institute of DPRK Foreign Ministry on NATO's Criminal Colors

Korean Central News Agency of DPRK

Pyongyang, August 24 (KCNA) -- The Disarmament and Peace Institute of the Foreign Ministry of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea on Saturday released a white paper, as regards the 75th anniversary of effectuation of the North Atlantic Treaty, to disclose the atrocious criminal colors of NATO, which has forced wars and sacrifices on innocent sovereign states for over 70 years and still now lays a grave obstacle to the world peace and security environment.

Pointing out that NATO is a war alliance based on the extreme ambition for hegemony, the white paper said:

It is known to everyone that NATO is a military bloc established on the U.S. initiative allegedly to cope with the "Soviet Union's threat" and "communist aggression" after the Second World War.

It will be hard to explain why NATO, cooked up under the pretext of "regional collective defense" with a geographical concept of the North Atlantic Ocean artificially termed, is now stretching its tentacle of aggression to different parts of the world.

The 75-year history of NATO, stained with merciless massacre and war records, goes to prove that it is a criminal group of heinous hegemonic forces obsessed with the ambition for domination over the whole.

It is well evidenced by the "strategic concepts" raised by NATO after the end of the Cold War.

The dissolution of the Warsaw Treaty Organization on March 31, 1991, which had existed for 36 years, meant collapse of the East-West cold war structure. After all, NATO came to lose the justification for its existence to "defend the free world from communist threat".

Under such situation, NATO got hell-bent on laying a legal foundation to hold hegemony in the international military and political arena by expanding the mission and duty of the organization, which had been confined to the "regional collective defence", to "ensuring world security".

The bloody footprints of NATO's aggression, marked in East Europe, Asia and Africa in succession after the disappearance of the East-West confrontation structure in ideology with the end of the Cold War, were by no means attributable to their ideological difference.

The present Ukrainian crisis is the latest instance eloquently proving the unchangeable sinister intention of NATO to dominate the world and hold global supremacy.

After the dissolution of the former Soviet Union, NATO made its commitment to the world never to seek the expansion of alliance targeting Russia

But it discarded its promise to the international community and has doubled its body by accepting 16 countries on seven occasions since 1999.

Despite repeated concerns and warnings of Russia, NATO pushed ahead with its continuous advance toward the East while seriously violating security interests of the sovereign state and, moreover, tried to draw even Ukraine bordering Russia into the sphere of its influence. Such reckless moves for expanding its sphere are the main factor that brought the present security situation to Europe

Now, NATO is inciting the hirelings of the Kiev authorities to attack the territory of Russia with arms offered by the U.S. and the West, out of its sinister plan to spread the flames of the Ukrainian battlefield to the Russian mainland at any cost. Recently, it is feigning ignorance of such dangerous military acts as an attack on nuclear power plants.

More than 900 days of the Ukrainian crisis, which has been going on for years accompanied by the unprecedented risk of a nuclear war outbreak, can be called a long-length drama of history that has clearly shown once again to the world people the sinister intention of NATO which does not hesitate to gamble any terror only for its geopolitical interests.

NATO is the world's biggest war alliance in view of its scale and duration of existence or its anti-peace evil deeds recorded in history.

The white paper disclosed the fact that NATO is making desperate efforts to bring a new war cloud to the Asia-Pacific region.

In June 2022, NATO adopted a new "strategic conception" specifying the future strategic direction, with the Madrid summit in Spain as an occasion. In the "conception", it defined China as a "systematic challenge" and Russia as "the most grave and direct threat".

In the past, NATO tried to expand its jurisdiction to such world issues as WMD proliferation, terrorism, cyber attack and climate change through revision of the "strategic conception". But it had never formulated specific countries as strategic foes.

Considering that NATO's "strategic conception", published for about ten cyclic years, is a major document second in importance after its treaty as it is intended to regulate the organization's long-term action guidelines, the adoption of new "strategic conception" suggests that NATO has definitely turned its course to the Asia-Pacific region.

In particular, politicians of the U.S., little short of the chief of NATO, are now openly making an ill-bodying assertion that the treaty should interpreted on an extension basis or revised so that the application scope of the alliance's collective defense can be expanded to the U.S. territory in the Pacific including Hawaii.

Besides, NATO is amplifying the "theory of threat from Russia and China" under the pretext of the Ukrainian situation and the situation of the Straits of Taiwan on different occasions, including the Vilnius Summit in 2023 and the Washington Summit in 2024. It is also trying to "justify" its advance into the Asia-Pacific region, claiming "the Atlantic and the Pacific are inseparable in terms of security".

It is the truth proved by history and reality that if NATO, which has been branded as a war machine by world people, enters any region, there is nothing good from A to Z.

NATO, which has been stretching out its feet to the Asia-Pacific region, is now mobilizing various strategic assets for the U.S.-led joint military drills in the region, including the RIMPAC joint military maneuvers and Balikatan. This is why the war machinery called NATO is running all the year round in the Asia-Pacific region, which should have been the hub of global peace and prosperity.

What should not be overlooked is that NATO has often slandered the DPRK's legitimate measures for bolstering up its capabilities for self-defence and intensified military infiltration into the Korean peninsula and its vicinity under that pretext.

All the circumstances go to prove that the plan for the "expansion of NATO into the rest of the world", worked out by the U.S. to realize its ambition for world domination after the termination of the Cold War, is being pushed forward with through the "expansion of NATO into Asia-Pacific region", and that the main course of the "aggressor fleet" called NATO has been turned towards the Korean peninsula.

If NATO, the world's largest group sharing nukes, continues its "crusade" towards the hot spot with nuclear weapons states as the main targets, the whole world will move a step and a step nearer to the threshold of a nuclear war.

Not content with driving the security environment of the whole of Europe to an extreme phase, NATO is running amuck to bring new dark clouds of war to the Asia-Pacific region. It is, indeed, the worst group of confrontation in history.

The white paper stressed that the DPRK will redouble its responsible efforts to ensure balance of forces in the region, deter the outbreak of a new war and contribute to global peace and security in coping with the present military and political environment that is getting serious in its vicinity and the prospective security challenge. -0-

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North Korea condemns new US nuclear strategic plan

Iran Press TV

Saturday, 24 August 2024 10:28 AM

North Korea has condemned the United States' newly devised nuclear plan, vowing to deal with any kind of fresh threat posed by the Americans.

"We will resolutely cope with any type of nuclear threat posed by the US," the spokesperson for the foreign ministry of North Korea, also known as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), said in a press statement released on Saturday and published by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

"The DPRK Foreign Ministry expresses serious concern over and bitterly denounces and rejects the behavior of the US which is pursuing the unilateral nuclear edge while going against the desire of the international community for global peace, stability and detente by continuously fabricating someone's 'nuclear threat,'" it said.

The statement came after the New York Times reported this week that the United States had revised its own nuclear strategic plan.

The New York Times report said the US plan approved by President Joe Biden in March was to prepare for possible coordinated nuclear confrontations with Russia, China and North Korea.

The Times said the plan reorients Washington's strategy for the first time to focus on China's rapid expansion of its nuclear arsenal.

Since 2006, North Korea has been under crippling sanctions imposed by the United Nations Security Council over its nuclear capabilities.

In past years, Russia and China have made efforts to ease the sanctions slapped on Pyongyang.

At the same time, North Korea has pursued its own arms development plans, testing new weapons and ammunition designed to act as a deterrent and defend the country against foreign aggression.

North Korea, which has declared itself an "irreversible" nuclear weapons power, has for decades been a close ally to both China and Russia and shares mutual defense treaties with both countries.

China, in particular, has many similarities with North Korea and is its main trade partner.

In regard to the war between Ukraine and Russia, NATO countries see China as a "decisive enabler" while voicing concerns about Pyongyang's aid to Moscow.

Pyongyang has been accused by the US of providing ammunition and missiles to Moscow, with North Korea rejecting the allegation as "absurd".

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Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh meets US National Security Advisor Mr Jake Sullivan in Washington DC

India - Press Information Bureau

Ministry of Defence

Discusses evolving geopolitical situation, key regional security issues & defence industrial collaboration

RM interacts with US defence industry leaders; Says, India wants to work closely with US in defence for capability building & industrial partnership to address emerging challenges

Posted On: 24 AUG 2024 8:59AM by PIB Delhi

Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh met the US National Security Advisor Mr Jake Sullivan at the White House in Washington DC on August 23, 2024. They deliberated on the evolving geopolitical situation and certain key regional security issues. They also discussed the ongoing defence industrial collaboration projects between India and US, and potential areas where the industries of the two countries could work together.

The Raksha Mantri also interacted with the senior leaders of the US defence industry at a round-table organised by US India Strategic Partnership Forum in Washington DC. The round-table was attended by a large number of US defence and technology companies.

Shri Rajnath Singh emphasised that India welcomes US investment and technology collaboration, and is ready with a skilled human resource base, robust pro-FDI and pro-business ecosystem, and large domestic market. India looks forward to closely working with US across the domains of defence for capability building and for an abiding technology & industrial partnership which can address emerging challenges, he added. Later, the Raksha Mantri briefly met a delegation from US India Business Council.

*******

ABB/Savvy



(Release ID: 2048402)

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Iran to continue talks aimed at eliminating sanctions: FM

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Aug 24, 2024

Shahr-e Ray, IRNA -- Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says that the Islamic Republic of Iran will continue talks aimed at eliminating sanctions on the nation.

Araghchi paid his respects at the grave of former Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, who lost his life alongside President Ebrahim Raisi in a tragic helicopter crash on May 19.

He also visited the shrine of Abd al-Azim al-Hasani in the city of Rey on Saturday.

"We will continue the negotiations related to eliminating sanctions on the Iranian nation and there will be no unnecessary haste and delay related to it," Araghchi told reporters on the sidelines of the visit.

He also said in order to expand the field of diplomacy, neighboring countries and Eurasia are the priority for the new Iranian administration.

Meanwhile, President Masoud Pezeshkain and his cabinet members on Saturday visited the mausoleum of Imam Khomeini in downtown Tehran to renew their allegiance to the Founder of the Islamic Republic, the revolution's causes, and the martyrs.

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Iran insists on its absolute right to respond to terrorist Israel: Foreign minister

Iran Press TV

Saturday, 24 August 2024 6:13 PM

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi says Tehran has a legitimate right to respond to the Israeli regime's terrorist crime of assassinating Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on July 31.

In a phone conversation with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Aati on Saturday, Araqchi underlined the country's absolute right to respond to Israel's assassination of the Hamas leader, who was assassinated while he was in Tehran to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian.

Iranian political and military leadership, including Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, and President Pezeshkian, have vowed to avenge Haniyeh's blood.

Pointing to Israel's campaign of death, destruction and genocide in Gaza, Araqchi hailed Egypt's great efforts to establish a ceasefire which will also be accepted by the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas.

Hamas announced on Saturday that its delegation will arrive in Egypt later in the day to "listen to" the results of the Gaza ceasefire negotiations in Cairo.

In a statement, Ezzat al-Rishq, a member of the Hamas political bureau, said the delegation is led by a senior official of the movement Khalil al-Hayya and was formed following an invitation from Egyptian and Qatari mediators.

Israel has massacred over 40,300 Palestinians, mostly children and women, in Gaza since October 2023.

The Egyptian foreign minister, for his part, informed his Iranian counterpart on his country's diplomatic efforts in recent days to stop the war in Gaza and dispatch international humanitarian aid to the besieged Palestinians territory.

Aati said all sides should make efforts to prevent the spread of war in the region.

The top Iranian and Egyptian diplomats agreed to continue political consultations on mutual relations and the developments in the region.

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Iran's new FM stresses 'full coordination' with armed forces to respond to Israel

Iran Press TV

Saturday, 24 August 2024 11:11 AM

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says there exists close coordination between the country's diplomatic and military bodies in order to take revenge against the Israeli assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, the Palestinian Hamas resistance movement's former political bureau chief, in Tehran.

Araghchi made the remarks on Saturday while speaking to reporters after visiting the burial place of the late Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in southern Tehran.

"The issue of resistance is among the fundamentals of the Islamic Republic of Iran's foreign policy. This has always been the case in the past and will be in the future. Our bond with the Axis of Resistance is a strong one. We will utilize all our capacities to support the Axis of Resistance and support oppressed Palestinians, especially those in Gaza," the top Iranian diplomat said.

He stressed that Amir-Abdollahian actively promoted synergy between the battlefield and diplomacy, arguing that one of the perfect cases of correlation between these two topics materialized in Operation True Promise, which Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) carried out the Israeli-occupied territories on April 14.

The IRGC carried out the operation after the Israeli attack on April 1 against the Iranian consulate in Damascus, located next to the embassy building in Damascus's Mezzeh district.

"Not only did the operation serve as Iran's response to the Zionist regime's crimes, it also averted the spread of war in the region that Israel sought," the foreign minister said.

Araghchi noted that the same situation will happen again in response to Haniyeh's targeted killing in Tehran, emphasizing the full coordination between the Iranian Foreign Ministry and armed forces.

"Diplomacy and the battlefield are complementary. God willing, we will move in such a way that the country's national interests, full security, and national dignity will be completely fulfilled," he stated.

Haniyeh, who was in Tehran to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Iran's newly-elected President Masoud Pezeshkian, alongside other Axis of Resistance leaders, was martyred along with his bodyguard, in an attack early on July 31.

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has warned the Israeli regime of a "harsh response" for Haniyeh's assassination, calling it the Islamic Republic's duty to avenge the Palestinian resistance leader's blood.

Elsewhere in his remarks on Saturday, Araghchi touched upon the talks on the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal, stating that the negotiations and subsequent elimination of anti-Iran sanctions will be conducted through dignified and upright channels.

"Neither are we in a hurry nor will there be unnecessary delays. We are starting consultations with different parties. God willing, we can serve the interests of the Iranian nation," he said.

The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA, was a multilateral international agreement signed between Iran and five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council plus Germany in 2015, which required Iran to scale back some of its nuclear activities in return for the lifting of cruel sanctions imposed on the country, especially by the United States.

However, former US President Donald Trump pulled Washington out of the UNSC-endorsed agreement in May 2018, imposing severe economic sanctions against Tehran while Iran was adhering to its commitments under the deal and even continued to do so for a year after the US withdrawal.

Tehran started to reduce its commitments under the JCPOA in a series of pre-announced and clear steps after witnessing the other parties' failure to secure its interests under the agreement.

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B1 Bavar drone: Iran's newly-unveiled reconnaissance and loitering munition

Iran Press TV

Saturday, 24 August 2024 10:52 AM

By Pouriya Kousheshiyan

The defense ministry of the Islamic Republic of Iran this week participated in a defense exhibition hosted by the Russian defense ministry in Moscow, named 'Army-2024'.

Iranian pavilion at the well-attended defense exhibition had on display new military hardware, including unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), such as the H5 reconnaissance drone and the B1 reconnaissance and loitering munition, also known as the kamikaze drone.

The annual defense exhibition, which was held at the International Technical-Military Exhibition Center in Kubinka, Moscow, presented an opportunity for Iran to showcase its latest military products and developments in the defense arena.

One of the drones put on display was the Bavar suicide UAV, also known as B1, which is designed with a dual function and is capable of performing surveillance and suicide missions.

The maximum take-off weight of this drone is 7 kg, which can carry a disintegrating or penetrating warhead, each of which weighs 2 kg at its maximum.

This type of design allows it to hit a variety of targets in different mission situations.

The operational specifications of this UAV include a flight duration of 25 minutes when fully loaded with a 2 kg warhead, which can be increased to a maximum of 35 minutes if the warhead is not carried.

This range of flight endurance depends entirely on the flexible mission requirements, such as a short, targeted attack or a long surveillance operation.

This drone, which has been unveiled for the first time at the Army-2024 military exhibition, can reach a range of 12 kilometers in the strike version and 15 kilometers in the surveillance version.

It has been equipped with a three-axis seeker, a sensor seeker, and an optoelectronic camera with 10x zoom capability under the warhead and full high-definition resolution, which provides the ability to capture and send accurate and high-quality images to ensure accurate targeting.

The suicide drone B1, which is considered the newest and most delicate type of drone as Iran's micro air vehicle, comes with dimensions of 580 x 580 mm.

The B1 surveillance drone travels at a speed of 80 kilometers per hour, which can fly against the wind at a constant cruise speed of 30km per hour and withstand additional gusts of 20 km per hour, and engage moving and stationary targets at short ranges.

The drone also has an intercept stop feature allowing the operator to stop the mission completely if necessary. It is also important to note that the UAV can return to the starting point of the operation upon receiving new orders.

Moreover, it can continue its mission after replacing the battery or other changes.

Owing to the small dimensions of this drone, it is likely to be well-prepared for flight in less than 10 minutes, controlled by an operator that steers it, the UAV can take off and even return vertically to its flight station.

Also, the B1 drone can be flown in groups with up to 10 units at the same time.

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Rohingyas face 'gravest threats since 2017' as fighting rages in western Myanmar

Caught in the crossfire, Rohingyas are fleeing into Bangladesh, sometimes with deadly consequences.

By RFA Burmese 2024.08.24 -- On Monday, a crowded boat carrying 40 Muslim Rohingyas fleeing to neighboring Bangladesh to escape clashes between the ethnic Arakan Army and Myanmar's junta forces in western Rakhine state capsized, killing 36 people.

The tragedy highlights how the Rohingya have been caught in the crossfire of Myanmar's civil war.

The United Nations and rights groups have warned of a repeat of August 2017, when a military operation targeting Rohingya militants in Rakhine state triggered an exodus of 740,000 people across the border.

U.N. Human Rights chief Volker TArk said in a statement on Friday that while many in the international community had vowed to "never again" allow the events of the 2017 military crackdown to repeat themselves, "we are once more witnessing killings, destruction and displacement in Rakhine."

"Thousands of Rohingya have been forced to flee on foot, with the Arakan Army herding them repeatedly into locations that offer scant safe haven," he said.

"As the border crossings to Bangladesh remain closed, members of the Rohingya community are finding themselves trapped between the military and its allies and the Arakan Army, with no path to safety."

Human Rights Watch said in a statement that the Rohingya "are facing the gravest threats since 2017," and called on the U.N. and international governments to do more to hold those responsible for "the ongoing cycles of abuses, destruction, and displacement" to account.

Survivor's account

Among the survivors of Monday's sinking was 33-year-old MD Juhar, who is sheltering with his family at the Kutupalong refugee camp in Bangladesh's Cox's Bazar - now home to nearly 1 million displaced people since the crackdown started exactly seven years ago this weekend.

Speaking to RFA Burmese, his brother Nasar Ahmed said Juhar and other residents of Maungdaw township's Shwe Zar village were forced to flee on Aug. 3, after members of the Arakan Army, or AA - an ethnic armed group that has been fighting the Burmese military off and on for years - entered their tract and told them to leave.

Some two days after the villagers relocated to Maungdaw town, "there was heavy fire, including from artillery, and bombs dropped by drones ... resulting in the deaths of many Muslims," said Ahmed, who lives in a refugee camp in Cox's Bazar.

"As bombs fell, people were terrified and fled for their lives; some headed toward Bangladesh, while others stayed in the town," he said. "Initially, it was reported that up to 250 people were killed in a single day due to drone-dropped bombs," he added, although he believes the number could be higher.

'Many Muslims died'

Juhar's family fled Maungdaw town, but were unable to find food and shelter, so they decided to try their chances crossing the Naf River to Bangladesh.

They boarded a boat departing from Min Ga Lar Gyi on Sunday evening, but were delayed by the Bangladesh Border Guard as they tried to enter Bangladeshi waters, Ahmed said. At around 5:00 a.m. on Monday, the boat encountered a storm off the Bay of Bengal and capsized, killing 36 passengers.

Ahmed said that when the boat resurfaced after capsizing, Juhar was able to hold on and float alongside it.

"Holding onto the boat, he was able to reach the shore near Layda village in [the Bangladesh township of] Teknaf at around 10:00 a.m.," he said.

Juhar and three others who made it to shore were promptly arrested by the Bangladesh Border Guard and sent back to Myanmar at 8:00 p.m. the same day," he said.

Despite their ordeal, the survivors paid 2,500 taka (US$21) each and borrowed another boat to cross again.

"The four of them eventually made it to my home, where I provided them with food and shelter," Ahmed said. "There were four members of our family involved in that incident, but only one survived."

"Many Muslims died" in recent weeks, he said. "Some drowned at sea, some were killed by gunfire, and others by bombs. They [the Arakan Army and junta forces] fought, but our community members were killed in the conflict."

Rohingya sources told RFA that, as of Wednesday, there were "more than 1,500" Rohingya refugees waiting without shelter for the chance to enter Bangladesh via the Naf River, but that "only those who can afford the cost are able to go."

Humanitarian crisis

For the Rohingyas who have been unable to flee to Bangladesh, the situation in Rakhine state is dire.

Both the military and the Arakan Army have been accused of killing Rohingya, with AA fighters blamed for attacking people believed to be supporting junta forces.

On Aug. 5, dozens of Rohingya people were killed by fire from heavy weapons as they waited for boats to cross to Bangladesh, survivors told Radio Free Asia. Some survivors said the AA was responsible though the insurgents denied that.

Some 20,000 Rohingyas are believed to have fled the conflict in Maungdaw township, and residents of camps for the displaced told RFA this week that hundreds are in urgent need of medical care, while thousands of others lack basic health care and food supplies.

At least 350 Rohingyas are at risk of death from diarrhea and malaria in the Hla Hope Khaung Rohingya displacement camp, where the AA has provided shelter, but little else, said a resident of the camp, who identified himself as Mamoud Ali.

"Rohingya displaced persons are in desperate need of healthcare and food supplies," he said. "Some are suffering from diarrhea and other chronic diseases, but can't be treated because they don't have access to the necessary medicine there."

The displaced are also dealing with a severe shortage of food supplies, he said.

RFA was unable to contact other Rohingyas at the Hla Hope Khaung camp due to technical difficulties, but AA spokesman Khaing Thu Kha confirmed that the displaced are in urgent need of medical supplies.

"Our health department is doing its best with the medicines we have," he said. "The issue is that we don't have medicine to control cholera ... Additionally, some [of the displaced] are infected with malaria, and we need extra medicine to address this disease as well."

Khaing Thu Kha also called on international organizations, civil society groups, and neighboring countries to provide urgent humanitarian aid.

Calls for a ceasefire

However, assisting the displaced Rohingya from outside of Myanmar is easier said than done, U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Global Criminal Justice Beth Van Schaack told RFA Burmese in a recent interview, as the junta has restricted access to aid providers.

"We don't necessarily have access to cross border points where that assistance can come in, so it's just much more difficult to do that work," she said, calling for "creative solutions" to approach the situation.

She added that, amid the fighting in Rakhine state, it's difficult to determine the extent of the crimes against Rohingyas.

"We do know that atrocities are being committed and that because the violence has risen, it's inevitably the civilian population - civilian communities of multiple ethnic groups - that are the ultimate sufferers of this situation," she said, adding that the U.S. has called on all parties to "commit to more comprehensive efforts at a ceasefire."

Turk, the U.N. Human Rights chief, raised concerns about "the sharply deteriorating situation across Myanmar, particularly in Rakhine state, where hundreds of civilians have reportedly been killed while trying to flee the fighting."

"These atrocities demand an unequivocal response - those responsible must be held accountable, and justice must be pursued relentlessly," said TArk. "It is the responsibility of the international community ... to take all necessary measures to protect the Rohingya and other civilian victims of this cruel conflict."

Translated by Aung Naing. Edited by Joshua Lipes and Malcolm Foster.

Copyright 1998-2024, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036. For any commercial use of RFA content please send an email to: mahajanr@rfa.org. RFA content 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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Seven years after forced mass displacement of Rohingya from Myanmar, deadly attacks on children continue in Rakhine State

UNICEF

24 August 2024

NEW YORK/KATHMANDU/BANGKOK, 25 August 2024 -- Seven years after hundreds of thousands of Rohingya people fled violence and persecution in Myanmar, conflict continues to intensify in Rakhine State, on the western coast of Myanmar, with a surge in casualties and displacement in Maungdaw Township and reports of increasing numbers of people seeking shelter and protection in Bangladesh.

UNICEF has received alarming reports that civilians, particularly children and families, are being targeted or caught in the crossfire, resulting in deaths and severe injuries. Humanitarian access in Rakhine has become extremely challenging. Critical services, including access to safe water and healthcare are jeopardised, exacerbated by electricity, telecommunications and internet blackouts since January. This is impacting both civilian activities and humanitarian operations.

"Seven years after a deadly wave of violence forced thousands of families from their homes in search of safety, new reports of violence are painful reminders of the continuing threats to children in Myanmar," said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. "In Rakhine and across the country, children and families continue to pay the price for conflict, with their lives, livelihoods, and futures. Parties to the conflict must uphold their obligations to protect children."

On 5 August 2024, artillery shelling and drone attacks reportedly killed about 180 people, including a significant number of women and children, near the bank of the Naf River, which marks the border between southeastern Bangladesh and northwestern Myanmar, as they attempted to escape hostilities. On the same day, an estimated 20,000 people were reportedly displaced from three downtown Maungdaw wards.

In separate incidents on 6 and 19 August, boats carrying dozens of people - including women and children - sank in the Naf River, with children among the casualties, the latest in a series of capsizing incidents involving children.

Since 13 November 2023, the escalating conflict has displaced an estimated 327,000 people in Rakhine State and Paletwa Township in Chin. This brings the total current estimated internal displacement in Rakhine State to well over half a million people.

Across Myanmar, the humanitarian crisis that escalated in February 2021 continues to rapidly deteriorate, with children bearing the heaviest burden of unabating violence, including grave violations, mass displacement, and the near collapse of health and education service provision systems. Escalating attacks and clashes have displaced an estimated 3.3 million people, nearly 40 per cent of whom are children. In 2024, a record 18.6 million people - nearly one-third of the country's population - including 6 million children, require humanitarian assistance.

The Rohingya population who fled attacks and violence in 2017, joined refugees already in Bangladesh from previous waves of displacement. Together, they total almost one million displaced people. Seven years later, about half a million Rohingya refugee children are growing up in the world's largest refugee camp, with many of them born there as refugees. The refugee community relies entirely on humanitarian assistance and lives in temporary shelters in highly congested camp settings. Working with the Interim Government of Bangladesh and partners, UNICEF provides water and sanitation, establishes diarrhoeal treatment centres, enables access to health and nutrition services for children and pregnant women, as well as to quality education; and supports children affected by violence, abuse and neglect with protection and response services.

"Bangladesh's continued support to the refugee population - especially children - is both commendable and critical," said Russell. "Over the past 12 months, we have been increasingly concerned about the security situation in the camps and reports of child rights violations. We stand ready to support the new Interim Government of Bangladesh to ensure that these children are protected and have access to critical services."

In Myanmar, UNICEF calls on all parties to the conflict to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law and international human rights law to protect civilians, particularly children, and ensure their safety and well-being. UNICEF also calls for safe and unimpeded access to deliver humanitarian aid by all humanitarian actors.

#####



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Statement to mark the 7th anniversary of regimes attack against Rohingya

Australia Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

25 August 2024

Today marks seven years since the Myanmar military's violent attacks caused mass displacement of Rohingya communities.

Seven years on, the Myanmar military regime continues to inflict terrible suffering on the people of Myanmar, including the Rohingyas. Australia is deeply concerned by the recent escalation of violence in Rakhine state. We are dismayed by reports of attacks by the regime, and other armed actors, against civilians, the use of internally displaced people as human shields, the destruction of civilian infrastructure, including schools and hospitals, and the use of landmines. We continue to support international accountability for human rights violations and other abuses.

We call on the Myanmar regime to take a different path. The regime must cease violence, engage in dialogue and grant safe and unimpeded humanitarian access. We support ASEAN's efforts to resolve the crisis through the work of the ASEAN Chair and Special Envoy and consistent with the Five Point Consensus. We continue to support the people of Myanmar and their aspirations for a return to the path of democracy.

Australia remains committed to supporting the humanitarian needs of the Rohingya people in Myanmar and Bangladesh. We welcome the commitment from Bangladesh Chief Advisor Muhummad Yunus and the interim government to continue supporting over one million Rohingyas. We want to see conditions put in place which would allow for their voluntary, safe, dignified, and sustainable return to Myanmar.



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3 Killed, Including 2 Children, 18 Wounded In Bomb Blast In Pakistan's Southwest

By RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal August 24, 2024

Three people, including two children, were killed and 17 others, including two police officers, were wounded in a bomb blast in Pishin, a district in Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan province, a police official told RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal.

"An improvised explosive device (IED) was fitted onto a motorcycle in Pishin city on the morning of August 24 where two children were killed and 12 people sustained injuries," Muhibullah Kakar, the head of district police station told Radio Mashaal immediately after the incident.

Pishin is locate some 55 kilometers north of Quetta, the capital city of restive Balochistan Province.

The medical superintendent of the District Headquarter Hospital in Pishin, Wakeel Sherani, told Radio Mashaal that his hospital received two dead bodies and 18 wounded people, including three women.

"Seventeen of those wounded were referred to Quetta Civil Hospital for further treatment," Sherani added. Two of the wounded people are in critical condition, medical officials said.

They added later that one of the three women succumbed to her injuries.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack. Police have begun an investigation into the incident but have not arrested any suspects so far.

Militant attacks have recently increased in Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and southwestern Balochistan provinces.

Balochistan is a mineral-rich province that borders both Afghanistan and Iran and is regularly targeted by Islamist militants, sectarian groups, and Baluch separatists fighting for independence.

The Baluch Liberation Army, a Baluch militant group, and its "special force" Majid Brigade have recently intensified attacks on Pakistani military bases and Chinese nationals in Balochistan.

Pakistan's National Counterterrorism Authority (NACTA) on July 31 added Hafiz Gul Bahadur and the Majid Brigade to its list of terrorist organizations, raising the number of Pakistani groups on the list to 81.

The Hafiz Gul Bahadur militant group is active in the tribal areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/pishin- balochistan-bomb-blast/33090997.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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Power production contracts with Chinese companies need review, Pakistani minister says

By Sarah Zaman August 24, 2024

Pakistani Minister for Power Awais Leghari says contracts with Chinese power producers that built and run power plants in Pakistan need to be revised.

"I think the terms and conditions that we already have with the Chinese as far as their IPPs [independent power producers] are concerned, they need another look," Leghari told VOA in an interview this week.

The power projects, set up mostly in the last decade, helped end hourslong blackouts. But contracts require that Pakistan pay for the entire generation capacity of each power plant, regardless of how much electricity is used. A failure to spur industrial growth that could help utilize additional power, and the inability to reduce transmission losses, has left Pakistan with huge bills to pay for unused and wasted power generation capacity in addition to repaying project loans.

Independent power plants set up by Pakistani companies in the country also have contract terms similar to those of Chinese-run plants. Experts say Pakistan's efforts to conduct an across-the-board audit of domestic and foreign-owned independent power plants show Beijing does not want its companies to be singled out as problematic, nor does it want to be alone in offering concessions to Islamabad.

Leghari said the Chinese government and companies are engaging with Pakistan on the reprofiling of power sector debt and to convert coal-fired power plants to local fuel.

"Those are changes in the terms and conditions of how the Chinese IPPs are working with us. Those would give us very substantial benefits to harvest in terms of [electricity] tariff reductions," the power minister said, referring to Pakistan's efforts to also bring down skyrocketing electricity prices for consumers.

Islamabad owes more than $15 billion to Chinese power plant operators. It is seeking rescheduling of payments to gain financial breathing room in a bid to obtain much-needed financing from the International Monetary Fund.

Leghari and Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb went to Beijing late last month to discuss power sector debt relief.

The trip came days after Islamabad reached a staff-level agreement with the IMF for a three-year, $7 billion loan program. The bank's board must still approve the deal.

Leghari said China, like the IMF, wants to see broader reforms from Pakistan.

China and the IMF "are wanting to look at the entire economic or power sector reform that we have already authored and embarked upon," Leghari said. "I think the more the confidence they have in our economic reform agenda, the better would be the response."

Leghari is leading a power sector reform task force created after his return from China. Reform efforts aimed at cutting power sector losses include auditing all independent power plants.

Beijing has not publicly addressed Islamabad's request for rescheduling energy sector debt. However, Pakistan's daily Express Tribune reported it has agreed to convert three Chinese-owned power plants in Pakistan from using imported to local coal.

Pakistan hopes to save hundreds of millions of dollars annually by switching to local coal for power generation.

The change may come at a high cost. Experts say Chinese investors struggling to recover payments may demand higher insurance premiums and profit margins if they are to expand mining operations, reducing savings for Pakistan.

"It's going to be a win-win situation for everyone," Leghari said, rejecting the concerns.

"Unless that isn't there, people will not invest, lenders will not give money."

Pakistan will also need infrastructure to transport local coal long distances, and power plants may need to make technical design changes to use Pakistani coal, which is known to be dirtier and less efficient than imported coal.

"There has been an overwhelming response to have a look and run technical and financial feasibilities on all the aspects of coal conversion and reprofiling," Leghari insisted, while rejecting environmental concerns about shifting to local coal.

Leghari played down the possibility of scaring Chinese investors as Pakistan seeks a review of past contracts, saying Islamabad holds relationships with investors "dear to our heart."

"Whatever will happen, with whomever, will be with mutual consent," he said.

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50 Chinese warplanes, ships detected around Taiwan as Lai visits Kinmen

ROC Central News Agency

08/24/2024 05:40 PM

Taipei, Aug. 24 (CNA) China sent 50 military planes and vessels to the vicinity of Taiwan in the 24 hours starting 6 a.m. Friday, while President Lai Ching-te (ea) was visiting Kinmen for the first time since taking office in May to mark the 66th anniversary of the 823 Artillery Bombardment.

According to flight paths released Saturday by Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense (MND), 38 military aircraft were detected in Taiwan's air defense identification zone (ADIZ), the highest number recorded in recent weeks.

The figure included 16 that crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and 16 others that crossed its extension.

Of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft that crossed the extension of the median line, two drones entered the southwestern part of Taiwan's ADIZ before flying along its southern, eastern, and northern shores, almost circumnavigating the island.

In addition, 12 Chinese military vessels were detected in waters around Taiwan during the same 24-hour period, according to the MND.

Su Tzu-yun (ece), a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said the PLA likely stepped up its activities around Taiwan in response to Lai's speech in Kinmen, a crucial military outpost, on Friday.

The president was on the island to pay his respects to military personnel who died in the 823 Artillery Bombardment.

During his speech, Lai said his administration was firm in its resolve to defend the Republic of China (ROC, Taiwan's official name), including Taiwan proper and the Penghu, Kinmen, and Matsu islands in the face of threats posed by China.

Lai cautioned against China's attempt to annex Taiwan and change the "rules-based" international order not only in the Western Pacific but in the entire world.

He also noted that his administration has earmarked more funds to acquire advanced weapons systems and improve the training of troops, which demonstrates that Taiwan is willing to stand with democratic countries in ensuring peace in the Taiwan Strait and the Indo-Pacific.

Lai's remarks drew a scathing response from China's Taiwan Affairs Office spokesperson Zhu Fenglian (ee), who said Lai has "strapped Taiwan on a tank" by attempting to push for Taiwanese independence.

Meanwhile, Su noted China was also ramping up pressure on Taiwan to vent its displeasure over a motion passed by the Australian Senate earlier this week that rejected China's recent bid at the United Nations to marginalize Taiwan in the international community with its interpretation of the U.N. Resolution 2758, which states that "the People's Republic of China is the only legitimate government of China."

The motion, moved by a vote by Australian senators, stated that the Resolution 2758, passed in 1971, "does not establish the People's Republic of China's (PRC) sovereignty over Taiwan and does not determine the future status of Taiwan in the United Nations, nor Taiwanese participation in U.N. agencies or international organizations."

Beijing, upset with the Australian motion, was trying to amplify its "political signal" by intensifying drills around Taiwan, Su said.

The 823 Artillery Bombardment, also known as the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis, was a battle in which China fired more than 470,000 shells at Kinmen over 44 days in 1958, although intermittent shelling continued well into 1979.

Although Taiwanese forces successfully defended Kinmen, 618 members of Taiwan's armed forces and civilians died in the battle, with another 2,610 injured, according to statistics compiled by Taiwan's government.

(By Sean Lin)

Enditem/kb

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PLA activities in the waters and airspace around Taiwan

ROC Ministry of National Defense

2024/08/24

PLA activities in the waters and airspace around Taiwan

Date

6 to 6 a.m. (UTC+8) Friday to Saturday, Aug. 23-24

PLA activities

38 PLA aircraft and 12 PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 32 of the aircraft crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and entered Taiwan's northern, central, southwestern, southeastern, and eastern ADIZ. ROC Armed Forces have monitored the situation and employed CAP aircraft, Navy vessels, and coastal missile systems in response to the detected activities.



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Minister Hussen visits Ukraine to reaffirm Canada's solidarity with people of Ukraine

Global Affairs Canada

News release

August 23, 2024 - Ottawa, Ontario - Global Affairs Canada

The Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of International Development, concluded his first visit to Ukraine on August 21, 2024. The visit reaffirmed Canada's solidarity with and ongoing support of Ukraine as it faces the devastation brought by Russia's war of aggression.

In Kyiv, Ukraine, Minister Hussen visited Okhmatdyt Hospital, a specialized children's hospital that has treated children from around the world, where he saw first-hand the impact of Russia's attacks on health facilities. He also attended an event marking the 140th anniversary of the start of the women's movement in Ukraine, where he reaffirmed Canada's commitment to empowering local women's organizations in Ukraine to defend human rights. He also met with representatives of Save Ukraine, a civil society organization undertaking remarkable efforts to return home the children unlawfully deported and transferred by Russia, helping reunite them with their families and supporting their reintegration. In addition, he spoke with veterans at the Kyiv City Clinical Hospital for War Veterans, where he learned about the physical and psychosocial challenges they face and saw first-hand their determination and resolve.

Minister Hussen paid tribute at the Wall of Remembrance of the Fallen for Ukraine to those who have lost their lives fighting against Russia's brutal aggression and defending freedom. At the Holodomor Museum, he honoured the memory of millions of Ukrainians who perished in the Soviet Union's man-made famine and heard about the far-reaching impacts of Russia's aggression today, including on food insecurity in Africa and the Middle East.

The Minister also met with senior Ukrainian leadership, including Sergii Marchenko, Minister of Finance, and Dmytro Lubinets, Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, civil society organizations and Crimean Tatar leaders. Their discussions covered a range of topics, including Ukraine's reform efforts, recovery plans and acute energy needs following relentless attacks on the energy grid, as well as the illegal deportation to Russia and unlawful transfer of Ukrainian children within the temporary occupied territories.

Minister Hussen announced that Canada will provide $5.7 million in humanitarian assistance funding, which will provide shelter, water and sanitation, emergency health services and protection services, including child protection and gender-based violence mitigation and response. This brings Canada's total humanitarian assistance funding for Ukraine in 2024 to $28.2 million.

Minister Hussen also announced that Canada will provide $10 million over 5 years to UNICEF for a project that helps support the reintegration of children as they return to Ukraine from neighbouring countries, including those who were displaced and illegally transferred to Russia. It also will enhance quality family-based care options and child protection services for vulnerable children, such as those with disabilities and at-risk youth.

Quotes

"Ukrainian families have experienced devastating loss in the face of horrific acts of war. I was deeply moved by the resolve and resilience I saw in Kyiv. As Ukrainians continue to show remarkable bravery in defending their land, their freedom and their democracy, Canada's support is unwavering." - Ahmed Hussen, Minister of International Development

Quick facts

Of the humanitarian assistance funding announced today, $3.5 million will be allocated to International Medical Corps UK, $2 million to Save the Children Canada and $200,000 to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

Along with the Government of Ukraine, the Government of Canada co-chairs the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children. The coalition works to address the unlawful deportation and forced transfer of Ukrainian children.

Canada recently announced a $20amillion contribution to support Ukraine's urgent efforts to repair and replace damaged energy equipment and infrastructure to meet the energy needs of its population.

Since 2022, Canada has committed over $19.5 billion to providing multi-faceted support to Ukraine. This includes over $12.4 billion in financial assistance, which has helped the Ukrainian government to continue to operate, including by delivering essential government services and pensions to Ukrainians. Other Canadian assistance includes over $4 billion in military aid and equipment donations, $358.2 million in humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and neighbouring countries, $442 million in development assistance and over $210 million for security and stabilization programming.

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Zelensky uses Independence Day speech to threaten 'retribution' against Russia

Iran Press TV

Saturday, 24 August 2024 4:49 PM

President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine has used his Independence Day speech to threaten "retribution" against Moscow, claiming that his forces are now taking the fight to Russia.

Zelensky published Saturday a video of him standing near the site where his troops launched an offensive into Russia on August 6 a two and a half years after Moscow launched its "special military operation" in Ukraine.

Marking Ukraine's 33rd anniversary of independence from the Soviet Union, he said, "What the enemy brought to our land has now returned to its home." Zelensky said Russia will "know what retribution is."

The Ukrainian leader also accused President Vladimir Putin of constantly threatening all with a nuclear war.

In the meantime, President Putin held a meeting with his army chief Valery Gerasimov to discuss "countering enemy forces invading the Kursk region and measures being taken to destroy them," according to the Kremlin.

President Putin has pledged a decisive response to the first invasion of his country since World War II.



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Kyiv, Moscow Swap Prisoners As Ukraine Marks Independence Day

By RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service August 24, 2024

As Ukraine marks 33 years of independence on August 24, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has announced that 115 Ukrainian prisoners were released in a swap with Russia.

"Another 115 of our defenders have returned home today. They are warriors from the National Guard, the Armed Forces, the Navy, and the State Border Guard Service," Zelenskiy said in a message on X.

"We remember everyone. We are searching for them and making every effort to bring them all back," he said.

Some of the released Ukrainian prisoners spoke to RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service from a location Ukrainian authorities requested not be disclosed.

Ihor, who provided only his first name, said he was captured while serving as a conscript in National Guard Unit 3057, part of the Ukrainian forces that defended the city of Mariupol and surrendered to Russia in May 2022.

According to a Ukrainian governmental body that oversees the treatment of prisoners of war, 82 of the freed Ukrainian soldiers had fought in Mariupol.

"They led us out of the prison cell at 5 a.m. There were no words, no explanation. They took us to the office and gave us our uniforms to put them on. Then they took us somewhere in cars," Ihor said. "No one told us whether that was a simple transfer to another prison or a prisoner swap. We arrived at an air base and were put on a plane. The plane arrived at another air base. More than 100 of us gathered there. Only then we understood that this was a prisoner swap."

Andriy, another freed soldier who gave only his first name, said he served in the same National Guard unit.

"I kept dreaming about it all the time in captivity -- that I'll be back on August 24," said Andriy, who struggled to answer in Ukrainian because he had become accustomed to speaking Russian while in captivity. "It's a feeling beyond description."

Zelenskiy, referring to Russian troops who have been taken prisoner during Ukraine's ongoing incursion into Russia's Kursk region that started on August 6, said in his post on X that "I am grateful to each unit that replenishes our exchange fund."

Ukraine previously said that Russian soldiers taken prisoner in Kursk would be used as an "exchange fund" to release Ukrainian troops from Russian captivity.

Separately, Russia's Defense Ministry said it received 115 of its own troops, who had been captured in the Kursk region, in exchange for the same number of Ukrainian war prisoners.

It said the prisoner exchange was mediated by the United Arab Emirates.

Zelenskiy also highlighted the heroic resistance of his people in the face of Russia's unprovoked invasion in remarks dedicated to Ukraine's Independence Day on August 24 -- a day that also marked the somber milestone of 30 months of war.

"Independence is in every one of us. And united, we can win.... We withstood, restrained, and repulsed the enemy, and now we are pushing it in its swamps. We know what independence is, how difficult it is to revive it, how difficult it is to protect. But we also know that everything depends on us," he said.

No festivities or parades are scheduled, with many Ukrainians preferring to mark 33 years of independence by honoring those killed in the war.

Ukraine says its incursion in Russia's border region of Kursk -- which took Moscow by surprise, shocked Russia's ruling elites, and brought more than 1,260 square kilometers and 92 settlements under its control -- is meant to establish a buffer zone that will put an end to Moscow's incessant shelling of Ukrainian civilian areas and infrastructure from across the border.

Ukraine's leadership has repeatedly clarified the move is not aimed at gaining territory, unlike Russia's full-scale invasion that started on February 24, 2022, exactly 2 1/2 years ago.

"There must be a strong border between us and the enemy, and no walls between Ukrainians, because Ukraine is in each and every one of us," Zelenskiy said in his message recorded symbolically in the northeastern border town of Sumy, close to where Ukrainian forces crossed into Russia on August 6.

"Those who sought to turn our lands into a buffer zone should now worry that their own country doesn't become a buffer federation," he said. "This is how independence responds."

Zelenskiy also indirectly warned Russian President Vladimir Putin that his war was doomed to fail, saying that "the sick grandfather from the Red Square...will not dictate his red lines to us."

"How we live, what path we follow, and what choices we make -- only Ukraine and Ukrainians will determine those for themselves. Because that's how independence works," he added.

As Ukraine's incursion into Kursk continues, Russia is pressing an offensive in Ukraine's eastern region of Donetsk aimed at capturing the regional hub of Pokrovsk.

Ukrainian soldiers fighting in the east celebrated Independence Day with guns in their hands. Some of them shared their thoughts about the meaning of independence with RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service.

Denys, an officer with the 93rd Mechanized Brigade, said his generation bears a responsibility to preserve Ukraine's independence for their children's future.

"The cowardice of parents leads to their children's slavery. We are fighting so our children do not turn into slaves," Denys said.

"Freedom is when you can breathe freely without a whip above you," Vitaliy, a soldier with the 93rd Mechanized Brigade, told RFE/RL.

"Right now, independence means freedom from [Russians], ending this war, peaceful skies above us, and saving children from dying," Vitaliy added.

"For me, independence is about saving our country and not letting the war pass on to our children," said Roman, an officer from the 100th Mechanized Brigade.

General Oleksandr Syrskiy, who was promoted from colonel general to general on August 24, highlighted the sacrifices of Ukrainian soldiers in defending the country's independence in a post on Telegram.

"We defended our independence from the first days of war -- when we burned enemy columns, defended Kyiv, liberated Kharkiv region, and raised our flag over Kherson and Snake Island. The fight for our independence continues -- in Pokrovsk, Toretsk, Kharkiv, and other directions where our soldiers stop and destroy the enemy's overwhelming force," said Syrskiy.

Russian shelling killed five people and wounded five others on August 24 in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kostyantynivka, Ukraine's prosecutor general said.

"As a result of this enemy attack five residents -- three men and two women -- suffered fatal injuries," the prosecutor said in a statement.

Ukraine, whose civilian and energy infrastructure has been battered by Russian drone strikes for years, has in turn been targeting in recent months oil and fuel facilities inside Russia that work for the military.

In the most recent strike, Ukrainian drones early on August 24 set an ammunition depot on fire in the Ostrogozhsk district of Russia's Voronezh region.

Regional Governor Aleksandr Gusev said on Telegram that the fire was started by falling drone debris and caused ammunition to explode. He said there were no casualties.

Ostrogozhsk also houses a training center for armored vehicle operators.

The Belgorod region was also attacked by drones at night, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov reported, adding that two people were wounded.

Russia's Defense Ministry said five drones were downed over Voronezh and one each over the Belgorod and Bryansk regions.

RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service correspondent Roman Pahulych contributed to this report.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-independence- day-war-zelenskiy/33090816.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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Zelenskiy Signs Law Banning Russian Orthodox Church In Ukraine

By RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service August 24, 2024

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has signed into law legislation banning religious organizations linked to the Russian Orthodox Church from operating in Ukraine.

The move was announced on the parliament's website on August 24 as Ukraine celebrated its Independence Day.

Zelenskiy commented on his signing the law, one of several pieces of legislation targeting Russia that he signed on August 24, during a recorded video address to the nation.

The Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) is "today taking a step toward liberation from Moscow's devils," Zelenskiy said.

The OCU, which is aligned with Kyiv, was granted independence from the Moscow Patriarchate by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople in 2019, the leading voice in the Orthodox world.

The Russian-linked Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) declared it severed all ties with the Moscow Patriarchate in 2023 due to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. However, the Ukrainian authorities accuse it of maintaining ties.

The adoption of the law, which was passed by parliament earlier this month, is considered a watershed moment in Ukraine, where Orthodox Christianity has been riven for decades in large part over the influence of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, is a vocal supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin and of the war against Ukraine.

Since the start of the full-scale invasion, the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) has searched key churches and monasteries and opened dozens of criminal investigations into UOC clerics. Some senior UOC figures have been sanctioned by presidential decrees, including the abbot of Kyiv's ancient Monastery of the Caves, Metropolitan Pavlo.

In June, Ukraine handed over Metropolitan Ionafan -- a UOC diocese head who was sentenced to five years in prison after being convicted of supporting the Russian invasion -- to Russia in a prisoner swap. He was received with honors by Patriarch Kirill.

A May 2024 survey by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology found that about 82 percent of respondents said they do not trust the UOC, and 63 percent said it should be banned entirely.

The law signed by Zelenskiy on August 24 is to go into effect 30 days after its publication. Among other things it stipulates that the Russian Orthodox Church cannot be the owner or participant of legal entities registered in Ukraine. Religious communities in Ukraine will have nine months to break ties with Russian-linked entities.

The UOC has said it has no administrative ties with foreign religious organizations.

Patriarch Kirill on August 24 responded to the law by calling on other Christian religious leaders and international organizations to "raise their voices in defense of persecuted believers."

Also on August 24, Ukraine ratified a statute that paves the way for Ukraine to join the International Criminal Court, which has issued arrest warrants for several Russian officials including President Vladimir Putin over war crimes against Ukrainian civilians.

Zelenskiy also signed a law that allows foreigner who fight in the Ukrainian Army against Russia the right to gain Ukrainian citizenship.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-orthodox- religion-ban/33091200.html

Copyright (c) 2024. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Russian Defence Ministry report on repelling an invasion attempt of the AFU on the territory of the Russian Federation (24 August 2024)

24.08.2024

The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue to repel an AFU attempt to invade the territory of the Russian Federation.

Over the past 24 hours, units of the Sever Group of Forces supported by Army Aviation and artillery fire repelled attacks launched by the enemy's assault detachments in the direction of Borki, Spalnoye, Cherkasskoye Porechnoye, and Malaya Loknya.

The AFU attempts to launch attacks in the direction of Komarovka and Kremyanoye were thwarted.

The AFU losses amounted to more than 60 troops killed and wounded. In addition, one tank, seven armoured fighting vehicles, and two motor vehicles were destroyed. Ten AFU servicemen surrendered.

The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue reconnaissance and search operations to locate and eliminate the enemy small sabotage and reconnaissance groups attempting to get to the depth of the Russian territory.

Army Aviation and artillery strikes and actions of troops inflicted losses on manpower and hardware clusters of the AFU 22nd, 61st, 115th mechanised brigades, 82nd Air Assault Brigade, and 1st National Guard Brigade near Apanasovka, Vishnyovka, Borki, Krasnooktyabrsky, Kruglenkoye, Mikhaylovka, Lyubimovka, Malaya Loknya, Plekhovo, Snagost, and Yuzhny.

Operational-Tactical Aviation delivered strikes at the enemy's reserves in concentration areas of manpower and hardware of the AFU 41st, 54th, and 61st mechanised brigades, 82nd Air Assault Brigade, 103rd, 106th, 119th, 129th territorial defence brigades, 1st and 17th national guard brigades near Atinskoye, Glukhov, Druzhba, Zhuravka, Zapseliye, Kalinov, Novaya Sloboda, Pervomayskoye, Pavlovka, Sadki, Svessa. Sumy, Surovatka, Chuikova, and Yampol.

Over the past 24 hours, the AFU losses amounted to more than 360 troops and 29 units of hardware including two tanks, three infantry fighting vehicles, two armoured personnel carriers, 22 armoured fighting vehicles, two artillery guns, 12 motor vehicles, one Bukovel-AD electronic warfare stations, and one counter-battery warfare station.

Since the beginning of hostilities in Kursk region, the AFU losses amounted to more than 5,500 troops, 71 tanks,

30 infantry fighting vehicles, 57 armoured personnel carriers, 372 armoured fighting vehicles, 170 motor vehicles, 36 artillery guns, five SAM launchers, 11 MLRS launchers, including three of HIMARS system and one of MLRS system, seven electronic warfare stations, one counter-battery warfare station, 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.

Department for Media Affairs and Information

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Statement by Russian Defence Ministry

24.08.2024

As a result of the negotiation process, 115 Russian servicemen who were taken prisoner in Kursk region have been returned from the territory controlled by the Kiev regime.

One hundred fifteen AFU prisoners of war have been transferred in exchange.

At the moment, all Russian servicemen are on the territory of the Republic of Belarus where they are provided with the necessary psychological and medical assistance and given the opportunity to contact their relatives.

All the liberated servicemen will be transported to the Russian Federation for treatment and rehabilitation at the Ministry of Defence's medical facilities.

In returning the Russian servicemen from the captivity, the United Arab Emirates provided humanitarian mediation efforts.

Department for Media Affairs and Information

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Ukraine Loses Over 5,500 Troops, 71 Tanks in Kursk Region Since August 6

Sputnik News

20240824

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Ukraine has lost over 5,500 troops, 71 tanks, 57 armored personnel carriers and other military equipment in the Russian region of Kursk since early August, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Saturday.

"Since the beginning of hostilities in Kursk region, the [Ukrainian] losses amounted to more than 5,500 troops, 71 tanks, 30 infantry fighting vehicles, 57 armoured personnel carriers, 372 armoured fighting vehicles," the defense ministry said.

The Ukrainian army lost 170 motor vehicles, 36 artillery guns, five anti-aircraft missile systems, 11 multiple launch rocket launchers, including three HIMARS systems and one multiple launch rocket system, seven electronic warfare stations, a counter-battery warfare station, four units of engineering vehicles, including two counterobstacle vehicles and one UR-77 mine clearing vehicle.

In the attack on the Kursk Region alone, Ukraine lost more than 360 troops and 29 armored vehicles over the past 24 hours, the ministry estimated.

"Over the past 24 hours, the [Ukrainian] losses amounted to more than 360 troops and 29 units of hardware including two tanks, three infantry fighting vehicles, two armoured personnel carriers, 22 armoured fighting vehicles, two artillery guns, 12 motor vehicles, one Bukovel-AD electronic warfare stations, and one counter-battery warfare station," the bulletin read.

Russian warplanes struck Ukrainian forces in 11 settlements of the Kursk Region: Apanasovka, Vishnyovka, Borki, Krasnooktyabrsky, Kruglenkoye, Mikhaylovka, Lyubimovka, Malaya Loknya, Plekhovo, Snagost, and Yuzhny.

Clusters of enemy manpower and hardware were targeted near Atinskoye, Glukhov, Druzhba, Zhuravka, Zapseliye, Kalinov, Novaya Sloboda, Pervomayskoye, Pavlovka, Sadki, Svessa, Sumy, Surovatka, Chuikova, and Yampol, the ministry said.

In the past 24 hours, Russian troops continued to comb woods for Ukrainian sabotage groups trying to push deeper into western Russia.

"The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue reconnaissance and search operations to locate and eliminate the enemy small sabotage and reconnaissance groups attempting to get to the depth of the Russian territory," the Russian ministry said.

A Sputnik

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Russian Military Briefs Putin on Special Military Operation, Kursk Situation

Sputnik News

20240824

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russian President Vladimir Putin heard reports on the progress of the special military operation and efforts to repel the Ukrainian incursion into the Kursk region, during a phone call with the command of the united grouping of troops, the Kremlin said on Saturday.

The meeting took place at one of the command posts of the Russian Defense Ministry.

The Russian leader received reports from Russian Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov and head of the General Staff's Main Operational Directorate Sergei Rudskoy "on countering the enemy forces that invaded the territory of the Kursk Region and the measures taken to destroy them, as well as on the current results of the special military operation," the Kremlin said in a statement.

A Sputnik

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Russia, Ukraine Swap 230 Prisoners After UAE Mediation

Sputnik News

20240824

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Russian Defense Ministry has secured the release of 115 Russian military personnel captured by Ukrainian forces during their incursion into Russia's Kursk region. The swap was organized with the help of mediators from the UAE. Ukraine received 115 POWs in return.

"Following negotiations, 115 Russian prisoners of war were returned from Ukraine-controlled territories after they were captured in Kursk region. In return, 115 Ukrainian prisoners of war were released," the ministry said in a statement.

The released Russian prisoners are in neighboring Belarus where they are receiving medical assistance and awaiting return to Russia. The exchange was facilitated by the United Arab Emirates, the statement read.

A Sputnik

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Ukraine Loses 2,100 Troops in Special Operation Zone in Past Day

Sputnik News

20240824

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Ukrainian armed forces have lost approximately 2,100 servicepeople in the special operation zone over the past day, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Saturday.

Russian troops of the West grouping inflicted losses on four Ukrainian brigades, eliminating up to 520 enemy soldiers.

Meanwhile, the South grouping of Russian troops repelled a Ukrainian counterattack and progressed to more advantageous positions, with Ukrainian forces losing up to 690 personnel during this period, the ministry said in a bulletin. Three Ukrainian ammunition depots were destroyed.

In the operational zones of the North grouping in the Sumy and Kharkov regions, Ukrainian forces lost up to 135 servicepeople and a German-supplied Marder infantry fighting vehicle. Ukraine also lost around 130 servicepeople and a French Caesar howitzer in the area under the East grouping's responsibility, the bulletin said.

Units of the Center grouping improved their tactical position and repelled seven counterattacks from Ukrainian forces, leading to enemy losses of over 580 personnel, one tank and two armored vehicles, according to the bulletin.

Russia's Dnepr Group defeated Ukrainian troops in the southern Zaporozhye and Kherson regions, eliminating more than 65 Ukrainian soldiers.

During the same period, Russian air defenses downed three US-supplied ATACMS ballistic missiles fired by Ukraine as well as five French-made Hammer precision-guided bombs, 12 HIMARS rockets and 44 Ukrainian drones.

A Sputnik

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Volodymyr Zelenskyy Held a Telephone Conversation with Chancellor of Germany Olaf Scholz

President of Ukraine

24 August 2024 - 17:35

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a telephone conversation with Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany Olaf Scholz on the occasion of Ukraine's Independence Day.

The Ukrainian leader expressed his condolences over the tragedy in Solingen, Germany, which occurred during the festival on August 23.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked the Chancellor for his congratulations to the Ukrainian people on Independence Day and for his country's significant comprehensive assistance, especially in strengthening Ukraine's defense capabilities.

"Thank you for two and a half years of German leadership. It is very important for us to have reliable friends who will stand by us until we achieve a just and lasting peace," the President said.

The Head of State informed Olaf Scholz of the situation on the frontline and the current needs of the Defense Forces of Ukraine, particularly in armored vehicles and air defense systems.

The parties also coordinated cooperation and further contacts within the Ramstein framework.

The leaders discussed further funding of defense assistance to Ukraine and the use of frozen assets of the Russian Federation for the needs of our country.

The President thanked Germany for its participation in the first thematic online conference on energy security held on August 22 as part of the preparations for the second Peace Summit.

The parties also discussed further steps to implement the agreements reached at the first Peace Summit in Switzerland.

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Needs on the Frontline, Protection of the Skies and Further Support: Volodymyr Zelenskyy Held Meetings with the President of Poland and the Prime Minister of Lithuania

President of Ukraine

24 August 2024 - 17:04

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held meetings with President of Poland Andrzej Duda and Prime Minister of Lithuania Ingrida A imonytA, who visited Ukraine on Independence Day.

At the beginning of the joint press conference, the Head of State said that 115 Ukrainian warriors had returned home. These are conscripts who had been in Russian captivity since 2022.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that during the meetings, he briefed the leaders on the situation on the frontline and stressed the need to maintain the pace of delivery of the agreed defense assistance packages.

They also discussed the measures needed to protect Ukrainian skies from Russian strikes.

"It is very important that the states of our region equally perceive the Russian terrorist threat and, accordingly, increase cooperation to shoot down Russian missiles and drones. The more such cooperation we have, the sooner Moscow will realize the hopelessness of its terrorist tactics," the President said.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy informed that Ukraine is increasing the capabilities of its defense and industrial complex, and it needs to strengthen cooperation with partners for joint production of weapons.

"Each such decision to finance production in Ukraine, to develop production facilities, will add the strength we all need and make a just peace for Ukraine and the whole of Europe inevitable," he said.

The Head of State urged Ukraine's partners to encourage the allies to lift restrictions on the use of long-range weapons.

President of Poland Andrzej Duda congratulated Ukraine on the 33rd anniversary of independence and assured that Poland will continue helping our country: by providing political, military, and other necessary support, as well as training Ukrainian warriors, medical workers, and rescuers.

"We have no doubt that it is our duty as fellow citizens of this part of Europe to support Ukraine on its way to the EU. That is why, Mr. President, we support and will continue to support you on your way to the European Union and NATO," Andrzej Duda said.

Prime Minister of Lithuania Ingrida A imonytA emphasized the importance of Ukraine's victory in the war and spoke about the recent aid package to our country, which includes 10 short-range air defense systems, 30 missiles, anti-drone and other equipment, weapons, and ammunition. In addition, Lithuania hopes to provide more than 5,000 drones of its own production by the end of the fall.

"It is our duty to help Ukraine recover, but the only real way to finance these efforts is to make the aggressor pay. Lithuania will never tire of repeating that all Russian assets frozen and blocked as part of our sanctions should be transferred to Ukraine. We must continue strengthening sanctions against Russia and its accomplices," Ingrida A imonytA concluded.

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The President Signed the Laws on Support for the Military and Spiritual Independence

President of Ukraine

24 August 2024 - 13:37

Yesterday, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed the laws of the defense package adopted by the Verkhovna Rada. The Head of State announced this during the celebrations on the occasion of the Independence Day of Ukraine.

In particular, this is the law guaranteeing full support to Ukrainian warriors operating in the territory of the aggressor state, and the law granting Ukrainian citizenship to legionnaires.

"Anyone who feels life and independence in the same way as Ukrainians, who fights alongside Ukrainians, deserves to be among the citizens of Ukraine," Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

The President also signed the law on the spiritual independence of our state.

"This is the law that protects Ukrainian Orthodoxy from dependence on Moscow and guarantees the dignity of the shrines of our Ukrainian people," he concluded.

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New York, United States , Aug. 25, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Global Drug Discovery Outsourcing Services Market Size is to Grow from USD 3.8 Billion in 2023 to USD 7.9 Billion by 2033, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 7.59% during the projected period.





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Drug discovery outsourcing services refer to the strategic practice of pharmaceutical companies enlisting external partners to handle various stages of the drug discovery development process, which involves advancing drugs from the laboratory to the clinic for biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. The pharmaceutical and biotech companies opt for outsourcing drug discovery activities to reduce the cost of development. Further, academic and private Contract Research Organizations (CROs) adopt strategic initiatives with pharmaceutical companies to assist them in developing the desired drug. Advancements in high-potency active pharmaceutical ingredients (HPAPIs), antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), and cell and gene therapies are opening new avenues for drug development. The intense competitive landscape and growing complexity of drug development have created a market opportunity for drug discovery outsourcing services. The growing demands for more specialized support and expertise for drug discovery from life science tools suppliers have accelerated the market. Further, the growing investments in drug development by pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical companies and increasing initiatives for research on rare diseases and orphan drugs influence the market growth. The surging demand for outsourcing services for precision medicine drug development drives the market demand for drug discovery outsourcing services. On the contrary, the stringent rules and regulations concerning animal use in the drug discovery process and a lack of skilled professionals are restraining the market growth.

Browse key industry insights spread across 208 pages with 110 Market data tables and figures & charts from the report on the " Global Drug Discovery Outsourcing Services Market Size, Share, and COVID-19 Impact Analysis, By Drug Type (Small Molecules and Large Molecules), By Workflow (Target Identification & Screening, Target Validation & Functional Informatics, Lead Identification & Candidate Optimization, Preclinical Development, and Others), By Therapeutics Area (Respiratory System, Pain & Anesthesia, Oncology, Ophthalmology, Hematology, Cardiovascular, Endocrine, Gastrointestinal, Immunomodulation, Anti-Infective, Central Nervous System, Dermatology, and Genitourinary System), By Service Type (Chemistry Service and Biology Service), By End-User (Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology Companies, Academic Institutes, and Others), and By Region (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Middle East, and Africa), Analysis and Forecast 2023  2033."

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The small molecules segment dominates the market with the largest revenue share in 2023.

Based on drug type, the global drug discovery outsourcing services market is segmented into small molecules and large molecules. Among these, the small molecules segment dominates the market with the largest revenue share in 2023. As small-molecule medications are efficient in targeting intracellular proteins and enzymes, they are the preferred choice for treating various therapeutic conditions, including cancer, infectious diseases, and neurological disorders. The development of novel therapies is greatly aided by the increasing approvals by the FDA and other regulatory bodies that are driving the market growth.



The lead identification & candidate optimization segment accounted for the largest market share through the forecast period.

Based on the workflow, the global drug discovery outsourcing services market is segmented into target identification & screening, target validation & functional informatics, lead identification & candidate optimization, preclinical development, and others. Among these, the lead identification & candidate optimization segment accounted for the largest market share through the forecast period. One of the most crucial phases in the drug development process is the identification and optimization of lead compounds that aim to maximize the compounds' potency, toxicity potential, biological activity, target selectivity, and other attributes. The sophisticated in silico tools are used to enhance the lead identification process, such as structure-based drug designs and computer-aided drug discovery (CADD).

The respiratory segment dominated the global drug discovery outsourcing services market with the largest revenue share in 2023.

Based on the therapeutics area, the global drug discovery outsourcing services market is segmented into respiratory system, pain & anesthesia, oncology, ophthalmology, hematology, cardiovascular, endocrine, gastrointestinal, immunomodulation, anti-infective, central nervous system, dermatology, and genitourinary system. Among these, the respiratory segment dominated the global drug discovery outsourcing services market with the largest revenue share in 2023. Common respiratory infections, increased exposure to indoor and outdoor air pollution and toxins from occupational dust, and an increase in smoking rates globally, are the diverse factors contributing to the rising prevalence of respiratory disorders. The rise of treatment-resistant illnesses surges the need for drug development for respiratory therapeutic areas.

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North America dominates the market with the largest market share over the forecast period.

North America dominates the market with the largest market share over the forecast period. The availability of advanced technologies and platforms in the process of drug discovery and establishing multiple strategic initiatives are significantly driving the market growth. The growth in biosimilars and generic markets and increasing outsourcing of R&D services by pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical companies are driving the market in the region. The growing prevalence of cardiovascular and neurovascular diseases in the region as well as presence of a well-established research infrastructure & key players, with higher investments in drug discovery R&D are responsible for driving the market.

Asia-Pacific region is expected to grow the fastest during the forecast period. The high burden of chronic diseases like cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and respiratory diseases in the region is expected to propel the market growth. Furthermore, collaborations with Contract Research Organizations (CROs) are accelerating the market growth in the region. The region is emerging as a hub for outsourcing drug discovery activities owing to the availability of skilled manpower, lower costs, favorable regulatory environment, and quality data. The Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED), established in 2015, is an example of the initiatives taken to boost market growth.

Competitive Analysis:

The report offers the appropriate analysis of the key organizations/companies involved within the global market along with a comparative evaluation primarily based on their product offering, business overviews, geographic presence, enterprise strategies, segment market share, and SWOT analysis. The report also provides an elaborative analysis focusing on the current news and developments of the companies, which includes product development, innovations, joint ventures, partnerships, mergers & acquisitions, strategic alliances, and others. This allows for the evaluation of the overall competition within the market. Major vendors in the global drug discovery outsourcing services market GenScript, Dalton Pharma Services, EVOTEC, Charles River, Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., Eurofins SE, Syngene International Limited, QIAGEN, Jubilant Biosys, Albany Molecular Research Inc., Pharmaron Beijing Co., Ltd., Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings, WuXi AppTec, Curia Inc., and Other Key Players.

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Recent Developments

In February 2023, Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. announced a multi-program agreement with Pioneering Medicines, a strategic initiative of Flagship Pioneering, that gives Pioneering Medicines access to Logica. Through the agreement, Pioneering Medicines would deploy Logica across a portfolio of targets to create optimized small molecules that lead to novel therapies for unmet medical needs.

Market Segment

This study forecasts revenue at global, regional, and country levels from 2020 to 2033. Spherical Insights has segmented the global drug discovery outsourcing services market based on the below-mentioned segments:

Global Drug Discovery Outsourcing Services Market, Drug Type Analysis

Small Molecules

Large Molecules

Global Drug Discovery Outsourcing Services Market, Workflow Analysis

Target Identification & Screening

Target Validation & Functional Informatics

Lead Identification & Candidate Optimization

Preclinical Development

Others

Global Drug Discovery Outsourcing Services Market, Therapeutics Area Analysis

Respiratory System

Pain & Anesthesia

Oncology, Ophthalmology

Hematology

Cardiovascular

Endocrine

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Gowanda, a village that endured the loss of major employers and a devastating flood 15 years ago, is figuring out how to spend $4.5 million in a transformational way.

The village, which sits partly in southern Erie County and partly in northern Cattaraugus County, won a New York Forward grant designed to invigorate and enliven downtowns in smaller and rural New York State communities.

There are 22 applications totaling $11.5 million worth of potential work in the village, so the local planning committee, which will whittle down project proposals for the state, has some work to do.

It is holding a series of public meetings to evaluate the proposals and several sessions seeking public input.

The public is excited, I think. Theyre very interested in hearing more about the projects, said project manager Angela Keppel, who works for the New York Department of State.

After 23 years of renovations, Gowanda's Hollywood Theater is sparkling The theater, opened on April 19, 1926, was a center of social life in the village located in southern Erie and northern Cattaraugus counties.

Were just trying to reinvent ourselves and market our beautiful area, said Village Trustee Wanda Koch, a business owner who is on the committee. Were kind of the heart of Western New York.

Gowanda once was home to a large glue factory and tannery, other businesses and a hospital, with a state psychiatric hospital and developmental center nearby.

Things started shutting down one by one in the 1990s, said Koch, who has lived in the village most of her life.

The 2009 flood was quite devastating for our community, she said. We lost two lives. We lost our hospital during that flood.

Since the factories closed, Cattaraugus Creek and the glue factory site have been cleaned up. Now a park sits next to the creek where the factory once stood. The creek is good for fishing, and Zoar Valley Multiple Use Area is close, too.

The dilapidated Hollywood Theater was refurbished over two decades and has reopened. The former high school was renovated into offices and housing.

I feel, and a lot of us feel, that everything we have done so far shows the passion we have to reinvent ourselves, Koch said.

Many looking to reshape Gowanda hope to make tourism a major driver of jobs and its economy. Applications for the grant include enhancing the Hollywood Theater structural and performance capabilities, renovating a dining car for excursions on the New York & Lake Erie Railroad, and renovating two cabooses and a business car into a motel for visitors.

The local planning committee  made up of more than a dozen local and regional leaders, business owners and community representatives  reviews the projects and eventually will develop a strategic investment plan expected to be presented to the state by the end of the year. Private businesses must contribute 25% of the cost of renovations, while village and nonprofit groups need no matching contribution.

The committee will identify projects totaling $6 million to $8 million, more than the grant will fund.

Especially in the economy these days, we know projects fall through for a variety of reasons, Keppel said. That way, theres backup projects.

The state next spring will announce which projects will receive the awards.

Were resilient, we want to bounce back and we want to do whats good, and think of different things, Koch said, because lets face it, the industry is not coming back.
For Haas F1 this weekend in the Netherlands, there is a battle not only on track but also off it. Former main sponsor Uralkali had asked a Dutch court to seize the F1 team's assets because the American team did not comply with a court order to repay 12 million euros. But the team has now informed GPblog that the problem is behind them.

A spokesperson for Haas F1 confirmed to this website that the debt was paid in full on Friday, and the money was deposited into an account suggested by Russia's Uralkali. The repossession has been averted, and Haas can travel to the Italian Grand Prix "as normal" in a week's time. The latter had become uncertain if the court in the Netherlands had heeded the oil company's request.

Haas and Uralkali diametrically opposed

There had been bickering between Uralkali and Haas for some time. After their relationship with the F1 team ended, the Russian company wanted a hefty sum in return, but Haas F1 initially did not want it. However, a Swiss court ruled two months ago that Haas did have to make payment, so the team did not do so until this weekend.

Uralkali is part of Uralchem United Chemicals Company. Dmitry Mazepin, the father of former Haas driver Nikita Mazepin, is the chairman of the board of this Russian company. Since Haas sidelined the driver, the company and the F1 team have been opposed.

This article has been written in collaboration with Matt Gretton

Want more Formula 1? Then follow GPblog on our various social media channels!

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Boss puts brave face on Ferrari's 2024 slide

Frederic Vasseur is putting a brave face on Ferrari's current situation in Formula 1.

Frederic Vasseur, Dutch GP 2024

 Ferrari

Once touted as the most improved team early in 2024, the Maranello-based outfit has now fallen behind Red Bull's current main rivals McLaren and Mercedes.

If we look at the numbers, team boss Vasseur told Corriere della Sera newspaper, "we did much better than last year - two wins, eleven podiums, 50 percent more points.

"Of course, there were also a lot of ups and downs, but that's how it is for every team. Red Bull dominated at the beginning, then we did well, then McLaren and finally Mercedes. It will be a rollercoaster until the end.

The difference between the cars is always about two tenths, the Frenchman insisted.

However, at Zandvoort, Charles Leclerc is more like 9 tenths behind the pole - with the Monegasque driver admitting that his 2024 title hopes are over.

Since everyone is so close together, it is easy to make mistakes, Vasseur explained. It's not all black and white.

He admits Ferrari had to backtrack on a particularly flawed car update recently, but denies it is related to the departure of technical director Enrico Cardile.

Absolutely not, said Vasseur. What we brought to the track in June was conceived before April. And what we will see in Monza or Singapore was born before the summer break.

One theory, however, is that Vasseur's focus on team stability may have taken a hit. Stability does not mean keeping Cardile, he hit back. "It means having a solid leadership group of over 100 people, and we meet regularly to discuss. We are an organisation in which the collective counts more than the individual.

"Saying that, we have hired 60 people in 12 months without talking about it. The only one who was talked about is Loic Serra but only because his name came up by others. And we must remember that with the budget cap, it is impossible to always keep the same people.

But we are not having a different technical structure. There will be a technical director who will come from outside. We should announce it after Monza.

Another issue at Ferrari this year has been the drivers, with Carlos Sainz knowing he is being replaced by Lewis Hamilton next year, and Charles Leclerc often struggling for pace and form.

After Monte Carlo, Charles had very high expectations as he gave everything for that success, said Vasseur. Then we started to suffer with the car and he got into trouble. But he was always honest, even in acknowledging his mistakes. And he had the reaction I wanted.

(GMM)
F1 names slam Alpine's communication manners

Two figures close to Mick Schumacher have criticised Alpine's manners at Zandvoort.

Esteban Ocon, Dutch GP 2024

 Alpine

After Schumacher and Jack Doohan went head-to-head for the vacant 2025 race cockpit recently, Australian rookie Doohan ultimately secured the deal.

And how did Schumacher hear about the decision: On Instagram, he said at Zandvoort.

The decision for Doohan and not Mick is to be respected, Mick's uncle Ralf Schumacher told Bild newspaper. "But I find it disappointing that Mick has to find out about it on social media.

That is not good style from Flavio (Briatore). And not only because it is generally not appropriate, but above all because of the past, Ralf added.

Flavio celebrated great successes with Michael and was closely connected to the Schumacher family. A personal call should not be difficult, he said.

Toto Wolff, who is Mercedes reserve Mick's boss, agrees.

Every team has their way of communicating, he told Sky Deutschland. Some are more open, some are less open. Some are more transparent, some less so. But let's say that perhaps we would have done it differently.

Briatore arrived at Alpine only recently, to serve as a powerful advisor for Renault CEO Luca de Meo. The flamboyant 74-year-old Italian convened 20 top journalists at Zandvoort and said he now understands why the team is in crisis.

There was no management, he is quoted as saying by AFP. "I think Alpine's problem was that they chose a few bad leaders. The list of bad ones is quite long.

Now it's important to get the team spirit back and put the right people in the right place, Briatore is also quoted as saying by De Telegraaf newspaper.

Our mission is to return to the top, but that will take time. We have to be realistic. We hope to be able to fight for podium places in 2027.

Briatore has installed the 36-year-old boss of the F2 outfit Hitech, Oliver Oakes, as the new Alpine team principal, explaining that young, enthusiastic, energetic and ambitious people is what the outfit now needs.

He has ruled out signing Adrian Newey, joking that the renowned technical figure is too cheap , and calmed fears that Alpine is being prepared for sale.

One thing is very clear, Briatore insisted. Luca de Meo will never sell the team.

(GMM)
Haas ends F1 dispute with Russian sponsor

Haas has finally ended a long-running dispute with disgruntled former Nikita Mazepin sponsor Uralkali.

Nico Hulkenberg, Dutch GP 2024

 Haas

At Zandvoort on Friday, legal officers representing the fertiliser company, aided by Dutch police, formally confiscated Haas' F1 cars and all major equipment.

Haas was given permission to use the equipment for the remainder of the Dutch GP weekend, but the equipment would not be allowed to leave the Netherlands until about 10 million euros in total is repaid to Uralkali.

As of early Saturday, Haas' participation in next weekend's Italian GP was still in doubt.

This process is very complicated, said team boss Ayao Komatsu. That's why it's taking longer than expected. But our lawyers are on it, he told Sky Italia.

We are totally focused on resolving this issue as quickly as possible, so everything should be fine. I don't see any problem, the Japanese added, when asked about the prospect of Haas not being able to travel to Monza.

According to Sky Italia and other authoritative sources, the debt has now been repaid in full.

The payment has arrived, the broadcaster claimed, Haas has paid its former sponsor the money, and the team will participate as usual in the Italian GP.

(GMM)
Lawson admits 2025 F1 race seat not definite

Liam Lawson admits it is not "definite" that he will be on the Formula 1 grid in 2025.

Liam Lawson, Dutch GP 2024

 Red Bull

Red Bull consultant Dr Helmut Marko caused a stir a few days ago by revealing that the brand's reserve will definitely be racing a Red Bull-branded F1 car next year.

Team boss Christian Horner, however, disagreed - and Marko backtracked.

I think I said that he will be in a Formula 1 car next year, he told Viaplay.

It is known that we have an option on him, but only if we can guarantee him a seat in Formula 1. We will decide in September what exactly we are going to do.

A sure sign that he will be in one of the four Red Bull cars, however, is that Marko has given an early no to any suggestion that Lawson might be available to immediate replace Logan Sargeant at Williams.

We have our own plans for Liam in the near future, he told Auto Motor und Sport.

It all sounds promising for 22-year-old Lawson - but he's not getting carried away yet.

Until it's definite, anything can happen, the New Zealander rookie told Viaplay at Zandvoort. "For me at the moment it's a matter of waiting.

Of course I want a full-time seat, but I don't know yet when exactly that will happen. Of course I hope it will be the case next year.

He admits it's been a frustrating period since he contested 5 grands prix in the injured Daniel Ricciardo's place at Alpha Tauri last year.

Yes, when you've already been in there, it's pretty frustrating, Lawson confirmed. But that's also just part of it. I don't really mind waiting, as long as I get that seat in the end.

Lawson even managed to open his F1 career points account - with a P9 at the demanding Singapore circuit last year. I'm proud of it, he said on the sidelines of the Dutch GP, "but my goal is to become a full-time Formula 1 driver.

At the moment, that hasn't happened yet. I will only be really proud when it does.

(GMM)
Schumacher could replace Sargeant for Monza

Not long after the door to Alpine slammed shut for Mick Schumacher, the German could actually be poised for an immediate return to Formula 1.

Mick Schumacher, Saudi Arabian GP 2022

 Haas

Williams boss James Vowles could not hide his fury when Logan Sargeant, who is being replaced by Carlos Sainz for 2025, slammed his heavily-updated 2024 into the barrier at Zandvoort in a hefty and fiery shunt.

When you have an extensive development package on the car like we do here, that is the worst possible time to put a racing car into the guardrails, he said.

100 people worked their fingers to the bone for weeks on our major upgrade so we could have two cars with the new parts, Vowles added. "And then everything is unnecessarily in ruins within a second.

You don't take full risk in the third practice session in the rain.

Rumours are now swirling that Vowles' patience with Sargeant has finally run out and he will be shunted out of the team after Sunday's chequered flag at Zandvoort.

I don't want to make an emotional decision now, Vowles said.

One rumoured option is Red Bull reserve Liam Lawson, but Dr Helmut Marko swiftly ruled that out. We have our own plans for Liam in the near future, he told Auto Motor und Sport.

Vowles, whose team is powered by Mercedes engines, was then seen emerging from Toto Wolff's office at Zandvoort shortly after Sargeant's fiery crash.

That could be a very good sign for Mick Schumacher - the official Mercedes reserve.

When asked about the 25-year-old German's future on the F1 grid, Wolff told Sky Deutschland on Saturday: "It's difficult for me to judge.

Audi is the only team that hasn't named its second driver yet. And I don't know what Williams will do after today's debacle.

Schumacher also commented on the situation on qualifying day for the Dutch GP.

I'm not giving up - there are still two seats open, he insisted. Discussions are ongoing, but nothing more than that.

Replacing Sargeant would only be a short-term role for Schumacher, given that Sainz is under contract for 2025. Audi is his only real shot at a full-time seat.

Everyone is taking their time now, Schumacher said. At the end of the day, they know what I can do and what they will get. I have two years with Haas under my belt and they have seen what I can do. Let's see.

(GMM)
Wolff admits mistake with Verstappen relationship

Max Verstappen will not confirm that his management held detailed talks about a future tie-up with Mercedes over the summer break.

Max Verstappen, Dutch GP 2024

 Red Bull

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff joked that he did somersaults in August in trying to convince the triple world champion, his father Jos and co-manager Raymond Vermeulen to jump ship from Red Bull as early as 2025.

We always kept the communication going, said Wolff, "and have always been honest with each other, talking about what makes sense and what doesn't.

At some point we concluded that we'll leave it for now and see what happens in the future. I want to focus on George Russell and - oh, I'm almost saying his name again - on our drivers for next year, he smiled, clearly referring to Kimi Antonelli.

When asked about the supposed August meeting with Wolff, Verstappen answered at Zandvoort: What meeting? I don't remember.

His current boss, Red Bull chief Christian Horner, said that with Antonelli now definitely replacing Lewis Hamilton next year, Wolff should stop commenting on Verstappen.

When asked if he agrees with Horner, Verstappen said: No, everyone can say what they want. And I get on very well with Toto. And at the same time, I just focus on my job.

It wasn't always the case that Wolff and the Verstappen camp got along. In 2021, the relationship hit breaking point during the ultra-intense title battle with Hamilton.

It was mainly because of what happened in Silverstone, said Wolff, referring to the aftermath of Verstappen's high-speed crash with Hamilton and brief hospitalisation. I made a mistake there, admitted the Austrian.

I didn't call Jos the same day to ask how Max was doing, Wolff said. "That's what I would have always done in the years before.

Our relationship was not ok for a year, also because of the drama in Abu Dhabi. But it is back to how it used to be.

However, the Verstappen project is now being put on Wolff's back burner, with an official announcement about Antonelli's 2025 deal scheduled for Monza in less than week.

I'm having some problems with my communications team, Wolff laughed, because I keep saying too much. The announcement will come soon, and Italy is a good place for that.

He will also keep an eye on Verstappen's situation at Red Bull, and not just in terms of performance, Wolff explained. It's still a pretty unsettled place there, also because of the interpersonal problems that we all know about.

Verstappen qualified over three tenths behind McLaren's Lando Norris for his home Dutch GP on Sunday. Oversteer and understeer, the Dutchman explained to Viaplay. "It was also all in different places on the track.

It was always different in all the runs, so that was fun. And I'm being sarcastic, said the 26-year-old. It's not going to magically get better, so I'll do my best.

(GMM)
A robust plan to support aging New Yorkers is not just a great idea. It is an urgent necessity that can strengthen the state as well as support 4.6 million New York residents who are 60 and above.

Other states are creating similar roadmaps, because they, too, are looking ahead. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that by 2035, there will be more adults 65 and older in America than children. New York, which ranks fourth in the nation in terms of residents 60 and older, aims to have a draft plan this fall and a final version early next year.

New Yorks Master Plan for Aging has a grand ambition. As The News Scott Scanlon reports, the planners want to help older residents stay healthy, well and where they want to live for as long as possible.

Its an obvious point that cant be restated enough: Attention to health before chronic problems develop is the best preparation for a long, productive life. New York needs to make sure programs that help provide that attention are in place. As it is, many more dollars are spent here on medical care to treat existing problems than on efforts to prevent and control chronic disease.

Proactive thinking

Its not that these planners started out by assessing people over 60 as a problem to be solved. According to Greg Olsen, director for the states Office for the Aging: Older residents are extraordinarily important to the economics of this state. Theyre the No. 1 volunteer group. They represent 42% of the local tax base. Theyre the No. 1 entrepreneur group, the biggest givers to charity and they are a huge tourism bloc.

But the health needs that inevitably come with accumulated years on the planet must be taken into account. Planners will look at health and wellness programs that have succeeded in other localities and regions as well as develop new strategies.

Those efforts should be guided by another Olsen statement: Weve created a structure in the United States where we dont put resources into community preventive supports. We wait for people to get so sick that its an emergency or a crisis, and they are literally going to the most expensive, highest levels of care.

Ensuring balance

The question of how much of this roadmap will be focused on healthcare is one that worries some Albany observers, such as Bill Hammond, of the Empire Center for Public Policy. Hammond is concerned about possible outsized benefits to hospitals, which comprise a major lobbying force.

But it looks like the planners have a much broader scope, as indicated by this guiding statement by Dr. Eugene Heslin, chief medical officer of the states Department of Health, who said, aging doesnt start when youre old. Aging starts when youre born.

Heslin is one of the representatives from 22 state agencies guiding this work. There are also 29 advisors from private sector, nonprofit and other nonstate sources. These people have formed into committees and so far their work has included townhall meetings and online brainstorming sessions.

The proposals that will come out of all this will target every possible element that shapes a healthy existence, including housing, education and technology, as well as expected issues like costly home care and nursing home care for the frail elderly.

It might be helpful to consider elderly people who have successfully managed their frailty. One group that wasnt mentioned as a shaper of the plan was New Yorks centenarians, those who have made it past their hundredth birthdays. Its likely, however, that their wisdom will be reflected in the outcomes.

For example, Brunette Washington, who celebrated her 110th birthday in June, had these simple words as her mantra for life: Be good. Dont hate. Love one another. Family sticks together.

Weve heard worse advice. If the New York plan, like Brunette Washington, puts basic common sense and important human values first, it cant go far wrong.

Whats your opinion? Send it to us at lettertoeditor@buffnews.com. Letters should be a maximum of 300 words and must convey an opinion. The column does not print poetry, announcements of community events or thank you letters. A writer or household may appear only once every 30 days. All letters are subject to fact-checking and editing.
News / Local

by Staff reporter

The wrangling in the United Methodist Church, Nigeria, has again taken a different dimension as a Zimbabwean bishop of the church, Eben K. Nhiwatiwa, was reported to have been arrested in Nigeria.Nhiwatiwa who was in Nigeria to meet with the members of the church in order to kick start the process of electing a new bishop of the church in Nigeria after the resignation of the former bishop, John Wesley Yohanna, was reported to have been arrested in Yola, Adamawa State and whisked to the Abuja headquarters of the Nigerian Immigration Service.In a statement made available to journalists in Jalingo, Taraba State on Sunday, the church expressed sadness at the arrest and urged relevant authorities to as a matter of urgency wade in by ensuring his immediate release.Believing that some members of the breakaway faction of the church are behind the arrest, the church, in the statement signed by a pastor, Salisu Waziri, said operatives of the NIS still went ahead to detain him despite having all the required documents.The church, as observed by our reporter, have been factionalized since the last international conference in the United States of America where some members supported same sex marriage.At the time of filing this report, the Taraba State Government has closed all the branches of the church spread across the state.The aim, according to the Special Adviser to the Governor on Security Matters, Charles Maijankai, is to prevent breakdown of law and order among the members who are at the time of filing this report, struggling to take control of the church property.It was alleged that there are plans to use security operatives to arrest more members of the church, including pastors."Bishop Nhiwatiwa arrived Yola Town, Adamawa State, venue for the first meeting with the members of the Southern Nigerian Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church in Nigeria but was on Friday 23 August 2024, whisked away at the venue of the meeting by Nigerian Immigration Service, Adamawa State Command, for questioning."After several hours of detention in the Yola Immigration office, Bishop Nhiwatiwa was later confined to his hotel with guards before being taken to Abuja on Saturday 24 August 2024 in company of an Immigration officer to the Immigration Headquarters in Abuja Nigeria's capital where he is currently detained," The statement added.An immigration officer who spoke with our reporter on the conditions of anonymity, said "only our national headquarters can respond to your question on the bishop in question."
Galaxy S25 Ultra and SD 8 Gen 4 leaks, SD 7s Gen 3 goes official, Week 34 in review

Things cooled off in terms of announcements this week and that gave room for a boatload of rumors to fill in our news section.

Samsung is expected to launch its Galaxy S25 Ultra with a larger 6.86-inch screen and slimmer bezels rumored to measure 2.3 mm compared to 3.35mm on the S24 Ultra. The upcoming Samsung flagship should offer slightly rounded corners which should help make it easier to handle.

New leaks revealed the color options for the iPhone 16 Pro series. It seems Apple has settled for White, Black, Gray, and Gold all of which will carry the Titanium prefix.

Leaked slides for Qualcomms Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 chipset shed more light on what we can expect. The flagship chip will be built on a 3nm node with eight core formation and Oryon CPU cores. The CPU will be aided by an Adreno 8-series GPU with improvements in performance and efficiency as well as new NPU and a Low-Power AI (LPAI) subsystem.

Xiaomis Redmi Note 14 Pro emerged in a certification listing with 90W fast charging. Samsungs Galaxy A16 5G will offer a 5,000 mAh battery cell as per a listing on Chinas 3C agency.

Outside of the rumor mill, Tecno announced its Spark Go 1 budget phone with a Unisoc T615 chipset, a 90Hz LCD and a 5,000 mAh battery.



Qualcomm makes the Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 official It boasts 20% better CPU performance and a 40% faster GPU than the 7s Gen 2.



Qualcomm also made its Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 official which arrives as a successor to the 7s Gen 2 from last year. The new chip promises 20% better CPU performance, 40% faster GPU, 30% better AI performance and 12% power savings compared to its predecessor. The new chip is expected to debut in a Xiaomi phone as early as next month.

We also got some samples showing out the new Zoom Enhance feature coming Google's Pixel 9 series and the Pixel 8 Pro. Samsung expanded the Circle to Search functionality to include music recognition.



Google's Zoom Enhance is finally here, check out these sample images They were shared by Google's own Peyman Milanfar, who worked on this feature. Zoom Enhance was originally announced back in October 2023.


Last weeks poll shows that the new Pixel 9 Pro could prove to be a best-seller for Google. It received the most positive votes and on top of that it has the most potential to grow in popularity if it proves itself in reviews.

Its a great upgrade over the Pixel 8, though it does cost noticeably more too  concerns about the price are definitely reflected in the poll. On the plus side, Google has more or less covered all the markets that are interested in a Pixel phone, so availability is less of an issue.

The Google Pixel 9 Pro XL, the big dog of this generation, definitely feels expensive  more people are concerned about its price than the price of the new foldable! To be fair, $1,100/1,200 is a lot to spend on a phone, even if you can keep it for 7 years.

But will you? All eyes are on the Tensor G4 since its performance doesnt look competitive now, never mind in the 2030s. The chip is shared by all Pixel 9 models and all but the vanilla phone have 16GB of RAM (that one has 12GB, allowing it to run Googles AI models on device).

Speaking of, the Google Pixel 9 is facing an uphill struggle  its fairly expensive, but lacks a telephoto camera and misses out on the upgraded selfie camera (it has a 10.5MP module instead of 42MP like on the 9 Pro duo).

No LTPO display either, even though a Galaxy S24 can be had for less than $800/900 and it does have an LTPO display and a 3x 10MP tele camera. The S24 series is also slated for 7 years of support, so Googles only advantage here is its first party features like Zoom Enhance (that said, One UI has its proponents too).

Is the Pixel 9 Pro Fold the best horizontal foldable that money can buy? Well, putting aside the people who just dont want a foldable, most think that Google is onto something (we do too). People arent that interested in reviews as most have already made up their minds. What people are interested in, however, is discounts. Seriously, $1,800 is a lot of money.

We have the Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro XL in for review, so expect a detailed report soon. We should be getting the others too, but their launch is set for September, so not yet. For now, check out our Pixel 9 series hot take.
After over two decades without proper water or sewer infrastructure, residents at the low-cost Gill Breeze subdivision could soon get proper utility hookups.

With funding from the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Guam Waterworks Authority plans to start designs for water and sewer infrastructure at the subdivision, which sits on Mount Santa Rosa in Yigo.

GWA General Manager Miguel Bordallo shared the plans with the Consolidated Commission on Utilities during a Tuesday work session, and said that designs for the infrastructure could be done by June, with construction starting soon after.

Since the early 2000s, residents at Gill Breeze have had to resort to digging outhouses and filling up water jugs at any tap that will accommodate them, with no water for cooking, drinking, or bathing.

Residents bought properties in the subdivision with the understanding that developer Cyfred Ltd. would provide proper water and sewer infrastructure. Despite assertions and documentation from the company that GWA had agreed to install the infrastructure back in 2002, it never happened, PDN files show.

CCU commissioner Simon Sanchez said on Tuesday that the developer ripped off these landowners, took their money.

Cyfred has been embroiled in a series of lawsuits for similar issues at another subdivision, Gill Baza, and filed for bankruptcy back in 2011.

GWAs Bordallo on Tuesday said that it will take an estimated $3.4 million just for the engineering and design of infrastructure for subdivision residents, and construction could cost around $24 million.

He said the administrator for U.S. EPA in the region took an interest in the Gill Breeze community during a visit to the island.

EPA has worked rather hard to try and secure the use of their grant funding in order to address this issue, long standing issue for this community, Bordallo said.

GWA wants to award the contract for engineering and design work on the subdivision to Duenas, Camacho & Associates. The CCU will likely decide on that proposal at a meeting next week.

Theres no decision yet on how wastewater will be handled, according to Bordallo. The initial concept for the subdivision involved hooking the area into GWAs existing sewer infrastructure, though U.S. EPA has discussed the concept of a package plant at the site.

Sanchez said he was glad to see a solution proposed for the subdivision.

Our hesitation all these years was using ratepayer money to bail out a developer, right? Which is the precedent none of us want to set, Sanchez said.

Bordallo said that GWA plans to get the project built using only U.S. EPA funds.

Though the subdivision is located in northern Guam, it may be outside of the groundwater protection zone for the northern lens aquifer.

Mount Santa Rosa is a volcanic hill, which shoots up out of the limestone plateau that covers the aquifer.

CCU Chairman Joey Duenas asked that Bordallo verify what the operating costs would be if a package plant is installed in the area.

Because the operational cost is going to be borne by the ratepayers, he said.




Haiti - Politic : Monitoring of ongoing works and expropriations for demolition around the Airport





Friday, August 23, 2024, Raphael Hosty, the Minister of Public Works, accompanied by two members of his cabinet and Engineer Raymond, Departmental Director of the West of the Ministry, held an important meeting in his offices with Ms. Nice Simon, Mayor of Tabarre.



This meeting aimed in particular to take stock of the progress of the road rehabilitation projects underway in Tabarre including:



 Carrefour Rita - Bute Boyer;

 The axis connecting the American Embassy to the premises of the Motorized Intervention Brigade (BIM);

 The section from the premises of the BIM to the National Road;

 Carrefour Rita - Carrefour Bouzy;

 Carrefour Bouzy via Trois Mains to Carrefour Rita;

 Carrefour Rita - Toussaint Louverture International Airport;

 The Carrefour axis - Civil Protection premises;

 From the American Embassy to Fleuriot.



In addition, the issue of expropriations for demolition around the Toussaint Louverture International Airport for security reasons was also addressed https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-42091-haiti-airport-demolition-of-183-houses-more-than-300-million-gourdes-in-compensation.html . The mayor expressed the financial and logistical challenges that the Tabarre City Hall was facing to carry out this expropriation program. 80 high-rise houses overlooking the Toussaint Louverture International Airport have still not been demolished. The Land Director of the Tabarre City Hall explains that the operation must now include 193 other small houses near these houses that will also be destroyed. The cause of the delay is the slowness of the Ministry of Finance to make available the availability of checks to compensate the owners...



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - FLASH : Registration open, Master's Program in Public Procurement, Management and Governance





The National Institute of Administration, Management and International Higher Studies (INAGHEI) of the State University of Haiti (UEH), as part of the launch during the academic year 2024-2025, of its Master's Program in Procurement, Management and Governance of Public Procurement, in partnership with the National Commission for Public Procurement (CNMP), informs that it is receiving registrations.



Each candidate must submit the following documents, both to the e-mail address marche_public.master@ueh.edu.ht and to the premises of INAGHEI, (from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., #135, Ave Christophe, Port-au-Prince, vc to the office of the Vice-Dean for Academic Affairs):



1. Detailed "Curriculum Vitae", with a highlighting of professional experience in relation to public procurement or related fields;



2. Copies of undergraduate degrees and relevant certificates;



3. Cover letter explaining the candidate's interest in this master's program;



4. Declaration on the candidate's honor confirming his/her commitment to follow the program;



5. Registration form duly completed, available online at : https://forms.office.com/e/qVHrU5dQkC?origin=lprLink



6. Original of the deposit slip for the registration fee of 10,000 Gourdes (ten thousand Gourdes), non-refundable, to account 166 002 0234 of INAGHEI, domiciled at the csBNC.



The selection of candidates will be made on the basis of both the above conditions and their performance in the diagnostic assessment which will take place on September 19, 2024, from 9:00 a.m. to noon.



Registration deadline : September 13, 2024.



For any other information, please visit the INAGHEI office or send an email to the following address : marche_public.master@ueh.edu.ht



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - News : Zapping...





France: Opinion on Haitian sanctions

"The reason there are international sanctions is because there is impunity in Haiti," said Fabrice Mauries, the French Ambassador to Haiti at the end of his mission. The diplomat believes that these sanctions would be more effective if they were followed by legal proceedings against those sanctioned at the national level. According to him, the impunity that reigns in Haiti is the result of the inefficiency of the Haitian judicial system.



Haiti without a border gate for more than 8 months

On Thursday, December 14, 2023, a truck driver broke down the Haitian border gate in Ouanaminthe to prevent the Haitian authorities from keeping the border closed. https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-41210-haiti-flash-haitians-break-down-the-border-gate-with-a-container-truck-video.html . Its replacement has been announced without follow-up several times and even today, more than 8 months later, Haiti still does not have a border gate in the Northeast.



Par Quatre Chemins : 2 Haitian laureates

Vanessa Jeudi, Ricardo Valcin and Emilie Jabouin aka "Zila" are the laureates of the 10th edition of the research and artistic creation residencies "Par Quatre Chemins." These Haitian artists were selected for their innovative projects in the field of arts.



Closing of a project on the Reduction of Gender-Based Violence

Marie Francoise Suzan, Minister of Women's Affairs, attended this week the closing ceremony of the project "Strengthening the leadership of Haitian women and girls to fight against Gender-Based Violence (GBV)". Initiated by Refuge des Femmes d'Haiti (REF-HAITI), this project aimed to equip young people for better involvement in the reduction of GBV in Haiti.



Jean Price-Mars Diplomatic Academy member...

Following the request for membership made by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Jean Price-Mars Diplomatic Academy officially became a full member of the Conference of Rectors, Presidents and Directors of Haitian Higher Education Institutions (CORPUHA), by decision of the Board of Directors on August 20, 2024. This partnership will notably allow the holding of competitions throughout the national territory for the integration of young people from diverse backgrounds into diplomacy on a merit basis. It will also optimize the management of international scholarships and strengthen the representation of the Academy in the provinces.



HL/ HaitiLibre


















News / National

by Staff reporter

A report by the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC) has exposed the Masvingo City Council's deception regarding the Cambria Farm landfill project. Despite claims that the old dumpsite in Runyararo West had been closed, the council continues to dispose of large amounts of garbage there, endangering the local community's health.The ZHRC investigation, prompted by complaints from the Masvingo Residents Ratepayers Alliance (Murra) and former Ward 3 councillor Roki Kamuzonda, found that the council violated environmental rights and the right to administrative justice. The council was supposed to transition from the dumpsite to a landfill system in 2012 but has yet to complete the project over a decade later.In a particularly egregious act, the council invited Vice President Kembo Mohadi to officially open the new landfill in June 2023, knowing it was not operational. Murra director Anoziva Muguti criticized the council's dishonesty, while Masvingo mayor Aleck Tabe attempted to justify the situation, citing waste accumulation and the need for compactors as reasons for the landfill's abandonment.The Environmental Management Agency (EMA) has repeatedly urged the council to move away from the old dumpsite, but the council has failed to comply, leaving residents at risk. The ZHRC report condemns the Masvingo City Council's failure to fulfill its responsibilities to the community.
Special Representative of the President of Azerbaijan for Special Assignments Elchin Amirbayov has met with Vietnam's Vice President, Vo Thi Anh Xuan, in Hanoi, to discuss prospects of cooperation between Azerbaijan and Vietnam, Azernews reports.

Vice President Vo emphasized the ongoing mutual support in international forums and highlighted substantial progress in economic and trade relations. She specifically pointed out education as a key area for collaboration, particularly stressing Azerbaijan's role in training Vietnamese professionals in crucial fields like oil and gas, communications, and maritime operations.

Vo also called for heightened efforts in cultural exchanges and expressed Vietnam's backing for Azerbaijans inclusion in the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC). She recommended that the Vietnam-Azerbaijan Inter-Governmental Committee review existing cooperation frameworks and explore new possibilities for strengthening bilateral relations.

On international matters, Vo reaffirmed Vietnam's dedication to a foreign policy centered on independence, collaboration, and development, emphasizing the importance of maintaining a peaceful environment and the self-determination of all nations.

In response, Amirbayov conveyed a strong commitment to further deepening the longstanding friendship between Azerbaijan and Vietnam, especially in economic, trade, and cultural dimensions where significant potential exists. He noted the importance of education in this context, referencing the numerous Vietnamese students who have studied in Azerbaijan and now enhance the bilateral relationship.

Amirbayov also proposed facilitating high-level visits and expanding collaboration in the oil and gas sector. He stressed that Azerbaijan prioritizes its relationship with Asia in its foreign policy and recognizes the value of its partnerships with ASEAN countries, including Vietnam.

The discussions ended with a shared commitment to advancing bilateral relations across various fields, including politics, diplomacy, education, and skills sharing in areas such as demining initiatives.
News / National

by Staff reporter

A commission investigating issues at the Harare City Council has been informed that controversial businessman Phillip Chiyangwa was allocated land in a prime suburb of the capital that was originally designated for a road.The land is now at the center of a heated dispute between Chiyangwa and Chinese investors who developed a high-end complex on it.Zvenyika Chawatama, the council's director of works, admitted last week before the Justice Maphios Cheda-led commission that he made an error by allowing the Chinese firm JC Delonics to develop the land. "It was an error on the city council's part," Chawatama acknowledged.The commission learned that the land in question was reserved for road expansion, raising questions about the legitimacy of Chiyangwa's claim to it. A deed of settlement had been previously established between Chiyangwa and the council regarding this land.When asked if it was council policy to sell land meant for road expansion, Chawatama confirmed it was not. The commission also discussed whether Chiyangwa's Pinnacle Holdings was rightfully entitled to the land that JC Delonics developed, as it was supposed to be reserved for road use.JC Delonics, owned by Jesse Zhang and Zimbabwean co-director Nicholas Mandeya, had developed a restaurant at 617 Windmill Lane in Helensvale. Mandeya testified that Chiyangwa had threatened them through phone calls, allegedly telling them to return to their country and asserting his untouchable status.The company is currently seeking to recover over $200,000 spent on constructing a car park on the land before being halted by allegations that it belonged to Chiyangwa's Pinnacle Holdings.Truth Diggers, the investigative arm of Alpha Media Holdings, first reported the conflict between Chiyangwa and Delonics in July. Documents obtained by Truth Diggers reveal that Harare City Council had initially granted Delonics the rights to develop the land but canceled several permits four months into the project in November last year. The Chinese investors have reported the matter to the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission and also reached out to President Emmerson Mnangagwa's office for assistance.
SpaceX is coming to Boeing's rescue. Boeing Crew Flight Test crew members Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore work in the Boeing Starliner simulator at the Johnson Space Center in Houston on Nov. 3, 2022. (NASA/Robert Markowitz/PTI)

The legacy company needing aid from an upstart rival is hardly welcome news to the aerospace giant.

Because of problems with Boeing's Starliner spacecraft, two astronauts who rode on it to the International Space Station in June will finally return to Earth on a vessel built by Elon Musk's SpaceX.

NASA's announcement Saturday of that plan represents a blow -- even a humiliation -- for Boeing, a historic partner of the American space agency.

Also Read: UK's Spectator magazine may get acquired by hedge fund billionaire Paul Marshall for over $131 million

It couldn't come at a worse time for Boeing. The sterling reputation its airplanes have long enjoyed has been seriously eroded by a series of malfunctions and two fatal crashes in recent years.

"It's not a good time for Boeing," Erik Seedhouse, a professor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, told AFP.

For Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, the astronauts who flew to the ISS on Starliner, to have to return on a SpaceX craft is "very embarrassing," he added.

"It is an image problem," agreed Cai von Rumohr, an aeronautics analyst with TD Cowen, adding that it "could endanger future contracts with NASA."

But Boeing's status and mammoth size give it considerable capacity to bounce back.

"I don't think Boeing is going anywhere," said Glenn Lightsey, a professor at the Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering at Georgia Tech University.

Boeing has engendered cost overruns of some $1.6 billion in developing Starliner, hit by repeated delays in development and price hikes linked to supply chain problems.

But to put that in context, Boeing's Defense, Space & Security division had turnover of $24.93 billion in 2023 -- while the overall company had revenues of $77.79 billion.

"Yes, they can recover, because they're a juggernaut," said Seedhouse.

Regaining confidence

Despite repeated delays in the Starliner program, NASA has never suggested any weakening of the collaboration with Boeing since first placing orders for space "taxis" in 2014 from both Boeing and SpaceX.

The US space agency has repeatedly insisted its goal is to have two vehicles to ferry astronauts to and from the ISS, a sort of insurance plan in case one has problems.

What Boeing needs to do to regain confidence, Seedhouse said, is "to solve all these problems and have a successful re-flight sometime next year, probably, with another crew on board."

Also Read: Elon Musk's X is leaving its San Francisco HQ for Texas, but the city's officials say good riddance: Report

The company has insisted the two problems Starliner has encountered -- helium leaks and a defective propulsive system -- are fixable.

Such problems are not a "huge surprise," Lightsey said, adding that "it's still early development for Starliner."

The craft has undergone three orbital tests, two of them uncrewed.

"It's really only after maybe you get five missions under your belt" that "you know how everything is going to behave in space," he added.

"Even if it takes a couple more flights, I don't expect NASA to give up on them."

A tough comparison

The comparison between the rival programs of Boeing and SpaceX is nonetheless embarrassing for the older and much larger firm.

Musk's company was widely seen as an outsider in 2014 and received $2.6 billion for the project, compared to Boeing's $4.2 billion.

Yet for the past four years it has been the sole means for astronauts to travel to and from the ISS.

SpaceX had one advantage from the start: its Dragon vessel has been resupplying the ISS since 2012.

But Boeing, for its part, has a long history with NASA, with decades of work on the US space program.

"They were involved with the Apollo program; they built some of the modules on the space station," Seedhouse said.

Also Read: 78% of India's delivery gig workers earn less than 2.5 lakh a year: Report

"So it's a surprise that, in such a short period... they've gone from being a company that's performed very well to a company that has been making mistakes, left, right and center."

He said there was no single reason for the serial setbacks, but that "problems with standards and quality control" at Boeing "apply both to the spacecraft side of things and also to the aircraft."

Because of its size, Seedhouse said, Boeing is intrinsically more bureaucratic than SpaceX, where decisions can be made quickly.

But the dynamic could change one day.

At some future point, Lightsey said, "SpaceX will need help, and Boeing will be able to return the favor.

I assume it will all come full circle eventually.
Elon Musk is closing the headquarters of his social media company X (Formerly Twitter) in its San Francisco downtown neighborhood, the New York Times reported, adding that San Francisco officials, including ones that backed a tax break that lured the company there in the first place, are far from heartbroken. 'X' logo is seen on the top of the headquarters of the messaging platform X, formerly known as Twitter, in downtown San Francisco, California, U.S., July 30, 2023. (Carlos Barria/Reuters)

The last employees there will be moved to offices in Palo Alto and San Jose, while Musk sets up new headquarters in Texas.

Also Read: UK's Spectator magazine may get acquired by hedge fund billionaire Paul Marshall for over $131 million

Why is X leaving San Francisco?

Elon Musk stated that San Franciscos gross receipts tax, which taxes local businesses for all transactions taking place outside city limits unfairly penalizes businesses involved in processing payments, which is something he says X will do.

Also Read: OpenAI hires former Meta executive Irina Kofman to head strategic initiatives

He also posted online in July that he was stuck in the company's garage because a gang was doing drugs in the street and wouldnt move!

What was the reason for X to stay in San Francisco till now?

Though Twitter was founded in San Francisco in 2006, it had plans to move to Brisbane, California, where payroll taxes wouldn't be levied.

Ed Lee, San Franciscos then mayor proposed a tax break due to the city's nearly 10% unemployment rate, where the 1.5% payroll taxes would be erased on new hires for some companies.

Also Read: Apple targets September 10 debut for new iPhones, AirPods and watches

This tax break ended in 2019, and when the pandemic came, the offices emptied with Twitter's co-founder Jack Dorsey and its then CEO announcing employees could work from home forever.

Why are San Francisco officials indifferent to X leaving the city?

San Francisco's attorney David Chiu, who had even backed the tax break as a member of the citys Board of Supervisors said, I share the perspective that most San Franciscans have, which is good riddance.

The city's chief economist, Ted Egan, said that X's departure wouldn't matter much since, in many respects, they were already gone, pointing to the fact that X had shrunk a lot already, with Musk laying off many employees after his 2022 acquisition of the platform. The headquarters had already become a ghost town at this point.

Similarly, San Francisco's Mayor London Breed said, "Im not going to beg anybody, adding that she thought Musks political agenda drove him out of San Francisco.
The next wave of artificial intelligence (AI) agents will be able to accomplish tasks on their own for you such as booking a flight, ordering groceries, and even playing Cupid, according to a Wall Street Journal report. Here's a list of the top five things AI is able to do for you today. (Representational Image/Pixabay)

Here's a list of the top five things AI is able to do for you today.

Also Read: How do you deal with stress? In Nigeria, swinging a sledgehammer in a 'rage room' helps

Planning your vacations

An AI named Penny will be playing travel agent for online travel company Priceline in the future, being able to make special requests through interacting with services and concierges, as well as manage travel necessities like car rentals, though it is just a chatbot today which customers can use for bookings.

Apple's new Siri bot arriving this fall can also use the personal data from your iPhone to make traveling easier by pulling up your passport number, dropping photos into a travel note, and telling you how to get to your next hotel.

Eating out

Restaurant-technology startup Loman AI has a 24/7 AI receptionist already used in hundreds of restaurants across the US, answering questions over the phone, making reservations, and placing orders.

Also Read: Apple targets September 10 debut for new iPhones, AirPods and watches

The bot can also interact with other bots. For example, Lomans bot could converse with a barber shops bot to make sure that a restaurant reservation and hair appointment dont overlap.

Similarly, customer service AI startup Forethought is building bots for companies to communicate with their customers.

Investment assistance

UK-based startup Finley AI has a bot that can create a custom financial guidance roadmap, and can buy stocks and set up insurance policies using a variety of information such as stock prices and corporate financial numbers.

However, this does come with the disclaimer that users are still responsible for their financial actions and decisions.

Date night

Dating app Grindr has a new AI wingman to help people find their ideal match as well as suggest places to meet. The AI can take cues from chats with other daters to find the best prospects.

Also Read: Boeing's rescue by rival SpaceX 'embarrassing' and ill-timed

Grindr says the wingman will take things one step further, making restaurant reservations as well as buying show tickets in the future. The wingman is expected to scale in 2027.

Buying outfits

Shopping bots like Browsing bots and buying bots can communicate with each other and perform tasks such as the tedious work of scouring listings, keeping an eye on sales, and clicking buy so your outfit arrives on time.

For example, Google's Vertex has a ready-made bot for retailers that can help shoppers find what they need and make purchases. The startup Skyfire, with a blockchain payment platform for bots to make purchases lets customers set limits and verifies each transaction.

Even retailers like Shopify and Amazon provide shoppers with AI chatbots for recommendations and answering product questions.
Students at the Senior Secondary School for Meritorious Students in Ludhiana alleged they arent receiving free telephone services, unlike students in other districts. They have submitted a written request to the school faculty, asking for the same service. Students at the Senior Secondary School for Meritorious Students in Ludhiana alleged they arent receiving free telephone services, unlike students in other districts. (HT File)

The students explained that since the school is residential, they need to call their parents back home. However, they are charged 2 per minute for these calls. One student, who transferred from a school in Mohali last November, said, Since I joined this school, I have never been able to use the phone for free. There are no landlines in the hostels, and it is costing us money to use the mobile phones available in the canteen. In Mohali, we could always use landlines to call our families without any charge.

Another student added, There is no set schedule or time limit for making calls, but usually, hostels provide free phone services in residential schools. Some students have parents with serious health issues and need to call home every two or three days, which costs them about 10 per call.

A female student from Class 11 mentioned in her application that there is no free call service in the girls hostel, and its not financially viable for them to pay for every call.

In contrast, teachers from other districts have confirmed that they offer free telephone services to their students. Meritorious Union coordinator Rakesh Kumar said that similar issues existed in Bathinda a few years ago, but now students there receive free calling services. Most meritorious schools provide free calling because students shouldnt be charged for it, he said.

However, the officiating principal, Vishwakirat Kahlon, denied these claims. Mobile phones are available in both the girls and boys hostels, and students can make one free call per week. Boys might be facing issues because their warden recently resigned, but this will be resolved soon. I will remind the hostels to ensure that students dont have to pay for their calls, she assured.
The Chandigarh health department issued an advisory for Monkeypox (Mpox) on Saturday, clarifying that no case has been reported in India and so there is no need for panic. There are 22 labs for Mpox in India and there are 13 buffer labs, with PGIMER, Chandigarh, being one of them. (Shutterstock)

Mpox is an illness caused by the monkeypox virus. It is a viral infection which can spread between people, mainly through close contact, and occasionally from the environment to people via things and surfaces that have been touched by a person with mpox.

A viral zoonotic disease that occurs primarily in tropical rainforest areas of central and west Africa, Mpox is usually a self-limiting disease (gets better without treatment) with symptoms lasting from 2 to 4 weeks.

The World Health Organization, which declared Mpox a global health emergency last week, said it is not another Covid-19 as much is already known about the virus and the means to control it.

Suspected cases include people with an otherwise unexplained rash who have travelled, in the last 21 days, to an affected country that had recently confirmed or had suspected cases of Mpox or contact with a person or people with confirmed or suspected Mpox.

Mpox is diagnosed by PCR test for monkeypox virus (MPXV) on a viral swab taken from one or more vesicles or ulcers. There are 22 labs for Mpox in India and there are 13 buffer labs, with PGIMER, Chandigarh, being one of them.

Dos and donts

If anyone has a fever, headache, muscle ache, rash (on the face, feet, genitalia or perianal), swollen lymph nodes, they must self-isolate and get a check-up done at the nearest health facility.

Practice good hand hygiene after contact with infected animals or humans.

If anyone has travelled to Monkeypox-affected countries, they must self-isolate in a separate room away from family and pets for 21 days, and watch for symptoms. In case of symptoms, report to a doctor.

Avoid close contact with people having fever, rash and swollen lymph nodes or those who have travelled to and come back from countries where cases of monkeypox have been reported.

No cause for worry

Dr Suman Singh, director of health services, UT, said, There is an isolation ward at GMSH, Sector 16, and the advisory has been issued as a precaution so people can be aware. There is no cause for worry, as PGIMER has a lab for testing facilities for Mpox.

Dr PVM Laxmi from department of community medicine and public health, PGIMER, said all hospitals in every state had been asked by the government to be prepared for Mpox cases, though no cases had been reported in the country.
Green activists raised their voice against the chemical water being thrown into the Buddha Nullah near Jamalpur area here on Sunday. Environmentalists gathered together and held the placards of poor governance in their hands. Green activists raised their voice against the chemical water being thrown into the Buddha Nullah near Jamalpur area here on Sunday. Environmentalists gathered together and held the placards of poor governance in their hands. (HT Photo)

Activists highlighted that government agencies have admitted that the water flowing in Buddha Nullah is currently unfit for agricultural use. This admission highlights the severe levels of pollution caused by industrial activities, which exceed acceptable limits. To restore the health of the river, it is essential to follow zero liquid discharge (ZLD) practices.

Col CM Lakhanpal said, The pollution in Buddha Nullah has led to significant financial costs and poses serious health risks. The continued illegal discharge of pollutants cannot be tolerated. The public action committee (PAC) dedicated to Mattewara, Sutlej, and Buddha Nullah strongly condemns the careless attitude towards these ongoing issues and demands immediate and effective intervention to prevent further injustice and harm to the public.

He further stated that volunteers and activists recently discovered an intermediate pumping station (IPS) near the intersection of Vardhman Road and Jail Road, close to a liquor store. The purpose of this facility is still unclear, but it is suspected to be used for managing overflow from dyeing units. Funded by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), this pumping station might be part of a project to divert polluted water. The exact role and discharge method of this pumping station need to be clarified.

Activists have identified another pipeline from the Punjab Dyeing Association (PDA) along the north bank of the Buddha Nullah, leading to the pumping station mentioned above. This pipeline appears to connect to a manhole near the river, causing significant leakage of polluted water. It is unclear whether this pipeline connects to the 225 MLD Jamalpur facility or directly to Buddha Nullah. The PAC has sought detailed clarification from the drainage department, MCL, PPCB, and the chairman of the Buddha Dariya committee regarding these discharges and their relation to the rejuvenation project.

The green activists team, led by social activist and environmentalist Mahinder Singh Sekhon, included representatives from various NGOs and organisations. This team has been actively involved in protests, fact-finding missions, and raising public awareness about the issue.
The Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) is planning to set up a Centre of Excellence for spectroscopy and geospatial intelligence. Varsity has sought 20 crore for the ambitious project from the state government. The Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) is planning to set up a Centre of Excellence for spectroscopy and geospatial intelligence. (HT Photo)

This proposed centre will employ state-of-the-art imaging technology to read and analyze soil and crops.

With the advanced imaging technology, we take spectral signature of the soil and crop and then with the help of algorithm designed in the lab, we can analyse it. By the time around 100 soil samples are examined the traditional way, we will be able to analyse over 10,000 samples with the new technology, said farm machinery and power engineering professor Vishal Bector.

The analysis done the traditional way has a scope for manual error, but this will be automated, thus eliminating the scope to err, he added.

Once the centre is up and running, farmers will be able to approach it and use spatial analysis to find out micro details about their fields and crops and plan their course of action accordingly.

To the naked eye the field appears all green, but when diagnosed with advanced imaging, all the micro level details are laid bare, like the moisture level in the soil, the health of the plants, fungus, etc. This will equip the farmer with the information required to manage the crop the best, added Bector.

Vice-chancellor Satbir Singh Gosal, said, We have asked the state government for a total of 20 crore for this project.

The government approached us to work on this. A team from the varsity, accompanied by director, agriculture, also of late visited the International Rice Research Institute in Varanasi, which has a similar centre, he added.
Barmer: The Border Security Force (BSF) and police have arrested a suspected Pakistani national from the border district of Barmer in Rajasthan on Sunday, people aware of the matter said. A BSF personnel stand guard at the Indo-Pak international border (Representative Photo)

Jagsi Koli, 21, who claimed to be a resident of Pakistans Aakli village in Kharodi district, was arrested from the Naya Taal border post under the Sedwa police station area in Barmer, said people, adding that the suspect is being interrogated by the BSF.

People mentioned above said that the man had entered India from Pakistan on the intervening night of August 24 and 25. During routine patrolling and surveillance checking, authorities discovered footprints, prompting a search operation that led the BSF team to Jadpa village under Sedwa police station area, from where he was arrested.

Kritika Yadav, Circle Officer in Chohtan, while confirming the report, said that a Pakistani national has been caught from the bordering area. He added that they are waiting for the official report from the BSF, after which a case will be filed.

Amid the Prime Ministers visit to the region, experts are considering this incident a serious security lapse, questioning how someone could cross the border when there is fencing along the Indo-Pak international border.

People mentioned above said that security agencies have not ruled out the possibility of such attempts being part of a dry run exercisea tactic by Pakistani agencies to test the alertness at Indias border and identify points where they can more easily intrude into Indian territory.

Earlier in September 2019, a Pakistani national identified as Bhalchand, son of Laxman Lal Koli from Dhoranada village in Sanghad district, was arrested by the BSF after crossing the fencing at the international border.

Prior to this, in January 2016, another suspected Pakistani national, identified as Sabir Ali from Mithi district of Pakistan, was arrested by the BSF near Kalre ka Tala village. Ali had crossed the international border but had not crossed the fencing on the Indian side. During interrogation, he was found to be mentally disturbed and was later handed over to the Pakistan Rangers.

In 2014, the ATS and Barmer police recovered a large consignment of drugs and fake currency being smuggled into India through this route.
News / National

by Staff reporter

A 38-year-old man from Chipinge has been arrested for the alleged murder of an elderly woman and a young child, and for burning the woman's body.Trust Sithole of Manyara Village under Chief Mutema is facing charges of killing 70-year-old Sofia Sithole and a four-year-old child. He appeared in the Chipinge magistrates' court on two counts of murder and was remanded in custody until August 30. He has been advised to apply for bail at the High Court and will undergo a mental health evaluation under the Mental Health Act.Prosecutors stated that on August 18, Sithole attacked Sofia Sithole with an unknown object, striking her on the back of the head, resulting in her death. She had just returned home from an all-night prayer session. Sithole then allegedly placed her body on a stack of thatch grass and set it on fire, burning it beyond recognition.Sithole is also accused of killing a child named Rachel Sithole, placing her body on a bed in one of the huts.
The polygraph test of Sanjoy Roy, the prime accused in the rape and murder of a trainee doctor in the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, is likely to be held on Sunday, CBI officials said. Sanjoy Roy, the prime accused in the rape and murder of a trainee doctor in the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. (File Photo)

Also Read | View: Kolkata doctors rape and murderThe silent scream of a city

Even though the Kolkata Police earlier stated that Roy had confessed to his crime during grilling, the accused has claimed that he was being framed.

The polygraph test of Roy had to be postponed due to some technical reasons. It is likely to be held on Sunday inside the Presidency correctional home, where he is presently lodged. The polygraph test on six other persons was being done on Saturday, a CBI official said.

Roy was lodged in Cell Number 21 of the correctional home under tight security. He is alone in the cell. CCTV cameras are installed outside the cell.

Jail officials familiar with the matter said Roy had claimed before the security guards of the jail that he doesnt know anything about the crime.

Also Read | Kolkata murder case: 3 Bengal schools get Mamata govt notice for students attending anti-rape protest

Earlier on Friday, when Roy was produced in the additional chief judicial magistrate (ACJM) court in Sealdah, he had made similar claims. The hearing was held in the ACJMs chamber.

He had said that he was being framed and doesnt know anything about the case. When the court asked him why he was giving his consent for the polygraph test, he said that it might help to prove his innocence, said one of the lawyers present in the room.

Both the Kolkata Police and the CBI, however, found several inconsistencies in his statements. Investigators said that there were multiple points which Roy couldnt explain or substantiate.

Also Read | Kolkata doctor case: 6 things about Kabita Sarkar, accused Sanjoy Roy's lawyer

He has been trying to mislead investigators. He couldnt provide any satisfactory answer for the fresh injuries on his face and other body parts and CCTV footage showing his presence in the corridor, leading to the crime scene at 4.03 am, minutes before the crime, among others, said an officer.

A senior police officer said that investigators had collected at least 40 exhibits from the crime scene, CCTV footage of the hospital were secured, the accuseds mobile phone was seized, and its data was extracted by cloning it, his samples such as urethral swab, semen, hair, nail clippings and nail scraping during medico legal examination.
Every year when Janmashtami approaches, staff at Reserve Police Lines and Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) headquarters here begin preparations for grand celebrations of the festival. The tableau at PAC headquarters in Lucknows Mahanagar (Deepak Gupta/HT)

Every member of the police family waits for Janmashtami. It is the festival that is close to our hearts, said Munna Lal at PAC Lines in Mahanagar.

In the run up to the festival, Lal, 56, assumes the role of a fine craftsman. On Sunday, he was busy adding last touches to a jhanki or tableau being prepared for the occasion.

This years jhanki features a ceiling adorned with different colour streamers that Chand and other staff members have painstakingly crafted from scratch in over a weeks time.

The jhanki will be one of the highlights of a procession that will portray the birth of Lord Krishna in a prison.

Chand, a Grade IV employee, has been involved in the decoration of jhanki at the PAC Lines since the 1990s, a tradition he has faithfully maintained till date.

This time, too, he has been tirelessly working on the jhanki installation with the help of some of his colleagues.

Other staff members volunteer help in the construction and beautification of the jhanki. We also take care of other arrangements, explained Lal.

Similar preparations are also underway at Reserve Police Lines that host a big celebration on every Janmashtami.

20-feet shivling at New Ganeshganj

The Janmashtami celebrations at New Ganeshganj is aimed at drawing the attention of youngsters.

Anupam Mittal, the convenor of this 32-year-old tradition, said, We depict different leela of Krishna, including his birth in the Mathura jail, makhan chori (stealing butter), nauka vihar (boat ride), Aghasur Vadh (killing of demon), Govardhan lila (raising Govardhan mountain on little finger) and maha raas and phollon ki Holi. The view of Radha Krishna in swing will be a sight to behold. Last year, a replica of Ram Mandir of Ayodhya held devotees spell bound. This year, a 20-feet-long shivling will be the special attraction, Mittal said, adding a 3-D selfie point will also draw devotees attention.

Nand Utsav and matki fod at Hari Sabha Mandir

The celebrations at Hari Sabha Mandir near Lal Kuan will begin on Monday. The main ritual will start at 11pm and will continue till well past midnight. Nand Utsav and matki fod will be held on Tuesday while rituals will take place at 11 am followed by kirtan and bhog at 1.30 pm, said purohit Tarak Nath Bhattacharya.
The mastermind of the fake birth certificates racket was arrested by the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) on Sunday from Lucknow after a month long chase, confirmed senior UP ATS officials. They said the accused identified as Ravi Kesh of Darbhanga, Bihar, had created two web portals to generate fake birth certificates online. The accused generated as many as four lakh fake birth certificates and 5,000 fake death certificates from different villages and districts of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar in the past two years, said ATS officials. (For Representation)

The accused generated as many as four lakh fake birth certificates and 5,000 fake death certificates from different villages and districts of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar in the past two years, they added.

The scam was first exposed in Salon block of Rae Bareli district when the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in July second week flagged certain certificates made on the addresses of some 12 Rae Bareli villages after recovering certificates from some people, including a few Bangladeshi nationals arrested from different states recently.

The ATS officials said Ravi Kesh was wanted in the case registered at Salon police station limits of Rae Bareli on July 17. They said he created two web portals www.crsogovr.in and www.thedashboard.in in 2022 and 2023 respectively to online generate fake birth certificates.

The ATS officials said the accused roped in around 4,100 users of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar through his Facebook page, mainly operators of cyber cafes and Jan Suvidha Kendra of UP and Bihar, and formed a wide nexus to generate online fake birth and death certificates.

As per the officials, 1,500 users out of 4,100 are active users and were permanent customers of him. They said these active users easily used to generate online fake birth and death certificates, which is originally generated through the Centres Civil Registration System (CRS) portal.

They said the accused used to earn around 3,000 per day. They further explained all these users were part of the network spread across different districts and states to further misuse it to have benefits of different government schemes.

They said the accused were connected to one another through social media platforms and WhatsApp groups through which they used to share desired date of birth, name and address to get the fake certificates and later used to make payment online after sharing PDF of generated certificates on the group.

On July 17, assistant development officer of Salon block Jitendra Singh had lodged an FIR against one village development officer Vijay Singh Yadav whose ID and passwords were used to generate fake birth certificates through CRS portal, Zeeshan and his father Rizwan, who operated Jan Suvidha Kendra in Salon town and one minor who helped them.

The investigation revealed that the fake birth certificates were issued from the same centre after which all three were arrested and sent to jail on July 19 while the minor was sent to juvenile home.

On August 3, the UP ATS arrested six people from different districts and claimed to have exposed a wider network of misuse of fake birth certificates issued using the CRS portal. A day later, the Rae Bareli police arrested seven more people from different districts in the matter.
Mumbai: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, speaking in Jalgaon on Sunday to interact with beneficiaries of the Lakhpati Didi scheme, declared that crimes against women are unpardonable. "The guilty should not be spared, and those who are helping in any way should be saved," Modi stated. His remarks were viewed as a response to the rape of a medical professional in Kolkata and atrocities committed against two juveniles in the Badlapur area of Maharashtra. Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks during 'Lakhpati Didi Sammelan', in Jalgaon.(PTI)

Modi emphasised that there must be no delay in acting on atrocities against women, and the message should be clear that those helping to save the accused will also be dealt with firmly. In the Badlapur case, there was an inordinate delay by police in registering the First Information Report (FIR).

The Prime Minister asserted that hospitals, police, schools, and offices would be held accountable for delays and laxity. "The message has to go down well. Governments may come and go, but women must be protected," he said.

"The strictest punishment must be given. We are strengthening the laws," Modi added.

The Prime Minister's statement comes in response to the rape of a doctor in Kolkata and atrocities committed against two girls in Badlapur, Maharashtra. He assured that his government was supporting all state governments in dealing with these cases.

"Earlier, there were delays, and we have removed all this in the Bhartiya Nyay Sanhita. If a woman does not want to visit a police station, she can file an e-FIR from her residence, and the police will have to act. There is provision for the death penalty and life imprisonment for atrocities against women," Modi explained, adding that police will have to act on complaints.

He noted that the new laws also address men who deceive women with false promises of marriage, an area previously lacking proper legislation. The Bhartiya Nyay Sanhita now includes chapters to deal with this issue. Modi assured that the centre fully supports all states in addressing such crimes.

The Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal and the Shiv Sena-BJP-NCP government in Maharashtra had faced criticism for crimes against women.

Modi also highlighted the progress of the Lakhpati Didi scheme, stating that in the last two months, 1.1 million Lakhpati Didis were added to the programme, with an additional 100,000 joining on Sunday.

Recalling a time when women struggled to obtain loans, Modi said his government introduced numerous schemes to assist them. Comparing his administration to previous ones, the Prime Minister claimed to have done more for women than any other government.

Modi praised the team of Eknath Shinde, Devendra Fadnavis, and Ajit Pawar for their efforts in making women self-sufficient through various implemented schemes. He mentioned that over 125,000 women volunteers now assist in banking and cited the provision of drones to women for farming.

The Prime Minister asserted that India is progressing towards becoming a developed nation, with Maharashtra playing a starring role in this journey. He emphasised the state's potential for attracting investors and creating jobs, stressing the need for a Mahayuti government to foster industrial growth and skill development.

Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar outlined plans to have 30 million Lakhpati Didis, with Maharashtra aiming for at least 5 million. Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis added, "Women in Jalgaon broke all records. We can achieve a developed India when women enter the mainstream. Nearly 7.5 million women are associated with small savings groups, and soon this will cross 20 million with bachat gat (savings groups)."

Modi also expressed condolences for the Jalgaon residents who lost their lives in a bus tragedy in Nepal. He assured that both the state and central governments would provide full assistance to the affected families. The Chief Minister announced aid of 500,000 for the kin of the deceased.
The Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) has started discussions on a potential seat-sharing formula for the upcoming state assembly elections, beginning with Mumbai. File Photo: MVA leaders during a press conference in Mumbai. (Anshuman Poyrekar/ Hindustan Times)

In a meeting held on Saturday, the Shiv Sena (UBT) staked its claim on 20 seats. The Congress sought 15 seats, while the Nationalist Congress Party (SP) wanted to contest seven seats. The parties are expected to finalise the seat-sharing formula in a meeting likely to be held next week.

Also Read: MVA sounds poll bugle; Uddhav Thackeray asks allies to pick name for CMs post

In the 2019 assembly polls, the three parties had won 20 of the 36 seats in Mumbai, so the discussion would be about sharing the remaining 16 seats. The undivided Shiv Sena had won 14 seats, the Congress could win four, while the undivided NCP and Samajwadi Party had won one seat each.

After the split in the Shiv Sena and NCP over the last two years, the Uddhav Thackeray-led faction of the Sena has the support of eight MLAs, whereas NCP-SP has none as Nawab Malik, who was elected from Anushakti Nagar, sided with the Ajit Pawar-led NCP.

MVA insiders said that the Shiv Sena (UBT) is firm on contesting 20 seats. The party believes that we are in a much better position than our allies and, thus, should get the majority of the 36 assembly seats in the city, said a senior Thackeray faction leader.

Also Read: BJP eying victory, MVA anti-incumbency

It is likely that the Shiv Sena (UBT) will get the highest number of seats in Mumbai. NCP-SP leader and former minister Jitendra Awhad confirmed it indirectly, saying, In Mumbai, Shiv Sena will remain a big brother when it comes to sharing of seats.

Shiv Sena is looking to contest on all 14 seats [it won in 2019] except Chandivali, which it is ready to exchange with Vandre East from Congress, said an MVA insider. In 2019, Shiv Sena MLA Dilip Lande won the polls from Chandivali, before choosing to side with the Eknath Shinde-led faction after the split.

Thackeray is considering fielding Varun Sardesai from Vandre East, which was won by Congress MLA Zeeshan Siddique, who is set to jump ship to the Ajit Pawar-led NCP. Sardesai is the secretary of Yuva Sena, the youth wing of the party, and Thackerays nephew.

Congress leaders indicated that they are positive about the exchange, as the party lost the Chandivali seat by only 409 votes. Senior leader Arif Naseem Khan was the Congress candidate. Naseem Khan represented the seat twice before 2019 and is keen to contest it again, said a party leader from Mumbai.

We have discussed the potential criteria for the seat-sharing formula today. It is basically who won the seat how many times and the potential of the candidate, said a senior MVA leader, adding, All the three parties want the seats that they have won in the past polls.

Though the three parties are open to the Samajwadi Party (SP) being part of the alliance, it was not invited to the seat-sharing talks on Saturday. The SP wants to contest 12 seats in Maharashtra, including two to three in Mumbai, but so far no formal discussion has taken place. The SP is still part of the MVA.
After receiving letters from various student and teacher unions demanding that the ban imposed on Progressive Students Forum (PSF) be reviewed, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) has decided to review their order. File Photo: Tata Institute of Social Sciences (Photo by Praful Gangurde/ Hindustan Times) (HT PHOTO)

On Saturday, TISS issued a notice saying that the administration has decided to review the ban and will come back with the decision in due course of time. The TISS administration had issued an office order on August 19 banning PSF and calling its presence on campus unauthorised and illegal, following which other student outfits on the campus stood in solidarity with PSF and demanded that the ban be lifted.

Also Read: ABVP, DSSF urge TISS to lift ban on PSF

On Friday, TISS Teachers Association (TISSTA) also penned a letter to the registrar, vice-chancellor and chancellor of the university requesting the reconsideration of the decision to ban PSF. In its public notice issued on Saturday, TISS officiating registrar Narendra Mishra stated, With respect to representation on August 23 addressed to the TISS authorities by PSF, it is to state that competent authority has taken considered view and suggested to review the order of ban imposed on PSF, in the larger interest of the student bodies and the institute. The said issue is under review and Institute will come back with the decision in due course of time.

On the same day that TISS had banned PSF on the campus, the administration had issued an urgent notice to a PSF member, stating that he was indulging in unlawful activities and spreading rumours. TISS had directed him to send a detailed explanation by August 22 against seven of their listed concerns.

Earlier in April, Ramadas Prini Sivanandan, former PSF general secretary, was suspended for two years and debarred for participating in and addressing a student march in Delhi criticising the National Education Policy (NEP). He was also asked to provide an explanation in March this year, which he duly submitted. However, the TISS administration did not consider the response and labelled him anti-national, suspending him without providing clarity on or proof of their allegations. Ramadas has filed a petition before the Bombay high court against TISS and the Government of India.
Hyderabad, Aug. 25 A day after authorities demolished a convention centre here co-owned by actor Nagarjuna, Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy said his government would not spare those who encroached upon lakes and also crack down on such activities even if they are influential in the society. Speaking at a function by the Hare Krishna Movement, Reddy said he would follow the preaching of Lord Krishna which proclaims that for the good of the people, one should follow Dharma in order to defeat Adharma through a fight. Officials of Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency , GHMC, Town planning, irrigation and revenue departments on Saturday removed encroachments in the Full Tank Level of the / Buffer zones of Tammidikunta lake and amongst the many structures removed, N- Convention co-owned by Nagarjuna was also one of the unauthorised structures. The N-Convention is built in the FTL / Buffer zone and has no building permission whatsoever, a government release said. That is the reason despite pressures, though friends have farmhouses, the HYDRAA was created . I want to do some good to the people as part of that. The sole objective is to liberate these lakes from the encroachers. We will crush encroachments with an iron hand. Though there are pressures, we will not go back and we will remove those encroachments, the CM asserted. Lakes are part of Indian culture and people depend on them for livelihood. He also said some of the farmhouses built near lakes release sewer into drinking water bodies such as Gandipet which supply drinking water to parts of the city. He further said he will not be a true public representative if he failed to protect the lakes and interests of people. The citys chain of lakes were designed by the erstwhile Nizam administration after a great deluge in 1908 with the help of famous engineer Mokshagundam Vishvesvaraya.

HT Image
Delhi University will be releasing the seat allotment results for Round 2 Undergraduate Admissions 2024 on Sunday, August 25. Candidates who applied for the counselling process for the second round will be able to check the seat allotment results on the official website at admission.uod.ac.in. Delhi University UG Admissions 2024: Round 2 allotment results will be out today at admission.uod.ac.in, Check the steps to download.

As per the official schedule, the Round 2 seat allotment results will be declared at 5 PM.

Once the results are out, candidates who are satisfied with the allotted seats will have to register their acceptance between August 25 and August 27, till 4:59 PM.

Also read: CS Executive toppers list: Check the course-wise names of ICSI toppers here

The window for colleges to verify and approve online applications will be open from August 25 to August 29, 4:59 PM.

The last date for online fee payments is till August 30, till 4:59 PM.

It may be mentioned here that University of Delhi closed the CSAS Phase II preference filling window for UG Admission 2024 on August 9, 2024.

Also read: When is SSC GD 2025 notification releasing? Check tentative date, other details

The University issued an official notice earlier wherein it stated that the preferences saved by the candidates will determine the allocation and admission of the candidates. Candidates were advised to choose maximum number of preferences in which they are willing to take admission, if offered. The varsity stated that it wont not allow any kind of addition/ deletion/ editing the programs and the colleges after the deadline for the Phase II.

Also read: Vocabulary Made Easy series: Achieve your goals by enhancing language skills

Delhi University UG Admissions 2024: Steps to check round 2 results

Candidates who want to check the round 2 results can follow the steps given below.

Visit the official website of Delhi University admission at admission.uod.ac.in.

Click on the link to check UG Admissions 2024 Round 2 allotment results

Login using the necessary credentials and click on submit.

Check the Round 2 allotment results

Keep a hard copy of the same for further need.

For more information, visit the official website of Delhi University.
Department of Medical Education and Research, Haryana will close the registration window for Haryana NEET UG 2024 Counselling on Sunday, August 25, 2024. Candidates who wish to apply for the counselling round can submit their applications today at uhsrugcounselling.com. Haryana NEET UG Counselling 2024: The window to register at uhsrugcounselling.com will close today. Candidates can apply via direct link here. (Representative image)

It may be mentioned that the deadline for application submission is 11:59 PM.

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 by the last date as prescribed by Government of India/ National Medical Council/ Dental Council of India/State Government, states the official notice.

Also read: Delhi University UG Admissions 2024: Round 2 allotment results today at admission.uod.ac.in, steps to check here

As per the schedule, the results of the provisionally allotted seats will be out on August 27.

The window to pay the online tuition fee through the admission web portal will be available from August 27 to September 1, 2024.

Following this, the documents of candidates will be verified from September 2 to September 4, 2024.

Also read: NBEMS invites applications for DPharm Exit Examinations 2024, apply via direct link before Sept 13

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, as per the schedule.

Also read: Tripura NEET UG Counselling 2024: Round 1 choice filling begins at dmeonline.tripura.gov.in, apply by August 27

Haryana NEET UG 2024 Counselling: Heres how to submit applications

NEET UG-qualified candidates can apply for the Haryana NEET UG counselling round through the steps mentioned below.

Visit the official website of Haryana NEET counselling at uhsrugcounselling.com.

On the home page, click on the Haryana NEET UG 2024 Counselling registration link

Enter the credentials to log in and click on submit.

Fill out the application form and make the payment of the application fee.

Click on submit and download the page.

Keep a printed copy of the confirmation page for future reference.

For more information, candidates can visit the official website.
Bengali actor Sreelekha Mitra has levelled accusation of misbehaviour against Malayalam film director and chairman of the state-run Kerala Chalachitra Academy, Ranjith, spelling fresh trouble for the Pinarayi Vijayan government which is facing opposition heat on its alleged inaction over the Justice Hema Committee report. Also read | Parvathy Thiruvothu on Justice Hema Committee Report findings: It took so many years Bengali actor Sreelekha Mitra has accused filmmaker Ranjith of harassing her. (File Photos)

The report had revealed instances of harassment and exploitation of women in the Malayalam cinema industry, prompting calls for action against the guilty. The filmmaker has reportedly rejected Sreelekha Mitra's charge and said he was the real victim in the case.

Key LDF constituent CPI was among those seeking a probe into the allegation of Bengali actor Sreelekha, who has recalled a years-old incident in the backdrop of the ripples being created by the Justice Hema Committee findings.

What Sreelekha Mitra said

"The person concerned is a big name in Malayalam film industry and a national award winning director. I went to his residence to discuss an upcoming film project and I did not like his behaviour. He made certain advances subtly and I felt uncomfortable while we were discussing the script," she told PTI in Kolkata.

He did this without her consent and she her made her disapproval very clear.

"I immediately communicated my decision not to be part of the project any more, left the place and came back to Kolkata the next day," she added.

"I don't know if he has treated other female actors in the film industry in the same way. It is upto them to open up or not if they had faced similar situation. May be his power and influence played a role for others to not to speak out," she added.

Sreelekha said she did not have any such experience in the Bengali cinema industry, but that there could be similar situations for other female actors as well with regard to someone. Such women should muster the courage and speak out without any fear.

"The incident in Kerala was years back... but it is heartening that women are speaking out with greater vigour and conviction against any form of misconduct now, taking out rallies, and I am looking forward to the day when number of any instance of gender abuse, misconduct will go down and women will not have such harrowing tales any more," she added.

Will Ranjith resign?

In Kerala, many demanded Ranjith stepped down as the Chairman of the film academy. Several people including well-known filmmaker Dr Biju came out against Ranjith. While opposition Congress said it expects Ranjith would step down as film academy chairman, BJP said he has no moral right to continue.

CPI national leader Annie Raja urged the government to carry out a probe based on Mitra's allegations and wanted to keep Ranjith away from the position during investigation.

Kerala Cultural Affairs Minister Saji Cheriyan assured the government would not protect anyone who had committed a wrong. If the allegations against Ranjith were proved, action would surely be taken against him, he said in a Facebook post on Saturday.

He told the media earlier Ranjith is one of country's eminent filmmakers and that he had already responded to the actor's allegation.

"The allegation raised by the actress and the reply given by Ranjith are in front of us. If she has a complaint, let her come here and lodge a complaint. Then we will take action in accordance with the law," he said.

No case can be registered based on just allegations and such cases wont stand, Cheriyan added. He underlined the government's support for women who face harassment at their workplaces and said stringent action would be taken against wrongdoers.

Health Minister Veena George said all facilities and support would be provided to the actress to lodge a complaint against the director. "If she wishes to go ahead with the complaint, the government will provide all facilities for the same. The government's stand is clear in this. The CM has already made it clear that the government won't protect wrongdoers," she said.

Higher Education Minister R Bindhu said action would be taken after understanding the facts in the issue and said she expects the government would do it, as a woman has come up with such a complaint.

Sharing similar views, Women's Commission chairperson P Sathidevi said she came to know about the allegations about the actress through the media and if it is proved correct, Ranjith should step down as academy chairman.

Opposition leader V D Satheesan also said Ranjith is an acclaimed director who has contributed several good movies in the Malayalam film industry. "As a friend and as a brother, I request him to step down as film academy chairman. I think he will step back from his current responsibility," the Congress leader told reporters

BJP state chief K Surendran attacked Cheriyan and Ranjith and said both of them should quit. "Ranjith has no moral right to continue in the position. A victim herself has come up with the complaint. She raised the allegation openly....before the public society," he told a press conference in Thiruvananthapuram.

He accused Cheriyan of challenging the legal system in the country by defending Ranjith.

Annie Raja said the actress has raised the allegation and named the accused person also. "So, the government should carry out a probe into it and action should be taken based on that. When such a probe is being carried out, he should be kept away from the position of Academy chairman," she said. The legal system permits him to return to the same position if the allegations are proved wrong.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
News / National

by Staff reporter

A Harare man is facing charges for allegedly stealing his sister-in-law's car after being entrusted with its sale.Tawanda Danford Bondamakara, 40, from Unit A in Chitungwiza, appeared before Magistrate Apolonia Marutya last Friday, charged with theft of a motor vehicle. He has been remanded until tomorrow for a continuation of his bail hearing.According to the prosecutor, Rebecca Kashaya entrusted Bondamakara with her silver Volvo XC60 in March for evaluation.Bondamakara reportedly told Kashaya he had found a buyer willing to pay US$10,000 for the car and was instructed to arrange a meeting with the prospective buyer. However, Bondamakara allegedly failed to return the car, prompting Kashaya to file a complaint at the ZRP Borrowdale police station.Prosecutor Thomas Chanakira argued against Bondamakara's bail, citing his familial connection to the victim and alleging that he committed the crime while on bail for a similar pending case. Bondamakara's lawyer denied these claims.
London, Multiple award-winning actor Denzel Washington has sparked retirement rumours after he said that he needs to feel inspired by a filmmaker in order to take up a project as there are "very few films left" that would interest him to go to a movie set. Ahead of 'Gladiator II' release, Denzel Washington says 'very few films left for me'

"The Equalizer" star, whose career spans over 40 years across cinema, TV and theatre, said Ridley Scott was a big draw for him boarding the cast of the director's "Gladiator II".

In the upcoming film, Washington plays Macrinus, a power broker, under whose tutelage Paul Mescal's Lucius the grandson of Rome's former emperor Marcus Aurelius and son of Lucilla resolves to fight as a gladiator.

"There are very few films left for me to make that Im interested in, and I have to be inspired by the filmmaker, and I was tremendously inspired by Ridley," Washington, 69, told Empire magazine in an interview.

"Gladiator II", a follow-up to Scott's 2000 hit "Gladiator" starring Russell Crowe, reunites the master director with Washington after the 2007 thriller action film "American Gangster".

"We had a great go-round, the first go-round and here we are. Hes engaged. Hes excited about life and his next film. Hes an inspiration. We should all want to feel like that at 86," the actor added.

Washington made his film debut in 1981 with Michael Schultz's "Carbon Copy", in which he portrayed the role of Roger Porter alongside George Segal, Susan Saint James and Jack Warden.

The actor, regarded as one of the greatest actors in the 21st century, went on to star in films such as "Glory", "Training Day", "Remember the Titans", "Malcolm X", "The Equalizer" franchise and "Fences".

The story of "Gladiator II" is set two decades after the events of the original movie.

Scheduled for release in November, the film follows a grown-up Lucius living in the northern African region of Numidia where he was earlier sent by his mother Lucilla to stay away from the reach of the Roman Empire. However, the ongoing events make him return to Rome as a gladiator.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Jenna Ortega is busy promoting her upcoming release Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. During the promotional rounds, the actor shared that she learnt the tough way about how AI (artificial intelligence) can also be used in a negative way. The actor opened up about her experience on X (previously Twitter), which included receiving edited explicit pictures of herself, on the latest episode of The Interview podcast with The New York Times. (Also read: Jenna Ortega teases Wednesday S2, says it will have more horror and less romance: 'Let her be her own individual') Jenna Ortega at the the Beetlejuice Beetlejuice New York photo call at JW Marriott Essex House on August 17, 2024 in New York City. (AFP)

What Jenna said

During the conversation, the actor shared, I hate AI... did I like being 14 [years old] and making a Twitter account because I was supposed to, and seeing dirty edited content of me as a child? No. It's terrifying. It's corrupt.

She also went on to add, One of the first  actually the first D.M. that I ever opened myself when I was 12 was an unsolicited photo of a mans genitals, and that was just the beginning of what was to come. I used to have that Twitter account and I was told that, Oh, you got to do it, you got to build your image. I ended up deleting it about two, three years ago because the influx after the show had come out  these absurd images and photos, and I already was in a confused state that I just deleted it It was disgusting, and it made me feel bad. It made me feel uncomfortable. Anyway, thats why I deleted it, because I couldnt say anything without seeing something like that. So one day I just woke up, and I thought, Oh, I dont need this anymore. So I dropped it.

More details

Jenna shot to fame for playing the role of Wednesday Addams in the hit Netflix show Wednesday. The show is already being greenlit for a second season, while Jenna shared that fans will see how the show will up its horror aspect and let the main character be more of an individual going forward.

Jenna stars in Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, which is directed by Tim Burton. A sequel to Beetlejuice (1988) and the second film of the Beetlejuice franchise, it also features Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, and Catherine O'Hara. The fantasy horror film releases in US theatres on September 4.
It feels great to be part of this family

When the interviewer asked Sitara how she feels carrying on the family legacy, given that her grandfather Krishna was also a famous actor, she said that it feels good to be part of the family. She said, It feels really good to be able to carry this legacy forward. It feels great to be part of this wonderful family. I get asked a lot if I want to act. It's something I'm considering a lot right now. I am interested in both acting and modelling, actually. But I am only 12, so I am not sure yet.

Sitara made her modelling debut with the jewellery brand PMJ last year and she shared how her parents have inspired her to give her best. She said, My mom is the strict one, nanna (father) pampers me a lot. I remember when he first saw my PMJ ad, he was going to cry. Even from my mom, I feel like I got her fashion sense. I'm mad she didn't keep more of her clothes for me. It's great she had such a great modelling career and won Miss India. I love her photos from Miss India.

In the same interview, Sitara also revealed that she and her brother Gautham are getting trained in acting. While Sitara is getting trained in Hyderabad, her brother attends a four-year drama course at New York University.

Upcoming work

Mahesh was last seen in Trivikram Srinivas Guntur Kaaram, which was released for Sankranthi this year. The film clashed with HanuMan, Saindhav and Naa Saami Ranga, receiving a lukewarm response. He will soon work in SS Rajamoulis action-adventure film that is yet to go on floors. The film is penned by Rajamoulis father, writer Vijayendra Prasad, and its cast and crew are yet to be revealed.
"Did you notice how I just didnt respond? Very mindful, very cutesy, very demure". Ayesha Takia in a still from Wanted (2009); Ayesha Takia now

This is what Ayesha Takia's indirect response to her trolls was after the internet underwent a mini eruption following recent posts made by the former actor. Back in the early 2000s, Ayesha was well on her way to being the poster face for the demure  pun intended  girl-next-door. While she embraced the limelight when it was shining down harsh on her, Ayesha has entirely moved on. And it's been a while, almost a decade-and-a-half to be exact. A part of the internet however, clearly hasn't.

About a week ago, Ayesha shared a few videos of herself dressed to the nines in a gold and electric blue silk saree. She looked different. "Unrecognizable" as many of the comments under her posts and discussion forums elsewhere pointed out. However, what predictably ensued was downright bullying and shaming along with cries of deep disapproval of what she looks like now.

It is worth mentioning here that the last movie Ayesha starred in, was 2011 release Mod, roughly 2 years after the biggest film of her career, the Salman Khan-starrer Wanted.

Sans for hosting a season of a musical reality show the following year, for all practical purposes, that was the last time she was on a set. Having married her boyfriend, restaurateur Farhan Azmi in 2009, Ayesha happily receded from fame.

She has rarely ever made public appearances post her sabbatical-cum-retirement. However, the once-in-a-blue-moon instances, whenever they do crop up, sends the internet into a tizzy for reasons unknown. Earlier this year, Ayesha was photographed at the airport in a simple blue salwar kameez in what she later pointed out was a moment that lasted for "basically a few seconds". However, it still lives rent-free in the minds of many and is now being linked in progression to the next, very recent chapter of dissecting her looks.

When Ayesha Takia hit back at trolls via her Instagram stories

Shortly after the airport episode, Ayesha took to her Instagram stories to share an elaborate note calling trolls out for being so hell-bent when it comes to dissecting her looks whenever they spot the opportunity. "Literally get over me yaar. I have zero interest in doing any films or any comeback like (people) are saying. I'm living my life happily, never want to be in the limelight, not interested in any fame, don't wanna be in any film...", read an excerpt.

Irrespective of if Ayesha has gone under the knife or not, she has never addressed the same. And while people are entitled to hurtful and intrusive opinions, Ayesha's note pointed out an important, disconcerting observation. That of the male gaze against the myth of the un-ageing woman. "Expecting a girl whose mostly been seen in her teens to look identical even after 15 years...How unrealistic and ridiculous are these people...", read another excerpt.

For context, these are some specimens of the usual tone and tenor of the comments under her posts, and anywhere else where her photos are being discussed: "Ye kya ? Ye Konsa jeev hai ? Humne to Tarzan me dekha kuch or tha yaha aya kuch or hai", "Why you have done botox like this?? Ur earlier looks was so pretty...", "Zaroorat kya thi ? Kya thi zaroorat ?", "U wer so beautiful nd natural.....u destroyed the real beauty for this artificial look " and "Egyptian mummy lg rhii h".

To somewhat balance it out, there are comments which carry more sense. For instance: "If someone is not working in the industry anymore, they should not be discussed. Just because she did some movies a decade back doesnt mean she owes anything to anyone. Let her live her life peacefully" and "People expect women to look the same they did in their teens or twenties for the rest of their lives. If they dont do anything they are aging badly. If they do something they are fake and still aging badly. Its exhausting". But this represents a small majority.

The usual argument presented by trolls is the idea that being a public figure automatically entitles all aspects of one's life to endless scrutiny. However flawed the rationale behind this may be, in Ayesha's case it still remains that she isn't in fact a public figure anymore. And in her defence, she has made no sneaky efforts to keep herself in the news either. The entitlement displayed by keyboard warriors then, hints at a bigger issue  the parasocial mindset.

Do you think it's time the internet leave Ayesha alone?
Much has changed between August 19 and August 27. The former is the date when the contents of the Hema committee report were made public. This came right in the thick of the country still being caught in the waves of protests against the brutal rape and murder of a female Kolkata doctor. The report was originally submitted to the Kerala government 5 years back and highlighted the plethora of issues plaguing the Malayalam film industry, particularly its women. Though specific in nature, the unfortunate reality of the situation is that the takeaways are something most women can relate to. While Nani has expressed his take on the Hema committee report, others like Mohanlal and Mammootty continue to wield silence(Photos: Instagram)

On Friday, August 23, Malayalam actor Siddique, "welcomed" the report and its findings, urging the government to take speedy action on the recommendations. Two days later, on the morning of August 25, he resigned as the general secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA). The day after his resignation, Siddique filed a counter-complaint against actor Revathy Sampath, who had accused him of sexual harassment.

Back on the same day when Siddique was affirming himself as an ally to those whose realities were reflected in the report, Bengali actor Sreelekha Mitra accused celebrated Malayalam filmmaker Ranjith of misbehaviour during her audition for a 2009 film. Ranjith too put in his resignation from the post of chairman of the Kerala Chalachitra Academy on Friday. An FIR was registered by the Kerala police against him the following day, regarding the same issue.

Siddique and Ranjith's resignations, given their respective mammoth legacies, feel like watershed moments, both having taken place in the same morning signaling the changing tides, however glacial they may be.

What is pressing however, is the silence still being wielded by country-renowned names like Mohanlal and Mammootty. Mammootty's position as the AMMA president, makes matter ever more complicated. Some, like veteran actor Revathi, may put the reason down to shock. Whatever may be the case, prolonged silence eventually treads the line of being complicitous.

In the same breath, it is worth mentioning that all notable names aren't shying away from addressing the elephant in the room. Actors such as Nani, Prithviraj Sukumaran and Vikram have voiced their opinions over the situation at hand. While earlier today, August 27, Nani reflected on how disturbed the findings have left him, Vikram stressed on the need to actively cultivate an environment which would allow a woman to walk the streets at 3 in the morning if need be, without fearing for her life. Yesterday, Prithviraj on the other hand was very direct in agreeing that there is in fact, a system of organised power at play in Mollywood which has been perpetuating the realities unearthed by the Hema committee report.

The Hema committee report: Major findings

Systemic abuse, literal or in essence, in some form or the other, is the glaring reality women grapple with as they reconfigure their lives around it. The Hema committee report and what it's findings are slowly achieving, is of course path breaking. But the impetus which set this ball rolling was the horrifying violation actor Bhavana Menon went through in February 2017, when she was assaulted by a group of men during a travel from Thrissur to Kochi. Malayalam heavyweight, actor Dileep, also her co-star across multiple projects was charged with criminal conspiracy, also being taken into custody. He soon got out on bail, still continuing with a thriving career as the case awaits resolution.

This is where the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) stepped in, petitioning the government, not just with regards to Bhavana's case, who for the sake of the cause waived off the anonymity granted to her by Indian law, but also requesting a probe into the larger web of atrocities being systematically perpetuated against women. A three-member panel was set up and what came of it was a 290-page report, disheartening and infuriating in equal measures.

"Unchecked, uncontrolled" sexual harassment and debilitating fear were among the key highlights. "Men in industry make open demands for sex without any qualms as if its their birthright. Women are left with very little options but to oblige  or reject at the cost of their long awaited dream of pursuing cinema as their profession", reads an excerpt. The fear harboured by women in the industry on the other hand, irrespective of if one was in front of the camera or behind it, traversed much beyond their physical bodies and mental agility. "In the beginning, we found their fear strange but as our study progressed we realised it was well-founded. We are concerned about their and their close relatives' safety...they were afraid they would lose their jobs".

The humanitarian concerns don't just end here. Dismal is an understatement when it comes to the working conditions for junior artistes. No toilets, no changing rooms and often no food and water, accommodation or travel arrangements coupled with pittance for pay emerged among other findings. The dehumanising disregard for women, their safety and their well-being comes to light with accounts of them having to hold their urine in and not change their sanitary napkins for long durations, resulting in spells of sickness often needing hospitalisation.

Despite the kind of information that this report carried, it has taken nearly 5 years for it to be made public owing to several rounds of legal complications.

Agency through association

For any news related to a film industry, the narrative usually gets pounded down to a unilateral view of the actors' perspectives. But there is a whole army of expertise that goes into breathing life into a film and the industry it belongs to, a significant demographic of which are women. The report carries the testaments of artists, producers, directors, scriptwriters, cinematographers, hairstylists, makeup artists and costume designers which legitimises the jarring similarity in experiences.

In a discussion with The New Indian Express, editor Bina Paul, one of the founding members of the WCC, rightly pointed out, "Its an attitudinal problem"  of both the unrelenting male gaze as well as the conscious relegation of and disregard for women.

In recent years however, women have banded together in sharing their experiences which has acted as an enabler for reclaiming agency. One doesn't really need to belong the Malayalam film industry to relate to the Hema committee's findings, and this is where the power of agency through association lies.

Retired Justice K Hema affirmed that the WCC had highlighted how the pressurised silence of women is what is paying to uphold the "prestige" of the Malayalam film industry. If this report has done anything, it has for the time being unmasked the systemic maze of abuse and exploitation favouring the whims of the elite patriarchal circle(s) which the industry thrives for.

But no matter the prestige, is an industry really thriving when its women have, for years on end been caught in the eye of a masked storm?
Officials of the Hyderabad Disaster Response and Assets Monitoring and Protection (HYDRAA), an exclusive wing created by the Telangana government last month to remove encroachments on government land and water bodies, demolished the popular N Convention Centre in Madhapur, owned by popular Telugu actor Akkineni Nagarjuna. The N Convention, jointly owned by actor Nagarjuna, being demolished by the Hyderabad Disaster Response and Assets Monitoring and Protection at Madhapur, in Hyderabad, on Saturday. (PTI)

The convention centre, which hosted several celebrity weddings, has been under the scanner of the state government, as it allegedly came up on 3.2 acres of land falling under the full tank level (FTL) Thammidi Kunta lake and its surrounding buffer zone.

Acting on a complaint lodged by state roads and buildings minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy on August 21, HYDRAA authorities swooped on the convention hall early in the morning and began demolishing the structures abutting the lake. The Cyberabad police cordoned off the entire area to prevent any interruptions.

The N- Convention Centre is located on the east side of Thammidi Kunta lake, which is a clear encroachment. It is also represented that this structure is built within the FTL area, protected by a raised retaining wall towards the tank water side. This structure was constructed by raising the original ground level, thereby reducing the water spread area of the lake, the minister said.

The alleged illegal construction of N Convention Centre in 2015 was raised several times in the state assembly during the previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi regime. Then Congress MLA and present chief minister A Revanth Reddy challenged the then government to demolish it, as it was an illegal structure, but no action was taken.

Nagarjuna took to X to express his anguish over the demolition of the N-Convention Centre. I am very much pained by the unlawful manner of demolition carried out in respect of N Convention, contrary to existing stay orders and court cases, he said.

He said he had not done anything in violation of the law. Nagarjuna said the land on which the convention centre was built was patta land (land with a clear title).

Not even an inch of tank plan was encroached. In respect of the building constructed inside the private land, there is a stay order granted against any earlier illegal notice for demolition, he said.

Today clearly, the demolition was carried out wrongfully based on misinformation. No notice was issued prior to carrying out the demolition this morning. As a law-abiding citizen, if the court before which the matter is pending, had decided against me, I would have carried out the demolition myself, he said.

Stating that he was placing the facts on record for the purpose of correcting any public misimpression about wrongful construction or encroachment by him, Nagarjuna said he would be seeking appropriate relief from the court.

HYDRAA commissioner and IPS officer AV Ranganath said N Convention was one of the unauthorised structures that were demolished by the HYDRAA team, along with those of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, town planning, irrigation and revenue departments on Saturday.

N Convention Centre has been clearly manipulating the systems and continuing its commercial activity through the unauthorised structures built on 1.12 acres of FTL of Tammidikunta and 2.18 acres of buffer zone of the lake. The GHMC has not given any building permission to the convention centre, he said.

The HYDRAA was established by Telangana chief minister N Revanth Reddy under the leadership of Ranganath on July 12, 2024, under the National Disaster Management Act, to manage natural disasters and to protect government properties, curb encroachment of ponds and lakes and to get rid of illegal constructions and structures within the GHMC limit.

It works under the municipal administration and urban development department, which is presently under the control of the chief minister.

Within days of its establishment, the HYDRAA has been unleashing bulldozers on illegal constructions that have come up on government land, lake beds and buffer zones of the water bodies.

According to the figures available with the authorities, more than 50 illegal buildings that were constructed on FTL and buffer zone of water bodies have been demolished, including those falling under Osman Sagar limits, Chilkur, Erla Cheruvu at Chandanagar, Errakunta Cheruvu at Bachupalli, Devenderanagar at Gajularamaram and Bum-Rukn-ud-Dowla near Shivarampally.

Using bulldozers and heavy JCB vehicles, the HYDRAA enforcement team has also razed another 20 structures that came up on government land.

At some places, the HYDRAA authorities had to face stiff resistance from politicians, including the ruling Congress leaders. For example, on August 13, Congress MLA from Khairatabad Danam Nagender was booked for obstructing officials on duty when they were demolishing illegal huts that came up at Nandagiri Hills in Jubilee Hills.

How can Ranganath demolish the structures of the poor people? If there are any illegal constructions on lakes and lake beds, he can order demolition, but not the houses of poor people. How can we ask for their votes in the coming GHMC elections? It appears Ranganath is not interested in continuing in his post for long, Nagender said.

On August 10, AIMIM MLA from Karwan constituency Kausar Mohiuddin was detained by police when he tried to obstruct the demolition of illegal structures in the heritage lake of Bum-Rukn-Ud-Dowla in Shashtripuram near Rajendranagar. Similarly, another AIMIM MLA Mohammed Mubeen was kept under house arrest, when he tried to stop the demolition of unlawful constructions around the Nehr-e-Hussaini late.

Ranganath said he was given the mandate to remove all the unauthorised constructions in buffer zones and full tank levels. Only unscrupulous elements are fearful but not honest dwellers. We have recovered 100 acres of land in 20 lakes, he said.

Stating that the HYDRAA was going through with demolitions only after examining all documents, previous court orders and also ascertaining the extent of encroachments with the help of satellite images obtained from National Remote Sensing Agency (NRSA).

He said the HYDRAA has been allocated a budget of 200 crore to carry out its work and it will soon be setting up a police station to accelerate its activities.

The Opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi accused the Revanth Reddy government of selective targeting of opposition leaders. BRS working president KT Rama Rao, whose farmhouse at Janwada on the outskirts of Hyderabad, is also under the scanner of HYDRAA, said he did not mind if illegal structures were demolished.

But before unleashing on the people, the authorities should demolish the illegally built structures of Congress leaders. We shall provide addresses of all such buildings, farmhouses and resorts of the Congress MLAs, MPs and other leaders, along with satellite images. Let the government order their demolitions first, KTR said.
Union home minister Amit Shah on Sunday termed drugs as a global menace, calling for a drugs-free India. Union Home Minister Amit Shah speaks during the inauguration of Narcotics Control Bureau's (NCB) zonal unit office, in Raipur, Sunday,(PTI)

The minister virtually unveiled the zonal unit office of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in Chhattisgarh's capital Raipur. He also chaired a review meeting on the narcotics scenario in the state.



If we fight the battle against drugs in India with intensity, seriousness and a comprehensive strategy, we can win this battle. Illicit trafficking of narcotics in India severely impairs national security. The money earned from illicit drug trade promotes terrorism and left-wing extremism and weakens the country's economy, Shah was quoted as saying.



The meeting was attended by Chhattisgarh chief minister Vishnu Deo Sai, deputy CM Vijay Sharma, Union minister of state for home Nityanand Rai, Union home secretary Govind Mohan, Intelligence Bureau director Tapan Deka, NCB's director general and other top officials.



ALSO READ: Will free India from Naxal violence by March 2026: Amit Shah in Chhattisgarh

Drugs weaken national security: Shah

The minister said that drugs not only ruin the country's young generation but also weaken the country's national security.

Everyone should move forward together on the zero-tolerance policy against narcotics and fulfill PM Modi's resolve of a drug-free India, he added, pointing out that the Centre will end the drug trade by establishing NCB offices in every state with the cooperation of the state governments.



While stressing using scientific methods in probing drug-trafficking cases, Shah called for a Top to Bottom approach and dismantle the entire drugs network ruthlessly.



Unless we attack the entire network, we will not be able to achieve the goal of a drug-free India, he added.

Shah underlined four principles of detection of drugs, destruction of the network, detention of the culprit and rehabilitation of the addict.



The home minister said that between 2004 and 2014, a total of 1250 cases were registered whereas in the 10 years from 2014 to 2024, 4150 cases have been registered with a rise of 230%.



Between 2004 and 2014, there were a total of 1,360 arrests, which has now risen to 6,300, he added.
Amritsar, A day after an NRI was shot at inside his house here, police on Sunday arrested five people, including the father of the victim's first wife, in connection with the incident. Amritsar NRI shooting: Five including father of victim's first wife arrested

Efforts are being made to nab the two criminals who shot at Sukhchain Singh, who recently returned from the US, and are on the run, they said.

The assailants intercepted Sukhchain Singh when he was leaving his house in Daburji village on the outskirts of the city here for a morning walk on Saturday.

They barged into his house and fired three shots at him before fleeing. Two of the bullets hit Sukhchain Singh one in the head and the other near the chest. He is stated to be out of danger, according to police.

Addressing the media here, Amritsar Police Commissioner Ranjit Singh Dhillon said the attack on Sukhchain Singh was carried out at the behest of the family of his first wife.

His first wife had committed suicide in December 2022 and her family nursed a grudge against him, he said.

Two criminals, Sukhwinder alias Sukha and Gurkirat Singh alias Guri, were hired to kill Sukhchain Singh, police said.

"We are after the assailants," Dhillon said.

Those arrested are Sarwan Singh, the father of Sukhchain Singh's first wife and a resident of Bains village in Hoshiarpur; Jagjit Singh and Chamkaur Singh of Tarn Taran who helped the assailants before committing the crime; hotel owner Digambar Attri and hotel manager Abhilash Bhaskar who provided accommodation to the assailants without asking for ID proofs, the officer said.

The assailants stayed in Attri's hotel before and after committing the crime, according to police.

Dhillon said police have also booked US-based Sukhwinder Singh, Kuljinder Kaur and her husband Jasvir Singh.

Sukhwinder Singh and Kuljinder Kaur are the brother and sister of Sukhchain Singh's first wife respectively.

Sukhchain Singh was shot at in front of his wife, mother and his two children from his first marriage.

Footage retrieved from CCTV cameras installed inside the victim's house showed his wife, mother and children pleading with the assailants to let him go.

Special Director General of Police R N Dhoke met Sukhchain Singh's family on Saturday.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Former YSR Congress Party lawmaker Pinnelli Ramakrishna Reddy, who was arrested for vandalising electronic voting machine (EVM) at a polling station on May 13 and other related cases, was released on bail on Saturday. Former MLA Pinnelli Ramakrishna Reddy was arrested at Narasaraopet on June 26 for his involvement in a case of destruction of an EVM and VVPAT at the Palvaigate polling station, attack on a polling agent Namburi Seshagiri Rao who tried to intervene, and abuse of a woman, Naga Shiromani, in Rentachintala on May 13 (ANI)

Reddy, who represented Macherla assembly constituency in Palnadu district, came out of the Nellore central jail, where he had been on judicial remand since June 27. He was received by former YSRCP ministers from Nellore Kakani Govardhan Reddy and P Anil Kumar Yadav, amidst tight security. He later left for his native village in Macherla district.

On Friday, justice T Mallikarjun Rao of Andhra Pradesh high court granted conditional bail to the former MLA, including submission of two sureties for 50,000 each. The judge also asked Reddy to surrender his passport to the court and appear before the magistrate and Macherla station house officer every week. The judge also asked the former MLA not to leave the Macherla assembly constituency without obtaining permission from the court.

Reddy was arrested at Narasaraopet on June 26 for his involvement in a case of destruction of an EVM and VVPAT at the Palvaigate polling station, attack on a polling agent Namburi Seshagiri Rao who tried to intervene, and abuse of a woman, Naga Shiromani, in Rentachintala on May 13.

On May 14, the ex-MLA and his brother Venkatrami Reddy were reportedly involved in post-poll violence, burning a vehicle and allegedly attacking circle inspector Narayana Swamy at Karempudi.

The ex-MLA moved the HC seeking anticipatory bail in the four cases booked against him. The court granted it temporarily and directed the police not to initiate any action until further orders. On June 26, the HC held its hearing and struck down the four anticipatory bails, leading to his arrest.
The prime accused in the gang rape of a 14-year-old girl in the Nagaon district of Assam, who was arrested on Friday, allegedly drowned in a pond when he tried to flee from police custody, officers aware of the matter said, the latest in a string of custodial deaths in the state since January. In an unrelated but similar incident, the accused in a sexual assault case was shot by the Tezpur police after he allegedly tried to attack the personnel and escape. (Representational image)

According to Nagaon superintendent of police (SP) Swapnaneel Deka, the accused Tafazzul Islam, was taken to the area where the alleged incident happened on August 22, as part of the investigation, around 3.30am to recreate the crime scene.

He suddenly attacked the police and jumped into a pond located nearby at around 4am. After nearly two hours of search, his body was recovered, Deka said. He said that the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and police jointly conducted the search operation to locate his body. Islam was taken to a government hospital where the doctors declared him dead on arrival, Deka added.

The incident has sparked a new controversy in the state, with Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday saying the people are seeking instant justice because the lawyers are defending them [the accused] in court. The Congress, meanwhile, said that while it did not sympathise with the accused, the number of custodial deaths in the state is something that needs to be questioned.

After attending the 150th anniversary of the Silchar Bar Association, Sarma wrote on X: ... I told advocates that the reason Instant Justice in gruesome rape cases has risen is because society knows that an accused will use his lawyer to frustrate the judicial process. Defence lawyers must behave responsibly.

Responding to Sarmas comments, president of the Silchar bar association, Dulal Mitra, said he did not support the CMs generalisation of lawyers. We have many lawyers who deny representing the criminals in such cases. Of course there are exceptions but please do not generalise us, he said.

The remarks came a day after Sarma, in a strongly worded post on X about the minors gang rape, wrote: ... We will NOT SPARE anyone & BRING the perpetrators to JUSTICE. Ive directed @DGPAssamPolice to visit the site and ensure swift action against such monsters.

Additionally, during a press conference on Saturday, Sarma said: ... After the Lok Sabha elections this year, we are seeing a specific community of people indulging in criminal activities... The perpetrators of the incident at Dhing, involving a Hindu minor, will be punished.

In an unrelated but similar incident, the accused in a sexual assault case was shot by the Tezpur police after he allegedly tried to attack the personnel and escape. The accused, Miraz Ali, was arrested earlier this week along with another man named Shah Rukh for allegedly trying to rape a woman. Police said Miraz was taken to the crime spot as a part of the investigation, where he attacked the police and tried to snatch their guns. We warned him, but he did not stop... we had to shoot him in self-defence, police said, adding that Miraz was taken to a government hospital where his condition is said to be critical.

According to Sarma, 23 cases of rape have been reported across Assam since June 4 this year. He said that such crimes are on the rise in the areas where the indigenous population is decreasing.

Islam, one of the three accused in the alleged gang rape of a 14-year-old student in Nagaons Dhing, was arrested on Friday under sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

After Islams death, locals in his village refused to take part in his last rites. Some Islamic organisations have supported this. They said they took the decision since Islam was involved in a heinous crime.

Meanwhile, the Assam Congress on Saturday demanded a white paper from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the state and the state womens commission, detailing crimes against women over the past decade, including the rate of conviction and measures to curb such incidents. Party functionaries also criticised the CM for giving a communal colour to incidents of rape.

The party criticised the current law and order situation and said that Sarma should be held accountable, given his dual role as the CM and the home minister. Congress MLA Abdur Rashid Mandal said on Saturday that while he has no sympathy for the accused and people like him should die, the series of custodial deaths begs the question of how they happen.

There is no sympathy for such a man. He must die. This is a disgrace to the whole community. But the question arises of how does this death happen in police custody. Legally, he should have been punished. I am not supporting him but this raises questions on the performance of the police, said Mandal.

Separately, Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) vice-president, Bobbeeta Sharma, said that the increasing rate of crimes in the state raised questions about the governments effectiveness. While we, as a society, feel ashamed over these crimes, it also raises questions over the governments effectiveness. We have not seen adequate efforts from the government to ensure womens safety in recent years, Sharma said during a press conference.

HT reported in March that at least four deaths in police shootings have been registered in Assam since the Gauhati high court disposed of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) on January 27 seeking an independent inquiry into alleged extra-judicial killings in the state since May, 2021.

The human rights organisations in the state had said the rising number of such cases was alarming, and the State Police Accountability Commission (SPAC), Assam, had registered suo motu complaints to investigate two deaths. On February 26 this year, Sarma had also ordered a CID inquiry into a death following confusion over the identity of the deceased.

Of the four deaths at the time, one was a suspected leader of the proscribed outfit United Liberation Front of Assam-Independent (ULFA-I) and the other three were criminals who either tried to escape or attacked the police, police had said. Some police personnel also sustained injuries in these incidents.

In December 2021, a Delhi-based advocate from Assam, Arif Jwadder, filed a PIL against the Assam Police, alleging that many of the deaths and injuries in police shootings since a new BJP-led government took charge in May 2021 were fake. After 18 hearings, the court disposed of the PIL and said it could not issue a general direction on the petition. Jwadder demanded a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the killings.
News / National

by Staff reporter

Exiled music icon Thomas Mapfumo is demanding the return of five vehicles seized by police in 2000. From his base in the United States, Mapfumo has claimed that the allegations of buying stolen BMWs were baseless and that those who sold him the cars were never apprehended.Mapfumo argues that the continued harassment over this matter forced him to flee Zimbabwe in 2004. He recounted that the police seized his cars, alleging they were stolen, while the seller, George Shugo, faced no legal repercussions.He stated that the cars were left at Morris Depot, and when his associate Cuthbert Chirombo attempted to retrieve them, they were missing. Mapfumo's lawyer is currently handling the case, and he is adamant about reclaiming his vehicles.Mapfumo expressed concerns that being asked to return to Zimbabwe to resolve the issue could be a trap set by President Emmerson Mnangagwa's regime. He maintains that the charges against him were politically motivated, linked to his outspoken criticism of the Mugabe administration, rather than any criminal wrongdoing.
The father of the 14-year old girl who was gang-raped in Nagaon, Assam on August 22, said that his daughter could barely talk when he met her after the incident. The father of a minor who was raped in Nagaon, Assam said that when he met his daughter after the incident she could barely even talk. (PTI Photo) (PTI)

The minor is currently admitted at the Nagaon Medical College and Hospital, where she was taken after locals found her in a semi-conscious state on Thursday evening near the main road leading to her village. The area had no lights and was surrounded by only paddy fields.

The girl lived with her grandparents and her aunt as her father worked in Guwahati and her mother had passed away. Her grandmother said she had been worried on Friday when the girl did not return from tuition classes in another village, around 6 kilometers away.

Her cousin stated that she was the only girl in the village who travelled to another school to study as it was an English medium institution. The teen did not have a mobile phone and when she didn't return home at 6 pm, her grandmother found out from a friend that she had left from her tuitions long back.

Her father returned from Guwahati that night and said, When I met her, she couldnt even talk Everyone in our village is in fear," he told The Indian Express.

24-year-old Tafazul Islam was arrested on Friday, one of three accused in the rape of a 14-year-old. The other two accused are absconding.

Also Read: Assam: Media bodies slam CM for targeting journalist over religious identity

According to the police, following his interrogation, Islam was taken to the crime scene around 3 am on Saturday, when he jumped into a pond while still handcuffed in a bid to escape. He died.

"We want the other two accused to be caught and punished. Otherwise people will continue to live in fear that something like this can happen to their girls too, the minor girl's father said.

The police claim that since the village had been crowded due to protests, Saturday night was the perfect time to take the accused to the crime scene to gauge his familiarity and see if he would identify others involved in the case.

We cordoned the area and called the State Disaster Relief Force, which recovered the body. A constable who was holding his handcuffs suffered an injury to his hand, Superintendent of Police, Nagaon, Swapnaneel Deka said.

Amidst fear of tensions between the victim's village and the neighbouring village where Islam's family lives, villagers are proposing socially boycotting his family.

To allay tensions, residents of Islams village have declared that they will socially boycott his family.

Since Saturday, 65 police, 25 CRPF personnel and 50 police commandos have been stationed in the accused Islam's village to prevent any conflict between communities.

On Friday, chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said, I always say that in places like Lower Assam, Central Assam and Barak, our indigenous people live in fear All the places where indigenous people are in the minority, in those areas, our people are always living with troubles.
Imphal: Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh said on Saturday that the visit of the Indian Armys chief at this crucial juncture shows that the Centre is concerned about the Manipur crisis and taking it seriously. Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh (X/@NBirenSingh)

During this crucial juncture, the visit of the army chief shows that theyre concerned about the Manipur crisisThe Centre is taking it seriously, Singh said while addressing a press conference in Imphal.

The Chief of Army Staff, General Upendra Dwivedi, accompanied by senior army commanders, was in Manipur on Friday and Saturday to oversee the prevailing security situation in the northeastern state. This is Dwivedis first visit to the state after taking over as army chief from General Manoj Pande on June 30.

So, he (army chief) came along with the Eastern Command and 3 corps commanders, and we discussed many things. But the main visit was to restore the peace initiative at the earliest, Singh said.

The CM said they also discussed the border areas and the crisis in Bangladesh. Particularly for Manipur, he (army chief) instructed some of the senior officers to take action after due discussions with the government of Manipur, he said.

Singh also expressed his appreciation to the Assam government and its chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for acknowledging the long-standing demand of Manipuris living in Assam and for introducing an amendment bill to allow Manipuri as an Associate Official Language in four districts of Assam, including Cachar, Karimganj, Hailakandi, and Hojai.

The Assam government had on Thursday proposed to make Manipuri the Associate Official Language in three districts of Barak Valley, along with Hojai in the central part of the state.

During the press conference, the Manipur chief minister also hit out at the Congress party for joining hands with the Farooq Abdullah-led National Conference ahead of polls in Jammu and Kashmir.

He said that the Congress party has repeatedly risked the nations unity and security to satiate its greed for power, and once they have exposed their ulterior motives by allying with the Abdullah family.

On Thursday, following Congress leader and MP Rahul Gandhis visit to Jammu & Kashmir, the National Conference said that his party has finalised an alliance with Congress for all 90 assembly seats in the state for the upcoming assembly elections.

The first assembly elections in Jammu & Kashmir in a decade will be held in three phases on September 18 and 25, and October 1.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday lashed out at the Narendra Modi government over the latest Unified Pension Scheme.



"The 'U' in UPS stands for Modi Govt's U turns! Post June 4, the power of the people has prevailed over the arrogance of power of the Prime Minister. Rollback in the budget regarding Long Term Capital Gain/Indexation. Sending Waqf Bill to JPC. Rollback of Broadcast Bill. Rollback of Lateral Entry," Kharge said in a post on social platform X. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge

"We will keep ensuring accountability and protect 140 crore Indians from this despotic government!" he added.

What is a Unified Pension Scheme?

The Centre on Saturday approved the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS) for government employees. Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw while announcing the scheme said that the assured pension will be 50 per cent of the average basic pay drawn over the last 12 months prior to superannuation for a minimum qualifying service of 25 years.



The minister said that the pension will be proportionate for a shorter service period upto a minimum of 10 years of service. He added that the assured family pension would be calculated at the rate of 60 per cent of pension of the employee immediately before her or his demise.



ALSO READ: How is the new Unified Pension Scheme different from NPS?



We are proud of the hard work of all government employees who contribute significantly to national progress. The Unified Pension Scheme ensures dignity and financial security for government employees, aligning with our commitment to their well-being and a secure future, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said after the announcement.



During the briefing, Vaishnaw was asked about whether the government had taken permission from the Election Commission for the announcement. He said that the UPS was not linked to the assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana.



Union home minister Amit Shah too hailed the UPS, saying,"Congratulations to our central government employees on the approval of the Unified Pension Scheme by PM Shri @narendramodi Ji in the Union Cabinet today. With the approval of the scheme, the Modi govt has reiterated its commitment to the financial security of our central government employees, who form the backbone of the nation's governance."
In a shocking incident, a pistol was ceased from the bag of a 10-year old by school administration, who later reported it to the Delhi police. The pistol is now in the process of being decommissioned. In a shocking incident, a pistol was ceased from the bag of a 10-year old by school administration, who later reported it to the Delhi police (HT File)

The pistol belonged to the child's father, who passed away a few months ago. The police are currently focusing on delicensing the pistol and further investigation is ongoing.

In May this year, in Unnao, Uttar Pradesh, another 10-year-old had accidentally shot his 16-year-old sister and killed her, after playing with a hand made pistol he found in the house.

Another such incident occurred in the same month in Lucknow, where a minor in 12th grade, locked himself in his room and threatened to kill himself with a pistol and was rescued after a 12 hour operation by the police.

Also Read: Delhi MCD to revamp park in Kalkaji with play areas for children

The boy had taken such an extreme measure as he was not interested in studying but faced pressure from his parents.

The access to guns for smaller children has led to very serious consequences. In July, a five-year-old in Bihar carried a gun to school and shot a 10-year-old.

The Superintendent of police in the area had urged parents and school staff to keep regular watch on what children keep in their bags.

Many such incidents have taken place over the last few years. In Chattisgarh, a young boy was caught bringing his gun to school and his father and uncle were then arrested for illegal procurement of firearms. His father and uncle were also injured by the gun, raising serious issues about gun safety in India.
Malayalam filmmaker Ranjith on Sunday resigned as the chairman of the Kerala Chalachitra Academy following allegations of misbehaviour levelled against him by Bengali actor Sreelekha Mitra. Filmmaker Ranjith quits as Kerala Chalachitra Academy head over misbehaviour charge

In an audio clip, Ranjith said he did not want to continue as the chairman as it would adversely impact the reputation of the Left government, reported PTI. However, he said that he would fight against the accusations made against him legally.

On Saturday, Mitra accused Ranjith of making advances and misbehaving with her while discussing a script.

The person concerned (Ranjith) is a big name in the Malayalam film industry and a national award-winning director. I went to his residence to discuss an upcoming film project, and I did not like his behaviour. He made certain advances subtly and I felt uncomfortable while we were discussing the script, she said, as quoted by PTI.

The actor said that following the misbehaviour, she refused to be a part of the project and returned to Kolkata.

I don't know if he has treated other female actors in the film industry in the same way. It is up to them to open up or not if they have faced a similar situation. Maybe his power and influence played a role for others to not speak out, she added.

The incident took place years ago, Mitra claimed.

But it is heartening that women are speaking out with greater vigour and conviction against any form of misconduct now, taking out rallies, and I am looking forward to the day when number of any instance of gender abuse, misconduct will go down and women will not have such harrowing tales any more, she said.

Meanwhile, Ranjith rejected Mitra's allegations and said that he was the real victim in the case.

Protests against Ranjith

Following the actor's allegations, massive protests rocked several parts of Kerala, demanding action against the filmmaker. Several people, including well-known filmmaker Dr Biju, came out against him.

The Youth Congress state vice-president Abin Varkey also lodged a formal complaint with the police chief, demanding action.

While the opposition Congress said it expected Ranjith to step down as film academy chairman, BJP said he had no moral right to continue. Meanwhile, CPI national leader Annie Raja urged the government to carry out a probe based on Mitra's allegations and wanted to keep Ranjith away from the position during the investigation.

(With inputs from PTI)
National Conference (NC) party vice president Omar Abdullah criticised Union Home Minister Amit Shah for focusing on only one paragraph of his party's manifesto for the upcoming Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) assembly elections. The former J&K chief minister also said that Shah's statement ensured that the people read NC's manifesto. NC vice-president Omar Abdullah releasing the partys manifesto for the J&K assembly polls. (Waseem Andrabi/HT)(HT_PRINT)

"I thank the Union Home Minister for mentioning our election manifesto. He has forced everyone to read it. The sad part is that he focused on only one paragraph," Abdullah said.

Attacking the Congress for its alliance with NC, Shah questioned whether the party and Rahul Gandhi supported NC's promise of "a separate flag for Jammu and Kashmir." He also asked if the Congress supports NC's decision to restore special status for J&K via Article 370 and 35A. Shah alleged that such moves would push Jammu and Kashmir back into an era of unrest and terrorism.

The NC had also promised to engage in dialogue with Pakistan to solve the Kashmir dispute. The home minister further asked the Congress if it supports such a move, rather than engaging in dialogue with Kashmir's youth.

On NC's promise to resume cross-border LoC trade with Pakistan, Shah alleged that such moves would "nurture terrorism and its ecosystem across the border."

Abdullah said that he heard that Jamat-e-Islami, a politico-religious body based in the Valley, will contest the elections independently. "The best of democracy is that anyone can contest elections. Jamaat-e-Islami was trying to get the ban on it, uplifted, to contest the elections. Now that the ban has not been lifted, I have heard they will contest the elections independently," he said.

Under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, the Union government banned the organisation for five years.

The National Conference has sealed the alliance with the Congress to contest all 90 seats in the upcoming J&K assembly elections.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and leader of opposition in Lok

Sabha Rahul Gandhi had met the Abdullahs in Srinagar recently to confirm their alliance. Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir are scheduled to take place in three phases on September 18, 25, and October 1, and counting of votes will take place on October 4.

(With inputs from ANI)
Panaji: The Goa police have arrested two property dealers for the alleged murder of an elderly Goan woman, who was found dead in her apartment at Calangute in north Goa on Friday. (Representative Photo)

Police said the accused, identified as Nikhil Raje, a native of Pune, and Aaquib Khalfe, a resident of Ratnagiri in Maharashtra, committed the crime after a dispute concerning the distribution of commission money over the sale of the victims property in Calangute.

Deodita Fernandes, 64, was found dead on Friday evening by a caretaker at a flat she owned in Calangute, police said, adding that her post-mortem examination revealed that Fernandes died as a result of strangulation.

Fernandes, who resides in Mapusa, had travelled to Calangute to meet the duo. When she did not return home and was not answering calls, relatives asked a caretaker to check on her. The flat was locked from the outside, and when the caretaker opened the flat using a duplicate key, he found her lying motionless, said police.

The accused, identified as property brokers, had transferred funds from the victims account to their own after [the] commission of crime and were withdrawing money at the petrol pump in Anjuna, where they were apprehended by the team of Calangute police station, North Goa superintendent of police (SP) Akshat Kaushal said.

Preliminary investigations suggest a possible motive of a dispute over commission money over the sale of the victims property in Calangute, he added.

The SP said that the accused were produced before a Judicial Magistrate First Class on Sunday and remanded to ten days of judicial custody.
Union environment minister Bhupender Yadav has responded to concerns raised by senior Congress leader and parliamentarian Jairam Ramesh regarding the Great Nicobar mega infrastructure project. In a letter dated August 21, Yadav emphasised that exemplary mitigation measures have been incorporated to minimise the environmental impact of the project, keeping the strategic, national and defence interests in mind. Union environment minister Bhupender Yadav has responded to concerns raised by Senior Congress leader and parliamentarian Jairam Ramesh regarding the Great Nicobar mega infrastructure project (sansad tv)

Also Read: Congress demands suspension of environment clearance given to Nicobar project

The Great Nicobar Island (GNI) project has been a subject of controversy due to its potential impact on rare and endemic species, rainforests, and the tribal population residing on the island. The project includes plans for a transhipment port, airport, township, and power plant in what is considered a global biodiversity hotspot.

Addressing Rameshs concerns about forest diversion, Yadav stated: Despite diversion of forest land for the project, 82% of area in the Great Nicobar continues to be under protected forests, eco-sensitive zones and biosphere reserves... this is much more than laid down norms of maintaining two-thirds of the area under forest cover.

Also Read: Andaman admin to protect Great Nicobar tribal interests, says Centre

The minister responded on the specific concerns Ramesh, who was the environment minister between 2009 and 2011, in the six-page letter.

The incumbent defended the projects, and said approvals were consistent with the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam 1980, the recommendations of Prof Shekhar Singh and Supreme Court order of May 7, 2002.

Regarding compensatory afforestation, which Ramesh said was no substitute for the natural ecosystem being lost, and was being done thousands of kilometres away in a vastly different ecology, Yadav said this was because areas for plantation are not available in Great Nicobar Island. the plantation of native species in the non-notified forest land in arid landscape and in the vicinity of urban areas would provide greater ecological value, the minister said. He added that an area of 24,353.72 hectares has already been notified as protected forest by the Haryana government for the project.

Also Read: Wildlife nods spiked in 2023; Nicobar plan to cost over 81K crore

Ramesh also raised concerns about the functioning of the High-Powered Committee (HPC), set up by the National Green Tribunal and headed by the environment ministry secretary, to assess the Great Nicobar project. The former minister said the panels conclusions regarding the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) classification of the port area contradicted information submitted by the Andaman and Nicobar Coastal Management Authority and criticised the lack of transparency in the HPCs operations, noting that details of its ground-truthing activities and its report had not been made public.

In response, minister Yadav defended the HPCs findings, stating that the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM) had conducted extensive ground-truthing and concluded that no portion of the proposed project falls within CRZ 1A (where building a port is forbidden). Addressing the lack of public disclosure, Yadav cited the projects national importance and strategic defence dimensions as reasons for not sharing the HPCs deliberations publicly.

The minister also addressed concerns about the projects impact on the Shompen, an indigenous community classified as a particularly vulnerable tribal group (PVTG). Due consultation with tribal experts including Anthropological Society of India has also been done to ensure safety, projection and wellbeing of primitive tribal groups in the wake of holistic development of Great Nicobar Project, Yadav asserted, and added that the HPC noted the project would not affect the interests of tribal communities especially the Shompen and that displacement of tribals will not be allowed.

On a crucial matter of the tribal councils objections to the project, minister Yadav reiterated the governments stand that no objections were raised during the statutory period laid down in the relevant law. The Administration is following the Shompen policy to ensure their integrity...A&N Administration has prepared a budget of 201.98 crores for tribal welfare plans including setting up of a special medical unit, the minister said in his response to the Congress leader.

Ramesh raised the consent matter in his letter. HT reported on April 14, 2023 that the Tribal Council of Little and Great Nicobar had in November 2022 withdrawn the no objection certificate (NOC) given for diversion of land in August that year roughly half of which is tribal reserve land/

On the issue of earthquake vulnerability, Yadav acknowledged the regions seismic activity but downplayed the risk of a major disaster. Seismologists suggest return period of 420 to 750 years for mega earthquakes similar to which occurred in 2004, he stated. He added that while earthquakes of varying magnitudes are possible in the coming decades, the probability of a mega earthquake of 9.2 that happened in 2004 is low.

Yadav emphasised that a disaster management plan has been prepared, taking into account both anthropogenic and natural disasters. He assured that Indian Standard Codes and National Building Code Guidelines for earthquake-resistant design would be followed in the projects construction.
Amid heavy rainfall over the past two days, parts of Gujarat have been inundated, displacing hundreds of affected residents to safer locations. Navsari, in particular, faced severe flooding, prompting the India Meteorological Department (IMD) to issue a red alert for the district on Monday, August 26. Flood-like situation in Gujarat's Navsari as the district continues to experience heavy rainfall.(ANI)

A red alert has been issued for Navsari district on the 25th and 26th of August... Maximum rainfall of 527 mm has been recorded, but it has not caused any damage in the district... The water level of the Purna and Kaveri rivers is above the danger level... As a precautionary measure, 102 people have been shifted from the Bilimora Nagar Palika, Navsari Navsari district collector Kshipra S Agre said, as quoted by ANI.

A video from news agency ANI showed the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) rescuing a person stranded in the Auranga River in the Khanjan Palia region of Valsad.

Gujarat chief minister Bhupendra Patel directed officials on Sunday to evacuate people from low-lying areas to safer locations, according to ANI. The chief minister's office said that Valsad, Tapi, Navsari, Surat, Narmada, and Panchmahal districts in South Gujarat have been the most impacted by the downpour.

The weather department predicts a heavy to very heavy rain in several areas, with isolated instances of extremely heavy rainfall expected in the south Gujarat districts of Vadodara, Surat, Bharuch, Navsari, Valsad, as well as in Amreli and Bhavnagar in the Saurashtra region, continuing until Tuesday morning. Additionally, the IMD predicts 'heavy to very heavy' rain with isolated extremely heavy downpours in the districts of Anand, Rajkot, Jamnagar, Porbandar, Morbi, Dwarka, and Kutch on Tuesday.

Normal life affected in parts of the state

Officials, according to PTI, said that several hundred people were relocated to safety in Valsad and Navsari districts as heavy rains pounded south Gujarat on Saturday and Sunday. Continuous rainfall over the past 48 hours has flooded low-lying areas, disrupting daily life and traffic. According to data from the State Emergency Operation Centre, Vapi taluka in Valsad district recorded 326 millimetres of rainfall in 24 hours ending at 6 am on Sunday, the highest in the state, while Khergam in Navsari received 248 mm since 6 am.

The chief minister also spoke with the collectors of the affected districts to get a detailed update on the situation and assured the SDRF and NDRF of full support from the state.

There has been around 120 mm of rainfall in the city of Valsad since last night...Keeping this in mind, the water level in Kashmir Nagar of Valsad has started rising. So people are being shifted from here. So far, about a hundred families have been shifted, said Valsad SDM Astha Solanki.

Due to rainfall in catchment areas, the water level at the Sardar Sarovar Narmada dam increased significantly, reaching 135.30 metres on Sunday, just below its full capacity level of 138.68 metres. According to SSNNL officials, the dam received 265,748 cusecs of water from upstream, prompting the opening of 15 radial gates for discharge.

As of Sunday, Gujarat's 206 reservoirs held 3.64 lakh million cubic feet of water, 65 per cent of their total capacity. Of these reservoirs, 72 were on high alert and 15 were on alert due to the rapid rise in water levels. The state has received 81.81 per cent of its average annual rainfall this season, with south Gujarat receiving 97.52 per cent, Kutch 90.18 per cent, and Saurashtra 84.92 per cent.
Srinagar: The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Saturday released its manifesto for the upcoming Assembly elections, promising to pursue the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir to its original status, and advocate for confidence-building measures and regional cooperation between India and Pakistan. Srinagar: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) President Mehbooba Mufti during the release of the party's election manifesto ahead of the state assembly elections, in Srinagar, Saturday, Aug. 24, 2024. (PTI Photo)(PTI08_24_2024_000134A)

Party president Mehbooba Mufti released the manifesto, in presence of senior party leaders, at an event at the PDP headquarters in Srinagar.

The PDP is resolute in its pursuit of restoring the constitutional guarantees that were unjustly scrapped, and is committed to restoring Jammu & Kashmir to its original status, ensuring that the voices of its people are heard and their rights are safeguarded, the manifesto said.

The manifesto said the unconstitutional and illegal revocation of Articles 370 and 35A in 2019 has further complicated the Kashmir issue, deepening the alienation felt by the people of the region.

It said the PDP firmly believes that meaningful engagement is the only way forward.

Key promises in the manifesto

The party put thrust on improving relations between India and Pakistan, promising to advocate for diplomatic initiatives between the two neighbours, emphasising conflict resolution, confidence building measures, and regional cooperation. The manifesto, titled Peoples Aspirations, promised to establish full connectivity across the Line of Control (LoC) for trade and social exchange. It advocated for a regional free-trade area and shared economic market.

The manifesto strives for revocation of the Public Safety Act (PSA), Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and Enemy Act, and said it committed for the revocation of Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA). It also promises to revisit and address the cases of unjust job terminations  referring to the sacking of J&K government employees over terror abetment charges.

Promising to protect the land and employment rights of the people of J&K, the party said locals will have the first right in all government tenders as well as mining contracts.

On the issue of the return and rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits, the PDPs manifesto said the party is committed to their dignified return, ensuring they are welcomed back as honoured members of our community.
News / National

by Staff reporter

In last year's harmonized elections, President Mnangagwa secured 52.6 percent of the vote, while Nelson Chamisa received 44 percent. However, groups aligned with Chamisa, including Pachedu, claimed that the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission manipulated the results.A year later, activist Freeman Chari, a member of Pachedu, admitted that their claims were false. Chari revealed that after analyzing 84 percent of the V11 forms, his results showed that President Mnangagwa garnered 52 percent of the vote, consistent with the official results. He also acknowledged that his tally excluded many votes from ZANU PF strongholds in Mashonaland East, West, and Central provinces, suggesting that Mnangagwa had an even larger margin of victory.Political analysts argue that Chari's admission exposes the duplicity of opposition activists who have undermined the credibility of the elections without providing evidence. They also believe this explains why Chamisa chose not to file an election petition.Chari admitted that Pachedu and other groups knew Chamisa had lost but withheld this information from his supporters to avoid appearing as if they were endorsing what they called "sham elections." They hoped to encourage the opposition to boycott council and Parliament, but some opposition members still chose to participate.Before the 2023 harmonized elections, Pachedu claimed to have developed an app called Mandla, which they said could tabulate election results and help CCC supporters find their correct polling stations and identify their party's legitimate candidates.Chari, in a post on his X handle, called for honest conversations now that he had released their "tabulated results," rather than unfounded claims of victory.Educationist Dr. Augustine Tirivangana dismissed Chari's actions as unremarkable, arguing that Pachedu had always served as emissaries of external agents and were now attempting to curry favor by flattery. He noted that regional and international bodies, including the former chairperson of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence, and Security Cooperation, Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema, and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), had already endorsed Zimbabwe's election results and President Mnangagwa's legitimacy.Political analyst Dr. Brain Sedze suggested that Chari and Pachedu were disingenuous for not publishing their claimed results earlier, as they feared it would unsettle opposition supporters who had been told the elections were not free and fair. He added that Chari was speaking out now because he no longer believed the opposition leader could take power, citing Chamisa's lack of institutional support, ideology, and respect for national symbols.
New Delhi: The armies of India and Sri Lanka on Saturday concluded the 10th edition of their joint exercise, Mitra Shakti, at the Army Training School in Lankas Maduruoya, army officials said on Sunday. Joint Military Exercise MitraShakti was conducted today at Army Training School, Maduruoya, #SriLanka (File Photo)

The drills, which began on August 12, aimed to enhance interoperability, military-to-military cooperation, and enable both forces to operate cohesively.

The training was conducted so that the two armies can undertake combined operations when called upon to do so, said one of the officials cited above. It has helped both sides to understand each others doctrines, tactics, and procedures to evolve drills while operating in counterterrorism, regional security, and peacekeeping operations, he said.

This years edition of Mitra Shakti witnessed the participation of more than 100 personnel each from the two armies. The dynamic exercise resulted in enhancing the interoperability between the #IndianArmy and #SriLankanArmy in combating urban terrorism and strengthening cooperation between both Armies, the Indian Army wrote on X on Saturday.

The troops engaged in a series of tactical drills, field training exercises, and live-firing exercises.

The scenarios included operations such as urban warfare, fighting in built-up areas, and convoy protection, said another official.

The exercise also involved joint planning and execution of operations, which provided an opportunity for both armies to exchange best practices and strengthen their operational capabilities, the officials said.

The drills serve as a platform for both nations to address common security concerns, including maritime security, anti-terrorism, and disaster response. The collaboration underscores the importance of regional cooperation in addressing these challenges effectively, said the first official.
Defence minister Rajnath Singh met US national security advisor Jake Sullivan and secretary of defence Lloyd Austin in Washington on Friday for extensive talks that spanned an array of critical areas including the impact of global developments on geopolitics, pressing regional security dynamics, broadening cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region and deepening defence industrial collaboration. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh with US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, in Washington, on Friday. (ANI)

The meetings took place on a day the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) provided a formal notification to Congress of a possible foreign military sale to India of critical anti-submarine warfare equipment to strengthen the Indian Navys capabilities.

They (Singh and Sullivan) deliberated on the evolving geopolitical situation and certain key regional security issues. They also discussed the ongoing defence industrial collaboration projects between India and the US, and potential areas where the industries of the two countries could work together, the Indian defence ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

Singh arrived in Washington on August 22 on a four-day visit that is being closely watched as India is negotiating deals worth billions of dollars with the US, including the purchase of the MQ-9B remotely piloted aircraft systems and the joint production of GE Aerospaces F414 engines in the country.

The Indian Navy is also looking at tying up with HawkEye 360, a US-based commercial operator of remote-sensing satellites, as part of the Indo-Pacific Maritime Domain Awareness, a Quad initiative for real-time, integrated and effective maritime domain awareness in the crucial region. The Quad nations are India, the US, Japan, and Australia.

Singh and Austin discussed ongoing efforts to deepen the major defence partnership between the two countries in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific region, the Pentagon said.

The two leaders also agreed to advance priority co-production projects, including jet engines, unmanned platforms, munitions, and ground mobility systems under the US-India Roadmap for Defense Industrial Cooperation adopted last year.

Secretary Austin and Minister Singh celebrated progress across several bilateral defence initiatives, including efforts to increase supply chain security, enhance maritime security in the Indian Ocean Region, and leverage a new agreement to strengthen operational coordination through Indian liaison officers at US commands, Pentagon press secretary Major General Pat Ryder said in a statement.

The two sides agreed to further strengthen cooperation in the Indo-Pacific at a time when the region is in focus because of Chinas carefully calculated power play for influence.

Austin lauded the Indian Navys robust contributions to upholding freedom of navigation and regional security through its participation in the Combined Maritime Forces and welcomed India assuming a leadership role in Combined Task Force 150 in 2025.

The two ministers reviewed mutual efforts through the Indo-Pacific Maritime Domain Awareness initiative to provide Indian Ocean Region partners with unclassified, commercial satellite data to enhance their maritime security and ability to detect illicit activity, the statement said.

It added that the two countries also advanced discussions to expand cooperation in the undersea and space domains.

On Friday, US secretary of state Antony Blinken approved a possible foreign military sale to India of anti-submarine warfare sonobuoys and related equipment for an estimated cost of $52.8 million.

The Pentagon statement followed an Indian defence ministry release on Singh-Austin talks.

They met a day after India and the US signed two key agreements to bolster defence cooperation --- the Security of Supply Arrangement (SOSA) to ensure the mutual supply of defence goods and services to resolve unanticipated supply chain disruptions, and a memorandum of agreement regarding the assignment of liaison officers to enhance cooperation and interoperability.

Under the second agreement, India will deploy its first liaison officer to the US Special Operations Command, which is headquartered at the MacDill air force base in Florida.
The Kerala chief minister's office announced the formation of a special investigation team to look into the hardships faced by women working in the Malayalam film industry, as highlighted in recent interviews and statements following the release of the Justice Hema Committee report. Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan

The CMO said that chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan met with senior police officials and decided to investigate the allegations thoroughly.

In light of recent interviews and statements from several women working in the film industry, detailing the hardships they have faced, the Chief Minister convened a meeting of senior police officials today. It was decided to form a special investigation team, led by IGP G Sparjan Kumar, to look into these complaints and revelations. The team will include senior women police officers and will operate under the supervision of Crime Branch ADGP H Venkatesh. The members of the special team will be IGP G Sparjan Kumar, DIG S Ajeetha Beegum, SP Crime Branch HQ Merin Joseph, AIG Coastal Police G Poonkuzhali, Assistant Director, Kerala Police Academy Aishwarya Dongre, AIG, Law & Order Ajith V, SP, Crime Branch S. Madhusoodanan, the Kerala CMO's statement was quoted by news agency ANI.

Meanwhile, reacting to the Hema Committee report detailing instances of sexual harassment of female actors in the Malayalam film industry, Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan said, I think the chief minister is on record. He had said that if they come with specific complaints, the process will be set in motion. He has already said it... I am not saying anything because I do not deal with the subject. But I would like to trust what the chief minister has said, that if the victims come forward and they file a complaint against those perpetrators, then the process of law will be set in motion.

What is the Justice Hema Committee report?

The recent release of the Justice Hema Committee report has sparked political upheaval in the state. Last week, a redacted version of the Justice Hema Committee report was made public, exposing multiple cases of alleged sexual harassment involving female actors in the Malayalam film industry.

Kerala Leader of Opposition VD Satheesan stated that the Kerala Culture Minister should resign in light of the findings in the Hema Committee report.

The Malayalam film industry is facing significant turmoil amid the fallout from the Justice Hema Committee report. Released to the public on August 19, the report has exposed systemic problems within the industry, especially regarding the treatment of women.

Allegations against actor Siddique, Ranjith

Actress Revathy Sampath has publicly accused renowned Malayalam actor Siddique, who is also the general secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA), of sexual misconduct. Sampath's allegations have created a stir in the Malayalam film industry and garnered widespread attention on social media.

In an interview with ANI on Sunday, Sampath recounted her distressing experience with Siddique, which began when she was in her late teens.

She recounted how Siddique first reached out to her using what appeared to be a fake social media account. "I connected with actor Siddique during my final year of school. He contacted me from an account that seemed suspicious and maintained communication for two years, calling me 'daughter.' When he learned about my interest in acting, he exploited it, and I believe he had planned everything maliciously," Sampath was quoted as saying.

Meanwhile, Bengali actress Sreelekha Mitra has made allegations against prominent Malayalam filmmaker Ranjith, which resulted in his resignation as chairman of the Kerala Chalachitra Academy. Ranjith stepped down from the position on Sunday morning following these sexual assault accusations, according to the Kerala Cultural Minister's Office.
Aug 25, 2024 3:21 PM IST

Kolkata doctor rape-murder case live updates: The West Bengal Motion Picture Artists' Forum held a protest in Tollygunge, calling for justice for the victim of the RG Kar Medical College rape-murder case and urging the Kolkata administration to take accountability.

"16 days have passed and during this time, at least 5 other rape incidents have taken place. All of us know what happened in Badlapur, Assam or Muzaffarnagar. I am from Kolkata so I will demand accountability from the Kolkata administration. All the people involved in the RG Kar incident should be punished strictly. There needs to be a systematic change in the mentality that causes rape. Those who want to do politics will do it. If the administration starts saying that all the people protesting on the roads are related to politics, then it is not right... We are not here under any political banner. We are here for justice," actor Parambrata Chatterjee was quoted as saying by ANI.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is probing the rape and murder of a doctor inside Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, raided 15 premises on Sunday, including those linked to ex-principal Sandip Ghosh and the former medical superintendent and vice principal, Sanjay Vashishth. CBI officials outside the residence of former principal of RG Kar Medical College Sandip Ghosh in Kolkata on Sunday. (PTI)

The CBI raided these locations in connection with the alleged financial irregularities in the state-run hospital.

The anti-corruption unit of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) also searched the residences and offices of those engaged in supplying materials for the management and care of patients.

A seven-strong CBI team reached Sandip Ghosh's residence for questioning at 6 am. However, they could gain entry into the house around 90 minutes later because the doors were not opened.

The officers have been questioning Ghosh at his Beliaghata residence since 8 am, while others were grilling Vashisth. Another professor of the forensic medicine department of the medical establishment was also being questioned.

Other officers of the central agency went to the residence of a supplier in Howrah, he added.

According to an officer in the CBI, Vashishth is being questioned about what he knew about the financial irregularities in the hospital.

"Vashisth is being questioned on how much he knew about the financial irregularities that happened in the hospital when he was the MSVP," he told PTI.

Another team of CBI officers also conducted searches at the ex-principal's office in the hospital and went to the canteen in the academic building.

The CBI also asked principal Manas Kumar Bandyopadhyay to reach the hospital in the morning. He accompanied the team during its probe.

An ex-colleague of Sandip Ghosh has claimed that he was involved in the business of dead bodies.

The Calcutta high court ordered the agency to probe the financial irregularities case.

The hospital made headlines after the doctor was raped and murdered inside the seminar hall of the hospital during her 36-hour-long shift. She had gone there to rest.

A man named Sanjay Roy was arrested for allegedly committing the crime.

The agency on Saturday subjected Ghosh and four other doctors to polygraph tests. They are trying to find out if they were part of a larger conspiracy to murder the woman.

With inputs from PTI
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Sunday said that the investigators have uncovered substantial evidence in their corruption probe against Sandip Ghosh, the former principal of Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, where a 31-year-old postgraduate trainee doctor was brutally raped and murdered.



There's a lot, a CBI official was quoted by ANI as saying.



Earlier in the day, the CBI officials carried out searches on the premises of Ghosh, ex-MSVP Sanjay Vashisth and 13 others in and around Kolkata in connection with their probe into alleged financial irregularities at the institute.



ALSO READ: Kolkata doctor rape-murder: Why did CBI question Sandip Ghosh's ex-deputy? CBI officers arrive at the residence of former RG Kar Medical College principal Sandip Ghosh to investigate the alleged sexual assault and murder of a postgraduate trainee doctor and financial irregularities at the RG Kar Medical College, in Kolkata on Sunday. (ANI)

Here are the top updates in connection with the Kolkata rape-murder case:-

1. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) hit out at the CBI over the progress in the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital murder case."The rape-murder case must be solved quickly. So far, only one arrest has been made, and that too by Kolkata Police. What is the CBI doing? As the investigation drags on, politics is taking over," TMC leader Kunal Ghosh told ANI.



2. Sanjoy Roy, the prime accused in the Kolkata murder case, underwent lie detector test at Kolkata's Presidency Jail where he is lodged. Four persons including former principal Sandip Ghosh underwent the polygraph test on Saturday, the officials had told PTI.



ALSO READ: Kolkata doctor rape-murder: What main accused Sanjay Roy told jail guards



3. The opposition BJP in West Bengal has decided to put a lock on the West Bengal Commission of Women on August 28.



On 29th August we will protest outside the DM office in all districts demanding the resignation of CM Mamata Banerjee...We will continue our protests...An investigation should be conducted against the West Bengal health minister. Mamata Banerjee's phone should be taken and an inquiry should be conducted, Union minister and West Bengal BJP chief Sukanta Majumdar told ANI.



ALSO READ: Accused's sister reacts to Kolkata doctor rape-murder case: Will accept any



4. A teacher from Alipurduar district of West Bengal, honoured with the Banga Ratna award by chief minister Mamata Banerjee in 2019, told ANI that he is returning the award over the state government's response to the rape-murder case.

5. Prime Minister Narendra Modi while addressing an event in Maharashtra, called crimes against women an unpardonable sin. The message should go from top to bottom. This sin is unpardonable. Governments will come and go, but protecting life and women's dignity is a big responsibility of all of us, both as a society and as a government, the prime minister said.



(With agency inputs)
Sanjay Roy, the main accused in the Kolkata doctor rape and murder, will likely be subjected to a polygraph test on Sunday. Ahead of the lie-detector test, the accused made a U-turn on his alleged confession of the grisly murder, claiming he was being framed and was innocent. Sanjay Roy, the main accused in the Kolkata doctor rape-murder case.

Sanjay Roy told the guards of the jail that he knew nothing about the rape and murder, a report said, citing jail officials familiar with the matter.

Read the report: Kolkata doctor case: Polygraph test of main accused today, says CBI

Per the Kolkata Police, Sanjay Roy had confessed to raping and murdering the 31-year-old trainee doctor inside the seminar hall of the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.

On Friday, he made similar claims before the additional chief judicial magistrate (ACJM) court in Sealdah. He told the judge that he consented to the test to prove his innocence.

What authorities said on Sanjay Roy's claim?

The CBI and the police, however, found glaring inconsistencies in his statements. An officer told HT he had been trying to mislead investigators. The officer said he couldn't provide any explanation for the injuries to his face and his presence in the building at the time of the crime.

He has been trying to mislead investigators. He couldnt provide any satisfactory answer for the fresh injuries on his face and other body parts and CCTV footage showing his presence in the corridor, leading to the crime scene at 4.03 am, minutes before the crime, among others, the officer said.

On Saturday, Sanjay Roy's polygraph test was postponed because of some technical reasons. It is likely to be held on Sunday, said the HT report.

Six people, including ex-principal Dr Sandip Ghosh and four other doctors, were subjected to the lie-detector test on Saturday.

Sanjay Roy is lodged in Cell Number 21 of the jail under tight security. He is alone in the cell. CCTV cameras were installed outside his cell to keep a strict vigil.

Sanjay Roy a pervert

The psychoanalytic profiling of Sanjay Roy found him to be a pervert and a severe addict of pornography. A CBI officer quoted a doctor as saying that he had what he called an animal-like instinct.

A CBI officer told PTI last week that Sanjay Roy showed no repentance for the crime. He narrated the entire crime to the investigation agency without displaying any remorse.

"The man showed no repentance and narrated the entire episode giving every minute detail without hiccups. It appeared he had no remorse," the officer told the agency.

Meanwhile, the news agency reported that the CBI interrogated over 15 people, including 10 police officers and civic volunteers, on Sunday.

What happened on August 9 in RG Kar Medical College and Hospital?

The woman was found raped and murdered inside the seminar hall of the hospital on the morning of August 9. Hours before the discovery of her body, she had gone to the hall to rest amid her 36-hour long shift. Her autopsy revealed 16 external and 9 internal injuries.

The analysis of CCTV footage revealed Sanjay Roy had entered the building at around 4.03 am on August 9. On August 8, he went to the chest department and was seen in cameras ogling at the victim doctor and others.
The Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) finds itself embroiled in a controversy after its President, senior advocate Kapil Sibal, purportedly issued a resolution on the horrific rape and murder of a trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College in Kolkata. Former SCBA President Adish C. Aggarwala has led the charge against Sibal, accusing him of undermining the gravity of the incident and using his position to influence ongoing investigations. Senior lawyer Kapil Sibal leaves from the Supreme Court after a hearing on a case related to the alleged sexual assault and murder of a postgraduate trainee doctor in Kolkata, in New Delhi, Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024.(PTI)

In a letter addressed to Sibal, Aggarwala said the resolution was unauthorized and was unilaterally issued without the Executive Committee's consent.

He said the resolution gives the impression of being Sibal's personal view, rather than a collective decision of the SCBA.

"We are not privy to any deliberation of the EC on the said matter which culminated into any such Resolution," Aggarwala said, adding that several other Executive Committee members were equally surprised by the move.

Also Read | Kapil Sibal laughs in SC amid hearing on Kolkata case, SG Tushar Mehta responds: somebody has died

Aggarwala's letter also accused Sibal of a conflict of interest, highlighting that Sibal represents the West Bengal government in related cases. He argued that Sibal's actions have compromised the integrity of the SCBA and could potentially influence the Supreme Court and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the case.

This action, Aggarwala argues, has deeply hurt the medical and legal communities and casts a shadow over the SCBA's reputation.

"We the undersigned wish to make it crystal clear that we strongly condemn the gruesome incident...and that we stand in solidarity with the victims, the family, and the Doctors who are demanding Justice," the letter continued.

Also Read | Kolkata doctor rape-murder: What main accused Sanjay Roy told jail guards

Aggarwala, in a post on X (formerly Twitter), warned Sibal that if he does not withdraw the "illegal and unauthorized" resolution and issue a public apology, he will face a no-confidence motion.

With inputs from ANI
Kolkata: The West Bengal government has issued show cause notices to several government-aided schools after allegations surfaced that students and teachers during school hours are joining the ongoing protests over the rape and murder of a trainee doctor in RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, officials aware of the matter said. Doctors and nursing staff participate in a huge mass rally near RG Kar Medical College and Hospital protesting against rape and murder of a trainee doctor (File Photo)

Multiple schools in Howrah, Bankura, East Midnapore, and West Midnapore were issued show cause notices, said officials.

In Howrah, at least three state-aided schoolsBaluhati High School, Baluhati Girls High School, and Bantra Rajlakshmi Girls Schoolwere served the notices for involving students in a rally and asked to give an explanation within 24 hours.

Also Read: CBI raid at RG Kar Medical College ex-principal Sandip Ghoshs residence, 14 other locations in corruption probe

It has come to our knowledge that a rally has been organised during school hours by the teachers and students of your school on 23.08.2024. Such activities put students under threat as it is not safe, and this is a violation of child rights, the notice from the state government read.

The schools have been asked to explain within 24 hours why such activities were organised by the teachers and students, failing which the government would take strict action.

Speaking to media persons, a Howrah school teacher said, The rally was not organised during school hours. Students, teachers, and even former students of the school took out a rally after school hours.

The rape and murder of the 31-year-old trainee doctor at RG Kar Hospital in Kolkata earlier this month has triggered a nation-wide uproar. Protest rallies are taking place all across, organised by citizens, civil society organisations, youth, students, and womens bodies, and political parties, who have been demanding justice for the victim. On Saturday, rallies were taken out in Kolkata by app-cab drivers, morning walkers, and political parties.

Meanwhile, a meeting between the state health department officials and protesting junior doctors or medical colleges and hospitals that have been holding a cease-work failed to come up with a solution.

The cease work will continue. There has been no development in the case, and we are yet to get justice. We still dont know how many people were involved in the crime and what the motive was. How can we join work without knowing that we can work safely? Aniket Mahata, a protesting doctor of RG Kar Hospital, said.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is probing the case, on Saturday began the polygraph tests on former RG Kar Medical and Hospital principal Sandip Ghosh and five others.

The polygraph test of Sanjoy Roy, the prime accused in the rape and murder of a trainee doctor, is likely to be held on Sunday, CBI officials said.

Roy, a civic volunteer with the Kolkata police, was arrested as the prime suspect in the rape and murder of the trainee doctor, a day after the alleged incident on August 10 by the police. He was later handed over to the CBI.
Election strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor on Sunday said Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav talking about the development model is laughable when he doesn't know the difference between GDP and growth rates even after his party ruled Bihar for 15 years. Jan Suraj Chief Prashant Kishore addressing during party state level meeting for upcoming Bihar Vidhan Sabha polls at Bapu Sabhagar in Patna, Bihar, India, Sunday,04, 2024. (Photo by Santosh Kumar/ Hindustan Times)

Kishor, who is leading 'Jan Suraaj' campaign in Bihar, said he can comment on Tejashwi Yadav's statements only when he talks about caste, extortion, liquor mafia, and crime and not on development.

I know about Tejashwi Yadav's understanding of development. Comments can be made if he speaks on caste, extortion, liquor mafia, and crime, but if Tejashwi Yadav discusses the development model, it is laughable. They have been in power for the last 15 years, he does not know what GDP and GDP growth are and is talking about the development story of Bihar, Kishor told news agency ANI.

Also read | Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj to evolve into political party on Oct 2 ahead of 2025 Bihar assembly elections

He also wondered whether the state's law and order looked like Switzerland's to the RJD leader under his party's rule. "As far as crime is concerned, when Tejashwi Yadav was the Deputy CM six months ago, Bihar was Switzerland for him and after six months Bihar has become a gutter. If today Nitish Kumar joins Mahagathbandhan, Bihar will again start looking great to him."

On caste census

Kishor also attacked the Congress party and leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi over its demand for a caste census and asked why the party did not do the same while in power for almost 60 years. He also suggested that the caste census is not a panacea to eradicate poverty or improve the living conditions of the poor.

If the situation can be better from the caste census, then we have data on SCs/STs communities. Rahul Gandhi or any person who is saying this, first they should explain why the situation of these communities hasn't improved yet. Only getting information couldn't improve the situation. Congress was in rule for 60 years, why they didn't conduct a caste census? he asked.

Kishor asked the Congress party to conduct a caste census in states where the party is in power and prove that it can eradicate poverty so that it can also be replicated in Bihar. Bihar is a poor state which is a known fact and there is no need for a survey on this purpose, instead, Rahul Gandhi should provide a mantra for improving the situation, he added.

The former poll strategist also said the new party, which will be formed on October 2 in Bihar, will contest all 243 seats in the 2025 Bihar Legislative Assembly elections and at least 40 women candidates will be nominated. Exuding confidence in winning the elections, Kishor has said that he would not lead the party instead the leaders would be elected from their respective assembly constituencies.
Kochi: Senior Malayalam actor Siddique resigned from the post of general secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA), a prominent actors body in Kerala, following rape and sexual assault allegations from an actress. AMMA general secretary Siddique with actors Jomol and Ananya addressed the media on the Justice Hema Committee report, in Kochi, Friday (PTI Photo)

Siddique, who acted in over 350 films predominantly in Malayalam, confirmed to Asianet TV, I have conveyed my resignation to the president of AMMA Mohanlal. I have taken the decision in the light of the allegations raised against me. Its not fit for me to continue in that post. I would not like to talk about the allegations right now.

The decision to resign came a day after an actress reiterated her allegations of sexual assault and rape that she had first made in 2019 through a Facebook post. The alleged incident took place in a hotel in 2016.

I was a young entrant in the industry at the time. He invited me into a hotel on the pretext of discussing a film project. Such a movie did not exist. It was a trap. He sexually abused and raped me. He also physically assaulted me. I had to give up my dreams and my time, and I went through a lot of mental trauma, the actress told media persons on Saturday.

The allegations against Siddique, who was elected to the general secretary post through an internal election of AMMA for a three-year term earlier this year, come in the backdrop of the release of the Hema committee report, which has shed light on the incidents of sexual abuse and harassment against women artists and technicians, in the Malayalam film industry.

The committee was set up in 2017 after a prominent actress was kidnapped and sexually assaulted in a moving car by a group of men, which was allegedly orchestrated by actor Dileep. He currently faces charges of criminal conspiracy and destruction of evidence, and the trial in the case is pending.

Though the report was submitted to the government in 2009, it took over four and a half years for its contents to come out, with some of the portions containing testimonies of harassment and abuse being redacted.

When asked about the report, Siddique had told media persons on Friday, We welcome the report and its findings. The government should implement the recommendations of the committee, as it will lead to improvement in the working conditions in the industry.

At the same time, he denied the existence of a casting couch in the industry and attributed the testimonies in the Hema report to a few isolated incidents. He also dismissed allegations about an all-male power group in the industry that dictates everything.
A 43-year-old non-resident Indian (NRI), who recently returned from the United States, was shot at by two unidentified assailants at his residence in Daburji area of Amritsar in Punjab, police said on Saturday, adding that the victims family has alleged the involvement of his former wifes relatives in the attack. NRI shot at in Amritsar, family of ex-wife under lens

According to police, the incident took place early on Saturday when two armed men entered victim Sukhchain Singhs residence and fired at him from close range even as his wife and child pleaded for his life.

The incident took place at 7.15am. The victim was brushing his teeth when two men turned up at the gate and started enquiring about who had made the registration certificate (RC) of his Mercedes car parked in the courtyard. When Sukhchain asked them who they were, they pulled out two pistols and forcibly took him inside. After an argument, they fired three shots, two of which hit him. The assailants came with the aim to eliminate him, but one of their pistols malfunctioned, additional deputy commissioner of police (ADCP) Harpal Singh said.

He added: Singh is currently in a critical condition. Doctors say that while one bullet pierced into his head, the other hit his arm. He is not able to speak, but we have started the investigation.

CCTV footage of the incident showed armed assailants fleeing the spot after their pistols jammed.

According to Singhs wife, he resides in the United States and returned to Amritsar recently to oversee a new business. He returned from the US on August 6 and wanted to spend time here by running a business. But nobody is safe here even at home, she said.

ADCP Harpal Singh said the victims family has alleged the involvement of his former wifes family in the attack. We are trying to trace the assailants. The victims first wife died by suicide in 2022, following which her family lodged a complaint against Singh, his brother, sister and mother. Except Singhs mother, all were held innocent as they were abroad. He was getting threats from his former in-laws. We are also taking this angle into consideration in the probe. The faces of assailants are clearly visible in the CCTV footage. We will trace them soon.

Amritsar police commissioner Ranjit Singh Dhillon also visited the spot. An FIR has been registered against family members of Singhs first wife on the statement of his mother. We are investigating the matter.

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal said the attacks in Amritsar on two consecutive days shows the deterioration of the law and order situation in Punjab. Punjabis are not safe even at home. Chief minister Bhagwant Mann should quit on moral grounds, he said.

BJP leader and former US ambassador Taranjit Singh Sandhu said, Fear of the law is vanishing in Punjab with shootings, ransom calls and robberies becoming the new normal. Our CM Bhagwant Mann, who used bulletproof glass for his Independence Day speech, is busy campaigning in Haryana and touring Mumbai.
National Conference Vice President Omar Abdullah taunted Peoples Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti for allegedly copying his party's manifesto and asked the PDP not to field candidates against the Congress-NC nominees as their agenda is the same. Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti. (File Photos)

They (PDP) said if the NC-Congress alliance accepts their agenda, they will not put up candidates. You have put all our agenda in your manifesto, Abdullah said while addressing party workers in central Kashmir's Ganderbal district.

You have already accepted our agenda and now there is not much of a difference between your agenda and our agenda. Then do not field candidates and come, we will build a better tomorrow for Jammu and Kashmir, he added.

Also Read | Talks on for few contentious seats, consensus on majority, Omar Abdullah on NC-Congress alliance

Abdullah asserted that the PDP has essentially replicated the NCs manifesto, including promises to provide 200 free units of electricity and create one lakh government jobs within the first yearcommitments that both parties have now included in their respective manifestos.

"We said we will provide one lakh government jobs in the first year, they also put that in their manifesto. We talked about reopening (cross-LoC) routes, it is in their manifesto as well. We talked about keeping the doors of dialogue open and they also said so. Almost everything that my colleagues put in our manifesto, they also put it," he said.

Also Read | Focused on only one paragraph: Omar Abdullah to Amit Shah on NC's manifesto for J&K polls

What Mehbooba Mufti said

Mehbooba Mufti on Saturday said her party was willing to offer full support to the Congress-NC alliance and concede all assembly seats to them, provided the coalition adopts the PDP's agenda.

"Forget about alliance and seat-sharing, if the Congress and the National Conference (NC) are ready to accept our agenda -- that resolution of the Kashmir issue is necessary and on opening of routes -- we will tell them to contest on all the seats and we will follow you," Mufti said.

"Because, for me, the resolution of the Kashmir problem is much more important than anything else," she added when asked if the Congress had approached the PDP for an alliance.

She was talking to reporters following the release of the PDP's manifesto for the assembly elections.
Silchar: Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Saturday that people in the society are seeking instant justice because the lawyers are defending the criminals in courts. Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma addressing the 150th anniversary of the Silchar Bar Association (X/@CMOfficeAssam)

The CM was addressing the 150th anniversary of the Silchar Bar Association at the premises of Cachar District Court along with Justice Kalyan Rai Surana and other senior lawyers.

Today at Silchar District Bar Association, I told advocates that the reason Instant Justice in gruesome rape cases has risen is because society knows that an accused will use his lawyer to frustrate the judicial process. Defence lawyers must behave responsibly, Sharma wrote on X.

He said that after the recent incident in Nagaons Dhing, where a 14-year-old girl was allegedly raped by three men, thousands of people asked for instant justice instead of regular judicial process.

They didnt ask us to arrest the culprits or take legal action, they were seeking instant justice. It looks like people are losing trust in our judicial process, and this is happening because justice is delayed in many cases, he said.

Sarma appealed to the lawyers not to sympathise with the accused in cases of crime against women, especially rapes and domestic violence, etc. At least in the incidents of crime against women, please do not delay the process. Try to finish it within a year if possible, he said. Advocates must help the judiciary. We should not delay the justice. It creates frustration in society, which forces people to take the law into their hands, it sometimes triggers mob justice, he added.

Sarma said they always wanted to remove the colonial laws, and after the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) arrived, they were even demolishing the old structures.

We have Indiansed the judicial structures.Some are saying we have taken India 500 years back, but these laws are giving us our own judicial system, he said.

However, some lawyers disagreed with the chief minister, and they said that lawyers are doing their duties and they are not responsible for any delay.

Our job is to establish the truth so that an innocent person doesnt get punished. We do not sympathize with criminals. For us, a person is not criminal until proven guilty, a senior lawyer said.

Silchar district bar association president Dulal Mitra said he does not support the idea of the chief minister generalising lawyers.

We have many lawyers who deny representing the criminals in such cases. Of course there are exceptions but please do not generalise us, he said.

Mitra said that the chief minister was a guest at their event and expressed his views. He is an individual and also holding a constitutional position, we respect that. But we may differ with his views. We have that right, he added.
New Delhi: Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday visited a modern US Navy testing facility for ships and submarines at Memphis in Tennessee at a time when India is looking at setting up a similar facility for locally produced platforms, the defence ministry said on Sunday. Defence minister Rajnath Singh at Naval Surface Warfare Centre at Carderock, US (X/@rajnathsingh)

Singh visited the William B Morgan large cavitation channel (LCC) at the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Memphis, where senior officials briefed him on one of the worlds largest and most technically advanced high-speed, variable-pressure water tunnel facilities.

He was accompanied by senior navy and DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation) officials.

The discussions intend to support the ongoing proposal for establishment of a similar facility for indigenous design and development in India, the defence ministry said in a statement.

Also Read: Defence industrial collaboration, Indo-Pacific in focus during Rajnath-Austin talks

The LCC is part of the Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock Division, one of the US Navys preeminent research and development facilities that specialises in critical ship and submarine design.

Operational since 1991, it provides significant cost savings for testing large-scale models of advanced ship and submarine system designs and full-scale torpedoes in a controlled environment, according to the US Navy.

It permits the US Navy to measure submarine and surface ship power, efficiency, and propeller noise by using models in a controlled but realistic environment. The facility has commercial use too.

Singh was greeted by deputy under secretary of the US Navy for Policy Anne Gebhards and Naval Surface Warfare Center and Undersea Warfare Center Commander Rear Admiral Todd Evans.

Witnessed the pathbreaking experiments at the facility. India and the US look forward to work together and benefit from each others experiences, Singh wrote on X.

Singhs Memphis visit came on the back of meetings with US national security advisor Jake Sullivan and secretary of defence Lloyd Austin in Washington.

These talks spanned an array of critical areas, including the impact of global developments on geopolitics, pressing regional security dynamics, broadening cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, and deepening defence industrial collaboration.

Singh arrived in Washington on August 22 on a four-day visit that is being closely watched as India is negotiating deals worth billions of dollars with the US, including the purchase of the General Atomics MQ-9B remotely piloted aircraft systems and the joint production of GE F414 engines in the country.

Also Read: Rajnath Singh meets US defence industry captains, pushes India as export hub

Earlier, Singh also interacted with captains of several American defence companies in Washington, including General Atomics and GE, and outlined the emerging co-development and co-production opportunities in India while enumerating reforms initiated by the government to make the country an attractive destination for foreign original equipment manufacturers and an alternative export hub.

In 2023, India and the US concluded a new roadmap for defence industrial cooperation with the goal of fast-tracking technology cooperation and co-production in critical areas, including air combat and land mobility systems, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, munitions, and the undersea domain.
A special investigation team has submitted a charge sheet against former Janata Dal (Secular) MP Prajwal Revanna for rape and his father and MLA, HD Revanna, for sexual harassment, officials said on Saturday. Suspended JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna (PTI)

Also Read | Always painful: Deve Gowda's son-in-law Manjunath on Prajwal Revanna case

The 2,144-page-long charge sheet, submitted late on Friday, comprises statements from 137 witnesses, and provides harrowing details of the crimes of the two, including the sexual abuse, rape and intimidation of a woman employed in the Revanna household, a police officer said requesting anonymity. The charge sheet also includes spot inspection, biological, physical, scientific, mobile, digital and technical evidence to support the allegations against the two.

The investigation into the two leaders also revealed that Prajwal had a history of sexually harassing multiple women, recording the assaults, and using the footage to blackmail them, the officer said.

The SIT is probing the allegations of mass sexual abuse against Prajwal, who was suspended from the Janata Dal (Secular) after a huge cache of explicit videos allegedly showing him sexually abusing several women became public hours following polling for the Hassan Lok Sabha seat on April 26.

Also Read | Hang Prajwal if he has committed wrongs, says HD Revanna; calls Karnataka DGP nalayak

Following this, chairperson of Karnataka State Commission for Women Nagalakshmi Chowdhary had sought an inquiry and wrote to the Congress government, which then ordered an investigation.

Karnataka government officials earlier said that the pen drive circulated in Hassan had 2,976 videos, some of a few seconds, and some that last a few minutes. Preliminary investigations suggested that most were shot from a mobile phone at Revannas residences in Bengaluru and Hassan after 2019.

Prajwal had contested the recent Lok Sabha election as an NDA candidate from Hassan and lost.

According to the charge sheet, HD Revanna sexually harassed the house help multiple times between 2019 and 2022. The woman was initially hired as a help in the kitchen at a hostel for backward class girls in Holenarasipur in Hassan district on the recommendation of Revannas wife, Bhavani. Later, she was engaged in the Revanna household.

The charge sheet gives details of how the former MLA harassed her at his family home, the police officer cited above said.

In the charge sheet, Prajwal is accused of repeating assaulting the same woman. It goes on to detail one specific incident from 2020, where he raped her and recorded the assault on his mobile phone, at HIS? House in Basavanagudi, Bangalore.

The charge sheet further reveals that Prajwal used these recordings to blackmail the woman.

In the recordings, the woman can be heard pleading with the former MP in a bid to dissuade him. He, however, goes on to threaten her, saying, If you reveal this, Ill send your husband to jail. Ill do the same to your daughter. I know how to close any case, no matter what. Im an MP, and nobody can do anything to me. He also threatened to kill her, the charge sheet said.

During its probe, the SIT also discovered that Prajwal sexually assaulted several other women, filmed the assaults, and used the videos to blackmail the women.

It also found that once the videos became public, Prajwal attempted to flee abroad and destroy the evidence, including mobile phones containing incriminating footage.

While the charge sheet only pertains one case, the SIT is yet to submit charge sheets in other cases, including additional rape charges and the Hassan pen drive case. These are likely to submitted in the next few days.

The charge sheet also highlights the systemic abuse of power and exploitation of vulnerable women.

While the MLA Revanna, who is son of former Prime Minister and JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda, has been charged with section 354 and 354 (A) of the IPC, his 33-year-old son Prajwal has been booked under sections 376, 376 (2)(K), 354, 354(A) and 354(B) of the IPC.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) on Sunday expressed deep concern over the recent enactment of a stringent morality law by the Taliban in Afghanistan. The Taliban Virtue and Vice Ministry had on May 7, 2022, said women in public must wear all-encompassing robes and cover their faces except for their eyes.(AP)

Roza Otunbayeva, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and head of UNAMA, condemned the "Law on the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice" which consists of 35 articles as a distressing vision for Afghanistans future.

The UN envoy said the new set of laws empowers moral inspectors to threaten and detain anyone based on broad and sometimes vague lists of infractions.

It extends the already intolerable restrictions on the rights of Afghan women and girls, with even the sound of a female voice outside the home apparently deemed a moral violation, she added.

Also Read | Taliban rules: Afghan woman abandons doctoring for pickle-making

What are Taliban's new rules for women?

The new morality law, ratified by Afghanistan's Taliban rulers, is part of an intensified effort to enforce their harsh interpretation of Islamic principles through a ministry dedicated to the propagation of virtue and the prevention of vice.

This ministry, established shortly after the Taliban's return to power in 2021, has now formalised its vice and virtue laws in a 114-page document. These laws regulate various aspects of daily life, including public transportation, music, social interactions, and even the appearance and behaviour of individuals in public spaces.

Also Read | In Afghanistans fairytale, lets not forget its women in exile

A significant focus of the law is the regulation of women's conduct.

Article 13 mandates that women must cover their bodies entirely in public, with face coverings deemed essential to prevent temptation.

Clothing should not be thin, tight or short.

The law further stipulates that women should not speak, sing, or read aloud in public, as their voices are considered intimate.

It also prohibits women from looking at men to whom they are not related, by blood or marriage, and vice versa.

Women should veil themselves in front of all male strangers, including Muslims, and in front of all non-Muslims to avoid being corrupted.

Public transportation is also tightly regulated, with solo female travellers forbidden and passengers required to perform prayers at designated times.

Also Read | Afghanistan under Taliban remains permissive haven for al-Qaeda: UNSC report

International observers, including the U.N., have warned that these laws are contributing to an atmosphere of fear and intimidation, particularly for women and girls.

Given the multiple issues outlined in the report, the position expressed by the de facto authorities that this oversight will be increasing and expanding gives cause for significant concern for all Afghans, especially women and girls, said Fiona Frazer, the head of the human rights service at the U.N. mission in Afghanistan.

The Taliban, however, has dismissed these concerns, asserting that the laws are necessary for maintaining moral order in the country.
The union cabinet on Saturday approved a Unified Pension Scheme (UPS), which will benefit approximately 23 lakh government employees and will serve as an alternative to the National Pension System. Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw briefed the media on the central government's new Unified Pension Scheme. (PTI)(HT_PRINT)

Prime minister Narendra Modi, who chaired the meeting, posted on X saying, The Unified Pension Scheme ensures dignity and financial security for government employees, aligning with our commitment to their well-being and a secure future.

Also Read: HC notice to J&K admn, Waqf Board over employees being denied pensions

In 2023, the finance ministry set up a committee led by finance secretary TV Somanathan to review the existing pension scheme - NPS - for government employees.

Also Read: How is the new Unified Pension Scheme different from NPS?

The National Pension System (NPS)is applicable for all government employees who joined the service after April 1, 2004. NPS subscribers can chose to shift to the UPS, which offers assured pension, minimum pension and assured family pension from the next financial year.

Also Read: Centre approves Unified Pension Scheme for govt employees

While many BJP ruled states have hailed the decision, several non-BJP ruled states have decided to revert to the Old Pension Scheme (OPS), reported news agency PTI.

Benefits

The UPS promises assured pension - which is 50 per cent of the average basic pay drawn over the last 12 months prior to superannuation for a minimum qualifying service of 25 years.

There is also a proportionate plan in place for shorter service periods, with a minimum of 10 years of service.

The new pension scheme also provides assured family pension at the rate of 60 per cent of the pension of the employee in case of their death.

Minimum pension will be Rs. 10,000 per month on superannuation after minimum 10 years of service.

Eligibility

The new scheme will be applicable from April 1, 2025. All those who are retired or retiring up till March 31, 2025 with arrears are eligible.

The information and broadcasting minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that the scheme will positively affect 23 lakh people who are government employees.

Prime minister Narendra Modi met a joint employee organisation and later said on X, "Met a delegation of staff side from the Joint Consultative Machinery for Central Government employees. They expressed joy on the Cabinet's decision regarding the Unified Pension Scheme."
New Delhi: Is the Unified Pension Scheme or UPS for federal employees, approved by the cabinet on Saturday, a return to the fiscally straining old pension system or OPS, since retirement benefits in the two systems are similar? The short answer is no. A majority of central government employees are expected to switch from the NPS to the UPS (Representational Image)

The key difference between the OPS and the UPS, which will take effect from April 1, 2025, is that the older scheme was an unfunded one, while both the UPS and the current New Pension Scheme or NPS are fully funded pension schemes.

A funded pension scheme is one that is designed to meet current and future financial obligations based on the retirement funds returns over investments. Funding is also ensured through compulsory contributions from the employee and the employer, and through annual on-budget allocations.

A majority of central government employees are expected to switch from the NPS to the UPS, as the latter will guarantee 50% of average base pay of the past 12 months as a monthly pension to those who have served for 25 years, a key demand of staff unions.

Since the NPS was fully funded  its corpus was mainly invested in federal debt  its pensions were linked to market returns, without any guaranteed payout, a major demand of federal employees.

The OPS, scrapped in 2004, too handed out a monthly pension equivalent to half of an employees base pay for those serving a minimum of 20 years. Just as in the OPS, the UPS will offer a lump sum payment upon retirement on top of gratuity.

While the OPS guaranteed a fixed pension of 50% of base salary, employees were not required to contribute anything from their salaries towards pension benefits. This made the OPS fiscally untenable, as pension liabilities soared.

The current NPS was implemented in 2004 as a major fiscal reform as debts were piling, especially of states, from an unfunded pension system. Under the NPS, the governments share in total contribution stood at 14%, while employees had to pay 10% of their emoluments. Under the UPS unveiled on Saturday, the governments contribution will be 18.5%, while employees will contribute 10%. The higher government contribution is the key reason why the government will be able to offer an assured amount.

Since OPS was an unfunded system, pension liabilities of state governments over the long term had showed a sharp unsustainable jump, said Soumya Kanti Ghosh, group chief economic adviser of State Bank of India, the countrys largest lender. In 2023-24, Indias federal pension budget was 2.34 lakh crore. The compound annual growth in pension liabilities for the 12-year period ended 2021-22 was 34% for all state governments. As of 2020-21, the pension outgo as a percentage of revenue receipts stood at 13.2%, Ghosh said.

With unfunded systems, there is a global concern about intergenerational inequities, said Robin Taldi, a labour economist with the Indian Statistical Institute. Intergenerational inequity could occur if younger and future generations were forced to bear excess financial burdens arising from decisions made by the preceding generations. Pension liabilities are one such burden.
The Union cabinet on Saturday greenlit two significant initiatives aimed at bolstering the countrys scientific and biotechnological capabilities. Vigyan Dhara scheme gets Cabinet nod

In a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the cabinet approved the continuation of three umbrella schemes merged into a unified central sector scheme called Vigyan Dhara under the Department of Science and Technology (DST).

The scheme, with an outlay of 10,579.84 crore for the period between 2021 and 2026, focuses on three main areas: institutional and human capacity building, research and development, and innovation and technology deployment.

The primary objective of the Vigyan Dhara scheme is to promote S&T (science and technology) capacity building as well as research, innovation and technology development towards strengthening the Science, Technology and Innovation ecosystem in the country, a government statement said.

There have been many historic decks made in PM Modis historic third term and special emphasis has been given to infrastructure development.. similarly focus has also been in acknowledging the poor.. we decided to make 3crore houses for the deprived.. cabinet had also approved decisions to improve housing facilities in urban areas.. today too the government has approved three major decisions, Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said while addressing the media.

Welcoming the decision, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a post on X, Vigyan Dhara will encourage innovation and scientific research among young minds. It will propel India towards becoming a global leader in research, science and technology.

The scheme aims to enhance research in various fields, including sustainable energy and water, and promote international collaboration. It also seeks to increase the participation of women in science and technology.

In a separate decision, the cabinet approved the BioE3 (Biotechnology for Economy, Environment and Employment) Policy for Fostering High Performance Biomanufacturing proposed by the department of Biotechnology.

The BioE3 policy is designed to support innovation-driven research and development across thematic sectors, accelerate technology development and commercialisation, and expand Indias skilled workforce.

Overall, this policy will further strengthen governments initiatives such as Net Zero carbon economy & Lifestyle for Environment and will steer India on the path of accelerated green growth by promoting circular bioeconomy, the statement added.

The policy will focus on strategic sectors including high-value bio-based chemicals, smart proteins and functional foods, precision biotherapeutics, and climate-resilient agriculture.

Both initiatives are aligned with Indias vision for development, known as Viksit Bharat 2047, and are expected to significantly contribute to the countrys scientific and economic growth in the coming years, the government said.
A first information report (FIR) was registered by the Delhi Police after a porn video was displayed on a digital advertisement board in the Connaught Place area. The video clip, which lasted a few seconds, was later removed from the board with the help of officials.(HT photo)

The incident took place on Thursday night when a passersby spotted the porn video being run on one of the LED screens put up for advertisements in Connaught Place's H Block, the officials said.

The video clip, which lasted a few seconds, was later removed from the board with the help of officials from the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC).

The NDMC, which has jurisdiction over the area, said in a statement that the incident could be a case of hacking by advanced technology, according to PTI.

The NDMC said it operates two types of panels in the areas under its jurisdiction-- one for advertisement and another for an interactive touchscreen.

"Both panels are of international standard and controlled by a server which is completely secured with a firewall and antivirus. We are also providing hotspots free of cost for public usage in the NDMC areas," the statement read.

The civic body further noted that this incident is "one of its kind" and added that it was trying to determine how the firewall was breached.

An unidentified police officer said that a case under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita has been registered and investigations are on to nab the culprits behind the incident.

Also Read | Is watching porn illegal? Court says not when it is kept from public display

Last year, an obscene clip was accidentally played for three minutes on multiple advertisement screens at platform number 10 at Patna railway junction, causing outrage.

The obscene content started playing on multiple screens at around 9.30 am and continued for three minutes before being taken down. Some passengers even recorded the entire episode and shared it on social media.
Priyanka Chopra made a surprise visit to India recently. The actor is in the country to attend her brother Siddarth Chopra's wedding festivities. For one of the first functions, she wore a pink Manish Malhotra chiffon saree. She styled the ensemble with stunning jewels from Bulgari. Know their price inside. (Also Read | Priyanka Chopra rocks sultry see-through gown as she supports Nick Jonas at The Good Half premiere: Watch) Priyanka Chopra wears a diamond bracelet and vintage pearl necklace by Bulgari to her brother's wedding. (Instagram)

Priyanka Chopra wears Bulgari jewels to her brother's wedding: Know their price

Priyanka Chopra, who is the brand ambassador for Bulgari, wore jewels from the luxurious Italian fashion house. She chose a diamond bracelet from their Serpentine collection and a vintage pearl choker necklace. The bracelet is called Serpenti Viper Bracelet and features a one-coil design in an 18 kt white gold set with full pave diamonds. According to the official Bulgari website, it is worth 30,79,000.

The price of the Bulgari bracelet Priyanka Chopra wore. (Instagram )

Coming to the vintage pearl choker necklace, Priyanka's oh-so-classy accessory is encrusted with pearls, rubies, and diamonds. Though the price of the necklace was not available on the official website, according to reports, the necklace comes at an insane price tag of 8 crore.

About Priyanka Chopra's look for her brother's wedding

Priyanka's first look for her brother's wedding festivities featured her in a pink chiffon saree, custom-designed by Bollywood's favourite Manish Malhotra. The nine yards feature floral adornments and shimmering sequin embellishments. She wore the drape with a cropped blouse featuring floral embellishments, spaghetti straps, a plunging neckline, and a backless design. Lastly, vibrant pink lips, a messy top knot, pink eye shadow, rouge-tinted cheeks, and highlighted contours rounded off the glam.

On the work front

Priyanka Chopra recently wrapped up the filming of her upcoming movie, The Bluff, directed by Frank E Flowers. She will also be seen alongside John Cena, Idris Elba, and Jack Quaid in the action comedy Heads of State, directed by Ilya Naishuller.
Positive outcomes from a novel treatment for locally advanced rectal cancer include the occasional full avoidance of surgery. The chance of a recurrence is also decreased. According to a thorough study done at Uppsala University and published in eClinicalMedicine, the approach is beneficial. "The tumour disappears completely more often, thereby increasing the chance of avoiding surgery and retaining normal rectum and rectal function. Moreover, there are fewer metastases," said Bengt Glimelius, Professor of Oncology at Uppsala University and Senior Consultantat Uppsala University Hospital, about the new method. New treatment for rectal cancer doubles chance of avoiding surgery.(Shutterstock)

Rectal cancer affects around 2,000 people in Sweden every year. Of these, a third have a high risk of recurrence. When a person is diagnosed with rectal cancer, part of the bowel is often removed, which could lead to the need for a stoma or problems controlling one's bowels. Patients often first receive radiotherapy or a combination of radiotherapy and concurrent chemotherapy for five weeks, followed by surgery and usually an additional round of chemotherapy for up to six months.

A study conducted by Uppsala University in everyday healthcare shows that it is possible to double the chance of eliminating the need to surgically remove part of the bowel if all radiotherapy and chemotherapy are given first and then the patient undergoes surgery, if necessary.

"If the tumour disappears completely during treatment, surgery is not required. This means that the rectum is preserved and the need for a stoma and a new rectum is eliminated. When part of the rectum is surgically removed, the new rectum does not quite understand that it should be able to refrain from frequently sending a signal to the brain that you need to use the toilet," said Bengt Glimelius.

A large number of doctors, researchers and research nurses have contributed to the study. Patient data was collected for a large number of patients via the Swedish Colorectal Cancer Registry (SCRCR), with 461 patients included.

Locally advanced rectal cancer has traditionally been treated with a combination of radiotherapy and chemotherapy, followed by surgery and further chemotherapy. Four years ago, a randomised study showed that an alternative approach of one week of radiotherapy followed by just over four months of chemotherapy resulted in more tumours disappearing completely and fewer having distant metastases. Later on, however, slightly more local recurrences were observed. Uppsala was the first region to choose to introduce this treatment, but with a shortened chemotherapy period of three months. Several other regions later followed suit.

The new study confirms the results of the previous randomised study, but also that the noted increase in local recurrences was not observed here. "With the old treatment, the randomised study failed to find any tumour in 14 percent of patients who underwent surgery. The new model doubled that figure to 28 per cent. The new Swedish study had the same results, but without an increase in local recurrence rate after almost five years of follow-up. It is important to show that experimental treatments also work in everyday healthcare," said Bengt Glimelius.
Math skills are essential for academic success, problem-solving, logical thinking, financial literacy and cognitive development in children however, gaps in guidance, both at school and at home, often leave this crucial piece missing. By mastering Maths skills, children sharpen their cognitive faculties, enabling them to navigate complex challenges with clarity and precision but embracing Math education isn't merely about numbers; it is about nurturing a robust mental framework that empowers children to excel academically and thrive in various facets of their lives. Hidden power of Math: Here are parenting tips to boost your childs brain and problem-solving abilities (File Photo)

In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Sripurna Sarma, Principal at Ryan International Academy in Sarjapur, addressed the factors vital to nurturing well-rounded individuals:

1. Attention difficulties  Complex mathematics procedures can overwhelm students, leading to distraction during lessons and difficulties with self-evaluation. The intricate nature of these concepts often causes students to lose focus, making it challenging for them to assess their understanding independently.

2. Math is always built on previous concepts- Mathematics relies on sequential learning; difficulties with earlier concepts can hinder understanding of new ones. For instance, mastering division is crucial to reducing fractions. Similarly, algebra builds upon arithmetic skills. Students often feel hesitant to ask questions when they're already struggling, contributing to the cycle of misunderstanding.

3. Concepts are learnt but not understood  Students frequently learn operations through repetition without grasping their underlying meaning. For instance, memorizing times tables like "4 x 4 = 16" may not signify true comprehension of multiplication; rather, it's rote memorization lacking deeper understanding of the concept.

4. Lack of practice of patience  Sometimes a student will feel like they have understood the concept but when attempting to do the problem themselves, they do not know how to begin or end, it results in struggling throughout the process.

5. When am I ever going to use this?- Many students struggle to see the practical application of math skills beyond the classroom. Difficulty with fractions, like converting 1/2 to 0.50, highlights this disconnect. However, they easily grasp concepts like "half of 100" equating to 50, illustrating the challenge of relating math to real-life situations.

Math is accessible to all; success relies on practice, not just natural ability. A positive attitude is crucial for achievement.

Empowering Young Minds: Embracing Mathematics

Bringing her expertise to the same, Shobha Sivaramakrishnan, Head at Ekya Learning Center of Ekya Schools, shared, In the pursuit of enhancing children's mental focus and overall cognitive abilities, one cannot overlook the pivotal role that math skills play. Embedded within the framework of the Singapore Math methodology lies a potent approach that not only teaches mathematical concepts but also cultivates critical thinking, problem solving, and mental discipline.

She added, As children engage with mathematical concepts, they exercise their minds in logical reasoning, pattern recognition, and analytical thinking, all of which are fundamental components of mental focus. The practical application of these skills in real-life situations further underscores their centrality to mental focus, demonstrating the tangible benefits of mathematical proficiency.

When students develop strong math skills, they gain the ability to:

1. Analyse and Solve Complex Problems: Children learn to break down complex issues into manageable parts, applying logical reasoning and mathematical principles to find solutions. This skill is invaluable across all areas of life, from navigating personal finances to understanding scientific challenges.

2. Think Critically and Make Informed Decisions: Strong Maths skills enable children to evaluate information critically, assess the validity of arguments, and make decisions based on quantitative data, preparing them for leadership and responsible citizenship in a data-driven world.

3. Innovate and Create: By understanding the foundational principles of Mathematics, children learn to innovate and create new solutions to real-world problems. This ability is essential for future scientists, engineers, technologists, and entrepreneurs in a ever evolving global economy.

4. Communicate Effectively Using Quantitative Information: By embracing Maths, students learn to present and interpret data clearly and persuasively, a skill that is increasingly important in a world where information is abundant and data literacy is a key ompetency in many professions.

5. Adapt to New Challenges with Flexibility: A strong foundation in Maths teaches children how to learn and adapt to new situations. They become more flexible thinkers, able to apply their knowledge in varied contexts and embrace challenges with confidence.

The Power of Math in Your Child's Development

Neelakantha Bhanu, CEO and Founder at Bhanzu, revealed, Many parents are surprised to learn that as many as 75% of students struggle with math anxiety. One can overcome math anxiety by experiencing math which is different than the traditional way of learning.

There is a constant question as to why 3 out of 4 students dislike math as a subject. Neelakantha Bhanu said, My years of experience teaching math and creating curriculum has proven that it can improve your child's confidence and problem-solving skills. It is a mental workout that engages multiple areas of the brain and improves cognitive abilities. We can take steps as parents to Incorporate math games, puzzles, and hands-on activities into their child's routine for cognitive development and mental well-being.

By developing strong mathematical skills, students unlock the ability to

1. Unlock Speed Math: This skill comes with practice and develops the ability of students not only to make them faster in calculations but also to boost their confidence in math. Students can calculate up to 4 times faster and have shown immense improvement. Speed math has also helped them academically.

2. Multitask with fluidity: Not everyone excels at multitasking with fluidity. Some find it overwhelming and see a decrease in productivity when juggling multiple things. However, getting yourself involved in early learning with math can train your mind to focus on the present moment and can improve your ability to switch between tasks with less mental strain giving you a competitive edge over other students.

3. Paradigm Adapt: In a world driven by data, math is the language of the future. By equipping your child with strong math skills, you're not just giving them a leg up in school, you're empowering them to become architects of tomorrow's world. Math fosters thought-leaders who are adaptive to change, it not only equips you with specific skills but also strengthens the cognitive foundation for paradigm adaptability.

4. Build Problem-Solving Muscles: Solving math problems is like training for a mental sport. Like athletes train their bodies, math problems become a workout for your brain. Each problem you solve strengthens your mental muscles  logic, problem solving and critical thinking.

5. Real-life applications: Strong math skills can encourage students to explore the math around them. With the right direction, students can apply the learnings and understand how the world works through the lens of mathematics.
Nearly five years after Justice K Hema submitted her report on the working conditions for women in the Malayalam film industry to the Pinarayi Vijayan-led Kerala government, it has finally been made public. Thiruvananthapuram: Mahila Congress activists stage a protest demanding a case against the perpetrators named in the Hema Committee report, (PTI)

Through a two-year long examination of actors, directors, producers, cinematographers, script-writers, make-up artists, hairstylists, and costume designers, among others, the release of the report coincides with a renewed focus on workplace safety.

The rape and murder of a 31-year-old doctor within the premises of the RG Kar hospital in Kolkata where she worked has caused national outrage and a suo motu hearing by the Supreme Court of India. The apex court has ordered the formation of a taskforce to look into workplace safety issues for medical professionals. The inability to provide safe working condition for women deprives them of equality in the workplace, Chief Justice Dhananjay Chandrachud pointed out.

[Read more about the Supreme Court hearing here and here]

The Hema Committee looks at another workplacethe Malayalam film industry and blows open an ugly picture of rampant sexual exploitation.

Yes, the casting couch is real. Yes, it is routine to ask for sexual favours in exchange for work. Yes, refusal to comply or, worse, an attempt to break the silence can result in being banned from work. Yes, there is a powerful all-male mafia that enforces these conditions. Yes, there is wage disparity between men and women. And, yes, even such basic facilities as toilets for women are missing.

Despite the redactions, ostensibly to protect privacy, the report contains stomach-churning details of drunk actors banging on their co-stars hotel room doors on outstation shoots. Of a strict law of omerta where even men cannot complain. And of workplaces so toxic that young women take their mothers and older relatives along to work just to feel safe.

Women dont speak up partly because they know it will be the end of their career and partly because there is no forum for redressal. Some are embarrassed because they are public figures who can be subjected to various forms of harassment including threats to life and online abuse. Others have not even shared the extent of their abuse with their own parents and friends, the report finds.

[A PDF of the Hema Committee report is available to Bar&Bench subscribers here and LiveLaw subscribers here]

The larger rot

Nearly 16 years after the Supreme Court issued its famous Vishakha guidelines in 1997 to protect women from workplace sexual harassment.

Nearly 16 years after the Supreme Court issued its famous Vishakha guidelines in 1997 to protect women from workplace sexual harassment, Parliament finally passed a law in 2013.

Earlier this week, reports The Economic Times, Indias top companies recorded a 40.4% increase in the number of sexual harassment complaints filed in fiscal year 2024 compared to the previous year. This, according to the news report, is attributed to greater awareness of the law as well as a culture in some companies that encourages reporting of such cases.

But in far too many workplaces, from the unorganised sector to media; from hospitals to domestic work; from factories to the film industry and even within the judiciary, workplace sexual abuse remains routine.

The Hema Committee report is unprecedented because no other film industry in India has been put through a similar examination, though talk of the infamous casting couch, including in Bollywood, has been rampant for years.

Alok Nath and Sajid Khan were among those named in the 2018 MeToo movement(HT Photo)

The closest reckoning came during Indias 2018 #MeToo movement with accusations levelled against actors like Nana Patekar and Alok Nath as well as director Sajid Khan. But, in the end, police cases were closed and the accusations came to nothing.

We failed because twice the number of women as those who spoke up remained silent, says Vinta Nanda, film-maker and writer and one of the main voices in the MeToo movement who accused Alok Nath of rape.

Vinta says she has found it hard to get work within the industry and now edits an online publication, The Daily Eye. But, she says, what the Hema Committee report says about Malayalam film industry holds true for other film industries, including Bollywood. The report can be extrapolated onto any other film industry, she says. The women are afraid to speak up because the consequences are dire.

Will the Hema Committee report have a ripple effect on other film industries? Much will depend on how the Kerala government, the same government that simply sat on the report for close to five years, chooses to respond.

Its actions dont encourage confidence. Chief minister Vijayan has now said legal proceedings will be initiated if the victims come forward. But what is stopping him from establishing a special investigation team, or from recognising sexual assault and asking state police to initiate legal proceedings?

Putting the onus on the victims whose livelihoods are at stake, who were afraid to depose before the committee, and who in all likelihood lack confidence in a government that sat on the report for five years, is really expecting too much.

Collective power

One day after his release on bail in October 2017, Dileep, one of the accused in the rape of an actress, was reinstated as president of the body of film exhibitors.(PTI)

Headed by retired judge K Hema with two other members, actress T Sarada and retired IAS officer KB Valsalakumari, the Hema Committee was set up in 2017 after an actress was raped in a moving car in Kochi while returning home from work. The crime was filmed and, allegedly committed at the behest of Dileep, a leading film star, as some sort of perverse vengeance from the actress for a perceived wrong doing.

The case is ongoing and Dileep, one of the accused, is out on bail.

But the crime was so shocking that 18 women including actors, directors, producers and technicians came together to form the Women in Cinema Collective. We felt the need to set up systems to ensure the security of women, Bina Paul, a film editor and founding member of WCC had told me then.

It was the WCC that demanded a task force to look into the working conditions for women in the film industry that led to the Hema Committee. It was the WCC again that filed a case in the high court asking for the sexual harassment law to be followed by the Malayalam film industry. The industry hemmed and hawedhow would you define workplace? How would the employer-employee relationship be definedbut in February 2022, award-winning film director Senna Hegde announced she was setting up a complaints committee for her film, 1744WA, the first Malayalam film to have such a committee.

Again, in 2021, the WCC submitted a cinema policy document to the government.

[I wrote about the WCC and its role in making the Malayalam film industry more compliant with the law in an earlier Mind the Gap here]

Its been a tough fight, Bina Paul told me on the phone after the report was released this week. Work has dried up because we are seen as trouble-makers. But, she adds, On the whole, we are really happy that the report is out. I only hope that it will have an impact outside of Malayalam cinema.

The following article is an excerpt from this week's HT Mind the Gap. Subscribe here.
Revenge is a dish best served cold, and a Chinese woman has once again proved it. The woman who claimed to be ignored by the staff at a Louis Vuitton store, waited for two months to get back at them. The Louis Vuitton staff counted  70 lakh in cash and later the customer decided to leave the store.(X)

According to a Sohu news website, the woman, who goes by the handle "xiaomayouren" on the social networking site Xiaohongshu, shared about her "infuriating" experience at the StarLight Place shopping centre in Chongqing, southwest China, in June.

Donning a Hermes bag, the woman had gone to a Louis Vuitton store to shop for clothing and said that the employees had treated her coldly. (Also Read: Louis Vuitton's latest boots trolled on social media: To clean the side walks?

She asked to see the new arrivals, but they ignored her request, pointing instead to old seasonal clothing. They also ignored her request for water.

When she asked them to show her some outfits that would fit, they even rolled their eyes and appeared irritated. The client said that when she called "the headquarters" of the luxury brand post the incident, she did not get an answer.

So, taking things into her own hands, the woman waited two months to get her revenge when she visited the same store with a bag of cash consisting of 600,000 Yuan (approximately 70 lakh).

Before telling the salesperson they would buy the clothes, they tried them on. The woman then paid with a large bag of money that she had given to the shop personnel.

The woman said, "We don't want to buy now," to the sales team after they had spent two hours counting the money. "We're leaving", she added.

"After they finished counting it, I just took away my money and left. How is it possible for me to buy their products to improve their work performance?" she wrote on Xiaohongshu. According to the South China Morning Post, the woman described this incident as the "most spleen-venting incident of the year".
The Russian-French billionaire founder and Telegram CEO, Pavel Durov, was arrested at Bourget airport outside Paris on Saturday evening, as per sources. The arrest happened after his private jet landed near the French capital. He had been targeted by an arrest warrant in France as part of a preliminary police investigation. Pavel Durov, CEO and co-founder of Telegram was arrested on Saturday evening. (AFP)

According to Reuters, the main focus of the investigation was Telegram's lack of moderators, and police believed this circumstance allowed illicit activity to continue on the app.

Soon after Durov's arrest, many people took to social media to voice their opinion against the arrest. A few even demanded his release. (Also Read: Russian-origin CEO of Telegram claims he has over '100 biological kids, reveals how)

Here's how social media reacted to the news:

With nearly one billion users, the encrypted messaging app Telegram holds significant sway in Russia, Ukraine, and the former Soviet Union's member states. It comes in second place among the main social media networks, behind Wechat, Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram, and TikTok, reported Reuters.

The news outlet also informed that Telegram has emerged as the primary platform for uncensored, often explicit, and inaccurate communication from both sides regarding the war and the politics following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The messaging app, which is heavily utilised by both the Russian government and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and his officials, has evolved into what some experts refer to as "a virtual battlefield" for the conflict. (Also Read: Telegram to soon introduce Stories feature, announces its founder Durov)

After the Kremlin tightened restrictions on alternative media following its invasion of Ukraine, Telegramwhich enables users to avoid official scrutinyhas emerged as one of the only locations where Russians may obtain independent news about the war.

The Russian foreign ministry urged Western non-governmental organisations to seek Durov's release and stated that its mission in Paris was providing clarification on the situation surrounding him.
Around 100 Israeli war jets struck Hezbollah's premises in southern Lebanon on Sunday, destroying thousands of the militant outfit's rocket launcher barrels. Tel Aviv described the strike as pre-emptive, saying the attack was aimed at thwarting a planned Hezbollah offensive in the north of Israel. The Iran-backed group claimed it fired 320 rockets and drones at Israel's 11 military installations. Smoke billows from an area targeted by an Israeli airstrike in the southern Lebanese village of Qsair on August 25, 2024.(AFP)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his government was determined to do everything possible to defend the country. "Whoever harms us, we harm him," he warned.

Sunday's hostilities exacerbated an already delicate situation in the restive Middle East, which is reeling under the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

Here are 10 points on the Israel-Hezbollah conflict:

According to the Israeli government, its air strikes hit 40 launch areas. "We are determined to do everything possible to defend our country, to return the residents of the north safely to their homes and to continue to uphold a simple rule: Whoever harms us  we harm him," said Netanyahu. Hezbollah said it launched drone and rocket strikes to avenge the killing of one of the top commanders last month. The renewed hostilities threatens regional peace and an all-out war between Hezbollah and Israel. It can potentially draw Iran into the conflict as well, which is nursing its wounds since some overtly aggressive actions against it by Israel, including killings of its operatives and a strike on its embassy in Syria earlier this year. The skirmish can also torpedo efforts to forge a cease-fire in Gaza, where Israel has been at war with the Palestinian group Hamas for over 10 months. Hezbollah and Hamas are allies against Israel. Hezbollah has said it would cease fighting if a ceasefire is agreed upon by Israel and Hamas. Hezbollah announced it had launched an attack on Israeli military positions as an initial response to the killing of Fouad Shukur, one of its founders, in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut last month. Air raid sirens were reported throughout northern Israel, and Israel's Ben-Gurion International Airport diverted incoming flights and delayed takeoffs for a time. Israel's Airports Authority said flights resumed at 7 am local time. In the US, a spokesman for the National Security Council, Sean Savett, said President Joe Biden was "closely monitoring events in Israel and Lebanon. He said the country will keep supporting Israel's right to defend itself. Last week, the Israeli government said it was moving troops toward the Lebanese border. Today, the Israeli ministry said it was preparing to launch an extensive attack in southern Lebanon. "We can see that Hezbollah is preparing to launch an extensive attack on Israel while endangering the Lebanese civilians. We warn the civilians located in the areas where Hezbollah is operating to move out of harm's way immediately for their safety, the military said. Hezbollah, which fought Israel to a stalemate in the summer of 2006, is believed to be far more powerful than it was during that conflict. The United States and Israel estimate it has some 150,000 rockets and is capable of hitting anywhere inside Israel. Hezbollah is a close ally of Iran, which has also threatened to retaliate for the killing of a senior Hamas leader, Ismail Haniyeh, in an explosion in Tehran last month that was widely blamed on Israel.

With inputs from AFP, AP, Reuters, ANI
KYIV, Ukraine  Five people died in Ukrainian shelling in Russias border region of Belgorod, officials said Sunday, while Russian forces struck a hotel in eastern Ukraine, leaving one journalist missing and two others injured. 5 people die in shelling of a Russian border region while Russian fire hits a hotel with reporters

Twelve other people were wounded in the Russian village of Rakitone, 38 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, including a 16-year-old girl reported to be in critical condition, said regional Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov.

Russian forces struck a hotel overnight in the city of Kramatorsk in the eastern Donetsk region, injuring two people and leaving one trapped under the rubble, regional Gov. Vadym Filashkin said. All three were reported to be journalists from Ukraine, the U.S., and the U.K.

Reuters news agency said Sunday that their journalist covering the war in Ukraine was missing and two other team members were hospitalized after Hotel Sapphire, where a six-person crew was staying, was hit by an apparent missile strike on Saturday. One of our colleagues is unaccounted for, while another two have been taken to hospital for treatment, the agency said.

The rest of the team has been accounted for, said the news agency.

In addition to the hotel, a nearby multistory building was also destroyed, Filashkin said, and rescuers were busy clearing the debris at the site.

Ukraines eastern Kharkiv region also came under Russian fire, resulting in multiple civilian injuries, regional Gov. Oleh Syniehubov wrote on the Telegram messaging app.

In Kharkivs Chuhuiv region, five people were injured, including a 4-year-old boy and a 14-year-old girl, after two houses were struck by Russian fire. In Kharkiv city, eight people were wounded when a two-story house was set on fire by a Russian attack.

In Balakliia, a Russian strike destroyed six houses and damaged others. A 55-year-old man was injured. In the Kupiansk area, a house was set on fire by a Russian attack, wounding four women.

Follow the s coverage of the war at /hub/russia-ukraine

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Bangladesh interim government's Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus Sunday said a free, fair and participatory election will be held after vital reforms in different sectors as he urged the people to have patience to see mountain-like challenges addressed gradually. Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, stands at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport in Roissy-en-France, France August 7, 2024.

"After completion of required reforms in administration, judiciary, election commission and electoral system, law and order and information flow systems -- a free, fair and inclusive election will be held to give the student-people mass protests a successful consequence," Yunus said in a televised address to the nation.

Yunus, 84, who now serves as the Chief Adviser - a position equivalent to the prime minister, said his interim government would strengthen the local government institutions and ensure decentralization to consolidate democracy.

"The goal will be to introduce an accountable political system, said the Nobel Laureate economist, who took charge of Bangladesh on August 8 following the ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina amid a massive students movement that also forced her to leave the country.

Yunus in his 26-minute speech did not give any deadline for the tenure of his interim government but acknowledged that everyone is interested to know when our government will leave.

"The answer lies with you when you will give us the farewell. None of us (council of advisers) are the ones to rule the country. We are happy with our professions. We took charge, responding to the students call during a national crisis, he said.

Yunus said that his government would put in all our efforts to discharge the duty he has been entrusted with as all sections of people had welcomed his government.

The chief adviser slammed the deposed premier's "fascist autocratic regime, saying they destroyed every institution of the country, crippled the economy and education system, and gauged peoples voices through intimidation and torture.

Yunus said his government believed in national unity" and for that reason, he has appointed a special assistant with the status of an adviser with the responsibility of developing national solidarity.

He urged the people to refrain from storming institutions and intimidating particular persons, putting pressure to accept cases and the tendency to do some kind of trial in advance by attacking people at court premises.

"You must come out of such phenomena, said Yunus who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 along with his Grameen Bank. "These incidents will fade the glory of the successful struggle to build a new Bangladesh."

Yunus said justice will be ensured for all the heinous crimes of the fascist government, such as extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, murders, kidnappings, etc. All those involved in these crimes will be prosecuted, he added.

He urged the people to have patience to see mountain-like challenges are addressed gradually instead of putting force to address everything right now.

"I'll just say, you have to be patient. It is difficult to overcome mountain-like challenges overnight, he said, mentioning what happened on the ground in line with demands coming from various sections and what is happening while taking accused people to the courts.

This was his second speech to the nation since his appointment as Chief Adviser to the interim government on August 8.

Yunus said the timing of the election was a "political decision and people will decide how long this interim govern will remain in power.

"I'll just say, you have to be patient. It is difficult to overcome mountain-like challenges overnight," he said.
OVER THE past ten days Dhaka, Bangladeshs capital, has been transformed. Images of Sheikh Hasina, the former prime minister who fled the country on August 5th, and Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, her father and Bangladeshs founding father, have vanished from billboards. Walls covered in posters and slogans advertising the Awami League (AL), their party, have been painted over with colourful graffiti displaying slogans and scenes from the protests that brought down Sheikh Hasina. Gen Z cleans the mess, reads one, Courage is contagious, another. The mood has changed along with the appearance of the city. Its very freeing to be able to talk openly about things after all these years, says a young NGO worker. Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus salutes to the attendees upon arrival at the Bangabhaban to take oath as the head of the interim government, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on August 8. (REUTERS)

For now, the political transformation seems to be keeping pace. Since taking charge on August 8th, the interim government, led by Muhammad Yunus, a Nobel peace laureate and social entrepreneur, has overseen a rapid leadership overhaul of key institutions. Mr Yunus has appointed a new chief justice and a new central-bank governor. At least 16 university vice-chancellors have stepped down following pressure from students. The government has announced it will try those responsible for state-sponsored killings during the protests, has started to throw out cases filed against students since they began in July, and embarked on police reforms to restore trust in law enforcement.

Slowly, life is returning to normal. Primary schools reopened on August 14th; Dhakas metro will do so on August 17th. Factories are operating again and workers have begun returning to offices. High-school and university exams, slated for August, have been rescheduled to September, to allow students time to recover and prepare. Police stations have begun to reopen, too, raising hopes that the many ordinary people who have spent the past few weeks guarding their neighbourhoods at night can return to a more normal rhythm.

Yet questions remain over how solid this return to normality really is. Mr Yunuss position, though backed by the army and popular support, is legally precarious: Sheikh Hasina abolished a constitutional provision for caretaker governments between elections. The worry is that Mr Yunus will have to step down before reforming the political system enough to break the cycle of retribution between Sheikh Hasinas AL and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) of Khaleda Zia that has scarred Bangladeshs politics ever since independence from Pakistan in 1971.

The constitution mandates that an election be held within 90 days. But observers in Dhaka say Mr Yunus needs more time to insulate the judiciary, the police and the electoral system from renewed political capture. If we hold an election in two years, we may have a balanced political system, reckons Major General Shahidul Haque, a retired officer and former ambassador. But if we have one too soon, well just end up with the same old thing.

The reopening of police stations shows how quickly things could go wrong. Most are still staffed by soldiers. The police remain loth to return to work, fearing retaliation for violence committed during the protests. But that is wearing thin, says General Haque. The army does not have the capacity to do this forever, so they really need to redeploy the police as soon as possible. The risk is that, otherwise, the country faces anarchy or martial law.

As The Economist went to press the new law-and-order structure was undergoing one of its first tests. On August 15th, the anniversary of Sheikh Mujibs assassination in 1975, AL supporters traditionally hold big rallies. The interim government declared the day a normal working day. Urged on by Sheikh Hasina from exile in Delhi, the AL called for a rally anyway.

Pressure from the countries political parties to hold early elections is another danger. For now, they are showing restraint. We support the interim government, says Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, the BNPs secretary-general. We want an election as soon as possible, but the political environment needs to be ready for it. Other party leaders say much the same. Yet if they sense a wobble in Mr Yunuss government, they may change their tune.

Another risk is that the students whose protests swept Mr Yunus to power lose patience and try to take matters into their own hands. The resignation of the former chief justice on August 10th was prompted partly by a large protest outside the Supreme Court. More such politics by protest could undermine Mr Yunuss authority. To make Bangladesh a vibrant democracy, his government needs to move fast.
Ryan Evans, a member of the Reuters team covering the war in Ukraine, was killed and two Reuters journalists were injured in a strike on a hotel in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk, the news agency said on Sunday. Ryan Fraser (Image courtesy: Reuters)

Evans, who was working as a safety adviser for the agency, was killed after a missile struck the Hotel Sapphire where he was staying as part of a six-person team on Saturday, Reuters said in a statement.

Two of the agency's journalists were being treated in hospital; one of them was seriously injured, it said.

"We are urgently seeking more information about the attack, including by working with the authorities in Kramatorsk, and we are supporting our colleagues and their families," Reuters said.

Evans, a former British soldier, had been working with Reuters since 2022 and advised its journalists on safety around the world including in Ukraine, Israel and at the Paris Olympics. He was 38.

"We send our deepest condolences and thoughts to Ryan's family and loved ones. Ryan has helped so many of our journalists cover events around the world; we will miss him terribly," Reuters said.

The three other members of the Reuters team who were in the hotel at the time of the strike were accounted for and safe, the agency said.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the hotel was hit by a Russian Iskander missile, a ballistic missile that can strike at distances up to 500 km (310 miles).

"An ordinary city hotel was destroyed by the Russian Iskander," he said in his evening address on Sunday, adding the strike was "absolutely purposeful, thought out ... my condolences to family and friends".

The Russian Defence Ministry did not respond to a request for comment.

Reuters was not able to independently verify if the missile that hit the hotel was fired by Russia or if it was a deliberate strike on that building.

The Donetsk province's regional prosecutor's office said in a Telegram post earlier that the body of a British citizen had been found in the rubble of a hotel building in Kramatorsk.

The hotel was "destroyed" at 10:35 p.m. local time (1935 GMT) on Saturday "probably with an Iskander-M missile", it said. The prosecutor's office has opened a pre-trial investigation into the strike, it said.
In what could potentially push the restive Middle East to the brink of another war, the Iran-backed group Hezbollah said on Sunday that it fired 320 Katyusha rockets at 11 Israeli military sites. Israel said it has launched air strikes in southern Lebanon to thwart an offensive by the group. A view shows smoke and fire on the Lebanese side of the border with Israel, after Israel said it had noted armed group Hezbollah preparing to attack Israel and had carried out pre-emptive strikes.(Reuters)

The Lebanese militant group said it had launched drone attacks on Israel in retaliation for the killing of one of its commanders in Beirut.

The group said the attack was targeting a qualitative Israeli military target that will be announced later as well as targeting several enemy sites and barracks and Iron Dome platforms.

The strikes were in response to the killing of Fouad Shukur, a top commander of the group

Earlier on Sunday, the Israeli military announced its pre-emptive strikes on Hezbollah sites in Lebanon, saying the militant group was preparing an attack.

The army said Hezbollah was planning to launch a heavy barrage of rockets and missiles toward Israel. The Iranian-backed group had been promising to retaliate for Israel's assassination of a top commander late last month.

In a self-defense act to remove these threats, the (Israeli military) is striking terror targets in Lebanon, from which Hezbollah was planning to launch their attacks on Israeli civilians. We can see that Hezbollah is preparing to launch an extensive attack on Israel, while endangering the Lebanese civilians," he added, without providing details. We warn the civilians located in the areas where Hezbollah is operating to move out of harm's way immediately for their own safety, Israel's military spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said early Sunday.

According to several news agencies, air raid sirens were sounded in northern Israel. The country's Ben-Gurion International Airport also diverted flights as a preventive measure.

Soon after this, Hezbollah announced its attack.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will convene a Cabinet meeting over the matter.

The attack came ahead of a new round of talks to end the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

Hezbollah has said it will halt the fighting if there is a cease-fire.

With inputs from AP, AFP, Reuters
The Islamic State group Saturday claimed responsibility for a knife attack in Solingen, Germany that killed three people and wounded eight others, according to its Amaq news site. Police tape is set up following an incident in which several individuals were killed on Friday night when a man randomly stabbed passers-by with a knife at a city festival, in Solingen, Germany, August 24, 2024.

The group said the attacker targeted Christians and is a soldier of the Islamic State who carried out the attack to avenge Muslims in Palestine and everywhere.

Police began raiding a home for asylum seekers in the city center of Solingen, including with special forces, the German news agency DPA reported.

We have received tips and therefore we are currently conducting police activities, a police spokesperson said.

Special police units had joined the search for the unknown knifeman who cut the throats of revelers at a crowded festival in the western German city, killing three people and wounding at least eight others, four of them seriously.

A 15-year-old boy was arrested early Saturday. Police said he was suspected of knowing about the planned attack and failing to inform authorities, but he was not the attacker.

Markus Caspers, from the counterterrorism section of the public prosecutors office, told a news conference on Saturday that authorities have not found the perpetrator.

So far we have not been able to identify a motive, but looking at the overall circumstances, we cannot rule out the possibility of terrorism, Caspers said, though he did not offer further details.

The three people who died were two men aged 67 and 56 and a 56-year-old woman, authorities said. Police said the attacker appeared to have deliberately aimed for his victims' throats.

Thorsten Fleiss from the German police, who was the chief of operations on Friday night, said that police are conducting various searches and investigations in the entire state of North Rhine Westphalia that will continue throughout the day.

He said that it is a big challenge to bring together available evidence and testimony from witnesses in order to come up with a overall picture.

Fleiss also said that police have found several knives but added that he was unable to confirm whether any of them have been used as weapon by the perpetrator during the attack.

Police warned people to stay vigilant even as well wishers started to leave flowers at the scene. Authorities established an online portal where witnesses could upload footage and any other information relevant to the attack.

Churches in Solingen have opened their doors to offer a space for prayer and emergency pastoral care.

German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser paid a visit to Solingen on Saturday evening. She said that the government would do everything possible to support the city and the people Solingen.

We will not allow that such an awful attack divides our society," she said, appearing alongside Minister-President of the German State of North Rhine Westphalia Hendrik Wust and State Minister for Internal Affairs Herbert Reul.

Wust described the attack as an act of terror against the security and freedom of this country. But Faeser, the countrys top security official, hasnt classified it as a terror attack.

Reul announced that the planned visit of the interior minister to the crime scene wouldn't take place because of the ongoing police operation in the affected areas of the city. He pleaded with the public to give time to the police so that they can do their work. He also said that police presence would be increased at larger events, especially because the perpetrator hasn't been caught yet.

People alerted police shortly after 9:30 p.m. Friday to an unknown attacker having wounded several people with a knife on a central square, the Fronhof.

Last night our hearts were torn apart. We in Solingen are full of horror and grief. What happened yesterday in our city has hardly let any of us sleep, the mayor of Solingen, Tim Kurzbach, said, speaking to reporters on Saturday near the scene of the attack.

The Festival of Diversity, marking the citys 650th anniversary, began Friday and was supposed to run through Sunday, with several stages in central streets offering attractions such as live music, cabaret and acrobatics.

The attack took place in the crowd in front of one stage. Hours after the attack, the stage lights were still on as police and forensic investigators looked for clues in the cordoned-off square. The rest of the festival was canceled.

Solingen has about 160,000 residents and is located near the bigger cities of Cologne and Duesseldorf.

Caspers told the news conference that the 15-year-old boy was arrested after two female witnesses contacted police. They said they had listened to a conversation between the boy and an unknown person before the attack, speaking about intentions that corresponded to the events that followed.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Saturday that the perpetrator must be caught quickly and punished with the full force of the law.

"The attack in Solingen is a terrible event that has shocked me greatly. An attacker has brutally killed several people. I have just spoken to Solingens mayor, Tim Kurzbach. We mourn the victims and stand by their families, Scholz said on X.

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier also spoke to Kurzbach on Saturday morning.

The heinous act in Solingen shocks me and our country. We mourn those killed and worry about those injured and I wish them strength and a speedy recovery from all my heart," Steinmeier said in a statement on Saturday.

The perpetrator needs to be brought to justice. Lets stand together  against hatred and violence.

There has been concern about increased knife violence in Germany, and Interior Minister Nancy Faeser recently proposed toughening weapons laws to allow only knives with a blade measuring up to 6 centimeters (nearly 2.4 inches) to be carried in public, rather than the length of 12 centimeters (4.7 inches) that is currently allowed.
Israel-Hezbollah conflict live updates: An image grab taken from Hezbollah's al-Manar TV on August 25, 2024, shows Lebanon's Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah giving a televised address from an undisclosed location.

Israel-Hezbollah conflict Highlights: Lebanese militant group Hezbollah launched an attack against Israel, firing more than 320 rockets, as retaliation for the death of its senior commander Faud Shukr last month. Early morning on Sunday, the Israeli defence ministry announced that it had carried out pre-emptive strikes against Lebanon after receiving information that Hezbollah had planned an attack as well....Read More

The Lebanese militant group had warned of action against Israel after they killed its senior leader in Beirut last month. Hezbollah claimed that they used a large number of drones for their offensive on Israel - including more than 320 Katyusha rockets spread across 11 target Israeli bases.

Tensions between Hezbollah and the IDF are at an all-time high as negotiators are trying to broker peace in the region, through an exchange of Israeli and Palestinian prisoners.

The United States had expressed solidarity with Israel and vowed to support them in any defence operations.

US National Security Council spokesperson Sean Savett said "senior US officials have been communicating continuously with their Israeli counterparts" at the direction of President Joe Biden, who was "closely monitoring events in Israel and Lebanon.

Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant announced a 48-hour emergency in the country due to the Hezbollah attacks, urging citizens to avoid large gatherings and to stay out of exposed spaces.
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Sunday said that Pavel Durov, the Russian-born founder of the Telegram messaging app, arrested in France, miscalculated by fleeing Russia. Medvedev, currently the deputy head of Russia's Security Council, was quoted by Reuters as saying that Durov was mistaken in thinking he could avoid cooperating with security services while abroad. Durov was arrested on Saturday at Bourget airport in France for alleged offences related to the app and failing to address its criminal use. Telegram CEO Pavel Durov (Instagram/@durov)

Medvedev recounted a conversation with Durov several years ago, where he warned him that refusing to cooperate with law enforcement would lead to problems in any country.

Medvedev further said that Durov aspired to be a brilliant 'man of the world' who lives wonderfully without a Motherland.

"He miscalculated," Medvedev stated. For all our common enemies now, he is Russian  and therefore unpredictable and dangerous.

He added, Durov should finally realise that one cannot choose one's fatherland.

Pavel Durov was arrested in France

Pavel Durov, who holds Russian and other nationalities, was arrested at Paris Le Bourget airport on Saturday and was set to appear in court on Sunday for offences related to Telegram.

According to Russian state news agency TASS, as quoted by Reuters, the Russian embassy in France has demanded consular access to Russian-born billionaire Pavel Durov and insisted that his rights be protected.

The embassy stated that France has so far avoided engagement regarding Durov's situation. Russian diplomats are in contact with Durov's lawyer, the embassy added.

Local media reported that Durov was travelling from Azerbaijan on his private jet when he was arrested.

What are the charges?

News agency AFP reported that France's Ofmin, an agency established to combat violence against minors, issued the arrest warrant for Durov. Ofmin is notably the coordinating agency in a preliminary investigation into alleged offences including fraud, drug trafficking, cyberbullying, organised crime, and the promotion of terrorism.

Telegram did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment, and both the French Interior Ministry and police declined to comment.

Russian-born Pavel Durov co-founded Telegram with his brother in 2013. He left Russia in 2014 after refusing to comply with government orders to shut down opposition groups on his social media platform, VKontakte, which he later sold.

(With inputs from AFP, Reuters)
More than 21 million Shiite Muslims took part in the Arbaeen pilgrimage in Iraq this year, which reached its peak on Sunday with attendees displaying their support for Gaza. Millions of Shiite Muslim pilgrims rally in Iraq

Arbaeen, which means forty in Arabic, marks the 40th day of mourning for the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Mohammed and a founding figure in Shiite Islam.

It is one of the world's biggest religious gatherings and a major event for Shiites, who are the majority in Iraq and Iran.

Karbala, where Hussein and his brother Abbas are buried in two enormous mausoleums facing each other, is the centre of the Shiite world during this time.

Pilgrims freely express their suffering, weeping and wailing in memory of Hussein, who was killed in 680 during a battle in Karbala with the Umayyad caliph Yazid.

This year, the events have included prominent displays of Palestinian flags by pilgrims, AFP photographers reported, amid the war in Gaza.

"The total number of Arbaeen pilgrims... reached 21,480,525", the institution that manages the Abbas mausoleum and is responsible for the count, said.

Among them were about 3.5 million Iranian pilgrims, according to official figures reported in Tehran.

Mohammed al-Tamimi, a 32-year-old pilgrim told AFPTV that the Palestinian flags waving among the pilgrims are "in support of our brothers in Palestine and in response to the Zionists, saying that Muslims stand as one against the Zionist actions and against the crimes taking place in Gaza."

The Arbaeen celebrations, which always take place amid tight security, drew around 22 million pilgrims last year, according to official figures. Iran provided the most foreign visitors, with four million.

The war in Gaza was sparked by Hamas's October 7 attack on southern Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,199 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.

Israel's retaliatory military campaign has killed at least 40,405 people in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry, which does not break down civilian and militant deaths. The UN rights office says most of the dead are women and children.

burs-tgg/hme/dcp/it

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
KYIV -Russia launched attacks on northern, eastern and southern Ukraine, killing at least four people and injuring 37, Ukrainian military and local authorities said on Sunday. Russian attacks on Ukraine kill 4 and injure 37, local authorities say

Overnight attacks targeted Ukraine's frontline regions of Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv and Donetsk, Ukraine's air force said on the Telegram messaging app.

Russia has been pummelling Ukrainian border regions with strikes, and Kyiv said its surprise incursion earlier this month into Russia's Kursk region aimed to hinder Moscow's ability to stage such attacks.

"Most of the missiles did not reach their targets," the air force said, adding that Russia launched an Iskander-M ballistic missile, an Iskander-K cruise missile and six guided air missiles. It did not specify how many were destroyed.

A missile attack on the northern region of Sumy killed one person, injuring at least 16 more, including three children, local authorities said on Telegram.

Oleh Sinehubov, governor of the Kharkiv region in the east, posted that at least 13 people were injured in the Russian attacks, including a 4-year-old child.

Ihor Terekhov, mayor of Kharkiv city, said a gas pipeline was damaged in the city and at least two houses were destroyed and 10 damaged.

The air force said Russia launched nine attack drones, with Ukraine's air defence systems destroying eight of them over the Mykolaiv region.

Russian attacks continued throughout the day in the southern region of Kherson, killing one person and injuring six more, according to Roman Mrochko, head of Kherson city's military administration.

Regional prosecutors in Sumy said an aerial bomb attack on Sunday afternoon struck a residential neighbourhood in the Svesa village, killing two people and injuring two more.

Reuters could not independently verify the reports. There was no immediate comment from Russia.

Both sides deny targeting civilians in the war that Russia launched with a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Telegram CEO Pavel Durov was arrested at the Bourget airport in France on Saturday for alleged offences related to the messaging app, reported AFP. The 39-year-old billionaire is reportedly suspected of failing to take steps to prevent criminal use of Telegram. Pavel Durov, CEO and co-founder of Telegram (AFP)

Local media reported that the investigation was focused on a lack of moderators on Telegram, adding that the police considered that this situation allowed criminal activity to go on undeterred on the messaging app, reported Reuters.

According to the local media, Durov was travelling from Azerbaijan on his private jet at the time of his arrest.

Frances Ofmin, an agency set up to combat violence against minors, issued an arrest warrant for Durov, reported AFP. Notably, Ofmin is the coordinating agency in a preliminary probe into alleged offences such as fraud, drug trafficking, cyberbullying, organized crime and promotion of terrorism.

While the exact details of Durov's arrest are unclear, the Russian foreign ministry said that its embassy in Paris is clarifying the situation. The ministry also accuses France of acting as a dictatorshipthe same criticism that Moscow faced when putting demands on Durov in 2014 and trying to ban Telegram in 2018. Moscow also called on Western non-governmental organisations to demand Durov's release.

Meanwhile, Russia's representative to international organisations in Vienna, Mikhail Ulyanov, slammed France over the Telegram CEO's arrest.

Some naive persons still don't understand that if they play more or less visible role in international information space it is not safe for them to visit countries which move towards much more totalitarian societies, he wrote on X.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk took a dig over Durov's arrest, saying: It's 2030 in Europe, and youre being executed for liking a meme.

Durov's arrest comes amid Telegram's increasing popularity, which has prompted scrutiny from several countries in Europe, including France, on security and data breach concerns. The messaging app, which has around one billion users, is particularly influential in Russia, Ukraine, and the republics of the former Soviet Union. It is also ranked as one of the major social media platforms after Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok, and WeChat and has It has about 900 million active users.

The app became one of the main sources of unfiltered, graphic, and misleading content after the start of the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022. It is also used by Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky and the Russian government.

All about Pavel Durov

Pavel Durov, 39, is the CEO of Telegram - a cloud-based, cross-platform, instant messaging service. He founded the app with his brother in 2013. In 2014, Durov left Russia after refusing to comply with government demands to shut down opposition communities on his VKontakte social media platform - which he sold.

Durov lives in Dubai and holds dual citizenship of the United Arab Emirates and France. He has a net worth of over 9 billion dollars, reported Bloomberg.

The Telegram CEO's fortune was estimated by Forbes at 15.5 billion dollars.

(With inputs from Reuters, AFP, Bloomberg)
* Telegram founder Durov arrested in France, sources says

Durov arrested in Bourget airport, police sources say

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Telegram is based in Dubai

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Durov has French and UAE citizenship

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Russia says Durov's rights should be respected

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Russian lawmaker: freedom of speech is dead in Europe

By Ingrid Melander and Guy Faulconbridge

PARIS/MOSCOW, -

Pavel Durov, the Russian-born billionaire founder and owner of the Telegram messaging app, was arrested at Le Bourget airport outside Paris shortly after landing on a private jet late on Saturday and placed in custody, three sources told Reuters.

The arrest of the 39-year-old technology billionaire prompted on Sunday a warning from Moscow to Paris that he should be accorded his rights and criticism from X owner Elon Musk who said that free speech in Europe was under attack.

There was no official confirmation from France of the arrest, but two French police sources and one Russian source who spoke on condition of anonymity said that Durov was arrested shortly after arriving at Le Bourget airport on a private jet from Azerbaijan.

One of the two French police sources said that ahead of the jet's arrival police had spotted he was on the passenger list and moved to arrest him because he was the subject of an arrest warrant in France.

Durov, who has dual French and United Arab Emirates citizenship, was arrested as part of a preliminary police investigation into allegedly allowing a wide range of crimes due to a lack of moderators on Telegram and a lack of cooperation with police, a third French police source said.

A cybersecurity gendarmerie unit and France's national anti-fraud police unit are leading the investigation, that source said, adding that the investigative judge was specialised in organised crime.

Telegram and senior Telegram managers did not respond to repeated requests for comment. The French Interior Ministry, police and Paris prosecutor's office had no comment. Durov faces possible indictment on Sunday, according to French media.

Russian lawmaker Maria Butina, who spent 15 months in U.S. prison for acting as an unregistered Russian agent, said Durov "is a political prisoner - a victim of a witch-hunt by the West." Durov's arrest led news bulletins in Russia.

Telegram, based in Dubai, was founded by Durov, who left Russia in 2014 after he refused to comply with demands to shut down opposition communities on his VK social media platform, which he has sold.

The encrypted application, with close to one billion users, is particularly influential in Russia, Ukraine and the republics of the former Soviet Union. It is ranked as one of the major social media platforms after Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok and WeChat.

TELEGRAM

Durov, who is estimated by Forbes to have a fortune of $15.5 billion, said in April some governments had sought to pressure him but the app should remain a "neutral platform" and not a "player in geopolitics".

Durov came up with the idea of an encrypted messaging app as a way to communicate while he faced pressure in Russia. His younger brother, Nikolai, designed the encryption.

"I would rather be free than to take orders from anyone," Durov said in April about his exit from Russia and search for a home for his company which included stints in Berlin, London, Singapore and San Francisco.

After Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Telegram has become the main source of unfiltered - and sometimes graphic and misleading - content from both sides about the war and the politics surrounding the conflict.

The platform has become what some analysts call 'a virtual battlefield' for the war, used heavily by Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and his officials, as well as the Russian government.

Russia's foreign ministry said it had sent a note to Paris demanding access to Durov, although it said that he had French citizenship.

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said that Durov had misjudged by fleeing Russia and thinking that he would never have to cooperate with the security services abroad.

Medvedev, who regularly uses Telegram to criticise and insult the West, said Durov wanted to be a "brilliant 'man of the world' who lives wonderfully without a Motherland."

"He miscalculated," Medvedev said. "For all our common enemies now, he is Russian  and therefore unpredictable and dangerous."

Russia began blocking Telegram in 2018 after the app refused to comply with a court order granting state security services access to its users' encrypted messages.

The action interrupted many third-party services, but had little effect on the availability of Telegram there. The ban order, however, sparked mass protests in Moscow and criticism from NGOs.

'NEUTRAL PLATFORM'

Telegram says it "is committed to protecting user privacy and human rights such as freedom of speech and assembly."

Durov has previously accused U.S. law enforcement agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation of seeking to get a backdoor into the platform. The FBI has not commented on those allegations.

Telegram's increasing popularity, however, has prompted scrutiny from several countries in Europe, including France, on security and data breach concerns.

Musk, billionaire owner of X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, said after reports of Durov's detention: "It's 2030 in Europe and youre being executed for liking a meme."

Outside the French embassy in Moscow, a lone protester held up a sign reading: "Liberte pour Pavel Durov".

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Toronto: The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) will mark the birth centenary year of Indian cinema legend Raj Kapoor with a world premiere of a digital restoration of one of his classics, Awara, next month. A still from Raj Kapoors Awara, a restored digital version of which will have its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival next month. (Credit: TIFF)

The screening of the film, made in 1951, will occur during the 49th edition of North Americas largest film festival, which begins on September 5 and runs through September 15.

The high-quality 4K restoration of the film, with its digital enhancement of the original print, was undertaken by the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) and the National Film Archive as part of the National Film Heritage Mission of Indias Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

The screening was made possible after NFDC officials contacted TIFF to make this cinematic event possible, TIFFs director of programming Robyn Citizen told the Hindustan Times. Its a gorgeous restoration and all of the songs that everybodys familiar with will be there. So we just really wanted to have this as part of this years selection, she said.

Awara, directed by Raj Kapoor, who also stars in it, will be part of the Classics showcase at this years festival, which is programmed by Citizen and TIFFs senior curator Andrea Picard. Its a special kind of moment. Were always looking to highlight international auteurs in our Classics programme, TIFFs chief programming officer Anita Lee said.

Described as the Greatest Showman of Indian Cinema, Kapoor has been featured by TIFF in the past as well. A major retrospective of his films was hosted by TIFF in 2011, under the title, Raj Kapoor and the Golden Age of Indian Cinema.

In its description of the film, TIFF said, A highly influential classic of Bollywood cinema, Awara has enjoyed international popularity (it was nominated for the Grand Prize at the 1953 Cannes Film Festival) and critical praise, this is a vibrant, sensuous, and casually progressive must-see.

This follows platforming of another Indian film legend, director Satyajit Ray, in 2022, when a 4K restoration of Agantuk, originally released in 1991, played at the festival. That came soon after a showcase, Satyajit Ray: His Contemporaries and Legacy, featured in August, consisting of ten films, including four by Ray.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday announced that the country's forces have carried out "successful" tests of a new long-range drone missile and derided Russia's Vladimir Putin as a sick old man from Red Square, reported Reuters. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky gestures as he speaks to media in Kyiv on August 24.(AFP)

Zelensky made the remarks in a video address on the occasion of Ukraine's 33rd Independence Day. This was Ukraine's third Independence Day since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of its neighbour in February 2022.

In his address, Zelensky said the new weapon, Palianytsia, was faster and more powerful than the domestically made drones that Kyiv has so far used in its fight against Russia.

Also Read | Joe Biden speaks with Zelenskyy as US approves $125mn in new military aid to Ukraine

"Our enemy will ... know what the Ukrainian way for retaliation is. Worthy, symmetrical, long-ranged," he said, according to Reuters.

The Ukrainian president also added that the new class of Ukrainian weapon had been used for a successful strike on a target in Russia, but did not elaborate further about its use or target location.

Russia and Ukraine also exchanged 115 prisoners of war each on the occasion.

Zelensky calls Putin 'Sick old man



In his Independence Day, Zelensky targeted Russian President Vladimir Putin and criticised Moscow's repeated nuclear attack warning.

"A sick old man from Red Square who constantly threatens everyone with the red button will not dictate any of his red lines to us," he said in the video.

He also said that Russia wanted to "destroy" Ukraine but that war has "returned to its home".

Russia was seeking one thing: to destroy us. Instead, today we celebrate the 33rd Independence Day of Ukraine. And what the enemy brought to our land has now returned to its home, Zelensky said.

"Anyone who wants to sow evil on our land will reap its fruit on their territory," he added. "This is not a prediction, not gloating, not blind revenge. It is justice."
At least 44 people were killed in two separate bus accidents in Pakistan on Sunday, including 12 pilgrims who had been prevented from crossing into Iran, rescue officials said. 44 dead in two Pakistan bus accidents: rescue officials

At least 22 people were killed when the bus they were travelling in plunged into a ravine near the town of Azad Pattan on the border between Punjab province and Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

"22 dead till now, including 15 men, six women and one child," said Farooq Ahmed, a spokesman for Rescue 1122 emergency services in Punjab.

In a separate incident, 12 men died when their bus crashed into a ravine on the Makran Coastal Highway in Balochistan, after being prevented from crossing into Iran.

"This is a particularly treacherous tract of road, with many twists and turns. The driver was over speeding and the bus fell into a deep ravine," police official Aslam Bangulzai, who was at the scene, told AFP.

The accident occurred in a mountainous area, around 100 kilometres from the nearest town of Uthal and 500 kilometres from the Iran border town of Pishin.

"The bus was carrying pilgrims on its way to Arbaeen but was turned back at the Iran border because their documents had some problems," said Hamood Ur Rehman, a senior government official in the nearby district of Gwadar.

Road accidents with high fatalities are common in Pakistan, where safety measures are lax, driver training is poor and transport infrastructure often decrepit.

On Saturday, the bodies of 28 pilgrims who died in a bus crash in Iran were returned to Pakistan.

The bus was carrying 51 Pakistani pilgrims who were passing through Iran to attend the Arbaeen commemoration in Iraq, one of the biggest events of the Shiite calendar, when it overturned and caught fire in front of a checkpoint in Yazd province on Tuesday night, Iranian state TV reported.

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This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
If all goes well, the Polaris Dawn mission liftoff is scheduled for 3:38 am EDT on Tuesday, August 27. Two days from now, Elon Musk's SpaceX will race towards completing the historic first commercial spacewalk. Meanwhile, NASA has also fallen back on the billionaire's SpaceX Crew-9 mission to check off the major responsibility of rescuing Sunita Williams and Barry E Butch Wilmore, NASA astronauts stuck in space for over two months. NASA astronauts Barry "Butch" Wilmore and Sunita "Suni" Williams blasted off for the ISS on Starliner on June 5 for what was meant to be an eight-day stay. (AFP)

On Sunday, August 25, Elon Musk's company officially confirmed that the full rehearsal of launch day activities had been completed. Polaris Dawn and SpaceX completed a full rehearsal of launch day activities ahead of liftoff on Tuesday, the astronautics company wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

More about the Polaris Dawn mission

Though poised to make history, the new SpaceX mission is not without its risks. It is scheduled to launch on Tuesday and will send four people to orbit for five days aboard a Crew Dragon capsule. Two of these will perform the first-ever private spacewalk, which is also expected to expose them to a radiation belt.

US billionaire and experienced aviator Jared Isaacman will serve as the mission commander. Meanwhile, retired US Air Force Lt Col Scott Kid Poteet will lead as the pilot. Other Polaris Dawn crew members include SpaceX's Sarah Gills and Anna Menon.

Also read | LeBron James replacement reportedly cooking at Lakers amid team-up rumours with Steph Curry

Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore to be rescued by Elon Musk's SpaceX after all

This update comes a day after NASA's formal review on Saturday to determine whether the Boeing Starliner would ensure a safe journey home for the crew members onboard. Despite Boeing's high confidence in early August, insisting that its spacecraft would be able to bring Williams and Wilmore back to Earth, the US space agency went a different way.

NASA has decided that Butch and Suni will return with Crew-9 next February, and that Starliner will return uncrewed, NASA administrator Bill Nelson said. The astronaut duo's return was originally delayed indefinitely due to the Boeing spacecraft's thruster malfunctions and other issues like helium leaks.

We have had mistakes done in the past: We lost two space shuttles as a result of there not being a culture in which information could come forward, Nelson added. Spaceflight is risky, even at its safest and even at its most routine. And a test flight, by nature, is neither safe, nor routine.

Also read | Apple juice sold at Walmart recalled in multiple US states over arsenic levels

On the other hand, Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who initially took off on the Boeing Starliner on June 5 for eight days, are now expected to make their Earth return in February 2025, spending around eight months in orbit.

During their time in space, Wilmore and Williams supported further tests, data analysis, and other maintenance tasks.

An excerpt from the NASA Commercial Crew's Saturday tweet reads: Wilmore and Williams will continue their work formally as part of the Expedition 71/72 crew through February 2025. They will fly home aboard a Dragon spacecraft with two other crew members assigned to the agencys SpaceX #Crew9 mission.

The Boeing rival has reconfigured its Crew-9 mission to carry two astronauts instead of four, as initially planned. This reshuffling opens up two seats for Williams and Wilmore, who will be joining the Crew-9 members.

This Crew Dragon spacecraft launch, initially scheduled for August 18, has been delayed to September 24
White House National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett has said that president Joe Biden is closely monitoring events in Israel and Lebanon. Hezbollah has reportedly said that it has completed the first phase of its attack on Israel with a large number of missiles in response to commander Fuad Shukrs killing. The Lebanese group said that it has fired over 320 Katyusha rockets at 11 Israeli military bases and barracks, which include the Meron base and four sites in the occupied Golan Heights. Joe Biden closely monitoring events in Israel and Lebanon, White House says (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)(AP)

He has been engaged with his national security team throughout the evening, Savett said of Biden. At his direction, senior US officials have been communicating continuously with their Israeli counterparts. We will keep supporting Israels right to defend itself, and we will keep working for regional stability.

And the drones have passed as planned

Hezbollah said that it targeted military bases to facilitate the passage of drones towards their desired targets deep inside Israel. And the drones have passed as planned, the group added.

This comes after Israel launched several air strikes on southern Lebanon in a preemptive attack launched after the country detected Hezbollahs preparation to attack northern Israel.

Hezbollah and Israel have been fighting since the beginning of Israels war on Gaza in October, but this was a significant escalation. Reports of injuries have emerged in northern Israel, and Israeli cities have opened public bomb shelters. There are reports that this initial wave of attacks in southern Lebanon has now ended, so were waiting to hear from the Israeli military to see whether or not they plan to carry out more strikes, which could, in turn, trigger a Hezbollah response and expand this conflict, Al Jazeera quoted journalist Zeina Khodr as reporting from Beirut.

This is, and has been, a very dangerous conflict, even though largely contained, there is a real concern that it could expand and spiral out of control, Khodr added.
JD Vance has revealed Donald Trump's plan to veto any federal legislation to ban abortion nationwide if a bill were to be passed by Congress. During his Saturday appearance on NBC News' Meet the Press, the vice presidential hopeful argued that the GOP nominee has explicitly said he would veto a ban to end this culture war over abortion. JD Vance says that Donald Trump would 'veto' a national abortion ban(Reuters)

JD Vance says Donald Trump would veto a national abortion ban

When asked by Reporter Kristen Welker if the former president would veto a national abortion ban should he be reelected, Vance said, I can absolutely commit that, Kristen. Donald Trump has been as clear about that as possible. Donald Trump wants to end this culture war over this particular topic, he continued, adding, We want the federal government to focus on these big economic and immigration questions. Let the states figure out their own abortion policy.

ALSO READ: Top Indian-origin doctor Ramesh Peramsetty shot and killed in US

The Ohio Senator's statement comes just days after Kamala Harris warned that Trump would establish a nationwide ban on abortion. He and his allies would limit access to birth control, ban medication abortion, and enact a nationwide abortion ban with or without Congress, she said during her acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention on Thursday.

ALSO READ: Harris campaign raises $540m since launch after raking in $82m during DNC week

However, Trump refuted the Democratic nominee's claims in a scathing social media post. My Administration will be great for women and their reproductive rights, the ex-POTUS posted on Truth Social Friday. During his Saturday interview, Vance went on to say, I think hes been very clear he would not support it when asked about Sen. Lindsey Grahams push for a federal ban. I think he would. He said that explicitly that he would, the Ohio Republican said in response to whether Trump would veto such a ban.
Telegram CEO Pavel Durov's arrest has ignited a fiery debate online. The 39-year-old entrepreneur was detained at Le Bourget airport outside Paris on Saturday. The Russian native was led away by cops upon landing in a private jet. He was wanted by French authorities, who had acquired an international arrest warrant, over a lack of moderation on Telegram. Social media is since abuzz with netizens' calls to free Durov. Top tech leaders like Elon Musk and Edward Snowden have also voiced their support for the Telegram co-founder. Pavel Durov's arrest has caused an outrage on social media, with tech leaders like Elon Musk calling for his release(Instagram/@durov)

Here's what tech leaders said about Pavel Durov's arrest

Shortly after Durov's arrest, Snowden, former American NSA intelligence contractor and whistleblower, took to X, formerly Twitter, to condemn the shocking arrest.

First they came for Tiktok, and I did not speak out Because I was not twelve years old. Then they came for the Telegram, and I did not speak out Because I was using some other app or sth idk. Then they came for literally every other platform for dissent, and I did not speak out because bro how tf could i that's the entire point wake up wake up wa, the 41-year-old wrote.

The arrest of@Durov is an assault on the basic human rights of speech and association. I am surprised and deeply saddened that Macron has descended to the level of taking hostages as a means for gaining access to private communications. It lowers not only France, but the world, Snowden went on in a separate tweet.

The SpaceX founder's X account was one of the first to mention the #FreePavel trend. Musk went on to express his concerns over the attack on free speech with a flurry of posts on his social media platform.

Being a free speech advocate these days is increasingly feeling like a Kobayashi Maru problem, he tweeted just hours after Durov's arrest. Meanwhile, Craft Ventures' David Sacks said, Using allied countries to circumvent First Amendment protections is the new Rendition.

Computer scientist Paul Graham also called out Durov's arrest in an X post that read, It's hard to imagine a country both arresting the founder of Telegram and being a major startup hub.
Kamala Harris' campaign has raised a total of $540 million so far in support of her presidential bid against Donald Trump. The Democrats saw a surge in donations throughout the Democratic National Convention this week. Campaign chair Jen OMalley Dillon said that the campaign saw its best fundraising hour since launch day shortly after the vice president's acceptance speech on Thursday. FILE PHOTO: Democratic presidential nominee and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris laughs on Day 4 of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., August 22, 2024. REUTERS/Alyssa Pointer/File Photo(REUTERS)

Harris campaign raises $540 million since launch

The campaign has had little to no difficulty raising funds since its launch, as it raked in $81 million in the first 24 hours after Biden's decision to drop out of the raise. Just before Vice President Harris acceptance speech Thursday night, we officially crossed the $500 million mark, Dillon wrote in a memo released Sunday before adding that it raised another $40 million after Harris' keynote address.

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Immediately after her speech, we saw our best fundraising hour since launch day, Dillon continued. The memo explained that the campaign acquired funds worth $82 million last week. Bottom line: The Convention was a galvanizing moment for the Harris-Walz coalition throughout the country, energizing and mobilizing volunteer and grassroots donors alike, Dillon said.

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She went on to explain that the campaign will use those resources and enthusiasm to build on our momentum, taking no voters for granted and communicating relentlessly with battleground voters every single day between now and Election Day  all the while Trump is focused on very little beyond online tantrums and attacking the voters critical to winning 270 electoral votes.

Earlier this month, the Trump campaign announced that they had raised $138.7 million in July, which is less than what Harris took in during her White House bids opening week. Trumps campaign reported $327 million in cash on hand at the start of August, according to the Associated Press.
King Charles, who has received advice from spiritual leaders, could consider forming a truce with Prince Harry. As reported by Mail on Sunday, the King has found solace in the advice of the spiritual leaders as he tried to make peace with the death of his parents and the challenges posed by his new role. This solace led King to give another try to his relationship with his younger son. King Charles wants to mend his relationship with Prince Harry after advice from religious leaders. (Jeff J Mitchell/Pool via AP)

Also Read: Meghan Markle has one major condition for Prince Harry for potential UK return

King Charles proposes a truce with Prince Harry

King Charles tilted towards exploring theologies, learning the nature of forgiveness and teaching their central tenets since he became the monarch. He took spiritual nourishment from his discussions with the religious leaders. This made him decide to try to fix his relationship with Prince Harry who has been living away from the royal family with his wife Meghan Markle and their two children for the past four years in California, America.

The source said, Faith has always been a part of Charles life and something he has explored, but since becoming king it is playing a more central role. That reliance on faith and quiet contemplation has become a comfort and an asset to him and helps him cope as he adjusts to being king, as reported by The Mail.

The rift between the King and Prince Harry formed due to some of the latters hurtful comments in public including his memoir where he called Camilla his evil stepmother and the other woman.

Just like the late Queen who placed faith above her protocols and duties, Charles has drawn solace from Christianity. He is a spiritual man and a regular churchgoer but also as the head of the church has been known to protect the diverse religions followed.

Also Read: Meghan Markle's Toronto home where she lived while filming Suits is up for sale

Possible reconciliation with Prince Harry

Regarding the possibility of a patch-up between the King and the younger Prince, the source said, Charles misses his son. He still loves Harry and wants him back for personal reasons, regardless of his and Meghan not wanting to return to royal life. Harry will always be Charless most beloved son. He has faith that Harry can return. He misses the bond they once had, and the door will always remain open for him and his family. He does not want years of discord and disharmony to tarnish his reign. However, a major interference in this possible reunion remains to be Prince William.

Regarding his faith, Charles said during the first Christmas after his coronation in 2022 about how he shared his mothers faith and fulfilled his wish to visit Bethlehem and the Church of Nativity.
Meghan Markle presented one major condition for Prince Harry if she is to return to England after four years. The royal expert claimed that the fulfilment of Markles condition is necessary if they come back home. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex moved out of England in 2020 after they stepped down from their royal duties. Meghan Markle demands one thing to return to the UK with Prince Harry and heir children. (Photo by ANDRES CASTILLA / Colombian Vice-Presidency / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT 'AFP PHOTO / COLOMBIAN VICE PRESIDENCY / ANDRES CASTILLA' - NO MARKETING - NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS(AFP)

Also Read: Meghan Markle's Toronto home where she lived while filming Suits is up for sale

Meghan Markle's major condition

Prince Harry and Markle resided in England until the year 2020 and then moved to their mansion in California, America. Since the shift, the couple rarely made a stay at their home in the UK. Markle was last spotted on British land in 2022 for the funeral of the late Queen Elizabeths funeral. The recent claim suggested that Markle would only make a return with her family if she is promised a place of their own to reside with apt security details.

Royal author and expert Tom Quinn claimed, Meghan has said shes only prepared to return to England if she and Harry have a place of their own and the security they both feel is essential. Meghan will never return to the UK and stay with her husbands relatives, as reported by The Mirror.

Also Read: Bill Maher says Harris ignoring press is more insulting than what Trump does: What shes kind of saying is

Quest for permanent residency

Markles request for residency came after the the Duke and Duchess were asked to leave their UK home, Frogmore Cottage in June. Currently, they do not have a residency in Britain. Hence Quinn said, "If the couple manage to find a permanent home and sort out the security issue they will certainly want to bring their children to the UK but its going to take a lot of diplomacy to get to the point where Archie and Lili are able to develop a genuine and warm relationship with their cousins George, Charlotte and Louis."

Recently Harry won the right to appeal a High Court decision about his family security. The High Court ruled that his familys current security detail in Britain was adequate but Harry challenged this decision. Since the couple forego of their royal duties in 2020, they were stripped of their taxpayer-funded police protection as well.
A former Republican Congressman has urged Prince Harry and Meghan Markle not to take sides in the polarised race for the White House. Charlie Dent, who served in the House of Representatives from 2005 to 2018, also went on to claim that celebrities endorsements ahead of the November election carry less weight than people believe. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle advised not to take sides in polarised race for White House (Photo by RAUL ARBOLEDA / AFP)(AFP)

Harry and Meghan notably did not join A-listers at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago this week, but they have always been outspoken about US politics. Dent has now suggested that the Sussexes need to tread carefully.

I dont think there are many Americans who are particularly concerned about their political opinions

I really dont think most Americans sit up at night worrying what Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have to say about American politics, or British politics for that matter, Dent told GB News. I know over in the UK that the royals are meant to stay out of politics. They do that sometimes successfully, I guess, sometimes not. Queen Elizabeth was pretty careful but Charles dabbled in it a bit more than some would like.

Dent continued, In terms of Meghan and Harry, I dont think there are many Americans who are particularly concerned about their political opinions. Politicians in the United States believe endorsements matter, I tend to think they dont matter that much, they really dont. In fact, in some cases, they have the opposite effect, they drive people away and maybe even hurt the branding of the person doing the endorsing.

In a polarised country, its not always the smartest thing in the world to take sides if youre trying to advance yourself on some cause when half the country thinks its unpopular or vehemently disagrees with it, he added.

Dent also claimed that businesses can avoid facing backlash by keeping quiet.

My advice to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle [would be] Id be somewhat circumspect, the 64-year-old said. I was just over in the UK a couple of weeks ago, it doesnt sound like theyre particularly popular over there and I dont know if they want to do things that would make them unpopular over here.
An Indian-origin doctor was shot and killed in the Alabama city of Tuscaloosa on Friday. The victim, identified as Dr Ramesh Babu Peramsetty from Tirupati district in Andhra Pradesh, died at the scene. With 38 years of experience, he was a renowned physician who co-founded a group of local medical officers operating as the Crimson Network. Dr, Ramesh Peramsetty was shot and killed in Alabama on Friday(Facebook/ Crimson Care Network)

Indian-origin doctor shot and killed in US

Peramsetty's death was confirmed by the Crimson Care Network Team in a statement issued on Facebook that read, As many are aware at this moment, we have been informed of Dr. Ramesh Peramsetty's passing. The Peramsetty family ask for us to give them privacy as they grieve his passing. They have received abundant outpouring of love and faith. We will continue to honor him as he would want us to do. Thank you for your understanding.

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In a separate post, the Crimson Care Network wrote, Please continue to keep the Peramsetty and Crimson Care Network family in your thoughts and prayers as we navigate this challenging time. Our team is prepared to make more statements within the next few days. We will continue to honor his legacy. Our clinics remain open during the transition. Peramsetty is survived by his wife, two sons, and two daughters, who are all based in the United States.

Who was Dr. Ramesh Babu Peramsetty?

Peramsetty graduated from the Medical College of Wisconsin and Sri Venkateswara Medical College in 1986, according to his Web MD page. He had specialisations in Emergency Medicine and Family Medicine and was also affiliated with the Diploma in Child Health (DCH) Regional Medical Center. In addition to Tuscaloosa, he worked in four other locations across several hospitals.

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During the Covid-19 pandemic, Peramsetty provided extensive healthcare to those affected. He was recognised for his profound contribution and received multiple awards, according to local reports. The late doctor was also engaged in social work as he donated nearly $17k to Menakuru High School in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.
Donald Trump took up arms against President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on Sunday, August 25, bashing their leadership and blaming them for leading the US towards World War III. Former US President and 2024 Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump arrives to speak during a campaign rally at the Georgia State University Convocation Center in Atlanta, Georgia, on August 3, 2024.(AFP)

Who is negotiating for us in the Middle East? Bombs are dropping all over the place! Sleepy Joe is sleeping on a Beach in California, viciously Exiled by the Democrats, and Comrade Kamala is doing a campaign bus tour with Tampon Tim, her really bad V.P. Pick. Lets not have World War III, because thats where were heading! he fumed on X, formerly Twitter.

The former president's enraged social media rant comes amid the Israel-Hezbollah conflict as the Lebanese militant group attacked the Middle Eastern country early in the morning on Sunday. Iranian-backed Hezbollah launched over 320 rockets as an act of retaliation for the death of senior military commander Faud Shukr, who was killed in an Israeli strike last month.

The Hezbollah attack was, in turn, preceded by the Israeli military launching airstrikes against the militant group in southern Lebanon, which reportedly annihilated thousands of rocket launcher barrels at over 40 sites, according to Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) spokesperson Daniel Hagari. He even described it as an act of self-defence as they hoped the airstrike would avert a Hezbollah offensive.

Also read | Top Indian-origin doctor Ramesh Peramsetty shot and killed in US

Trump's Sunday tweet follows up on his Thursday post expressing his boiling rage. He previously wrote on social media, There will be no future under Comrade Kamala Harris, because she will take us into a Nuclear World War III." However, that wasn't the first of his warnings on this issue. According to the Trump Twitter Archive, he's referred to this phrase about 32 times in his X and Truth Social posts. Newsweek further reported that he first began alluding to it in 2013.

Moreover, he's not the only member of his family to link Harris to World War III. His daughter-in-law, Laura Trump, said during an episode of her podcast, The Right View: We are really on the verge of a lot of terrible things happening in our country and in our world.

Accusing the Biden administration of being responsible for rising global tensions, she warned that Harris' presidential win would result in a recession and World War III.

In July 2024, Trump boldly said he would achieve Peace in the Middle East.

Also read | A day after NASA said Sunita Williams will return with SpaceX, Elon Musk company issues Polaris Dawn update

Looking forward to seeing Bibi Netanyahu on Friday, and even more forward to achieving Peace in the Middle East! DJT, he wrote on Truth Social, sharing the picture of a letter penned to him by Mahmoud Abbas, the President of the State of Palestine.

The former president has also repeatedly asserted that if he won the November election, he would settle the war in Ukraine in a single day.

Trump's latest blame-game tweet, raising doubts over current US leaders' handling of the Middle East situation, came after US Air Force General CQ Brown embarked on his journey to Israel for a meeting with IDF's senior officials.

Simultaneously, White House National Security Council spokesperson Sean Savett said Biden was closely monitoring events in Israel and Lebanon.

We will keep supporting Israels right to defend itself, and we will keep working for regional stability, he added.
Aug 25 - Lebanon's Hezbollah has drawn on a greatly expanded arsenal during more than 10 months of cross-border hostilities with Israel. One of the world's most heavily armed non-state groups, it says it has used just a small part of its weaponry so far. It launched hundreds of rockets and drones against Israel on Sunday in retaliation for the assassination of a senior commander in Beirut last month, the Iranian-backed movement said. The Israeli military said it had thwarted a much larger attack with pre-emptive strikes. What weapons does Lebanon's Hezbollah have?

Here are some facts about Hezbollah's weapons:

ARSENAL OVERVIEW The Iran-backed group possesses upwards of 150,000 missiles and rockets, according to the World Factbook of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency.

Hezbollah says it has rockets that can hit all areas of Israel. Many are unguided, but it also has precision missiles, drones and anti-tank, anti-aircraft and anti-ship missiles.

Hezbollah's main supporter and weapons supplier is Iran. Many of its weapons are Iranian, Russian or Chinese models.

Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said in 2021 the group had 100,000 fighters. The CIA World Factbook says it was estimated in 2022 to have up to 45,000 fighters, roughly 20,000 of them full-time.

LAND-ATTACK ROCKETS AND MISSILES

Unguided rockets comprised the bulk of Hezbollah's missile arsenal in the last war with Israel in 2006, when the group fired about 4,000 into Israel - mostly Katyusha-style missiles with a range of 30 km .

Nasrallah has said the biggest change in Hezbollah's arsenal since 2006 has been the expansion of its precision guidance systems and that the group has the ability to retrofit rockets with guidance systems within Lebanon.

Hezbollah has Iranian models, such as Raad , Fajr and Zilzal rockets, which have a more powerful payload and longer range than Katyushas. Rockets fired by Hezbollah at Israel during the Gaza conflict since October have included Katyushas and Burkan missiles with an explosive payload of 300-500 kg. Iranian-made Falaq 2 rockets, used for the first time in June, can carry a bigger warhead than the previously used Falaq 1.

ANTI-TANK MISSILES

Hezbollah used guided anti-tank missiles extensively in the 2006 war and has deployed them again, including the Russian-made Kornet.

It has also used an Iranian-made guided missile known as "al-Mas", according to a report by the pro-Iran Arabic broadcaster al-Mayadeen. The al-Mas can hit targets beyond the line of sight following an arched trajectory, enabling it to strike from above, a report by Israel's Alma Research and Education Center said.

The missile is part of a family of weapons made by Iran through reverse engineering based on the Israeli Spike missile family, the report said.

ANTI-AIRCRAFT MISSILES Hezbollah has downed Israeli drones several times during this conflict using surface-to-air missiles, hitting Israeli Hermes 450 and Hermes 900 drones. Though Hezbollah was long believed to possess anti-aircraft missiles, these attacks have marked the first time the group had used this capability.

In another first, Hezbollah has said it fired at Israeli warplanes, forcing them to leave Lebanese airspace, without saying what type of weapon it used. It has not hit any.

DRONES Hezbollah has mounted numerous attacks with one-way explosive drones and has said it is using drones that drop bombs and return to Lebanon. In some attacks, drones have been sent to distract Israeli air defences while others were flown at targets.

Hezbollah's arsenal includes the locally assembled Ayoub and Mersad models, which analysts say are cheap and relatively easy to produce.

ANTI-SHIP MISSILES

Hezbollah first proved it had anti-ship missiles in 2006, when it hit an Israeli warship 16 km off the coast, killing four Israeli personnel and damaging the vessel. Since the 2006 war, Hezbollah has acquired the Russian-made Yakhont anti-ship missile with a range of 300 km , sources familiar with its arsenal say. Hezbollah has not confirmed it has the weapon.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Telegram founder-CEO Pavel Durov was arrested in France on Saturday evening, with local media reports suggesting that the investigation was focused on a lack of moderators on the messaging app. The Russian embassy in France demanded consular access to Durov and that his rights be ensured, reported Russian state news agency TASS. The embassy said France has so far 'avoided engagement' on the situation with Durov. French police arrested Telegram chief executive Pavel Durov on August 24, 2024, at an airport near Paris under a warrant for offences related to the popular messaging app.(AFP)

Who is Pavel Durov?

Pavel Durov, a 39-year-old Russian-born entrepreneur, is the billionaire founder and CEO of messaging app Telegram. Forbes estimated his fortune at $15.5 billion.

Durov's journey into the world of social media began with VKontakte, often dubbed the "Russian Facebook," which he co-founded in 2006. VKontakte quickly became Russia's largest social networking site, but it also put Durov at odds with the Russian government. In 2014, under pressure to shut down opposition communities on VKontakte, Durov refused to comply and left Russia. He sold his stake in VKontakte and began his self-imposed exile.

Also Read | Russian-origin CEO of Telegram claims he has over '100 biological kids, reveals how

In 2013, Durov launched Telegram, a messaging app that emphasizes user privacy with its encrypted messaging feature. Telegram has since become a formidable competitor to platforms like WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok, and WeChat. Today, the app boasts hundreds of millions of users worldwide, with a goal to surpass one billion active monthly users within the next year.

Telegram is particularly influential in Russia, Ukraine, and other former Soviet states, where it serves as a crucial information source, especially in the context of the ongoing war in Ukraine. Both Russian and Ukrainian officials rely heavily on the platform, which some analysts have called "a virtual battlefield" for the conflict.

Also Read | Telegram's Pavel Durov arrested outside Paris, social media calls for his release: Time we fight back

Where is the headquarters of Telegram?

Since leaving Russia, Durov has embraced a nomadic lifestyle, constantly seeking a safe haven for himself and his company. His search for a home for Telegram took him through Berlin, London, Singapore, and San Francisco before settling in Dubai, where it is currently headquartered.

What countries does Telegram CEO Pavel Durov hold citizenship in?

Durov became a French citizen in 2021 and reportedly holds citizenship in the United Arab Emirates as well as St. Kitts and Nevis, a dual-island nation in the Caribbean.

Concerns over Telegram's content moderation

Telegram's popularity has not come without challenges. In 2018, Russia attempted to block the app after Durov refused to grant state security services access to users' encrypted messages. The ban was largely ineffective, but it did spark protests and criticism from NGOs. More recently, European countries, including France, have scrutinized Telegram over security and data breach concerns. The app's growth in Europe has attracted the attention of EU regulators, who may impose stricter requirements on Telegram under new online content legislation.

"I would rather be free than to take orders from anyone," Durov told U.S. journalist Tucker Carlson in April about his exit from Russia and search for a home for his company.
* Why mpox vaccines are only just arriving in Africa after two years

Lessons from COVID about inequities haven't yet brought change

*

WHO's slow process delayed vaccine access for Congo

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First 10,000 doses in Africa going to Nigeria, not Congo

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Conflict and slow Congo response also delayed vaccines

By Jennifer Rigby

LONDON, - The first 10,000 mpox vaccines are finally due to arrive next week in Africa, where a dangerous new strain of the virus - which has afflicted people there for decades - has caused global alarm.

The slow arrival of the shots  which have already been made available in more than 70 countries outside Africa - showed that lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic about global healthcare inequities have been slow to bring change, half a dozen public health officials and scientists said.

Among the hurdles: It took the World Health Organization until this month to start officially the process needed to give poor countries easy access to large quantities of vaccine via international agencies.

That could have begun years ago, several of the officials and scientists told Reuters.

Mpox is a potentially deadly infection that causes flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions and spreads through close physical contact. It was declared a global health emergency by the WHO on Aug. 14 after the new strain, known as clade Ib, began to proliferate from Democratic Republic of Congo to neighbouring African countries.

In response to Reuters questions about the delays in vaccine deployment, the U.N. health agency said on Friday it would relax some of its procedures on this occasion in an effort to now accelerate poor countries' access to the mpox shots.

Buying the expensive vaccines directly is out of reach for many low-income countries. There are two key mpox shots, made by Denmark's Bavarian Nordic and Japan's KM Biologics. Bavarian Nordic's costs $100 a dose; the price of KM Biologics' is unknown.

The long wait for WHO approval for international agencies to buy and distribute the vaccine has forced individual African governments and the continent's public health agency - the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention  to instead request donations of shots from rich countries. That cumbersome process can collapse, as it has before, if donors feel they should keep the vaccine to protect their own people.

The first 10,000 vaccines on their way to Africa - made by Bavarian Nordic  were donated by the United States, not provided by the U.N. system.

Helen Rees, a member of the Africa CDC's mpox emergency committee, and executive director of the Wits RHI Research Institute in Johannesburg, South Africa, said it was "really outrageous" that, after Africa struggled to access vaccines during the COVID pandemic, the region had once again been left behind.

In 2022, after a different mpox strain spread outside Africa, smallpox shots were repurposed by governments within weeks, approved by regulators and used in roughly 70 high and middle income countries to protect those most at risk.

Those vaccines have now reached 1.2 million people in the United States alone, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .

But no shots have been available in Africa outside clinical trials. A key reason: Vaccines needed to be greenlit by the WHO before they could be bought by public healthcare groups including Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.

Gavi helps poorer countries buy shots, supplying childhood vaccines in this way routinely. It administered a global scheme for all vaccines during COVID-19 and has up to $500 million to spend on mpox vaccines and logistics.

The Africa CDC has said 10 million doses may be needed across the continent.

But the WHO only this month asked vaccine manufacturers to submit the information needed for the mpox shots to receive an emergency licence - the WHO's accelerated approval for medical products. It urged countries to donate shots until the process was finalised, in September.

The WHO said it is working with the authorities in Congo to put together a vaccination plan, and on Friday said Gavi could start talks while it finalised its emergency approval.

Sania Nishtar, chief executive of Gavi, said the WHO's aim to now act quickly on approvals and improvements in funding showed "the somewhat brighter side of where we are compared to COVID." Asked to comment on the approval delays, she said, "hopefully this is another learning moment for us."

WHO CRITICIZED

The WHO's role in approving medical products has revolutionised supply in low-income countries, which often lack the facilities to check new products themselves, but it has also faced criticism for its slow speed and complexity.

The Geneva-based U.N. health agency said on Friday it did not have sufficient data during the last mpox emergency in 2022 to start an approval process for the vaccine, and it has been working with manufacturers since then to see if the available data warranted an approval.

Mpox, which includes several different strains, has caused 99,000 confirmed cases and 208 deaths worldwide since 2022, according to the WHO. The tally is likely an underestimate as many cases go unreported.

Infections have been brought under control in rich regions by a combination of vaccines and by behaviour change among the highest-risk groups.

With the main earlier mpox strain, men who have sex with men were most at risk, but the new clade Ib variant seems to spread more easily through other close contact, including among children, as well as through sexual contact among heterosexual people.

The country currently hardest hit by mpox is Congo. Since January 2023, there have been more than 27,000 suspected cases and 1,100 deaths there, according to government figures, mainly among children.

But the first 10,000 vaccines donated by the United States are not destined for Congo but for Nigeria, as a result of several years of talks between both governments, according to a source involved in the process who was not authorised to speak to the media. Nigeria has had 786 suspected cases this year, and no deaths.

The Nigerian health ministry did not respond to a request for comment; the U.S. Agency for International Development said it has also donated 50,000 doses to Congo but the arrival date is not yet finalised.

CHILDREN AT RISK

In Congo, the country's administration is another part of the problem. Grappling with conflict and multiple competing disease outbreaks, its government has yet to ask Gavi officially for vaccine supplies and took months to talk to donor governments. Its medicines regulator only approved the two main vaccines in June.

Neither Congo's health ministry nor Japan's, which is working to donate large amounts of KM Biologics vaccines, responded to requests for comment for this story.

Bavarian Nordic said this week it needs orders now to produce vaccines in volume this year.

Congo's government has told reporters it hopes to receive vaccine donations next week, but three donor sources told Reuters it is not clear if that will happen. Europe's pandemic preparedness agency said by email its 215,000 doses will not arrive before September at the earliest.

Bavarian Nordic and Congo are still discussing pre-shipment requirements necessary to ensure proper storage and handling, said a spokesperson for USAID. The vaccines have to be kept at -20C, for example.

In eastern Congo, around 750,000 people are living in camps after fleeing conflict, including seven-year-old Sagesse Hakizimana and his mother Elisabeth Furaha. He is one of more than 100 children to have been infected by mpox in one area near the city of Goma, in north Kivu, according to doctors.

"Imagine fleeing a war and then losing your child to this illness," said Furaha, 30, rubbing ointment on her son's rash and adding that his symptoms were easing. He was being treated last week in a repurposed Ebola treatment centre.

"We need a vaccine for this disease. It's a bad disease that weakens our children."

Even when shots arrive, questions remain about how to use them: Bavarian Nordic's vaccine - the most widely used worldwide - is only available for adults. The KM Biologics vaccine can be given to children but is more complex to administer.

Adding to those questions, scientists have not yet agreed what groups should be vaccinated first, although a likely strategy is ring vaccination, where contacts of known cases are prioritised.

"We saw with COVID-19 that the vaccine was available but the population didn't want it," says Jean Jacques Muyembe, co-discoverer of the Ebola virus and director of the Institut National de Recherche Biomedicale in Kinshasa.

He and other scientists said other public health measures like awareness raising in Africa and better diagnosis were also key to stopping the spread of mpox; vaccines are not the only solution.

PRIORITIES

Some global health experts say the WHO and others should have focused earlier on improving access to mpox vaccines as well as tests for the disease and treatments.

"The processes [at WHO for vaccines] and funding for diagnostics for mpox should have started a few years ago," said Ayoade Alakija, who co-chairs a global health partnership aiming to make the mpox response more egalitarian.

She said her comment was not a critique of the WHO, which can only prioritise what its member states want. "It is a matter of what the world considers to be a priority, and [that is not] diseases that primarily affect black and brown people."

In a statement, the WHO said it was "urging all partners including countries, manufacturers and communities to mobilize efforts, increase vaccine donations, reduce prices and provide other necessary support to protect people at risk during this outbreak".

Jean Kaseya, head of the Africa CDC, said he is working to get African vaccine manufacturers involved to boost supply and lower prices, but that will take time.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah announced early Sunday that it had launched 11 strikes on Israel with a large number of Katyusha rockets, after Israel carried out pre-emptive attacks in Lebanon mere hours before, reported news agency AP. Hezbollah has fired back at Israel with large amounts of drones (Photo by Rabih DAHER / AFP)(AFP)

The Hezbollah attack was in retaliation for the killing of Fouad Shukur, a top commander with the group, in a strike in Beirut's southern suburbs last month.

Also Read: Anthony Fauci was hospitalised after contracting West Nile virus this month, know about the disease

Hezbollah said they were targeting a qualitative Israeli military target that will be announced later as well as targeting a number of enemy sites and barracks and Iron Dome platforms.

Also Read: Astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore to return home next Feb, says NASA

The Israeli military had pre-emptively announced its own strikes on Hezbollah sites in Lebanon, with information that the militant group was preparing an attack on Israel.

In a message addressed to the residents of southern Lebanon early Sunday morning, according to news agency AP, the Israeli military said: We are monitoring Hezbollah's preparations to carry out large-scale attacks on Israeli territory near your homes. You are in danger. We are attacking and eliminating Hezbollah threats.

"Anyone who is near areas where Hezbollah operates should leave immediately to protect themselves and their families," the message posted on Telegram said.

Immediately after they launched their strikes, the Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant announced a 48-hour nationwide state of emergency, calling it a special situation on the homefront.

"The declaration on the state of emergency enables the IDF (Israeli military) to issue instructions to the citizens of Israel, including limiting gatherings and closing sites where it may be relevant," he said in an official statement.

Israels international Ben Gurion airport was also ordered to cancel all take-offs and landings for several hours.

The strikes may have a dampening effect on talks for a ceasefire as negotiators were meeting in Cairo in a last-ditch effort to conclude a halt to fighting in Gaza and a return of Israeli and foreign hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.

(With inputs from AP, AFP)
Dhaka: Muhammad Yunus, head of Bangladeshs interim government, on Sunday emphasised the need for close economic collaboration between Dhaka and Beijing and urged China to do more for his countrys green transition and exports by moving some solar panel factories to Bangladesh. Bangladesh interim government head Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus (AP Photo)

Yunus made the proposal when Chinese ambassador Yao Wen made an introductory call on him. The Chinese government welcomed the interim government on August 9, days after former premier Sheikh Hasina stepped down and fled to India in the face of a student-led protest in which more than 600 people were killed.

Yunus highlighted the close economic collaboration between Beijing and Dhaka and asked Chinese investors to relocate their plants to Bangladesh, a statement from his office said.

He said China has emerged as one of the largest manufacturers of solar panels but the country increasingly faced restrictions in the export market. Chinese manufacturers can relocate solar panel factories to Bangladesh, which will help Dhaka to diversify exports and transition into a green economy, the Nobel laureate said.

Also Read: Bangladeshs Yunus proposes high-level collaboration on floods with India

Yunus called on China to increase the import of Bangladeshi goods to increase economic cooperation between the two countries. He also called for technology transfers and increased collaboration in disaster management, education and farming.

Yao conveyed the greetings of the Chinese leadership to Yunus on his assumption of the leadership of the interim government and said Beijing is ready to work with Dhaka. Yao hoped that Yunus would fulfill expectations of a poverty-free Bangladesh.

The future of Bangladesh will be better and brighter under your leadership, Yao told Yunus. He also said China remains committed to finding a durable solution to the Rohingya crisis, including a ceasefire in the violence-torn Rakhine state of Myanmar.

Yunus hoped China would continue to provide political, financial and humanitarian assistance to more than one million Rohingya people living in Bangladesh. He recalled his fond memories of China, where several universities have set up Yunus Centres and many young people have formed Three Zero Clubs, whose members make commitments for zero contributions to climate change, zero wealth concentration and zero unemployment.

Yunus emphasised the need for youth-to-youth collaboration and people-to-people connections between the two countries.

Also Read: At least 13 killed after floods in eastern Bangladesh affect 4.5 million people

During the meeting, Yao conveyed Chinese leaderships invitation to Yunus to visit China at a convenient time. He said Bangladesh is at the crossroads but the people of Bangladesh will overcome the challenges.

Yao also handed over a cheque for $20,000 to the Flood Relief Fund of the Chief Adviser from the Chinese embassy. He said the Chinese Red Cross will donate $100,000 as humanitarian aid for flood victims.

He also noted that China and Bangladesh had recently upgraded their ties to a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership and that both sides will celebrate the 50th year of diplomatic ties in 2025.
The First Deputy Minister of Defense  Chief of the General Staff of the Azerbaijan Army Colonel General Karim Valiyev, who is on a visit to the Republic of Kazakhstan, along with the delegation he leads, arrived at the Koktal training ground in Almaty, Azernews reports citing Azerbaijan Defense Ministry.

After getting acquainted with the conditions at the training ground, Colonel General K.Valiyev proceeded to the command-control point to observe the tactical episode of Altyn Kyran - 2024 (Golden Eagle - 2024) joint tactical-special exercise.

Then a meeting was held with the servicemen of both countries participating in the exercise.

The servicemen who distinguished themselves during the exercise were awarded medals and valuable gifts.

It was noted that all the tasks set in the Altyn Kyran - 2024 joint tactical-special exercise were executed with a high level of professionalism.
LEWISTON -- Hundreds of classic cars embellished the streets of downtown Lewiston on Saturday.

Hot August Nights held its 37th annual car show, and the event garnered quite the crowd. Main Street was packed with car enthusiasts from across the region.

Mark Smith drove from Kalispell, Mont., to show off his 2005 Ford Mustang GT.

He bought it in Clarkston in 2008 and used it to commute for about 10 years. He even drives it in the winter. When the trunk is full with 80 pounds of sandbags and its tires are studded, the Mustang is the best all-weather vehicle hes ever owned.

Smith said it has 355,000 miles, but because he takes good care of it, the car is in exceptional condition.

I dont know how long it will last, Smith said. Its extraordinary how well its done. Ive always religiously changed the oil and replaced everything that looks like it will fail. You take good care of things and theyll last.

He joked that while the car doesnt get as much attention, he puts it in to get a great parking spot at shows. Instead, Smiths friend Mike Roark, of Clarkston, turned many heads with his 1933 Ford Coupe.

Roark said hes been working on the fiberglass reproduction since 2015 and still isnt finished. The car has a V8 engine with 700 horsepower, which led to him replacing the 10-gallon fuel tank with one twice the capacity because it kept eating gas.

Its got some get up and go, he said.

Working on cars has always been a creative outlet for Roark. Hes been fixing up cars since he was 16, because he said it just feels great to create something with his hands.

Ivan and Betty Olsen, of Clarkston, said theyve been coming to the show for around 20 years. While they didnt bring any cars, they have a couple at home theyre working on. Ivan hopes he can bring his 1923 Dodge Challenger when its finished.
A special deer hunt began Saturday in North Idaho in response to the areas first case of chronic wasting disease.

The Idaho Department of Fish and Game announced Monday that it planned a surveillance hunt from Saturday to Sept. 1 in a portion of Game Management Unit 1 north of Bonners Ferry.

In a news release, Fish and Game said the hunt is meant to determine the prevalence and distribution of CWD in North Idaho. The Panhandles first case of the always-fatal condition was confirmed in a whitetail deer found dead on private land outside of Bonners Ferry in July.

Earlier this month, the Idaho Fish and Game Commission approved offering 300 either-sex whitetail deer tags to Idaho residents for the eight-day surveillance hunt. The hunt will take place in an area bordered by the Moyie and Kootenai rivers.

TJ Ross, a Fish and Game spokesman, said the agency wants to gather at least 200 samples.

Hunters who participate will be required to have their deer sampled for CWD within 24 hours. Fish and Game will run a sampling site during the surveillance hunt at the public overflow boat parking lot near the Boundary County Search and Dive Rescue boat launch in Bonners Ferry.

Each tag costs $10. Any tags that are still available will be sold at the Fish and Games Panhandle regional office.

Hunters will be encouraged to quarter their deer in the field, and to leave behind the spinal column and only retrieve the meat and head for sampling. If a hunters deer tests positive, Fish and Game will contact them.
2nd Street Executive Director To Speak at Triad Meeting

PITTSFIELD, Mass.  2nd Street Executive Director Lindsay Cornwell will speak at the next meeting of Triad, a collaboration among the Berkshire County District Attorney's Office, the Berkshire County Sheriff's Department and local police that focuses on the safety of seniors in the community, on Wednesday, Aug. 28 at 12:30 pm.

The meeting will be held at the North Adams Council on Aging in the Mary Spitzer Center, located at 116 Ashland Street in North Adams.

Triad is a community policing initiative involving seniors, law enforcement and service providers to increase safety through education and crime prevention. It seeks to reduce criminal activity that targets older Americans; to alleviate seniors' fear of becoming a victim, build confidence and improve the quality of life; and to enhance delivery of law enforcement services to older persons, according to a press release.

Seniors in the North Adams area involved with the Triad program were offered a tour of the Berkshire County House of Corrections in May, where former 2nd Street Executive Director Jason Cuyler explained 2nd Street's mission and outlined how formerly incarcerated people contribute to their communities. Due to the interest expressed during the tour, Triad followed up with Cornwell.

"I'm always eager to share the work we do at 2nd Street, so I'm thrilled that the senior community in North Adams is interested in learning about our programs," said Cornwell. "I look forward to exploring ways to enhance our communication and deepen our engagement with this community, as we work together to create more opportunities for meaningful connections and support."

According to Triad, the benefits of its program are threefold. First, seniors can gain from regular contact with law enforcement agencies, direct involvement with crime prevention strategies and awareness of available services. Second, members of law enforcement gain from more contact with seniors, better awareness of seniors' crime-related fears, more understanding of the human service field and increased respect for the agencies by members of the community. Finally, human service providers gain from improved distribution of services, more cooperation with other providers and better understanding of law enforcement and the challenges it faces.
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia  Cambodias prime minister on Thursday led a celebration for the return of dozens of precious artifacts from museums and private collectors abroad, and said his government will continue working to bring more home.

Hun Manet, who became prime minister last year when he succeeded his long-serving father, Hun Sen, said the 70 returned statues symbolically reunited the Cambodian people with their ancestral souls. The artifacts were displayed at the Peace Palace, the seat of the countrys government.

Many, if not all, the pieces were looted during a long period of civil war and instability while Cambodia was ruled by the brutal communist Khmer Rouge regime in the 1970s.

Cambodia has benefited from a trend in recent decades that has seen the repatriation of art and archaeological treasures taken from their homelands. These include ancient Asian artworks as well as pieces lost or stolen in turmoil in places such as Syria, Iraq and Nazi-occupied Europe.

A total of 70 Khmer cultural objects have been returned through a range of different processes, including voluntary returns, negotiations, seizures and legal proceedings, from different collections such as from the Lindemann family, Jim Clark, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and other private collectors in the United States, the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts said in a statement.

The statement said the returned items include important Hindu and Buddhist masterpieces from the 9th-to-14th-century Angkor period and earlier, especially priceless stone statues such as a mythical warrior from the Hindu epic Mahabharata, statues of Shiva and Parvati, and the statue of Ardhanarishvara from the ancient capital of Koh Ker.
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JD Vance declared himself a never Trump guy in 2016. Now that hes Donald Trumps running mate, the Ohio senators words have come back to haunt him in the form of a viral hit on social media app TikTok.

The 22-second long audio clip was created by DJ duo Casa Di and Steve Terrell, who sampled Vances comments from a 2016 Vance interview with Charlie Rose when he was promoting his memoir Hillbilly Elegy.

In the clip, Vance can be heard saying: Im a never Trump guy. I never liked him.

That sample was added to the Petey Pablo hip-hop beat Freek-a-Leek and the resulting song has proved wildly popular on TikTok, where it has soundtracked more than 8,500 videos in the last month, racking up over 40 million views in total.

The clip has also been shared by @KamalaHQ, the official account of the Harris - Walz campaign.

The song is not Casa Di and Steve Terrells first encounter with viral fame. Last year, they teamed up with rapper That Chick Angel for One Margarita (Margarita Song), a track that was also initially inspired by a popular TikTok sample.

Speaking to The New York Times, Terrell explained that the pair had heard Vance speaking in a clip and found his voice sort of melodic in a sense.

Casa Di, whose real name is Carl Dixon, added: We were like, what if we put this to a catchy beat or something?

Dixon continued: When Kamala decided to start running, me and Steve were figuring out ways to encourage people to vote or be aware of whats going on. This is our first time doing something as politically charged.

open image in gallery JD Vance speaking in Pennsylvania in August 2024 ( Getty Images )

In recent weeks, several politicians have joined TikTok even as a ban on the popular video app looms.

Kamala Harris, Tim Walz, Pete Buttigieg, JD Vance and Donald Trump have all joined TikTok as the race ramps up, and they hope to gain favor with younger voters. But the social media app is still embroiled in a contentious legal battle with the US Department of Justice, which is threatening to ban it entirely.

In April, President Joe Biden signed a bill that forces the Chinese company ByteDance to either sell their app or be banned from US app stores within a year. TikTok sued in return, arguing the bill unfairly singles it out and violates the First Amendment.

Meanwhile, Harris has said shes not in favor of the ban, just new ownership.

As the VP has said before, we dont want to ban TikTok, a spokesperson for Harris told NBC News. We would just like to see a change in ownership.
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Lily Allen has hit out at the backlash sparked by her revelation that she returned her puppy to an adoption shelter, after it ate her and her childrens passports.

The pop star, author and actor received heavy criticism after she told the story on her podcast, Miss Me?, on which she called the passport incident the straw that broke the camels back.

Passports werent the only thing she ate, she was a very badly behaved dog and I really tried very hard with her, but it just didnt work out, she told her guest, Welsh TV presenter Steve Jones.

She explained that she was unable to travel to England with her two children to see their father, her ex-husband Sam Cooper, for four or five months while arranging replacement passports.

The British musician, 39, recalled the resentment she felt looking at the animal after the incident, stating: I just couldnt look at her. I was like, youve ruined my life.

Allen has now claimed that tabloid newspapers failed to include her remark that the passports incident was the latest in a long line of issues involving the puppy, named Mary, which she said had resulted in her receiving some really abhorrent messages.

People have been furiously reacting to a deliberately distorted cobbling together of quotes designed to make people angry and as a result, I've received some really abhorrent messages including death threats, some of the most disgusting comments have been all over my social media channels, and I'm really not surprised because this is exactly what those articles are designed to do, she wrote on X/Twitter.

I'm ok but it has been a really tough few days that has impacted me and my family.

Allen explained that she and her husband, Stranger Things star David Harbour, rescued the dog from a shelter in New York and loved her very much.

However, Mary apparently developed some pretty severe separation anxiety, causing her to act out. Allen said that she was unable to be alone for more than 10 minutes, despite having three long walks each day.

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open image in gallery Lily Allen hit out at the tabloid press for distorting her version of events ( Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images )

We worked with the shelter that we rescued her from and they referred us to a behavioral specialist and a professional trainer, she wrote. It was a volunteer from the shelter who would come and dog sit her when we were away, and after many months and much deliberation everyone was in agreement that our home wasn't the best fit for Mary.

The person that she was rehomed with was known to us and that rehoming happened within 24 hours of her being returned. We couldn't meet Mary's needs and her happiness and welfare were central to us making that decision, as difficult as it was.

Allen said shed had rescue dogs pretty consistently throughout her life since the age of four and believed she was adept at ascertaining a dogs needs.

"We tried very hard and for a very long time but the passports were the straw that broke the camels back"



This is the part of the podcast that the tabloids decided not to quote in their articles about me "dumping my puppy"



People have been furiously reacting to a deliberately  Lily Allen (@lilyallen) August 25, 2024

I have never been accused of mistreating an animal, and I've found this whole week very distressing, she said.

Please stop acting on clickbait articles when you haven't done your due diligence, I know that people sending horrible messages hadn't listened to the podcast but had been reading the Mail Online and the follow up articles and videos that followed, I could tell by the language they were using exactly what their sources were.

Allen concluded her statement by comparing the division sewn by the media coverage of her story with the distorted propaganda that led to the racially driven xenophobic riots we've seen recently in the UK.

It's just all so toxic and I know that we can do better, she said.
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Slipknot rocker Sid Wilson has confirmed that he is back home following treatment for serious burns after he was caught in an explosion at his home.

The US musician, 47, initially told fans about his condition in an Instagram video shared from his hospital bed, showing his singed eyebrows and moustache, as well as his blistered mouth and arms.

Hi everybody, I had an explosion in my face. Im OK, Im going to be OK. But I did have some serious burns to my face and my arms, he said on Friday evening (23 August).

The DJ said he was getting his chest X-rayed to ensure he had not inhaled flames from the fire.

Wilson was then transferred to a specialist facility, where he reassured fans that he was doing pretty good and was in good hands.

On Saturday evening (24 August), Wilson then shared a gory close-up selfie that showed the serious blisters and burns on his face, including his lip, cheeks and chin.

On my way home, he wrote.

As well as expressing their sympathy and well-wishes, fans took the opportunity to reference a classic Slipknot track, The Blister Exists.

Sid the Third (degree burn), another joked.

Bro ouch! one follower commented. Sneding you healing vibes for your recovery bro.

Damn brother, that looks painful, wrote System of a Down bassist Shavo Odadjian on Wilsons earlier post. Hope you heal quickly. Were out here sending you positive thoughts.

Wilson told fans that he sustained his injuries from the remnants of a bonfire hed been burning on his farm in Iowa the night before.

After he shared the news, his bandmates said in a statement that Wilson still plans on joining them for their performance at Rocklahoma festival, in Oklahoma, next weekend, despite his injuries.

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Our brother Sid Wilson was in an accident today and sustained burns across his body, they said.

Hes recovering with his family and will still join us on stage at Rocklahoma next weekend. He thanks everyone for the well wishes, and will see you all soon.

His girlfriend Kelly Osbourne, the daughter of TV star Sharon and Black Sabbath vocalist Ozzy Osbourne, also warned others about the dangers of burn piles in a video from his hospital beside.

This is why you dont f*** with burn piles. He literally set himself on fire, exploded everything, she said, with a stressed expression on her face.

She also shared a video of their young son playing with toys on the hospital floor beside Wilson, showing his arms wrapped in bandages.

open image in gallery Sid Wilson told fans he would be OK after suffering burns following an explosion at his farm in Iowa ( Instagram )

Wilson and Osbourne met for the first time in 1999 while Slipknot were touring with her fathers festival, Ozzfest, and became friends before confirming they were in a romantic relationship in February 2022.

After 23 years of friendship I cant believe where we have ended up! she wrote in an Instagram post. You are my best friend, my soulmate and I am so deeply in love with you Sidney George Wilson.

The couple announced the birth of their son, Sidney Wilson Jr, in November that year.
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Alison Hammond grew emotional as she recalled the period when she was struggling to find work, despite already being a household name.

The TV personality and presenter rose to fame after competing on the third series of Channel 4s Big Brother, ultimately becoming the second contestant to be voted out.

By 2007, she had made appearances as a panellist on the daytime chat show Loose Women, on Celebrity Ready Steady Cook and Celebrity Fit Club, as well as conducting interviews with stars such as George Clooney for ITVs This Morning.

However, the popular presenter, 49, struggled to secure regular work and had nothing else lined up, she told The Observer.

There was a time when I couldnt find work, she said, and I was really famous. She got a job at her local hair salon: Id answer the phone, do a few blow dries.

Beginning to cry, the national treasure continued: Its not all good all of the time. But I was all right, you know? Thats television, its fickle and its part of my journey, part of my power.

open image in gallery Alison Hammond says TV is a fickle industry ( Getty Images )

Despite her ever-growing fanbase, Hammond said she still didnt take her job for granted, suggesting a renewed hosting gig on The Great British Bake Off wasnt set in stone.

And thats OK, she said. I know Ill be OK, because Ive been OK before. Ill go and work at Tesco and people will still love me.

She took a break from her co-presenting slot with Dermot OLeary on This Morning last month, jokingly telling viewers that even you need a break from me.

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A rotating cast of hosts, including radio presenter Sian Welby, Loose Women host Rochelle Humes and Big Brother winner Josie Gibson, covered for her.

The Birmingham presenter also hosts For the Love of Dogs after the death of the shows beloved original host, Paul OGrady.

News of Hammonds appointment was met with criticism from internet trolls, something the TV star addressed ahead of the series return in April.

open image in gallery Alison Hammond compared a slobbery Labrador to Paul Hollywood on For the Love of Dogs. ( For the Love of Dogs/ITV )

Hammond said she was actually surprised with how much backlash she got after the announcement, highlighting one particular complaint she received that she described as flawed.

The presenter told The Suns TV Mag: I could understand in the sense that Paul was so loved and people were saying: How can she do Love of Dogs when she doesnt have a dog? How does she love dogs when she doesnt have a dog? Its like saying: How can you love children when you havent got kids?

Its such a flawed argument for me and all I would say is: If you dont want to watch it, dont watch it. Thats what I would say to those trolls: Dont watch it then. If you dont want to help Battersea, dont watch it.

She continued: Trolls will be trolls and Ill still do what I do best, which is TV presenting and youll see for yourself, I think its authentic and I loved doing it.

Hammond will return to host the forthcoming new season of Bake Off, which airs on Channel 4 next month,
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Kirstie Allsopp has reacted furiously after she was allegedly questioned by social services for allowing her 15-year-old son to go interrailing across Europe without adult supervision.

The Location, Location, Location star sparked a minor debate last week after she revealed that her son Oscar Hercules was back home after three weeks of travelling with a friend, aged 16.

Some social media users argued that 15 was too young to be travelling without a responsible adult, while others called the backlash bonkers as they recalled their own experiences of travelling solo or with friends as teenagers.

Allsopp, 52, confirmed that Oscar had returned safe and sound and having had a great time.

However, she now claims that she was contacted by a social worker who informed her that a file had been opened after child protection concerns were raised over Oscars trip.

The social worker apparently asked to know what safeguards had been put in place while he was travelling the continent for three weeks, the Mail on Sunday reports.

An incandescent Allsopp then said it was none of the officials business and that she was ending the call.

Allsopp was allegedly told that her local council, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, could keep the file open in case there was another referral and we needed to come to your house and look into this further.

open image in gallery Kirstie Allsopp said she was livid after being contacted by social services ( Getty Images )

She said she had a second call with another RBKC official who said she would have to contact their data protection team in order to see whether they would agree to delete the file.

The Independent has contacted the Royal Borough for Kensington and Chelsea for comment.

Speaking to the MoS, the TV star branded the message as Orwellian and absolutely outrageous.

I just felt sick, absolutely sick, she told the publication. Then I was cross. I was very, very cross. It was just so extraordinary. I was in a parallel universe where they were actually taking this seriously.

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open image in gallery Kirstie Allsopp with her sons at Winter Wonderland, 2021 ( Getty Images )

Allsopp said she hadnt broken any laws and there was nothing about allowing my child to travel around Europe [that was] neglectful.

She claimed that she was instead the target of a malicious complaint by someone falsely alleging neglect.

The RBKC told the Mail: Safeguarding children is an absolute priority. We take any referral we have very seriously and we have a statutory responsibility for children under 18 years of age.

Allsopp had earlier revealed that Oscar travelled around Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, Berlin, Munich, Marseille, Toulouse, Barcelona and Madrid during his trip by train.

For obvious budget reasons interrailing 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, she told her 433,000 followers on X/Twitter.

Of course I missed spending the summer with our son, but Im so proud of him and my loss is nothing compared to his gain and the encyclopaedic knowledge he now has of the differences between one McDonalds and another.
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A new Netflix series follows the hijacking of an Indian Airlines flight in December 1999 that took seven days to resolve, remaining the longest seizure of an aircraft in Indian aviation history.

Adapted from the book Flight Into Fear by Captain Devi Sharan, the pilot on board the hijacked flight, IC814: The Kandahar Hijack delves into the crisis from various perspectives  the politicians and bureaucrats in Delhis War Room to the terrified hostages on board.

Five masked men hijacked the aircraft on 24 December 1999, 40 minutes after it took off from the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, bound for New Delhi.

Sharan was forced to fly the plane into Pakistani airspace, where he did not receive clearance to land, despite the Indian High Commission in Pakistan making repeated requests. The plane then landed in Amritsar a little before 7pm, with barely 10 minutes worth of fuel left.

open image in gallery The hijacked Indian Airlines Airbus A300 (left) sits parked on the tarmac, at Kandahar airport in southern Afghanistan on 26 December 1999 ( AFP via Getty Images )

In Amritsar, the Indian authorities were tasked with delaying the refuelling of the plane for as long as possible. But at the same time, the hijackers wanted the plane back in the air, with permission to land in Pakistan.

Please get permission to land at OPLA (Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore)... otherwise they are ready to crash anywhere ... they have already selected 10 people to kill, Sharan said to the Indian Air Traffic Control, according to India Today.

Chaos ensued, as he made contact with the ATC again, telling them that the hijackers had begun to kill hostages. Soon after, at 750pm, he took off.

We are all dying, he told the ATC.

The hijackers forced Sharan to fly the plane to Lahore, where the pilot made a desperate landing despite not getting permission from Pakistans ATC, which turned off all lights and navigational aids at the airport.

After refuelling, the plane once again took off from Lahore and attempted to land in Dubai. After being refused permission there as well, the flight landed at the Al Minhad Air Base in the UAE. Here, the hijackers released 27 of the 176 passengers, including the body of 25-year-old Rupin Katyal, who had been fatally stabbed by the hijackers.

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open image in gallery A hijacker holding a pistol climbs down a ladder from beneath the Indian Airlines aircraft cockpit in Kandahar, on 30 Afghanistan December 1999 ( AFP via Getty Images )

After this, the plane finally landed in the hijackers original destination, Taliban-controlled Afghanistans Kandahar airport.

It was here that the remaining hostages waited for the next six days, while the then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayees Bharatiya Janata Party-led government negotiated with the terrorists who wanted India to release 36 prisoners in exchange for the hostages.

The five Pakistani hijackers were identified as Ibrahim Athar, Shahid Akhtar Sayed, Sunny Ahmed Qazi, Mistri Zahoor Ibrahim, and Shakir, and belonged to Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (HuM), a Pakistan-based Islamist terror group.

Their demands were simple: they wanted the release of HuM members Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh and Masood Azhar, and Pakistan-backed Kashmiri militant, Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar.

After intense negotiations and internal handwringing, on 30 December the Indian government managed to convince the hijackers to release all hostages for three terrorists.

I must have slept around 3 am. I woke up at 8 am. The usual Afghan bread was served for breakfast. I did not feel like eating. I was worried that the millennium would end in hours and I would be missing the celebrations. I was thinking of many things, reads the account of 41-year-old merchant navy captain Kollattu Ravikumar, one of the hostages on the flight.

All three terrorists who were released have since been implicated in terror attacks, including the attack on parliament of India in New Delhi in 2001, the terror attacks in Mumbai in 2008, the kidnapping and murder of The Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl in 2002.

Once the hostages were freed, Indian authorities assumed that the Taliban officials would arrest the hijackers and secure the released terrorists. Instead, the Taliban drove them across the border, towards Quetta in Pakistan.

open image in gallery Afghan Taliban militia head towards a hijacked Indian Airlines Airbus AC-814 at Kandahar Airport on 27 December, 1999 ( AFP via Getty Images )

The BJP government faced severe criticism over failing to resolve the crisis sooner, and especially over allowing the flight to leave Indian territory.

AK Doval, the 64-year-old former Intelligence Bureau Chief who led the four-member negotiating team to Kandahar, described it as a diplomatic failure and a bloody disgrace for India.

There was a diplomatic failure on our inability. When we know that the US is totally against the terrorists, they are against the Taliban, they had total hold over the UAE, we could not leverage this thing. Our Ambassador could not even get inside the airport (in Abu Dhabi), he said to news agency Press Trust of India.

open image in gallery Indian Foreign Minister Jaswant Singh (left) and his Afghan counterpart Wakil Ahmad Mutawakel addresses a joint press conference at Kandahar airport after the end of the Indian Airlines hijacking crisis on 31 December, 1999 ( AFP via Getty Images )

The series has an ensemble cast, and is created by Anubhav Sinha and Trishant Srivastava.

Trishant, the writer, and I dived in thinking most of the information is available online. Documentaries and vlogs have been made, articles have been written, so we wanted to sink our teeth deeper for a more succulent bite, Sinha told Variety.

We met officials engaged in running the rescue mission from Delhi, and passengers and the crew told us the story inside the aircraft. Adrian Levy, an eminent journalist, author and filmmaker from London came on board and an all-new international canvas unfolded before us.

open image in gallery A group of hostages disembark from a plane at New Delhis international airport on 31 December 1999 ( AFP via Getty Images )

What went on across those seven days turned out to be a compelling story that cuts through chilling and thrilling tactical and diplomatic manoeuvres that had to be told. The viewers must know this story that has never been told inside out before with a cast I dont know if I can put together again.

IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack will be available to stream on Netflix from 29 August.
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At least 37 people were killed and dozens injured in Pakistan after two separate bus accidents occurred just hours apart on Sunday.

The first tragedy struck in the Lasbela district of Balochistan province, where a bus carrying Shia Muslim pilgrims returning from Iraq plunged into a ravine.

The accident occurred on the Makran coastal highway. The driver apparently lost control of the bus due to brake failure.

"The bus fell from a highway into a ravine, killing at least 12 people and injuring 32 others, local police chief Qazi Sabir said.

The passengers had gone to Iraq for a religious pilgrimage.

Just a few hours later, a deadly accident occurred in the Kahuta district of Punjab province. A bus travelling from Kahuta to Rawalpindi veered off the Azad Pattan Road and fell into a ravine. The cause of the crash, as with the first, was attributed to brake failure.

Reports about the number of casualties varied. While some officials said 29 people had died, rescue workers reported 25 fatalities and one critically injured passenger.

Rescue official Usman Gujjar provided a breakdown, noting that the dead included 20 men, four women and one child.

Sundays crashes come just days after a fatal bus accident in neighbouring Iran left 28 Pakistani pilgrims dead. The bus reportedly overturned and caught fire due to a faulty braking system.

The bodies of those victims were recently returned to Pakistan and buried in the southern Sindh province.

Hundreds of thousands of Shia Muslims travel to Iraqs Karbala city to commemorate the death anniversary of Prophet Muhammads grandson Hussein, a symbol of resistance to tyrannical rule during the tumultuous first century of Islams history.

The tragic accidents have prompted an outpouring of grief and sympathy in Pakistan.

"I pray for the high ranks of the departed souls and patience for their families," prime minister Shehbaz Sharif said while directing authorities to provide immediate medical aid to the injured.

His interior minister, Mohsin Naqvi, said: "Heartfelt condolences and sympathy to the families of the deceased in both accidents."

Punjab chief minister Maryam Nawaz wrote on social media: "May Allah exalt the ranks of those who died in this tragedy and grant patience to their loved ones."

She underlined the need for improved road safety measures to prevent such accidents in the future.
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A flash flood following torrential rains on Indonesias eastern island of Ternate left 13 people dead on Sunday.

Search and rescue teams working with local residents recovered 10 bodies in the village of Rua, in North Maluku province.

The team was working to retrieve more bodies, according to Bram Madya Temara, an official from the island's search and rescue agency BNPB.

The flood swept away residential areas and cut off the main road and access to Rua. Dozens of houses and buildings were buried in mud.

Heavy rains cause frequent landslides and flash floods in Indonesia, where millions of people live in mountainous areas or near floodplains.

Citing forecasts that heavy rain may continue in the next few days, BNPB warned local residents to be on guard.

We urge people to remain vigilant and follow directions from authorities on potential subsequent floods, spokesperson Abdul Muhari said.
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An Indian woman fell into an 8m-deep sinkhole in Kuala Lumpur after a pavement caved in, Malaysian authorities said.

The incident happened in the Dang Wangi area of the Malaysian capital that is straddled by the citys two main rivers  Klang and Gombak. The parts of the district experienced flash flood on Thursday from the heavy downpour, causing the rivers to overflow, reported the South China Morning Post.

Kuala Lumpurs fire and rescue department, which received a distress call early Friday, barricaded part of the area and used an excavator to clear the debris.

There were no signs of the victim, who is yet to be identified.

We have conducted a manual search but failed to find the victim. We expect to continue with a more extensive excavation in the subsidence area soon, Fire and Rescue Department deputy director Rozihan Anwar Mamat was quoted as saying by Malay Mail.

open image in gallery Rescue operation after woman falls into 8m-deep sinkhole in Kuala Lumpur ( EPA )

The search will continue until the victim is found, said local police chief Sulizmie Affendy Sulaiman. He declined to comment when asked about the possible condition of the woman, or the cause of the incident.

open image in gallery Rescue operation after woman falls into 8m-deep sinkhole in Kuala Lumpur ( EPA )

The authorities are sifting through the security camera to find more details.

At present, we are reviewing CCTV footage and taking witness statements from those present at the scene, Dang Wangi district police chief assistant commissioner Sulizmie Affendy Sulaiman told Bernama, the Malaysian National News Agency.

No further details on the exact chronology of the incident can be provided at this time. We will update information once the victim is found, the senior policeman was quoted as saying.
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Lea Michele has given birth to her second child with husband Zandy Reich.

The Glee alum, 37, announced the arrival of their daughter in a post shared to Instagram on Sunday, August 25. Our hearts are so full, she captioned the post, which featured a photo of the newborns tiny feet wrapped in a cream-colored blanket adorned with pink flowers.

Michele  who also shares four-year-old son Ever with Reich  wrapped her hand around the babys foot in the photo, while Ever and Reich each placed their hands on her. In the caption, the Scream Queens star revealed their daughters name.

Emery Sol Reich, she wrote, alongside a growing pink heart emoji.

Thousands of fans took to the comments section to congratulate the Broadway star on the new bundle of joy, while others gushed over the babys moniker.

Welcome home baby Emery!!!! one Instagram user wrote. You are loved.

The biggest congratulations on your newest addition, another fan said, while a third person commented: Such a gorgeous name.

Last March, Michele confirmed she and Reich were pregnant with their second child together. The Funny Girl actor shared the news on Instagram, posting images from a solo photoshoot with her baby bump on full display. Mommy, Daddy and Ever are overjoyed, she captioned the post.

She later posed for photos at the 2024 Met Gala in a baby blue Rodarte dress, as she cradled her baby bump on the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. That same month, Michele revealed the couple  who were married in 2019  were expecting a baby girl.

In a photo posted to Instagram, Michele was seen holding her baby bump with one hand and a bouquet of pink flowers in the other in honor of Mothers Day. The most beautiful Mothers Day today, holding my son who made me a mama... and carrying my daughter, she wrote.

open image in gallery Lea Michele cradles baby bump on red carpet at 2024 Met Gala ( Getty Images for The Met Museum/ )

Michele and her businessman husband welcomed their first child, son Ever Leo, in August 2020. Since then, the actor has kept fans updated about Evers ongoing health journey after he was recently sent to the hospital.

In March 2023, Michele shared that she would be missing a performance of Broadways Funny Girl  in which she starred as Fanny Brice  because her then-two-year-old son had been hospitalized for a scary health issue. The following day, she revealed that Ever would be checking out of the hospital and thanked her supporters for their well wishes.

However, her toddler was once again hospitalized just weeks later. Taking to her Instagram Story at the time, Michele reflected on the challenges of being a parent amid Evers health struggles. Today was a hard day, she wrote on Instagram, which included a photo of her son in his crib with a white heart emoji over his face. As parents we have to be strong for our kids. But sometimes you just want to break down and cry.

While she didnt specify why her child was in the hospital, Michele did reflect on the lessons shes learned throughout the challenging time. These hard times show you truly what matters and is important in life and how much we have to be grateful for, she wrote.

Michele also indicated that her son was working towards getting better. Its been hard to say the least but our boy is such a champ and is going to be ok, she concluded. But it still hurts.
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Jenna Ortega has shared a touching moment with an interviewer after she was encouraged to embrace her cultural heritage.

The Wednesday actor, 21, recently sat down with Buzzfeed journalist Carolina Reynoso ahead of the release of her upcoming film, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. Before Ortega and her co-star, Catherine OHara, spoke about the sequel to director Tim Burtons Beetlejuice, the Mexican-American interviewer made sure to give Ortega some encouraging words of support.

Jenna, I just wanted to say from one Latina to another, youre Latina enough, Reynoso said, prompting a gasp and subtle smile from Ortega. I dont care what anyone else says, especially, like, as someone in the industry. Like, youve opened so many doors for people like me, so you are Latina enough. Thank you so much for everything you do. I really appreciate you.

The Scream star then got up from her chair and immediately gave Reynoso a hug, while OHara looked on at the sweet interaction. What a beautiful thing, the Schitts Creek actor remarked.

A clip of the moment has since gone viral on social media, as fans pointed out Ortegas seemingly heartwarmed reaction to Reynosos reassurance.

You can tell immediately that she needed to hear that, one person commented on TikTok.

You can tell she really appreciated this, another fan said.

That touched her heart, a third user wrote.

Ortega, who is of Mexican and Puerto Rican descent, has previously opened up about the importance of Latina representation in Hollywood. However, the You star has also been subjected to criticism over the extent of her own cultural identity.

Back in September, Ortega sparked online discourse after a video showed actor Anya Taylor-Joy, who was raised in Buenos Aires, introducing her husband to Ortega and Spanish pop star Rosalia in Spanish at the Dior Paris Fashion Week show. Ortega replied in English, prompting the internet to question the actors Latina identity.

Speaking to Vanity Fair in a cover story published on August 6, the Netflix star noted that the criticism surrounding her cultural background can feel like youre just not good enough.

Because I wasnt born in a Spanish-speaking country, I know people have a hard time connecting with me, Ortega told the outlet.

She admitted that shes felt a bit of shame over not being as in touch with her roots as she would like to. I think theres a part of me that carries a bit of shame. For a second I was almost nervous to speak about my familys background because I feel like I was made to feel like it wasnt, Ortega continued, before trailing off. But also, something that Im learning is its not my job to carry the weight of everybody whos ever had that experience.

While she doesnt speak Spanish fluently, she noted that it was her mothers first language, adding: Im so jealous every time I hear my mom speak perfect Spanish.
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Easter Leafa was sitting under a blanket on her balcony with a knife when Anchorage police arrived, responding to a call for help from her family. Instead of showing her hands as told, they said, the 16-year-old girl stood and approached them with the blade.

Two officers opened fire simultaneously, one with a less-lethal foam projectile and the other with real bullets, killing her two days before Leafa was to start her junior year of high school. She had recently moved from American Samoa to get a better education and was still learning English, her family said.

Leafa was among seven people shot by Anchorage police since May, the most recent a homicide suspect critically injured after officers said he opened fire on them Friday afternoon. That is more than twice as many as the department typically shoots in a year. Four of the subjects were killed.

The spate has made Anchorage the latest in a long list of American cities to wrestle with how police use force and prompted an apology to Leafas family along with promises of reform from the city's new mayor.

This cannot be our new normal, Mayor Suzanne LaFrance told a news conference after Leafa's death.

The other six shootings involved suspects who reportedly had firearms, shot at police or, in two cases, were armed homicide suspects.

The leader of the city's police union, Darrell Evans, suggested in a statement Friday that the unusual spike in shootings by officers reflected the chaos our city is facing. There have been 20 homicides in Anchorage this year, 14 in the past few months.

While that total is already approaching last year's 23 with about a third of the year still to go, it's roughly in line with typical Anchorage homicide totals: there were 35 in 2019 and 28 in 2022.

At least four of those shot by police were people of color, and that has especially rattled Anchorages minority residents.

The city is one of the most diverse in the U.S., with large populations of Asian, Hispanic and Alaska Native people, including many who came for military service and remained. There are over 100 languages spoken by students in Anchorage schools, and the U.S. Census said Anchorage had the four most racially and ethnically diverse neighborhoods in the nation after the 2020 count.

The police department has tried to increase its diversity over the past decade, but still 7 in 10 officers are white, far more than the city's population of 291,000, which is a little over half white, according to Census data.

Leafas Aug. 13 killing prompted several prayer vigils as well as a march past Anchorage police headquarters that drew hundreds of people. Participants expressed grief and anger, as well as bewilderment at why one officer used live ammunition while the other had a less-lethal option. The police department has offered no explanation.

Tammalivis Salanoa, with the Polynesian Association of Alaska, told The Associated Press that some in the Pacific Islander community will think twice before they call Anchorage police for help.

They should be ready for these kinds of circumstances, she said. "They knew what they signed up for, whereas we as a community are just in our living rooms, just trying to live our lives. We dont expect to call for help and then that be the last call we ever make.

LaFrance and Police Chief Sean Case, both of whom took office in July, said they would have an outside entity investigate the Leafa shooting. They said they also would establish an advisory committee and have an outside party audit the departments policies and procedures and recommend practices to reduce uses of force.

Case said that when he became chief he decided to have all of Anchorage's police shootings over the past 15 years reviewed. On Monday, he plans to name a captain to oversee all aspects of department training.

The department already trains in de-escalation techniques. But Leafa's family told told Anchorage television station KTUU that one of the officers arrived with his gun out. A sister had called police to report that Leafa had come at her with the knife. The officers sequestered the rest of the family in a bedroom before approaching the teen.

She was a minor," said Faialofa Dixon, another sister. They should have asked questions when they came in.

Dallas attorney James Roberts represents the family of Kristopher Handy, who in mid-May became the first person killed by Anchorage officers this year.

Police initially said officers shot Handy, who was severely intoxicated, when he raised a long gun toward them in an apartment complex parking lot. But the shooting was the first since Anchorage police began wearing body cameras, and video taken by those cameras and by a neighbor's security camera appeared to show Handy kept the gun down before police started shooting.

The state's Office of Special Investigations found the shooting justified, saying Handy was walking toward officers and ignoring orders to drop the weapon. His family filed a wrongful death lawsuit.

It just appears that these officers are going in, not with the thought of de-escalating the situation, but with the thought of using their weapons immediately, Roberts said.

Video from Leafa's killing has not been released.

Evans, the president of the Anchorage Police Department Employees Association, said he was dismayed the mayor apologized when an investigation into the shooting had only just begun.

We have also heard the oversimplified statement that six officer-involved shootings since May is far too many and how that somehow reflects a failure only upon the policing profession, he wrote. That level of oversimplification does nothing to acknowledge the weight of each of those incidents.
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Watch again as a special church service was held in Solingen on Sunday (25 August) after three people were killed in a German festival stabbing.

The rampage saw the knifeman aim for peoples necks and throats after he began stabbing people at a festival to celebrate the citys 650th anniversary on Friday.

A woman, 56, and two men, aged 56 and 67, were killed.

German police revealed early on Sunday that a 26-year-old man had turned himself in, claiming to be behind the deadly Solingen knife attack.

Dusseldorf police said in a joint statement with the prosecutors office that the man stated that he was responsible for the attack, adding he had been arrested before, but didnt provide details.

This persons involvement in the crime is currently being intensively investigated, the statement said. On Saturday the Islamic State militant group claimed responsibility for the attack, without providing evidence.
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Watch a view of Beirut on Sunday (25 August) after Hezbollah retaliated with a rocket barrage following Israeli strikes.

Israel launched a series of nearly 40 airstrikes in southern Lebanon early on Sunday in what it described as a preemptive attack to prevent an imminent Hezbollah drone and rocket strike.

The IDF is striking terror targets in Lebanon from which Hezbollah was planning to launch attacks on Israeli civilians, Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari said, calling it a self-defence act. We can see that Hezbollah is preparing to launch an extensive attack on Israel, while endangering the Lebanese civilians.

The escalation came as mediated talks for a ceasefire in Gaza stalled and raised fears of a broader war in the region.
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Watch again as Israeli government spokesman David Mencer gave an update on Sunday (25 August) as the Middle East conflict escalates.

Israel carried out airstrikes on southern Lebanon and Hezbollah retaliated with a drone and rocket barrage on Saturday morning, igniting fears of regional war in the Middle East.

Hezbollah said its attack, which involved the launch of over 320 drones and rockets, was also in retaliation for Israels killing of its commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut in July.

The Lebanese group said it struck a special military target as well as Iron Dome platforms and other sites, but the full response would take some time.

Israels defence minister Yoav Gallant declared an emergency situation for the next 48 hours, local media reported. The declaration enables the military to issue instructions to civilians, limit crowd sizes and close relevant areas off, YNet News reported.
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Immigration enforcement officers have detained 75 suspected illegal workers as part of a week-long crackdown on dodgy employers.

Officers visited more than 225 businesses in the past week, particularly car washes, with 122 receiving civil penalties for employing illegal workers, the Home Office said.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: It is completely wrong that dodgy employers can work hand-in-glove with the smuggling gangs who risk peoples lives to bring them here illegally and push them into off-the-books employment.

These workers are sold complete lies by the gangs before being made to live and work in appalling conditions for a pittance. We are determined to put a stop to this, which is exactly why we have launched crackdowns such as this.

While this operation marks an important step forward, our commitment to tackling this issue is ongoing. We will ensure those who break the rules face the full force of the law.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said the oepration was step forward in tackling smuggling gangs ( PA Wire )

Officials said illegal workers were often kept in squalid conditions, paid below the minimum wage and forced to work long hours, while their employers undercut their competitors and often did not pay their fair share of taxes.

Businesses found to be employing people illegally face fines of up to 45,000 per worker for the first offence and up to 60,000 per worker for repeat offenders.

Ms Cooper announced plans for Immigration Enforcement to intensify operations over the summer shortly after coming to office in July as part of Labours plans to improve border security.

On Wednesday, she said she wanted to use the next six months to achieve the highest rate of removals since 2018 of people with no right to be in the UK and announced a new intelligence-driven plan to tackle businesses employing people illegally.

Eddy Montgomery, director of enforcement, compliance and crime at Immigration Enforcement, said: This weeks operation shows how dedicated the Home Office is to protecting vulnerable people and holding employers accountable.

Were dedicated to stopping exploitation by criminal gangs, ensuring vulnerable people receive the correct support and make sure that those who break the law face serious consequences.

Im incredibly proud of our teams across the country for their hard work and teamwork in preparing for and conducting this national operation.
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One million revellers are expected to descend on the capital this weekend for the annual Notting Hill Carnival as 7,000 officers police the celebrations.

The carnival is the biggest of its kind in Europe and is billed by organisers as the greatest community-led event on the planet.

Taking place every August bank holiday weekend, the event is one of the longest-running street parties in the UK and celebrates Caribbean culture in a weekend of costumes, dancing and music.

It is also the subject of a large-scale policing operation, with around 7,000 officers on duty throughout the weekend to police the event this year.

There were eight stabbings and 275 arrests at the 2023 event.

Performers taking part in the 2023 Notting Hill Carnival ( PA Archive )

The festival is a fixture in Londons cultural calendar and attracts similar numbers each year, the Metropolitan Police said.

Met spokesperson Commander Charmain Brenyah said she had grown up near where the event is held in west London and has many happy memories of the music, costumes, floats and fantastic atmosphere.

But she added: Sadly, however, we know that for a minority of people, Carnival is an opportunity to commit crime or to seek out violent confrontation.

The Met said it will be deploying a specialist crowd management cell for the second year in a row to monitor crowd density and flow.

In order to staff the event, Met officers will be joined by colleagues from the City of London Police and the British Transport Police.

Rick Prior, chair of the Metropolitan Police Federation, said many hard-working officers will be giving up their bank holiday to keep revellers safe.

We wish our hard-working colleagues a safe and secure policing operation at the Notting Hill Carnival, he said.

Many are missing valuable time to rest and be at home with loved ones to work across the bank holiday weekend at this demanding event.

Crowds during the Childrens Day Parade, part of the Notting Hill Carnival celebration last year ( PA Wire )

On Saturday performers competed in Notting Hill Carnivals Panorama evening, which is the UKs biggest steel band competition, and sees five bands play a ten-minute composition from memory with no sheet music allowed.

Childrens Day is held on Sunday, featuring family-friendly activities and a parade, where youngsters in colourful costumes are encouraged to dance in the streets. It is sometimes known as Family Day.

The Adults Parade is held on Monday, described by organisers as the climax of the carnival with party vibes - but it is also where most arrests are made.

Transport for London (TfL) urged people travelling to the carnival to plan their journeys in advance as it warned some stations could be much busier than usual.
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Icelandic farmers are struggling to keep up after a viral cucumber recipe which spread on TikTok is thought to have overwhelmed the national supply.

The Nordic country is now in a pickle with supermarkets reporting a doubling of demand for the vegetable after a salad devised by famed foodie, Logan Moffitt (aka the cucumber guy) was replicated by influencers.

Icelands Horticulturists Sales Company (SFG), which represents the nations farmers, told BBC News it is not managing to keep up with surging consumer demand, adding it is hoped supply will be back to normal in a week or so.

Daniel Sigthorsson, 30, who lives in Reykjavik, told The New York Times there were no cucumbers in his local grocery stores. I was like, Thats weird, he said, laughing. Thats one of the things we never run out of in Iceland. And then I saw the news.

One man cut his finger trying to recreate the viral trend ( TikTok/@paigetaylor.s and @logagm )

On TikTok, Mr Moffitt (@logagm) is widely regarded as the leader of the Cucumber Community, sharing numerous recipes for cold, crisp cucumber salads in a jar. With more than 4.8 million followers on the app, averaging 2 to 6 million views on most videos, Logan has made waves with his delectable, easy-to-make cucumber dishes.

I was about to go to sleep, but I was craving an entire cucumber, the celebrated chef said in a video posted on 19 July.

Logans trademark cooking style consists of using a whole cucumber and slicing it with a mandoline over a Tupperware container. He then adds a variety of flavours and seasonings, most notably soy sauce, chilli flakes, shaved garlic, sesame seeds, rice vinegar, and sesame oil. Mr Moffitt finishes by furiously shaking the container, mixing the ingredients, and eating one cucumber slice at a time with a pair of metal chopsticks.

Kristin Linda Sveinsdottir, director of the SFG, said supermarkets had seen a boost to other ingredients used by the TikToker. Everything is happening at the same time, she said adding the social media trend remained one of the main contributing factors.

This is the first time we have experienced something like this, Ms Sveinsdottir said, saying if the trend had taken hold earlier in the year when the [cucumber] production was in full blast the stocks would have been unaffected.

Icelandic farmers pride themselves on growing potatoes, rhubarb, turnips, radishes, carrots, broad beans, peas and strawberries, despite the problematic climate on the island. They even harness geothermic energy to grow more tropical fruits and vegetables such as peppers, tomatoes and cucumbers in greenhouses.

But the trend is not only causing danger to stocks: some influencers attempting to slice the vegetable with a mandolin are injuring themselves.

TikToker Jackson Dean didnt make it past the first step when he accidentally snagged the tip of his finger in the mandoline blade.

Moments before disaster, his on-screen caption read as he revealed he rushed to the accident and emergency department shortly after.
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Money guru Martin Lewis has hit out at the governments changes to Winter Fuel Payments as he reacts to Ofgem raising their energy price cap from October.

Writing on Twitter / X, the Money Saving Expert founder says minister must rethink the changes to the payments, or else leave all pensioners with hundreds of pounds more to pay this winter.

In July, chancellor Rachel Reeves announced the eligibility for the annual winter payments worth up to 300 would be changed for the first time since their introduction in 1997. The cold weather benefit will now only be eligible for older people who claim Pension Benefit, rather than all above pension age.

Money Saving Expert founder Martin Lewis (Jonathan Brady/PA) ( PA Archive )

Mr Lewis writes that, while the new Ofgem rate is lower than last winter, all pensioners are likely to struggle more this year. With the withdrawl of the 300 per household cost of living support and the changing eligibility of Winter Fuel Payments, worth 200  300, some could be as much as 600 worse off than last winter.

Echoing the criticisms campaigners have made in the wake of the change, the money expert writes that the controversial changes to the winter payments mean eligibility is being squeezed to too narrow a group.

While theres a strong argument for ending the universality of Winter Fuel payments, write Mr Lewis, those just above the thresholds will be hardest hit.

Older people charity Age UK has said around two million struggling pensioners will miss out on the vital support with energy bills in the colder months if the change is not reversed. They have launched a campaign to halt the measure and urge the chancellor to reconsider, with their petition already reaching 430,000 signatures.

Mr Lewis says he is meeting with chancellor Rachel Reeves in the coming weeks, where he will urge her to look at methods to widen eligibility ahead of her October budget. He suggests including all pensioners living in homes under council tax bands A to D  the four lowest value bands  as an imperfect but workable proxy.

Age UK says that several factors will mean pensioners who may need the Winter Fuel Payment wont be eligible for it under new rules. For around one million, it will be because they make just over Penion Credit threshold  no more than 50.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves (PA) ( PA Wire )

It is also believed there are around 200,000 pensioners who have high energy needs because of disability or illness, or who live in energy inefficient homes which cost more to heat.

On top of this is the 800,000 pensioners who are eligible for Pension Credit but dont claim it. Age UK says this is usually to do with factors like stigma, complexity or lack of awareness.

Charity director Caroline Abrahams CBE said: Some commentators have suggested that means-testing the Payment is fair because the older people who need it the most will still be protected, but the evidence shows this is sadly not the case. This is why Age UK will be campaigning shoulder to shoulder with older people over the next few months to persuade the Government to think again.

To combat the low take up of Pension Credit, the government has started an awareness drive to encourage eligible pensioners to take up the benefit and secure their Winter Fuel Payment.

Launching the campaign, Ms Reeves said: The dire state of the public finances we inherited from the previous government means weve had to make some very difficult decisions.

Our commitment to supporting pensioners remains, which is why we are maintaining the triple lock.

We want pensioners to get the support they are entitled to. Thats why I urge all pensioners to check whether they are eligible for Pension Credit.

For more information on how Winter Fuel Payments are changing and what other support is available, read The Independents guide
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Former cabinet minister Sir David Davis has said that Mike Lynch, the tech mogul who died when his yacht sank off the coast of Sicily last week, was planning to examine the murder conviction of nurse Lucy Letby over concerns about its safety.

Sir David, the former Brexit secretary, has previously told The Independent he plans to spearhead an investigation questioning the conviction of Letby after a number of experts cast doubt over her guilt.

Sir David said he hopes to visit Letby in prison as part of an investigation into whether the serial baby killer may be the victim of a miscarriage of justice. Letby is serving 15 whole-life sentences for seven murders and eight attempted murders of babies in her care at the Countess of Chester Hospital between 2015 and 2016.

Writing in The Sunday Times, Sir David said that Mr Lynch, who was one of seven people to have died in the yachting tragedy, shared his concerns about Letbys conviction.

Hannah and Mike Lynch died after the luxury yacht Bayesian sank in a storm on Monday ( PA )

[Mike Lynch] planned to establish a UK equivalent to the Innocence Project, a [US] non-profit organisation that works to exonerate those who have suffered miscarriages of justice. He raised the case of the Lucy Letby trial as one that had already caught his attention, Sir David wrote.

Mike was a world-class expert on probability theory, and saw straight through the statistical weaknesses that underpinned the Letby prosecution. One of our first projects was going to be investigating that trial properly.

We were due to meet on Thursday, 22 August, to discuss the plans. But on Monday, just as I was planning to send him a text to confirm the lunch, devastating news was breaking about his superyacht sinking during stormy weather near Palermo in Italy.

Letby is serving 15 whole-life sentences for seven murders and eight attempted murders of babies ( Cheshire Constabulary )

Sir David said Mr Lynch wanted to investigate potential miscarriages of justice after his own experience fighting a fraud case brought against him in America.

Several medical professionals have raised questions over Letbys conviction. In one podcast, the statistician Peter Elston and retired paediatrician Michael McConville claimed there had been inadequacies in the medical evidence presented during her trial.

Letby continues to maintain her innocence despite her conviction and told jurors during her trial she was not the sort of person who would kill babies.

It comes as a manslaughter investigation has now been launched by Italian prosecutors into the sinking of Mr Lynchs Bayesian superyacht near Porticello at about 5am local time on Monday.

The yacht had been hit by a downburst. These are powerful winds that descend from a thunderstorm and spread out quickly once they hit the ground.

Mr Lynchs 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 were also recovered from the wreckage.

The boat trip was in celebration of Mr Lynchs acquittal in the fraud case.

The businessman, who founded software giant Autonomy in 1996, was cleared in June of carrying out a massive fraud relating to its $11bn (8.64bn) sale to US company Hewlett-Packard.
Consequently, the four iPhone 16 models will be released in the second wave, unlike Singapore and Thailand, which are included in the first wave.

A retail representative mentioned that despite Apple's growing interest in the Vietnamese market, the country has not yet been upgraded to the highest priority level this year.

Last year, Vietnam was part of the second wave for the first time, with the iPhone 15 being available just one week after its U.S. release.

One reason Vietnam has not been elevated to a higher priority level by Apple is the lack of an official Apple store in the country. Currently, Southeast Asia has three countries with Apple Stores: Singapore, Thailand, and the most recent addition, Malaysia, which opened its first store in June.

Sources suggest that the iPhone 16 may be unveiled on Sept. 10, in line with Apple's annual tradition of holding the launch event on the second Tuesday of that month.

Expert Mark Gurman from Bloomberg predicted that the new iPhone series could reach users on Sept. 20. Markets in the second-priority level might see the launch a week later. Last year, the iPhone 15 launched globally on Sept. 22 and in Vietnam on Sept. 29.

According to phone retailers, the iPhone 16 launch is considered one of the most important events of the year-end season. Despite all models being expected to cost over VND20 million (US$800), they usually outsell mid-range and budget models from other brands.
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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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Sir Keir Starmer will warn the British public that things will get worse before they get better in his first keynote speech since walking into Downing Street.

Speaking on Tuesday, the prime minister will say the government has also taken on a societal black hole.

It will come after chancellor Rachel Reeves claimed the government inherited a 22bn black hole in the public finances from the previous Conservative administration last month.

Things are worse than we ever imagined, he will warn, adding: And that is why we have to take action and do things differently. Part of that is being honest with people  about the choices we face. And how tough this will be.

Frankly  things will get worse before we get better.

The warnings come as the government prepares for its first Budget, to be unveiled on 30 October, which will force the Treasury to take tough decisions on spending and taxation.

Promising to make unpopular decisions now if its the right thing for the country, Sir Keir will also accuse the Conservatives of not being honest about the state they left the country in.

He will say: They havent recognised what theyve cost the country and they havent apologised for what theyve cost you.

Rachel Reeves is preparing for her first Budget on 30 October ( PA )

The prime minister is also expected to promise to fix the foundations of this country, warning change will not happen overnight.

He will say: When there is rot deep in the heart of a structure, you cant just cover it up. You cant tinker with it or rely on quick fixes. You have to overhaul the entire thing. Tackle it at the root. Even if its harder work and takes more time.

Because otherwise what happens? The rot returns. In all the same places. And it spreads. Worse than before. You know that  and I know that. Thats why this project has always been about fixing the foundations of this country.

He will also argue that 14 years of populism and failure under the Conservatives made responding to this months riots much harder than in 2011, when he led the Crown Prosecution Service, claiming that violent thugs exploited the cracks in our society.

Just weeks after receiving the keys to Downing Street, Sir Keir revealed emergency measures to free prisoners 40 per cent of the way into their sentence, saying the previous government had allowed jails to almost completely run out of space.

In 2011, rioting and looting led to more than 200m worth of damage and more than 3,000 arrests.

Sir Keir will say: When I think back to that time, I see just how far weve fallen. Because responding to those riots was hard, but dealing with the riots this summer was much harder.

"Not having enough prison spaces is about as fundamental a failure as you can get. And those people throwing rocks, torching cars, making threats, they didnt just know the system was broken. They were betting on it. They were gaming it.

They saw the cracks in our society after 14 years of populism and failure, and they exploited them. Thats what we have inherited.

Responding, Conservative Party chairman Richard Fuller said: Just two months in and Keir Starmer has taken winter fuel payments off 10 million pensioners, showered billions of taxpayers money on his union paymasters and is now engulfed in a cronyism scandal after parachuting donors and supporters in to top taxpayer funded jobs.

The soft touch Labour Chancellor is squandering money whilst fabricating a financial black hole in an attempt to con the public into accepting tax rises, and literally leaving pensioners in the cold.

The Prime Minister really should tell his Chancellor to reverse course or step in himself to reverse her decision.
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A masked and armed Missouri man who attempted to rob a local bank was foiled after he found that the front door was locked, because it was a Saturday.

Jacob Lowell Hessing, 26, attempted to enter the Exchange Bank of Missouri in New Franklin on September 9 2023, but was unable to enter the building.

On Saturdays the banks lobby is only open to customers by appointment only, which Hessing did not have. According to the FBI, the bank in question was about a block and a half from his home.

Hessing pleaded guilty to one count of attempted bank robbery on Thursday, having been detained in custody since the incident.

According to a plea agreement, Howard County Sheriffs Department received calls from concerned citizens about a masked man dressed in black walking in downtown New Franklin, which has a population of about 1,000 residents.

The man, later identified as Hessing, was reportedly carrying an AR-style rifle and attempted to enter Exchange Bank of Missouri. He later found the front door to be locked.

Surveillance video showed Hessing walk to the bank and attempt to open the lobby door before getting back into a red Chevy Equinox and driving away at a high speed.

Investigators traced the vehicle to Hessing and executed a search warrant at his residence on October 30.

Federal agents found a Diamondback rifle hidden in the basement, with a loaded magazine capable of holding more than 40 5.56mm cartridges  consistent with the weapon Hessing carried when he attempted to rob the bank.

Ammunition also was found in the kitchen utensil drawer and several cartridges for the Diamondback rifle were found in the red Equinox.

Under the terms of his plea agreement, Hessing must forfeit the Diamondback rifle to the government.

Hessing faces a sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison without parole for his crime.

A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a pre-sentence investigation by the United States Probation Office, the FBI said.
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The frontman of an LA punk band called Cancer Christ has been arrested after embarking on a terrorizing trek round Yosemite National Park, during which he removed his shirt and threatened several people with a knife.

Anthony Mehlhaff, 40, from Los Angeles, is accused of assaulting two people before driving to the park, where he crashed his car, took off his remaining clothes and stole a bicycle, among other bizarre and dangerous activities.

Mehlhaff faces charges of vandalism, vehicle theft, reckless driving, kidnapping, theft, first-degree burglary, robbery, obstructing an officer and battery. As of Friday he was being held in the Mariposa County Jail on a bail of $100,000.

According to The Los Angeles Times, attempts to reach Mehlhaff by phone went to his personal voicemail, which told law enforcement officers and mental health specialists to f*** off and leave him alone.

The wild spree began around 1.45 pm on Wednesday when Mehlhaff approached a pregnant waitress in a local restaurant in Mariposa County. He allegedly touched her stomach and said "the spirits led me to you and your baby belongs to me, and what time is your break because I will be waiting for you."

Mehlhaff faces charges of vandalism, vehicle theft, reckless driving, kidnapping, theft, first-degree burglary, robbery, among others, and is being held on a bail of $100,000 ( Mariposa County Sheriff's Office )

After stealing several drinks and assaulting another employee of the restaurant, he sped off in his vehicle towards Yosemite National Park, which resulted in multiple reports of a possible car chase, kidnapping, assault, stolen vehicles, and other suspicious circumstances  all occurring near Fish Camp.

Yosemite National Park rangers attempted to stop Mehlhaff on his way into the park but he continued on to the Fish Camp area where he crashed his vehicle and stole a bicycle.

At this point, the sheriffs office said, he reportedly took off his shirt, handed it to a bystander and said youll want to keep this, Im going to be famous". According to Spotify, Cancer Christ has just under 4,000 monthly listeners. Their first and only album, God Is Violence, was released earlier this year.

After de-shirting, Mehlaff entered the Tenaya Lodge kitchen through a back door, placed his hat and other items inside a refrigerator, grabbed a knife from the kitchen and began threatening workers, the sheriffs office said.

He then walked to a creek area near the Tenya Lodge Clubhouse, where he removed his pants, wallet and car keys before returning in his underwear to the clubhouse and telling people to leave.

Mehlhaff then began vandalizing the clubhouse.

He then took the store managers car keys and attempted to kidnap the store manager while assaulting him and attempting to force him to drive Mehlhaff out of the area.

After allegedly stealing the store managers vehicle, the punk rocker drove down Highway 41 towards Oakhurst where he engaged in extreme road rage behavior and rammed a Tesla after making aggressive hand gestures at the driver.

He later crashed the stolen vehicle and was taken into custody, after being medically cleared at a local hospital.

While searching Mehlhaffs vehicle registered to him, an Enola Gay smoke grenade was located inside the door panel. The Merced Bomb Squad was called in to handle the device.

This is just a glimpse of what we encounter at any given time, Sheriff Jeremy Briese said in a statement.

This man drove all around our county terrorizing our visitors and community members. I am extremely happy that no one was seriously injured, this mans behavior was erratic and dangerous... I am proud of the work done by our staff and partnerships built that give us the ability to apprehend criminals who continue to harm our communities.
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A New York mother who drove the wrong way down a busy highway before causing a four-vehicle pile-up that killed her nine-year-old son has been charged with drug and driving offenses.

Kerri A Bedrick, 32, of Centerpoint, New York, was allegedly under the influence of substances when she crashd her car on Thursday, during which three people were injured and the youngster was killed.

The boy was later named by police as Eli D Henrys.

Bedrick appeared in court in Suffolk County on Friday where she was charged with two felonies and two misdemeanors. She was brought into the courtroom for her arraignment handcuffed, dressed in a blue hospital gown and in a wheelchair.

The charges included aggravated unlicensed operation, operating a motor vehicle while impaired by drugs, aggravated DWI: with a child-passenger less than 16, endangering the welfare of a child, and criminal possession of a stimulant.

Kerri A Bedrick, 32, of Centerpoint, New York, was allegedly under the influence of substances when she caused a four-vehicle pile up on Thursday ( WABC )

She pleaded not guilty during her arraignment and her bail was set at $1 million cash. Bedrick is due back in court on August 27.

Prior to the crash, a Suffolk County Sheriffs deputy had observed the 2022 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross driving the wrong way in the lane next to him on the highway around 2:15 am on Thursday, according to Deputy Undersheriff John Becker.

The deputy turned around and activated his lights and sirens and attempted to stop it, Becker said.

"However, the wrong-way driver sped up and refused to stop," Udice said.

The nine-year-old boy was seatbelted in the rear seat. Officers performed CPR on the child at the scene following the crash, trying to save his life, but the youngster later succumbed to his injuries.

The crash caused several other drivers to be injured and killed Bedricks nine-year-old son ( WABC )

"To give you an idea of the severity of the impact, the engine of the wrong-way-driving vehicle was thrown from that vehicle into the woods some distance from the collision point itself," New York State Police Major Stephen Udice said at a press briefing on Thursday.

At the arraignment on Friday, Bedricks attorney told the court that she has several medical ailments, including spina bifida and narcolepsy, and was also a domestic violence victim, according to ABC New York station WABC.

"My client was a victim. She was on medication that was prescribed for her," the lawyer said, according to WABC. "She is in denial, has not absorbed what happened to her and her sons death."

Bedricks mother, Diane Bedrick, also spoke to reporters outside the courthouse following Fridays arraignment, saying her daughter was a good mother.
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Drew Collins says his eight-year-old little girl Elizabeth and niece Lyric Cook-Morrissey, 10, were like any other Midwestern girls their age.

They loved spending time outdoors, singing, dressing up and would often choreograph dance routines together to face their neighbors.

They were like sisters, Collins told The Independent.

But unlike most other little girls in the sleepy town of Evansdale, Iowa, Elizabeth and Lyric never got to grow up.

One summer afternoon in 2012, the cousins went for a bike ride together near a lake in northeast of the town.

Then, the girls vanished.

All that was left behind were their bikes and Collinss purse with her cell phone inside traipsed over a fence.

Months of worry descended into a parents worst nightmare: their bodies were found by hunters 20 miles from where they were last seen playing together.

More than a decade later, the cousinss deaths are still shrouded in mystery and treated as a double murder. Collins said hes unable to escape the summer of 2012.

Despite a conflated effort between local and federal law enforcement, the victims families and Evansdale locals, the killer has never been found.

Now, their case has been placed under the microscope in new three-part Netflix documentaryTaken Together: Who Killed Lyric and Elizabeth?

Dylan Siress series set out to do something which authorities have, as of yet, failed to do: track down the little girlss killer.

Its a trap

Elizabeth Collins was just eight-years-old when she was snatched and murdered in her sleepy Iowa town ( Courtesy of the Elizabeth Collins Foundation )

Evansdale was home to about 4,000 people which placed community at its center. Nevertheless, Collins said hed never let his 8-year-old go on a bike ride without an adult.

Elizabeth and Lyric were dropped off at their grandmother Wylma Collinss house in downtown Evansdale on the morning of July 13, 2012 to be minded while their parents  Collins is a busy tree surgeon  were at work.

The grandmother, who took a more laissez-faire approach to parenting, let the girls go out on their bicycles. They pedalled away at about 12.15pm after their grandma told them to be home soon.

After an hour, the girls were still not home.

The cousins were last sighted alive between 12.30pm and 1pm by Gilbert Drive, next to Meyers Lake  a favorite amongst anglers. It was about five foot deep and filled with algae, Collins recalled.

Almost three hours had passed, and Wylma alerted her daughter, Heather, who rushed home from work before, finally, calling the police.

Fathers heartbreak

Elizabeths dad Drew Collins said there hasnt been a day where he hasnt thought about his little girl ( Courtesy of the Elizabeth Collins Foundation )

Collins, Elizabeths father, had just got in from work when his wife, Heather, told him that the girls were missing.

They'd gone, evaporated into thin air, Collins said.

Upon their search, authorities and the family found the bikes, along with Collinss cell phone inside her purse at the lakes southeast corner. The area was surrounded by eight foot fences; Elizabeths purse was found strewn over one of them.

When we found the purse over the fence, I started to really get nervous, Collins said.

Days passed and local volunteers flocked in their droves to assist the family and police in the search for the two little girls.

The Sherriffs Office joined the search by Saturday, shortly by the FBI and Department of Criminal Investigations.

Police drained Meyers Lake as the FBI sent their divers into some of its deeper underwater pockets.

Candlelight vigils and press conferences conferences were held, yet still there was no sight of Elizabeth and Lyric.

Collins was stuck in a nightmare, but he still had to put food on the table.

I would just go till I broke, and then I would let myself completely fall apart, break down, cry, or whatever I had to do, scream, and then I would get back up and go till I broke again, he said.

Cold case

A missing poster for Collins (L) and older cousin Cook-Morrissey (R) ( Courtesy of the Elizabeth Collins Foundation )

After five nerve-shredding months, the phone rang.

It was December 5, 2012, and the family minister told Collins to come down to city hall due to a major break in the case of the missing girls.

Two girls had been found dead more than 20 miles away.

A day later, Chief Deputy Rick Abben with the Black Hawk County Sheriffs Office confirmed that the bodies belonged to to Elizabeth and Lyric.

It tears your heart apart. In one way, you're relieved because they were found and you don't have to worry anymore. But then you're like, feel guilty, he said.

Collins then broke down.

You feel guilty because you just felt relief because you knew where they were, but they're dead. And you're like, how can I feel relief when they're gone, he said.

It really f**** you up, man.

It doesnt go away

A mural of the cousins etched onto a fence ( Courtesy of the Elizabeth Collins Foundation )

Collins still cant wrap his head around how on the middle of the day on a Friday, nobody saw anything.

By 2017, authorities had interviewed more than 1,000 people and investigated over 300 sex offenders.

Twelve years have passed since the girls were murdered, but that just means over 4000 days where Collins has grieved, trapped in purgatory.

Its all consuming, he said. It doesnt go away. Youre stuck in 2012 wondering what happened to your kids.

What were their last moments like? What did they do to my daughter?

Collins knows that the killer is still out there. He believes that it is very possibly they still live right under his nose in Evandale.

Elizabeths father says that it has been impossible to move on from the day he learnt of his daughters death in 2012 ( Courtesy of the Elizabeth Collins Foundation )

Unless you were from the area, the dad said, youd never even know that the fenced-off spot were the girls bikes were found existed.

While heartbroken, the dad has never lost faith that the killer will come to justice.

Collins hopes that the Netflix documentary might urge someone with knowledge to step forward.

They might even think they got away with it all together. And you know, I'm not going anywhere. I know the police ain't going anywhere, he said.

He takes comfort in the killers discomfort: knowing each day could be the day that the police come knocking at their door.

That's the hell they live, he added. One of these days is gonna be the day, and the police are going to be knocking on their door.

Elizabeth and Lyricss family members and family friends set up the Elizabeth Collins Foundation: a charity to provide funding to assist in solving cold cases of missing persons.
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Barron Trump, the youngest of Donald Trumps children, is embarking on one of the first big adventures of adulthood this fall: going to college.

The 18-year-old, having just graduated from Floridas prestigious Oxbridge Academy, attended his first day at New York University this week.

Barron will now join a long line of young adults to attend school with the weight of their parents presidential legacies on their shoulders  and Secret Service agents watching their every move.

Trump introduces Barron to 2024 campaign

Paul Eckloff, a former Secret Service agent who protected George W Bush, Barack Obama and Trump, along with their families, explained the tricky nature of covering teens to The Independent.

He said the goal of Secret Service agents is to impair the college experience as little as possible while providing the strongest security environment that you can.

Barron Trump at a campaign rally in Miami in July ( AP )

Eckloff is no stranger to the ins and outs of presidential children, having worked with the Bush twins, Sasha and Malia Obama, all of the Trump children and many of the Trump grandchildren. Every child and grandchild of a current president receives Secret Service protection, Eckloff explained.

While the children of former presidents arent guaranteed a detail after they turn 16, Barron currently receives protection, the Secret Service confirmed in a statement to The Independent.

Eckloff tells The Independent that Barron will be going to NYU when social media poses a greater threat than ever  both to his safety and his privacy.

How do agents protect young adults in the age of social media?

People recording a video of a presidential child and then posting it on TikTok or Instagram for the world to see is part of the new reality for security.

The Secret Service has to monitor [social media], Eckloff said. Lets say that a presidents child is at a party and someone tweets out their picture. Now, their location is broadcast on social media, and they could become a target. That can endanger everybody.

This is true for children of current and former presidents alike. In 2017, Harvard University students launched into a social media frenzy when Malia Obama  the oldest Obama daughter  arrived on campus.

Sasha (left) and Malia Obama both faced high levels of scrutiny as they grew up and attended college in the era of social media ( AFP via Getty Images )

Social media users were quick to share photos of the then-19-year-old moving in, sharing her location and movements with the wider world.

The general threat environment that we face in the 21st century is greater than it has ever been, Eckloff said. Peoples location and activities tend to be more publicly known, and social media is more reactive.

Not only can this endanger the students, it can also open them up to high levels of scrutiny.

In 2016, Malia Obama appeared all over the tabloids after she was photographed smoking at Chicagos Lollapalooza festival. (In her next festival appearance, Malia wore a Harvard hat, her future college, and a t-shirt with a homemade smoking kills slogan).

Meanwhile, her younger sister Sasha Obama, then just 15 years old, was being photographed at her summer job waiting tables in Marthas Vineyard.

This issue dates back even before the advent of social media. When President Bill Clintons daughter Chelsea Clinton started at Stanford University in 1997, then-First Lady Hillary Clinton wrote a public address in the Los Angeles Times asking for people to respect the 17-year-olds privacy.

"I cant imagine having any of those private experiences, all part of finding myself, being interrupted by the bright lights of camerasand not because of anything I was or did but because of my parents occupations," Clinton wrote.

Bill, Chelsea and Hillary Clinton leaving Stanford Universitys 2001 graduation ceremony ( Getty Images )

Presidential children typically maintain a high level of privacy while theyre still in K-12 school. Thats because many of them attend prestigious, expensive private schools  and are surrounded by others who understand the need for privacy, especially on the internet.

Theyre used to wealthy kids, Eckloff explained. So there tends to be more discretion for protecting peoples anonymity.

College involves thousands more students and huge campuses to navigate  plus just more access to the masses if the university is in a metropolis like New York City.

How do Secret Service agents navigate campus life?

Secret Service protection for presidential children must be far more discreet than for the Commander-in-Chief. Agents dress in plain clothes and rely on remote technology  such as cameras and alarms  to protect the student.

Protective surveillance is a part of it, which means youre close and watching and waiting to respond, Eckloff explained.

A college campus is an unpredictable environment  especially when theyre in busy urban areas, like NYU is. Students protection also becomes more complicated as they go out with friends or start dating someone.

Thats why Secret Service agents must be adaptable and plan to fail, Eckloff explained.

Planning to fail is where the Secret Service wins, he said. They have contingency plans in place for when things break down.

Secret Service agents must monitor social media more than ever to protect students like Barron Trump, says former agent Paul Eckloff ( Getty Images )

Dorm living is a prime example. Agents are typically always inside the dorm building with students. However, they cant prepare for every possible scenario or completely secure the buildings that could house hundreds of students who are also studying, underage drinking and causing normal college chaos.

They have to be innovative in how they achieve the protection, Eckloff said. You cant secure the entire dorm, its just not realistic.

Ultimately, Eckloff explained, Secret Service agents want to protect the student with as little disruption to their life as possible.

Many kids are experiencing an independent life for the first time, and having Secret Service can hamper that, he continued. Theyre sensitive to it, but they have a job, and its critically important.

I think youd rather have your college experience impacted a little than be kidnapped.
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Senator Lindsey Graham found himself forced into an age-old position  explaining something Donald Trump had said  on Sunday as he appeared on CNNs State of the Union.

The South Carolina senator is one of Trumps continued allies in the Senate, though he has been subject to boos at Trumps rallies and the occasional put-down from Magaworld. On Sunday, he was interviewed by Jake Tapper on CNN and asked about a comment Trump had made on Truth Social following his live response to Kamala Harriss primetime speech last week at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

Posting on Truth Social, Trump made several dozen short remarks during Harriss speech  which ended up being quite a bit shorter than his own 92-minute address to Julys Republican National Convention. In one post the next morning, he would then go on to claim that his administration will be great for women and their reproductive rights.

Graham was asked by Tapper how the former presidents second term in the White House would fit that description: I dont know, youd have to ask him, he demurred.

He then did what Trump campaign officials likely wished he would not have, and segued into an argument in favor of a national abortion ban for so-called late-term abortions. Trump has said repeatedly that he does not support a national ban on abortion even as he has taken credit for the end of federal protections; Democrats argue he is lying.

.@LindseyGrahamSC: The people who broke into the Capitol and assaulted police officers should go to jail. They committed a crime. pic.twitter.com/y0cX1drgj3  State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) August 25, 2024

The latter half of Trumps claim from Truth Social, at a minimum, is questionable. The ex-president has repeatedly taken credit for the nationwide rollback of federal abortion protections which occurred in 2022 when a conservative Supreme Court majority including three justices appointed by Trump overturned Roe v Wade. That decision has led to a wave of state-led efforts to restrict abortion, some of which have caused cases of pregnant women being denied critical care in hospitals fearful of running afoul of the law.

Trump and his wing of the GOP have attempted a delicate dance around the issue even as Trump himself has grown increasingly confident about signaling his role in Roes downfall. The party, at his campaigns behest, scrubbed support for a national abortion banfrom their platform earlier this year.

Graham himself famously declared Trump persona non grata in the Republican Party in the immediate wake of the January 6 siege on Congress, committed by the ex-presidents supporters and aimed at blocking lawmakers from certifying the 2020 election. But Graham and many other Republicans came back around and rejoined Magaworld, even at the expense of having to face uncomfortable questions about that day.

Lindsey Graham remains a steadfast ally of Donald Trumps in the Senate ( Getty Images )

That happened to Graham on Sunday as Tapper also questioned him about the ongoing lionization of January 6 rioters by the Republican base, pointing to a January 6 awards gala set to be held by some right-wing Maga groups. Former President Donald Trump has said on the campaign trail that he supports pardons and official apologies for some Americans charged and convicted in the January 6 attack, despite dozens of police officers being battered and injured during the assault.

The South Carolina senator argued that any rioter convicted of attacking a police officer should go to jail, though he appeared to leave room for others to be let off.

The people who broke into the Capitol and assaulted police officers should go to jail. They committed a crime, said Graham, while adding that both parties needed to knock off the normalization of political violence.
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JD Vance assured an interviewer that Donald Trump would not sign legislation establishing a national abortion ban into law in footage that aired Sunday on NBCs Meet the Press.

But the Republican vice presidential contender is facing the reality of his own past support for such as plan as well as other pathways towards enacting such a ban being eyed by conservatives as he and Trump seek to defend themselves on the issue of reproductive rights.

Vance was asked by NBCs Kristen Welker in their interview whether his running mate would veto a piece of legislation banning abortion outright or after a certain point in the pregnancy  a bill that would have been impossible under the federal protections established by Roe v Wade, which was overturned by the Supreme Court in 2022. Vance replied that Trump had said explicitly that he would issue such a veto.

I think he would. He said that explicitly that he would, said Vance. Donald Trump has been as clear about that as possible.

JD Vance says Trump won't sign abortion ban

He went on to urge voters to go back and look at what Trump himself had said about the issue  which until recently was not much in the way of specifics. The Republican ex-president avoided laying out his own view on a national ban for months after a conservative majority on the Supreme Court overturned Roe, finally stating earlier this year that he opposed a national ban. Trump has been vocal, however, in taking credit for Roes downfall, which in recent speeches and remarks he has claimed that even Democrats and independents wanted to see overturned.

It also doesnt help his case that national abortion ban efforts have been championed by some of Trumps allies in Congress, such as Lindsey Graham who introduced one piece of legislation aiming to establish a national standard after Roe was overturned.

Still, many Democrats argue that none of this matters at all. Even if Republicans fail to pass an abortion ban through legislative means, they insist, the groundwork is already being laid for the Supreme Court to take up the personhood argument  the debate over whether unborn fetuses should be extended the same rights as a person. A decision establishing such rights would have immediate consequences for the legality of abortion nationwide, which would likely only remain permissible in tightly-controlled circumstances.

JD Vance speaks at an event in Michigan as he and Donald Trump have sought to reclaim the races momentum from Kamala Harris ( Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved )

It could also have further reaching effects for programs such as in vitro fertilization (IVF), which is opposed by the fringe anti-abortion movement.

That pathway to the rollback of reproductive rights is favored by some Republicans who worry about the political consequences of explicitly passing legislation through Congress around the issue.

Trump and his wing of the GOP have attempted a delicate dance around the issue even as Trump himself has grown increasingly confident about signaling his role in Roes downfall. The party, at his campaigns behest, scrubbed support for a national abortion ban from their platform earlier this year. He has also sought to distance himself from Project 2025, a conservative blueprint for radically reshaping government drawn up by a number of right-leaning groups in anticipation of his possible victory in November. The plan calls for new restrictions on mifepristone, an over-the-counter pill that can cause an abortion early into the pregnancy, and would also take other actions seen as wins for the anti-abortion right, including blocking organizations like Planned Parenthood from receiving Medicaid funds.

Whether or not Americans trust conservatives to not simply say one thing and do another is yet another issue, especially around reproductive rights. Many Democrats in the Senate are still fuming over statements made by conservative justices nominated by Trump  justices who eventually voted to overturn Roe vs Wade  stating that they viewed the case as settled law.

The Republican Party platform, despite the elimination of language in support of a national ban, remained supportive of arguments for fetal personhood, suggesting that Trump and his allies favor that approach as well.

Democrats have argued that Trump is merely attempting a more cloak-and-dagger approach to the achieving same goal the far-right of his party seeks.
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JD Vance evaded giving specifics regarding one of the Trump administrations greatest controversies on Sunday as he faced questions about immigration, border security, and the former presidents plan to deport hundreds of thousands  if not millions  of undocumented immigrants.

Vance sat down for an extended interview with NBCs Kristen Welker on Meet the Press and took a line of questioning about one of Donald Trumps main 2024 campaign promises: to enact the largest deportation operation in American history, per his campaigns own description. What that represents in reality would be a massive operation requiring significant federal funding, state cooperation, and could result in serious repercussions to communities around the country.

But when asked by Welker a question with a seemingly obvious answer  whether the concept of separating family units, including young children from their parents, would be revived under a second Trump term  Vance could not answer.

Instead, he argued that he believed families are currently being separated and added that youre certainly going to have to deport some people in this country. But he argued that a Trump administration would prioritize violent criminals for deportation.

Those people need to be deported, said the GOP vice presidential nominee. Thats where you focus federal resources.

JD Vance compares US immigration issue to 'a really big sandwich'

Vances comment about families currently being separated under the Biden administration digs at a grey area in immigration policy which has rankled progressives over the past three years. To be clear: immigration authorities under Biden are not separating families from young children, as was introduced during Trumps term in office, when family units are detained by border security agents. That policy, spearheaded by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) under Trump as designed by White House aides such as Stephen Miller, led to the infamous photos of kids in cages as children ranging in age from teenagers to extremely young toddlers were kept in group pens at detention facilities away from their parents for days and sometimes weeks at a time. The policy was described as highly cruel and inhumane by its critics.

Under the Biden administration, some parents of adult children have been separated from them after crossing the border illegally, and have continued separating some extended family members and others who do not fit in narrow definitions of a family unit under the policies.

Protesters demonstrate outside of a detention facility housing undocumented immigrants in 2018, during Donald Trumps first term. ( Getty Images )

Trump himself doubled down on his plan to engineer the deportation of hundreds of thousands of people in an interview at the border with NBC News this past week, arguing that the undocumented immigrants he planned to deport would end up costing the US government more if they remained in the country. Immigration advocates have disputed this, noting that immigrants alone contributed billions of dollars per year in taxes.

Itll cost trillions of dollars to keep these people, and Im talking about in particular starting with the criminals, Trump said to NBC. Thats costing us a lot more than deporting. But we have no choice, regardless, we have no choice. Were going to have to deport.

And Vance, in an interview with ABC News earlier in August, backed up Trump on the target figure for their plan: one million deportations, while hinting that their eventual goal could be much higher.

"You start with what's achievable," he said. "You cannot have a border unless you're willing to deport some people. I think it's interesting that people focus on, well, how do you deport 18 million people? Let's start with 1 million."
BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 25. Since the beginning of the Second Karabakh War and to this day, more than 370 people have fallen victim to mines, Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsperson) of Azerbaijan Sabina Aliyeva said in connection with the explosion of ammunition in the village of Zyargar in the Fuzuli district, Trend reports.

She emphasized that Armenia's mine terror continues to pose a threat to the lives and health of civilians and military personnel.

"On August 24 of this year, as a result of an explosion of ammunition in the village of Zyargar in the Fuzuli district liberated from occupation, a civilian was injured. We note once again that the lack of accurate maps of minefields on the territory of Azerbaijan not only threatens the lives and health of people, but also seriously hinders the safe return of former internally displaced persons to their lands.

The silence of the international community regarding Armenia's mine terror leads to the violation of fundamental human rights and freedoms, and also endangers the lives and health of innocent people, Aliyeva emphasized.
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Republican Arizona Senate candidate Kari Lake was seemingly urged to get off the stage during a Trump rally in Glendale on Friday.

As she spoke, images taken from behind Lake reveal that messages on a screen in front of the podium urged her to wrap asap before telling her to please get off stage and Trump waiting.

Her Democratic opponent, Ruben Gallego, wrote on X: MAGA Republicans finally catching up to the rest of Arizona.

Trump rallies tend to begin hours before the former president actually appears as speakers take the stage ahead of him.

North Carolina Democratic Representative Wiley Nickel shared one of the images, writing that the choice in the Arizona Senate race is crystal clear. We need Ruben Gallego in the US Senate.

The daughter of the late Arizona Senator and 2008 Republican presidential nominee John McCain, conservative commentator Meghan McCain, also shared the images mocking Lake.

The Senate candidate and 2022 gubernatorial nominee said during a rally in November of that year, We dont have any McCain Republicans in here, do we? Get the hell out! Newsweek noted.

In February, Lake said during a radio interview that she had been joking when mocking John McCain during her 2022 run for governor.

The Independent has contacted the Lake campaign for comment.

Lake, a former news anchor who has rejected the 2020 and 2022 election results, is running against Gallego for the seat of retiring Independent Senator Kyrsten Sinema, a former Democrat.

When she lost the 2022 election for governor against Democrat Katie Hobbs, Lake claimed that the election was stolen, and she has also boosted Trumps claims that his election was stolen in 2020, despite the lack of evidence to support such claims.

Im extremely worried about what my opponent Ruben Gallego will do to the state we love. Im running against the most radical man to ever run for office in Arizona history, Lake said of her opponent on Friday.

Earlier this month, Gallego shared a coalition of 40 Arizona Republicans and independents backing him in a press release.

I am running for the US Senate to represent all Arizonans, regardless of where they live or what political party they align themselves with, the Democratic nominee said. We may not agree on everything, but we can find common ground on one essential goal  building a better Arizona.
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Republican vice presidential contender JD Vance was back in the hot seat Sunday over comments he made while running for the US Senate in 2021 about Americans  particularly women  without children.

The Ohio senator spoke to NBCs Kristen Welker just a few days after his running mate spoke to her colleagues at the network during a trip to the southern border. In his interview, he was asked once again whether he regrets making a dig at childless cat ladies  something he said he did not regret doing. Instead, he said he regretted that Democrats were supposedly lying about the context of his remarks.

He also fired back at the idea that some women voters may take his words as a gut punch and would wonder if hed really represent both men and women.

Look, I regret certainly that a lot of people took it the wrong way, and I certainly regret that the DNC and Kamala Harris lied about it, Vance said.

JD Vance responds to criticism of 'childless cat lady' remarks

When Welker pressed him again, he answered: I have a lot of regrets, Kristen, but making a joke three years ago is not at the top ten of the list.

Welkers line of questioning did not get into the meat of Vances comments at all; namely, the assertion that a womans role in society is primarily as a childbearer. Vance made several comments to this regard, both in a speech to a conservative group in 2021 as well as during an interview with Tucker Carlson on Fox News around the same time.

There was also the undertones of the childless cat lady comment itself: the dual assertion that Kamala Harris and Pete Buttigieg do not have children (both do, through nontraditional means), and that those Americans who do not have children dont really have a direct stake in the countrys future, per Vances words.

Those twin arguments would not be out of place in a right-wing Christian nationalist radio broadcast but put Vance on the extreme fringe of the American contemporary political spectrum. Theyve been seized by Democrats in recent weeks as Harriss party pummels their opponents as out of touch extremists with weird views about women.

Donald Trump and JD Vance at the North Carolina Aviation Museum & Hall of Fame in Asheboro, North Carolina ( REUTERS )

Vance has sought to walk back his remarks on multiple occasions, with Sunday being his latest attempt  he referred to them as sarcastic remarks to Welker. But Buttigieg in particular has gone for the jugular, accusing Vance of not recognizing adoptees, step-parents and a whole range of other family structures which do not cleanly fit the nuclear model.

In the same interview with Welker on Sunday, Vance took another step in that effort and pledged that a second Trump administration would not allow a national abortion ban to be instituted.

WATCH: Trump running mate Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) commits to not imposing a federal abortion ban.@kwelkernbc: If such a piece of legislation landed on Donald Trump's desk, would he veto it?@JDVance: I think he would. He said that explicitly that he would. #MTP pic.twitter.com/wAY888A9TL  Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) August 24, 2024

The Republican vice presidential contender has seen his favorable ratings plummet amid the barrage and the Trump campaign as a whole has largely lost its momentum in the race since his nomination and the announcement which quickly followed: Joe Bidens withdrawal from the presidential race. The former president now trails Harris, his new opponent, in an average of national polling while swing states appear to largely be trending in the vice presidents favor.

This weekend, the Harris campaign also announced that it had pulled in more that $80m in donations during the four-day Democraic National Convention last week, bringing their one-month fundraising total starting from the launch of her campaign past the $500m mark.
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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.
 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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An ex-British soldier has been killed in a suspected Russian missile strike on a hotel in Ukraine.

Ryan Evans, a safety adviser for the Reuters news agency, was in the Hotel Sapphire in the eastern city of Kramatorsk when it was hit on Saturday night.

In a statement, the agency said it was devastated to learn of his death and that two of its journalists were also injured, one seriously.

Mr Evans was part of a six-person team staying at the hotel while covering the war in Ukraine.

A tractor clears the rubble after a Russian strike on the Hotel Sapphire in Kramatorsk ( AP )

President Volodymyr Zelensky said the hotel was hit by a Russian Iskander missile in a deliberate attack. The Russian Defence Ministry has not responded to a request for comment.

Mr Evans had been working with Reuters since 2022 and advised its journalists on safety around the world including in Ukraine, Israel and at the Paris Olympics.

We send our deepest condolences and thoughts to Ryans family and loved ones. Ryan has helped so many of our journalists cover events around the world; we will miss him terribly, Reuters said in a statement.

Evans had worked for the news agency since 2022 ( Reuters )

According to his LinkedIn profile, Mr Evans was from the Cheshire area and had previously worked for nine years as an Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office operations manager in Libya.

In his evening address on Sunday, Mr Zelensky said: A regular city hotel was destroyed by a Russian Iskander missile. Deliberately. Calculated. Seven people were injured, and one person lost their life. My deepest condolences to the families and loved ones.

The three other members of the Reuters team who were in the hotel at the time of the strike were accounted for and safe, the agency said.

The Donetsk provinces regional prosecutors office said in a Telegram post earlier on Sunday that the body of a British citizen had been found in the rubble.

Four foreign journalists  aged 38, 40, 41 and 46  suffered blast injuries, a brain injury, a broken leg, concussions, cuts and bruises, it added.

The US State Department has confirmed the injured included an American.

Donestsk war crimes prosecutor assesses the damage in Kramatorsk ( Telegram/ Kramatorsk City Council )

The Independent has contacted the UKs Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office on Mr Evans death. A spokesperson said: We are aware of reports of a British national missing in Ukraine and are seeking more information from the local authorities.

The airstrike on the eastern city was one of several Russian missile and drone strikes on northern, eastern and southern Ukraine that injured at least 37 people on Saturday night, according to the Ukrainian military and local authorities.

They targeted Ukraines frontline regions of Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv and Donetsk, Ukraines air force said on Telegram.

In the attack on Kramatorsk, which has become a hub for humanitarian workers and journalists, two women were also injured in their homes, local authorities said.

Emergency services worked into the night at the Hotel Sapphire ( Reuters )

Russia has been pummelling Ukrainian border regions with strikes, and Kyiv said its surprise incursion earlier this month into Russias Kursk region aimed to hinder Moscows ability to stage such attacks.

Most of the missiles did not reach their targets, the air force said, adding that Russia launched an Iskander-M ballistic missile, an Iskander-K cruise missile and six guided air missiles.

A missile attack on the northern region of Sumy killed one person, injuring at least 16 more, including three children, local authorities said on Telegram.

Oleh Sinehubov, governor of the Kharkiv region in the east, posted that at least 13 people were injured in the Russian attacks, including a 4-year-old child.

Ihor Terekhov, mayor of Kharkiv city, said a gas pipeline was damaged in the city and at least two houses were destroyed and 10 damaged.

The strikes came as Ukraines forces advanced a further 3km (1.86 miles) in Russias Kursk region, taking control of two more settlements there, Ukrainian Mr Zelensky said in his evening address on Sunday.
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Prosecutors have revealed the identity of a man accused of carrying out deadly stabbings at a festival in Germany with suspected links to Islamic State.

The Syrian national was named a Issa Al H, omitting his family name because of German privacy laws. The 26-year-old man had turned himself in to police amid a major manhunt following the attack in Solingen, which killed three and injured eight.

German federal prosecutors are investigating the suspect for links to the Islamic State extremist group after they claimed responsibility for Fridays atrocity, which saw the knifeman aim for victims throats.

They are also investigating the man, who had applied for asylum in Germany, on suspicion of murder, attempted murder and dangerous bodily harm in eight cases.

Prosecutors said due to his radical Islamist convictions he tried to kill as many people as possible that he considered to be non-believers, stabbing them repeatedly in the neck and upper body.

A woman, 56, and two men, aged 56 and 67, were killed in Fridays ferocious attack on revellers at a Festival of Diversity to celebrate the west German citys 650th anniversary.

Heres a look at everything we know so far.

Revellers were celebrating Solingens 650-year history at the time of the horrific attack ( EPA )

What has happened so far?

Residents of the western German city of Solingen were enjoying a diversity festival when tragedy struck.

The Festival of Diversity marked the citys 650th anniversary, and was set to run until Sunday, with several stages in central streets offering live music, cabaret and acrobatics.

But shortly after 9.30pm on Friday evening, witnesses reported to police that someone had attacked people with a knife at a central square, known as the Fronhof.

Phillip Muller, the festivals organiser, appeared on stage to ask festivalgoers to leave calmly.

Please keep your eyes open, because unfortunately the perpetrator hasnt been caught, Mr Muller said.

A woman, 56, and two men, aged 56 and 67, were killed and eight more were injured, including four left fighting for their lives in hospital.

German police instantly launched a manhunt for the perpetrator, who they believed to be working alone.

Police searched overnight and into Saturday, but have still not located the attacker ( DPA )

On Saturday, police detained a 15-year-old boy who was allegedly seen speaking with the suspect moments before. Later the same day a second man was detained at a refugee centre close to the site of the attack.

However late on Saturday, a 26-year-old man handed himself in to police claiming to be the knifeman.

This persons involvement in the crime is currently being intensively investigated, officials said. He was later named by federal prosecutors as Issa Al H.

Meanwhile the Islamic State militant group claimed responsibility for the attack, without providing evidence.

The extremist group said on its news site that the attacker targeted Christians and that as a soldier of the Islamic State he carried out the assaults Friday night to avenge Muslims in Palestine and everywhere.

The claim could not immediately be verified.

Tributes have been laid near the site of the attack ( AFP via Getty Images )

What do we know about the alleged perpetrator?

The 26-year-old suspect has been named as Issa Al H, omitting his family name because of German privacy laws.

He is suspected of being a member of Islamic State and is being investigated over three counts of murder, attempted murder and dangerous bodily harm in eight cases.

Prosecutors said due to his radical Islamist convictions he tried to kill as many people as possible that he considered to be non-believers, stabbing them repeatedly in the neck and upper body.

He was pictured in handcuffs being escorted to the Federal Public Prosecutor in Karlsruhe, Germany, on Sunday.

The man is a Syrian national who had applied for asylum in Germany, according to the Associated Press.

The suspect came from a home for refugees in Solingen that was searched on Saturday, North Rhine-Westphalias interior minister, Herbert Reul, said.

A suspect in the mass stabbing at a festival in Solingen, west Germany, was escorted to the Federal Public Prosecutor in Karlsruhe, Germany ( REUTERS )

Lets stand together - politicians react to the stabbing

Local, national and international politicians have spoken out to condemn the horrific stabbings.

German chancellor Olaf Scholz wrote on X that the perpetrator must be punished to the fullest extent of the law.

He said it was a terrible event which had shocked him greatly, adding that he will mourn the victims and stand by their families.

German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier described it as a heinous act and wished those injured strength and a speedy recovery from all my heart.

The perpetrator needs to be brought to justice. Lets stand together  against hatred and violence, Mr Steinmeier added.

Tim Kurzbach, the mayor of Solingen, said our hearts were torn apart by the violence, which hardly let any of us sleep.

"We are working all night, all the time, to organise everything imaginable. Nevertheless, this great pain remains," he said.

German interior minister Nancy Faeser with Herbert Reul (middle), the North-Rhine Westfalias interior minister, and Hendrik Wuest (right), the states premier ( Reuters )

"I continue to pray and hope that the relatives will find comfort. That the injured and wounded will recover. And I ask you to continue to hope and pray with us here in Solingen.

Regional interior minister Herbert Reul said you dont want to believe what you see here at the crime scene, while European Commission president and German politician Ursula von der Leyen said she was deeply shocked by the brutal and insidious attack.
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Pavel Durov, the billionaire founder and CEO of the Telegram messaging app, was arrested at Bourget airport outside Paris on Saturday evening, French media reported.

Mr Durov, who arrived on a private jet, was arrested in connection with a French police investigation focused on a lack of moderators on Telegram, TF1 TV and BFM TV said. Police considered that the lack of moderation allowed criminal activity to go on undeterred on the app.

Mr Durov could possibly be indicted on Sunday.

Mr Durov founded Telegram with his brother in 2013. He left Russia, where he was born, the following year after refusing to comply with government demands to shut down opposition communities on his VKontakte social media platform, which he sold.

I would rather be free than take orders from anyone, Mr Durov told American journalist Tucker Carlson in April about his exit from Russia and search for a home for his company that included stints in Berlin, London, Singapore, and San Francisco.

Mr Durov obtained French citizenhip in August 2021. He moved himself and Telegram to Dubai in 2017 and, according to French media, he also took United Arab Emirates citizenship. He was reported to be a citizen of the Caribbean island nation of St Kitts and Nevis as well.

Russia started blocking Telegram in 2018 after the app refused to comply with a court order to enable state security services to access encrypted messages of its users.

The action interrupted many services, but had little effect on the availability of Telegram in the country. The ban order, however, sparked mass protests in Moscow and criticism from NGOs.

The Russian foreign ministry recalled those protests as it called on Western NGOs to demand his release in France.

Mikhail Ulyanov, Russias representative to international organisations in Vienna, accused France of acting as a dictatorship  the same criticism that Moscow faced when putting demands on Mr Durov in 2014 and trying to ban Telegram in 2018.

Some naive persons still do not understand that if they play more or less a visible role in international information space its not safe for them to visit countries which move towards much more totalitarian societies, Mr Ulyanov wrote on X.

Former president Dmitry Medvedev said Mr Durov miscalculated by fleeing Russia and thinking that he would never have to cooperate with the security services abroad.

Mr Medvedev related a conversation he had with Mr Durov several years ago in which the former president told him that if he did not want to cooperate with law enforcement agencies then he would have problems in any country.

Mr Medvedev, the powerful deputy head of Russias Security Council, said Mr Durov wanted to be a brilliant man of the world who lived wonderfully without a motherland.

Durov should finally realise one cannot chose ones the fatherland, he said.

Telegram didnt immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Frances interior ministry and police had no comment.

Russian demonstrators carry a painting depicting Telegram founder Pavel Durov as they protest against the blocking of the messaging app in Saint Petersburg on 1 May 2018. ( AFP via Getty )

Telegram, which has nearly a billion users, is influential in Russia, Ukraine and former republics of the Soviet Union.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine in Februray 2022, Telegram has become the main source of unfiltered, and sometimes graphic and misleading, content from both sides about the war and the politics of the conflict.

The app has come to be described as a virtual battlefield for the war, used heavily by Ukraines president Volodymyr Zelenskiy and his officials as well as the Russian government.

Mr Durov, whose fortune was estimated by Forbes at $15.5bn, said certain governments had tried putting pressure on him, but he would keep the app a neutral platform and not a player in geopolitics.

Telegrams increasing popularity has prompted scrutiny from several countries in Europe, including France, which claim to have security and data breach concerns regarding the app.

Mr Durovs arrest by French police drew condemnation from prominent free speech advocates. Its 2030 in Europe and youre being executed for liking a meme, Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of X, said, referring to the fellow tech CEOs detention.

Robert F Kennedy Jr, who abandoned his campaign for US president on Friday and endorsed Donald Trump, said on X that the need to protect free speech has never been more urgent.

Several Russian bloggers called for protests at French embassies throughout the world at noon on Sunday.

The Russian embassy in France demanded consular access to Mr Durov and said his rights must be ensured, state news agency TASS reported on Sunday.

The embassy said France had so far avoided engagement on the situation with Mr Durov and that Russian diplomats were in contact with the CEOs lawyer.
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Russian forces struck a hotel in eastern Ukraine where a team of journalists was staying - while five people died in Ukrainian shelling on the border region of Belgorod, local officials claimed on Sunday.

One journalist was missing and two were injured following the overnight strike on the hotel in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk, the governor of Donetsk region said. All three were reported to be journalists from Ukraine, the US and the UK.

The attack was one of several Russian missile and drone strikes targeting northern and eastern Ukraine that injured at least 29 people, according to the Ukrainian military and local authorities.

News agency Reuters said on Sunday that its journalist covering the war in Ukraine was missing and two other team members were taken to hospital after Hotel Sapphire was hit ( AFP via Getty Images )

People walk past the destroyed hotel in the town of Kramatorsk in the Donetsk region ( AFP via Getty Images )

News agency Reuters confirmed on Sunday that its journalist covering the war in Ukraine was missing and two other team members were taken to hospital after Hotel Sapphire, where a six-person crew was staying, was hit.

The rest of the team have been accounted for.

We are urgently seeking more information, working with the authorities in Kramatorsk, and supporting our colleagues and their families. We will give an update when we have more information, a statement from Reuters added.

Vadym Filashkin, governor of Donetsk region, said in a post on Telegram: Authorities, police and rescuers are working on the spot. Debris clearance and rescue operations are ongoing.

The remains of the hotel which was hit in Kramatorsk in the Donetsk region ( REUTERS )

In addition to the hotel, a nearby multistorey building was also destroyed, Mr Filashkin said.

Ukraines eastern Kharkiv region also came under Russian fire, resulting in several people injured, according to regional governor Oleh Syniehubov.

In Kharkivs Chuhuiv region, five people were injured, including a four-year-old boy and a 14-year-old girl, after two houses were struck by Russian fire. In Kharkiv city, eight people were wounded when a two-storey house was set on fire by a Russian attack.

In Balakliia, a Russian strike destroyed six houses and damaged others. A 55-year-old man was injured. In the Kupiansk area, a house was set on fire by a Russian attack, wounding four women.

Russian rocket strike in Kharkiv, northeastern Ukraine ( EPA )

Meanwhile, Russian officials claimed five people were killed in Ukrainian shelling in the border region of Belgorod.

Russian regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov also said 12 other people were injured in the alleged attack on the village of Rakitone in the region.

Russia has been pummelling Ukrainian border regions with strikes in recent weeks. Kyiv has said its surprise incursion earlier this month into the Kursk region was partly aimed to hinder Moscows ability to stage such attacks.

Most of the missiles did not reach their targets, the Ukrainian air force said on Saturday nights attacks, adding that Russia launched an Iskander-M ballistic missile, an Iskander-K cruise missile and six guided air missiles. It did not specify how many missiles were destroyed.

The Ukrainian military added Russia launched nine attack drones, with Ukraines air defence systems destroying eight of them over the Ukraines Mykolaiv region.

Both sides deny targeting civilians in the war that Russia launched with a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

It comes as Russias defence ministry announced it sent more artillery to the Kursk region where Russian forces are fighting thousands of Ukrainian troops who pierced the Russian border on 6 August.

Additional missile and artillery weapons have been supplied to the group, the ministry said in a statement on supplies to troops in the Russian border regions.

Additional reporting by agencies
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Hezbollah has fired a volley of rockets towards Israel in the latest effort by an Iran-backed militia to attack the country since it launched its retaliatory offensive in Gaza last October.

The Lebanese group said it had fired 320 Katyusha rockets towards Israel and hit 11 military targets in what it called the first phase of its retaliation for Israels assassination of Fuad Shukr, a senior commander, last month.

Israels military said it had foiled a much larger attack with pre-emptive airstrikes after assessing that Hezbollah was preparing to launch the barrage, using 100 jets to strike more than 40 Hezbollah launch sites in southern Lebanon.

The strikes destroyed thousands of launcher barrels, aimed mostly at northern Israel but also targeting some central areas, Israels military said.

While Hezbollah is distinct from the Hamas militia in charge of the Gaza Strip, the two groups are strong allies who are both backed by Iran as part of Tehrans shadow war against Israel.

While Hamas has been fighting a war with Israel in Gaza for nearly a year, with more than 40,000 Palestinians killed as a result, Hezbollah says it has attacked Israel in solidarity with their allies in the nearby enclave.

They are not the only group fighting alongside Hamas, though they are the most powerful.

Below, we have put together a breakdown of the armed groups facing Israel and the United States in the Middle East, a look at what unites some of them, and what's different about each.

Overview

This photo taken from a position in northern Israel shows a Hezbollah UAV intercepted by Israeli air forces over north Israel on 25 August ( AFP via Getty Images )

Israel and the US have been battling a range of armed groups that are allied to Iran and to each other. They are:

Hamas in Gaza

Hezbollah, the dominant force in southern Lebanon

Smaller militias in Iraq and Syria

Houthis in the poor Arabian peninsula country of Yemen, who are sometimes seen as more of the loose cannons of the alliance

All the groups have escalated attacks on US, Israeli or global targets within their reach since Israel launched its war in Gaza on 7 October, after Hamas's deadly cross-border raids that killed 1,200 people and led to 251 more being taken captive in the enclave. Around half of those are still being held hostage in Gaza.

The aim of Iran and the armed groups at large is to aid Hamas with attacks that distract the focus of Israel and the US, and that make the military, economic and political costs of continuing the war against Hamas too great for Israel and the US.

The groups don't necessarily want further additional escalation themselves, given their odds in any all-out confrontation with two of the world's strongest militaries, experts say. But under the leadership of the late Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani, who was killed by the US in 2020, the far-flung array of Iranian-allied militias knitted themselves into a more cohesive network.

They also grew into a common understanding, said Randa Slim, a regional analyst with the Washington-based Middle East Institute: When the survival of any one was threatened, all would rally.

Hamas

Israeli soldiers take up positions during a ground operation in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, during their war against Hamas ( Copyright 2024 The Associated Press All rights reserved )

What: Based in Gaza. Founded in 1987 at a time of widespread protests by Palestinians against Israels occupation. Has early ties to one of the Sunni worlds most prominent groups, the Muslim Brotherhood, founded in Egypt in the 1920s. It has vowed to annihilate Israel and has carried out suicide bombings and other deadly attacks on civilians and Israeli soldiers.

Background: Hamas seized control of Gaza by force in 2007, the year after it won parliamentary elections there with 44% of the vote. Israel has kept Gaza under a devastating blockade ever since, restricting the movement of people and goods in and out of the territory. Hamas receives backing from Arab and Muslim countries, including Qatar and Turkey. Although a Sunni Muslim group, Hamas leaders have moved closer to Shiite Muslim Iran and its allies over the years. Hamas's October 7 attacks in Israel were seen by many as Hamas's bid to reclaim relevance on the world stage. Israel's far-right government had sidelined any attempt at a negotiated Israeli-Palestinian political agreement, and world attention faded away.

Hezbollah

Hezbollah soldiers salute as the coffin of Hezbollah fighter Mohamad Bader el Dine who was killed in an Israeli drone strike on his car in August, arrives in the Christian village of Marjayoun ( Getty Images )

What: Formed in 1982 in response to the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, where it is based. One of the strongest members of the Iran-allied alliance, militarily and organizationally. A Shiite Muslim group. Took part in repeated attacks against the US through the mid-1990s, including the deadly 1983 bombing of a US Marines barrack in Beirut, Lebanon's capital. Has participated in Lebanon's government since 1992. Its military wing is stronger than the country's armed forces.

Background: A 2006 war with Israel provoked by Hezbollah's kidnapping of Israeli soldiers devastated southern Lebanon and Beirut. Many ordinary Lebanese are deeply fearful of a new war with Israel in the wake of the Gaza fighting. Wary of a repeat of the war itself, Hezbollah has lobbed rockets and missiles across its southern border into Israel since the start of the war in Gaza, losing fighters daily in return fire, but held back from further dramatic escalation. That may have changed with a presumed Israeli strike this week that killed a Hamas leader sheltering in Lebanon. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said Friday that his group had to retaliate, or else all of Lebanon would be vulnerable to Israeli attack.

Houthis

Houthi soldiers march during an official military parade marking the ninth anniversary of the Houthi takeover of the Yemeni capital, Sanaa ( AFP via Getty Images )

What: Based in Yemen, overseeing one of the world's most vital shipping routes for oil and other trade. Have launched rockets, missiles and drones at commercial vessels during the Gaza war. Forced some major shippers to change route and threatens a potentially major toll on the world's economy. Formally known as Ansar Allah. Had its start as one of several armed groups vying internally for power in fractured, impoverished Yemen. While Shiite Muslim, it's of a different branch than Iran. The group's motto calls for the destruction of Israel and the US, though it has been largely focused on affairs in Yemen.

Background: At odds with Yemen's government, Houthis seized control of Yemen's capital in 2014 and soon controlled much of the north. After Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates opened an attack in 2015 in an unsuccessful attempt to rout the Houthis, the Houthis moved increasingly close to Iran as a source of materiel support.

Saudi and US attempts to formally end the Saudi-led war in Yemen have failed to bring Yemen's war to a close but had succeeded in stopping what were sporadic missile and drone strikes by the Houthis against their richer Gulf neighbors. The Houthis, who have limited popular support in Yemen outside of their immediate base, are seen as more independent of Iran in their actions than some of the other groups in the alliance. The strikes on shipping since Israel launched its campaign in Gaza are some of the Houthis' first outward-facing attacks, other than at its Gulf enemies.

Iran-allied militias in Syria and Iraq

What: Array of smaller Iranian-backed militant groups that have battled with US and coalition forces in Iraq and Syria for years. Mount sporadic attacks against bases in the region where US troops are deployed to fight Islamic State group insurgents.

Background: There has been a dramatic spike in attacks by Irans proxies in those two countries since the opening of the war between Israel and Hamas. Iraq says it is working with the US to contain the militias there. On Thursday, the US unleashed an airstrike against the headquarters of an Iran-backed militia in central Baghdad, killing a high-ranking militia commander. It was an attempt to discourage more attacks.

The Islamic State, Al-Qaida and other armed Sunni Muslim groups

What: Israel's deadly military campaign in Gaza, and the USs support for it, are sparking calls to action by violent extremist groups that have long battled the West and other enemies.

Background: On Thursday, a spokesman for the Islamic State called on Muslims around the world to carry out killings in what he said would be vengeance for the people of Gaza. Oh lions of Islam, hunt your prey  the Jews, Christians, and their allies  in the streets and alleyways of America, Europe, and the world, Abu Hudhayfa al-Ansar said in a speech transcribed by the SITE intelligence group. Break into their homes, kill them, and torment them in every way you can.
BAKU. Azerbaijan. August 25. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan thanked President Ilham Aliyev for sending an amphibious aircraft to fight fires in Turkiye, Trend reports.

"I would like to express my deep gratitude to the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev. With the help of this aircraft we were able to cope with the fires very effectively," he said in his speech after the Cabinet meeting.

Erdogan added that the number of forest fires in Turkiye has increased by 53 percent to 5,540.

"27 aircraft, 105 helicopters and more than 5,000 ground vehicles are involved in extinguishing the fires. From August 15 to 19, 306 forest fires were registered. The relevant ministers are constantly on site and I receive information from them regularly."

Upon the instructions of President Ilham Aliyev, the BE-200CS amphibious aircraft of the aviation unit of the Ministry of Emergency Situations was sent to fight severe forest fires in Turkiye.
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Israel carried out airstrikes on southern Lebanon and Hezbollah retaliated with a drone and rocket barrage on Saturday morning, igniting fears of regional war in the Middle East.

Hezbollah said its attack, which involved the launch of over 320 drones and rockets, was also in retaliation for Israels killing of its commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut in July.

The Lebanese group said it struck a special military target as well as Iron Dome platforms and other sites, but the full response would take some time.

The first phase of the retaliatory attack had been concluded with complete success, it said in a statement.

At this moment, the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon is at the highest readiness and will confront any Zionist aggression, especially if it touches civilians, with a severe punishment.

Israeli Army Radio reported that a woman was injured by shrapnel in Acre in northern Israel.

Smoke and fire on the Lebanese side of the border with Israel, as seen from Tyre, southern Lebanon ( Reuters )

Hezbollah struck shortly after Israel conducted 40 airstrikes in southern Lebanon in what it described as a preemptive attack, Al Jazeera reported.

In a self-defence act to remove these threats, the IDF is striking terror targets, Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari said.

Israels defence minister Yoav Gallant declared an emergency situation for the next 48 hours, local media reported. The declaration enables the military to issue instructions to civilians, limit crowd sizes and close relevant areas off, YNet News reported.

The escalation came as mediated talks for a ceasefire in Gaza stalled. Reuters reported, citing a Palestinian official, that the Hamas delegation had departed Cairo, where the talks were being mediated by the United States, Egypt and Qatar.

Israeli helicopters fly towards northern Israel on Sunday ( AP )

Any hope of a breakthrough had receded after Hamas said it would not accede to new demands introduced by Israel since the Palestinian group accepted a version of the ceasefire proposal unveiled by American president Joe Biden in May, Reuters reported.

Israel demanded to keep troops in two strategic corridors  Netzarim Corridor, which runs the width of Gaza, and Philadelphi Corridor along the border with Egypt  and retain the option to resume fighting after the first phase of a ceasefire, The New York Times reported.

Hamas asked for a permanent ceasefire and complete withdrawal of Israeli forces.

Israel continued to pummell Gaza with airstrike and shelling in the meantime, killing more than 70 Palestinians.

The Israeli air and ground assault on the territory  which came after Hamas raided southern Israel and killed some 1,200 people on 7 October  has left over 40,000 Palestinians dead, according to Gazas health officials.

The bombardment has displaced 1.9 million people in Gaza and left the besieged territorys entire population of over 2.2 million at the risk of famine and disease, according to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.

The Israelis have also killed at least 632 Palestinians and displaced 1,400 in over 1,000 attacks in the West Bank since 7 October, according to data from Israeli forces, Palestinian officials and the UNs Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
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Hezbollah and Israel have exchanged intense rounds of rocket fire and airstrikes after the Lebanese militant group was targeted by an attack which caused their communication devices to explode.

In an unprecedented attack which killed at least 12 people and injured nearly 3,000 more, pagers used by the group were simultaneously detonated on Tuesday, sparking widespread panic in Beirut and southern Lebanon.

The following day, a further 25 people were killed and more than 600 wounded in Lebanon as walkie-talkies were also remotely detonated.

While Israel has not commented, a senior Lebanese security source said Israels spy agency Mossad  which has a long history of complex attacks on foreign soil  planted explosives inside the pagers. The claim was mirrored by US officials cited in American media.

With Israels defence minister Yoav Gallant simultaneously declaring his country was entering a new phase in the war, in which the conflicts centre of gravity will shift to Israels northern border, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah described the twin attacks on Thursday as a declaration of war by Israel.

There was panic in southern Lebanon after a second wave of explosions, including some that hit mourners at funerals for those killed in the previous days attack ( AFP via Getty Images )

Accusing Israel of having exceeded all limits, rules, and red lines, Nasrallah vowed that a reckoning will happen and warned that his group would not permit the 60,000 Israelis evacuated from northern Israel since last October to return to their homes until there is peace in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

Nasrallah said: Youve challenged us, and we again rise to the challenge. I say to Netanyahu and Gallant: you will not achieve this goal. You wont be able to return these people to the north. The only way you can do this is by stopping the aggression on Gaza and the West Bank. This is the only way.

As Israeli jets flew low over Beirut on Thursday, fears grew of all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah, who have been trading frequent fire across the Lebanese border since Hamass attack on 7 October sparked the war in Gaza, with Israel notably killing Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in a Beirut strike in July.

Below, we look at who the Hezbollah group is and why they are involved in this conflict.

What is Hezbollah?

Hezbollah soldiers salute as the coffin of Hezbollah fighter Mohamad Bader el Dine who was killed in an Israeli drone strike on his car in August, arrives in the Christian village of Marjayoun ( Getty Images )

Founded in 1982 during Lebanons civil war, Hezbollahs initial objective was ending Israels occupation of southern Lebanon. It achieved that in 2000.

Shiite Muslim Hezbollah is part of a collection of Iranian-backed factions and governments known as the Axis of Resistance. It was the first group that Iran backed and used as a way to export its brand of political Islamism.

In its early days the group attacked US targets, causing Washington to designate it as a terrorist organisation.

Irans support has helped Hezbollah consolidate its position as Lebanons most powerful political actor as well as the most-equipped military actor supported by Iran in the whole of the Middle East, said Lina Khatib, the director of the SOAS Middle East Institute in London.

Hezbollah fighters ambushed an Israeli patrol in 2006 and took two Israeli soldiers hostage. Hezbollah and Israel fought a monthlong war that ended in a draw but Israeli bombardment wreaked widespread destruction in southern Lebanon.

Israels objective was eliminating Hezbollah but the Lebanese group came out stronger and became a key military and political power on Israel's northern border.

Domestic opponents have criticized Hezbollah for maintaining its arsenal and for coming to dominate the government. Hezbollah's reputation also suffered when it briefly seized a section of Beirut in May 2008 after the Lebanese government took measures against its private telecommunications network.

Hezbollah's military capabilities have also surged, and it has played a key role in the Syrian civil war, keeping President Bashar al-Assad in power. And it has helped train Iran-backed militias in Syria and Iraq, as well as Yemen's Houthi rebels.

How did Hezbollah get involved in the Israel-Hamas war?

This photo taken from a position in northern Israel shows a Hezbollah UAV intercepted by Israeli air forces over north Israel on 25 August ( AFP via Getty Images )

Hezbollah is a powerful part of the Axis of Resistance, an alliance of Iran-backed groups across the Middle East that also includes Hamas.

Hamas ignited the Gaza war by attacking Israel on 7 October, during which they killed around 1,200 people and took 251 hostages inside Gaza. Roughly half of the hostages are still being held captive. More than 41,000 people have died in Gaza since Israel launched its military response, accoreding to health officials in the Hamas-run strip.

Declaring solidarity with the Palestinians, Hezbollah began firing on Israeli positions in the frontier region on 8 October.

The sides have been trading fire on a near daily basis since then, with Hezbollah launching rockets and drones and Israel mounting air and artillery strikes. The attacks have mostly struck near or at the frontier, but both sides have also widened their attacks.

Tens of thousands have been uprooted in Lebanon and Israel.

What are Hezbollahs military capabilities?

A resident stands next to a house damaged by a rocket fired from Lebanon in the Israeli coastal town of Acre ( AFP via Getty Images )

Throughout its latest conflict with Israel, Hezbollah has gradually introduced new weapons to its arsenal, especially after Israel began its ground invasion of the southern city of Rafah in Gaza in early May.

While Hezbollah initially began launching Cornet anti-tank missiles and salvos of Katyusha rockets, it later started using rockets with heavy warheads, and eventually introduced explosive drones and surface-to-air missiles for the first time. Nasrallah said the drones are locally manufactured, with many at their disposal.

The group notably released the two videos of footage from drones over Haifa and other sites in northern Israel, showing critical civilian and military infrastructure in a move intended to showcase new access and capabilities and deter Israeli attack.

How does Hezbollah compare to other Iranian-backed groups?

Russian President Vladimir Putin holds a meeting with his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad. The pair are long-time allies ( SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images )

Hezbollah is the Arab worlds most significant paramilitary force with a robust internal structure as well as a sizeable arsenal. Israel sees it as its most direct threat, and estimates that it has an arsenal of 150,000 rockets and missiles, including precision-guided missiles.

In recent years, Hezbollah sent forces to Syria to help fellow Iranian ally President Bashar Assad against armed opposition groups. It also supported the growth of Iranian-backed militias in Iraq, Yemen and Syria.

Khatib of the SOAS Middle East Institute in London likened Hezbollah to a big brother of fledgling Iranian-backed groups that do not enjoy the same level of infrastructure or discipline.

Hezbollah is bound to Iran by doctrine. However, its relationship with Hamas is based on pragmatism.

In recent years, some Hamas officials, including its former second-in-command, Saleh al-Arouri, have since moved to Lebanon, where they have Hezbollahs protection and a presence across Lebanons multiple Palestinian refugee camps. Arouri was killed in an Israeli drone strike in a southern Beirut suburb in January.

Who is Hezbollahs leader Hassan Nasrallah?

A supporter cheers while listening to Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah via a video link during a ceremony to mark the first week since the killing of Hezbollahs top commander Fuad Shukr on 6 August ( Getty Images )

Born in 1960 into a poor Shia family in the Beirut suburb of Bourj Hammoud and later displaced to south Lebanon, Nasrallah studied theology and joined the Amal movement, a Shiite political and paramilitary organization, before becoming one of Hezbollahs founders.

He became Hezbollahs leader in 1992 after his predecessor was killed in an Israeli strike.

Idolised by many for presiding over Israels withdrawal from the south and leading the 2006 war, his image appears on billboards and on gadgets in souvenir shops in Lebanon, Syria and other countries across the Arab world. But he also faces opposition among Lebanese who accuse him of tying their countrys fate to Iran.

Nasrallah is also considered to be pragmatic and able to make political compromises.

He has lived in hiding for years, fearing Israeli assassination, and delivers his speeches from undisclosed locations.
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The United Nations has been forced to halt its humanitarian aid operations in Gaza, a senior official has warned, after Israel issued new evacuation orders for the city of Deir al-Balah.

As the latest round of high-level talks for a ceasefire in the 10-month war  sparked by Hamass incursion into Israel on 7 October  ended without a final agreement on Sunday, Israel issued yet another evacuation order in a part of Deir al-Balah it said was now considered a dangerous combat zone.

City authorities say 250,000 people have so far been displaced there in recent weeks, with families forced to sleep without shelter on roads and the nearby beach, as the UN warned of an 85 per cent shortfall in water due to just three out of the citys 18 wells remaining operational.

Displaced Palestinians prepare to leave the perimeter of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah ( Eyad Baba/AFP via Getty Images )

And a senior UN official, speaking anonymously to Reuters on Monday, warned that, as of this morning, were not operating in Gaza to deliver humanitarian aid because were unable to deliver today with the conditions that were in.

Were not leaving [Gaza], because the people need us there, the official said, adding that staff on the ground have been directed to try and find a way to keep operating.

Were trying to balance the need of the population with the need for safety and security of the UN personnel.

The UN previously relocated its main command operations for the Gaza Strip and most personnel to Deir al-Balah after Israel ordered the evacuation of Rafah, they said, adding: Where do we move now? ... The space to operate is being restricted more and more than ever.

One Palestinian woman said she and her children had now been displaced 11 times.

I left half of my children behind me near my furniture and I am now with my little ones and my daughter. Only God can help us ... I have no money for transportation, I will go to area 17 where my family is staying on my foot. I took my kids and three are left behind. No idea where, the woman said.

Hundreds of patients have fled the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, fearing fresh bombing by Israel ( AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana )

The new orders have forced many families and patients to leave Al-Aqsa Hospital, the main medical facility serving central Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of residents and displaced people had taken shelter, for fear of bombardments.

While Israel said it had informed health officials that the facilities did not need to be evacuated, the hospital is close to the area covered by the evacuation notice, and people could be seen fleeing the hospital and surrounding areas on Monday, with some pushing patients on stretchers or carrying sick children.

Our fate is to die, a woman named Fatimah al-Attar told the Associated Press as she left the hospital compound. There is no place for us to go. There is no safe place.

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said an explosion around 250 metres from the hospital on Sunday had accelerated the exodus.

As a result, MSF is considering whether to suspend wound care for the time being, while trying to maintain life-saving treatment, the charity said.

The hospital said it was treating more than 600 patients before the evacuation orders. Only around 100 patients remained on Monday, including seven in intensive care and eight in the childrens ward.

Smoke was seen during an Israeli military operation in Deir al-Balah on Sunday ( EPA )

As Israels offensive continued, a US official said four days of high-level talks for a ceasefire and deal to return Israeli hostages seized on 7 October had ended in Cairo without a final agreement. But talks will continue at lower levels in the coming days in an effort to bridge remaining gaps.

A senior US official described the talks as constructive but Hamas official Osama Hamdan criticised those remarks as false and intended to boost electioneering in the upcoming presidential ballot. Hamas said it rejected new conditions made by Israel during the talks.

The development came after Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah traded heavy fire early on Sunday but backed off from sparking a widely feared all-out war, as both sides signalled that their most intense exchange in months was over.

Hezbollah claimed to hit an Israeli military intelligence site near Tel Aviv as part of a barrage of hundreds of rockets and drones, and Israel claimed its dozens of strikes had been pre-emptive to avert a larger attack. Neither offered evidence.

Blasts and missiles rocket across sky in northern Israel after Hezbollah retaliates

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said the attack, a response to Israels killing of a top militant commander in Beirut last month, had been delayed to give the Gaza ceasefire talks a chance, and so fellow Iran-backed groups could discuss with Iran whether to attack Israel all at once.

He said Hezbollah will reserve the right to respond at a later time if the results of Sundays attack arent sufficient. He added that allied Houthi rebels in Yemen  and Iran itself  had yet to respond. But he told the Lebanese people: At this current stage, the country can take a breath and relax.

Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu said the military eliminated thousands of rockets that were aimed at northern Israel and shot down drones heading for the centre of the country, adding: I repeat  this is not the end of the story.

Israeli government spokesperson David Mencer said Hezbollah had suffered a crushing blow from the Israeli strikes but warned that the current situation of tens of thousands of Israelis being evacuated from their homes is not sustainable, vowing Israel would return its population to its sovereign territory.

Additional reporting by agencies
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Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned that this is not the end as Israel and Iranian-backed Hezbollah exchanged heavy fire in southern Lebanon in an escalation of the Middle Eastern conflict.

The cross-border firing of missiles, rockets and drones was the largest day of attacks since the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel was reignited last October, after fellow Iran-backed group Hamas led a deadly incursion into Israel.

The Israeli military said it had struck Lebanon, the south of which is controlled by Hezbollah, on Sunday morning with around 100 jets to thwart an attack from the Iran-backed militia.

Hezbollah then fired hundreds of projectiles and drones at Israel, claiming they fired 320 Katyusha rockets and hit 11 military targets in what it called the first phase of its retaliation for Israels assassination of Fuad Shukr, a senior Hezbollah commander, last month.

What happened today is not the end of the story, said Mr Netanyahu in a statement posted on X, formerly Twitter.

Residents check the damage caused by a strike from Lebanon in the Israeli coastal town of Acre during Sundays attack ( AFP via Getty Images )

Hezbollah tried to attack the state of Israel early this morning with rockets. We instructed the [Israeli military] to carry out a powerful pre-emptive strike to remove the threat.

The [Israeli military] destroyed thousands of short-range rockets which were all intended to harm our citizens and our forces in the Galilee. In addition, the [Israeli military] intercepted all of the UAVs [unmanned aerial vehicles] that they sent to a strategic target in the centre of the country.

We are hitting Hezbollah with surprising blows. Three weeks ago we eliminated their chief of staff and today we thwarted their attack.

Referring to the leader of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, and the ruler of Iran, Ali Khamenei, Mr Netanyahu added that the pair should know this is another step on the way to changing the situation in the north.

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu releases a video statement after the exchange of missile attacks with Hezbollah in southern Lebanon ( X / Benjamin Netanyahu )

Hezbollah denied Mr Netanyahus claims that they had been planning to fire thousands of rockets and that the Israeli attack had reduced the scope of their aerial assault.

Mr Nasrallah, speaking late on Sunday, claimed that Hezbollah had not used precision missiles in their strikes but that they could use them in the near future.

We will assess the impact of todays operation. If results are not seen to be enough, we will respond another time, he said.

In a lengthy speech, he added that Hezbollah had targeted an Israeli military intelligence base just outside Tel Aviv and had ruled out targeting civilian infrastructure. Photos from the Israeli coastal town of Acre, however, showed several homes had been damaged by the salvo of rockets, though no civilians were reported killed.

Missiles were visible curling up through the dawn sky, leaving dark vapour trails behind them, as an air raid siren sounded in Israel and a distant blast lit the horizon, while smoke rose over houses in Khiam in southern Lebanon.

A man looks at a damaged window of a house following an attack in Acre, north Israel ( AP )

Three civilian deaths were confirmed in Lebanon but none in Israel, where damage appeared to be limited.

However, Israel said one navy soldier was killed and two wounded during combat in northern regions.

It gave no details of the circumstances of the soldiers death but Israeli media reported it occurred on a naval vessel offshore as an interceptor from Israels Iron Dome aerial defence system engaged a drone fired by Hezbollah.

Any major escalation in the fighting, which began in parallel with the war in Gaza, risks morphing into a regional conflagration drawing in Hezbollahs backer Iran and Israels main ally the United States.

But officials and diplomats on both sides of the conflict appeared to suggest that all-out war would not break out.

Israels foreign minister said the country did not seek a full-scale war. Diplomats speaking on condition of anonymity later claimed Israel and Hezbollah had exchanged messages via intermediaries in order to prevent further escalation.

They said the main message was that both sides considered that Sundays intense exchange of bombardment was done and that neither side wanted a full-scale war.

The White House said US president Joe Biden was following events. We will keep supporting Israels right to defend itself, and we will keep working for regional stability, national security council spokesperson Sean Savett said.

The UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon and its special coordinators office in the country called on all sides to cease fire, calling the developments worrying.

Egypt, one of the mediators in Gaza ceasefire talks, warned against the dangers of a new war front opening in Lebanon. British foreign secretary David Lammy also called for an escalation to be avoided at all costs.

Speaking to Sky News on Sunday, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden said the UK was very concerned by the escalation.

Even as this unfolds, the UK government and the international community would urge all parties not to escalate further and to avoid a major regional war. That is the real danger facing the area, he said.

Hezbollah and Israel have been exchanging salvos of projectiles almost daily after Iranian-backed Hamas launched a deadly incursion into Israel on 7 October, killing 1,200 people and taking a further 251 captive.

Israels retaliatory air and ground offensive in the Gaza Strip, which has continued despite worldwide calls for peace, has led to the death of at least 40,400 Palestinians in the enclave, according to local health officials.

Hamas and the Houthis, another Iranian-backed militia in control of parts of Yemen, both praised Hezbollahs latest attack on Israel.
In retrospect, it feels like everyone rushed out to buy the first iPhone. But they didnt, of course: in its first year, 2007, Apple shipped just 1.4 million iPhones, compared to 231.8 million sold last year. Some reviews were scathing, complaining that it would break quickly and lacked key features.

Not everybody who was down on the new phone was wrong. It was then astonishingly expensive  the cheapest model cost $499, though todays models cost about twice that. It didnt have apps, or video, or 3G, and its speed was incredibly limited.

But, very quickly, the world was convinced, not just about the iPhone, but about smartphones generally. And with that new belief in the product came a whole different way of living and spending money: a default assumption that people would spend large amounts on contracts every month, and get the latest versions every couple of years.

That rhythm lives on today. And as summer comes to an end we find ourselves right in the middle of the annual cycles high point: Samsung and Google have released their new devices, and Apple is due to in a couple of weeks. (Rumours point to a 10 September event in California.)

Each year, those companies take to their stages and reveal a whole load of new devices. But each year they have come to feel a little less unique: as smartphones have matured, they have become a little more predictable, and so have the annual upgrades.

It can at times feel like every company had been working towards a dream thats now here: a smart, thin and robust slab, with cameras on one side and a display on the other, with peoples whole digital lives squished into it.

Customers seem to have come to the same conclusion. In recent years, iPhone sales growth has tapered off and occasionally gone in reverse, and its latest results earlier this month showed a decline of 1 per cent year-on-year.

As long ago as 2015, when the iPhone 6 was still the latest model, research company Argus Insights said that customers were suffering from upgrade fatigue. It is easy to point to graphs showing endlessly growing sales as a counterpoint, but they generally measure how many people are buying phones, not how excited they feel about doing so.

But, this year, all three of the big phone companies and many more besides had a new plan to engage people with their devices: artificial intelligence. They all showed off various versions of that technology  both in the form of software updates and new hardware  to try and make peoples lives easier.

The new Pixel, for instance, is in its Gemini era, according to Google, in reference to the branding that the company has given its artificial intelligence tools. It will use AI to organise screenshots, let you generate entirely new images or place yourself into them, for instance.

open image in gallery The late Steve Jobs holds up an iPhone at the MacWorld Conference in January 2007 ( AP )

Apple chose to brand its own AI tools as Apple Intelligence, but they were based on many of the same ideas. It will summarise notifications, let you create new Memoji, and allow Siri to become both more understanding and more useful. When the new iPhone 16 arrives, in a couple of weeks, its likely that it will bring even more such Apple Intelligence-powered updates.

Apple had long resisted using the words artificial intelligence: originally, it tended just to describe the features rather than how they worked, then used the actually more useful term machine learning, before being pushed by investors and the media into using the word AI, albeit with a different word hiding behind those initials.

All of those companies will be hoping that those AI features  and the phones that will carry them into our lives  will be enough to re-energise our relationship with our devices. We wont know whether that works until next year, after those newly intelligent smartphones go on sale and the data is released.

Whats notable about many of these new features is that they dont aim to make people spend more time with their phones  the marketing, at least, is focused on ensuring that people can enjoy their lives, not their devices. While it is difficult to know exactly what has brought about the stagnation in smartphone sales growth, it comes as people seem to be increasingly agnostic about the effects their devices have on their lives.

Device manufacturers know that we have anxiety about our connection to our devices. In 2018, for instance, both Apple and Google introduced new features intended to encourage people to use their devices less, by tracking how much time was spent in apps and encouraging people to switch them off.

open image in gallery The Apple Vision Pro headset was released last year ( Getty )

In the years since, those features have only become more integrated into the products, and when Apple launched its Vision Pro headset last year much of the marketing was about the fact that it would allow people to engage more with the world, rather than move away from it.

That headset was perhaps a recognition also that the maturity of the smartphone has led to a new focus on what might come next. Rival companies have attempted to suggest that the AI revolution will not be brought about by shoving artificial intelligence into our existing devices but by making whole new ones.

But the attempts to do so have largely struggled. The Humane smart pin and the Rabbit R1 both tried to put AI into bespoke hardware and were savaged by reviewers; even the better-regarded Meta smart glasses have yet to come into the mainstream. That might be because AI is not up to the job, or because our smartphones are best after all. Despite all the complaints that we are bored with our phones, people dont seem especially interested in something that might replace it.

That might be the central problem occupying all device manufacturers today: if people have a complaint about their smartphones, it is that they are too interesting, and so improvements aimed at making them even more thrilling represent both a promise and a threat.

Despite everything, we continue to like our phones  but that wont stop some of the worlds biggest companies from trying to make us fall in love with them all over again this year, with the help of AI.
Leeds Festival fans have battled Storm Lillian to ensure they got to watch Blink 182 perform live on stage.

Many festival-goers feared they might not get to see the legendary rock band perform on Saturday (24 August) after heavy storms hit the site on Friday.

Organisers confirmed the BBC Radio 1 stage and the brand-new Aux stage would not reopen for scheduled performances on Saturday or Sunday, which were expected to feature stars including Jorja Smith, Teddy Swims, and The Wombats.

Ashley and Ben travelled from the Wirral, eager to see Blink 182, while friends Amy and Tizzy from Middlesbrough and Matthew from Colchester made the most of their time at the festival on Saturday, as the weather remained much calmer.
In Lebanon, the sky flashed red above the blasted southern neighbourhoods. In Israel, the air raid sirens wailed as rockets flew back. This borderland has now become one of the most volatile fault lines of the region and a potential trigger point for a much wider war.

This morning Israel announced it had sent 100 fighter jets over Lebanon, striking what it said were thousands of rocket launchers that Lebanese militant group Hezbollah had poised to attack.

Hezbollah said it sent over 300 Katyusha rockets and a large number of drones towards military positions in Israel in response to the killing of Fuad Shukr, their top commander that Israel assassinated in a strike in Beiruts southern suburbs last month  a retaliation the world has been holding its breath for.

Against this exchange of fire, ceasefire talks for the war in Gaza were set to continue today in the Egyptian capital. Representatives from all sides are expected to be there.

Just last week we saw arguably the most intense flurry yet of international diplomacy to bring an end to a rapidly spiralling situation, sparking hope that a deal might be in the running. Top diplomats including British foreign secretary David Lammy, US secretary of state Antony Blinken and the French foreign minister Stephane Sejourne shuttled between key figures. Lammy warned this was a dangerous moment for the Middle East, while Blinken called the talks maybe the last opportunity to pull the region back from the brink, free the hostages and secure a ceasefire.

But on Sunday morning, the hopes of imminent end to the intense bloodshed in Gaza  where health officials say 40,000 people have been killed under Israels bombardment  and to bring home the remaining 115 people taken hostage since Hamass bloody 7 October attacks, seemed ever more distant.

And it raised again the question of whether a ceasefire in Gaza could rein in the conflict between Israel and Lebanon, its backer Iran and the wider region.

In the immediate aftermath, in Israel the opinion is that Hezbollah has launched its retaliation for the killing of its top leader in Beirut, and that rather than this being the moment the region dissolves into total chaos, the cross-border exchange of fire would return to normalcy. Hezbollah has said the first phase of its attacks is now over.

The announcement means the end of their operations for this stage, which we see as them politely saying we are looking for a way out ... we would rather avoid a full-scale war, said Amos Harel, non-resident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution think tank, and an Israeli defence correspondent.

But business as usual is terrible for both sides  there are 60,000 Israelis not allowed back in their homes. There are double that number on the Lebanese side, he continued.

The death toll in Lebanon, which was already in the grips of a profound humanitarian crisis before the recent surge in violence, has now reached 133 civilians since last October. Israeli airstrikes in south Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley have resulted in widespread casualties and the destruction of essential infrastructure, according to Action Aid. The ongoing hostilities have displaced around 112,000 people, many of whom are now living in overcrowded and under-resourced host communities.

Ceasefire talks will continue in Cairo, although Harel believes the main obstacle is that leaders from both sides are not interested in a deal.

There is no real way to pressure [Benjamin] Netanyahu into agreeing to a ceasefire. He is playing for time  he keeps hiding details regarding the deal. He has no interest for political reasons, for the survival of his coalition, he added.

Jasmine Gamal, a political analyst and former Middle East adviser at the US department of defense, said the attacks demonstrate the futility of the current round of talks at de-escalating tensions. If a breakthrough in negotiations had been imminent it would have been unlikely that Hezbollah would have jeopardised it with an attack, she said.

The continued regional escalation has also highlighted the shortcomings of the Biden administrations diplomacy vis-a-vis the parties to the conflict, she added. Particularly Bidens failure to exercise any meaningful leverage over prime minister Netanyahu, whose intransigence has frustrated Israeli negotiations and brought the region to the brink of war.

There is growing pressure on Netanyahu in Israel, where polls suggest rising support for a ceasefire as the Israeli public grow fatigued.

Regional civilian leaders in the north of Israel are furious with the government for not listening to them. They feel abandoned and are angry at the lack of additional funds or a solution for those who have evacuated the north.

Our feelings are that the border of Israel is now 40km further south than it was before the war, Giora Zaltz, the head of the Upper Galilee Regional Council, told The Independent, following mass evacuations.

The government is not with us, they are not speaking with us, they are not consulting with us, they are not supporting us. They are ignoring the civilian heads in the north.

There have been many promises from the US that the ceasefire talks in Gaza would also bring an end to the fighting between Israel and Lebanon. But in the north of Israel, the feeling is that is not the case.

Zaltz believes there needs to be a disconnect between negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza with the situation along the northern front, adding: The mistake which Hezbollah and Hamas want is that we will connect those two borders. The state of Israel should be dealing with the south separately to the north. The goals should be different.

This was echoed by Nitzan Peleg, mayor of the lower Galilee municipality, who was more hawkish. He said his region did not think a ceasefire with Gaza was enough for us and that a diplomatic solution would just push it all down the road. He went as far as to suggest an Israeli ground incursion into Lebanon to create a buffer zone  an action which experts believed could trigger a massive regional conflict and untold devastation in Lebanon.

We saw before 7 October that Hezbollah is on the border all the time pushing forward, we avoided attacking and look what happened, he said. That is why we should take this advantage we have now, especially when all the coalition international forces like the US are around us here.

For now, talks will continue in Cairo, but there is little hope they will bring the region back from the brink.
Oaktree Capital Management, part of consortium that bought site from Nama, seeks equity partner

Moves to potentially bring fresh investment into the consortium developing the huge Glass Bottle site in Dublin will not slow delivery or affect the scale or pace of work under way, sources have told the Irish Independent.

The 37-acre plot on a strategic site in Irishtown, just south of the Dublin docks and close to the Aviva Stadium, is among the largest residential developments in the country, with 3,800 homes due to be built in a number of phases on the brownfield former industrial area.

The Bloomberg news agency reported yesterday that Oaktree Capital Management, a partner in the consortium that bought the site from Nama in 2020, plans to seek an equity partner to help develop the project, citing sources.

No formal process has been launched at this stage but there has been interest from investors, the Bloomberg report said.

Oaktree, along with Dublin-based Alanis Capital, is an investor in Lioncor which has partnered with Johnny Ronans Ronan Group to develop the site. They bought a majority stake in the site from Nama in 2020 in a deal understood to have valued the plot at 200m  well above expectations  and then acquired the remaining minority interest last year.

Oaktree is the main equity investor while another global investor, Blackstone, is providing debt financing.

Any shift within that consortium is likely to generate wider interest given the size and importance of the site but also because of its long history of delays before being acquired by the current developers.

The former glass factory was first earmarked for development in 2006, when it was bought for over 400m by a consortium of boom-era developers and the state-backed Dublin Docklands Development Authority (DDDA).

After the crash, it ended up in state hands via Nama for almost a decade, with progress on site very slow despite political pressure for housing in the area.

The very strong price achieved by Nama also means there is pressure on the developers to generate a return in a challenging housing market, where demand is high but where rising costs can erode viability for apartments in particular.

Work on site has stepped up since the development was sold. Building is progressing on just under 900 units in the Phase 1 and Phase 1b elements of the overall development, with topping out of Phase 1 completed in July.

These phases are fully funded and on course for completion over the next two years, including the first homes by next summer.

It is understood the topping out milestone, a traditional marker a scheme is shifting from the relatively risky development phase, was a trigger for inbound investor interest in recent weeks.

Oaktree, Lioncor and Ronan Group all declined to comment.

The mid-rise Glass Bottle scheme is made up of a series of apartment blocks and is scheduled to include 900 social and affordable homes and one million sq ft of commercial development, as well as educational facilities, public open spaces, civic spaces and other community amenities.
Firm now has 214 planes in fleet and plans further expansion

Dublin-headquartered Avia Solutions Group, the worlds largest aircraft, crew, maintenance and insurance (ACMI) operator, has reported 1.2bn in revenue for first half of 2024.

Avia Solutions Group, founded in Lithuania by its chairman, Gediminas Ziemelis, moved its headquarters to Ireland last year. The business provides crewed, so-called wet-leased craft to airlines, including to take advantage of peak times.

Avia Solutions borrowed $300m (269m) in the period, issuing five-year senior unsecured bonds with a coupon of 9.75pc.

It now has a fleet of 214 planes and operates brands including SmartLynx Airlines, Avion Express, AirExplore, KlasJet and Magma Aviation.

The fleet has more than tripled since 2020 and Mr Ziemelis previously told the Irish Independent he wants to further expand that to 400 by 2027 or 2028. That would likely mean shifting from a 90pc leased aircraft fleet to owning more planes outright and Mr Ziemelis has said that could involve a major three-digit order with potentially Boeing or Airbus for new jets.

In its first half results for 2024, Avia reported 34pc growth in earnings (Ebitda) year-on-year to 179m. European customers accounted for 55.1pc of revenues, followed by Asia (27.9pc), the Americas (11.8pc) and Africa, Australia and the Pacific.

Earlier this year Avia acquired Australian airline Skytrans, based at Cairns Airport in Queensland, which operates 13 regional aircraft on so-called regular public transport routes, as well as providing charter services.

That acquisition gives Avia an Australian air operator certificate, allowing it to operate both passenger and cargo services in the country.

The group said it is planning to obtain further air operator certificates in Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines and Brazil in the near future. The group also provides aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul services through its FL Technics subsidiary. It has 100 line maintenance stations worldwide and maintenance hangars in Lithuania, Indonesia and the UK.

Avia Solutions chief executive Jonas Janukenas said the performance over the first half underscored the firms ability to meet the rising demand for passenger aircraft.

Our 44pc growth in net profit for the second quarter is a testament to our teams dedication and the trust our airline partners place in us, particularly during the peak holiday season in counter-seasonal markets, he said.

We remain committed to driving further growth and delivering value to our stakeholders.

As such, we will continue to expand our worldwide services operations, fleet capacity and capabilities to continue delivering exceptional services across passenger and cargo operations to customers.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 25. A telephone conversation took place between the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan Jeyhun Bayramov and the newly appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran Seyyed Abbas Araghchi, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said, Trend reports.

During the telephone conversation, the current agenda of bilateral cooperation between Azerbaijan and Iran, as well as regional issues, were discussed.

First of all, Minister Jeyhun Bayramov congratulated his colleague on his appointment as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran, wished him success in his work, and also invited Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi to visit Azerbaijan.

The parties agreed to further strengthen cooperation between Azerbaijan and Iran in the implementation of a number of joint projects, including in the fields of economy, trade, transport and communications.

Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi expressed gratitude to his colleague for his congratulations and wishes on the occasion of his appointment. He noted that he was satisfied with the restoration of the work of the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

During the telephone conversation, an exchange of views on other issues of mutual interest also took place, and the importance of continuing joint efforts to further develop cooperation relations between the two countries was emphasized.
I'd like to see more yellow vests, more guards' says owner of the Palace Bar on Temple Bar

Willie Ahern is the third generation of his family to run the Palace Bar on Fleet Street, a pub once described by Patrick Kavanagh as the most wonderful temple of art. The publican chairs the Licensed Vintners Association, and thinks Dublin needs a strong figurehead to encourage rejuvenation

I walked through Trinity College on my way to town on Friday morning and stood at the gates for a few seconds to look around.

We have culture, we have beautiful buildings, and some of the finest Victorian pubs in the world. We have an amazing city with beautiful architecture around College Green  but we have allowed businesses with tacky plastic shopfronts to go into that area.

We need to start by preserving what we have, looking after the little things and building on them.

Tax breaks for rejuvenating shopfronts should be considered by the Government in the Budget next month.

Most of all, I want the people who live in the city to be proud of Dublin

There is a great example on Mount Street, where Coffee Angel is moving into a building and uncovered a mahogany shop front which is 120 years old. They have started restoring it and it looks fantastic.

When people live in a city centre, local coffee shops thrive, delis thrive, little businesses do well. They bring employment, improve the feel of a city, make it cleaner and safer.

The Government has a Living Cities Initiative which offers tax breaks to encourage people to live in historic parts of the inner city, but we dont see it promoted or utilised enough. That needs to change to encourage people to move towards the city.

Willie Aherne, owner of the Palace Bar. Photo: Mark Condren

A doughnut effect between the canals has been spoken about, where the city centre hollows out as people move out. Dublin needs young people, young families, to live in the city and help preserve it  because they will take pride in where they live.

I hope this will be taken seriously by the new Dublin City Taskforce when they start trying make this a better place to live, work and visit.

I would like to see the taskforce engage with the stakeholders on the ground  shopkeepers, restaurateurs, hoteliers, people working in the city and people living here.

I hope they develop five- and 10-year game plans for the city, and that it doesnt become a talking shop.

A 24/7 police presence is needed, and public transport also needs to improve

Whatever plan is developed for Dublin will need a figurehead to guide it. John Moran becoming the directly elected mayor of Limerick could be a good case-study for us.

We need common sense, a strong personality at the top, someone who can deliver results over 10 or 20 years. If the Limerick plan goes well, it should be considered here.

There are other very obvious issues in Dublin. A 24/7 police presence is needed, and should be supported by permanent, always-open kiosks on OConnell Street and Dame Street backed by sufficient resources.

Public transport also needs to improve by providing a service which matches what people need.

I live in Dublin, I work in Dublin, I love Dublin. I want to showcase it to people who visit the city. Most of all, I want people who live in the city to be proud of Dublin.
Figure comes despite recent house build data sparking fears Governments 33,450 target may be missed

The report estimated that just under 70pc of completions in 2023 were by developers who had completed under 150 units. Above, the Kinsealy Woods development

The report's authors said they expect the Irish housebuilders to start to generate attractive returns from the high levels of investment. Photo: Stock image

Analysts at a big European investment bank think more than 40,000 new homes will be completed in Ireland this year, despite recent housing data that suggest builders will struggle even to reach the Governments much lower target.

In late July, figures by the Central Statistics Office sparked fears in the industry that the States Housing For All target for 2024 of 33,450 homes was at significant risk of being missed.

The CSO found that the number of new home completions was down 8.6pc in the first six months to 12,370, meaning over 21,000 homes would need to be built to hit the target.

In a report by Deutsche Numis Research (the research arm of Deutsche Bank), analysts said they thought housing "completions this year will be well in excess of 40,000 units.

Asked about the figure, Jonathan Coubrough, an analyst at Deutsche Numis Research and the report's co-author, cited a surge in house starts over the last 12 months. In the first six months of the year, commencements more than doubled to 33,700.

The report estimated that just under 70pc of completions in 2023 were by developers who had completed under 150 units. Above, the Kinsealy Woods development

While he said he didnt expect the commencements to all complete within a 12-month period, he believed it seems realistic to expect that completions should reach government targets in the coming years if the growth in housing starts is sustainable.

The Deutsche Numis Research analysts focused on two of Irelands listed housebuilders, Cairn Homes and Glenveagh.

The report noted the highly fragmented nature of the Irish housebuilding market and said there was plenty of scope for market-share growth for Cairn and Glenveagh. It said the two listed companies only contributed around 12pc of national housing output.

In the UK, the researchers claimed that listed housing companies such as Persimmon, Taylor Wimpey and Barratt Developments built around 40pc of houses.

The report estimated that around 70pc of Irish housing completions in 2023 were by developers who had completed under 150 units in the year. These smaller developers lacked the scale of equity-led national builders.

In response to questions, Coubrough said growing house starts followed housebuilders making significant investments over several years. It was also a response to a high level of demand for housing and supportive policy measures.

We therefore expect the Irish housebuilders to start to generate attractive returns from the high levels of investment they have made to grow output over several years.

The analysts focused on two of Irelands listed housebuilders, Cairn Homes and Glenveagh

Both Cairn Homes and Glenveagh Properties target 15pc return on equity a year. We view this to be a sustainably attractive return for what is a capital-intensive industry, but it is still significantly below the returns generated by UK housebuilders pre-Covid.

Coubrough added that structural undersupply remains the defining feature of the Irish housing market. It was important for the sector to prove the growth in commencements was sustainable.

We think this will require ongoing high levels of investment by companies in the sector and a partnership approach with the public sector. Early signs of progress are encouraging in delivering the much-needed growth in housing output.

Researchers said the upcoming election could be a risk if it resulted in changes to the very supportive Housing For All agenda

The report said that factors bolstering the Irish housebuilding sector included supportive state policies on the demand side, such as Help To Buy. It also noted moves to enhance supply through planning reforms and building cost rebates.

The researchers said an election was due to be held in 2025 and a change in policy agenda would be a risk. It described the Housing For All agenda as very supportive for the market.

Other risks included the potential for upward pressure on building costs from the recent surge in commencements.

The Governments Housing for All strategy targets 36,100 completions in 2025 and 36,900 in 2026.

However, these targets are expected to upgraded later this year to around 50,000 on the back of revised estimates of housing demand.
How low can we go? Boys in Green must aim to end one of the worst losing streaks in our football history
Technology

'In the UK, we have made a pretty significant dent in it now, it's just about doubling down,' says Legit, Fit CEO Ryan O'Neill. Photo: Stock image

Cork-based gym management software company LegitFit has raised around 1.74m as it looks to bolster its growth in the lucrative UK market.

LegitFit, founded in 2019, received backing from Business Venture Partners (BVP) through EIIS, venture capital fund Delta Partners and US-based TechStars. Both Delta and TechStars were follow-on investors.

Speaking with the Sunday Independent about the raise, Ryan ONeill, co-founder and CEO of LegitFit, said the raise will allow the company to double down on its plans for the UK and other English-speaking markets like the US, Australia and New Zealand.

In a market where not a lot of things are going right for companies, it is definitely a big achievement, he said. It kind of backs what we are doing here.

The companies that are being funded now are not just the ones with the ideas, it is about the execution

The companies that are being funded now are not just the ones with the ideas, it is about the execution. Having strong revenue has become so apparent over the last 24 months.

ONeill said there had been plenty of interest in LegitFit, with plenty of offers on the table. Interest was helped by the company hitting profitability just before the raise.

With any funding round, it is just a process, and there are some tough parts of that process for sure. But where we were at versus what else is going on in the market, our revenues and numbers were quite strong. That led it to be a little bit easier.

ONeill said LegitFits UK expansion was going well, including attracting interest from some of the countrys largest gym and fitness chains. ONeill said he was optimistic more growth was on the horizon.

In the UK, we have made a pretty significant dent in it now, he said. It is just about doubling down there.

ONeill said the business was competing against some big companies. However, he believed LegitFits focus on innovation and meeting customers regularly has been helping it to win out.

LegitFit was founded by ONeill, Gearoid Collins and Ian OSullivan.

In 2021, Legitfit acquired Belfast-based fitness marketplace company GoFyt. Legitfit helps gym companies manage their businesses, including memberships, classes and finances.

In 2022, LegitFit raised a 1m seed funding round led by Delta Partners.
Richard Curran: We should thank the NTMA  not the Government  for our favourable debt outlook

Two thirds of our 223bn debt comes from the gap between spending and revenue since the crash, the other third from bailing out the banks

Finance Minister Jack Chambers. Photo: PA

Sun 25 Aug 2024 at 03:30

Finance Minister Jack Chambers sounded very pleased with the upgrade to the outlook on Irelands sovereign debt to a positive by ratings agency Moodys.
Oasis fans are all worked up again thanks to fresh reunion rumours, fuelled by some typically tongue-in-cheek posts from former frontman Liam Gallagher.

On Saturday evening, a report claimed that the storied rock band were planning a full-scale reunion for 2025, including huge shows in Manchester and London.

Reunion rumours have been at fever-pitch for the past year, in part thanks to the apparent thawing of the feud between Liam and his older brother and ex-bandmate, Noel.

Today's News in 90 seconds - 25th August 2024

Fans were surprised last week when Noel offered a string of compliments about Liam in an interview with John Robb at Manchesters Sifters Records.

Its the delivery or the tone of his voice and the attitude, he said of Liams performance on hits such as Slide Away, Cigarettes and Alcohol and RockNRoll Star.

I dont have the same attitude as him, Noel continued, comparing Liams voice to a shot of tequila and his as half a Guinness.

Liams is 10 shots of tequila on a Friday night, he joked.

Liam Gallagher is headlining Leeds Festival on Friday night (Michael Boyd/PA)

Now, the Sunday Times claims that an announcement could come as soon as this week, around the 30th anniversary of their debut album, Definitely Maybe.

Fans have been buzzing on social media, discussing the rumours ahead of Liams headline performance at Reading Festival.

This is what the UK needs to hear right now, one fan wrote. If true, what an immense, welcome, and needed comeback.

This is the first moment in 15 years when I actually think its gonna happen, another said.

If we can do this, we can solve climate change, one fan joked, while another claimed: If Oasis reunite, I will fly myself, my wife and our baby across the globe to Manchester and spend all our savings.

Liam has been responding to fans asking him to confirm the rumours.

Are the Oasis reunion rumours true? one fan questioned, to which he said: Honest to me Ive not heard a peep.

When another asked him when the reunion dates were being announced, he quipped: Next Friday.

As one complained that he was giving fans panic attacks, Liam said: Its you lot that are being silly buggers Im just trying to get to the other side as safe and sound as possible.

Liam and Noel Gallagher of Oasis which marks 30 years since its debut album this summer.

But when one sceptic responded to the Sunday Times article by claiming Heaton Park in Manchester was a terrible venue for concerts, Liam said: See you down the front you big fanny.

Earlier this month, Liams son Gene told The Times that his dad is up for a reunion, mirroring comments by Liam himself in recent years.

I get the feeling my dad wants it, he said. Lets hope it happens. Its easier to speak about after a couple of pints.

Gene added that, while its nothing to do with him, I mean, will they? I dont know. I would love it but its so beyond my control.

He also shared that his fathers all-time favourite Oasis song is Wonderwall, despite his uncle Noel often playing the song live and solo.

Despite their warring fathers, the 23-year-old says he is close friends with Noels daughter Anais. Although they have joked about staging an intervention, he said the brothers were too smart for that.

In an interview last year, Noel  who had previously ruled out any chance of a reunion  joked that he would have to see what everyones hair was looking like.

My hair was a bit thicker in Oasis, he said in an interview for Gibsons Icons series. He then claimed that a reunion would likely involve him, Liam, and a load of fit f***ing birds.

The Independent has contacted Liam and Noels representatives for comment.
'It's such a shame to see the community of the city centre fall apart' - Cornucopia owner on the struggles of running a restaurant in Dublin

Dairine McCafferty (36) runs Cornucopia restaurant on Wicklow Street, Dublin 2, which has been serving people for almost 40 years. She says businesses must adapt to survive in a changing landscape.

Cornucopia was born in a recession. In 1980s Dublin, footfall was poor. Led by my mum Deirdre, we built the business up to the point that in the Noughties our biggest problem was the queue went down the street. The city was where people came to work and shop.
More than 10m worth of generator engines meant to tackle the States electricity supply shortage have been stranded in Dublin Port for over a year as they are too heavy to transport on the M50 toll bridge.

The machines were shipped to Ireland last summer by German manufacturer MAN Energy Solutions to be brought to two industrial estates in Dublin.

However, after the 11 engines arrived in Dublin Port, it was discovered they were too hefty for transport across the M50, weighing in at 275pc more than the design load for the West-Link toll bridge.

They have stayed in storage as engineers and local authorities try to work out how to safely bring them to their destination.

Today's News in 90 seconds - 25th August 2024

The engines were imported at a time of growing concern over the national grid and its ability to provide enough power at peak times and in winter.

In June last year, M50 Concession Ltd  which runs the motorway  said it had serious concerns at the use of the road for transporting the enormous abnormal indivisible loads.

They said they were worried over how seven bridges along the M50 would cope and especially the West-Link bridge, which crosses the Liffey.

A letter to Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) said at this stage we reasonably believe that the proposed movement of the abnormal indivisible loads could cause damage to the M50.

Cars crossing the M50 toll plaza in Dublin. Photo: Getty

A few days later, TII responded to say it shared those concerns about the proposal, which would have seen 13 separate trips carrying loads of 426 to 496 tonnes across the Liffey Valley.

The engines were destined for Grange Castle and Profile Park industrial estates in Dublin, and would have provided more than 200MW of back-up electricity

A letter said: The [West-Link] bridge structures would never have been envisaged as being required to carry an abnormal load of 496 tonnes which is 275pc greater than the 180-tonne design load.

Two evaluations by engineers suggested that use of the M50 would be safe if certain conditions were met. These included a full escort for the abnormal loads, speeds of no more than 15kmh, travelling along the centre of the road, and no other vehicles on the West-Link bridge during the crossing.

However, TII and the motorway operators were unconvinced, and permission was not granted to use M50 for the transfer.

The engines were destined for Grange Castle and Profile Park industrial estates in Dublin, and would have provided more than 200MW of back-up electricity.

MAN Energy Solutions had planned to import 16 of the dual-fuel engines, with another reserve power plant proposed for Co Roscommon near Athlone.

A spokesman said: An alternative transport route is under review with the local authorities.
Homeowners affected by the defective concrete crisis have accused Housing Minister Darragh OBrien of ignoring the issue after failing to meet them publicly in Donegal over the past 12 months.

The Mica Action Group (MAG) was told Mr OBrien has no immediate plans to visit the county, despite the group repeatedly inviting him to hear the concerns of homeowners.

The group said it had anticipated a visit from the minister and an opportunity to point out flaws with the defective concrete blocks redress scheme they say leaves homeowners thousands of euro in debt.

MAG spokeswoman Lisa Hone said the group has been trying to invite Mr OBrien to a public meeting in Donegal since summer last year so its concerns could be aired with him directly.

He is not brave enough to come and face those people who are having to cope with the scheme

There has been various levels of communication, whether it be correspondence or conversations, where we were informed the minister was coming up, yet he has not appeared, Ms Hone said.

I would say he is aware of the flaws and serious issues with the scheme but he is not brave enough to come and face those people who are having to cope with the scheme.

In an email to MAG last Monday, Mr OBriens private secretary said the minister has no plans to visit Donegal in the near future.

Due to a heavy schedule the minister has no immediate plan to visit the county but once a date is agreed we will of course inform representative groups and other stakeholders who the minister would be happy to meet, she wrote.

Ms Hone said this is unacceptable.

For him not to come to Donegal and not listen to those impacted by the defective concrete crisis is nothing new. It is more of the same, with the Government not listening to those on the really sharp end of this crisis, she said.

Lisa Hone, Mica Action Group chairperson. Photo: Joe Dunne

A spokesman for the Department of Housing said Mr OBrien has worked to support affected homeowners. This has involved establishing a steering group, which includes a homeowners liaison officer, to keep the operation of the redress scheme under review.

One of Minister OBriens first actions as minister was to visit Donegal and meet affected homeowners, the spokesman added.

Homeowners have said the science underpinning the States redress scheme is undermined by research showing elevated levels of pyrrhotite causes the concrete to crumble, not mica.

Experts believe this means the State is carrying out the wrong tests on the affected homes. These experts also believe the defective concrete affects house foundations, but the redress scheme only supports blockwork repairs.

They say these issues enable cracks to return after homes are rebuilt.

Some homeowners are repairing foundations, but this comes at a significant cost.

Others say it is difficult to source alternative accommodation while repairs are carried out, especially if they have adapted homes due to illness or disability.

The scheme is so inflexible that it does not allow them a way forward, so they effectively cannot progress the scheme at all, Ms Hone said.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 25. The amphibious aircraft of the aviation unit of the Ministry of Emergency Situations (MES) of Azerbaijan, sent to Turkiye in accordance with the instructions of President Ilham Aliyev to help the fraternal country fight severe forest fires, continues to participate in operations to extinguish fires, Trend reports.

Over the past 24 hours the aircraft participated in extinguishing forest fires in the direction of Ushak-Eshme.

At present, work to extinguish forest fires continues.
The teenager meets Simon Harris tomorrow in the latest round of her fight to advocate for her brothers

13-year-old autism campaigner Cara Darmody vows to keep pressure on Simon Harris for change to services

Cara Darmody speaks with the excited innocence of other 13-year-olds, but her words are more serious. She speaks about patients, waiting lists and abandonment. The words represent her voiceless brothers and many more people living around the country who are unable to get adequate support.

Neil (11) and John (7) are autistic and non-verbal and need round-the-clock care. They attend a special school in Cashel, Co Tipperary, about 30km from their home in Ardfinnan.

At least I can fight for myself, but Neil and John cant fight for themselves, Cara said.

Autism campaigner Cara Darmody at home with her brother John (7). Photo: Mark Condren

She has spent years campaigning for Neil, John and other autistic people, calling for better access to vital services.

That campaign will bring her to Government Buildings in Dublin tomorrow and a meeting with Simon Harris, her second with the Taoiseach in the space of about two months.

He has hinted at seeing something of himself in Cara. His life in politics started as a 15-year-old when he was lobbying politicians on similar issues around his younger brother Adam.

Cara has asked Harris if he would ensure the HSE met legal obligations to provide timely access to needs assessments. Under the Disability Act, these assessments must be carried out within six months of a child being put on a waiting list. But, many children wait years, delaying interventions.

She hopes Harris will have answers tomorrow, but expects her regular campaigning may need to continue.

Im not going to give up, and if that means protesting outside Leinster House and building snowmen there, Ill do that, she said. Im not saying its my job to achieve whats right here, but we no longer can wait for the adults in the room.

Cara Darmody, parents Mark and Noelle and brother John. Photo: Mark Condren

Her father Mark and mother Noelle admit the crusade has intruded on some of Caras childhood.

Some of her youth has been robbed by this issue, but it was robbed long before this because shes had to care for the lads. But this is what families are going through, Mr Darmody said.

The kids are affected. Our lives have been affected.

Even if this campaign stopped in the morning, she would still have other issues that nobody has.

Campaigning has hardly impeded Cara. She sat a Junior Cert mathematics exam at the age of 11, and a year later became the youngest person ever to sit the Leaving Cert equivalent. She achieved a mark of 97pc both times, raising more than 80,000 for two local schools in the process.

Her campaigning expanded to regular protests outside Government Buildings and Leinster House.

Her mother and father are proud. Im proud of all three of them, Mrs Darmody said.

Neil has a profound intellectual disability and can display signs of challenging behaviour. He likes his own space and uses a tablet to communicate. This tells his parents when he wants something. The on-screen buttons are colour-coded and use visual cues he can associate with food, drinks or anything else he might need.

Cara Darmody, right, with brother Neil. Photo: Mark Condren

John has a moderate intellectual disability. He is open and engaging. He has a few words but cannot use sentences. When the Sunday Independent visited the Darmody home last week he was keen to say hello, interested in the photographers camera and regularly checked in to see what we were doing.

The difference between them is engagement, Mr Darmody said.

John will pull out every toy he wants to. He will listen and do things even though its not fun.

Neil is very much reliant on his device. He might put on a Peppa Pig episode and watch the first 10 seconds, then rewatch it. He could do that 200 times. Theres no logic to it. It could be upside down, it could be in Chinese, but he just wants this 10-second clip, and he will just watch it over and over again.

To get breaks from his screen or the house he likes to go on drives, but Neils world is smaller than his siblings is. He is under constant supervision and a parent has to sleep in his room every night.

All you hear is early intervention. There is no early intervention because theres no public services for anyone

Another difference between the boys is the access they had to supports in public and private health systems.

Neil was just shy of his fourth birthday when he was first diagnosed by the HSE. John was about two years younger when he received his diagnosis privately. Mr Darmody said the different timelines meant Neil has never made progress, while John has.

Early intervention is vital, he said.

Mrs Darmody said: All you hear is early intervention. There is no early intervention in this country at the moment because theres no public services for anyone.

The family has received some HSE respite hours, but many of the supports the two boys get are paid for privately.

Mr Darmody said the HSE reimbursed them for two assessments for the boys, but he felt this only happened because of Caras high-profile protests. Such expenses are typically not reimbursed to families.

Autism campaigner Cara Darmody. Photo: Mark Condren

Cara has a real sense of the challenges her parents face.

Mr Darmody was a garda before he set up his own consultancy business. Mrs Darmody worked in marketing, but both of them have had to sacrifice their jobs to care for their children.

They do not complain about this, and realise other families find themselves in similar or worse positions. But they are not shy on calling out the States lack of adequate autism services.

All of our interests, all of our clubs, everything were involved with has been eroded, Mr Darmody said.

We havent had a family holiday in eight years. The only night away we had in the last six years was when Cara was on The Late Late Show, and that was because nine people stayed here. But that couldnt happen now because Neil is older and if you dont know him, he wont rest.

We dont attend events, Mrs Darmody said.

Even things like Caras confirmation two years ago, her brothers werent in the church.

When Cara gets awards or has to go to events, Mam is usually at home with the boys because they cant go.

When Simon Harris was a teenager he was campaigning for people with autism. Now he can make the change

She makes a point of showing us a laminated photograph of the family together. Their house is covered in pictures, but this is the only one of the five Darmodys together because it is almost impossible to get both boys to do something at the same time.

They worry about the future and ask questions posed by many other families: What happens as the children grow into adults? What supports will be there? What happens as parents age?

Mr and Mrs Darmody both said: This is what families are going through.

That line gives a sense of what drives Caras campaign.

Mr Darmody said Cara was the creative force behind it, and he was a willing participant, giving her lifts to Dublin and helping generate public interest in her activities.

The next drive to Dublin comes tomorrow.

When Simon Harris was a teenage boy he was campaigning for people with autism, Cara said.

Now, hes got the chance to make the change. I understand its not easy. Now that hes in the Government, hes probably realising its a lot harder to make change. Hopefully he will.
Green Party said it would oppose any plans to defer the Residential Zoned Land Tax and likened delaying the scheme to hiding food during a famine

Finance Minister Jack Chambers has said he will not defer the introduction of the controversial Residential Zoned Land Tax (RZLT) for a year if he can find a viable way to exclude working farmers from the scheme.

Following a week of Coalition in-fighting over the tax, Mr Chambers said Fianna Fail fully supports the introduction of a tax on land hoarders but does not want to see farmers unfairly targeted by the new revenue-raising measure.

Speaking to the Sunday Independent this weekend, Mr Chambers insisted he is exploring all options and added if a viable alternative to a deferral emerges which achieves the outcome of excluding active farmers then I will pursue this course.

He said the mechanism and timeline for excluding farmers is subject to ongoing policy and legal advice.

However, he said he will update the Government leaders on the zoned land tax ahead of the Budget so as to ensure any unintended consequences can be identified.

The intervention comes after the Green Party said it would oppose any plans to defer the tax and likened delaying the scheme to hiding food during a famine.

Taoiseach Simon Harris. Photo: PA

Taoiseach Simon Harris insisted a decision on whether or not to defer the tax would be taken by the Government leaders after Mr Chambers announced he planned to delay it.

Mr Chambers said the decision to defer the tax last year was to allow farmers apply to local authorities to have their land de-zoned so as to avoid paying 3pc of its market value to the Revenue Commissioner.

That process is coming to a conclusion, and the latest information received is that the vast majority of re-zoning requests made to local authorities have been refused. Therefore, this land would currently be subject to this tax in 2025 if no further action is taken, Mr Chambers said.

The advice I have received to date is that a new mechanism is required to exclude active farmers and that the introduction of such a mechanism would require a deferral. This is why I stated that I am working on proposals to defer the tax so that a mechanism can be progressed to exclude active farmers.

Mr Chambers announcement on deferring the tax was taken after high-level talks with his Fianna Fail colleagues  Housing Minister Darragh OBrien and Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue. Tanaiste Micheal Martin was also aware his deputy leader was planning to postpone the introduction of RZLT.

However, the announcement sparked anger from Green Party members who were blindsided by the policy shift. Party leader Roderic OGorman recently asked for an update on the introduction of the tax, which was due to come into effect in February next year, and was furious when he learned that it was due to be delayed.

Green Party TD Steven Matthews said it was incredible that Fianna Fail wanted to delay the tax for a second year in a row and called on the party to rethink its failure to act on the housing crisis.
Archbishop Noel Treanor, who has died suddenly in Brussels at the age of 73, was the Catholic churchs Apostolic Nuncio to the European Union and former Bishop of Down and Connor.

He took holy orders almost half-a-century ago and was a senior figure in the church for the past 16 years.

A native of Co Monaghan, he was born on Christmas Day 1950. He received his secondary education at the Christian Brothers School in Monaghan and, starting in 1968, attended St Patricks College in Maynooth where he studied arts and philosophy and later theology.

He was ordained as a priest for the Diocese of Clogher on June 13, 1976, at St Macartans Cathedral in Monaghan. He then moved to the Pontifical Irish College in Rome where he undertook further studies at the Pontifical Gregorian University, completing a licentiate in sacred theology with special commendation in 1977.

In 1980 he returned to the Diocese of Clogher, which straddles the border and includes Co Monaghan, much of Fermanagh and parts of Tyrone and Donegal. He was initially assigned the role of assistant in the cathedral parish of Monaghan and Rackwallace, taking responsibility for the Catholic marriage advisory council.

The following year, he returned to Rome to finish his academic work which he combined with serving as prefect of studies in the Pontifical Irish College. Returning to Ireland in 1985, he became director of adult education for the Clogher Diocese.

His next appointment was as a curate in Enniskillen, with the additional roles of chaplain at the local general hospital and clerical confessor at St Patricks Purgatory, the historic pilgrimage site on Station Island in Lough Derg, Co Donegal.

We visited the West Bank and saw for ourselves the tragic impact of illegal Israeli settlements

In 1989, he was sent to Brussels to work with the Commission of the Bishops Conferences of the European Community, better-known as COMECE, an abbreviated version of its Latin title, where he later became secretary-general. In 2008, he was appointed by the late Pope Benedict as Bishop of Down and Connor, the second-largest diocese on the island of Ireland, extending from the north-east coast to Kilkeel in Co Down.

In January 2019, he spoke out in support of legislation under consideration in the Dail to ban the import of Israeli goods produced in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Independent Senator Frances Black had initiated the Control of Economic Activity (Occupied Territories) Bill in the Seanad the previous year. Violators would face fines as high as 250,000 or up to five years in prison. All the main parties, except Fine Gael, supported the bill which was approved by 78 votes to 45.

Immediately prior to the Dail vote, Bishop Treanor and Alan McGuckian, who was then Bishop of Raphoe, urged TDs to back the bill:

Last week we visited the West Bank and saw for ourselves the tragic impact of illegal Israeli settlements, built on Palestinian land. Today, Dail Eireann has an historic opportunity to end trade with these settlements through passing the Control of Economic Activity (Occupied Territories) Bill 2018, they said.

If the Bill is passed, Ireland will be the first country in the world to legislate in this way and will become a world leader in taking decisive action to bring this conflict to a just and peaceful end. We encourage our citizens to recognise the significance of this Bill and urge our TDs to be courageous in supporting it.

Simon Coveney, who then tanaiste and minister for foreign affairs, said the Attorney General had advised that the law could result in Ireland being fined for violating EU trade regulation and could not be legally implemented, although this view has been disputed by former attorney general Michael McDowell. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the bill was utterly contrary to the principles of free trade and justice.

The bill was not implemented and similar proposed legislation was brought before the Dail by Michael McNamara, then TD, and other Independents last May.

Treanor advocated for a Yes vote in the October 2009 referendum on the Treaty of Lisbon, arguing it would not affect Irish sovereignty on issues such as abortion and neutrality. He described the findings of the Murphy Report in 2009 on sexual abuse in the Catholic archdiocese of Dublin as horrific and he supported an independent international inquiry into the Ballymurphy massacre in Belfast on August 9-11, 1971, when British paratroopers killed 11 civilians.

Fluent in French, German, Italian and Spanish, he also was a truly European Irishman

In late 2022 he was appointed by Pope Francis to the prestigious role of Apostolic Nuncio as the Holy Sees representative to the EU. He was given the personal title of Archbishop.

Archbishop Treanor died from a heart attack on August 11. In a tribute, former president of the European Parliament Pat Cox, previously a TD for Cork South-Central, recalled meeting the cleric for the first time in Brussels in 1989: Noel had a warm, open, likeable personality and we hit it off. Fluent in French, German, Italian and Spanish, he also was a truly European Irishman. Their last encounter was at Brussels Airport in early summer and they intended to meet again for dinner in the autumn. His date with destiny means our dinner date was not to be. May this special friend and good and decent man rest in peace, Mr Cox said.

Archbishop Treanors funeral last Tuesday at St Peters Cathedral, Belfast, was attended by hundreds of mourners. The Popes condolences were conveyed in a letter from Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin which was read out at the mass by Archbishop Luis Mariano Montemayor, the Apostolic Nuncio to Ireland.

Saddened to learn of the untimely death of Archbishop Noel Treanor, Apostolic Nuncio to the European Union and former Bishop of Down and Connor, his holiness Pope Francis sends heartfelt condolences and the assurance of his spiritual closeness to the members of his family, especially his brother John and his sister Mary, and to you, the clergy, religious and lay faithful of the diocese, the letter said.

Expressing deep gratitude for Archbishop Treanors devoted and faithful service to the people of God in this local church, to wider Irish society, the Commission of the Bishops Conferences of the European Union and most recently to the Apostolic See, his Holiness joins you in commending his soul to the loving mercy of Christ the Good Shepherd.

To those gathered for the mass of Christian burial and to all who mourn the late Archbishop in the sure hope of the resurrection, the Holy Father cordially imparts his blessing as a pledge of peace and consolation in the Lord.

Bishop of Down and Connor Alan McGuckian said: Here at his funeral mass, we remember that Archbishop Noel was a family man and much-loved friend of many people. He was a very accomplished individual: a priest, a bishop, an archbishop, a papal nuncio. All of those things are hugely important, but on his funeral day we are invited to remember that none of those is the most important.

Funeral mass was followed by interment in the Chapel of the Resurrection of the Cathedral. Archbishop Treanor is survived by his brother John and sister Mary.
Pizza, church and staying in  how Generation Moderation celebrated this years Leaving Cert results

Gone are the days when a night of binge-drinking was a rite of passage for giddy Irish school-leavers

Leaving Cert student Jake Glendon with friends Katie Healy, Eva Dunphy, Sarah Brennan, Aine Delaney and Mary Cussen in Kilkenny on Friday night following the exam results. Photo: Gerry Mooney

Katie Byrne Sat 24 Aug 2024 at 18:17

More than 60,000 Leaving Cert students got their exam results on Friday. Its traditionally a night of raucous celebration, but with alcohol consumption in Ireland down by almost one-third in the past two decades  and numerous studies underlining how Gen Z drink far less than their parents  this years celebrations marked a notable shift towards moderation.
Students deserve a fair share of the housing budget so accommodation will not be so hard to find

Students are in line for a further 500 cut in college fees, while more families will be able to avail of third-level education grants under budget proposals to shore up Middle Ireland voters ahead of the general election.

With Budget 2025 approaching, Higher Education Minister Patrick ODonovan has received a range of options for reducing the cost of college for students and their families.

Central to his plans are a permanent reduction of 500 to the student contribution fees, which currently stand at 3,000 a year.

A government source said: It is our intention to reduce the contribution fees for third level. It has been reducing by 500 per annum in recent years via a series of once-off measures, but we want to make those reductions part of the base and formalise them at this lower level in a more sustainable way.

The minister is also considering plans to significantly increase student grants and expand the eligibility criteria to let more households avail of the state support.

The highest grant, of 4,292, could increase by more than 500 under plans drafted by Department of Higher Education officials. A 10pc increase in the household income threshold for grants is also on the table, which will mean families with a combined income of 110,000 will be able to apply for supports.

However, Mr ODonovan is preparing for a budget showdown with Fianna Fail over proposals that student accommodation should receive funding under the Governments Housing for All plan.

The Government will unveil a cost-of-living package along with the budget

He believes his department should have access to some of the multi-billion-euro funding, given housing students is an important element of his portfolio.

Apart from the windfall 100m given earlier this year, student accommodation is woefully underfunded and the minister wants a dedicated allocation to keep up with demand, a government source said.

Students make up 5pc of the population but get zero per cent of the Housing for All budget, and that percentage gap has to be addressed in relative terms.

The Government will unveil a cost-of-living package along with the budget, and negotiations on the make-up of both elements are still at an early stage.

However, given that Taoiseach Simon Harris was the previous minister in the Department of Higher Education, it is expected he will be open to continuing the work of reducing the cost of college.

Meanwhile, Mr Harris is expected to commit to spending all funding raised from the sale of the Governments remaining bank shares to help meet the target of building 250,000 new homes in the next five years.

In a speech today commemorating Michael Collins at Beal na Blath in Co Cork, Mr Harris will say he wants to foster solidarity between generations by using funds from the banks the people of Ireland rescued to build housing.

The generation most affected by the mismanagement of banks deserves to benefit from our proper management, so I think its only fair we explore using the proceeds from the sale of bank shares to help fund the construction of new homes, he will say.
Green Party TD Neasa Hourigan said support for the ban was the same as 'celebrating abortion bans or attacking IVF'

Fine Gael TD Charlie Flanagan said Sinn Fein appeared to be operating a 'dual policy' on different sides of the Border. Photo: Damien Eagers

Transgender activists believed the party would not approve a ban on puberty blockers. Above, NI First Minister Michelle O'Neill, Sinn Fein MLA. Photo: PA

The HSE has asked its newly appointed clinical lead for transgender services to review the Cass report and the UKs response which has included a ban on the private sale and supply of puberty blockers.

Last week the Northern Ireland Executive agreed that the North should follow British rules that temporarily ban the supply of puberty blockers to children seeking treatment for gender dysphoria, which is discomfort or distress at their biological sex.

The Northern Ireland ban, which needed the support of Sinn Fein MLA and First Minister Michelle ONeill, has led to criticism of Sinn Fein by some transgender activists who believed the party would not approve a ban on puberty blockers.

A former boss of Mermaids, a UK charity supporting transgender people, had said activists and patients planned to use the loophole of Northern Ireland not being included in the original UK puberty blocker ban introduced by the Conservative government last May.

Fine Gael TD Charlie Flanagan said Sinn Fein appeared to be operating a 'dual policy' on different sides of the Border. Photo: Damien Eagers

That ban has now been extended by the Keir Starmer Labour government.

After Mike Nesbitt, the UUP health minister, gained approval from the Executive, Northern Ireland will be included in the ban from Tuesday.

Sinn Fein has declined to say why it has now approved the ban on puberty blockers after previously indicating it would not do so.

The Cass report found there is not a reliable evidence-base to make clinical decisions about the use of puberty blockers to treat gender dysphoria. Dr Hilary Cass concluded that because of the potential risks to patients neurocognitive development, psychosexual development and longer-term bone health, these medicines should only be offered under a research protocol.

The HSE has previously said there are about 10 children in the Republic currently receiving puberty blockers for gender treatments. Far greater numbers are believed to be sourcing these drugs through private clinics and websites.

Our position is that clinical and health care is best determined by doctors and clinicians  not politicians

Asked about the Northern Ireland ban, the HSE said it had asked Dr Karl Neff, the newly appointed Clinical Lead for Transgender Services to review the Cass report.

The clinical lead together with subject-matter expert colleagues are reviewing the final Cass Review and the NHS response, the HSE said. The purpose of this review is to inform the chief clinical officer [Dr Colm Henry] of any new clinical implications or recommendations arising from the completed report. This report is expected to be available in Q4 2024.

The Northern Ireland Department of Health said the move to block puberty blockers was to close potential loopholes that could be exploited by not having a UK-wide legislative approach on this matter. It said Minister Nesbitt concluded that NI should align with GB.

A Sinn Fein spokesman said it is vital that clinicians continue to engage empathetically with young people who are seeking gender-affirming healthcare.

Sinn Fein accepts the current medical advice from the chief medical officer, which will be kept under review until a definitive policy decision has been made.

We are aware that the British Medical Association has recently launched a review of the Cass report, and we will monitor the conclusions of this review when it is published later in the year. To be clear, our position is that clinical and healthcare is best determined by doctors and clinicians  not politicians  and needs to be informed by the clinical and scientific evidence.

Green Party TD Neasa Hourigan said support for the ban was the same as 'celebrating abortion bans or attacking IVF'

Charlie Flanagan, a Fine Gael TD and former Justice Minister, said Sinn Fein appeared to be operating a dual policy on different sides of the Border. He wants the HSE to discontinue the use of puberty blockers in Ireland.

Green Party TD Neasa Hourigan said on X support for the ban was the same as celebrating abortion bans or attacking IVF.

Gender-affirming care, like all health treatments, should be between a person and their medical professional, she said. The parties in NI that signed off on this will hurt many people. Congrats.
Taoiseach Simon Harris has criticised attempts to silence elected politicians through violence and intimidation at a ceremony marking the death of Michael Collins.

Mr Harris said the Irish revolutionarys death 102 years ago, when he was finance minister, marked a turbulent time in Ireland.

He said lessons learned from that time now inform Irish values that are gifts to the world, if we have the courage to live by them ourselves.

Fidelma Collins, a grandniece of Mr Collins, was among those in attendance at the commemoration in west Cork on Sunday.

Mr Collins was shot and killed during an ambush by anti-Treaty forces on August 22, 1922, near Beal na Blath in Co Cork during the civil war.

The 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty, which was negotiated and signed by an Irish delegation including Mr Collins, provided a pathway to establish an Irish Free State.

There was strong pushback against the treatys provision for an oath of allegiance to the British monarchy and for partition, which led to a civil war.

Mr Harris said Ireland has learned from its history: by standing for self-determination in Ukraine, for dialogue in the Middle East and for improving conditions in countries suffering from civil wars and famine.

These are the values that Ireland brings to the world: a dedication to peace, a respect for diversity, and a steadfast belief in the power of dialogue over discord, Mr Harris said.

True strength does not lie in force.

The world would be in a much better place if some countries had the courage to realise this.

Emphasising the importance of democracy, Mr Harris criticised threatening and abusive behaviour towards politicians.

He took aim at the separate worlds on social media and said hate and violence had become common responses to difficult decisions.

We unite in defiance of those who try to silence elected politicians, who try to thwart the will of the people by violence and intimidation, he said.

In the 102 years since Michael Collins assassination, the methods of silencing voices may have evolved, but the intent, the implied violence and insidious effects on our society have not changed.

He added: Today we must protect that sacred flame (of democracy) by fostering a culture of critical thinking, one where truth is valued and where debates are conducted openly with respect, and not in the shadows or the sewers.

Irelands two main political parties for the past 100 years  Mr Harris Fine Gael party and Fianna Fail  were forged from pro and anti-Treaty sides in the civil war, respectively.

It was hailed as a significant moment when the two parties entered into a coalition government together, along with the Green Party, in 2020.

Mr Harris also pledged during his speech to solve the national malaise of housing and to create equal educational opportunities for young people.

He also said Ireland needed to unite against attempts by a small group to divide and distort issues around migration.

There are some who wave a tricolour and claim patriotism while betraying the founding principles this country prides itself on  freedom, equality, opportunity, he said.

It is up to each of us to use our voice to call out the racism, the hate, the ugliness we see.
More than 10,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide were produced by flights taken by Government departments and agencies in 2023  the equivalent of greenhouse gas emissions generated by the activities of 842 people in a year.

State bodies paid almost 500,000 towards the Governments Climate Action Fund (CAF) as a result of their air travel last year. The carbon offset payments were introduced for all public bodies in 2020, and since then they have led to more than 1m of taxpayers money being paid out.

Provisional figures released under the Freedom of Information Act show how official air travel has soared in recent years.

In total, 10,191 tonnes of carbon dioxide were emitted as a result of these flights last year, up from 8,913 tonnes in 2022, 2,958 tonnes in 2021 and 3,405 tonnes in 2020.

Government departments made up the bulk of the emissions. The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment contributed almost 155,945 to the CAF as a result of its air travel last year. These flights produced 3,215 tonnes of carbon dioxide, the same as the average emissions of 265 Irish people in a single year. The departments payment includes flights taken by state agencies under its remit, which includes IDA Ireland.

Leo Varadkar flew to Brussels in March last year for a European leaders' summit. Photo: Getty

The Department of Foreign Affairs paid 99,623 to the fund last year, including embassy flights, while the Department of Defence contributed 34,925, a figure which largely comprised travel by the Defence Forces.

In all, the Governments 18 departments paid 377,358 into the CAF in 2023, with the balance coming from 99 state bodies and groupings. Among those was the Oireachtas itself, which made a contribution of 9,661 for flights last year, while the Central Bank paid 14,788 and Teagasc submitted 13,296. The Office of the Planning Regulator made the smallest contribution, with its air travel last year leading to just 4.20 being handed to the fund.

As of the end of May this year, 494,288 was paid into the CAF for flights taken in 2023. However, this amount may rise further should other bodies make late payments as has been the case in previous years.

The CAF received 365,446 for official air travel taken in 2022, which included more than 15,000 in late payments made this year. Contributions for 2021 flights totalled 99,101, while 2020 payments came to 88,545.

Under the 2019 Climate Action Plan, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER) was tasked with introducing a mechanism to offset the carbon emissions caused by official air travel. While regulations around these offset payments apply to all Government departments and state agencies, many bodies have not made any payments since the measure was introduced in 2020.

A DPER spokesperson said that when a circular was issued to departments announcing the measure, they were instructed to inform the agencies under its remit about their requirements. It is the responsibility of each public sector organisation to ensure it is in compliance with the requirements of all relevant circulars, the spokesperson said.

All public bodies are expected to act as exemplars of best practice in taking climate action across all sectors

Since its introduction, just nine of the countrys 31 city and county councils have made any carbon offset contributions. This is despite previous news reports highlighting how 22 local authorities spent almost 370,000 sending councillors and staff abroad for St Patricks Day last year. The official deadline for submitting returns for 2023 travel was the end of last February.

All public bodies are expected to act as exemplars of best practice in taking climate action across all sectors and use their capacities to show leadership in this area, including considering best practice in administrative procedures such as the arrangements for official air travel, the DPER spokesperson said.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, Irelands annual average greenhouse gas emissions per person over the last 10 years was 12.1 tonnes. Using this figure, it would take a years worth of emissions from 842 people to meet the level of carbon produced by official air travel undertaken in 2023.

The emissions for flights taken with commercial airlines are calculated using the International Civil Aviation Organisations online system. However, because the government jet holds much fewer passengers than a typical commercial flight, the level of pollution caused by use of the plane is calculated at a rate of 2.66 tonnes of carbon per 1,000km travelled, or two tonnes per hour of flight time.

To calculate carbon offsets, emissions are then multiplied by the national rate of carbon tax for that year of travel. This has risen from 26 a tonne in 2020 to 48.50 a tonne last year and is set to reach 100 a tonne by 2030.

Carbon offset payments typically go towards increasing levels of global carbon storage, such as planting more trees and bog rehabilitation schemes.

However, critics say that the payments merely shift the responsibility to tackle rising greenhouse gas discharges on other countries and have no real impact on reducing the emissions caused by some of the worlds biggest polluters.
Paediatric spinal consultant David Moore says there are both clinical and personal reasons why surgery might be delayed. Photo: Gerry Mooney

Stephen Donnelly has visited a US hospital that could treat patients from here

More than 25 children on the waiting list for spinal surgery have been offered treatment in overseas hospitals. The outsourcing of surgeries is part of the drive to reduce the numbers of children with scoliosis waiting for treatment.

Seven have been offered treatment at Londons Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children.

Three of them have already travelled there with their families for assessment.

Today's News in 90 seconds - 25th August 2024

Eighteen have been offered surgeries in the US. They will be assessed by a team of surgeons from the Morgan Stanley Childrens Hospital in New York when they visit Ireland next month.

Another child will be treated at another UK hospital, bringing to 26 the number awaiting surgery who have so far been offered treatment abroad.

Talks have taken place with UPMC Pittsburgh Childrens Hospital, which Health Minister Stephen Donnelly visited last month.

Stephen Donnelly has visited a US hospital that could treat patients from here

The outsourcing of surgeries is one of numerous changes and efficiencies introduced by the Department of Healths new national paediatric spinal surgery management unit, which was set up in January.

David Moore, the orthopaedic surgeon at Crumlin childrens hospital who leads the new unit, said the children were selected for surgery outsourced overseas based on how long they have been waiting, their age, complexity and urgency in terms of harm happening, he said.

The surgeries are due to start from next month in the UK, with accommodation and travel arrangements funded by the State.

Moores unit is responsible for booking flights, travel visas, travel insurance and accommodation for the families travelling.

The State will fund two adults to travel with a patient, two of those flights will be business class, allowing the child to lie flat on reclining seats on the return leg home. Parents will get a small amount of money to cover day-to-day expenses.

How long the children and their families will stay will be very much bespoke. Some could stay for six weeks. Others for a shorter period.

Moore does not present outsourcing of surgeries as a triumph.

He said he would much prefer if the surgeries could be done in Ireland, not least because of the level of upheaval involved for the children and their families

But by doing this now, we would hope it wont be necessary in the future. So while were happy to say to New York or Pittsburgh we are interested in long-term collaboration, as Ive said to them, I would hope we wont be collaborating in a couple of years time, he said.

In his first interview as head of the new task force, Moore said that after a ot of talk about paediatric spinal services now you are about to see changes.

Moores goal is to improve access to spinal services for children and to treat children without delay

The changes have been a long time coming. The treatment of children with spina bifida and scoliosis has been one of the most protracted, persistent and emotive issues that has consistently shamed the Irish health service.

Donnelly has acknowledged that the State has been failing these children for years and has set as a goal that no child should wait more than four months for surgery. Moore agrees the waiting list is unacceptable.

However, he disputes Donnellys goal of a four-month maximum waiting time for children in need of spinal surgery.

According to Moore, it is something that came from the HSE or some other entity and has absolutely no clinical relevance whatsoever. None.

He said: Saying everybody must be treated within four months is misleading and its not the appropriate way of doing this.

Once youve made a decision that surgery is necessary, there is no advantage in putting it off or delaying it. But that doesnt mean that there is a disadvantage in delaying it if people want to delay it.

He cited clinical as well as personal reasons why childrens surgeries might be delayed, and said: We regularly, and I mean regularly, have patients who are offered surgery and they say, look, it doesnt suit me at the moment. Can we put it off? Absolutely, they can put it off, but then we get hit for being over four months. But of course they can put it off. We didnt come up with the four months.

Paediatric spinal consultant David Moore says there are both clinical and personal reasons why surgery might be delayed. Photo: Gerry Mooney

Moore has discussed his views with Donnelly and they have agreed to differ, he said.

Moores goal is to improve access to spinal services for children and to treat children without delay.

Well always have waiting lists, he said.

The new unit is working to get rid of the hump, that extra hill, to get back to a steady state.

The unit has held five all-day Saturday super spine clinics in four months to clear the outpatient backlog. Clinicians have seen 245 children, 14 of whom have been booked in for surgery.

Moore said: The minister is  what would I say  surprised that the lists are going up when we are meant to be bringing them down. Because we are trying to clear the outpatient backlog you see, which is never on anyones radar in the past. But Im looking to improve access for all spinal.

He agrees the current waiting list is unacceptable.

Outsourcing has the potential to make the biggest dent in the waiting list

Last month, 287 children waited for spinal surgery, compared with 281 in June and 246 in May. Around 40 of those children on the list had their surgeries suspended for clinical or personal reasons or because their surgeries were outsourced to other hospitals. That leaves just over 240 children actively waiting.

Moore insists surgeries are prioritised according to clinical need. Each month surgeries are planned ahead for the following eight weeks. Not all planned surgeries can go ahead, for various clinical and personal reasons. Some patients who receive their surgery are returned to the wait list for further procedures.

Outsourcing has the potential to make the biggest dent in the waiting list. Five outsourcing streams are coming to maturity, Moore said. These include expanding the adolescents outsourced to Blackrock Clinic, Co Dublin, for straightforward spinal fusion surgery, which could remove another dozen children from the queue.

Moore rattles off numerous efficiencies and small changes that will clear road bumps and increase productivity.

These include outsourcing tests some children require ahead of surgeries; introducing a new faster pathway for children who need to go under general anaesthetic before having an MRI; and getting GPs to use the electronic Healthlink system to refer patients for faster triaging.

Surgeons work one early day a week, with the aim of performing more surgeries.

Importantly, the unit is also developing a transition plan with the Mater Hospital, Dublin, to take on patients when they move to adult services.

The paediatric spinal services management unit is not a separate entity, but has staff to support it, although it does not have a budget.

Most unusually in the health service, More said he asked for money from the Department of Health and the HSE and tended to get it.

We make representations for them. And in general, we are very successful in being awarded what we ask, he said.

Parents are concerned that the laser focus on spinal surgeries is at the cost of other orthopaedic surgeries for children, such as limb lengthening and reconstruction procedures.

Moore acknowledged this. There are limited resources available. So there is a little bit of robbing Peter to pay Paul, but were very cognisant of that, he said.

The spinal services task force and new clinical unit were born out of the controversy over surgeries at Childrens Health Irelands (CHI) Temple Street hospital, currently under review.

We have to work to regain peoples confidence and their trust. CHI has been damaged by that. The brand is tarnished and its our job to restore peoples confidence in CHI, Moore said.
The Boy That Never Was star Toni ORourke: Theres an excitement about Irish actors, and were getting to do things in our own accents

Landing her first lead role as a grieving mother on RTE drama series The Boy That Never Was, Toni ORourke talks about getting stability and guidance from her blended family, her own curious nature and the chance encounters that paved the course of her acting career

The Boy That Never Was trailer

Liadan Hynes Sun 25 Aug 2024 at 03:30

Toni ORourke first met Hannah Quinn, the director of the new RTE show The Boy That Never Was, in which ORourke plays the female lead, when she was 18 and babysitting in Vietnam.
ASTANA, Kazakhstan, August 25. KazMunayGas' (KMG, the national oil and gas company of Kazakhstan) enterprises transported 41.7 million tons of oil from January through June 2024, Trend reports.

According to the KMG's data, compared to the same period in 2023, this figure increased by 6.2 percent.

Earlier, the Minister of Energy of Kazakhstan, Almassadam Satkaliev said that in 2023, the oil production in the country amounted to about 90 million tons, although it was initially planned to produce 9293 million tons of oil.

Furthermore, the country plans to crank up oil production in 2024 to a whopping 90.3 million tons.

Meanwhile, the volume of oil and gas condensate production by KazMunayGas amounted to 23.5 million tons (486,000 barrels per day) in 2023. The volume of oil and gas condensate production grew by 6.5 percent in 2022.

At the same time, natural and related gas output climbed by 14.8 percent over the reporting period, reaching 9.45 billion cubic meters.

Furthermore, Kazakhstan produced 90 million tons of oil in 2023, which is 6.9 percent higher than in 2022. Oil exports also increased and amounted to 70.5 million tons, which is 9.6 percent more than the previous year. Moreover, Kazakhstan plans to increase oil production in 2024 to 90.3 million tons.

In 2023, gas production in Kazakhstan amounted to 59.063 billion cubic meters, including large fields such as Tengiz (16.009 billion cubic meters), Karachaganak (22.385 billion cubic meters), Kashagan (11.856 billion cubic meters), and others (8.813 billion cubic meters). Kazakhstan is projected to produce 60.456 billion cubic meters of raw natural gas in 2024.
Just how tolerant are we really?

What do we think of an ancient religious practice that might offend modern, secular sensibilities?

At the start of this month, a rabbi was arrested in Dublin for performing a circumcision on a baby boy without the necessary state clearance.

It is believed to be the first time a rabbi has been arrested anywhere in Europe for performing a circumcision since World War II. The incident has not received too much coverage here, but it has been widely reported in Jewish media overseas.
As the shock of the yachting tragedy in Sicily lingers, its worth remembering how big an achiever Mike Lynch actually was.

He was the most prolific Anglo-Irish tech entrepreneur in decades  even by the standards of todays Collisons.

Building up his tech company, Autonomy, to sell it to HP in 2011 for $11bn was, in relative historical terms, a similar level to Stripes $70bn valuation today.

He thought deeply and technically on issues that had huge practical potential

While that acquisition became mired in legal controversy for years afterwards, there is no disputing how innovative or entrepreneurial Lynch, who died in last weeks marine tragedy at age 59, was.

His path from being the British-born child of parents from Cork and Tipperary to leading the biggest-ever UK start-up sale was paved through the brainiest, most archetypal route.

A science degree in Cambridge, followed by a PhD in early-stage AI, led him to start Cambridge Neurodynamics in 1991, to try to build fingerprint identification technology.

That yielded several spinoff start-ups, one of which was Autonomy, a system that sought to make sense of unorganised data from various sources, such as emails and phone calls, to form patterns.

Almost immediately, the business potential of this became apparent to some giant corporate interests, all of whom were looking to get an edge in enterprise software.

Ultimately, HP ended up pushing an unimaginably large amount of money  all cash  onto the table to buy Autonomy.

He was one of the most analytically-minded individuals that the tech industry has produced

The $11bn deal was the largest deal ever heard of, before or since, involving someone close enough to being Irish. What happened next  HPs write-down, the subsequent lawsuits and Lynchs total acquittal  are well documented.

But among almost everyone who interviewed or interacted with him, he was regarded as one of the most analytically- minded individuals that the tech industry has produced in these islands.

He had a singular ability to think deeply and technically on issues that had huge practical potential.

The internet being what it is, there is no avoiding the pathetic conspiracy theories floating around that try to make something of the timing of the boating tragedy, coming just two days after the death of Autonomys former vice-president of finance  and Lynchs trial co-defendant  Stephen Chamberlain, who was hit by a car when out for a run.

But Lynchs memory will mostly be as someone with big ideas who made a big mark on the world.
The book also comes in Irish and as an audiobook.

Enniscorthy Library is promoting a free book to help children who are bereaved by suicide to understand and manoeuvre their grief and sense of loss.

A staff member from the library took to social media to let families and carers know about newly published picture book Safe Harbour by Patricia Forde, illustrated by visual artist Bronagh Lee.

Safe Harbour is told through the narrative lens of a young child whose dad passed away by suicide and contains words and illustrations that thoughtfully reflects the journey the child goes on as they come to terms with their grief.

The book was launched as a HSE resource in June by Mary Butler TD and Minister for Mental Health and and Older Persons.

Speaking at the official launch she said: This is a beautiful book, and I greatly welcome every opportunity to come together to further break down the silence or barriers surrounding suicide. Suicide is a major public health issue and each suicide directly affects many people, their families and communities.

Bernard Gloster, HSE Chief Executive Officer said: It is my great pleasure to endorse Safe Harbour  and its accompanying resources  produced by the HSE in Dublin and the Midlands, the HSE National Office for Suicide Prevention, and the Irish Childhood Bereavement Network within the Irish Hospice Foundation.

"Thank you to everyone who collaborated on this heartfelt project  the result of which is a beautiful suite of evidence-informed, and meaningful resources to support any parent or carer in having compassionate, age-appropriate conversations about suicide, safely with their children, he added.

John Meehan, HSE Assistant National Director and Head of the National Office of Suicide Prevention, said this was a valuable resource given the statistics of suicide in Ireland.

"Over 90% of people who have been bereaved by suicide in Ireland, received support from their family, friends or community in the first instance. To this end, we are very proud to introduce Safe Harbour - a remarkable beacon of hope that brings reassurance to parents and carers, that these tender conversations are always possible, he said.

The book also comes in Irish and as an audiobook.

In their Facebook post, Enniscorthy library recognised that helping a child navigate their grief can be overwhelming, especially if the parents trying to manage their own at the same time.

"There has never been a resource like this for parents and carers before. This book and the accompanying guide, gives parents a language to talk about suicide with a child, they said.

The book is also available in Irish, as an audiobook, has a podcast series and there are activities for children available on the official website. To request printed copies, please email safeharbour@nosp.ie.
A north Wexford Senator has called for further government support for tillage farmers, many of whom are in Co. Wexford, after a particularly difficult year.

Senator Malcolm Byrne pointed out that statistics have shown that while 2022 was a good year for tillage farmers in terms of income, 2023 and this year look to be the worst years in a generation with average annual incomes per farm in each year in the low to mid 20,000s.

This is not sustainable for those farms and it is not surprising that the amount of land under tillage is marginally decreasing. This is worrying when we have a national strategy that is designed to increase the amount of land under tillage.

"The appalling weather that we have seen in recent years has definitely damaged the sector. I am supporting moves for Government to guarantee some sort of basic income for family farms. We need to ensure that farming is financially sustainable, said Senator Byrne.

He added that he was supportive of the IFAs Tillage Expansion Scheme proposals that would support family farms investing and making it financially worthwhile to do so.

Government has to provide the supports if this is going to happen and I am raising it in the context of forthcoming Budgetary plans, including where I will be speaking shortly with Finance Minister, Jack Chambers, said Senator Byrne.
The Courthouse Arts Centre will welcome iconic musician, songwriter, performer, recording artist, storyteller, poet and dreamer John Spillane for a magical show on Friday, September 13.

Rooted in people, place and story, Johns music transports the listener and his live performances captivate audiences around the world.

As an artist, his music appeals to listeners across many genres and generations. His vocal style has a unique almost sean-nos quality and his performances shimmer with the magic realism that permeates many of his songs as he effortlessly flits between beautiful poetry tinged with melancholy to roguish, irreverent humour.

A native of Cork, the County he lovingly describes as the centre of the universe and a source of huge creative influence throughout his career, John can charm, mesmerise, and entertain in equal measure.

Johns music is inspired by and encapsulates Irish traditional music in its contemporary form  a reflection of Ireland today. A two-time Meteor Award winner for Best Folk/Trad act, John is one of the most accomplished songwriters in Ireland.

With an extensive back catalogue beginning with the 1997 album The Wells of the World, his songs have been covered by Christy Moore, Sharon Shannon, Sean Keane and many others.

Twelve albums later, in April 2021, John released his first independent album in 20 years, 100 Snow White Horses. In October 2022, John released In Another Light, a career-spanning album recorded live at the Right Here Right Now Festival at Cork Opera House, in November 2021.

John Spillane will perform at the Courthouse Arts Centre in Tinahely on Friday, September 13, at 8 p.m. Tickets are 25/23 and available from courthousearts.ie
Justice made their grand return to London with an electrifying set as the wet weather finally cleared at All Points Easts Field Day on Saturday.

The electronic duo, consisting of Gaspard Auge and Xavier de Rosnay raised the temperature at Victoria Park after fans braved a relentless deluge during the afternoon.

Justice opened the show with fan favourite Genesis, best known as the soundtrack to the Palme DOr winning film The Square.

With the crowd now in the palm of their hands, the pair launched into Love SOS.

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Beams of light shot across the park as concert-goers danced.

Auge and de Rosnay faced one another on stage, wearing glasses and dinner jackets.

Projecting Gallic cool, they controlled the crowd from start to finish.

Accompanied by stunning visuals and the mesmerising light show, they played a variety of back-catalogue hits including We Are Your Friends and D.A.N.C.E.

The performance marked the pairs first live show in the UK since their tour six years ago.

Taking to the East Stage stage just before Justice, Mura Masa set a high bar.

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The Guernsey-born DJ, real name Alexander George Edward Crossan, played variations of past hits including Boys A Liar and new release SXC.

However, a thumping remix of Panic! At the Discos 2005 hit I Write Sins Not Tragedies set the crowd alight.

From Gen-Z to Gen-X, the wedding disco banger had everyone singing along.

On the East Stage before Mura Masa and Justice were Romy and Shygirl.

The West Stage saw Belgian Icon Charlotte de Witte and Irelands Kettama play sets to crowds of techno devotees.
Ryan Evans, a member of the Reuters team covering the war in Ukraine, was killed and two Reuters journalists were injured in a strike on a hotel in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk, the news agency said on Sunday.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky yesterday praised a new Ukrainian drone missile that he said would take the war back to Russia, and scornfully derided Vladimir Putin as the sick old man from Red Square.

As Ukraine marked 33 years of post- Soviet independence, Zelensky said the new weapon, called Palianytsia, was faster and more powerful than the domestically made drones that Kyiv has so far used to hit oil refineries and military airfields inside Russia.
Photo courtesy: x.com/NASA | x.com/ISS_Research

NASA administrator Bill Nelson announced Sunday that Williams and Wilmore will return next February with the SpaceX Crew-9 mission after spending more than 80 days aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

Spaceflight is risky, even at its safest and most routine. A test flight, by nature, is neither safe nor routine. Our decision to keep Butch and Suni aboard the Space Station and bring Starliner home uncrewed is the result of our commitment to safety: our core value. https://t.co/xfgEKFRY2f  Bill Nelson (@SenBillNelson) August 24, 2024

The two astronauts arrived at the International Space Station on Boeings Starliner for an 8-day mission, but due to major technical issues with the Boeing capsule, their stay was extended.

The SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft is scheduled to launch next month as part of a regular astronaut rotation mission.

Tune in: I'm live from @NASA_Johnson with an important update on NASA's Boeing Crew Flight Test. https://t.co/psOdz4Yw3C  Bill Nelson (@SenBillNelson) August 24, 2024

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson explained that the propulsion system of the Starliner presents too much risk to safely return its first crew. Consequently, the Starliner will undock from the ISS without a crew and attempt its return to Earth as if it were carrying astronauts.

As we got more and more data over the summer and understood the uncertainty of that data, it became very clear to us that the best course of action was to return Starliner uncrewed. He said NASA found there was just just too much uncertainty in the prediction of the thrusters, NASA Commercial Crew Program manager Steve Stich was quoted as saying by Verge.

If we had a way to actually predict what the thrusters would do, for the undock, and all the way through the de-orbit burn, and through the separation sequence, I think we would have taken a different course of action. But when we looked at the data and looked at the potential for thruster failures with the crew on board ... it was just too much risk for the crew, and so we decided to pursue the uncrewed testflight.

Verge further reported that NASA Associate Administrator Ken Bowersox responded to a press question about how NASA can trust Boeing again saying, Weve had a lot of tense discussions, right? Because the call was close, and so people have a lot of emotional investment in either option, and that gives you a healthy discourse. But after that, you have to do some work to keep your team together, right?

And Ill acknowledge that we have some work to do there. Its pretty natural when youve had a difficult decision to make. Bowersox said that NASA remains committed to working with Boeing.

Stich added, saying, Boeing did a great job building a model. The question is, Is that model good enough to predict performance for a crew? He added later, There was just a little disagreement in terms of the level of risk. And thats kind of where it got down to, and I would say its close. Its very close; it just depends on how you evaluate the risk. We do it a little differently with our crew than Boeing did.

The two astronauts have been forced to spend 8 months aboard ISS after thruster failures, helium leaks, and valve issues plagued the already long-delayed Starliner while it was docking with the ISS.

Due to restricted access to the spacecraft docked at the ISS, tests at NASAs White Sands Test Facility suggested that deformed Teflon seals might have contributed to the failure of the spacecrafts thrusters.

However, lacking definitive answers, NASA delayed its decision on whether to return the astronauts aboard the Starliner or to collaborate with SpaceX for an early return next year via the Crew-9 mission, scheduled to launch to the ISS in late September.

Since Starliner docked with the ISS in June, Boeing has been working urgently to understand the causes of its thruster issues and helium leaks. The company conducted tests and simulations on Earth to collect data and persuade NASA officials of Starliners safety for crew return.

However, the results from these tests raised more challenging engineering questions and did not fully alleviate NASAs concerns about the spacecrafts ability to complete the crewed return trip the most demanding and complex aspect of the test mission.
Photo courtesy: FB/Nagarjuna & Videograb form X

Hyderabad/IBNS: Actor Nagarjuna Akkineni has slammed the authorities in Hyderabad for what he claimed was an "unlawful" demolition of his N-Convention Centre in the city's Madhapur neighbourhood.

The actor said he would have demolished the structure himself if the court where the matter is pending had decided against him.

#Hyderabad: Actor @iamnagarjuna who owns N- Convention located in Cyberabad comes under the axe of HYDRAA.



For many years now, the N Convention management managed GHMC and higher officers and evaded demolition.



The centre encroached the buffer zone of Thammidi Kunta. pic.twitter.com/OTlrG8o0Ho  @Coreena Enet Suares (@CoreenaSuares2) August 24, 2024

However, the court had ordered an interim stay on the demolition work.

As per the authorities, the N-Convention Centre was allegedly built on encroached land which is part of Tammidikunta Lake.

The Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA), the municipal body, town planning, irrigation and revenue departments have been removing encroachments from the buffer zones of the lake. The N-Convention Centre was one of the unauthorised structures, the authorities said in a statement.

Responding to the demolition of his project, Nagarjuna Akkineni said he would go to court against the "wrong actions carried out by the authorities."

"Pained by the unlawful manner of demolition carried out in respect of N Convention, contrary to existing stay orders and court cases. I thought it fit to issue this statement to place on record certain facts for protecting my reputation and to indicate that we have not done any actions in violation of law," Nagarjuna Akkineni said in a post on X.

"The land is a patta land, and not even an inch of tank plan is encroached. In respect of the building constructed inside the private land, there is a stay order granted against any earlier illegal notice for demolition," Nagarjuna Akkineni said, referring to the Telangana High Court's interim order halting the demolition of N-Convention Centre, following a petition by the facility's management.

Pained by the unlawful manner of demolition carried out in respect of N Convention, contrary to existing stay orders and Court cases.

I thought it fit to issue this statement to place on record certain facts for protecting my reputation and to indicate that we have not done any  Nagarjuna Akkineni (@iamnagarjuna) August 24, 2024

"Today clearly, the demolition was carried out wrongfully based on misinformation. No notice was issued prior to carrying out the demolition this morning. As a law-abiding citizen, if the court before which the matter is pending, had decided against me, I would have carried out the demolition myself," the actor said.

"I am placing this on record for the purpose of correcting any public misimpression about wrongful constructions or encroachment by us. We would be seeking appropriate relief from the court in relation to the wrong actions carried out by the authorities," he said.

According to the HYDRAA, in 2014, the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) issued a notification for Tammidikunta lake describing its buffer zones. N-Convention had then approached the high court. The final notification was issued in 2016.
On August 26, Lachin City Day will be celebrated once again, organized by the Special representation of the President of Azerbaijan in Lachin and supported by Baku Abadlig Service LLC, with the involvement of the Culture Ministry, Azernews reports.

This year's celebrations mark the second anniversary of Lachin's resurgence and carry special significance following Azerbaijan's restored sovereignty over all its territories, particularly after the anti-terrorist operations conducted on September 19-20, 2023, which saw the nation's flag raised in Garabagh.

It's noteworthy that last year, August 26 was officially recognized as Lachin City Day, established by President Ilham Aliyev's decree dated July 31, 2023, "On the establishment of city days in the liberated territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan".
BAKU. Azerbaijan. August 25. The State Department press service noted that Washington is "extremely concerned" about the Houthi strike on the ship, Trend reports.

The US believes that the attack on the Sounion tanker, for which Yemen's Houthis from the Ansar Allah rebel movement claimed responsibility, threatens an environmental catastrophe. This was stated in a statement released on Saturday by the State Department press service.

According to the document, Washington is "extremely concerned" about the Houthi attack on the tanker. "The Houthi rebels' continued attacks threaten to spill millions of barrels of oil into the Red Sea - four times more than the Exxon Valdez disaster," the statement said.

According to the US, "the Houthis have made it clear that they intend to destroy the fishing industry and the regional ecosystem just as they have disrupted the delivery of humanitarian aid to the region". "We call on the Houthis to immediately cease these actions and call on other countries to take action to prevent this environmental disaster," the statement said.

The Sounion, a Greek-flagged tanker sailing through the Red Sea, was attacked early on August 21. The incident occurred 77 nautical miles west of the Yemeni city of Hodeida, the Royal Navy's Maritime Trade Coordination Centre said. Two boats with about 15 armed men on board approached the ship. There was an exchange of fire between them and the ship's crew, then the tanker was hit by three unidentified projectiles and lost control. The captain later notified the Central Control Centre of another attack, which resulted in a fire on board the vessel.
Photo Courtesy: Rajnath Singh X page

Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, as a part of his ongoing tour to the US, visited the William B Morgan Large Cavitation Channel (LCC) in the Naval Surface Warfare Centre (NSWC) at Memphis, Tennessee.

The LCC is one of the world's largest and most technically-advanced water tunnel facility for testing submarines, torpedoes, naval surface ships and propellers.

Singh was briefed at the facility and he witnessed an actual tunnel experiment.

Rajnath Singh was accompanied by Ambassador of India to US, Direc"tor General, Naval Operations from the Indian Navy and DRDO Defence Technology Counsellor, among others," read a statement issued by the Indian Ministry of Defence.

He was received by the US Deputy Under Secretary of the Navy for Policy, and briefed by Commander and Technical Director of the NSWC.

The discussions also intend to support the ongoing proposal for establishment of similar facility for indigenous design and developme
India-Australia

The 10th Round of India-Australia CECA Negotiations was held from 19-22 August 2024 in Sydney in the areas of Goods, Services, Digital Trade, Government Procurement, Rules of Origin and Agri tech.

"Intense discussions were held on each of these tracks bringing in clarity and understanding for convergence in the remaining provisions," read a statement issued by the Indian government.

The 10th Round was held after a gap of around 5 months from the concluded 9th Round.

However intersessional meetings were held between these two rounds to bring in convergence on all these tracks as well as under other remaining tracks.

The Indian delegation was led by Rajesh Agrawal, the Chief Negotiator and Additional Secretary, Department of Commerce, GOI, and the Australian delegation was led by Ravi Kewalram, the Chief Negotiator and First Assistant Secretary in DFAT, Australia.

The meeting saw intensive discussions and negotiations to narrow down the differences through better understanding of each others proposals and the way to bring in convergence.

Efforts were made by both the sides keeping in mind the domestic sensitivities for reaching a balanced outcome.

All the five negotiating tracks reported the outcomes of their discussions to the Joint meeting of the Chief Negotiators which provided them further guidance to steer their future work.

It was decided that given the clear understanding of each others proposals under the five tracks, track leads from both the sides would work out action plan for negotiations through virtual mode intersessionally before the next round, likely to be held in India.

In addition, the Chief Negotiators reviewed the bilateral trade and investment relations between India and Australia and underscored commitment to strengthen and enhance the economic partnership between India and Australia through building up on the positive effects of India-Australia ECTA, which entered into force on 29 December 2022. Both the sides made efforts to ensure that the CECA negotiation delivers meaningful benefits and balanced outcome for both sides.

Exploring the feasibility of deepening the cause of economic cooperation between India and Australia through CECA negotiations and thereby promoting investments, fruitful discussions were held with AIBC National Chair, Jodi McKay, CEO Grain Trade Australia Pat OShannasy and others in a round table meeting organized by Australia on the sidelines of the 10th Round of India-Australia CECA negotiations. CG of India in Sydney also participated in the discussions.

It was also brought to light by the Australian side that they are proposing to hold the first meeting of the India-Australia Agri Tech Forum (IAATF), a newly constituted forum by Australia, in New Delhi on 23 September 2024, with the Indian agricultural stakeholders namely industry, research institutions and Government for building on mutually beneficial relationship by exploring opportunities for focused activity around technology transfer and knowledge sharing in agriculture and horticulture sectors.

The Indian delegation also visited the University of Sydney and Cicada Innovation Centre to understand the research activities being carried out by Australia in agriculture and agritech.

Australia is an important trade and strategic partner of India. Both the countries are part of the 14-country Indo-Pacific Economic Forum for Prosperity (IPEF) and Trilateral Supply Chain Resilience Initiative (SCRI) which is expected to strengthen the supply chain resilience in the region.

The next Round of India-Australia CECA negotiations is likely to be held in November 2024.
Photo Courtesy: PIB

Pakistan has invited Indian PM Narendra Modi, who returned to power for the third straight term after winning the general polls this year, to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Islamabad city.

The meeting is scheduled to take place in Pakistan on October 15 and 16.

Being a host, Pakistan has invited Indian PM Narendra Modi and other member states to visit Islamabad for the SCO meeting, sources told Ary News.

Both India and Pakistan are full members of the group.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization is a permanent intergovernmental international organization established on June 15, 2001 in Shanghai (PRC) by Kazakhstan, China,Kyrgyz Republic, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
Photo Courtesy: Amy Jackson Instagram page

Bollywood actress Amy Jackson's Instagram page lighted up with images of her special day when she married British actor Ed Westwick.

With a new hope, the actress wrote: "The journey has just begun."

Fans joined the celebration by seeing two images shared by Amy on her social media handle where the duo could be seen sporting a white marriage attire.

Set in an all-white backdrop that is none less than a fairytale, Amy could be seen holding a white rose bouquet in her hand.

Amy was seen wearing a Christian wedding white gown while her husband joined her dressed in a white suit.

The stunning ceremony reportedly took place on Amalfi Coast in Italy.

Amy began her Bollywood journey with Ekk Deewana Tha (2012).

She also worked in several southern movies.
Photo courtesy: Representative image/ Unsplash

Lebanon-based militant group Hezbollah and Israel have announced large-scale military operations against each other, media reports said Sunday.

According to a statement from Hezbollah, an Iran-backed group, several explosive drones have been launched, targeting key Israeli military sites.

Hezbollah said it has launched "more than 320" Katyusha rockets at Israel.



In response to the threat, the Israeli military initiated pre-emptive strikes on targets in Lebanon.

The IDF announced these strikes early Sunday, stating that they had detected preparations by Hezbollah for "large-scale" attacks on Israeli territory.

Israeli Air Force fighter jets have been deployed to neutralise these threats, focusing on Hezbollah positions that posed an immediate danger to Israeli civilians.

This escalation comes after weeks of growing tension, with Hezbollah and its regional ally, Iran, vowing to avenge the assassination of its military commander Fuad Shukr last month.

The group has called the attack on its commander as a direct provocation and an act of war.
Photo Courtesy: Pixabay

Escalating the ongoing tension in the Middle East, Lebanon -based militant group Hezbollah and Israel have announced large-scale military operations against each other, media reports said Sunday.

According to a statement from Hezbollah, an Iran-backed group, several explosive drones have been launched, targeting key Israeli military sites.

Hezbollah said it has launched "more than 320" Katyusha rockets at Israel.

In response to the threat, the Israeli military initiated pre-emptive strikes on targets in Lebanon.

The IDF announced these strikes early Sunday, stating that they had detected preparations by Hezbollah for "large-scale" attacks on Israeli territory.

Approx. 100 IAF fighter jets struck and eliminated thousands of Hezbollah rocket launcher barrels, aimed for immediate fire toward northern and central Israel.



More than 40 Hezbollah launch areas were struck.



We will do whatever is needed to defend our civilians and the State pic.twitter.com/1nuuo9NEZj  Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) August 25, 2024

Israeli Air Force fighter jets have been deployed to neutralise these threats, focusing on Hezbollah positions that posed an immediate danger to Israeli civilians.

IDF Spokesperson RAdm. Daniel Hagarim said: "In a self-defence act to remove these threats, the IDF is striking terror targets in Lebanon, from which Hezbollah was planning to launch their attacks on Israeli civilians."

In a self-defense act to remove these threats, the IDF is striking terror targets in Lebanon, from which Hezbollah was planning to launch their attacks on Israeli civilians.



Listen to an update from IDF Spokesperson, RAdm. Daniel Hagari, regarding Hezbollahs plans to attack pic.twitter.com/fKvbUVSmbT  Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) August 25, 2024

In a separate X post, the Israeli defence force said: " Approx. 100 IAF fighter jets struck and eliminated thousands of Hezbollah rocket launcher barrels, aimed for immediate fire toward northern and central Israel."

Over 100 projectiles have been fired at Israelis since this morning.



This is Hezbollahs goaldestroying homes and targeting our civilians.



We will continue operating to ensure all of our civilians are safe and protected against terrorism. pic.twitter.com/Z1NWWchIUP  Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) August 23, 2024

IDF said over 40 Hezbollah launch areas were struck.

Benjamin Netanyahu reacts

Israel's PM Benjamin Netanyahu reacted to the development and said his nation is determined to do everything to protect the country.

"This morning we detected Hezbollahs preparations to attack Israel. Together with the Minister of Defense and the Chief of Staff, we instructed the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) to act proactively to remove the threat," he was quoted as saying by CNN.

US monitoring situation

The White House on Saturday said President Joe Biden is closely monitoring the situation which is developing in the Middle East.

He has been engaged with his national security team throughout the evening. At his direction, senior US officials have been communicating continuously with their Israeli counterparts. We will keep supporting Israels right to defend itself, and we will keep working for regional stability, NSC spokesperson Sean Savett said in a statement as quoted by CNN.

This escalation comes after weeks of growing tension, with Hezbollah and its regional ally, Iran, vowing to avenge the assassination of its military commander Fuad Shukr last month.

The group has called the attack on its commander as a direct provocation and an act of war.

What is Hezbollah?

Hezbollah is a Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and paramilitary group, led since 1992 by its Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah.

Hezbollah's paramilitary wing is the Jihad Council, and its political wing is the Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc party in the Lebanese Parliament.
Photo Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons/ NickLubushko/ ShareAlike 4.0 International

Paris, France: Telegram CEO Pavel Durov is expected to appear in court on Sunday after being arrested by French police at an airport near Paris for alleged offences connected to his messaging app, according to an AFP report.

The 39-year-old Franco-Russian billionaire was detained on Saturday evening at Le Bourget airport, located north of Paris, AFP reported citing a source who wished to remain anonymous.

Durov had arrived from Baku, Azerbaijan, another source familiar with the situation told the news agency.

The arrest was based on a warrant issued by France's OFMIN, an agency responsible for preventing violence against minors.

The preliminary investigation into Durov is based on allegations including fraud, drug trafficking, cyberbullying, organized crime, and promoting terrorism, according to sources.

Durov faces accusations of not taking sufficient action to prevent criminal activities on Telegram. An investigator commented, "Enough of Telegram's impunity," and expressed surprise that Durov would come to Paris knowing he was a wanted man.

Based in Dubai, the encrypted messaging app has marketed itself as a privacy-focused alternative to US-owned platforms, which have been criticized for exploiting users' personal data.

The platform has pledged never to disclose user information.

In a rare interview with right-wing talk show host Tucker Carlson in April, Durov explained that he was inspired to create Telegram after facing pressure from the Russian government while working at VK, a social network he founded before selling it and leaving Russia in 2014.

Durov recounted his attempts to settle in Berlin, London, Singapore, and San Francisco before ultimately choosing Dubai, which he praised for its business environment and "neutrality."

Durov emphasized that people appreciate Telegram's independence, privacy, and freedom, noting that the platform had over 900 million active users at the time of the interview.

By operating from the United Arab Emirates, Telegram has avoided moderation laws even as Western countries press large platforms to remove illegal content.

Telegram's ability to host groups of up to 200,000 members has led to criticism that it facilitates the spread of misinformation, as well as neo-Nazi, pedophilic, conspiratorial, and terrorist content.

In contrast, competitor WhatsApp implemented global limits on message forwarding in 2019 after being accused of enabling the spread of misinformation in India that resulted in lynchings.
Photo Courtesy: Tim Kurzbach Facebook page

German police have arrested a man who is suspected of killing three people and injuring another eight in a stabbing incident during a festival in Solingen city, media reports said.

"The man weve really been looking for the whole day has just been taken into custody," Herbert Reul, the interior minister of North Rhine-Westphalia state, told ARD public TV late on Saturday as quoted by BBC.

The suspect is believed to have stabbed to death Two men, aged 56 and 67, and a 56-year-old woman during the festival which was cancelled following the incident.

The suspect was reportedly detained at a refugee center.

A major manhunt was launched by the police following the stabbing incident which left the nation shocked.

Apart from deploying special forces, police initiated a major manhunt in German state of North Rhine Westphalia.

The motive behind the attack is still not clear but terrorism has not been ruled out completely.

ISIS claims responsibility

The Islamic State terrorist group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

However, the terror group did not provide evidence to support the claim.

A police spokesman, Thorsten Flei, said the attacker specifically targeted the necks of the victims.

After evaluating the initial images, we assume that it was a very targeted attack on the neck, he said during a press conference as quoted by CNN.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz describes attack as 'terrible event'

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has called the attack a 'terrible event' which shocked him.

"The attack in Solingen is a terrible event that has shocked me greatly. An attacker has brutally killed several people. I have just spoken to Solingen's mayor, Tim Kurzbach. We mourn the victims and stand by their families," he said in an X post.

Solingen Mayor Tim Kurzbach condoled the loss of lives in the tragedy.

"After the attack yesterday evening, the city of Solingen would like to express its condolences to the victims of the attack and their relatives with a memorial," the Mayor said in a Facebook post.

Stabbing incident takes place while city was celebrating festival

With a population of about 160,000, the city in North Rhineland-Westphalia, is popularly known for its steel industry.

The attack took place while the city was celebrating the Festival of Diversity".

The festival is organised to mark the 650th anniversary of the city's founding.

Police earlier said the attack occurred close to a stage where a musical event was going on.
Photo Courtesy: Screengrab from viral video on X

French police have arrested a person who is suspected of setting on fire and causing an explosion outside a synagogue in the southern French town of La Grande-Motte.

The country's Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said "the alleged perpetrator" was detained on Saturday.

The Minister praised the police for showing 'great professionalism'.

"The alleged perpetrator of the arson attack on the synagogue has been arrested. Thanks to the police, and mainly the RAID, who intervened with great professionalism despite his gunshots," the Minister posted on X.

The suspect was shot and injured by the police after he opened fire on the officers after they tried to capture him in Nimes, local media reports said.

The suspect was arrested after a police officer was injured following a blast outside the Beth Yaacov synagogue in the seaside city of La Grande-Motte.

The police officer's injuries are not said to be life-threatening, following the blast between 08:00 and 08:30 local time (07:00-07:30 BST) on Saturday, reported BBC.

During the blast, five people, including a rabbi, were present inside the synagogue.

According to reports, the lone attacker, who was carrying a Palestine flag, set multiple cars on fire which were present in the parking lot located close to the Synagogue Beth Yaacov.

One of the cars reportedly exploded.

French anti-terrorism prosecutors earlier confirmed in an email to CNN that they had taken charge of the investigation.

A statement from the anti-terrorism prosecutor said that the explosion was caused by a bottle of gasoline inside one of the vehicles set alight, reported the American news channel.

The French Jewish community has been reportedly facing a spike in harassment ever since Hamas members attacked Israel on October 7.

French President Emmanuel Macron calls the attack a terror act

In his X post, Macron said: "Thoughts for the faithful of the synagogue of La Grande-Motte and all the Jews of our country. Everything is being done to find the perpetrator of this terrorist act and protect places of worship."

He said the fight against 'anti-Semitism' is a constant battle.
Photo Courtesy: Pixabay

A bus, which was travelling from Kahuta to Rawalpindi, in Pakistan fell into a ditch leaving at least 25 people dead, media reports said.

The accident was caused due to the coasters failed brakes, Rescue 1122 Punjab official Usman Gujjar told Dawn News.

The bodies are currently being shifted to Tehsil Headquarters Hospital in Kahuta, he said.

The victims of the crash included 20 men, four women and a child.

The cause of the crash is still not known.

President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbz Sharif have condoled the loss of lives in the tragedy.
BAKU. Azerbaijan. August 25. The American automobile startup Nilu27 presented its first development - a mid-engine gasoline supercar NILU, Trend reports

The founder of the company and the author of the appearance of its brainchild is the famous Russian automobile designer Alexander Selipanov, who was responsible for the style of Bugatti, Koenigsegg and Genesis cars at different times.

The ideology of NILU is described simply - a minimum of electronics. That is why the supercar is equipped with an atmospheric V12 with a volume of 6.5 liters. This internal combustion engine was specially developed by the New Zealand engineering company Hartley Engines on Selipanov's order. The power is declared as "over 1000 hp". The engine is aggregated with a 7-speed manual transmission of the Italian brand CIMA. The rear wheels are the leading ones.

The exterior of Nilu27 is characterized by deliberate carelessness and exposed structural elements. This style should evoke associations with airplanes or military equipment. The monocoque and outer panels are molded from carbon fiber, both subframes are assembled from aluminum tubes. The front wheels have a landing diameter of 20 inches, the rear ones - 21. Carbon-ceramic brakes are developed by Brembo.

Nilu27 plans to build 69 of these supercars, with 54 of them being road-legal, the remaining 15 - in a purely track modification.
Photo Courtesy: Musfiq Anam/Musfiq_Anam13 X page

Former Bangladeshi Textile and Jute Minister Golam Dastagir Gazi, who was part of the ousted Awami League government, has been arrested in Dhaka, media reports said on Sunday.

Police arrested him from a house in Pirergoli area around 3:00am, Mollah Mohammad Khalid Hussain, officer-in-charge of Paltan Police Station, told The Daily Star.

The former minister has been kept at DB office following his arrest.

Golam Dastagir is accused in a case filed in Narayanganj, the OC added.

Bangladesh witnessed massive protests over the job quota row and soon it spiralled to become a movement against former PM Sheikh Hasina and her government which eventually led to her ouster.

Meanwhile, another Awami League leader Abdus Sobhan Golap, who was the party's Publicity and Publication Secretary, was detained from Nakhalpara region in Dhaka.

The Detective Branch (DB) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) announced that he was detained just before 3pm on Sunday, reported Dhaka Tribune.

Murder case filed against Sheikh Hasina

A murder case has been filed against Hasina, who is currently in India, and 12 others over the death of Sub-Assistant Director and Freedom Fighter Md Abdur Rahim.

Rahim is an accused in the 2009 Pilkhana massacre case.

Advocate Abdul Aziz, son of the deceased Abdur Rahim, filed an application to register a case in court on Sunday, reported Dhaka Tribune.

Bangladesh's interim government, headed by Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus, revoked the diplomatic passport of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday after she fled to India following massive student protests earlier this month, media reports said.

The move to cancel Sheikh Hasina's documents leaves the former Bangladeshi leader in potential limbo.

The decision came on the same day a United Nations team arrived in Dhaka to assess whether to investigate alleged human rights violations.

More than 450 people were killed, many of whom died in police fire, during the weeks leading up to Sheikh Hasina's ouster, with crowds storming her official residence in Dhaka and ending her 15-year regime.
Photo Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons

Taiwan detected 12 Chinese aircraft and eight vessels around its territory until 6 am on Sunday, Taiwan's Ministry of Defence said.

The Defence Ministry posted on X: "12 PLA aircraft, 8 PLAN vessels and 4 official ships operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 7 of the aircraft crossed the median line and entered Taiwan's southwestern ADIZ. "

12 PLA aircraft, 8 PLAN vessels and 4 official ships operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 7 of the aircraft crossed the median line and entered Taiwan's southwestern ADIZ. We have monitored the situation and responded accordingly. pic.twitter.com/iu4rnDsCYK   Ministry of National Defense, R.O.C.  (@MoNDefense) August 25, 2024

Taiwan said it is monitoring the situation and responding accordingly.

Recently, Taiwan detected 41 Chinese aircraft and seven Chinese vessels around its territory.

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 lead 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.

The question is 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 United States  or we should say Western Countries, mainly United States and China. Taiwan then happens to become 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.
Upon arriving at Le Bourget Airport in Paris aboard his private jet, billionaire Pavel Durovfounder and CEO of the widely used messaging service, Telegramwas swiftly taken into custody by French authorities. The arrest, executed by a part of the national directorate of the French judicial police, was based on a warrant enforceable only on French territory.



Durov has a net worth of $15.5 billion according to Forbes.

Why was Pavel Durov, Telegram CEO, arrested?

Pavel Durov, 39, was detained by officers from France's anti-fraud office, operating under French customs.

According to authorities, Durov was apprehended under a warrant tied to offenses related to his messaging platform, Telegram.

Credit: Unsplash | Telegram

The warrant stems from allegations that the platform's lack of moderation facilitated illegal activities, including money laundering, drug trafficking, and the dissemination of pedophilic content.



The Moscow Times, citing French local media, reported that Durov faces charges of complicity in drug trafficking, crimes against children, and fraud, arising from Telegram's failure to adequately cooperate with law enforcement.

Credit: cryptorank news

Who is Pavel Durov?

Russia-born Pavel Durov founded Telegram in 2013 alongside his brother. A year later, in 2014, Durov left Russia after refusing to comply with the governments demands to shut down opposition communities on his VKontakte social media platform, which he subsequently sold. He also defied requests to share user data with Russian security services.

Telegram has since risen to become one of the world's leading social media platforms, alongside giants like Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok, and WeChat, with significant popularity in Russia, Ukraine, and former Soviet Union states.

In an interview with U.S. journalist Tucker Carlson in April, Durov reflected on his departure from Russia, stating, "I would rather be free than to take orders from anyone,"

His search for a permanent home for Telegram led him through Berlin, London, Singapore, and San Francisco.

Credit: silicon.co.uk

Following Russias invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Telegram has emerged as a key platform for unfilteredoften graphic and occasionally misleadingcontent from both sides of the conflict, as well as a vital tool for sharing information about the war and the surrounding political landscape. It is also reportedly used by the Russian military for communication purposes.



How people reacted to Telegram CEO's arrest

People took to social media to share their reactions after news of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov's arrest spread:

France is actually going to throw Telegram founder Pavel Durov in jail for up to 20 YEARS for refusing to censor the truth.



If this happened to Mark Zuckerberg in Russia, every Western government would be going crazy.



The hypocrisy and double standards are astounding. pic.twitter.com/Clzv1Pn0Vc  Cillian (@CilComLFC) August 24, 2024





Pavel Durov left Russia when the government tried to control his social media company, Telegram. But in the end, it wasnt Putin who arrested him for allowing the public to exercise free speech. It was a western country, a Biden administration ally and enthusiastic NATO member, https://t.co/F83E9GbNHC  Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) August 24, 2024

France just arrested Pavel Durov, founder & CEO of the encrypted, uncensored Telegram platform. The need to protect free speech has never been more urgent.  Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) August 25, 2024

Breaking: The crackdown against free speech escalates. Telegram founder Pavel Durov has been arrested in France. Western intelligence services want access to Telegrams private messages. According to French media Durov may face 20 years in jail if he doesnt cooperate. @elonmusk pic.twitter.com/x6bki4iarX  Kim Dotcom (@KimDotcom) August 24, 2024

Russian war-bloggers are freaking out about the arrest of Pavel Durov.

 pic.twitter.com/vFL7hKE2o7  Kvist.P  (@kvistp) August 24, 2024

So yeah, if you research this Pavel Durov is being accused terrorism, narcotic supply, fraud, money laundering, receiving stolen goods and has apparently been under investigation for a while. But that won't stop Elon Musk from being dumb. pic.twitter.com/3nQWfRX9dM  DeathMetalViking (@DeathMetalV) August 24, 2024

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The plans are part of the ministry's strategic planning for secure island upgrade of port infrastructure, and strengthening of territorial and social cohesion, and they come under the Development Program for Contracts of Strategic Importance.
The media adviser to the 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, Paul Ibe, has said that Atikus presidency would have created prosperity in Nigeria.

Ibe said this in response to claims by Chief Bode George, former deputy national chairman (south) of the PDP.

Recall that George, in a programme titled The Morning Show, on Arise TV, said that Nigeria would have experienced set back if Atiku was elected president in the last general election.

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He said: If Atiku had won, I would have stayed in my house because I knew that for real, in the future, he would collapse. This country would never accept.

If he had won that election, you think this country would have been stable? Because somebody from the North (Buhari) had just finished eight years and our own norm is that after the eight years, the presidential candidate must come to the South.

Reacting to Chief George claims in a statement released to the public on Saturday, Ibe said that Atikus presidency would have protected Nigerias interests, avoiding the favoritism, prejudice, and lawlessness allegedly associated with the current administration.

READ MORE: PDP Crisis: Atiku Wouldve Collapsed If He Had Emerged President  Bode George

The statement partly reads: Contrary to Chief Bode Georges imprudent talk, an Atiku presidency would have heralded an era of prosperity, driven by a cabinet brimming with seasoned and adept individuals, chosen solely on merit regardless of their background or beliefs.

Such leadership would have safeguarded Nigerias interests, steering clear of the bigotry and nepotism and brigandage that characterizes this administration. Instead of the current state of disarray, driven by haphazard policies, Nigeria would have thrived under Atikus guidance.

In contrast, we see Bode George, who once threatened exile, should Tinubu ascend to power, now oddly silent about the present administration. Is Bodes reticence because Atiku is not from his region? It is prudent to consider Bodes opinions with caution.
A Federal High Court in Abuja has granted applications filed by the Police to remand 124 arrested #EndBadGovernance protesters for 60 days.

Justice Emeka Nwite, in separate rulings on ex-parte motions moved by Ibrahim Mohammed, counsel for the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), granted the interim order to remand the suspects until conclusion of investigation.

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The Judge equally ordered that the suspects, who are minors in the applications, be remanded in Borstal Home of the correctional centre pending the conclusion of the investigation.

In the first motion ex-parte marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1154/2024, moved by Mohammed on August 14, with a Certified True Copy (CTC) of the order obtained by News Agency of Nigeria, Nwite directed that the suspects be remanded for 60 days pending the conclusion of investigation and legal advice from the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF).

The IGP in the motion dated August 8 but filed 9th, sued 75 protesters with ages ranging between 14 and 34 years.

They include Abubakar Ibrahim (18), Abubakar Adam (19), Suleiman Ali (16), Mubarak Masud (23), Umar Musa (19), Aminu Hussaini (20), Umar Kabir (23), Ibrahim Musa (24), Abba Usman (30), Umar Inusa (18), Tasiu Lawan (17), Ibrahim Rabiu (16), and Jamilu Haruna (16).

Others include Muktar Yahaya (17). Abdulbasit Abdulsalam (34), Salisu Adamu (16), Bilal Auwalu (15), Abdulaziz Adam (15), Sadiq Sunusi (15), Muhd Musa (14), Usman Amiru (14), Abdulganiyu Musa (15), Muhd Yahaya (19), and Sunusi Nura (14), among others.

They were alleged to have committed acts of terrorism, treason, and treasonable felonies, including arson and terrorism.

The police said the offence was contrary to Sections 2(1) and (3), 24 and 26 of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022; Sections 41 and 42 of the Criminal Code Act; Sections 410, 411, and 412 of the of the Penal Code Act; and Section 4 of the Miscellaneous Offences Act CAP M17 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004 and other enabling statutes.

Elizabeth Ogochukwu, a Litigation Secretary of Legal and Prosecution Section, Intelligence Response Team (IRT), Police Force Headquarters, Abuja, deposed to the affidavit in support of the motion.

She said the IGPs office, through the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), received a damningly credible intelligence report of a planned violent uprising against the government of the states and the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

READ ALSO: Over 1,000 Hardship Protesters Detained Nationwide  Amnesty Intl

Ogochukwu pointed that the planned violent insurrection was believed to have been orchestrated by terrorist groups both within and outside Nigeria to unleash terror against the sovereign states of Nigeria, scheduled to start from the 1st day of August, 2015.

Despite serious security measures intensified by the various law enforcement agencies, the planned protest took place as scheduled and seriously intimidated the populace and seriously destabilised or destroyed the fundamental, political, constitutional, economic, or social structures of some parts of Nigeria.

That the violent protest causes death and bodily harm to citizens of the country and led to arson and wanton destructions of government or public and private facilities, transport systems, and infrastructural facilities in Nigeria.

That the suspects were arrested in the actual act of rampage and reasonably suspected to be complicit in the crime, which calls for district investigations.

*That the suspects/defendants herein were found to have been carrying Russian flags, banners, placards, and slogans agitating for sovereign invasion of Nigerian territory to destabilise or overthrow the sovereign state of Nigeria by the Russian government, she said.

Ogochukwu said the suspects were arrested in Abuja and various states in possession of many Russian flags and other incriminating exhibits, while others are still at large.

She said investigations into the matter had commenced, and the defendants made voluntary statements, mostly admitting the crime, which reasonably suspected them to be members of proscribed terrorist groups.

Also, in the second ex-parte motion marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1223/2024, moved by Mohammed on Thursday, Justice Nwite ordered another set of 49 defendants to be remanded for 60 days pending the conclusion of the investigation.

That an order of this Honourable Court is hereby made committing the defendants to a correctional centre pursuant to Section 299 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015, he said in the CTC of the order sighted on Saturday in Abuja.

The Judge, who directed that the underage defendants be remanded in Borstal Home of the correctional centre, adjourned the case until October 23 for mention.

The motion, dated August 20, was filed on the 21st.
Mrs Abosede Aloba, the mother of late Nigerian musician Mohbad has spoken out against his partner, Wunmi, accusing her of treachery and deception.

In an emotional audio recording that went viral on social media Saturday, she revealed that Wunmi had secretly taken all of Mohbads personal belongings from his home without her knowledge or permission, or that of Mohbads younger brother.

This betrayal came as a shock to Mohbads mother, who had supported Wunmi during the difficult time following Mohbads passing.

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She felt that Wunmis actions were a clear breach of trust and expected more empathy and honesty from someone who was supposed to be close to her and her family.

READ MORE: CHIVIDO 2024: Davidos Wedding Planner, Funke Bucknor, Reveals 4-Year Journey To Big Day

When confronted about her behavior, Wunmi allegedly responded with verbal abuse, causing further pain and anguish to Mohbads mother.

Wunmi has Betrayed Me, after I stood by her all this while, She went behind My back and Parked All Mohbads Belongings from his house without telling Anybody including me and Mohbads kid brother, after I Confronted her about it she started raining abuses on me  she partly said.

Watch her speak below
The Kogi State government, on Saturday, revealed why its Governor, Usman Ododo, appeared in a viral photo with Governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

In the photo posted on X, on Saturday, by Ahmadu Fintiri, Governor of Adamawa, Ododo was wearing similar attire to his PDP colleagues.

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The photo has since sparked an argument online, fueling speculation that Ododo, a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), is planning to defect to the PDP.

Reacting in a statement, Kingsley Fanwo, Commissioner for Information and Communication, said Ododo is not considering dumping the APC.

Fanwo said the photo of Ododo with PDP Governors was taken at the wedding ceremony of the daughter of Agbu Kefas, Governor of Taraba State.

We would have ignored the blatant falsehood, but we owe the public the duty of correct and adequate information.

The promoters of the falsehood are people who are still rueing their woeful failure at the law courts and probably trying to find a back door into the All Progressives Congress, hence their resort to the only tools at their disposal, which are falsehood, propaganda, misinformation, and disinformation.

READ ALSO: Kogi: Your Anti-Corruption War Hypocritical, Disclose Yahaya Bellos Whereabout To EFCC  PDP Chieftain Tackles Gov Ododo

The picture being circulated was taken at the wedding ceremony of the daughter of the Taraba State Governor, His Excellency, Agbu Kefas, which was attended by dignitaries across the country, including the Vice President of Nigeria, His Excellency Senator Kashim Shettima, GCON, as well as governors across party lines.

His Excellency Alh. Ahmed Usman Ododo was at the occasion to honour the daughter of a colleague like other governors did, the statement read.

The Commissioner added that it is unintelligent to insinuate that the Governor is abandoning the party that supported him all through his electioneering and the litigation.

Their craft of lies is falling like a pack of cards.

We want to assure the good people of Kogi State that their Governor remains a solid member of the All Progressives Congress and will support the partys success, not only in Kogi State but nationally.

We urge the people to rest assured that Kogi remains APC and will continue to support the laudable policies and progress being recorded by the President of our dear nation, His Excellency Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, he added.
Operatives of the Kaduna State Police command, have arrested two cattle rustlers, some notorious gun runners, in the state.

It was gathered that the security agents also foiled a Kidnapping attempt and recovered a fabricated AK-47 with ammunition in separate operations across the northern state.

In a statement released on Sunday to the public, Mansir Hassan, police spokesperson in Kaduna, said that the suspects were apprehended on Saturday.

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Hassan added that the arrested individuals are, Dahiru Liman, 47, and Sani Abdullahi Makeri, 45, residents of Kaduna and Katsina respectively.

The statement partly reads: During the operation, the Police apprehended two suspects: Aminu Saleh, a 25-year-old male, and Jafar Ibrahim, a 24-year-old male.

READ MORE: Many Terrorists Killed As NAF Attacks Forest In Kaduna

During interrogation, the suspects confessed to their involvement in the crime and revealed that they had been working with four other syndicate members who are currently at large.

In the same vein, On August 22, 2024, One Shafiu Abdullahi reported to Operation Fushin kada, that he had been receiving threatening phone calls demanding 10 million Naira, with the callers threatening to kidnap him if the ransom was not paid.

The Tracking and Response Team, immediately took action, using advanced techniques to locate and apprehend the suspects.

Additionally, On August 24, 2024, the Operatives arrested two suspects involved in supplying arms and ammunition to kidnappers operating in Kaduna, Katsina, and Zamfara States.

The suspects, identified as Dahiru Liman, a 47 years old of Garin Kurama Village, Lere LGA Kaduna State and Sani Abdullahi Makeri, a 45 years old of Kankara LGA Katsina State were apprehended with one fabricated AK-47 rifle and five rounds of 9mm live ammunition recovered during the operation.

The suspects confessed to the crime and their long-term involvement in other illegal activities.
Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke has stated that there is no link between the state and his brother Deji Adelekes N1 billion donation to the Cherubim and Seraphim Church.

In a statement released on Saturday, Governor Adelekes spokesperson, Mallam Olawale Rasheed, clarified that the donation was a personal philanthropic effort by the Governors elder brother, a prominent business magnate, and not a government-funded initiative.

The All Progressives Congress, APC, in the state had lambasted the governor, Ademola Adeleke, and his siblings for donating N1 billion to the Cherubim and Seraphim Church in Lagos.

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The party, in a statement issued by its state chairman, Tajudeen Lawal, chastised Governor Adeleke for contributing such a large money at a time when the state desperately needs to be branded a solvent sub-national.

The governor said that he did not donate the aforementioned fund and that the donation did not come from the states treasury.

READ MORE: Actress Debbie Shokoya Bounces Back From Pregnancy Loss With Arrival Of Baby Girl

The governor further accused the state APC of running out of ideas, leading to the deployment of blatant lies and fake news at a globally live-streamed event, as well as a personal donation by Dr. Deji Adeleke.

He said, Let us all recall that Dr Adeleke made substantial donations to the state government under the Oyetola administration during the COVID crisis. Was Governor Adeleke in office then?

Dr Adeleke also hugely contributed to the Federal Government during the Covid crisis. Was Governor Adeleke in charge of the Osun treasury then?

At the event in Lagos, neither the state government nor the state Governor made any donation. The only donation came from Dr Adeleke who is more than capable of doing so as he had done to APC governments when Mr Oyetola and Muhammadu Buhari were in office.

He also maintained that attempts by the state APC to play the religious card also fell flat because the Muslim community knows it is benefiting more from his administration than under the previous APC government.

The Osun APC is daily hallucinating as it has become overwhelmed by the superlative performances.

The other time, the opposition, shocked by wholesale validation of Osun infrastructure projects by the engineering community, ignorantly lambasted the highly professional and credible COREN/NSE team. Meanwhile, NSE had conducted similar exercises in the

APC states of Lagos and Ogun.

We seek to put this unnecessary debate to rest by clarifying once again that neither the state government nor the state Governor donated the said One Billion naira to the Lagos church. We add too that the said money is not being sourced from the state treasury. And we conclude by affirming that the philanthropist who made the donation had made even bigger donations in the past and even to the APC government to address the state emergency.

Governor Adeleke encouraged the public to shun fake news merchants in the state.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 25. Italian prosecutors have launched a manslaughter investigation into the deaths of British multimillionaire tech magnate Mike Lynch and six others who died in the sinking of the superyacht Bayesian, Trend reports.

Although the yacht was damaged by the storm, it is "quite likely" that manslaughter was committed. All survivors were interviewed this week, but Kartosio added the investigation is not yet targeting anyone in particular.

On August 22, the owner of the company that built Bayesian, Giovanni Costantino, said that the tragedy was caused by crew errors, in particular, that the storm was predictable, the yacht should not have been at anchor and there should not have been people on it.

Costantino stressed that given the bad weather warning, it was "inappropriate" to hold a party on a yacht.
Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ahmed Rufai Abubakar, has resigned.

Abubakar tendered his resignation letter to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Saturday.

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Speaking to State House correspondents, Abubakar said his letter had been accepted by the President.

Its a routine thing from time to time to brief the President on situations, and today is no exception. After the briefing today, I tendered my resignation and Mr. President graciously approved and accepted the resignation.

I thanked him for giving me the opportunity to serve Nigeria under his transformational leadership for a period, for an extended period of 15 months. It is very rare, by the way, to have the opportunity to serve two presidents. So, I thanked him very well, and I promised to remain professionally dedicated to our country and noble causes.

READ ALSO: Nasarawa Police Nab Woman For Concealing 124 Rounds Of Bullets In Palm Oil (Pictures)

Im very, very grateful for the opportunity that the president gave meactually to serve the country and his leadershipthe encouragement I got, the confidence he had in me and my service, the opportunity to listen to me, to read briefing notes and advice, and so on. I think this is everything to me, and I have had the opportunity to mentor officers and staff for all the time I have been DG. This is the seventh year, by the way.

Asked the reason for his resignation, Abubakar said: There are quite a number of reasons one will do that, some personal family issues, but nothing very serious, actually, and the friendship will continue. I discussed this with Mr President, and he understood very well.

The 71-year-old retired career foreign service officer from Katsina state, was appointed head of the agency by former President Muhammadu Buhari in January 2018. His tenure was extended in 2021.

Abubakar joined the security department of the Nigerian Foreign Service in 1993.

In 2015, he was appointed Senior Special Assistant to the President on International Relations and Foreign Affairs.


The Joint Task Force (JTF) has apprehended two persons involved in the production of fake documents used to sell stolen crude oil in the Niger Delta.

Rear Admiral John Okeke, JTFs commander, disclosed this to newsmen at the command headquarters in Yenagoa, Bayelsa state capital, on Saturday.

Okeke said the arrests were made during a raid on a residence in Port Harcourt, where the suspects, Magaji Musa and Umar Musa, were found in possession of forged waybills, fake association stamps, and counterfeit identity cards.

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He added that the operation was carried out by troops of Operation Delta Safe following credible intelligence about the syndicates activities.

The commander said the suspects helped oil thieves evade detection with fraudulent documents, perpetuating illegal bunkering in the region.

He said the JTF has intensified efforts to combat illegal activities in the oil-producing areas, focusing on stamping out oil refining and vandalism.

READ ALSO: JTF Nabs Notorious Militant Kingpin, 266 Other Suspects In Bayelsa

His words: These individuals are part of a network responsible for creating fake documents to assist oil thieves in their illegal operations.

This syndicate specialised in printing fake documents for stolen crude oil in the Operation Delta Safe Joint Operation Area. This syndicate is responsible for procuring fake documents to provide free passage for oil thieves activities in the Joint Operation Area.

Such an act has made it possible for oil thieves to evade arrest, which has indeed contributed largely to the reported illegal oil bunkering operations in the oil-producing region.

However, acting on intelligence on the activities of the syndicate, troops of Operation Delta Safe stormed the Port Harcourt residence of the ring leader, one Mr Magaji Musa and Umar Musa, in the early hours of Tuesday, August 20, 2024, and apprehended him.

Subsequently, documents were recovered from his house bearing fake stamps of some associations and waybills and forged identity cards were recovered from his house. The suspects had confessed to procuring fake waybills, illegal sales of crude and diversion of stolen crude oil from pipelines.

Presently, the culprits are in the custody of the Joint Task Force, South-South Operation Delta Safe, and they will be paraded before the media and subsequently face prosecution in due course.
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Bauchi State Command, has apprehended nine railway vandals.

Fatima Adamu, the commands Public Relations Officer, disclosed the information in a news statement on Saturday.

He stated, Following credible intelligence and in collaboration with the Nigeria Army, nine suspects in connection with rail-track vandalisation and wanton destruction of Federal Government property in Zango village of Tafawa Balewa LGA, Bauchi State were apprehended.

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READ MORE: Man Arrested For Selling Land With Forged Documents In Osun

Preliminary findings indicate that the suspects came from Niger State to carry out the atrocity.

He added, Commandant Ilelaboye Oyejide explained that NSCDC will continue to live up to its core mandate of protecting critical national assets and infrastructure.

He maintained that all hands must be on deck to ensure the society gets rid of bad elements and criminal enterprise.
The Lagos State government says it has nabbed six persons for open urination.

They were apprehended while urinating on the rail track in front of the Nigeria Army Shopping Complex, Arena, Oshodi.

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The Minister of Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, made the disclosure in short statement on Saturday.

READ ALSO: Bauchi Police Apprehend Suspected Gun-Runner, Recover Firearms

He said, 6 defaulters were earlier today arrested for open urination on rail track in front of Nigeria Army Shopping Complex, Arena, Oshodi.

The arrests were part of the Lagos State Governments drive to enforce a cleaner and more sanitary environment, under the #ZeroToleranceLagos and #CleanerLagos initiatives.
Governor Agbu Kefas of Taraba State beamed with pride on Saturday as he gave away his daughter, Keziah, in marriage to Bitrus Josiah during a wedding celebration in Jalingo.

Kefas stated this in a Facebook post on Saturday, thanking the dignitaries who attended the ceremony.

He wrote, It is with great joy, as a father, that I witnessed the marriage ceremony between my daughter, Keziah, and her groom, Bitrus.

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We are happy as a family to host friends, political associates, and distinguished personalities from within and outside Taraba State.

READ MORE: Former VP Atikus Daughter Laila Gets Married In Abuja Ceremony

The governor said that significant personalities such as Vice President Kashim Shettima, former President Goodluck Jonathan, and governors from the Peoples Democratic Party attended the ceremony.

Former President H.E. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, Nigerias Vice President, H.E. Kashim Shettima, and the PDP Governors Forum were among those who joined us in celebrating this union. My sincere appreciation to everyone who honoured our invitation, he added.

Other dignitaries reported to be present include Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal; Adamawa State Governor Ahmadu Fintiri; Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori; Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke; Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri; and Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed, among others.

SEE POST:


Pavel Durov, the billionaire founder of encrypted messaging app Telegram, has been arrested in France.

According to local report, the 39-year-old tech chief was reportedly detained after his private jet landed at Le Bourget airport on the outskirts of Paris on Saturday.

News broadcasters BFMTV and TF1 have quoted unnamed sources as saying the Russian-born entrepreneur  who became a French citizen in 2021  was the subject of a search warrant.

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Both outlets suggest the investigation was focused on a lack of moderators on Telegram and potential criminal activity by users.

Neither French police, the Interior Ministry, nor Telegram have commented on those claims.

TF1 said Durov had been travelling from Azerbaijan and was arrested at around 20:00 (18:00 GMT).

Bitcoinnews.com said Durov, the 39-year-old Franco-Russian, was accompanied by a bodyguard and a woman at the time of his arrest by the Air Transport Gendarmerie.

READ ALSO: Worlds Last Telegram To Be Sent Next Month

Durovs arrest followed his arrival from Azerbaijan and was executed under a French search warrant issued by the OFMIN of the French judicial police, due to his inclusion in the wanted persons file (FPR). The warrant was activated solely upon his presence on French soil.

A source close to the investigation told the news outlet, as translated by Google: He made a blunder this evening. We dont know why  Was this flight just a stopover? In any case, hes in custody!

Durov has been detained by the National Anti-Fraud Office (ONAF). French authorities accuse Telegram of facilitating crimes such as terrorism, narcotics trafficking, and fraud, among others.

A source familiar with the investigation further told the French news outlet: On his platform, he allowed an incalculable number of offences and crimes to be committed, for which he did nothing to moderate or cooperate.

Owing to his arrest, the price of Toncoin (TON) plummeted following the news which now trades at $5.96, down 13% from Saturday.

TON is the native coin of The Open Network, a layer-1 blockchain known for its ability to scale and process transactions rapidly,developed by the team behind Telegram

Telegram is one of the most downloaded apps in the world, with predictions it will achieve close to one billion users within a year.
At least, two officers and a trader, have been killed in a clash between police and members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, popularly known as the Shiites in the Wuse area of Abuja.

The incident occurred on Sunday, when the Islamic group embarked on an Arbaeen procession, commemorating the 40th day after the Ashura anniversary.

According to Daily Trust witness, Amiru, disclosed that a yet to be identified trader, was shot in the chest while trying to flee from the chaos.

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Also reacting to the incident, the Spokesperson for the Federal Capital Territorys Police Command, Josephine Adeh, described the attack as unprovoked while accusing the group of destroying three police patrol vehicles.

According to Adeh, the IMN members attacked some personnel of the Nigeria Police Force attached to the FCT command at Wuse Junction by a traffic light.

The police PRO also indicated that they wielded machetes, improvised explosive devices (locally made bombs in bottles with kerosene), and knives.

READ MORE: Two Injured As Security Personnel Attack Shiites Members, Arrest Others In Abuja

The FCT police command wishes to confirm an unprovoked attack by the proscribed Islamic Movement of Nigeria, popularly known as the Shiite group, on some personnel of the Nigeria Police Force attached to FCT command at Wuse Junction by traffic light, where two (2) police personnel were killed, three left unconscious in the hospital, and three (3) Police patrol vehicles set ablaze.

The proscribed organisation attacked the police checkpoint unprovoked, wielding machetes, improvised explosive devices (locally made bombs in bottles with kerosene), and knives.

While several arrests have been effected, the Commissioner of Police FCT, CP Benneth C. Igweh, Psc. mni. Condemns the unprovoked attack on Police officers. He promises to bring those involved to book. The situation is presently under control and normalcy restored.


Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State, has lamented the constant fuel scarcity in the country.

While urging President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to put an end to the situation, he added that Nigerians believed that fuel scarcity would end after the removal of fuel subsidy but reverse has been the case.

He said in a Sunday statement: Nigerians had hoped that the fuel scarcity would end after the Federal Government removed the fuel subsidy.

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READ ALSO: Fuel Scarcity: Four Petrol Hawkers Arrested In Lagos, Over 2,000ltrs Confiscated

However, instead of the situation improving, it has worsened, causing untold hardship for Nigerians who now have to purchase fuel at very high prices.

Oyintiloye also urged Tinubu to investigate the activities of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) to uncover the root causes of the persistent fuel shortages.

According to him, inadequate fuel supply should not be added to the already tense economic situation citizens are faced with.

In recent months, Nigerians have faced severe difficulties obtaining petroleum products at filling stations across the country.

I appeal to the President to rescue Nigerians who are enduring immense hardship due to the fuel scarcity, he added.
Two decades before the American Civil War, a doomsday prophecy spread across rural communities in the Northeast.

A farmer in Upstate New York named William Miller claimed he had divined from the Bible that the world would end between 1843 and 1844. For thousands of people concerned with the state of the world, many of them abolitionists, the idea was seductive. That end did not come for the so-called Millerites  it was dubbed The Great Disappointment  but their movement was the precursor to the Seventh-day Adventist Church, a conservative, evangelical Christian denomination that believes the end is still near.

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These historical events serve as the inspiration for Those Who Wait, an experimental film that will screen on Sept. 4 at the Philadelphia Film Society Center.

You wouldnt expect a pair of queer filmmakers and their West Philly community to make a film that reenacts the origin story of a church that condemns same-sex relationships.

But for filmmakers Chani Bockwinkel and Ty Burdenski, the Seventh-day Adventist creation story was fertile ground for thinking through some of the pressing questions of our time: What do you do when youre plagued with a desperate dissatisfaction with the world? How do you live when it seems the only path forward is utter and totalizing change? And what happens when these ideas go too far?

Bockwinkel and Burdenski, both 35 and frequent collaborators who met in the Bay Area in their 20s, started working on the film  their first feature  more than seven years ago. Bockwinkel, who lives in the East Bay, was thinking about the similarities between theorists and religious leaders. Queer theorist Judith Butler, for example, developed frameworks for how entire communities live their lives, she said. How is that different from a prophet?

It was Burdenskis idea to look more closely at the story of Ellen White, the Millerite religious leader who helped form the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Burdenski, who lives in East Lansdowne, grew up hearing these stories from a Seventh-day Adventist family that cared for them and briefly attended a Seventh-day Adventist school.

The film  featuring a cast of West Philly queers donning top hats and bonnets  loosely traces the stories of Miller and White, as well as William Foy, a Black minister and Millerite prophet, and Whites twin sister, Elizabeth Harmon, the only person in her family who did not believe the apocalyptic message.

Bockwinkel and Burdenski take liberties reimagining Harmon and Foys stories, as Harmon barely figures in traditional retellings of Seventh-day Adventist history and Foys story, Burdenski said, was rewritten to serve the Adventist narrative.

Trey Shields, director of year-round programming at the Philadelphia Film Society, said he chose the film for PFSs local film showcase because of how it approached a historical moment in a creative, compelling, and fantastical way that was equally enchanting in its ... queer lens and gorgeous cinematography.

Those Who Wait is neither a documentary nor a narrative film (its inability to be classified is an aspect of its queerness, Bockwinkel says). It leans heavily on sound, movement, and slow shots, dwelling on images of people smelling flowers and gazing at the sunrise after expecting the world to end, and it leans very lightly on dialogue.

As an early title card explains: We look to the Hopeful  these Millerites  not as a history lesson but as experts in a feeling.

For Burdenski, every creative project is a cipher, a lens for seeing the world. And this one was uncanny. There were countless examples of that apocalyptic feeling  the exhilaration that things just might change  during the pandemic and the Black Lives Matter protests. And then, there was the disappointment, when transformative change did not come to pass, mirroring the cycles of Millerite hope and disappointment depicted in the film.

We unexpectedly came into empathy with the Millerites while working on the project, Burdenski said. The result is a film that neither satirizes the believers nor glorifies them. We kept flip-flopping on who they were, Bockwinkel says. Were they heroes or fools? Ultimately, they play both roles, the filmmakers said.

The film does not have the standard trappings of whats understood as LGBTQ: There is no sexuality or romance in the film. Instead, the projects queerness is a sensibility that seeps in, the filmmakers say: There is the attempt to reimagine a creation myth, the act of projecting queer West Philly into a repressed world, and what feels quintessentially queer: a yearning for a better world.

Those Who Wait screens on Sept. 4 at 7:30 p.m. at the Philadelphia Film Society Center, 1412 Chestnut St., Phila., https://filmadelphia.org/movies/those-who-wait/
Momentum is building in Pennsylvania to scale back students tech consumption in an environment saturated by screens  whether through all-out bans of cell phones or requirements students forfeit them during class, to restrictions on Chromebooks and even smartwatches. Read more

As students return to Garnet Valley High School this week, English teacher Deb Knox will make her now-standard announcement: Students are not to use their cell phones in class.

Still, she expects to spot the inevitable signs that the rule isnt being followed: eyes cast downward, thumbs typing at lap-level.

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Knox, who is entering her 26th year teaching, said her students are respectful kids. But she cant compete with the lure of smartphones and teens desire to check text messages and social media.

The way social media apps are designed to capture attention, they cant possibly not look at it, Knox said.

For years, teachers such as Knox have been battling the distractions caused by cell phones. But this year, momentum is building in Pennsylvania to scale back students tech consumption in an environment saturated by screens  whether through all-out bans of cell phones or requirements that students forfeit them during class, to restrictions on Chromebooks and even smartwatches.

Propelled by plans to ban phones in big-city districts such as New York and Los Angeles, and an influential book released in March, The Anxious Generation, which argues that a shift to a phone-based childhood is underlying a rise in mental illness among young people, some Philadelphia-area districts are trying new ways to control the constant distraction that phones can bring  with parent groups, including in communities like Unionville-Chadds Ford, Wallingford-Swarthmore, and West Chester, often at the forefront of pushes for new limits.

Politicians are heeding the call: This summer, Pennsylvania passed a law allowing school districts to tap into $100 million in grant funding to buy lockable cell phone pouches, if they commit to banning cell phones during the school day. Its one of at least 11 states that has moved to curb the use of phones in schools.

I do get the sense theres a real movement  not just in Pennsylvania, but across the country, Republican governors, Democratic governors, said State Sen. Ryan Aument (R., Lancaster), the new laws sponsor. This is sort of organically taking off.

But in many area communities, parents, teachers and administrators are still battling over what role schools should play to focus kids attention in a society where phones are hard-wired into daily life.

Schools must lead in getting children off their phones, parents say

Parents in the rising movement to restrict phones say they know schools arent to blame for their ubiquity, or the addictive nature of social media. But, they say, schools have to lead the way.

I feel like the more that we give kids space away from phones, the less they are imperative to social relevance, said Jen Panaro, a parent in the Unionville-Chadds Ford School District. The school is the single, greatest place where all of the kids in the community are together, and they can have the greatest impact in leading a cultural change to reduce the omnipresence of cell phones and social media in our childrens lives.

Panaro and her husband had tried to hold out on giving her son a cell phone, but when he entered sixth grade last year, thats sort of social suicide, she said. They initially gave him a phone with no internet, but halfway through the year switched to an iPhone  in part because he couldnt use apps used by his school for single sign-on purposes.

 READ MORE: Meet the Springfield parents that got YouTube banned at middle school lunch

While Panaro still places limits on her son  he doesnt have social media  shes worried about how phones may occupy an increasing space in his life. Earlier this year, she and other Unionville-Chadds Ford parents advocating for phone-free schools met with five of the districts six principals; in June, they presented to their school board. (A district spokesperson said it plans to study the impact of cell phones in our classrooms and, if appropriate, make recommendations for changes.)

In Haverford Township, Dario Mescia plans to wait to give his oldest daughter a phone, but relented and bought her a smartwatch last year, when she was in fourth grade. All her friends had them, he said. She started feeling a bit like an outcast.

Mescia has since heard from his daughters teachers that even the watches are a distraction; hes also concerned that devices are interfering with social development  noting device Fridays at middle school lunch, where kids can just stare at their phones instead of talking to each other.

Mescia, whos worried about anxiety associated with social media and phone use, started a petition in June to remove cell phones from Haverford schools. Hes frustrated that the district hasnt moved to adopt stricter measures  leaving it to high school teachers, for instance, to decide whether to require that students store their phones in a designated area during class.

Although Mescia says most parents hes talked to are on board with the idea of restrictions, many are pessimistic that changes will actually be made  just based on how prevalent phones are.

The logistics of outright phone bans

A father of a 13- and an 11-year-old navigating their own technology use, Aument said he was motivated to introduce legislation after hearing from teachers that cell phones are the number-one classroom management issue they have.

Many teachers are hesitant to take phones from students, fearing theyll be held liable for them, said Aument, who thought that a public policy solution was needed. While he initially considered a more heavy-handed proposal to ban phones outright, my sense was ... there was not yet a real consensus in the education community around this.

Even the pouches, however, may be a tough sell. State officials say its too soon to know how many districts will seek grants to buy cell phone pouches; the application window opened Aug. 8.

Numerous leaders of local school districts said they were not interested in the pouches. In my professional opinion, I think thats a ridiculous idea, said Jim Crisfield, the superintendent of the Wissahickon School District. Kids walk into the school with their cell phones  who is going to supervise and ensure that everyone puts their cell phone in a pouch?

Wissahickon high school students are already required to put their phones in cell phone hotels hanging on classroom doors or walls when they enter; they retrieve them when they leave and can use them in hallways and at lunch.

If the problem were trying to solve is reduced distractions during class time, I think we in Wissahickon are making great headway with that, Crisfield said. If the problem were trying to solve is addiction to social media, were not solving that with policies in a school setting. He called the debate another example of how society is, in a sense, punting to schools to find a solution.

 READ MORE: Teachers at this tech-forward school banned cell phones. They say theyre never going back.

In Norristown, where the district also isnt opting for the pouches, Superintendent Christopher Dormer noted how integral phones have become to school procedures: To go to the restroom, for instance, Norristown students use an electronic hall pass app that monitors how long they are absent from class. Dormer also worried about kids ability to call 911 in the event of emergencies.

Mastery Schools, a charter network with 24 schools in Philadelphia and Camden, doesnt allow students in elementary and middle schools to use phones at all during the day; those in high school cant use them during classes, but often are permitted to take them out during lunch periods.

Still, Mastery does not collect phones or require students to lock them. We know they have phones, said Saliyah Cruz, Masterys chief equity officer. Im not sure its a good use of peoples energy to ban cell phones in 2024.

During Rowan Arthurs four years at Philadelphia High School for Girls, where she enters senior year Monday, phone policies have shifted: from an honor system relying on students to keep their phones stowed, to requirements that phones be placed in lockable Yondr pouches  a rule that was abandoned last year but is now returning.

Arthur is disappointed  not because she wants to use her phone; with a roster full of college-level classes, she doesnt have time to scroll Instagram. But to her, requiring students to lock their phones feels like overpolicing, she said.

Plus, in Arthurs 10th-grade year, the pouches were pointless a few months into the school year, she said; social media is full of hacks on how to defeat them. You would walk into school and hear the Yondr pouches banging on the ledge of the bathroom, Arthur said.

Phone bans vs. education?

Others say they believe schools focus should be on teaching children how to live in an increasingly online world  rather than cutting them off from it.

We need to start educating kids: These social media companies are manipulating you, said Marc Bertrando, the Garnet Valley superintendent. Once teenagers know somebodys trying to trick them, things change quickly.

Bertrando acknowledged that schools are increasingly challenged by students use of phones and social media; students at Garnet Valley have created fake accounts for teachers, similar to the Malvern middle schoolers who garnered national attention for demeaning TikTok impersonations of their teachers.

A district committee of teachers, administrators, parents and students will attempt to tackle those problems this year, reading the Anxious Generation and forming a plan for developing digitally disciplined students, Bertrando said  including a unified approach to cell phones.

But he doesnt think limiting access to technology will end its misuse. How are you going to teach a child to be independent, self-directed, disciplined, and able to discern whats real, whats biased  all those skills we use as adults? said Bertrando.

While the Upper Darby School District is enacting a new policy restricting phones this year  K-8 students wont be allowed to use phones at any point during the day, while high schoolers wont be allowed during classes  the district wont be locking or taking students phones. Instead, its framing the new rule as a lesson; since July, the district has been asking students to practice not using their phones for an increasing amount of time each week.

Were trying to teach social responsibility, said Superintendent Daniel McGarry.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 25. The Paris prosecutor's office, which has been handed over the case of the detained Telegram founder Pavel Durov, plans to make a statement to the press on Monday, August 26, the prosecutor's office told TASS, Trend reports.

"A full statement to the press will be published tomorrow," TASS was told in response to a request to clarify the reasons for Durov's detention and his current status in this case.

All information about Durov's detention, as well as the alleged reasons for such a step, comes only from the French media.
From left, Meredith McGlinchey, Karen Moore Schultz, and Sue-Im Lee, parents who banded together to push for restrictions on technology use in Springfield Township schools, pictured outside Springfield Township Middle School in Oreland. Read more

Meredith McGlinchey was curious when in fourth grade her son, who isnt allowed to play video games at home, suddenly started begging her for permission to do so.

He was so screen dependent all of a sudden  wandering around the house, asking, What are we doing today? Can I play Minecraft? she said.

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Logging into his Chromebook issued by the Springfield Township School District, she was shocked to find he had been frequenting a gaming website and streaming YouTube videos  sites he had apparently been visiting in class.

McGlinchey had a bit of a meltdown, she said, firing off emails to school leaders in the Montgomery County district. But the discovery caused her to question not just what her son was spending his class time doing, but other kids, as well.

 READ MORE: Should Pa. schools ban cell phones? Theres new momentum, but parents and schools disagree on the best way.

Through outreach on social media, McGlinchey found other parents frustrated by how their kids were interacting with technology during the school day: from high school classrooms, where some teachers required students to stow their phones away while others didnt; to the middle school cafeteria, where kids were watching YouTube on their Chromebooks.

At a school board meeting this summer, one parent said she stopped counting after finding 300 YouTube links in her daughters Chromebook history, just in the last week of school.

Theyre young humans, McGlinchey said. They should learn how to speak to each others faces, not just congregate around a screen.

While many parent groups and schools are laser-focused on how to regulate cell phones, Springfield parents broadened their pushback to the pervasiveness of screen time in schools. And they have been successful.

Last week, the district announced new rules that would go into effect when school starts Sept. 3, including no Chromebooks during middle school lunch and tighter filters on YouTube at the elementary and middle school levels, so only links preapproved by teachers will be accessible.

In high school, all students will be required to place their phones in designated holders during class, while elementary schoolers will no longer be allowed to wear smartwatches.

Sue-Im Lee, a parent who has worried about online learning and the amount of time shes witnessed her children passively observing screens as part of their coursework, called the changes wonderful.

But I just cant believe how long it took, she said, adding that to her, it feels like common sense.

A table full of candy

After meetings with administrators, in the fall of 2023, the Springfield parents  who organized a Facebook group that grew to more than 200 people  issued a series of requests to the district.

Among them: the middle school Chromebook and YouTube restrictions, as well as a standardized cell phone policy at the high school.

What were essentially doing is putting a table full of candy out in front of these kids, and then telling them they need to make good choices around it, said Karen Moore Schultz, a parent of rising eighth and fourth graders.

When Schultzs son was taking pre-algebra in sixth grade, she noticed that he was needing significant help with homework, to the point where she and her husband were spending up to 90 minutes a night trying to reteach his lessons.

They discovered the culprit: Rather than paying attention in class, her son would race through his work so he could watch YouTube on his Chromebook, Schultz said.

She then learned that at lunch, her son wasnt necessarily having conversations with other kids, but gathered around screens. One day, she said, he told her another kid was watching Nazi propaganda videos in the lunchroom.

It feels like lunchtime became more about lets keep them quiet, give them their videos, nobody causes a problem, said Schultz, who told her son he had to tell an adult about the inappropriate content.

While the district had a YouTube filter in place, intended to allow access only to age-appropriate content, parents said students had figured out how to get around it. At a June school board meeting, one parent showed how, using a proxy he found through a quick Google search, he was able to pull up streaming websites and fight videos on TikTok, all while connected to the districts network.

Leaning too heavily on computer-based learning?

The pushback spurred the district to survey parents and students about its integration of technology, said Superintendent Mary Jo Yannacone. The results found that students largely said they werent distracted by their Chromebooks or cell phones, while parents mostly expressed confidence that teachers were using technology for educational purposes.

Still, when asked whether the district was striking an appropriate balance between traditional teaching methods and technology-based instruction, feedback was more mixed: 57% of high school parents answered yes, along with 47% of middle school parents.

Proficiency with technology is embedded in Pennsylvanias educational standards, Yannacone said; district students learn to code starting in elementary school.

I dont personally believe that school systems have an overreliance on technology, Yannacone said, adding that I feel like weve landed in a really reasonable, appropriate, sound place with the new rules.

The parents advocates largely agree  though they also expressed concern that schools have leaned too heavily on computer-based learning in the wake of the pandemic.

For Lee  an English professor at Temple University who has a child entering eighth grade, and another who just graduated  the omnipresence of Chromebooks in the classroom means that kids are always tempted by something other than schoolwork. They have access to much more fun things, she said.

She hopes that when teachers are planning lessons, whether to teach with technology is a deliberative question, rather than an automatic one. Thats the kind of stasis that we wanted to shake  and to say that doesnt have to be the way anymore, she said.

McGlinchey also feels as if computer access could be scaled back; at the Philadelphia middle school where she teaches, Chromebooks arent always in kids hands, but stay in carts when not being used. She fears that screens are hindering not just learning, but also social development.

We just want our kids to have a childhood, she said.
Coffee photo collage of different kinds of cultural coffee machines like a jebena, bule, siphon, and gravity filter Read more

Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter

Welcome to Sunday. Its mostly sunny with a high near 88.

The Philly 10K race kicks off this morning in Center City. See the course route and watch out for road closures.

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Immigrant-owned coffee shops across Philadelphia offer unique and flavorful brews, drawing on traditional techniques found around the globe. Our feature story today takes you into four cafes in the city to learn how they bring the world to Philly in a freshly brewed cup of joe.

 Paola Perez (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

If someone forwarded you this email, sign up for free here.

For many, a good day starts with a good cup of coffee.

To make the perfect cup, some Philly cafe owners hailing from countries around the world use tools and methods that call back to their cultural backgrounds. With these brewing practices on tap, these owners not only share a part of themselves, but also offer a way for immigrant communities to feel at home in shops like theirs across the city.

Four local cafe owners walked us through their process:

 At Rays Cafe and Tea House, Grace Chen uses the siphon brewing method from her Taiwanese heritage

 At Cafe Com Leite, Helena Guimaraes crafts a Brazilian pourover with a tin kettle (bule)

 At Alif Brew & Mini Mart, Hayat Ali uses a traditional Ethiopian coffee pot (jebena) and burns incense before serving up ceremonial coffee

 At Ammas South Indian Cuisine, Balakrishnan Duraisamy uses the Madras filter for a frothy result

Choose a cafe to watch each shops approach.

Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker attended the Democratic National Convention this past week as a superdelegate. And while she didnt get to speak on the main stage, she took the opportunity to mingle and network in Chicago.

The convention allowed Parker to build relationships with Democrats. Should Vice President Kamala Harris win the White House, those connections could be important for securing federal resources for Philadelphia, Parker said.

Behind the scenes: This all happened as Parkers own political operation finds itself in a moment of transition. She doesnt have any campaign staffers.

Get an inside look at who Parker talked to and more on how she made the most of her time in Chicago.

What you should know today

Pop quiz

Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola is a simple guy, so he opted for a simple cleat this year, one of just five major leaguers wearing them.

What is his brand of choice?

A) Under Armour

B) Nike

C) Adidas

D) Skechers

Think you know? Check your answer.

 Unscramble the anagram

Hint: This beloved Philadelphian actor () and comedian flew all the way to London to film a cameo for Deadpool & Wolverine, but apparently it was cut from the movie.

CHERY NOBLEMEN

Email us if you know the answer. Well select a reader at random to shout out here. Cheers to Chip Levengood who correctly guessed Fridays answer: Braddock. The Western Pennsylvania suburb where Sen. John Fetterman previously served as mayor is the subject of a critical exhibition by a homegrown artist.

Photo of the day

 Todays Sunday track goes like this: When its all said and done, I want you every lifetime. Im still reliving Childish Gambinos incredible show this week.

Heads up to those of you catching R&B crooner (and cheesesteak lover) Omar Apollo at the Mann tonight: He wants you to dance through your heartbreak. Read his conversation with arts and culture reporter Rosa Cartagena ahead of his concert.

 Thats it for now. Take care and have a great day.
Philadelphia School District Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr. addresses new hires on Aug. 7, the first day of new hire orientation at the School of the Future, a public high school in West Philadelphia. Read more

The Philadelphia School District is not the easiest institution to change. With a $4.5 billion budget, 331 public and public charter schools, nearly 200,000 students, and more than 18,000 staff members, implementing change in the district is like trying to turn a battleship around.

But in a recent interview with the Editorial Board, Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr. showed promise that after a slow start, he is ready to steer Philadelphias schools in the right direction.

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When Watlington first came to town, many  including this board  reacted with an understandable sense of skepticism. Watlington, after all, was an outsider coming into an exceedingly insular city without the benefit of much experience leading a school system comparable in size to Philadelphias. Besides, the district has seen many superintendents come and go, and their departures have sometimes been acrimonious.

At the start of his third school year, however, Watlingtons position looks stronger. Hes overseen changes in the math curriculum and is deploying a new reading curriculum this year. Theres a laser focus on teacher recruitment and retention, an understanding of the districts role in promoting health and safety, and a clearer vision of what year-round school will look like  and what it could mean for working parents and the city. Theres also important political and financial backing in Harrisburg and City Hall.

If Watlington can make good on these investments, it could help transform Philadelphia.

 READ MORE: Philadelphia students deserve safe schools | Editorial

Last school year, the district began using Illustrative Math, a teaching method that advocates say better prepares children for more advanced forms of mathematics. While some instructors have expressed doubts, Watlington insists that most teachers in Philadelphia schools have embraced it, and he takes accountability for any hiccups during its rollout. The superintendent also noted that the curriculum is used in Singapore, which is consistently one of the leaders in international standardized testing in math.

A crucial factor in implementing standardized curriculums is ensuring the citys most transient students dont get left behind by consistently shifting coursework, Watlington said, a lesson he took from former Superintendent Constance Clayton.

Watlingtons experience in rolling out a new math curriculum will hopefully smooth the implementation of the districts new science of reading-based literacy programs. While the culture war over reading has dominated the debate about public education in suburban districts, many parents with children enrolled in city schools are less likely to be able to access resources like reading tutors. Shifting all students toward an evidence-based reading program was long overdue.

Also refreshing is Watlingtons focus on anticipating future challenges.

While the district has filled 96% of teaching positions, theres a growing teacher shortage in Pennsylvania. Alongside state leaders and union officials, Watlington is pushing for new pipelines into the field. The district is helping its own employees in nonteaching roles become licensed teachers free of cost. Their extensive experience in schools will be invaluable when they begin their new roles. Watlington has also lobbied Harrisburg to ease the process of transferring an out-of-state teaching license to Pennsylvania.

Even with important changes in curriculum, the year-round school pilot program  a priority for Mayor Cherelle L. Parker  might be what defines Watlingtons legacy.

To hear the superintendent describe his plans for schools in the program, they seem as much like traditional places of learning as they do hubs of neighborhood activity. At 20 elementary schools this year, students will be able to stay in a supervised, supportive, and enriching environment before and after school, as well as during the summer, winter, and spring breaks. The potential benefits of those proposals are enormous.

Changing the school calendar itself would be an arduous undertaking, but providing before and after-school activities makes a lot of sense. For working parents, this initiative has the potential to save thousands of dollars per year in aftercare and summer camp costs. For some, it may provide a justification to stick with city schools rather than moving to the suburbs. Given the sharp rise in homicide rates among young people after the pandemic closed city schools, providing safe spaces for children is a civic priority.

 READ MORE: I met Philly schools superintendent at Whole Foods. As a teacher, I cant afford to shop there. | Opinion

Of course, there are reasonable questions around the program. How much it will cost and how service providers are selected are important factors in whether this can become the large-scale program the city needs, or if itll become yet another failed pilot.

Watlington, the first superintendent hired to lead the district since it emerged from the purview of the Harrisburg-led School Reform Commission in 2018, owes much of his freedom to act to others. William R. Hite Jr., who led the district for six of the 17 years it was under state control, helped ensure Philadelphia schools would be on firmer financial footing.

A determined group of lawyers and advocates won a landmark case in February 2023 declaring Pennsylvanias inadequate state support for education unconstitutional. Gov. Josh Shapiro and the first Democratic House majority in Harrisburg in over a decade secured substantial funding increases (even as they fell short of what advocates sought), and Mayor Parker and City Council have once again shifted more property tax revenues toward the school district.

This perfect storm has left the district in the rare position of having the wind at its back. It is up to Watlington to set the right course and build a school system that makes good on the Pennsylvania Constitutions promise of a thorough and efficient education for all students.
It may surprise many to know that I'm far from an expert when it comes to beauty contests.

I'm as green as they come.

So, when I was taken back to the Rose of Tralee festival last weekend, you can imagine my dismay.

The Rose of Tralee Festival was the last place you'd expect to find me. I was like a fish out of water. I was like a duck on dry land. I fitted in like an overweight bullock fits into a Nissan Micra.

I belonged there about as much as a dirty Wellington boot belongs on a clean carpet. "And why were you there so, you big fool?" You might cry.

Well, if you must know, I was there to support the Perth Rose, Maria Collins.

It's a long story, but all you really need to know is that she's a West Cork girl who comes from a fantastic farming family based only a stone's throw from Coppeen.

Her family are great neighbours of mine as a matter of fact.

Needless to say, Maria carried out her duty as a Rose with far more glamour and style than I could ever possibly write about here. She was a radiant star and shone brightly.

Anyhow, as my day wore on, I eventually found myself having a pint with this old farmer from Annascaul

He told me a fascinating story about The Rose of Tralee, and it's a story I will share today, even though it was told to me in confidence. So keep all this under your hat.

Many years ago now, the farmer from Annascaul was attempting to cover his silage pit. "Attempting" is the keyword here.

A single man with a bad hip, he was on his own  the silage contractor had vamoosed to another farm.

With the wind picking up and the rain starting to come down, he was fighting a losing battle. He feared the worst  that he would be unable to cover his winter feed.

As if by magic, down the road came this glamorous-looking bus filled with beautiful Roses from all over the world.

The road on which they were travelling ran alongside the farm, so the Roses saw everything and were naturally overcome with emotion for the poor farmer.

The annual Rose of Tralee festival has been in the diary for one very grateful farmer from Annascaul ever since that fateful day. Picture: Domnick Walsh/Eye Focus LTD

The forlorn farmer didn't take much notice of the bus, or its occupants, and went on fighting with tyres and plastic. Well suddenly, didn't the bus stop and the doors swing open?

Puzzled and confused, the farmer shuffled off the pit, hobbled over to the bus, and explained his plight as best he could in Irish and in English.

"Oh how I wish to God I had some help," the farmer keened.

Well, the next thing, Roses were descending onto the farm from all quarters. Roses from Singapore to Cincinnati.

Roses in high heels and ball gowns, Roses with make-up and hair do's the likes of which the old farmer had never seen before.

With sleeves rolled up and scant regard for style or decorum, the Roses then got stuck in. They pulled out old tyres from ditches and hauled them across the yard.

They flung battered, old remoulds onto the pit like Olympic disc throwers

They pulled plastic across the silage pit like the devil himself.

The farmer thought he had died and gone to heaven. And nobody objected either, for they were heavy and full of water and silage runoff.

Afterwards, the farmer invited them all in for tea and a merry old time was had.

Ever since that day, the farmer from Annascaul has religiously travelled to Tralee for the festival. He travels there each year to show his support.

"They saved my bacon, they saved my fodder," he explained with great sincerity.

"My silage that winter was said to be the best in the parish, for it all came out smelling of Roses."
BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 25. The newly appointed Ambassador of the Republic of Lithuania to the Republic of Azerbaijan Kestutis Vaskelevicius presented copies of his credentials to Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan Fariz Rzayev, Trend reports.

During the meeting, the sides discussed bilateral relations between Lithuania and Azerbaijan, as well as the security situation in the region.

The Ambassador emphasized that during his term, he will strive to strengthen the partnership between the two countries, as well as the political, economic, cultural, and other ties between Lithuania and Azerbaijan.

I am pleased that this meeting confirmed the mutual desire to see increasingly stronger relations between our two freedom-loving nations. It is symbolic that this meeting took place on the eve of the anniversary of the Baltic Way. Azerbaijani residents living in Lithuania stood alongside us during the Baltic Way, and support for this unique freedom event of the Baltic States was also felt in Azerbaijan. Mutual support for each other's pursuit of freedom is a solid foundation for strengthening the friendship between our countries, Ambassador Vaskelevicius remarked after the meeting.
Irelands only human milk bank has made a fresh appeal for donor mums to help sick and premature babies, and even newborns whose mums have tragically died.

Staff at the Western Trusts Human Milk Bank in Fermanagh are hoping to increase the number of breast milk donors, particularly in the Southern region.

Since it opened in 2000, the HMB in Co Fermanagh, has provided breast milk for thousands of premature and sick babies across the country. The bank also helps infants unable to benefit from breast milk due to an accident suffered by their mother or even maternal loss.

The service is also key for new mothers who have undergone medical treatments like chemotherapy which can render their breast milk unfit for consumption.

Run by the Western Trust, the HMB relies entirely on donors. Last year, a total of 973 litres of donor breast milk were distributed to 31 units across 27 hospitals in Ireland. The donations were made to 773 premature babies, 233 of whom were either a twin or a triplet.

Kate Hennessy, who donated her nine-month-old son Finlays milk, explained her reasons for donating.

Many of us tend to associate donor breast milk with babies in the NICU but this is not always the case. There are all kinds of reasons why a baby might need another mums breast milk. The baby receiving donor milk might not necessarily be a newborn but their mother might have been breastfeeding before suddenly passing away. Its really about the babies getting that donation that will see them through.

"Its a lot like donating blood because you just never know who might need it. You might be in a position where you or someone close to you needs the support. We never know where the donor milk is going to end up.

Kate Hennessy with Finlay: 'There are all kinds of reasons why a baby might need another mums breast milk. The baby receiving donor milk might not necessarily be a newborn but their mother might have been breastfeeding before suddenly passing away.'

Kate, who lives in Limerick, and also has a three-year-old son named Senan, decided to donate for the first time after hearing about the milk bank through a Facebook page.

Finlay was born in October when Gaza was all over the global news. Sitting by the fire in my lovely home, I was totally safe and protected. It made me think about what these babies were being born into and how lucky I was. Its the kind of situation where you imagine your children asking you in the future what you did to make a difference when all this was happening.

"There was nothing we could do to help the babies over there but there was still a chance to help babies in Ireland. Even though this wasnt related directly to the conflict it was still an opportunity to do something charitable.

The mother-of-two says she appreciates the benefits of breast milk from firsthand experience.

I breasted my first son Senan until he was two. He self-weaned at that point when I was about five months pregnant with Finlay. We kind of let him wean himself so it was child-led and I hope to do the same with Finlay. Im going back to work in four weeks but Ill have breast feeding breaks and this will help keep things going. When I was breastfeeding Senan I was able to go back to work at 11 months and continue breastfeeding him.

"Its still possible to do this and have a career which is why breastfeeding policies in the workplace are so important.

How does it work?

So how does it work?

After volunteering, registered donors receive sterilised bottles in the post. Milk that is built up can then be stored in the donor's freezer before being sent to the milk bank. Once an adequate supply is built up, the milk gets collected at the donor's address. Much of the time the milk is collected by Blood Bikes, a charity which transports medical supplies to hospitals throughout Ireland.

Susan Rogers, lead nurse for public health at the Western Trust extended her gratitude to HMB donors for their ongoing support. In an emotional post on the organisations website she wrote:

We are indebted to our donor mums who have continued to provide essential donor breast milk for babies in neonatal and surgical units in hospitals throughout the whole of Ireland. The Human Milk Bank staff are working very hard to ensure this vital service remains available to all our vulnerable premature and surgical babies as the demand for donor expressed breast milk at this time is exceptionally high.

The message also made reference to the demand for donations.

We are continuing to experience a high demand for human milk, Ms Rogers said.

The Human Milk Bank breast milk gives premature and sick babies the best possible start in life as it helps build their immune system, their eye and brain development and prevent necrotising enterocolitis, which is a devastating intestinal disease affecting premature or low birth weight babies.

"We have been very busy processing requests for donor milk to neonatal units across the province and in the Republic of Ireland over the past number of months. It is essential that we recruit donors on a continual basis.

She stressed the need for continued donations and volunteers.

I would appeal to expectant mums to consider becoming a donor and for our donor mums to spread the word about the Human Milk Bank, as this is the best way to help us recruit new mums. We are also extremely grateful for the support of the voluntary Blood Bikers, who continue to help support the transport of our much-needed donor breast milk in all weather conditions.

A donor record sheet (health screening form) can be obtained by calling 048 6862 8333. Alternatively prospective donors may email their request to tmb.swah@westerntrust.hscni.net.
A former head of the elite army ranger wing has criticised the Government for "freeloading" on other states to evacuate Irish citizens and troops from Lebanon should a full-scale war break out in the region.

Independent TD Cathal Berry, who formerly commanded Irelands special forces, has blasted no substance statements from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Department of Defence on what they will do in the event of major conflict breaking out in the Middle East.

He said Ireland will face an embarrassing repeat of 2022 when foreign nationals were evacuated from the Afghan capital, Kabul, as the Taliban retook control of the country.

At the time, just 12 members of the army ranger wing were dispatched to help evacuate Irish citizens and they had to hitch-hike home thanks to the generosity of other countries.

In terms of international evacuation operations, Ireland is like the guy who goes for a night out with his friends, takes whatever he can get for free, and never buys a round," Mr Berry said.

Dont be like Ireland

The State has only one military plane capable of airlifting a maximum of 20 people a time out of Lebanon, and they would have to be transferred to Cyprus where the British already have 1,000 troops, ships, and planes ready to evacuate their citizens.

Cathal Berry, who formerly commanded Irelands special forces, said that 'Ireland will play a peripheral role' in any evacuations. Picture: cathalberry.com

Hundreds more troops are on standby in Britain should they be needed to bolster this force.

Monitor the situation

The Department of Foreign Affairs recently said it cannot guarantee evacuating 100 Irish citizens still in Lebanon, while the Department of Defence said the Government will continue to monitor the situation closely "along with our partners in the UN and the wider international community".

Once again, Ireland will play a peripheral role [in any evacuations] due primarily to chronic under-resourcing of our armed forces," Mr Berry added.

Instead of being in a position to contribute and add value, we are once again a drain and burden on our partners and friends

He said that while other militaries have already pre-positioned troops, diplomats, and equipment in Cyprus in expectation of the island being designated as an evacuation hub, no such staging of Irish personnel has taken place there.

Once again, we will likely scramble for a solution at short notice and be utterly dependent on the kindness of our neighbours to evacuate our people.

"This approach adds further risk and complexity to what would already be a risky and complex operation, Mr Berry said.
A memorial plaque commemorating two athletes who lost their lives during the swim section of Ironman Cork has been unveiled at Youghals Front Strand.

A crowd of more than 300 people gathered at the spot where Meath-born Brendan Wall (45) and Ivan Chittenden (65), from Toronto, had entered choppy waters alongside more than 2,000 fellow athletes last August.

Among those in attendance were Mr Walls fiance Tina Mackay, who travelled from Britain, his parents Oliver and Gertie, and sister Maria OConnor, who lives in Youghal.

Mr Chittendens wife Siobhan Hyland and his stepson Jack were amongst a party of about 25 that arrived from the US and Canada for the ceremony.

Emergency service personnel, some of whom had strived to save the athletes on the day, were among a wide range of people from the community to offer support and respect.

The plaque unveiled in memory of Ivan R Chittendan and Brendan Wall who lost their lives during the Ironman event in Youghal last year. Picture: Howard Crowdy

Locals had commissioned the plaque from Youghal firm Budds Memorials Ltd, with the unveiling ceremony conducted by community radio presenter Tommy Collins.

Clergymen Canon Tom Browne, Canon Bill Bermingham, and Rev Andrew Orr offered prayers for the men, whom Canon Brown described as too precious to lose and too priceless to ever be replaced.

Family testimonies brought to light the lives and personalities behind the deceased.

Tina reflected on a man that she had been due to marry last month and who had lived his life surrounded by love.

She said Brendan had prioritised family and made many, many friends.

She said she found it an absolute privilege to speak of Brendan and thanked the entire Youghal community for the love, support and solidarity that had helped the families to heal, to progress, and hopefully to ensure that lessons may be learned".

Siobhan spoke of Ivan being an amazing stepfather to her young children, Jack and Kate, with whom he had nurtured a very special bond.

MC Tommy Collins speaking at the unveiling of a memorial plaque for the late Ivan R Chittendan and Brendan Wall on Youghal Strand. Picture: Howard Crowdy

She had accompanied him on many races worldwide but he loved Ireland and they had planned to acquire a place for more frequent visits amongst her Irish roots.

Next October would have been their 10th wedding anniversary.

Maria acknowledged all who had supported the families, as lone piper Christy McCarthy led the families to the waters edge, where two wreaths were set afloat.

Last month, inquests into the deaths of the two men opened at Midleton Courthouse.

Cork South Coroner Frank O'Connell adjourned the inquests until September 24, when he said he hoped he would be able to give a date for when the full hearings would take place.

Legal representatives for Ironman and Triathlon Ireland were present at the hearing but Mr O'Connell said the inquest would not be concerned with any controversies about the organisation of the event or "who said what to whom" amid a dispute over the decision to proceed with the swim.

Mr O'Connell said the inquests would focus on when, where, and how the deaths occurred.
Taoiseach Simon Harris has criticised attempts to silence elected politicians through violence and intimidation at a ceremony marking the death of Michael Collins.

Mr Harris said the Irish revolutionarys death 102 years ago, when he was finance minister, marked a turbulent time in Ireland.

He said lessons learned from that time now inform Irish values that are gifts to the world, if we have the courage to live by them ourselves.

Fidelma Collins, a grandniece of Mr Collins, was among those in attendance at the commemoration in west Cork on Sunday.

Taoiseach Simon Harris laying a floral tribute during a ceremony at Beal na Blath in County Cork to mark the 102nd anniversary of the death of Michael Collins. Picture: Brian Lawless/PA Wire

Mr Collins was shot and killed during an ambush by anti-Treaty forces on August 22 1922, near Beal na Blath in Co Cork during the civil war.

The 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty, which was negotiated and signed by an Irish delegation including Mr Collins, provided a pathway to establish an Irish Free State.

These are the values that Ireland brings to the world: a dedication to peace, a respect for diversity, and a steadfast belief in the power of dialogue over discord

There was strong pushback against the treatys provision for an oath of allegiance to the British monarchy and for partition, which led to a civil war.

Members of the public praying during a ceremony at Beal na Blath in County Cork to mark the 102nd anniversary of the death of Michael Collins. Picture: Brian Lawless/PA Wire

Mr Harris said Ireland has learned from its history: by standing for self-determination in Ukraine, for dialogue in the Middle East and for improving conditions in countries suffering from civil wars and famine.

These are the values that Ireland brings to the world: a dedication to peace, a respect for diversity, and a steadfast belief in the power of dialogue over discord, Mr Harris said.

True strength does not lie in force.

The world would be in a much better place if some countries had the courage to realise this.

Emphasising the importance of democracy, Mr Harris criticised threatening and abusive behaviour towards politicians.

He took aim at the separate worlds on social media and said hate and violence had become common responses to difficult decisions.

We unite in defiance of those who try to silence elected politicians, who try to thwart the will of the people by violence and intimidation, he said.

In the 102 years since Michael Collins assassination, the methods of silencing voices may have evolved, but the intent, the implied violence and insidious effects on our society have not changed.

Floral tributes laid by Taoiseach Simon Harris at a ceremony at Beal na Blath in County Cork to mark the 102nd anniversary of the death of Michael Collins. Picture: Brian Lawless/PA Wire

He added: Today we must protect that sacred flame (of democracy) by fostering a culture of critical thinking, one where truth is valued and where debates are conducted openly with respect, and not in the shadows or the sewers.

Irelands two main political parties for the past 100 years  Mr Harris Fine Gael party and Fianna Fail  were forged from pro and anti-Treaty sides in the civil war, respectively.

It was hailed as a significant moment when the two parties entered into a coalition government together, along with the Green Party, in 2020.

Mr Harris also pledged during his speech to solve the national malaise of housing and to create equal educational opportunities for young people.

He also said Ireland needed to unite against attempts by a small group to divide and distort issues around migration.

There are some who wave a tricolour and claim patriotism while betraying the founding principles this country prides itself on  freedom, equality, opportunity, he said.

It is up to each of us to use our voice to call out the racism, the hate, the ugliness we see.
When confronting the choice between truth and power, Shakespeares Hamlet poses his famous existential question: To be or not to be?

The search for an answer will confront heroes and villains alike with the prospect of death or despair.

Like Shakespeares tragedy, battles over the infrastructure that everyone uses to search the internet are also steeped in intrigue and abuse of power.

The villain is Google, which is not only a search engine, a company, and a brand, but also a verb.

To search is to Google, noted a witness in the recent antitrust case brought by the US government and 38 state attorneys general against Google.

On August 5, a federal judge handed down a verdict of liable. Google was found to have engaged in unlawful conduct as a monopoly in two markets, including  most critically  the one for general-search services.

The remedies have yet to be announced, but commentators are already speculating that the case will reshape internet search.

The finding that Google dominates internet search hardly came as a surprise. Most people start queries for information or products by plugging their terms into Googles general search engine (GSE).

They understand that when they use Google on their computers, phones, or tablets, they are googling.

But many users fail to appreciate that they are also googling when they use Apples Safari or Mozillas Firefox browser, because these companies have made Googles GSE the default search engine  albeit garnished with some privacy screens.

For its part, Google argued that its dominance is the result of superior products and services.

It likened the web to an ever-growing library with billions of books and no central filing system.

These treasures can be accessed only with a GSE that trawls the internet, indexes sites, ranks them, and presents the results to users almost instantly.

The critical input for GSEs comes from the users: the topics they search, the terms they use, the links they click, the products they buy, and so forth.

Scale is key to the success of the service.

More information about user behavior enables better search results, better results bring more searches, and more searches bring in more revenue as advertisers flock to Google to boost their sales by funneling products to end users.

An Apple iPhone displaying the app for the Google chrome search engine. File picture: Andrew Matthews/PA

Few dispute that Googles GSE is the first among equals, with Microsofts Bing representing the only plausible alternative.

It rivals Googles GSE in quality and speed when accessed on a desktop, but not on mobile devices.

The numbers presented in the trial are telling.

As of 2021, more than 89% of queries flowed through Google, and only 6% through Bing.

This translates into $146bn in ad revenue for the former, and less than $12bn for the latter.

A company that achieves a monopoly by dint of offering better products or services has not broken any law.

But the situation changes when it wilfully acquires or maintains monopoly power, and, according to the court, the evidence established that Google crossed this line.

Google realised early on that commanding information at scale would lead to market domination and monopoly profits.

Unlike Microsoft  which tried to gain dominance in the 1990s by bundling a browser with its operating system, only to be stopped by antitrust enforcers  Google used carrots rather than sticks to deal with potential competitors.

Its relationship with Apple is a case in point. Back in 2002, it offered Apple a deal that was hard to refuse: make Googles GSE the default on Safari and get a cash reward.

What started with a flat $10m fee plus 50% revenue sharing evolved, by 2022, into an estimated $20bn annual payment to Apple.

Along the way, the terms of the contract tightened as Google demanded exclusivity for its GSE, turned down requests to give Apple more flexibility, and made it impossible for Apple to terminate the contract unilaterally.

Just as Hamlets mother had some good reasons to marry her husbands killer, Apples deal with Google made sense, owing to the high up-front costs of launching a new GSE and maintaining and managing the ad business.

Even switching to another GSE has become economically impossible.

As one top manager at Apple put it, there was no price that Microsoft could ever offer to Apple to make the switch to Bing.

Google, of course, understood this.

In a 2020 internal study, it found that losing its exclusive status on Safari would cost the company between $28.2bn and $32.7bn in revenue.

Google's multiple revenue-sharing arrangements

Moreover, Google maintains similar relations with Mozilla and DuckDuckGo, and it has entered revenue-sharing arrangements with all the leading mobile phone carriers in the US: Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile.

The carriers get Googles Android technology but must pre-install 11 Google applications on the phones they sell.

Six of these cannot be deleted by the end users.

All told, Google pays more than $26bn annually to other tech companies to ensure that its GSE remains effectively the only game in town. It is the spider overseeing all the threads of a sprawling web of contracts.

But we shouldnt pity these other companies.

The real victims are internet users.

The more Google expands its grip over the internet, the less incentive it has to innovate, much less to care about end-users rather than advertisers.

The internet library is not a public repository, but rather a private, profit-seeking enterprise that pays off handsomely for companies in Googles orbit.

Internet users may believe that they are able to search for facts and truths like no previous generation could, but they have no voice in this game and can only take what they get or leave it.

It took a lawsuit launched by the US Department of Justice to challenge Googles monopoly, and we have yet to hear what might replace it.

One hopes for a better ending than the one Shakespeare gives Hamlet, whose last words are: The rest is silence.

Katharina Pistor is Professor of Comparative Law at Columbia Law School; she is the author of The Code of Capital: How the Law Creates Wealth and Inequality (Princeton University Press, 2019)
The European Unions top diplomat said Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has still not provided the necessary public evidence to prove he was the winner of Julys elections, days after the countrys Supreme Court backed the governments disputed claims of victory.

The bloc joined a slate of other Latin American countries and the United States in rejecting the Venezuelan high courts certification.

Authorities repeated calls for Mr Maduro to release the elections official tally sheets, considered the one verifiable vote count in Venezuela as they are almost impossible to replicate.

Only complete and independently verifiable electoral results will be accepted & recognized to ensure that the will of the Venezuelan people is respected.



The EU will continue to work with its regional partners to facilitate a Venezuelan-led dialogue.https://t.co/yX4ERWT55q  Josep Borrell Fontelles (@JosepBorrellF) August 24, 2024

Only complete and independently verifiable results will be accepted and recognised, Josep Borrell, the high representative of the EU, said in a statement.

Mr Borrells comments came as the leaders of Brazil and Colombia also demanded the release of the tallies, saying on Saturday the credibility of the electoral process can only be restored through the transparent publication of disaggregated and verifiable data.

The joint statement from Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Colombian President Gustavo Petro did not go as far as to reject the court certification.

Many had been waiting to see how the two leftist leaders would respond to the court because both are close allies of Mr Maduro and have been working to facilitate talks with both sides.

Mr Maduro claims that he won the presidential vote, but so far has refused to release the tallies. Meanwhile, the main opposition coalition has accused Mr Maduro of trying to steal the vote.

Opposition volunteers managed to collect copies of voting tallies from 80% of the 30,000 polling booths nationwide that show former opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez won by a more than 2-to-1 margin.

The Supreme Court and other government entities alleged those tallies were forged.

The Venezuelan government rejected Mr Borrells statements, calling them interventionist.

FILE  Venezuelan opposition presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez attends a campaign event before the election in Caracas, Venezuela, June 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos, File)

Its foreign ministry said in a statement on Saturday that the continued disrespect to Venezuelas sovereignty by the EU could considerably affect diplomatic, political and economic relations.

Mr Lula and Mr Petro said they take note of the courts ruling, but added they are still awaiting the release of the tallies.

The Brazilian and Colombian leaders also called on actors in Venezuela to avoid resorting to acts of violence and repression as security forces arrested more than 2,000 people and cracked down on demonstrations that erupted spontaneously throughout the country protesting the results.

But the two leaders did not directly accuse the Maduro government of carrying out the violence.

The arrests have again spread fear in a country that has seen other government crackdowns during previous times of political turmoil.

At the same time, key opposition figure Maria Corina Machado has since gone into hiding and the government said on Friday it will order Mr Gonzalez to provide sworn testimony in an ongoing investigation, claiming he was part of an effort to spread panic by contesting the results of the election.

Both Mr Lula and Mr Petro have previously been criticized for what some say have been lenient policies towards Mr Maduros government, but their tone has grown sterner in recent months, especially in the wake of the election fallout.

Their two countries are neighbours to Venezuela and their governments were to witness agreements struck between Mr Maduro and the opposition that aimed to chart the path to free and fair elections, which the opposition and other observers accused Mr Maduro of violating.

The two leaders reiterated their willingness to facilitate dialogue between the government and the opposition.

The political normalisation of Venezuela requires the recognition that there is no lasting alternative to peaceful dialogue and democratic coexistence, the statement read.
Israel launched a series of intense airstrikes in southern Lebanon early on Sunday in what it said was a pre-emptive strike against the Hezbollah militant group, threatening to trigger a broader region-wide war that could torpedo efforts to forge a ceasefire in Gaza.

The army said Hezbollah was planning to launch a heavy barrage of rockets and missiles towards Israel. The Iranian-backed group had been promising to retaliate for Israels assassination of a top commander late last month.

Air raid sirens were reported throughout northern Israel, and Israels Ben-Gurion International Airport began diverting incoming flights and delaying takeoffs.

Thank God for the Iron Dome. pic.twitter.com/QywSL2foEq  Israel  (@Israel) August 25, 2024

Soon afterwards, Hezbollah announced it had launched an attack on Israel with a large number of drones as an initial response to the killing of Fouad Shukur, a top commander with the group, in a strike in Beiruts southern suburbs last month.

Hezbollah said the attack was targeting a qualitative Israeli military target that will be announced later as well as targeting a number of enemy sites and barracks and Iron Dome platforms.

The attack came as Egypt hosts a new round of talks aimed at ending Israels war against Hamas, now in its 11th month. Hezbollah has said it will halt the fighting if there is a ceasefire.

Last week, Israels defence minister said he was moving more troops towards the Lebanese border in anticipation of possible fighting with the Iranian-backed group.

Israels military spokesman, rear admiral Daniel Hagari, said: In a self-defence act to remove these threats, the (Israeli military) is striking terror targets in Lebanon, from which Hezbollah was planning to launch their attacks on Israeli civilians.

We can see that Hezbollah is preparing to launch an extensive attack on Israel while endangering the Lebanese civilians, he added, without providing details.

We warn the civilians located in the areas where Hezbollah is operating to move out of harms way immediately for their own safety.

Lebanese media reported strikes in the countrys south without immediately providing more details. Social media footage showed what appeared to be strikes in southern Lebanon.

Israeli media cited the Israel Airports Authority for news of the flight cancellations. Flight-tracking data showed at least two El Al flights swinging far south and diverting after the announcement.

Hezbollah began attacking Israel almost immediately after the war with Hamas erupted on October 7 with a Hamas cross-border attack.

Israel and Hezbollah have been exchanging fire nearly daily, displacing tens of thousands of people on both sides of the border and raising fears that the fighting could escalate into all-out war.

But until Sunday, both sides have been careful to avoid a broader conflagration.

Hezbollah is considered much more powerful than its ally, Hamas, with an estimated arsenal of arsenal of 150,000 rockets and missiles, including precision-guided missiles.

In recent months the group has also stepped up its use of drones, against which Israel is less well-equipped to defend.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus office said he and his defence minister, Yoav Gallant, were managing the latest operation from military headquarters in Tel Aviv.

Mr Gallant declared a special situation on the home front and Mr Netanyahus Security Cabinet was set to meet later Sunday morning.
Israel launched a wave of air strikes across southern Lebanon early on Sunday in what it said was a pre-emptive strike on Hezbollah.

It came as the militant group said it had launched hundreds of rockets and drones to avenge the killing of one of its top commanders last month.

The heavy exchange of fire threatened to trigger an all-out war that could draw in the United States, Iran and militant groups across the region.

It could also torpedo efforts to forge a ceasefire in Gaza, where Israel has been at war with the Palestinian group Hamas, an ally of Hezbollah, for more than 10 months.

By mid-morning, it appeared that the exchange had ended, with both sides saying they had confined their attacks to military targets.

But the situation remained tense, and the full extent of casualties and damage was not immediately known. At least three people were killed in the strikes on Lebanon.

The Israeli military said Hezbollah was planning to launch a heavy barrage of rockets and missiles towards Israel.

Soon afterwards, Hezbollah announced it had launched an attack on Israeli military positions as an initial response to the killing of Fouad Shukur, one of its founders, in an Israeli air strike in Beirut last month.

Tanaiste Micheal Martin has confirmed that all Irish troops based in Lebanon are safe following the airstrikes. In a post on X, Mr Martin confirmed that he has been briefed by the Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces, Lieutenant General Sean Clancy, on the strikes by Hezbollah and Israel. "He has been advised that while Irish personnel serving in UNIFIL have taken shelter in secured bunkers overnight, all are safe and accounted for," Mr Martin said. "Irish Defence Forces and UNIFIL HQ continue to monitor the situation closely and the Chief of Staff will continue update me accordingly." As of last April, there are currently 375 Irish personnel, including an infantry battalion and those serving at UNFIL headquarters, stationed in Lebanon.

The attacks came as Egypt is hosting a new round of talks aimed at ending the Israel-Hamas war.

Hezbollah has said it will halt the fighting if there is a ceasefire in Gaza. Iran supports both groups as well as militants in Syria, Iraq and Yemen who might join any larger conflict.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking at the start of a Cabinet meeting, said the military had eliminated thousands of rockets that were aimed at northern Israel and urged citizens to adhere to directives from the Home Front Command.

We are determined to do everything to defend our country, to return the residents of the north securely to their homes and to continue upholding a simple rule: Whoever harms us  we will harm them, he said.

Air raid sirens were reported throughout northern Israel, and Israels Ben-Gurion international airport closed and diverted flights for approximately an hour due to the threat of attack.

Israels Home Front Command has raised the alert level in northern Israel and encouraged people to stay near bomb shelters.

Thank God for the Iron Dome. pic.twitter.com/QywSL2foEq  Israel  (@Israel) August 25, 2024

Israeli military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani said Hezbollah had intended to hit targets in northern and central Israel.

He said initial assessments found very little damage in Israel, but that the military remained on high alert. He added that around 100 Israeli aircraft took part in Sundays strikes.

Lebanons Health Ministry reported that two people were killed and another two injured in the strikes in southern Lebanon.

Separately, a fighter for the Amal group, which is allied with Hezbollah, was killed in a strike on a car, Amal said.

Hezbollah said its attack involved more than 320 Katyusha rockets aimed at multiple sites in Israel and a large number of drones.

It said the operation was targeting a qualitative Israeli military target that will be announced later as well as enemy sites and barracks and Iron Dome (missile defence) platforms.

Hezbollah later announced the end of what it said was the first stage of retaliatory strikes, which it said would allow it to launch more attacks deeper into Israel. But a later statement said military operations for today have been completed.

The group said all the exploding drones it launched hit their targets, without saying how many. It listed 11 bases, barracks, and military positions that it said it targeted in northern Israel and the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights.

It also dismissed Israels claim that its pre-emptive strikes had succeeded in warding off a stronger Hezbollah attack. Hezbollah did not provide evidence for its claims.

Randa Slim, a senior fellow at the Washington DC-based Middle East Institute, said Sunday mornings exchange was still within the rules of engagement and unlikely at this point to lead to an all-out war.

Israeli Apache helicopters fly towards northern Israel (Ariel Schalit/AP)

In the US, a spokesman for the National Security Council, Sean Savett, said President Joe Biden is closely monitoring events in Israel and Lebanon.

At his direction, senior US officials have been communicating continuously with their Israeli counterparts, Mr Savett added. We will keep supporting Israels right to defend itself, and we will keep working for regional stability.

The Pentagon said Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Gallant, about Israels defences against Hezbollah.

Mr Austin reaffirmed the United States ironclad commitment to Israels defence against any attacks by Iran and its regional partners and proxies, a statement said.

In recent weeks, diplomats from the US and European countries have made a flurry of visits to Israel and Lebanon in an attempt to tamp down the escalation that they fear could spiral into a regional war.

Hezbollah began attacking Israel almost immediately after the start of the war in Gaza, which was triggered by Hamass October 7 attack into Israel.

Israel and Hezbollah have been exchanging fire almost daily, displacing tens of thousands of people on both sides of the border. Until Sunday, both sides had been careful to avoid all-out war.

Hezbollah, which fought Israel to a stalemate in the summer of 2006, is believed to be far more powerful than it was during that conflict.

The US and Israel estimate it has some 150,000 rockets and is capable of hitting anywhere inside Israel. The group has also also developed drones capable of evading Israels defences as well as precision-guided munitions.

Israel has one of the worlds best militaries and an extensive multi-tiered missile defence system, and it is backed by a US-led coalition that helped it shoot down hundreds of missiles and drones fired from Iran earlier this year. The US military has been building up its forces across the region in recent weeks.

Israel has vowed a crushing response in the case of all-out war, one that would be likely to demolish critical civilian infrastructure, especially in south Beirut and southern Lebanon, where Hezbollahs main strongholds are located. A war is likely to displace hundreds of thousands of people on both sides.

A Hezbollah fighter stands next to an armed drone during a training exercise in southern Lebanon in May 2023 (Hassan Ammar/AP)

Hezbollah is a close ally of Iran, which has also threatened to retaliate for the killing of a senior Hamas leader, Ismail Haniyeh, in an explosion in Tehran last month that was widely blamed on Israel, which has not said whether it was involved.

The US and other mediators see a ceasefire in Gaza as key to heading off a wider Middle East conflagration. Egypt planned to host high-level talks in Cairo on Sunday aimed at bridging the gaps in an evolving proposal for a truce and the release of scores of hostages held by Hamas.

The talks were to be attended by CIA director William Burns, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and Egyptian chief intelligence official Abbas Kamel, according to Egyptian officials.

Hamas sent a delegation to the Egyptian capital to be briefed by Egyptian and Qatari mediators but is not directly taking part in the negotiations.

The head of Israels Mossad intelligence agency, David Barnea, had been expected to attend, but the officials said it was not immediately clear if he still would given the Israel-Hezbollah tensions.
Five people have been killed in Ukrainian shelling in Russias border region of Belgorod, officials said on Sunday, while Russian forces struck a hotel in eastern Ukraine where a news agency team were staying, leaving one journalist missing and two others injured.

Twelve other people were wounded in the Russian village of Rakitone, 23 miles (38km) from the Ukrainian border, including a 16-year-old girl reported to be in a critical condition, said regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov.

Russian forces struck a hotel overnight in the city of Kramatorsk in the eastern Donetsk region, injuring two people and leaving one trapped under the rubble, regional governor Vadym Filashkin said.

All three were reported to be journalists from Ukraine, the US and the UK.

An MSLR rocket stick is seen in the ground in a forest fire after a Russian strike near Sloviansk in the Donetsk region, Ukraine, on Saturday (Evgeniy Maloletk/AP)

Reuters news agency said on Sunday that its journalist covering the war in Ukraine is missing and two other team members were taken to hospital after Hotel Sapphire, where a six-person crew was staying, was hit by an apparent missile strike on Saturday.

One of our colleagues is unaccounted for, while another two have been taken to hospital for treatment, the agency said.

The rest of the team have been accounted for, said the news agency.

In addition to the hotel, a nearby multistorey building was also destroyed, Governor Filashkin said, and rescuers were busy clearing the debris at the site.

Ukraines eastern Kharkiv region also came under Russian fire, resulting in multiple civilian injuries, regional goerno Oleh Syniehubov wrote on the Telegram messaging app.

In Kharkivs Chuhuiv region, five people were injured, including a four-year-old boy and a 14-year-old girl, after two houses were struck by Russian fire.

In Kharkiv city, eight people were wounded when a two-storey house was set on fire by a Russian attack.

In Balakliia, a Russian strike destroyed six houses and damaged others. A 55-year-old man was injured.

In the Kupiansk area, a house was set on fire by a Russian attack, wounding four women.
The founder and chief executive of the popular encrypted messaging service Telegram has been detained at an airport in Paris, French media reported on Sunday.

Pavel Durov was held at Paris-Le Bourget airport on Saturday evening after arriving in France from Azerbaijan, according to broadcasters LCI and TF1.

Investigators from the National Anti-Fraud Office, attached to the French customs department, told him he was being placed in police custody, the broadcasters said.

French prosecutors declined to comment on Mr Durovs arrest when contacted by the Associated Press on Sunday, in line with regulations during an ongoing investigation.

The arrest warrant issued by France is based on allegations that the encrypted platform has been used for money laundering and drug trafficking (Yui Mok/PA)

French media reported that the 39-year-old is the subject of an arrest warrant issued by France based on allegations that his encrypted platform has been used for money laundering, drug trafficking and allowing the sharing of content linked to sexual exploitation of minors.

Western governments have often criticised Telegram for lack of content moderating on the messaging service.

Russian government officials expressed outrage at Mr Durovs arrest, with some highlighting what they said is the Wests double standards on freedom of speech.

Maria Zakharova, from Russias Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said in a post on her personal Telegram account: In 2018, a group of 26 NGOs, including Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, Freedom House, Reporters Without Borders, the Committee to Protect Journalists, and others, condemned the Russian courts decision to block Telegram.

Do you think this time theyll appeal to Paris and demand Durovs release?
Manuel Alcantara Turner, a 22-year-old Royal Guardsman, has been crowned Mr. England and will represent the country at an international pageant to be held this November in Vietnam. The young man was chosen from 12 other finalists who were selected from more than 150 applicants.

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Turner had to take part in a fashion show, a photo shoot and an interview, The Telegraph reports. The host of the final stage was Milla Magee, the current Miss England and a lifeguard who is called the "Pamela Anderson of Cornwall."

Manuel participated in the coronation of Charles last year and trained the Ukrainian military in Kenya. He became the first soldier to win the Mr. England title. "All I want to do is give my life for England, so I think I deserve the title of Mr. England," said the winner.

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The British soldier, originally from Whitley Bay in Tyneside, is a lance corporal in the Coldstream Guards and is based at Victoria Barracks near Windsor Castle. He said that joining the army at the age of 16 turned him from "a boy into a man". "I am honored to receive this award. I will represent my country well and hopefully make everyone proud," Turner said. The Guadian added that he performed ceremonial duties during the coronation of the king and the funeral of Elizabeth II, as well as at the parade on the occasion of the queen's last birthday.

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Only verified information is available on the OBOZ.UA Telegram channel and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
Chinese coast guard ships fired water cannons and blocked and rammed a Philippine fisheries vessel on Sunday in the disputed South China Sea.

China and the Philippines blamed each other for the tense confrontations in the high seas off Sabina Shoal, which has become a new flashpoint, where both have deployed coast guard ships on suspicion that either one may take steps to seize the uninhabited atoll.

The Chinese coast guard said it took action against a Philippine vessel, which entered waters in the vicinity of Sabina and ignored warnings, leading to a minor collision.

Chinese coast guard spokesperson Gan Yu said the Philippine ship sailed toward the Chinese coast guard ship unprofessionally and dangerously, causing the two vessels to brush against each other.

The Philippine vessel had journalists onboard to take pictures to distort facts, he said.

The responsibility is totally on the Philippines side. We sternly warn that the Philippine side must immediately stop the infringement and provocation, otherwise it must bear all consequences, Mr Gan said without elaborating on the control measures that the Chinese side employed.

The Philippine government calls on the Peoples Republic of China to halt these provocative actions that destabilise regional peace and security

A Philippine government taskforce said a vessel of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, the BRP Datu Sanday, encountered aggressive and dangerous manoeuvres from eight Peoples Republic of China maritime vessels while cruising to Sabina, causing its engine to fail and hampering its effort to provide diesel, food and medical supplies to Filipino fishermen.

The Chinese coast guard ships, which were backed by a navy ship, made close perilous manoeuvres that resulted in ramming, blasted horns and deployed water cannons against the BFAR vessel, endangering its crew, according to the Philippine task force, which oversees the territorial disputes.

The Philippine government calls on the Peoples Republic of China to halt these provocative actions that destabilise regional peace and security, the taskforce said, adding that the Philippines would continue to assert its rights.

The United States expressed its support for the Philippines, its oldest treaty ally in Asia.

US ambassador MaryKay Carlson said in a statement posted on X that Chinas actions were unsafe, unlawful and aggressive, and disrupted a legal Philippine mission, endangering lives  the latest in multiple dangerous actions.

China is rapidly expanding its military and has become increasingly assertive in pursuing its territorial claims in the South China Sea, which Beijing claims virtually in its entirety.

The tensions have led to more frequent confrontations, primarily with the Philippines, though the long-time territorial disputes also involve other claimants, including Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei.
A British safety adviser who was working with Reuters covering the Ukraine war has died after a missile strike on a hotel, the news agency has confirmed.

In a statement, Reuters said it was devastated to learn of the death of Ryan Evans, 38, and that two of its journalists were also injured.

Mr Evans was part of the reporting crew staying at the Hotel Sapphire, in Kramatorsk, eastern Ukraine, which was hit by a strike on Saturday.

We send our deepest condolences and thoughts to Ryans family and loved ones. Ryan has helped so many of our journalists cover events around the world; we will miss him terribly

The statement added: We are urgently seeking more information about the attack, including by working with the authorities in Kramatorsk, and we are supporting our colleagues and their families.

We send our deepest condolences and thoughts to Ryans family and loved ones.

Ryan has helped so many of our journalists cover events around the world; we will miss him terribly.

Reuters also said two of our journalists are in hospital, one is being treated for serious injuries.

It added that three other colleagues have been accounted for and are safe.

Ukrainian authorities have reported that Russian forces struck a hotel in the city of Kramatorsk in the eastern Donetsk region.
American screenwriter and actor Liev Schreiber, who became a United24 ambassador, was given a quiz on the occasion of Ukraine's Independence Day. Boxer Oleksandr Usyk quizzed the Hollywood star on the meaning of several Ukrainian words, but as it turned out, Liev Schreiber can speak Ukrainian without any problems.

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He proved it by recording a video greeting for Ukrainians on the national holiday, which was posted after the quiz on the United24 Telegram channel. The American actor was thanked for his steadfast support of Ukraine.

Oleksandr Usyk asked the screenwriter if he knew the meaning of the words "yednist, rodyna, vidbiy ta spravzhniy druh" (unity, family, dismiss and true friend). The American correctly explained three of the four words, and made a mistake only on "vidbiy", explaining it as the end of the school year.

Liev Schreiber admitted that he had been preparing and learning the Ukrainian language, and promised to demonstrate it the next time he came to Ukraine.

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However, he was already able to clearly articulate his Independence Day greetings to Ukrainians.

"To all my brothers and sisters in Ukraine. Your courage and resilience are an inspiration to the world. Thank you for defending democracy, because it is what defines us, it is our common dream, it is our freedom. It is Ukrainians who remind the world how important it is to cherish and fight for it. Happy Independence Day. Glory to Ukraine," the actor said.

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This is not the first time the friend of Ukraine has impressed with his knowledge of the language. Earlier this year, the Scream star addressed the crew of the Noosphere icebreaker in Ukrainian and left them a poignant message for Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.

As OBOZ.UA previously reported, Liev Schreiber is confident in Ukraine's victory over the Russian occupiers. However, in his opinion, the fighting may drag on.

Only verified information is available on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
An N.C. House Select Committee is recommending that the General Assembly change a state law forcing districts to start school the Monday closest to Aug. 26 and end no later than the Friday clo
Subscribe to Nonviolence Radio on Apple Podcasts, Android, Spotify or via RSS.

( Waging Nonviolence )  Amira Musallam is a peace activist from Beit Jalla, Palestine. She joins Nonviolence Radio to share her experiences living in the West Bank. Her family is currently facing eviction from their land by nearby Israeli settlers who are backed by the Israeli military. She is part of a exploratory team for unarmed civilian protection, or UCP, in the West Bank and Gaza. She was introduced to the power of UCP when she was 12 years old after her house was bombed by Israel (with American manufactured bombs) and a group of UCP women came to live with her family to prevent further violence and destruction. Since then, she has been actively engaged in nonviolence and UCP.

To hear Amiras story is to hear the story of so many Palestinians who are struggling for equality and peace through nonviolence in the most heartbreaking and horrific of circumstances. Her story is an urgent call-to-action for all of us to be courageous and work in solidarity with activists on the front lines of the worlds more critical struggles for justice.



Stephanie: So, welcome everybody, to another episode of Nonviolence Radio. Im your host, Stephanie Van Hook, and Im here with my co-host and news anchor of the Nonviolence Report, Michael Nagler.

We are lucky to have a very special guest today, Amira Musallam. She is joining us all the way from Beit Jala in Palestine. And whats important about this interview is that Amira is working at the front lines of nonviolence in a very violent situation, a very violent conflict.

And we think that its important for you, our listeners, to be able to make contact with people from around the globe who would help to tell a different story about what nonviolence is, how it works, and why nonviolence is so important in our world today, and also whats going on in the conflict.

So, first of all, lets bring Amira on to the show. Welcome, Amira.

Amira: Hello. Good morning.

Stephanie: Yeah, and good evening to your time. Its 9:00.

Amira: Its evening, here its good evening. But for you, good morning. Yeah.

Stephanie: Yeah. Well, thank you. Its wonderful to have your voice here with us. As I was saying, having you as on the front lines in the conflict in Israel-Palestine, youre going to be able to help our listeners better understand whats going on and what youre experiencing. So, thank you so much for joining us.

Amira: Youre welcome. Sure.

Stephanie: How did you get started as a peace activist?

Amira: Well, it started when I was 12-years-old. I live in Beit Jala. Im American-Palestinian, by the way. I have a U.S. citizenship. I got it from my father, who lived in the States for many years. I visited the States once only, but I never lived there.

When I was 12-years-old, my house in Beit Jala was partially bombed due to the conflict. It was bombed by the Israeli tanks and Apache. And we were in the house  me and my family. And we were able to escape under the fire to our neighbors house, which was a more safe to hide in.

That day really affected me so much because before 2000, we used to go uphill near my house to Gilo, which is an Israeli settlement. There was no borders, no apartheid wall, nothing. And we used to play there with kids  with Israeli and Jewish kids. And it was fun, you know.

But in 2000, when the Second Intifada happened, everything changed. Everything changed. Those friends who I had in Gilo, suddenly changed into my enemies, you know? Because of our neighborhood, our town, little town of Beit Jala was bombed, and by the tanks from Gilo.

As a little girl, to see that suddenly, you know, my friends became my enemies. I was so afraid. I was terrified. We were in the house when our house was bombed. I was almost killed. My mom was shouting to  like, for somebody to hear us, to stop because we wanted to escape.

The people couldnt come to our house to rescue us because its a war zone. So, like, the streets are not accessible by cars. Nothing. And so, after that day  after that night, actually, we had to leave the house for a few months until the house was fixed. And then we had a group of women coming to make a human shield or, lets say, unarmed civilian protection.

And so, they came from England and from other countries. Their name is Woman in Black. And so, they visited us, and they stayed with us at home so they could protect us from any bombing coming to our house.

And one day we were just sitting with one of them, and she told us that a friend of hers would come to visit us. And, of course, she is welcome.

And that woman entered our house. And the moment she saw us, she started crying, and you know, and hugging us and telling us how sorry she is for what her people are doing to us. And it turned out that that woman was a Jewish-American, Israeli woman who came to protect us.

So, as a little girl, you know, I saw there is hope. There is hope that those enemies are not all of them enemies. That there are good people in this world, that those people also have good people in there.

So, since then, all the idea of hating the other just became, No, I want to talk with the other. I want to tell them my story. I want to tell them how all my childhood was playing with them, you know? Im not their enemy. They shouldnt be afraid for me. That there is another way. Armed force and bombs and attacks, you know, violent attacks from all sides is wrong. And the other way is peace, to talk, to have dialog, to listen to each other.

And thats when I started attending all kinds of conferences and meetings with the Israelis. And since then, I became a peace activist. I worked in many different organizations when I grew up. And I became  one of my jobs was a regional project manager for a region and project with Jordan, Israel, and Palestine about water management and conflict about water in the Israeli-Palestine conflict.

Stephanie: Thank you so much for sharing your story. Theres a lot in there that Id like to unpack for our listeners. But first of all, Michael and I both want to just share our grief with you for what youve endured since you were 12-years-old. This is very traumatic.

And to imagine not only having your house bombed but losing your friends and your sense of security and not knowing, not knowing what your life is anymore, where you have to leave your house. I mean, that is  its hard. I just want to put that in the front for a second and an honor that youve been through a lot.

Amira: Yeah.

Michael: Not only that, Amira, but so many people who are subject to that kind of mistreatment, and that kind of shocking reversal where friends become enemies, they themselves become bitter. And its a rare person who can stand above that bitterness and that disappointment and recognize the common humanity.

So, again, as Stephanie was saying, we really want to honor you for that. And we look to that kind of human response that you exemplify as our hope for the future.

Amira: Thank you. Yes.

Stephanie: You mentioned the Second Intifada. Can you explain a little of the background of the intifadas so that thats clear on how that fits into the story?

Amira: Yes. The Second Intifada started in 2000 when Ariel Sharon, the Israeli Prime Minister, invaded the al-Aqsa Mosque with weapons, and with settlers, and so on. And people saw it as an act of humiliation. And it wasnt so good. And thats how that the Second Intifada started. Where people went into the streets, and they started throwing rocks at the Israeli Army.

But also, it took a really wrong and bad violent turn, which some arms from the Palestinians were used from  lets say, Palestinian, men, fighters, freedom fighters. And normally, our fight for liberation was using nonviolent resistance and popular resistance. But in 2000, unfortunately, it took that turn and it was so bad.

We didnt like it. Nobody liked it. People here in Palestine, they dont want that. We want just to live in just peace and be liberated and thats it. So, thats the Second Intifada. It was so, so harsh. It was so difficult. And people  just like we were under Israeli  they confiscated, like the invaded cities, villages.

So many people were killed in Palestine. We had also curfews. We couldnt leave home for many days and many hours. Yeah, the Second Intifada was terrible, I think, I believe.

Michael: You know, Gandhi at one point, Amira, said that he had three enemies. The British, which is the least of his problems, his fellow Indians, who would drop their nonviolence sometimes. And then, of course, his worst problem was Mahatma Gandhi. So, we can leave that part aside, but I am interested to hear from you about the internal struggle within the Palestinian community, about whether violence and nonviolence should be used. Could you say a little more about that?

Amira: Of course, of course I can. I am a Palestinian. I was born in Palestine. I lived with people. I know people all over, like in villages and cities in Palestine because I had to, you know, to move around.

Honestly, Palestinian people, they dont want violence. Palestinian people, as I mentioned before, just want to live in peace.

They just want to live, you know? Thats it. As simple as that. And if you go to the streets, and you ask the most of the people, the majority will tell you, We dont want violence. We dont want anybody to be killed. Because what I believe, and what I see, that we cant live without Israelis. And the Israelis, they cant live without us.

Why? Because we work in Israel, for example. We build their buildings. And the economy in Israel depends on us, and we depend on them. I want to go to Israel and be allowed to go to Israel and not be afraid anymore. I want to be allowed without getting a permit, asking a permit from the military, to get me a permit to go to Jerusalem, you know? So, most of the people think like me.

Now, there is a minority, or there are people who would act violently for many reasons. One of them, some people are brainwashed. Brainwashed from fanatics, from radical  radicalism, you know? This is the most minority of people. Like, you dont see a lot of people from this kind of people. The second type of people are those who seek revenge. So, a lot of people lost their families. They lost their kids, lost their father, mother, sister.

So, imagine, like, if you lose, someone from your family because someone killed him, not because he died, just like that, naturally. A lot of people would seek revenge. Each one of us would respond to death and killing in a different way.

If something happens to me, maybe I will respond in a  I will forgive because Im a Christian. So, I would follow the path of Jesus, and I will forgive my enemy, you know, and the one who caused me pain.

But others, maybe they would like revenge. Thats how they will deal with their pain. So, there are lots of people like this. But of course, also, again, not the majority. And the majority, I will tell you, they dont want revenge. They dont want to kill. They dont want violence. They just want to live in peace.

Stephanie: Thank you so much. For those of you who are just tuning in, youre here at Nonviolence Radio, and were speaking with Amira Musallam, and shes calling from Beit Jala in Palestine.

Amira, can you tell us about where Beit Jala is exactly? And what are the settlements that you were describing?

Amira: So, Beit Jala is part of Bethlehem Governorate. Bethlehem, where Jesus was born. And its a neighboring city. So, like, if you walk from Beit Jala to Bethlehem, its not like  its just crossing the street, you know? Thats how it looks like. I was born in Bethlehem, but I lived, in Beit Jala all my life. So, Im a Bethlehemite.

Now, whats happening with us, that I was married nine years ago to someone from Beit Jala whose family has a land in a place called Al-Makhrour. Its the only green area left for us in Bethlehem Governorate. Why? Because since 2000, the apartheid wall just, you know, took over most of the lands of Bethlehem Governorate.

And we are in a big open-air prison. You know, we are surrounded with the apartheid wall, with the military bases, with checkpoints. And we can only move in and out from Bethlehem as a Palestinian to go to another city in the West Bank through a bypass road that was also built only for Palestinians to take it. So, everybody goes through the same street.

So, Al-Makhrour is the only green area left for us, and we have access to it. And this area is considered Area C. So, for those who dont know, what does it mean, Area C  in Oslo  in the Oslo agreement between the Israelis and Palestinians in the 90s, they divided the West Bank into three zones. Area A, Area B, Area C.

So, Area A is under the civil and military control of the Palestinians. Area B is under the civil administration of Palestinians, but the military control of Israelis. Area C is under the civil and military control of Israel. Now, if we want to do anything in Area C like, you know, build an open road, do anything in construction, and so on, we need to go back to the civil administration, the Israeli civil administration.

So, this area, Area C, is the only green area. If you see it  oh, I wish, you know, there is a camera now. I can show you. Its really lovely. Its a lovely area with lots of olive trees, lots of fruit trees. Lots of grape, and so on.

And so, my in-laws, they have land there. They inherited it from the grandfather. And since 2011, they started their own business. It was a restaurant in the field there. It was very nice. Like, people came to this restaurant from all over the West Bank. And even Israelis would come to eat there, you know? Palestinian food and Arabic food, hummus, and so on. Its really  it was very nice. Yeah.

And then, from 2011 until 2019 this restaurant was demolished by the Israeli military five times. For why? Because they claim that it doesnt have a license. But anyway, if you go to the Israeli civil administration, and you applied for a license, they wouldnt give you anyway. So, we would like build without license. Like, lets say illegally, but its not really illegally because, you know, we didnt like, build the big building or so on.

It was just very simple restaurant outdoors. Just we built the kitchen, you know. Thats the only thing that we built. And the restaurant was demolished five times from 2011 until 2019.

Also, we built a house. They told us that, No problem, well not demolish it. And they didnt give us the demolishing order and that. And we started paying even taxes for, you know, the Israeli government.

But unfortunately, in 2019, they came with big bulldozers and big trucks. And they destroyed  they demolished the restaurant and the house without a demolition order for the house. They just did it.

So, we went to court in 2019, to at least, prove ownership of the land and prove that, you know, my in-laws have Israeli citizenship. They are Arab-Israelis. So, we went to court to prove ownership and to start applying for a license for the house again and for the restaurant again, to rebuild them.

But we were surprised that the JFN claimed ownership also. So, we were in court against them. In 2023, just last year, we proved that the JFN doesnt have any proof that they own the land. They didnt prove. They didnt bring any paper. Even the paper  the deed that they brought from the Jordanian time was fake, and we were able to prove that it was fake.

So, the Israeli court said the JFN doesnt have any, like, right in the land while a Kisiya family, which are my in-laws, also dont have ownership as ownership. But they can stay in the land until the original owner, who left Palestine a really long time ago in the 60s, can come back. Either him or one of his inheritants to claim the ownership of the land.

So, we stayed in our land. We didnt rebuild again because we are waiting until we do it, you know, in the right way, in the legal way, getting a license, and so on. And we were there until the 31st of July.

The 31st of July we were in the land. My son, who is 9-years-old, was with his dad on the land and suddenly settlers holding weapons, came into the land, broke the big gate, started aiming weapons at my son and at my ex-husband, threatening them to leave the land. And [Jihan], my ex-husband, he was, like, telling them, like, Listen, Im here peacefully. I dont have weapons. Lets talk. Lets talk. He was like, raising his hands and telling them, Im not going to do anything. Just lets talk. What are you doing here?

They came without the military, without the police, without anybody. Just settlers. You know, settlers who live nearby in a settlement called Gush Etzion. And after, like, 15 to 20 minutes, police came. The army came. And they stayed there protecting the settlers, allowing them to take out all our stuff, like tables, chairs, even the kitchen. You know, anything that belongs to us, they put it out in the street with the protection of the military, of course. And they took away [Jihan] to the police station, and they gave him a restraining order for like two weeks from the land. And thats when my in-laws called me  because it was very dangerous. My son was there with those crazy people, you know, with weapons, and so on.

And the moment I arrived to the land, my son was crying because they broke all his toys. They put them out and they broke them all. And I took him away. And I went back because my mother-in-law, sister-in-law, and father-in-law were all alone in the land.

And yeah. And if you want  if you can, like, see the social media, we have lots of videos on about the first day. You will see that those settlers were kids. Kids underage, you know. They were like 9, 10 years, 11 years with two adults with weapons. And the kids were, like, helping in removing us from the land.

So, we stayed there in the land, looking at them, trying to seek help from anybody, you know? So, thats where I came in because I know lots of activists, lots of peace activists, lots of human rights organizations, I started calling them. And they responded. So, who responded? Most of them were Israelis who responded  Israeli activists, Jewish-Israeli activists, they came to provide UCP, which is, you know, protective presence.

So, they came after like two hours. They responded to our call. They came. They were with us in the land. We tried to talk with the military. More military came. And then the military got a military order, which was, to consider the area a closed military area. Why? Because the settlers couldnt prove the ownership or any paper.

They didnt have any paper. And we have our papers. We showed them to the military, but they didnt care about our papers. So, the military said, Okay, we will consider this area as a closed military area. Everybody should leave. And while we were, like, leaving the land, suddenly the head  or the mayor of the Gush Etzion settlement came. Like hes a powerful man from the settlement nearby.

He came. He was hugging and shaking hands with the military. And suddenly, after five minutes, the military order changed from the closed military area where everybody should leave, to closed military area where Palestinians should leave, and six settlers can stay in the land. You know, this is injustice. This is like really injustice. And we stayed in the land.

We tried to negotiate with the military. Like how come you are in  even the order that they brought and print out, there is nothing from that. Its only the head of the military who gave that order.

Then they used force to kick us out. They were, you know, holding us, pushing us around until they kicked us out from the land, and they kept the settlers in our land. In our land which we have proof of ownership for  like we have paperwork from the Israeli court, while those settlers dont have any papers.

Now, whats their argument that they rented the land? Those settlers rented the land from the [JFN] and the [unintelligible] in 2019. The court which we won was in 2023. So, it doesnt make sense what you are renting a land in 2019 from someone who didnt prove ownership in 2023, you know?

But nobody cares. Like they dont care. The army dont care. The police dont care. They dont want us just to be in the land and thats it. And since then, on a daily basis, we are in the land, we are in the area, doing nonviolent marches towards the land. Activists from, like, friends from  the Israeli friends, we talk with the police, we talk with the army, we talk with the settlers, telling them, like showing them evidence that this is wrong and what they are doing is illegal and wrong. And they are taking  they are stealing. They are not taking, they are stealing someone elses property without any right, without any paper. And yeah, and thats what we were doing. We have now a solidarity camp in the area near the land. Not in the land, of course because we are not allowed to enter.

And now, since then, each time we arrived to the land, they hit us, they beat us. The military, they throw at us stun grenades, teargas bombs. The settlers curse us. Tell us bad words. Thats whats happening. But we are insisting that every day at 5:00, 5:30 in the afternoon, we are marching to the land with activists from all around. From Israel, from Palestine, foreigners from the States, you know, to show that we are here. We will not leave until we get back our land.

Stephanie: Wow, that is a horrific story of what youre going through and what youve been through. This is quite a lot to take in just to hear and to imagine being in that situation with you. Im so sorry this is happening.

Michael: One element in what you said, Amira, it does give some grounds for hope, I think. And that is that you are persisting. Because we know that in Central America, there were  this even became a rallying cry, a technical term, if you will, Firmeza Permanente. That in the end, the group that stays in its position and will not be moved will have a very good chance of prevailing. And we certainly hope that this will be your situation in time.

Amira: I hope so. I hope so. You know, this is also happening in all the West Bank, not only in Beit Jala. The problem that those settlers with the leadership of Smotrich, they are acting like lunatics, you know? Like, they dont have any limits.

They are just stealing, killing, shooting, burning. They also, the settlers in our land, burned the area the other day while we were there to accuse us of burning the area. How come we would burn our lands, you know? We wouldnt do that. This is our land. We have a connection with our land. This is where our memories happened, you know.

My son was born and lived in that land and in that area. So, we wouldnt do such things, but they would. They are very aggressive. They are taking all the, you know, the okay from their leaders. And they are doing it because what they are claiming that this is the Judea and Samaria, which is a biblical area and that they should get it back because 3000 years ago, they were there, and their right is to be there again.

But okay, Im not saying that its not their right. Of course, anybody can come back and live with us. With us, not against us, you know? Like with us. Thats what I always say. If those settlers came, and they wanted to live in Judea and Samaria, which is the West Bank now its called, we wouldnt tell them no.

But do it in a decent way, in the right way. If somebody will sell you a land, buy it. Live there between us. We wouldnt hurt them. But the way they are doing it makes everybody hate them, makes more violence. And more people want to be violent against them because they are being so, so, so violent. And a lot of injustice is happening there, you know?

Stephanie: I have this document here that, according to the UN office of Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, says that between October 7, 2023, and July 29, 2024, 569 Palestinians were killed in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. And Israeli authorities demolished, confiscated, or forced the demolition of 1,311 Palestinian owned structures across the West Bank in a systemic and concerted effort during the chaos of the genocidal actions taking place in Gaza.

That because of the chaos happening in Gaza, theres this systemic effort while our attention is on Gaza, to heighten, you know, the push in the West Bank.

Amira: Exactly. Thats what exactly happening. Like all the news is concentrating on Gaza and what is happening on Gaza. And the news, its not mentioning the West Bank.

Even when we are calling like press, you know, they wouldnt really care because there is no genocide happening in the West Bank. But this is ethnic cleansing. Its the same. Okay, they are not killing us all, but they are ethnic cleansing us. You know, like they are moving us from where we live. They want us to leave.

Like look at Bethlehem. We used to be almost 90% of Bethlehem Governorate was Christians. Look at it now. We are less than 10% Christians here. Why? Because Christians are leaving. Not because they want to leave, but because there is no life here anymore. We cannot go to our lands. We are not allowed to do anything in Area C.

Which is, now its like Bethlehem Area A, which I explained about, which is under the Palestinian control, is only 27% of the land of Bethlehem. The rest is under Israeli control, which we cannot do anything in it. So, you know? People are concentrating on Gaza and the Israeli military and the government the fascist government is taking advantage that everybody is busy with Gaza. And they are doing lots of horrible things. And ethnic cleansing in the West Bank. Go see the Bedouin community in the West Bank. Like every day, some communities are leaving, are leaving their place due to settler attacks.

This is horrible. This has to stop. And those settlers are not like Israeli or Jewish settlers. They are  they come from all around the world. And even they are kids. Like, the ones who are in our land are kids. What they call them, they call them like, kids at risk in the system.

So, they go to, like, rehabilitation centers and so on in Israel. And they send them to the settlements to do community work. Their community work is that, is stealing peoples land. This is horrible. This is horrific. You know, also to use their kids in such acts.

Stephanie: Yeah. Youre really giving us a picture of what  of the increasing levels of dehumanization and violence, just in terms of the areas, zones A, B and C.

I think its important for people who havent been there to understand what thats like. To see above a village, the road going into a village, this is in Area A. And then it has a sign saying, You could be killed if you go into this area, meaning that the Palestinians will kill you if you go.

Its dehumanizing. And I dont think people understand that those signs exist and kind of making it seem like these are violent areas if you go in because theyre under Palestinian control. And then you go into areas like Area C, and you see Palestinians not being able to build their schools or have their restaurants or living in fear that their homes are being demolished or having a settlement right across the street whos threatening their children every single day.

But then the other things that youve said, its just part of almost like the woodwork there now, but, you know, theres a wall. Theres this gigantic concrete wall cutting through the land that tries to separate Israelis and Palestinians. And then you were saying theres a road that only Palestinians can drive on. And that you need passes to go into certain areas.

You need to get approval before you can visit a place. Like, imagine what that would be like. In addition to the zoning of villages, I was surprised to hear that in some ways, its positive that the courts were working for you because I know that they dont work for a lot of Palestinians. So, that was, you know, one development that I havent heard before.

Amira: The only reason that we could go to the court, because my in-laws have Israeli citizenship.

Stephanie: I see.

Amira: You know? If youre Palestinian, like me, I am Palestinian, pure Palestinian with a Palestinian passport, goes to the Israeli court, they wouldnt listen to me. I wouldnt even like, you know, reach the door of the court, and then they would kick me out, you know. But thats the good thing, yeah, for my in-laws.

Stephanie: Thank you for clarifying.

Michael: Yeah. Throughout the Middle East, there have been episodes where the judiciary was able to restore justice, protect justice, and diminish violence. And I think isnt it interesting that now Prime Minister Netanyahu has actually attempted to neutralize the courts so that he can have absolutely unrestricted license to take over land and do these other kinds of violence?

I want to ask you, Amira, have you been working with Holy Land Trust and with Sami Awad?

Amira: Yes. I worked with Sami Awad in 2016 through 2019 in Holy Land Trust, where we worked on the regional project I mentioned before. It was three countries working together on a water matters project. Israelis, Palestinians, and Jordanians living around the Jordan Valley, from the Red to the Dead Sea, the three communities living around that area.

The project was to show how water resources are also confiscated and occupied and abused by the current situation. Like how water is accessible to Israelis but not to Palestinians. How our water, any water resource that we have, is totally controlled by Israel. And Israel would take it and then would sell us our water, you know?

So, for example, like now in Beit Jala, where I live, where we dont have water. So, we had to buy water and fill in our tanks. Like we dont have all the time water. We have to buy water and its very expensive. Imagine that. While my neighbors in Gilo, and in Jerusalem, just two minutes away from me, have Mekorot water, which is the Israeli water, which doesnt stop at any point. And it comes from our resources, our water resources, from the Palestinians.

Michael: What you just said reminds me, Amira, of something very critical that happened in the Indian struggle, where the British were taking Indian salt. Processing it and selling it back to them. And, of course, you know, salt is almost as critical as water for human life. So, you have exactly the same dynamic. And it means that theres a kind of vulnerability in the very injustice of it. Do you see what I mean?

No one could make a case that the British need to take away Indian salt from their own oceans and sell it back to them. So, the very glaring illogic and injustice can be a kind of weakness, if the nonviolence resistance persists.

Amira: Yes. I mean, like, I hope like more people would be willing to do like nonviolence, resistance. But sometimes its really difficult, believe me.

You know, Im a believer of nonviolent resistance, and I believe that it can happen, and it can win. And it can, you know. But sometimes its very difficult. Just imagine putting  lets just say this example, like putting an animal, a dog in a cage, okay? Where you control his food, his water, his life, his behavior.

And you are just putting him there and telling him, Okay, live your life in that cage. At some point, this dog, or this animal will become crazy, you know? Will want to attack you and kill you and bite you and so on. And this conflict is the same. If Israel wants to keep us in this open-air cage, prison, for so long, more people would want violence.

Exactly like what happened the 7th of October. I mean, Im not giving them  Im not saying it was a good. Of course, no. Nobody wants anybody to be killed. Nobody wants anybody  neither Jewish nor Israeli or a foreigner or whoever, to be killed. Of course, we are against what happened the 7th of October. But go back to the reason. Go back to why. You know, like go back and study the reasons why it happened and why its happening, and its still happening.

Stephanie: Often people understand that while we cant support terrorism, we can understand it. We can learn how to understand what were the conditions that led to it. And that is so important.

Youve been working for such a long time with UCP. Since you said you were 12 years old, in a very horrific situation. And now youre continuing to work with UCP with an assessment team, looking to bring more people like the Women in Black, that you had worked with earlier. But talk about the assessment team and what theyre looking to do in the West Bank and Gaza.

Amira: Yes. So, we were four people. One from Canada, one from Germany and two from Palestine. Me and Sami from Palestine. We did this assessment in July. We went all over the West Bank. We conducted interviews with different people  activists, people in the political level. People from the villages around who witnessed UCP before and have experience in that.

And so, we asked this question, what if we bring now 100 activists from abroad? Would that help in protecting the civilians in the West Bank, and of course, in Gaza? What would it look like? Is it going to be a new thing, or would we just add our efforts to the people who already are on the ground and doing UCP? Should we do it now, or should we wait until the war is finished?

Also, in the case of Gaza, how would it look like? You know, its different than the West Bank because in the West Bank, we live  like Israelis, like settlers live among us, between us. Like you walk in the street and then suddenly you are near a settlement. And then you go to a supermarket nearby, and then you see Israelis there or settlers there.

So, its really different than Gaza. Gaza, its more like they are surrounded with Israelis, but not inside Gaza. So, what would UCP look like in Gaza? Should we send people there, or should we do it from like doing advocacy, political pressure? You know, what kind of UCP is needed in Gaza? Thats the assessment we did.

And now we are working on our report for the assessment, which will be finished soon, at the end of this month. And then with this report, we will go together to talk with the different representatives. Maybe countries. Maybe UN. Maybe, you know, we will go and discuss it and see, like tell them the results and tell them how important UCP is. And what we should do and how we need their support in that.

Stephanie: Ive been made aware that theres a way that people can help support that project through Nonviolence International, which is the fiscal sponsor for that project. NonviolenceInternational.net is where people can go to help support that. Amira, what were some interesting things as youre writing, working on the report that you might be able to share of what you noticed?

Amira: Yeah. First of all, that UCP is very, very important. That UCP that happened in the past in the West Bank, in different villages, especially in South Hebron Hills. It was very successful, even though still, there are settlers and attacks and so on. But somehow it helped a lot by not expelling the people who live there.

And people are still steadfast. You know, like they are still there and living in their villages. So UCP showed  this report showed us that UCP is very important. Its very important for the existence of the Palestinian people in their lands, in their homes. Also, it showed what is needed, really. Like for example, there are lots of the organizations doing UCP already on the ground, but its not really organized between them.

So, for example, X organization is doing this, Y organization is doing that in the same place, but they dont have like coordination between them. So, like they need support in organizing things like logistical stuff, financial stuff. Like, people who would go and do the protective presence. We need cars because the areas that we do the protective presence, they are not like, easy access areas. Its like, you know, mountains, hills, and valleys.

So, we need like 44 cars, for example, which most of the organizations dont have. Or use their own cars, which are like broken from the first five minutes, you know? And this is one example, you know, from the needs. And like, lots of funding. Like people, they need lots of funding.

Like right now, I can tell you the example of the camp that we are doing in Beit Jala. So, for example, we are calling like activists to come and stay with us 24/7. But for example, there is nobody to bring us food because us, as a family, we cant provide food because we are  we stopped working. Were not going anymore to work to stay in the solidarity camp and to do the marches every day.

So, we need like a backup, you know, like money, to be able to cook for those people who are coming with us in solidarity. So, for example, this is like a very small example of food, transportation, gas. Its tough to cook, you know, like these tents. Like we need a bathroom because we are outside.

Theres no infrastructure there. So, we need a remote, or whatever we can call it  bathroom. So, like, these things is very small things that adds up to the money issue. So, its important that people abroad, that if they cant come and help or support, thats what they can do. Supports us financially.

Stephanie: Thats amazing because youve really helped lay out the entire  a broader vision of how people can support. So, even if they were to come over and say they didnt become an unarmed civilian protection person, they could also come and help drive a car, or they could help get food made or brought, bring food. Theres a number of other things that people can do, if they dont feel that theyre being called to be a UCP presence, but that they can still help even from whatever other country theyre in, they can give financial support to the project for all of these daily life needs of the teams and of people that are working on nonviolence, which is important.

Amira: Yes. And also, one important thing that I have to add is advocacy. Advocacy is very important. Like people who have been to Palestine and Israel, when they go back to their countries, just dont stay there and sit and say, I once visited Palestine and Israel, and I saw the checkpoints, and so on. No, go and talk about it, you know? Talk with your community, with your  maybe in universities, in schools, and then in your, you know, barbecue nights with your friends. You know, to tell people whats going on on the other side of the world because its all connected.

Its all connected. If this area stays like this, all the world is going to  going to really a  bad, bad things. So, I think everybody should talk about it, whoever is interested in this case. And I can help, and many people can help. There are plenty of organizations who talk about the conflict, about whats happening. You can, you know, Google, and then you have so many organizations who can tell you and give you firsthand information about the situation and whats happening.

Stephanie: Yeah. I was quite surprised, Amira, after October 7th, when papers started reporting on what life is like in the West Bank and what was happening with the settlements. So many people were surprised, and they didnt know that was happening, that there was this very intense escalation of violence on a daily basis from the Israeli government on Palestinians, especially in the West Bank. People didnt know that. So, not to take anything for granted that people understand whats going on there.

Amira: I totally understand. Like when I talk with people who come, like they meet me for the first time, and I tell them Im a Christian Palestinian, also they are surprised. Even lots of people in the States, they dont know that we exist here.

Come on, you know? Like really, some people, they asked me, when did you become a Christian? I tell them I was born. I never became a Christian. I am a Christian because I was born. Since my great-great-great-great grandfather, you know? My grandfather was the mayor of Bethlehem. My ancestors are Bethlehemite Christians from Bethlehem where Jesus was born, like Bethlehem is Christian. Come on.

So, this is like, to that extent, people dont know about us, about Palestine, about the conflict. Israel doesnt differentiate us from others. Like they treat us as Palestinians. They dont give us like special treatment because we are Christians. No. For them, we are Palestinians.

They dont care. You know, like my house was bombed. Our land is being taken. I have to go to Jerusalem, which is just five minutes from Bethlehem. I need a permit from the Israeli government to cross the checkpoint and go to church in Jerusalem, you know? Even if I have an American passport, I still cant go, you know? Im not allowed. Like, if you come to, to visit me, then you can go alone to Jerusalem. I cant go with you. Even if Im American. So, yeah, its really terrible.

Michael: Yeah. We experienced that ourselves. A friend of ours drove us up to Bethlehem, but had to stop and go back while we went in.

I just want to make one final comment, Amira, and that is that this kind of extreme violence that youve been describing is often its own undoing. That historically, if you look back at, you know, a couple of centuries, more centuries, what you see is people think that by being extremely violent theyre going to prevail. Theyre going to be secure. Theyre going to get what they want. But it always backfires. So, its very harmful.

Theres no way of getting around the pain and the risk. But in the long run, I want to say that I believe you are in a stronger position, and we wish you every success.

Amira: Thank you. Thank you.

Stephanie: Amira, thank you so much for joining us today on Nonviolence Radio. I have this, letter from Mel Duncan, whos also working on the outreach in the creation of this project for UCP.

And he suggests that people tell your story who have heard this, contact their representatives and senators in the US. That they call the State Department and talk about your situation. Demand that the US Embassy in Jerusalem intervene, that it has to stop supporting Israeli expansion on the West Bank. Demand an immediate cease fire in Gaza and stop any further arms shipments to Israel. Im sure you can. People can find out more about this at NonviolenceInternational.net. Amira Mussallam, thank you so much for joining us today.

Amira: Thank you. Thank you very much. Bye.

Stephanie: Bye. For those of you just tuning in, or have been listening, youre here at Nonviolence Radio, and weve been speaking with Amira Mussallam from Beit Jala, Palestine, about nonviolence in Palestine, and Israel-Palestine, and in the West Bank, and her situation on the front lines of that conflict.

If you want to learn more about nonviolence, go to MettaCenter.org. And you can find archives of this show at NonviolenceRadio.org.

We want to thank our mother stations, KPCA and KWMR. To Matt and Robin Watrous who are going to transcribe this show, thank you very much. Sophia Pechaty, Annie Hewitt, Bryan Farrell over at Waging Nonviolence, the show is syndicated there, also across the Pacifica Network.

Thank you to all community radio supporters. A special thank you to Amira Mussallam for her interview. Mel Duncan for putting us in contact. And to you, all of our listeners, until the next time, as we way, please take care of one another.

Via Waging Nonviolence
Researchers analyzed the fates of thousands of teenagers who graduated from high school in the United States in the late 1950s to take a closer look at how appearance may be related to the risk of death. The results show that the least attractive people have a slightly higher risk of living a relatively shorter life.

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The researchers analyzed the fates of thousands of teenagers who graduated from high school in the United States in the late 1950s. According to experts, features that are considered attractive can transmit information about a person's health, Science Alert writes.

Previous studies have found a link between the human immune system and beauty ratings. However, now scientists have found that there is scant evidence that people who are generally considered attractive are more likely to see a deep old age.

"Little is known about the link between facial attractiveness and longevity. But attractiveness may convey underlying health and systematically structure important processes of social stratification," write sociologist Connor Sheehan of Arizona State University and economist Daniel Hamermesh of the University of Texas at Austin in an article published on the Science Direct website.

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The researchers asked an independent panel to rate the attractiveness of 8386 photos of high school graduates in 1957 as part of the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study. This survey was then used to divide people into six different categories, ranked from most to least attractive.

Using the National Death Index, it was then compared to deaths that occurred in the group by 2022, by which time they were around 80 years old. Almost 43 percent of the people in the sample had died by the end of the follow-up period.

Those in the lowest tier of attractiveness were about 16.8 percent more likely to die than those in the middle of the rankings. However, the difference in mortality rates between the middle four positions and those rated as the most attractive individuals was not significant.

"Overall, we found that those whose facial attractiveness was rated the lowest had a higher lifetime risk of mortality compared to those who were rated medium or high. Importantly, we found a small advantage in longevity for those who scored high compared to average attractiveness," the experts explain.

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Analyzing factors such as education and earnings somewhat reduced the significance of the differences, with health being the most influential variable. This means that in some cases, poor health and, as a result, poor appearance may play a role.

The data presented here is not enough to prove direct causation, and is limited in that it is for one geographic area, and the researchers acknowledge that the causes of the relationship are not certain. Still, it's an interesting set of findings when it comes to public health concerns. Scientists are eager to see more research into deeper connections on this topic so that life expectancy can be measured objectively.

"Sociologists should investigate how attractiveness can influence other processes that may contribute to its relationship with health and longevity," the authors of the study write.

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Only verified information is available on the OBOZ.UA Telegram channel and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!








Sunday, August 25, 2024 - Controversial Senator Karen Nyamu and her baby daddy, DJ Saint, came together to celebrate their daughters 10th birthday on Saturday night.

Taking to her social media pages, Karen shared photos of the colorful party attended by friends and family and wished her daughter more life.

Double digits it is! 10 years of nurturing, fun, laughter, friendship, family, bond, adventure, learning and loving.

"Thank you, God, for your faithfulness. Your word has proven true in this journey. Thank you for 10. Looking forward to many more, she wrote.

Saint and Karen Nyamu co-parent successfully despite parting ways.

Saint revealed in an interview that he broke up with Karen because she was always insecure and described her as a narcissist.

See photos of the birthday party.

The Kenyan DAILY POST.






Saturday, August 24, 2024 - Controversial blogger Aoko Otieno claims that President William Ruto has secret baby mamas whom he takes care of and funds their lavish lifestyles.

She claimed in a tweet that Ruto has a 7-year-old daughter called Soraya, who lives with her mother in Karen in a four-bedroom house.

She also alleged that the head of state has another baby mama called Stella.

He reportedly bought Stella a mansion at Beach Road in the upscale Nyali neighbourhood.

According to the fiery blogger who claims to have dirty secrets of prominent politicians, Stellas neighbour Peter Sugut died mysteriously after he started wooing her.

In 2019, lawyer Miguna Miguna alleged that Ruto has 27 kids with different baby mamas.

Check out Aokos explosive tweets.









The Kenyan DAILY POST.




Sunday, August 25, 2024 - Chief Justice Martha Koome has challenged President William Ruto to consider consolidating all education funding to provide free tertiary education for all.

In a statement, Koome noted that all the funds allocated to Members of County Assemblies (MCAs), Members of Parliament (MPs), women reps, and governors through their respective kitties can be consolidated into one fund to finance a free education system.

According to her, dissemination of the funds, which is done through the constituency development fund (CDF) by MPs and MCAs, is a duplication of roles that should be rolled into one kitty.

You find that there is a bursary fund allocated from the taxpayers money for the governor, women rep, the MPs, and MCAs to help finance needy learners, she pointed out.

Now, all those bursaries on how they are disbursed, why don't you put them in one fund and make education free for all?

Koome branded the new university funding model as promoting inequality among students, something that undermines the progress of our society.

She further criticized the model citing its viability in placing students in bands they deserve to be in.

The child who has qualified to go to the university can be there crying because he has been put to band 5 when he ought to be in band 1 and therefore cannot afford to go to the university, she lamented.

According to her, the new model only reinforces how unjust the society is.

The Kenyan DAILY POST




Sunday, August 25, 2024 - A prominent politician found himself in a tricky situation after his wife stormed his office and accused a female aide of rocking her marriage.

The aide has been working for the politician for years.

So close has the relationship been that those in the know consider her to be the second wife.

Read..





The Kenyan DAILY POST.




Sunday, August 25, 2024 - Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has castigated men close to President William Ruto who are opposing his efforts to unite the Mt. Kenya region.

According to Gachagua, some men close to Ruto from the Mt. Kenya region have been insulting him on social media platforms like WhatsApp, while publicly pretending to support him.

They talk on WhatsApp groups which they know is safe but at funerals, political gatherings, and even churches, they are supporting my push for Mt Kenya unity, Gachagua stated

Gachagua told the leaders present that it will be impossible for him to push for national unity yet his backyard is in disarray.

The Second in Command, further stated that he foresaw the need to call for national unity even before President William Ruto decided to form the broad-based government.

The Kenyan DAILY POST




Sunday, August 25, 2024 - The National Assembly's Budget and Appropriations Committee chairperson Ndindi Nyoro has differed with Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi after he claimed that the government had no money to pay Junior Secondary School teachers.

Speaking when he accompanied President William Ruto in Nandi County yesterday, Nyoro said the government has allocated monies to facilitate the permanent employment of JSS teachers contrary to Mbadis views.

Mbadi had vowed that the government would not hire educators on permanent and pensionable terms since it was facing a cash crunch.

But, according to the Kiharu MP, the government had set aside funds despite the fate that caught the Finance Bill 2024.

"I want to assure our JSS interns that I am the chairman of the budget committee in the National Assembly; we budgeted Sh 18.7 billion to confirm our JSS interns into permanent and pensionable terms.

"All that money is available, so when they hear things, they should know that as their brothers and sisters, we care about them," said Nyoro.

The lawmaker observed that it would be unreasonable for the educators to continue earning Sh 17,000 salary despite having been interning for over two years.

The Kenyan DAILY POST




Sunday, August 25, 2024 - Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has fired a warning shot at a group of Mt. Kenya leaders challenging his position as the regions kingpin, stating that their days are numbered.

Speaking at the wedding ceremony of Paul Wetosi and Jacinta Wanjiru, daughter of Juja MP George Koimburi, at the Juja Preparatory School grounds in Kiambu County, Gachagua warned that anyone fighting him is going against the interests of Mt. Kenya.

As a result, he said the rebels will be ousted from office in 2027.

According to Gachagua, Mt. Kenya residents have put these leaders on notice, warning that their fate will be sealed soon if they do not change.

"As we prepare ahead of the 2027 elections, take note that the coming election will be very competitive. You know I am that person who listens to the ground. Some serious decisions have already been made," Gachagua said.

The DP continued with his message of unity in the Mount Kenya region, asking residents to work together and ignore the politics of succession.

He warned MPs from the region to go slow on the clamour to succeed him and instead focus on development and interests that affect the people.

However, as Gachagua was warning about premature succession politics, some of his critics met in Eldoret to strategize.

The MPs, led by Laikipia East MP Mwangi Kiunjuri, said Gachagua has no option but to accept the new political arrangement and stop undermining Ruto.

The lawmakers met with over 300 representatives of the Kikuyu community, reportedly to discuss matters of national unity.

Other MPs present were Joseph Wainaina (nominated), John Kiarie (Dagoretti South), John Kiragu (Limuru), and Duncan Mathenge (Nyeri Town).

The Kenyan DAILY POST




Sunday, August 25, 2024 - Homa Bay Town MP Peter Kaluma has criticized members of the Kikuyu community for demanding that President William Ruto 'must go' despite holding the majority of seats in the Kenya Kwanza Alliance government.

In a social media post on Saturday, Kaluma wondered why members of the Kikuyu community are complaining yet they have the Deputy President position, 6 cabinet slots, 16 principal secretary slots, and 60 percent of top cadre government posts.

Why should Mt. Kenya have the DP, 6 Cabinet Secretaries, 16 Principal Secretaries, and 60% of top-cadre government positions but still shout RutoMustGo - wrong!

"President Ruto must implement Articles 10 and 32 of the Constitution on inclusivity/face of Kenya in public service, Kaluma wrote on his X page.

Kaluma is among ODM lawmakers who have criticized Kikuyu community members for supporting the Gen Z protests that nearly ousted President William Ruto from power.

The Kenyan DAILY POST
Archaeologists have found a long-lost altar near the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. The sensational discovery was made by accident when builders overturned a giant stone slab that was lying near the wall of the shrine where Jesus was resurrected.

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It was believed that the altar was destroyed in a fire in 1808. But it turned out that it was in front of hundreds of pilgrims every day, who also regularly painted it with graffiti, not realizing that it was an invaluable Christian artifact, writes DailyMail.

The site of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher is designated as the shrine of Jesus' crucifixion and tomb. Every year there are about four million visitors. And none of them have ever noticed the peculiarity of this massive stone, which is 2.5 meters long and 1.5 meters wide.

When construction workers decided to remove the stone that had been standing there for a long time, they saw something extraordinary. On the reverse side, the slab was decorated with ribbon ornaments that were typical of the Roman tradition in the Middle Ages. Subsequently, the scientists also saw clear markings on the stone, demonstrating that it was an altar consecrated in 1149.

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The team of researchers from the Austrian Academy of Sciences (OeAW), which was the first to study the found altar, emphasized that this discovery is a sensation for historians in several ways.

"The very fact that the slab could remain hidden for so long in such an intensively studied building as the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, in front of thousands of pilgrims and tourists every day, is incredible," the researchers wrote.

The Church of the Holy Sepulcher, which is over 1645 meters in diameter, was built on top of a Roman temple dedicated to the goddess Venus in 335 AD. During the construction, a tomb believed to belong to Jesus Christ was discovered here.

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The Church of the Holy Sepulcher was destroyed by the Persian army in 614 and almost completely rebuilt in 1009. In the 1800s, the church suffered a devastating fire in which the altar was believed to have been lost.

Only verified information is available on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!






Sunday, August 25, 2024 - The two Boeing Starliner astronauts who have been stranded in space for 80 days will stay for another six months, NASA officials announced Saturday, August 24 in a worrying statement.

Over two months ago, Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams went on a NASA mission to space with Boeing Starliner spaceship after NASA snubbed Elon Musk's Space X to give a multi billion dollar deal to Boeing for space missions.

After the space ship developed faults, NASA now says the astronauts are now expected to return to Earth in February using Elon Musk's Space X's spaceship, while the Boeing Starliner will be brought back to earth unmanned.

Veteran astronauts, Wilmore and Williams launched aboard Boeings Starliner back on June 5, the maiden crewed voyage for the spacecraft  for what was supposed to be an eight-day mission docked to the International Space Station.





The test flight, however, encountered thruster failures and helium leaks so serious that NASA kept the capsule parked as engineers tried to find a solution.

Today makes it the pairs 80th day in space. Wilmore and Williams will return as part of a SpaceX Dragon Crew-9 mission, officials said.

The decision to bring the astronauts to earth in February was the result of a commitment to safety, NASA administrator Bill Nelson explained.

But NASA is still 100 percent certain the Starliner will launch with an astronaut crew again in the future, Nelson added.

This has not been an easy decision, but it is absolutely the right one, NASA Associate Administrator James Free said.




Sunday, August 25, 2024 - President William Ruto has thanked former Prime Minister Raila Odinga for saving the country from destruction and accepting to form a broad-based government with him.

At the height of the Gen Z protests in June and July, Ruto approached Raila Odinga and begged him to form a coalition government to at least appease the youths who had made the country ungovernable.

Speaking in Kakamega during the homecoming of Cooperatives and MSMEs Cabinet Secretary, Wycliffe Oparanya on Saturday, Ruto observed the need for a united country to achieve its aspirations.

The president suggested a longstanding unity with the opposition chief, foreseeing the successes the country tends to record in an atmosphere of peace and tranquility.

"We have all agreed to walk this road. I want to thank my elder brother for accepting to walk with us on this journey of uniting all Kenyans...," Ruto said.

Ruto spoke at a time when Raila Odinga has been denying claims of forming a Nusu Mkate government with the Kenya Kwanza regime.

The Kenyan DAILY POST




Sunday, August 25, 2024 - President William Rutos daughter, Charlene, was among the guests at the wedding of Muranga Deputy Governor Stephen Mburu, Kenyas youngest Deputy Governor, and his fiancee.

Charlene looked stunning in a floral dress that made her stand out at the colourful wedding attended by prominent politicians, among them Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.

She also ditched her signature wigs that most Kenyans hate to see and sported a trendy ponytail.

See photos.





























The Kenyan DAILY POST.




Sunday, August 25, 2024 - National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula was to be arrested had he honored an invitation for an official trip to Dubai.

He has been avoiding trips to Dubai after he was linked to a fake gold scam that saw a Saudi royal defrauded millions of shillings.

An ally got wind of plans to arrest him, prompting him to cancel the trip.

His office fixed for him a trip to Rome to act as a cover-up for his decision to skip the first invite.

The cover-up trip in Rome.

Are Kenyans aware that Their Speaker Moses wetangula is In Rome doing this ? Is it an official trip or personal ? If official what's the ROI for Kenyans?kairo miguna miguna pic.twitter.com/NQgxgH2kOt  Sholla Ard  (@sholard_mancity) August 25, 2024

The Kenyan DAILY POST






Sunday, August 25, 2024 - Three people have been killed with five others seriously injured in a knife attack at a German festival.

At about 10 pm local time on Friday, August 23, a single, unidentified man attacked multiple people with a knife and the perpetrator remains at large, police said.

Police said the attack occurred at a festival to honour Solingens 650th anniversary, which is located in North Rhine-Westphalia state, Germanys most populous and bordering the Netherlands.

The Bild newspaper reported that the assailant had fled the scene after attacking festival-goers at random.

Police said they believed the stabbings were carried out by a lone attacker.

The police also put the number of seriously injured at five, but the region's top security official, Herbert Reul, gave a figure of six as he visited the scene in the early hours of Saturday.

Mr Reul told reporters it was a targeted attack on human life but declined to speculate on the motive.

"None of us knows why" the attack took place, said Mr Reul.

"I can't say anything about the motive now" and it isn't clear who the assailant was, he also said, adding that the attacker had left the scene "relatively quickly".

People had gathered for the Festival of Diversity which started on Friday to mark the 650th anniversary of the 160,000-strong city.

It was supposed to run through to Sunday, with several stages in the city offering attractions such as live music, cabaret and acrobatics.

The festival has now been stopped and people have been told to leave the area, Robbins said.

The city's mayor, Tim Kurzbach, said in a Facebook post, "We in Solingen are all in shock. We all wanted to celebrate our city's anniversary together and now have dead and wounded to lament".

He added: "It breaks my heart that an attack on our city happened."

The German government has been aiming to toughen rules on knives that can be carried in public by reducing the length allowed.






Saturday, August 24, 2024 - A tourist has been knifed to death on the paradise island of Mauritius by the man she met on Tinder and decided to connect with for a holiday romance.

Zaliya Shamigulova had been missing since leaving her rental flat near the Flic-en-Flac beach on August 17.

The university teacher from Russia was seen wearing a white and blue dress on video getting into a blue Toyota car of a "local man" who was giving her a lift.







It was the last time Zaliya was seen alive, and she was reported missing by a female travelling companion.

Her relatives in Russia received messages purportedly from her saying she had decided to disappear and not to contact her.

Her naked body was found in a makeshift grave on Thursday, August 22, with multiple stab wounds in woodland in La Marie, a residential area, said reports.

Now it has emerged that the detained suspect Puryavirsingh Sundur, 29, met Zaliya via the dating app Tinder, according to Russian media outlet SHOT, which spoke to her distraught family.





Sundur, an IT engineer, confessed to the killing, according to local police who are now determining if there were accomplices.

"He said he was deeply in love with 29-year-old Zaliya Shamigulova and [claimed he] was planning to marry her," said the report.

During interrogation, he said that he had "allegedly learned about his new girlfriend's infidelity".





On Saturday, August 17, the IT man went to take the Russian woman sightseeing on the island, but in a fit of jealous rage, he pulled out a knife and brutally killed his lover before stripping her and burying her body.

Zaliya had recently posted that on her Mauritius holiday, she was "catching happiness every day."





She had been a torch bearer ahead of the Winter Olympics in Sochi in 2014.

Zaliya was a university teacher from Chelyabinsk in the Urals who had been due to travel to Madagascar on 1 September.
In 2024, I met a Tamil doctor at an event. We spoke of memories from our childhood in Sri Lanka. We had one stark memory to share: burning bodies in stacks of tires, with beheaded human beings nearby. This was life in the Sinhalese-Tamil ethnic war in the eighties, nineties, and beyond, coupled with a Marxist-Leninist insurrection in the country.

Yet, there we were, two doctors, one born a Tamil and one a Sinhalese, two ethnicities once at war, now Australians at peace, celebrating friendship.

This was, in part, a reminder of the power of medicine. We are a profession that can transcend division through our shared purpose, which is healing humanity. This is one of the reasons why I became a doctor. Tamil or Sinhalese, Australian or Sri Lankan, I wanted to do something positive for humanity at large.

Sadly, humanity continues to shed blood. After living through conflict for the first ten years of life, three decades later, I wonder whether it is true that only the dead have seen the end of war. In 2024, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, Africa, Southeast Asia, and South America are among the parts of the world experiencing conflict.

Fueled by this, we are a profession divided. Our impassioned voices carry over to scientific meetings, journals, and the media, understandably so.

In a world desperate for unity, it is time to examine who we are. Are we a profession that stokes the fires of discord? Alternatively, are we going to be a thread that runs through the fabric of humanity, healing our divisions?

The Hippocratic aphorism says, Wherever the art of medicine is loved, there is also a love of humanity. In the love of medicine, there is the love of the entire humanity, with all our faultsnot just parts of it.

This is not a call to be still while evil happens. It is a call for us to be an incorruptible force in our work to heal not just humans but humanity.

Dinesh Palipana is an emergency medicine resident in Australia.
Canning is an integral part of the lives of many households. And one of the most important stages of this process is sterilization of jars.

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Jars that have been properly treated can become a reliable place to store various items or homemade preparations. House Digest has explained how to sterilize them quickly and easily.

Recently, an ingenious life hack on how to sterilize canning jars in the oven has appeared online. It can save a lot of time and minimizes the risk that the food inside will spoil due to bacteria.

In addition, sterilized jars can be used not only for food, but also for storing various small items in your home that should be protected from moisture, insects, mold, etc.

How to sterilize jars in the oven

Before you start sterilizing, it's important to keep a few things in mind. Although glass jars may seem sturdy, they can be vulnerable to thermal shock. If the temperature is changed abruptly, the jars can crack or even explode. To avoid such situations, follow the instructions:

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Preheat the oven to a temperature of no more than 130 degrees. Higher temperatures can cause damage to the glass; Before putting the jars in the oven, wash them in hot water and detergent. You can leave them damp afterwards; Remove the rubber seals and lids from the jars to prevent them from melting; Place a towel or newspaper on the baking sheet before placing the jars on it; Put the baking sheet with the jars in a warm (not hot) oven and leave for 10-20 minutes; After sterilization, let the jars cool down on their own. This will help avoid a sudden temperature drop that can lead to cracks.

What you need to know about safety during sterilization

Some experts in the United States and Canada do not recommend sterilizing food storage jars in the oven. This is due to possible risks, such as insufficient temperature stability, which may not kill all germs. Therefore, they advise choosing other sterilization methods for food, such as boiling.

However, if you want to use jars to store a variety of items - from home cosmetics to needlework materials - the oven sterilization method will be a great option.

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Archvist and prolific author James Durney will launch a book with enormous Kildare references in the Curragh Military Museum on Wednesday called Jailbreak. Great Irish Republican Escapes 1865-1983.

The book will be officially launched by Art McCoy whose father John features heavily in the book, after he orchestrated the escape of Frank Aitken and a 100 others from Dundalk in July 1922, and then subsequently escaped from Tintown Camp on the Currragh Plains.

The event will take place on Wednesday at Naas Library at 7pm.

Anyone that has grown up in mid-Kildare in the early 1970s will recall the escapes from the Curragh Camp and Portlaoise Prison, said the 62-year-old Naas native, whose day job is an archivist in the former town library at the Harbour.

Author James Durney

Sirens would sound in Naas, the Curragh and Kildare town, signalling that something major had happened and calling all troops back to barracks to aid in the search for escapees or man roadblocks and checkpoints, he explained.

Astonishingly, James thinks this is his 25th book, saying: I lost count after 20, in a writing career he began in 1997.

It took me about a year to write it, when I put my mind to it, he explained.

It was an idea I had for a while after my sister found an old album in the house, after our mother died, that I had bought my father in the 80s called Re publican Jail Songs, he said.

Songs like Over the Wall, 19 Men, Crumlin Kangaroos, a lot of them were banned in the 1970s off the radio, so the only way to hear them was to buy the album, he said.

I approached Conor Graham at Merrion Press in Newbridge with the idea, and he wanted me to go back further, to 1865 when the leader of the Irish Republican Brotherhood James Stephens was helped by our own John Devoy to escape after only 11 days in jail, said James.

Escapes from both the Curragh and Portlaoise feature in the book.

During the War of Independence and the Civil War, the Curragh plains was home to some of the largest and most important internment camps in the country.

The Rath Camp, opened on 1 March 1921 and housed up to 1,300 men, but within days Rory OConnor and an accomplice walked out the front gate.

In September 1921, during the Truce and while negotiations for the Anglo-Irish Treaty were ongoing, over 50 republican internees tunnelled their way out of here.

With the outbreak of the Civil War the following year, Newbridge Cavalry Barracks was converted to an internment centre for anti-Treaty IRA prisoners, and it was from here the greatest escape in Irish prison history occurred over a weekend in October 1922 when 112 prisoners escaped through a tunnel into the sewer.

35 men from County Kildare escaped the biggest group by county, while twelve men from Carlow fled through the sewer and tunnel.

William Squires Gannon, then only 21, made a successful escape and was not recaptured. Gannon was later winner of two All-Ireland medals (1927 and 1928) and was the first captain to raise the Sam Maguire Cup.

Tintown Internment Camp, on the Curragh plains, held about 5,000 internees, and apart from intermittent escapes  Peadar ODonnell also walked out the front gate  another 70 internees tunnelled their way to freedom.

One of them was the aforementioned John McCoy, originally from Mullaghbawn, Co. Armagh, but who later settled in Kill.

He was father of Olympic boxer Colm McCoy (Rome, 1960), and Art and John of McCoy Motors, Lucan, the latter of which will launch the book on 29 August.

The Curragh was back in business after the IRA launched the Border Campaign in 1956 and again, the became a holding centre when the Troubles erupted in 1968, when the Glasshouse Military Prison was used to house republican prisoners.

The Curragh was chosen in the likely expectation that its remoteness would preclude riots which had taken place inside and outside Mountjoy Jail in 1972.

However, within weeks a major clash took place on the Curragh Plains when a demonstration of 2,000 people, organised by Provisional Sinn Fein and Peoples Democracy, degenerated into a full-scale riot, involving around 200 breakaway demonstrators, gardai and riot-gear-clad soldiers.

This was the first time riot troops had been deployed in the Republic.

After a helicopter escape from Mountjoy by three republicans  Seamus Twomey, Kevin Mallon and J. B. OHagen  all IRA prisoners held at Mountjoy and the Curragh Camp were transferred to the maximum security in Portlaoise on 9 November 1973.
All Irish peacekeepers in Lebanon are safe and accounted for after Israel launched a wave of air strikes across the southern part of the country.

Israeli military undertook what it described as pre-emptive strikes against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon early on Sunday, saying it had detected plans to attack Israel.

Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed group based in southern Lebanon, itself launched drones against targets in Israel, saying it was acting in response to the killing of one of its top commanders in an air strike on Beirut last month.

The heavy exchange of fire threatened to trigger a war that could draw in the United States, Iran and militant groups across the region.

It could also destroy efforts to forge a ceasefire in Gaza, where Israel has been at war with the Palestinian group Hamas, an ally of Hezbollah, for more than 10 months.

Irish premier Simon Harris said the Government was monitoring the situation very closely and emphasised the importance of a de-escalation in tensions in the region.

He said the Irish soldiers on a UN peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon were all accounted for.

Joint statement from UNIFIL and @UNSCOL In light of worrying developments across the Blue Line since the early morning, UNSCOL and UNIFIL call on all to cease fire and refrain from further escalatory action.  UNIFIL (@UNIFIL_) August 25, 2024

Of course, from an Irish point of view, were very carefully monitoring the situation in relation to the Unifil (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) mission, the Taoiseach said in Cork.

Both our Defence Forces and Unifil headquarters are monitoring the wellbeing of our peacekeepers.

Weve been informed that they are all safe, they are secure and that they are accounted for and, of course, thats important that we continue to monitor this.

Irelands deputy premier and foreign affairs minister Micheal Martin said he had been briefed by the Irish armys chief of staff Sean Clancy.

He was told that the Irish peacekeepers in the region had sheltered in bunkers overnight.

I have been briefed by the chief of staff on the situation in Lebanon following the strikes between Hezbollah and Israel overnight, Mr Martin said.

I have been advised that while Irish personnel serving in Unifil have taken shelter in secured bunkers overnight, all are safe and accounted for.

The Defence Forces and Unifil HQ continue to monitor the situation closely and the Chief of Staff will continue to update me accordingly.

It is imperative that we see the immediate de-escalation of military hostilities by all parties.

There are 332 Irish members of the 124th battalion, which also includes several Maltese, Polish and Hungarian personnel.

The battalion began its six-month deployment to Lebanon in May as part of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil).
The Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) will honor late "Parasite" actor Lee Sun-kyun for his contribution to the country's film scene at this year's event, the festival's organizer said, Azernews reports citing The Korean Times.

Lee will posthumously receive the Korean Cinema Award at the BIFF, which will take place in the southern port city of Busan from Oct. 2 to 11.

The festival will feature a special program, "In Memory of Lee Sun-kyun," to honor the late actor's achievements by showcasing six of his most celebrated films. Additionally, special talk events will be held to explore how the actor contributed to the diversity of the Korean film scene.

Debuting in 2001, Lee appeared in various dramas and films, including director Bong Joon-ho's Oscar-winning film "Parasite." Last October, he underwent a series of police questioning on allegations of illegal drug use. Though he tested negative for drugs, he was found dead amid the investigation last December.

The BIFF said it aims to remember Lee's acting career and achievements and provide a space to commemorate him.

"The Korean Cinema Award is given to filmmakers who have contributed to promoting Korean cinema globally. This year, the award will be presented to the late actor Lee Sun-kyun at the opening ceremony (of the festival) for his diverse filmography, which is beloved by the international film community," the organizer said.

The six works featuring Lee that will be screened are director Park Chan-ok's 2009 film "Paju," director Hong Sang-soo's 2013 film "Our Sunhi," director Kim Seong-hun's 2014 film "A Hard Day," director Kim Won-suk's 2018 drama "My Mister," Bong's 2019 film "Parasite" and director Choo Chang-min's "Land of Happiness," Lee's final work currently in theaters.

Among the works, the organizer will showcase the fifth episode of My Mister (2018), a 16-episode TV series, in which Lee touched the hearts of many through his humane performance. The organizer said the episode best showcases both Lees presence as an actor and the essence of (his) character Park Dong-hoon cinematically.
Astronauts Barry Wilmore and Suni Williams, who are forced to stay on the International Space Station due to technical problems with the Boeing Starliner, will return to Earth only in February 2025. Initially, their mission was supposed to last only 8 days.

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This was announced by NASA Chairman Bill Nelson. It was decided that the Starliner will return to Earth without a crew.

The astronauts will be delivered to Earth on the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft, which will go to the ISS in September as part of a rotational mission. Two of the four seats on the Crew Dragon are reserved for Wilmore and Williams.

"Spaceflight is risky, even at its safest and most routine. A test flight, by nature, is neither safe, nor routine. The decision to keep Butch and Suni aboard the International Space Station and bring Boeings Starliner home uncrewed is the result of our commitment to safety: our core value and our North Star," said Bill Nelson.

The Boeing Starliner spacecraft left for its first mission with astronauts to the International Space Station on June 5, succeeding only on the third attempt. Initially, it was planned that the spacecraft with the crew would return to Earth eight days after docking with the station, but during the flight, a problem with the engines occurred, making the crew's return to the Starliner unsafe.

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The first problem with the Starliner was discovered on Earth before the launch as there was a helium leak in the ship's orientation system due to a faulty valve that controls the pressure in the fuel tank. During the flight, a similar leak occurred in five of the 28 engines.

The Starliner, which was designed for autonomous flights and has previously made two unmanned launches, is now preparing to return to Earth. NASA and Boeing will work together to adjust the mission completion plan and set up Starliner systems for a safe, crewless return in the coming weeks. The Starliner must return to Earth before the launch of the Crew-9 mission to ensure that there is a free port for docking at the station.

Only verified information is available on OBOZ.UA Telegram channel and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!

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The program will freeze homeowners property taxes, meaning the tax will stay the same even as the value of the home rises.
President Yoon Suk Yeol is expected to announce pension reform as early as this week that would expand benefits for conscripts and mothers to reduce the burden on younger generations and ensure the system's sustainability, a source said Sunday.

"The president will hold a briefing on state affairs this week," presidential chief of staff Chung Jin-suk said in a high-level policy consultation meeting with the ruling People Power Party. "The president will share with the people his vision and ambition for a key state policy that is directly linked to the country's plan for long-term prospects."

The pension reform plan is likely to center on enhancing fairness among generations by easing the financial burden on the younger generation and inducing older generations who will be receiving their pension allowances at an earlier date to pay more.

It also includes securing the system's sustainability by adjusting payments and allowances in the event the fund is on the verge of drying up, as well as expanding benefits for conscripts and mothers, in a move seen as easing the burden on people in their 20s and 30s.

The health ministry is expected to announce a detailed plan of the pension reform early next month in a follow-up to Yoon's briefing, which is likely to take place after a parliamentary house steering committee meeting scheduled for Tuesday.

Yoon is also expected to touch on the need to continuously pursue reform in education and labor, such as providing extended education at elementary schools after regular school hours and beefing up support for temporary workers and workers that are not part of labor unions.

His briefing will also likely include measures for medical reform, such as inducing major hospitals to focus on critical patients and strengthening support for health care workers in essential areas. (Yonhap)
By Lee Yeon-woo

When Laura Shin began her journalism career at Newsweek in the late 1990s, it was considered one of the most prestigious places to work. Back then, news consumption was not yet online, but the magazine's influence grew notably after online media broke the Monica Lewinsky story. Despite this prominence, Newsweek was sold for just a dollar in 2010.

"I just saw how much the internet disrupted (the way) everything was done. And I feel like it's going to be the same for blockchain technology," Shin told The Korea Times during her recent visit to Korea.

Her first exposure to cryptocurrency came while she was freelancing for Forbes. As she researched the digital currency industry for the Forbes Fintech 50 list, she recognized that it represented a transformative system. She observed that some companies were merely applying a digital veneer to outdated financial concepts.

She later became a senior editor at Forbes and continued to report on the industry. During this period, numerous novel developments emerged, including the initial coin offering (ICO) craze of 2017 and 2018. Shin discovered that much of the market's buzz, confusion, and excitement stemmed not from Bitcoin, but from a single crypto project  Ethereum.

She felt a strong urge to shed light on the history of Ethereum. In 2022, she completed her story, drawing on interviews with around 200 stakeholders from the Ethereum community over three years.

Her book, "The Cryptopians: Idealism, Greed, Lies, and the Making of the First Big Cryptocurrency Craze," offers a vivid account of Ethereum's origin, conflicts and evolution.

It also sheds light on the personality and leadership of its founder, Vitalik Buterin, known for his difficulty in refusing others and his preference for peace. These characteristics also made him susceptible to manipulation by Ming Chan, a former executive director of the Ethereum Foundation, who sought personal gains.

During her research, she and her sources uncovered evidence identifying those behind the 2016 hack of the Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO) on Ethereum. In that incident, the hacker exploited a vulnerability to siphon off 31 percent of the Ethereum coins held by the DAO, amounting to 5 percent of the total supply at that time.

"It was important for me to show, as the title says, the idealism and the greed and the lies  all good and bad," Shin said. "Surprisingly, other people (who had worked or were working for Ethereum at the time) also felt the history needed to be recorded."

The book was published in Korea in June and Shin visited the country in mid-August to promote it.

"My parents emigrated from Korea, and I'm very proud of my ancestry," Shin said. "It's very nice to have the book come out in Korean and to have people come (wanting) to see me and get their book signed."

Shin is also famous here for her interview with Do Kwon on her blockchain and cryptocurrency podcast Unchained in 2022 when Kwon was on the run before his arrest at Montenegro airport.

Kwon was very different from Vitalik, who is so humble and community-oriented, according to Shin. "Before the Terra-Luna collapse, Kwon was one of the ones who frequently tweeted 'have fun staying poor' (to people who don't believe in crypto) ... But when I interviewed him, he was quite a lot more humble," Shin recalled.

"Everybody wanted to know answers to many questions, so I wanted to make sure that I asked the most important ones," Shin said. "I wanted to address, is he a failed entrepreneur? Is he a fraud? Is he a criminal?"
By Kim Hyun-bin

As the U.S. presidential election nears, speculation is rising about the possibility of North Korea staging major provocations to influence the outcome.

Analysts are examining whether Pyongyang might act in a way that could indirectly benefit former U.S. President Donald Trump's campaign, though opinions on the likelihood and effectiveness of such a strategy vary.

"There's a chance North Korea could try to exploit the U.S. election to its advantage," said Park Won-gon, a professor of North Korean studies at Ewha Womans University. "If Kim Jong-un really wants Trump back in the White House, he might calculate that a well-timed provocation could weaken the Biden administration, making Trump's re-election more likely."

Trump's presidency saw a significant shift in U.S.-North Korea relations, marked by direct diplomacy with Kim Jong-un. Some experts believe Pyongyang might view Trump as a more favorable candidate for its interests.

"From North Korea's perspective, Trump might offer a better chance to be recognized as a de facto nuclear state," Park said. "He could be more open to a deal where North Korea declares a moratorium on certain activities in exchange for partial sanctions relief."

Some experts speculate North Korea might stage a military provocation as early as October, aiming to depict the Biden administration's North Korea policy as ineffective and thus bolster Trump's position in the upcoming election.

"If Kim Jong-un believes he can benefit from Trump's victory, we might see pressure from North Korea," Bruce Klingner, a senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation, said during an Aug. 14 discussion with the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Klingner suggested a significant provocation could include a nuclear test or the launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile over Japan, intended to send a message that only Trump can resolve the dangerous situation with North Korea.

Kim Jong-un, who engaged in summits with Trump during his presidency, has maintained a personal relationship with Trump through ongoing correspondence, even after the collapse of the Hanoi summit in February 2019. Trump has frequently mentioned Kim in recent campaign rallies, signaling his intent to improve relations with North Korea if reelected.

South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik echoed concerns about potential North Korean provocations around the U.S. election.

In an interview last month, Shin expressed concerns that North Korea might conduct a nuclear test, suggesting such a decision could be timed to coincide with the U.S. election to enhance North Korea's negotiating leverage.

Both South Korean and U.S. governments have voiced concerns that North Korea may have completed preparations for a seventh nuclear test, which could be initiated at any time.

President Yoon Suk Yeol said the North Korean regime is "the most irrational group on Earth, capable of provoking at any moment" and emphasized that "only our military's strong security posture can prevent their misjudgments."

Yoon visited the Ground Operations Command to observe the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises on Wednesday. He is the first commander-in-chief of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces to visit the Ground Operations Command, which was established in 2019 by merging the 1st and 3rd Army Corps.

"All service members must be armed with the conviction to protect our people's lives, safety and the system of liberal democracy," Yoon said. "We must make it clear to the North Korean regime, which dreams of unification under communist rule and is always looking for opportunities to target South Korea, that any act of aggression will mean the end of their regime."

However, some question whether North Korea will proceed with a major provocation like a nuclear test or long-range missile launch.

Several analysts highlight factors that could deter Pyongyang from taking such drastic action despite its history of defying international pressure.

One critical factor is the influence of China, North Korea's primary ally and economic lifeline. Observers believe Beijing has been quietly encouraging Pyongyang to avoid actions that could further destabilize the region, especially given the fragile state of U.S.-China relations.

According to experts, since late last year, U.S.-China relations have been strained, and a North Korean nuclear test could heighten tensions and provoke increased criticism of China from the United States.

North Korea's internal situation also presents substantial challenges. The country is facing severe economic difficulties due to international sanctions and the prolonged impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Analysts suggest that a major provocation might not only lead to international condemnation but also spark questions among the North Korean populace about the regime's priorities.
Starting August 26, repair work will begin at the Shehyni-Medyka border crossing point, which will slow down the departure of trucks and buses from Ukraine to Poland. The repairs will last until mid-October, so drivers are advised to take possible delays into account when planning their routes.

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This was reported by the State Customs Service of Ukraine. "According to the Polish side, starting from August 26 at 09:00, the departure of freight transport and buses from Ukraine to Poland will be slowed down at the Shehyni-Medica checkpoint due to the repair of two lanes," the statement said.

According to the information, these works will last until mid-October. In particular, it is planned to repair two lanes of traffic, which can significantly complicate the process of leaving Ukraine for Poland.

The main consequence of the repair work will be a significant slowdown in the exit of trucks and buses through the checkpoint. Drivers planning to cross the border in this direction are advised to consider possible delays in advance and plan their routes accordingly. This is especially true for international transportation companies and tourist groups using buses to travel to Poland.

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The Shehyni-Medyka border crossing point is one of the busiest on the border between Ukraine and Poland. It plays an important role in the transport connection between the two countries, passing a significant flow of both passenger and freight vehicles. In this regard, any repairs at this checkpoint can have a serious impact on traffic, causing queues and increasing waiting times for border crossings.

Repair work at the checkpoints is necessary to ensure safety and comfortable conditions for carriers and passengers. The road surface, which is subject to constant traffic, needs to be regularly updated to avoid accidents and ensure proper capacity. Although such works may cause temporary inconvenience, they are aimed at improving the conditions for crossing the border in the long run.

As OBOZ.UA previously reported, companies in Ukraine will be able to transport goods to the EU without special permits. The document providing legal grounds for this was approved at a government meeting.

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South Korea is in talks with Japan over a trip to Seoul by outgoing Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, the presidential office said Sunday.

The move could set the stage for summit talks between President Yoon Suk Yeol and Kishida, and represents a step forward compared with just days earlier, when South Korea said that no decision had been made yet after Japan's Kyodo News reported that Kishida was considering holding summit talks with Yoon in South Korea in early September before stepping down.

"We are in discussions with Japan over Prime Minister Kishida's visit to South Korea and will make public the decision once it is made," a presidential official told Yonhap News Agency by phone.

Bilateral relations between Seoul and Tokyo have significantly warmed since South Korea decided in March last year to resolve the issue of compensating Korean forced labor victims during Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula without asking for contributions from Japanese companies.

Yoon and Kishida have prioritized bolstering trilateral security cooperation between the Asian neighbors and their shared ally, the United States, amid growing security threats posed by North Korea. (Yonhap)
'Korea serves as a model for economic development'

By Kim Hyun-bin

Paraguayan Minister of Industry and Trade Javier Gimenez Garcia de Zuniga said the signing of the Trade and Investment Promotion Framework (TIPF) with Korea on Friday will become the backbone of strengthened cooperation in manufacturing, energy and trade. He noted that the primary purpose of his visit to Seoul was to sign the TIPF.

"The framework is designed to deepen our cooperation with Korea, particularly in manufacturing and trade," he said Friday in an interview with The Korea Times at the Embassy of Paraguay in Seoul.

The agreement is expected to attract additional Korean companies to Paraguay, leveraging the countrys strategic location in South America.

"Paraguay's central location allows for efficient distribution to neighboring markets. We have a young population, abundant clean energy and key infrastructure that positions us as a logistical hub for South America," Gimenez Garcia said.

Looking ahead, the minister said that after the signing of the framework, the next steps involve inviting Korean investors to Paraguay.

"We are extending an invitation to the Korean minister of trade, industry and energy to attend our energy week in October. We also plan to work closely with the Paraguayan Embassy in Korea to promote our country's investment opportunities," he said.

Korea and Paraguay have not signed a free trade agreement. But Korea exports approximately $20 million worth of goods to Paraguay each year, including automobiles and electronics. Gimenez Garcia expressed a desire to increase this trade volume.

"We want to engage with major Korean conglomerates like Hyundai and Kia to increase trade and investments," he said.

To attract Korean investors, Paraguay offers several incentives, including a low corporate tax rate of 10 percent and various laws designed to support industrial growth.

"Our tax incentives and special laws make Paraguay an attractive destination for investments," Gimenez Garcia said. "We are committed to maintaining a competitive business environment to foster economic growth."

The minister acknowledged that while Paraguay has a strong trade relationship with Korea, there are challenges. One significant barrier is the high tariff on Paraguayan meat exports to Korea.

"We are working to reduce these tariffs and are awaiting the Korean authorities to conduct inspections to certify our slaughterhouses," he said. "Our beef and pork are of high quality, and we believe they can compete well in the Korean market."

Economic model

Addressing the current state of economic relations, Gimenez Garcia described them as stable with substantial potential for growth.

"Korea serves as a model for economic development, and we see many lessons to learn from their success," he said. "Paraguay aims to emulate Korea's approach to education and economic development to advance our own economy."

The minister also emphasized the significant strides Korea has made over the past 75 years, underscoring the stark contrast between the economic trajectories of Korea and Paraguay since 1950.

"In the year 1950, Korea and Paraguay were on the same level of GDP," he said. "Somehow, in these seventy-five years, Korea has grown to be one of the top economies in the world with around a $1.7 trillion economy. Meanwhile, Paraguay has remained largely an exporter of agricultural products, similar to Korea's status in 1950."

The minister asked, "What happened? Why did Korea grow like this and Paraguay stayed more or less on the same level of economic development?"

Gimenez Garcia pointed to several key factors that contributed to Korea's success, notably its investments in education.

"A number of things happened, a number of things Korea did correctly that we need to copy, that we need to imitate," he said. "Good examples need to be imitated, need to be copied. And this is why we're here  to learn from Korea's experience."

He highlighted Korea's strategic focus on education as a crucial element of its economic transformation.

"The main step that Korea took over these 75 years was especially all of the things related to education," Gimenez Garcia said. "Korea invested a lot in the education of its people, and this is why now we have the best quality manufactured items coming from Korea, not only in cars but also in technology, the shipping industry and a number of other sectors."
By Bereket Alemayehu

Park Joo-won cant drink alcohol, but that didnt stop her from creating her own bar brand in Korea. While studying art history in Scotland, she became captivated by the whisky-making process.

"I'm a person who can't drink much alcohol, although I studied in Scotland, the homeland of whisky. During my time there, I became very familiar with the whisky-making process and learned a lot about it," she said.

After returning to Korea, she was inspired to create Perlen Cafe, a non-alcoholic bar.

"I realized that many people avoid alcohol for health reasons, and I think that drinking isn't just about getting drunk  it's more about enjoying time together and socializing," she said. "In Korean society, though, not drinking alcohol can make you feel like you're not part of the group. I wanted to help people who don't drink alcohol blend smoothly into social situations. That's when I thought, what if there was a bar where you could enjoy something like whisky without the alcohol?"

Perlen Cafe's specialty is a whisky-flavored Dutch coffee.

"I think the process of making coffee is quite similar to making whisky," Park said. "That's what came to mind because, just like in whisky production, coffee beans sometimes go through fermentation. There are also many steps involved in developing flavors, such as different roasting levels and grinding points. These subtle variations can lead to distinct tastes in coffee, much like how whisky's flavor profile can change."

The business has expanded rapidly, opening multiple branches across Seoul. This year, Perlen was honored with the prestigious Berlin-based iF Product Design Award for Coffee Branding & Packaging.

The cafe is currently one of the featured pop-ups at The Hyundai Seoul in Yeouido, where it offers a unique non-alcoholic bar experience, featuring Whisky Dutch, Whisky Tea and Clara Beer  all non-alcoholic  under the slogan, Sober is Sexy.

It is getting huge attention from younger Koreans who flock to experience the new non-alcoholic trend.

Korea has a culture of alcohol consumption, but times are changing," Park said. "With the rise of zero-sugar drinks like zero-sugar soju, there's a growing curiosity about non-alcoholic options. This trend is already popular abroad, particularly among Gen Z. The concept of 'zero curious' is gaining traction as more Koreans, especially younger generations, are opting to drink less or not at all. There's a noticeable shift away from the traditional excessive company drinking culture toward more mindful consumption.

Perlen, meaning pearl in German, is dedicated to offering customers new and innovative experiences, particularly through the concept of a new way of meeting your coffee. One of the unique offerings includes a "dessert omakase"  a curated dessert pairing experience.

"We offer three different drinks and three different plates of dessert over an hour and a half. During this time, we provide detailed explanations about how each coffee is made and how it should be enjoyed. We also explain the ingredients and the concept behind each dish. It's like a fine dining experience, where every detail is carefully considered and presented," Park said. "We also have alcohol-free beer and wine on our menu. To appeal to trendy Koreans, Perlen is also offering a Dubai Chocolate made like an 'anju' salami.

When asked about the future, she said, I believe the non-alcoholic trend is going to become even more popular because today's younger generations are increasingly concerned about their health. My message to young people in Korea is to embrace diversity and pay attention to their interests. It's important to focus on what you genuinely like or dislike, rather than just following trends. By doing so, I believe we can create a richer and more vibrant culture."

Visit perlen.kr for more information.

Bereket Alemayehu is an Ethiopian photo artist, social activist and writer based in Seoul. He's also the co-founder of Hanokers, a refugee-led social initiative and freelance contributor for Pressenza Press Agency.
Korea and the United States will begin their large-scale amphibious landing exercise in the southeastern city of Pohang and the eastern coast this week to build up the allies' combat readiness posture and interoperability, the Navy and Marine Corps said Sunday.

This year's Ssangyong (double dragon) exercise, which runs from Monday through Sept. 7, will mobilize division-level landing forces and some 40 vessels, including two amphibious assault ships, the ROKS Dokdo and the ROKS Marado, as well as the USS Boxer, according to military officials.

The drills will also bring together some 40 aircraft, such as F-35B radar-evading jets, and around 40 amphibious assault vehicles, the Navy and Marine Corps said in a joint release.

Beginning this year, the allies' Marine Corps will organize a combined staff group, which will jointly lead the landing exercise aboard the ROKS Marado, they added.

A joint military command overseeing drone operations, launched in September last year, will participate in the Ssangyong exercise for the first time and conduct surveillance activities deploying drones.

Also joining the exercise will be Britain's Royal Marines Commandos, marking their participation in the drills for a second consecutive year.

In accordance with the exercise plan, the allies are scheduled to stage the "decisive action" phase of the exercise early next month, which will bring together the participating troops, landing ships, fighters and choppers to display their "overwhelming" capabilities for the landing exercise.

The allies resumed the Ssangyong exercise for the first time in five years in March 2023. It had not been held since 2018 amid the preceding Moon Jae-in administration's drive for inter-Korean rapprochement. (Yonhap)
The number of fires reported at accommodations across the country reached 1,843 in the 2018-2023 period, data showed Sunday, raising concerns over a lack of fire safety facilities in buildings that were built before relevant equipment was mandated by law.

By accommodation type, those that broke out in motels came in at 645 cases, followed by those at pensions with 328 cases and hotels with 273 cases, according to the five-year data from the National Fire Data System compiled by the National Fire Agency.

The data comes amid growing safety concerns at accommodations following a deadly fire at a nine-story hotel in Bucheon, west of Seoul, on Thursday that left seven dead and a dozen others injured.

Officials said the fire led to a large number of casualties as the building, built in 2003, was not equipped with a sprinkler system and smoke spread quickly through narrow corridors.

Korea mandated sprinkler systems in all accommodations that are 11 stories or higher in 2005 and expanded the measure to all accommodations that are six stories or higher in 2018.

In 2022, the law was revised to mandate sprinkler systems in all accommodations, regardless of the number of floors, but was not applied retroactively.

Civic groups and lawmakers, such as Rep. Koh Dong-jin of the ruling People Power Party, have called for the mandatory installation of sprinkler systems. Koh recently submitted legislation mandating sprinkler systems at accommodations and other facilities by 2027 through partial or full state support.

But some have cited cost issues, saying it is not easy for small business owners to install such systems.

More than 90 percent of some 30,000 accommodations across the country are estimated to be located in buildings that are 10 stories or lower. Around 23,000 of them are in buildings that are five stories or lower. (Yonhap)
By Lee Hae-rin

Korea continues to experience blind spots in fire safety, with nearly 400 incidents occurring in accommodation facilities each year due to inadequate measures, such as missing sprinklers, according to recent data.

According to the National Fire Agencys National Fire Information System, Sunday, 1,843 fires occurred in accommodation facilities between 2019 and 2023, causing 387 casualties and 32 deaths.

By cause, electrical factors accounted for the largest number of incidents with 708 cases, followed by carelessness with 654 cases. Within the carelessness category, cigarette butts were responsible for 232 cases. Additionally, there were 53 cases of arson and 63 cases of suspected arson.

These casualties and fire accidents persist due to inadequate safety facilities, such as missing sprinklers.

Typically installed on the ceiling or wall of a building, a sprinkler extinguishes a fire by dispersing pressurized water in all directions through a piping system.

Although sprinklers cannot completely extinguish a fire on their own, they have been proven to play a crucial role in controlling and suppressing the fire until the fire brigade arrives.

For example, according to the Gyeonggi Fire and Disaster Headquarters, sprinkler systems quickly extinguished 943 fires in their early stages between 2017 and 2021, preventing an estimated 9.6 billion won ($7.2 million) in property damage. This means that over this five-year period, more than 900 fires were prevented from escalating into major disasters, thanks to the sprinklers installed in buildings.

Additionally, a study published by the Fire and Disaster Prevention Association indicates that the benefits of installing sprinklers far exceed the initial investment costs. The study found that the payback period for recovering the full cost of sprinkler installation is about one-twentieth of the buildings lifespan, with the utility of sprinklers estimated to be more than twice the cost.

In response to the growing recognition of the importance of sprinklers, regulations have been in place since 2018 to mandate their installation in buildings exceeding six stories.

However, this regulation applies only to buildings constructed after 2018, leaving a significant safety gap in older structures that remain vulnerable to large-scale fire damage.

For instance, sprinklers were not installed or operational during the blaze at the Arisel plant in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province last month, while the underground parking lot fire at Cheongna apartment in Incheon was only extinguished after causing significant property damage.

In response, calls are growing to regulate and mandate sprinkler installation and management.

Rep. Koh Dong-jin of the ruling People Power Party (PPP) recently submitted a bill to the National Assembly that requires the installation of sprinkler facilities in aging accommodation facilities.

The bill stipulates that facility officials should install sprinklers by the end of 2027 and allows state and local governments to support all or part of the installation costs.
The government and the ruling People Power Party (PPP) agreed Sunday to introduce a system mandating automakers to disclose the battery brand information of all electric vehicles (EVs).

During a meeting between senior government officials and PPP officials, the two sides also agreed to launch at an early date a system mandating automakers to get government certification on the safety of the batteries for their EV models.

The move comes amid safety concerns triggered by a fire that began in a parked Mercedes-Benz electric vehicle on Aug. 1, which destroyed a parking garage inside an apartment complex in Incheon, 27 kilometers west of Seoul, while either completely destroying or damaging over 100 cars.

Days later, a fire broke out in a parked EV in Geumsan, 166 kilometers south of Seoul.

Automakers have voluntarily released the information of battery brands used in their electric vehicles following the incident. (Yonhap)
By Gwynne Dyer

Elon Musk is heading for a crash. Its only a matter of time before one or another of his random enthusiasms brings him down. But if I had the power I would guarantee him at least two more years of solvency before he loses control of his companies, his great wealth and possibly even his freedom.

My apparent sympathy for Musk gets me a lot of flak from my wife, one of my sons and most of my friends, who cannot wait to see him go under. He is so arrogant, so erratic and so wrong-headed in his politics (he must be reading Ayn Rand) that his downfall will give great pleasure to millions.

The downfall is almost certainly coming soon. As the entrepreneur and professor Scott Galloway recently remarked: "No company with over $1bn in revenue has ever lost 60% of its revenues in a 12-month period, in a non-war period. Twitter is literally the worst-performing business in history." (Like many people, he's still reluctant to call it X).

The whole X debacle demonstrates the rapid decline in Musk's business acumen. He offered far too much to buy Twitter, and the delighted owners immediately accepted. Musk tried to back out, but the courts forced him to go through with the deal, and he ended up owning a slowly declining business that gave him (so he imagined) a serious voice in U.S. politics.

As any 10-year-old could have told him, if he effectively abandoned serious monitoring and opened Twitter/X to every hate-filled ranter with some lies to peddle, the advertisers who are the real source of his cash flow will take their distance from his site.

But Musk told the advertisers to "go fuck yourself" if they didn't want to advertise on his platform, so almost all his big accounts pulled out. Now, less than a year later, he is suing those same advertisers for not advertising on his platform. Good luck with that one.

In the meantime, Musk seems to be covering X's losses by pulling money out of his most successful business, Tesla. He's so rich that this can go on for a long time unless Tesla's shareholders revolt, but it's definitely not good practice.

Why is he behaving like this? "Megalomania" is not a precise term in psychology, but it usually gets worse with time, and he certainly fits that pattern. Another informal term that probably applies to him is "on the spectrum." While that can actually be an asset in some business contexts, it is not playing well for him.

So why should we care what happens to Musk?

The world owes him some gratitude for pioneering electric cars when nobody else was really working at it, and he did it specifically to alleviate the climate crisis, but if Tesla failed now other electric vehicle manufacturers would quickly fill the market gap. However, he still has another job to do, and if he's not available it may not happen at all.

The fifth iteration of his giant "Starship" heavy-lift rocket will fly this month or next, and with every iteration, it gets a bit closer to delivering the kind of performance that will transform space flight.

Every flight so far has crashed into the sea, but that's the development method Musk uses: launch it, find out what made it fail, fix it and launch again. It will probably take about another five flights before he gets it all right, so that's around a year. Then another year of many flawless launches and landings before it is certified for manned flight.

And then Musk ceases to be the indispensable man. Nobody else has had the will, the skill and the money to make this thing happen, but once it is certified anybody can manage the exploitation of the reusable Starship/heavy booster combination. That will open up the entire solar system for human beings.

Reducing the cost of getting a kilogram into orbit by 99 percent, which is the plausible claim he makes for Starship, is not an improvement. It's a revolution. But if Musk goes bankrupt and SpaceX also gets tied up in the courts for many years  as it is increasingly possible to imagine  then the whole thing could go down the drain.

If you don't care about the human race getting out into the universe, or at least into our own wider neighborhood, then go ahead and hate Musk. But if you do care, then acknowledge that Musk needs two more years to make that future possible and ask whatever gods may be to grant him that time.

Gwynne Dyers new book is "Intervention Earth: Life-Saving Ideas from the Worlds Climate Engineers." Last years book, "The Shortest History of War," is also still available.
Seoul should better position itself in relations with Beijing

South Korea and China quietly marked the 32nd anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations on Saturday.

No official events were held, as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted that the two countries typically celebrate the anniversary only in years ending in 0 or 5, such as the 30th or 35th anniversaries.

The three-decade-long relationship between Seoul and Beijing has experienced both highs and lows. Despite this, their economic ties have expanded significantly across various sectors, and human-to-human exchanges have also grown considerably.

China has been South Korea's No. 1 trading partner since 2003.

However, data released in January by the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy revealed a notable shift in this relationship. While China remains South Korea's largest trading partner, its prominence has been challenged by the United States. The U.S. has become South Korea's second-largest trading partner for the first time since 2005, largely due to South Korea's growing exports in automobiles, including electric vehicles.

Seoul-Beijing ties have occasionally been tested. Tensions mounted after China surpassed Japan to become the world's second-largest economy in 2011. Despite China's commitment to a peaceful rise, it has become increasingly assertive.

China used its largest trading partner status to coerce South Korea into taking specific actions in its favor. This is uncommon behavior for other countries, as most of them try to solve disputes about a certain issue through diplomatic channels rather than pushing their partners around. A notable example of this tension is Chinas imposition of a tourism ban on South Korea following the deployment of a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery on the Korean Peninsula.

The road ahead for South Korea-China relations is likely to be more challenging.

The geopolitical situation in the region has pitted the two nations against each other. South Korea is a key member of the U.S.-led democratic coalition in the Indo-Pacific region, while China is one of the three authoritarian regimes aligned with Russia and North Korea.

The global security environment has become more challenging to navigate than ever before with Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the escalating war in the Middle East. South Korea needs to launch a sophisticated diplomatic campaign to keep its security and economic interests intact.

Among others, South Korea should prioritize overcoming a "small-state mentality."

Facing an intensifying U.S.-China rivalry and its potential impact on their country, many South Koreans feel they are caught between two superpowers. Some even liken South Korea to a shrimp caught between two whales.

The most troubling rhetoric came from former President Moon Jae-in during his visit to China in December 2017. In a speech to Peking University students and faculty, he described China as "a big mountain" or "a great power" while referring to South Korea as "a small state." It is difficult to understand why the former head of state would use such a demeaning metaphor for his own country.

Moon encouraged China to be a tolerant global power, but his word choices were inappropriate, if not disastrous.

South Korea is much smaller than countries like the U.S., China and Russia when it comes to land area. But in international politics, a country's size is not the determining factor in its influence. What matters more is its overall standing in key areas such as democracy, trade volume, human rights, and technological advancement.

Many South Koreans should have greater confidence in their country's power. South Korea is a global leader in semiconductors, automobiles, and shipbuilding. Additionally, it boasts a robust defense industry that is highly regarded in the global race for military advancements.

South Korea is also gaining prominence in terms of soft power. It has become a popular tourist destination, especially among millennials and Gen Z, who are captivated by K-pop and Korean culture.

Its strength in both hard and soft power should serve as a source of confidence.

The South needs to pursue confident and innovative diplomacy to navigate the challenging issues in its relationship with China and redefine the bilateral relations into a mutually beneficial and productive partnership. By doing so, South Korea can position itself as a pivotal global player.
Utility company to lodge legal suit against city

By Ko Dong-hwan

Concerns about a potential power shortage in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province are growing following Hanam City's rejection of Korea Electric Power Corps (KEPCO) plan to upgrade and expand its over 40-year-old substation in the city, according to industry watchers, Sunday.

Experts have speculated that the city authority's recent decision could jeopardize the state-run utility firm's plan to transmit eight gigawatts (GW) of electricity from power plants on the countrys east coast via a new power line, set to be completed in June 2026. This power line is crucial for supplying electricity throughout the capital region, particularly Gyeonggi Province, which is expected to face skyrocketing power demands due to the development of new semiconductor clusters on an unprecedented scale, the experts added.

KEPCOs plan to build a new high-voltage direct current (HVDC) power line, stretching over 200 kilometers from Uljin in North Gyeongsang Province to the substation in Hanam, east of Seoul, is now expected to face delays following the city governments announcement on Wednesday. Given the legal disputes KEPCO has announced it will pursue against Hanam, the construction of the power line is anticipated to be postponed by several more years.

Hanam citys rejection has jeopardized the new power line's ability to operate at full capacity. The line was originally designed to extend to Yangpyeong County in Gyeonggi Province, where it would split, delivering four gigawatts (GW) to a substation in Gapyeong County to the north and the other four GW to a substation in Hanam. Currently, the Gapyeong substation is under construction.

The new power line is expected to serve as a vital conduit between the countrys east coast and the capital region. Coastal nuclear, coal-fired, and wind power plants are projected to generate up to 17.9 gigawatts (GW) of electricity this year. The capital region, home to over 26 million people  more than half of the countrys total population as of 2023  will rely heavily on this power supply. Additionally, the semiconductor mega-cluster in southern Gyeonggi Province, encompassing nine cities such as Pangyo, Suwon, Yongin, and Pyeongtaek, will house fabless manufacturing plants, foundries, and R&D centers run by Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix. The Yongin cluster alone is expected to require 10 GW, which represents a quarter of the entire power demand from the capital region.

In addition to the burgeoning industrial sectors, power demands in the capital region are rising due to increased use of electric vehicles and air conditioning during the summer. According to the countrys 11th Basic Plan for Long-Term Electricity Supply and Demand, released in May, power demand is projected to reach 129.3 GW by 2038.

To meet these demands, substations need to convert the direct current (DC) from the HVDC power line into alternating current (AC) and then distribute it to the appropriate areas.

Experts have warned that, given the sharp increase in power demand, the indefinite delay of the new power line  often referred to as the new power expressway  could lead to significant electricity shortages in the capital region.

The new power line, a state-funded project jointly pursued by the central government and our company, is crucial to address skyrocketing power demands due to increased air conditioning use and the growth of AI and data centers in the capital region, a KEPCO official said during a press conference, Friday. However, due to Hanam's refusal to approve the license for our substation, the resulting damage will ultimately burden the citizens.

During the conference, KEPCO challenged Hanams objections to the disapproval  citing concerns about electromagnetic waves, a lack of consent from local residents, and claims of insufficient public welfare benefits.

Weve tested electromagnetic waves and confirmed safety. The substations facilities will also all go indoor, not left outside as they are now, improving its ambient scenery. And weve held many meetings with local residents to raise awareness of our new substation, the KEPCO official said. And according to the countrys Enforcement Decree of the Building Act, a substation, contrary to what the city government has argued, is just as critical to the public as other neighborhood living facilities like police stations and recreational centers.
Scientists suggest that the Moon became significantly harder in a relatively short period of time after it formed 4.4 billion years ago. By examining rocks collected during the Apollo missions, scientists believe they have found evidence of a major magmatic event that occurred about 100 million years after the Earth's satellite was formed.

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The cause of the changes on the Moon could be a collision that created the largest known crater in the solar system. Scientists were looking for clues to this mystery in zircons, IflScience reports.

The team dated more than 500 zircons from lunar samples and reported a peak in their age distribution of about 4.33 billion years. According to the scientists, zircons are formed when lunar magma solidifies, and their dating provides insight into the chronology of the Moon. The abundance of zircons from the time when the Moon should have solidified suggests that this could have been due to an event. Perhaps it was a period of intense asteroid impact.

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The research team believes that the strongest evidence supports the idea that this unknown event was caused by an impact that produced the South Pole-Aitken Basin.

"In our study, we found evidence of a large, potentially global magmatic event on the Moon 4.338 billion years ago. Such a powerful impact could have dug up lunar mantle material from great depths. We speculate that the zircons we dated probably crystallized in the impact melt layer as it cooled and differentiated. Subsequent impacts could have distributed these zircons across the lunar surface," explained study co-author Dr. Melanie Barboni of Arizona State University.

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The scientist emphasized the timeliness of this discovery. "Our study is particularly timely given the recent return of the first samples from the South Pole-Eitken basin by China's Chang'e 6 mission. The combination of these new samples and our zircon age data could significantly improve our understanding of the history of this large impact basin and the broader impact history of the early solar system," Dr. Barboni added.

Only verified information is available on the OBOZ.UA Telegram channel and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
French police arrested Telegram chief executive Pavel Durov on Saturday at an airport near Paris for alleged offenses related to the popular messaging app, officials said.

The Franco-Russian billionaire, 39, was detained at Le Bourget airport north of the French capital on Saturday evening, one of the officials told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.

He had just travelled from Baku, in Azerbaijan, another source close to the case said.

Durov was expected to appear in court on Sunday.

France's OFMIN, an agency tasked with preventing violence against minors, had issued an arrest warrant for Durov as the coordinating agency in a preliminary investigation into alleged offenses including fraud, drug trafficking, cyberbullying, organized crime and promotion of terrorism, one of the sources close to the case said.

Durov is suspected of failing to take action to curb the criminal use of his platform.

"Enough of Telegram's impunity," said one of the investigators, adding they were surprised Durov came to Paris knowing he was a wanted man. (AFP)
Israel launched a wave of airstrikes across southern Lebanon early Sunday in what it said was a pre-emptive strike on Hezbollah, as the militant group said it had launched hundreds of rockets and drones to avenge the killing of one of its top commanders last month.

The heavy exchange of fire threatened to trigger an all-out war that could draw in the United States, Iran and militant groups across the region. It could also torpedo efforts to forge a cease-fire in Gaza, where Israel has been at war with the Palestinian group Hamas , an ally of Hezbollah, for over 10 months.

By mid-morning, it appeared that the exchange had ended, with both sides saying they had confined their attacks to military targets. But the situation remained tense, and the full extent of casualties and damage was not immediately known. At least three people were killed in the strikes on Lebanon.

The Israeli military said Hezbollah was planning to launch a heavy barrage of rockets and missiles toward Israel. Soon after, Hezbollah announced it had launched an attack on Israeli military positions as an initial response to the killing of Fouad Shukur , one of its founders, in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut last month.

The attacks came as Egypt hosts a new round of talks aimed at ending the Israel-Hamas war. Hezbollah has said it will halt the fighting if there is a cease-fire in Gaza. Iran supports both groups as well as militants in Syria, Iraq and Yemen who might join any larger conflict.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking at the start of a Cabinet meeting, said the military had eliminated thousands of rockets that were aimed at northern Israel and urged citizens to adhere to directives from the Home Front Command.

We are determined to do everything to defend our country, to return the residents of the north securely to their homes and to continue upholding a simple rule: Whoever harms us  we will harm them, he said.

Air raid sirens were reported throughout northern Israel, and Israel's Ben-Gurion international airport closed and diverted flights for approximately an hour due to the threat of attack. Israels Home Front Command has raised the alert level in northern Israel and encouraged people to stay near bomb shelters.

Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, an Israeli military spokesman, said Hezbollah had intended to hit targets in northern and central Israel. He said initial assessments found very little damage in Israel, but that the military remained on high alert. He said around 100 Israeli aircraft took part in Sundays strikes.

Lebanons Health Ministry reported that two people were killed and another two wounded in the strikes in southern Lebanon. Separately, a fighter for the Amal group, which is allied with Hezbollah, was killed in a strike on a car, Amal said.

Hezbollah said its attack involved more than 320 Katyusha rockets aimed at multiple sites in Israel and a large number of drones. It said the operation was targeting a qualitative Israeli military target that will be announced later as well as enemy sites and barracks and Iron Dome (missile defense) platforms.

Hezbollah later announced the end of what it said was the first stage of retaliatory strikes, which it said would allow it to launch more attacks deeper into Israel. But a later statement said military operations for today have been completed.

The group said all the exploding drones it launched hit their targets, without saying how many. It listed 11 bases, barracks, and military positions that it said it targeted in northern Israel and the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights. It also dismissed Israel's claim that its preemptive strikes had succeeded in warding off a stronger Hezbollah attack. Hezbollah did not provide evidence for its claims.

Randa Slim, a senior fellow at the Washington, D.C.-based Middle East Institute, said Sunday mornings exchange was still within the rules of engagement and unlikely at this point to lead to an all out war.

In the U.S., a spokesman for the National Security Council, Sean Savett, said President Joe Biden was closely monitoring events in Israel and Lebanon.

At his direction, senior U.S. officials have been communicating continuously with their Israeli counterparts, Savett added. "We will keep supporting Israels right to defend itself, and we will keep working for regional stability.

The Pentagon said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Gallant, about Israel's defenses. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. CQ Brown, is on a visit to the region that was expected to take him to Israel, Egypt and Jordan.

In recent weeks, diplomats from the U.S. and European countries have made a flurry of visits to Israel and Lebanon in an attempt to tamp down the escalation that they fear could spiral into a regional war.

Hezbollah began attacking Israel almost immediately after the start of the war in Gaza, which was triggered by Hamas' Oct. 7 attack into Israel. Israel and Hezbollah have been exchanging fire almost daily, displacing tens of thousands of people on both sides of the border. Until Sunday, both sides had been careful to avoid all-out war.

Hezbollah, which fought Israel to a stalemate in the summer of 2006, is believed to be far more powerful than it was during that conflict. The United States and Israel estimate it has some 150,000 rockets and is capable of hitting anywhere inside Israel. The group has also also developed drones capable of evading Israel's defenses as well as precision-guided munitions.

Israel has one of the worlds best militaries and an extensive multi-tiered missile defense system, and it is backed by a U.S.-led coalition that helped it shoot down hundreds of missiles and drones fired from Iran earlier this year. The U.S. military has been building up its forces across the region in recent weeks.

Israel has vowed a crushing response in the case of all-out war, one that would likely demolish critical civilian infrastructure, especially in south Beirut and southern Lebanon, where Hezbollahs main strongholds are located. A war would likely displace hundreds of thousands of people on both sides.

Hezbollah is a close ally of Iran, which has also threatened to retaliate for the killing of a senior Hamas leader, Ismail Haniyeh, in an explosion in Tehran last month that was widely blamed on Israel, which has not said whether it was involved.

The U.S. and other mediators see a cease-fire in Gaza as key to heading off a wider Mideast conflagration. Egypt had planned to host high-level talks in Cairo on Sunday aimed at bridging the gaps in an evolving proposal for a truce and the release of scores of hostages held by Hamas.

The talks were to be attended by CIA director William Burns, Qatars Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and Egypts chief intelligence official Abbas Kamel, according to two Egyptian officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive negotiations.

Hamas sent a delegation to the Egyptian capital to be briefed by Egyptian and Qatari mediators but is not directly taking part in the negotiations.

The head of Israels Mossad intelligence agency, David Barnea, had been expected to attend, but the officials said it was not immediately clear if he still would given the Israel-Hezbollah tensions. (AP)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that Sunday's strikes in Lebanon were "not the final word" in his country's military campaign against Lebanese armed group Hezbollah.

"We are striking Hezbollah with surprising, crushing blows... This is another step towards changing the situation in the north and safely returning our residents to their homes. And, I repeat, this is not the final word," Netanyahu told a cabinet meeting.

He said the military destroyed thousands of "short-range rockets, all of which were intended to harm our civilians and forces in the Galilee".

"Additionally, the IDF (Israeli military) intercepted all the drones that Hezbollah launched at a strategic target in central Israel," he said, without identifying what the target was.

Israeli media however reported the target Hezbollah aimed to strike was the headquarters of the Israeli Mossad spy agency near Tel Aviv. (AFP)
Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah on Sunday launched their heaviest exchange of fire after months of strikes and counterstrikes that have raised fears of an all-out war.

By mid-morning, it appeared the exchange of fire had ended, with both sides saying they had only aimed at military targets. The Israeli strikes killed three militants in Lebanon, while there were no reports of casualties on the Israeli side. But the situation remained tense.

Here's a look at where things stand:

Israel says around 100 warplanes launched airstrikes targeting thousands of rocket launchers across southern Lebanon to thwart an imminent Hezbollah attack. Hezbollah then said it launched hundreds of rockets and drones aimed at military bases and missile defense positions in northern Israel and the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights.

Hezbollah called the attack an initial response to the targeted killing of one of its founding members and top commanders, Fouad Shukur , in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut last month. It said its military operations for Sunday were concluded, and that they would allow it to strike deeper into Israel in the future. It denied Israel's claim to have thwarted the attack, without offering evidence for its own claims.

Two Hezbollah fighters and a militant from an allied group were killed, and two people were wounded in the strikes on Lebanon. Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, an Israeli military spokesman, said an initial assessment showed very little damage in Israel.

Sunday's exchange of fire did not set off a long-feared war, and the heavy firepower and lack of civilian casualties might allow both sides to claim a sort of victory and step back. But tensions remain high.

Hezbollah began firing rockets and drones at Israel shortly after the outbreak of the war in Gaza , which was triggered by Hamas' surprise attack into Israel on Oct. 7. Hezbollah and Hamas are allies, each backed by Iran. Israel has responded with airstrikes, and the near-daily exchanges have escalated in recent months.

More than 500 people have been killed in Lebanon by Israeli strikes since Oct. 8, most of them fighters with Hezbollah and other armed groups but also more than 100 civilians and noncombatants. In northern Israel, 23 soldiers and 26 civilians have been killed by strikes from Lebanon. Tens of thousands of people have been displaced on both sides of the tense frontier.

Israel has vowed to bring quiet to the border to allow its citizens to return to their homes. It says it prefers to resolve the issue diplomatically through U.S. and other mediators but will use force if necessary. Hezbollah officials have said the group does not seek a wider war but is prepared for one.

Israel and Hezbollah fought a monthlong war in 2006 that left much of southern Beirut and southern Lebanon in ruins, and drove hundreds of thousands of people from their homes on both sides.

Everyone expects the next war to be far worse .

Hezbollah has an estimated 150,000 rockets and is capable of hitting all parts of Israel. It has also developed an increasingly sophisticated fleet of drones and has been experimenting with precision-guided missiles. A full-scale war could force hundreds of thousands of Israelis to flee, paralyze the Israeli economy and force the army, which is still engaged in Gaza, to fight on two fronts.

Israel has vowed a crushing response to any major Hezbollah attack that would likely devastate Lebanon's civilian infrastructure and economy, which has been mired in crisis for years. Beirut's southern suburbs, and towns and villages across southern Lebanon, where Hezbollah's main strongholds are located, would likely be flattened.

An Israeli ground invasion to root out Hezbollah could drag on for years. The militant group is far more advanced and better-armed than Hamas in Gaza, which is still putting up a fight after 10 months of intense Israeli bombardment and ground maneuvers.

An all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah could spiral into a region-wide conflict.

Iran is a patron of Hezbollah, Hamas and other militant groups in Syria, Iraq and Yemen . Iran has vowed to carry out its own retaliatory strike over the killing of Hamas' top leader, Ismail Haniyeh , in a blast in its capital last month that was widely blamed on Israel. Israel has not said whether it was involved.

Iran-backed groups across the region have repeatedly attacked Israeli, U.S. and international targets since the start of the war in Gaza and could ramp them up in a bid to take pressure off Hezbollah.

The United States, meanwhile, has pledged ironclad support for Israel and moved a vast array of military assets to the Middle East in recent weeks to try and deter any retaliatory strike by Iran or Hezbollah. The USS Abraham Lincoln recently joined another aircraft carrier strike group in the region.

A U.S.-led coalition helped shoot down hundreds of missiles and drones fired by Iran toward Israel in April in response to an apparent Israeli strike in Syria that killed two Iranian generals. Both sides downplayed an apparent Israeli counterstrike on Iran , and tensions gradually subsided.

The United States, Egypt and Qatar have spent months trying to broker an agreement for a cease-fire in Gaza and the release of scores of hostages held by Hamas. Those efforts have gained urgency in recent weeks , as diplomats view such a deal as the best hope for lowering regional tensions.

Hezbollah has said it will halt its attacks along the border if there is a cease-fire in Gaza. It's unclear whether Hezbollah or Iran would halt or scale back their threatened retaliatory strikes over the killing of Shukur and Haniyeh, but neither wants to be seen as the spoiler of any cease-fire deal.

Despite the intense diplomacy, major gaps remain, including Israel's demand for a lasting presence along two strategic corridors in Gaza , a demand rejected by Hamas and Egypt. High-level talks will be held in Egypt on Sunday. (AP)
Israel launched a wave of airstrikes across southern Lebanon early Sunday in what it said was a preemptive strike to avert a large Hezbollah attack. The militant group responded that it had launched hundreds of rockets and drones to avenge the killing of one of its top commanders last month.

The heavy exchange of fire does not appear to have ignited a long-feared war, but the situation remains tense. Egypt was meanwhile hosting high-level talks aimed at brokering a cease-fire in the 10-month-old Israel-Hamas war in Gaza , which diplomats hope will tamp down regional tensions.

The Israeli military said it struck because Hezbollah was planning to launch a heavy barrage of rockets and missiles. Soon after, Hezbollah then said it had launched an attack on Israeli military positions as an initial response to the killing of Fouad Shukur in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut last month.

By mid-morning, it appeared that the exchange had ended, with both sides saying they had only aimed at military targets. At least three fighters were killed in the strikes on Lebanon, while there were no reports of casualties in Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the military had eliminated thousands of rockets that were aimed at northern Israel.

We are determined to do everything to defend our country, to return the residents of the north securely to their homes and to continue upholding a simple rule: Whoever harms us  we will harm them, he said.

Air raid sirens were reported throughout northern Israel, and Israel's Ben-Gurion international airport closed and diverted flights for about an hour due to the threat of attack. Israels Home Front Command raised the alert level across northern Israel before later lifting restrictions in most areas.

Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, an Israeli military spokesman, said Hezbollah had intended to hit targets in northern and central Israel. He said initial assessments found very little damage in Israel, but that the military remained on high alert. He said around 100 Israeli aircraft took part in Sundays strikes.

Two Hezbollah fighters and a militant from an allied group were killed, the groups said. The Lebanese Health Ministry said two people were wounded.

Hezbollah said its attack involved more than 320 Katyusha rockets aimed at multiple sites in Israel and a large number of drones. It said the operation targeted a qualitative Israeli military target that will be announced later as well as enemy sites and barracks and Iron Dome (missile defense) platforms.

Hezbollah said the strikes would allow it to launch more attacks deeper into Israel, but a later statement said military operations for today have been completed. It dismissed Israel's claim to have thwarted a stronger attack, without providing evidence for its own claims.

Hezbollah's leader, Hassan Nasrallah, was expected to give a speech later on Sunday.

After an emergency government meeting, Lebanons caretaker Economy Minister Amin Salam said officials were feeling a bit more optimistic about a de-escalation.

We feel more reassured since both sides confirmed that the expected operations ended, and we know that the negotiations in Cairo are very serious, he said.

President Joe Biden was closely monitoring events in Israel and Lebanon," according to Sean Savett, a spokesman for the National Security Council.

The Pentagon said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Gallant, about Israel's defenses. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. CQ Brown, is on a visit to the region that is expected to take him to Israel, Egypt and Jordan.

Randa Slim, a senior fellow at the Washington, D.C.-based Middle East Institute, said Sunday mornings exchange was still within the rules of engagement and unlikely at this point to lead to an all out war.

Danny Citrinowicz, an expert at Israels Institute for National Security Studies, said Hezbollah might be trying to balance the equation without escalating into war. Each side is now hoping their narrative will be sufficient for them to declare victory and avoid a wider confrontation, he said.

Hezbollah began attacking Israel almost immediately after the start of the war in Gaza, which was triggered by Hamas' Oct. 7 attack into Israel. Israel and Hezbollah have been exchanging fire almost daily, displacing tens of thousands of people on both sides of the border.

Hezbollah, which fought Israel to a stalemate in the summer of 2006, is believed to be far more powerful than it was during that conflict. The United States and Israel estimate it has some 150,000 rockets and is capable of hitting anywhere inside Israel. The group has also developed drones capable of evading Israel's defenses, as well as precision-guided munitions.

Israel has vowed a crushing response to any major Hezbollah attack. It has an extensive multi-tiered missile defense system, and it is backed by a U.S.-led coalition that helped it shoot down hundreds of missiles and drones fired from Iran earlier this year. The U.S. military has been building up its forces across the region in recent weeks.

Hezbollah is a close ally of Iran, which has also threatened to retaliate against Israel for the killing of a senior Hamas leader, Ismail Haniyeh, in an explosion in Tehran last month. Israel has not said whether it was involved.

Iranian state media on Sunday played up the Hezbollah attack, calling it a success, but there was no immediate comment from Iranian officials.

The U.S. and other mediators see a cease-fire in Gaza as key to heading off a wider Mideast conflagration. Hezbollah has said it will halt its strikes on Israel if there is a cease-fire in Gaza.

Egypt is hosting high-level talks in Cairo on Sunday aimed at bridging the gaps in an evolving proposal for a truce and the release of scores of hostages held by Hamas. The talks were to be attended by CIA director William Burns and David Barnea, the head of Israel's Mossad intelligence agency.

Hamas sent a delegation to the Egyptian capital to be briefed by Egyptian and Qatari mediators but is not directly taking part in the negotiations. (AP)
Air France is suspending flights to Tel Aviv and Beirut scheduled for Sunday and Monday after Israel launched air strikes into Lebanon, the airline said.

"Flights today and tomorrow are suspended," a spokesman for the French carrier said, adding that the suspension could be extended depending on the situation in the Middle East.

Air France, which usually runs a daily service to both cities, had already halted flights to Beirut between July 29 and August 15, but has kept flying to Tel Aviv.

Air France's subsidiary Transavia, which serves both destinations, is also halting its flights, the spokesman said.

Any resumption of services to the two destinations will depend on the result of a new assessment of the security situation, Air France said in a statement.

German airline Lufthansa on Friday extended its Beirut flight suspension to the end of September, and said it would not fly to Tel Aviv and Tehran until September 2. (AFP)
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Tunisian President Kais Saied on Sunday replaced various ministers, including from the foreign and defence portfolios, the Tunisian presidency said in a statement posted on Facebook without explanation.

The abrupt reshuffle replaced 19 ministers and three state secretaries who assist ministers, just days after Saied sacked the former prime minister.

"This morning, August 25, 2024, the President of the Republic has decided to make a governmental change," said the statement, without further detail.

The move comes as the North African country readies for presidential elections on October 6.

Saied, 66, was democratically elected in 2019 but orchestrated a sweeping power grab in 2021.

He is now seeking a second presidential term as part of what he has said was "a war of liberation and self-determination" aiming to "establish a new republic".

But while he is running for office, a number of his political opponents and critics are currently in jail or being prosecuted.

Earlier this week, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Tunisian authorities "have prosecuted, convicted or imprisoned at least eight prospective candidates" for the October vote.

The North African country under Saied was "gearing up for a presidential election amid increased repression of dissent and free speech, without crucial checks and balances on President Saied's power", HRW added.

Earlier this month, Abir Moussi, an opposition figure who has been in jail since October, was sentenced to two years in prison under a "false news" law, days after she reportedly submitted her presidential candidacy via her lawyers.

Other jailed would-be candidates include Issam Chebbi, leader of the centrist Al Joumhouri party, and Ghazi Chaouchi, former head of the social-democratic party Democratic Current, both held for "plotting against the state".

"After jailing dozens of prominent opponents and activists, Tunisian authorities have removed almost all serious contenders from the presidential race, reducing this vote to a mere formality", said Bassam Khawaja, HRW's deputy director for the Middle East and North Africa.

Only two candidates -- former member of parliament Zouhair Maghzaoui, 59, and Azimoun leader Ayachi Zammel -- were pre-selected to run against Saied.

On Wednesday, local media said a court in the capital Tunis ordered the pre-trial detention of the treasurer of the Azimoun party, which Zammel leads, for "falsifying" signatures.

It remains unclear whether this would affect Zammel's candidacy.

So far, 14 presidential hopefuls have been barred from challenging Saied, after Tunisia's election board said they weren't able to collect enough ballot signatures.

Several would-be candidates have been accused of forging these signatures, with some being sentenced to prison.

Some hopefuls have also said they were unofficially barred from running because authorities refused to give them a copy of a clean criminal record, which is needed by candidates.

In early August Saied sacked prime minister Ahmed Hachani without explanation and replaced him with social affairs minister Kamel Madouri, the presidency announced at the time.

- Fired, then hired -

Among the appointees named on Sunday:

Mohamed Ali Nafti, who was previously secretary of state to the foreign ministry before Saied fired him in 2021. He is the new foreign affairs minister.

Nafti is a former diplomat who worked at several Tunisian embassies including in Greece, Spain, and South Korea, is foreign affairs minister.

Khaled Shili, also a former foreign ministry official and diplomat, has been appointed as the new defence minister.

He previously served as ambassador to Jordan.

The three new state secretaries will assist the foreign minister, the agriculture and water resources minister, and the minister of employment, according to the presidency's statement.

Unemployment in Tunisia stands at 16 percent, while the country suffers from water stress amid its sixth year of drought.

bou/it
When one thinks of nuclear disasters in the USSR, the first thing that comes to mind is the Chornobyl accident that occurred in 1986. However, it was far from the only one.

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Probably the most cynical episode in the history of the Soviet nuclear program was Operation Snowball at the Totsk test site in the Orenburg region of Russia on September 14, 1954. OBOZ.UA will tell you about it in more detail.

The purpose of the operation

After the end of the Second World War, a cold war broke out between the USSR and the United States almost immediately. One of its most dangerous components was the arms race, including nuclear one.

To demonstrate its success in this field and to practice defensive and offensive actions during a nuclear war, the Soviet Army planned an exercise that had an innocent codename Snowball. During this exercise, an RDS-2 nuclear bomb was detonated from the air. At the same time, soldiers on the ground had to simulate breaking through the enemy's heavily fortified defenses.

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A total of 45 thousand military personnel took part in the maneuvers: 39,000 soldiers, sergeants and petty officers, and 6,000 officers, generals and marshals, drawn from 212 units. The tent camp where they lived stretched for 42 kilometers.

How the training took place

These were the first all-military exercises in the history of the USSR involving nuclear weapons. The operation was coordinated by the "Marshal of Victory," also known as the "butcher" and "hearse", Georgy Zhukov.

According to the scenario of the exercise, a Tu-4 strategic bomber carrier, accompanied by two MiG-17 fighters and an Il-28 bomber, took off. It carried a nuclear bomb with a yield of 38 or 40 kilotons, according to various sources. For comparison, the explosion that destroyed Hiroshima had a yield of 13 to 18 kilotons.

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At 9:35 a.m., the bomb was dropped from the plane and exploded 350 meters above the ground. Five minutes after the explosion, artillery preparation began, and then the targets were struck by bomber aircraft and field artillery. The next to attack were infantry units. The offensive was conducted in a highly contaminated area.

It is known that some planes that struck ground targets had to avoid the mushroom cloud of smoke from a nuclear explosion. And radiation reconnaissance teams were sent to the epicenter as early as 40 minutes after the bomb went off.

This is how one of the participants recalled the event, "Columns of equipment were brought to the epicenter from three sides to a depth of 5 km. The equipment up to 1000 meters from the epicenter was pressed into the ground and melted. Nothing remained of the century-old forest in the epicenter. A little further away, stumps began to appear, then part of the trunks, then trees with burnt tops."

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For the experiment, healthy animals were placed within the radius of the exercise. They were located up to 500 meters from the point of explosion. All of them burned to death. It is also known that windows in residential buildings located up to 25 kilometers from the training ground cracked and flew out. The two villages closest to the training site were completely burnt out.

The consequences

It is difficult to talk specifically about the consequences of these exercises as the relevant information is mostly classified or destroyed. However, indirect evidence suggests that all of the more than 45,000 soldiers and officers who were forced to the Totsk training grounds suffered from radiation exposure. In addition, estimates point to 10 thousand civilian casualties.

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As of 2013, just over 2,000 of the participants in those exercises were still alive. Half of them received disabilities of groups 1 and 2. Here are the diseases these people were diagnosed with:

cardiovascular diseases - 74.5%

diseases of the digestive system - 20.5%

malignant tumors and blood diseases - 4.5%

It is known that the participants of the exercises were required to sign a 25-year non-disclosure agreement. In addition, their personal files did not contain information about their business trips to the Totsk training ground. They were all officially stationed elsewhere.

Some data that historians have managed to obtain indicate that no medical care was provided to the participants of the exercises. Some researchers have suggested that the USSR authorities organized these exercises and then monitored the condition of the victims to study the effects of radiation on the human body. However, this data still needs to be verified and confirmed from reliable sources that remain classified.

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Today, Ukraine honors the work of its miners with a special date in the calendar. It also celebrates the symbolic birthdays of two regional centers.

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Of course, the list of holidays that fall on this day does not end there. OBOZ.UA tells you what other dates in Ukraine and the world are celebrated on August 25.

Name days on August 25

According to the New Julian calendar, which the Orthodox Church of Ukraine has switched to, men named Volodymyr, Ivan, and Moses celebrate their name days on this day. Congratulate them with warm words.

What holidays fall on August 25

Miner's Day is a professional holiday that has no specific date and is celebrated on the last Sunday of August. This time, it falls on the 25th. The purpose of the holiday is to honor the work and contribution to Ukraine's economy of coal industry workers.

Donetsk City Day - Donetsk City Day also coincides with Miner's Day. This region of Ukraine has traditionally been engaged in coal mining, and its center is also known as the mining capital. Since 2014, Donetsk has been under Russian occupation, but it is still remembered in Ukraine, and on City Day, citizens share their memories of trips to the city of a million roses.

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Rivne City Day - another regional center of Ukraine celebrates its holiday on the last Sunday of August. This time it is Rivne. Information about it appears in historical chronicles as early as 1283, and it received Magdeburg Law in 1492. Four years later, Rivne was first described as a city in the Volyn Brief Chronicle.

The Day of the Reconciliatory Kiss - Sometimes our relationships are severely tested because of differences in opinions or views. We quarrel and lose really meaningful connections. And yet the problem can often be solved with one simple action - a kiss. Think about those you don't get along with, meet up today and kiss each other. In the end, friendship and a warm attitude are always more important than any trifles.

Historical events on August 25

1604 - False Dmitry I with the Polish-Ukrainian army began a campaign against Moscow.

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1609 - Galileo Galilei demonstrated a new device, a telescope, to the Venetian Small Council (Doge's Council).

1621 - 45,000 Cossacks led by Yatsko Borodavka arrived at the camp near Khotyn to help King Vladyslav against the Ottomans.

1718 - the French founded the city of New Orleans in North America.

1793 - French revolutionary troops took Marseilles.

1810 - Englishman Peter Durand patented the process of preserving food in tins.

1825 - Uruguay declared independence from the Brazilian Empire.

1830 - An uprising against the Dutch began in Brussels.

1875 - Matthew Webb became the first person to swim across the English Channel.

1912 - the Kuomintang Party ("People's State Party") is founded in the Republic of China.

1915 - German troops take Brest-Litovsk (now Brest).

1918 - the first issue of the newspaper Zvon (Bell), edited by Yanka Kupala, is published.

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1919 - during the offensive on Kyiv, the UPR Army liberated Fastiv.

1919 - the world's first regular international air route London - Paris was opened.

1929 - the airship "Count Zepellin" departed from Tokyo and arrived in San Francisco.

1933 - an agreement was reached between the government of the Third Reich and the Jewish administration in Palestine, allowing German Jews to move to Palestine and other countries.

1941 - Soviet and British troops occupied Iran.

1944 - Allied troops liberated Paris from Nazi occupation.

1964 - Soviet dissident, Ukrainian Petro Hryhorenko was deprived of the rank of major general.

1973 - the first tomography scan was taken.

1991 - The Battle of Vukovar began during Croatia's war for independence.

1991 - The Supreme Soviet of the Belarusian SSR proclaimed the country's independence from the USSR.

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Famous people born on August 25

1724 - George Stubbs, British biologist and animal painter. Author of the work "Anatomy of the Horse".

1819 - Alan Pinkerton, American entrepreneur of Scottish descent. Founder of the world's first detective agency.

1866 - Volodymyr Kosynsky, Ukrainian economist, co-founder of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences.

1868 - Serhiy Izotov, sergeant major of the UPR's active army.

1905 - Abram Lufer, Ukrainian Soviet pianist and teacher, Honored Artist of the Ukrainian SSR.

1918 - Leonard Bernstein, American conductor, composer, pianist, educator, and educator of Jewish-Ukrainian descent.

1924 - Pavlo Zahrebelnyi, Ukrainian writer.

1930 - Sean Connery, Scottish film actor and producer.

1938 - Borys Mykhailov, Ukrainian art photographer, permanently based in Berlin and Kharkiv, is considered a classic of contemporary photography.

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1938 - Frederick Forsyth, English writer ("The Day of the Jackal")

1940 - Mykola Zhulynsky, Ukrainian literary critic and politician, director of the Taras Shevchenko Institute of Literature, academician of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.

1949 - Gene Simmons, American bass guitarist, vocalist, actor and entrepreneur. One of the founders of Kiss.

1951 - Rob Halford, vocalist of the British band Judas Priest.

1958 - Tim Burton, American film director, screenwriter and producer.

1963 - Yuriy Verbytskyi, seismologist, PhD, Euromaidan activist.

1970 - Claudia Schiffer, German top model and actress.

1976 - Alexander Skarsgard, Swedish actor, director and screenwriter.

1987 - Blake Lively, American actress.

Subscribe to OBOZ.UA channels in Telegram and Viber to keep up with the latest events.

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In areas of academic performance, a recent report by the Easton Area School District shows that its students are facing notable challenges.

The district released corresponding improvement plans for the high school, middle school and Paxinosa Elementary School. The documents include statistics and data showing how students are performing in academic areas, and it analyzes how each school can achieve its goals.

The summary below is an overview of the data released by the district. Click to read the full reports for Paxinosa, the middle school, and high school.

Paxinosa Elementary School

Part of the data reviewed Paxinosas performance in English language arts (ELA), math, and science. It draws from data from 2022 and 2023. It separates strengths and challenges that Paxinosa students achieved and faced.

Overall, students did not meet their target for achievement in math or ELA.

According to the findings, 21.1% of students were proficient or advanced in math, and 25.9% of students were proficient in ELA. 58.6% of students were proficient or advanced in science. Overall, the report says, students did not meet their achievement target in math and language arts.

It breaks down data for several grade levels based on IXL data, an online learning system. Kindergarten, first grade and second grade improved the benchmark performance between fall 2023 and spring 2024. The report states that teachers in these grade levels utilized IXL effectively.

Challenges included the number of students needing intense intervention.

There is also data provided regarding the PSSA statewide tests: 58.6% of students scored proficient or advanced on the exam, which the report said is an improvement. The report also points out a lack of curriculum and resources.

It breaks down PSSA performance for English learners, students with disabilities and economically disadvantaged students. In ELA and Math, none of the students in these groups met the standard for proficient or advanced on the PSSAs.

As far as race and ethnicity, the Hispanic subgroup improved from 43.9% to 57.1% proficiency on the science PSSA. The report notes the subgroup of two or more races did not meet the standard of advanced or proficiency in Math or ELA.

Based on the strengths and challenges outlined in the report, the district measured different goals.

By the end of the 2024-2025 academic year, Paxinosa will increase the percentage of students reading at or above grade level by having 55% of students at or above grade level, the report says about ELA. For the 2023-2024 school year, 49% of students were at or above grade level.

In math and ELA, the district will use the Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS), the report says. Students in each grade level will meet every six weeks and analyze student data. The district also set a goal of 10 points per month of growth in the Math IXL.

One strength was Paxinosa students had an academic growth score of 75 in ELA, which exceeds the statewide growth standard. Also, subgroups met or exceeded growth standards in math and reading. Students specifically in the economically disadvantaged subgroup met the standard for growth in ELA.

Easton Area Middle School

Many of the challenges discussed in the middle schools report dealt with PSSA scores. Students scored below the state average in reading, math and science; 38.7% scored proficient or advanced in reading, 38.3% in math and 35.5% in science.

According to the report and Pennsylvania Value-Added Assessment System data, students in the subgroups Asian, Black, Hispanic, white, economically disadvantaged, English learners, combined ethnicities, and students with disabilities did not meet the standard for academic growth for reading, math and science.

Easton Area Middle School will foster a culture of high expectations for student learning through goal setting and strategic support, the report stated.

The report drew data from the Star assessment. There was a decrease of 3% for sixth-grade students reaching at or above benchmark from September to May. The percentage of students at/above benchmark for sixth grade in May was 40%; 47% of seventh-grade students met or achieved above the benchmark, and 42% of eighth-graders met or achieved the benchmark.

The school is making progress in many areas and has added additional resources to support our learners. Our learners are showing growth in some areas and we need to capitalize on these successes moving into next school year, the report says.

As far as strengths, 70% of students met the Pennsylvania growth score for ELA and math. The report also highlights 26% of Black students were at or above benchmark in the ELA Star assessment, and 22% of Black students were at or above the benchmark in math.

Easton Area High School

The analysis of strengths and challenges similarly looked at English, math and science.

The weaknesses in the report showed students struggled to perform proficiently in certain courses and meet achievement goals. For example, all student groups 3.9% below the state average of 54.5% for interim growth in English.

All student groups failed to meet the interim goal/improvement goals in math and science. The school scored a 19.9% in math in this area and 41.8% in science, both of which were below the state average.

The findings show 44% of students achieved an 80% or better in Algebra 1; 17% of students failed Literature and Composition, and 10% of students failed college prep biology; 38% of students passed this course with an 80% or better.

For the Keystone exams, Students with disabilities did not meet their achievement target for algebra, biology, and literature proficiency.

The root cause of challenges in continuously improving teaching and learning may stem from a combination of factors at our school, the report says. Some root causes may be due to staff resistance to changing established norms, traditions, or fear of changing current practices which, in turn, may delay innovation of teaching methods, data integration, and adoption of a shared vision.

The high schools goals include collecting and analyzing data throughout the year to address challenges and foster a positive learning environment. They will monitor the implementation of the school improvement plan on a quarterly basis through meetings and parental feedback.

Some strengths in the report include an improvement in the amount of students failing Algebra 1. It went from 30 in 2022-23 to 17 in 2023-24. English learners met their growth target of 71% in biology, and students with disabilities met their growth target of 75% in the same subject; 75% of students in the Engineering Technologies program received industry certification.

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Chelsea Kun may be reached at ckun@lehighvalleylive.com.
As schools reopen Nina Carberry, Member of the European Parliament for Laois and the Midlands Northwest Constituency has issued what she's called a stark warning about the rising threat of Spice vape usage among schoolchildren in Ireland.

In a statement, the Fine Gael MEP said recent findings reveal that one in six vapes tested in schools across England contain Spice, a synthetic cannabinoid with severe health risks, and there are increasing concerns about similar trends emerging in Irish schools.

Ms Carberry stressed the critical role that the European Commission can play in combating the online sale of illegal vapes. She said that through the Digital Services Act (DSA) and the Digital Markets Act (DMA), the Commission can enforce stricter regulations on online platforms, making it more difficult for illegal Spice vapes to be sold and distributed to minors in Ireland.

"The DSA and DMA provide us with the tools to increase transparency and accountability for online platforms," says MEP Carberry. "By enforcing these regulations, we can better protect our children from the dangers of Spice vapes and ensure these harmful products are not accessible online," she said.

With the return to school, MEP Carberry underscored the urgency of addressing this issue as students head back to classrooms. More below picture.

"This is not just a problem for other countriesit's a growing issue here in Ireland," added MEP Carberry. "We must be proactive in safeguarding our children, and I call on the European Commission to fully utilise the DSA and DMA to address the online sale of these dangerous substances."

Her statement addressed what was called the 'hidden dangers of Spice vapes'.

It said a troubling recent example comes from a 14-year-old student in England who became addicted to Spice vapes. He described how his dependence on the drug took over his life, leading him to use it constantly, even during school hours. This case highlights the potent and dangerous effects of Spice, which can cause dizziness, breathing difficulties, heart palpitations, psychosis, and seizures.

"The safety of our children is paramount, and we cannot ignore the growing evidence that Spice vapes are infiltrating our schools. Legislators, parents, educators, and communities across Ireland must work together to prevent this dangerous trend from taking hold", MEP Carberry concluded.
By James Durney

Anyone that has grown up in Kildare in the early 1970s will recall the escapes from the Curragh Camp and Portlaoise Prison.



Sirens would sound in Naas, the Curragh and Kildare town, signalling that something major had happened and calling all troops back to barracks to aid in the search for escapees or man roadblocks and checkpoints.

Escapes from both the Curragh and Portlaoise feature in my new book  Jailbreak: Great Irish Republican Escape 1865-1983.

During the War of Independence and the Civil War, the Curragh plains was home to some of the largest and most important internment camps in the country.

The Rath Camp, opened on 1 March 1921 and housed up to 1,300 men. Within days Rory OConnor and an accomplice walked out the front gate.

In September 1921, during the Truce and while negotiations for the Anglo-Irish Treaty were ongoing, over fifty republican internees tunnelled their way out of the Rath Camp.

With the outbreak of the Civil War the following year, Newbridge Cavalry Barracks was converted to an internment centre for anti-Treaty IRA prisoners.

The Greatest Escape in Irish prison history occurred over a weekend in October 1922 when 112 prisoners escaped through a tunnel leading into the sewer. Thirty-five men from Co. Kildare escaped the biggest group by county, including William Squires Gannon, then only twenty-one, who made a successful escape and was not recaptured.

Squires Gannon was later a winner of two All-Ireland medals (1927 and 1928) and was the first captain to raise the Sam Maguire Cup.

Tintown Internment Camp, on the Curragh plains, held about 5,000 internees.

Apart from intermittent escapes  Peadar ODonnell also walked out the front gate  another seventy internees tunnelled their way to freedom. One of them was John McCoy, from Mullaghbawn, Co. Armagh. He later settled in Kill and was father of Olympic boxer Colm McCoy and Art and John of McCoy Motors, Lucan.

The Curragh was back in business after the IRA launched the Border Campaign in 1956 which led to internment in the Republic.



Another mass escape followed in December 1958 when fourteen republicans successfully broke out through the barbed wire.

As soon as the alarm was sounded, local republicans came to their aid in the escape. One local was known to have led a group of escapees to safety, assisting in carrying Terry OToole, who had been shot in the leg by a military policeman.

This was the third escape to have taken place at the Curragh in the same year. Earlier, leading republicans Daithi OConnell and Ruari O Bradaigh had successfully fled their humble surroundings and returned to active duty on the border.

Once again, the Curragh became a holding centre when the Troubles erupted in 1968, when the Glasshouse Military Prison was used to house republican prisoners.



The Curragh was chosen in the likely expectation that its remoteness would preclude riots, which had taken place inside and outside Mountjoy Jail in 1972.



However, within weeks a major clash took place on the Curragh Plains when a demonstration of 2,000 people, organised by Provisional Sinn Fein and Peoples Democracy, degenerated into a full-scale riot, involving around 200 breakaway demonstrators, gardai and riot-gear-clad soldiers.



This was the first time riot troops had been deployed in the Republic. The crowd set fire to a building at the Curragh complex and attacked the troops and gardai with petrol bombs, fireworks and stones.

An army baton charge eventually dispersed the crowd.



But, the Curragh seemed as leaky as earlier years when seven men escaped from the Glasshouse through a tunnel in October 1972. Within a year two of the escapees, Paddy Carty and Michael McVerry, were dead  killed while engaging in actions against Crown forces.

After a helicopter escape from Mountjoy by three leading republicans  Seamus Twomey, Kevin Mallon and J. B. OHagen  all IRA prisoners held at Mountjoy and the Curragh Camp were transferred to the maximum security Portlaoise Prison on 9 November 1973.

Eddie Gallagher, recently released from the Curragh Military Detention Barracks, arrived in Portlaoise Prison on 15 August 1974.



Three days later, Gallagher was instrumental in helping a picked bunch of top republicans escape from the prison. A hole was blown in the perimeter wall from the inside and twenty-five prisoners, including Gallagher and a recently recaptured Kevin Mallon, went out through it.



Six prisoners were recaptured, but nineteen successfully escaped.

Piaras Beaslai, a two-time escapee, said, It is a theorem with prison-keepers that, while a man may serve twenty years in prison without once thinking of escaping, he who has once escaped is certain to attempt it again.

This opinion was justified in Beaslais case, for he subsequently escaped five months after having been recaptured.

He was not the only one. Tomas O Maolain escaped through a tunnel from the Rath Camp in September 1921 and again went out through a tunnel from Tintown in 1923.



Patrick Bagnall escaped from Newbridge Barracks in October 1922 only to face a firing squad two months later when he was recaptured.



Many other escapees returned to active service only to be killed in action. Three of the 1983 H-Block escapees were also subsequently killed in IRA operations.

Jailbreak  Great Irish Republican Escape 1865-1983 tells the stories of the many successful republican escapes, but also the elation and the heartbreak that followed.



Jailbreak: Great Irish Republican Escapes 1865-1983 is published by Merrion Press.
Increased government support is needed for hospitality businesses based in County Kildare.

That's according to Fianna Fail Senator for Fiona O'Loughlin.

The Newbridge-based politician has called for increased government support for hospitality businesses in the upcoming Budget.

The Senator said: "Hospitality businesses are facing an extremely challenging operating environment due to rising costs, falling food sales, tight margins and the 13.5 per cent VAT rate.

"The cost of doing business is a significant challenge for businesses in the hospitality sector.

"Industry research shows that 77 per cent of hospitality business report a negative outlook for the next 12 months."

Senator O'Loughlin continued: "This challenging operating environment is evident with hospitality businesses facing an average increase of 16 per cent in operating costs in the year to date.

"I am calling for the government to intervene and assist these hospitality businesses, such as cafes, restaurants, small, family-run hotels that deal almost primarily in food and gastropubs that are so vital to our communities."

She concluded: "Reinstating the nine per cent VAT rate for food-related hospitality services in the upcoming Budget would be a significant step that would provide vital assistance to the industry and would make our communities more attractive as a destination by enhancing the range and availability of tourism and hospitality services."

Paul Lenehan (President Restaurants Association of Ireland), Senator Fiona OLoughlin and John ONeill (Hamlet Court Hotel, Johnstownbridge). Photograph supplied by Senator O'Loughlin.
A performance by Onoir has been confirmed for the Landmark Hotel in Carrick-on-Shannon in September.

Contemporary Irish folk group Onoir formed in 2020, when Donegal musicians; Tom McHugh, Declan Gaughan, Deane Connaghan, and Diarmaid McGee, joined forces to create a contemporary version of the famous Irish folk ballad; The Auld Triangle, the video went on to be seen by over 3 million people worldwide.

These talented musicians with distinctive vocal styles are setting new standards with incredible musical arrangements and harmonies that mark them out as unique. Their debut album was released in March of 2024.

Onoir are getting ready to blow your mind This is a night not to be missed. As they put their unique stamp on the timeless ballads and folk songs that we all love.

But be prepared for a few pleasant surprises as they delve into americana, heart rending soul and a little bit of country.

In addition to top quality vocals theres going to be some fun and laughter along the way.
Thanks to low-cost airlines, tourists have the opportunity to travel at affordable prices, discovering new countries and cultures. Wizz Air holds a special place among them, providing a wide range of routes and services for its customers.

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Recently, the airline announced the launch of an unlimited flight pass. At first glance, this offer sounds like a real find for those who travel frequently, but Euronews has revealed some pitfalls.

In the world of air travel, new offers are constantly emerging that promise travelers more convenience and opportunities. One of the latest innovations that has attracted the attention of many is a new subscription from the Hungarian airline Wizz Air, which offers unlimited flights for its customers. Although this offer looks attractive, it is important to carefully read its terms and conditions before signing up.

New opportunities from Wizz Air

Wizz Air, an airline known for its affordable pricing policy, has recently announced the launch of a unique service that allows customers to fly as many times as they want throughout the year. The offer looks especially attractive for those who travel a lot, as the annual pass cost only 499 euros for those who managed to purchase it before August 16, after which the price increased to 599 euros.

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For this payment, passengers will be able to fly on any of Wizz Air's 950 routes covering Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.

What is important to know before subscribing?

At first glance, Wizz Air's offer seems to be extremely favorable, but there are several important aspects that may be a reason for reflection.

First, you can book tickets only 72 hours before departure. This means that seats on flights may be limited and passengers planning last-minute trips may not always be able to find free seats.

Secondly, the cost of baggage transportation and seat selection is not included in the ticket price and can significantly increase costs.

It is also important to note that season ticket holders will have to pay an additional fee of 9.99 for each flight. Because of this, the cost of travel may be significantly higher than expected.

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Environmental aspect

Wizz Air has long faced criticism over its environmental policy. Climate activists have expressed concern that the new pass will encourage unlimited flights, which could lead to an increase in CO2 emissions.

Representatives of Wizz Air, in turn, assure that the new product will help to maximize the load on flights in the last hours before departure, which will contribute to flight efficiency and reduce emissions per unit of passengers transported.

Subscribe to OBOZ.UA channels on Telegram and Viber to keep up with the latest events.
THE LATE BOBBY Richardson went for his customary two pints in Aherns pub on Sunday evening, August 11.

The drystock farmer was in two minds about going due to the thunder and lightning but once it cleared he went to the bar in Ballymackeogh, Newport to mark his 68th birthday.

It was to be Mr Richardsons last visit to Aherns as he tragically passed away on the following Tuesday after a bull attack on his farm in Killeenagarriff, Lisnagry. His bar stool was left empty on Sunday night.

The prevalence of machinery and agricultural-related deaths in Ireland is reflected by the fact that the proprietor of the pub, Teresa Ahern, lost her husband in an accident nine years ago. John Ahern died while working on a vintage lorry on September 2, 2015.

The Leader contacted Ms Ahern as she knew Bobby and has gone through the grief, shock and sadness that the Richardson family is now experiencing from the sudden death of a loved one.

Bobby was a lovely man. He used to hand down the drinks every Sunday night to the card players to give me a hand.

He's coming to us a good while. He'd be at the counter talking to William Ryan. He was a very nice man. Its terrible. He would have known John (Ahern) very well, said Ms Ahern.

Mr Richardson was a quiet man but very sociable and popular.

Well all miss Bobby, said Ms Ahern, who extended her sympathies, and those of her clients, to Mr Richardsons family and friends.

She said following the loss of her husband her long-standing customers helped to ease the loneliness and cheer her up. Mr Richardson was one of her loyal clientele who did just that.

Mr Richardson was laid to rest in Killeenagarriff Cemetery, which he used to look after, on Saturday, August 17 following Requiem Mass in St Patricks Church, Ahane.

The large volume of mourners who paid their respects at his son Martins home on Friday and at the church and grave on Saturday reflected the respect and esteem with which the Richardson and Collins families are held.

He is sadly missed by his loving wife Joan, sons Henry and Martin, daughter Brid and their partners Martina, Sinead and Harry, grandson Harry and granddaughter Winnie, brothers George and Noel, sisters Mary, Rebecca and Teresa. brothers in law, sisters in law, nephews, nieces, cousins, neighbours, relations and friends.

READ MORE: 'Devastating loss to culture of Bruff' as local theatre stalwart is mourned

Minister of State Kieran ODonnell said there has been a huge outpouring of both shock and loss from communities in Ahane, Lisnagry, Castleconnell, Murroe and further afield.

I knew Bobby for a good number of years and his wife and family. My sympathies to his wife and family on this huge loss for them. Bobby was very well known and very well liked. He was a great farmer and real community man.

I came in contact with him through Killeenagarriff graveyard which he looked after. He was a particularly nice man and is a huge loss. May he rest in peace, said Mr ODonnell.

Many have expressed their sympathies to the Richardson family on RIP.ie following their tragic loss.

So sorry to hear the devastating news of your dear Bobby's passing. We are all heartbroken for you. Words cannot express the sadness we feel for you all.

May you get strength from each other to get through the dark days ahead. The bed of heaven to his gentle soul, wrote one.

Former councillor John Egan, from nearby Murroe and a fellow farmer, expressed his condolences to the Richardson family on Bobby's passing.

One man said he worked with Bobby in a number of places and he was a pure gentleman.

Another mourner wrote, Bobby was a kind, gentle soul and will be fondly remembered in our community.

May he rest in peace.
MAURICE Quinlivan TD has been selected to run in the next general election for Sinn Fein in Limerick City.

Deputy Quinlivan was first elected to the Dail in 2016 and went on to top the poll in the 2020 general election.

He was eliminated from the mayoral election in June at the ninth count, after polling 11,571 votes.

Mr Quinlivan joins Brian Leddin TD, Green Party, Melanie Sheehan Cleary, Mid-West Hospital Campaign, Cllr Frankie Daly, Independent, Cllr Sarah Beasley, Aontu, and Cllr Conor Sheehan, Labour, in the bid for one of the four Limerick City seats in Dail Eireann.

Mr Quinlivan, who was selected unopposed, says he is honoured to be chosen by his party to contest the next general election.

READ MORE: Mayor calls on Limerick TDs to ensure more funding for Uisce Eireann in the Budget

I want to thank the local Sinn Fein organisation in Limerick for their support and I look forward to the general election campaign ahead. Limerick, despite our challenges, is a fantastic place to live and work and it has been the privilege of my life to have represented the people of Limerick and I hope to continue doing so, he continued.

He added that there remain many challenges facing our county including the housing crisis, the cost of living and the failures at our main hospital, UHL.

The housing crisis in Limerick continues to impact the lives of many who can neither afford to purchase or rent a home, he explained. The challenges facing the health service in Limerick must be addressed and it is my hope that I can continue to advocate for change on behalf of the people of Limerick.

Mr Quinlivan feels that the people of Limerick City deserve much better than that. I hope to have the opportunity to continue to fight their corner after the next general election, and to see our communities thrive and reach their full potential.

We will continue to work hard. I am very grateful for the Sinn Fein nomination, and I look forward to the campaign ahead.
A seemingly ordinary ad slipped into a mainstream newspaper earlier this month. At first glance, it appeared like any otherthree models posing against a warm sunset. But on closer inspection, something seemed off. The faces weren't real, but generated by artificial intelligence. It was part of a campaign by Tata CLiQ Luxury, a brand under the Tata Group, which has quietly been replacing human models with AI-generated images in its print ads for nearly a year. The result is eerie and far from perfect.

AI in advertising isn't entirely new. Over the past 8-10 months, several television commercials featuring celebrities have incorporated AI elements. While Tata CLiQ's AI models have mostly gone unnoticed, online travel agency Yatra faced legal trouble. In May this year, a woman alleged that her likeness had been used without permission in one of Yatra's AI-driven ads, leading to legal action against the company.

Others including Phoenix Malls and jewellery maker Joyalukkas have also tried their hand at AI-generated print campaigns.

AI-generated ads are gaining momentum in print media, even though concerns are growing within the industry. The technology's ability to replicate human-like figures is evolving rapidly, and some believe it could reshape the advertising landscape.

AI is making it increasingly cost-effective for brands to produce ads, eliminating the need for real models, exotic locations, and expensive post-production work, said Karthik Srinivasan, a Bengaluru-based communications strategy consultant. If AI can generate models that look as good as the real thing, what incentive is there for ad agencies to hire real people and spend on costly shoots?"

Srinivasan, however, agrees that the quality of AI-generated ads is still lacking. "Take Tata CLiQ's AI ads, which have been running since November. They're not well-executed, and that could be intentionalperhaps to ensure readers don't mistake the AI models for real people," Srinivasan said. But it raises another question: if the models aren't real, are the clothes they're showcasing even real?"

Tata CLiQ declined to comment on this story.

Yatra, in response to queries about its AI ad, said: "We prioritise ethical practices and ensure that all our creative materials are sourced responsibly and with proper licensing. As confirmed by our creative agency, the image used in our print advertisement was sourced from 'Adobe Stock Images' by our creative agency in accordance with their licensing terms with them."

Globally too, some of the digital and print campaigns created using AI have not worked. For instance, Google withdrew its Olympics ad in early August following backlash from critics for depicting a "distasteful" use of artificial intelligence. Technology giant Apple also withdrew an ad depicting Thai people in a stereotypical manner in July.

Legal view

AI's rapid deployment in advertising comes with its own set of challenges. Concerns over privacy, deepfakes, and content accuracy are pushing the industry towards stricter guidelines and self-regulation.

When a voice, likeness or feature is used, it can impinge on personality rights, said Delhi-based lawyer, Dhruv Garg, who is a technology law and policy expert. Many courts in India have ruled that personality rights cannot be violated for commercial purposes without taking a license, he said.

AI generates content based on data sets. While some campaigns use licensed work, others may not be and usually run a disclaimer.

"AI models are being used because of their cost effectiveness and ease. There is no going back from it. But at this point, there is no specific law on AI in India. It is just personality rights and other intellectual property laws will apply in any cases of infringement," Garg said. "The apportionment of damages and liabilities will be based on the piecemeal application of traditional laws across the board--whether it's an ad agency, company or software being used."

Mint recently reported on AIs role in enabling hyper-personalized campaigns, as seen in Cadbury's Diwali ad, which featured Shah Rukh Khan promoting local businesses. With machine learning, agencies can now create thousands of custom ads quickly, improving efficiency at every stage of a campaign. It not only helps large brands cut costs but is also democratising content creation for smaller companies with limited budgets.

"When companies use AI to generate any sort of advertisement creatives, irrespective of whether they are static or not, they save at least 70% of what they would have spent if they had done a shoot," said Rashi Agarwal, founder of Megalodon, which creates AI-based advertisements for companies like Reliance Industries-owned Ajio and travel companies like Club Mahindra. Good AI tools can help create the same kind of content with the same type of feel in less time using fewer resources."

At this point, AI can create good quality static images but not videos. Still, virtual actors or avatars are already being used to create campaigns.

Shooting with virtual actors can cost up to 25 lakhs based on how elaborate the set requirement is, said Abhishek Razdan, co-founder of Avtr Meta, the company behind AI model influencers like 'Virat' and Naina. With real models, industry estimates suggest, such a shoot can cost 35 lakh to 50 lakh, and go up to 1 crore.

The virtual influencers" have worked with brands like Oppo and Baskin Robbins for some marketing campaigns.

Ironically, such AI-generated models vouch for authenticity and look to build a personal connection, something they themselves lack.
(Bloomberg) -- An independent tribunal in Canada has ordered workers at the countrys two largest railways to get back on the job and to engage in binding arbitration to resolve a dispute that has snarled North American supply chains.

The Canada Industrial Relations Board agreed on Saturday to Labor Minister Steven MacKinnons request for arbitration as well as an extension of the workers expired contracts and for the railways to resume operations forthwith.

The board has concluded that, in this case, it has no discretion or ability to refuse to implement, in whole or in part, the ministers directions or modify their terms, the CIRB said in its decision, signed on behalf of Chairwoman Ginette Brazeau. The decision was unanimous.

MacKinnon had argued that a return to work was needed because Canadians livelihoods, safety and communities were at stake.

Canadian National Railway Co. and Canadian Pacific Kansas City Ltd. shut down operations Aug. 22 after talks with the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference failed. Following MacKinnons request to the board, CN trains started rolling again early Friday, but CPKC workers went on strike. A strike notice was issued to CN by the Teamsters for 10 a.m. on Monday.

The labor boards ruling clears the way for the railways to fully resume operations.

However, the Teamsters are likely to appeal the decision to the Federal Court. The union has accused the government of violating the Charter of Rights and Freedoms by denying the right to strike and undermining the foundation on which labor unions work to improve wages and working conditions.

The Teamsters union, which represents nearly 10,000 workers at the two railways, said in an emailed statement Friday evening that it would lawfully abide by any decision from the CIRB.

CN, CPKC and the union didnt immediately respond to a request for comment.

Business groups in Canada and the US had been calling on the Canadian government to intervene, as the lockout disrupted their interconnected supply chain and thwarted C$1 billion ($736 million) in goods transported by train each day.

Commodities like coal, wheat, fertilizer and lumber depend on the railways to transport product between Canadas ports and the two countries. Collectively, the two companies account for 80% of the countrys rail network.

Talks between the two parties have stalled over arrangements to address scheduling and crew fatigue issues. The previous collective agreements expired at the end of 2023.

--With assistance from Monique Mulima.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
(Bloomberg) -- Edgar Bronfman Jr.s plans for Paramount Global include partnering with a technology stalwart like Amazon.com Inc. or Apple Inc. to improve its streaming-TV business, according to people familiar with his thinking.

The longtime media executive, who put in a last-minute bid for control of Paramount last week, doesnt believe any legacy media companies have really gotten a handle on streaming. He thinks Paramount needs more specific skills in terms of customer acquisition and ad sales, said the people, who asked not be identified discussing plans that havent been made public.

Paramounts streaming-TV business earned $26 million on sales of $1.88 billion in the most recent quarter. Paramount has 68 million subscribers, far fewer than rivals such as Netflix Inc. and Walt Disney Co. Paramount took a $5.98 billion charge against its cable-TV channels, which have lost viewers and advertisers as consumers switch to streaming.

Bronfman is also looking to team Paramount up with a company that can take it to a higher level in terms of licensing its many brands for consumer products.

The 69-year-old heir to the Seagram Co. liquor fortune is in a two-man race with independent film producer David Ellison to take control of Paramount, the home of CBS, MTV and other media businesses.

$6 Billion Bid

Bronfman submitted a $6 billion bid last week to buy the Redstone family holding company, National Amusements Inc., which owns most of the voting stock in Paramount, and to acquire more of the companys shares. Bronfman is still working on getting the final signatures together for his financing package, but he has all the investors in place, the people said.

A special committee of Paramounts board is expected to determine Aug. 28 whether Bronfmans proposal is superior to Ellisons offer. If the board deems it so, Ellison could counter before a Sept. 5 deadline.

Ellison plans to invest more than $8 billion in Paramount, acquiring shares from existing investors, buying out the Redstones and putting $1.5 billion into the company for debt reduction. He also plans to merge his film and TV studio Skydance Media into Paramount at a $4.75 billion valuation, something Bronfman has argued would dilute the non-Redstone shareholders.

Both sides have offered Paramount Chair Shari Redstone the opportunity to stay on the board if she chooses, according to several people familiar with the proposals. CNBC reported earlier on Skydance and Bronfmans outreach to Redstone on a board seat.

Paramount is currently run by a trio of co-chief executive officers. Bronfman would become CEO if his proposal wins, but he would like the other executives to stay around, said the people. Hes also planning to bring in two other longtime media executives, former AOL executive Jon Miller and former Turner Broadcasting chief John Martin, for positions at Paramount. Miller is a longtime partner in Redstones venture capital firm, Advancit.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
Religare Enterprises Ltd has deferred its annual general meeting (AGM) by three months, delaying the resolution of the tiff between shareholders and the company management till at least December.

Three institutional shareholders said they were unhappy with the decision to postpone the AGM, especially since the company has given no explanation. The delay becomes crucial as chairperson Rashmi Saluja was up for reappointment at this AGM, initially scheduled for September.

According to Section 152 (6) of the Companies Act, one-thirds of the directors, excluding independent directors, need to retire each AGM.

Saluja is the only non-independent director on the Religare board and, therefore, comes up for retirement at each AGM. The vote to reappoint her will now take place in December after the company secured approval to defer the AGM by three months.

Also read | Sebi directs Religares board, Saluja to seek approvals for Burman open offer

We are very upset about it. It should not have been done. Accounts have been filed and submitted to the exchanges, so there is no valid reason for pushing the AGM," one of the investors said on condition of anonymity. Religare told the exchanges on 22 August that it had filed for an extension of the AGM on 21 August, which the Registrar of Companies had granted.

Religare did not respond to a request for comment on why the company had pushed its AGM.

The reason to push the AGM seems to be to avoid the vote," another investor said.

The current impasse at Religare stems from last 25 September when the Burman family signalled their intent to acquire a controlling stake in Religare Enterprises. The promoters of consumer goods company Dabur India Ltd have been accumulating shares through MB Finmart, Puran Associates, VIC Enterprises, and Milky Investment and Trading Co., entities belonging to cousins Anand and Mohit Burman. After acquiring a 9.9% stake in April 2018, they increased their holding to 14% in June 2021 and then acquired an additional 7.5% in August 2023. In January this year, they raised their stake to 25.18%, which gives them veto rights on any special resolution introduced by the company.

Under Indian law, the postponement of an AGM may suggest underlying issues within the company, such as corporate governance disputes or strategic decisions that are yet to be finalized," said Ketan Mukhija, senior partner, Burgeon Law.

In this case, Religare is in the midst of a high-stakes boardroom battle involving its management and the Burman family, who are attempting to take control of the company through an open offer. The ongoing conflict and regulatory scrutiny, including Sebis (Securities and Exchange Board of India) involvement, might be key reasons behind the delay," Mukhija said. For shareholders, this postponement could indicate potential volatility in the companys governance and future direction, as the outcome of this power struggle will likely impact the companys strategic plans, share value, and overall governance."

Read more | SAT grants Religare time till 22 July to comply with Sebi order in Burman Familys open offer matter

Saluja-led Religare boards resistance to the takeover move by the Burman family has caught regulatory attention in recent months.

On 19 June, Sebi pulled up the Religare management for its failure to file the necessary approvals and asked the company to file them promptly. Sebi also issued a show-cause notice to the companys board asking why it should not act against them. The company and the board have appealed this decision, and a hearing is expected later this month.

Investors now have three options: contest the extension of the AGM, call for an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) or wait for another three months to seek her removal," the second investor cited above added.

Shareholders owning more than 10% voting rights combined can call an EGM.

The postponement of Religares AGM is a significant development for shareholders as it delays crucial decisions regarding the reappointment of board members and governance, said Nilesh Tribhuvann, managing partner, White & Brief, Advocates & Solicitors.

In a board with no current shareholder representation, this delay heightens concerns about the continued lack of direct oversight by those vested in the companys future," he said. The company must provide clear and transparent reasons for this delay and a revised timeline to ensure that shareholders' interests are adequately represented and safeguarded."
PARIS (Reuters) - Pavel Durov, billionaire founder and CEO of the Telegram messaging app, was arrested at the Bourget airport outside Paris on Saturday evening, TF1 TV and BFM TV said, citing unnamed sources.

Telegram, particularly influential in Russia, Ukraine and the republics of the former Soviet Union, is ranked as one of the major social media platforms after Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok and Wechat. It aims to hit one billion users in the next year.

Based in Dubai, Telegram was founded by Russian-born Durov. He left Russia in 2014 after refusing to comply with government demands to shut down opposition communities on his VK social media platform, which he sold.

Durov was travelling aboard his private jet, TF1 said on its website, adding he had been targeted by an arrest warrant in France as part of a preliminary police investigation.

TF1 and BFM both said the investigation was focused on a lack of moderators on Telegram, and that police considered that this situation allowed criminal activity to go on undeterred on the messaging app.

Telegram did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. The French Interior Ministry and police had no comment.

After Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Telegram has become the main source of unfiltered - and sometimes graphic and misleading - content from both sides about the war and the politics surrounding the conflict.

The app has become preferred means of communications for Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and his officials. The Kremlin and the Russian government also use it to disseminate their news. It has also become one of the few places where Russians can access news about the war.

TF1 said Durov had been travelling from Azerbaijan and was arrested at around 20:00 (18:00 GMT).

Durov, whose fortune was estimated by Forbes at $15.5 billion, said some governments had sought to pressure him but the app, which has now 900 million active users, should remain a "neutral platform" and not a "player in geopolitics".

Russia's embassy in France told the Russian state TASS news agency that it was not contacted by Durov's team after the reports of the arrest, but it was taking "immediate" steps to clarify the situation.

Russia's representative to international organisations in Vienna, Mikhail Ulyanov, and several other Russian politicians were quick to accuse France of acting as a dictatorship.

"Some naive persons still don't understand that if they play more or less visible role in international information space it is not safe for them to visit countries which move towards much more totalitarian societies," Ulyanov wrote on X.

Several Russian bloggers called for protests at French embassies throughout the world at noon on Sunday.
There are at least 250 military and paramilitary targets in Russia that can be hit with ATACMS missiles. However, the United States is currently limiting the use of these missiles to strike targets deep in Russia, allowing only HIMARS anti-aircraft missile systems.

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This is stated in a report by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW). The United States has authorized Ukraine to strike Russian military targets in the rear using HIMARS, which allows it to hit only 20 of 250 targets.

Of these, only 17 are airfields, and it is unlikely that the Russian military has moved its assets from the remaining 233 sites.

Long-range strikes against Russian military targets in the rear are key to weakening Russia's military capabilities, and lifting restrictions on Ukraine's use of Western weapons would expand the range of important targets.

Analysts note that U.S. officials' comments focusing on the redeployment of Russian aircraft have so far largely ignored most of the targets within the ATACMS range that Ukrainian forces could strike if U.S. bans were lifted.

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Many of the 233 military and paramilitary sites within the ATACMS range are large military bases, communications stations, logistics centers, repair shops, fuel and ammunition depots, and permanent headquarters from which it would be extremely difficult or even impossible to quickly redeploy assets or increase their protection.

"Any assessment that argues that there is no point in allowing Ukraine to strike targets in Russia on the exclusive basis of air asset redeployments is incomplete without also accounting for the hundreds of other facilities supporting Russias war against Ukraine and would thus be incorrect," the analysts write.

The report notes that Ukrainian forces do not need to strike every Russian military and paramilitary facility within range of Western weapons to begin to exert significant operational pressure on the Russian army. Although constant Ukrainian drone strikes on the Russian rear are threatening some of these facilities, they are not yet significant enough to force the Russian command to consider a large-scale redistribution of logistics systems, which would be extremely disruptive.

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The threat to Russia's rear areas is also likely to force the Russian military command to reconsider the distribution of its limited air defense and electronic warfare assets to protect a larger area.

Experts emphasize that Ukraine's recent successful strikes on Russian military targets using domestically produced precision weapons demonstrate Ukraine's urgent need for such strikes. The lifting of U.S. restrictions could greatly contribute to meeting it.

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Earlier, it was reported that on August 24, the soldiers of the Main Intelligence Directorate conducted another successful operation to "demilitarize" Russia on its own territory. They destroyed a field depot of the Russian army near the city of Ostrogozhsk, Voronezh region.

Early on the morning of August 24, it became known that an ammunition warehouse in the Voronezh region of the Russian Federation was on fire and detonating. According to the official version of the local authorities, the cause of the emergency was the "fall of debris" from a Ukrainian drone that was allegedly shot down by Russian air defense. The Russian officials did not explain why the "debris" fell right where the target was headed if their "world's best air defense system" had been working.

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Only verified information is available on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber . Do not fall for fakes!
WASHINGTON (AP)  John Kolb, a retired Minnesota National Guard colonel, knew Tim Walz by reputation as an excellent leader who adroitly guided the enlisted troops in his field artillery battalion. But Kolb was stunned by what he saw when Walz left the military and entered politics.

Walz retired from the National Guard in 2005 to run for Congress just before his unit received an order to mobilize for the war in Iraq. Then during the campaign, Walz overstated the rank he held at the point he left the service.

That is not the behavior I would expect out of a senior noncommissioned officer, Kolb said in an interview.

Those two sides of Walzs service have been in the spotlight now that the Minnesota governor is the Democratic nominee for vice president. Supporters have lauded Walzs 24 years of service in the National Guard, where he rose through the enlisted ranks and received an honorable discharge.

What I know about Tim Walz is he did his job diligently, said retired Minnesota National Guard Brig. Gen. Jeff Bertrang. He was in charge of troops under him, and he made sure they were taken care of.

Republicans have seized on criticism by Guard veterans as a major line of attack on Walz and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris. Some of that criticism, like Kolbs, is measured. Others offer harsher appraisals.

Its far from clear whether Republicans can turn Walzs military record into a liability. His decades of service stand in contrast with former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee who received a series of deferments to avoid serving in Vietnam, including one attained with a physicians letter stating that Trump suffered from bone spurs in his feet.

Trumps running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, was a Marine Corps corporal, including six months as a military journalist in Iraq. After four years, he left the military for college and later a career in venture capital and as a best-selling author. Vance has led the criticism of Walz.

For many Democrats, the GOP salvos are an eerie reprise of the tactics used to sully their 2004 presidential candidate, John Kerry, by questioning his leadership as a swift boat commander in Vietnam, even though Kerry was a decorated combat veteran and his Republican opponent, President George W. Bush, did not fight in the war.

But the criticism stems not so much from Walzs service record but from how he has characterized his time in uniform and how he ended his tenure.

An Associated Press review of Walzs statements as a congressional candidate, congressman and governor shows that Walz has toggled between being precise and careless about key details.

Walzs supporters reject the criticism as politically motivated and say it denigrates the sacrifices he and other troops have made. The Harris campaign provided a letter signed by hundreds of veterans and military family members that said Vances broadsides against Walz are not surprising given reports that Trump expressed disdain for those who served. Trump has denied the claim.

After 24 years of military service, Governor Walz retired in 2005 and ran for Congress, where he was a tireless advocate for our men and women in uniform -- and as vice president of the United States he will continue to be a relentless champion for our veterans and military families, the campaign said.

In a speech this past week at the Democratic National Convention, Walz said he proudly wore our nations uniform for 24 years. He made no reference to his rank or the circumstances of his retirement, framing his service as part of a larger urge to contribute to the nation. Distinction with a difference

Im a retired command sergeant major, Walz said in 2006 as he campaigned to unseat the six-term Republican incumbent in Minnesotas 1st Congressional District.

But that statement was not true.

Walz served briefly as a command sergeant major, but that was not the rank he held at retirement. It is not clear whether Walz repeated the exact claim after he won the House race, but he did not object when colleagues put the honorific before his name during House debates to underscore his gravitas on military matters.

That distinction - serving as a command sergeant major, but not retiring in that position - may seem minor to civilians. But to those in uniform, it is not.

Rank is revered in the Army.

Known as an E-9 in military parlance, a command sergeant major is the pinnacle of achievement in the Armys enlisted corps. Command sergeant majors are the backbone of a unit, acting as mentors and disciplinarians to the enlisted troops and trusted advisers to their commanding officers. Sergeant majors often stay in their units for long stretches, providing a deep well of institutional knowledge. Commissioned officers typically move on to new posts every few years.

Theres a reason why theres so much angst about this among military members that maybe is lost on the rest of the population, Kolb said. The rank of command sergeant major, that E-9 rank, is sacred. Its rare.

Walz was command sergeant major of the Minnesota Guards 1st Battalion, 125th Field Artillery for less than a year, according to the Guards personnel office. His rank was reduced for benefit purposes to master sergeant, a step below, when he left the Guard because Walz had not completed all the coursework necessary to hold the rank in retirement.

Facing questions about Walzs record, the Harris campaign replaced the phrase a retired command sergeant major from Walzs online biography with wording that says he served as one. But Walzs official biography on the Minnesota governors website is still misleading. That biography places retired from a Guard battalion after the phrase Command Sergeant Major Walz.

Hes a retired master sergeant, Kolb said. And thats what he should say.

The campaign also acknowledged that Walz misspoke in a 2018 video posted on social media that recorded him saying weapons of war that I carried in war. Vance seized on the comment to accuse Walz of lying about being in a combat zone when he never was. Walz and other Guard troops were sent to Italy in 2003 to provide base security in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, the Pentagons name for the war in Afghanistan.

Questions about Walz mischaracterizing his personal story have not been limited to military service. He is also facing scrutiny for how he has described his familys struggle with infertility. He has implied that he and his wife used in vitro fertilization to conceive, drawing a connection between their experience and efforts to limit the procedure. But they actually used intrauterine insemination treatments, a different process that has attracted less controversy.

Mia Ehrenberg, a campaign spokesperson, defended Walzs comments and denied that he had been misleading. She said Walz talks how normal people talk and was using commonly understood shorthand for fertility treatments. Leaving the Guard

By military standards, Walzs 24 years of service is substantial. He could have retired almost three years earlier. But it is the circumstances surrounding the retirement and how it overlapped with his political ambitions that have drawn scrutiny.

In January 2005, Walz attended a boot camp of sorts in Minnesota for people interested in careers in progressive politics. Walz, a teacher and avid pheasant hunter with blue-collar roots, stood out as a candidate who might win in the states strongly Republican 1st Congressional District.

Minnesota Democratic party officials had already begun to take notice of Walz.

Mike Erlandson, the partys state chair at the time, recalled the enthusiasm one of his aides brimmed with after meeting with Walz in Mankato, a town about 70 miles southwest of Minneapolis where Walz taught high school geography.

He came barging into my office at the state party, saying, Mike, this guy Tim is the real deal, and was very excited about Tim Walz and the prospect of him running for Congress, Erlandson said.

By February, Walz announced that he was considering a run for Congress. But thousands of miles away, the war in Iraq had entered its third year and hopes for a speedy U.S. withdrawal were evaporating. In mid-March, Walzs battalion was notified of a possible deployment to Iraq.

In a campaign news release, Walz said he would stay in the congressional race whether I am in Minnesota or Iraq. He had a responsibility, the release said, to ready his battalion for war but also to serve if called on.

Less than two months later, on May 16, 2005, Walz retired from the National Guard. His departure was not unusual. More than 730 senior enlisted soldiers with 24 years of service retired in 2005 when the U.S. was heavily engaged in wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to Defense Department statistics.

But Doug Julin, a Minnesota Guard command sergeant major senior to Walz, told CNN on Aug. 8 that Walz had assured him just weeks before that Walz would be going forward with the battalion. Julin, who did not respond to requests for comment from The Associated Press, said he was surprised to learn Walz left the Guard without first discussing the decision with him.

Kolb picked Tom Behrends, who has emerged as Walz's most biting critic, to replace Walz as the 1st Battalions command sergeant major. The unit received an alert order for mobilization to Iraq in mid-July 2005 and a few months later headed to Mississippi for training. The unit shipped to Iraq in March 2006 where it would spend the next 16 months.

Later that year, Walz, unopposed in the Democratic primary, would pull off an upset, beating Republican Rep. Gil Gutknecht.

Questions about Walzs military record had percolated during that campaign. A letter to the editor in the Mankato Free Press newspaper from a person identified as Maj. Walter Gates said information about Walzs military career strongly suggested that Walz had fought in Iraq or Afghanistan. To which country did Walz deploy downrange? Gates asked.

Walz responded by saying the letter appeared to be an attempt to slander my good name. Walz wrote, incorrectly, that he retired as a command sergeant major, but accurately specified that he served on three NATO training missions and in Italy. Walz was equally clear about his wartime service in a 2009 interview with the Library of Congresss Veterans History Project.

Gates did not respond to multiple messages from the AP so it is unclear what information he was referring to.

Walz, in the early 2005 campaign news release, did not mention Italy when he said he deployed for eight months in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, phrasing that could imply he served in Afghanistan. A 2006 congressional campaign ad described Walz as a soldier who had served for two decades and was ready when they attacked.

Joe Eustice, who took over for Behrends as the 1st Battalions top enlisted soldier, said Walz was entitled to leave the Guard when he did.

When youve given 24 years of your life, you get to decide, and your reasoning can be whatever you want it to be, said Eustice, who retired in 2014.

But he is troubled by Walzs statements after he left the Guard.

He should answer to the fact that he said he carried a weapon in war and explain why hes been saying hes a retired sergeant major, Eustice said. Those two things are not true, and he should know better. A longtime foe

Almost two decades have passed since Behrends hurriedly took Walzs place as the 1st Battalion's senior enlisted soldier. Yet time has not eased Behrends anger at his predecessor. As Walzs political career flourished, Kolb advised Behrends to let go of the resentment.

But Behrends could not. Not when he read and heard Walz inaccurately referred to as a retired command sergeant major  and Walz failed to set the record straight. After yet another local newspaper elevated Walzs retirement rank, Behrends wrote to the then-congressman.

It saddens me that after your long career in the National Guard, that you did not fulfill the conditions of your promotion to command sergeant major," he told Walz. "I would hope that you havent been using the rank for political gain, but that is how it appears.

Behrends said he did not get a reply. When Walz ran for governor two years later, Behrends went public with much stronger criticism.

A self-described down-home country boy, Behrends did not like Walz personally. They are at opposite ends of the political spectrum. Behrends is a conservative who donated $250 to Trump's 2020 presidential campaign and supported Walz's Republican opponents in Minnesota.

While they were both still in uniform, Behrends grew weary of what he said were Walzs frequent monologues that at times veered into hot-button issues like abortion.

It was like listening to a long-winded preacher, he said.

Shortly before votes were cast in Minnesota's gubernatorial election, Behrends hung a large yellow banner from a grain bin on his farm that read, Walz Is A Traitor. Behrends and a fellow retired command sergeant major, Paul Herr, paid to publish a letter in a Minnesota newspaper claiming that Walz had for years embellished and selectively omitted facts and circumstances about his military career.

In an interview, Behrends said his personal distaste for Walz and his liberal politics played no role in his decision to openly denigrate the vice presidential nominee. Behrends said he would have done the same to a friend if he believed that friend had stepped out of line.

___
Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of the popular messaging app Telegram, has been arrested by French authorities at Le Bourget Airport, north of Paris. The 39-year-old tech entrepreneur was detained after arriving on his private jet, according to French media reports.

Officials have stated that Durov's arrest was made under a warrant related to offenses connected to the Telegram platform. The specific nature of these offenses has not been disclosed at this time.

Also Read | India defends crude oil trade with Russia, cites global market stability

The Russian embassy in France has responded swiftly to the news, with Russia's TASS state news agency reporting that diplomatic officials are taking "immediate steps" to gather more information about the situation.

Durov, whose net worth is estimated by Forbes at $15.5 billion, was allegedly travelling on his private jet from Azerbaijan when he was detained around 8:00 PM local time. The arrest is said to be related to an ongoing preliminary police investigation in France.

Also Read | French police arrest man suspected of attempted arson against synagogue

According to the reports, the investigation centres on Telegram's alleged lack of content moderation. French authorities reportedly believe this situation has allowed criminal activities to flourish unchecked on the platform.

Telegram, which boasts nearly 900 million active users, has become a significant player in global communications, particularly in Russia, Ukraine, and former Soviet republics. The platform has gained prominence as a source of unfiltered information about the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, used by both government officials and citizens.

Also Read | Canada Labor Board Orders Rail Employees Back to Work

Durov, who is Russian-born but now based in Dubai, has previously stated that while some governments have pressured him, Telegram should remain a "neutral platform" and not a "player in geopolitics."

The news of Durov's reported arrest has sparked swift reactions. The Russian embassy in France told state news agency TASS that it was taking "immediate" steps to clarify the situation. Meanwhile, some Russian politicians and diplomats have criticized France's actions, with calls for protests at French embassies worldwide circulating on social media.
New Delhi: In the 1970s, R. Chinnikrishnan, a farmer turned entrepreneur from Cuddalore, found something odd with the way talcum powder and epsom salts were sold in Indiain large tin containers and glass bottles. They were unaffordable to blue-collar workers in factories as well as farmers. And thus, the idea of small sachets was born.

Initially marketed by C.K. Ranganathan, Chinnikrishnans son and the current chairman of CavinKare, the idea was quickly aped by multinationals to sell a vast swathe of fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), from shampoos to biscuits. In the decades that followed, the market, at the bottom of Indias consumption pyramid, exploded.

Now, can thinking small tame the big mosquito menace? And importantly, can it propel the fortunes of Godrej Consumer Products Ltd (GCPL)?

Goodknight, the companys flagship brand, has long been available in various formats such as coils, liquid vaporizers, and flash cards. In 2023, GCPL introduced a Goodknight Mini Liquid Vaporizer machine, pricing it at 50, from the previous entry price of 100. The company claimed it was the cheapest liquid vaporizer and instant kill spray solution in the world". Additionally, it launched a 40ml version of HIT, a mosquito and cockroach spray brand, at 50, halving the pricethe previous entry price was 100.

These moves are part of a grand plan to make aerosol products more accessible to Indian consumers and expand the companys customer base by millions of households. This also fits into a larger image makeover narrative. The company, for long, was under-indexed on rural areas and heavily focused on urban markets. The time is ripe to change that premium image.

The sachetization strategy, though, is just one of many tricks Sudhir Sitapati, the companys managing director and chief executive officer (CEO), has in his bag. And many of the tricks are similar to the playbook of Hindustan Unilever (HUL), Indias largest consumer goods company. Sitapati joined GCPL in October 2021, after working in HUL for over two decades.

HUL has practised and perfected the low-price point strategy, selling brands such as Sunsilk shampoo and Surf Excel detergents in sachets. This strategy helped build these categories. At the same time, they drove repeat purchases.

While GCPL has outperformed HUL in stock market returns in the last three years, the company has underperformed the Nifty FMCG Index. The benchmark gained nearly 65% since August 2021; GCPLs stock, in contrast, grew 39%.

Analysts said that competition has picked up and markets such as Africa continue to be a drag. Even before Sitapati joined, the companys return on capital employeda ratio that measures the efficiency with which capital is employedhad been adversely impacted by a spate of foreign acquisitions.

There is no new excitement to factor in. In Africa, they continue to see hiccups in the top line," said an analyst who didnt want to be identified.

To make investors happy, Sitapati has to accelerate growth and make the business simpler. He has been working towards it. Apart from pressing ahead with the sachetization strategy, the company has partially exited some markets in Africa, boosted advertising spending, trimmed the number of stock-keeping units (SKUs) it sells, reduced overheads and expanded to newer categories.

The market is certainly hoping all these efforts will bear fruit soon. CEO Sudhir Sitapati led turnaround has taken longer than expected, but we see 2024 as the final lap where efforts should come to fruition," Jefferies, a capital markets firm, stated in a report in January this year. In another report, dated 7 August, Jefferies stated that excessive growth focus is evident. While share price may be volatile in the short term, we find GCPL a strong medium-term play."

No time for Africa

View Full Image GCPL expanded internationally to Africa, Indonesia, Latin America, and the US. (Mint)

Founded in 1897 as part of the Godrej Group, the company initially focused on manufacturing locks. Over the years, GCPL diversified its portfolio, venturing into consumer goods like soaps (Cinthol), hair care products (Godrej Creme colour, Nupur henna), fabric cleaners (Ezee) and air care (aer) among others. It also expanded internationally, to Africa, Indonesia, Latin America, and the US.

In mid-2000, the company charted out on a 3 by 3 strategy, targeting regional assets in three emerging markets (Asia, Africa, Latin America) across three categories (home care, personal wash and hair care). An acquisition spree followedGCPL snapped up companies and brands in Indonesia, South Africa, Kenya, Argentina, Chile, the UK, and even the US.

All this led to a mountain of complexities. Consumer needs across large regions are quite diverse and simply put, for GCPL, it was too much to handle.

While the international markets accounted for 41% of the companys revenue of 14,096 crore in 2023-24, Sitapati wanted to simplify this business, exiting loss-making ventures or businesses that werent adding enough value.

In February this year, GCPL divested its entire stake in Godrej East Africa Holdings Ltd, Mauritius. It also partially exited the Kenya business, a market it entered in 2016 with the acquisition of a majority stake in home and personal care company Canon Chemicals. While it still holds rights for the brand, it has moved to a royalty model where another company runs the operations. It was a loss-making venture. So, the question we had to ask is whether it is worth the effort. When you simplify, you put time into things that really matter," Sitapati told Mint.

In Nigeria, the company has outsourced sales and distribution while holding on to manufacturing, research and development and marketing.

That simplification journey isnt done yet. Itll take another year or two to simplify international operations further," the CEO said.

This move is expected to help the company free up resources to tap consumption growth in more exciting markets such as India and Indonesia.India is by far our largest and most profitable market and a market that we understand well. In terms of capital and focus, India is number one," Sitapati said. Indonesia is a large market, too, and is growing fast. Weve got a presence in Africa. There will be a time for Africa," he said.

Itll take another year or two to simplify international operations further. Sudhir Sitapati

The company does not disclose the contribution of its Africa business. Africa, US and Middle East as a region generated 3,179 crore in revenue in 2023-24.

Kaustubh Pawaskar, deputy vice president of fundamental research at brokerage firm Sharekhan believes that reorganization of the international business will help the companys profitability in the long-term. Though in the near-term revenues from these regions will be lesser, the profitability from this region will be much higher," he said.

Mosquito pie

What is the excessive growth focus" Jefferies noted?

One, Sitapati rolled out several low-priced stock keeping units for existing categories such as fabric cleaners, household products and hair creams, effectively opening up the market to a new set of consumers.

We mentioned insecticides earlier. The company launched Godrej Fab, a 99 liquid detergent that also comes in a 100 ml sachet priced at 10. Two years back, GCPL launched a 15 one-time use pack for its hair colour brand, Godrej Expert Rich Creme. The product was initially launched at 30 in 2012.

A former employee at GCPL said that such price-points were earlier unimaginable at the company because typically prices of products move up. This strategy, he concluded, mirrors HULs playbook wherein the company floods the market with products across various price points, pushing consumers to try a new product.

People who come from HUL come with the same mindset, i.e. category creation and category development. Earlier, in GCPL, the category development mindset was missingit was focused on quarter-to-quarter profitability," the executive, who didnt want to be identified, said. Sudhir brought in the long-term thinking. He was also given a free hand by the family," he added.

Nisaba Godrej is the executive chairperson of GCPL. She is the daughter of Adi Godrej, the former chairperson of the Godrej Group.

While GCPLs share is dominant in the household insecticide market, it has remained stagnant, both because of domestic competition and illegally imported incense sticks.

View Full Image A file photo of Nisaba Godrej, the executive chairperson of GCPL.

Last month, GCPL also introduced a new renofluthrin formulation in its Goodknight vaporizer, hoping to claw back some share from illegal imports. The company claims that the formulation is twice as effective against mosquitoes.

Sitapati said the renofluthrin innovation, a decade in the making, could push the company to clock double-digit growth in the house insecticide category. This is a tall order because for the last 7-8 years, it hasn't grown anywhere close to that," he said.

Smelling good

The second growth focus stems from newer categories. Last year, GCPL announced the acquisition of Raymond Consumer Care Ltd for 2,825 crore, giving it rights to brands such as Park Avenue deodorants and wellness brands such as KamaSutra condoms.

Sitapati believes that both these categories are under-developed in India and GCPL can drive penetration.

There are plenty of health and beauty categories, which many Indians don't have access to. We felt that both sexual wellness and deodorants are under-penetrated, under-consumed categories in India. Thats why we did the Raymonds acquisition," the CEO said.

Last month, the company also announced its entry into the pet food business.

The biggest obsession in India is growth," Sitapati said. In Indonesia, our job is to raise the capability of the business at par with India."

Show and tell

Long before taking over the top post at GCPL, Sitapati harboured admiration for the Mumbai-based company.In GCPL, Sitapati saw a company that had excelled at innovation but lagged in marketing muscle. He wanted to right the wrong.

Till a few years ago, the company used to spend 350- 400 crore annually on advertising in India. Sitapati has now more than doubled the ad allocation to 1,000 crore.In 2023-24, GCPL effectively spent 9.5% of its revenue on advertising, a shade lower than HUL, who spent 10.5% of its revenue ( 6,380 crore) on promotions, as per the companys annual report.

In 2023, GCPL also moved to an in-house advertising agency, Lightbox.The agency leads creative campaigns for regions such as India, Indonesia, Africa, and Latin America. Sitapati underlined closeness to consumers as the key benefit of an in-house agency.Its a big strategic shift in terms of media spending. The main benefit is that the advertising folks are very close to consumers," he said.

Shedding weight

Meanwhile, the CEO has pruned the management structure, removing multiple layers of reporting.Between 2021-22 and 2023-24, the company has trimmed its corporate manager count by 10%, as per analysts at Sharekhan.

We realized that many of the categories we operate in (for instance, home and personal care) have similar needs across the world. We earlier had a divisional head, a zonal head and an area head. We delayered the zonal head and now just have divisional heads and area heads. The principle is the samesimplify," Sitapati explained.

Between 2021-22 and 2023-24, the company has trimmed its corporate manager count by 10%, as per analysts at Sharekhan.

The former employee quoted earlier said that the company merged roles". The CEO questioned why a category, say hair colours, needed separate brand managers and category managers. Instead, he expanded resources in sales, getting more area sales managers on ground," the former employee said.Sales executives are key for distribution growth, a priority for GCPL.

Theres a second wave of rural distribution thats required," the CEO told Mint. That could be the next big driver for growth.

Another operational measure has been to trim the companys SKUs. In the last two years,GCPL has reduced SKUs by 30%.Raymond Consumer Care, when acquired, had 300-400 SKUs. GCPL has already trimmed it to 80-90.

Lesser number of SKUs reduces both overheads as well as the manpower needed. Simply put, it helps the company in a smarter distribution of capital.

Considering the company still has some distance to go to make investors happy, Sitapati has his hands full. Analysts will keenly watch the next two quarters.

He took over during the pandemic and during various global uncertainties. Now things are improving. So, we expect volume growth to come back on track," Pawaskar from Sharekhan said.
Bengaluru: Suresh Muthuswami, who was overseeing almost $15 billion worth of business for Tata Consultancy Services Ltd as chair of TCS North America, has resigned, marking the biggest executive departure since the countrys largest technology services provider named K Krithivasan as its chief executive in June last year.

Muthuswami, who was appointed chair of TCS's business for the US and Canada in March 2022, resigned earlier this month, according to two executives privy to the development.

TCS will not have a chairman for the North American region and will now be overseen by Amit Bajaj, president of the North American region, according to a third executive. Bajaj took over his current role in August 2020.

"We can confirm that Suresh Muthuswami has decided to leave TCS after a 26-year career in the company," said a spokesperson for TCS.

Mint could not ascertain the reason behind Muthuswamis departure.

Businesses from the US and Canada accounted for 51.1% of the $29.1 billion in revenue at Mumbai-headquartered TCS in the year ended March 2024. This implies that Muthuswami, who was responsible for strategy, human resources, finance and legal functions across the US and Canada, was running a $14.9-billion business, which as an independent company would be bigger than the countrys third-largest IT services firm, HCL Technologies Ltd.

While HCL Technologies ended with $13.3 billion last year, Infosys Ltd closed the previous fiscal with $18.56 billion in business.

Muthuswami's journey

In April 2022, TCS elevated Muthuswami as chairman of the North American region after Surya Kant, another company veteran of over decades, retired. Under Kant, TCSs North American business grew from $1 billion in 2006 to $12.5 billion at the end of March 2022.

Muthuswamis exit is surprising because between 1 April 2022 and 31 March 2024, TCS's North America business grew at 14.5%, faster than the companys overall 13.1% dollar revenue growth. During this period, TCSs America business also grew faster than Infosyss 11% growth in the US and Canada region. HCL Technologies and Wipro Ltd do not disclose business from the US.

But Muthuswamis stint saw the cancellation of a mega contract (the value of the work was more than $1 billion). Last year, Transamerica Life Insurance Co. scrapped a $2 billion, 10-year deal, five-and-a-half years after the American arm of Dutch insurer Aegon NV awarded the contract to TCS in 2018.

In June last year, Krithivasan took over as the TCS CEO after the abrupt departure of Rajesh Gopinathan in March. Until now, Krithivasan has managed to steer the company well: TCS reported a 4.1% revenue growth last year. Save for the 0.7% growth in the pandemic-hit 2021, this was the slowest full-year expansion at TCS since it went public in 2004. Still, TCSs 4.1% growth was better than the 1.9% growth at Infosys. TCSs performance also stood out as Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp. and Wipro Ltd saw their revenue shrink. Finally, TCS also ended with an industry-leading operating margin of 24.6% last year.

Under Krithivasans watch, shares of TCS are up 35.7%, lagging its rivals Infosys and HCL Technologies. Shares of Infosys, HCL Technologies and Wipro have returned 41.2%, 45% and 27%, respectively, between 1 June 2023 and 23 August this year.

Unlike his predecessor Gopinathan, who was ousted because of his management styledubbed abrasive by people who worked with himKrithivasan is a more likeable boss. Save for a few changes, he has avoided making too many changes.

However, TCS has seen some exits, although some of the departing executives retired.

Late last year, Dinanath Kholkar, TCSs head of partner ecosystems and alliances, resigned. In October, the chief technology officer, Ananth Krishnan, retired. In May, the companys chief operating officer, Natarajan Ganapathy Subramaniam, retired after he turned 65, the company's mandatory retirement age.
The founder and CEO of the messaging app Telegram, Pavel Durov was arrested by French authorities at Le Bourget Airport, north of Paris. He was detained after arriving in his private area under a warrant in relation to the Telegram app. The specific reason for the arrest has not been disclosed yet.

Pavel Durov is the 39-year-old founder and CEO of messaging app Telegram, which is one of the top five most downloaded apps in the world and has over 950 million active users, according to its official website.

Telegram was founded by Pavel Durov and his brother Nikolai Durov in 2013. Pavel Durov ensures financial and ideological support whereas Nikolai Durov provides technological support.

According to Forbes magazine, Pavel Durov is known as Russia's Zuckerberg as he had created Vkontakte, which is known as Russia's biggest social network, at the age of 22 and has an estimated fortune of $15.5 billion.

Durov became a French citizen in August 2021. He moved himself and Telegram to Dubai in 2017, and according to French media he has also received United Arab Emirates citizenship. He is also a citizen of St. Kitts and Nevis, a dual-island nation in the Caribbean, according to media reports.

Pavel Durov had to leave Russia after he did not reportedly cooperate with the Russian secret service to provide encrypted data of his social network users, according to Forbes magazine.

In 2018, Russia started blocking Telegram after it did not comply with a court order to give security services access to its users' encrypted messages. This led to mass protests in Moscow and criticism from NGOs, according to a report by Reuters.

The report also quoted an excerpt from an interview with US journalist Tucker Carlson where Durov spoke about his exit from Russia. "I would rather be free than to take orders from anyone, he said.

News agency AFP also stated another excerpt from the same interview where Durov mentioned that he got the idea to start an encrypted messaging app after coming under pressure from the Russian government when working at VK. He said that he planned to settle in Berlin, London, Singapore and San Francisco before settling in Dubai. He appreciated Dubai for its business environment and "neutrality".

People "love the independence. They also love the privacy, the freedom, (there are) a lot of reasons why somebody would switch to Telegram," Durov said.

Also Read | Inside The World Of Stock Market Tips On Telegram & Instagram

In 2018, Pavel and Nikolai, raised $1.7 billion from investors to create a blockchain system called TON, which was shut down after the US Securities and Exchange Commission banned it in violation of federal securities laws, according to reports.

According to Forbes, Telegram has become a critical source of information, and plenty of disinformation during the Russia-Ukraine war.
(Bloomberg) -- Ghanas main opposition party said it will invest $10 billion under a so-called big-push program to drive growth and lift the size of the economy if it wins the December 2024 elections.

The programs main goal would be to restore Ghanas position as the second-biggest economy in West Africa, after it was overtaken by Ivory Coast in 2022, Cassiel Ato Forson, minority leader in parliament, said during the National Democratic Congress partys manifesto launch on Saturday. Nigeria is West Africas biggest economy.

The International Monetary Fund projects the size of Ghanas economy at $75.2 billion by the end of 2024 and that of Ivory Coast to be $86.9 billion.

Ghana has lost its enviable position to Cote dIvoire due to lack of investment and dedicated policy toward economic transformation and growth, Forson said in Winneba, a town in the Central Region. This big-push is aimed at driving the needed focus and investment.

The plan will develop projects in the petrochemical and mining industry, build a transformational road transport network and rejuvenate cocoa and palm production, Forson said.

The government projects economic growth to accelerate to 3.1% this year from 2.9% in 2023.

Former President John Dramani Mahama of the NDC, who lost to Nana Akufo-Addo in the 2016 and 2020 polls, will face off with Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia of the New Patriotic Party in this years elections scheduled for Dec. 7. Akufo-Addo is stepping down after his second and final four-year term.

The NDC administration will introduce a new work shift system known as 24-hour economy to increase the number of employment by operating three eight-hour work shifts, Mahama said. All companies will be encouraged to practice the system. Public institutions such as ports and harbors, customs and vehicular licensing agency will initially adopt it to help eradicate unemployment currently estimated at 15%, he said.

Businesses will be encouraged with tax incentives to participate in the 24-hour economy, he said.

Spending Cuts

Mahama pledged to investigate the countrys gold-for-oil program that was introduced in 2022 by the government to buy gold with cedis and barter the metal for oil imports in a move to support currency stability. He promised to restore the licenses of wrongfully collapsed financial institutions during the countrys banking sector cleanup between 2017 and 2019.

To avoid waste and ensure the government remains prudent amid a debt crisis, he will reduce the number of ministers and deputies to 60 from more than 100 under the current government.

Many analysts and polls have predicted Mahama will win the elections due to the incumbents management of the economy, which led to a debt restructuring and painful austerity measures under an International Monetary Fund program.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
TMC leader and Rajya Sabha MP Derek O'Brien requested Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to withdraw the GST on health and life insurance premiums at the upcoming GST council meeting scheduled on September 9.

In his letter to Nirmala Sitharaman on August 24, Derek OBrien asked FM to remove the 18% GST currently applicable to health and life insurance premiums.

The 18% Goods and Services tax (GST) on health and insurance premiums is a burden on 45 crore Indians comprising the middle class. These insurance schemes provide financial security during times of illness, may it be an illness, accident or untimely death. It is our collective responsibility to ensure that all sections of the society are able to afford this crucial social security net, he wrote.

Derek OBrien raised his concern that such a high GST rate will not allow people to opt for such social security policies and the existing users may even opt out of it.

Levying a high GST rate on health and life insurance may lead to many citizens not opting for insurance schemes, or even existing policy holders not renewing their policies. The public at large, and especially the middle class, has been severely impacted by this, Brien noted.

He mentioned that his party, the All India Trinamool Party first raised this issue on the floor of Parliament on July 29 and eventually the matter was raised in both the Houses by MPs of 20 Opposition parties.

Brien stated that on 2 August, the Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, wrote a letter to roll back the GST policy on health and insurance premiums.

Additionally, 350 MPs from 20 political parties protested against this in Parliament on 6 August, he said.

Previously, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari in a letter to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman urged to remove the 18 per cent GST on life and medical insurance premiums as it leads to levying taxes on the uncertainties of life and restricts the sectors growth, according to a Mint report on July 31.

Also Read | Nitin Gadkari urges Sitharaman to remove GST on life, medical insurance premiums

Derek OBrien further referred to the 66th report of the Standing Committee on Finance, which stated,  The Committee with a view to make insurance more affordable, recommend that GST rates applicable to health insurance products, particularly retail policies for senior citizens and microinsurance policies (up to limits prescribed under PMJAY), and term policies may be reduced.

While concluding his letter he requested the government to take a look at the issue and reminded them of the goal of the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI), the apex body for insurance regulation.
Brazilian foreign minister Mauro Vieira will co-chair the ninth India-Brazil Joint Commission meeting with his Indian counterpart S. Jaishankar on 27 August, according to an official statement by the Indian ministry of foreign affairs.

Vieira will be visiting India from 25-28 August.

The Joint Commission meeting is held every two years

With Brazil holding the G20 Presidency this year, the ministers will also discuss how the two countries can take forward key G20 outcomes from the Indian presidency of last year, New Delhi said.

Brazil will host the G20 Leaders Summit in Rio de Janeiro on 18-19 November. The G20 is made up of 19 countriesArgentina, India, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Russia, Turkiye, UK and the US and two regional bodies: the African Union and the European Union.

Also Read: India, Brazil discuss stronger defence ties, from technology to information During the G20 meeting in New Delhi last year, President of Brazil Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the launch of the Brazil-India Business Forum and discussed ways of bringing their scientists and business people closer to each other, promoting technological exchange, and trade and investment between the two countries. The leaders had stressed the great potential for technical cooperation and trade in space, aviation and biofuels.

During the meeting, the two leaders had committed to promoting a high-level dialogue between the three IBSA (India, Brazil, South Africa) partners and highlighted the strategic importance of the forum  which was created in 2003  in protecting and advancing the interests of the Global South.

Opportunity to strengthen strategic partnership India and Brazil share a multifaceted relationship rooted in shared values. The forthcoming visit of Foreign Minister Vieira will provide an opportunity to further strengthen the strategic partnership established in 2006 and explore new avenues of cooperation in bilateral, regional and multilateral arena across diverse sectors, an Indian statement said on Saturday.

Earlier last month, economic relations secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs Dammu Ravi led Indias delegation at the G20 Development Ministers Meeting in Rio De Janeiro.

During the meeting, he highlighted Indias flagship programmes, including the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, Jal Jeevan Mission, and AMRUT and reiterated Indias commitment to achieving Sustainable Development Goals related to water and sanitation.
New Delhi: State-run REC Ltd signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) on August 24 for financing upto 45,000 crore for various upcoming projects, including the development of a port at Vadhavan in Maharashtra.

A statement from from REC issued on Sunday said that Rahul Dwivedi, Executive Director, REC signed the MoU with Unmesh Sharad Wagh, Chairman, JNPA in the presence of Sarbananda Sonowal, the Union minister for ports, shipping and waterways.

'MoU to establish framework for cooperation between JNPA, REC' "This MoU is to establish a framework for cooperation between JNPA and REC whereby JNPA implements projects in the infrastructure sector of its expertise and REC shall provide the required funds," said the statement.

JNPA is an undertaking of the government, and is a premier container handling port, accounting for around 50% of the total containerized cargo volume, across the major ports of India.

The planned mega port at Vadhavan, Palghar district in Maharashtra was approved by the Union cabinet in June this year. It will be constructed by Vadhavan Port Project Ltd (VPPL), a special purpose vehicle formed by JNPA and Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB) with a shareholding of 74% and 26%, respectively. It will be developed as an all-weather Greenfield deep draft major port.

Also Read: Rural schemes empower 37 mn women till June, generate 3 billion person-days in FY24, says economic survey The total project cost, including the land acquisition component is estimated at 76,220 crore. This will include development of core infrastructure, terminals and other commercial infrastructure as public-private partnerships (PPP).

REC is a 'Maharatna' company under the administrative control of the ministry of power, and primarily is focused in financing power infrastructure sector comprising generation, transmission, distribution, renewable energy and new technologies like electric vehicles, battery storage, pump storage projects, green hydrogen, green ammonia projects among others.

Also Read: Power prices on exchanges rise as soaring temperatures lift demand Over the past few years REC has also diversified into the non-power infrastructure sector comprising roads and expressways, metro rail, airports, IT communication, social and commercial infrastructure including educational institution, hospitals, ports and electro-mechanical (E&M) works in respect of various other sectors like steel, refinery, among others.

As of June 30 its loan book stood at 5.30 trillion and net worth at 2,351 crore.

For the first quarter of FY25, it reported a 16.57% rise in its consolidated net profit to 3,460.19 crore on the back of higher revenues. In the year-ago period, its net profit stood at 2,968.05 crore.
Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Elections 2024: On Sunday, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) unveiled its first batch of seven candidates for the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections.

AAP's listed seven candidates for Jammu and Kashmir Assembly polls include Fayaz Ahmed Sofi for Pulwama, Muddasir Hassan for Rajpora, Sheikh Fida Hussain for Devsar, Mohsin Shafkat Mir for Dooru, Mehraj Din Malik for Doda, Yasir Shafi Matto for Doda West, and Musassir Azmat Mir for Banihal.

CONSTITUENCY CANDIDATE Pulwama Fayaz Ahmed Sofi Rajpora Muddasir Hassan Devsar Sheikh Fida Hussain Dooru Mohsin Shafkat Mir Doda Mehraj Din Malik Doda West Yasir Shafi Matto Banihal Musassir Azmat Mir

Jammu and Kashmir is going to polls for the first time since the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019.

Omar Abdullah's NC and Congress are fighting the elections in alliance while Mehbooba Mufti's PDP and the BJP are going solo in the assembly polls.

Also Read | J&K: Farooq Abdullah confirms alliance with Congress on all 90 assembly seats

The Aam Aadmi Party, on Sunday, also released the list of 40 star campaigners for the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections. The list of 40 campaigners includes names of AAP National convener Arvind Kejriwal, wife Sunita Kejriwal, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, party leader Manish Sisodia, AAP Ministers Atishi, Sanjay Singh, Gopal Rai, Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha among others.

Meanwhile, the Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) Sunday released its first list of 13 candidates for the assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir.

This will be the maiden assembly elections for the party floated by the former chief minister of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir Ghulam Nabi Azad. The party's general secretary (organisation) R S Chib released the list.

Fourteen candidates have so far filed their nomination papers for the first phase of the elections covering 24 assembly segments  16 in Kashmir and eight in the Jammu region -- since the issuance of the election notification on August 20. The last date for filing of nomination is August 27.

Assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir will be held in three phases -- September 18, September 25 and October 1. The counting of votes will be held on October 4.
On the night of August 25, the aggressor country Russia attacked Ukraine with eight missiles and nine Shahed-131/136 kamikaze drones. The invaders encroached on the frontline regions, but they did not achieve their desired targets.

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The defenders of the sky managed to shoot down eight drones. This was reported by the commander of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Lieutenant General Mykola Oleshchuk.

"The enemy launched missiles of various types. Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv and Donetsk regions were attacked," he said.

In particular, the aggressor used ground-launched missiles from Voronezh and Rostov regions of the Russian Federation: an Iskander-K cruise missile and an Iskander-M ballistic missile. In addition, six X-59/X-69 guided missiles were launched from the airspace of the Kursk and Belgorod regions of the Russian Federation.

"Due to the active counteraction of the Ukrainian Defense Forces , most of the missiles did not reach their targets," the Air Force commander emphasized.

At the same time, the occupiers launched nine Shahed drones from Cape Chauda in the temporarily occupied Crimea. Of these, eight drones were shot down by mobile firing groups in Mykolaiv region: the debris damaged residential buildings and outbuildings, and dry grass also caught fire.

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Only verified information is available on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
The week starting on August 26 is set to be a whirlwind for the stock market, with nine initial public offerings (IPOs) opening for subscription and eight companies preparing for their market debut. The positive momentum in the secondary market adds to the excitement.

List of IPOs coming week Next weeks IPOs are expected to collectively raise over 4,000 crore, not including the offer-for-sale (OFS) portion of Baazar Style Retail, whose price band is yet to be announced.

1. Premier Energies IPO Launching on August 27, Premier Energies, a solar cell and module manufacturer backed by South Asia Growth Fund, is the first mainboard IPO of the week. With a price band of 427-450 per share, the 2,830.40-crore IPO includes a fresh issue of shares worth 1,291.4 crore and an OFS valued at 1,539 crore. The IPO closes on August 29.

2. ECOS India Mobility & Hospitality IPO ECOS India, a chauffeur-driven car rental service provider, will open its 601.2-crore IPO on August 28, with a price band set at 318-334 per share. This IPO is purely an OFS, with no new shares being issued. The public issue closes on August 30.

3. Baazar Style Retail IPO Baazar Style Retail, backed by Rekha Rakesh Jhunjhunwala, will begin its IPO on August 30. The company is expected to announce its price band on Monday. The IPO will include a fresh issue of up to 148 crore and an OFS of 1,76,52,320 equity shares. The subscription period ends on September 3.

4. Indian Phosphate IPO The first SME IPO of the week, Indian Phosphate, opens on August 26 and closes on August 29. The company plans to raise 67.36 crore through the issue of 68.04 lakh shares at a price band of 94-99 per share. Indian Phosphate produces LABSA 90%, an essential ingredient in various detergents and cleaners.

5. Jay Bee Laminations IPO Jay Bee Laminations, a manufacturer of electrical laminations and cores, will open its 89-crore IPO on August 27, closing on August 29. The price band is set at 138-146 per share. The IPO includes a fresh issue of 45.7 lakh shares worth 66.72 crore and an OFS of 15.23 lakh shares valued at 22.24 crore.

6. Vdeal System IPO Vdeal System, an electrical and automation solutions provider, aims to raise 18.08 crore through a fixed-price issue of 16.14 lakh shares at 112 per share. The IPO opens on August 27 and closes on August 29.

7. Paramatrix Technologies IPO The tech solutions company Paramatrix Technologies will launch its 33.84-crore IPO on August 27. The offering includes a fresh issue of 27.58 lakh shares, aiming to raise 30.35 crore, along with an OFS of 3.18 lakh shares worth 3.5 crore. The issue is priced at 110 per share.

8. Aeron Composite IPO Aeron Composite, a manufacturer of glass fibre-reinforced polymer products, will open its maiden IPO on August 28. The company seeks to raise 56.10 crore through a fresh issue of 44.88 lakh shares priced between 121-125 per share. The IPO closes on August 30.

9. Archit Nuwood Industries IPO Archit Nuwood Industries, a manufacturer of MDF and HDF boards, will launch its 168.5-crore IPO on August 30, with a price band of 257-270 per share. The IPO, which includes a fresh issue of 62.4 lakh equity shares, will close on September 3. This is one of the largest IPOs in the SME segment.

New listings to watch Interarch Building Products and Orient Technologies are set to make their debut on the main bourses, while the NSE Emerge platform will welcome Forcas Studio, Brace Port Logistics, Ideal Technoplast Industries, and QVC Exports. The BSE SME platform will see Resourceful Automobile and Rapid Multimodal Logistics commence trading, adding to the week's excitement.

Collectively, the week's IPOs are expected to raise over 4,000 crore, excluding Baazar Style Retail's offer-for-sale portion.

How did IPOs fare this week? This week witnessed robust investor engagement in the public offerings of Interarch Building Products and Orient Technologies. Interarch Building Products saw remarkable demand, with its IPO being oversubscribed by 93.79 times by the close of its subscription on Wednesday, August 21, 2024. The allotment process for this IPO was finalized on August 23, 2024.
LA GRANDE-MOTTE, France, - French police have arrested a man suspected of trying to set a synagogue ablaze in the southern French city of la Grande-Motte on Saturday, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said.

About 200 police officers had been hunting for the suspect, Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said earlier, adding that the attacker had set fire to several entry doors to the synagogue and several cars nearby.

BFM TV said the suspect was a 33-year-old Algerian. Local police declined to give details.

The anti-terrorism prosecutor's office, which was put in charge of the investigation, said early on Sunday that a suspect had been arrested in Nimes on Saturday evening.

"Before the police could intervene, opened fire on the , which returned fire. The man was wounded in the face," the office said in a statement, adding that two other people were taken into custody.

A policeman was slightly injured when a gas bottle exploded as police secured the site of the attack on Saturday morning, Attal said.

"This is an antisemitic attack. Once more, our Jewish compatriots are targeted," Attal said on X. "In the face of antisemitism, in the face of violence, we will never allow ourselves to be intimidated."

After visiting the synagogue, Attal said an "absolute tragedy" had been narrowly averted after firefighters and police arrived quickly at the scene.

Local media reported earlier that the suspect had set fire to two cars, one of which contained at least one gas bottle, in the synagogue's parking area at about 8:30 a.m. .

Police protection of synagogues, and Jewish schools and shops would be stepped up across France, the government said.

France, like other countries in Europe, has seen a surge in antisemitic incidents following the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7 and Israel's retaliatory assault on Gaza.

Le Parisien, franceinfo and other media said the suspect had been seen on CCTV shortly before the attack with a Palestinian flag tied round his waist.

"Exploding a gas bottle in a car in front of the Grande Motte synagogue at the expected time of arrival of the faithful: it's not just attacking a place of worship, it's an attempt to kill Jews," Yonathan Arfi, who leads the CRIF, an umbrella organisation of French Jewish groups, said on X.

La Grande-Motte is a port and resort city on the French Mediterranean coast.
Two years ago, Patnam Subramanyan, 43, examined the border of an old cotton sari. The gold stood out even though the body of the sari had been destroyed. It brought back a long-buried memory for Subramanyan, a part of Antaran, Tata Trusts livelihood programme for craftspersons. His grandfather had woven the same rudraksh pattern on the handloom in their home in Venkatagiri in Andhra Pradeshs Tirupati district.

The fine-count cotton Venkatgiri sari is over 300 years old. Traditionally, it was made for royalty, mostly in whites and pastel shades with real gold and silver thread borders with 200-300 thread count. The weavers were so well looked after by the dynastic rulers of Velugoti, Bobbili and Pithapuram that it is believed they only created limited editions.

Over time, the stories of queens wearing these saris became part of folklore, stories echoed in the homes of weavers. With powerlooms gaining popularity in the 1950s, many handloom weavers were forced into other occupations or switched to weaving more massy designs.

Also read: Do artisanal collaborations help the artisan? On National Handloom Day (7 August), textile brand WeaverStorys store in New Delhi reintroduced, perhaps for the first time in 70 years, four archival designs on about 10 saris, putting the focus back on the Venkatagiri weave. These patterns had been missing from the lexicon of the weave for the last 70 years till we reintroduced them in the market with the help of the weavers, explains Nishant Malhotra, founder and CEO, WeaverStory.

WeaverStory tied up with Antaran two years ago to recreate the lost design language of the Ventakagiri weave. Helping them on the ground were master artisans and entrepreneurs, including Subramanyan, who mobilised other weavers to work on original patterns that they had only heard of from their fathers and grandfathers. Octogenarian Pramadwara Devi from the former royal family of Venkatagiri loaned many of her vintage Venkatagiri saris to Antaran so that the weavers could study the motifs. Many of these saris reintroduced the weavers to long-forgotten patterns, allowing a documentation of sorts to take place, says Malhotra.

Papana Narasimha Rao, 38, a weaver who is part of this Venkatagiri revival project, says he feels a strong sense of identity with the weave, knowing that he is associated with recreating the motifs and patterns made by his forefathers.

With a thread count up to 300s, the Venkatagiri saris were described as woven air for their soft texture, lightness and wearability. Traditionally, the weavers used the jamdani technique, but in Venkatagiri they used the gold weft as opposed to the cotton weft used in Bengal jamdani, says Malhotra, explaining that the weavers developed buttas (patterns) inspired by nature. In the mid-1900s, with the quality of cotton declining, weavers switched to silk with mix-and-match borders and motifs borrowed from more popular Banarasi, Kanchipuram and Paithani styles.

Gradually, many weavers moved away from the profession to become rickshaw pullers, masons and daily wage labourers. The younger generation, especially those in their early 20s, have joined the IT sector or electronic manufacturing companies in nearby towns. Some moved to other weaving clusters, most notably Kanchipuram, the hub for silk saris.

The weavers in Venkatagiri were losing their craft heritage and thats why the revival was important, says Malhotra. While WeaverStory worked closely with Antaran and the weavers, they also helped in setting up the looms besides creating a quality supply chain for yarn, dye and other raw materials, and paying the master weavers on a monthly basis for their work. When the revival project began, the challenges were aplenty.

Unlike other clusters, there isnt a dyeing unit in Venkatagirithe saris are taken to Coimbatore for this. This increases costs and the time taken for the completion of a sari. It typically takes a weaver eight to 12 weeks to complete a Venkatagiri sari. What works, however, is the genuine enthusiasm of the Venkatagiri weavers to connect with their legacy, says Malhotra.

One of the weavers whose home had a tin roof, renovated his entire house and had a pukka roof put in when the revival project started. This was critical, given that the looms are installed in homes. Leakages during rainy season due to poor roofing would have caused them to stop work temporarily.

In the past two years, more weavers have connected with the traditional practice. Subramanyan says they started the project with 10-odd weavers but now work with close to 30.

According to government estimates, Venkatagiri has 40,000 inhabitants, of which 20,000 are weavers. Many of them, explains Malhotra, work from other clusters, doing other mass market weaves and not the original Venkatagiri weaves and patterns, which are now being revived.

When the Antaran-WeaverStory project began, there were two master weavers and 20 associate weavers. Today, there are 10 master weavers and close to 50 associate weavers, with many more wanting to recreate the traditional motifs for another capsule collection that will be launched later in the year.

Though early days, we are being told by our master weavers in Venkatagiri that many want to return to creating patterns as their forefathers did. Its early to predict but we are hoping that youngsters will take pride and return to weaving some of these original Venkatagiri patterns, says Malhotra.
In a setback for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), five of its councillors in Delhi joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday.

Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva welcomed them into the party.

Sachdeva stated that the councillors left AAP due to the party's corruption and its failure to contribute to Delhi's development.

"AAP's corruption and lack of action are the reasons these five individuals have joined the BJP. They all share a common intention: to contribute to the development of Delhi, guided by PM Modi's vision, and to work for the welfare of the people. We welcome such individuals," Sachdeva told ANI.

Also Read | Haryana BJP urges EC to postpone October 1 Assembly polls, cites long weekend

The five AAP councillors who have joined the BJP are Ram Chandra, Pawan Sehrawat, Manju Nirmal, Sughandha Bidhuri, and Mamta Pawan.

In July this year, AAP MLA Kartar Singh Tanwar and former MLA Raj Kumar Anand also joined the BJP.

Also Read | BJP veteran Shanta Kumar breaks ranks; supports Manish Sisodia after bail

Anand, a member of the Dalit community, was a minister in the Delhi government led by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. He quit the party over corruption issues after the AAP's convener was arrested in the excise case.
A student at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Anurag Jaiswal, was found dead in his Mumbai apartment on Saturday. According to a report by NDTV, Jaiswal had returned from a party the previous night.

Jaiswal was reportedly a student of the Human Resource program at the institution. He had gone to a party in Vashi and gotten inebriated.

He did not wake up on Saturday morning and was rushed to the hospital.

Also Read | Why India is the toast of the global alcohol market: Its young voters

The report said that there were 150 students at the party. Citing sources, it added that he was drinking "a lot" of alcohol at the party.

It was earlier said that there may be a ragging angle to the story. But the police said it had ruled out the possibility after talking to the roommates.

The police also said that he was "unwell" after returning from the party.

The NDTV report also said that Jaiswal's parents have been informed about the incident. They have asked the police to conduct a postmortem only after they arrive in Mumbai.

The police have filed an accidental death report and are investigating the same.

Following the incident, TISS expressed their sorrow on the student's death.

Also Read | Cops detain 39 college students for underaged drinking

"It is with deep sadness and a heavy heart that we announce the passing away of Anurag Jaiswal, first year student of HRM&LR of TISS Mumbai," the post read.

"We are with Anurags family at this heartbreaking time and our thoughts and prayers will always be with the Anurag's family," it added.

TISS was also in the news earlier this week after it banned the left-leaning Progressive Students Forum (PSF-TISS) for engaging in activities that "obstruct the institute's function and defame it".

Also Read | Meet the bar person who perfects your drinking experience

Later, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) supported its ideological rival and said that the ban was "irrational".
uringThe polygraph test for Sanjay Roy, a key accused in a case, was postponed due to technical issues, with the central probe agency set to reschedule it.

The test, which also involves ex-RG Kar Hospital principal Sandip Ghosh and five others, including interns, doctors, and a person connected to Roy, faced delays because of these technical glitches.

As reported by PTI, citing officials, the test on Sanjay Roy might be conducted on Sunday at the Presidency Correctional Home, where he is currently lodged.

In the meantime, Sanjay Roy reportedly claimed to the jail guards that he was unaware of the rape and murder in question, a report noted according to sources familiar with the matter.

However, Hindustan Times reported, citing sources, that Roy might be attempting to mislead the investigation, noting that he has not satisfactorily explained his facial injuries or his presence at the crime scene.

Members of the state's Special Investigation Team (SIT) and later the CBI had claimed that Sanjay Roy, during his questioning, had previously "admitted" to the crime and even assisted in reconstructing the details, according to a Times of India report.

Sanjay Roy will remain in judicial custody under the CBI supervision until September 6, 2024.

CCTV footage and a Bluetooth device found near the medic's body resulted in the arrest of Roy, who was seen entering the seminar hall of the college where the body was found.

Roy, a 33-year-old civic volunteer with the Kolkata Police since 2019, is alleged to have been married multiple times and has a reputation for being a womanizer. A trained boxer, he gained favour with several senior police officers over the years, leading to his posting at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital's police outpost.

The CBI informed the Supreme Court on Thursday that there had been attempts to cover up the rape and murder of the post-graduate medic. They reported that the local police altered the crime scene before the federal agency took over the investigation.

Earlier on Saturday, the CBI initiated an investigation into alleged financial irregularities at RG Kar Medical College, taking over the case from the Special Investigation Team (SIT) appointed by the West Bengal government following instructions from the Calcutta High Court. The court has directed the CBI to submit a progress report on this investigation within three weeks.

The move came after the former deputy superintendent of the hospital, Akhtar Ali, raised concerns about financial misconduct during the tenure of the former principal, Sandip Ghosh. Ali had requested a central agency probe into these alleged irregularities, leading to the High Court's directive for the CBI to take over the case.

The tragic death of the junior doctor, whose body was found with severe injuries in a seminar hall on August 9, has ignited widespread protests. Roy was arrested the following day, and on 13 August, the Calcutta High Court ordered the transfer of the investigation from the Kolkata Police to the CBI, which began its probe on 14 August.
Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy on Sunday warned that his government would not spare those who encroached upon lakes.

Speaking at a function by the Hare Krishna Movement, Reddy also spoke about cracking down on such activities even if they are influential in society, and said he would follow the preaching of Lord Krishna.

The remark comes a day after authorities demolished a convention centre co-owned by actor Nagarjuna in Hyderabad.

On Saturday, the civic officials in Hyderabad acted against encroachments in the Full Tank Level of the buffer zones of Tammidikunta lake.

N-Convention co-owned by Nagarjuna was also one of the several structures, amongst those removed by authorities.

The N-Convention is built in the FTL / Buffer zone and has no building permission whatsoever, a government release said.

That is the reason, despite pressures, though (some of our) friends have farmhouses, the HYDRAA was created (for protecting lakes and government properties). I want to do some good for the people as part of that. The sole objective is to liberate these lakes from the encroachers."

Also Read | Former minister and Telangana CM Reddy in verbal duel over Rajiv Gandhi statue

Revanth Reddy further added that his government will crush encroachments with an iron hand.

"Though there are pressures, we will not go back, and we will remove those encroachments, the CM asserted.

Further stating that lakes are part of Indian culture and people depend on them for livelihood, Reddy added, Some of the farmhouses built near lakes release sewer into drinking water bodies such as Gandipet which supplies drinking water to parts of the city.
The United States has approved a potential sale of anti-submarine warfare equipment to India on August 24. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has given the green light for a Foreign Military Sale of sonobuoys and related gear to India, estimated at $52.8 million.

The Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) has notified Congress of this proposed sale, which includes various types of sonobuoys and associated technical support. The equipment is designed to enhance India's anti-submarine warfare capabilities, particularly for operations involving its MH-60R helicopters.

A DSCA statement emphasized the strategic importance of this sale, noting that it "will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by helping to strengthen the United States-India strategic relationship." The agency also highlighted India's role as "an important force for political stability, peace, and economic progress in the Indo-Pacific and South Asia regions."

The proposed sale aligns with the broader context of strengthening US-India defense ties. During a recent four-day visit to the United States, Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh met with key US officials and visited naval facilities. Singh expressed optimism about the growing partnership, stating, "India and the US look forward to work together and benefit from each other's experiences."

Also Read | India defends crude oil trade with Russia, cites global market stability

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin echoed this sentiment, praising the momentum in US-India relations. He stated, "We share a vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific, and our defence cooperation continues to grow stronger and stronger." Austin also highlighted ongoing efforts to expand defense industrial ties and strengthen supply chain resilience between the two nations.

Also Read | Unified Pension Scheme explained: 5 salient features

The visit also saw progress in other areas of defense cooperation. The two countries finalized a "security of supply" arrangement aimed at addressing potential supply chain issues for national security needs. Vic Ramdass, a senior US defense official, called this agreement "a pivotal moment in the US-India major defence partner relationship," as quoted by ANI.

Also Read | CBI raids 15 sites linked to ex-RG Kar hospital principal in corruption case

While the sonobuoy sale represents a significant development, officials assert that it will not disrupt the regional military balance. The DSCA stated that India should have no difficulty integrating this equipment into its armed forces.
A 27-year-old Indian man died on due to exhaustion and dehydration in the Rub' al Khali desert in Saudi Arabia.

The deceased is identified as Mohammad Shehzad Khan, who was a resident of Telangana's Karimnagar district. He was accompanied by a Sudanese national, who also lost his life, according to a report by NDTV.

The bodies were found on Thursday, August 22, four days after the incident. The bodies of the two were under the dunes next to their vehicle, the report said.

Shehzad Khan worked for a telecommunications company based in Saudi Arabia for three years, it said.

The incident happened when Shehzad and his companion were lost because their GPS signal had failed. Shehzad's mobile phone battery eventually died, so both of them could not seek help.

Further, their vehicle fuel was exhausted, leaving them stranded in the desert without food and water. According to the report, the duo fought to survive at high temperatures but eventually died due to starvation and dehydration.

Also Read | US lifts restrictions on sale of bombs to Saudi Arabia

Rub' al Khali desert The Rub' al Khali is the worlds largest sand desert, stretching around 650 km. It is known for its harsh weather conditions, covering the southern region of Saudi Arabia and the neighbouring countries. The region is considered hyper-arid, and the annual precipitation is less than 50 mm.

The desert also boasts Saudi Arabia's Highway 10, which is the world's longest straight road, according to the Guinness World Records.

Also Read | Megaprojects in the desert sap Saudi Arabias cash

This 256-kilometre (159-mile) asphalt stretch cuts through the Rub Al-Khali desert and does not have any bends left or right, or any appreciable gradient up or down, according to a report by Arab News.
Top events today: Several major events are scheduled for August 25, including PM Modi's 113th episode of Mann ki Baat and his visit to Jodhpur and Jalgaon, BJP will launch Maha Jansampark Abhiyan for Harayana polls and Nagaland is on high alert as IMD has predicted heavy rainfall in the state.

Mann ki Baat PM Modi will address the nation today, August 25 with the 113th episode of Mann ki Baat, prime ministers monthly radio broadcast at 11am. The programme will broadcast on Akashvani and Doordarshan, the AIR News website and the Newsonair mobile app. It will be live-streamed on AIR News, DD News, PMO and Information and Broadcasting Ministrys Youtube channels.

In the 112th episode of Mann ki Baat, PM Modi lauded Paris Olympics players who represented India on the global stage.

The Olympics give our players a chance to hoist the tricolour on the world stage; give them a chance to do something for the country. Let us encourage our players Cheer for Bharat, he said.

Apart from Paris Olympics players, PM Modi also appreciated Mathematics Olympiad winners. India won four gold and one silver medal in Mathematics Olympiad. He also interacted with the winners.

Also Read | PM Modi to release 2,500 cr at Lakhpati Didi Sammelan in Maharashtra tomorrow

PM Modi to visit Jodhpur and Jalgaon PM Modi will be visiting Jodhpur in Rajasthan today, August 25. He will be the chief guest at the concluding ceremony of the platinum jubilee celebrations of Rajasthan High Court, which will be held on the High Court Campus, Jodhpur. He will also inaugurate the high court museum, reported PTI.

PM Modi will also visit Jalgaon in Maharashtra today, August 25 to felicitate 11 lakh new 'Lakhpati Didis. He will also disburse around 2,500 crore funds for 48 lakh members of 4.3 lakh self-help groups (SHGs), reported PTI.

He will also provide bank loans of 5,000 crore, aimed to benefit 25.8 lakh members of 2.35 lakh SHGs, it added.

Also Read | BJP brainstorms possible candidates for Haryana polls at Gurugram meet

BJP to launch Maha Jansampark Abhiyan Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will start Maha Jansampark Abhiyan in Haryana on August 25 as the state is set for polls on October 1.

The BJP will open election offices in almost 20,000 booths in Haryana and will begin a Maha Jansampark Abhiyan with the inauguration of the office, a PTI report said.

BJPs election campaigning plans were discussed in the first meeting of the state election management committee in Rohtak on August 20. The meeting was chaired by State Convenor Kuldeep Bishnoi, the report said. In a separate meeting, the party decided to open offices in every election booth in Haryana on August 25. Currently BJP is serving its second term in the state.

This will be the first time in the political history of Haryana when a party will open its offices at 20,000 booths simultaneously, the report said quoting Bishnoi.

Nagaland on high alert Nagaland is on high alert as India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted heavy rainfall in the state till August 25.The India Meteorological Department (IMD issued an orange alert predicting the possibility of heavy showers in Nagaland from August 21.
If Ukraine receives permission to use Western missile weapons to strike the territory of the Russian Federation, the occupiers will be forced to redeploy air defense and electronic warfare systems to protect their rear areas. This, in turn, will allow the Ukrainian military to strike the aggressor more effectively near the front line.

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First and foremost, the Russians will try to protect paramilitary facilities in the rear. This is stated in the analysis of the Institute for War Studies.

Ukraine's drone campaign against Russia has shown that many rear areas in Russia have little or no air defense. Russian forces will likely have to redeploy air defense and EW systems from across Russia, as well as from the front lines in Ukraine, to provide the necessary defense coverage for rear areas within range of Western-supplied weapons.

With such a realignment of Russian air defense, Ukraine's air operations along the front line could become much more effective. Lifting the restrictions would allow Ukraine to strike significant Russian military targets and would immediately force dictator Vladimir Putin and the Russian military command to make decisions about the allocation of limited air and missile defense assets and the configuration of military logistics and support systems in active fighting areas and deep rear.

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As a reminder, there are at least 250 military and paramilitary targets in Russia that can be hit by ATACMS missiles. However, the United States restricts the use of these missiles to strike targets in Russia, allowing only HIMARS systems to be used.

Earlier, it was reported that on August 24, the soldiers of the Main Intelligence Directorate conducted another successful operation to "demilitarize" Russia on its own territory. They destroyed a field depot of the Russian army near the city of Ostrogozhsk, Voronezh region.

Only verified information is available on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber . Do not fall for fakes!

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Who doesn't love French fries, but is that enough to sue someone legally? Apparently yes! In a bizarre incident in Bengaluru, a woman levelled allegations of cruelty against her US-based husband for allegedly not allowing her to eat French fries.

Thankfully, the Karnataka High Court has temporarily halted the investigation and granted the husband's request to travel back to the US.

According to a Times of India report, the wife, who was not identified, lodged a complaint under Sections 498A and 504 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Dowry Prohibition Act. Consequently, the police issued a lookout circular (LOC) against the man, impeding his return to the United States for employment purposes.

In a detailed order issued on Thursday, Justice M Nagaprasanna of the Karnataka HC granted the husband's request to travel back to the US and stayed the LOC until the next hearing on September 21. The judge also permitted the husband to leave the country after reviewing his affidavit.

In the affidavit, the husband assured of his availability for future investigation.

According to the TOI report, the wife alleged that following her childbirth, which was complicated by high blood pressure, her husband limited her consumption of French fries, rice, and meat due to concerns about weight gain. In response, the husband asserted that he took on all household chores and daily responsibilities while his wife devoted much of her time to watching television and making phone calls.

In his ruling, Justice Nagaprasanna observed that the complaint failed to establish any acts of cruelty as outlined in Section 498A of the IPC. He further stressed that permitting the investigation to continue would amount to a misuse of the legal system.

Also Read | MP man gets wife killed for extravagant spending

As a result, the judge instructed the police to notify the Bureau of Immigration regarding the travel plans and to ensure that the husband would not be subjected to any travel constraints.

"It is rather surprising how jurisdictional police have used the power for getting an LOC generated in the aforesaid trivial circumstances. It is not the use of power by police but misuse of power at the behest of the complainant," Justice Nagaprasanna was quoted as saying by TOI.
Before he was killed in an Israeli strike last month, Faud Shukr, the military commander of Hezbollah, received a phone call which prompted him to move to a more vulnerable position inside the building he was hiding in, a recent report has said.

Shukr, who had been hiding since his involvement in the 1985 hijacking of TWA Flight 847 from Athens to the US, was killed in the strike along with his wife, two other women, and two children on 30 July.

A report by Wall Street Journal said that moments before being killed, Shukr had received a phone call which instructed him to move to the seventh floor of his building, which was his residence. Before that, he was at the second floor, which was his office. He had been in the same building for years.

After he moved, the Israel Defense Forces struck the building, killing him. He was so elusive that one of his neighbours was quoted in the WSJ report as saying that they had never seen him, and he was "like a ghost".

The report also said that Hezbollah and Iran are investigating the security breach.

It is being reported that Israel's advanced technological capabilities outmatched Iran's countersurveillance efforts.

Shukr was involved in a number of attacks across the world. He was a key figure in a cross-border raid that killed eight Israeli soldiers and ignited war with Lebanon, in 2006.

Also Read | Hezbollah declares completion of large-scale attack on Israeli positions

He is also considered to be an essential figure in improving Hezbollah's rocket arsenal from 15,000 to 150,000.

He was also wanted in the United States of America for his role in the 1983 bombing of a US Marines barracks in Beirut. As many as 241 American servicemen died in the attack.

Also Read | Gaza talks resume in Cairo as suffering worsens under Israeli campaign

In 1985, after Hezbollahs formal establishment, Shukr became its military commander. He was rarely seen in public since then.
On Sunday, Gaza's Hamas praised Hezbollah's strikes against Israel, describing them as a "strong and focused response." Early Sunday, Israel carried out a series of airstrikes across southern Lebanon, claiming the attacks were a preemptive measure against Hezbollah. In retaliation, Hezbollah announced it had launched 320 rockets and drones in response to the killing of one of its senior commanders last month.

"We emphasize that this strong and focused response, which struck deep inside the Zionist entity, is a slap in the face" for the Israeli government, Hamas said in a statement after Hezbollah said it launched a large-scale operation using rockets and drones.

Also Read | Israel attacks Lebanon with 100 jets, Hezbollah replies with 320 rockets

The intense exchange of fire has not yet triggered the feared broader conflict, but the situation remains tense. Meanwhile, Egypt is hosting high-level talks on Sunday to broker a cease-fire in the ongoing 10-month Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, with diplomats aiming to ease regional tensions.

The Israeli military launched strikes after Hezbollah citing preparation to fire a heavy barrage of rockets and missiles towards Israel.

Hezbollah quickly responded with attacks on Israeli military positions, framing the assault as retaliation for the killing of Fouad Shukur, a key figure in the group, during an Israeli airstrike in Beirut last month.

By mid-morning, the exchange of fire appeared to have subsided, with both sides claiming to have targeted only military positions. The strikes in Lebanon resulted in at least three fatalities, while no casualties were reported in Israel.

Also Read | Middle East crisis: Iran vows retaliation after Israel kills Hamas chief

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, addressing the Cabinet, stated that the military had neutralized "thousands of rockets" aimed at northern Israel.

Hezbollah's leader Hassan Nasrallah was due to speak on the "latest developments" at 6:00 pm (8.30pm IST).

Israel-Gaza war Meanwhile, at least 40,405 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed and 93,468 others injured in Israel's military offensive on Gaza since October 7, said the Gaza Health Ministry.
Hezbollah launched a large-scale attack on Israel on August 25, firing hundreds of rockets and drones. The Iranian-backed group claimed this was in retaliation for the recent assassination of a high-ranking commander in Beirut, as per Reuters.

"Our military operation today is completed and accomplished," the Iran-backed group said in a statement. Israeli "claims of pre-emptive action it carried out... and the thwarting of the resistance's attack are empty claims", it added.

Also Read | Gaza talks resume in Cairo as suffering worsens under Israeli campaign

The Israeli military reported striking targets in Lebanon shortly before the Hezbollah assault, citing intelligence that suggested an imminent attack. Hezbollah stated it had fired over 320 Katyusha rockets at Israel, claiming to have hit 11 military targets. The group described this as "the first phase" of its response to the killing of senior commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut, warning that their full retaliation would unfold over time, the report added.

Also Read | ICC prosecutor urges judges to urgently rule on warrants for Israeli, Hamas officials

In response to the escalating situation, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called an emergency cabinet meeting. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant issued a statement asserting Israel's right to self-defense: "We have conducted precise strikes in Lebanon in order to thwart an imminent threat against the citizens of Israel. We are closely following developments in Beirut, and we are determined to use all the means at our disposal in order to defend our citizens," as quoted by Reuters.

The Israeli military mobilized its Iron Dome defense system to intercept incoming rockets, while also issuing civil defense instructions to limit public gatherings. Flights at Ben Gurion airport were temporarily suspended but were expected to resume operations by morning.

Also Read | White House insists it is making progress on Gaza cease-fire as talks continue over the weekend

This surge in hostilities has raised concerns about a potential wider regional conflict. The White House reported that President Joe Biden was closely monitoring the situation, with National Security Council spokesperson Sean Savett stating, "At his direction, senior U.S. officials have been communicating continuously with their Israeli counterparts. We will keep supporting Israel's right to defend itself, and we will keep working for regional stability," as quoted by Reuters.

The attacks come amid ongoing efforts in Cairo to negotiate a ceasefire in Gaza and a potential hostage exchange.
Beirut airport was functioning Sunday but many passengers were stuck as flights were cancelled or delayed, an AFP correspondent said, after Israel and Hezbollah announced broad strikes in an escalation of cross-border hostilities.

"We came at 4:30 am (0130 GMT) for our flight at 8:00 am but they told us it was cancelled," said Elham Shukair, a passenger headed to the United States via Jordan.

Seated on her bag in the arrivals hall, she said she had booked another flight later Sunday with Lebanon's Middle East Airlines in the hope of reaching Amman and making her onward connection.

Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah movement has traded near-daily fire with Israeli forces in support of ally Hamas since the Palestinian militant group's October 7 attack on Israel triggered the Gaza war.

But Israel launched air strikes into Lebanon on Sunday, saying it had thwarted a large-scale Hezbollah attack, while the Lebanese group announced its own cross-border strikes to avenge the killing of a top commander, Fuad Shukr, in an Israeli strike last month.

Also Read | Hezbollah declares completion of large-scale attack on Israeli positions

Fears have spiked since Shukr's killing that the cross-border violence could degenerate into all-out conflict between Hezbollah and Israel, who last fought a devastating war in the summer of 2006.

Israel bombed Beirut airport, Lebanon's only international passenger facility, during that war.

On Sunday, other passengers sat on the floor in the arrivals hall as screens showed cancelled or delayed flights, while the arrivals area was largely empty.

"Our flight is still scheduled but it is delayed," said Diala Hatoum, who was set to travel with her son on a Qatar Airways flight.

"We will see, we are waiting now," she added.

Air France said it was suspending Beirut flights scheduled for Sunday and Monday, adding that the move could be extended depending on the situation in the Middle East.

Royal Jordanian Airlines announced the suspension of Beirut flights "due to the current situation", and the UAE's Etihad Airways said it had also cancelled its services to and from the Lebanese capital.

On Friday, German airline giant Lufthansa said it was extending a suspension of flights to Beirut until September 30.

Lebanon's civil aviation authority emphasised Sunday that "the airport is functioning normally" despite some disruptions.

There is "no truth" to rumours that all flights have been cancelled, said a statement from the authority carried by the official National News Agency.
Hours after 100 Israeli warplanes swooped over southern Lebanon, taking out thousands of Hezbollah missile launchers in what was called a pre-emptive strike, the Middle East remained braced for an expanded conflagration that could involve Iran and its allied militias.

The assault started at 5 a.m. local time and was based, Israeli officials said, on precise intelligence that Hezbollah was about to fire thousands of missiles at northern Israel as well as drones at a key intelligence center just north of Tel Aviv in retaliation for the killing of its commander in July.

Israel declared a 48-hour state of emergency and shut its main airport for several hours, with numerous foreign airlines canceling flights. Hezbollah responded by firing more than 200 projectiles, according to Israel, although officials said very limited damage was caused. One Israeli soldier was killed by falling debris, while three deaths were reported in Lebanon.

If Hezbollah had successfully executed an attack on targets in central Israel, the tit-for-tat fighting thats been simmering on the border area for 10 months may have exploded into wider warfare. For now, some analysts said, a brief calm might ensue,

It was a huge success that we detected the plans and now there is the possibility for both sides not to escalate this very complex situation, said retired Brigadier General Ilan Biton, a former chief of defense for Israels air force. Both Israel and Hezbollah announced that, for now, their operations were over  despite ongoing low-level fighting.

Israel reopened its airport and eased restrictions on public gatherings imposed earlier in the day. Significantly, negotiations in Cairo aimed at establishing a cease-fire in Gaza between Israel and the Palestinian militia Hamas commenced as planned on Sunday, according to the prime ministers office.

Consequences

This exchange is more likely to aid than complicate the cease-fire talks, said Mike Singh, managing director at the Washington Institute. By sending a message that Israel is willing and able to escalate, and that Washington will back it when it does so, the US and Israel have underscored the consequences for Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran of continuing to refuse a deal.

Hezbollah said its attack on Israel was planned as the start of retaliation for the killing of its commander Fuad Shukr on July 30 in Beiruts southern suburbs. The group said it fired more than 320 missiles, followed up by drones, to target 11 army barracks and military sites in northern Israel.

The Mossad intelligence services base in Glilot was the main target of the attack, Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah said on Sunday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened a security cabinet meeting on Sunday and said he was determined to do everything to defend our country, to return the residents of the north securely to their homes, and to continue upholding a simple rule: Whoever harms us  we will harm them.

Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani, an Israeli military spokesman, noted that Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke by phone over the weekend, and that a top US commander in the region had visited twice recently. He declined to say whether the US was given advance warning of Sundays attack, adding, This was an Israeli operation.

US Support

The US has stepped up its naval and air defense presence in the region as a warning to Iran and its allies not to increase hostilities.

Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder referred questions about Sundays operation to Israel. We continue to closely monitor the situation and have been very clear that the US is postured to support the defense of Israel, Ryder said.

Israel and Hezbollah have been trading fire along the border since October, when the Lebanese organization entered the fray in support of Hamas in Gaza. Israeli strikes have killed at least 500 people since then, most of them Hezbollah fighters. In Israel, roughly 30 soldiers and 18 civilians have been killed by Hezbollah attacks.

Preventing the skirmishes from escalating even further has been at the heart of international diplomatic efforts to ease tension across the Middle East.

Hours after an Israeli airstrike on July 30 killed Hezbollahs military chief in Beirut, Iran blamed Israel for killing the head of Hamas political office, Ismail Haniyeh, in Tehran. Iran has vowed to retaliate but it has also said it would do so on its own timetable. Israel has repeatedly warned it not to do so.

On Sunday, Netanyahu warned Hezbollah and Iran that the latest attack isnt the end of the story, and was another step on the way to changing the situation in the north, and return our residents safely to their homes.

Evacuations

The US has been trying to mediate between Lebanon and Israel to reach a compromise over border disputes. Tens of thousands of Israelis and Lebanese have been evacuated from the border area due to the fighting, and Israel wants Hezbollah to move its fighters away from the border to allow its citizens to return.

Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran and designated a terrorist organization by the US, says it will continue hostilities with Israel until the country agrees to a cease-fire in Gaza with Hamas, also designated a terrorist group by the US and others.

The war in the Palestinian enclave began on Oct. 7 after Hamas militants, supported by Iran, invaded Israel and killed 1,200 people and abducted others. Israels retaliation in Gaza has killed at least 40,000 people, according to Hamas health officials in Gaza.

With assistance from Natalia Drozdiak and Omar Tamo.
Naresh Bhatt, a 37-year-old Indian-origin man in the US, has been arrested for allegedly hiding his wifes lifeless body. It has been three weeks since Mamta Kafle Bhatt vanished.

Bhatt has not been officially charged with murder related to the death of the 28-year-old mother of two, CNN reported while citing court documents.

In a recent interview with WUSA, Bhatt expressed his concern about his missing wife. He said that it was not the first time she had disappeared.

Also Read | Shakib-Al-Hasan named in murder case FIR during Bangladesh unrest

Im the one who is suffering. She is my babys mom. She is my wife. Im the one suffering, so I dont know what Im supposed to say, Bhatt told WUSA.

Naresh Bhatt appeared in court on August 23 for his arraignment. According to a preliminary criminal complaint, Bhatt allegedly killed his wife around July 30.

Kafle Bhatt was last spotted on July 27 at UVA Health Prince William Medical Center in Manassas, where she worked as a registered nurse in the medical-surgical unit.

On July 28, Mamta Bhatt had her last conversation with a friend and uploaded a final video of herself and her daughter on TikTok. Mamtas former roommate, Nadia Navarro, mentioned that Mamta tried to call her on the same day, but she missed the calls as she was asleep.

Later, a person who had met Mamta at her baby shower contacted Nadia to ask if she knew Mamta's whereabouts. Nadia expressed disbelief at the idea that Mamta could be missing, stating that Mamta is usually calm and responsible. According to Nadia, she is not someone who would leave impulsively.

Bhatt bought knives Investigators reported that Bhatt was caught on surveillance at a Walmart on July 30, purchasing a set of three knives, with two missing after a police search.

The next day, he was seen at a different Walmart buying cleaning products. In a later interview, Bhatt mentioned that the last time he saw his wife was July 31.
Sajid Tarar, a Pakistani-American businessman from Baltimore, thinks India has seen significant progress under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership. He also believes that Pakistan can benefit from having a similar leader.

PM Modi's emphasis on nationalism has positively impacted Indians both in their home country and abroad, particularly in the United States, where they excel in important fields, according to Tarar.

Modis slogan of nationalism has worked well for Indians in India and also Indians living and working in the United States, where they dominate critical areas. When that happens, you know a nation has arrived, Tarar told PTI.

Tarar, a leader aligned with the Republican Party who founded American Muslims for Donald Trump, said that India's progress under PM Modi's leadership showed the potential benefits for Pakistan if a similar figure emerged in the country.

He noted that a country's growth is evident in its ability to influence power in Washington, highlighting that the rise of Indian tech entrepreneurs has bolstered the Indian community abroad. Tarar suggests that Pakistan should take note and prioritise education to achieve similar success.

Indias first education minister, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, and first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehrus vision of a rising nation with institutions such as IITs and IIMs have paid long-term dividends for the country. Thats what happens when you invest in education with a long-term future in mind, he told PTI.

Pakistan did not congratulate PM Modi After Narendra Modi was elected for the third time as Indias prime minister, Pakistani leaders chose not to send their congratulations to him.

Instead, Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch emphasised the need for cooperation with neighbouring countries. She mentioned that it was too early to congratulate PM Modi.
The poor are not just people with no money. They are influenced by forces unique to them, forces that are hard to understand for those who have not experienced poverty, especially people who say, I came to Bombay with 10 in my pocket."

Being poor, being truly poor is when your papa is poor, when your people" are all poor. It is like being ancient in a generation racing towards the future. The mind of the poor is the brooding background in Hillbilly Elegy, the memoir of J.D. Vance, the running mate of Donald Trump.

The book, published in 2016, brought national prominence to Vance, and launched his political career. He draws the portrait of his formative years as a poor White American growing up among those of his kind, people who are called hillbillies", and his eventual escape into the American dream through higher education.

He shows a community that is in despair, intoxicated, poor and violent, and holds far less hope for the future than the Hispanic migrants and the Blacks, who are poorer.

The book accuses the hillbillies of blaming their plight on everything outside them, including president Barack Obama, instead of finding a way to exploit one of the greatest nations on earth. Only an insider can say this sort of thing about his tribe, just as only an Obama could have asked Americas Blacks to take some of the blame for their condition.

When the book was released, the Republicans hailed it because it framed the problem of its core basethe White working class that was not doing very well. Donald Trump appears only in the afterword, so the book probably never mentioned him in the early editions.

Yet, it tries to solve the political mystery of why poor Whites loved and still love Trump. That was why the Democrats too loved it. Because they saw in it what they wanted to seethat Trump was popular among country wastrels with a twang as they were jealous of the good boys and girls who worked hard and went to college.

Vance came from a poor and unhappy home, headed by an intoxicated, unstable mother, and transient men who tried to take the place of his father. Often, he was a witness to violence at his and in other homes.

He was saved by his grandparents who had done better than their daughter. They became an emotional island that protected Vance from his deadly environment.

The most lethal toxin in the air was negativity, a sense of hopelessness. Never be like theselosers who think the deck is stacked against them," his grandmother often told him, you can do anything you want to."

Vance talks of the economic fall of the average White family. Extreme poverty was rising. They were becoming more unhealthy, and dying younger. The pride in old-fashioned factory work had vanished, and there was prestige attached to professions that were said to require the mind, and for which one had to go to college.

But the average hillbilly didnt get sucked into the banal rituals that took one to college. They began to suspect that higher education was rigged against the average White by the Blacks and liberals".

Vance blames the hillbillies for what has happened to them. Our elegy is a sociological one, yes, but it is also about psychology and community and culture and faith."

He talks about scores of neighbours and friends who never held jobs, who gamed the social security system, who were on drugs and in violent marriages, and their children in the middle of all this who were doomed to fail.

This was my world: a world of truly irrational behaviour. We spend our way into the poorhouse. We buy giant TVs and iPadsthanks to high-interest credit cards and payday loansWe purchase homes we dont needThrift is inimical to our being. We spend to pretend that were upper-classWe dont study as children, and we dont make our kids studyWe choose not to work when we should be looking for jobsWell get fired for tardiness, or for stealingBut tell ourselves that the reason were not working is some perceived unfairness: Obama shut down the coal mines, or all the jobs went to the Chinese."

Vance is persuasive in his efforts to show that he understands American poverty. Once when Salvation Army gave him a list of gifts to buy for the poor, he found faults with nearly every suggestion". Pajamas was on the list.

But, he says, the poor dont wear pajamas. And toy guitar" reminded him that in homes with too many people living in too little space, it might be too loud to bring any joy. He found learning aids" condescending, they made it seem as if the only thing the poor needed was to learn and reform.

Even so, is his memoir compassionate, or is it just a work of a lucky man, who has not revealed the source of luck, who is essentially telling everyone, why cant you be like me. In Hillbilly Elegy, Vance implores Americas White poor to be better people, to work harder, and to stop being gluttons of unhealthy things.

There is compassion because Vance says he himself was from a doomed home. He says he worked hard and used the ladders that America placed in its deep holes for people to climb out. But there is a problem with such stories.

The world is filled with people who have worked hard but not got anywhere. That too is the nature of the world. They feel there is something wrong with them because those who succeeded keep extolling their hard work" but hide the elements of luck. Every escape story has one thing that makes almost all the difference, and it is usually never revealed, as it is almost never hard work.
Lamenting on how the river of ideas that nourished politics has dried up" in independent India, Yogendra Yadav draws attention to the atrophy of the political imagination...that afflicts the entire political class, cutting across ideological and political boundaries." In his recent column in the Indian Express, the analyst-cum-activist asks, Where are our political thinkers?"

Well, quite a number of our most talented and ambitious young people are responding to economic incentives and pursuing careers in industry, technology and business.

Our education system smothers thinking of any kind and our political discourse has long been hostile to free thinking. It comes as no surprise to me that a free, independent India produces fewer political thinkers than Olympic medallists.

Since the late-1970s, Indias brightest have opted for careers in the private sector or government service. Careers in the humanities are still not as remunerative as in technology or business, case closed.

Worse, outstanding students of politics can neither enter the civil service nor electoral politicsthe field just does not attract good talent. For a young person, studying engineering opens the doors to careers in industry, bureaucracy and politics more than political science does.

Several years ago, while I was helping a leading college design a masters programme in public policy, I proposed that classes should be held as interactions among the faculty and students.

I was shocked that the management was shocked by this because they had been told by the University Grants Commission (UGC) that subjects like history and politics were sensitive, and hence a narrative method should be adopted. Questioning was discouraged.

Our education system thus forces students to memorise a politically-filtered curriculum in school and prevents its discussion in college. The widespread disapproval of student politics means that what little politics that does occur is merely a contestation between student wings of the major political parties.

Even before social media destroyed political discourse, the environment was long hostile to ideas that challenged the accepted wisdom in New Delhi. Proponents of free markets, for instance, were ostracised right up until the 1990s.

You wouldnt easily find a job or a publisher if you had views that departed from the leftist, progressive ideological envelope. In the past two decades, it has become worse. You can be beaten up or end up in jail for criticising policies, political ideologies or political figures, living or dead.

As Yadav can testify from personal experience, political thinking in India is not for the faint hearted. I dont have empirical evidence for this, but I would guess that most political philosophers do not want to be heroes if they can help it.

The few who eventually end up doing political thinking do so under the shadow of three massive features in Indias intellectual landscape. The first is the academic preoccupation with Western tropes about non-Western and anti-Western ideas. This is both paradoxical and limiting.

I do not understand why Indian political thinkers should be mainly focused on subaltern, Third World, Global South and anti-hegemonic, and restricted to give the Indian perspective at conferences and journals?

Our thinkers have long attached themselves to every new Western progressive leftist fad. The right too is following suit. The funny thing is that both claim to be challenging Western thinking.

The second constraint is the colossal power of Gandhian, Ambedkarite and Nehruvian thought. Our intellectual life is conducted in the shadow of these giants. Even if we did not have a culture of veneration and hero-worship, it is hard to counter the depth, connect and popularity of the ideas of these early-20th century political geniuses.

Just like how some scholars argue that political philosophy in ancient India dried up in the wake of Kautilyas brilliance, it may be that we are so much in awe of the greats that fresh thinking is getting stifled.

Third, political activism in independent India is centred around redistribution, even if it is sometimes cloaked in loftier causes. The epitome of modern political thinking is the idea of a quota, a silver bullet that can address everything from social justice to national integration.

As I wrote in my previous column, it is a shame how thinking on how to achieve social justice, the first objective in the preamble of our Constitution, has ended at the door of reservations.

Yadav is right when he argues that reviving and reinvigorating this tradition of modern Indian political thought is a precondition to reclaiming our republic."

Also read: People of different opinions process political data differently

For this, we have to expand our minds beyond our particular context, and our ideas have to be relevant for the rest of the world. Adam Smith and Karl Marx were not exclusively preoccupied with the Scottish or German condition, respectively.

The big opportunity for Indian political thinkers lies in conceptualising our deep experience with diversity and pluralism for the Information Age. But we have to first ask if Indian society wants to set its political thinkers free.
On the evening of August 24, Russian terrorists launched a ballistic missile at the city of Kramatorsk in Donetsk region. The enemy target hit a hotel, injuring two foreign journalists.

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Another one is probably trapped under the rubble. This was reported by the head of the Donetsk Regional Military Administration Vadym Filashkin.

"All three victims are journalists, citizens of Ukraine, the United States and the United Kingdom," he wrote.

At the same time, the Donetsk Regional Prosecutor's Office informed that it is currently aware of two injured foreign media correspondents, who are 38 and 40 years old. They have been diagnosed with mine-blast trauma, brain contusion, a broken leg, contusion and cut wounds.

"The injured were provided with emergency medical care. Another correspondent is probably trapped under the rubble," the agency said.

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According to the investigation, the Russians struck a residential area of Kramatorsk at around 22:35 on Saturday, August 24, allegedly with an Iskander-M missile. In addition to the hotel, the Russian shelling also damaged a nearby high-rise building and other residential buildings.

Representatives of the authorities, the police and the State Emergency Service were working at the site to clear the rubble and carry out rescue operations. Under the procedural supervision of the Donetsk Regional Prosecutor's Office, a pre-trial investigation was initiated in a criminal proceeding on the violation of the laws and customs of war (Part 1 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

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The RMA added that over the past 24 hours, on August 24, Russian war criminals killed seven residents of Donetsk region: five in Kostiantynivka, one in Toretsk and one in Kotlyn. Another 15 people were injured in the region due to enemy shelling.

The total number of Russian casualties in Donetsk region - 2,182 killed and 5,717 wounded (excluding Mariupol and Volnovakha).

As reported, on August 10, Russian terrorists attacked a critical infrastructure facility in Kramatorsk, killing one employee and injuring several others.

The next day, on August 11, the occupiers shelled residential buildings and the territory of an enterprise in Kramatorsk. Eight civilians were injured.

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Only verified information is available on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
The Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) has begun talks on a potential seat-sharing arrangement for the upcoming state assembly elections, starting with Mumbai.

In a meeting on Saturday, the Shiv Sena (UBT) requested 20 seats, Congress asked for 15 seats, and the Nationalist Congress Party (SP) sought seven seats. The parties are anticipated to finalize the seat-sharing agreement in a meeting scheduled for next week, Hindustan Times reported.

In the 2019 assembly polls, the three parties won 20 of the 36 seats in Mumbai, so the discussion will be about sharing the remaining 16 seats. The undivided Shiv Sena won 14 seats, the Congress could win four, and the undivided NCP and Samajwadi Party won one seat each.

After the split in the Shiv Sena and NCP over the last two years, the Uddhav Thackeray-led faction of the Sena has the support of eight MLAs. In contrast, NCP-SP has none as Nawab Malik, elected from Anushakti Nagar, sided with the Ajit Pawar-led NCP.

Hindustan Times reported, citing MVA insiders, that the Shiv Sena (UBT) is firm on contesting 20 seats. The party believes that we are in a much better position than our allies and, thus, should get the majority of the 36 assembly seats in the city, said a senior Thackeray faction leader.

Shiv Sena is looking to contest on all 14 seats [it won in 2019] except Chandivali, which it is ready to exchange with Vandre East from Congress, MVA insider told HT.

Earlier, On being asked about MVA's CM face for Maharashtra Assembly elections, NCP-SCP leader Sharad Pawar said, "As far as my party is concerned, no one from my party is interested. We are not projecting anyone (as the CM face). We just want change in the government here as we want to give good governance to the state. So, who will or will not be the CM is not a question for me. It will not be me at least."

Mumbai BJP President Ashish Shelar said that the expiry date of Maha Vikas Aghadi is near and will break on seat sharing in the upcoming Assembly elections, ANI reported.

Shelar also mentioned that the MVA will break after the elections. All three parties (Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and NCP-SCP) are present for the CM post.

He said, The expiry date of Maha Vikas Aghadi is near. Most likely, this will break on the issue of seat sharing, and if somehow they sustain it through seat sharing, it's a sure thing that this will break immediately after the elections as all three parties are there for the CM post.

The report said that Thackeray is contemplating fielding Varun Sardesai, the secretary of Yuva Sena and Thackerays nephew, from Vandre East. This seat was previously won by Congress MLA Zeeshan Siddique, who is expected to join the Ajit Pawar-led NCP. Congress leaders have expressed optimism about the potential swap, noting that the party narrowly lost the Chandivali seat by just 409 votes, where Arif Naseem Khan was the candidate.

Naseem Khan represented the seat twice before 2019 and is keen to contest it again, said a party leader from Mumbai.

We have discussed the potential criteria for the seat-sharing formula today. It is basically who won the seat how many times and the potential of the candidate, said a senior MVA leader, adding, All the three parties want the seats that they have won in the past polls.

The Maharashtra Assembly elections are due this year. The Election Commission is yet to announce the poll dates.
KYIVUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky marked his countrys Independence Day on Saturday with a video shot in the region where his armed forces launched a brazen offensive designed to send a message to Russiaand the West.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will not dictate any of his red lines to us," Zelensky said against the backdrop of forests and hills in Ukraines northern Sumy region. Only Ukraine and Ukrainians will determine how to live, what path to take, and what choice to make."

After a year of gradually losing ground on the battlefield, Zelensky made an audacious gamble to seize back the initiative. His bet is that the operation that began Aug. 6 will not only knock Russia off balance and force it to shift its troops, but also encourage the West to throw its weight more firmly behind Ukraine. Zelensky has been calling for more weapons and for U.S. permission to use long-range ATACMS missiles on Russian territory.

Zelensky also needs to maintain the faith of weary Ukrainians who have endured 2  years of war. Increasingly, some are considering whether some kind of accommodation with Russia might be better than a slow suffocation. By brazenly moving into Russia, Zelensky is trying to convince Ukrainians theyve still got fight in them.

Since pouring armored vehicles and thousands of its best troops into Russias Kursk region in a lightning advance, Ukraines army has occupied almost 100 Russian settlements and taken as much territory as Russia has in Ukraine this year.

Zelensky has lauded the capture of some 2,000 Russian soldiers in Kursk. On Saturday, 115 of them were exchanged for the same number of Ukrainians who had languished in Russian captivity.

The evacuation of 130,000 residents from Kursk puts pressure on Putin, whose quarter-century rule has been underpinned by a promise of safeguarding security for Russians. It also shifted the prevailing narrative of a Ukraine unable to stop Russias military juggernaut.

President Bidens administration was caught off-guard. In contrast to previous battlefield moves, Ukraine kept the details of the operation quiet, U.S. officials said.

The U.S. was initially confused about why Ukraine had taken such a drastic move and what would come next. Eyebrows were raised very high," a senior administration official said.

Zelensky has said Ukraine purposefully kept even allies in the dark as he assumed they would say it was unrealistic as it crossed the reddest of red lines" for Russia. He has said Russias muted response shows that the West has little to fear from Russian threats and should give stronger backing to Ukraine, including allowing strikes with longer-range missiles.

Now, the administration is cautiously waiting to see if Zelenskys gamble will pay off. The U.S. is giving Ukraine space to carry out the operation while trying to avoid engaging on the issue publicly, officials say. From the White House and the Pentagon to the headquarters of U.S. European Command in Germany, officials are watching with cautious optimism.

I think at some level, it shows, once again, sometimes the fragility of the Russian military security that they were seemingly unprepared for this event," said Chris Maier, the top Pentagon official for special operations.

Publicly, Zelensky has said the goal of the Kursk incursion is in part to create a buffer zone." But at the Pentagon, senior officials still have questionsparticularly whether and how Ukraine is planning to expand that zone, spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said on Thursday. Senior officials also arent convinced Ukraine can hold the area it has taken.

Is their intention to continue to hold? Or, when they say theyre creating a buffer zone how large are they going to expand?" Singh said. These are some of the questions that were asking."

Singh said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is going to engage with Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov. The two last spoke on Aug. 20.

The biggest risk for Ukraine is that diverting troops for the incursion will spread its forces too thin on the front line in the countrys east. Russian troops have ramped up assaults on the town of Chasiv Yar and now are just over 5 miles from the logistical hub of Pokrovsk.

If Russia makes greater gains there, it could place further pressure on Zelensky at home and increase international calls for him to initiate peace talks with Russiaat a time when hes poorly placed to wring concessions from Putin.

Theres a sense that this operation has boosted optimism and somewhat improved the governments standing," said Anton Hrushetskiy, director of the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, which conducts nationwide polls. But whether thats a short- or long-term effect depends on how the operation culminates and how bad things get in the east."

U.S. officials say the Ukrainian objective in Kursk is threefold: Force Russia to divert troops from Ukraines east, break the narrative of battlefield defeat and improve Ukraines standing ahead of potential peace talks. For now, all three goals have been achieved, to a limited degree.

Ukrainians who have spent years calling for Zelenskys administration to expedite negotiations over the fate of soldiers stuck in Russian jails have also found something tangible to pin their hopes on: The realistic prospect that their husbands and sons will return home in further prisoner swaps involving Russians whom Kyiv says it took captive in Kursk.

For the first time, I have hope," said Tetiana Vyshniak, whose son, Artem, was among soldiers of the Azov regiment captured in Mariupol in May 2022, after holding out for weeks at the citys Azovstal steelworks. I started to believe that something might happen."

Artem, who in March was sentenced by a Russian court to 22 years in prison on terrorism charges, is among some 900 Azov prisoners-of-war held by Russia. Kyiv alleges that some have been subjected to particularly brutal treatment by the Russians. In July, an Azov soldier died in Russian captivity from a closed chest injury caused by a blunt object," according to an autopsy conducted in Ukraine.

Russia still holds far more prisoners of war than Ukraine does, but Kyivs capture of hundreds in Kursk has brought it closer to parity. Russia and Ukraine have swapped more than 900 soldiers this year so far, but a five-month hiatus last year stretched the capacity of the jails Ukraine uses to host POWs, according to a Ukrainian intelligence official familiar with the situation.

Vyshniak has attended demonstrations in Kyiv and traveled abroad to lobby for intercession on her sons behalf, even meeting with the pope in the Vatican in June. But it wasnt until the capture of Russian prisoners in Kursk that her mood changed. In a meeting with her and other Azov relatives last week, a senior Ukrainian intelligence officer said the chances of a swap involving Azov soldiers had dramatically risen.

On Saturday, the returning Ukrainian prisoners, their heads shaved and with Ukrainian flags draped around their emaciated shoulders, sang their national anthem as they reached Ukrainian territory.

We remember each and every person," Zelensky wrote in a statement. Thanks to every military unit that increases our pool of prisoners for exchange."

Write to Matthew Luxmoore at matthew.luxmoore@wsj.com
On 14 August officials at the World Health Organisation classified the outbreak of Mpox as a global health emergency. A new strain of the disease has spread beyond the Democratic Republic of Congo for the first time, to at least 12 other African countries.

MPOX IS A viral infection typically found in parts of Africa and spread through contact with infected animals as well as within households. It causes severe fever, flu-like symptoms and a rash of pus-filled blisters across the body. In 2022 the disease, formerly known as monkeypox, spread around the worldcases turned up everywhere from Nigeria to America and Australia. A newly discovered strain of the virus, described by some researchers as the most dangerous yet, now threatens to spread beyond the Democratic Republic of Congo into neighbouring countries such as Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda.

Although much remains unknown about this strain, Jean Claude Udahemuka, a lecturer at the University of Rwanda who has been studying the outbreak, reports fatality rates of approximately 5% in adults and 10% in children. The virus exhibits different transmission patterns and disproportionately affects children. On June 25th the World Health Organisation emphasised the urgent need to deal with the surge of mpox cases in Africa.

The mpox outbreak in 2022 was caused by a different, and less severe form of the virus of the type clade II". The new strain was first identified in April in Kamituga, a gold-mining town in Congos South Kivu province. Researchers discovered it was a new lineage of the virus, distinct from previously known mpox strains, which they called clade Ib". The clade Ib strain has reportedly mutated to become more efficient at human-to-human transmission. This is causing concern about its potential for broader spread. Mpox has been circulating in humans for many years but it also exists in wild animals in several African countries and occasionally jumps to humans, for example through the consumption of bushmeat.

Unlike the mpox outbreak in 2022, which was driven by male-to-male sexual contact, the new strain is spreading through heterosexual contact, particularly among sex workers, who account for about 30% of recorded cases. Researchers estimate that the outbreak began around mid-September 2023. As of May 26th, 7,851 mpox cases and 384 deaths have been reported in Congo (though it is unclear how many are clade Ib infections, as there is likely to be more than one outbreak going on in the country).

In Congo the new strain is behaving quite differently from other strains of mpox, with cases also suggesting transmission through close (non-sexual) contact. Dr Udahemuka reports instances of household transmission as well as an outbreak in a school. It is also just as common in women as in men, and is reported to be causing miscarriages. The risk of international spread appears to be high, with the strain detected in towns near national borders. The new strain has also been found in sex workers from Rwanda and Uganda, a group that is normally quite mobile. With the arrival of the dry season facilitating greater migration, experts fear it is only a matter of time before the virus starts to emerge in neighbouring countries and then spreads worldwide through close contact at international airports.

In April the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention called for an increase in surveillance and contact-tracing efforts. Some experts suggest it would be worth deploying the smallpox vaccine among high-risk groups such as sex workers and health-care workers, as it has been known in the past to offer cross-protection against mpox, which is a related virus. However, the effectiveness of the smallpox vaccine against this new strain remains unknown. Trudie Lang, a professor of global-health research at the University of Oxford, suggests that although there are uncertainties, the vaccine is safe, easy to use and worth trying. There are also trials under way of an antiviral drug known as tecovirimat, with results expected next year.

The situation in the region is complicated by war, displacement and food insecurity. Containment efforts are made harder still by the likelihood of asymptomatic cases, where individuals do not know they are infected but can nevertheless spread the virus to others. Dr Lang emphasises that this, along with the number of mild cases of the infection, are the biggest unknowns in the current outbreak. Preventing this new mpox strain from becoming another global health crisis requires swift and co-ordinated action.

 2024, The Economist Newspaper Limited. All rights reserved.

From The Economist, published under licence. The original content can be found on www.economist.com
SpaceX is set to orchestrate the first-ever spacewalk involving private citizens, an operation that will count as one of the companys riskiest.

Two members of a four-person crew will conduct the walk, which is designed to test new spacesuits that the Elon Musk-backed company has developed.

The mission, called Polaris Dawn, is funded by Jared Isaacman, a technology billionaire who also paid for a flight with SpaceX completed about three years ago. Mission participants and SpaceX executives said the flight would help advance the companys space-exploration aims, such as a human mission to Mars that has long animated Musk.

Polaris Dawn is slated to launch Tuesday from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The spacewalk is scheduled to happen a couple of days later. Details on the walks timing will be released after the launch, a mission spokeswoman said.

Extravehicular activities, as spacewalks are formally called, have long been the domain of government astronauts working on official space agency projects. In 1965, a Soviet cosmonaut conducted the first, and American Ed White followed up a few months later on NASAs Gemini 4 mission. Since then, NASA astronauts have donned agency suits to explore the moon, repair the Hubble telescope and maintain the International Space Station.

But spacewalks pose major risks for those conducting them, leaving astronauts enveloped in a device that must protect them against the vacuum of space, where debris flies by at around 17,000 miles an hour and temperatures can be extreme. In June, NASA said it ended a spacewalk at the ISS early after a water leak emerged in the suit worn by agency astronaut Tracy Dyson.

Youre throwing away all the safety of your vehicle," Isaacman said during a recent briefing about the mission. Your suit becomes your spaceship."

Pulling off the risky Polaris Dawn mission would mark a powerful first for SpaceX, which has carved out leading roles launching rockets, transporting crew for NASA and operating the Starlink satellite-communications network.

On Saturday, NASA said that in a later mission, SpaceX would help return two astronauts that have been parked at the International Space Station since early June. The astronauts, Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams, have been unable to leave the ISS because of the space agencys concerns about the Boeing vehicle that brought them there.

The coming Polaris Dawn mission, in addition to the spacewalk, will take astronauts farther into space than humans have reached in decades, according to a statement from the mission. While SpaceX has conducted other flights with civilians, there is little precedent, commercially or in terms of regulations, for private-astronaut missions.

Along with Isaacman, the other participants in the coming flight are Scott Poteet, a former Air Force pilot, and SpaceX operations engineers Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon.

All four will face challenges during the spacewalk, which is expected to take place while their Crew Dragon vehicle is orbiting Earth around 435 miles above sea level.

The spacecraft doesnt have an airlock, so the crew will all put on their spacesuits and vent" the vehicle, removing its pressure. Once that is complete, crew members will open a hatch on the Crew Dragon. Everyone, as well as the interior of the ship, will be exposed to the vacuum of space.

Isaacman and Gillis are slated to exit from the vehicle for around 15 to 20 minutes, a spokeswoman for the mission said. They will conduct various demonstrations to see how the suits perform. Neither will float freely from the vehicle; they will have their hands or feet connected to it at all times.

Since the mission was announced in February 2022, the four crew members training has included skydiving and spending time in a vacuum chamber at NASAs Johnson Space Center in Houston. The quartet spent around 2,000 hours in a flight simulator and practiced getting used to symptoms associated with hypoxia, or when the body experiences lower levels of oxygen.

In parallel, SpaceX teams have been working to create the suits. They feature a new system to ensure joint mobility, a copper-and-tin visor that provides solar and heat protection and other technology, Gillis said during the recent briefing. She said SpaceX had conducted intensive testing of the Crew Dragon to prepare it for the vacuum of space and the suits.

The flight has objectives beyond the spacewalk, including a test of the Starlink satellite communications system and science experiments. It will deliver the crew to an orbit of 870 miles above Earth for a time, more than three times higher than the space station and the highest altitude of any crew since NASAs Apollo moon missions decades ago.

In addition to Polaris Dawn, Isaacman is financially backing two future missions with SpaceX. The founder and chief executive of Shift4 Payments flew on the three-day Inspiration4 flight to low-Earth orbit with SpaceX in 2021. Isaacman has declined to discuss financial details related to the missions.

Private-astronaut flights are still a nascent market, and companies working on them have faced setbacks. A Japanese billionaire this summer canceled a future private-crew flight on Starshipa vehicle SpaceX is still developingciting a lack of clarity about when the ship might be ready.

Jeff Bezos space company, Blue Origin, has conducted seven suborbital flights with people but paused flying those missions for more than a year to deal with a problem that emerged during an uncrewed flight in 2022.

Virgin Galactic, founded by Richard Branson to use a unique plane and spacecraft to take travelers to the edge of space, isnt operating those missions as it works to develop new vehicles.

In addition to its work with Isaacman, SpaceX in 2022 and 2023 transported nongovernment astronauts to the ISS, on flights put together by Houston-based Axiom Space. SpaceX said in August that it would launch another private crew on a flight that would travel over the Earths polar regions.

Write to Micah Maidenberg at micah.maidenberg@wsj.com
THERE IS A case to be made that, to a Westerner, India is the most interesting place on Earth. This writer had that thought decades ago on the banks of the Ganges river in Varanasi, a city that is holy to Hindus. The river is at once a goddess, a laundry and a thoroughfare. People defecate on its banks, and when human bodies are cremated there sometimes mourners cannot afford to buy enough wood to finish the job. So many seemingly incompatible realities fused together! For such reasons, India has long fascinated outsiders. Increasingly it commands attention for other reasons.

In 2023 India surpassed China to become the worlds most populous country, with 1.4bn people. It is one of the worlds strongest big economies. In global affairs it is increasingly important.

Most of the novels we recommend below predate Indias recent rise to geopolitical prominence and are not celebratory. They have much to say about Indias troubles: tension between the Hindu majority and the Muslim minority, poverty, caste divisions and bureaucracy. They will entrance readers and educate them about one of the worlds most important and interesting places.

Midnights Children. By Salman Rushdie. Random House; 560 pages; $18. Vintage; 7.99

If you spend time in India every one of your senses will be overstimulated: a typical day is sweltering, noisy, filled with strong smells and colours, crowded with people and thus exhausting. One of the many pleasures of reading Midnights Children", Salman Rushdies novel relating both a family saga and the history of independent Indias first few decades, is that it delivers a similarly intense, even overwhelming, experience. The plot is madcap and packed with implausible characters. The prose is intensely playful, overstuffed with puns and double meaning. The political history of both Pakistan and India is deftly told. All is seen from the perspective of Saleem, a garrulous Muslim boy with a remarkably large nose, as he grows up and is battered by national and family dramas. Born at the moment of independence Saleem, along with hundreds of other children born that night, has magical powers. Saleems rival, also in a sense his twin, is Shiva, a somewhat thuggish boy with ridiculously powerful knees. This is a captivating book, but not an easy one to read. It has been justly acclaimed, winningamong other awardsthe Best of the Booker" prize in 2008. Like the country, it is big, demanding, bold and full of wonderful confusion.

A Fine Balance. By Rohinton Mistry. Knopf; 624 pages; $16.99. Faber & Faber; 9.99

The India that A Fine Balance" portrays is ugly: a country disfigured by caste and religious prejudice and violence, where beggars are crippled and mutilated to boost their earning power, where government is arbitrary and corrupt and every effort by hard-pressed citizens to better their lot ends in disaster. But the novels bleak view of India is lightened by the decency, courage and good humour of its protagonists. Though he moved to Canada in 1975, the year in which most of A Fine Balance" is set, Rohinton Mistry was born in what was then Bombay, into its small community of Parsees (Zoroastrians), which he often writes about. A Fine Balance" is centred on the flat of a Parsee widow, in an unnamed city that resembles Bombay, but offers a panoramic picture of India during the Emergency" in 1975, when Indira Gandhi suspended democracy and ruled as a dictator. The book is far more than an eloquent indictment of a disastrous political experiment. It is a deeply moving meditation on the search for security and happiness.

The Siege of Krishnapur. By J.G. Farrell. Knopf; 728 pages; $30. Everyman; 12.99

During the Indian rebellion of 1857 a small group defended the British Residency in Lucknow, seat of the empires representative to Oudh, against Indian soldiers for several months. In The Siege of Krishnapur", published first in 1973, J.G. Farrell uses that episode as the basis of his own tale. As the holed-up Brits endure thirst, rotting rations, insects and cholera, their efforts to remain strong and, by their lights, civilised falter. Afternoon tea continues, but the tea is water. Hat stands prop up the ruined ramparts. The heads of electro-metal figures" become cannonballs. Shakespeares scythed its way through a whole astonished platoon of sepoys"; another, of Keats, had flown very erratically indeed, killing only a fat money-lender and a camel". Farrells achievement is to be extremely funny while conveying great tragedy. His denunciation of the decadence of empire could apply to a lot of human folly. Why do people insist on defending their ideas and opinions with such ferocity, as if defending honour itself? What could be easier to change than an idea?"

The God of Small Things. By Arundhati Roy. Random House; 352 pages; $18. HarperCollins; 9.99

Arundhati Roys first novel was also her most acclaimed. (It took her 20 years to write a second.) Published in 1997, it centres on a family living in Ayemenem, a village in Kerala, a southern state. Its timeline zigzags between the 1960s and 1990s. It starts with the reuniting of twins, and their recollections of the funeral of their cousin, Sophie Mol, who drowned when she was eight and they were seven. Sophies death, as the ensuing narrative will reveal, will lead to the unravelling of a rich family. Perhaps more than anything The God of Small Things" is the story of how fleeting events can prove momentoushow a few dozen hours can affect the outcome of whole lifetimes." But it is also a way for Ms Roy, now an outspoken activist, to write about some of Indias thorniest issues, including caste, domestic and sexual abuse, communism and religion. It does so with dancing prose that can verge on the mystical.

Last Man in Tower. By Aravind Adiga. Knopf; 480 pages; $16.95. Atlantic Books; 9.99

Aravind Adiga is best known for The White Tiger", an indictment of inequality in India and particularly in Delhi, the capital, which was published in 2008. Last Man in Tower", published three years later, revolves around a decrepit middle-class housing block on prime property in Mumbai. Developers want to tear it down to build luxury flats. Most residents are soon keen to sell up. The only holdout is Master-ji, a retired schoolteacher, who feels unable to leave the place where he has lived his entire life. The resulting conflict among decades-long neighbours is the stuff of a quieter, more intimate story than Mr Adigas better-known book. But, in its depiction of the struggle to get ahead in a country where opportunities are scarce, it is just as devastating.

English, August: An Indian Story. By Upamanyu Chatterjee. New York Review Books; 336 pages; $22.95. Faber & Faber; 8.99

Agastya Senyoung and rudderlessjoins the Indian Administrative Service, the elite part of the national bureaucracy. His first posting is to the sweltering town of Madna, 18 hours away from Delhi by the fastest train, but of course the fastest train simply shrieked its way through it". English, August" is a comedy about how this displaced sophisticate deals with the inanities and other challenges of officialdom and provincial life. His coping mechanisms include getting high on cannabis, telling lies and reading Marcus Aureliuss Meditations". India has changed a lot since the late 1980s, when English, August" was published. But it has not changed so much that readers will fail to smile with recognition at Upamanyu Chatterjees wry satire.

 2024, The Economist Newspaper Ltd. All rights reserved.

From The Economist, published under licence. The original content can be found on www.economist.com
Assyrian Bishop's Faith and Leadership Amidst ISIS Devastation

Archbishop Bashar Warda. ( Aid to the Church in Need) When ISIS forces captured the city of Mosul in June 2014, the world watched in horror as an ancient city, rich in history and culture, fell under the control of extremists.

The ensuing violence led to one of the largest displacements of people in recent memory, with thousands of Christians, Yazidis, and Muslims forced to flee their homes to escape brutality and persecution.

As the crisis unfolded, one figure emerged as a beacon of hope for those who had lost everything: Chaldean Catholic Archbishop Bashar Warda, CSsR.

A new documentary, 'Learning to Serve in the Face of Terror,' released by Common Home TV, chronicles Archbishop Warda's extraordinary efforts to respond to the humanitarian catastrophe that engulfed northern Iraq. The film, which marks the tenth anniversary of ISIS's rise, provides a compelling account of how the Archbishop, relying on his deep Catholic faith and the charism of the Redemptorists, mobilised resources to provide essential aid, shelter, and spiritual support to those in desperate need.

"It was a surprise to everyone," Archbishop Warda recalls in the documentary. "We knew the dangers of sectarian violence, but no one expected that one day the entire province of Mosul would be hijacked by ISIS in such a short time."

As the leader of the Chaldean Catholic Church in Erbil, Archbishop Warda found himself at the epicentre of a massive humanitarian response. Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region, became a sanctuary for tens of thousands of displaced families. Under Warda's guidance, the church quickly transformed into a hub for relief efforts, providing food, shelter, and medical care to all who sought refuge-regardless of their faith or background.

"People walked for over 12 hours to reach safety because they were completely unprepared for what happened," Warda says, his voice filled with a mix of sorrow and resolve. "We had to respond with whatever resources we had, offering help to all in need."

The documentary not only captures the physical aid provided by Archbishop Warda and his team but also delves into the emotional and spiritual support that became just as vital during this dark period. The Archbishop's leadership, rooted in the principles of Catholic social teaching, emphasised the dignity of every human person, solidarity with the suffering, and the need for peace and reconciliation.

"His actions are a testament to what Catholic social teaching truly means," says Matthew Howard, Producer of the video. "Archbishop Warda didn't just provide food and shelter; he offered hope and the strength of faith to those who had lost everything."

Indeed, Warda's work went beyond mere survival. He was instrumental in fostering dialogue with Islamic scholars, addressing the root causes of extremism, and advocating for long-term peace in a region scarred by conflict.

"Learning to Serve in the Face of Terror" offers viewers a rare glimpse into the resilience and compassion that defined Archbishop Warda's response to the crisis. Through interviews, archival footage, and personal stories, the documentary paints a vivid picture of a man whose faith was both a source of strength and a guiding light in the darkest of times.

The film is available for viewing as both a video and a podcast, allowing audiences around the world to engage with this powerful story. compelling narrative experience.

As Iraq continues its slow and challenging process of rebuilding, the lessons drawn from Archbishop Warda's leadership have never been more relevant. His story stands as a powerful testament to the enduring strength of compassion, faith, and justice, even in the face of overwhelming terror. Archbishop Warda's actions remind us that true leadership is not measured by the ability to wield power, but by the capacity to uplift the most vulnerable, to offer hope where there is despair, and to forge a path towards reconciliation and peace.

His unwavering commitment to serving all those in need, regardless of their background, highlights a universal truth: that in the darkest of times, it is our shared humanity and moral courage that have the power to overcome hatred and violence. As communities in Iraq and beyond look toward a future of healing and renewal, the values exemplified by Archbishop Warda serve as a guiding light, showing us that even in the most trying circumstances, we can choose to respond with kindness, solidarity, and a steadfast dedication to justice.
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin receives billions from trade with India, China, and Arab countries and spends them on a criminal war against Ukraine. If the Russian population feels that they are being robbed, only then will they begin to "push" the Kremlin toward peace.

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This statement was made by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky in an interview with Indian media published on August 25. In particular, he pointed out that India is a large country with a large population that has a significant impact on Russia's economy through trade with it.

"If we are talking about a global role , because you have a global impact, a large country with a large population, and you also have an impact on the Russian economy today, because many export opportunities for Russia are closed, but India is open. We talked about this with Mr. Prime Minister (Narendra Modi - Ed.), and of course, this helps the Russian army, and I think the Indian government definitely understands this," Zelensky said.

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He added that "we would certainly be happy to work on alternative ways," as in the case of India, we are not even talking about millions, but billions, "which go back to Putin, to Russia, and then he uses them because officially he has an economy of war now."

"This means that the priority is war, not peace. Not only for its military. It means that the priority for its economy is also set to war. And, of course, if billions come in, and they are coming in, from India, Arab countries, from China, of course, this will help him a lot," the president said.

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According to him, today the Kremlin dictator has not felt that the war is costly for the aggressor country. Neither has the Russian society, which either does not understand what is happening or understands and supports the Kremlin because of the strong influence of propaganda:

"He has to feel that war is a very expensive and very costly thing. And his society has to feel it. Because if he receives these billions, he will not feel it. He steals billions from his people, they are poor. That's why he didn't feel it. But if his society feels it, then they will push him to peace. Because his society does not understand what is happening. Or it understands and supports him because of the influence of the media inside the country, which Putin controls completely one hundred percent, and social networks, not only state-owned, but also private, any kind."

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As OBOZ.UA reported, on August 23, the Flag Day of Ukraine, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Kyiv on his first official visit since Ukraine's independence. He met with Zelenskyy, and the tete-a-tete between them lasted about two hours.

During the meeting, Modi stated India's desire to help and its position in favor of a diplomatic solution to the war between Russia and Ukraine.

In early July, he visited Russia and held talks with Putin, after which he called for a dialogue to end the war in Ukraine.

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Only verified information on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
Two People Arrested for Selling Vape Products and Alcohol to Underage Person

Crime

By Long Island Published: August 25 2024

Police arrested two people for selling vape products and alcohol to an underage person in Mount Sinai yesterday.

Suffolk County Police arrested two people for selling vape products and alcohol to an underage person in Mount Sinai yesterday.

In response to community complaints, Sixth Precinct Crime Section officers conducted an investigation into the sale of vape products and alcohol to underaged persons at local businesses during which two were found to be in violation of the law.

Tyler Conti, 25, of Mount Sinai, an employee of Island Vapor, located at 31 Route 25A, Mount Sinai, was charged with Unlawfully Dealing with a Child 2nd Degree for selling flavored vape products to an underage person.

Sarowar Hussain, 25, of Holtsville, an employee of Beer and Cigar, located at 39 Route 25A, Mount Sinai, was charged with Unlawfully Dealing with a Child 1st Degree for selling alcohol to an underage person and Unlawfully Dealing with a Child 2nd Degree for selling flavored vape products to an underage person.

Both subjects were issued Field Appearance Tickets and are scheduled to be arraigned at First District Court in Central Islip on a later date.

A criminal charge is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
At the gates of the Mojave Desert, there is a vast black ocean consisting of more than 1.9 million solar panels. This gigafactory began operating at the beginning of this year and has become one of the most recent additions to the electricity grid in California, the state that leads the U.S. in the race for clean energy. Operated by Minnesota company, Mortenson, the facility has a storage capacity of 3,280 megawatts in 120,000 installed batteries. This makes it the only one in the country with this degree of autonomy, which is key to the ambitious goal that local authorities have set for 2045, when the state will rely on 100% renewable energy.

California achieved an important milestone in the fight against climate change at the end of April. At that time, Governor Gavin Newsom announced that the region had surpassed 10,000 megawatts of photovoltaic storage for the first time ever, enough to meet 20% of demand. In just five years, California has increased its battery storage capacity more than tenfold, Newsom said. When he came to power in 2019, the state had a storage capacity of 770 megawatts. To reach the goals set for 2045, California needs to build a storage network of 52,000 megawatts.

Progress in the nations most populous state is staggering. Mark Rothleder, the vice president of the independent grid operator, California ISO (CAISO), said earlier this year that they will add another 1,134 megawatts in the first eight months of 2024. This is growth on top of the leap made last year. In 2023 alone, the ISO successfully onboarded 5,660 megawatts of new power to the grid, Rothleder said at a conference in San Diego.

Strengths

Rothleder also flagged up the growing number of lithium batteries as the systems main strength: [Its] an impressive California success story because, despite an occasional glitch, the four-hour batteries have performed very well, and we have been able to dispatch this stored power for the net peak evening hours in the day when its most needed, he said. Currently, the high cost of batteries is one of the main obstacles preventing this technology from becoming more popular. Experts say that if prices came down, battery life could be extended to eight to 10 hours.

The mild climate of 2023, the wettest year for a region known for persistent drought and numerous wildfires, has been key to the advancement of the renewable grid. Last summer was the first in four that the regulator did not issue a public alert asking people to turn off appliances and save energy to ensure that demand did not outstrip supply. In the previous three years, 29 such alerts had been issued.

The spring of 2024 has also helped California record more clean energy milestones. Mild temperatures kept demand low as people used their air conditioners less. After sunset, energy stored in batteries was used with gas entering the system to supplement demand. Renewable production was enough to supply the grid on 40 out of 48 days this spring, compared to seven days in the whole of last year.

Lithium batteries appear to be undercutting the use of fossil fuels. Gas accounts for 40% of Californias grid. However, its use in April registered its lowest proportion in seven years. The data clearly shows that batteries are displacing natural gas when solar generation is ramping up and down each day in CAISO, notes an analysis by Grid Status, a firm specializing in energy issues.

Natural gas was king on the grid in April 2021, 2022 and 2023. CAISO was sending between 9,000 and 10,000 megawatts produced from gas to the grid once solar ran out. Last April, however, it amounted to only 5,000 megawatts. On April 30, a fleet of batteries went into action around 6 p.m. and were active until midnight. At around 8 p.m., during the peak demand period, lithium contributed 7,000 megawatts. This is similar to the megawatts produced by gas around that hour of the day.

Arizona and Georgia have followed Californias lead. But it is Texas, the other major U.S. giant in this industry, that is snapping at its heels. At the end of April, batteries supplied 4% of the grids electricity, enough to power several million homes. Batteries are beginning to look like an alternative to a system heavily dependent on gas and coal. The grid is facing increasing climatic challenges, such as very low temperatures in winter and extreme heat in summer.

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A 42-year-old man is facing a murder charge after stabbing his family member to death during an argument at a New Bedford apartment complex Saturday afternoon, according to the Bristol County District Attorneys Office.

Police have arrested Juan Padilla-Santana, of Puerto Rico, in connection with the death of 23-year-old Omil Padilla-Corsino, the district attorneys office said in a press release.

New Bedford police responded to 68 South St. in the early afternoon on Saturday, the district attorneys office said. They discovered Padilla-Corsino there with life-threatening stab wounds.
A man was killed in a shooting in Boston Saturday night, according to police.

Dorchester-based officers responded to 519 Washington St. for a report of a person short shortly before 10 p.m., Boston police said in a press release. They found the man at the scene with life-threatening gunshot wounds. The man was taken to a nearby hospital where he was later declared dead.

The Boston Police Departments Homicide Unit is actively reviewing the facts and circumstances surrounding the mans death, police said. Anyone with information about the shooting is strongly urged to contact the Boston Police Homicide Unit ay 617-343-4470 or to submit at a tip anonymously by calling 1-800-494-TIPS or texting the word TIP to CRIME (27463).
Whether one is hustling, struggling, or working  in short, engaging in that not-infrequently tedious activity, from nine to five, or even longer  a legal notice should be displayed, like on a pack of cigarettes: work kills.

Working entails potential physical dangers and rampant precariousness, with obvious repercussions on self-care. Even in its less risky and more generously paid form, it involves a mental burden that affects health just as seriously. Employees declare themselves to be tired, depressed, unmotivated, burned out.

Theres long been speculation that machines will take over the most arduous tasks, as well as those that arent so arduous. The most radical thinkers of post-work propose not only the lengthening of vacation periods, the improvement of the quality of jobs, or the payment of a universal basic income, but the outright abolition of work. Yet here we are, stuck on our laptops.

In a 2013 essay titled On the Phenomenon of Bullshit Jobs, American anthropologist David Graeber spilled the beans and publicized an open secret a reality that many people suffer from, but also a taboo that few have the courage to talk about. In this decadent phase of capitalism, a huge number of jobs  in the private sector, to be more precise  are completely and irremediably useless. They are, simply  as Graeber called them  bullshit jobs. Employees are well aware that not only would no one miss these jobs if they didnt exist, but the world would even be a little better off if nobody was doing them in the first place.

That text ended up becoming a book: Bullshit Jobs. A Theory (2018). Graber  who died in 2020  offered an operational definition of the term: A bullshit job is a form of employment that is so completely pointless, unnecessary, or pernicious that even the employee cannot justify its existence. even though the employee feels obliged to pretend that this is not the case. Thus, a bullshit job would be the one carried out by the protagonist of Unhappiness (2023), the debut novel by Spanish journalist Beatriz Serrano. On a daily basis, Marisa arrives at her post as an advertising executive in a large glass office building downtown. There, she mostly dedicates herself to pretending to be in meetings, watching videos of kittens and planning supposedly feminist campaigns that are as groundbreakingly different as all the previous ones. Wrapped in daydreams, she fantasizes about her own demise, as an escape route until a new day begins.

From the other side of the glass, the life of this worker may look enviable. Inside, however, the proportions of the collapse are catastrophic. After reading Bullshit Jobs, I got the idea for a story that isnt exactly about precariousness, but is instead about that false middle-class, the author notes. She works as a journalist for EL PAIS.

I was interested in people who dont come from prosperous families, but are the kind of people who have a carrot dangling in front of them, Serrano continues. Marisa started out as an intern, has already put in a lot of unpaid overtime, has had to juggle several jobs and has now reached a position where everyone tells her that she should be happy. But, needless to say, she isnt even close to being happy.

Its clear that Marisa isnt satisfied. Neither is Jaime Rubio, a fictional character named after EL PAIS journalist and author Jaime Rubio Hancock. In his hilarious novel  The Penske Report (2023)  he squeezes all the comic juice out of a Kafkaesque bureaucracy and the unspeakable torpor of the spiral of meetings with no beginning or end, insipid coffee breaks and pending reports.

This scourge affects corporate jobs, but also, ironically, creative ones those that, at least on paper, should provide some minimal joy to human beings. In Remedios Zafras book The Report (2024)  which also revolves, as its name indicates, around a ridiculous dossier that needs to be filled out the scientific researcher at the Madrid-based Institute of Philosophy tells the story of a worker who dedicates half of the year to research and the other half to being a shepherd in France.

Zafras story begins in one of those absurd and unsettling labyrinths, where requesting something as simple as a work computer becomes an administrative nightmare. This ends up taking up more time and effort than the work itself. Eventually, the reader notes the degradation of  and lack of consideration for  creative jobs. Artificial intelligence is appropriating them, instead of taking responsibility  as one would expect  for the most mechanical and boring tasks.

At a time when technology and teleworking have blurred the boundaries between personal and professional life, extending the working day to a continuum that reaches as far as the elusive horizon of retirement, Zafra warns that the mere will of a worker isnt enough to reverse the situation and put technology to work in favor of humanity. Rather, its necessary to transform the philosophy of work mediated by technology and propose changes at different levels, asking the question: how does what we do affect peoples lives?

A man decontaminates radioactive material with pressurized water at the Greifswald Nuclear Power Plant in Lubmin, Germany, in 2023. JOHN MACDOUGALL (AFP / Getty Images)

In her novel, The Employees: A workplace novel of the 22nd century, Danish poet Olga Ravn depicts the extreme alienation of modern times. Embarking on a journey to the planet New Discovery, the passengers of the Six-Thousand Ship offer their anonymous testimonies one by one. Some are people. Others, apparently, are indistinguishable humanoids. They all wonder about their destiny and the meaning behind the only reason for their existence: to labor.

Ive never not been employed, concludes Testimony 031. I was made for work.

In this dystopia of people and machines, work is presented as the only sign of life. However, in the perfectly realistic drama of La Centrale (2010), by French author Elisabeth Filhol, a job literally represents a push toward death. In France  with its 56 nuclear reactors  employees like Yann survive by working a variety of temporary jobs. Always on the move, the workers sleep in caravans and hotels, subject to constant tests of the radiation in their bodies. If the safe levels are exceeded, they are left without jobs and without pay. And whats the next step should this occur? Take a course to retrain as a safety and radiation protection agent. The employee of the temporary agency informs the protagonist that this training costs a months gross salary.

Unlike the bullshit jobs  which are inefficient, but decently paid  Yanns could be classified as a dirty job, according to Graebers scale. His occupation has a demonstrable social utility, but the conditions are, at the very least, discouraging. At best, these workers are downright poor. This category would include everything from jobs where workers rights are systematically violated and the odd jobs of the very contemporary gig economy  satirized in novels such Temporary (2020), by Hilary Leichter  to the ancient and always feminized work of cleaning, which Eva Baltasar so blatantly inserts into the context of savage capitalism in Sunset and Fascination (2024).

These jobs arent exactly pleasant, but at least the dirty jobs would be left out those essential jobs that Eyal Press writes about in his book Dirty Work: Essential Jobs and the Hidden Toll of Inequality in America (2021). He compares these jobs to the work done during the extermination campaign undertaken by the Nazis. Those from the most comfortable strata in Germany were comfortably removed from the issue and the problem [was] being taken care of by someone else.

In his book, Press travels around the United States, interviewing orderlies in penitentiary centers with psychiatric patients, remote pilots of killer drones, employees of slaughterhouses and oil rig workers. Perhaps hes only missing some of the mafia types who are portrayed in The Consultant (2023), by Im Seong-sun, where an amateur crime writer is hired by a mysterious corporation to take his stories off paper and turn them into reality.

With roots in the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century and firmly established during the Industrial Revolution of the 19th century, work as we know it must be approached as a decidedly modern invention. It wasnt always like this nor does it have to continue being so tomorrow. As Helen Hester and Nick Srnicek explain in their book After Work: A History of the Home and the Fight for Free Time (2023), the paradigm of the nuclear family  although in the process of extinction  continues to govern the popular imagination, underlying the organization of work in contemporary times.

Within this structure, reproductive work  fundamental, yet unpaid  continues to fall mostly on women, despite their massive incorporation into the labor market in the 20th century, brought about by economic crises and attacks on the working class. In the book, we talk about the idea of communal care, Hester notes in an email to EL PAIS. Today, the family is a privatized care system thats tremendously overburdened by the demands placed on it. It cannot  and should not  be the sole axis for managing such a large number of care needs in our society. On the contrary, we need to promote the transformation and expansion of care relationships.

An inspection robot works at a power substation in Inner Mongolia, China, June 20, 2024. CFOTO (Future Publishing / Getty Images)

Domestic work  as the philosophers point out  already accounts for up to 30% of the labor market in some countries. And, while it would seem that the technological advances of the last century  such as washing machines and irons  have lightened the workload, the truth is that the time and effort invested (not to mention the environmental impact) continue to be high, due to the rise in quality and hygiene standards.

One of the main objectives of our book is to bring the emerging movement around post-work into conversation with feminism, because post-work thinking has largely neglected the [nature of tasks] such as cooking, cleaning and care, focusing on jobs that were already automated, in spaces such as factories, warehouses and offices, Srnicek tells EL PAIS.

The ultimate goal of their ideas would be the elimination of work. And this is from a pragmatic perspective, rather than a utopic one. In every society, there will always be some kind of work that needs to be done work that, if we had a choice, we would choose not to do, the author notes. Hence, the goal of post-work politics is to minimize  as much as possible  the efforts required by a society.

Until then, at the end of the day  inside and outside the home, after the storm of work  calm never comes. As Hester stated in a recent interview with this newspaper, what we consider to be free time is nothing more than a space for recovery. Unaccustomed as we are to true idleness, in the transition to the post-work society, its urgent to ask questions about what we would do with free time.

In two books  How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy (2019) and Saving Time: Discovering a Life Beyond the Clock (2023)  the American artist Jenny Odell reflects on this concept. The first  written before the Covid-19 pandemic  proposes a kind of action plan for doing nothing. It starts from a point of criticism that is both subjective and universal, while eventually addressing the so-called attention economy. Every last second of our late-capitalist days can be monetized via social media. And, as if this werent enough, in recent years  with post-pandemic troubles and the terror of climate change  our very notion of time has been transformed. This is what Odell explores in her second book: in the face of everyday capitalist incarnation  our incessant productivity  she advocates for recovering [humanitys] fundamentally irreducible and inventive nature.

The anarchist author Bob Black already wrote this in his 1985 essay, The Abolition of Work. He dealt with William Morris utopian thought: yes to activity, but as play. Otherwise, according to him, no one should ever work. Let us then move on  as Black urges  to the struggle: Workers of the world relax!

Recommended readings Bullshit Jobs: A Theory

David Graeber

Simon & Schuster, 2018

368 pages The Employees: A workplace novel of the 22nd century

Olga Ravn, translated by Martin Aitken

New Directions, 2022

144 pages Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century

Jessica Bruder

W. W. Norton & Company, 2017

320 pages Temporary

Hilary Leichter

Coffee House Press, 2020

208 pages Dirty Work: Essential Jobs and the Hidden Toll of Inequality in America

Eyal Press

Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2021

320 pages The Consultant

Im Seong-Sun, translated by An Seon Jae

Raven Books, 2023

199 pages After Work

Helen Hester and Nick Srnicek

Translation by Maximiliano Gonnet

Verso, 2023

288 pages How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy

Jenny Odell

Penguin Random House, 2023

400 pages Saving Time: Discovering a Life Beyond the Clock

Jenny Odell

Penguin Random House, 2023

400 pages The Abolition of Work and Other Essays

Bob Black

Loompanics Unlimited, 1985

165 pages

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When national Democrats think about the Bay State, they tend to think of it as a reliable ATM that funds their electoral ambitions.

Vice presidential nominee Tim Walz raked in the cash during a $25,000-a-head fundraiser in Boston days before Democrats gathered in Chicago for their national convention last week.

Ditto for presidential nominee Kamala Harris, who cleaned up at fundraisers on the Cape and in the Berkshires last month as she began her remarkable rise to the top of the ticket.

But in Chicago last week, prominent Massachusetts politicians nabbed prime speaking spots, fueling speculation about their national ambitions, even as they reminded the rest of the country that American democracy started in New England.

The appearances by Gov. Maura Healey, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., U.S. Rep. Katherine Clark, D-5th District, and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu merged the personal and the political.

And at least one moment provided some straight-up laughs.

Heres what happened in the convention hall  and away from it  last week.

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu speaks at a June 24, 2024 press conference announcing $15 million in state funding for the city's program supporting the conversion of office buildings into apartments. (Courtesy of the City of Boston)City of Boston

Wu, who is expecting her third child in January, spoke about her pregnancy in personal terms, framing it against the ongoing debate over reproductive rights and in vitro fertilization.

It can be quite heartbreaking at times as well, Wu said during a convention-related event in Chicago last week, according to The Boston Globe.

She added that she had turned to assisted reproductive technology, which is the very health care [treatment]  that some are seeking to ban across the entire country, the newspaper reported.

U.S. Rep. Katherine Clark, D-Mass., speaks during the Democratic National Convention on Thursday in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley) AP

Clark, the No. 2 Democrat in the House, used her appearance on the convention stage on Thursday to focus on affordable child care, Politico reported.

Clark, who also is the odds-on favorite to become House majority leader if Democrats retake the House in November, talked about her efforts to find affordable care for her children when they were younger.

She unfavorably compared it to Project 2025, which seeks to end funding for Head Start, among other federal programs.

Kamala and Tim know when everyone can find affordable child care, our kids and our communities will thrive, Clark said during a speech from the convention stage, the online news outlet reported. Our middle class will grow. So lets put child care at the top of the agenda.

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., speaks during the Democratic National Convention on Thursday in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)AP

And while she might have been there to tout Harris presidential candidacy, Warren ended up owning the crowd at the United Center for a little more than six minutes on Thursday night.

Threatening to rival the love the crowd showered on Walz the night before, the Cambridge Democrat got a sustained standing ovation that ran to 1 minute and 13 seconds, MassLive previously reported.

At times, as she tried to quiet the cheering crowd, Warren appeared to be fighting back tears.

In a speech stretching around five minutes, Warren hit on one of the conventions big themes: The sharp contrasts between Harris and Republican former President Donald Trump.

You know what else I love about Kamala? She gets it, Warren said. We need to make life more affordable for working people.

Donald Trump, the felon, has no plan to lower costs for families. He doesnt know how  and frankly, he doesnt really care, she continued.

Warren is running for reelection this year and will face one of three Republican candidates who will emerge from the Sept. 3 primary election.

Two of those candidates  John Deaton, of Swansea, and Ian Cain, of Quincy, criticized Warrens speech.

Warren again demonstrated that her priorities remain elevating her national profile and blind partisan loyalty  not the people of Massachusetts, Deaton said in a statement.

In a post to X, Cain said Elizabeth Warren wants us to believe that she can fix all of the problems that she and Kamala Harris have created. This speech makes clear we need fresh blood and new thinking in Washington.

Leaving nothing to chance, Warrens reelection campaign blasted out a fundraising email moments after the Democrat left the stage on Thursday night.

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey speaks during the Democratic National Convention Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) APAP

Healey, the former two-term state attorney general, stressed Harris prosecutorial cred as Californias top elected lawyer from 2011 to 2017.

The race is a choice between one candidate whos out for himself, or Kamala Harris for the people, Healey said during a prime-time speaking slot on Thursday night.

The Arlington Democrat, who has a lower national profile than some of her fellow blue state governors, such as Michigans Gretchen Whitmer or Josh Shapiro, of Pennsylvania, was nonetheless highly visible during convention week.

On Wednesday, for instance, Healey was one of several women governors who participated in a panel moderated by Veep star Julia Louis-Dreyfus.

On Wednesday, comedian Mindy Kaling, a Bay State native, threw her home state a humorous shout-out from the convention stage.

I love you Massachusetts. Everyone is always hating on us but they just dont get it! Go Sox! Go Jayson Tatum! Ben Affleck, hang in there! Kaling quipped.

Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin talks about early voting Wednesday on the steps of Springfield City Hall. (Don Treeger/The Republican) The Republican

Dont call him caretaker

With Healey and other Bay State electeds in Chicago for the DNC, Secretary of State William L. Galvin briefly served as Massachusetts acting governor in their absence (Thank you, state Constitution!).

He made the most of the time  to put it mildly.

During a stop in Springfield Wednesday, Galvin, the states top elections official, heralded the approach of early in-person voting in remarks from the steps of Springfields City Hall, The Republican newspaper reported.

And on Thursday, Galvin ran his pen across a bill that designated a chunk of State Route 41 in West Stockbridge as the Gene Dellea Highway, the governors office said in a statement.

Turned up to 11

On Tuesday, most of the political world was talking about DJ Cassidy and the playlist he curated for the DNCs (very) celebratory state-by-state roll call. Heres the playlist.

Your Sunday long read

Writing for NYMags Intelligencer, veteran political reporter Jonathan Chait asserts that Kamala Harris acceptance speech on Thursday night was the best ... Ive ever seen.

While he has not hesitated to criticize either the substantive merits or the political shrewdness of Harriss choices, Chait nonetheless conceded that he could find nothing to criticize in this speech.

The vice president, now the first woman of color to be a major partys standard-bearer told a story of herself in her biography as the striving child of strict immigrant parents growing up in a working-class neighborhood, Chait wrote.

She explained her inspiration to become a prosecutor as a desire to protect, growing from seeing a friend confide to her that she was being sexually abused at home, Chait continued.

You can read the full piece here (Caveat emptor: Theres a paywall).
BOSTON  Kutter Crawford battled Saturday and kept the damage to a minimum against a good Diamondbacks team. But on a day when perennial Cy Young contender Zac Gallen dominated the Red Sox, Crawfords performance wasnt nearly enough.

Gallen and a trio of D-Backs relievers kept Bostons lineup quiet (five total hits) and Arizonas offense scratched across a quartet of runs that led to a 4-1 Red Sox loss in the second game of a three-game series at Fenway Park. The Red Sox, losers of two in a row, are now 67-61 and remain 4  games out of a wild card spot in the American League.
Mayo Senator Lisa Chambers has called for a fund to be established to assist large towns such as Castlebar implement their town plan.

Senator Chambers said such a fund would facilitate greater investment in much-needed infrastructure, such as affordable housing and increased transport connections.

She was speaking after meeting with the Castlebar Chamber of Commerce, representatives from across the business sector in the town and her party colleague, the Minister for Finance, Jack Chambers.

The potential of Castlebar is clear. As the county town of Mayo, a significant level of economic potential can be unlocked with the appropriate level of investment in infrastructure in the town and increased resources from the IDA allocated to attracting new industry.

The need for more affordable housing units and increased rail connections was highlighted during a recent meeting with Minister Chambers, the Castlebar Chamber of Commerce and business representatives from the town.

Ahead of the Budget, we discussed how a dedicated fund to assist large towns like Castlebar implement their town plans could be a game changer in terms of unlocking economic potential.

There is significant economic potential that can be unlocked in the town, if the town plan can be fully implemented and further affordable housing and increased rail connections developed.

I welcome the confirmation from the Minister that he will consider the establishment of such a fund and know that he will do all he can to help our large towns prosper, Senator Chambers concluded.
Mayo homes will benefit from Uisce Eireann laying more than 1km of new water main in the coming weeks to facilitate the Murrisk Community Water Connection Project. From tomorrow (Monday, August 26) crews will be on site in the Carrownalurgan area of Westport.

This 1.2km of new pipe along the R335, L-2804-1, Sandyhill Road and the N59 is essential to connect the Murrisk Community Water Connection Project which will serve more than 500 households in the Murrisk, Lecanvey and Kilsallagh region with a state-of-the-art public water supply.

Uisce Eireanns Programme Manager Laura Heneghan is looking forward to delivering this essential piece of the project.

The delivery of this section of water main is essential to a project which will help provide a safer, more secure water supply for communities in West Mayo. This project will have benefits for generations to come.

In advance of the works, we would like to thank those living along the route for their patience and cooperation. The short-term inconvenience will be overshadowed by the lasting benefits for the community.

Farrans will carry out the works on behalf of Uisce Eireann and are expected to be complete before the end of this year.

In order to deliver the works safely a road closure of the L-2805, which links into the L2804-1, will be required. Local traffic can be assured that local and emergency access will be maintained at all times and diversions will be in place and signposted.

A traffic management system with lane closures will be in place for the remainder of the project.

The Murrisk Community Water Connection Project is funded by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and a local contribution from the residents of the areas being served, along with a contribution from Uisce Eireann to upsize the trunk main so it can be used in the future to supply the Louisburgh area.

The scheme will be delivered as a Mayo County Council Rural Water Project and when completed it will be part of Uisce Eireanns network.

Uisce Eireann is responsible for delivering public drinking water and wastewater services for the people of Ireland. We are committed to enabling communities to thrive by continuously upgrading and developing critical infrastructure to support sustainable growth and development, providing safe drinking water, and enhancing the environment. To find out more visit www.water.ie
by Tanya Gazdik , August 25, 2024

Toyota Motor North America is adding its first female anglers to Team Toyota, aiming to empower women in competitive fishing.

The automaker and its longtime partner, Bass Anglers Sportsman Society, recently launched BassmastHER, a new initiative that brings together a passionate community of female anglers.

The program will support the growth and advancement of women in fishing, aligning with Toyotas commitment to representation and excellence in sports, whether on land or water.

The team includes Kristine Fischer from Weeping Water, Nebraska, a full-time pro angler and the first woman to win a national tournament and qualify for the Hobie Worlds.

Joining Fischer are Anastasia Patterson from Sumter, South Carolina and Maggie Jo Carsello from Madison, Wisconsin, both of whom aim to inspire women to claim their space on the water. Carsello believes it should be normal to see women anglers competing at the highest levels, saying, The fish on the other end of my line doesnt know I am a woman.

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Fischer, Patterson, and Carsello are ready to take on Bassmaster Opens, Nation, and Kayak Series from 2024 to 2026, competing as part of Team Toyota.

Beyond the competitions, Toyota also is creating a network of support for women within the fishing community by providing opportunities at the tournament level, skill-sharpening workshops to learn about bass fishing tournaments and careers in the fishing industry, and showcasing female anglers on the professional circuit on B.A.S.S. channels.

Toyota has long been associated with fishing. In 2020, the automaker announced a formal sponsorship of Major League Fishing, professional bass fishings newest premier tournament organization, and home to Team Toyota professional anglers Mike Iaconelli, Terry Scroggins, Kevin VanDam and Jacob Wheeler. The partnership includes Fishing League Worldwide, the worlds largest tournament-fishing organization, as title sponsor of the Toyota Series.
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Health Issues Caused by Electronics Use



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Gadget Addiction: New Insights



Tired of neck and #backpain? Forward head posture (FHP) is a common problem caused by #gadgets. It can lead to #musclestrain and chronic pain. #neckpain

Health Issues Caused by Electronics Use - (http://www.digitalresponsibility.org/health-issues-caused-by-electronics-use)

Doctors warn that excessive gadget use among individuals aged 20 to 55 is causing a significant rise in back and spine problems (). Many are experiencing severe and debilitating symptoms such as sharp, stabbing, or dull pain in the back or neck, muscle spasms, tingling, numbness, and even weakness or limited mobility. Prolonged screen time is contributing to an increase in musculoskeletal disorders , especially those affecting the spine, with reports of severe pain, tingling sensations, and functional weakness."In this digital era, prolonged screen time is causing a rise in musculoskeletal disorders (MSD), particularly affecting the spine. There has been a 60 percent surge in back and spine issues. Individuals aged 20-55 are reporting severe pain, sometimes accompanied by loss of urinary or bowel control, tingling in the extremities, and functional weakness. Seven in ten patients I see daily suffer from back and neck pain," Mohit Muttha, Orthopaedic & Spine Surgeon at Apollo Spectra, Pune told IANS.""A 60 percent increase in low back and neck issues among 20-45-year-olds is linked to gadget addiction, causing discomfort in the neck and cervical spine . If neglected, this can lead to more severe issues, including neck pain, shoulder stiffness, headaches , and restricted mobility. Out of 10-12 patients who visit me daily, around 4-5 have neck and lower back pain related to gadget misuse," Ram Chaddha, Spine Surgeon at Lilavati Hospital, Mumbai told IANS.Regular breaks, posture, and daily exercises like yoga and stretching are crucial for preventing back and spine issues among 20-50-year-olds."There is a concerning 50 percent surge in back and spine issues among people aged 20-50. Out of five patients, at least 2-3 suffer from back pain and are advised to rest for prompt recovery," Burhan Salim Siamwala, Consultant Spine Surgeon at Medicover Hospitals, Navi Mumbai told IANS.Source-IANS
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Infant vocal category exploration as a foundation for speech development



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#Clustering, or repeatedly producing the same sounds, was common in babies of all ages, especially after 5 months. This suggests intentional speech practice. #babyspeech #languagedevelopment

What is Clustering?

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Infant vocal category exploration as a foundation for speech development - (https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0299140)

Babies early sounds are more intentional than previously believed. Dr. Su, an assistant professor at The University of Texas at Dallas, co-authored two recent papers examining the sounds made by infants . The findings indicate that children in their first year are actively involved in acquiring speech ().Dr. Pumpki Lei Su, an assistant professor of speech, language, and hearing in the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, is co-lead author on two recent articles in which researchers examined the sounds babies make. The results suggest that children in their first year are more active than previously thought in their acquisition of speech.We observed in these studies that infant vocalizations are not produced randomly; they form a pattern, producing three categories of sounds in clusters, said Su, who also directs the Language Interaction and Language Acquisition in Children Lab (LILAC Lab) at the Callier Center for Communication Disorders. The home recordings we analyzed included times when adults were interacting with their child and when children were on their own, showing that children explore their vocal capabilities with or without language input from an adult.Clustering in the context of the study likely refers to the tendency of babies to produce the same sounds repeatedly within a short period. This could suggest that they are intentionally practicing or experimenting with certain sounds, rather than simply making random noises. One study, published infocused on typically developing infants, and the other, published in thefocused on infants who later received a confirmed diagnosis of autism . The researchers documented how children play vocally, learning what actions produce certain sounds and then repeating that process.Within the past 40 to 50 years, scientists have realized that vocalizations before a childs first word are meaningful precursors for speech and can be broken into sequential stages of cooing, vocal play and babbling. Sus team studied a dataset of all-day home recordings from more than 300 children amassed by the Marcus Autism Center, a subsidiary of Childrens Healthcare of Atlanta, and coded by senior author Dr. D. Kimbrough Ollers team at The University of Memphis.Parents tell us that sometimes a baby will just scream or make low-frequency sounds for a really long period. But its never been studied empirically, Su said. With access to a huge dataset from hundreds of children during the first 12 months of their lives, we set out to quantitatively document how babies explore and cluster patterns as they practice different sound categories.Sound types are characterized by pitch and wave frequency as squeals, growls or vowellike sounds. The PLOS ONE study used more than 15,000 recordings from 130 typically developing children in the dataset. Infants showed significant clustering patterns: 40% of recordings showed significantly more squeals than expected by chance, and 39% showed clustered growls. Clustering was common at every age, with the highest rates occurring after 5 months of age.Of the 130 infants, 87% showed at least one age at which their recordings showed significant squeal clustering and at least one age with significant growl clustering, Su said. There was not a single infant who, on evaluation of all the available recordings, showed neither significant squeal nor growl clustering.Su said the study represents the first large-scale empirical study investigating the nonrandom occurrence of the three main sound types in infancy.In the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders article, Su and her colleagues demonstrated that this exploration behavior also occurs during the first year in children who are later diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder Whether or not a child is eventually diagnosed with autism, they are clustering sounds within one vocal category at a time, Su said. While one cannot rule out the possibility that some patterns may be mimicry, these are not just imitations; they are doing this with and without the presence of a parent, even in the first month of life. This process of learning to produce sounds is more endogenous, more spontaneous than previously understood.We tend to think babies are passive recipients of input. And certainly, parents are their best teachers. But at the same time, theyre doing a lot of things on their own.Su has received a three-year grant from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) to study parents use of parentese  or baby talk  with autistic children . Parentese is an exaggerated style of speech often containing high-pitched elongated words and singsong diction.Parentese is portrayed in the literature as a type of optimal input for typically developing children, who tend to pay better attention and respond to it more than they do to normal speech. It also helps children learn to segment words. But is it also ideal for autistic children?One hypothesis of why parentese works is that it encourages social interaction by being very animated, Su said. Autistic children have differences in social communication and responses to sensory stimuli. Would they also find parentese engaging? Could it be too loud or extreme? This new grant will allow me to examine whether parentese facilitates word learning for autistic children compared to a more standard adult-directed register.Source-Eurekalert
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How It Spreads | Mpox | Poxvirus



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Respiratory droplets and aerosols can transmit #monkeypox. The #CDC and #WHO recommend avoiding close contact to minimize your risk. #Mpox #publichealth

Direct Contact Remains Primary Mode of Mpox Transmission

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How It Spreads | Mpox | Poxvirus - (https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/mpox/if-sick/transmission.html)

Infectious disease experts stated that respiratory droplets might contribute to the spread of Mpox ), but not as effectively as COVID-19 or the flu.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.This suggests that respiratory droplets might play a role in transmission. That being said, its 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, Kochi 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 percent of cases and 88 percent 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 journalalso showed that Mpox raised the risk of transmission indoors in poorly ventilated rooms. Referring to the US CDC: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 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 isnt 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 Nordics 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 worlds 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 years 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.Source-IANS
Thomas Alva Edison took all the credit in 1879, but the invention originated a long time before that. Seventy years earlier, Humphry Davy, originally from Cornwall in the United Kingdom, had managed to fix a thin strip of carbon between the two poles of a battery. Thus was born the first lightbulb: an invention that would allow humans to live at night, while exponentially multiplying the uses of electricity.

Today, more than two centuries later, another revolution is brewing in the world of batteries. Increasingly advanced energy storage systems hold the key to a true paradigm shift, both when it comes to economic growth and climate change.

The last step toward the definitive explosion of renewables and mass electrification is about to be completed. The technological acceleration, the growing economies of scale, and the proliferation of manufacturers (some even warn of the risk of overcapacity) have drastically reduced the price of batteries. Today, they cost, on average, a little less than 50% of what they did just 18 months ago, and 90% less than a decade ago. A drastic drop of unimaginable proportions, which has opened up opportunities on two key fronts: battery-powered vehicles and the decarbonization of the electricity generation sector.

Batteries  the icing on the renewable cake  will be the grave of oil, coal and natural gas, the fossil fuel troika responsible for the climate crisis. This is firstly because theyll allow for the definitive electrification of road transportation. Traveling by road, especially when it involves low-tonnage, will be electric, or it wont happen at all. Goodbye, then, to diesel and gasoline; first in cars and, shortly afterwards, also in trucks and long-distance buses.

By 2040, kids will think of words like coal, gas or oil as so ancient and archaic, wrote Assaad Razzouk, author of Saving the Planet Without the Bullshit: What They Dont Tell You About the Climate Crisis (2022), on his social media accounts in June. This is perhaps a bit optimistic, but it points in an unequivocal direction: compared to their current omnipresence, in a few decades, oil and gas should be limited to very specific uses, mostly industrial. In parallel, global demand for batteries, according to BloombergNEF figures, will increase fivefold by 2035, from just under 1.2 gigawatt hours (GWh) to more than 5.8.

Energy storage platform in Daggett, California. Irfan Khan ( Los Angeles Times/Getty Images)

[Batteries] impact on demand for fossil fuels is going to be enormous, says Francisco Blanch, head of global commodities and equity derivatives at Bank of America. Until now, there was only one way to store energy: in the form of hydrocarbons. Thats no longer the case: clean energy can now be stored in batteries. This will drastically reduce gas and oil consumption, he adds, on the phone with EL PAIS from New York City. When electric cars soon offer ranges of [620 miles] and very fast recharges at affordable prices whos going to want a car [with an internal combustion engine]? he asks rhetorically.

In China, the world leader in this area, the International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that two out of three battery-powered passenger car models are already cheaper than their petrol-powered equivalents.

Adrian Gonzalez, a specialist at the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), notes that, in the field of transportation, batteries will be indispensable for light road traffic and a [viable energy] alternative, with potential for heavy traffic, air and sea [transit].

The energy density and cost that lithium-ion batteries are reaching make them the preferred option, he adds. Additionally, the innovative boom in this and other chemistries promises to expand the possibilities of batteries to other vehicles, whether hybridized with green hydrogen systems and their derivatives, or independently.

The expulsion of fossil fuels will also be important in the generation of electricity itself, an area in which batteries  along with pumped storage hydroelectric plants, key to storing energy in the long-term  invite us to think of a massive end to gas plants. Batteries will also end up breaking the correlation between the price of natural gas and that of electricity, which caused so many problems during the last energy crisis (2021-2023).

A guaranteed energy supply

Batteries are going to revolutionize the energy landscape, multiplying the impact of solar PV, predicts Duo Fu, Rystad Energys head of storage, in an email to EL PAIS. Batteries will play a key role in the electricity sector: they will help guarantee supply as thermal power plants are dismantled, adds Christina Rentell, a senior analyst at the British consultancy Aurora Energy Research.

Key figures were recently put forward by Auke Hoekstra, a researcher at the Technical University of Eindhoven, in the Netherlands. The sun and wind alone are capable of replacing approximately 70% of fossil-based electricity generation. However, when a massive deployment of batteries is added to this binomial, the figure will rise to 90%. And, if green hydrogen and synthetic fuels are also included in the equation, the replacement rate will reach the desired 100%. Not long ago it seemed like a dream but in a very short time, well see, with our own eyes, that its possible to have a fully renewable system, says Xavier Cugat, one of many energy professionals who has made the leap in recent months from the solar ecosystem to the storage ecosystem. In his case, to the Shanghai-based Pylontech Technologies.

There are already parts of the world  Australia, Germany, the United Kingdom, Chile and two U.S. states (California, the pioneer, and recently Texas)  where the second phase of this sequence is beginning to be more a matter of today than of tomorrow. In these places, theres a substantial presence of batteries as a stabilizing element of supply and demand. Theyre not merely regulators of frequency and load management, the only function that was entrusted to them until recently.

Although there have been delays, as with electric cars, the wave of stationary batteries is reaching several new countries, such as Spain. Were going slower than we should, but the real takeoff will be noticed from 2025 onwards, Cugat affirms. Between now and the end of the decade, I see 100 GWh or more. That is, the ability to accumulate what five nuclear plants generate every day.

Its a disruption thats very similar to that of photovoltaics (solar panels) a few years ago, explains Pedro Fresco, author of the book Energy Fakes (2024). The comparison couldnt be more appropriate: at the dawn of the solar revolution, panel prices were high and prevented head-to-head competition with nuclear energy or fossil fuels. Over the years, however, costs plummeted. Today, solar panels are, by far, the cheapest way to obtain electricity in much of the world.

A well-matched marriage

The solar-battery marriage is particularly well-matched. Its like Cinderellas foot and the slipper, Fresco chuckles, on the other end of the phone. The former offers electricity at a bargain price, while the second offers the possibility of storing it for a few hours  between two and six  when its most expensive. The result: a flatter price curve.

In short, this is good news for consumers, who will pay much less in the most expensive parts of the day, and for the transport and distribution networks, which will be less congested, as observed in Germany. The rise of batteries is also good news for solar panel manufacturers, which have invested billions in photovoltaic power stations, or solar plants. Batteries offer a double solution: reducing energy waste to a minimum and, at the same time, stabilizing prices during high-usage hours.

Installing a battery in a VinFast car. Linh Pham (Bloomberg)

The numbers are already coming out and theyre getting better and better. Both because of the fall in the cost of batteries and because of the negative electricity prices, which are increasingly common in European markets. This is a great incentive for the installation [of batteries], Blanch emphasizes. In its latest report on energy and storage costs, a benchmark in the sector, the asset management firm Lazard already places batteries on a par with other backup technologies.

Even without public subsidies, the enormous  and growing  price volatility between lunchtime (when theres more sun) and breakfast and dinnertime (when the UV index is minimal or non-existent and household demand, contrastingly, soars) already makes arbitrage profitable in many countries: buying electricity when its cheap, storing it in a battery, and selling it when its expensive. A game in which households are also starting to participate, as they use small batteries to store the surplus energy from their solar panels, so as to not have to draw on the grid at night.

This is just the beginning. Its growth will be exponential, Fu, from Rystad Energy, predicts. This boom on all fronts  large-scale, electric cars, domestic devices  is also translating into colossal growth in the volume of companies dedicated to the development of batteries. Many of them are new: start-ups focused on this segment have raised $8 billion in recent years, according to consulting firm Oliver Wyman. Its become a key focus of change although we dont expect a significant impact on the electric vehicle market until 2030, the New York firm notes.

Until then, many companies in the battery sector, which, paradoxically, isnt going through its most buoyant period of sales, are finding refuge in the stationary storage market. Tesla, for example, is already starting to make more money with Megapack, its large-scale storage solution.

Although the price of cells has dropped a lot, in some applications, such as electric cars, this drop hasnt yet been fully transferred, Cugat laments. And thats something that has more to do with car manufacturers. If there were more competition

The drastic drop in the price of batteries has a good chance of being anything but ephemeral. Added to the production overcapacity is another factor: lithium  its main raw material  is currently trading at three-year lows, after losing 80% of its value since the end of 2022. And sodium  the alternative with the best prospects of replacing lithium in some types of batteries  is one of the most common and cheapest elements in the Earths crust.

The price will continue to fall and quickly. And this will accelerate the adoption of the electric vehicle, creating a virtuous circle in which greater production leads to lower costs and more technological development, Azeem Azhar and Nathan Warren predicted a few days ago. The two analysts attempt to predict the effects of technological changes. For now, they appear to be on the right track. The cycle will continue with other technologies, such as solid-state batteries or sodium-ion batteries, they note.

Forecasts

If the prediction is fulfilled, their calculations lead them to set a price for batteries at around $25 per megawatt hour (MWh) in the final stretch of this decade, compared to the current $75. Even if the declines slow down, the cost in 2030 will be 50% lower than today, Azhar and Warren claim.

There are half-a-million types of batteries in development, with different metals and typologies. And a lot of money is on the table in research, says Blanch, from Bank of America. Billions of dollars a year are entering this sector, which is set to be the most promising in the energy world in the coming years. Its a key area, with three fundamental objectives: increasing the absolute storage capacity and reducing both losses and weight. There wont be a universal type of battery each one will have its characteristics. But theres still a lot of room for improvement.

In this promising future there are, however, some loose ends to tie up. The first is the environmental impact of batteries. Although they significantly reduce emissions over their lifetime compared to fossil alternatives (combustion engines or combined cycles), they release a lot of CO2 in the manufacturing process. And then, theres the geopolitical derivative: Chinas dominance is overwhelming. Two of the three largest battery manufacturers (CATL and BYD) are Chinese-owned, a dominance thats only contested, albeit at a great distance, by South Korea. The risk is in who controls the production chain. And for now, thats China, Blanch notes.

After computer chips, the battlefield moves to lithium ions a dilemma that wasnt even remotely on the table during Edisons time. Even less so in Davys.

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Imagine sitting down for a chat with Shah Rukh Khan for five hours. Having chai with him while you pick his brain. What would you talk to him about? Well, in the case of Zerodha founder and WTF podcast host Nikhil Kamath, who visits him in Mumbai now and then: Its enlightening. He recently opened up about these sessions on his podcast.

Nikhil shared that whenever hes in Mumbai he goes to Mannat to meet SRK for these long discussions. He said, "Every time I come to Mumbai, one night I go to Shah Rukh's house. Both of us sit down and chat for four to five hours. The kind of advice the man gives, it's incredible. I go to him just for his gyan (knowledge)."

Apparently, their conversations dive into various topics, from life lessons to business strategies. The entrepreneur finds Khans insights invaluable, describing them as life-changing.

Unsurprisingly, Nikhil isnt the only one who admires SRK. Rapper Badshah, who was a guest on his podcast WTF, revealed that his stage name was inspired by SRKs film Baadshah (surprise surprise). Kriti Sanon, another guest, chimed in, saying, "He is one of those few people who you are a fan of and then you meet him and become a bigger fan."

Clearly SRK's reputation is not just that of a superstar but one of a mentor as well. By the sound of it, these chats are a source of inspiration to Nikhil Kamath, and why wouldnt they be? After all, who wouldnt want to learn from King Khan himself?
KYIV, Ukraine (AP)  Russia and Ukraine exchanged over 100 prisoners of war each on Saturday as Kyiv marked its third Independence Day since Moscow's full-scale invasion.

Ukraine said the 115 Ukrainian servicemen who were freed were conscripts, many of whom were taken prisoner in the first months of Russias invasion. Among them are nearly 50 soldiers captured by Russian forces from the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol.

The Russian Defense Ministry said the 115 Russian soldiers had been captured in the Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces launched their surprise offensive into Russia two weeks ago. The ministry said the soldiers were currently in Belarus, but would be taken to Russia for medical treatment and rehabilitation.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a post on X that the United Arab Emirates had again brokered the exchange, the 55th since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of its neighbor in February 2022.

Photos attached to Zelenskyys post show gaunt servicemen with shaven heads and wrapped in Ukrainian flags.

We remember each and every one. We are searching and doing our best to get everyone back, Zelenskyy said in the post.

Officials from the two sides meet only when they swap their dead and POWs, after lengthy preparation and diplomacy. Neither Ukraine nor Russia discloses how many POWs there are in total.

According to the U.N., most Ukrainian POWs suffer routine medical neglect, severe and systematic mistreatment and even torture while in detention. There have also been isolated reports of abuse of Russian soldiers, mostly during capture or transit to internment sites.

Last January, Russia and Ukraine exchanged hundreds of prisoners of war in the biggest single release.

Drone and artillery attacks continue

Five people were killed and five others wounded on Saturday in Russian shelling of the center of the city of Kostiantynivka in Ukraine's partially occupied eastern Donetsk region, local officials said.

In the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, Russian shelling killed two people and wounded four on Saturday, including a baby, officials said.

Two people were killed in a Russian drone attack, and one further person in shelling, in the northeastern Sumy region.

Ukraines air force said it had intercepted and destroyed seven drones over the countrys south. Russian long-range bombers also attacked the area of Zmiinyi (Snake) Island overnight with four cruise missiles, while the wider Kherson region was also struck by aerial bombs.

In Russia, the Defense Ministry said Saturday that air defenses had shot down seven drones overnight.

Five drones were downed over the southwestern Voronezh region bordering Ukraine, wounding two people, regional Gov. Aleksandr Gusev said. Ukraines Military Intelligence Directorate claimed to have blown up a warehouse storing 5,000 tonnes of ammunition in the region's Ostrogozhsky district. News outlet Astra published videos appearing to show explosions at the ammunition depot after being hit by a drone. The videos could not be independently verified.

Two people were wounded in a drone attack in the Belgorod region, also bordering Ukraine, regional Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov said. Local authorities did not report any casualties in the Bryansk region, where the fifth drone was intercepted.

In the Kursk region, regional Gov. Alexei Smirnov said Saturday that three missiles were shot down overnight and another four on Saturday morning.

Russian air defenses shot down two more drones on Saturday morning, Russias Defense Ministry said  one over the Kursk region and one over the Bryansk region.

Independence Day commemorations

Ukraine marked its 33rd Independence Day Saturday as its war against Russias aggression reaches a 30-month milestone. No festivities are planned and instead Ukrainians will mark the day with commemorations for civilians and soldiers killed in the war.

Speaking at a ceremony marking the anniversary, Zelenskyy announced on Saturday that Ukraine has successfully used a new domestically produced drone for the first time against Russian forces.

Today, we had the first and successful combat use of our new weapon  a completely new class of weapon, the Ukrainian missile drone Palyanitsa, Zelenskyy said.

He did not give further details, but added that the enemy was struck, and thanked the developers and manufacturers.

Zelenskyy also said that Ukraine's offensive in the Kursk region was a preventive strike that made it possible to avoid encirclement of part of Ukraine's Sumy region.

Poland's president joins the commemorations in Kyiv

Polish President Andrzej Duda arrived in Kyiv by train early Saturday in a symbolic show of support from one of Ukraines key allies.

Videos posted by his office showed him being greeted by Ukrainian officials and later paying his respects in a ceremony at the Wall of Remembrance of the Fallen for Ukraine.

Dudas visit to Kyiv, his fifth since February 2022, sends a message that Warsaws support for Ukraine remains strong as the war drags on for the third year.

Poland, located to Ukraines west, has donated arms and become a hub for Western weapons destined for Ukraine. It has also welcomed tens of thousands of Ukrainians who fled the war. It hosts the most Ukrainian refugees outside of the country after Germany.

A trade dispute over Ukrainian grain that dragged down ties last year, and historical grievances between the two countries, sometime provoke bad feelings, particularly among Poles who remember a World War II-era massacre by Ukrainian nationalists.

___

Morton reported from London. Associated Press writer Ahmad El-Katib in Beirut contributed to this report.
WASHINGTON (AP)  John Kolb, a retired Minnesota National Guard colonel, knew Tim Walz by reputation as an excellent leader who adroitly guided the enlisted troops in his field artillery battalion. But Kolb was stunned by what he saw when Walz left the military and entered politics.

Walz retired from the National Guard in 2005 to run for Congress just before his unit received an order to mobilize for the war in Iraq. Then during the campaign, Walz overstated the rank he held at the point he left the service.

That is not the behavior I would expect out of a senior noncommissioned officer, Kolb said in an interview.

Those two sides of Walzs service have been in the spotlight now that the Minnesota governor is the Democratic nominee for vice president. Supporters have lauded Walzs 24 years of service in the National Guard, where he rose through the enlisted ranks and received an honorable discharge.

What I know about Tim Walz is he did his job diligently, said retired Minnesota National Guard Brig. Gen. Jeff Bertrang. He was in charge of troops under him, and he made sure they were taken care of.

Republicans have seized on criticism by Guard veterans as a major line of attack on Walz and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris. Some of that criticism, like Kolbs, is measured. Others offer harsher appraisals.

Its far from clear whether Republicans can turn Walzs military record into a liability. His decades of service stand in contrast with former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee who received a series of deferments to avoid serving in Vietnam, including one attained with a physicians letter stating that Trump suffered from bone spurs in his feet.

Trumps running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, was a Marine Corps corporal, including six months as a military journalist in Iraq. After four years, he left the military for college and later a career in venture capital and as a best-selling author. Vance has led the criticism of Walz.

For many Democrats, the GOP salvos are an eerie reprise of the tactics used to sully their 2004 presidential candidate, John Kerry, by questioning his leadership as a swift boat commander in Vietnam, even though Kerry was a decorated combat veteran and his Republican opponent, President George W. Bush, did not fight in the war.

But the criticism stems not so much from Walzs service record but from how he has characterized his time in uniform and how he ended his tenure.

An Associated Press review of Walzs statements as a congressional candidate, congressman and governor shows that Walz has toggled between being precise and careless about key details.

Walzs supporters reject the criticism as politically motivated and say it denigrates the sacrifices he and other troops have made. The Harris campaign provided a letter signed by hundreds of veterans and military family members that said Vances broadsides against Walz are not surprising given reports that Trump expressed disdain for those who served. Trump has denied the claim.

After 24 years of military service, Governor Walz retired in 2005 and ran for Congress, where he was a tireless advocate for our men and women in uniform -- and as vice president of the United States he will continue to be a relentless champion for our veterans and military families, the campaign said.

In a speech this past week at the Democratic National Convention, Walz said he proudly wore our nations uniform for 24 years. He made no reference to his rank or the circumstances of his retirement, framing his service as part of a larger urge to contribute to the nation.

Distinction with a difference

Im a retired command sergeant major, Walz said in 2006 as he campaigned to unseat the six-term Republican incumbent in Minnesotas 1st Congressional District.

But that statement was not true.

Walz served briefly as a command sergeant major, but that was not the rank he held at retirement. It is not clear whether Walz repeated the exact claim after he won the House race, but he did not object when colleagues put the honorific before his name during House debates to underscore his gravitas on military matters.

That distinction - serving as a command sergeant major, but not retiring in that position - may seem minor to civilians. But to those in uniform, it is not.

Rank is revered in the Army.

Known as an E-9 in military parlance, a command sergeant major is the pinnacle of achievement in the Armys enlisted corps. Command sergeant majors are the backbone of a unit, acting as mentors and disciplinarians to the enlisted troops and trusted advisers to their commanding officers. Sergeant majors often stay in their units for long stretches, providing a deep well of institutional knowledge. Commissioned officers typically move on to new posts every few years.

Theres a reason why theres so much angst about this among military members that maybe is lost on the rest of the population, Kolb said. The rank of command sergeant major, that E-9 rank, is sacred. Its rare.

Walz was command sergeant major of the Minnesota Guards 1st Battalion, 125th Field Artillery for less than a year, according to the Guards personnel office. His rank was reduced for benefit purposes to master sergeant, a step below, when he left the Guard because Walz had not completed all the coursework necessary to hold the rank in retirement.

Facing questions about Walzs record, the Harris campaign replaced the phrase a retired command sergeant major from Walzs online biography with wording that says he served as one. But Walzs official biography on the Minnesota governors website is still misleading. That biography places retired from a Guard battalion after the phrase Command Sergeant Major Walz.

Hes a retired master sergeant, Kolb said. And thats what he should say.

The campaign also acknowledged that Walz misspoke in a 2018 video posted on social media that recorded him saying weapons of war that I carried in war. Vance seized on the comment to accuse Walz of lying about being in a combat zone when he never was. Walz and other Guard troops were sent to Italy in 2003 to provide base security in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, the Pentagons name for the war in Afghanistan.

Questions about Walz mischaracterizing his personal story have not been limited to military service. He is also facing scrutiny for how he has described his familys struggle with infertility. He has implied that he and his wife used in vitro fertilization to conceive, drawing a connection between their experience and efforts to limit the procedure. But they actually used intrauterine insemination treatments, a different process that has attracted less controversy.

Leaving the Guard

By military standards, Walzs 24 years of service is substantial. He could have retired almost three years earlier. But it is the circumstances surrounding the retirement and how it overlapped with his political ambitions that have drawn scrutiny.

In January 2005, Walz attended a boot camp of sorts in Minnesota for people interested in careers in progressive politics. Walz, a teacher and avid pheasant hunter with blue-collar roots, stood out as a candidate who might win in the states strongly Republican 1st Congressional District.

Minnesota Democratic party officials had already begun to take notice of Walz.

Mike Erlandson, the partys state chair at the time, recalled the enthusiasm one of his aides brimmed with after meeting with Walz in Mankato, a town about 70 miles southwest of Minneapolis where Walz taught high school geography.

He came barging into my office at the state party, saying, Mike, this guy Tim is the real deal, and was very excited about Tim Walz and the prospect of him running for Congress, Erlandson said.

By February, Walz announced that he was considering a run for Congress. But thousands of miles away, the war in Iraq had entered its third year and hopes for a speedy U.S. withdrawal were evaporating. In mid-March, Walzs battalion was notified of a possible deployment to Iraq.

In a campaign news release, Walz said he would stay in the congressional race whether I am in Minnesota or Iraq. He had a responsibility, the release said, to ready his battalion for war but also to serve if called on.

Less than two months later, on May 16, 2005, Walz retired from the National Guard. His departure was not unusual. More than 730 senior enlisted soldiers with 24 years of service retired in 2005 when the U.S. was heavily engaged in wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to Defense Department statistics.

But Doug Julin, a Minnesota Guard command sergeant major senior to Walz, told CNN on Aug. 8 that Walz had assured him just weeks before that Walz would be going forward with the battalion. Julin, who did not respond to requests for comment from The Associated Press, said he was surprised to learn Walz left the Guard without first discussing the decision with him.

Kolb picked Tom Behrends, who has emerged as Walz's most biting critic, to replace Walz as the 1st Battalions command sergeant major. The unit received an alert order for mobilization to Iraq in mid-July 2005 and a few months later headed to Mississippi for training. The unit shipped to Iraq in March 2006 where it would spend the next 16 months.

Later that year, Walz, unopposed in the Democratic primary, would pull off an upset, beating Republican Rep. Gil Gutknecht.

Questions about Walzs military record had percolated during that campaign. A letter to the editor in the Mankato Free Press newspaper from a person identified as Maj. Walter Gates said information about Walzs military career strongly suggested that Walz had fought in Iraq or Afghanistan. To which country did Walz deploy downrange? Gates asked.

Walz responded by saying the letter appeared to be an attempt to slander my good name. Walz wrote, incorrectly, that he retired as a command sergeant major, but accurately specified that he served on three NATO training missions and in Italy. Walz was equally clear about his wartime service in a 2009 interview with the Library of Congresss Veterans History Project.

Gates did not respond to multiple messages from the AP so it is unclear what information he was referring to.

Walz, in the early 2005 campaign news release, did not mention Italy when he said he deployed for eight months in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, phrasing that could imply he served in Afghanistan. A 2006 congressional campaign ad described Walz as a soldier who had served for two decades and was ready when they attacked.

Joe Eustice, who took over for Behrends as the 1st Battalions top enlisted soldier, said Walz was entitled to leave the Guard when he did.

When youve given 24 years of your life, you get to decide, and your reasoning can be whatever you want it to be, said Eustice, who retired in 2014.

But he is troubled by Walzs statements after he left the Guard.

He should answer to the fact that he said he carried a weapon in war and explain why hes been saying hes a retired sergeant major, Eustice said. Those two things are not true, and he should know better.

A longtime foe

Almost two decades have passed since Behrends hurriedly took Walzs place as the 1st Battalion's senior enlisted soldier. Yet time has not eased Behrends anger at his predecessor. As Walzs political career flourished, Kolb advised Behrends to let go of the resentment.

But Behrends could not. Not when he read and heard Walz inaccurately referred to as a retired command sergeant major  and Walz failed to set the record straight. After yet another local newspaper elevated Walzs retirement rank, Behrends wrote to the then-congressman.

It saddens me that after your long career in the National Guard, that you did not fulfill the conditions of your promotion to command sergeant major," he told Walz. "I would hope that you havent been using the rank for political gain, but that is how it appears.

Behrends said he did not get a reply. When Walz ran for governor two years later, Behrends went public with much stronger criticism.

A self-described down-home country boy, Behrends did not like Walz personally. They are at opposite ends of the political spectrum. Behrends is a conservative who donated $250 to Trump's 2020 presidential campaign and supported Walz's Republican opponents in Minnesota.

While they were both still in uniform, Behrends grew weary of what he said were Walzs frequent monologues that at times veered into hot-button issues like abortion.

It was like listening to a long-winded preacher, he said.

Shortly before votes were cast in Minnesota's gubernatorial election, Behrends hung a large yellow banner from a grain bin on his farm that read, Walz Is A Traitor. Behrends and a fellow retired command sergeant major, Paul Herr, paid to publish a letter in a Minnesota newspaper claiming that Walz had for years embellished and selectively omitted facts and circumstances about his military career.

In an interview, Behrends said his personal distaste for Walz and his liberal politics played no role in his decision to openly denigrate the vice presidential nominee. Behrends said he would have done the same to a friend if he believed that friend had stepped out of line.

___

Mattise reported from Nashville, Tennessee, Daniel from New York and Karnowski from Minneapolis. Associated Press researcher Randy Herschaft in New York contributed to this report.
Title: Google Chrome: The of Browser







(The Chrome Chronicles: Discover What Makes Google Chrome the King of Browsers)

Google Chrome has revolutionized the web browser industry by bringing together multiple technology companies to create a unified and powerful browser. From its user-friendly interface to its sleek performance and reliability, Chrome has become an essential tool for users looking to navigate the internet with ease.

In this article, we will explore what makes Google Chrome the king of browsers. We will examine some of the key features that make it unique from other browsers, such as its multi-platform support, compatibility with different operating systems, and integration with third-party applications.

Firstly, lets talk about its multi-platform support. Google Chrome can be used on both Windows and macOS, allowing users to browse websites without needing to install separate software programs. This is particularly useful for those who use devices that dont have compatible operating systems, or those who want to access web content on multiple devices at once.

Secondly, lets talk about its compatibility with different operating systems. Google Chrome is designed to work seamlessly with many popular operating systems, including Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android. This means that users can browse the web using their favorite device and experience a seamless browsing experience across all supported platforms.

Thirdly, lets talk about its integration with third-party applications. Google Chrome offers a wide range of extensions that can enhance its functionality and improve its search results. These extensions include things like social media apps, productivity tools, and media playback options. By integrating these third-party applications into Google Chrome, users can get even more out of their web browser than they ever thought possible.







(The Chrome Chronicles: Discover What Makes Google Chrome the King of Browsers)

In conclusion, Google Chrome is the king of browsers due to its multi-platform support, compatibility with different operating systems, and integration with third-party applications. Whether youre a tech-savvy user or just someone who wants to browse the internet efficiently, Google Chrome is the perfect choice for you. With its user-friendly interface, reliable performance, and extensive application ecosystem, Google Chrome has truly transformed the web browser industry and set new standards for innovation.

Inquiry us

if you want to want to know more, please feel free to contact us. (nanotrun@yahoo.com)
Oh my gosh, look what the cat possibly dragged out of the bag. Its not official until its official, but Bret Michaels says Poison plans to reunite for a 40th anniversary tour, kicking it off in Michigan.

Michaels surprised fans with this news at his Parti Gras 2.0 concert at Pine Knob on Friday, August 23, 2024 in Clarkston, Michigan. A venue he and Poison have played at many times over the decades.

Michaels says he first plans to do another Parti Gras tour next year before, and I cant promise, he said, Poison reunites the following year in 2026, which will be 40-years since the release of their debut album.

2026, 40th reunion of all original Poison, right back here, Michaels said. I dont know about you, but I say we kick that reunion tour off right here, Pine Knob. C.C. DeVille, Bobby Dall, Rikki Rockett, come back here, have a party.

The last time Poison toured was in 2022. They played a stadium tour with Motley Crue, Def Leppard and Joan Jett which brought them to Comerica Park in Detroit on July 10 of that year.

The last time Poison headlined a tour was in 2018. That year, they performed at Pine Knob on June 8.
KALAMAZOO COUNTY, MI -- The Walmart Supercenter at 6065 Gull Road in Comstock Township celebrated a complete remodeling project on Friday, Aug. 23 -- just in time for back-to-school and college dorm shopping.

Long-time store associates and Manager Ronald Buffington were joined by Western Michigan Universitys Step Team, the Kalamazoo Dance Crew, local veterans and food trucks for a ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday morning, according to a press release.

Following the ceremony, guests enjoyed free product samples as they browsed the stores new features.

An example of an updated apparel display featuring mannequins and new signage for easier navigation.Walmart Media Relations

Updates and expansions throughout the store include a new grab-and-go grocery section and a private room for nursing moms. Other improvements include:

More shopping carts

More self-checkout lanes and more staffed registers

More stalls for grocery pickup and delivery

Digital touchpoints via QR codes and screens to communicate products and services Walmart offers online

Expanded pharmacy with new private screening rooms for pharmacist consultations and services

Relocated and updated electronics department with more demo products

Updated deli department to include fresh, hot meals

Expanded beer and wine selection and section with coolers

Modernized, remodeled restrooms

For more than 20 years weve been proud to serve the Kalamazoo community, so its extra special to invite our customers to join in our celebration, Buffington said. Our customers will notice the exciting updates as soon as they walk through the door. The changes and new innovations will also make shopping easier for our customers to save them some time as well as their money.

This is the second Walmart transformation in the Kalamazoo area in the last 10 months. The Walmart on Ninth Street in Oshtemo Township was remodeled in 2023.

In addition to a fresh coat of paint and updated signage in the store, shoppers will notice a mural in the remodeled Walmart that honors Kalamazoos history and culture.

Shoppers will notice a mural honoring Kalamazoo's history in the remodeled store.Walmart PR

The mural is part of Walmarts Community Mural Program, which celebrates communities across America.

During the opening ceremony, Buffington presented $9,000 in grants to local nonprofits, given in part by the Walmart Foundation.

Want more Kalamazoo-area news? Bookmark the local Kalamazoo news page or sign up for the free 3@3 Kalamazoo daily newsletter.
Michigan Republicans and Democrats made their candidate selections this weekend for a host of races on the November general election ballot.

Both political parties hosted nominating conventions on Saturday, Aug. 24 to solidify their statewide ticket.

Leaders of both parties released statements touting their selections for the state Supreme Court, State Board of Education, Wayne State Board of Governors, University of Michigan Regent, Michigan State University Trustees and Michigans Presidential Electors.

RELATED: Attorney accused of tampering with voting machines drops out of Michigan Supreme Court race

The most important takeaway from today is that the Michigan Republican Party is strong, unified and focused on one singular goal  flipping Michigan red this November, former Congressman Pete Hoekstra, R-Holland, chairman of the Michigan Republican Party, said in a Saturday night statement.

The Democrats met in Lansing for their convention.

We are so proud of our slate of candidates up and down the ballot, and we will be with them every step of the way as we fight to defeat MAGA (Make America Great Again) Republican extremists across the state this fall, Lavora Barnes, chair of the states Democratic Party, said.

Hours before the Republican Party convention kicked off in Flint, former Republican attorney general candidate Matthew DePerno announced he was dropping out of the race for the Michigan Supreme Court.

RELATED: Attorney accused of tampering with voting machines drops out of Michigan Supreme Court race

The seat is currently held by Justice Kyra Harris Bolden, who was appointed in 2022 by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer after Justice Bridget Mary McCormack stepped down. She was the first Black woman to be appointed to the court.

When DePerno announced his run, he was accused of voting machine tampering for his alleged role in a scheme to access voting machines following the 2020 presidential elections. DePerno has been criminally charged and his case is pending.

Below are the candidates representing each party in the statewide races on the Nov. 5 ballot.

Michigan Supreme Court

Democrats: Kyra Harris Bolden and Kimberly Ann Thomas

Republicans: Andrew Fink and Bill OGrady

State Board of Education

Democrats: Theodore Ted Jones and Adam Zemke

Republicans: Tom McMillin and Nikki Snyder

Michigan State University Board of Trustees

Democrats: Rebecca Bahar Cook and Thomas Stallworth

Republicans: Mike Balow and Julie Maday

Wayne State University Board of Governors

Democrats: Mark Gaffney and Rasha Demashkieh

Republicans: Michael Busuito and Sunny Reddy

University of Michigan Board of Regents

Democrats: Denise Illitch and Shauna Ryder Diggs

Republicans: Sevag Vartanian and Carl Meyers
KYODO NEWS - Aug 25, 2024 - 10:42 | All, Japan

Wild dolphin attacks at beaches in a central Japan prefecture have been on the rise since 2022, with experts suggesting that a sole Indo-Pacific bottlenose may be the culprit and that the aggressive behavior could escalate.

Eighteen people have been injured this summer at beaches in Fukui Prefecture as of Tuesday, including an elementary school student whose finger required 20 to 30 stitches and took a month to heal, according to the Tsuruga Coast Guard Office.

The number of incidents this year has increased rapidly compared to the last two, with at least one person injured in 2022 and five in 2023, according to the coast guard.

On Tuesday, a man in his 50s suffered bite injuries on both hands from a dolphin while he was swimming off Mizushima island in Tsuruga, marking the second consecutive day an incident occurred at that beach.

Also on Aug. 13, a man in his 40s suffered minor injuries after suffering bites to his right thumb and left foot at Shiraki beach, also in Tsuruga.

Tadamichi Morisaka, a professor of cetology at Mie University, said that the dorsal fin characteristics of a dolphin spotted at the same beach a few days before the incident matched those of a 2.5-meter-long one observed off the coast of Fukui Prefecture up until last year.

"The dolphin may be coming to the beach in search of human interaction," Morisaka said.

While dolphins in aquariums are often seen forming bonds with humans, frequent interaction with people can cause them to try to assert their dominance through behaviors like biting and ramming, Morisaki said, adding that in such situations people should "move away from the dolphin immediately."

Ryoichi Matsubara, director of Echizen Matsushima Aquarium in Sakai, Fukui Prefecture, also warned that as some dolphins can be larger than bears, "contact with them can be very dangerous. It's too late once a fatal accident occurs."

Capturing dolphins is generally prohibited under government regulations and Fukui prefectural officials have said they currently have no plans to do so in this instance.

Some beaches have begun installing devices that emit ultrasonic waves as a deterrent, while swimmers are warned to leave the water immediately if they encounter a dolphin.
KYODO NEWS - Aug 25, 2024 - 16:23 | World, All

North Korea took a stance opposing China's plans to install telecommunication facilities near the border in a recent email to an international frequency management organization, a rare revelation of Pyongyang's diplomatic action to express dissatisfaction with Beijing.

According to the email read by Kyodo News, North Korea also complained that China failed to consult with it about the plans in advance, a sign that the two countries long known for close economic ties may have a looming problem in bilateral communication.

The dispute occurred after the Geneva-based International Telecommunication Union made the information about terrestrial networks available to relevant countries in June, including China's plan to set up 191 facilities for purposes such as FM radio broadcasting.

This year marks the 75th anniversary of relations between North Korea and China, its longtime economic benefactor.

But Pyongyang has sought closer ties with Russia, especially in the defense sector, through activities such as sealing a strategic partnership treaty in June between its leader Kim Jong Un and President Vladimir Putin, a move diplomatic sources in Beijing said displeased China.

North Korea said that some of the proposed radio stations are "located in the border areas" with the country and it expressed "objection to the registration of those FM stations" in the email dated July 24.

Of the 191, 17 stations including those in Dandong, a border city in northeastern China, could cause "serious interference," it said.

Beijing "has never made request for advance coordination" and the move would constitute an "infringement" of an ITU guideline as well as a bilateral agreement signed in 1981, Pyongyang said. Details about the bilateral accord are unknown.

Atsuhito Isozaki, an expert on North Korean politics, said, "It is a rare occurrence that a confrontation between China and North Korea has been revealed," and that possible signals of worsening ties were also seen in reporting patterns by Pyongyang's official newspaper.

The Rodong Sinmun has not mentioned Chinese President Xi Jinping or the 75th anniversary of the bilateral ties since months ago, the professor at Keio University in Japan said, adding that the current status of relations does not seem to be "normal."

Japan, the United States and South Korea expressed "grave concern over the increasing military and economic cooperation commitment" between Pyongyang and Moscow during their defense ministerial talks last month.
First Merchants Corp acquired a new stake in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM  Free Report) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 9,541 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $967,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in PM. Kessler Investment Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International in the first quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Philip Morris International by 684.4% in the second quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 251 shares of the companys stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 219 shares during the period. Boyd Watterson Asset Management LLC OH boosted its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 250.0% during the 1st quarter. Boyd Watterson Asset Management LLC OH now owns 322 shares of the companys stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 230 shares in the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 57.4% during the 2nd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 318 shares of the companys stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares during the period. Finally, Northwest Financial Advisors purchased a new position in shares of Philip Morris International in the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.63% of the companys stock.

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Insider Buying and Selling at Philip Morris International

In related news, insider Wilde Frederic De sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.01, for a total transaction of $2,260,200.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 158,447 shares in the company, valued at $17,906,095.47. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other Philip Morris International news, insider Massimo Andolina sold 9,000 shares of Philip Morris International stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.35, for a total value of $1,038,150.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 85,629 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,877,305.15. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Wilde Frederic De sold 20,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.01, for a total transaction of $2,260,200.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 158,447 shares of the companys stock, valued at $17,906,095.47. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Philip Morris International Stock Up 0.0 %

PM opened at $120.15 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $186.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.47, a PEG ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.58. The businesss fifty day simple moving average is $109.39 and its 200 day simple moving average is $99.92. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 52 week low of $87.23 and a 52 week high of $120.27.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM  Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The company reported $1.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.57 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $9.47 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.19 billion. Philip Morris International had a net margin of 9.41% and a negative return on equity of 113.32%. The firms quarterly revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.60 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 6.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 21st were paid a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 21st. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.33%. Philip Morris Internationals payout ratio is currently 101.56%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

PM has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Thursday, July 25th. Barclays boosted their price target on Philip Morris International from $110.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 14th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Philip Morris International from $110.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. StockNews.com upgraded Philip Morris International from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on Philip Morris International from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $109.80.

Read Our Latest Analysis on PM

About Philip Morris International

(Free Report)

Philip Morris International Inc operates as a tobacco company working to delivers a smoke-free future and evolving portfolio for the long-term to include products outside of the tobacco and nicotine sector. The company's product portfolio primarily consists of cigarettes and smoke-free products, including heat-not-burn, vapor, and oral nicotine products primarily under the IQOS and ZYN brands; and consumer accessories, such as lighters and matches.

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AMG National Trust Bank increased its holdings in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG  Free Report) by 16.7% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 60,668 shares of the companys stock after purchasing an additional 8,699 shares during the period. AMG National Trust Banks holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $10,005,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Alera Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 1.2% in the 1st quarter. Alera Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,007 shares of the companys stock valued at $812,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC lifted its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 2.8% in the 2nd quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC now owns 2,261 shares of the companys stock valued at $371,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the period. LCM Capital Management Inc grew its stake in Procter & Gamble by 1.1% during the first quarter. LCM Capital Management Inc now owns 5,701 shares of the companys stock worth $925,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares during the period. Home Federal Bank of Tennessee lifted its stake in Procter & Gamble by 0.3% in the second quarter. Home Federal Bank of Tennessee now owns 23,318 shares of the companys stock valued at $3,846,000 after buying an additional 63 shares during the period. Finally, Prentice Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. Prentice Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,059 shares of the companys stock worth $669,000 after buying an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. 65.77% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented on PG shares. TD Cowen assumed coverage on Procter & Gamble in a research note on Tuesday, July 23rd. They issued a buy rating and a $189.00 target price for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on Procter & Gamble from $171.00 to $176.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $157.00 to $161.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a report on Monday, July 22nd. StockNews.com lowered shares of Procter & Gamble from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $181.00 to $179.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $173.95.

Procter & Gamble Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE:PG traded down $0.98 during trading on Friday, hitting $169.17. The stock had a trading volume of 4,771,267 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,597,829. The firms fifty day moving average is $167.29 and its 200 day moving average is $163.65. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The company has a market capitalization of $399.26 billion, a PE ratio of 27.64, a PEG ratio of 3.64 and a beta of 0.41. The Procter & Gamble Company has a 12 month low of $141.45 and a 12 month high of $171.89.

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

Procter & Gamble Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 15th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 2.38%. Procter & Gambles payout ratio is 65.69%.

Insider Transactions at Procter & Gamble

In other Procter & Gamble news, CEO Ma. Fatima Francisco sold 96,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total transaction of $16,320,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 13,721 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,332,570. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other Procter & Gamble news, insider Susan Street Whaley sold 450 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $169.22, for a total transaction of $76,149.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 13,072 shares of the companys stock, valued at $2,212,043.84. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Ma. Fatima Francisco sold 96,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total value of $16,320,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 13,721 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,332,570. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 223,259 shares of company stock worth $37,948,393 in the last ninety days. 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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AMI Asset Management Corp decreased its holdings in shares of Utz Brands, Inc. (NYSE:UTZ  Free Report) by 58.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 86,263 shares of the companys stock after selling 122,202 shares during the quarter. AMI Asset Management Corp owned approximately 0.06% of Utz Brands worth $1,435,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Fifth Third Bancorp bought a new position in Utz Brands during the second quarter valued at about $44,000. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. raised its stake in shares of Utz Brands by 11.6% in the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 11,838 shares of the companys stock valued at $197,000 after acquiring an additional 1,228 shares in the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co lifted its holdings in Utz Brands by 4.5% in the 2nd quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 44,870 shares of the companys stock worth $747,000 after purchasing an additional 1,925 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in Utz Brands during the second quarter worth approximately $103,000. Finally, Comerica Bank grew its holdings in Utz Brands by 5.4% during the first quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 16,491 shares of the companys stock valued at $304,000 after purchasing an additional 848 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 95.97% of the companys stock.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Utz Brands from $23.00 to $19.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 19th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on Utz Brands from $19.00 to $23.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Friday, May 3rd. Mizuho increased their price target on shares of Utz Brands from $22.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Friday, May 3rd. Stephens lifted their price objective on Utz Brands from $21.00 to $23.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Friday, May 3rd. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reissued a buy rating and issued a $22.00 target price on shares of Utz Brands in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Utz Brands currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $20.17.

Insider Buying and Selling at Utz Brands

In other Utz Brands news, Director Bruce John Lindeman acquired 4,000 shares of Utz Brands stock in a transaction on Monday, August 5th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $16.11 per share, with a total value of $64,440.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 42,480 shares in the company, valued at $684,352.80. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 17.00% of the companys stock.

Utz Brands Price Performance

NYSE UTZ traded up $0.10 on Friday, hitting $17.04. 565,418 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 801,875. The company has a current ratio of 1.40, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The company has a market cap of $2.40 billion, a P/E ratio of -68.16, a P/E/G ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 1.00. Utz Brands, Inc. has a 1-year low of $11.17 and a 1-year high of $20.04. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $16.25 and a two-hundred day moving average of $17.52.

Utz Brands (NYSE:UTZ  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $0.19 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.16 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $356.20 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $356.23 million. Utz Brands had a net margin of 0.29% and a return on equity of 6.80%. Utz Brandss revenue was down 1.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.13 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Utz Brands, Inc. will post 0.73 EPS for the current year.

Utz Brands Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 17th were issued a dividend of $0.059 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 17th. This represents a $0.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.38%. Utz Brandss dividend payout ratio is currently -92.00%.

About Utz Brands

(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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Avon Protection plc (LON:AVON  Get Free Report) shares crossed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of GBX 1,183.58 ($15.38) and traded as high as GBX 1,254 ($16.29). Avon Protection shares last traded at GBX 1,254 ($16.29), with a volume of 6,636 shares.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AVON has been the subject of several analyst reports. Shore Capital reissued a hold rating on shares of Avon Protection in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a buy rating and set a GBX 1,295 ($16.83) price objective on shares of Avon Protection in a research note on Tuesday, May 21st.

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Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on AVON

Avon Protection Stock Performance

Insider Activity at Avon Protection

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 61.54, a current ratio of 2.47 and a quick ratio of 0.85. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of GBX 1,283.96 and a 200-day simple moving average of GBX 1,185.56. The stock has a market capitalization of 370.20 million, a P/E ratio of -2,625.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 0.28.

In other Avon Protection news, insider Maggie Brereton acquired 1,565 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 9th. The stock was bought at an average cost of GBX 1,278 ($16.61) per share, with a total value of 20,000.70 ($25,988.44). In the last three months, insiders have bought 1,600 shares of company stock worth $2,044,809. Company insiders own 4.44% of the companys stock.

Avon Protection Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Avon Protection plc provides respiratory, chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear and head protection solutions for military and first responder agencies in the United Kingdom, Europe, and the United States. The company offers respiratory products, including respirators, filters, powered and supplied air, escape hoods, underwater systems, and thermal image camera, and CBRN protective wear, as well as spares and accessories.

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Optas LLC grew its position in shares of Bank of America Co. (NYSE:BAC  Free Report) by 10.3% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 11,850 shares of the financial services providers stock after purchasing an additional 1,107 shares during the quarter. Optas LLCs holdings in Bank of America were worth $471,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. McAdam LLC lifted its stake in shares of Bank of America by 2.1% during the 2nd quarter. McAdam LLC now owns 11,434 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $455,000 after buying an additional 238 shares in the last quarter. BTC Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Bank of America by 1.2% during the 2nd quarter. BTC Capital Management Inc. now owns 20,248 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $805,000 after buying an additional 248 shares in the last quarter. Central Bank & Trust Co. lifted its stake in shares of Bank of America by 15.1% during the 2nd quarter. Central Bank & Trust Co. now owns 1,892 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $75,000 after buying an additional 248 shares in the last quarter. SNS Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Bank of America by 3.3% during the 2nd quarter. SNS Financial Group LLC now owns 7,783 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $310,000 after buying an additional 248 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Stockton lifted its stake in shares of Bank of America by 1.2% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of Stockton now owns 21,523 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $856,000 after buying an additional 253 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 70.71% of the companys stock.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on BAC shares. Evercore ISI increased their target price on shares of Bank of America from $43.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Bank of America from $43.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Bank of America from $39.50 to $40.50 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 1st. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Bank of America from $46.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 30th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Bank of America from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a report on Wednesday, July 3rd. One 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $42.07.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, major shareholder Berkshire Hathaway Inc sold 12,690,693 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.07, for a total transaction of $559,278,840.51. Following the sale, the insider now owns 1,020,161,313 shares of the companys stock, valued at $44,958,509,063.91. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Bank of America news, insider Lindsay D. Hans sold 10,901 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.91, for a total transaction of $402,355.91. Following the sale, the insider now owns 10,907 shares in the company, valued at approximately $402,577.37. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Berkshire Hathaway Inc sold 12,690,693 shares of Bank of America stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.07, for a total value of $559,278,840.51. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 1,020,161,313 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $44,958,509,063.91. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 66,768,513 shares of company stock valued at $2,807,216,504. Corporate insiders own 0.29% of the companys stock.

Bank of America Trading Up 1.4 %

Shares of NYSE BAC traded up $0.53 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $39.77. 45,616,647 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 39,208,762. Bank of America Co. has a twelve month low of $24.96 and a twelve month high of $44.44. The stock has a market capitalization of $311.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.76, a PEG 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 $38.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.80.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.79 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $25.38 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $25.22 billion. Bank of America had a return on equity of 10.56% and a net margin of 13.28%. The companys quarterly revenue was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.88 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Bank of America Co. will post 3.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Bank of America Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 27th. Investors of record on Friday, September 6th will be issued a $0.26 dividend. This represents a $1.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.62%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 6th. This is an increase from Bank of Americas previous quarterly dividend of $0.24. Bank of Americas payout ratio is currently 35.99%.

Bank of America announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback plan on Wednesday, July 24th that permits the company to repurchase $25.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the financial services provider to repurchase up to 7.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often a sign that the companys management believes its shares are undervalued.

Bank of America 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.

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Bank of Stockton decreased its stake in EOG Resources, Inc. (NYSE:EOG  Free Report) by 4.3% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,981 shares of the energy exploration companys stock after selling 222 shares during the quarter. Bank of Stocktons holdings in EOG Resources were worth $627,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of EOG. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in EOG Resources by 0.3% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 54,275,932 shares of the energy exploration companys stock valued at $6,938,635,000 after purchasing an additional 146,674 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors increased its stake in shares of EOG Resources by 1.3% in the first quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 28,889,715 shares of the energy exploration companys stock valued at $3,693,261,000 after buying an additional 373,365 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors raised its holdings in shares of EOG Resources by 5.4% in the first quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 26,782,454 shares of the energy exploration companys stock valued at $3,423,869,000 after buying an additional 1,361,538 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors lifted its position in EOG Resources by 7.1% during the 1st quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 11,564,463 shares of the energy exploration companys stock worth $1,478,401,000 after buying an additional 766,056 shares in the last quarter. Finally, DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main grew its holdings in EOG Resources by 26.3% during the 4th quarter. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main now owns 4,948,119 shares of the energy exploration companys stock worth $598,475,000 after acquiring an additional 1,029,727 shares during the last quarter. 89.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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EOG Resources Stock Up 1.3 %

EOG stock traded up $1.68 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $126.90. 1,995,815 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,158,795. The firms 50-day moving average is $125.96 and its 200-day moving average is $125.12. EOG Resources, Inc. has a 12 month low of $108.94 and a 12 month high of $139.67. The company has a market cap of $72.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.02, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 2.32 and a quick ratio of 2.05.

EOG Resources Announces Dividend

EOG Resources ( NYSE:EOG Get Free Report ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The energy exploration company reported $3.16 earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $6.03 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.07 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.49 EPS. The businesss revenue was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that EOG Resources, Inc. will post 12.13 earnings per share for the current year.

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, October 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.91 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 17th. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.87%. EOG Resourcess payout ratio is presently 28.75%.

Insider Activity at EOG Resources

In other EOG Resources news, COO Jeffrey R. Leitzell sold 4,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 9th. The stock was 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 approximately $4,434,135.84. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, Director Charles R. Crisp sold 6,500 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.60, for a total value of $816,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 60,892 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,648,035.20. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, COO Jeffrey R. Leitzell sold 4,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $126.48, for a total value of $505,920.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 35,058 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,434,135.84. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.30% of the companys stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on EOG. KeyCorp assumed coverage on shares of EOG Resources in a research report on Thursday, June 27th. They set an overweight rating and a $157.00 target price on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded EOG Resources from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Monday, August 5th. Truist Financial dropped their target price on EOG Resources from $136.00 to $130.00 and set a hold rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. Mizuho upped their price target on EOG Resources from $140.00 to $156.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Monday, May 13th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein lowered their price objective on EOG Resources from $139.00 to $125.00 and set a market perform rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, EOG Resources has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $144.15.

Check Out Our Latest Analysis on EOG Resources

EOG Resources Company Profile

(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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Banque Pictet & Cie SA increased its holdings in shares of Boston Scientific Co. (NYSE:BSX  Free Report) by 3.9% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 372,048 shares of the medical equipment providers stock after acquiring an additional 14,063 shares during the period. Banque Pictet & Cie SAs holdings in Boston Scientific were worth $28,651,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Boston Scientific by 542.1% in the first quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC now owns 366 shares of the medical equipment providers stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 309 shares in the last quarter. First Foundation Advisors acquired a new position in Boston Scientific during the first quarter worth $25,000. Triad Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in Boston Scientific during the second quarter valued at $26,000. RiverPark Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Boston Scientific during the first quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Lynx Investment Advisory acquired a new position in shares of Boston Scientific during the 2nd quarter worth about $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.07% of the companys stock.

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Insider Activity at Boston Scientific

In related news, EVP Arthur C. Butcher sold 14,011 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.34, for a total value of $1,055,588.74. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 20,197 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,521,641.98. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Boston Scientific news, EVP Arthur C. Butcher sold 14,011 shares of Boston Scientific stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.34, for a total transaction of $1,055,588.74. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 20,197 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,521,641.98. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Wendy Carruthers sold 6,983 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.12, for a total value of $517,579.96. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 40,188 shares of the companys stock, valued at $2,978,734.56. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 34,960 shares of company stock valued at $2,638,984 over the last three months. 0.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BSX has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on Boston Scientific from $78.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 2nd. StockNews.com raised shares of Boston Scientific from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of Boston Scientific from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 15th. Truist Financial raised their price target on shares of Boston Scientific from $86.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Tuesday, July 16th. Finally, Argus boosted their price objective on shares of Boston Scientific from $80.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Tuesday, May 28th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $85.24.

View Our Latest Analysis on BSX

Boston Scientific Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE:BSX traded down $0.41 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $79.17. The stock had a trading volume of 4,006,157 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,148,074. The stock has a market capitalization of $116.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 66.53, a P/E/G ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 0.78. The firms 50 day moving average is $76.59 and its 200-day moving average is $72.46. Boston Scientific Co. has a 1 year low of $48.35 and a 1 year high of $79.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.66.

Boston Scientific (NYSE:BSX  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The medical equipment provider reported $0.62 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.58 by $0.04. Boston Scientific had a return on equity of 16.80% and a net margin of 12.00%. The company had revenue of $4.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $4.02 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.53 earnings per share. Boston Scientifics quarterly revenue was up 14.5% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Boston Scientific Co. will post 2.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Boston Scientific Profile

(Free Report)

Boston Scientific Corporation develops, manufactures, and markets medical devices for use in various interventional medical specialties worldwide. It operates through two segments, MedSurg and Cardiovascular. The company offers devices to diagnose and treat gastrointestinal and pulmonary conditions, such as resolution clips, biliary stent systems, stents and electrocautery enhanced delivery systems, direct visualization systems, digital catheters, and single-use duodenoscopes; devices to treat urological conditions, including ureteral stents, catheters, baskets, guidewires, sheaths, balloons, single-use digital flexible ureteroscopes, holmium laser systems, artificial urinary sphincter, laser system, fiber, and hydrogel systems; and devices to treat neurological movement disorders and manage chronic pain, such as spinal cord stimulator system, proprietary programming software, radiofrequency generator, indirect decompression systems, practice optimization tools, and deep brain stimulation system.

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Shares of British American Tobacco p.l.c. (LON:BATS  Get Free Report) passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of GBX 2,455.58 ($31.91) and traded as high as GBX 2,787 ($36.21). British American Tobacco shares last traded at GBX 2,766 ($35.94), with a volume of 2,034,478 shares.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price target on shares of British American Tobacco from GBX 4,000 ($51.98) to GBX 3,450 ($44.83) and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 21st.

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British American Tobacco Trading Down 0.3 %

British American Tobacco Company Profile

The company has a current ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 74.14. The company has a fifty day moving average of GBX 2,611.12 and a two-hundred day moving average of GBX 2,458.23. The stock has a market capitalization of 60.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -443.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 0.27.

(Get Free Report)

British American Tobacco p.l.c. engages in the provision of tobacco and nicotine products to consumers worldwide. It also offers vapour, heated, and modern oral nicotine products; combustible cigarettes; and traditional oral products, such as snus and moist snuff. The company offers its products under the Vuse, glo, Velo, Grizzly, Kodiak, Dunhill, Kent, Lucky Strike, Pall Mall, Rothmans, Camel, Natural American Spirit, Newport, Vogue, Viceroy, Kool, Peter Stuyvesant, Craven A, State Express 555 and Shuang Xi brands.

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Davide Campari-Milano (OTCMKTS:DVDCF  Get Free Report) and Casio Computer Co.,Ltd. (OTCMKTS:CSIOY  Get Free Report) are both consumer staples companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, risk, dividends, earnings and valuation.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and target prices for Davide Campari-Milano and Casio Computer Co.,Ltd., as reported by MarketBeat.

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Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Davide Campari-Milano 0 1 0 0 2.00 Casio Computer Co.,Ltd. 0 0 0 0 N/A

Profitability

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Davide Campari-Milano N/A N/A N/A Casio Computer Co.,Ltd. 5.35% 4.56% 2.98%

Dividends

This table compares Davide Campari-Milano and Casio Computer Co.,Ltd.s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Davide Campari-Milano pays an annual dividend of $0.03 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.3%. Casio Computer Co.,Ltd. pays an annual dividend of $2.12 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.7%. Casio Computer Co.,Ltd. pays out 59.7% of its earnings in the form of a dividend.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Davide Campari-Milano and Casio Computer Co.,Ltd.s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Davide Campari-Milano $3.16 billion 5.09 $357.67 million N/A N/A Casio Computer Co.,Ltd. $1.86 billion 1.03 $82.17 million $3.55 22.34

Davide Campari-Milano has higher revenue and earnings than Casio Computer Co.,Ltd..

Risk and Volatility

Davide Campari-Milano has a beta of 0.86, suggesting that its share price is 14% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Casio Computer Co.,Ltd. has a beta of 0.55, suggesting that its share price is 45% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Davide Campari-Milano beats Casio Computer Co.,Ltd. on 5 of the 9 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Davide Campari-Milano

(Get Free Report)

Davide Campari-Milano N.V., together with its subsidiaries, markets and distributes alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages in the Americas, the Middle East, Africa, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific. It offers a range of spirits categories, including aperitif, vodka, liqueurs, whisky, tequila, rum, Sparkling wine, mezcal, champagne, gin, and cognac, as well as ready to drink and non-alcoholic aperitif under the Aperol, Campari, SKYY, Wild Turkey, Grand Marnier, Jamaican Rums, Espolon, Sparkling Wine&Vermouth, Crodino, The GlenGrant, Magnum Tonic Wine, Montelobos, Ancho Reyes, Lallier, Forty Creek, X-Rated, and other brands. Davide Campari-Milano N.V. was founded in 1860 and is headquartered in Sesto San Giovanni, Italy. Davide Campari-Milano N.V. is a subsidiary of Lagfin S.C.A.

About Casio Computer Co.,Ltd.

(Get Free Report)

Casio Computer Co.,Ltd. develops, produces, and sells consumer, system equipment, and other products. The company operates in Timepieces, Consumer, System Equipment, and Other segments. It offers timepieces, electronic dictionaries, calculators, label printers, electronic musical instruments, handheld terminals, cash registers, management support systems, data projectors, formed parts, and molds products. The company was incorporated in 1946 and is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.

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KYODO NEWS - Aug 25, 2024 - 22:00 | All, Japan, World

The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.

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Japan's Foreign Minister Kamikawa to run in LDP leadership race

TOKYO - Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa said Sunday that she has received support from over 20 lawmakers to run in the Sept. 27 presidential election of the ruling party to choose a successor to outgoing Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

Kamikawa, 71, has been regarded as one of the frontrunners to become Japan's first female prime minister since her appointment as the nation's top diplomat in September 2023. She was a member of the Liberal Democratic Party's faction formerly led by Kishida.

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Defense Ministry gets access to small radar satellite for 1st time

TOKYO - The Japanese Defense Ministry said a Tokyo-based startup recently put a small all-weather radar satellite into orbit, giving the ministry access to the type of images the orbiter captures for the first time.

The satellite, launched on Aug. 3 by Synspective Inc., can gather data from the Earth's surface regardless of weather conditions or time of day and has been upgraded to meet national security purposes, the ministry said.

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Strong typhoon may hit Japan Aug. 28, shinkansen disruptions expected

TOKYO - A strong typhoon is on course to approach western and eastern Japan on Wednesday or later, the weather agency said, possibly causing widespread disruption to shinkansen bullet train services.

The Japan Meteorological Agency said Sunday that Typhoon Shanshan, currently located south of the Japanese archipelago in the Pacific Ocean, is moving northwest at 30 kilometers per hour.

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Crested ibises to be released in Japan's quake-hit Noto peninsula

TOKYO - Crested ibises, birds designated as Japanese natural treasures, may be released in the Noto Peninsula as part of a restoration project for the region hit hard by a powerful earthquake on New Year's day, a government source said Sunday.

The release in Ishikawa Prefecture on the Sea of Japan coast might be conducted as early as fiscal 2026 through March 2027, and would be the first such release on the country's main island of Honshu.

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In rare break with China, North Korea objects to telecoms plan by border

GENEVA - North Korea took a stance opposing China's plans to install telecommunication facilities near the border in a recent email to an international frequency management organization, a rare revelation of Pyongyang's diplomatic action to express dissatisfaction with Beijing.

According to the email read by Kyodo News, North Korea also complained that China failed to consult with it about the plans in advance, a sign that the two countries long known for close economic ties may have a looming problem in bilateral communication.

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Japan PM urges China to lift ban 1 year after Fukushima water release

TOKYO - Prime Minister Fumio Kishida urged China to lift its blanket ban on Japanese seafood imposed shortly after the discharge of treated radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima plant into the sea began exactly one year ago on Saturday.

China's ban is a "measure that is not at all based on scientific evidence and is unacceptable," Kishida told local fisheries cooperative officials in Fukushima Prefecture. "Japan urges an immediate repeal (of the ban) and makes the request at all levels."

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Ex-defense chief Ishiba says to run for Japan ruling party president

TOTTORI, Japan - Former Japanese Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Saturday he will run in the ruling party's presidential race in September in what will be his fifth and "last" attempt to take the helm of the Liberal Democratic Party and the country.

Ishiba, 67, known as a policy expert on security, agriculture and regional revitalization, has lost to Shinzo Abe and Yoshihide Suga in recent party elections, though he did not run in 2021 when Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was elected LDP chief.

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Japan PM "takes seriously" halt in Fukushima melted nuke fuel removal

TOKYO - Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Saturday he "takes seriously" the recent error-caused halt in the first attempt to extract small amounts of melted fuel from one of the crippled reactors at disaster-stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear complex.

Kishida's remarks, made during a visit to Fukushima Prefecture, followed the industry minister's directive to plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. to investigate and report the causes of Thursday's suspension of fuel retrieval work at the No. 2 reactor.

Video: Ukraine marks two and half years since Russian invasion
AMG National Trust Bank increased its position in Chubb Limited (NYSE:CB  Free Report) by 6.8% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 4,543 shares of the financial services providers stock after acquiring an additional 288 shares during the period. AMG National Trust Banks holdings in Chubb were worth $1,159,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Calamos Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Chubb by 2.1% during the 2nd quarter. Calamos Wealth Management LLC now owns 38,861 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $9,913,000 after buying an additional 807 shares during the last quarter. Field & Main Bank grew its holdings in Chubb by 4.6% during the 2nd quarter. Field & Main Bank now owns 5,055 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $1,289,000 after buying an additional 222 shares during the last quarter. Kanawha Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Chubb by 2.6% during the 2nd quarter. Kanawha Capital Management LLC now owns 56,307 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $14,363,000 after buying an additional 1,445 shares during the last quarter. RFP Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in Chubb by 34.3% during the 2nd quarter. RFP Financial Group LLC now owns 184 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pictet North America Advisors SA grew its holdings in Chubb by 18.4% during the 2nd quarter. Pictet North America Advisors SA now owns 10,260 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $2,617,000 after buying an additional 1,595 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.81% of the companys stock.

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Chubb Stock Up 1.2 %

Chubb stock traded up $3.25 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $276.10. 1,325,683 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,618,184. The company has a market cap of $112.11 billion, a PE ratio of 12.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.21 and a beta of 0.66. Chubb Limited has a fifty-two week low of $198.67 and a fifty-two week high of $277.91. The companys fifty day moving average price is $264.71 and its 200-day moving average price is $258.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 0.31 and a quick ratio of 0.29.

Chubb Dividend Announcement

Chubb ( NYSE:CB Get Free Report ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The financial services provider reported $5.38 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $5.04 by $0.34. The firm had revenue of $13.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $13.04 billion. Chubb had a return on equity of 15.77% and a net margin of 18.14%. Chubbs quarterly revenue was up 11.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $4.92 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Chubb Limited will post 21.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 13th will be issued a $0.91 dividend. This represents a $3.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.32%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 13th. Chubbs dividend payout ratio is presently 16.16%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have commented on CB shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Chubb from $266.00 to $286.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Thursday, July 11th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on Chubb from $285.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Thursday, July 25th. William Blair cut Chubb from a market perform rating to an underperform rating in a report on Friday, June 28th. JMP Securities raised their price objective on Chubb from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a market outperform rating in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, Roth Mkm raised their price objective on Chubb from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Chubb has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $270.79.

Check Out Our Latest Research Report on Chubb

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Chubb news, EVP Juan Luis Ortega sold 3,921 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $273.06, for a total value of $1,070,668.26. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 44,632 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $12,187,213.92. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Chubb news, EVP Juan Luis Ortega sold 3,921 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $273.06, for a total value of $1,070,668.26. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 44,632 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $12,187,213.92. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Peter C. Enns sold 8,200 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $266.06, for a total value of $2,181,692.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 45,853 shares in the company, valued at $12,199,649.18. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 14,521 shares of company stock worth $3,878,712 in the last 90 days. 0.86% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About Chubb

(Free Report)

Chubb Limited provides insurance and reinsurance products worldwide. The company's North America Commercial P&C Insurance segment offers commercial property, casualty, workers' compensation, package policies, risk management, financial lines, marine, construction, environmental, medical risk, cyber risk, surety, and casualty; and group accident and health insurance to large, middle market, and small commercial businesses.

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Clear Creek Financial Management LLC grew its position in BlackRock U.S. Equity Factor Rotation ETF (NYSEARCA:DYNF  Free Report) by 3.7% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 41,748 shares of the companys stock after acquiring an additional 1,487 shares during the quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLCs holdings in BlackRock U.S. Equity Factor Rotation ETF were worth $1,960,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in DYNF. Northwest Capital Management Inc purchased a new position in shares of BlackRock U.S. Equity Factor Rotation ETF in the first quarter valued at $42,000. Park Place Capital Corp bought a new stake in shares of BlackRock U.S. Equity Factor Rotation ETF in the 1st quarter worth about $49,000. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of BlackRock U.S. Equity Factor Rotation ETF in the 1st quarter worth about $83,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of BlackRock U.S. Equity Factor Rotation ETF during the 1st quarter valued at about $110,000. Finally, Cape Investment Advisory Inc. bought a new position in shares of BlackRock U.S. Equity Factor Rotation ETF in the 1st quarter valued at about $156,000.

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BlackRock U.S. Equity Factor Rotation ETF Stock Up 1.2 %

NYSEARCA DYNF traded up $0.59 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $48.64. 644,814 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,773,708. BlackRock U.S. Equity Factor Rotation ETF has a 52 week low of $33.31 and a 52 week high of $48.80. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $47.13 and a 200 day moving average price of $45.03. The stock has a market cap of $8.42 billion, a PE ratio of 24.57 and a beta of 1.15.

About BlackRock U.S. Equity Factor Rotation ETF

The BlackRock U.S. Equity Factor Rotation ETF (DYNF) is an exchange-traded fund that mostly invests in total market equity. The fund is an actively-managed fund of large- and mid-cap US stocks that uses five equity style factors. DYNF was launched on Mar 19, 2019 and is managed by BlackRock.

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Clear Creek Financial Management LLC trimmed its position in shares of iShares MSCI USA ESG Select ETF (NYSEARCA:SUSA  Free Report) by 45.6% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,364 shares of the companys stock after selling 1,981 shares during the quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLCs holdings in iShares MSCI USA ESG Select ETF were worth $266,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Levy Wealth Management Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of iShares MSCI USA ESG Select ETF by 15.9% in the 2nd quarter. Levy Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 13,903 shares of the companys stock worth $1,562,000 after buying an additional 1,905 shares during the last quarter. McAdam LLC boosted its holdings in shares of iShares MSCI USA ESG Select ETF by 5.0% in the 2nd quarter. McAdam LLC now owns 3,954 shares of the companys stock worth $444,000 after buying an additional 188 shares during the last quarter. Diversified LLC boosted its holdings in shares of iShares MSCI USA ESG Select ETF by 407.7% in the 2nd quarter. Diversified LLC now owns 11,561 shares of the companys stock worth $1,299,000 after buying an additional 9,284 shares during the last quarter. &PARTNERS boosted its holdings in shares of iShares MSCI USA ESG Select ETF by 250.7% in the 2nd quarter. &PARTNERS now owns 6,452 shares of the companys stock worth $725,000 after buying an additional 4,612 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Boothe Investment Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of iShares MSCI USA ESG Select ETF in the 2nd quarter worth about $240,000.

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iShares MSCI USA ESG Select ETF Trading Up 1.3 %

Shares of NYSEARCA:SUSA traded up $1.47 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $117.75. The company had a trading volume of 41,985 shares, compared to its average volume of 240,739. The companys 50 day moving average price is $113.62 and its 200 day moving average price is $109.42. The stock has a market cap of $3.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.35 and a beta of 1.02. iShares MSCI USA ESG Select ETF has a 52-week low of $85.04 and a 52-week high of $117.82.

About iShares MSCI USA ESG Select ETF

The iShares MSCI USA ESG Select ETF (SUSA) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the MSCI USA Extended ESG Select index. The fund tracks an index of US companies with high environmental, social and governance (ESG) factor scores as calculated by MSCI. SUSA was launched on Jan 24, 2005 and is managed by BlackRock.

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Tenet Fintech Group (OTCMKTS:PKKFF  Get Free Report) and SolarWinds (NYSE:SWI  Get Free Report) are both business services companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, risk, earnings, analyst recommendations, valuation, institutional ownership and profitability.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of recent recommendations and price targets for Tenet Fintech Group and SolarWinds, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

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Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Tenet Fintech Group 0 0 0 0 N/A SolarWinds 0 4 0 0 2.00

SolarWinds has a consensus target price of $14.00, indicating a potential upside of 11.73%. Given SolarWinds higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe SolarWinds is more favorable than Tenet Fintech Group.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

Profitability

0.3% of Tenet Fintech Group shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 94.0% of SolarWinds shares are held by institutional investors. 2.0% of SolarWinds shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

This table compares Tenet Fintech Group and SolarWinds net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Tenet Fintech Group -224.05% -58.95% -39.98% SolarWinds 2.96% 7.14% 3.04%

Volatility & Risk

Tenet Fintech Group has a beta of 1.34, indicating that its stock price is 34% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, SolarWinds has a beta of 0.97, indicating that its stock price is 3% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Tenet Fintech Group and SolarWinds revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Tenet Fintech Group $31.17 million 0.29 -$56.92 million ($0.48) -0.13 SolarWinds $774.29 million 2.72 -$9.11 million $0.07 179.00

SolarWinds has higher revenue and earnings than Tenet Fintech Group. Tenet Fintech Group is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than SolarWinds, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Summary

SolarWinds beats Tenet Fintech Group on 11 of the 12 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Tenet Fintech Group

(Get Free Report)

Tenet Fintech Group Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides various analytics and AI-based services to small-and-medium businesses and financial institutions. It offers Business Hub, a global ecosystem where analytics and AI are used to create opportunities and facilitate B2B transactions among its members. The company was formerly known as Peak Fintech Group Inc. and changed its name to Tenet Fintech Group Inc. in November 2021. Tenet Fintech Group Inc. was incorporated in 2008 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.

About SolarWinds

(Get Free Report)

SolarWinds Corporation provides information technology (IT) management software products in the United States and internationally. It provides a suite of network management software that offers real-time visibility into network utilization and bandwidth, as well as the ability to detect, diagnose, and resolve network performance problems; and a suite of infrastructure management products, which monitors and analyzes the performance of applications and their supporting infrastructure, including servers, physical, virtual and cloud infrastructure, storage, and databases. The company also provides automated network configuration, log and event management, security information and event management, access rights management, identity monitoring, server configuration monitoring and patching, and secure gateway and file transfer products; a suite of application performance management software that enables visibility into log data, cloud infrastructure metrics, applications, tracing, and digital experiences; and service management software that offers ITIL-compliant service desk solutions for various companies. In addition, it offers a suite of database performance management software that monitors, analyzes, diagnoses, and optimizes database performance and operations for the Microsoft data platform, as well as other database management system platforms; traditional, open-source, and cloud-native databases hosted on-premises, in the cloud, and hybrid models. It markets and sells its products directly to network and systems engineers, database administrators, storage administrators, DevOps, SecOps, and service desk professionals. The company was formerly known as SolarWinds Parent, Inc. and changed its name to SolarWinds Corporation in May 2018. SolarWinds Corporation was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in Austin, Texas.

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Diversified LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Trane Technologies plc (NYSE:TT  Free Report) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 1,082 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $356,000.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. My Legacy Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Trane Technologies during the second quarter valued at approximately $1,996,000. &PARTNERS raised its stake in shares of Trane Technologies by 67.2% in the second quarter. &PARTNERS now owns 1,654 shares of the companys stock worth $544,000 after purchasing an additional 665 shares during the last quarter. Vinland Capital Management Gestora de Recursos LTDA. lifted its holdings in shares of Trane Technologies by 28.2% during the second quarter. Vinland Capital Management Gestora de Recursos LTDA. now owns 6,530 shares of the companys stock valued at $2,148,000 after purchasing an additional 1,435 shares in the last quarter. KG&L Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Trane Technologies during the second quarter valued at $214,000. Finally, Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Trane Technologies by 49.8% in the 2nd quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,785 shares of the companys stock worth $2,232,000 after buying an additional 2,256 shares in the last quarter. 82.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Raymond D. Pittard sold 1,805 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $328.65, for a total value of $593,213.25. Following the sale, 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 legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other Trane Technologies news, CEO David S. Regnery sold 29,450 shares of Trane Technologies stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $321.25, for a total transaction of $9,460,812.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 132,946 shares of the companys stock, valued at $42,708,902.50. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Raymond D. Pittard sold 1,805 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $328.65, for a total transaction of $593,213.25. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 83,517 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $27,447,862.05. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 44,243 shares of company stock worth $14,216,550. Corporate insiders own 0.38% of the companys stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently commented on the stock. Stephens reiterated an equal weight rating and issued a $350.00 price target on shares of Trane Technologies in a research note on Monday, August 5th. Mizuho increased their price target on Trane Technologies from $280.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Wednesday, May 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Trane Technologies from $247.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Thursday, May 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Trane Technologies from $287.00 to $326.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 1st. Finally, UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Trane Technologies from $330.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Monday, June 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and six have issued 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 $323.29.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on TT

Trane Technologies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE TT traded up $2.20 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $352.91. The companys stock had a trading volume of 871,002 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,121,324. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 0.74. Trane Technologies plc has a 52 week low of $184.02 and a 52 week high of $355.02. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $335.48 and a two-hundred day moving average of $314.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $79.88 billion, a PE ratio of 37.70, a P/E/G ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 1.01.

Trane Technologies (NYSE:TT  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The company reported $3.30 earnings per share (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 firm had revenue of $5.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $5.13 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.68 earnings per share. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Trane Technologies plc will post 10.83 EPS 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. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 6th will be issued a $0.84 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 6th. This represents a $3.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.95%. Trane Technologiess dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 35.90%.

Trane Technologies Company 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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New York State Teachers Retirement System cut its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY  Free Report) by 4.2% in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 769,575 shares of the companys stock after selling 33,853 shares during the period. Eli Lilly and Company makes up 1.5% of New York State Teachers Retirement Systems investment portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest position. New York State Teachers Retirement Systems holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $696,758,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. My Legacy Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company in the 2nd quarter valued at $227,000. Unique Wealth Strategies LLC purchased a new stake in Eli Lilly and Company during the 2nd quarter worth $45,000. Corundum Trust Company INC bought a new stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company in the 2nd quarter worth about $1,211,000. Catalyst Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company in the 2nd quarter worth about $364,000. Finally, DT Investment Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 2.4% in the 2nd quarter. DT Investment Partners LLC now owns 670 shares of the companys stock worth $607,000 after purchasing an additional 16 shares during the last quarter. 82.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, major shareholder Lilly Endowment Inc sold 210,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $939.82, for a total value of $197,362,200.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 96,943,810 shares in the company, valued at approximately $91,109,731,514.20. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, EVP Johna Norton sold 7,056 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, 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 can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Lilly Endowment Inc sold 210,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 1,122,141 shares of company stock worth $991,938,411 in the last ninety days. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Eli Lilly and Company Price Performance

Eli Lilly and Company Announces Dividend

Shares of NYSE:LLY traded down $6.98 during trading on Friday, reaching $947.19. The company had a trading volume of 971,710 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,089,680. The firms fifty day moving average is $884.83 and its 200 day moving average is $812.10. The firm has a market capitalization of $900.21 billion, a PE ratio of 139.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 0.41. Eli Lilly and Company has a twelve month low of $516.57 and a twelve month high of $972.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.90, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.35.

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 15th will be issued a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 payout ratio is currently 76.58%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Eli Lilly and Company from a hold rating to a buy rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $725.00 to $1,025.00 in a research report on Monday, August 12th. Guggenheim boosted their target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $884.00 to $1,030.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Friday, August 16th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $994.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Monday, June 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $900.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Thursday, July 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $875.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Friday, August 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $956.88.

Read Our Latest Stock Report on LLY

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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Everhart Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Arista Networks, Inc. (NYSE:ANET  Free Report) during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 714 shares of the technology companys stock, valued at approximately $250,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Arista Networks by 5.7% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 29,494,876 shares of the technology companys stock worth $6,946,338,000 after purchasing an additional 1,596,040 shares during the period. Capital World Investors raised its position in Arista Networks by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 10,136,348 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $2,387,211,000 after buying an additional 55,312 shares during the last quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Arista Networks by 0.8% in the 1st quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 3,049,416 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $884,270,000 after acquiring an additional 25,196 shares in the last quarter. GQG Partners LLC acquired a new position in Arista Networks during the 1st quarter worth approximately $881,848,000. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Arista Networks during the 4th quarter worth approximately $586,051,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.47% of the companys stock.

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Insider Activity at Arista Networks

In other Arista Networks news, CEO Jayshree Ullal sold 17,752 shares of Arista Networks stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $354.29, for a total value of $6,289,356.08. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 17,681 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,264,201.49. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, SVP Marc Taxay sold 4,493 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $295.47, for a total transaction of $1,327,546.71. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Jayshree Ullal sold 17,752 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $354.29, for a total value of $6,289,356.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 17,681 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $6,264,201.49. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 126,704 shares of company stock worth $43,975,690. Corporate insiders own 3.54% of the companys stock.

Arista Networks Trading Up 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE:ANET traded up $2.96 during trading on Friday, reaching $355.13. 964,267 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,402,217. The firm has a market cap of $111.28 billion, a PE ratio of 49.46, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.11. Arista Networks, Inc. has a 12 month low of $168.25 and a 12 month high of $376.50. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $343.38 and a 200-day moving average price of $305.90.

Arista Networks (NYSE:ANET  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The technology company reported $2.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.72 by $0.38. The business had revenue of $1.69 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.66 billion. Arista Networks had a return on equity of 30.50% and a net margin of 39.01%. The firms quarterly revenue was up 15.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.41 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Arista Networks, Inc. will post 7.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Arista Networks declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, May 7th that permits the company to repurchase $1.20 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the technology company to purchase up to 1.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often a sign that the companys management believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently commented on ANET shares. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of Arista Networks from $340.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Bank of America upped their target price on Arista Networks from $320.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Thursday, June 20th. Barclays boosted their price target on Arista Networks from $320.00 to $341.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Arista Networks from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Finally, Piper Sandler upped their price target on shares of Arista Networks from $302.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Monday, July 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $353.38.

View Our Latest Stock Report on ANET

Arista Networks Profile

(Free Report)

Arista Networks, Inc engages in the development, marketing, and sale of data-driven, client to cloud networking solutions for data center, campus, and routing environments in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia-Pacific. Its cloud networking solutions consist of Extensible Operating System (EOS), a publish-subscribe state-sharing networking operating system offered in combination with a set of network applications.

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Everhart Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in Coterra Energy Inc. (NYSE:CTRA  Free Report) during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 9,081 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $242,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its stake in Coterra Energy by 0.6% during the 2nd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 71,138 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,897,000 after purchasing an additional 399 shares in the last quarter. TCW Group Inc. raised its holdings in Coterra Energy by 4.0% in the 2nd quarter. TCW Group Inc. now owns 10,447 shares of the companys stock worth $279,000 after acquiring an additional 404 shares during the last quarter. Redwood Wealth Management Group LLC lifted its position in Coterra Energy by 2.3% in the 1st quarter. Redwood Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 18,974 shares of the companys stock valued at $529,000 after acquiring an additional 429 shares in the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC lifted its position in Coterra Energy by 8.1% in the 1st quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 5,923 shares of the companys stock valued at $165,000 after acquiring an additional 445 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Financial Advisors Network Inc. boosted its stake in Coterra Energy by 3.6% during the 4th quarter. Financial Advisors Network Inc. now owns 14,575 shares of the companys stock valued at $372,000 after purchasing an additional 501 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.92% of the companys stock.

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Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on CTRA shares. Wolfe Research started coverage on Coterra Energy in a report on Thursday, July 18th. They set an outperform rating and a $35.00 price target on the stock. Bank of America restated a buy rating and set a $34.00 target price on shares of Coterra Energy in a research note on Friday, June 14th. BMO Capital Markets raised shares of Coterra Energy to a hold rating in a report on Wednesday, July 3rd. Piper Sandler lowered their price objective on shares of Coterra Energy from $39.00 to $31.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 15th. Finally, Truist Financial cut their target price on shares of Coterra Energy from $35.00 to $34.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $33.56.

Coterra Energy Stock Performance

Shares of CTRA stock traded up $0.30 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $24.16. 3,569,652 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,367,413. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $25.76 and a 200 day moving average price of $26.63. The company has a market cap of $17.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.97, a P/E/G ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 0.24. Coterra Energy Inc. has a 12-month low of $23.18 and a 12-month high of $29.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 1.49 and a quick ratio of 1.46.

Coterra Energy (NYSE:CTRA  Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $0.37 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.39 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $1.27 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.32 billion. Coterra Energy had a return on equity of 10.49% and a net margin of 23.18%. The companys quarterly revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.38 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Coterra Energy Inc. will post 2.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Coterra Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 29th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 15th will be issued a $0.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 15th. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.48%. Coterra Energys dividend payout ratio is presently 48.55%.

About Coterra Energy

(Free Report)

Coterra Energy Inc, an independent oil and gas company, engages in the development, exploration, and production of oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids in the United States. The company's properties include the Marcellus Shale with approximately 186,000 net acres in the dry gas window of the play located in Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania; Permian Basin properties with approximately 296,000 net acres located in west Texas and southeast New Mexico; and Anadarko Basin properties with approximately 182,000 net acres located in Oklahoma.

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Financial Guidance Group Inc. trimmed its position in iShares Russell Mid-Cap Value ETF (NYSEARCA:IWS  Free Report) by 13.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 10,186 shares of the companys stock after selling 1,600 shares during the period. Financial Guidance Group Inc.s holdings in iShares Russell Mid-Cap Value ETF were worth $1,230,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Biltmore Family Office LLC grew its position in shares of iShares Russell Mid-Cap Value ETF by 27.7% in the 1st quarter. Biltmore Family Office LLC now owns 396 shares of the companys stock worth $50,000 after buying an additional 86 shares during the period. Cooper Financial Group increased its stake in shares of iShares Russell Mid-Cap Value ETF by 2.2% during the second quarter. Cooper Financial Group now owns 4,083 shares of the companys stock valued at $493,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. Freestone Capital Holdings LLC lifted its holdings in shares of iShares Russell Mid-Cap Value ETF by 1.5% during the first quarter. Freestone Capital Holdings LLC now owns 6,045 shares of the companys stock valued at $758,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. Guardian Asset Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of iShares Russell Mid-Cap Value ETF by 2.4% in the 2nd quarter. Guardian Asset Advisors LLC now owns 3,896 shares of the companys stock worth $471,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. Finally, O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of iShares Russell Mid-Cap Value ETF by 16.4% in the 1st quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 718 shares of the companys stock worth $90,000 after buying an additional 101 shares during the last quarter.

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iShares Russell Mid-Cap Value ETF Trading Up 1.6 %

iShares Russell Mid-Cap Value ETF stock traded up $1.99 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $129.50. The company had a trading volume of 271,389 shares, compared to its average volume of 439,827. The stocks 50 day moving average price is $123.54 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $121.88. The company has a market capitalization of $13.56 billion, a PE ratio of 17.15 and a beta of 0.97. iShares Russell Mid-Cap Value ETF has a 12 month low of $97.40 and a 12 month high of $129.69.

iShares Russell Mid-Cap Value ETF Company Profile

iShares Russell Mid-Cap Value ETF (the Fund), formerly iShares Russell Midcap 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 Russell Midcap Value Index (the Value Index). The Value Index measures the performance of the mid-capitalization value sector of the United States equity market.

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First Merchants Corp cut its position in Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE  Free Report) by 1.6% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 22,780 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock after selling 361 shares during the period. First Merchants Corps holdings in Pfizer were worth $637,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Olistico Wealth LLC bought a new position in Pfizer in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Pfizer during the second quarter valued at $29,000. Creekmur Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Pfizer in the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Trivant Custom Portfolio Group LLC raised its position in Pfizer by 100.0% in the 1st quarter. Trivant Custom Portfolio Group LLC now owns 1,200 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 600 shares during the last quarter. Finally, DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. bought a new position in Pfizer during the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. Institutional investors own 68.36% of the companys stock.

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Pfizer Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of PFE stock opened at $28.90 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.60. Pfizer Inc. has a one year low of $25.20 and a one year high of $36.94. The companys fifty day moving average price is $28.85 and its 200-day moving average price is $27.96. The company has a market capitalization of $163.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -481.67, a PEG ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 0.69.

Pfizer Announces Dividend

Pfizer ( NYSE:PFE Get Free Report ) last posted 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. The business had revenue of $13.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $12.96 billion. Pfizer had a positive return on equity of 8.42% and a negative net margin of 4.66%. The businesss quarterly revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.67 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Shareholders 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 yield of 5.81%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 26th. Pfizers dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -2,800.00%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on PFE shares. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Pfizer from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Daiwa Capital Markets raised Pfizer from a neutral rating to an outperform rating and increased their price target for the company from $28.00 to $34.00 in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an overweight rating and issued a $45.00 price objective on shares of Pfizer in a report on Monday, August 19th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Pfizer from $28.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research report on Thursday, May 2nd. Finally, 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 report on Thursday, May 2nd. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $34.54.

Read Our Latest Report on PFE

Pfizer 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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Participants of a cross-Strait journalism camp pose for a photo at Mutianyu section of the Great Wall in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 25, 2024.

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, focuses on opportunities and challenges for future journalists on both sides of the Strait in the era of all-encompassing media. (Xinhua/Li Xin)

Participants of a cross-Strait journalism camp visit the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 25, 2024.

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, focuses on opportunities and challenges for future journalists on both sides of the Strait in the era of all-encompassing media. (Xinhua/Li Xin)

Participants of a cross-Strait journalism camp visit the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 25, 2024.

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, focuses on opportunities and challenges for future journalists on both sides of the Strait in the era of all-encompassing media. (Xinhua/Li Xin)

A participant of a cross-Strait journalism camp takes photos of the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 25, 2024.

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, focuses on opportunities and challenges for future journalists on both sides of the Strait in the era of all-encompassing media. (Xinhua/Li Xin)
Shares of Fortis Inc. (TSE:FTS  Get Free Report) have been assigned an average recommendation of Hold from the eight analysts that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, five have issued a hold recommendation and two have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is C$58.90.

Several research firms have recently weighed in on FTS. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on Fortis from C$58.50 to C$59.00 in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Scotiabank upped their price target on Fortis from C$56.00 to C$63.00 and gave the stock a sector perform rating in a research report on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Fortis from C$56.00 to C$59.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 8th. CIBC increased their target price on shares of Fortis from C$57.00 to C$59.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Fortis from C$52.00 to C$53.00 in a research report on Thursday, July 25th.

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Fortis Stock Up 0.2 %

Fortis stock opened at C$59.49 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of C$56.03 and a 200-day moving average of C$54.52. The company has a quick ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 128.59. Fortis has a twelve month low of C$49.82 and a twelve month high of C$60.37. The stock has a market capitalization of C$29.46 billion, a PE ratio of 18.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.22.

Fortis (TSE:FTS  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The company reported C$0.67 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of C$0.65 by C$0.02. The business had revenue of C$2.67 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of C$2.71 billion. Fortis had a net margin of 14.35% and a return on equity of 7.44%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Fortis will post 3.2312668 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Fortis Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Sunday, September 1st will be issued a $0.59 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, August 20th. This represents a $2.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.97%. Fortiss payout ratio is 73.98%.

Insider Activity at Fortis

In other Fortis news, Senior Officer James Reid acquired 700 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 19th. The shares were purchased at an average price of C$52.37 per share, for a total transaction of C$36,659.00. 0.04% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About Fortis

(Get Free Report

Fortis Inc operates as an electric and gas utility company in Canada, the United States, and the Caribbean countries. It generates, transmits, and distributes electricity to approximately 447,000 retail customers in southeastern Arizona; and 103,000 retail customers in Arizona's Mohave and Santa Cruz counties with an aggregate capacity of 3,408 megawatts (MW), including 68 MW of solar capacity and 250 MV of wind capacity.

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UBS Group reissued their neutral rating on shares of Globant (NYSE:GLOB  Free Report) in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday morning, Marketbeat Ratings reports. They currently have a $235.00 price objective on the information technology services providers stock, up from their prior price objective of $225.00.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Canaccord Genuity Group dropped their price objective on shares of Globant from $230.00 to $175.00 and set a hold rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 17th. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Globant from $215.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Friday, July 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Globant from $218.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th. KeyCorp upped their price target on shares of Globant from $220.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Globant from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 13th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $221.42.

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Globant Stock Performance

Shares of GLOB opened at $203.12 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 53.31, a P/E/G ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 1.41. The companys fifty day moving average is $186.20 and its two-hundred day moving average is $191.49. Globant has a 1 year low of $151.68 and a 1 year high of $251.50.

Globant (NYSE:GLOB  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 15th. The information technology services provider reported $1.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.50 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $587.46 million for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $586.72 million. Globant had a net margin of 7.62% and a return on equity of 11.60%. Globants revenue was up 18.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.04 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Globant will post 5 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cetera Investment Advisers lifted its holdings in Globant by 5.9% in the 2nd quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 21,327 shares of the information technology services providers stock valued at $3,802,000 after purchasing an additional 1,187 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP lifted its holdings in Globant by 529.6% in the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 170 shares of the information technology services providers stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 143 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its holdings in Globant by 89.9% in the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 266,184 shares of the information technology services providers stock valued at $47,450,000 after purchasing an additional 126,030 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC lifted its holdings in Globant by 84.8% in the 2nd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 261,270 shares of the information technology services providers stock valued at $46,574,000 after purchasing an additional 119,860 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp purchased a new position in Globant in the 2nd quarter valued at about $4,750,000. 91.60% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Globant

(Get Free Report)

Globant SA, together with its subsidiaries, provides technology services worldwide. It provides digital solutions comprising blockchain, cloud technologies, cybersecurity, data and artificial intelligence, digital experience and performance, code, Internet of Things, metaverse, and engineering and testing; and enterprise technology solutions and services, such as Agile organization, Cultural Hacking, process optimization services, as well as AWS, Google Cloud, Microsoft, Oracle, SalesForce, SAP, and ServiceNow technology solutions.

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Independence Bank of Kentucky lifted its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC  Free Report) by 1,000.0% in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 275 shares of the construction companys stock after purchasing an additional 250 shares during the quarter. Independence Bank of Kentuckys holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $68,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Silvant Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 10.9% in the second quarter. Silvant Capital Management LLC now owns 105,971 shares of the construction companys stock valued at $26,353,000 after purchasing an additional 10,421 shares during the period. Quotient Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Vulcan Materials by 108.3% in the second quarter. Quotient Wealth Partners LLC now owns 2,571 shares of the construction companys stock valued at $639,000 after buying an additional 1,337 shares during the period. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials during the second quarter worth about $309,000. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vulcan Materials in the second quarter worth approximately $296,000. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Vulcan Materials by 0.5% in the second quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 23,282 shares of the construction companys stock valued at $5,790,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP David P. Clement sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $249.50, for a total transaction of $249,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,660 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $414,170. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.62% of the companys stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VMC has been the subject of several analyst reports. Stephens lowered their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $300.00 to $280.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Truist Financial dropped their target price on shares of Vulcan Materials from $320.00 to $300.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Loop Capital decreased their price target on Vulcan Materials from $305.00 to $285.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on Vulcan Materials from $267.00 to $257.00 and set a sector perform rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their target price on Vulcan Materials from $297.00 to $292.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $274.73.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on VMC

Vulcan Materials Stock Performance

Shares of VMC stock traded up $6.91 during trading on Friday, hitting $254.89. The companys stock had a trading volume of 1,252,331 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,005,313. The business has a fifty day moving average of $251.41 and a 200-day moving average of $257.33. The company has a market cap of $33.66 billion, a PE ratio of 37.21, a P/E/G ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.82. Vulcan Materials has a 52 week low of $190.51 and a 52 week high of $278.79. The company has a current ratio of 2.48, a quick ratio of 1.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 6th. The construction company reported $2.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $2.47 by ($0.12). The business had revenue of $2.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.03 billion. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 12.07% and a return on equity of 12.19%. The firms revenue for the quarter was down 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.29 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Vulcan Materials will post 7.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 4th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.46 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 15th. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.72%. Vulcan Materialss dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.86%.

About Vulcan Materials

(Free Report)

Vulcan Materials Company, together with its subsidiaries, produces and supplies construction aggregates primarily in the United States. It operates through four segments: Aggregates, Asphalt, Concrete, and Calcium. The company provides crushed stones, sand and gravel, sand, and other aggregates; and related products and services that are applied in construction and maintenance of highways, streets, and other public works, as well as in the construction of housing and commercial, industrial, and other nonresidential facilities.

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Intu Properties plc (LON:INTU  Get Free Report)s share price crossed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of GBX 1.78 ($0.02) and traded as high as GBX 4.20 ($0.05). Intu Properties shares last traded at GBX 1.78 ($0.02), with a volume of 165,598,938 shares trading hands.

Intu Properties Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of 24.07 million and a PE ratio of -0.01. The businesss fifty day moving average is GBX 1.78 and its two-hundred day moving average is GBX 1.78. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 271.93.

Intu Properties Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Intu owns and manages some of the best shopping centres, in some of the strongest locations, in the UK and Spain. Our UK portfolio is made up of 17 centres, including eight of the top-20, and in Spain we own three of the country's top-10 centres, with advanced plans to build a fourth. We are passionate about creating compelling experiences, in centre and online, that make our customers smile and help our retailers flourish.

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Laboratory Co. of America Holdings (NYSE:LH  Get Free Report) has been assigned an average recommendation of Moderate Buy from the thirteen brokerages that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $247.42.

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on LH. UBS Group raised their price objective on Laboratory Co. of America from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Laboratory Co. of America from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Laboratory Co. of America from $213.00 to $249.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of Laboratory Co. of America from $261.00 to $277.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on shares of Laboratory Co. of America from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd.

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Laboratory Co. of America Price Performance

Shares of NYSE LH opened at $230.89 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.46, a PEG ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.05. The business has a 50-day moving average of $214.04 and a 200-day moving average of $210.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.88 and a quick ratio of 0.76. Laboratory Co. of America has a fifty-two week low of $191.97 and a fifty-two week high of $238.46.

Laboratory Co. of America (NYSE:LH  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The medical research company reported $3.94 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.78 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $3.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $3.19 billion. Laboratory Co. of America had a return on equity of 15.39% and a net margin of 3.60%. Laboratory Co. of Americas revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.42 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Laboratory Co. of America will post 14.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Laboratory Co. of America Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 13th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 29th will be given a dividend of $0.72 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 29th. This represents a $2.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.25%. Laboratory Co. of Americas dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 57.95%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Laboratory Co. of America news, Director Kerrii B. Anderson sold 586 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $225.00, for a total transaction of $131,850.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 14,722 shares in the company, valued at $3,312,450. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, Director Kerrii B. Anderson sold 586 shares of Laboratory Co. of America stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $225.00, for a total value of $131,850.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 14,722 shares in the company, valued at $3,312,450. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Lance Berberian sold 12,093 shares of Laboratory Co. of America stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $229.10, for a total transaction of $2,770,506.30. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 15,921 shares of the companys stock, valued at $3,647,501.10. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 29,679 shares of company stock worth $6,716,306 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.85% of the companys stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Laboratory Co. of America

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Industrial Alliance Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Laboratory Co. of America in the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC bought a new position in Laboratory Co. of America in the first quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Innealta Capital LLC bought a new position in Laboratory Co. of America in the second quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Family Firm Inc. bought a new position in Laboratory Co. of America in the second quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Finally, McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Laboratory Co. of America by 313.2% in the first quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 219 shares of the medical research companys stock valued at $48,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. 95.94% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Laboratory Co. of America Company Profile

(Get Free Report

Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings operates as a life sciences company that provides vital information to help doctors, hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, researchers, and patients make clear and confident decisions. It operates in two segments, Labcorp Diagnostics (Dx) and Biopharma Laboratory Services (BLS).

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Louisiana State Employees Retirement System boosted its position in shares of Korn Ferry (NYSE:KFY  Free Report) by 1.2% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 26,300 shares of the business services providers stock after acquiring an additional 300 shares during the period. Louisiana State Employees Retirement Systems holdings in Korn Ferry were worth $1,766,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in KFY. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Korn Ferry by 2.2% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,354,443 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $417,868,000 after buying an additional 134,209 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in Korn Ferry by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,205,679 shares of the business services providers stock worth $190,257,000 after purchasing an additional 10,322 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its stake in Korn Ferry by 0.4% in the 1st quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,383,702 shares of the business services providers stock worth $90,992,000 after purchasing an additional 5,261 shares during the period. Pzena Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Korn Ferry by 24.6% during the 1st quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 1,118,694 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $73,565,000 after buying an additional 220,564 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC bought a new stake in shares of Korn Ferry during the first quarter valued at approximately $52,948,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.82% of the companys stock.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on KFY. StockNews.com upgraded Korn Ferry from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, June 20th. UBS Group raised their price target on Korn Ferry from $66.00 to $68.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Friday, June 7th. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on Korn Ferry from $72.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Friday, June 14th. Finally, Truist Financial reissued a buy rating and issued a $78.00 target price (up from $74.00) on shares of Korn Ferry in a report on Friday, June 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $75.00.

Korn Ferry Trading Up 3.0 %

Shares of NYSE KFY opened at $72.16 on Friday. Korn Ferry has a fifty-two week low of $44.45 and a fifty-two week high of $75.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a quick ratio of 1.83 and a current ratio of 1.79. The company has a market cap of $3.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.41 and a beta of 1.54. The businesss 50 day moving average price is $68.51 and its 200-day moving average price is $65.01.

Korn Ferry (NYSE:KFY  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, June 13th. The business services provider reported $1.26 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.13 by $0.13. Korn Ferry had a net margin of 6.05% and a return on equity of 13.18%. The firm had revenue of $690.80 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $687.36 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.01 earnings per share. The companys revenue was down 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Korn Ferry will post 4.81 earnings per share for the current year.

Korn Ferry Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 31st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 3rd were issued a $0.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, July 3rd. This is an increase from Korn Ferrys previous quarterly dividend of $0.33. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.05%. Korn Ferrys dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 45.96%.

Insider Transactions at Korn Ferry

In other Korn Ferry news, CEO Mark Arian sold 5,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.01, for a total value of $330,050.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 91,484 shares in the company, valued at $6,038,858.84. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.50% of the companys stock.

Korn Ferry Company Profile

(Free Report)

Korn Ferry, together with its subsidiaries, provides organizational consulting services worldwide. It operates through four segments: Consulting, Digital, Executive Search, and Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) & Professional Search. The company provides executive search services to recruit board level, chief executive, other senior executive, and general management talent of organizations.

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Macquarie Group Limited (ASX:MQGPF  Get Free Report) announced a interim dividend on Wednesday, July 3rd, MarketIndexAU reports. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, September 11th will be given a dividend of 1.734 per share on Wednesday, September 11th. This represents a dividend yield of 1.65%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 26th.

Macquarie Group Stock Performance

About Macquarie Group

(Get Free Report)

Macquarie Group Limited provides diversified financial services in Australia, the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific. The company operates through four segments: Macquarie Asset Management (MAM), Banking and Financial Services (BFS), Commodities and Global Markets (CGM), and Macquarie Capital.

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Mayan Energy Ltd (LON:MYN  Get Free Report) crossed below its 50-day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a 50-day moving average of GBX 0.14 ($0.00) and traded as low as GBX 0.13 ($0.00). Mayan Energy shares last traded at GBX 0.14 ($0.00), with a volume of 16,096,226 shares.

Mayan Energy Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of 5.28 million and a PE ratio of -0.23. The company has a 50-day moving average price of GBX 0.14 and a 200-day moving average price of GBX 0.14.

Mayan Energy Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Mayan Energy Limited engages in the development, production, and sale of hydrocarbons and related activities in the United States. The company holds interests in Forest Hills project situated in Wood County, Texas; Stockdale oil fields located in Wilson County, Texas; Zink Ranch and Mathis leases situated in Osage County, Oklahoma; and Shoats Creek field located in Louisiana.

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Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. trimmed its position in shares of Newmont Co. (NYSE:NEM  Free Report) by 2.8% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 452,880 shares of the basic materials companys stock after selling 13,100 shares during the period. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V.s holdings in Newmont were worth $18,962,000 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 modified their holdings of NEM. LRI Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Newmont during the first quarter valued at $25,000. Manchester Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Heritage Wealth Advisors lifted its holdings in shares of Newmont by 1,310.4% in the 1st quarter. Heritage Wealth Advisors now owns 945 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 878 shares during the last quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Newmont in the 1st quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, Rise Advisors LLC grew its position in Newmont by 2,373.2% in the first quarter. Rise Advisors LLC now owns 1,014 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 973 shares in the last quarter. 68.85% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Newmont Stock Up 1.2 %

Shares of NEM stock traded up $0.63 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $52.04. 4,569,348 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 10,794,514. The company has a current ratio of 2.11, a quick ratio of 1.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The company has a market cap of $60.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -19.49, a P/E/G ratio of 0.37 and a beta of 0.47. Newmont Co. has a fifty-two week low of $29.42 and a fifty-two week high of $52.40. The stocks 50 day moving average is $46.36 and its 200-day moving average is $40.72.

Newmont Announces Dividend

Newmont ( NYSE:NEM Get Free Report ) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The basic materials company reported $0.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.62 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $4.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.13 billion. Newmont had a positive return on equity of 8.35% and a negative net margin of 13.16%. The firms quarterly revenue was up 64.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.33 EPS. Analysts predict that Newmont Co. will post 2.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Thursday, September 5th will be given a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.92%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 5th. Newmonts payout ratio is currently -37.45%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently issued reports on NEM. UBS Group raised Newmont from a neutral rating to a buy rating and raised their price objective for the company from $40.00 to $50.00 in a research note on Monday, June 17th. National Bank Financial cut shares of Newmont from an outperform overweight rating to a sector perform overweight rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 30th. Cibc World Mkts upgraded Newmont from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. Scotiabank upgraded shares of Newmont from a sector perform rating to a sector outperform rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $48.00 to $59.00 in a report on Monday, August 19th. Finally, Bank of America upped their target price on Newmont from $49.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, June 26th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Newmont presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $50.92.

Check Out Our Latest Analysis on NEM

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Newmont news, CEO Thomas Ronald Palmer sold 20,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.51, for a total transaction of $990,200.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 311,469 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,420,830.19. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.06% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Newmont Profile

(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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Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. reduced its stake in The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS  Free Report) by 3.8% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 74,100 shares of the investment management companys stock after selling 2,900 shares during the period. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V.s holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group were worth $33,517,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. First Merchants Corp bought a new position in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in the 2nd quarter worth $230,000. Bank of Stockton raised its holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group by 10.6% during the second quarter. Bank of Stockton now owns 2,639 shares of the investment management companys stock worth $1,194,000 after buying an additional 252 shares during the last quarter. LRI Investments LLC lifted its stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group by 747.9% in the second quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 1,628 shares of the investment management companys stock valued at $736,000 after buying an additional 1,436 shares in the last quarter. Gilliland Jeter Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group by 572.2% during the second quarter. Gilliland Jeter Wealth Management LLC now owns 363 shares of the investment management companys stock valued at $164,000 after buying an additional 309 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EdgeRock Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group during the second quarter worth about $148,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.21% of the companys stock.

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Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Brian J. Lee sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $505.99, for a total transaction of $1,770,965.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 12,095 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $6,119,949.05. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, insider Brian J. Lee sold 3,500 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $505.99, for a total transaction of $1,770,965.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 12,095 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $6,119,949.05. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Goldman Sachs Group Inc sold 4,000,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $6.34, for a total transaction of $25,360,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 12,981,022 shares in the company, valued at $82,299,679.48. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 4,013,500 shares of company stock worth $32,181,365 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.54% of the companys stock.

The Goldman Sachs Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE GS traded up $11.67 during trading on Friday, reaching $509.42. 1,751,832 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,301,381. The company has a 50-day moving average of $480.38 and a 200-day moving average of $440.15. The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $289.36 and a 52-week high of $517.26. The stock has a market capitalization of $164.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.97, a current ratio of 1.12 and a quick ratio of 0.74.

The Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 15th. The investment management company reported $8.62 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $8.52 by $0.10. The Goldman Sachs Group had a net margin of 9.36% and a return on equity of 10.26%. The business had revenue of $12.73 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.60 billion. Analysts forecast that The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. will post 36.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Goldman Sachs Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 30th will be issued a dividend of $3.00 per share. This is a boost from The Goldman Sachs Groups previous quarterly dividend of $2.75. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 30th. This represents a $12.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.36%. The Goldman Sachs Groups payout ratio is presently 46.86%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on GS shares. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a sector perform rating and issued a $500.00 price target on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on The Goldman Sachs Group from $485.00 to $520.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Thursday, June 27th. Oppenheimer raised their price objective on The Goldman Sachs Group from $504.00 to $559.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 16th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $504.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Tuesday, July 16th. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $493.00 to $565.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Tuesday, July 16th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $495.94.

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About The Goldman Sachs Group

(Free Report)

The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc, a financial institution, provides a range of financial services for corporations, financial institutions, governments, and individuals worldwide. It operates through Global Banking & Markets, Asset & Wealth Management, and Platform Solutions segments. The Global Banking & Markets segment provides financial advisory services, including strategic advisory assignments related to mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, corporate defense activities, restructurings, and spin-offs; and relationship lending, and acquisition financing, as well as secured lending, through structured credit and asset-backed lending and involved in financing under securities to resale agreements.

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This photo taken on Aug. 23, 2024 shows a view of the exhibition area of HICOOL 2024 Global Entrepreneur Summit in Beijing, capital of China. The global entrepreneur summit was held in Beijing from Friday to Sunday. (Xinhua/Ren Chao)

A boy plays chess with a robot at the exhibition area of HICOOL 2024 Global Entrepreneur Summit in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 24, 2024. The global entrepreneur summit was held in Beijing from Friday to Sunday. (Xinhua/Ren Chao)

This photo taken on Aug. 23, 2024 shows a painting robot at the exhibition area of HICOOL 2024 Global Entrepreneur Summit in Beijing, capital of China. The global entrepreneur summit was held in Beijing from Friday to Sunday. (Xinhua/Ren Chao)

People visit the exhibition area of HICOOL 2024 Global Entrepreneur Summit in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 24, 2024. The global entrepreneur summit was held in Beijing from Friday to Sunday. (Xinhua/Ren Chao)

A visitor experiences robot painting at the exhibition area of HICOOL 2024 Global Entrepreneur Summit in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 24, 2024. The global entrepreneur summit was held in Beijing from Friday to Sunday. (Xinhua/Ren Chao)

This photo taken on Aug. 24, 2024 shows a view of HICOOL 2024 Global Entrepreneur Summit in Beijing, capital of China. The global entrepreneur summit was held in Beijing from Friday to Sunday. (Xinhua/Ren Chao)

This photo taken on Aug. 23, 2024 shows a humanoid robot at the exhibition area of HICOOL 2024 Global Entrepreneur Summit in Beijing, capital of China. The global entrepreneur summit was held in Beijing from Friday to Sunday. (Xinhua/Ren Chao)

This photo taken on Aug. 23, 2024 shows a firefighting drone at the exhibition area of HICOOL 2024 Global Entrepreneur Summit in Beijing, capital of China. The global entrepreneur summit was held in Beijing from Friday to Sunday. (Xinhua/Ren Chao)

A visitor takes photos at the exhibition area of HICOOL 2024 Global Entrepreneur Summit in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 24, 2024. The global entrepreneur summit was held in Beijing from Friday to Sunday. (Xinhua/Ren Chao)

This photo taken on Aug. 23, 2024 shows a view of the opening ceremony of HICOOL 2024 Global Entrepreneur Summit and the Global Entrepreneurship Competition Awards Ceremony in Beijing, capital of China. The global entrepreneur summit was held in Beijing from Friday to Sunday. (Xinhua/Ren Chao)

This photo taken on Aug. 23, 2024 shows a view of the exhibition area of HICOOL 2024 Global Entrepreneur Summit in Beijing, capital of China. The global entrepreneur summit was held in Beijing from Friday to Sunday. (Xinhua/Ren Chao)

A visitor plays chess with a robot at the exhibition area of HICOOL 2024 Global Entrepreneur Summit in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 23, 2024. The global entrepreneur summit was held in Beijing from Friday to Sunday. (Xinhua/Ren Chao)

People visit the exhibition area of HICOOL 2024 Global Entrepreneur Summit in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 24, 2024. The global entrepreneur summit was held in Beijing from Friday to Sunday. (Xinhua/Ren Chao)

People visit the exhibition area of HICOOL 2024 Global Entrepreneur Summit in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 24, 2024. The global entrepreneur summit was held in Beijing from Friday to Sunday. (Xinhua/Ren Chao)

A visitor experiences a MR multi-person collaboration system at HICOOL 2024 Global Entrepreneur Summit in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 24, 2024. The global entrepreneur summit was held in Beijing from Friday to Sunday. (Xinhua/Ren Chao)

An exhibitor introduces agricultural products at the exhibition area of HICOOL 2024 Global Entrepreneur Summit in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 23, 2024. The global entrepreneur summit was held in Beijing from Friday to Sunday. (Xinhua/Ren Chao)
Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. lowered its holdings in Brookfield Asset Management Ltd. (NYSE:BAM  Free Report) (TSE:BAM.A) by 2.8% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 137,800 shares of the financial services providers stock after selling 4,000 shares during the period. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V.s holdings in Brookfield Asset Management were worth $5,245,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Brookfield Asset Management during the 4th quarter valued at $239,421,000. FIL Ltd raised its stake in shares of Brookfield Asset Management by 66.1% during the 4th quarter. FIL Ltd now owns 11,314,071 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $454,424,000 after purchasing an additional 4,501,410 shares during the period. Beutel Goodman & Co Ltd. lifted its holdings in Brookfield Asset Management by 114.5% during the 4th quarter. Beutel Goodman & Co Ltd. now owns 6,922,224 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $279,387,000 after purchasing an additional 3,695,774 shares in the last quarter. TD Asset Management Inc boosted its stake in Brookfield Asset Management by 29.2% in the 4th quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 11,498,183 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $464,078,000 after purchasing an additional 2,595,793 shares during the period. Finally, Capital World Investors grew its holdings in Brookfield Asset Management by 10.0% during the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 24,562,364 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $986,656,000 after buying an additional 2,241,372 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 68.41% of the companys stock.

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Brookfield Asset Management Stock Performance

NYSE:BAM traded up $1.51 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $41.59. The stock had a trading volume of 614,794 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,307,920. Brookfield Asset Management Ltd. has a one year low of $28.35 and a one year high of $44.38. The stock has a market capitalization of $18.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.51, a P/E/G ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.57. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $39.99 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $40.14.

Brookfield Asset Management Announces Dividend

Brookfield Asset Management ( NYSE:BAM Get Free Report ) (TSE:BAM.A) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, August 9th. The financial services provider reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.35 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $916.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.16 billion. Brookfield Asset Management had a net margin of 49.36% and a return on equity of 98.98%. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.28 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Brookfield Asset Management Ltd. will post 1.47 earnings per share for the current year.

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 30th will be given a $0.38 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 30th. This represents a $1.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.65%. Brookfield Asset Managements payout ratio is currently 140.74%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on BAM shares. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on shares of Brookfield Asset Management from $50.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Monday, April 29th. CIBC raised their price target on shares of Brookfield Asset Management from $47.00 to $49.00 and gave the company an outperformer rating in a report on Friday, July 19th. Scotiabank decreased their price target on shares of Brookfield Asset Management from $46.00 to $45.50 and set a sector outperform rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 8th. StockNews.com lowered Brookfield Asset Management from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Finally, TD Securities upped their target price on Brookfield Asset Management from $49.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Brookfield Asset Management presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $42.46.

Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on Brookfield Asset Management

Brookfield Asset Management Company Profile

(Free Report)

Brookfield Asset Management Ltd. is a real estate investment firm specializing in alternative asset management services. Its renewable power and transition business includes the operates in the hydroelectric, wind, solar, distributed generation, and sustainable solution sector. The company's infrastructure business engages in the utilities, transport, midstream, and data infrastructure sectors.

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New York State Teachers Retirement System cut its position in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM  Free Report) by 1.0% during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 216,066 shares of the financial services providers stock after selling 2,170 shares during the quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement Systems holdings in Unum Group were worth $11,043,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bay Colony Advisory Group Inc d b a Bay Colony Advisors boosted its stake in Unum Group by 18.9% in the second quarter. Bay Colony Advisory Group Inc d b a Bay Colony Advisors now owns 5,899 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $301,000 after acquiring an additional 937 shares during the last quarter. My Legacy Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Unum Group in the second quarter valued at about $473,000. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Unum Group by 1.8% in the second quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC now owns 15,865 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $811,000 after acquiring an additional 287 shares during the last quarter. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Unum Group in the second quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, NewSquare Capital LLC boosted its stake in Unum Group by 4.6% in the second quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 189,746 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $9,540,000 after acquiring an additional 8,333 shares during the last quarter. 86.57% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on UNM. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Unum Group from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. Truist Financial boosted their target price on shares of Unum Group from $62.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of Unum Group from $56.00 to $58.00 and gave the company an in-line rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 26th. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Unum Group from $62.00 to $69.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 23rd. Finally, Piper Sandler began coverage on shares of Unum Group in a research note on Thursday, July 11th. They set an overweight rating and a $57.00 price target on the stock. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $61.78.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Timothy Gerald Arnold sold 10,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.11, for a total transaction of $541,100.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 64,821 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $3,507,464.31. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.93% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Unum Group Price Performance

Unum Group stock traded up $0.19 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $54.24. 1,108,373 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,248,585. The companys fifty day moving average is $52.61 and its 200-day moving average is $51.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 0.28. The firm has a market cap of $10.08 billion, a PE ratio of 8.06, a PEG ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 0.81. Unum Group has a 52 week low of $41.75 and a 52 week high of $58.17.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM  Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The financial services provider reported $2.16 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $2.02 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $3.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.23 billion. Unum Group had a net margin of 10.40% and a return on equity of 15.55%. Unum Groups revenue was up 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.06 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Unum Group will post 8.51 EPS for the current year.

Unum Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 16th. Investors of record on Friday, July 26th were issued a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.10%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 26th. This is a positive change from Unum Groups previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. Unum Groups dividend payout ratio is 24.96%.

Unum Group declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback program on Tuesday, July 30th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the financial services provider to buy up to 10% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are often a sign that the companys board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

About Unum Group

(Free Report)

Unum Group, together with its subsidiaries, provides financial protection benefit solutions primarily in the United States, the United Kingdom, Poland, and internationally. It operates through Unum US, Unum International, Colonial Life, and Closed Block segment. The company offers group long-term and short-term disability, group life, and accidental death and dismemberment products; supplemental and voluntary products, such as individual disability, voluntary benefits, and dental and vision products; and accident, sickness, disability, life, and cancer and critical illness products.

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New York State Teachers Retirement System lessened its stake in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY  Free Report) by 2.9% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 133,060 shares of the companys stock after selling 3,923 shares during the quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System owned about 0.07% of Hershey worth $24,460,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in HSY. Riverview Trust Co bought a new position in Hershey in the first quarter worth approximately $29,000. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new position in shares of Hershey during the second quarter worth approximately $29,000. Crewe Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Hershey in the 1st quarter worth $35,000. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Park Place Capital Corp bought a new stake in Hershey during the 1st quarter valued at $36,000. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Hershey Stock Up 0.4 %

HSY opened at $196.33 on Friday. The Hershey Company has a twelve month low of $178.82 and a twelve month high of $219.92. The companys 50-day moving average price is $191.11 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $193.29. The stock has a market cap of $39.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.45, a PEG ratio of 4.96 and a beta of 0.36. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

Hershey ( NYSE:HSY Get Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $1.27 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.44 by ($0.17). The firm had revenue of $2.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $2.30 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 16.76% and a return on equity of 45.36%. Hersheys revenue for the quarter was down 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.01 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that The Hershey Company will post 9.59 earnings per share for the current year.

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 16th. Investors of record on Friday, August 16th will be paid a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.79%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 16th. Hersheys dividend payout ratio is currently 54.31%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.93, for a total transaction of $274,395.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 35,728 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,535,723.04. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In related news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Monday, June 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.93, for a total transaction of $274,395.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 35,728 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,535,723.04. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 538 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $199.17, for a total value of $107,153.46. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 3,238 shares in the company, valued at $644,912.46. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 3,538 shares of company stock worth $667,793 over the last quarter. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on HSY. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Hershey from $205.00 to $195.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a report on Friday, June 21st. Argus downgraded Hershey from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on Hershey in a research note on Monday, August 12th. They issued a sell rating and a $185.00 price objective for the company. Citigroup lifted their target price on Hershey from $188.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Piper Sandler reiterated a neutral rating and set a $179.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a report on Friday, June 21st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $203.47.

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About Hershey

(Free Report)

The Hershey Company, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and sale of confectionery products and pantry items in the United States and internationally. The company operates through three segments: North America Confectionery, North America Salty Snacks, and International. It offers chocolate and non-chocolate confectionery products; gum and mint refreshment products, including mints, chewing gums, and bubble gums; protein bars; pantry items, such as baking ingredients, toppings, beverages, and sundae syrups; and snack items comprising spreads, bars, snack bites, mixes, popcorn, and pretzels.

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Northcape Wealth Management LLC cut its stake in shares of Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ  Free Report) by 0.6% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 9,798 shares of the companys stock after selling 60 shares during the period. Northcape Wealth Management LLCs holdings in Constellation Brands were worth $2,521,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in STZ. Capital International Investors boosted its holdings in shares of Constellation Brands by 39.4% in the first quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 11,685,249 shares of the companys stock valued at $3,175,583,000 after buying an additional 3,304,709 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Constellation Brands in the 4th quarter worth $443,844,000. Capital World Investors increased its holdings in Constellation Brands by 8.7% during the 1st quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 9,040,669 shares of the companys stock worth $2,456,892,000 after purchasing an additional 723,549 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners acquired a new stake in shares of Constellation Brands in the 4th quarter valued at about $156,358,000. Finally, Manning & Napier Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Constellation Brands in the second quarter valued at about $119,394,000. Institutional investors own 77.34% of the companys stock.

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Constellation Brands Stock Performance

Shares of STZ stock traded up $1.48 during trading on Friday, reaching $245.18. 637,081 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,175,121. Constellation Brands, Inc. has a twelve month low of $227.50 and a twelve month high of $274.87. The firms fifty day moving average price is $250.01 and its 200-day moving average price is $253.77. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06. The stock has a market capitalization of $44.86 billion, a PE ratio of 18.27, a PEG ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.75.

Constellation Brands Dividend Announcement

Constellation Brands ( NYSE:STZ Get Free Report ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 3rd. The company reported $3.57 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.46 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $2.66 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.67 billion. Constellation Brands had a net margin of 22.70% and a return on equity of 23.72%. The companys quarterly revenue was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.91 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Constellation Brands, Inc. will post 13.57 EPS for the current year.

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 23rd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, August 14th were given a dividend of $1.01 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, August 14th. This represents a $4.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.65%. Constellation Brandss dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.10%.

Insider Transactions at Constellation Brands

In related news, EVP Kaneenat Kristann Carey sold 977 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $261.00, for a total transaction of $254,997.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 2,706 shares of the companys stock, valued at $706,266. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, EVP Kaneenat Kristann Carey sold 977 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $261.00, for a total transaction of $254,997.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 2,706 shares of the companys stock, valued at $706,266. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Garth Hankinson sold 13,583 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $240.00, for a total value of $3,259,920.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 11,702 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,808,480. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 16,414 shares of company stock worth $3,982,922 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 12.19% of the companys stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Roth Mkm decreased their price objective on Constellation Brands from $305.00 to $303.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 5th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of Constellation Brands from $310.00 to $311.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Friday, July 5th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Constellation Brands from $315.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Friday, July 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Constellation Brands from $291.00 to $320.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Friday, July 5th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Constellation Brands from $287.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Friday, July 19th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Constellation Brands presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $300.28.

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Constellation Brands Profile

(Free Report)

Constellation Brands, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, produces, imports, markets, and sells beer, wine, and spirits in the United States, Canada, Mexico, New Zealand, and Italy. The company provides beer primarily under the Corona Extra, Corona Familiar, Corona Hard Seltzer, Corona Light, Corona Non-Alcoholic, Corona Premier, Corona Refresca, Modelo Especial, Modelo Chelada, Modelo Negra, Modelo Oro, Victoria, Vicky Chamoy, and Pacifico brands.

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Ceredex Value Advisors LLC lifted its stake in PROG Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:PRG  Free Report) by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 291,550 shares of the companys stock after purchasing an additional 3,750 shares during the period. Ceredex Value Advisors LLCs holdings in PROG were worth $10,111,000 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. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale acquired a new stake in PROG during the first quarter worth about $59,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake 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 acquiring an additional 1,874 shares during the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co lifted its stake in shares of PROG by 8.4% in the 2nd quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 7,329 shares of the companys stock valued at $254,000 after purchasing an additional 569 shares during the last quarter. Inspire Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of PROG during the 1st quarter worth $256,000. Finally, ProShare Advisors LLC boosted its stake in PROG by 7.3% during the first quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 8,943 shares of the companys stock worth $308,000 after buying an additional 612 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.92% of the companys stock.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. KeyCorp increased their price objective on shares of PROG from $44.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. TD Cowen raised their price target on PROG from $40.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. BTIG Research started coverage on PROG in a report on Friday, June 7th. They issued a neutral rating on the stock. Finally, Loop Capital upgraded PROG from a hold rating to a buy rating and raised their target price for the company from $41.00 to $55.00 in a report on Monday, August 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five 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 $45.40.

PROG Stock Up 4.0 %

Shares of PROG stock traded up $1.81 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $47.23. 510,552 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 415,345. PROG Holdings, Inc. has a 1 year low of $26.39 and a 1 year high of $47.43. The firm has a market cap of $2.04 billion, a PE ratio of 19.28 and a beta of 2.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.80 and a current ratio of 3.87. The stocks fifty day moving average is $38.35 and its 200 day moving average is $35.22.

PROG (NYSE:PRG  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The company reported $0.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates 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 analyst estimates of $573.23 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.92 EPS. PROGs revenue for the quarter was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that PROG Holdings, Inc. will post 3.34 earnings per share for the current year.

PROG Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 20th will be given a dividend of $0.12 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, August 20th. This represents a $0.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.02%. PROGs dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 19.59%.

PROG Company Profile

(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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PSI Advisors LLC reduced its position in shares of The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO  Free Report) by 17.2% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,608 shares of the companys stock after selling 335 shares during the quarter. PSI Advisors LLCs holdings in Coca-Cola were worth $102,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners bought a new position in Coca-Cola during the 4th quarter valued at $67,000. GUNN & Co INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT INC. purchased a new stake in Coca-Cola in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,474,000. RWA Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in Coca-Cola by 95.3% in the 4th quarter. RWA Wealth Partners LLC now owns 108,461 shares of the companys stock valued at $6,392,000 after buying an additional 52,912 shares during the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Coca-Cola by 240.1% during the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 12,351 shares of the companys stock worth $728,000 after buying an additional 8,719 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Community Bank & Trust Waco Texas boosted its stake in shares of Coca-Cola by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Community Bank & Trust Waco Texas now owns 30,094 shares of the companys stock worth $1,773,000 after buying an additional 831 shares during the last quarter. 70.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Coca-Cola from $68.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Coca-Cola from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 1st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Coca-Cola from $70.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Coca-Cola from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Friday, July 19th. Finally, BNP Paribas assumed coverage on shares of Coca-Cola in a report on Monday, June 24th. They issued an outperform rating and a $72.00 price target on the stock. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve 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 $70.20.

Coca-Cola Trading Down 0.3 %

Shares of Coca-Cola stock opened at $69.33 on Friday. The companys 50-day moving average price is $65.60 and its 200-day moving average price is $62.62. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. The Coca-Cola Company has a 12-month low of $51.55 and a 12-month high of $70.13. The company has a market cap of $298.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.73, a PEG ratio of 3.80 and a beta of 0.59.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO  Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The company reported $0.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.81 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $12.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $11.78 billion. Coca-Cola had a net margin of 22.92% and a return on equity of 43.62%. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 3.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.78 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that The Coca-Cola Company will post 2.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Coca-Cola Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 1st. Investors of record on Friday, September 13th will be given a dividend of $0.485 per share. This represents a $1.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.80%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 13th. Coca-Colas payout ratio is 77.60%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, major shareholder Cola Co Coca sold 598,619 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $925.00, for a total value of $553,722,575.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 1,883,546 shares in the company, valued at $1,742,280,050. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Coca-Cola news, insider Nikolaos Koumettis sold 80,891 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.34, for a total transaction of $5,042,744.94. Following the sale, the insider now owns 218,880 shares in the company, valued at $13,644,979.20. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Cola Co Coca sold 598,619 shares of Coca-Cola stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $925.00, for a total value of $553,722,575.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 1,883,546 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,742,280,050. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 911,496 shares of company stock worth $574,502,713 over the last ninety days. 0.97% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Coca-Cola Profile

(Free Report)

The Coca-Cola Company, a beverage company, manufactures, markets, and sells various nonalcoholic beverages worldwide. The company provides sparkling soft drinks, sparkling flavors; water, sports, coffee, and tea; juice, value-added dairy, and plant-based beverages; and other beverages. It also offers beverage concentrates and syrups, as well as fountain syrups to fountain retailers, such as restaurants and convenience stores.

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Ono Pharmaceutical (OTCMKTS:OPHLY  Get Free Report) and Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY  Get Free Report) are both medical companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their valuation, dividends, earnings, analyst recommendations, profitability, institutional ownership and risk.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of recent ratings and price targets for Ono Pharmaceutical and Eli Lilly and Company, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

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Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Ono Pharmaceutical 0 0 0 0 N/A Eli Lilly and Company 0 2 16 0 2.89

Eli Lilly and Company has a consensus target price of $956.88, suggesting a potential upside of 0.43%. Given Eli Lilly and Companys higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Eli Lilly and Company is more favorable than Ono Pharmaceutical.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

Profitability

82.5% of Eli Lilly and Company shares are held by institutional investors. 0.1% of Eli Lilly and Company shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

This table compares Ono Pharmaceutical and Eli Lilly and Companys net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Ono Pharmaceutical N/A N/A N/A Eli Lilly and Company 17.08% 56.98% 10.94%

Dividends

Ono Pharmaceutical pays an annual dividend of $16.56 per share and has a dividend yield of 325.3%. Eli Lilly and Company pays an annual dividend of $5.20 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.5%. Ono Pharmaceutical pays out 362.6% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Eli Lilly and Company pays out 76.6% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Ono Pharmaceutical and Eli Lilly and Companys revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Ono Pharmaceutical N/A N/A N/A $4.57 1.11 Eli Lilly and Company $38.92 billion 23.26 $5.24 billion $6.79 140.32

Eli Lilly and Company has higher revenue and earnings than Ono Pharmaceutical. Ono Pharmaceutical is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Eli Lilly and Company, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Summary

Eli Lilly and Company beats Ono Pharmaceutical on 11 of the 12 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Ono Pharmaceutical

(Get Free Report)

Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, produces, purchases, and sells pharmaceuticals and diagnostic reagents worldwide. It offers Opdivo Intravenous Infusion and Kyprolis Intravenous Injection for malignant tumors; Emend capsules/Proemend intravenous injections for chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting; Demser capsules for the symptoms in patients with pheochromocytoma; and Mektovi, Velexbru, and Braftovi capsules for malignant tumors, as well as ADLUMIZ tablets for cancer cachexia. The company also provides Glactiv tablets for type 2 diabetes; Forxiga tablets for diabetes; Onoact Intravenous Infusion for tachyarrhythmia; Opalmon tablets to treat peripheral circulatory disorder; Coralan for chronic heart failure; Orencia injections for rheumatoid arthritis; Rivastach patches for Alzheimer's disease; Ongentys tablets for Parkinson's disease; Parsabiv, an intravenous infusion for dialysis patients; Staybla tablets for overactive bladder; Onon capsules and Dry Syrups for bronchial asthma and allergic rhinitis; and JOYCLU intra-articular injection for the improvement of joint function, as well as Recalbon tablets for osteoporosis. In addition, it develops products for hepatocellular and urothelial carcinoma; ovarian, bladder, prostate, pancreatic, gastric, esophageal, colorectal, thyroid, cell lung, and breast cancer; acute myeloid leukemia; solid tumors; myelodysplastic syndrome; melanoma; T-cell lymphoma; tachyarrhythmia; pemphigus; scleroderma; seizures; diabetic polyneuropathy; neurodegenerative diseases; autoimmune diseases; narcolepsy; and thrombosis. The company has a collaboration with Adimab, LLC to discover novel antibody drugs; a research collaboration with Turbine Ltd. to identify and validate novel oncology targets; Harvard University for validating novel therapeutic targets; and a strategic drug discovery collaboration with Sibylla Biotech in central nervous system disorders. The company was founded in 1717 and is headquartered in Osaka, Japan.

About Eli Lilly and Company

(Get 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. It also provides oncology products, including Alimta, Cyramza, Erbitux, Jaypirca, Retevmo, Tyvyt, and Verzenio. In addition, the company offers Olumiant for rheumatoid arthritis, atopic dermatitis, severe alopecia areata, and COVID-19; Taltz for plaque psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and non-radiographic axial spondylarthritis; Omvoh for ulcerative colitis; Cymbalta for depressive disorder, diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain, generalized anxiety disorder, fibromyalgia, and chronic musculoskeletal pain; Ebglyss for severe atopic dermatitis; and Emgality for migraine prevention and episodic cluster headache. Further, it provides Cialis for erectile dysfunction and benign prostatic hyperplasia; and Forteo for osteoporosis. It has collaborations with Incyte Corporation; Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd and Genentech, Inc.; Biologics, Inc., AbCellera Biologics Inc.; and Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. The company was founded in 1876 and is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana.

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Rogers Communications Inc. (NYSE:RCI  Get Free Report) (TSE:RCI.B) has been assigned a consensus rating of Moderate Buy from the five research firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $51.50.

A number of analysts have commented on the company. StockNews.com raised Rogers Communications from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report on Thursday, July 11th. Canaccord Genuity Group reiterated a hold rating and issued a $57.00 price objective (down from $59.00) on shares of Rogers Communications in a report on Thursday, July 25th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group cut shares of Rogers Communications from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Thursday, July 25th.

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Check Out Our Latest Research Report on RCI

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Rogers Communications

Rogers Communications Stock Performance

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brandes Investment Partners LP boosted its holdings in shares of Rogers Communications by 45.1% in the second quarter. Brandes Investment Partners LP now owns 37,273 shares of the Wireless communications providers stock worth $1,378,000 after buying an additional 11,591 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its holdings in Rogers Communications by 110.1% in the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 996 shares of the Wireless communications providers stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 522 shares during the period. Creative Planning lifted its position in Rogers Communications by 50.8% during the second quarter. Creative Planning now owns 21,796 shares of the Wireless communications providers stock valued at $806,000 after purchasing an additional 7,338 shares in the last quarter. Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC increased its position in Rogers Communications by 226.9% in the second quarter. Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC now owns 15,970 shares of the Wireless communications providers stock worth $590,000 after buying an additional 11,084 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mackenzie Financial Corp raised its stake in shares of Rogers Communications by 10.2% in the second quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 10,563,054 shares of the Wireless communications providers stock worth $390,738,000 after buying an additional 974,937 shares during the period. 45.49% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Shares of Rogers Communications stock opened at $40.82 on Monday. Rogers Communications has a 1 year low of $35.55 and a 1 year high of $48.19. The firms 50-day moving average is $38.09 and its 200 day moving average is $40.04. The stock has a market cap of $21.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.03, a PEG ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.58, a current ratio of 0.65 and a quick ratio of 0.60.

Rogers Communications (NYSE:RCI  Get Free Report) (TSE:RCI.B) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The Wireless communications provider reported $1.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.83 by $0.33. Rogers Communications had a net margin of 4.28% and a return on equity of 23.15%. The firm had revenue of $5.09 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.14 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.76 earnings per share. The businesss revenue was up .9% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Rogers Communications will post 3.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rogers Communications Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, September 9th will be issued a $0.365 dividend. This represents a $1.46 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.58%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 9th. Rogers Communicationss payout ratio is currently 180.00%.

Rogers Communications Company Profile

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Rogers Communications Inc operates as a communications and media company in Canada. It operates through three segments: Wireless, Cable, and Media. The company offers mobile Internet access, wireless voice and enhanced voice, device financing, device protection, global voice and data roaming, wireless home phone, bridging landline, machine-to-machine and Internet of Things solutions, and advanced wireless solutions for businesses, as well as device shipping and express pickup services; and postpaid and prepaid services under the Rogers, Fido, and chatr brands.

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Seabridge Gold Inc. (TSE:SEA  Get Free Report) (NYSE:SA) shares passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of C$19.71 and traded as high as C$24.93. Seabridge Gold shares last traded at C$24.73, with a volume of 51,626 shares trading hands.

Seabridge Gold Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of C$2.21 billion, a PE ratio of 274.78 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 57.06, a current ratio of 2.11 and a quick ratio of 3.34. The stocks fifty day moving average is C$20.98 and its 200-day moving average is C$19.71.

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Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Melanie Renee Miller sold 25,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of C$18.90, for a total transaction of C$472,500.00. In other news, Director Melanie Renee Miller sold 25,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of C$18.90, for a total transaction of C$472,500.00. Also, Senior Officer Christopher Justin Reynolds sold 2,123 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of C$23.06, for a total value of C$48,956.38. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 28,819 shares of company stock worth $558,886. Company insiders own 2.80% of the companys stock.

About Seabridge Gold

Seabridge Gold Inc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the acquisition and exploration of gold properties in North America. The company also explores for gold, copper, silver, and molybdenum deposits. Its principal projects are the Kerr-Sulphurets-Mitchell property and Iskut project located in British Columbia, Canada; Courageous Lake property situated in Northwest Territories, Canada; Snowstorm project situated in the Nevada; and 3 Aces project located in the Yukon Territory.

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Similarweb (NYSE:SMWB  Free Report) had its price objective hoisted by JMP Securities from $14.00 to $16.00 in a research note released on Wednesday morning, Benzinga reports. JMP Securities currently has a market outperform rating on the stock.

SMWB has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an overweight rating and issued a $10.00 price target on shares of Similarweb in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Barclays increased their target price on Similarweb from $9.00 to $10.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of Buy and a consensus price target of $11.20.

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Similarweb Price Performance

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Shares of SMWB stock opened at $8.70 on Wednesday. The companys fifty day moving average price is $7.33 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $7.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $684.26 million, a P/E ratio of -34.80 and a beta of 0.76. Similarweb has a 12 month low of $4.58 and a 12 month high of $9.76.

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd grew its position in shares of Similarweb by 122.5% during the 2nd quarter. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd now owns 11,580 shares of the companys stock valued at $90,000 after buying an additional 6,376 shares during the last quarter. Counterpoint Mutual Funds LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Similarweb during the 1st quarter worth approximately $136,000. Blair William & Co. IL lifted its holdings in shares of Similarweb by 20.1% in the 1st quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 21,662 shares of the companys stock worth $195,000 after purchasing an additional 3,621 shares during the last quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System boosted its position in Similarweb by 10.1% during the 1st quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 26,892 shares of the companys stock valued at $242,000 after purchasing an additional 2,475 shares during the period. Finally, Quadrature Capital Ltd bought a new position in Similarweb during the 1st quarter worth $311,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.59% of the companys stock.

About Similarweb

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Similarweb Ltd. provides cloud-based digital intelligence solutions in the United States, Europe, the Asia Pacific, the United Kingdom, Israel, and internationally. The company offers digital research intelligence solutions for its customers to benchmark performance against competitors and market leaders, analyze trends in the market, conduct deeper research into specific companies, and analyze audience behavior; and digital marketing intelligence solutions for its customers to understand their competitors' online acquisition strategies in each marketing channel, and optimize their own strategies.

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With the help of Insilico Medicine's research and development team in Shanghai, the globally leading AI-driven biotech company has condensed preclinical drug development from multiple years into just 18 months.

"Shanghai is our first choice to design new medicine, as it's the center of biopharmaceutical innovation," said Alex Zhavoronkov, founder and CEO of Insilico. "What's more, there are so many contract research organizations, talent and vibrant communities."

Headquartered in New York and Hong Kong, Insilico built a drug research and development center in Shanghai in 2019. It has now become the largest and most talent-intensive among the company's centers and offices globally.

Insilico is just one of the many foreign companies expanding investment in China, in order to tap broader market opportunities and cooperation space in new quality productive forces.

With innovation playing the leading role, new quality productive forces mean advanced productivity freed from traditional economic growth modes and productivity development paths. They feature high-tech, high efficiency, and high quality in line with the new development philosophy.

In the first seven months of 2024, the actual use of foreign investment in the high-tech manufacturing amounted to 69.58 billion yuan (about 9.75 billion U.S. dollar), which accounted for 12.9 percent of the nation's total actual use of foreign capital, marking a 2.6 percentage points increase compared to the same period last year.

Foreign direct investment in the medical instrument industry, technique service industry, as well as computer and office facilities manufacturing surged 87 percent, 41.3 percent and 32.4 percent, respectively.

Green development is the base of high-quality development, and new quality productive forces are inherently green, and plenty of foreign-funded companies are embracing ecological transformation following the trend of carbon neutrality in China.

A Tianjin factory of Danfoss, a Danish energy efficiency solution company, has achieved 100 percent green energy usage and plans to reduce 28,000 tonnes of carbon emissions annually. Airbus' Tianjin campus has reduced nearly 2,500 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions through green electricity since the beginning of this year.

According to data released by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, China will foster 5,095 green factories, 371 green industry parks, 605 supply chain management enterprises and about 35,000 green products.

"The cultivation of new quality productive forces provides broad marketing opportunities and new growth points", said President and CEO of Siemens China Xiao Song, adding that Siemens tends to combine digitalization and low-carbon trends to achieve high quality development.

China is continuing to ramp up efforts to attract foreign firms and further expand its high-level opening up.

An executive meeting of the State Council held Monday reviewed and approved the 2024 edition of a set of special administrative measures -- a negative list -- for foreign investment access.

According to the negative list, China will further relax restrictions on foreign investment by completely abolishing entry barriers in the manufacturing sector, while accelerating the opening up of sectors such as telecommunication, education and health care services.

"The dynamism of the Chinese market, coupled with the government's move to expand domestic demand and attract foreign investment, provides us with a broader space for development," said Tao Lin, vice president of Tesla.
JERUSALEM, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- An Israeli Navy soldier was killed during cross-border airstrikes between Israel and Hezbollah on Sunday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement.

The IDF identified the soldier as David Moshe Ben Shitrit, 21, from Geva Binyamin in the occupied West Bank, adding that he was killed "during combat in northern Israel."

According to Israel's state-owned Kan TV, he was injured by an Israeli interceptor missile that struck the Dvora patrol boat where he was stationed. The soldier then succumbed to his injuries. This occurred as Israel's aerial defense systems attempted to intercept a Hezbollah attack involving about 320 rockets.

The IDF reported that approximately 100 Israeli warplanes targeted dozens of sites in southern Lebanon, hitting hundreds of rocket launchers aimed at Israel.

The operation was described as a "preemptive attack" in response to Hezbollah's rocket and drone assault following the assassination of a senior leader in July. The IDF claimed its defense systems intercepted most of the incoming rockets and drones.

Lebanese sources reported four militants killed and six others wounded in southern Lebanon due to Israeli raids. 
SNS Financial Group LLC decreased its holdings in shares of iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF (BATS:QUAL  Free Report) by 0.4% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 706,677 shares of the companys stock after selling 2,820 shares during the period. iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF makes up 13.0% of SNS Financial Group LLCs holdings, making the stock its largest position. SNS Financial Group LLC owned 0.27% of iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF worth $120,672,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in QUAL. GAMMA Investing LLC bought a new stake in shares of iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF in the 4th quarter valued at $131,000. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich increased its position in shares of iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF by 12.8% in the 4th quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 99,913 shares of the companys stock valued at $14,721,000 after buying an additional 11,322 shares in the last quarter. Advanced Asset Management Advisors Inc bought a new stake in shares of iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF in the 4th quarter valued at $206,000. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF by 14.2% in the 4th quarter. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC now owns 128,054 shares of the companys stock valued at $18,842,000 after buying an additional 15,951 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kovack Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF by 65.0% in the 4th quarter. Kovack Advisors Inc. now owns 3,550 shares of the companys stock valued at $522,000 after buying an additional 1,398 shares in the last quarter.

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iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF Price Performance

QUAL stock traded up $1.61 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $177.38. 674,656 shares of the stock were exchanged. The firms 50-day moving average is $171.64 and its 200-day moving average is $165.42. The company has a market cap of $46.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.03 and a beta of 1.03. iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF has a 12 month low of $71.96 and a 12 month high of $88.63.

iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF Profile

The iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF (QUAL) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the MSCI USA Sector Neutral Quality index. The fund tracks an index of US large- and mid-cap stocks, selected and weighted by high ROE, stable earnings growth and low debt\u002Fequity, relative to peers in each sector.

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Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile (NYSE:SQM  Get Free Report) posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday. The basic materials company reported $0.75 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.99 by ($0.24), Briefing.com reports. Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile had a return on equity of 30.74% and a net margin of 6.25%. The business had revenue of $1.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $1.27 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.03 EPS.

Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile Trading Up 3.0 %

Shares of NYSE:SQM traded up $1.14 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $38.65. 955,849 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,230,135. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 2.34 and a quick ratio of 1.61. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $39.20 and a 200-day moving average price of $43.98. Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile has a 1 year low of $32.24 and a 1 year high of $66.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 11.53 and a beta of 1.05.

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Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on SQM shares. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target on Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile from $70.00 to $65.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 24th. Berenberg Bank assumed coverage on Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. They set a hold rating and a $35.00 price objective on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Bank of America lowered their price target on shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile from $47.00 to $38.00 and set an underperform rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their target price on Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile from $45.00 to $36.00 and set a hold rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned 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 Hold and a consensus target price of $56.43.

Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile Company Profile

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Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile SA produces and distributes specialty plant nutrients, iodine derivatives, lithium derivatives, potassium chloride and sulfate, industrial chemicals, and other products and services. The company offers specialty plant nutrients, including potassium nitrate, sodium nitrate, sodium potassium nitrate, specialty blends, and other specialty fertilizers.

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Hyatt Hotels (NYSE:H  Free Report) had its target price hoisted by Stifel Nicolaus from $141.00 to $151.00 in a report issued on Tuesday morning, Benzinga reports. Stifel Nicolaus currently has a hold rating on the stock.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on H. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on Hyatt Hotels from $162.00 to $158.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Barclays increased their price objective on Hyatt Hotels from $153.00 to $159.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research report on Friday, May 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price objective on Hyatt Hotels from $127.00 to $120.00 and set a hold rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Mizuho lowered their price objective on Hyatt Hotels from $204.00 to $200.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price target on Hyatt Hotels from $184.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Monday, May 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $149.17.

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Hyatt Hotels Price Performance

Hyatt Hotels stock opened at $148.74 on Tuesday. Hyatt Hotels has a one year low of $96.77 and a one year high of $162.24. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $147.18 and a 200-day moving average price of $148.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 0.59 and a quick ratio of 0.59. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.96 and a beta of 1.51.

Hyatt Hotels (NYSE:H  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The company reported $1.53 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.95 by $0.58. Hyatt Hotels had a return on equity of 8.44% and a net margin of 10.21%. The firm had revenue of $1.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.76 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.82 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Hyatt Hotels will post 3.47 EPS for the current year.

Hyatt Hotels Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 27th will be issued a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 27th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.40%. Hyatt Hotelss dividend payout ratio is currently 9.32%.

Insider Transactions at Hyatt Hotels

In related news, insider Joan Bottarini sold 305 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total value of $45,140.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 15,799 shares of the companys stock, valued at $2,338,252. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, Director Michael A. Rocca sold 1,189 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.52, for a total value of $177,779.28. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 20,219 shares of the companys stock, valued at $3,023,144.88. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Joan Bottarini sold 305 shares of Hyatt Hotels stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total value of $45,140.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 15,799 shares in the company, valued at $2,338,252. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 23.50% of the companys stock.

Institutional Trading of Hyatt Hotels

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its position in Hyatt Hotels by 165.7% during the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 53,887 shares of the companys stock valued at $8,601,000 after acquiring an additional 33,603 shares in the last quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama lifted its holdings in shares of Hyatt Hotels by 0.3% during the first quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 55,530 shares of the companys stock valued at $8,864,000 after purchasing an additional 146 shares during the last quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co lifted its holdings in shares of Hyatt Hotels by 31.9% during the first quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 39,485 shares of the companys stock valued at $6,300,000 after purchasing an additional 9,559 shares during the last quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. purchased a new position in shares of Hyatt Hotels during the first quarter valued at approximately $3,413,000. Finally, Duality Advisers LP purchased a new position in shares of Hyatt Hotels during the first quarter valued at approximately $1,850,000. 71.02% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Hyatt Hotels

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Hyatt Hotels Corporation operates as a hospitality company in the United States and internationally. It operates through Owned and Leased Hotels, Americas Management and Franchising, ASPAC Management and Franchising, EAME Management and Franchising, and Apple Leisure Group segments. The company manages, franchises, licenses, owns, and leases portfolio of properties, consisting of full-service hotels and resorts, select service hotels, and other properties, including timeshare, fractional, residential, vacation, and condominium units.

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Shares of The Scottish Investment Trust PLC (LON:SCIN  Get Free Report) crossed above its 50-day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a 50-day moving average of GBX 895 ($11.63) and traded as high as GBX 917 ($11.92). The Scottish Investment Trust shares last traded at GBX 895 ($11.63), with a volume of 35,892 shares traded.

The Scottish Investment Trust Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of 592.25 million and a P/E ratio of 1,570.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.72, a quick ratio of 10.04 and a current ratio of 10.35. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of GBX 895 and a 200-day moving average price of GBX 895.

About The Scottish Investment Trust

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The Scottish Investment Trust PLC is a publicly owned investment manager. The firm manages separate client-focused equity portfolios. It invests in public equity markets across the globe. It employs a fundamental analysis with a bottom-up stock picking approach. The Scottish Investment Trust PLC was founded in 1887 and is based in Edinburgh, United Kingdom.

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Baillie Gifford & Co. reduced its stake in shares of Veeva Systems Inc. (NYSE:VEEV  Free Report) by 12.4% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 50,154 shares of the technology companys stock after selling 7,081 shares during the quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co.s holdings in Veeva Systems were worth $9,179,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Slow Capital Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Veeva Systems by 1.1% in the 2nd quarter. Slow Capital Inc. now owns 12,154 shares of the technology companys stock worth $2,224,000 after acquiring an additional 128 shares during the period. Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in Veeva Systems during the second quarter worth approximately $267,000. DT Investment Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Veeva Systems in the second quarter worth approximately $35,000. Trust Co of Kansas boosted its stake in Veeva Systems by 3.3% during the 2nd quarter. Trust Co of Kansas now owns 25,467 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $4,661,000 after purchasing an additional 803 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rockland Trust Co. increased its position in shares of Veeva Systems by 11.2% during the 2nd quarter. Rockland Trust Co. now owns 101,057 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $18,494,000 after purchasing an additional 10,156 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.20% of the companys stock.

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Insider Transactions at Veeva Systems

In related news, CFO Timothy S. Cabral sold 15,000 shares of Veeva Systems stock in a transaction on Friday, June 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $184.33, for a total value of $2,764,950.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 8,391 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,546,713.03. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, CFO Timothy S. Cabral sold 15,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $184.33, for a total value of $2,764,950.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 8,391 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,546,713.03. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Jonathan Faddis sold 2,353 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total value of $470,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 9,035 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,807,000. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 10.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Veeva Systems Trading Up 1.1 %

VEEV stock traded up $2.19 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $199.25. The stock had a trading volume of 871,906 shares, compared to its average volume of 726,006. Veeva Systems Inc. has a 1-year low of $162.72 and a 1-year high of $236.90. The company has a fifty day moving average of $186.60 and a 200 day moving average of $202.37. The stock has a market capitalization of $32.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 58.78, a PEG ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.80.

Veeva Systems (NYSE:VEEV  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 30th. The technology company reported $1.03 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.93 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $650.35 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $641.73 million. Veeva Systems had a return on equity of 12.74% and a net margin of 22.34%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Veeva Systems Inc. will post 4.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VEEV has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Truist Financial cut their price objective on Veeva Systems from $203.00 to $197.00 and set a hold rating for the company in a report on Friday, June 14th. Piper Sandler lowered their price objective on shares of Veeva Systems from $235.00 to $225.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 12th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on shares of Veeva Systems from $250.00 to $210.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 31st. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of Veeva Systems from $210.00 to $173.00 and set an underweight rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 31st. Finally, Guggenheim upped their price target on Veeva Systems from $211.00 to $233.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Thursday, July 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Veeva Systems has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $228.27.

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Veeva Systems Company Profile

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Veeva Systems Inc provides cloud-based software for the life sciences industry. It offers Veeva Commercial Cloud, a suite of software and analytics solutions, such as Veeva customer relationship management (CRM) that enable customer-facing employees at pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies; Veeva Vault PromoMats, an end-to-end content and digital asset management solution; Veeva Vault Medical that provides source of medical content across multiple channels and geographies; Veeva Crossix, an analytics platform for pharmaceutical brands; Veeva OpenData, a customer reference data solution; Veeva Link, a data application that allows link to generate real-time intelligence; and Veeva Compass includes de-identified and longitudinal patient data for the United States.

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Estee Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL  Free Report) had its price target lowered by Wells Fargo & Company from $130.00 to $117.00 in a research note released on Tuesday morning, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an overweight rating on the stock.

Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. UBS Group dropped their price objective on Estee Lauder Companies from $115.00 to $104.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Raymond James cut shares of Estee Lauder Companies from a strong-buy rating to a market perform rating in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. Piper Sandler reduced their price objective on shares of Estee Lauder Companies from $141.00 to $108.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 11th. Bank of America downgraded shares of Estee Lauder Companies from a buy rating to a neutral rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $140.00 to $100.00 in a report on Friday, August 16th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group reissued a hold rating and set a $100.00 target price on shares of Estee Lauder Companies in a research note on Tuesday. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $124.39.

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Estee Lauder Companies Stock Performance

EL stock opened at $93.67 on Tuesday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $100.83 and a 200 day simple moving average of $126.09. The company has a market capitalization of $33.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.62, a PEG ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. Estee Lauder Companies has a fifty-two week low of $86.05 and a fifty-two week high of $165.76.

Estee Lauder Companies (NYSE:EL  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 19th. The company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.25 by $0.39. Estee Lauder Companies had a net margin of 4.18% and a return on equity of 13.08%. The company had revenue of $3.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.80 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.07 EPS. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Estee Lauder Companies will post 2.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Estee Lauder Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 16th. Investors of record on Friday, August 30th will be paid a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.82%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 30th. Estee Lauder Companiess dividend payout ratio is currently 148.31%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Jane Lauder sold 14,976 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.26, for a total value of $1,815,989.76. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 57,389 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,958,990.14. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 12.77% of the companys stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Estee Lauder Companies

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky grew its stake in shares of Estee Lauder Companies by 113.7% in the 4th quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 156,583 shares of the companys stock valued at $22,900,000 after buying an additional 83,320 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas bought a new stake in Estee Lauder Companies in the first quarter worth approximately $997,000. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Estee Lauder Companies during the 2nd quarter worth $558,000. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado raised its holdings in shares of Estee Lauder Companies by 3,477.8% during the 4th quarter. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado now owns 566,180 shares of the companys stock valued at $82,804,000 after purchasing an additional 550,355 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its holdings in shares of Estee Lauder Companies by 1.6% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 367,218 shares of the companys stock valued at $56,608,000 after purchasing an additional 5,915 shares in the last quarter. 55.15% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Estee Lauder Companies Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

The Estee Lauder Companies Inc manufactures, markets, and sells skin care, makeup, fragrance, and hair care products worldwide. It offers skin care products, including moisturizers, serums, cleansers, toners, body care, exfoliators, acne care and oil correctors, facial masks, and sun care products; and makeup products, such as lipsticks, lip glosses, mascaras, foundations, eyeshadows, nail polishes, and powders, as well as compacts, brushes, and other makeup tools.

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Hezbollah has launched a large-scale drone attack against Israel Sunday morning, the militant group announced in a statement. #XinhuaNews




Participants of a cross-Strait journalism camp visit the China National Archives of Publications and Culture (CNAPC) in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 24, 2024. A cross-Strait journalism camp for university students opened on Tuesday, 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. (Xinhua/Li Xin)

A participant of a cross-Strait journalism camp takes photos at the China National Archives of Publications and Culture (CNAPC) in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 24, 2024. A cross-Strait journalism camp for university students opened on Tuesday, 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. (Xinhua/Li Xin)

Participants of a cross-Strait journalism camp visit the China National Archives of Publications and Culture (CNAPC) in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 24, 2024. A cross-Strait journalism camp for university students opened on Tuesday, 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. (Xinhua/Li Xin)

Participants of a cross-Strait journalism camp visit the China National Archives of Publications and Culture (CNAPC) in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 24, 2024. A cross-Strait journalism camp for university students opened on Tuesday, 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. (Xinhua/Li Xin)

Participants of a cross-Strait journalism camp visit the China National Archives of Publications and Culture (CNAPC) in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 24, 2024. A cross-Strait journalism camp for university students opened on Tuesday, 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. (Xinhua/Li Xin)

Participants of a cross-Strait journalism camp visit the China National Archives of Publications and Culture (CNAPC) in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 24, 2024. A cross-Strait journalism camp for university students opened on Tuesday, 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. (Xinhua/Li Xin)

Participants of a cross-Strait journalism camp visit the China National Archives of Publications and Culture (CNAPC) in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 24, 2024. A cross-Strait journalism camp for university students opened on Tuesday, 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. (Xinhua/Li Xin)

Participants of a cross-Strait journalism camp visit the China National Archives of Publications and Culture (CNAPC) in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 24, 2024. A cross-Strait journalism camp for university students opened on Tuesday, 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. (Xinhua/Li Xin)
HONG KONG, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- Accompanied by the music of composer Igor Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring, nearly 20 Hong Kong dancers showcased the charm of the "shared origin of martial arts and dance" through Chinese martial arts including Tai Chi, Tuishou and Sanda.

The Rite of Spring is a great piece of classical music. Miranda Chin, artistic director of Hong Kong-based Miranda Chin Dance Company, said that countless artists around the world have interpreted this work through their own cultures, inspiring her to create a dance drama that integrates Chinese elements and oriental aesthetics.

After more than 20 years of creation and refinement, Chin's team's He and The Rite of Spring ("He" means "harmony" in Chinese) made its debut at French May, a large-scale art and cultural event in Hong Kong, in June 2023.

The dance drama was one of 12 arts projects in Hong Kong selected and awarded by the China National Arts Fund 2024. The funding enables Chin's dance company to go on a tour in various places throughout the year.

Later this year, Chin's team will bring the dance drama to France. Chin looks forward to seeing foreign audiences appreciate Chinese culture which values harmony and peace through familiar music.

The dance drama is a successful attempt to blend East and West. In 2002, Chin began creating the dance drama when she was passionate about learning Tai Chi and martial arts. Based on ancient Chinese sacrificial rites, Chin incorporated Tai Chi, Tuishou and Sanda in her initial creation.

"Being able to interpret new connotations for the classic work The Rite of Spring from a unique Chinese aesthetic perspective and modern dance style not only reflects the charm of traditional Chinese culture, but also shows the innovation of contemporary artistic creation," said Chin, who will continue to explore more possibilities for the integration of Eastern and Western cultures in the future.

In the 1960s, as a dancer, Chin had the opportunity to be exposed to a diverse range of dance styles, including ballet and jazz. Among all dances, she was most passionate about Chinese dance.

"The costumes, music and movements of Chinese dance are very unique and rich, which fascinates me," Chin said, adding that she had always hoped to understand her own culture through dance.

Over the past decades, Chin has choreographed and directed nearly 100 dance works, many of which were rooted in Chinese culture. "I hope these dances will serve as ambassadors of cultural exchange, spreading Chinese culture more widely," she said. 
KABUL, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- Police arrested a drug smuggler and discovered 30 kg of opium poppy from his possession in the northern Afghanistan's Badakhshan province on Saturday, the provincial police said on Sunday.

The drug smuggler was attempting to take the contraband outside the province. He was identified and taken to police custody for further investigations.

Opium poppy has been largely used in manufacturing heroin. Afghanistan's caretaker government has banned poppy cultivation, processing and trafficking. 
This photo shows smoke caused by an Israeli airstrike in Al-Qusayr, Lebanon, Aug. 25, 2024. Three Hezbollah members and one member of the Amal Movement were killed, with six others wounded on Sunday following Israeli bombings in southern Lebanon, Lebanese military sources told Xinhua. (Photo by Ali Hashisho/Xinhua)

BEIRUT, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- Three Hezbollah members and one member of the Amal Movement were killed, with six others wounded on Sunday following Israeli bombings in southern Lebanon, Lebanese military sources told Xinhua.

The sources, who requested anonymity, reported that two Hezbollah members died in an airstrike targeting a house in al-Tiri, a village in southern Lebanon's central border area. Another Hezbollah member was killed and three others were wounded in an Israeli raid on the outskirts of Deir Seryan in the eastern border area. Additionally, a member of the Amal Movement was killed in an Israeli drone strike on a car in Khiam, a village in the southeast.

The sources also reported that three other individuals, including a displaced Syrian, were wounded in an airstrike on the city of Tyre in the western sector of southern Lebanon.

The Israeli strikes were a response to a large-scale attack, carried out by Hezbollah ealier on Sunday with hundreds of drones and rockets. Hezbollah confirmed in a statement that it had launched drones and rockets from various positions, crossing the Lebanese-Palestinian border to its intended targets, declaring its military operation for the day complete.

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati convened an emergency meeting to assess the situation and called for international intervention to halt the Israeli aggression.

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and the Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon (UNSCOL) issued a joint appeal for a ceasefire and restraint from further escalation in light of the recent developments along the Blue Line.

Tensions along the Lebanon-Israel border have intensified since an Israeli raid on the southern suburbs of Beirut on July 30, which killed seven Hezbollah members, including senior military commander Fouad Shokor. Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah had previously promised a severe response to the Israeli action. 
This photo taken on Aug. 25, 2024 shows a rotation ceremony of the Hong Kong Garrison of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) in Hong Kong, south China. (Photo by Zhang Yihan/Xinhua)

HONG KONG, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- The Hong Kong Garrison of the Chinese People's Liberation Army on Sunday completed the 27th rotation since it began garrisoning Hong Kong in 1997.

Approved by the Central Military Commission, the move is a routine annual rotation in line with the Law of the People's Republic of China on Garrisoning the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

The officers and soldiers leaving Hong Kong on rotation had successfully completed all tasks centered on defense during their garrisoning in Hong Kong.

On their departure, through the garrison's information office, they thanked all sectors of Hong Kong society and the public for their support during their stay in Hong Kong.

The new personnel, before arriving at the garrison barracks, underwent solid training and carried out studies to master the skills necessary to fulfill the defense duty for Hong Kong. 

This photo taken on Aug. 25, 2024 shows a rotation ceremony of the Hong Kong Garrison of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) in Hong Kong, south China. (Photo by Yi Ding/Xinhua)

This photo taken on Aug. 25, 2024 shows a rotation ceremony of the Hong Kong Garrison of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) in Hong Kong, south China. (Photo by Zhang Junhong/Xinhua)
Sea lions congregate at San Carlos Beach while local authorities decided to temporarily close the beach due to the large crowd of these marine mammals in Monterey, California, Aug. 22, 2024.
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SHIJIAZHUANG, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- Seeing a fleet of solar panels and windmills spreading over the Zhangbei Grassland, Surinamese Ambassador to China Pick Fung Ho-Chong was amazed at the rapid development of China's renewable energy sector.

"From something very rural, you get into the location where you see amazing technology," she said. "It's just like going into a wonderland."

This harmonious view of nature and people was shared by Ho-Chong and others in a delegation of senior diplomats and representatives from 23 countries and international organizations. From Aug. 20 to 23, they completed a four-day tour to Zhangjiakou and Shijiazhuang, two cities in north China's Hebei Province, where an innovation highland of green energy is taking shape.

They visited China's national wind and solar energy storage and transmission demonstration project in Zhangjiakou.

"It's impressive," said Bulgarian Ambassador to China Andrey Tehov. "For the first time, I see such a scene, with a combination of solar power and wind power. It is promising."

During his journey, Tehov also visited a wind-power equipment manufacturing cluster that has exported wind turbines to Bulgaria.

"They are already contributing to our green transition. And I hope that this trend will continue, and maybe we can even expand cooperation," noted the ambassador, adding that Chinese new-energy products are "probably the most favorable nowadays" in terms of "quality-to-cost ratios."

Zhangjiakou, with the richest wind resources in Hebei Province and about 3,000 hours of sunshine per year, is the perfect place to develop renewable energy. It is located in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, one of China's major power consumption hubs with a huge demand for green power.

Here, the delegation went into the largest ultra-large-scale computing power cluster in Asia, which provides big-data services for Chinese internet giants. The power supply of the data centers in this area is 100 percent green.

"It really opened our eyes with regard to what China has been doing on new energy," noted Tanzanian Ambassador to China Khamis Mussa Omar.

He said that China's investment in clean energy innovation and the success it has achieved so far make it possible for developing countries to avoid going down the same path that other countries have followed.

Besides solar-wind power, hydrogen energy is also developing rapidly in Hebei. During the 2022 Winter Olympics, over 800 buses equipped with hydrogen fuel cells shuttled global athletes and officials between Beijing and Zhangjiakou.

Currently, more than 5,000 buses, trailers, forklifts and other vehicles fueled by made-in-Hebei hydrogen cells are operating across China.

Walking along the assembly line of a hydrogen fuel cell manufacturer, the diplomats showed great interest in the cost control, commercialization and prospects of this new technology.

"It's really, really encouraging. It's an example for the rest of the industry to follow," said Marcelo Gabriel Suarez Salvia, Argentine ambassador to China.

Ian Marshall, Grenadian ambassador to China, commended China for its wide array of applications of hydrogen over the years, describing it as "quite amazing."

"It shows the determination and the skill of the Chinese people, the advance of futuristic thinking of the company leaders and government, and I think it's commendable," said Marshall.

At an exchange conference on new energy industry promotion and cooperation, many diplomats and representatives expressed their wish to further enhance collaboration with China.

"For Sino-African cooperation, we look forward to the upcoming 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) this September, hoping the new clean-energy agenda will feature prominently," said Omar, the Tanzanian ambassador.

Stephen Kargbo, the United Nations Industry and Development (UNIDO) representative to China, noted that UNIDO is deeply committed to supporting Hebei's efforts to become a leader in the new energy sector. "Green energy would drive green industrialization. And of course, green industrialization would drive green economic growth," he said.

At the end of the conference, after talking with business representatives to seek opportunities for further collaboration, Ho-Chong, the Surinamese ambassador, said: "Every time, I'm so impressed by the development in this sector. China never ceases to surprise us." 
Reporter

Andrew Roberto was raised his whole life on Saipan. He graduated from Saipan Southern High School, holds a degree from Northern Marianas College, and a BA in English from the University of Guam. He once worked for KUAM, UNO Magazine, and the Guam Daily Post.
In this file photo from 2023, Bikini islanders demonstrate outside their local government town hall in Majuro calling for investigation into leaders' spending that has exhausted a trust fund that provided aid to the displaced community for over 40 years. New leaders, elected in November 2023, filed suit this week against their U.S.-based trustee.
This photo taken on Aug. 23, 2024 shows a view of the exhibition area of HICOOL 2024 Global Entrepreneur Summit in Beijing, capital of China. The global entrepreneur summit was held in Beijing from Friday to Sunday. (Xinhua/Ren Chao)

BEIJING, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- HICOOL, a startup ecosystem established in Beijing in 2020 to support entrepreneurial talent, has seen its initial vision become a reality.

Over the past five years, HICOOL has nurtured 16 unicorn companies and 127 enterprises that use specialized and sophisticated technologies to produce novel and unique products. Meanwhile, it has attracted 32,000 entrepreneurial individuals and 24,000 projects from 145 countries and regions worldwide.

By doing so, HICOOL has extended an invitation to global entrepreneurs to convene in Beijing, showcasing the Chinese capital's efforts to become an international science and technology innovation center as well as a high-level talent hub.

As one of the unicorn enterprises that emerged from HICOOL, Agile Robots from Munich, Germany, participated in the HICOOL 2022 Global Entrepreneurship Competition and secured an award. With the support of various levels of government agencies in Beijing, the company has set up a state-of-the-art factory spanning nearly 5,300 square meters in the suburban area of Shunyi District.

"We have evolved from a small team of just over 10 individuals to a globally recognized high-tech enterprise with a workforce exceeding 2,800 employees, realizing a market valuation of more than 3.5 billion U.S. dollars and annual sales surpassing 1 billion yuan (about 140 million U.S. dollars)," noted Chen Wei, the company's deputy general manager.

Chen added that the company currently holds over 100 patents and has essentially achieved independent research and development of core technologies.

A highlight of this year's HICOOL 2024 Global Entrepreneur Summit, held from Aug. 23 to 25, is its focus on new quality productive forces, creating a platform to empower technology-based startups and encouraging innovation through value creation.

This year's session has drawn extensive attention from Chinese and foreign entrepreneurs. A total of 9,700 outstanding players and 7,406 entrepreneurship projects from 124 countries and regions participated in this year's global entrepreneurship competition during the summit, with overseas projects accounting for 63 percent of the total.

"Beijing is vibrant and brimming with innovation," remarked Zhang Xujia, founder of QL Biopharm and a first prize winner at this year's competition.

Specializing in the production of recombinant protein drugs using Escherichia coli, Zhang said the enterprise has taken root in the Zhongguancun Life Science Park, where it has pioneered innovative biopharmaceuticals for chronic metabolic diseases.

The company has also constructed a pivotal platform for independent innovation, with multiple technologies, including long-acting technology and fusion protein technology, all achieving a leading position on the global stage, Zhang added.

Rafael Suchan, a German entrepreneur and founder of Vastalta Circular Technology (Beijing) Co., Ltd., held the trophy in his hands as a third prize winner at this year's competition, acclaiming China's inclusive and open innovation ecosystem for entrepreneurs.

"Establishing our company in Beijing has provided us with a unique opportunity to bridge the gap between German engineering excellence and China's vast market potential. We are committed to contributing to the development of Beijing's circular economy and are excited about the opportunities that lie ahead," he said.

Wang Xiaodong, founder of BeiGene, a biopharmaceutical company that develops and commercializes cancer drugs, explains why entrepreneurship is important at the summit by using a set of data.

"Only around 10,000 people in China could afford a particular cancer drug in the past. But thanks to the rise of our homegrown companies, that number has soared to 1 million. That's what entrepreneurship is all about," Wang noted. 

A boy plays chess with a robot at the exhibition area of HICOOL 2024 Global Entrepreneur Summit in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 24, 2024. The global entrepreneur summit was held in Beijing from Friday to Sunday. (Xinhua/Ren Chao)

This photo taken on Aug. 23, 2024 shows a painting robot at the exhibition area of HICOOL 2024 Global Entrepreneur Summit in Beijing, capital of China. The global entrepreneur summit was held in Beijing from Friday to Sunday. (Xinhua/Ren Chao)

People visit the exhibition area of HICOOL 2024 Global Entrepreneur Summit in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 24, 2024. The global entrepreneur summit was held in Beijing from Friday to Sunday. (Xinhua/Ren Chao)

A visitor experiences robot painting at the exhibition area of HICOOL 2024 Global Entrepreneur Summit in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 24, 2024. The global entrepreneur summit was held in Beijing from Friday to Sunday. (Xinhua/Ren Chao)

This photo taken on Aug. 24, 2024 shows a view of HICOOL 2024 Global Entrepreneur Summit in Beijing, capital of China. The global entrepreneur summit was held in Beijing from Friday to Sunday. (Xinhua/Ren Chao)

This photo taken on Aug. 23, 2024 shows a humanoid robot at the exhibition area of HICOOL 2024 Global Entrepreneur Summit in Beijing, capital of China. The global entrepreneur summit was held in Beijing from Friday to Sunday. (Xinhua/Ren Chao)

This photo taken on Aug. 23, 2024 shows a firefighting drone at the exhibition area of HICOOL 2024 Global Entrepreneur Summit in Beijing, capital of China. The global entrepreneur summit was held in Beijing from Friday to Sunday. (Xinhua/Ren Chao)

A visitor takes photos at the exhibition area of HICOOL 2024 Global Entrepreneur Summit in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 24, 2024. The global entrepreneur summit was held in Beijing from Friday to Sunday. (Xinhua/Ren Chao)

This photo taken on Aug. 23, 2024 shows a view of the opening ceremony of HICOOL 2024 Global Entrepreneur Summit and the Global Entrepreneurship Competition Awards Ceremony in Beijing, capital of China. The global entrepreneur summit was held in Beijing from Friday to Sunday. (Xinhua/Ren Chao)

This photo taken on Aug. 23, 2024 shows a view of the exhibition area of HICOOL 2024 Global Entrepreneur Summit in Beijing, capital of China. The global entrepreneur summit was held in Beijing from Friday to Sunday. (Xinhua/Ren Chao)

A visitor plays chess with a robot at the exhibition area of HICOOL 2024 Global Entrepreneur Summit in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 23, 2024. The global entrepreneur summit was held in Beijing from Friday to Sunday. (Xinhua/Ren Chao)

People visit the exhibition area of HICOOL 2024 Global Entrepreneur Summit in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 24, 2024. The global entrepreneur summit was held in Beijing from Friday to Sunday. (Xinhua/Ren Chao)

People visit the exhibition area of HICOOL 2024 Global Entrepreneur Summit in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 24, 2024. The global entrepreneur summit was held in Beijing from Friday to Sunday. (Xinhua/Ren Chao)

A visitor experiences a MR multi-person collaboration system at HICOOL 2024 Global Entrepreneur Summit in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 24, 2024. The global entrepreneur summit was held in Beijing from Friday to Sunday. (Xinhua/Ren Chao)

An exhibitor introduces agricultural products at the exhibition area of HICOOL 2024 Global Entrepreneur Summit in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 23, 2024. The global entrepreneur summit was held in Beijing from Friday to Sunday. (Xinhua/Ren Chao)
Joseph Olivier Mendo'o, executive director of the International Exchange Department at the China-Africa Business Council, introduces African culture to Chinese students during his visit to Xindeng County in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, Aug. 25, 2022. (Xinhua)

BEIJING, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- As a doctoral graduate in international relations, Joseph Olivier Mendo'o, a Cameroonian man who loves reading, has discovered an enduring "book" in China. It is a tale he may never fully finish as it tells the story of the vast expanse of China's villages and their rural revitalization endeavors.

In 2013, Mendo'o graduated from the Free University of Berlin and returned to Cameroon, where he witnessed a number of Chinese-built infrastructure projects initiated under the Belt and Road Initiative and China-Africa cooperation. These developments sparked the curiosity of the then 20-year-old, prompting him to wonder about the distant land of China.

Driven by a desire to explore this faraway country, he enrolled in the Confucius Institute in Cameroon to learn Chinese, hoping to one day visit China and discover it for himself.

In 2016, Mendo'o realized his ambition by joining the School of International Studies at Peking University as a student pursuing a master's degree. However, he didn't limit his education to the campus. Over the years, he has visited about 50 different villages across China, where he focused his attention on local conditions and customs, and most importantly, grassroots efforts in the quest for rural revitalization.

"I come from Cameroon, an agriculture-based country, as are many African countries. I am very interested in how China helps rural areas develop, how to narrow the urban-rural gap, and how to alleviate poverty and ensure that the poor will not return to poverty. Africa needs such experience," said Mendo'o.

During his years of studying in China, Mendo'o has followed village officials around to understand their daily work, asking them questions like how to sell agricultural products from mountainous areas, and how to provide support for elderly people in their village.

He was impressed by the innovative yet practical approaches adopted by these villages. In a small village called Hezhai in Lankao County, central China's Henan Province, he found that villagers' income increased remarkably by developing the pear production industry, which includes growing pears and producing pear juice and dried pears.

In Shahao Village located in the dry region of north China's Shanxi Province, local villagers found their way to prosperity by developing traditional paper-cutting art. When Mendo'o took this story back to his native Africa, people there were amazed to learn that a cultural craft could drive economic growth in rural areas.

What struck Mendo'o most was the close bond existing between the local government, village officials and the community in the places he has visited in rural China.

"They know which family has a kid studying in the city, who is facing health challenges and what their needs are. This enables them to provide targeted solutions to address each problem, making the process both simple and efficient," Mendo'o explained.

As a result, he has acquired a deeper understanding of the people-centered approach taken by the Communist Party of China.

Mendo'o was also impressed by the active involvement of young people in rural revitalization.

"I have seen many young village officials who have just graduated from big cities like Beijing and Shanghai, and they volunteered to devote their knowledge and energy to rural revitalization," Mendo'o said.

Mendo'o has observed that many young African people are eager to promote cooperation between China and Africa, after completing their studies in China. Recognizing the vital role of the youth, he co-founded the China Africa Youth Federation in 2019 to organize exchange programs.

After graduating from Peking University, Mendo'o stepped into a new role as the executive director of the International Exchange Department at the China-Africa Business Council. He aspires to serve as a bridge between Chinese companies and Africa to foster greater cooperation.

In September this year, Mendo'o plans to embark on a new journey to coastal rural areas in Fujian Province to learn more about rural revitalization in that part of China.

"'As long as you work hard, you can grind an iron rod into a needle.' This is the Chinese proverb that has had the most profound impact on my life. It signifies that perseverance can make the impossible possible, much like China's path to poverty alleviation and my own life's journey," Mendo'o said. 
Harare  In a stunning revelation, Team Pachedu, the activist group that had vehemently challenged the outcome of the 2023 harmonised elections, has published data revealing who won the presidential race.

Freeman Chari, a prominent member of Team Pachedu, has released data from their collation of V11 forms, which represent 84% of all polling stations used in the election. The data which Chari claims to have verified shows President Mnangagwa garnering 52% of the vote, matching the official results announced by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC).

This revelation comes a year after the elections and follows months of accusations by Team Pachedu and other opposition groups that the elections were rigged in favour of President Mnangagwa. The group had claimed that their own parallel vote tabulation system, using the Mandla app, showed a different outcome, but they have now admitted that their figures were incomplete and inaccurate.

We did the best we could to collate results. And citizens did amazingly great by sending us the V11s from their polling stations. Within the first 2 days we had collated about 75% of the polling stations. We eventually were able to collate 10 250 polling stations which we could verify their results. These represent about 84% of all polling stations used. We did receive a lot of results from other polling stations which we could not authenticate or verify. I have excluded those results from this spreadsheet, Chari wrote in a statement on X, formerly Twitter.

Chari also admitted that their tally excluded many votes from ZANU PF strongholds in Mashonaland East, West and Central provinces, indicating that even by their own figures, President Mnangagwa had a significant lead.

We got a lot of dubious results from Mashonaland East, Central and West. Those polling stations have been excluded, Chari wrote.

The revelation has sparked outrage among opposition supporters who had been led to believe that the elections were stolen. Chari has been accused of betraying the opposition and undermining their efforts to challenge the election results.

We hoped CCC (Citizens Coalition for Change) would reject the whole election in toto. Unfortunately, some decided to go to Parliament and councils, Chari wrote.

Professor Jonathan Moyo, a veteran political scientist and former Minister of Higher Education, has been quick to point out the implications of Team Pachedus admission.

ALTHOUGH INEXPLICABLY COMING OUT INCOMPLETE AND TOO LATE, data from Freeman Chari is neither surprising nor new. Tellingly, it vindicates ZEC and explains why:

Nelson Chamisa did not make public the V11s he claimed he had which allegedly proved he had won the 2023 presidential election.

Said Chamisa, falsely, in August 2023,

We reject this sham result and flawed process based on the disputed figures. We have our V11s. I have asked our teams to bring those V11s. Im not so sure if they are here so that you can see them.

We have brought V11s from across the whole country. And those V11s are going to be the basis of our assertion. We have won this election.

Chamisa did not approach the ConCourt to challenge the 2023 presidential election result announced by ZEC. He do not have V11s to back up his claim. Sadc Election Observation Mission (SEOM) report has been used [abused] in place of V11s, which apparently show that Nelson Chamisa lost the 2023 presidential election. As former [Nigerian] President Goodluck Jonathan who has led various major election observer missions has repeatedly explained, no such mission has the capacity, mandate, authority or power to replace the judiciary of any country to invalidate an election. Except for two self-indulgent and wayward of their ranks, CCC MPs elected in 2023 resisted political pressure from Chamisa and his supporters to resign from Parliament in solidarity with Chamisa, when they knew that, unlike him who had no V11s to back up his claim that he won the 2023 presidential election; they had won their constituency seats fair and square and had the V11s to prove their victories.

All told, rine manyanga hariputirwe: Facts are stubborn!, Professor Jonathan Moyo wrote on X.

Prof Jonathan Moyos comments highlight the hypocrisy of the opposition, who have been using the lack of V11s as a weapon to delegitimize the election results while simultaneously benefiting from the very same system they claim to oppose.

Political analysts have also weighed in on the revelation, suggesting that Team Pachedus admission confirms the duplicity of opposition activists who have been undermining the credibility of the elections without providing any concrete evidence.

There was nothing extraordinary about what Chari and his shadowy group had done. These naysayers have never peddled their own agendas. They have always been emissaries of agents of doom. I am saying so because I dont believe that they have suddenly seen the light or that they are renouncing their agency, said Dr Augustine Tirivangana, an educationist.

Dr Tirivangana also pointed out that the SADC Election Observation Mission had endorsed the election results, and that President Mnangagwa has since been appointed as the new chair of the regional bloc.

Those who watched the inauguration ceremony will also confirm that even the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) publicly threw its weight behind the new chair of SADC, and, in fact, promised to fund several projects. Given this background, Chari and team want legitimacy by dancing along, for any talk about stolen elections has become both superficial and irrelevant. In any case, who are they to endorse our election results? What authority do they have? Just seeking the limelight for their own reasons, Dr Tirivangana added.

Another analyst, Dr Brain Sedze, accused Chari and Team Pachedu of being disingenuous in not publishing their results sooner for fear of upsetting opposition supporters.

He (Chari) is now coming out now because the person that they were banking on cannot be relied upon to take power. He does not have an institution, he does not have an ideology, he does not respect national emblems and calls it idol worship and he does not respect those who fought for this country . . . , said Dr Sedze.

However, Freeman Chari acknowledged in a follow-up statement that the election was not stolen on election day alone, but that the process had been flawed from the beginning.

I hope in your discussions you remember the election was not stolen on election day alone, it started in 2021. The voters roll was manipulated. The Delimitation disenfranchised CCC of 54 constituencies. ZEC added close to 1000 new polling stations a month before elections and did not provide a voters roll for those and it is from some of these polling stations we would see questionable and unstamped results like ED 999 , Chamisa 0. People who were supposed to vote on election day would go to their polling station and not find their name, there was no way to find where they should vote, Chari wrote.

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By Lambert Strether of Corrente.

Everybody knows what chokepoints are  think a robber baron stretching a chain across the Rhine to collect tolls  but nobody seems to have noticed how ubiquitous the checkpoint concept is, or in how many contexts it appears. I wish this post could be a unified theory of chokepoints, but its not. (If collecting material automagically produced a theory, Id be golden, but it doesnt, not even with AI). Instead, I hope readers will indulge me in my passion for maps. There are probably contractors The Blob laying out maps of global chokepoints for wargaming even as you read now!

Maritime chokepoints are top-of-mind for most people  I have to add -maritime to my searches to get decent results  so I will cover maritime chokepoints first. Then I will define the chokepoint concept to make clear how broad the concept really is. There are two ways of looking at chokepoints: As nodes in a network (pipelines, undersea cables, the supply chain, and traffic flows) and as standalone nodes (food, weaponry, technology). After that I will consider how chokepoints are affected by their environment, and how multiple chokepoints can be layered in the same face (Egypt, the Persian Gulf). I will concluded with a brief note on chokepoint capitalism (back to the robber barons!).

I hope this superficial review of various types of global chokepoints will infuse your reading with new insights, and perhaps in a few inspire thoughts of how actual choking might be instantiated. To maritime chokepoints

Maritime Chokepoints

From Phys.org in 2022, New analysis maps out impacts of marine chokepoint closures:

Cargo ships move about 80% of all international trade by volume and about 70% of it by value. Much of this trade passes through one or more marine chokepoints en route to its destination. Pratson estimates that value of trade through a number of these chokepoints, such as the Malacca Strait and South China Sea, rivals the GDPs of the worlds largest economies. Furthermore, some chokepoints, such as the Danish Straits, Bosporus Strait, Strait of Hormuz, East China Sea, and South China Sea, provide the only access to maritime trade for a large number of countries. If these chokepoints are shut down or if traffic through them is reduced for a prolonged period, as has happened in the Bosporus Strait during the war in Ukraine, the disruption can block or severely limit affected countries ability to import or export goods their economies and world markets alike depend on. This can cause volatility in global supplies and prices and spur a scramble by nations and businesses on both sides of the chokepoint to secure alternative sources or markets for critical goods.

Here is an example the shows intuitively what happens to one maritime chokepoint  the Red Sea  during a war:

How the world changed in 10 days A time-lapse visualizing the Houthi blockade at Red Sea chokepoint. pic.twitter.com/D3E582scEf  Prop. co (@propandco) January 1, 2024

I suppose if I were in the business of writing clever headlines, Id try: From Chokepoint to Flashpoint. More seriously, from National Geographic, This small strait is essential to global shipping. Now its the center of headlines:

The Bab el Mandeb is a small geographical chokepoint in the Red Sea with an outsized influence on world affairs: Its the key to the control of almost all shipping between the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea via the Suez Canal. Recent drone attacks on commercial shipping in the Bab el Mandeb by Yemen-based Houthi forces have prompted a coalition led by the United States to launch military strikes against targets controlled by the militants. And while the Bab el Mandeb is currently making headlines, its also played an outsized role in human historyheres what you should know.

Like so many maritime chokepoints, its a narrow strait, and therefore hazardous:

The name Bab el Mandeb means Gate of Tears or Gate of Grief in Arabic, from bab meaning gate and mandeb (or mandab) meaning lamentation. Its name appears to refer to the perils of navigating the narrow waterway, which is rife with crosscurrents, unpredictable winds, reefs, and shoals. Many ships in past centuries and millennia wrecked in the Bab el Mandeb, and modern ships also face the dangers of naval mines from bygone conflicts.

Here are three examples of maritime chokepoints represented as maps, by Chatham House, the Visual Capitalist, and the Boston Consulting Group. You will note subtle differences between them, showing the flexibility of the concept:

From Chatham House (2017), Chokepoints and Vulnerabilities in Global Food Trade:

International trade in [food] commodities is growing, increasing pressure on a small number of  chokepoints   critical junctures on transport routes through which exceptional volumes of trade pass. Three principal kinds of chokepoint are critical to global food security: maritime corridors such as straits and canals; coastal infrastructure in major crop-exporting regions; and inland transport infrastructure in major crop-exporting regions.

And the map:

The map does indeed represent not only maritime corridors, but types coastal and inland infrastructure. (Food, however, not represented as a chokepoint, although thats a possibility, as we shall see.)

From the Visual Capitalist (2021), Mapping the Worlds Key Maritime Choke Points:

Visual Capitalists map does not represent coastal and inland infrastructure; they do, however, have explanatory captions. They also have a handy chart of risks in maritime chokepoints.

Finally, the Boston Consulting Group (2024), These Four Chokepoints Are Threatening Global Trade:

Right now, more than 50% of global maritime trade is at threat of disruption in four key areas of the world. While the conflict in the Red Sea has been high in the news agenda, there are three other maritime passageways that risk becoming chokepoints due to either geopolitical or environmental factors.

I would say that a chokepoint does not become but is, and there are more than four. Here is the BCG map:

BGGs map differs from the other two in that routes are captioned as well as chokepoints.

Chokepoint Defined

Intuitively:

Here are three more formal definitions. From LIMN:

A chokepoint is a narrow corridor, a structural feature that restricts flow . Chokepoints are parts of a system that threaten to become a site of congestion or blockage, where movement might be stopped with very little effort. The network is often imagined as a form that routes around or bypasses chokepoints, but all networked systems still have at least one chokepoint. In most cases, they contain many bottlenecks, pressure points, and points of failure. This is true even for apparently distributed systems like the internet.

(Restricts flow like the robber baron. Or the Houthis.) Oxford Reference:

A point in a computer network through which all or most of the traffic in the network flows. Such points are vulnerable to both crackers and hardware failure. One of the main strategies of network designers is to minimize or eliminate the number of choke points.

And Wikipedia:

In military strategy, a choke point (or chokepoint), or sometimes bottleneck, is a geographical feature on land such as a valley, defile or bridge, or maritime passage through a critical waterway such as a strait, which an armed force is forced to pass through in order to reach its objective, sometimes on a substantially narrowed front and therefore greatly decreasing its combat effectiveness by making it harder to bring superior numbers to bear.

To me, all these definitions describe the same network structure, just in different fields using different terms. Now let us look at several networks besides maritime checkpoints.

Chokepoints as Networks

Here are several self-explanatory examples and maps.

Pipeline chokepoint:

(You have to imagine the network of this is node is a (terminating) part.)

Undersea Cable chokepoints. From LIMN:

Our undersea cable system forms the backbone of the global internet. The most frequently discussed and debated chokepoints in this system are geopolitical chokepoints. For example, if one looks at the map of the undersea cable system, its easy to locate where cable routes funnel through narrow geographic zones. These include the Strait of Malacca (between Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia), the Strait of Luzon (between Taiwan and the Philippines), and the crossing of Egypt and the Red Sea. At each of these points, cable traffic is rendered vulnerable not only because of geographic constraints (e.g. a canal, submarine topography), but also political constraints (including both national, territorial, and oceanic politics) that make it difficult to route elsewhere. Forced along a narrow path, cables often are subject to an increased threat of anchors, subsea movements, and nations and companies that control the space.

Here is an example of the Saudis strategizing on how to avoid cable chokepoints with cables on land, and not sea. From Middle East Eye, How Saudi Arabia is redrawing the map of the future with fibre-optic cables, the current map:

And the new map:

Supply chain chokepoints. From ResearchGate, Leveraging Drone Technology for Last-Mile Deliveries in the e-Tailing Ecosystem:

Yes, the sortation center is a chokepoint. So is the credit check (especially if that network goes down).

Somewhat farther afield, but showing once again the flexibility of the concept, traffic chokepoints. From Human Transit, Chokepoints as Traffic Meters and Transit Opportunities, No map (sorry), only prose:

The lesson of Seattle is that successful transit infrastructure responds to demand, and what drives transit demand is high overall travel demand plus serious barriers to driving. In Seattle, a lot of the barriers to driving take the form of hassle and delay, due to limited capacity through chokepoints Seattles advantage, in short, is a natural scarcity of transport routes, which is the same as an abundance of chokepoints. Because of this geography, even in the era when we were building roads everywhere, it just wasnt possible to build an oversupply of roads connecting the various parts of Seattle. So transits advantage remains. Effective transit infrastructure aims for the chokepoints, and seeks an advantage there. This is part of why various forms of Bus Rapid Transit have particular potential in Seattle: if you give transit an advantage through the chokepoint, you can achieve a lot of mode shift. The bus services across Lake Washington (between Seattle and its eastern suburbs) on I-90 do well because they have preferential access through a major chokepoint.

Chokepoints as Nodes (Network Implied)

Here is an map that only shows shipping volume at any given node, living the network implied. From Statista, Global Shippings Chokepoints:

Here is a chart that takes the same approach, for weaponry:

Excellent. They may have (had) 150,000 missiles, but the LAUNCHERS are a crucial chokepoint. https://t.co/8f1eLCsidU  Mitzi Rimon (@MitziRimon) August 25, 2024

Here is a chart that takes the same approach, but for technologies. From the Center for Security and Emerging Technologies (PDF), Summary of Chokepoints: Chinas Self-Identified Strategic Technology Import Dependencies:

One again we see the flexibility of the concept.

Influencing Chokepoints

Chokepoints can be affected by their environment. From Nature, Tracking the global reduction of marine traffic during the COVID-19 pandemic, a chart (chokepoints marked in blue):

New chokepoints can also affect old chokepoints. An interesting historical example from Mozambique from the Center for International Maritime Security:

Then came Suez:

The Suez Canal, opened on 17 November 1869, drastically reduced shipping times and costs for trade between Asia, Europe, and the Americas. This ended the Mozambique Channels longstanding and central function as the indispensable link between Asia and the West, relegating it to a supporting role.

A more contempary example would be Chinas Belt and Road initiative. From Rising Powers, Ten Maps to Explain Climate Change and Geopolitics:

One might regard Belt and Road as an enormous attempt to circument the maritime chokepoints set up by the West with a new network of chokepoints, but land-based.

Conclusion

It may be that the chokepoint concept is coming into its own, for good for ill. From the Financial Times (2024), Charting trade chokepoints: a how-to guide:

Last year, the commerce department launched a Supply Chain Center, to work with private sector partners on supply chain mapping. It has now begun quietly trialing a supply chain exposure tool that crunches trade and customs data from the US and many of its allies to create a detailed picture of where risks and opportunities lie. The idea is to figure out how healthy  or not  these countries really are when it comes to supply chains in a variety of sectors, such as semiconductors, critical minerals, consumer electronics and so on. How quickly could critical inputs be replaced from allies in case of war, a pandemic or a natural disaster? How much do they depend on others from a single nation, such as China or Russia? We wanted to create a common operating picture and shared set of facts for supply chain discussions with allies in Europe or nations that are part of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, says assistant secretary of commerce for industry and analysis Grant Harris, who created the new centre. Our baseline for those discussions too often had been, we should all do more, and then things would stall, because we didnt have the data for a more detailed conversation. It sounds like a no-brainer, but as someone whos been concerned with supply chains since the Rana Plaza factory collapse in Bangladesh in 2013, this is the most granular US government effort that Ive seen so far to map global chokepoints in a broad range of commercial sectors. (Id caveat this by noting that the departments of defence and energy have their own efforts targeted to their specific areas of interest.) According to several supply chain experts I spoke to, no other nation  apart from China  is doing more in terms of such cross-border mapping.

Meanwhile, very much outside the Commerce Department, we have the concept of Chokepoint Capitalism:

And those of you who considering internal expatriation might do well to consider where the next chokepoints might be:

Meanwhile, this 'realness' is situated along the St. Lawrence Seaway  the navigational chokepoint between the open ocean and 20% of the earth's fresh water. Massena feels like a wise and sleeping giant  the forgotten land whose geography may again build an empire. pic.twitter.com/ZRO3YzjgK9   (@shagbark_hick) October 18, 2022

Readers, more examples from your own encounters?
Biden admin appointee wants to queer NUCLEAR WEAPONS instead of focusing on national security

A recently hired official in the Biden administration's Department of Energy (DOE) purportedly wants to "queer" nuclear weapons as part of her agenda.

The National Pulse disclosed the official's name as Sneha Nair, special assistant at the DOE's National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). She was appointed to the position in February, following a stint at the Washington, D.C.-based Stimson Center think tank.

Nair reportedly links "queer theory" to nuclear disarmament, asserting that it can reshape perceptions of nuclear weapons traditionally used as security tools. According to her, queer theory highlights the harms caused by nuclear weapons  such as displacement, illness and trauma. It also challenges the view that nuclear deterrence improves national security. (Related: U.S. government has spent $4.1B in taxpayer money for LGBT initiatives worldwide over the past three fiscal years.)

Nair is also a proponent of incorporating woke diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) concepts into nuclear security, noting its importance in improving both workplace culture and national security. She argues that DEI, more broadly, "is essential for creating effective nuclear policy."

"Collectively, these principles [of DEI] can work to mitigate counterproductive work behavior and prevent disgruntled employees from becoming insider threats," Nair claimed in an April 2023 article examined by Fox News.

The NNSA official has also criticized existing security clearance processes, suggesting that they unfairly discourage qualified applicants with foreign ties due to racial biases. Interestingly, this is a case of the pot calling the kettle black  as the Stimson Center where she previously worked also has ties to foreign entities. The think tank has reportedly received funding from the Open Society Foundations owned by Hungarian globalist billionaire George Soros and the Embassy of Qatar.

Energy Department infiltrated by WOKE individuals

Nair's appointment at the Energy Department's NSSA comes two years after the non-binary Sam Brinton joined the agency. Brinton made the news in June 2022 when he was appointed as the deputy assistant secretary of spent fuel and waste disposition at the DOE's Office of Nuclear Energy.

"A lot of people ask, 'What in the world does your gender identity have to do with nuclear waste?' And I will respond with, 'I am given the opportunity to serve my country as I am,'" he told Brittany Jones-Cooper of Yahoo Lifestyle in an October 2022 interview.

"We'll be able to make sure that the nuclear waste that we have around the country is adequately stored, adequately transported and adequately disposed of by centering the needs of the communities themselves. The [DOE] has failed in the past to adequately protect individuals. I need to recognize that history while I try to change the future."

However, the Energy Department suspended Brinton in November 2022 following reports of the official stealing luggage from airport carousels. He was fired from the DOE the month after, concurrent with reports that he stole three pieces of luggage in various airports.

In July, Brinton entered a guilty plea that spared him jail time for all three charges of luggage theft. According to the Washington Free Beacon, Brinton would have spent up to 20 years behind bars for the felony charges.

"According to prosecutors, Brinton entered into an adult diversion program  which requires him to undergo mental health treatment, write a letter of apology and complete 50 hours of community service helping the elderly," the Free Beacon said.

Head over to Wokies.news for more stories about queer officials in the Biden administration.

Watch this video about the "queer" non-binary Sam Brinton, who was fired from the Energy Department in December 2022.

This video is from the Harry_knowledge123 channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Brannon Howse: US military under Biden is prioritizing WOKENESS over READINESS  Brighteon.TV.

Biden regime's drag queen Energy Department official gets coveted top secret "Q clearance," making him a national security risk.

Biden's choice of a transgender drag queen to head up the Department of Energy illustrates systemic problem of trans privilege in America.

GENDER-BENDER INSURRECTION: Get ready for the QUEER CAUCUS of Minnesota to try to "transition" the entire nation if Harris and Walz steal the election.

Sources include:

TheNationalPulse.com

FoxNews.com

Yahoo.com

FreeBeacon.com

Brighteon.com
RFK Jr. suspends presidential campaign, will join forces with Trump to save millions of children

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. today suspended his campaign for president of the United States as an independent, telling the media he no longer saw a path forward to victory in the face of relentless censorship .

(Article republished from ChildrensHealthDefense.org)

Kennedy said that following discussions with former President Donald Trump, he has agreed to join forces with Trump in a unity party, which will allow the two to work together on existential issues, including ending the war on Ukraine, censorship and the childhood chronic disease epidemic.

I believe I have a moral obligation to use this opportunity to save millions of children, Kennedy said.

Kennedy, founder and chairman on leave from Childrens Health Defense  whose campaign defied the odds by gathering more than 1 million signatures in a drive to get on the ballot in all 50 states  said he will remain on the ballot except in a handful of battleground states.

Kennedy delivered a scathing rebuke to the Democratic Party and the DNC, which he said dragged us into court, state after state after state in a campaign of legal warfare to keep him off the ballot.

He promised that if Trump is elected, in addition to ending chronic disease in children, he will work with Trump to clean up corrupt agencies and the corrupt food system.

Kennedy said he reached out to the Harris campaign in an attempt to engage them on issues he believes are critical to the countrys future, but the campaign didnt respond.

Calling it a difficult choice to join the Trump campaign Kennedy said, I have the certainty that this is what Im meant to do.  Ultimately the only thing that will save our country and our children is if we choose to love our kids more than we hate each other.

Ultimately, the only thing that will save our country and our children is if we choose to love our kids more than we hate each other. @RobertKennedyJr  Childrens Health Defense (@ChildrensHD) August 23, 2024

Kennedy launched his campaign on April 20, 2023, with a nearly two-hour speech in Boston, during which he vowed to reduce chronic disease in children.

He reminded the audience of the obligation Americas leaders have to protect children  from toxic pesticides, from dangerous pharmaceuticals and from the corrupt merger of state and corporate power that robs future generations of their health and of their ability to achieve financial security.

On Oct. 9, 2023, Kennedy said he would no longer challenge President Joe Biden for the Democratic nomination for U.S. president, announcing that he instead would run for president as an independent.

He told a crowd in Philadelphia that most Americans are tired of divisive politics and that they agree more than they disagree when it comes to issues like the environment, education and the economy.

We agree that we want a clean environment and wholesome communities for our kids, Kennedy said.

He accused both parties of being beholden to corporate donors.

Kennedy ended his speech with these words:

The most unifying theme for all Americans is that we all love our children. If we all unite around this issue now, we will finally give them the protection, the health and the future that they deserve.

Watch Kennedys address to the media:

Read more at: ChildrensHealthDefense.org
HOPE IN VAIN: Hope without promises or commitment, the Obama-style empty rhetoric, now to live on through Kommie Kamala

Obama always used to say, were looking at or we are in talks now about but nothing good got done, in fact, he jumpstarted communism in America, but hardly an American noticed for several years. The Health Ranger, Mike Adams, was one of the first journalists to call it out, saying Obama was a  sleeper cell  in the White House. Some question his rhetoric as Hope or Hopium? Hope is like a drug in that it can boost confidence and vision, but without action, commitment and persistence, it can vanish like a mirage, and what do you have to show for it? Obama divided the country and helped catapult the opioid and fentanyl crisis, bringing it from the laboratory to the street almost overnight.

Obama was always speaking about "considering" this and that, and we're taking a close look at ... never really saying he would do anything or lay out a plan for prosperity. Now we Commie Kommie delivering more of the same, and its hard to tell if Obama himself isnt writing her teleprompter scripts, speeches and hope talks. The toxic political torch has been passed, and the fumes are choking the masses. Commie Kommie will continue in Obama-style Marxist tradition, with open borders to import tons of fentanyl, illegal immigrants, criminals and terrorists. The sleeper cell in Washington DC has multiplied by cloning itself. Its the Deplorable Obamanites running for a 4th term.

Hope, hope and more delusional hope  welcome to the ultimate lame duck session under Obama-Biden-Kommie

In 2015, Health Ranger Mike Adams wrote, that President Obama was a sleeper cell and he was overseeing the destruction of American traditions, culture, security and liberty. Many Americans simply couldnt believe it. Millions of people were conned, on both sides, by the great orator delivering his version of delusional hope that never comes to fruition, in any way, shape or form.

In fact, it was just the opposite under Obama, as Americans lived through the absolute destruction of hope. Obama is a radical communist Muslim, the ultimate Manchurian candidate, who faked being American. Its treason, but nobody could bring themselves to destroy all that  wait for it  hope.

Then, millions of Americans started figuring it out, thanks to pioneers in the publishing business who spread truth news through independent channels, mediums and platforms that Big Media cant seem to vanquish fast enough. Still, at least half of the folks who voted for Obama, at least once, thought he meant well, and couldnt criticize anyhow, because he is  black.

And now the delusional and contagious power of hope sets in, again

Kamala, like Obama, is using the word hope to play on the emotions of anyone who liked Obama and feels hopeless now, in this horrid economy and the state of the nation. Kamala loves delivering her little victory party speeches of hope. Always hope, not a definitive platform of what will be accomplished. She doesnt even have a plan now, except communist price controls, open borders and free amnesty, loaded visas and healthcare for all illegal immigrants.

Kamala DEVI Harris (notice her middle name is just missing the last letter L), is already in cahoots with George Soros and his son, the heads of the two snakes of Satan, who have funded terrorism and mayhem across the world for decades, using George Soros Nazi war chest. Heres a photo of the new VP-puppet-to-be Tim Nazi Walz, hanging tight with Alexander Soros, son of the insidious George Soros at the Democrat National Convention just days ago.

Who do you think is funding the massive invasion of America by illegals? Who do you think has billions to waste on ruining America by insurgency of criminals and terrorists from around the globe? George Soros is 92 years old and worth nearly $7 billion. Hes as rich as Trump and wants to destroy America. Alexander Soros, Georges son, is now in control, and is in cahoots with Harris and Walz. Thats the epitome of evil forces in play here on Earth.

Who will fund the new riots in every city of America when Trump wins the election? Who will fund World War III? The Soro Klan. Thats who. They are Marxists and a Communists who despise America, just like Obama, Commie Kommie and Nazi Walz. Still choosing hope for your voting platform in November? Tune your patriot radio to Treason.news for updates on the criminals and commie freaks in the White House trying to finish their installation of communism in OUR republic. #FalseHopeDemocrats

Sources for this article include:

ZeroHedge.com

NaturalNews.com

Clemson.Edu

TruthWiki.org
IDF soldiers torturing, raping Palestinian prisoners without consequence  why is Israel never held to account for violations of human rights?

The heinous actions of the Israeli military against Palestinian inmates being held at makeshift detention centers set up in the aftermath of the October 7 attacks continue to make headlines as the Netanyahu regime doubles down on its war crimes.

Nine IDF soldiers from a prison unit called Force 100 at the Sde Teiman detention camp in Israel were arrested for gang-raping a Palestinian man with a sharp object back in late July, as one example. And from what we know, the incident is one of many that have occurred over the past 10 months.

(Related: Did you catch the footage exposing IDF soldiers for anally raping the unarmed Palestinian man in question, leaving him paralyzed?)

Reports indicate that at least 53 Palestinian prisoners have died in Israeli detention. Most of these deaths are believed to have occurred as a result of torture or denial of access to needed medical care. Since Israel is the country responsible, there have been no investigations or arrests made for any of those.

The "most moral army in the world?"

Consider the fact in light of all this that Israel has proclaimed its military to be the "most moral army in the world." Israel Defense Forces also claims to use only precision attack methods that minimize civilian casualties. Why, then, are we hearing about rapes and murders of Palestinians taking place inside Israeli prisons?

For the past 10 months, Israel has openly used starvation as a weapon of war against the roughly 2.3 million people who used to live in Gaza. Israel also demolished all of Gaza's hospitals, schools and around 70 percent of all residential homes.

More than 40,000 Palestinians have died at the hands of Israel since the start of the war. Another 21,000 children are reported to be missing. This and more is why Israel faces a genocide trial at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the highest court in the world.

Despite all this, Israel continues to receive limitless aid from the United States and its other allies that seem to be turning a blind eye to crimes against humanity because to speak out against them constitutes "antisemitism," according to Israel's most vehement supporters.

It would seem as though Israel routinely gets special privileges and treatment from much of the world due to its status as God's chosen people. In many ways, Israeli society has decided that Palestinians are sub-humans who are unworthy of being treated with dignity and humanity anyway, so who cares if they end up tortured or dead?

Some Israeli media outlets are starting to report testimonies from whistleblowers on the inside who have had enough of all the depravity. These whistleblowers are speaking out at great risk to themselves, but they are doing so on behalf of Palestinian victims of "appalling acts" of torture, sexual violence and other atrocities.

No matter what really happened on October 7, it does not excuse Israel's outsized response that shows little to no regard for non-Israeli human life. Forcing both men and women to stripe nude while having their genitals beaten, or while having sharp objects forced into their bodies, is not okay, and yet this is what Israeli soldiers continue to do to their captives.

The situation is especially horrific at Sde Teiman, which prompted Israel's high court to demand that officials explain why they feel they should be allowed to act well outside the bounds of Israeli law with their flagrant mistreatment of Palestinian prisoners.

"Israelis  no better than Nazis  and Hamas are both evil, that is true," one commenter wrote. "The injustices and evil they have inflicted on each other is astounding."

"Netanyahu is an evil man, a criminal, and a murderer. He and his collaborators  top generals, etc.  should be arrested and tried just like the Nazis were at Nuremberg."

The world is tired of Israel getting a free pass to commit crimes against humanity. Learn more at Prophecy.news.

Sources for this article include:

LifeSiteNews.com

NaturalNews.com
Muslim Women for Harris-Walz disbands and pulls its support for Kamala over Palestine

The Muslim Women for Harris-Walz group, who was actively backing the vice president's bid for the presidency in 2024, has announced it will be disbanding and withdrawing its support for her after her campaign refused to let a Palestinian speaker take the stage at the Democratic National Convention.

In a statement, the group asserted: We cannot in good conscience, continue Muslim Women for Harris-Walz, in light of this new information from the Uncommitted movement, that VP Harris team declined their request to have a Palestinian American speaker take the stage at the DNC.

They went on to claim that the parents of an Israeli hostage being held by Hamas in Gaza, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, displayed greater empathy for the Palestinian people and Palestinian Americans in their emotional address to the convention on Wednesday night than Harris and the DNC have. The couple called for a ceasefire that ends the suffering of the innocent people in Gaza.

The group added: This is a terrible message to send to Democrats. Palestinians have the right to speak about Palestine.

The Uncommitted movement, which currently has 30 delegates in Chicago for the convention, staged a sit-in protest outside of its main venue on Wednesday night. The delegates were gained when voters in states such as Minnesota and Michigan voted uncommitted in the Democratic primary this year as they refused to vote for Biden over his support for Israels war against Hamas.

The group, which has called on Harris and the Democratic Party to commit to enacting an arms embargo, had been trying to get a Palestinian on the list of speakers at the convention. They reportedly provided the Harris campaign with a list of potential Palestinian speakers who were available to speak at the conference. After negotiating throughout the week, they ultimately found out early on Thursday that no Palestinians would be permitted to talk at the event.

Not surprisingly, Representative Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D-New York) was one of those backing the Uncommitted call, tweeting: Just as we must honor the humanity of hostages, so too must we center the humanity of the 40,000 Palestinians killed under Israeli bombardment.

To deny that story is to participate in the dehumanization of Palestinians. The DNC must change course and affirm our shared humanity, she added.

Ocasio-Cortez, along with Representatives Cori Bush (D-Missouri) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Michigan), FaceTimed with those participating in the sit-in to share their support, while Representative Ilhan Omar (D-Minnesota) joined the sit-in.

Democrats facing internal friction over war in Gaza

The disagreements between the Uncommitted movement and the Democratic National Committee are drawing attention to the growing lack of unity within the Democratic Party over Israels war against Hamas in Gaza. Anti-Israel protesters have been regularly heckling both Biden and Harris, and there have been clashes between pro-Palestinian protesters and the police at the convention.

Although the demonstrations held this week have been peaceful overall, an unsanctioned protest held outside of the Israeli consulate resulted in 56 arrests.

In addition to exposing just how far away Dems are from achieving the message of unity and hope they espouse at their conventions, these disagreements could also give Harris a preview of what could be in store if she fails to appease this sector of her party.

Sources for this article include:

RT.com

BBC.com
U.K. to free VIOLENT CRIMINALS to make jail space for thought crime offenders

The British government, under Prime Minister Keir Starmer of the Labor Party, plans to release violent criminals from prisons , freeing up space for those exercising their freedom of speech and assembly.

According to Modernity News, the proposal aims to make room for "prisoners sentenced in connection with rioting  which includes people who made inflammatory posts on social media." The independent news outlet also added that those engaging in "extreme misogyny" online could find themselves behind bars, in line with the early release scheme.

"The emergency scheme is designed to tide [His Majesty's Prison Service] through  as the number of spare places in male jails hovers between just 300 and 500," the Telegraph stated. "It is understood that no single prison will release more than 100 prisoners  and sources said the mass release would be staggered."

Under the scheme's first tranche, about 2,000 prisoners  all serving sentences of less than five years  will be freed on Sept. 10. A second tranche of up to 1,700  this time consisting of prisoners jailed for more than five years  will be freed on Oct. 22. This was made possible by a change to the law, which will allow for their release after serving 40 percent of their sentences instead of the current 50 percent.

From Oct. 22 onward, eligible prisoners who served 40 percent of their sentence will be automatically released. According to the Telegraph, the early release scheme will free up an estimated 5,500 prison spaces over its 18-month duration.

While the scheme will reportedly include "criminals convicted of violence who have been jailed for less than four years," there are certain categories of prisoners that won't be released. These include terrorists, sexual offenders and those serving longer jail terms for more serious violence.

United Kingdom turning into a kingdom of ABSURDITY

The British Ministry of Justice said any prisoner released on parole would be strictly monitored by the Probation Service through measures including electronic tagging curfews. If they breach their parole conditions, they could be recalled to prison.

But Modernity News noted that the early release scheme aims to decongest British prisons. With violent criminals out on the streets, this frees up jail space for Britons "convicted for their role in anti-immigration riots over the last few weeks." (Related: New leftist British PM plans to use emergency powers to RELEASE 40,000 PRISONERS.)

"In other words, actual violent criminals who haven't even served half of their prison sentences will be out on the streets so that boomers who posted spicy memes on Facebook can be locked up. Some of the individuals being convicted for their role in inciting the riots didn't even appear at the riots, but instead made social media posts that contained things such as 'anti-establishment rhetoric' or posted 'misinformation' about the Southport attacker being a Muslim refugee."

During a visit to Northern Ireland, Starmer was asked if the early release scheme for violent criminals posed a "risk to public safety."

"We've taken tough decisions," he answered. "We've been able to prove that if you commit disorder, you can expect to be put through the criminal justice system quickly, and we will continue in that vein."

Starmer also blamed the previous Conservative (Tory) government for its "basic failure" to build prison facilities. He argued that previous Tory prime ministers  Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak  failed to establish "enough prison places for the number of prisoners that were being sentenced to prison."

The plan to free prisoners followed riots in the U.K. that stemmed from the Southport stabbing incident in late July. Rwandan Axel Rudakubana went on a stabbing spree in the seaside town, killing three children and injuring several others. Outraged Britons took to the streets to protest unchecked migration, which allowed Rudakubana's parents in the U.K. in the first place.

Head over to Tyranny.news for similar stories.

Watch Jefferey Jaxen and Del Bigtree discussing the U.K.'s descent into a censorship state on "The HighWire with Del Bigtree" below.

This video is from the Scriptural Scrutiny channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

"Keyboard warrior" in the U.K. slapped with 3-YEAR JAIL SENTENCE for urging online followers to support anti-migration protests.

Violent criminals getting released from U.K. prisons to make room for peaceful protesters who oppose illegal immigration.

UK man arrested over posts on social media that allegedly contain "anti-establishment rhetoric."

U.K. authorities have arrested more anti-mass migration protesters than human traffickers.

61-year-old man gets 18 month prison sentence for chanting "who the fu#k is Allah."

Sources include:

Modernity.news

Telegraph.co.uk

Brighteon.com
How can Ukraine be a free democracy when its government under Zelensky is persecuting Christians by banning the Orthodox Church?

Christianity is on the chopping block in Ukraine after the nation's parliament passed a bill to ban the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), which has historic ties to the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC).

Unless the UOC breaks fellowship with the Moscow Patriarchate as Ukraine is demanding due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, the Ukrainian parliament will make Orthodox Christianity illegal.

The UOC has already denounced the Russian invasion, but this is not enough for the Volodymyr Zelensky regime. According to Zelensky and his henchmen, the UOC is still tied to the ROC, which in their minds warrants persecution in the form of church raids, the arrests of priests, and the eviction of clergy from the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, also known as the Monastery of the Caves.

According to reports, the law will effectively ban the UOC by prohibiting all activities of the Russian Orthodox Church and those of any other religious groups that are tied to it.

"Today, I want to note the work of the Verkhovna Rada," announced Zelensky after he excitedly signed the legislation into law following its passage by the parliament. "A law on our spiritual independence has been adopted," is how he spun the bill's true intent.

(Related: Did you know that Germany is cutting off all future aid to Ukraine after it was revealed that Zelensky is responsible for blowing up Germany's Nord Stream pipelines?)

"There will be no Moscow Church in Ukraine," declares Zelensky's chief of staff

There is another denomination called the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) that sounds similar in name to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) but that is approved by the Zelensky regime as being acceptable in Ukraine.

The OCU was "granted independence" from the Moscow Patriarchate by the Patriarchate of Constantinople back in 2019 before Russia invaded Ukraine. Zelensky approves of the OCU but not the UOC.

"There will be no Moscow Church in Ukraine," declared Andriy Yermak, Zelensky's chief of staff, following the ban on the UOC.

UOC is still the larger of the two Orthodox churches in Ukraine, as of 2023. Only a very small number of UOC parishes decided to break and join the OCU after Russia invaded, suggesting that most Orthodox ukes side with Russian unity rather than with Zelensky's forced expulsion of all things Russia from Ukrainian religious society.

Iryna Herashchenko, the first deputy chairwoman of the Verkhovna Rada, commented that the ban on the UOC is "historic" and a "matter of national security."

While the UOC officially broke ties with the Russian Orthodox Church in 2022 after the invasion, somehow this is still not enough for Zelensky who wants all Orthodox Christians to worship only at his approved OCU congregations.

The OCU, by the way, was birthed in 2019 out of the Istanbul-based Eastern Orthodox Church. Its creation was triggered by Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the war between Kyiv and Moscow-based separatists in eastern Ukraine.

Maria Zakharova, Russia's foreign ministry spokeswoman, condemned the Verkhovna Rada's vote to ban the UOC. She accused Ukrainian leaders of trying to "destroy true Orthodoxy" with this latest tyrannical move by Zelensky and his henchmen.

Zelensky wrote on social media that he is proud of Ukraine's parliament for taking this action, arguing that it will "continue to strengthen Ukraine and our society."

"God and humanity will prevail over Satan and his children," one of our regular readers wrote in reference to the Zionist fight  Zelensky is a Zionist  against the One True God. "The Bible said this clearly thousands of years ago!"

Ukraine under Zelensky has become a tyrannous hellscape. Learn more at WWIII.news.

Sources for this article include:

Antiwar.com

NaturalNews.com

TheMoscowTimes.com
BAGHDAD, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a Shiite militia group, announced on Sunday that it carried out a drone attack on a site in Haifa, northern Israel.

In a statement, the militia claimed its fighters targeted a "vital site" in Haifa early Sunday, stating the attack was made "in solidarity with the people of Gaza" and pledging to continue targeting "the enemy's strongholds." The statement did not specify details about the targeted site or any casualties.

Israeli authorities have yet to comment on the reported attack. Since the onset of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on Oct. 7, 2023, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq has conducted several attacks on Israeli and U.S. targets in the region to demonstrate support for Palestinians in Gaza. 
Comedian Bassem Youssef quits X over safety concerns after Gaza posts

Egyptian-American comedian Bassem Youssef recently quit X, formerly Twitter, by deactivating his account with over 11 million followers on the social media platform, citing safety concerns related to his posts about Gaza

Youssef's X account, @byoussef, became inaccessible around 5:00 p.m. ET on Aug. 19. The next evening, the account's web page displayed the message, "This account doesn't exist."

The disappearance prompted speculation on the social media site that Youssef had been suspended. The TV host has been a vocal critic of Israel, highlighting the plight of the Palestinians during the Gaza war and has recently been accused of antisemitism.

In his post on Instagram, Youssef alluded to "safety issues" related to his family as to why his X account is gone without elaborating further.

"No, my X account wasn't taken down by X and I don't wish to falsely victimize myself using this," said Youssef on another social media platform, Instagram. "When safety issues concerning my loved ones are alleviated I might consider coming back."

He further said that he will continue to post on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok, where he has a combined following of more than 15 million users.

"I wish to deal with this away from media," he said.

Youssef, 50, was originally a heart surgeon before rising to prominence following his participation in the 2011 Egyptian Revolution, part of the Arab Spring protest movements.

During that time, Youssef hosted the news satirical comedy show "Al Bernameg." He used his prominent platform to mock a variety of Egyptian political figures on the show, including former President Mohammed Morsi.

Due to this, Morsi issued an arrest warrant for Youssef in March 2013. But the ex-president was ousted in July of the same year following a coup d'etat. Meanwhile, censorship of Youssef continued after the ouster of Morsi. His show was canceled by the Egyptian broadcasting network CBC in November 2013.

He left Egypt in November 2014 after a court ruled that he had to pay a $10 million penalty related to his content. He then moved to the United States with his wife and daughter.

In the U.S., his comments on Jews after the start of the Gaza war have drawn accusations of antisemitism. In a late July interview with Youssef, YouTube host Theo Von claimed that Jewish friends of his said "The media is mostly run by Jewish folks."

"It is. All of the corporates, all the CEOs," said Youssef in response.

In the same interview, Youssef slammed the Antisemitism Awareness Act of 2023, which passed in the U.S. House of Representatives in May, saying the legislation holds that "any criticism to Israel will be counted as antisemitic."

In a Monday post on X shortly before his account disappeared, Youssef called accusations of antisemitism a "fear tactic."

"Are you still scared to be called an antisemite by those Zionists? Vote and tell me in the comments," he said.

Youssef also shared a screenshot of Israel's official account celebrating his departure from the social media platform, reacting with: "How fragile can you be when the official account of your country acts like a little b----?"

Youssef initially criticized the militant group Hamas

Youssef, at the start of the Gaza war, said that his wife Hala Diab, has family in Gaza trapped in the conflict.

"I mean, we get all our news secondhand because my wife's family lives in Gaza. They have cousins and uncles there and their house also was bombed," he said at the time.

He initially criticized Hamas when the war broke out, telling Middle East Eye in February, "I am absolutely no fan of Hamas." He has also expressed doubt about accusations regarding the group's conduct on Oct. 7. In an April interview with podcaster Lex Fridman, Youssef dismissed what he described as reports of "rape" and "decapitated babies."

"Then I started kind of looking at the news a little bit, and then I started seeing people coming on the shows and saying things that I know, as an Arab, as a Muslim, as someone from that region, that it's not true," he said.

More than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. More than 1,110 people were killed in Israel during the Oct. 7 attack, as per authorities there. For Youssef, the higher number of Palestinians dying from Israeli bombardment demonstrated that their lives are seen as worthless. (Related: Western media stays silent about IDF admitting it activated Hannibal Protocol that killed many Israeli soldiers and civilians on Oct. 7.)

SpeechPolice.news contains stories related to suppressed free speech.

Watch the video below where Youssef says in an interview that antisemitism accusations against him have become 'empty accusations.'

This video is from the Prisoner channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Israel launching sinister Zionist plot to erase the First Amendment in the name of stopping "antisemitism."

Columbia University suspends three deans for "antisemitic" speech in private text messages.

ZIONISTS GONE WILD: Former Trump-appointed U.S. ambassador to Israel says Americans must be imprisoned for "antisemitism."

Fmr U.S. Ambassador David M. Friedman demands Americans be imprisoned for 'antisemitism.'

Facebook, Instagram ban criticism of "Zionists" as "hate speech."

Sources include:

MiddleEastEye.net

Al-Monitor.com

Brighteon.com
RAMALLAH, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- A wounded Palestinian prisoner died on Sunday in an Israeli hospital, two Palestinian organizations said.

Zaher Raddad, 19, from the town of Saida in Tulkarm, northern West Bank, died in the Israeli Meir Hospital, according to a statement by the Prisoners and Ex-Prisoners Affairs Authority, part of the Palestine Liberation Organization, along with the Palestinian Prisoners Club.

Raddad was arrested on July 23, after the Israeli army shot him and "used him as a human shield during the military operation by placing him on the front of one of the Israeli military vehicles in the city," the statement said.

With Radad's death, the number of prisoners who died in Israeli prisons since Oct. 7, 2023, has risen to 23, according to the statement.

There has been no Israeli statement on the death of Raddad.

Since October 2023, Israel has been waging a large-scale war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians, after the movement carried out an unprecedented attack on Israeli towns adjacent to the Strip, which resulted in the killing of about 1,200 people. 
CM Bhupendra Patel instructs evacuation in parts of Gujarat due to heavy rains

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ujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel has instructed the officials to evacuate people living in low-lying areas of southern Gujarat after the region witnessed heavy rains for the last few days.

An official said that people living in the southern districts of Valsad, Tapi, Navsari, Surat, Narmada, and Panchmahal - which have witnessed severe rainfall -have been asked to evacuate to safer areas.

He said that the Chief Minister discussed the situation with the district collectors of the rain-affected regions and directed the officials to evacuate people of these areas immediately.

"The Chief Minister was informed about the problems faced by the people and instructed to ensure residents' safety living in low-lying areas. He also emphasised relocating vulnerable populations to safer locations and safeguarding lives and livestock," the official said.

The Chief Minister has also assured that, if necessary, assistance from State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams would be sought for the affected areas.

State Emergency Operation Center said that Sagbara Taluka in Narmada district received the highest rainfall on Sunday, with 64 mm recorded between 6 am and 8 am while for the past 24 hours, Vapi in Valsad district recorded the highest overall rain of 326 mm.

Kaprada and Pardi talukas also saw over 12 inches of rain, leading to waterlogging and rising river levels, which disrupted daily life in these areas.

In Surat, Umarpada received 280 mm, Khergam recorded 268 mm, and Dharampur saw 226 mm of rainfall during the same period.

The IMD has also issued an orange alert until August 28 in Gujarat and also issued a red alert for Surat, Navsari, Valsad, Daman, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and Bhavnagar.

The MeT office has also warned of heavy to hefty rainfall, with some areas expected to experience hefty downpours over the next 24 hours.

An orange alert has been issued for Banaskantha, Patan, Mehsana, Sabarkantha, Gandhinagar, Aravalli, Kheda, Ahmedabad, Anand, Panchmahal, Dahod, Mahisagar, Vadodara, Chhota Udepur, Narmada, Bharuch, Dang, Tapi, Surendranagar, Amreli, and Botad.

The MeT office has said that these areas are also likely to receive heavy to hefty rain.

 CM Bhupendra Patel instructs evacuation in parts of Gujarat due to heavy rains

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FairPoint: Abdullah's autonomy agenda is on, Rahul Gandhi becomes silent partner

T

he National Conference has promised restoration of Article 370, autonomy for J&K, amnesty to prisoners and encouraging dialogue between India and Pakistan in its election manifesto. All these promises will surely make the separatists and Pakistan, in particular, glee, but raise questions about Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's decision to ally with NC.

The manifesto is not surprising given the fact that history has shown how NC was instrumental in fanning separatist feelings which finally led to full-blown terrorism in 1988 when Farooq Abdullah was the Chief Minister of the erstwhile state. It was under his Chief Ministership that Kashmir was overwhelmed with terror, and Pakistan almost succeeded in its nefarious designs on Kashmir.

The Abdullah dynasty has been claiming that J&K would have gone to Pakistan in 1947 if it wanted to but for Sheikh Abdullah who played an instrumental role in the then-independent- country J&K went with India. While Sheikh Abdullah was not the only factor in the 1947 decision, history shows that the dynasty after the 1947 Instrument of Accession did everything to keep the state separate from the Union of India and also created a mechanism to reinforce and keep the separatist feeling alive.

The Article 370 special status, which was pushed through a 1954 Presidential Order, in time became a weapon not only for Nehru's friend Sheikh Abdullah but down the line the latter's successors used it to create an exclusivity wherein other religions and pro-India forces were sought to be curbed.

Sheikh Abdullah was instrumental in forming the All J&K Plebiscite Front in 1955 vigorously campaigned for referendum, the idea of Kashmir's independence and also carried out anti-India propaganda. The campaign was at such a massive level that the seeds of separation got engraved in the very mindset. The front was banned in 1971 and finally dissolved in 1975 with the cadres going back to the NC.

What we see in Kashmir in the pre-2019 period had its roots in the seeds that Sheikh Abdullah sowed. He created and craftily shaped an ideology that has kept Kashmir-ism predominant in the minds of Kashmiris. He made Kashmiris believe that Hindustan is beyond the Banihal tunnel and can never be 'in' Kashmir.

It is interesting to note that there was this Jammu-Kashmir Plebiscite Front (JKPF), the parent organisation of the outlawed Jammu & Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), founded by Maqbool Bhat, which unleashed a reign of terror in the valley.

Like his father, Farooq Abdullah too is a staunch believer in the autonomy of J&K. It was during his tenure of Chief Ministership that the Valley was struck by the wave of terror in 1988. Minority communities were targeted. Thousands of Kashmiri Pandits were forced to leave the Valley. Assassinations and mass killings were carried out.

In 2000, the Farooq Abdullah-led NC government passed a resolution in the J&K Assembly seeking to restore the pre-1953 Constitutional position, which meant a prime minister for J&K among other points. The resolution was rejected by the then Central government headed by Atal Bihari Vajpayee. In 2016, when the NC was in opposition, it again moved a similar resolution, urging the House to convey to the Centre to reconsider the autonomy resolution. In 2017 at the party's delegates' session in Srinagar, the autonomy resolution was again passed.

The party has in almost all its public meetings been demanding full autonomy for the state. Now with Article 370 abrogated, the demand is being forcefully made at every forum. The third generation of Abdullah dynasty, Omar Abdullah, who has been a CM, also believes that autonomy is the only way out of the J & K tangle and is a pragmatic solution.

Omar Abdullah, while releasing the manifesto for the 2024 Assembly elections, promised the implementation of the autonomy resolution passed in 2000 by the J&K Assembly. He claimed that the resolution was an important milestone in the people's struggle for identity.

As NC is clear in its agenda on autonomy, Article 370 restoration and talks with Pakistan, the question is - Is Rahul Gandhi okay with this?

Rahul's great grandfather, India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru too trusted Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah but later realising his games, dismissed him (Sheikh Abdullah) as PM of J&K and subsequently arrested and jailed him for anti-India activities. Indira Gandhi, the then Prime Minister, dismissed the Farooq Abdullah government in July 1984 for allegedly failing to halt anti-India activities. Rajiv Gandhi did mend fences with the Abdullahs and Rahul Gandhi now seems to be carrying forward the legacy.

The NC is a partner of the Congress in the INDIA bloc and now in J&K, the two are in alliance to grab power. The BJP has questioned the Congress' take on the NC manifesto. But there has been a calculated silence on the issue from Congress. Does this imply that Congress supports Article 370 restoration or the autonomy agenda of the Abdullahs? The Congress has not denied this so far. The question could land Rahul Gandhi in difficulty.

(Deepika Bhan can be contacted at deepika.b@ians.in)

 FairPoint: Abdullah's autonomy agenda is on, Rahul Gandhi becomes silent partner

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Work with double strength to fulfil PM's aim of 3 crore Lakhpati Didis: Shivraj Singh Chouhan

U

nion Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Sunday exhorted the women to work with double the strength to fulfil Prime Minister Narendra Modi's resolve and dream to make three crore Lakhpati Didis across India.

The Union Minister said this while addressing the women who participated in the Lakhpati Didi Sammelan in Maharashtra's Jalgaon.

"Prime Minister has resolved that no sister should be left helpless, no sister should have tears in her eyes. There should be a smile on everyone's face and hence he launched the Lakhpati Didi campaign. Under the guidance of the Prime Minister, we have fulfilled our resolve to make 11 lakh sisters Lakhpati Didis in 100 days and today they are getting certificates," said Minister Chouhan in his speech.

He further said that till now one crore Lakhpati Didis have been created and the target of three crore more will be achieved.

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said that Maharashtra will play a major role in the process of making three crore Lakhpati Didis. "Nearly 25 to 50 lakh Lakhpati Didis will be from Maharashtra. The state government in a bid to fulfil the PM's dream has launched the Chief Minister's Women Empowerment campaign. Apart from the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana, the government is providing three gas cylinders free under the Annapurna Yojana. The government is also providing free higher education to girls and discounts on bus travel. The government is making efforts to make women financially self-reliant," he added.

CM Shinde urged the Prime Minister to pay attention to providing fair prices for cotton, onions, milk and soybeans and also sought his support for the completion of irrigation projects.

He announced that the state government would provide Rs 5 lakh each to the families of 27 people who died in the Nepal bus accident.

Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar announced the state government's resolve to make 50 Melaka Lakhpati Didis from Maharashtra. "It is the history of Maharashtra that if the responsibility is given to women, they can successfully fulfil them. The state has given respect and honour to women and has made them empowered. The state government has also come up with a slew of welfare and development schemes for the women," he said.

Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that women can change the world if given a chance. "Today at the Lakhpati Didi Sammelan in Jalgaon, women have broken all the records by making a record gathering. The PM says that a developed India can happen only through women. The country further progresses only if women come into the mainstream of the country's economy. So from Beti Bachao to Lakhpati Didi, the PM has come up with big schemes," he added.

 Work with double strength to fulfil PM's aim of 3 crore Lakhpati Didis: Shivraj Singh Chouhan

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Turkish Airlines suspends flights between Turkiye, Lebanon

T

urkish Airlines, Turkiye's flag carrier, cancelled its flights to and from Beirut on Sunday due to security concerns, the country's NTV broadcaster reported.

The cancellation of two flights follows recent Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon, according to the NTV. Tickets for flights from Istanbul to Beirut are currently unavailable on the Turkish Airlines website, though bookings for flights on Monday remain open, Xinhua news agency reported.

Earlier, about 100 Israeli warplanes struck and destroyed "thousands" of Hezbollah rockets and missile launcher barrels to be launched at the country, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement on Sunday.

The strikes targeted more than 40 launch areas in southern Lebanon, which began before dawn, the IDF said, adding that most of the launchers were aimed at northern Israel, with some directed toward central Israel.

Whoever hurt us -- we hurt them," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video statement.

Meanwhile, Lebanese military sources said that three Hezbollah members and one member of the Amal Movement were killed, with six others injured on Sunday following Israeli bombings in Lebanon.

The sources, who requested anonymity, reported that two Hezbollah members died in an airstrike targeting a house in al-Tiri, a village in Lebanon's border area.

Another Hezbollah member was killed and three others were wounded in an Israeli raid on the outskirts of Deir Seryan in Lebanon.

Additionally, a member of the Amal Movement was killed in an Israeli drone strike on a car in Khiam, a village in the southeast.

The sources also reported that three other individuals, including a displaced Syrian, were wounded in an airstrike on the city of Tyre in Lebanon.

The Israeli strikes were a response to a large-scale attack, carried out by Hezbollah on Sunday with hundreds of drones and rockets.

Hezbollah confirmed in a statement that it had launched drones and rockets from various positions, crossing the Lebanese-Palestinian border to its intended targets, declaring its military operation for the day complete.

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati convened an emergency meeting to assess the situation and called for international intervention to halt the Israeli aggression.

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and the Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon (UNSCOL) issued a joint appeal for a ceasefire and restraint from further escalation in light of the recent developments along the Blue Line.

Tensions along the Lebanon-Israel border have intensified since an Israeli raid on the southern suburbs of Beirut on July 30, which killed seven Hezbollah members, including senior military commander Fouad Shokor. Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah had previously promised a severe response to the Israeli action.

 Turkish Airlines suspends flights between Turkiye, Lebanon

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Govt will not protect anyone guilty of wrongdoing against women in Malayalam film industry: Minister

K

erala Health Minister Veena George on Sunday asserted that the state government would not protect anyone found guilty of wrongdoing against women in the Malayalam film industry even as actresses came forth with damning allegations against various top artistes and directors.

Her statement came after prominent actor Siddique and noted director Ranjith resigned from their respective posts of General Secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) and Chairman of the Kerala State Film Academy after being accused of sexual abuse by women actors.

Interacting with media persons here, George said: "Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has already made the government's stance clear. We will not support or protect anyone involved in misconduct. Legal action will be taken against those who are guilty."

She also called upon women in the film industry who have faced abuse to come forward and file complaints, assuring them that the police would initiate cases and investigations accordingly.

"If they require assistance in filing a complaint, the state's Women and Child Development Department is prepared to offer the necessary support," she said.

George also lauded the efforts of the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC), acknowledging their role in bringing to light the distressing experiences of women in the industry.

"It was the WCC that brought these issues to the government's attention. In response, the government established a committee to study their concerns. The High Court is currently reviewing the committee's report, and further actions will be taken based on its findings," she said.

After the Justice Hema committee report, revealing the mistreatment and sexual exploitation of women in the Malayalam film industry, finally came out, there have been demands that the AMMA must come clean against allegations of sexual abuse against its members.

Noted Bengali actor Sreelekha Mitra publicly stated that she had faced sexual abuse and molestation in 2009 from Malayalam director Ranjith, leading to his resignation from the state film academy post.

As actor Revathi Sampath alleged that popular actor Siddique had sexually assaulted her on a movie set, he resigned from his AMMA post. Sampath on Sunday also alleged that Malayalam actor Riyas Khan had called her on the telephone and forced her to indulge in sex talk. "Riyas Khan had called me and asked me whether I was interested in sex and the position I would like. I was in shock and when I recovered, he told me that if I was not interested, I could suggest some of my friends who would be interested and as he was in Kochi for nine days straight as part of shooting a movie," she told reporters here.

 Govt will not protect anyone guilty of wrongdoing against women in Malayalam film industry: Minister

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Aviation watchdog DGCA has imposed a penalty of Rs 90 lakh on Tata Group-owned Air India and has also suspended the airlines director of training for six months in connection with a flight that was operated with non-qualified pilots.

Besides, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has slapped fines of Rs 6 lakh and Rs 3 lakh on Air Indias Director of Operations Pankul Mathur and Director of Training Manish Vasavada for the lapse.

In a release on Friday, the regulator said the pilot concerned has been warned to exercise caution to prevent such occurrences in future.

Air India Ltd operated a flight commanded by a non-trainer line captain paired with a non-line-released first officer which has been viewed by the regulator as a serious scheduling incident having significant safety ramifications, the release said.

For the violations, DGCA has imposed a fine of Rs 90 lakh on Air India, Rs 6 lakh on the Director of Operations and Rs 3 lakh on the Director of Training. Also, the Director of Training has been suspended for six months.

After the incident came to its notice through a voluntary report submitted by the airline on July 10, the regulator investigated the operations of the carrier, including examination of documentations and spot check of the scheduling facility.

Based on investigation, it was prima facie revealed that there are deficiencies and multiple violations of the regulatory provisions by several post holders and staff, which could significantly affect safety, the release said.

DGCA also said the flights commander and the post holders of the airline were provided an opportunity to explain their position through show cause notices issued on July 22.

The reply submitted by the concerned persons failed to provide satisfactory justification. As such, DGCA has initiated enforcement action in terms of provisions of the extant rules/ regulations and imposed the above penalty, the watchdog noted.

Earlier also, the airline had faced enforcement action from the regulator for certain violations.
MOSCOW, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- Telegram founder Pavel Durov was arrested by French police at an airport outside Paris on Saturday night, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova said on Telegram Sunday.

Durov, holding French citizenship, was arrested on charges allegedly related to Telegram's refusal to cooperate with French law enforcement, French media reported.

The accusations against Durov include terrorism, drug trafficking, fraud, and money laundering, reports said, adding that Durov could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

The Russian Embassy in France took prompt steps to clarify the situation before the New People party's representative Vladislav Davankov urged the Russian government to seek Durov's release, TASS reported.

"The Russian Embassy in Paris immediately began working on the case" as it is the duty of Russian diplomats to respond to cases involving the detention of Russian citizens abroad, Zakharova said.

Durov was reportedly detained as he exited his private jet after landing at Le Bourget Airport on Saturday night.

Durov founded Telegram in 2013. The messaging app is influential in Russia and has become a critical source of information during the Russia-Ukraine conflict. 
Janmashtami 2024 Bank Holiday In India: On Monday, August 26, 2024, banks in some regions will be closed following Reserve Bank of India (RBI) guidelines. However, this closure will not be uniform nationwide, and many major cities will continue to offer banking services. As bank holidays can differ by state, customers are advised to check with their local bank branch for the exact holiday schedule.

Will Banks Be Closed Today for Janmashtami?

State-Wise List of Bank Holidays on August 26, 2024

Banks will be closed in Ahmedabad (Gujarat), Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh), Bhubaneswar (Odisha), Chandigarh (Union Territory), Chennai (Tamil Nadu), Dehradun (Uttarakhand), Gangtok (Sikkim), Hyderabad (Andhra Pradesh and Telangana), Jaipur (Rajasthan), Jammu, Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir), Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh), Kolkata (West Bengal), Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh), Patna (Bihar), Raipur (Chhattisgarh), Ranchi (Jharkhand), Shillong (Meghalaya), Shimla (Himachal Pradesh).

This closure will impact both public and private sector banks in these areas.

Where Will Banks Remain Open?

However, banks in key financial centers such as Mumbai and New Delhi will remain open as usual. Additionally, states like Maharashtra, Karnataka, Assam, Kerala, and Goa will have normal banking operations on this day.

Services Available When Banks Are Closed

When banks are closed in India, essential services remain available through alternative channels such as ATMs for cash withdrawals and balance inquiries, online and mobile banking for fund transfers, bill payments, and account management, and digital wallets for payments and recharges. You can also use phone banking for basic inquiries and cheque drop boxes for depositing cheques, though physical services like cash deposits and loan processing will be unavailable until banks reopen.

Janmashtami 2024

Janmashtami, also known as Krishna Janmashtami or Gokulashtami, is a Hindu festival that celebrates the birth of Lord Krishna, the eighth avatar of Vishnu. It is one of the most significant and widely observed festivals in India and among Hindu communities around the world.

Lord Krishna is considered one of the most revered deities in Hinduism. His life and teachings, as depicted in the epic Mahabharata and other scriptures like the Bhagavad Gita, have had a profound influence on Hindu philosophy, culture, and spiritual practices.

Janmashtami is not just a religious event but also a cultural celebration, with music, dance, and community activities being central to the festivities.
The Non-Collegiate Womens Education Board (NCWEB) released the first cut-off list for B.A. and B.Com courses . Candidates can vew the cut-off list for the 2024 academic session on the official website: du.ac.in. The registration process for DU NCWEB admissions began on May 28, 2024, and the application deadline was August 17, 2024.

The Delhi University NCWEB cut-off first list has been announced, and the online admission process has commenced on, August 23 (10 am). The process will continue until tomorrow August 25 (11:59 pm).

DU NCWEB Admission 2024: Eligibility Criteria

The candidate should be female and must have secured a minimum of 40 per cent in the last examination. For the B. Com programmes, candidates must have studied and passed Mathematics, Accountancy, Economics and Business Studies/ Commerce.

DU NCWEB Admission 2024 First Cut: Steps to Check

Step 1: Visit the official website: du.ac.in

Step 2: On the homepage, click on the link DU NCWEB first cut-off list 2024.

Step 3: Select the subjects you want to see the cut-off list for

Step 4: Download the list or take a screenshot of it for further reference

The highest cut-off for General category candidates in the B.Com programmes is 88 per cent at Miranda House and 87 per cent at Hansraj College. The lowest cut-off is 60 per cent at Aditi Mahavidyalaya and Bhagini Nivedita College. For B.A. programmes, the cut-off for History and Political Science is 88 per cent at Miranda House, and 85 per cent for Economics and Political Science, with Hansraj College having a cut-off of 87 per cent for History and Political Science.

The Delhi University Non-Collegiate Womens Education Board (DU NCWEB) is a distinctive programme, tailored for women who are unable to attend regular college due to work or personal commitments. It offers a chance for women to pursue undergraduate and postgraduate degrees without the need to attend daily classes.

As per the official information on the NCWEB website, a major advantage of the non-collegiate programme is that it is quite affordable compared to regular college courses, making higher education more accessible to women from various socio-economic backgrounds. Moreover, students are only required to attend classes on Saturdays and Sundays, which are held in designated DU colleges.
From UPSC Civil Services to SSC recruitment exams, from college admissions to group discussions, general knowledge questions mark a significant part of almost every exam. For candidates preparing to crack an exam or those who need to get their news in a compact form, News18 offers a weekly column  GK Capsule. While we provide you a weekly news wrap, to get more information on a specific topic or an exam, reach out at @news18dotcom.

Current affairs have become an integral part of almost all important government exams like the UPSC, SSC, RRB, etc. It is important to stay up to date with current news, social challenges, global events, government policies, sports, and scientific breakthroughs. If you are someone who is appearing for any upcoming government, competitive exam, or recruiting drive, heres a rundown of the most important news stories of the week:

Badlapur Case: Maharashtra Edu Minister Deepak Kesarkar Suspends Thane District Education Officer

The Thane District Education Officer (DEO) Balasaheb Rakshe was suspended on Friday for failing to report the Badlapur sexual assault case on time, while the BMCs education officer Rajesh Kankal faced the same for non-installation of CCTV cameras in civic schools around the city. State school education minister Deepak Kesarkar announced at a press conference in the BMC headquarters, stating that the move will send a strong message that the government will not tolerate such negligence. Two girls were sexually assaulted, allegedly by a sweeper, at a school in Badlapur on August 11 and 12, sparking a massive protest in the area.

PM Modi Gifts Made-In-India BHISHM Cubes To Ukraine

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his visit to Kyiv, where he met President Volodymyr Zelensky, presented four BHISHM (Bharat Health Initiative for Sahyog Hita and Maitri) Cubes to the Ukrainian government. BHISM is a revolutionary mobile hospital equipped with cutting-edge technology that will ensure medical facilities in a rapidly deployable manner. It consists of cubes that contain medicines and equipment tailored to treat hundreds of casualties, emphasizing rapid response and comprehensive care. The Aid Cube also has several innovative tools designed to enhance disaster response and medical support during emergencies.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh Visits Washington, Signs Two Key Deals

To further boost the comprehensive global strategic partnership between the two countries, India and the US have two key agreements during the visit of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to Washington. The agreements pertain to a Memorandum of Agreement regarding the Assignment of Liaison Officers and the Security of Supplies Arrangement (SOSA). Through this SOSA, both countries agree to provide reciprocal priority support for goods and services that promote national defence. The arrangement, on the other hand, will enable India and the US to acquire the industrial resources they need to meet national security needs.

Kolkata Doctor Rape-Murder: SC Calls Out RG Kars Ex-Principal Sandip Ghosh

The Supreme Court of India on Thursday heard its suo motu petition in connection with the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at Kolkatas RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. During the hearing, the top court observed that there were several loopholes in the initial probe conducted by the state police. The top court also noted that the medical facilitys former chief, Sandip Ghosh, had not taken appropriate steps in the case and questioned who was he protecting. The SC heard responses from the state government, CBI, and agitating doctors and reprimanded the state government as the post-mortem was done first in a hurried manner and then a case of unnatural death was registered.

India Denies Reports Linking Bangladesh Flooding To Tripura Dams Opening

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) denied the claims that the current flood situation in Bangladeshs bordering districts is a result of the opening of Indias Dumbur dam in Tripura. Calling the reports factually incorrect, the ministry explained that the catchment areas of the Gumti River, which flows through both India and Bangladesh, have lately received some of the heaviest rains of the year. The flooding in Bangladesh is primarily due to waters from these large catchments downstream of the dam.
A day after an NRI was shot at inside his house here, police on Sunday arrested five people, including the father of the victims first wife, in connection with the incident.

Efforts are being made to nab the two criminals who shot at Sukhchain Singh, who recently returned from the US, and are on the run, they said. The assailants intercepted Sukhchain Singh when he was leaving his house in Daburji village on the outskirts of the city here for a morning walk on Saturday.

They barged into his house and fired three shots at him before fleeing. Two of the bullets hit Sukhchain Singh  one in the head and the other near the chest. He is stated to be out of danger, according to police. Addressing the media here, Amritsar Police Commissioner Ranjit Singh Dhillon said the attack on Sukhchain Singh was carried out at the behest of the family of his first wife.

His first wife had committed suicide in December 2022 and her family nursed a grudge against him, he said. Two criminals, Sukhwinder alias Sukha and Gurkirat Singh alias Guri, were hired to kill Sukhchain Singh, police said. We are after the assailants, Dhillon said.

Those arrested are Sarwan Singh, the father of Sukhchain Singhs first wife and a resident of Bains village in Hoshiarpur; Jagjit Singh and Chamkaur Singh of Tarn Taran who helped the assailants before committing the crime; hotel owner Digambar Attri and hotel manager Abhilash Bhaskar who provided accommodation to the assailants without asking for ID proofs, the officer said.

The assailants stayed in Attris hotel before and after committing the crime, according to police. Dhillon said police have also booked US-based Sukhwinder Singh, Kuljinder Kaur and her husband Jasvir Singh. Sukhwinder Singh and Kuljinder Kaur are the brother and sister of Sukhchain Singhs first wife respectively.

Sukhchain Singh was shot at in front of his wife, mother and his two children from his first marriage. Footage retrieved from CCTV cameras installed inside the victims house showed his wife, mother and children pleading with the assailants to let him go. Special Director General of Police R N Dhoke (Internal Security) met Sukhchain Singhs family on Saturday.
The Central Bureau of Investigation conducted the polygraph test on the main accused involved in the alleged rape and murder of a postgraduate trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College in Kolkata, Sanjay Roy on Sunday and also conducted raids at the residences of former RG Kar principal Sandip Ghosh and several others.

When asked if they have found any concrete evidence pertaining to the case, one of the CBI officials said, Bahut kuch hai (A lot is there). In a reply to the reporters asking him the case updates, the official also said, We will send you the press note.

A CBI team conducted raids at former RG Kar principal Sandip Ghoshs residence on Sunday, a day after the central probe agency filed an FIR in connection with financial irregularities at the Hospital.

Currently, the CBI is also conducting searches at multiple locations as part of the ongoing probe into financial irregularities.

After a special court in Kolkata allowed the CBI to conduct the polygraph test, the CBI on Saturday conducted the test on six individuals, including Sandip Ghosh, in connection with the Kolkata rape and murder case. A team of polygraph specialists flown to Kolkata from the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) in Delhi conducted the tests.

The Additional Chief Judicial Magistrates (ACJM) court in Sealdah also approved the CBIs request on Thursday to conduct a lie detector test on the controversial former principal of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, Sandip Ghosh, and five others in connection with the case.

Of the total seven individuals involved, one is a close associate of Roy, a civic volunteer, while the remaining four are postgraduate medical students of RG Kar who were on duty at the hospital on the night of August 8-9.

The civic volunteer of the Kolkata Police, Roy (33) was arrested by the Kolkata Police on August 10, a day after the body of the 31-year-old medic was found in the seminar hall of the medical college.

he Calcutta High Court on August 13 ordered the transfer of the probe from the Kolkata Police to the CBI.

Meanwhile, CBI sleuths launched simultaneous search operations on the premises of Ghosh, ex-medical superintendent and vice principal of the RGKMCH Sanjay Vashisth and 13 others in and around Kolkata in connection with their probe into alleged financial irregularities at the institute, officials said.

CBI also searched the residences and offices of those engaged in supplying materials for the management and care of patients.

Sunday was the 17th consecutive day that the junior doctors have been on cease work badly affecting healthcare services in Bengal. The gruesome crime resulted in nationwide protests by doctors and citizens.

(with agency inputs)
Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy supported the demolition of the convention centre co-owned by actor Nagarjuna Akkineni and said that it was proper as per the teachings of Lord Krishna in Bhagwad Gita.

He further said that his government will not spare anyone who encroached upon lakes, no matter how influential they are.

While speaking at a function by the Hare Krishna Movement, the Chief Minister said that the Bhagavad Gita is an inspiration to demolish illegal structures. He also said that Lord Krishna taught that for peoples welfare and that one should follow Dharma in order to defeat Adharma, even if that means battle.

Following Lord Krishnas teachings, the Congress government has taken up demolitions of illegal structures built in full tank level of water bodies by the HYDRAA (Hyderabad Disaster Response and Assets Monitoring and Protection).

Since powerful people own these farm houses, there is a lot of pressure, but this is a matter of the future. According to Lord Sri Krishna, Dharma must triumph and Adharma must be defeated, CM Reddy said, as quoted by NDTV.

The government authorities on Saturday demolished the N-Convention centre in Hyderabads Madhapur, which is jointly owned by Telugu superstar Nagarjuna, for allegedly being constructed on encroached land on the Full Tank Level of the Tammidikunta lake.

Actor Nagarjuna, approached the Telangana High Court seeking a stay on the demolition, and the court granted an interim stay.

Nagarjuna in a post on X said they had not done any actions in violation of law and the demolition was clearly carried out wrongfully based on misinformation.

The officials of Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA), GHMC, Town Planning, Irrigation and Revenue departments removed encroachments in the Full Tank Level (FTL)/Buffer zones of the lake, and amongst the many structures removed. N-Convention was also one of the unauthorised structures, an official release said.

N-Convention is built in the FTL/Buffer zone and has no building permission whatsoever, it said.

After following due process, the officials completely demolished the unauthorised structures in Tammidikunta lake this morning. The Telangana High Court gave an interim stay in the afternoon, the release said.

According to the HYDRAA, in 2014, Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) issued the preliminary notification for Tammidikunta lake in respect of the FTL/Buffer zones. N-Convention had approached the High Court.

(with PTI inputs)
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) conducted a search operation at the residence of Sandip Ghosh, the former principal of RG Kar Medical College, in connection with alleged financial irregularities at the institute during his tenure, officials said.

The central investigative agency is also conducting searches at 14 other locations in the city, including the premises of other accused individuals and their associates.

Follow LIVE Updates

#WATCH | Kolkata, West Bengal: CBI Anti Corruption Branch reached RG Kar Medical College and hospital ex-principal Sandip Ghoshs residence.CBI started a corruption investigation against Sandeep Ghosh by filing an FIR, yesterday. pic.twitter.com/UlXn3wnUp3  ANI (@ANI) August 25, 2024

During the search operation, officers from the CBIs Anti-Corruption Branch also reached the residence of Dr. Debashish Som, Demonstrator of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.

These actions come after a complaint filed three days ago by Akhtar Ali, the former Deputy Superintendent of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, alleging corruption and irregularities at the institution, with specific accusations against Dr. Debashish Som.

On Saturday, the CBI registered a First Information Report (FIR) against Dr. Sandip Ghosh, acting on orders from the Calcutta High Court. The investigation began after a single bench of the High Court directed the CBI to investigate the alleged corruption at the medical college.

Previously, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) from the Calcutta High Court visited the CBI office at Nizam Palace and handed over key documents related to the case. Acting swiftly on this information, the CBI registered the FIR and submitted a copy to the Alipur Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Court on Saturday.

The Calcutta High Court has given the CBI three weeks to provide a progress report on the investigation, which is due on September 17.

The medical college came under media scrutiny following the alleged rape and murder of a postgraduate trainee doctor in a seminar hall on August 9, for which traffic police volunteer Sanjay Roy was arrested.

On the directions of the Calcutta High Court the CBI has registered cases into the killing as well as alleged financial irregularities.

Prohibitory Orders Near RG Kar Hospital Extended Till Aug 31

Kolkata Police has extended prohibitory orders near the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital for an additional week, until August 31.

The orders, which were first imposed on August 18, restrict meetings and gatherings of more than five people in the designated area.

Kolkata Police commissioner Vineet Goyal on Saturday issued a statement confirming the extension of Section 163 (2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) around the hospital. The prohibitory orders cover the area from Belgachia Road-J K Mitra crossing to some parts of Shyambazar five point crossing belt in North Kolkata.

The extension is intended to prevent disturbances and maintain peace and order in the area. The decision follows ongoing unrest related to the recent rape-murder of a woman doctor at the hospital, which has led to significant agitation.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday stated that the security of women in India is of utmost importance and that he has repeatedly told state governments that crimes against women is an unpardonable sin.

While speaking at the Lakhpati Didi Sammelan in Maharashtras Jalgaon, PM Modi said: Along with increasing the strength of mothers, sisters and daughters, their safety is also the priority of the country. I have raised this issue repeatedly from the Red Fort. Today, be it any state of the country, I understand the pain and anger of my sisters and daughters. I will once again tell every political party of the country, every state government that crime against women is an unpardonable sin.

#WATCH | Maharashtra: Addressing the Lakhpati Didi Sammelan in Jalgaon, Prime Minister Narendra Modi says Along with increasing the strength of mothers, sisters and daughters, their safety is also the priority of the country. I have raised this issue repeatedly from the Red pic.twitter.com/D8gZ3QngER ANI (@ANI) August 25, 2024

The PM added that the guilty should be spared, nor should anyone who assists them in any way. Whether its in a hospital, school, government, or police system, negligence at any level must be addressed, and everyone involved should be held accountable. A clear message must be sent from the top down that this offense is unforgivable.

PM Modis comments came at a time when thousands of women took to the streets across the country, demanding justice for the brutal rape and murder of a 31-year-old doctor in Kolkata.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday interacted with Lakhpati Didis  women members of self-help groups who are earning Rs 1 lakh annually  in Maharashtras Jalgaon.

The PM was attending an event to felicitate 11 lakh new Lakhpati Didis who achieved the mark during the third term of his government.

PM On Security Of Women & New Laws

Talking on the security of women, PM Modi said that his government is continuously making laws stricter to give the harshest punishment to those who commit atrocities on women.

#WATCH | Maharashtra: Addressing the Lakhpati Didi Sammelan in Jalgaon, Prime Minister Narendra Modi says Our government is also continuously making laws stricter to give the harshest punishment to those who commit atrocities on women. Today, such a large number of sisters and pic.twitter.com/Z6M87ZbQl1 ANI (@ANI) August 25, 2024

Today, such a large number of sisters and daughters of the country are here. I want to tell you this in particular. Earlier there used to be complaints that FIRs were not registered on time, there was no hearing, cases were delayed. We have removed many such obstacles in the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. A whole chapter has been created in it regarding atrocities against women and children. If the victim women do not want to go to the police station, then they can register an e-FIR from home, added the Prime Minister.

PM Modi On Women Leading From Front

While addressing the Lakhpati Didi Sammelan in Jalgaon, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said: You must have heard that India is going to become the third-largest economy in the world. Women play a huge role in it. However, it wasnt the case a couple of years ago. Women guarantee the prosperity of every home and every family. However, there was no one to guarantee help for the women. Women didnt have property in their name, and if they had to take a loan from a bank, they could not avail it.

In such a situation, they were not able to build their own small business. We took decisions in the interest of women year after year. Earlier, crores of sisters in the country did not have any property in their name. If they had to take a loan from the bank, they could not get it. In such a situation, even if they wanted to do any small work, they were not able to do it. That is why this brother of yours, your son, took a vow. I decided that no matter what happens, I will reduce every difficulty faced by the mothers, sisters and daughters of my country. Therefore, the Modi government took decisions one after another in the interest of women, the Prime Minister added.
Anuradha Tiwari, the founder and CEO of a content marketing company, finds herself in the middle of a controversy after she posted a picture of herself saying Brahmin genes on social media. Amid mounting criticism and support alike, she put up some more posts on X claiming that nowadays Brahmins were afraid of revealing their full name and have been turned into villains by activists and politicians.

Tiwari, whose profile on X has the hashtag OneFamilyOneReservation, has a history of speaking out against caste-based reservation. Calling herself an unapologetic Brahmin, she brought this into her narrative saying her community does not get any reservation or freebies.

While many called her out for being casteist in her approach, she turned this around against those criticising her. In another post, she said the mere mention of the word Brahmin has triggered inferior beings and this exposes the real casteists.

As expected, a mere mention of word Brahmin triggered many inferior beings. Tells a lot about who real casteists are. UCs get nothing from system  no Reservation, no freebies. We earn everything on our own and have every right to be proud of our lineage. So, deal with it, she wrote on X, addressing the controversy surrounding her original post that has over 50 lakh views as on Sunday (August 25).

As expected, a mere mention of word Brahmin triggered many inferior beings. Tells a lot about who real casteists are.UCs get nothing from system  no Reservation, no freebies. We earn everything on our own and have every right to be proud of our lineage. So, deal with it. https://t.co/e1FhC13oVz  Anuradha Tiwari (@talk2anuradha) August 23, 2024

In one of her latest posts on X, Tiwari said: Brahmins today fear revealing their full name. So much hatred has been spread against us. We have been made villains by social justice activists & politicians. We dont harm anyone. We get no help from govt. We work hard. Why should we be ashamed of our caste?

Brahmins today fear revealing their full name. So much hatred has been spread against us.We have been made villains by social justice activists & politicians. We dont harm anyone. We get no help from govt. We work hard. Why should we be ashamed of our caste? #Brahmingenes  Anuradha Tiwari (@talk2anuradha) August 25, 2024

She further claimed that Brahmins were not the oppressors but the protectors of vedic knowledge, who even died to preserve it. She said the community should not be made to feel guilty for something that never happened.

Hear this loud and clear: Brahmins didnt oppress anyone. Dont try to guilt-trip us for something that never happened. Our ancestors preserved the knowledge of Vedas and even died for it. I will be a proud Brahmin till the day I die. So, go cry somewhere else, Tiwari said on X.

Hear this loud and clear:Brahmins didnt oppress anyone. Dont try to guilt-trip us for something that never happened. Our ancestors preserved the knowledge of Vedas and even died for it. I will be a proud Brahmin till the day I die. So, go cry somewhere else.#ProudBrahmin  Anuradha Tiwari (@talk2anuradha) August 24, 2024

She added in another post: Proud Dalit/Muslim/Tribal  Okay Proud Brahmin  Not okay There is an entire system working to make Brahmins feel guilty for their very existence. Time to change this narrative. Be an unapologetic Brahmin. Wear it on your sleeve. Let the so-called social justice warriors burn.

Proud Dalit/Muslim/Tribal  OkayProud Brahmin  Not okayThere is an entire system working to make Brahmins feel guilty for their very existence. Time to change this narrative. Be an unapologetic Brahmin. Wear it on your sleeve. Let the so-called social justice warriors burn.  Anuradha Tiwari (@talk2anuradha) August 24, 2024

Tiwari also said the hashtag BrahminGenes is trending and the only way for the community to survive is to stay united against a whole cabal that wants you to shut down.

Calling it BrahminHate, there were those who supported her views with one internet user saying a single post by a Brahmin girl and the entire cabal has lost it. The user said Brahmins should assert their identity and flaunt it.

One single post by a Brahmin girl saying Brahmin Genes and the entire Cabal lost it. #BrahminHate is real. But what happened next?This started into a trend that exploded into Brahmins asserting their identity tagging #BrahminGenesBe Brahmin. Flaunt Brahmin.Take a look https://t.co/plqEDrZ6kf pic.twitter.com/qlA8xLpRn0 Based Monk (#Unreserved) (@thatindicmonk) August 24, 2024

One single post by a Brahmin girl saying Brahmin Genes and the entire Cabal lost it. #BrahminHate is real. But what happened next? This started into a trend that exploded into Brahmins asserting their identity tagging #BrahminGenes Be Brahmin. Flaunt Brahmin. Take a look, the user said on X.
Kolkata Rape-Murder Case Updates: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Sunday carried out a polygraph test on the main accused, Sanjay Roy, in the Kolkata rape-murder case. A day after CBI filed an FIR in connection with financial irregularities at RG Kar Hospital, a CBI team reached Sandip Ghoshs residence on Sunday.

The central agency is also conducting searches at multiple locations as part of the ongoing probe into financial irregularities.

A special court in Kolkata allowed the CBI to conduct the polygraph test after a junior doctor at the state-run RG Kar Hospital was brutally raped and murdered earlier this month. The CBI on Saturday conducted the polygraph test on six individuals, including Sandip Ghosh, in connection with the Kolkata rape and murder case.

The Additional Chief Judicial Magistrates (ACJM) court in Sealdah approved the CBIs request on Thursday to conduct a lie detector test on the controversial former principal of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, Sandip Ghosh, and five others in connection with the case.

Of the total seven individuals involved, one is a close associate of Roy, a civic volunteer, while the remaining four are postgraduate medical students of RG Kar who were on duty at the hospital on the night of August 8-9.
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- The crew of a Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) ship was evacuated due to heavy flooding, following a collision with an underwater object off the coast of Johor state on Sunday.

All the crew had been recovered safely while the partially submerged ship was being salvaged, the RMN said in a statement.

"A leak was first detected at 12 p.m. ... It is believed to have been caused by the vessel colliding with an underwater object. It (the leak) was initially detected in the ship's engine room before spreading uncontrollably. The crew was safely recovered after efforts to control the situation and stabilize the vessel did not succeed," it said. 
While social media played a crucial role in the August 14 Reclaim The Night stir in the wake of the brutal rape and murder of a trainee doctor at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on August 9, bringing out women to express their shock over the incident, it also spread misinformation related to the case, causing unrest.

Here are some of the wild theories and rumours that came up on social media, which were later debunked by the authorities.

Suicide: Several social media posts claimed that the police had initially termed the womans death as suicide, increasing anger against the police. Later, the womans parents said that the hospital authorities, and not the police, had told them that the doctor had died by suicide.

150 gm semen theory: The social media was abuzz with the gang rape theory and claims that 150 gm semen was found in the womans body. While the gang rape claim is under investigation, the post-mortem report nowhere mentioned 150 gm semen. Sources who saw the report told News18 that it only mentioned a white thick viscous liquid in the cervical canal.

Crime scene, construction to destruction: Several WhatsApp groups people started to share that construction work has started at the crime scene. This was misinformation. Not only this, the day the goons vandalised RG Kar hospital, they could not reach seminar hall where the crime took place. Some people had claimed on social media that the attack took place at the crime scene. The Kolkata Police negated it in a post on X.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) meanwhile said in court that they took over the investigation after five days and the crime scene has been altered.

Pelvic bone broken: Another social media claim was that the womans pelvic bone was fractured. As per News18 sources, the post-mortem report does not mention any fracture.

CBI letter: A fake letter claiming that the CBI has written to the higher authorities that they want to withdraw themselves from investigation owing to the manipulation was floating on social media. The CBI posted on X, calling it fake.

Sandip Ghoshs posting: Under pressure, former principal of RG Kar Hospital Dr Sandip Ghosh was finally removed from the Calcutta National Medical College. News started floating that he has been given the posting of Officer On Special Duty. This was negated by the Health Secretary.

Widespread circulation of the victims photograph and name, which is an offence, too, also took place, with even the courts asking the authorities to take action.
A student of Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) in Mumbai was found dead at his rented apartment on Sunday, the police said, adding that it suspect ragging in the death of student.

The deceased, Anurag Jaiswal, was part of the Human Resource program of the institution.

According to the report by NDTV, Jaiswal had attended a party at Vashi the previous night with his friends and had gotten inebriated. The police said that the student did not wake up in the morning and was rushed to a local hospital in Chembur where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

All his friends are being questioned, the police sources said.

In a post on X, the institute expressed sorrow on the death of the student and said that the thoughts and prayers would always be there with the deceaseds family.

It is with deep sadness and a heavy heart that we announce the passing away of Anurag Jaiswal, first year student of HRM&LR of TISS Mumbai.We are withAnurags family at this heartbreaking time and our thoughts and prayers will always be with the Anurags family.  TISS  Tata Institute of Social Sciences (@TISSpeak) August 25, 2024

It is with deep sadness and a heavy heart that we announce the passing away of Anurag Jaiswal, first year student of HRM&LR of TISS Mumbai. We are with Anurags family at this heartbreaking time and our thoughts and prayers will always be with the Anurags family, it said.

An accidental death report has been filed in the matter and an investigation is underway.

This news piece may be triggering. If you or someone you know needs help, call any of these helplines: Aasra (Mumbai) 022-27546669, Sneha (Chennai) 044-24640050, Sumaitri (Delhi) 011-23389090, Cooj (Goa) 0832- 2252525, Jeevan (Jamshedpur) 065-76453841, Pratheeksha (Kochi) 048-42448830, Maithri (Kochi) 0484-2540530, Roshni (Hyderabad) 040-66202000, Lifeline 033-64643267 (Kolkata)
There is renewed speculation and interest in the Gandhi-Bachchan relationship in the wake of Sonia Gandhi coming out in support of Jaya Bachchan when the Rajya Sabha presiding officer allegedly made some disparaging remarks against the actress-turned-parliamentarian.

In the forecourt of the new parliament building, Jaya and Sonia were seen united, visibly upset and sharing a bonhomie. Was it political or personal? Or a combination of the two?

Like Gandhis, Bachchans have carefully created their political legacy. Bachchan patriarch Harvansh Rai Bachchan had bagged a Rajya Sabha term way back in 1966 due to his proximity with then prime minister Indira Gandhi. Next in line was the famous Dostana between Rajiv Gandhi and Amitabh Bachchan when Rajiv was prime minister and Amitabh was a member of Parliament from Allahabad. Jaya joined Sonia Gandhi in parliament five years later in July 2004. She kept bagging re-nomination in the upper house five times. In April 2024, Sonia Gandhi joined her in the Rajya Sabha. The duo is likely to stay in the house till 2030.

Unlike Harivansh Rai (nominated member) or Amitabh (Congress), Jayas political journey has been with the Samajwadi Party, which has often been at the loggerheads with the Congress. In October 2004, speaking at Siddaur in Barakbanki district, Jaya had made a not-so veiled attack on Sonia-led Congress and said, Mere devar Amar Singh sach mein Thakur hain, jo kehte hain woh karte hain. Aap Samajwadi Party ko vote dijiye, yeh log vade aur rishte nibhana jante hain. (My brother-in-law is a real Thakur; he does what he says. Please vote for the Samajwadi Party because these people know how to keep promises and relations).

This was the time that the Gandhis were back in power and some of common friends thought it would mean that Bachchans would not be far behind but at that time, Sonia and Rahul made no pretence to hide their ire. The canker in the relationship, previously only known to a select few, now came out into the open. The media went into feverished speculation as to what had gone wrong with Dosti No 1.

Gandhis and Bachchan share a long, cherished and often chequered relationship. Their tale of friendship dates back to the Nehru-Gandhi familys Anand Bhawan days. This was a time when Indira was still unmarried and Sarojini Naidu had introduced poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan and his Sikh wife Teji to Jawaharlal Nehru and his daughter as the poet and the poem.

Amitabh was barely four when he was introduced to Rajiv, who was two then. There was a fancy dress party at the Bachchans Bank Road residence in Allahabad at which Rajiv was dressed up as a freedom fighter.

When Nehru moved to New Delhis Teen Murti Bhavan as Indias first Prime Minister, Rajiv and his brother Sanjay were often spotted playing with Bachchan siblings Amitabh and Ajitabh along with Adil Shaharyar, the son of Indira aide Mohammed Yunus, and Kabir Bedi.

While Rajiv and Sanjay were studying at Doon School, Amitabh and Ajitabh were at Nainitals Sherwood. During the holidays in New Delhi, which fell around the same time, the boys met and swam every day at the pool of Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Rajiv and Sanjay exposed Amitabh to avant garde cinema when European films were specially screened at Rashtrapati Bhavan for the Nehru-Gandhi family. Amitabh recalls attending with Rajiv and Sanjay the screening of films like Cranes are Flying and other Czech, Polish and Russian movies rich in anti-war message.

Indiras close aide Yashpal Kapoor was extremely fond of Amitabh. Kapoor, more famous for toppling Opposition governments in states, is said to have tried getting Amitabh to Delhis prestigious St Stephens College. For some reason, Amitabh did not join, preferring to move to Kirorimal College (perhaps due to a better course option) but his younger brother Ajitabh studied economics at Stephens.

Amitabhs first break in Bollywood was in K.A. Abbass Saat Hindustani, based on the liberation of Goa. Abbas was considered close to Indira, the then Prime Minister, and there were whispers that she had put in a word for the struggling actor. But Abbas stoutly denied having acted at Indiras behest.

Harivansh Rai, later to become a Rajya Sabha member, was requisitioned in the foreign office by Nehrus government while Teji was made director of the Film Finance Corporation in 1973. This was the time when Amitabh got married to Jaya. The guest list was extremely short but Sanjay was present, representing the Gandhis.

When Amitabh emerged as an actor, Rajiv would often visit him on the sets, extremely unobtrusive, waiting patiently till he completed a shot. Amitabh recalled: His nature was that he would never misuse his family name. More often than not, Rajiv would not disclose his surname, fearing the distance it would create between him and the common man.

Then came the Emergency. Amitabh, who was frequently seen in Sanjays company, faced media wrath for supporting it. On April 11, 1976, Delhi hosted a function called Geeton Bhari Sham, ostensibly to raise money for Sanjay and Rukhsana Sultana (actress Amrita Singhs mother)s controversial family planning programme. Both Amitabh and Jaya were present in the company of Sanjay.

It is a well-known fact that when Rajiv decided to marry Sonia, she had stayed with Bachchans before getting married. Several wedding rituals like Sonias mehndi ceremony were held at the Bachchan home. Sonia always retained her affection for Teji, who acted as her godmother and schooled her in Indian customs when she arrived in Delhi as Rajiv Gandhis fiancee in 1968 and was put up at the Bachchans.

I came to learn a lot from them. Teji aunty is my second no, my third mother (after her own mother and mother-in-law Indira Gandhi), Sonia had said in a 1985 interview. Amit and Bunty (Ajitabh) are my brothers.

When the Gandhis were out of power and the Janata government began to tighten screws on Indira, Bachchans reportedly distanced themselves from the Nehru-Gandhi family. Sanjays side of the family claims that when Indira was out of power, there was a proposal to invite the Bachchan clan at a public rally, but Teji reportedly declined, citing her sons career. Sanjay was reportedly livid and relations between the two families snapped for the time being. Sanjay was also upset when, out of power, he arrived in Bombay but his friend Amitabh did not come to receive him, a task the actor used to greatly relish in happier times, it seems.

There were minor differences between Gandhis and Bachchans when actress Nargis was given the coveted Rajya Sabha nomination. Indira, whose proximity to Teji Bachchan was well established, chose Nargis as Rajya Sabha member in 1980. The move had reportedly upset Teji and this appeared in a snippet column of a magazine that was edited by Indiras other bahu Maneka. But Indira had stoutly defended her decision insisting that Nargis had deserved the recognition much more than anyone else.

Cut to the post 1984 era when Rajiv took over as prime minister and Amitabh was an influential Congress MP. Following the Bofors uproar, Amitabh abruptly left politics, disillusioned. Superman was accused of being a middleman. Amitabh fought for his honour and won a protracted legal battle, but he could not sever his links with politics. Amitabhs parting with Gandhis singularly contributed for Rajivs downfall as Allahabad Lok Sabha by-elections in 1987 gave a fragmented opposition a sense that together they can humble the Congress which was holding 413 MPs in 542-member Lok Sabha.

The ties could never recover fully. Then on May 21, 1991, Rajiv was killed at Sriperumbudur.

In 2024, the political realities seem to be scoring well. The sudden warmth between Sonia and Jaya appears to be more political than personal. The Gandhis are in the I.N.D.I. alliance with their good friend Mamata Banerjee and Akhilesh Yadav and more importantly, the grand old party has done well. The Congress political fortunes are linked to the Samajwadi Party having a hold in Uttar Pradesh. The renewed friendship is perhaps an acknowledgement of these stark political realities, with a lot to follow.

The author is a Visiting Fellow at the Observer Research Foundation. A well-known political analyst, he has written several books, including 24 Akbar Road and Sonia: A Biography. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18s views.
Pakistan has invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other leaders to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisations (SCO) Council of Heads of Government (CHG) meeting, scheduled for October 15-16 in Islamabad.

This invitation follows Pakistans rotation into the chairmanship of the CHG, the SCOs second-highest decision-making body. It is unlikely that Modi will travel to Islamabad due to strained relations between India and Pakistan, The Times Of India reported.

Last year, External Affairs Minister Minister S Jaishankar attended the CHG meeting in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. PM Modi, who has regularly attended the SCO heads of state summits, missed this years summit in Kazakhstan due to a Parliament session. The SCO, led by Russia and China, is crucial for regional security and cooperation.

Despite this, India remains cautious about Chinas influence in the group. Indian and Pakistani delegations have participated in SCO exercises and meetings, though high-profile visits remain rare. Recent tensions, caused by the surge in terror attacks in Jammu, may affect Indias decision on the invitation.

India and Pakistans relationship remains complex, with Pakistan seeking to reverse Indias abrogation of Jammu and Kashmirs special status, a move India views as non-negotiable. The last visit by an Indian foreign minister to Pakistan was in 2015.
The owner of a jewellery store in Rajasthan died after being shot at during a loot when a group of five persons stormed into his shop, and held him and two others at gunpoint. The incident, which took place in the central market of Bhiwadi area in Khairthal-Tijara district on Friday (August 23), was captured in the shops CCTV cameras.

Shocking visuals Coming from BHIWADI RAJASTHAN Where A Group Of 7-8 Members Entered In A Jewellery Showroom and started looting The Jewellery Showroom On Gun Point The incident is of Bhiwadi district Rajasthan @MahantBalaknath Is The Sitting MLA of BHIWADI Crime is pic.twitter.com/0hGUD4RP3U  Bhole  Bharat (@bhole_bharat) August 23, 2024

Police identified the deceased as Jai Soni, who along with his brother Madhusudan Soni and guard Sujan Singh were at the shop when the theft took place at Kamlesh Jewellers around 7.30 pm. Five unidentified people who came in a car, stormed into the shop and attacked the trio, police said.

According to police, the accused looted the shop and opened fire during which Jai, Madhusudan and Sujan sustained bullet injuries. Jai succumbed to his injuries at the hospital, they said.

Jai reportedly attacked the accused while they were looting the store. The robbers then ran outside and got into their car but Jai followed and tried to drag them out, which is when they shot at him.

Jaipur range inspector general of police Anil Kumar Tank said police teams have been formed to search and identify the accused on the basis of CCTV footage. The injured are undergoing treatment at a local hospital, he added.

The traders association is holding a protest demanding the immediate arrest of the accused after the incident. BJP MLA Baba Balaknath and senior police officials reached the protest site to hold talks with the traders and resolve the issue.
Former Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) President Adish Aggarwala has written to the current president and senior advocate Kapil Sibal warning him of a no confidence motion against him over the associations recent resolution condemning the Kolkata rape and murder.

In his letter, Aggarwala has expressed serious concerns over a resolution related to the tragic rape and murder of a trainee doctor at Kolkatas RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. Aggarwala stated that this resolution was not officially approved by the SCBAs Executive Committee, making it invalid.

Aggarwala also accused Sibal of using his position to undermine the gravity of the incident and of exhibiting a conflict of interest by representing the West Bengal government in related cases while making such statements.

You have been representing the government of West Bengal in the related cases before Honble Supreme Court. As a lawyer, you have every right to accept and argue cases. However, on August 21, 2024 you circulated a purported Resolution of the SCBA under your signature, describing the RG Kar Medical College incident as symptomatic malaise, and said the resolution hoped that such incidents that have taken place throughout the country are not repeated, the letter read.

The statement about the SCBA resolution signed by you and printed on SCBA letterhead is mischievous, dangerous, insensitive and a grave injustice to the rape-murder victim and lakhs of doctors, trainees and students who are still on protest mode, demanding safe work environment, Aggarwala said in his letter.

The letter demands that Sibal withdraw the resolution and issue a public apology within 72 hours. Failure to do so could lead to a no-confidence motion against Sibal.

Aggarwalas letter criticises Sibal for his attempt to undermine the seriousness of the RG Kar Medical College case, which is under serious scrutiny by the Supreme Court of India and the CBI.

Several members of the Executive Committee (EC) of the SCBA have also expressed concern over a resolution issued by SCBA President Kapil Sibal regarding the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital incident. They allege that the resolution, dated August 21, 2024, was signed by Sibal and circulated on SCBA letterhead without being presented to or approved by the Executive Committee.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said collective efforts will help the youth sans a political background to rise in politics and asserted that the spirit shown by such people during the freedom struggle is required again to attain the goal of Viksit Bharat.

In his monthly Mann Ki Baat radio broadcast, Modi said his Independence Day call for one lakh youth without any political background to join politics has evoked wide reactions with some youth stating that dynastic politics crushes new talent.

This year from Red Fort, I have urged one lakh youth who are not from a political background to connect with the political system. This point of mine has garnered tremendous response.We thus come to know that a large number of our youth are eagerly ready to enter politics, Modi said.

All they are looking for is the right opportunity and apt guidance, he added.

I have also received letters from youth across the country on this subject. Enormous response is being received on social media as well. People have sent me many kinds of suggestions. Some youth have written in their letters that it is truly inconceivable for them. On account of the absence of a political legacy on part of their grandfather or parents they could not enter politics despite wanting to, the prime minister said.

Some youth have written that they possess a good experience of working at the ground level and hence they can be helpful in solving peoples problems, he said.

Some youth have also written that dynastic politics crushes new talent. Some youth have mentioned that such efforts will lend more strength to our democracy. I thank each and everyone for sending in suggestions on the subject, Modi said.

He hoped that with collective efforts, youth who do not possess a political background, will also be able to come forward in politics.

Their experience and their fervour will prove useful for the country, Modi said.

Even during the freedom struggle, many such people had come forward, who did not have any political background. They took the plunge for the sake of Indias freedom. Once more, we require the same spirit to attain the goal of Viksit Bharat, he said.

He urged the youth to positively join this campaign.

This step of yours will be transformative in terms of your future and the countrys future, Modi said.

During the programme, Modi also spoke to young entrepreneurs, who were IIT-Madras alumni and helming space start-up GalaxEye, as they highlighted their work.

They praised the growing vibrant space ecosystem in the country.

The prime minister said the youth of the country has benefited a lot from various reforms in the space sector.

On the occasion, he noted that India celebrated its first National Space Day on August 23 to mark the first anniversary of the successful landing of its spacecraft on the Moon.

Modi also noted that the Har Ghar Tiranga and Poora Desh Tiranga campaign was a resounding success.

We saw the Tricolour fluttering atop houses, as well as at schools, colleges and Universities. Some people had the Tricolour adorn their shops, offices people also did the same on their desktops, mobiles and vehicles. When people join hands to express a sentiment, it thus lends unparalleled glory to any campaign, Modi said.

A Tiranga rally, bearing a 750 metre-long flag was also taken out on the Chenab Railway Bridge, the tallest in the world, he pointed out.

We all saw captivating pictures of the Tiranga Yatra on the Dal Lake in Srinagar. A yatra with a 600-feet-long Tiranga was carried out in East Kameng District in Arunachal Pradesh. On similar lines, in other States of the country as well, people of all ages participated in such Tiranga Yatras, Modi said.

This campaign wove the entire country into a thread of togetherness and this is exactly what Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat is, he said.

In his radio broadcast, Modi also cited the example of Barekuri village in Assam where people of Moran community have a deep bond with Hoolock Gibbons.

When they realised that Gibbons love bananas a lot, they started growing bananas on their farms. Besides, they decided that they would perform rituals connected with the birth and death of Gibbons, exactly as they would have performed for their near and dear ones. They have also named the Gibbons, he said..

Recently, the Gibbons were facing hardships on account of electric wires passing through, in the vicinity. In this scenario, the villagers put forth the problem to the government and a quick solution was found out too, he said.

He also cited another example of human-animal bond, saying young people in Arunachal Pradesh have started using 3-D printing technology to protect wild animals from being hunted for their horns and tusks.

The prime minister also lauded the efforts of people behind a park in Madhya Pradeshs Jhabua where wonderful artworks out of waste have been created.

The prime minister also batted for toy recycling, saying this is another such field where we can work together.

You too are aware of the fact that whereas many children get bored of their toys within no time, there are children as well for whom such toys are a pipedream. Toys that your children no longer play with you can give them away to spaces, where they continue being useful, he said.

Modi also urged people to connect with campaigns pertaining to awareness about nutrition.

A tiny effort on your part, will help a lot in the fight against malnutrition, he said.

Modi also noted that August 29 is Telugu Bhasha Diwas.

Its truly an amazing language. I extend good wishes to Telugu speakers across the world on Telugu Bhasha Diwas, he said.

Modi also urged people to be a part of the Catch the Rain Movement.

Paralympics are about to begin in Paris. Our divyang brothers and sisters have reached there. 140 crore Indians are cheering for our athletes and players. You too also encourage our players with #Cheer4bharat, he said.
Aotearoa New Zealand is a land of rich culinary traditions, where indigenous ingredients and seasonal delicacies take center stage. From the tangy sweetness of feijoas to the briny flavor of Bluff oysters, the countrys diverse landscapes yield a bounty of unique flavors. These iconic seasonal delicacies offer a taste of New Zealands natural beauty and cultural heritage, inviting food lovers to explore the vibrant and evolving culinary scene.

Harakeke (New Zealand flax)  February  March

In modern cuisine, harakeke seeds are prized for their unique flavour and nutritional benefits. Derived from the endemic New Zealand flax plant, these seeds find their way into a variety of culinary dishes, enriching everything from salads to seasonings to ice cream. With a history deeply rooted in Maori culture, harakeke not only contributes a distinctive flavour profile and nutty taste, but also showcases New Zealands rich indigenous flora, offering chefs a versatile ingredient to innovate with in contemporary dishes.

Bluff Oysters (tio para)  in season from March to August

At the southern tip of New Zealands South Island lies a national treasure celebrated for its delicate flavour and revered seasonal harvest. Bluff oysters are a culinary delicacy celebrated for their plump texture and briny-sweet flavour. This seasonal treasure, available from March through August, marks a highlight in Aotearoa New Zealands gastronomic calendar. The annual Bluff Oyster and Food Festival in May draws seafood enthusiasts from far and wide to indulge in freshly shucked oysters paired with local wine and beer.

Feijoa (mamaku)  in season from April  June

Feijoa, also known as pineapple guava, is a tropical fruit prized for its aromatic fragrance and tangy-sweet flavour. Ripening from April to June, feijoas feature a vibrant green skin and soft, juicy interior that lends itself beautifully to desserts, jams, and even wines during its short and sweet season.

Blue cod (Rawaru)  in season from April  September

Endemic to Aotearoa New Zealands South Island coastal waters, blue cod is prized for its delicate, salty-sweet flavour and light texture. Renowned for its versatility, this sustainably wild-caught fish is celebrated by local and international chefs alike. Whether served raw in ceviche or as the star of classic fish and chips found in many towns across Te Waipounamu, South Island, blue cod shines in both traditional and contemporary dishes.

Kawakawa (endemic shrub)  in season May  September

Also known as the New Zealand pepper tree, Kawakawa is a small evergreen shrub with heart-shaped leaves that impart a peppery flavour. Valued for both culinary and medicinal uses, Kawakawa leaves are used to infuse oils, season meats, and add a unique twist to dishes, showcasing Aotearoa New Zealands rich indigenous flora in gourmet cuisine.

Crayfish (koura)  in season from June  November

Aotearoa New Zealands rock lobster is a prized seafood delicacy known for its sweet, succulent meat and firm texture. There are two species of koura found only in New Zealand. Often enjoyed simply cracked and fresh, or grilled with garlic butter, crayfish is a favourite delicacy among top chefs across New Zealand, and just as easily found at local seafood kiosks along the Kaikoura coast. While they are sustainably harvested throughout the year, fewer crayfish are caught between February and May when they shed their shells and grow new red scales, and the largest catches are landed in late spring.

Paua (endemic abalone)  in season year-round with restrictions

Aotearoa New Zealands black abalone, known as paua, is a prized shellfish celebrated for its vibrant blue-green shell and tender meat. Found clinging to coastal rocks around the country, paua is sustainably harvested year-round under strict regulations to protect its population. Its flesh is delicately flavoured and often used in traditional Maori cuisine or showcased in modern dishes, such as paua fritters or seafood chowder.

Whitebait (inanga)  in season from September  November

Whitebait, tiny translucent fish found in Aotearoa New Zealands rivers and estuaries, is a seasonal delicacy celebrated for its delicate taste. The fleeting whitebait season from September to November marks a culinary pilgrimage for those eager to savour these delicate morsels in traditional fritters served with lemon, lightly seasoned and cooked to highlight its fresh, sweet taste.

Pikopiko (endemic fern)  in season from September  November

Pikopiko, an edible herb featuring tightly coiled ferns, are best harvested in spring when they are at their most tender and flavourful, resembling a cross between asparagus and green beans. Harvested sustainably by adhering to traditional Maori practices, chefs ensure minimal environmental impact by gathering only what is needed. Pikopiko has a delicate, earthy flavour that can be enjoyed fresh or pickled, adding texture and depth to salads and savoury dishes. The Pikopiko was one of the foods traditionally eaten at Matariki feasts.

Kina (sea urchin)  in season year-round with restrictions

Kina is an endemic sea urchin and delicacy prized for its rich, creamy roe and briny flavour. Found along Aotearoa New Zealands rocky coastlines, kina is enjoyed fresh and raw, or incorporated into dishes to highlight its unique taste and texture. Recognised for their hedgehog-like appearance, kina contain a fleshy orange-yellow edible roe, and at the end of its life, a kina will lose its spikes, leaving behind a beautiful green globe-like shell often found on Aotearoa New Zealands beaches.
Ajay Devgn and Luv Ranjan are already working together for De De Pyaar De 2. The film shooting has been completed and the actor is currently in London for his next film Son of Sardar 2. Amid this, a report comes that he will once again collaborate with Luv Ranjan for his adventure-based film. Midday has reported that it will be inspired by Indiana Jones. But note that there has been no official announcement till now.

Mid-Day quoted a source saying, The script for the Luv Ranjan film is still in progress. It will be a big-budget production featuring Ajay Devgn as an adventurer. The filmmakers aim to create something akin to the Indiana Jones franchise. Ajay is excited about the concept, as it is an unexplored genre for him. It further added that the film will be set in the forests of India, with Devgn on a quest to find an ancient relic. The story will have historical significance and will be steeped in folklore and mythology. The film, heavy on VFX, is expected to go on floors by December 2024, the source reveals.

The report also claimed that Devgn is excited about the project. It is being designed with children in mind. The film will feature high-octane set pieces and stunts. Ajay will sport a rugged look, donning a leather jacket and carrying a backpack. He will possess extensive knowledge of ancient civilisations and languages, the source shares. He is expected to begin shooting after Son of Sardar 2 and De De Pyaar De 2.

Ajay Devgn recently took to his Instagram to announce the Muhurat of the film. Helmed by Vijay Kumar Arora, the film has an extensive shoot schedule in the UK, followed by India. Ajay shared a video with the caption, The journey of #SonOfSardaar2 begins with prayers, blessings, and an amazing team. In the video, Ajay could be seen offering prayers at a gurdwara while Mrunal Thakur was seen performing bhangra on stage.

The film will be directed by Vijay Kumar Arora and comes nearly 12 years after the original. The first film featured Ajay Devgn trying to win Sonakshi Sinhas hand in marriage by trying to impress her older brother, played by Sanjay Dutt. However, as per reports, Sonakshi Sinha will not be a part of the sequel. A release date for the film is yet to be decided.
Alia Bhatts Gangubai Kathiawadi co-star Seema Pahwa recently shared an experience that shifted her perspective on the actress. In a recent interview with Hindi Rush, Seema recalled how Alia came to the rescue of a child artist during a challenging scene, when director Sanjay Leela Bhansali was getting frustrated.

She recalled, Back in my mind I was anticipating, she is a new girl and from a film family, I wonder how she would be as a person. But, I was surprised. She treated me with a lot of respect. Maybe because Sanjay introduced me to her as a senior actor. But, one incident on set changed my perspective about her.

The veteran actress recalled how, during a late-night scene, a young girl kept falling asleep and missing her line, which upset Sanjay Leela Bhansali. She said, There was a scene with a young girl, who was pretending to be asleep and then had to say one dialogue. They were shooting for that one scene for a long time. It was about 3 in the morning. The child was sleepy. So, every time she went to the bed, she would actually fall asleep and miss her dialogue. This made Sanjay furious and irritated. He was yelling, why is she falling asleep every time? It was at this time that Alia Bhatt came to her rescue. I saw it myself. She instructed the child artist that when I will pull your arm, you say your dialogue. It was a selfless gesture, it impressed me.

Gangubai Kathiawadi, directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, is a 2022 film starring Alia Bhatt as Gangubai Kothewali. The movie is based on a chapter from Mafia Queens of Mumbai by Hussain Zaidi. It tells the story of Gangubais rise from being sold into prostitution to becoming a powerful figure in Mumbais underworld. The film, set in the 1960s, has been praised for Alia Bhatts performance and Bhansalis direction.
This photo taken on Aug. 25, 2024 shows a woman standing in a building hit directly by a rocket fired from Lebanon overnight, in the northern Israeli city of Acre. Hezbollah has launched a large-scale drone attack against Israel Sunday morning, the militant group announced in a statement.

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant on Sunday declared a 48-hour nationwide state of emergency. (JINI via Xinhua)

BEIRUT, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- Hezbollah has launched a large-scale drone attack against Israel Sunday morning, the militant group announced in a statement. 

This photo taken on Aug. 25, 2024 shows a building hit directly by a rocket fired from Lebanon overnight, in the northern Israeli city of Acre. Hezbollah has launched a large-scale drone attack against Israel Sunday morning, the militant group announced in a statement.

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant on Sunday declared a 48-hour nationwide state of emergency. (JINI via Xinhua)

This photo taken on Aug. 25, 2024 shows a building hit directly by a rocket fired from Lebanon overnight, in the northern Israeli city of Acre. Hezbollah has launched a large-scale drone attack against Israel Sunday morning, the militant group announced in a statement.

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant on Sunday declared a 48-hour nationwide state of emergency. (JINI via Xinhua)

This photo taken on Aug. 25, 2024 shows a woman standing in a building hit directly by a rocket fired from Lebanon overnight, in the northern Israeli city of Acre. Hezbollah has launched a large-scale drone attack against Israel Sunday morning, the militant group announced in a statement.

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant on Sunday declared a 48-hour nationwide state of emergency. (JINI via Xinhua)

This photo taken on Aug. 25, 2024 shows a man standing in a building hit directly by a rocket fired from Lebanon overnight, in the northern Israeli city of Acre. Hezbollah has launched a large-scale drone attack against Israel Sunday morning, the militant group announced in a statement.

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant on Sunday declared a 48-hour nationwide state of emergency. (JINI via Xinhua)

This photo taken on Aug. 25, 2024 shows a building hit directly by a rocket fired from Lebanon overnight, in the northern Israeli city of Acre. Hezbollah has launched a large-scale drone attack against Israel Sunday morning, the militant group announced in a statement.

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant on Sunday declared a 48-hour nationwide state of emergency. (JINI via Xinhua)

This photo taken on Aug. 25, 2024 shows a building hit directly by a rocket fired from Lebanon overnight, in the northern Israeli city of Acre. Hezbollah has launched a large-scale drone attack against Israel Sunday morning, the militant group announced in a statement.

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant on Sunday declared a 48-hour nationwide state of emergency. (JINI via Xinhua)

This photo taken on Aug. 25, 2024 shows a building hit directly by a rocket fired from Lebanon overnight, in the northern Israeli city of Acre. Hezbollah has launched a large-scale drone attack against Israel Sunday morning, the militant group announced in a statement.

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant on Sunday declared a 48-hour nationwide state of emergency. (JINI via Xinhua)

This photo taken on Aug. 25, 2024 shows a building hit directly by a rocket fired from Lebanon overnight, in the northern Israeli city of Acre. Hezbollah has launched a large-scale drone attack against Israel Sunday morning, the militant group announced in a statement.

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant on Sunday declared a 48-hour nationwide state of emergency. (JINI via Xinhua)

This photo taken on Aug. 25, 2024 shows a building hit directly by a rocket fired from Lebanon overnight, in the northern Israeli city of Acre. Hezbollah has launched a large-scale drone attack against Israel Sunday morning, the militant group announced in a statement.

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant on Sunday declared a 48-hour nationwide state of emergency. (JINI via Xinhua)
Kangana Ranaut has never shied away from taking jabs at Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt, especially in her ongoing war against Bollywood nepotism. The actress recently took aim at Ranbir Kapoors Animal and, in a juicy revelation, admitted she turned down a role in Sanju, where Ranbir played Sanjay Dutt. The Rajkumar Hirani hit, which also starred Anushka Sharma, Dia Mirza and Sonam Kapoor, didnt tempt Kangana  despite Ranbir personally asking her to join the cast.

In a chat with Siddharth Kannan, Kangana spilled more tea, saying shes turned down offers from some of the biggest names in the industry. But when asked if things get awkward with those shes publicly shaded or rejected, she coolly claimed it hasnt affected her professional relationships one bit.

The Emergency actress said, Ranbir himself came to my house, and said, Sanju mein role kar le please. I didnt do it, but that doesnt mean

In a recent interview with Raj Shamani, Kangana Ranaut shared that she turned down films with all three Khans because she felt they wouldnt offer good roles for women. She also mentioned rejecting endorsement deals worth Rs 10-15 crores because they promoted fairness creams, which she considers racist. Kangana added, I have turned down deals worth Rs 10-15 crores because they endorse fairness creams. It is racist. I was like this from the beginning, even before I was successful. I have turned down films with the Khans. But let me be clear, all the Khans have been very kind and nice to me. Therere people whove misbehaved with me, but Khans were not one of them, she said.

Speaking to The Times of India, Kangana recently revealed that industry insiders were warning others not to work with her. She said, Several casting directors, and DOPs refused to work with me. Actors were receiving calls to not work with me. There was a lot of conspiracy against me. Kangana Ranaut also spoke praised Salman Khan, dubbing him the biggest star in Bollywood and the most misunderstand.
Malayalam filmmaker Ranjith resigned as chairman of the Kerala Chalachitra Academy on Sunday after Bengali actress Sreelekha Mitra accused him of misconduct. Ranjith said he stepped down to avoid damaging the reputation of the states Left government and plans to fight the allegations legally, as per PTI. Meanwhile, veteran Malayalam actor Siddique, who is also the general secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA), has also resigned from his post, after being accused of sexual abuse. AMMA vice president Jayan Cherthala confirmed it.

Background

Sreelekha recently spoke to Asianet News when she accused Ranjith of sexually harassing her during the auditions for his 2009 film Paleri Manikyam: Oru Pathirakolapathakathinte Katha. I was talking on the phone to a cinematographer, standing in Ranjiths bedroom balcony. As I stood there, he touched my bangles. I was uncomfortable with it, but I gave him the benefit of doubt. Then he started caressing my neck, so I excused myself and left the room, the actress said.

Describing the incident as traumatic, she added, I was not able to share the incident with anyone. After the incident, I spent the night in my hotel room in fear, thinking, what if people come and knock on my door? I was waiting for daylight.

Revathy Sampath on Siddique

Revathy Sampath, who accused Siddique of sexual abuse, recalled details of what had happened. After completing my Plus Two, I had a terrible experience. Siddique sent me messages on Facebook. I had come to discuss a film. This incident occurred when I was 21 years old. He first approached me by calling me Mole. There was abuse from Siddiques side. During the discussion, he sexually abused me. The face he shows now is not the one I saw back then, Revanthy said during a media interaction.

The Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA) responded to the Justice Hema Committee report on working conditions and sexual exploitation in the Malayalam film industry on Friday. AMMA welcomed the report but denied the presence of powerful groups and dismissed the casting couch claims.
Samantha Ruth Prabhu shared a post on Instagram that talked about how love is a sacrifice. The post mentioned how sometimes one partner needs to put in more effort when the other partner is not in a position to give too much. Through the post, Samantha expressed her gratitude for people in her life who held on when she didnt have it in her to give back equal effort.

A lot of people view friendships and relationships as reciprocal and I agree. You give. I give. But over the years I have learned that sometimes love causes you to give even when the other person isnt in a position to give back. It goes from you give, I give  to I give until youre able to give back and vice versa, the post read.

Love is a sacrifice. Even if the balance tips for a season. Grateful for the people that still kept pouring even when I didnt have it to pour back, the post also read. Samantha shared this post on her Instagram story with a white heart emoji.

Meanwhile, Samantha Ruth Prabhu left her fans concerned when she made a public appearance in Mumbai on Thursday night. In a video that surfaced on social media, the actress was seen posing for the paparazzi as she arrived at an event. She sported a black outfit, left her tresses open and opted for minimal accessories. However, soon after the video was shared online, fans rushed to the comments section expressing concern for Samantha. While some mentioned that she looked unrecognisable, others argued that the actress had lost a lot of weight.

On the work front, Samantha Ruth Prabhu will soon be seen in Citadel: Honey Bunny. It is the Indian series within the Citadel universe, originally headlined by Priyanka Chopra and Richard Madden. Earlier this month, the teaser of Citadel: Hunny Bunny was released when Samantha opened up about working with Varun Dhawan and said, All he thinks about from the moment he wakes up is how to improve his craft. Hes constantly focused on how to perform each scene better. Not only is he dedicated to his work, but hes also one of the nicest human beings Ive ever met.

His wonderful sense of humour and positive attitude make sure everyone on set is happy. Hes always smiling, ensuring that theres never a rough day for anyone around him. In Citadel, he has brought a completely new vision to his role, particularly in the action scenes, showcasing a fresh and unique approach, the actress added.

On the personal front, Samanthas ex-husband, Naga Chaitanya, recently got engaged to actress Sobhita Dhulipala in an intimate ceremony attended by their close family members.
Shahid Kapoor, who recently entertained audiences in Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya, is set to take a grittier, more intense role in the film titled Deva. In a video from the films shoot which has surfaced online, the actor can be seen smoking a cigarette in front of Amitabh Bachchans mural.

Shahid Kapoor can be seen in a white shirt and khaki pants, smoking a cigarette on a bike. He is seemingly halting a wedding procession while shooting a musical sequence. Watch the video here:

After much anticipation, the actor shared a sneak peek of the film in July this year, hinting at a Valentines Day release on February 14, 2025, with the tagline Get ready for a bloody Valentines. In the image, Shahid donned a bulletproof police vest over a t-shirt and jeans, holding a gun and exuding readiness for action. His chiselled physique and fresh short haircut caught everyones attention.

Directed by Malayalam director Rosshan Andrrews, the movie features Shahid alongside Pooja Hegde, Kubbra Sait and Pavail Gulati. While the complete plot is still under wraps, as per the post, the actor seemed to be on a mission to take down the villain. This wasnt the first time Shahid Kapoor shared a glimpse of Deva. In October 2023, he announced the project with a stylish photo from the set. In that post, Shahid flaunted his rugged look, dressed in a white shirt and trousers, while holding a gun.

The actor had previously confirmed that the Deva was initially set to release on October 11, 2024. However, to avoid competing with Suriya and Bobby Deols Kanguva and Alia Bhatt, Vedang Rainas Jigra, the makers decided to postpone the release. Now, the Shahid Kapoor starrer is scheduled to hit theatres on Valentines weekend. While no Bollywood movie will clash with Kapoors film, it will face competition from Hollywood as Anthony Mackies Captain America: Brave New World is also expected to release on the same date.
Actress Rati Agnihotri tied the knot with Anil Virwani in February 1985. They had briefly separated between 2015-2016 but their son and actor Tanuj Virwani has clarified that the duo have mended things between them since then. In a recent conversation, Tanuj said that he doesnt understand why people still think his parents are separated.

Tanuj Virwani told NDTV, I dont know why people keep saying that my parents have been separated. I need to set the record straight. My parents are not separated. They had marital issues back in 2015-2016, so they were briefly separated during that period, but ever since then, we have mended the fence, and they are fine now. 

We live in the same home, go on holiday together, and have meals together. When you have been married for such a long period of time, ups and downs happen, so they hit a rough patch then, and here we are. At a certain point, especially because Im the only child, its important for me to be their friend and help them get back together, and well, I think I succeeded. Alls well that ends well, he added.

After Rati and Anil tied the knot in 1985, they welcomed Tanuj in 1986. As per PTI, in 2015, Rati filed a complaint with Mumbai police accusing Anil of domestic violence. The then deputy police commissioner (zone-III) had said, Rati Agnihotri, who married Anil Virwani in 1985, filed a complaint against him on March 14, saying he had mentally tortured her besides assaulting her physically. A case has been registered against Virwani under IPC sections 498A (husband or relative of husband of a woman subjecting her to cruelty), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 350 (use of criminal force) and 506 (criminal intimidation).

Rati is a popular actress and starred in films like Ek Duuje Ke Liye (1981), Mazdoor and Coolie (1983), Ulta Seedha (1985), Aap Ke Saath (1986), Dadagiri (1987), Kuch Khatti Kuch Meethi (2001), Na Tum Jaano Na Hum (2002), Hum Tum (2004), Socha Na Tha (2005), and Singh is Bling (2015) among many others. Meanwhile, Tanuj made his debut in Luv U Soniyo (2013). He was recently seen as the host in Splitsvilla 15 along with Sunny Leone.
Jan Suraaj Party founder and chief Prashant Kishor on Sunday took a jibe at RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav over Bihars development saying that state was like Switzerland for him when Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) was in power. He further said the RJD leader discussing development model is laughable.

While speaking to the reporters, the election strategist-turned-politician said that the politician, whose party was in rule for 15 years (1990-2005) in Bihar doesnt know what GDP and growth rates are.

Comments can be made if Tejashwi Yadav speaks on caste, extortion, liquor mafia, crime but if Tejashwi Yadav discusses development model, it is laughable. They have been in power for the last 15 years, he does not know what GDP and GDP growth are, and is talking about the development story of Bihar. As far as crime is concerned, when Tejwashwi Yadav was the Deputy CM six months ago, Bihar was Switzerland for him and after six months Bihar has become a gutterIf today Nitish Kumar joins Mahagathbandhan, Bihar will again start looking great to him news agency ANI quoted Kishor as saying.

#WATCH | Patna, Bihar: On RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, Jan Suraaj chief Prashant Kishor says, Comments can be made if Tejashwi Yadav speaks on caste, extortion, liquor mafia, crime but if Tejashwi Yadav discusses development model, it is laughable. They have been in power for pic.twitter.com/EuABlaR91l ANI (@ANI) August 25, 2024

Tejashwi Yadav Slams Bihar Government

His remarks came a days after former Bihar deputy chief minister Yadav slammed the Nitish Kumar-led state government saying that Bihar has been lagging in key development indicators despite having a double-engine government.

He alleged that the state had become a demons rule under his regime.

Nitish Kumar also holds the home portfolio. It has become difficult for people to stay in their homes and the Chief Minister says everyone is safe. Bihar has become completely like a demons rule. No one listens to Nitish Kumar. Police officers get briberies, Yadav had said.

Prashant Kishor on Caste census

Expressing views on the caste census, Kishor stepped up his attacks on Congress leader and Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi and said that there is no panacea when he says conducting caste census can remove poverty and questioned that his (Congress) party was in rule for the last 60 years but why they didnt conduct caste-census.

Kishor advised Rahul Gandhi to conduct a caste census in Congress-ruling states like Karnataka, Telangana, to eradicate poverty and said if it gets successful then other states would follow the same model.

Jan Suraaj party to contest Bihar polls on all 243 seats

Kishor conveyed that the party will contest the upcoming Bihar legislative assembly election on all 243 seats out of which there will be 40 women candidates from the party to be formed.

Elaborating on his partys plans, Kishor stated, In 2025, Jan Suraaj will contest on 243 seats, and at least 40 women candidates will be nominated. We have also pledged that by 2030, 70-80 women leaders will emerge from our party.

Last week, Kishor announced that Jan Suraaj is likely to contest the upcoming Assembly by-elections in the Bela Ganj and Imam Ganj constituencies of Gaya district.

If the by-polls are held after October 2, Jan Suraaj will officially contest the elections. However, if the by-polls occur before October 2, we would select suitable candidates from within Jan Suraaj, who would then contest the elections as independent candidates, he had said.

On July 28, Kishor said that he would launch a new political party on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti on October 2. The election strategist also informed that he would not lead the party instead the leaders would be elected from their respective assembly constituencies.

Kishore further exuded confidence of winning the assembly elections in Bihar in 2025.

(With inputs from agencies)
Bryan Berg, American architect and renowned card-stacking artist, has set a new Guinness World Record that has left many in awe. In just 8 hours, Berg built a 54-level house of cards, a feat so challenging that he had to climb a ladder to complete the final levels. The official handle of the Guinness World Records (GWR) shared a video of Berg attempting the record. As the timer started, Berg meticulously assembled the cards, focusing intensely on creating a stable structure.

Under the close observation of GWR Adjudicator Thomas Bradford, Berg completed the impressive challenge. He also placed a mobile phone on the top of the card tower as a final touch. Tallest house of cards built in 8 hours! Congratulations to Bryan Berg on his new record and for completing Honors challenge to test just how light & thin their HONOR MagicV3 is! GWR wrote in the caption.

According to the GWR website, Berg built his towering card masterpiece without the use of glue, wiring or any metal supports. To achieve this incredible feat, he required the room to be nearly airtight and maintained a high level of humidity, ensuring the cards remained stable throughout the build.

Berg set up seven humidifiers in the room to maintain the ideal conditions, which made the atmosphere quite uncomfortable for the crew who were filming the event, the website revealed. His dedication to the project was evident as he worked almost non-stop for the entire eight hours, pausing only briefly for water and a quick snack. His steady ace allowed him to consistently add five to six levels each hour.

Berg is no stranger to breaking records, having set the record for the tallest playing card structure multiple times throughout his career. His current record, an impressive 7.86 metres (25 feet 9 inches), has remained unchallenged since 2007. Berg first broke it back in 1992 and has consistently returned to surpass his previous achievements.

Berg had also created the worlds largest playing card structure, building a replica of three Macau hotels measuring 10.39 metres (34 inches 1 inch) long, 2.88 metres (9 feet 5 inches) tall, and 3.54 metres (11 feet 7 inches) wide. The record, however, was broken by Arnav Daga from India last year, whose structure measured 12.21 metres (40 feet) in length, 3.47 metres (11 feet 4 inches) in height and 5.08 metres (16 feet 8 inches) in width.
The discovery of a Viking-era silver treasure was made by a metal detectorist and archaeology student at Aarhus University in Denmark. Gustav Bruunsgaards metal detector started to vibrate as he was surveying farmland close to Elsted, a town north of Aarhus. When he dug through the soil, he came up with a single silver bracelet. A translated statement from the Moesgaard Museum in Hojbjerg states that a few days later, he went back to the field and unearthed six additional bracelets.

After Bruunsgaard informed authorities of the discovery, experts dated the artefacts to the 800s, which corresponds to the early Viking Period in Scandinavia (A.D. 7931066). The armbands are currently on display at the Moesgaard Museum. They will be later transferred to the National Museum of Denmark.

It has been suggested that the seven silver pieces, which weighed a combined total of almost half a kilogramme, were exchanged for other commodities during the Viking Age and used as payment. As mentioned in their statement, the Moesgaard Museum highlighted that three of the heavily stamped, band-shaped rings in particular were of a very similar design made in Ireland, wherein the style gained popularity.

The museum states that three bangles with a very smooth, basic form are known to have originated in Scandinavia and England, while one ring, which resembles a coil or compacted spring, preserves a style comparable to those originating from Russia or Ukraine. According to museum historian Kasper H. Andersens statement, Aarhus was a central hub in the Viking world because of the discovery, which connects Aarhus with distant places like Russia, Ukraine and the British Isles.

Who Were Vikings?

According to History.com, a great number of Scandinavians emigrated from their native countries in search of wealth between the year 800 A.D. and the 11th century. Also known as Norsemen, or Northmen, these maritime warriors first launched their raids on coastal locations in Britain and Ireland, particularly undefended monasteries. In addition to much of modern-day Britain and Europe, they would also make their imprint as traders, raiders, pirates and settlers in sections of Iceland, Greenland, Newfoundland and modern-day Russia during the course of the subsequent three centuries.
An Indian woman, Dr Pranoti Kshirsagar, recently shared her distressing experience of facing racism while attending a music festival in Albania. A video making the rounds on X (formerly Twitter) revealed the womans frustration as she recounted her experience. Kshirsagar had attended a Jason Derulo concert in Tirana, Albania. In the video, she mentioned, I am at a Jason Derulo concert in Tirana in Albania and I was waiting in the line. A group of four girls just came up, cut the line and when I pointed it out, they repeatedly told me to go back to my country. She continued, They laughed about it, called me their mother and made other remarks.

Towards the end, she added, I feel very welcome, Albania. Great job, thank you so much.

Watch it here:

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

As soon as the clip was shared online, users pointed out Albanias history of racism.

A user wrote, Albania is one of the most racist countries in the world.

Albania is one of the most rac1st countries in the world. Melomaniati&co. (@BlackShivaRTT) August 21, 2024

Another said, Thats so funny because Albanians complain of discrimination & racism when they try to immigrate to the EU & UK.

That's so funny because Albanians complain of discrimination & racism when they try to immigrate to the EU & UK Brathwaithe Bonespurs Quackerbush IV (@BrathBonespurs) August 21, 2024

Thats so sad, just ignore the mean girls and have fun, a person added.

Thats so  just ignore the mean girls and have fun. Ashlee (@LaConejitaAsh) August 20, 2024

A user questioned, When will racism stop?

When will Racism stop? FORTUNATE_OFFICIAL  (@fortunateozuyak) August 21, 2024

Some claimed that Albania is not a place for tourism.

Albania is not a place for tourism. Prachi  (@iprachi_singh) August 21, 2024

Giving a shout out to the woman for her calm nature, a user said, She confronted this very politely. She represented her country in a wholesome manner.

She confronted this very politely. She represented her country in wholesome manner Nadaan_purush (@NadaanPurush) August 21, 2024

Another added, I feel bad for people who went through similar nonsense (in a time when they didnt have mobile phones/social media) to come online and share their experiences with others. P.S: Racism of all/different kinds exists and anyone denying racism and saying it doesnt exist in society is lying.

I feel bad for people who went through similar nonsense ( in a time they didn't have mobile phones/social media ) to come online & share their experiences with others. P.s : Racism of all/different kinds exist & anyone denying racism & say it doesn't exist in the society is Inoka Karunaratne Alwis (@AlwisInoka) August 21, 2024

Originally posted on TikTok by the woman, the video has gained about 5 million views on X, so far.
British Airways and Air France on Sunday suspended flights to Tel Aviv, after the biggest clashes between Israel and Lebanons Iran-backed Hezbollah armed group since the start of the war in Gaza.

BA said it was suspending its flights to and from Tel Aviv until Wednesday, while the French carrier suspended services to Tel Aviv and Beirut scheduled for Sunday and Monday.

Weve been continually monitoring the situation in the Middle East and have taken the operational decision to suspend our flights to and from Tel Aviv up to and including Wednesday 28 August, a spokesman for BA said.

Safety is always our top priority, and were contacting customers to advise them of their travel options.

The announcements came after Israel launched air strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon while the Lebanese group said it had delivered a drone and rocket barrage across the border.

The exchanges marked an intensification of hostilities fuelled by Israels ongoing assault against Hamas in Gaza, sparked by that militant groups deadly attack on Israel on October 7.

Air France, which usually runs a daily service to both cities, had already halted flights to Beirut between July 29 and August 15, but had kept flying to Tel Aviv.

Air Frances subsidiary Transavia, which serves both destinations, is also halting its flights, the spokesman said.

Any resumption of services to the two destinations will depend on the result of a new assessment of the security situation, Air France said in a statement.

German airline Lufthansa on Friday extended its Beirut flight suspension to the end of September, and said it would not fly to Tel Aviv and Tehran until September 2.

Hungarian low-cost airline Wizz Air meanwhile also said Sunday it was temporarily suspending its flights between Luton Airport, near London, and Israel due to the escalation, Britains PA news agency reported.

Another major carrier, Virgin Atlantic, said it was extending until September 25 its earlier suspension of its daily flight from Heathrow to Tel Aviv after a security review.
MANILA, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- A suspected rebel was killed in a clash with Philippine troops in Antique province in central Philippines, the military said Sunday.

The military said soldiers on patrol killed the alleged member of the New People's Army (NPA) during a five-minute gunfight in Valderrama town on Saturday.

Weapons and ammunition were also seized.

No soldier was killed or wounded, the military said.

NPA rebels have been fighting government troops since 1969.

Military data showed that the NPA's personnel strength has declined since its peak of around 25,000 armed members in the 1980s. 
The Russian embassy in Paris on Sunday accused French authorities of refusing to cooperate after the arrest of Telegram messaging platform owner Pavel Durov.

Durov, who has Russian and other nationalities, was detained at Paris Le Bourget airport on Saturday and was expected to appear in court on Sunday on offences related to Telegram.

We immediately asked French authorities to explain the reasons for this detention and demanded that his rights be protected and that consular access be granted. Up to now, the French side is refusing to cooperate on this question, the embassy said in a statement reported by Ria Novosti news agency.
Hundreds of migrants from India, Nepal and Vietnam have been stuck in Sao Paulos international airport for weeks in alarming conditions, sleeping on the floor as they wait to enter Brazil, according to the Public Defenders Office and documents seen by Reuters on Friday.

A spokesman for the office said a 39-year-old migrant from Ghana died two weeks ago of unknown causes. It was not clear whether he died while retained at the airport or on the way to hospital.

At least 666 migrants without visas were waiting to enter Brazil at Guarulhos airport, the official said, with the added uncertainty that the government plans to tighten entry rules on Monday to stem a flow of foreigners using Brazil as a stopover to get to the United States and Canada.

The migrants are held in a restricted area where there is no access to a shower and their movements are limited, making it hard for them to obtain food and water, while children and adolescents are enduring winter cold with no blankets, the official said.

The Public Defenders Office found that the migrants human rights were being violated with their health deteriorating.

The agency said conditions for the migrants need to be urgently improved while their status is being resolved, and urged authorities in a statement to comply with Brazils legislation based on the humanitarian principle of accepting refugees and not returning them to their country of origin.

Starting on Monday, foreign travelers without a Brazilian visa who are headed for another country must travel straight on to their destination or return to their home country, Brazils public security ministry told Reuters on Wednesday.

Brazil has seen a boom in foreign travelers, particularly from Asia, landing in the country for a supposed layover en route to North America, the ministry said in statement.

To enter Brazil, they ask for refugee status, alleging persecution and threats in their home countries, but a majority travel north when they can, according to two reports from authorities seen by Reuters and a senior police source.

Now, those passengers arriving in Sao Paulo without a visa will not be allowed to stay in Brazil, the ministry said.

It was not clear whether the new rules will apply to migrants already at the Sao Paulo airport or apply only to those arriving after the rules go into effect.

Immigration experts are concerned that the proposed rules counter the 1951 U.N. Refugee Convention, to which Brazil is a party and which calls on countries to take in those at risk in their home country, even if they are undocumented.

The head of Brazils refugee committee, Jean Uema, told Reuters the rules would apply specifically to Sao Paulo airport and there would be no change to Brazils policy on asylum seekers.
The husband of 28-year-old Nepali-origin American woman, Mamta Kafle Bhatt, has been arrested in Virginia, United States, for the alleged concealment of his wifes body, more than three weeks after she disappeared.

Naresh Bhatt was arrested on Thursday after police executed a search warrant at the couples home. He is facing a felony charge of prohibition against concealment of the body in connection with the disappearance of his wife. He is accused of killing her wife inside their home and dragging her body outside, the court documents said as accessed by CNN.

According to the report, the investigators found blood splatter in the master bedroom leading to the bathrooms bathtub. The bed appeared to be moved, blocking a closet; light pink stains were found on bedroom carpeting after the bed was removed; and pools of blood were found in the bathroom as if something was dragged across the floor, along with blood pooling on the shower floor, the investigators said.

The police said that Bhatt made several inconsistent statements about his wifes whereabouts. The police said that Bhatt last saw his wife on July 31 but did not report her missing until August 5, after authorities began investigating her disappearance.

On or about July 30, 2024, the accused Naresh Bhatt murdered his wife, Mamta Bhatt. The incident occurred at their residence in the city of Manassas Park, a police incident report stated.

The report also claimed that Mamta destroyed her mobile before disappearing.

Investigators further said that there was significant lack of recent contact between Mamta and her family, friends, employer and on social media, so they elevated her missing status to involuntary/critical missing person status. For weeks, community members, colleagues and friends searched for Mamta, looking for morsels of information about her whereabouts as they shared every update on Facebook group pages and GoFundMe accounts organised by friends.

Evidence also suggested that Mamtas body had been inside the residence before being dragged out of the house. During the course of this investigation, a substantial amount of digital and forensic evidence consistent with her death was recovered, prosecutors said in court on Friday.

Prosecutors said theres evidence that Bhatt was in the process of packing up his home and selling his car. Passports for Bhatt and his daughter were in full view when police entered the home for a search.

In interviews with news outlets before his arrest, Bhatt expressed concern over his wifes disappearance. Im the one who is suffering, he told WUSA9. She is my babys mom. She is my wife. Im the one suffering, so I dont know what Im supposed to say.

Mamta was last seen in public July 27 and spoke to a friend the next day, according to the Manassas Park Police Department (MPPD). She was then last seen by her husband on July 31, and was reported missing by her husband August 5.

Bhatt is a former US Army Reserve automated logistics who served from June 2017 to February 2024. He left the Army in the rank of specialist. Mamtas family, who live in Nepal, obtained a visa and are in the process of the traveling to the US to try and get emergency custody of the baby, the report added.

(With inputs from CNN)
The Israeli military said its fighter jets attacked thousands of Hezbollah rocket launchers in south Lebanon on Sunday that were aimed at northern and central Israel.

West Asia has been on edge for weeks after Hezbollah and Iran promised to respond to an Israeli strike in Beirut that killed a senior commander of the group as well as the assassination in Tehran of Hamass political leader, also blamed on Israel. As the pre-emptive Israeli strikes escalated tensions in the region, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant announced a 48-hour nationwide state of emergency.

48 hours Emergency

The declaration on the state of emergency enables the IDF (Israeli military) to issue instructions to the citizens of Israel, including limiting gatherings and closing sites where it may be relevant, Gallant said, in a statement issued by his office.

Hezbollah in turn fired hundreds of rockets and UAVs towards northern Israel, most of them after Israel launched its attack, Israeli military spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Nadav Shoshani told reporters. The fire from Hezbollah was part of a larger attack that was planned and we were able to thwart a big part of it this morning, Shoshani said.

              . pic.twitter.com/GER77ZJEZY    Yoav Gallant (@yoavgallant) August 25, 2024

Imminent threat

I am convinced that there is a high probability of an attack against the civilian population in areas of the country where the declaration of a special situation did not apply, he said, referring to previous local emergency measures. I hereby declare a special situation on the home front in other areas of the country. The situation is valid for 48 hours starting at 6:00 am, Gallant said.

WATCH: Israels Iron Dome Stops Hezbollahs Rocket Barrage As IDF Hits Lebanese Group In Major Escalation

In a separate statement, the defence ministry said Gallant briefed US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin on the overall situation. We have conducted precise strikes in Lebanon in order to thwart an imminent threat against the citizens of Israel, Gallant told Austin, according to the statement. We are closely following developments in Beirut, and we are determined to use all the means at our disposal in order to defend our citizens.

320 rockets at Israel overnight

Hezbollah said Sunday it had launched more than 320 rockets at Israel overnight, targeting a string of military positions, even as Israels military said it was carrying out pre-emptive strikes against the group.

The number of Katyusha rockets launched until now is more than 320 towards enemy positions, a Hezbollah statement said, adding it had targeted 11 Israeli bases and barracks. The group said the first phase has ended with total success, adding that this phase sought to target Israeli barracks and positions to facilitate the passage of attack drones towards targets deep inside Israel.

READ MORE: US Warns Houthis After Group Strikes Oil Tanker In Red Sea, Posts Video Of Potential Environmental Disaster

US Response

The United States said Saturday it would keep supporting Israels right to defend itself. At President Joe Bidens direction, senior US officials have been communicating continuously with their Israeli counterparts, US National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett said in a statement. We will keep supporting Israels right to defend itself, and we will keep working for regional stability.

The Pentagon said late Saturday that the United States was postured to support the defence of its ally. We continue to closely monitor the situation and have been very clear that the US is postured to support the defense of Israel, a Pentagon spokesman said in a statement.

(With agency inputs)
Thousands of Hezbollah rocket launchers were simultaneously struck by approximately 100 Israeli Air Force (IAF) fighter jets in a preemptive operation early Sunday morning.

The Israeli military launched these strikes against over 40 Hezbollah launch areas in southern Lebanon, aiming to neutralise threats and prevent a major attack on northern and central Israel.

100 Israeli fighter jets

This latest escalation follows heightened tension in the region in the wake of recent missile strikes and targeted assassinations. Approximately 100 IAF fighter jets  struck and destroyed thousands of Hezbollah rocket launcher barrels that were located and embedded in southern Lebanon, the Israeli military said in a statement. Most of these launchers were aimed toward northern Israel and some were aimed toward central Israel.

320 Katyusha rockets and UAVs

Hezbollah in turn fired hundreds of rockets and UAVs towards northern Israel, most of them after Israel launched its attack. Hezbollah said it had launched drones and more than 320 Katyusha rockets towards Israel and hit 11 military targets. It said the barrage had completed the first phase of its response to Israels assassination last month of Fuad Shukr, a senior commander, in Beirut but that the full response would take some time.

Not a good morning for Hezbollah pic.twitter.com/lkkUwbNFGS Israel War Room (@IsraelWarRoom) August 25, 2024

WATCHIsraeli Iron dome working this morning pic.twitter.com/mnmrC5gz1C  Open Source Intel (@Osint613) August 25, 2024

Three Killed

Lebanons health ministry said three people were killed Sunday in Israeli raids in the countrys south, after Israel launched strikes against Hezbollah. An Israeli drone strike on a car in the village of Khiam killed one person, the health ministry said in a statement. The Amal movement, a Hezbollah ally, later announced a fighter from Khiam had been killed. The health ministry said that the Israeli occupation attack on the village of Tiri killed two people.

WATCH: Israels Iron Dome Intercepts Hezbollah Rockets Amid Fresh Mideast Escalation

Middle East Tensions

The attack against Hezbollah came amid heightened expectations of an escalation between the two sides since a missile strike in the Golan Heights last month killed 12 youngsters and the Israeli military assassinated Fuad Shukr in response.

The Middle East has been on edge for weeks after Hezbollah and Iran vowed to respond to an Israeli strike in Beirut as well as the assassination in Tehran of Hamass political leader. Hezbollah has been engaged in ongoing exchanges of fire with Israel since the Gaza war began following Hamass attack on October 7. The situation remains volatile, with fears of a broader regional conflict.

(With agency inputs)
Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah said his groups large-scale attack on Israel on Sunday targeted a military intelligence base near Tel Aviv and denied Israel destroyed thousands of the groups rockets launchers.

Israel launched air strikes into Lebanon on Sunday, saying it destroyed thousands of Hezbollah rocket launchers and thwarted a major attack, while Hezbollah said it delivered a drone and rocket barrage of its own.

The main target for the operation inside Israel was the Glilot base  the main Israeli military intelligence base, around 100 kilometres (60 miles) from the Israel-Lebanon border, Nasrallah said in a televised speech.

The Israeli army said Hezbollah failed to strike the installation.

I can confirm that there were no hits at the Glilot base, a spokesperson for the Israeli military told AFP.

According to Israeli media reports, the base hosts headquarters of the Mossad spy agency, which has never revealed its address.

Talk about how the resistance (Hezbollah) was going to launch 8,000 or 6,000 rockets and drones and that (Israel) thwarted this are false claims, Nasrallah said, adding that only dozens of rocket launchers were destroyed.

Nasrallah said his group carried out a two-phased attack, firstly launching 340 Katyusha rockets at 11 Israeli military positions in northern Israel and the annexed Golan Heights.

Then, drones launched from south Lebanon but also from east Lebanons Bekaa valley near the Syrian border for the first time targeted positions deeper in Israel, Nasrallah added.

He said the secondary target was an Israeli base in Ein Shemer, alleging that a number of drones reached their target but the enemy is silent.

Ein Shemer is a military airport used for Israeli drones, about 70 kilometres from the border.

Hezbollah has traded near-daily cross-border fire with Israeli forces throughout the Gaza war, saying its attacks are in support of Palestinian ally Hamas.

But fears of a wider regional conflagration soared after attacks in late July blamed on Israel killed Iran-aligned militant leaders, including a top Hezbollah commander, Fuad Shukr, prompting vows of revenge.

The Lebanese movement said earlier Sunday its attack was an initial response to Shukrs killing.

Nasrallah appeared to suggest the retaliation was over, saying that if the result is satisfactory and the sought objectives accomplished, we think the response operation to Shukrs killing has been accomplished.
At least 37 people, including 11 pilgrims, were killed and several others injured in two separate bus accidents in Pakistan on Sunday.

The first accident occurred when a bus carrying 70 people veered off the Makran Coastal Highway in Balochistan province. At least 11 people were killed and 35 others injured in the accident. The bus was bringing Shia pilgrims back from Iran to Punjab province.

The Makran Coastal Highway is a 653 km national highway that extends along Pakistans Arabian Sea coast from Karachi in Sindh province to Gwadar in Balochistan province. Most of the passengers involved in the accident were from Lahore or Gujranwala, according to police sources.

Hours later, 26 people were killed and three others injured when a bus carrying 35 people fell into a ditch in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, Qamar Nadeem of Edhi Foundation, which runs the largest private ambulance service, said.

According to the sources, the cause of the accident  which occurred in a mountainous area  is not yet known. Deputy Commissioner Sadhanoti, Umar Farooq, said that the deceased included children, women, and men, all of whom were from the Sadhanoti district.

The police, administration and rescue teams were present at the site of the incident. The law enforcers said that some of the people have been identified. President Asif Ali Zardari expressed sorrow over the loss of lives in the accident, offering his condolences to the families of the deceased.

In this hour of sorrow, my sympathies are with the families of the deceased, he said, stressing the need to speed up the relief activities. Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz offered her condolences and expressed regret over the loss of lives. The accidents come just days after a bus carrying Pakistani pilgrims met with an accident in Iran, leaving 35 dead and 15 injured.
French police arrested Pavel Durov, billionaire founder and CEO of Telegram, at an airport near Paris on Saturday for alleged offences related to the messaging app.

The 39-year-old was detained at Le Bourget airport north of the French capital on Saturday evening. He had just travelled from Baku, Azerbaijan. Durov was expected to appear in court on Sunday.

Frances OFMIN, an agency tasked with preventing violence against minors, had issued an arrest warrant for Durov as the coordinating agency in a preliminary investigation into alleged offences including fraud, drug trafficking, cyberbullying, organised crime and promotion of terrorism.

Durov is suspected of failing to take action to curb the criminal use of his platform. Enough of Telegrams impunity, said one of the investigators, adding they were surprised Durov came to Paris knowing he was a wanted man.

Telegram

Telegram, particularly influential in Russia, Ukraine and the republics of the former Soviet Union, is ranked as one of the major social media platforms after Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok and Wechat. It aims to hit one billion users in the next year.

Based in Dubai, Telegram was founded by Russian-born Durov. He left Russia in 2014 after refusing to comply with government demands to shut down opposition communities on his VK social media platform, which he sold.

READ MORE: Who Is Pavel Durov? Meet The Russia-Born Billionaire Behind The Telegram App, Held In France

After Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Telegram has become the main source of unfiltered  and sometimes graphic and misleading  content from both sides about the war and the politics surrounding the conflict.

The app has become preferred means of communications for Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelensky and his officials. The Kremlin and the Russian government also use it to disseminate their news. It has also become one of the few places where Russians can access news about the war.

Durov, whose fortune was estimated by Forbes at $15.5 billion, said some governments had sought to pressure him but the app, which has now 900 million active users, should remain a neutral platform and not a player in geopolitics.

(With agency inputs)
Pavel Durov, billionaire founder and CEO of the Telegram messaging app, was arrested at Bourget airport near Paris on Saturday. The investigation reportedly focused on the lack of moderators on Telegram, which allegedly allowed criminal activity to go undeterred.

Who is Pavel Durov?

Russian-born Durov, 39, is founder and owner of messaging app Telegram. This free-to-use platform competes with other social media platforms such as Facebooks WhatsApp, or Instagram, TikTok and Wechat. The platform aims to surpass one billion active monthly users within a year.

Telegram is influential in Russia, Ukraine and other former Soviet nations. It has become a critical source of information on Russias war in Ukraine, used heavily by both Moscow and Kyiv officials.

Durov, whose fortune was estimated by Forbes at $15.5 billion, left Russia in 2014 after refusing to comply with government demands to shut down opposition communities on his VKontakte social media platform, which he sold. Russian and French media say Durov became a French citizen in 2021. He moved himself and Telegram to Dubai in 2017.

Pavel Durov left Russia when the government tried to control his social media company, Telegram. But in the end, it wasnt Putin who arrested him for allowing the public to exercise free speech. It was a western country, a Biden administration ally and enthusiastic NATO member, https://t.co/F83E9GbNHC Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) August 24, 2024

Would rather be free

In an April interview with popular news personality Tucker Carlson, Durov said, I would rather be free than take orders from anyone. In the same interview, Durov said that, beyond money or Bitcoin, he had no major property such as real estate, jets or yachts, as he wanted to be free. He told Carlson about his exit from Russia and search for a home for his company which included stints in Berlin, London, Singapore and San Francisco.

After news of Durovs arrest broke, Carlson said: Pavel Durov left Russia when the government tried to control his social media company, Telegram. But in the end, it wasnt Putin who arrested him for allowing the public to exercise free speech. It was a Western country, a Biden administration ally and enthusiastic NATO member, that locked him away. Pavel Durov sits in a French jail tonight, a living warning to any platform owner who refuses to censor the truth at the behest of governments and intelligence agencies. Darkness is descending fast on the formerly free world.

(With agency inputs)
Stranded passengers wait at Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel, Aug. 25, 2024.

Israeli and Hezbollah forces engaged in extensive exchanges of fire early Sunday morning along the Israel-Lebanon border, marking a significant escalation in their longstanding conflict.

Hezbollah announced it had launched hundreds of missiles into Israel in retaliation for the killing of its commander, Fouad Shokor, in an Israeli airstrike on Beirut last month. In response, Israel reported conducting numerous preemptive airstrikes targeting Hezbollah's rocket launchers in southern Lebanon.

After Hezbollah's rocket and drone attacks, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant declared a 48-hour nationwide emergency. (Xinhua/Chen Junqing)

CAIRO, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- Israeli and Hezbollah forces engaged in extensive exchanges of fire early Sunday morning along the Israel-Lebanon border, marking a significant escalation in their longstanding conflict.

Hezbollah announced it had launched hundreds of missiles into Israel in retaliation for the killing of its commander, Fouad Shokor, in an Israeli airstrike on Beirut last month. In response, Israel reported conducting numerous preemptive airstrikes targeting Hezbollah's rocket launchers in southern Lebanon.

The intensification of hostilities raises the risk of a broader conflict involving regional and international actors, including the United States and Iran, and threatens to undermine ongoing ceasefire efforts in Gaza, where Israel has been engaged in a protracted conflict with Hamas for over 10 months.

During an emergency national security cabinet meeting in Tel Aviv on Sunday morning, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the destruction of thousands of Hezbollah rockets.

"This morning we detected Hezbollah's preparations to attack Israel," Netanyahu said. "In consultation with the defense minister and the IDF chief of staff, we instructed the IDF to act proactively to remove the threat."

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) reported that around 100 Air Force fighter jets carried out preemptive strikes on Hezbollah rocket launchers. However, these attacks did not prevent Hezbollah from launching a large-scale assault on Israeli targets.

Hezbollah reported firing over 320 rockets and drones at northern Israel, while the IDF confirmed that about 210 rockets and 20 drones were launched from Lebanon, with some intercepted and others causing damage and injuries.

The Lebanon-based group also dismissed Israeli claims that the preemptive strikes disrupted its retaliation operations, claiming that the first round of its operations was "successful."

In Acre, a coastal city in northern Israel, a woman sustained light injuries from Hezbollah shrapnel, according to Magen David Adom, Israel's first aid service. Lebanese sources reported four militants killed and six others wounded in southern Lebanon due to Israeli raids.

Despite intense morning clashes, fighting has largely subsided since Sunday afternoon. However, Netanyahu warned that the Israeli airstrikes are "not the end of the story," adding that Israeli forces will "strike Hezbollah with surprising crushing blows."

After Hezbollah's rocket and drone attacks, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant declared a 48-hour nationwide emergency. Educational activities and workplaces may continue if shelter is available, but outdoor gatherings are limited to 30 people, and indoor gatherings to 300. Beaches near the Lebanon border are closed.

Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv experienced delays and flight redirections but reopened at 7 a.m. (0400 GMT), according to the Israel Airports Authority. Airlines including Royal Jordanian, Turkish Airlines, and Air France have canceled flights to Beirut due to the escalating situation.

The situation remains tense as Iran and its allies threaten further retaliation for the deaths of Shokor and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. Israel has warned of a strong response if the conflict escalates, potentially targeting critical infrastructure in southern Beirut and Lebanon, where Hezbollah's main bases are located.

The Houthi group in Yemen and Hamas have both praised Hezbollah's actions on Sunday. The Houthi group, which has launched many attacks against Israeli targets, congratulated Hezbollah and its leader Hassan Nasrallah for what it described as a "significant and courageous attack" against Israel.

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati convened on Sunday morning an emergency meeting to assess the situation and called for international intervention to halt "the Israeli aggression."

Egypt has cautioned about the risks of escalation between Israel and Hezbollah, calling for calm and de-escalation. The Egyptian Foreign Ministry emphasized the need to maintain Lebanon's stability and prevent a state of "comprehensive instability" in the region.

Egypt is hosting high-level talks in Cairo on Sunday aimed at negotiating a cease-fire and discussing the release of hostages held by Hamas.

The talks are expected to include U.S. Central Intelligence Agency Director William Burns, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, and Egypt's chief intelligence official, Abbas Kamel. Israeli Mossad chief David Barnea is also anticipated.

Hamas has sent a delegation to Cairo for briefings but is not participating directly in the negotiations. 

Stranded passengers wait at Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel, Aug. 25, 2024.

Israeli and Hezbollah forces engaged in extensive exchanges of fire early Sunday morning along the Israel-Lebanon border, marking a significant escalation in their longstanding conflict.

Hezbollah announced it had launched hundreds of missiles into Israel in retaliation for the killing of its commander, Fouad Shokor, in an Israeli airstrike on Beirut last month. In response, Israel reported conducting numerous preemptive airstrikes targeting Hezbollah's rocket launchers in southern Lebanon.

After Hezbollah's rocket and drone attacks, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant declared a 48-hour nationwide emergency. (Xinhua/Chen Junqing)

This photo taken on Aug. 25, 2024 shows the building of the Israeli Defence Ministry in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Israeli and Hezbollah forces engaged in extensive exchanges of fire early Sunday morning along the Israel-Lebanon border, marking a significant escalation in their longstanding conflict.

Hezbollah announced it had launched hundreds of missiles into Israel in retaliation for the killing of its commander, Fouad Shokor, in an Israeli airstrike on Beirut last month. In response, Israel reported conducting numerous preemptive airstrikes targeting Hezbollah's rocket launchers in southern Lebanon.

After Hezbollah's rocket and drone attacks, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant declared a 48-hour nationwide emergency. (Xinhua/Chen Junqing)

Stranded passengers wait at Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel, Aug. 25, 2024.

Israeli and Hezbollah forces engaged in extensive exchanges of fire early Sunday morning along the Israel-Lebanon border, marking a significant escalation in their longstanding conflict.

Hezbollah announced it had launched hundreds of missiles into Israel in retaliation for the killing of its commander, Fouad Shokor, in an Israeli airstrike on Beirut last month. In response, Israel reported conducting numerous preemptive airstrikes targeting Hezbollah's rocket launchers in southern Lebanon.

After Hezbollah's rocket and drone attacks, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant declared a 48-hour nationwide emergency. (Xinhua/Chen Junqing)

Empty tables of a restaurant are pictured along the seaside of Israeli northern city of Acre on Aug. 25, 2024.

Israeli and Hezbollah forces engaged in extensive exchanges of fire early Sunday morning along the Israel-Lebanon border, marking a significant escalation in their longstanding conflict.

Hezbollah claimed that it had launched hundreds of missiles into Israel in retaliation for the killing of its commander, Fouad Shokor, in an Israeli airstrike on Beirut last month. In response, Israel reported conducting numerous preemptive airstrikes targeting Hezbollah's rocket launchers in southern Lebanon.

After Hezbollah's rocket and drone attacks, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant declared a 48-hour nationwide emergency. (Photo by Gil Cohen Magen/Xinhua)

Empty tables of a restaurant are pictured along the seaside of Israeli northern city of Acre on Aug. 25, 2024.

Israeli and Hezbollah forces engaged in extensive exchanges of fire early Sunday morning along the Israel-Lebanon border, marking a significant escalation in their longstanding conflict.

Hezbollah claimed that it had launched hundreds of missiles into Israel in retaliation for the killing of its commander, Fouad Shokor, in an Israeli airstrike on Beirut last month. In response, Israel reported conducting numerous preemptive airstrikes targeting Hezbollah's rocket launchers in southern Lebanon.

After Hezbollah's rocket and drone attacks, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant declared a 48-hour nationwide emergency. (Photo by Gil Cohen Magen/Xinhua)

Empty tables of a restaurant are pictured along the seaside of Israeli northern city of Acre on Aug. 25, 2024.

Israeli and Hezbollah forces engaged in extensive exchanges of fire early Sunday morning along the Israel-Lebanon border, marking a significant escalation in their longstanding conflict.

Hezbollah claimed that it had launched hundreds of missiles into Israel in retaliation for the killing of its commander, Fouad Shokor, in an Israeli airstrike on Beirut last month. In response, Israel reported conducting numerous preemptive airstrikes targeting Hezbollah's rocket launchers in southern Lebanon.

After Hezbollah's rocket and drone attacks, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant declared a 48-hour nationwide emergency. (Photo by Gil Cohen Magen/Xinhua)

An Israeli Navy vessel (rear) patrols at sea near Israeli northern city of Acre on Aug. 25, 2024.

Israeli and Hezbollah forces engaged in extensive exchanges of fire early Sunday morning along the Israel-Lebanon border, marking a significant escalation in their longstanding conflict.

Hezbollah claimed that it had launched hundreds of missiles into Israel in retaliation for the killing of its commander, Fouad Shokor, in an Israeli airstrike on Beirut last month. In response, Israel reported conducting numerous preemptive airstrikes targeting Hezbollah's rocket launchers in southern Lebanon.

After Hezbollah's rocket and drone attacks, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant declared a 48-hour nationwide emergency. (Photo by Gil Cohen Magen/Xinhua)

An Israeli Navy vessel (rear) patrols at sea near Israeli northern city of Acre on Aug. 25, 2024.

Israeli and Hezbollah forces engaged in extensive exchanges of fire early Sunday morning along the Israel-Lebanon border, marking a significant escalation in their longstanding conflict.

Hezbollah claimed that it had launched hundreds of missiles into Israel in retaliation for the killing of its commander, Fouad Shokor, in an Israeli airstrike on Beirut last month. In response, Israel reported conducting numerous preemptive airstrikes targeting Hezbollah's rocket launchers in southern Lebanon.

After Hezbollah's rocket and drone attacks, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant declared a 48-hour nationwide emergency. (Photo by Gil Cohen Magen/Xinhua)
Memes, reply-all emails, and the thousands of photos on our phones typically have our attention momentarily, and are then quickly forgotten. But energy-wise, they very much go on. That's what Ian Hodgkinson, a professor of strategy at Loughborough University, argues to the Guardian . His recent studies on junk data zooms in on the micro amounts of data we rack up, and what effect it might have on climate change. He says that while people widely consider things like email and digital photos to be carbon neutral, "every piece of data, whether it be an image, whether it be an Instagram post, whatever it is, there's a carbon footprint attached to it."

Hodgkinson found that companies store massive amounts of junk data68% of it is never used againand that number is likely similar for personal data usage. Storing all of this data adds up in data centers, which unlike the moniker "the cloud" (where much of our digital footprint is stored) implies, are "incredibly hot, incredibly noisy" and "consume a large amount of energy," he says. For businesses, Hodgkinson and colleague Tom Jackson write for the World Economic Forum that data centers are rivaling the airline industry. "Currently, companies produce 1.3 billion gigabytes of dark data a day," they note, adding, "That's 3,023,255 flights from London to New York."

While tech companies that charge for cloud storage are financially incentivized to keep our stockpiles of junk data, the costs are also environmental. By 2030, the amount of energy used by data centers is set to double in the US according to Data Center Dynamicslargely fueled by the use of artificial intelligence. Hodgkinson believes that changing our view of data from something weightless and invisible to how much carbon it takes to maintain (one email's equivalent is 4 grams, or .14 ounces) can help change our habits. "The one picture isn't going to make a drastic impact," he says. "But of course, if you maybe go into your own phone and you look at all the legacy pictures that you have, cumulatively, that creates quite a big impression in terms of energy consumption." (Google's emissions goals are now at risk, thanks to AI.)
What happens when the pet you love becomes ... not so lovable anymore? Two columnists writing for the Cut this week explain their cat conundrums, and their essays are inciting the internet's ire.

Essay No. 1: Mary Gaitskill kicks things off with an essay titled "Was I Capable of Killing My Cat for Bad Behavior?," detailing how she'd adopted Suki after finding her on the streets in the mid-'80s and kept her for six years, first in a Manhattan studio apartment, then in a California cottage. There were periods of happiness they enjoyed, but it was also "rocky at times" due to Suki's often-aggressive play and craving for attention from her owner. It "felt like we were in an ongoing, often tense negotiation with each other regarding space and need," Gaitskill writes. She notes things came to a head when she adopted a kitten to keep Suki company, which Suki didn't like, followed by a serious tooth infection that made Suki act out even more. "I had to choose between an enraged middle-aged cat who hated me versus an adorable kitten who loved me or at least acted that way. The more I thought about it, the more natural it seemed to ... end the misery." Find out here whether Gaitskill dumped Suki at the ASPCA, "where she would almost certainly die."
NAIROBI, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's military said Sunday its troops have departed for the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to join a United Nations peacekeeping force tasked with calming deadly tensions fuelled by armed groups.

The Kenya Defense Force (KDF) said the first batch of the fourth contingent of the Kenya Quick Reaction Force (KENQRF 4) to the DRC was officially flagged off Saturday, marking the commencement of their peacekeeping mission.

Stephen Kapkory, the base commander of Embakasi Air Base, said the KENQRF 4 will join the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO), which is focused on stabilizing the eastern regions of the DRC where armed groups continue to cause instability.

"I am confident in your level of training and professionalism. Be good ambassadors of the Republic of Kenya by maintaining a high sense of professionalism and discipline in all your undertakings and uphold the exemplary performance registered by your predecessors," Kapkory said in a statement issued in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya.

He noted the troops' preparedness, professional training, and clear understanding of their mandate, expressing confidence in their readiness and capability for the mission.

According to KDF, the deployment comes at a time when MONUSCO has intensified its efforts in protecting civilians, reforming the security sector, and in disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration of combatants. It said the Kenyan troops will be engaged in operations against armed groups, protecting civilians, supporting humanitarian efforts, and aiding in the disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration of former combatants, a task that the previous contingents have successfully performed.

The East African nation has an outstanding track record of contributing to peacekeeping missions internationally in countries such as Somalia, South Sudan, Namibia, Croatia, Liberia and Sierra Leone, underscoring its commitment to regional and global peace and security.

Simon Seda, commander of KENQRF 4, expressed his confidence in his troops' readiness and their ability to make a significant impact in the DRC.

"Our men and women are prepared for the task ahead. They have undergone rigorous training and are equipped with the necessary skills to execute this mission effectively. We are committed to contributing to the restoration of peace and stability in the DRC," he said. 
Couples who find themselves in an argument might want to consider a simple tool to keep things from escalating out of control: a five-second pause. A new study by psychology researchers at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland found that a break of even that short duration helped people keep their aggressions in check, reports the Guardian. "This is a simple, free, and effective hack to reduce negative emotions during arguments," says lead researcher Annah McCurry, in a university news release. "It's cheaper than couples therapy and can be easily integrated into everyday interactions."
French authorities have taken the founder and chief executive of Telegram into custody on charges related to the dissemination of content on the online platform. Pavel Durov was detained after landing Saturday night in a private jet at the Bourget airport outside Paris. The arrest warrant was issued as part of an inquiry into allegations of fraud, drug trafficking, organized crime, promotion of terrorism, and cyberbullying, the Guardian reports. "This is a monstrous attack on freedom of speech worldwide," said a former press secretary to Durov, per the New York Times . "Enough of Telegram's impunity," said a French investigator.

Durov, who lives in Dubai and is a dual citizen of the United Arab Emirates and France, is accused of failing to curb the criminal use of Telegram. Started in 2013, Telegram has more than 900 million users and is a major source of slanted information on Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Russian officials said Sunday that they're trying to get information about Durov's arrest, and gain access to him, but that France isn't cooperating. The billionaire left Russia in 2014 after the government demanded Durov block opposition groups on another social network he founded. It's not publicly known whether he has renounced his Russian citizenship; France has said it considers his French citizenship the primary one.

Telegram was much like other social messaging apps when it was launched. Now, global law enforcement agencies monitor the platform because of its use in organizing and recruiting by terrorist organizations, drug runners, far-right extremist groups, and weapons dealers. The VSquare investigative news site, per the Guardian, describes Telegram as the "'go-to' tool for Russian propagandists, both leftwing and rightwing radicals, American QAnon and conspiracy theorists," saying it's an "ecosystem for the radicalization of opinion." The AFP reported that Durov will appear in court soon, and French officials said they'll issue a statement about the arrest on Monday. (More France stories.)
Israel launched a wave of airstrikes across southern Lebanon early Sunday in what it said was a preemptive strike on Hezbollah, as the militant group said it launched hundreds of rockets and drones to avenge the killing of one of its top commanders last month. The heavy exchange of fire threatened to trigger an all-out war that could draw in the United States, Iran, and militant groups across the region. As the AP reports, it could also torpedo efforts to forge a ceasefire in Gaza, where Israel has been at war with Hezbollah ally Hamas. By mid-morning, it appeared that the exchange had ended, with both sides saying they had confined their attacks to military targets. But the situation remained tense, and the full extent of casualties and damage was not immediately known. At least three people were killed in Lebanon.

The Israeli military said Hezbollah was planning to launch a heavy barrage of rockets and missiles toward Israel. Soon after, Hezbollah announced it had launched an attack on Israeli military positions as an initial response to the killing of Fouad Shukur, one of its founders, in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut last month. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the military had eliminated "thousands of rockets that were aimed at northern Israel" and urged citizens to adhere to directives from the Home Front Command. Air raid sirens were reported throughout northern Israel, and Israel's Ben-Gurion international airport closed and diverted flights for approximately an hour due to the threat of attack. Israel's Home Front Command raised the alert level in northern Israel and encouraged people to stay near bomb shelters.

Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, an Israeli military spokesman, said initial assessments found "very little damage" in Israel, but that the military remained on high alert. Hezbollah later announced the end of what it said was the first stage of retaliatory strikes, which it said would allow it to launch more attacks deeper into Israel. But a later statement said "military operations for today have been completed." Randa Slim, a senior fellow at the Washington, DC-based Middle East Institute, said Sunday's exchange was "still within the rules of engagement and unlikely at this point to lead to an all out war."

(More Israel-Hamas war stories.)
German police said early Sunday that a 26-year-old man turned himself in, claiming to be behind the deadly Solingen knife attack that left three dead and eight wounded at a festival marking the city's 650th anniversary. Reuters reports that he is a Syrian man who came from a home for refugees in Solingen. Dusseldorf police said in a joint statement with the prosecutor's office that the man "stated that he was responsible for the attack," adding he had been arrested before, but didn't provide details. "This person's involvement in the crime is currently being intensively investigated," the statement said, per the AP .

On Saturday, the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack, without providing evidence. The extremist group said on its news site that the attacker targeted Christians and that he carried out the assaults Friday night "to avenge Muslims in Palestine and everywhere." That claim couldn't be independently verified. Officials had earlier said a 15-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion he knew about the planned attack and failed to inform authorities, but that he was not the attacker. Two female witnesses told police they overheard the boy and an unknown person before the attack speaking about intentions that corresponded to the bloodshed, officials said.

People alerted police shortly after 9:30pm local time Friday that a man had assaulted several people with a knife on the city's central square, the Fronhof. The three people killed were two men aged 67 and 56 and a 56-year-old woman, authorities said. Police said the attacker appeared to have deliberately aimed for his victims' throats. Solingen, a city of about 160,000 residents near the bigger cities of Cologne and Dusseldorf, was holding a "Festival of Diversity" to celebrate its anniversary. It began Friday and was supposed to run through Sunday, with several stages in central streets offering attractions such as live music, cabaret, and acrobatics. The attack took place in front of one stage. The festival was canceled as police looked for clues. (More knife attack stories.)
On the seventh anniversary of their mass exodus, tens of thousands of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh expressed their yearning for a safe return to Myanmar's Rakhine state. Gathering at Kutupalong camp in Cox's Bazar, they displayed banners reading "Hope is Home" and "We Rohingya are the citizens of Myanmar," braving the rain on what is known as "Rohingya Genocide Day."

Amidst a brutal crackdown by Myanmar's military, on August 25, 2017, the Rohingya began to flee en masse to Bangladesh. Then-Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina opened the borders, eventually sheltering over 700,000 new refugees. Bangladesh has tried at least twice to repatriate the refugees and has asked the international community for assistance in pressuring Myanmar to grant them a safe environment. But things remain volatile in Myanmar, where the military has been clashing for the past year with a group called the Arakan Army.

Refugees International detailed the escalation of violence, stating, "In Rakhine state, increased fighting between Myanmar's military junta and the AA (Arakan Army) over the past year has both caught Rohingya in the middle and seen them targeted. The AA has advanced and burned homes in Buthidaung, Maungdaw, and other towns, recently using drones to bomb villages. The junta has forcibly recruited Rohingya and bombed villages in retaliation. Tens of thousands of Rohingya have been newly displaced, including several who have tried to flee into Bangladesh." (This story was generated by Newser's AI chatbot. Source: the AP)
Two bus accidents in Pakistan on Sunday have left at least 35 people dead and multiple others injured, according to local officials. The two incidents occurred just hours apart, with the first involving a bus carrying Shiite Muslim pilgrims; it plunged from a highway into a ravine in Baluchistan, resulting in 12 fatalities and 32 injuries. A local police chief said the driver lost control due to brake failure.

The second accident, which occurred in the Kahuta district of Punjab province, resulted in 23 deaths, including two women and a child, and also involved a fall into a ravine, this time as the bus tried to cross the Panna bridge while en route to Kashmir. Senior government official Sardar Waheed said heavy machinery was needed to lift the bus and rescue any potential survivors. Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed their deep sorrow and called for the best possible medical care for the injured.

These events come just days after another bus crash in Iran killed 28 Pakistani pilgrims heading to Iraq. The recent spate of accidents underscores ongoing concerns around road safety in Pakistan, where driver negligence is a frequent issue. (This story was generated by Newser's AI chatbot. Source: the AP)
Chinese coast guard ships fired water cannons and blocked and rammed a Philippine fisheries vessel Sunday in the disputed South China Sea, where hostilities between the Asian neighbors have flared alarmingly at sea and spread into the air in recent weeks. China and the Philippines blamed each other for the tense confrontations in the high seas off Sabina Shoal, which has become a new flashpoint, where both have deployed coast guard ships on suspicion that either one may take steps to seize the uninhabited atoll. The Chinese coast guard said it took action against a Philippine vessel, which entered waters in the vicinity of Sabina and ignored warnings, leading to a minor collision, the AP reports.

A Chinese coast guard spokesperson said the Philippine ship sailed toward the Chinese coast guard ship "unprofessionally" and "dangerously," causing the two vessels to brush against each other. The Philippine vessel had journalists onboard to take pictures to "distort facts," Gan Yu said. "The responsibility is totally on the Philippines' side. We sternly warn that the Philippine side must immediately stop the infringement and provocation, otherwise it must bear all consequences," Gan said without elaborating on the measures that the Chinese side employed. The Chinese government claims nearly all of the South China Sea.

A Philippine government task force said a vessel of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, the BRP Datu Sanday, "encountered aggressive and dangerous maneuvers from eight People's Republic of China maritime vessels" while cruising to Sabina, causing its engine to fail and hampering its effort to provide diesel, food, and medical supplies to Filipino fishermen. The Chinese coast guard ships, backed by a navy ship, "made close perilous maneuvers that resulted in ramming, blasted horns and deployed water cannons," said the task force. The US expressed support for the Philippines, its oldest treaty ally in Asia, per the AP. US Ambassador MaryKay Carlson posted on X that China's actions were "unsafe, unlawful and aggressive."

(More South China Sea stories.)
Donald Trump and HR McMaster saw Russian President Vladimir Putin differently. Early in Trump's presidential term, McMaster writes in his new book, the national security adviser told his wife, Katie, when he got home one night, "After over a year in this job, I cannot understand Putin's hold on Trump." Appearing on CBS' Face the Nation on Sunday, the Washington Post reports, McMaster said he still can't. He did see Putin's flattery of Trump as effective. After one dose of it, Trump said, "It is always a great honor to be so nicely complimented by a man so highly respected within his own country."

McMaster said he decided to write about Putin's influence in the hope that it would make

the Republican nominee less susceptible to the efforts if returns to the Oval Office. It's a book Trump is unlikely to enjoy, but Peter Bergen writes in a CNN analysis that McMaster says his boss did make the right decision at timesincluding when dictator Bashar al-Assad used chemical weapons against Syrian civilians and when Trump checked China for stealing US intellectual property. As examples of White House debate, per Bergen, McMaster's book quotes:

Advisers : "Your instincts are always right," aides would tell Trump, as well as, "No one has ever been treated so badly by the press." McMaster called Oval Office meetings "exercises in competitive sycophancy."

: "Your instincts are always right," aides would tell Trump, as well as, "No one has ever been treated so badly by the press." McMaster called Oval Office meetings "exercises in competitive sycophancy." Trump: "Why don't we just bomb the drugs?" in Mexico, the president asked aides. Another time, Trump said, "Why don't we take out the whole North Korean Army during one of their parades?"

An excerpt from At War with Ourselves: My Tour of Duty in the Trump White House appears in the Wall Street Journal here . (More HR McMaster stories.)
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BEIJING, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- A Philippine vessel on Sunday intruded into the adjacent waters of Xianbin Jiao of China's Nansha Qundao and caused a minor collision with a China Coast Guard (CCG) ship.

The intrusion of the vessel was not permitted by the Chinese government and the CCG has taken lawful control measures against it, according to the CCG.

At 2:12 p.m., the Philippine vessel ignored repeated warnings from the Chinese side and deliberately sailed toward the Chinese ship in an unprofessional and dangerous manner, causing the collision, said CCG spokesperson Gan Yu.

Responsibility for this incident lies entirely with the Philippine side, Gan added.

"We sternly warn that the Philippine side must immediately stop the infringement and provocation, or it must bear all the consequences," Gan said. 
Man jailed for attempting to smuggle 100 drug capsules inside his body

Man jailed for attempting to smuggle 100 drug capsules inside his body

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune - www.newsofbahrain.com

The Court of Cassation has upheld a five-year prison sentence for an Asian man who attempted to smuggle over 100 drug capsules inside his body.

The man was apprehended at Bahrain International Airport after exhibiting suspicious behavior, leading to his arrest and subsequent conviction.

The incident unfolded when the suspect arrived at the airport on a flight from his home country.

Customs officers noticed his nervousness and excessive sweating, prompting them to direct him to the red channel for further inspection.

When questioned about his belongings, he denied possessing any prohibited items.

However, the customs officer remained suspicious and referred the man to a medical examination.

The medical examination revealed the presence of foreign objects inside the suspects body.

Upon further investigation, the man confessed to having swallowed drug capsules.

Capsules Medical intervention was necessary to extract the capsules, which were found to contain over 100 narcotic pills.

Security investigations revealed that the suspect was part of a drug smuggling ring.

The Public Prosecution charged him with possession and trafficking of cannabis and psychotropic substances.

The court found the suspect guilty on all charges and sentenced him to five years in prison.
Court Sentences Asian Man to 3 Years for Role in Bank Card Scam

Court Sentences Asian Man to 3 Years for Role in Bank Card Scam

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune - www.newsofbahrain.com

The High Appeals Court has upheld a three-year prison sentence against an Asian man for his involvement in a bank card scam that defrauded a victim of over 1,000 Bahraini dinars.

The court found that the defendant had collaborated with an accomplice to deceive the victim through a fake phone call, leading to the theft of funds.

The victim received a phone call requesting an update of his bank information through a provided link. Upon clicking the link, he was instructed to enter a series of numbers, which he believed were for security purposes.

However, after entering his confidential information, the victim received a bank notification confirming a withdrawal of over 1,000 dinars from his account.

Realising he had been scammed, the victim filed a report with the General Directorate of Anti-Corruption and Economic and Electronic Security.

Investigations revealed that the victim's information was used to withdraw funds, which were then transferred to the defendant.

The defendant was apprehended through security camera footage, confirming his involvement in the scam.

Investigations revealed that he was part of a larger operation, collaborating with an unidentified individual outside Bahrain.

The defendant received a percentage of the stolen funds as compensation for his role in the scheme.

The Public Prosecution charged the defendant with collaborating with an unknown individual to illegally use the victim's electronic signature for financial gain.

The defendant was also charged with fraudulently obtaining the victim's funds through the use of deceptive methods and manipulation of technical information.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune - www.newsofbahrain.com

Preparations are well underway for Bahrains first ENT Congress, scheduled for 4th September. Government hospitals are joining forces with the Royal Medical Services, with Education Plus overseeing the events organisation.

The conferences programme has been finalised, with speakers and lecturers confirmed by the scientific committee. Dr Maryam Sahwan, who leads the ENT and Maxillofacial Surgery Department at government hospitals, noted that the event will tackle a range of pressing topics. Aimed at doctors, consultants, and specialists in ENT, it will also welcome surgical and outpatient nurses, as well as medical students and interns.

Sahwan mentioned that experts from Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Oman, and Egypt will be in attendance, along with German expert Thomas Lenarz and Spanish specialist Javier Gavilan, both known for their vast expertise.

Dr Sahwan encouraged those keen on attending to register via the website (https://educationplus.me/ent/), where more details about the conference and its agenda are available.
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BEIJING, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- A Philippine vessel on Sunday illegally intruded into the adjacent waters of Xianbin Jiao of China's Nansha Qundao and caused a minor collision with a China Coast Guard (CCG) ship. It is the second intentional collision caused by the Philippines in a week in the Xianbin Jiao area, following a previous such incident on Monday.

At 2:12 p.m. on Sunday, the Philippine vessel ignored repeated warnings from the Chinese side and deliberately sailed toward the Chinese ship, which was on law enforcement duty, in an unprofessional and dangerous manner, causing the collision, said CCG spokesperson Gan Yu.

These latest developments have revealed the Philippines' true intent, which is to establish a long-term presence and occupy the reef. Its claim of monitoring China's coast guard and fishermen is a baseless excuse, as China has no plans to build permanent facilities on the uninhabited Xianbin Jiao.

The Philippines coast guard vessel, coded 9701, entered the lagoon of Xianbin Jiao, without permission and has been there since April, which seriously infringes on China's sovereignty, violates the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC), and threatens peace and stability in the South China Sea.

There is a well-documented history over the past two years of provocative behavior by Philippine vessels aimed at the China Coast Guard in the South China Sea. This includes aggressive maneuvers such as dangerous sailing, deliberate collision, and other forms of harassment that have put Chinese vessels at risk.

"The Philippines has gone too far on the wrong path, and it seems that the time has come for Manila to decide," said Ding Duo, an associate research fellow of the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, based in south China's Hainan Province.

The Philippines must carefully consider whether to continue inciting provocations or change course and engage in serious consultations with China to manage and potentially resolve the dispute.

China will never be deceived by the Philippines again. In 1999, a Philippine military vessel was illegally "grounded" on Ren'ai Jiao, also part of China's Nansha Qundao. China immediately made demarches to the Philippines, and the Philippines repeatedly pledged that it would tow the vessel away. But 25 years on, it is still there. Clearly, the Philippines is attempting to repeat this scenario at Xianbin Jiao.

As long as the Philippines maintains its coast guard vessel 9701 at Xianbin Jiao, China will remain on high alert in the surrounding waters and cannot rule out the possibility of taking measures, including driving away the Philippine ship if it refuses to withdraw, experts say.

The Philippines has no valid excuse for carrying out replenishment to its functioning 9701 ship, said Yang Xiao, deputy director of the Institute of Maritime Strategy Studies at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations. If the ship requires supplies, maintenance or rotation, it can independently leave and return to a Philippine port at any time. Should the ship lose power, China can provide tugboat assistance. Moreover, the long-term anchoring of such a large vessel in the lagoon is certain to cause irreversible damage to the coral reefs.

Regarding the situation at Xianbin Jiao, what the Philippines should do is immediately stop infringing on China's sovereignty and making provocations, withdraw all ships, including the coast guard vessel, from Xianbin Jiao, and work with China to manage differences, rather than endlessly creating incidents and hyping up maritime affairs. Even with support from certain powers outside the region, the Philippines should not assume it can challenge China's red line. 
The US Federal government is projected to spend about $6.5 trillion (23% of US GDP in 2024). The US governments Bureau of Economic Analysis as of Q3 2023 estimates $10.0 Trillion in annual total government expenditure and $27.6 trillion annual total GDP which is 36.2%.

The OECD for 2021 shows general US government spending at 44.9% of GDP, or $31,538 per capita. BEAs percentage is smaller because it just includes government spending. OECDs total is larger because it also includes fees, e.g. tuition payments at public colleges.

The US Federal reserve also has trillions in corporate bond and other purchases.

China has lower direct government spending but this increases when the State owned enterprises are included. Chinas state owned enterprises are about 20% of the economy. The US government supports 45% of the healthcare industry revenues. There is also large government support and involvement with military companies and several other industries.
Participants of the Malaysia-China 2024 friendship run pose for a photo with medals in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia, Aug. 25, 2024. Over 5,000 participants joined the Malaysia-China 2024 friendship run in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia on Sunday, expanding an annual event that celebrates the 50th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral ties. (Xinhua/Cheng Yiheng)

KOTA KINABALU, Malaysia, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- Over 5,000 participants joined the Malaysia-China 2024 friendship run in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia on Sunday, expanding an annual event that celebrates the 50th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral ties.

Organized by Malaysia-China Friendship Association Sabah, the 7-kilometer run drew different ethnic groups from Sabah, as well as some Chinese working in Sabah, said the association's Executive Vice President Steven Liaw.

Liaw said besides promoting a healthy lifestyle and unity among different groups, the run will further deepen the friendly relations between the peoples of Malaysia and China. "With everyone's joint efforts, the friendship between Malaysia and China will become even stronger, and future cooperation will be even more promising," he said.

China and Malaysia established diplomatic relations on May 31, 1974. 

A man holding a baby participates in the Malaysia-China 2024 friendship run in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia, Aug. 25, 2024. Over 5,000 participants joined the Malaysia-China 2024 friendship run in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia on Sunday, expanding an annual event that celebrates the 50th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral ties. (Xinhua/Cheng Yiheng)

People participate in the Malaysia-China 2024 friendship run in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia, Aug. 25, 2024. Over 5,000 participants joined the Malaysia-China 2024 friendship run in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia on Sunday, expanding an annual event that celebrates the 50th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral ties. (Xinhua/Cheng Yiheng)
Ten years ago, New Found Glory used its headlining set in Asbury Park  then leading the sprawling 2014 Skate and Surf Festival  as a 10th anniversary celebration of the pop-punk heroes gold album Catalyst, released in 2004.

Flash forward a decade and the enduring Florida group was doing much of the same Saturday night, only this time a few blocks south on The Stone Pony Summer Stage, and with a more deliberate approach: playing Catalyst, one of their most popular albums, in its entirety for a head-banging gaggle of fans, commemorating 20 years.

New Found Glory bring the Catalyst 20 Years Later Tour to the Stone Pony Summer Stage on Saturday, August 24, 2024.Al Mannarino | For NJ Advance Media

Some in the sea of about 4,000 fans  plenty of them moshing and chasing a cowardly reporter from his post  may not have recognized the bands current lineup: While founding members Jordan Pundik (vocals), Ian Grushka (bass guitar) and Cyrus Bolooki (drums) remain, lead guitarist Chad Gilbert did not travel with the band for this tour, as he continues a lengthy recovery from a rare form of cancer called pheochromocytoma, which has mostly sidelined the 43-year-old artist since his 2021 diagnosis.

Filling in Saturday was Dan OConnor, the raging co-frontman and guitarist for well-loved Massachusetts pop-punkers Four Year Strong. OConnor was as ideal an understudy as the band could offer, adding much of the same frenetic energy and serrated backing vocals Gilbert would normally provide. Of course, its not the same  Gilbert is the bands pulsing punk heart  but as the band maintains a devout fanbase, its a serviceable solution to keep them touring.

Dan O'Connor. Al Mannarino | For NJ Advance Media

Rounding out the current touring lineup was rhythm guitarist Dave Knox, known better as lead guitarist for the Chicago-based pop-punk group Real Friends, who added guitars and some key synth and piano moments on the back riser. Its heartening to see how members of younger bands  Four Year Strong and Real Friends blew up in the late 00s and early 10s, when NFG were already veterans  have rallied around a group that so heavily influenced the genre.

Yes, Blink-182 gets most of the credit for establishing pop-punk as a global force around the turn of the 21st Century, but New Found Glory has never been far behind  nearly all of their 25-year discography (which reached a fever pitch with 2002s platinum Sticks and Stones LP) is highly redeeming, and has defined the subgenre easy-core, i.e. pop choruses with heavy rhythmic breakdowns.

READ MORE: Inside Blink-182s beautifully stupid new tour

New Found Glory bring the Catalyst 20 Years Later Tour to the Stone Pony Summer Stage on Saturday, August 24, 2024.Al Mannarino | For NJ Advance Media

When Catalyst was released in 04, it was an effort by the then-still-young band to regain some of the hardcore-leaning cred theyd earned grinding their teeth on the D.I.Y. circuit  and perhaps lost when they hit the mainstream a few years earlier. Pundik recalled Saturday the band playing pool parties in Red Bank and the Wayne firehouse before they hit MTV. They have always and did again this night refer to New Jersey as a second home to us, this is like a hometown show.

The band tore through the 14 Catalyst tracks in order, highlighted by enduring fan favorites All Downhill from Here, Failures Not Flattering and At Least Im Known for Something, the latter spurring one of the nights more throttling circle pits as the less aggressive millennials looked on. As is often the case at the outdoor Summer Stage, the sound mix was lacking, guitars too muddy and indistinctive. The opener, Chicagos excellent Sincere Engineer  led by the incendiary vocalist Deanna Belos  sounded much cleaner.

Sincere Engineer opening for New Found Glory at the Stone Pony Summer Stage on Saturday, August 24, 2024.Al Mannarino | For NJ Advance Media

Pundik, 44, was all over the stylized stage, stalking back and forth, urging the crowd to sing and clap, and telling a story about how he won an inter-band battle over getting the tune Id Kill to Fall Asleep onto the album back in the day, over the tune Constant Static (a bad bet; Constant Static is the better song).

Once the Catalyst set finished, in just under an hour, the band returned to the stage for an extended encore, running though some other favored jams and curiously including not one but two Disney song covers: Let It Go from Frozen, and Part of Your World from The Little Mermaid, their latest single.

New Found Glory bring the Catalyst 20 Years Later Tour to the Stone Pony Summer Stage on Saturday, August 24, 2024.Al Mannarino | For NJ Advance Media

Sure, the band has carved out a side business over the years with movie soundtrack covers, releasing three full albums of the silly stuff (most recently in 2019). But for a group that has cultivated a devout fanbase who know their original catalog exceedingly well, another real New Found Glory banger  perhaps Dressed to Kill or The Story So Far  would have been welcome.

The set closed with the bands most transcendent and well-known tune, the bouncing My Friends Over You, which was dedicated to Gilbert.

Sincere Engineer opening for New Found Glory at the Stone Pony Summer Stage on Saturday, August 24, 2024.Al Mannarino | For NJ Advance Media

He reads all your guys messages, keep sending him the love, send him every message you can, words of wisdom, encourage, keep sending it and hopefully hell be back with us the next time we come to Jersey.

In this moment, a chant overtook the venue: Chad, Chad, Chad.

20 1 / 20 New Found Glory Catalyst 20 Years Later Tour at The Stone Pony Summer Stage

New Found Glorys setlist

Aug. 24, 2024  The Stone Pony Summer Stage, Asbury Park, N.J.

Encore:

Bobby Olivier may be reached at bolivier@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BobbyOlivier and Facebook.
A donated breast milk program has expanded to another South Jersey hospital as an alternative option for the hospitals newborns, officials announced this month.

Inspira Health expanded its donor human breast milk program to Inspira Medical Center Mullica Hill in Gloucester County on June 28 through an agreement with Mid-Atlantic Mothers Milk Bank of Pennsylvania, a nonprofit group based in Pittsburgh.
A three-alarm fire broke out Saturday afternoon at Angry Dad Draught House in Washington Township in Warren County.

Heavy smoke and fire were spewing from the second-floor eaves when the Washington Township Fire Department responded at about 3:39 p.m. to the bar and restaurant on Route 31 North.

Everyone was out of the building when first responders arrived and no injuries were reported.

The fire was concentrated in the kitchen and eaves, a spokesperson for the Washington Fire Department said Sunday.

Police, EMS and firefighters from Washington Township responded along with EMS and Fire from Oxford, and fire units from Washington Borough, Mansfield, Franklin Township, Hampton, Glen Gardner, High Bridge, Mountain Lake, Belvidere, Hackettstown and Phillipsburg.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

The building is uninhabitable in its current condition, the spokesperson said.

Its unclear when the Angry Dad Draught House will reopen, but the owners said in a message on their Facebook page that they will rebuild.

A very heart felt thank you right now goes out to everyone who saw the tragic events that unfolded here at the Angry Dad Draught House, the post says. We are (grateful) to all the first responders who came and selflessly gave all of their efforts to save what they could.

To all the staff that was working and the ones who were not that came during the event to see how they could help in any way, you are amazing, the post continued. To all of the well wishers that we know and to those that we dont, thank you for your love and prayers. Thankfully no staff or customers were harmed today. We will rebuild, we will be better, we may be down but we are not out.

Thank you for relying on us to provide the local news you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a subscription.

Allison Pries may be reached at apries@njadvancemedia.com.
By Steve Brozak

After watching Governor Tim Walzs Vice Presidential acceptance speech -- and the synchronized frenzy of Republican criticisms of his military record that followed -- my reaction is this: Enough is enough.

The revisionist attacks for his decision to retire from the National Guard to run for Congress arent just partisan, they are oblivious to reality. He could never have run for Congress without retiring, and I should know.

I had just returned from active duty, retiring from the Marine Corps Reserve to run for Congress in New Jersey in 2004. It was the year before Governor Walz ran for Congress. I had no illusions that a congressional campaign was going to be an easy undertaking, yet the circumstances in real life were more than simple political blood sport. At that time, under the Bush White House, it was a non-starter for anyone on active duty or even in the reserves to raise honest issues about what was happening in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Both personal reprisals and even legal consequences were simple facts of life.

I learned that in 2004, during a CNN interview on a Friday night, when speaking as a civilian, I said: I wanted to see my president go out there and iterate a real clear, meaningful strategy of what was going to happen in Iraq.

By Monday, the White House had contacted Headquarters Marine Corps, asking to launch an Article 92 investigation under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, similar to the Hatch Act. What blocked this from even starting? I had retired three days earlier.

Mark Twain famously commented: First find the facts and then distort them as you see fit.

For me -- and even more for Governor Walz -- todays critics have conveniently omitted the chaos of the Iraq War for our active and reserve armed forces, and the misplaced hubris of those who pushed that war.

Twenty years ago, even our 30- to 45-year-old reservists and guardsmen were being called back to serve alongside our teenaged troops -- often without even the basic equipment they needed. And forget about any real plan: As Donald Rumsfeld famously said, we would be greeted as liberators, only to be eclipsed by his declaration that we would quickly mop up the insurgent dead-enders. History has proven Rumsfeld tragically wrong.

Guardsmen and Reservists were asked to make sacrifices -- with unrealistic troop strengths and stop losses preventing them from returning home. It was a punishing fate. As many have said, it was their jobs. When financial and social hardships were foisted on their families and loved ones, however, it became unconscionable.

COL John Tien (ret.) and Rear Admiral Mike Smith (ret.) set the record straight on Gov. Tim Walz's honorable military service (and the entire Trump family's lack thereof). pic.twitter.com/Q6sq1sKagj  Ken Harbaugh (@Team_Harbaugh) August 22, 2024

This was the backdrop that Governor Walz had to resolve, as he tried to effect change for the men and women in his charge.

So he ran for Congress, and his success in the 2006 election mattered: Leadership changed in Congress, and the administration was put on notice that they were now accountable.

Tim Walz didnt leave the Guard to avoid service, he ran for Congress to deepen his service.

Governor Walz retired as a senior non-commissioned officer from an artillery unit after 24 years of National Guard service, which should be recognized and applauded. His life has been filled with true American stories expressed by many in the military --including friends, students, colleagues and even fellow Congress members. Let us not cast any shadow of doubt on his selfless career, his warmth and good nature.

Now we are in a fog -- not the fog of war, but the fog of political propaganda that is eerily reminiscent of the swift-boating that Sen. Kerry faced in his 2004 campaign for president. Yet this time it is far worse. The disingenuous attacks on Governor Walzs service by Republicans are bad enough, but now it is combined with the degradation of the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Donald Trumps declaration that the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which honors civilians, is actually much better than the Medal of Honor because service members who receive the nations highest military decoration are often wounded or dead is repulsive, and the attacks on Walz are wrong.

They both trample American valor and cannot be explained away. And they both should be called out for dishonoring members of our armed forces, veterans and all Americans.

Steve Brozak is a retired Lt. Colonel in the Marine Corps and the president of WBB Securities, an investment management firm based in Cranford. He ran unsuccessfully for New Jerseys 7th District congressional seat in 2004.

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By Susan M. Pomerantz

Banners, signs, flags, bumper stickers  everywhere!

Sometimes, theyre just pretty. Who doesnt love summer?

But sometimes they make us feel afraid.

At best, notices strewn across lawns and roadsides are useless: Craft Fair Saturday at Central High! Waitwhich Saturday? This one coming up? Last week? A Saturday in 2023?

Often, they dont achieve their goals. I used to encounter at the same traffic light around 6 AM every weekday a car wearing the bumper sticker, Klaxonnez sil vous parlez Francais! I finally worked up the nerve to toot and wave  as instructed by her bumper -- and was greeted with a look of confusion and annoyance. Shed maybe forgotten that her car invited the honk? Perplexite! Quest-ce qui ne va pas? What, indeed, is wrong?

At worst, signs can divide a community without the exchange of a single word -- a complete lack of dialogue. I personally remain bannerless, though Im not sure that my silence contributes any less to societys problem of mutual alienation, as long as I have feelings about people based on their signs without taking the time to get to know anything else about them.

I admit I was not silent in my high school and college classrooms. I wanted to establish a classroom climate beyond the correctional within those unadorned cinder block walls. But I had to be judicious about whom and what I was including and excluding.

I once put a sign up over the door, certain it could offend no one: Hate has no home here, it proclaimed in seven languages.

A student asked me whether he -- because he hates the politics suggested by the sign -- could come in. My first approach was defensiveness. Why shouldnt we hate haters? I asked him. I listened and learned something about what life was like for him. And it wasnt that he was just trying to get out of coming to English class!

I took the sign down and put back up my All are welcome here poster right next to the most important poster of all: Read like your life depends on it.

Theres plenty out there to read. Full, free choice of reading material is essential to a free mind and a just society. There are times, though, such as when reading material is blazoned across the broad side of a barn, or adorns the full face of a trash can, that we have no choice but to read it.

I feel afraid when signs shout, *@&! This or That Candidate. Once upon a long time ago, when I was hiking across a wooden bridge with my Brownie troop-mates, I read a message that was carved into the railing. I asked the troop leader what *@&! a Duck meant. I immediately and unequivocally understood it was not a good thing to say, although I did not learn its meaning. In fact, it remains an unintelligible phrase.

Messages have become such a part of our landscapes that they hardly register anymore, but some lawn signs demand our attention. Does my neighbor with whom I otherwise exchange friendly hellos really want to make liberals cry, as she announces on a large banner that roots for the election of a particular candidate?

What if people are liberal in some ways and conservative in others, yet in neither case, want to live in a mean-spirited world where people want to make others cry?

What about the sign that shouts from across a bed of beautiful perennials, Take America Back? Back to what? Back from whom? I become amused, but ultimately afraid again, that down the block is a sign that reminds us, If youre not Native American, youre an immigrant.

Nineteenth-century Danish philosopher and theologian Sren Kierkegaard is quoted as writing, Once you label me, you negate me. Let us stop labeling ourselves and one another. We are not objects.

Flags and banners originally signified exclusivity and became national symbols somewhere around the Middle Ages. Lets hope we are not co-creating dark ages to come with the ways we use banners, signs, flags, and bumper stickers today.

One of the ironies of the human race is that we plaster walls and fences with signs that say, Post No Bills.

Maybe wed talk (and listen) to each other more if we followed that instruction.

Susan Pomerantz, a novelist and short-story author from Burlington County, taught college sociology and high school literature for more than three decades.

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Its more of a physics question: Would two campaigns, plummeting in the polls like rocks thrown off a Manhattan skyscraper, bounce when they hit the sidewalk?

Nope. Turns out, gravity is still an undefeated political champion, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.s endorsement of Donald Trump  a marriage of two flailing campaigns  was all but meaningless.

Kennedy announced Friday that he is suspending his independent campaign for the presidency and  after shopping himself to the possible Trump and Kamala Harris administrations (and not even getting a call back from the Democrats)  he endorsed Trump, the former president and Republican presidential nominee, and appeared with him at a rally in Arizona.

Trumps large lead evaporated almost overnight as soon as Harris, the vice president and Democratic nominee, jumped into the race to replace President Joe Biden.

She now has a national lead of between three and five points, depending on the poll, and has pulled within the margin of error in nearly every swing state, taking a lead in many of them.

Harris is likely to see those advantages grow after a rousing four-day Democratic National Convention that was a family, party and patriotic hugfest  highlighted by Trump takedowns by former president Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey and several former Republicans warning America about the dangers of re-electing Trump. The first post-convention polls should drop soon.

Faced with an election that appears to be slipping from his grasp, Trump desperately needed even the slightest uptick in polling.

But when a campaign needs a shot in the arm, it cant get it from a vaccine denier, according to polling site FiveThirtyEight:

Our analysis of the polling data suggests Kennedys endorsement of Trump will have a minimal impact on the race. Kennedy, who has consistently polled around 5 percent since Vice President Kamala Harris became the presumptive nominee, was drawing roughly equally from both Trump and Harris, with that support coming from both traditionally Democratic and traditionally Republican groups. His endorsement of Trump may marginally help the Republican among white, male, and older voters. But the effect of his departure on overall support for either candidate will be small.

Kennedys numbers have been falling steadily since the early summer, and they dropped by almost half when Biden stepped aside as the Democratic Partys nominee. In the latest national surveys before his withdrawal, Kennedy was polling at around 5 percent.

Kennedys withdrawal appears to solidify the votes of certain groups: When he is removed from polling, support for Harris rises most among Asian, Black and Hispanic voters, nonwhite voters without college degrees and young voters. Trump, meanwhile, consolidates support with men, white and rural voters, and voters over 30.

But the bottom line, FiveThirty Eight says, Kennedy is drawing few votes from either candidate and ... the effect of his withdrawal on the race is likely to be small.

In a statement released shortly after Kennedy announced he was backing Trump, five of his siblings criticized their brother: Our brother Bobbys decision to endorse Trump today is a betrayal of the values that our father and our family hold most dear, they wrote. It is a sad ending to a sad story.

The statement was signed by five of his eight surviving siblings: Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, Courtney Kennedy, Kerry Kennedy, Chris Kennedy and Rory Kennedy.

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MANILA, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- A total of 3,276,731 foreign tourists visited the Philippines from January to July this year, 11.5 percent higher than the same period of 2023, a member of the House of Representatives said Sunday.

Marvin Rillo, vice chair of the House Committee on Tourism, said South Korea, the United States and China have been the country's main sources of international visitors so far this year.

Rillo said the Philippine government has allocated 6.4 billion pesos (113.78 million U.S. dollars) in fresh funding in 2025 to develop more access roads to tourist spots across the archipelagic country.

The fund is under the Tourism Road Infrastructure Program in the 2025 national budget, which the House and the Senate have been scrutinizing for the approval of President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos later this year.

"Congress is determined to provide all regions across the country ample support to upgrade their access roads and bridges leading to their tourism sites," Rillo said.

The Philippines aims to hit 7.7 million international visitors this year. In 2023, a total of 5,450,557 international visitors entered the country, 91.8 percent of which were foreigners, while the remaining were overseas Filipinos. 
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by Zhao Bin

For more than half a century, China and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have supported each other in the struggle for national emancipation and in achieving their national development and recovery. The two countries have continuously strengthened their traditional friendship and engaged in fruitful cooperation across various fields. In May 2023, DRC President Felix-Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo paid a state visit to China, which was considered a great success.

During this visit, the leaders of the two countries jointly decided to upgrade the China-DRC relations to a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership. Under the joint leadership of the two heads of state, both sides have continually strengthened their exchanges and cooperation within the framework of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), resulting in new advancements in China-DRC relations.

First, political trust between the two countries has become stronger. For over a year, the two heads of state have maintained close communication through various means and jointly outlined the future of China-DRC relations. In the past year, the DRC has seen the re-election of President Tshisekedi and the successful establishment of new state organs. Special Envoy of President Xi Jinping and Vice Chairperson of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) Shen Yueyue attended President Tshisekedi's inauguration ceremony in Kinshasa, and Chinese state leaders sent congratulatory messages to their DRC counterparts upon their election or appointment.

This reflects the great importance China places on bilateral relations. The Chinese and DRC governments, political parties, and legislative bodies have worked to strengthen their ties and make full use of FOCAC, the most important platform for China-Africa cooperation, to strengthen the exchange of state governance experiences, enhance mutual understanding and trust, and pool efforts to consolidate and develop the China-DRC friendship.

Second, practical cooperation between the two countries has become more fruitful. Both sides have strengthened the coordination of their development strategies and worked together to achieve high-level cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative and the Global Development Initiative.

There is a lot of positive news about China-DRC cooperation in infrastructure, industry, trade, economy, and social welfare. Important projects completed last year, such as the Kinsuka Power Station, the Busanga Hydropower Station, the Saphir Ceramics factory in Maluku, and the Sakania Dry Port, have injected strong momentum into the industrial development of the DRC. This year, several major projects under the China-DRC "resource for projects" cooperation package have begun, from Kinshasa to Lualaba, passing through the Grand Kasai, providing considerable support to the DRC in strengthening its connectivity.

In the first half of 2024, trade between China and the DRC reached 12.34 billion U.S. dollars, and the DRC has become a leading destination for Chinese investment in Africa. Chinese companies in the DRC remain committed to the principle of shared benefits and actively work to support local community development, such as the construction of "demonstration rural development villages," so that local residents can benefit from the tangible achievements of China-DRC cooperation and, more broadly, China-Africa cooperation.

Third, people-to-people and cultural exchanges between the two countries have become more frequent. Under the Global Civilization Initiative, both sides have organized numerous cultural activities such as the "Chinese Film Week," where think tanks, scholars, and media have increased exchanges and actively explored expanding their cooperation.

Since the beginning of 2024, China has provided over 200 training opportunities in China for DRC officials in various fields to support the DRC in talent development and youth growth. The Confucius Institute, jointly established by both sides, is becoming increasingly popular among DRC youth. I would like to highlight that the Central African Cultural and Arts Center, whose construction has just finished after five years, has become a new symbol of China-DRC friendly cooperation and will serve as an important platform for strengthening China-DRC and China-Africa cultural exchanges.

Fourth, mutual support between the two countries has become stronger. On the issue regarding the eastern DRC, China has consistently stood firmly on the side of fairness and justice. China actively works for peace by encouraging dialogue among the different parties. Chinese peacekeepers have notably fulfilled their mission within the United Nations Stabilization Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO), which has been highly praised by Congolese authorities. For its part, the DRC has always resolutely adhered to the one-China principle. The two sides have maintained close coordination in multilateral affairs to jointly safeguard the common interests of developing countries.

Currently, China is committed to a new phase of deepening reform in all areas to promote Chinese modernization, while the new state organs of the DRC are working to realize the six "major commitments" initiated by President Tshisekedi.

China-DRC relations are at a new historical starting point with promising prospects. The new session of the FOCAC Summit will soon open in Beijing, where guests from various African countries will discuss China-Africa cooperation. I am confident that Chinese and African leaders will reach new consensus on the theme "Joining Hands to Advance Modernization and Build a High-Level China-Africa Community with a Shared Future" during this summit.

This will set new directions for the development of global cooperation and the China-DRC strategic partnership, and create new prospects for China and the DRC to develop and progress together.

Editor's note: Zhao Bin is the Ambassador of China to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of Xinhua News Agency.
Residents of North Devon now have access to a new, high-quality home care service with the expansion of Bluebird Care into the region.

The service, led by local husband-and-wife team William and Sara Flint, brings over 13 years of experience in delivering personalised care directly to peoples homes, enabling them to live independently as they age or recover from illness.

The Flints, who have already successfully guided Bluebird Cares operations in Exeter and East Devon, are extending their expertise to North Devon with the launch of Bluebird Care North & West Devon.

This expansion will offer a range of services, from a few hours of care each week to full-time, live-in support, depending on individual needs.

To celebrate their arrival, Bluebird Care North & West Devon will sponsor the RUN Barnstaple event on September 29.

The event, which promotes fitness and community spirit, will see Will Flint and the new care team joining in the 10K run alongside local participants.

Marking their commitment to the community, Bluebird Care North & West Devon has also announced a fundraising partnership with Childrens Hospice South West, naming it their regional Charity of the Year.

The care team plans to engage in various fundraising and volunteering activities to support the hospice, which provides essential care for children with life-limiting conditions.

William Flint, Director at Bluebird Care North & West Devon, said: We are delighted to be expanding our services to offer home care and live-in care to more people across Devon, as we move into North Devon. Its a really special community and were proud to be a part of it.

We are really pleased that we are also going to be supporting Childrens Hospice South West as our regional Charity of the Year. Their dedication to providing compassionate care for children and families facing the most challenging of circumstances is truly inspiring.

Childrens Hospice South West, founded in 1991, has a deeply personal origin.

Eddie and Jill Farwell, who lost their children Katie and Tom to life-limiting illnesses, established the hospice to ensure families in the South West could access the care they need closer to home.

The partnership with Bluebird Care North & West Devon will help the hospice continue its vital work.

Gubs Hayer, Area Fundraiser from Children's Hospice South West said: We are incredibly grateful to Bluebird Care North & West Devon for choosing us as their Charity of the Year. Their commitment in helping us raise funds and awareness will have a profound impact on the families we support across the South West. Partnerships like this enable us to continue offering vital care and comfort to children with life-limiting conditions, ensuring they receive the best possible care close to home.
The Chinese video game "Black Myth: Wukong" has taken the gaming world by storm since its release several days ago. Watch how visitors in Japan say about the action role-playing game.
JAKARTA, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- Thirteen bodies were found and six were still missing after flash floods and landslides destroyed houses and infrastructure in Indonesia's eastern North Maluku province earlier on Sunday, a senior official said.

Fatur Rahman, head of the Search and Rescue Office in the province, said that eight people had survived the natural disaster in Ternate City. All survivors were treated for their injuries in three local hospitals.

"The victims were found inside their homes, buried by debris," Rahman told Xinhua.

He also noted that the search and rescue operation was temporarily halted due to darkness and would resume on Monday morning.

"Our priority tomorrow is to continue the search. We are looking for six missing individuals, although the number could change if families report additional missing persons. We have set up a post to assist them," he explained.

Around 1,000 personnel from a joint team have been involved in the search and rescue mission, including soldiers, police officers, local rescue workers, disaster agency staff, and volunteers from various institutions.

According to him, the operation is planned to continue for seven days but could be extended if necessary.

Heavy downpours, which began on Saturday, triggered the flash floods and landslides in Ternate, as confirmed by the local disaster management and mitigation agency. 
Before Sundays attacks, tensions in the Middle East had been high for weeks in the wake of high-profile assassinations of senior leaders of the militant groups Hamas and Hezbollah.

Those killings in July intensified the longstanding conflict between Israel and Iran, which backs Hamas and Hezbollah and which has threatened retaliation. They also fueled alarm among global leaders, including in the United States, where the Biden administration has urged restraint to prevent a broader war from engulfing the region.

Here are some of the key developments in recent months.

Jan. 2: A Hamas leaders killing in Beirut

Hamas accused Israel of killing Saleh al-Arouri, a senior leader, along with two commanders from its military wing in an explosion in a suburb of Beirut, Lebanons capital. Previously, Beirut had been far from the cross-border violence between Israel and Hezbollah, the powerful Lebanese militia that, like Hamas, is aligned with Iran. Mr. al-Arouri was the first high-level Hamas official to be killed outside the West Bank and Gaza in recent years. Israeli officials declined to comment, but Lebanese and U.S. officials attributed the attack to Israel.

Jan. 6: Hezbollahs retaliation against Israel

In response to Mr. al-Arouris assassination, Hezbollah fired a volley of rockets at a small military base in northern Israel. Though Hezbollah said it caused casualties, the Israeli military reported no injuries and responded with its own strikes in Lebanon. Analysts viewed Hezbollahs response as a symbolic act rather than a significant escalation, with the group firing about 40 rockets toward Mount Meron, an area housing a military radar station.
Israel and Hezbollah exchanged major cross-border fire

Israels military and Hezbollah fired back and forth in one of the largest cross-border barrages since the war in Gaza began. Heres the latest.

Israel said that roughly 100 of its fighter jets bombed more than 270 targets connected to Hezbollah in southern Lebanon yesterday, a figure which could not be independently verified. Hezbollah said it had answered with more than 320 rockets at nearly a dozen Israeli military bases and positions.

Both sides claimed that their actions had been a success. Israel said its attack was a pre-emptive defense against Hezbollah rockets, and Hezbollah said it had retaliated for the killing last month of Fuad Shukr, a senior Hezbollah commander, in Beirut.

For now, at least, the exchange of attacks fell short of the major escalation that many had feared after Shukr was killed. Both sides later appeared to signal that they did not intend to escalate further. This timeline shows how the attack unfolded.
At 72, Janice Campbell might not seem like your average investor in a Roth account. Those investment vehicles  funded with after-tax dollars instead of the pretax contributions that go into most individual retirement accounts and 401(k)s  are typically recommended for younger workers.

Taxes are paid on the money before it is contributed to the account. For those just starting out their careers and earning entry-level wages, the appeal is paying taxes at a lower rate than they are likely to be at in another 20 or 30 years. This money grows, tax-free, until retirement, at which point withdrawals also are tax-free.

But Ms. Campbell, a retired tech worker who is still active and healthy, frequently hiking trails around her Arizona home, is concerned about how her health could change in the coming years and whether she might face the expense of long-term care.

I think its important at our age not to put the burden on our children or grandchildren, Ms. Campbell said. So, at the recommendation of her financial adviser, she recently decided to change her investment mix and is converting a portion of her retirement savings into a Roth I.R.A.
For the poorest Americans, finding an apartment to rent or a home to buy often means tapping into a vast network of nonprofit groups that use public and charitable funds to rehab or build affordable housing. Over the past year, the skyrocketing cost of property insurance has put that network on shaky ground.

In Houston, hundreds of apartments once protected from rising rents are being sold off to landlords who can charge the full market rate. In Selma, Ala., insurance premiums are keeping even heavily subsidized homes out of buyers reach. In Kingsville, Texas, a planned affordable housing development was scrapped entirely.

Costs are rising for homeowners of all types, and in states like Florida, Texas and California, it has become harder to get insurance at all. The industry says bigger, more frequent storms, along with increased home prices and material and labor costs, are forcing them to raise premiums or stop writing policies.

Wealthier homeowners can go without insurance, if they can buy a home without a mortgage. Landlords of market-rate apartments can raise the rent to adjust to the higher costs. But for the 4,000 or so nonprofits and developers that arent allowed to raise rents, or are selling homes only to buyers with the most constrained budgets, the soaring cost of insurance is an existential threat.
For 15 months, Daniel Davon-Bonilla sat in the Rikers Island jail complex in New York City, accused of raping a transgender woman in a migrant shelter.

Then, on June 24, Mr. Davon-Bonilla stood before a judge in a Brooklyn court. The victim in the case had refused to testify, and now prosecutors were offering him a deal: He could plead guilty to a felony assault charge and be released that day.

The judge, Donald Leo, warned Mr. Davon-Bonilla, a 24-year-old from Nicaragua, that he could be deported.

Do you still wish to proceed with your plea of guilty? asked Justice Leo, according to a transcript of the hearing.
The funny thing about being a European during American presidential elections is the belief that you, too, should be allowed to vote. And can you blame us? Who gets to occupy the Oval Office is correctly seen by many in Europe as a decision of existential significance for the well-being and security of the continent.

No surprise, then, that even with a war raging in Europe involving repeated nuclear threats by the Kremlin, the developments in the U.S. campaigns have received even greater attention in the European press than usual. Given the war in Ukraine, the risks of a larger war in the Middle East and Chinas accelerating challenge to American primacy, Europe needs the United States more than it has since the end of the Cold War. And America still has a unique and valuable asset that its growing list of rivals and adversaries dont: reliable allies and partners in Europe.

Over the years, the Munich Security Conference, the international security forum that I led for 14 years, has tallied a long list of trans-Atlantic to-dos. At its core are three strategic challenges that America and Europe will need to face, regardless of who wins the U.S. election in November. How we deal with them will decide whether the trans-Atlantic alliance will continue as the tight-knit partnership we have known for the past 75 years or unravel.

First: We need to talk about China. Unlike the European Union, which defines China as a partner, competitor and systemic rival, America appears to have concluded, in a rare show of bipartisan agreement, that China is now not only its key rival but also its main long-term adversary in terms of global political and military power and influence. Trans-Atlantic discord about how best to deal with China is already visible, and it seems bound to get worse.
Telegram, founded in 2013 by the Russian entrepreneur Pavel Durov, has grown into one of the worlds largest online communication tools and is central to everyday life in countries like Russia, Ukraine and India for messaging, getting independent news and exchanging views.

The companys growth  it now has more than 900 million users  has been driven partly by a commitment to free speech. Telegrams light oversight of what people say or do on the platform has helped people living under authoritarian governments communicate and organize. But it has also made the app a haven for disinformation, far-right extremism and other harmful content.

Many were shocked when reports emerged on Saturday across French news media that Mr. Durov had been arrested in France on charges related to the spread of illicit material on the service. A French judicial official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation, confirmed on Sunday evening that Mr. Durov was in police custody. As word spread online over the weekend, news of his detention became a flashpoint in a continuing debate about free speech on the internet.

Elon Musk, the owner of X, which has adopted a similarly hands-off approach to content moderation, posted #FreePavel on his X account. Its 2030 in Europe and youre being executed for liking a meme, he also said.
Thomas Elfmont, a retired Los Angeles police officer, was living in Bozeman, Mont., when the local sheriff invited him to lunch. Over Mexican food, the sheriff described the murder of a 15-year-old girl that rocked a nearby small town almost 30 years ago and had never been solved. The sheriff asked: Would Mr. Elfmont take it on?

Fascinated and believing he could make a difference, Mr. Elfmont accepted.

I was just determined, even with the roadblocks that I faced, that I was going to get the guy that did this, Mr. Elfmont said.

In a span of eight days this month, law enforcement announced key breakthroughs in at least four homicides after decades without arrests. In California, the police charged a 75-year-old man in the 1973 murder of Nina Fischer. In Texas, the police named suspects in two separate murders  of Susan Leigh Wolfe and Terri McAdams  from the 1980s. And in Montana, Mr. Elfmont believes he found who killed Danielle Houchins in 1996.

This series of discoveries may seem like an encouraging turn of events in the world of cold cases. But in reality, even with advances in forensic technology, such breakthroughs are rare. Many American law enforcement agencies have no teams dedicated to such cases, and there remain hundreds of thousands of unsolved homicides across the country.
The body of a hiker who disappeared during a flash flood near Grand Canyon National Park four days ago was found on Sunday, according to the National Park Service.

The hiker, Chenoa Nickerson, 33, was last seen about 100 yards from where the Havasu Creek and the Colorado River meet, as floodwaters swept past a remote reservation on the border of the Grand Canyon National Park, the National Park Service said in a statement. More than 100 other people were also evacuated during the flooding.

After days of searching, park officials said that Ms. Nickersons body was discovered by people on a commercial river trip and was later transported to the rim of the canyon by helicopter and transferred to the Coconino County Medical Examiner.

Ms. Nickersons sister, Tamara Morales, said on Facebook on Sunday that her sister had been hiking with her husband, who was rescued.
From his new home in Cincinnati, JD Vance would go to St. Gertrude to meet the friar.

It was a fitting place for the millennial aspiring politician, who was drawn to the Roman Catholic Churchs ancient ways. For years he had flirted with joining the church. Now he wanted to explore the desire in earnest.

St. Gertrude Church was led by the Dominican Friars from the Province of St. Joseph, part of a religious order founded in 1216. Its sanctuary smelled of incense but felt modern, its concrete walls pierced with bright stained-glass rectangles in reds and blues.

Mr. Vance would meet with Father Henry Stephan. For months, they read works of theology, mysticism, and political and moral philosophy. Sometimes they went to coffee or lunch. It was bespoke private instruction, a hallmark of Dominicans who are known for their lives of intellect and study.

Then, one summer day in 2019, Mr. Vance, then 35, returned to St. Gertrude, this time to be baptized and receive his first communion in the Dominicans private chapel. The friars hosted a celebratory reception for his family with doughnuts. He chose as his patron Saint Augustine, the political theologian whose fifth-century treatise City of God challenged Romes ruling class and drew Mr. Vance to the faith.
AMMAN. Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- Jordan on Sunday warned that the escalating situation in southern Lebanon could trigger a broader regional conflict.

Jordan's Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Sufian Qudah stressed the importance of supporting Lebanon and adhering to UN Security Council Resolution 1701 to prevent further escalation. He called for coordinated efforts to de-escalate tensions and safeguard the region from slipping into a wider war.

Qudah also criticized the ongoing "Israeli aggression" in Gaza and the lack of progress toward a ceasefire, which he said increases the risk of a regional conflict.

He also urged the international community to take decisive action to halt the conflict in Gaza, address the resulting humanitarian crisis, and ensure the protection of Palestinian civilians while maintaining regional stability.

Israeli and Hezbollah forces engaged in extensive exchanges of fire early Sunday morning along the Israel-Lebanon border, marking a significant escalation in their longstanding conflict.

Hezbollah announced it had launched hundreds of missiles into Israel in retaliation for the killing of its commander, Fouad Shokor, in an Israeli airstrike on Beirut last month. In response, Israel reported conducting numerous preemptive airstrikes targeting Hezbollah's rocket launchers in southern Lebanon.

The intensification of hostilities raises the risk of a broader conflict involving regional and international actors, including the United States and Iran, and threatens to undermine ongoing ceasefire efforts in Gaza, where Israel has been engaged in a protracted conflict with Hamas for over 10 months. Enditem.
Vice President Kamala Harriss presidential campaign said on Sunday that it raised $82 million during the Democratic National Convention last week, the latest spurt of donor enthusiasm around a presidential bid that, according to the campaign, has now raised $540 million in the last month.

National party conventions are typically big-money moments for presidential candidates, offering nominees four days of lightly mediated exposure to a broad, if partisan audience. Ms. Harris has been on a historic fund-raising tear ever since President Biden announced on July 21 that he would no longer seek the Democratic nomination. The party convention, which took place from Monday to Thursday in Chicago, was full of messaging encouraging big and small donors alike to give to Ms. Harriss campaign.

After the vice presidents speech accepting the Democratic nomination on Thursday night, the Harris campaign saw its best fund-raising hour since launch day, the campaigns chair, Jen OMalley Dillon, wrote in a memo on Sunday, although she did not provide a specific amount. The $82 million total includes contributions to allied fund-raising committees with the state and national parties.

The memo did not give day-by-day totals, but ActBlue, which processes online donations for many progressive causes, including Ms. Harriss bid, reported that its platform raised $13 million on Monday, $16.5 million on Tuesday, $23 million on Wednesday and almost $37 million on Thursday.
Seeking to blunt the momentum that Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, have been experiencing in the polls and hoping to extend after an enthusiastic Democratic National Convention, Republicans have been highlighting small inaccuracies in Mr. Walzs past descriptions of his resume.

The latest instances came on Friday and Saturday, when the right-leaning Minnesota outlet Alpha News and the conservative publication The Washington Free Beacon resurfaced reports from 2006 that, while Mr. Walz was running for Congress that year, his website inaccurately stated that he had been named Outstanding Young Nebraskan by the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce.

After the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce sent Mr. Walz a letter in late 2006 saying that it had not given him an award and noting that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce had endorsed his Republican opponent, his campaign clarified that the award had come from the Nebraska Junior Chamber of Commerce, and updated his website accordingly. His campaign manager at the time said the missing word had been an unintentional typo.

Beyond the 2006 award reference, Republicans have accused Mr. Walz of exaggerating his military service record. This campaign is reminiscent of the Swift Boat attacks against John Kerry, a decorated Vietnam War veteran who was the Democratic presidential nominee in 2004  and Chris LaCivita, a top aide to former President Donald J. Trump, led the Swift Boat campaign.
At least 37 people, including a dozen who were returning from a religious pilgrimage in Iraq, died Sunday in two unrelated bus crashes in Pakistan, officials said.

Though the causes were under investigation, the accidents highlighted road safety in a country that experts say is known for poor road conditions, lax traffic enforcement and fatal crashes.

Poor enforcement, untrained traffic officers and unsafe vehicles make things worse, said Syed Kaleem Imam, a former police inspector general.

The first accident occurred in the southwestern province of Balochistan, where a bus carrying pilgrims returning from Iraq plunged into a ravine on a coastal highway.
On the boulevard in front of the presidential palace in Taipei this weekend, Taiwans worst nightmare was unfolding in front of film crews. A crowd of actors and extras portrayed one kind of chaos that might come with a Chinese invasion: a protest descending into violence and bloodshed.

The scene being shot was for Zero Day, a new Taiwanese television drama series that depicts an effort by China to take over the democratically governed island. Beijing has long claimed Taiwan as its territory and urged it to peacefully accept Chinas sovereignty. The Chinese leader, Xi Jinping, has said he would not rule out using force to absorb it.

Zero Day will not air until next year, but it has already set off heated debates in Taiwan, after the release of a trailer. Supporters of the series say it could encourage a much-needed conversation about the threat that China poses. Critics have denounced it as scaremongering.

Cheng Hsin-mei, the producer of Zero Day, said she wanted to jolt Taiwanese people out of what she sees as widespread complacency and reticence about the possibility of war.
More than 180 feet long, with a mast towering about 240 feet and a keel that could be lowered for greater stability, the Bayesian luxury yacht did not, in the eyes of its maker, have the vulnerabilities of a ship that would easily sink.

It drives me insane, Giovanni Costantino, the chief executive of the Italian Sea Group, which in 2022 bought the company that made the ship, said after its wreck last week. Following all the proper procedures, that boat is unsinkable.

But the $40 million sailing yacht sank within minutes and with fatal results: seven dead, including the British technology billionaire Michael Lynch, his teenage daughter, four of Mr. Lynchs friends and a member of the crew. Fifteen people, including the captain, escaped on a lifeboat.

Mr. Lynch had invited family, friends and part of his legal team on a cruise in the Mediterranean to celebrate his acquittal in June of fraud charges tied to the sale of his company to the tech giant Hewlett-Packard.
A suspect who has an arrest record for minor crimes but was not on the radar of French or foreign antiterrorism authorities has been detained in connection with Saturday mornings attack on a synagogue in southern France, which is being investigated as a terrorist act, the French authorities said on Sunday.

The arrest occurred in Nimes, about 24 miles from the scene of the attack, the Beth Yaacov synagogue in the resort town of La Grande Motte, Frances antiterrorism prosecutors office said early Sunday in a statement. Two vehicles exploded outside the synagogue, and the doors to the building were also set on fire, the statement said.

Five people, including the rabbi, were inside the synagogue at the time. No one was killed, but one police officer responding to the explosions was hurt when a gas bottle near one of the vehicles also exploded, the statement said.

The suspect, who was caught on video surveillance, hid with a hatchet after setting the fire, Gerald Darmanin, Frances interior minister, said in a television interview. He added that the suspect appeared to be waiting for people to leave the synagogue before the police arrived.
An attack by a man armed with a knife that left three dead at a local festival in a western German city is being treated as terrorism, with possible links to the Islamic State, German prosecutors said on Sunday

The suspect is a 26-year-old man from Syria who was living in a refugee residence less than a few hundred yards from where the attack took place in the city of Solingen, the police said on Sunday. The man, wearing bloodstained clothes, approached a police car and gave himself up after 11 p.m. Saturday, according to law enforcement officials.

The police said the assailant aimed for his victims necks to inflict as much damage as possible.

On Sunday afternoon, the federal prosecutors office said it believed the suspect, identified only as Issa Al H. in keeping with strict German privacy rules, had joined the Islamic State. Officials are also investigating him on possible charges of murder and attempted murder, though so far no official charges have been filed.

The suspect shared the ideology of the terrorist organization and joined the group at an undeterminable time before Fridays attack, Ines Peterson, spokeswoman for the federal prosecutor, said in a statement Sunday.
A safety adviser working with a team of journalists for the Reuters news agency was killed on Sunday and two journalists were wounded after a missile hit the hotel in which they were staying in eastern Ukraine, Reuters said in a statement.

The strike hit the Hotel Sapphire in the city of Kramatorsk on Saturday where a six-person Reuters team had been lodging, a Reuters statement said.

Two of our journalists are in hospital; one is being treated for serious injuries. Three other colleagues have been accounted for and are safe, said the statement, identifying the security adviser who was killed as Ryan Evans. It did not provide more information. A Reuters article said Mr. Evans, 38, was a former British soldier who had been working with the news agency since 2022.

We are urgently seeking more information about the attack, including by working with the authorities in Kramatorsk, the statement added.
For weeks, Israelis have waited in trepidation for a major attack by Hezbollah in retaliation for Israels assassination of a senior commander of the Lebanese group in Beirut last month, amid widespread fears that a cross-border escalation could spiral into an all-out regional war.

But much of Israel woke up on Sunday to find that at least for the immediate term, the long-dreaded attack appeared to be over almost before it started.

Both Israel and Hezbollah quickly claimed victories of sorts: Israel for its predawn pre-emptive strikes against what the military said were thousands of Hezbollahs rocket launcher barrels in southern Lebanon; and Hezbollah for its subsequent firing of barrages of rockets and drones at northern Israel, which the Israeli military said killed a naval officer.
Israel and Hezbollah, the Lebanese militia backed by Iran, have engaged in some of their heaviest cross-border air attacks in months. Israeli aircraft bombarded southern Lebanon on Sunday to stop what Israel said were preparations for a major Hezbollah attack. Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed Lebanese militia, later said it had fired hundreds of rockets and drones at Israel as retribution for Israels killing of a senior commander in July, though Israel said there had been little damage.

Heres a look at how the latest strikes unfolded on Sunday morning in Israel and Lebanon (times are local and approximate):

5 a.m. (10 p.m. Eastern on Saturday): The Israeli military says that its fighter jets have begun bombarding targets in Lebanon belonging to Hezbollah. The military identified the Hezbollah terrorist organization preparing to fire missiles and rockets toward Israeli territory, it says.

In a video statement, the Israeli militarys chief spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, says that Israel had begun a self-defense act to remove these threats, describing Hezbollahs preparations as extensive. Ben-Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv is closed to flights.

5:32 a.m.: Air-raid sirens blare across northern Israel, warning of an incoming rocket barrage. The Israeli news media circulates footage showing Israeli air defenses intercepting rockets fired from Lebanon and describes the barrage as longer than has been typical in the months of intensified launches by Hezbollah.
People visit an innovation center of China's sportswear giant Anta in Jinjiang, southeast China's Fujian Province, Aug. 22, 2024. Jinjiang, a county-level city covering a total area of 649 square kilometers, is home to some 96,000 private enterprises that contributed over 90 percent of the city's industrial output, tax revenue and job opportunities in 2023. (Xinhua/Wei Peiquan)

A staff member works at a laboratory of China's sportswear giant Anta in Jinjiang, southeast China's Fujian Province, Aug. 22, 2024. Jinjiang, a county-level city covering a total area of 649 square kilometers, is home to some 96,000 private enterprises that contributed over 90 percent of the city's industrial output, tax revenue and job opportunities in 2023. (Xinhua/Wei Peiquan)

Staff members work on a production line at a workshop of China's sportswear giant Xtep in Jinjiang, southeast China's Fujian Province, Aug. 22, 2024. Jinjiang, a county-level city covering a total area of 649 square kilometers, is home to some 96,000 private enterprises that contributed over 90 percent of the city's industrial output, tax revenue and job opportunities in 2023. (Xinhua/Wei Peiquan)

This photo shows an exterior view of a research and innovation center of China's sportswear giant 361 Degrees in Jinjiang, southeast China's Fujian Province, Aug. 23, 2024. Jinjiang, a county-level city covering a total area of 649 square kilometers, is home to some 96,000 private enterprises that contributed over 90 percent of the city's industrial output, tax revenue and job opportunities in 2023. (Xinhua/Wei Peiquan)

Staff members work on a production line at a workshop of China's sportswear giant 361 Degrees in Jinjiang, southeast China's Fujian Province, Aug. 23, 2024. Jinjiang, a county-level city covering a total area of 649 square kilometers, is home to some 96,000 private enterprises that contributed over 90 percent of the city's industrial output, tax revenue and job opportunities in 2023. (Xinhua/Wei Peiquan)

Staff members work on a production line at a workshop of China's sportswear giant 361 Degrees in Jinjiang, southeast China's Fujian Province, Aug. 23, 2024. Jinjiang, a county-level city covering a total area of 649 square kilometers, is home to some 96,000 private enterprises that contributed over 90 percent of the city's industrial output, tax revenue and job opportunities in 2023. (Xinhua/Wei Peiquan)
With fears rising that a wider war could break out in the Middle East, the United States has steadily been moving Navy forces closer to the area, including two aircraft carrier groups and a guided-missile submarine. And it has not been shy about announcing the details, in a clear effort to deter Iran and its allies from more intense attacks on Israel.

Earlier this month, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III ordered additional combat aircraft and missile-shooting warships to the region.

Two aircraft carriers  the Theodore Roosevelt and the Abraham Lincoln  and their accompanying warships and attack planes are now in or near the Gulf of Oman. Mr. Austin also made public his order to send the guided-missile submarine Georgia to the region, an unusual move as the Pentagon seldom talks about the movements of its submarine fleet. The Georgia can fire cruise missiles and carry teams of Navy SEAL commandos.

The orders came in response to threats from Iran and its proxies in Gaza, Lebanon and Yemen to attack Israel to avenge the assassination of a top Hamas leader, Ismail Haniyeh, in Tehran on July 31.
Taoiseach Simon Harris has promised to ramp up special education therapy provision in Octobers budget, saying the current offering was not good enough.

The Fine Gael leader said that finance should never be a constraint in hiring staff to provide such therapies.

Im certainly going to take very significant steps in Octobers budget to ramp up the therapy provision for children with special educational needs, he said.

This is not in a place where I would like us to be.

And Im very proud of much of the work with governments that I have been involved, but we must do better.

I do acknowledge that, thats why we now have a Cabinet committee on disability, thats why I chair it, thats why were taking steps to put therapy supports back in schools.

He was answering a question about a Government decision earlier this month to approve a pilot to deliver in-school therapy support for children in selected special schools.

The programme will be provided by the HSEs Childrens Disability Network Teams in 16 special schools in Cork and Dublin from September for the rest of the academic year.

Parents at St Killians School in Cork had expressed dissatisfaction at not being included in the pilot.

Speaking in Cork, Mr Harris said he would engage with his colleagues to see if anything more can be done to assist.

What I would say is this, we took a decision, indeed we took a decision this month to begin the process of putting therapies back into special schools. I think this is really important.

When I was minister for health, myself and Richard Bruton, minister for education, we rolled out this in a number of schools across the country  it works.

He added: Of course you have to start somewhere and we have started with a number of schools now with a view to growing that number as quickly as possible.
THE new later train service from Dublin to Tullamore will run for the first time on Monday evening (August 26).

The train will leave Heuston station at 8.30pm and its introduction answers a long-voiced call from commuters seeking an option after the existing 7.35pm departure.

Under a series of improvements being introduced by Iarnrod Eireann, there will also be a later service from Tullamore to Dublin on the Galway line.

The weekday timetable will have a 10.33pm departure from Tullamore to the capital, bringing the total number of trains daily to 17, with the first leaving the Offaly county town at 5.45am.

And where previously there were 12 trains daily Monday to Friday from Heuston to Tullamore, from Monday there will be 14, including five for commuters from 5.10pm onwards.

For weekend passengers, one train has been added each way on Sundays.

The changes follow a review by Irish Rail which was in part informed by consultation with the public.

There were eight submissions seeking a later last service to Tullamore.

The company said while the later service is now on the timetable, due to limited track maintenance time it is not currently possible to extend that further.

At the same time, the company said that along with the National Transport Authority (NTA) it will continue to investigate possibilities of operating later evening services on all Inter City routes.

The extra trains on Saturdays and Sundays will begin running on August 31 and September 1.

Passengers travelling from Tullamore to Dublin can also look forward to extra seats because 41 new carriages are being added to the fleet on the Galway to Heuston and Westport to Heuston lines o a phased basis from now until October.

Iarnrod Eireann said the lack of a catering service on the Galway/Dublin service is currently under review.

The changes affecting Tullamore are - new 5.45am Heuston/Galway service; new 7.27am Tullamore/Galway service (Monday to Friday); new 8.30pm Heuston/Galway service; new 9.05am Galway/Heuston service (Monday-Friday); new 8.50pm Galway/Heuston service (Monday to Saturday); Sunday - new 10.30am Heuston/Galway service; new 1.40pm Galway/Heuston service.

The improvements have been welcomed by Offaly-based Green Party Minister of State, Senator Pippa Hackett (pictured below).

There are additional weekday and Sunday services; I think the one that stands out for most people is the new, later service each way, leaving Dublin at 20:30 hrs and Galway at 20.50 hrs, (Monday-Saturday). There is an earlier first service from Heuston to Galway, and an additional Sunday service each way. We can also look forward to capacity increases, said Minister Hackett.

We know people will use the train when the service meets the need. These timetable changes are a positive step in the right direction, and part of a longer-term package of improvements. Earlier this summer nearly 2,000 people participated in the public consultation on the draft new timetable, showing the level of interest there is in rail travel.

I can see from this consultation, and from speaking with people directly, there is a demand for even later services to and from Tullamore: I am encouraged to see that Iarnrod Eireann, in conjunction with the NTA, commits to investigating possibilities of operating later evening services on all InterCity routes. And for those of us who hop on board hungry  Im happy to see that a review of catering services on the Galway/Dublin line is also underway.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C) and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant (2nd R) are pictured at a military base in Tel Aviv, Israel, Aug. 25, 2024. Gallant on Sunday declared a 48-hour nationwide state of emergency. (Israeli Defense Ministry/Handout via Xinhua)

JERUSALEM, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant on Sunday declared a 48-hour nationwide state of emergency. 

This screenshot from a video posted on social media shows Israeli air defense systems launched for interception in northern Israel on Aug. 25, 2024. Hezbollah has launched a large-scale drone attack against Israel Sunday morning, the militant group announced in a statement. Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant on Sunday declared a 48-hour nationwide state of emergency. (Xinhua)

This screenshot from a video posted on social media shows Israeli air defense systems launched for interception in northern Israel on Aug. 25, 2024. Hezbollah has launched a large-scale drone attack against Israel Sunday morning, the militant group announced in a statement. Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant on Sunday declared a 48-hour nationwide state of emergency. (Xinhua)

Israel's military chief Herzi Halevi commands the military operation at the headquarters of the Israel Defense Forces in Tel Aviv, Israel, Aug. 25, 2024. Hezbollah has launched a large-scale drone attack against Israel Sunday morning, the militant group announced in a statement. Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant on Sunday declared a 48-hour nationwide state of emergency. (Israeli Defense Ministry/Handout via Xinhua)

Firefighters extinguish the fire after an attack by Hezbollah in Galilee, northern Israel, Aug. 25, 2024. Hezbollah has launched a large-scale drone attack against Israel Sunday morning, the militant group announced in a statement.

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant on Sunday declared a 48-hour nationwide state of emergency. (Israel's Fire and Rescue Service/Handout via Xinhua)
ISTANBUL, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- Turkish Airlines, Turkiye's flag carrier, canceled its flights to and from Beirut on Sunday due to security concerns, the country's NTV broadcaster reported.

The cancellation of two flights follows recent Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon, according to the NTV. Tickets for flights from Istanbul to Beirut are currently unavailable on the Turkish Airlines website, though bookings for flights on Monday remain open.

Israel reported that about 100 Israeli warplanes targeted and destroyed "thousands" of Hezbollah rockets and missile launchers in Lebanon.

Earlier in the day, Hezbollah announced it had launched an attack on Israel in retaliation for the assassination of its senior commander, Fouad Shokor, in July. 
This is the second in a two-part series on Vice President Kamala Harris's presidential bid. It's excerpted from his new book Kamala!

Virtually from the moment that Vice President Harris took office in 2021 she had to spend a lot of time defending the Biden administration, Democrats, and most importantly herself, from withering criticism. So withering that at one point most Americans thought she was doing a lousy job as vice president. Her rating in an October USA Today/Suffolk poll that year bottomed out at twenty-one percent approval. That was a historic low. No vice president and that included Bush's controversial always under fire VP, Dick Cheney, had reached that historic low.

Before, during, and after Biden's White House win, the talk was non-stop about his age and health. There was endless speculation over what to do if Biden faltered from illness or something age related in his first years in the White House.

There was even more speculation over whether Biden, who would turn age eighty during a reelection bid in 2024, would be up to the grind of a campaign, or even make the effort. In every instance the chatter about Biden's future immediately turned back to Harris. She would be the logical successor as a presidential candidate or as a fill in president if illness rendered Biden unable to perform his duties.

The GOP sniffed blood and deep vulnerability, and yet another monumental opportunity to attack. Harris now became their prime target. Their game plan was simple--wage a gutter campaign of sniping, rumor-mongering, and flat-out attacks on her. A parade of GOP officials and candidates snatched at that game plan against Harris as the vice-president.

Next, hammer her as a poor organizer and a hard taskmaster. Play up any grousing from staff members about her supposed failings as an

administrator. This subtly reinforced the image of Harris as an ill-equipped and unfocused administrator. This combined the crucial elements of a personal and political hit attacks to weaken the GOP's perceived major rival for the White House in 2024.

Those attacks were just the warm-up for the even bigger, bolder, and venomous slurs against her the moment she became the Democratic presidential contender.

The other supposed Harris vulnerability was the same one the GOP played on to tar Hillary Clinton in her 2016 presidential bid. Strong, tough, decisive, and, yes, aggressive, are the exact qualities that voters and millions of Americans want and expect in their leaders. For many, that means the presidential office is a man's office. Polls still show that a considerable number of voters say they have reservations about a woman president.

Trump exploited that sentiment to the hilt. He was the biggest sexist, misogynist, female abuser that ever sat in the White House. But he was still seen as brash, tough, and outspoken. For many women, which seemed to mark him as having the right stuff to be President. Seventy-four million-plus voters still thought that about him in his losing bid for reelection in 2020. Millions of those voters were women voters.

As vice-president, the GOP's shots at Harris did much harm. As mentioned, her poll rating plunged to an historic low in 2021 and 2023. However, that wasn't the entire story. In the early months of her VP tenure her ratings were favorable. That is until the critics piled in on her. In the stunningly short span of three months the reversal in her ratings plunge downward was breathtakingly astounding.

The GOP believed that had the perfect foil in Harris to cripple Biden and his policies. But equally important, it recognized that she could well be the Democrat's candidate for President in 2024 if Biden chose not to run

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A new magazine for yoga enthusiasts Yoga Magazin is now the first port of call for anyone interested in yoga. With a wide range of topics from health and travel to the best yoga studios, events and a practical shopping guide, the magazine offers everything a yoga lover's heart desires. Focus on health Yoga is far more than just a sporting activity. It is a holistic practice that connects body, mind and soul. 
Mitzi Asai Loftus would rather appreciate blossoms than dwell on thorns.

Shes experienced plenty of both in her 92 years.

Among the thorns: Having to leave her Hood River home as a child during World War II after President Franklin D. Roosevelt ordered the evacuation and incarceration of all Japanese citizens and Japanese Americans living on the West Coast. When her family returned to Hood River after the war, Loftus, then 13, was shunned at school and church. The local American Legion post removed the names of two of her brothers and 14 other local Japanese American veterans from an honor roll at the county courthouse.

Among the blossoms: Having had a loving and kind father who preached positivity. The few Hood River residents who stood up for her family after the war. Her extended familys continuing presence in Hood River. Good health that allows her to take daily walks and to ride, on a tandem bike, in the annual Providence Bridge Pedal.

Loftus, a longtime teacher, wrote a memoir during the 1980s and looked unsuccessfully for a publisher. Then she attended a talk by Alex Haley, the author of Roots, in which he urged listeners to write their family stories. Loftus approached him afterward and confided how discouraged she was by her rejection slips.

And he said, Young lady, you go home and get that book in print,  Loftus said. So if Alex Haley tells you that, you go home and get it in print. She self-published her book in 1990 under the title Made in Japan and Settled in Oregon.

One of her three sons, David Loftus, helped her expand and revise the book. Oregon State University Press published the new edition in March under the title From Thorns to Blossoms: A Japanese American Family in War and Peace. Its cover features an original painting by Portland artist Julie Asparro that includes Mount Hood, which Loftus saw every day out the kitchen window as she was growing up.

Loftus, who now lives in Ashland, will present the book at two Portland-area events in September. Here are excerpts from a recent conversation with her.

Author Mitzi Asai Loftus of Ashland, who was a young girl when she and her family spent three years in internment camps in California and Wyoming from 1943 to 1945, spoke in Ashland Aug. 19, 2024, with her son David Loftus of Portland.Janet Eastman/The Oregonian/OregonLive

Program attendees spoke with Mitzi Asai Loftus following her Ashland presentation on Aug. 20.Bob Palermini, www.palermini.com

Mitzi Loftus, 91, begins the Providence Bridge Pedal ride with her friend Lynn Evans on the front of a tandem bike.Mike Rogoway/The Oregonian

Q: Theres a growing subgenre of books about the Japanese American experience during World War II. How does your book add to that subgenre?

Loftus: Im the last of the second generation of my family [in America], and Im 92 years old. So if we dont tell the story, the personal stories are going to be lost. And I see third-generation, fourth-generation Japanese Americans trying to tell the story, to educate the public, and some of it is not quite correct, from my experience. Thats why I find it so important for the ones of us who are left to keep telling the story. And I started telling it when I first started teaching school, which is 1954. Ive been talking ever since.

Q: What makes your book different from the others about incarceration?

Loftus: My book and my spirit is a positive outlook. I dont want to make people feel sad or bad. They say, Oh, that was terrible, what happened to you. Or, How could you be so cheerful about it? Well, theres no use being otherwise, because the message is so hard to get into people who are not wanting to believe what really happened, and the more you make them feel bad, the less effective you are.

Q: You write about some difficult experiences your family had in Hood River. Whats been the reaction from readers in Hood River?

Loftus: My first book talk after this latest edition came out was in Hood River, my hometown. I looked at the faces of my audience  adults who obviously had not lived in Hood River in those days, had moved into the area  and they looked at me as if this couldnt have happened here in my hometown, here, their hometown.

And of course, the people who lived in those days knew what happened. They denied it for many, many years. So it made it even more important to keep telling the story.

I love young people, especially high school groups that Ive spoken to over the years, because they listen, they get it. They dont say, Those are lies. Those things didnt happen. They take it all in.

Q: You do write in your book about some people who were very kind to your family and who defended your family.

Loftus: And they are a very small minority, unfortunately, but very brave, courageous people who made sacrifices. It wasnt just because they believed it was right. And doing so, they suffered along with us. They werent even allowed to buy in the same stores that we were not allowed to buy from.

Q: What parts of the book did you enjoy writing the most?

Loftus: I cant say I enjoyed writing about it, but I think the hard years that I suffered as a young teenager, at which time I tried to run away from my heritage, kind of unconsciously, and changed my name (from Mitsuko to Mitzi) and all that.

It was like I was telling a fairy tale or making up a fiction story when it was something that really happened to me. So it was very easy to write that. So in a way, I guess I could say I enjoyed writing that part. It was the saddest part of my life.

Q: What do you hope people who read your book take away from it?

Loftus: First of all, that theyre educated to what actually happened, because most people dont even know that. And from that, that maybe they can stand up for things that come up to be voted on, or to be supporting, as I do when I get my Social Security check every month, I give the first half of it away to the causes I believe in, organizations I want to support. And people say, Well, how can you do that? If you have your priorities straight, you can do anything.

Author appearances

Saturday, Sept 7: 4:30 p.m., Japanese American Museum of Oregon, 411 N.W. Flanders St., Portland.

Sunday, Sept. 15: 3 p.m., Tigard Public Library, 13500 S.W. Hall Blvd., Tigard.

Friday, Sept. 27: 4:30 p.m., Jacksonville Community Center, 160 E. Main St., Jacksonville.

 Amy Wang, for The Oregonian/OregonLive
Alex Cooper, 15, looks around a classroom during a tour of Redmond Proficiency Academy in Redmond. Cooper will be starting as a student this year at RPA, after spending nearly 18 months out of full-time school. A new Oregon law is intended to strengthen the oversight on school districts that place students on abbreviated school schedules. Photo by Joe Kline/for The Oregonian Photo by Joe Kline/for The Oregonian
DHAKA, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- In the face of the significant challenges posed by the flooding in Bangladesh, the Chinese Embassy donated ready-to-eat meals, drinking water, and essential living supplies to the hardest-hit area of Feni on Sunday.

The initial batch of supplies will benefit 2,000 people. In the coming week, the relief donations will continue, providing food and supplies to a total of 6,000 people.

The embassy plans to distribute food packages and other supplies to 1,300 households (approximately 5,200 people) to help them rebuild their homes. The total value of the relief project is 6 million Bangladeshi taka.

During the relief donation event, Minister Counselor Liu Yuyin said "As Bangladesh faces this sudden flooding, the Chinese people feel deeply for the victims and hope to offer their modest assistance to help the people of Bangladesh overcome this difficult time as soon as possible."

Liu mentioned that the Red Cross Society of China will donate to the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society 100,000 U.S. dollars for emergency humanitarian assistance. The Chinese Embassy will donate 20,000 U.S. dollars to the Chief Adviser Relief and Welfare Fund.

"We are confident that, with the joint efforts of the interim government and the people of Bangladesh, the country will overcome the current difficulties and rebuild a better home," he added.

Bangladesh has experienced its worst flooding in years, the death toll from the floods has risen to 18 and nearly 5 million people were affected due to floods in 11 out of the country's total 64 districts, the authorities said Saturday. 
It was a swift drive from Portland to the states capital on Saturday morning for the annual Oregon State Fair. After easily parking in a field across the street from the fair and buying tickets, we headed into the end-of-summer event to see what it was all about.

Once you pass the security check, you were greeted with colorful structures and attendees of all ages. Signs for cotton candy and lemonade were everywhere. Lines for rides werent all that bad.
Former MMA fighter and professional wrestler Ronda Rousey has issued an online apology, which she admits is 11 years too late, for reposting a conspiracy video about the deadly 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School mass shooting on social media.

Rousey, an Olympic bronze medalist in judo, said reposting the video was the single most regrettable decision of my life and that she didnt even believe the video but was so horrified at the truth that I was grasping for an alternative fiction to cling to instead.

Rousey said she realized her mistake and quickly took down the post, but the damage was done. She said she was never asked about the post by the media, and she was afraid to draw attention to the video over the years. Rousey said she drafted a thousandth apology for her recent memoir, but a publisher urged her to take it out. She then convinced herself that apologizing would reopen an emotional wound in order to shake the label of being a Sandy Hook truther. "

But honestly I deserve to be hated, labeled, detested and worse for it. I deserve to lose out on every opportunity, I should have been canceled, I would have deserved it. I still do, Rousey wrote. I apologize that this came 11 years too late, but to those affected by the Sandy Hook massacre, from the bottom of my heart and depth of my soul I am so sorry for the hurt I caused.

The issue of Rouseys posting of the video recently came up on the platform Reddit when she invited users to ask her questions about her recently launched fundraising campaign for her first graphic novel. Some asked why she didnt issue a strong apology for amplifying the conspiracy theory about the shooting.

After the shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, which left 20 first graders and six educators dead, falsehoods were pushed that the tragedy was a hoax. Victims families, who were awarded $1.5 billion by a jury in 2022 for the role conspiracy theorist Alex Jones played, have said they have been subjected to years of torment, threats and abuse by people who believed such lies.

A spokesperson for the lawyer who represents the families declined to comment on Rouseys apology.

In her statement, Rousey said she was remorseful and ashamed for the pain she contributed to those affected by the massacre.

Ive regretted it every day of my life since and will continue to do so until the day I die, she wrote.

Rousey warned others about falling down the black hole of conspiracy theories.

It doesnt make you edgy or an independent thinker, youre not doing your due diligence entertaining every possibility by digesting these conspiracies. They will only make you feel powerless, afraid, miserable and isolated, she wrote. Youre doing nothing but hurting others and yourself.
I applaud the many state lawmakers who oppose Measure 118 (Ballot measure to tax corporations and pay Oregonians $1,600 a year draws bipartisan opposition, Aug. 13), which would spell disaster for Oregon businesses, including independent medical practices. While non-profit hospitals are excluded from this proposed tax, it broadly applies to other medical entities, including independent oncology practices.

My colleagues and I pride ourselves on providing high-quality care to everyone who walks through our doors, even when we can barely cover the cost of treating many of them. Nearly 70% of our patients are covered by Medicare, Medicaid or other government programs, which often dont fully cover the cost of care.
In the 18 months after Francine Milano was diagnosed with a recurrence of the ovarian cancer she thought shed beaten 20 years ago, she traveled twice from her home in Pennsylvania to Vermont. She went not to ski, hike, or leaf-peep, but to arrange to die.

I really wanted to take control over how I left this world, said the 61-year-old, who lives in Lancaster. I decided that this was an option for me.
At least five Secret Service agents have been placed on modified duty after the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump in July, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press.

They include the special agent in charge of the Pittsburgh field office and three other agents assigned to that office, which was responsible for the security planning ahead of the July 13 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, according to the law enforcement official who had direct knowledge of the matter. One of the five agents was assigned to Trumps protective detail, the official said.

The official was not authorized to publicly disclose details of the personnel investigation and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

The agents are on administrative leave, meaning they cannot do investigative or protective work.

Fox News reported that a different group of Secret Service agents assigned specifically to Trumps security detail remains operational. Trump avoided serious injury from the shooting.

The striking security failures at the July 13 rally have become the focus of intense criticism of the protective agency and the local law enforcement they relied on to help guard the Republican nominee and his supporters at the Butler Farm Show grounds.

The shooting killed former firefighter Corey Comperatore and left Trump and two others wounded. The gunman, Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, was killed by a bullet fired by a Secret Service agent.

Multiple investigations have been launched as officials probe a complicated law enforcement failure that allowed the shooter to get close enough to shoot and injure Trump at the rally.

The shooting was a devastating failure of one of the agencys core duties and led to the resignation of the Secret Services then-director, Kim Cheatle.

At a congressional hearing after the assassination attempt, Cheatle acknowledged that the Secret Service was told about a suspicious person two to five times before the shooting. She also revealed that the roof from which Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire had been identified as a potential vulnerability days before the rally.

Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe Jr., who took over after Cheatles resignation, has said he cannot defend why that roof was not better secured.

--Tribune News Service contributed
Sundays forecast for the Portland area calls for sunny skies and a high of 77 degrees, and the crisp weather is expected to stick around for Monday and Tuesday, when tens of thousands of Oregon children head back to school.

Classes resume Monday in the Beaverton School District under sunny skies with a high temperature of 83 degrees.
The arrival of cooler weather in Oregon over the last week has slowed down the growth of many of the states 13 remaining uncontained large wildfires  a two-thirds decrease from the 39 large fires burning across over 1.1. million acres in Oregon on Aug. 1.

The impact has been to really put a big speed bump on the fire activity from what weve seen earlier this summer, said Jon Bonk, a fire weather meteorologist for the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center.

Bonk explained that the combination of rain and lower temperatures has kept fire fuels  such as grasses and timber  from quickly drying out enough to easily burn.

Firefighters, who are facing a far tougher fire year than in 2023, have seized this as an opportunity in some locations across the state to make more direct attacks on existing blazes by extinguishing them at the perimeter instead of building containment lines farther away from the fire, Bonk said.

But Bonk cautioned that the reduced number of fires and lower temperatures in recent weeks doesnt mean that fire season is over. Warmer weather will likely return on Thursday and persist into next weekend, although it probably wont reach early-August levels.

What thatll do is serve to dry out the fuels again and make them more readily available for burning, he said. The fire season can often last through the month of September.

Still, firefighters have made considerable progress since early August, said Northwest Interagency Coordination Center spokesperson Carol Connolly.

Connolly said there are 404,000 acres currently burning in Oregon, compared to over 1.1 million acres at the beginning of August. Weve made huge progress.

Jennifer Russel, a spokesperson for Great Basin Idaho Team 1, which is currently fighting the 151,680-acre Falls fire, said that the cool weather has proven a boon to preventing the fire from starting up again, saying that it had absolutely helped reduce the chances of reignition.

Its 100% contained, she said. It has stayed that way for over a week at this point and there is really no way that its going to get outside of those (fire)lines in the current climate that were in right now.

At the 2,067-acre Whiskey Creek fire near Cascade Locks, firefighters are also benefiting from the weather.

Its calmed fire behavior with the increased humidity and cooler temperatures, said Michele Laboda, a spokesperson for Northwest Complex Incident Management Team 10, which is fighting the fire. Its safer for our personnel to get close to the edge of the active fire.

Laboda said that in places where the terrain allows it, the weather, among other factors, has helped firefighters to make more aggressive attacks on the fire, which is now 24% contained.

But Laboda echoed Bonks words of caution against assuming that the fire season is over.

This weather has been season-slowing, she said, but it is not season-ending.

 Tatum Todd covers crime and public safety. Reach them at ttodd@oregonian.com , or 503-221-4313.
 Flash

Hamas announced on Saturday that a delegation of the group will arrive in Egypt in the evening to "listen to" the results of the Gaza ceasefire negotiations in Cairo.

The visit to Cairo by the delegation, led by senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya, is based on an invitation from Egyptian and Qatari mediators, said Ezzat al-Rishq, a member of the Hamas Political Bureau, in a statement.

Al-Rishq confirmed Hamas's commitment to what was agreed upon on July 2, based on an announcement by U.S. President Joe Biden and UN Security Council Resolution No. 2735.

Hamas is ready to implement what was agreed upon on July 2, he said, urging pressure on Israel to adhere to the agreement and stop obstructing the achievement of a ceasefire.

On August 16, the United States, Egypt and Qatar, mediators of the Gaza ceasefire talks, announced the conclusion of two days of discussions in Doha, where a new Gaza ceasefire proposal was presented.

The mediators called the discussions constructive and conducted in a positive environment. However, Hamas, which did not participate directly in the Doha negotiations, accused Israel of adding new conditions to a previously supported proposal and expressed skepticism about the negotiations' outcome.

The ceasefire talks have reportedly resumed in Cairo earlier this week, and will continue over the weekend.




JERUSALEM, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- Israel launched "a string of airstrikes" in Lebanon on Sunday morning, targeting positions held by the Lebanese Hezbollah group in a pre-emptive move, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Spokesman Daniel Hagari said.

"Dozens of warplanes" participated in the attack, Hagari told a press conference, describing the attack as "a self-defense act to remove threats."

Shortly afterward, Hezbollah announced it had launched a large-scale drone attack on Israel in retaliation for the killing of one of its senior commanders in Beirut, triggering air raid sirens in northern Israel. 
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Postal Code
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The phrase functions in John 2:4 as the Johannine equivalent of the rebuke uttered by Jesus in Marks Gospel to Simon (Peter) for expressing opposition to his divine fate to suffer and die for the sins of the world: Get behind me, Satan (adversary)!

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Second, Jesus follows this adversarial formula with the distancing address of woman rather than mother. This address is reminiscent of the Jesus saying in Mark 3:33-35, where Jesus responds to his mother and brothers coming to restrain him as a result of hearing that Jesus was out of his mind (3:21 31): Who is my mother?  Whoever does the will of God, this is  my mother. In that saying Jesus discounts any privileged place to Mary, who appears to be doing the bidding of the scribes and Pharisees.

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This is an inaccurate (and I dare say, even cynical) exegesis, as I have written about many times:

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The most natural reading is the one that I put forward. When a son addresses his mother as woman, one doesnt think: Oh, he is thinking of her as a new Eve! One thinks rather: My goodness, he is treating his own mother as if she were not his mother, as if she were a woman like any other woman to him.

* The most natural reading is the one that I put forward. When a son addresses his mother as woman, one doesnt think: Oh, he is thinking of her as a new Eve! One thinks rather: My goodness, he is treating his own mother as if she were not his mother, as if she were a woman like any other woman to him.

The interpretation that I offer of woman also fits Jesus disregard of Marys special status as mother of the Messiah when she gives into worldly thinking and behavior in Mark 3:31-35. When she with her other sons goes to restrain Jesus because of reports that he is out of his mind, Jesus gives his famous Who is my mother? Biological family kinship is meaningless when one deviates from the will of God, especially as regards Jesus mission.

* The interpretation that I offer of woman also fits Jesus disregard of Marys special status as mother of the Messiah when she gives into worldly thinking and behavior in Mark 3:31-35. When she with her other sons goes to restrain Jesus because of reports that he is out of his mind, Jesus gives his famous Who is my mother? Biological family kinship is meaningless when one deviates from the will of God, especially as regards Jesus mission.

What to me and to you preceding woman is clearly a rebuke, not a praise. It is similar to Jesus rebuke of Peter, calling him adversary (Satan). Woman designates that by virtue of her worldly misunderstanding of his mission she has become for him like any other woman who is not his mother.

What to me and to you preceding woman is clearly a rebuke, not a praise. It is similar to Jesus rebuke of Peter, calling him adversary (Satan). Woman designates that by virtue of her worldly misunderstanding of his mission she has become for him like any other woman who is not his mother.

In this story, Mary doesnt come out looking so good. Her remark to Jesus, They do not have wine, remains on a literal level, whereas Jesus is thinking of the symbolic absence of messianic wine in an Israel that is hostile to the sending of Gods Son into the world. Her remark, far from being praised, is rebuked.

In this story, Mary doesnt come out looking so good. Her remark to Jesus, They do not have wine, remains on a literal level, whereas Jesus is thinking of the symbolic absence of messianic wine in an Israel that is hostile to the sending of Gods Son into the world. Her remark, far from being praised, is rebuked.

In the end Jesus does turn the water into wine, but for a deeper purpose, to reveal his glory (v. 10, much as Yahweh revealed his glory to Israel in the Mount Sinai light show). Jesus perhaps does this particular sign to illustrate that he is the Best Wine at the wedding banquet of the Lamb and his church.

* In the end Jesus does turn the water into wine, but for a deeper purpose, to reveal his glory (v. 10, much as Yahweh revealed his glory to Israel in the Mount Sinai light show). Jesus perhaps does this particular sign to illustrate that he is the Best Wine at the wedding banquet of the Lamb and his church.

Mary does not interact with Jesus sharp rebuke (again, suggesting that it was added by the Fourth Evangelist into a pre-existing story). Instead, his mother says to the servants (attending table), Whatever he says to you, do' (v. 5). In a sense, it is to her credit that she instructs others to obey her son. But she is still thinking in earthly, fleshly terms from below, still more concerned with the literal wine shortage at the wedding in Cana.

* Mary does not interact with Jesus sharp rebuke (again, suggesting that it was added by the Fourth Evangelist into a pre-existing story). Instead, his mother says to the servants (attending table), Whatever he says to you, do' (v. 5). In a sense, it is to her credit that she instructs others to obey her son. But she is still thinking in earthly, fleshly terms from below, still more concerned with the literal wine shortage at the wedding in Cana.

Many (including yours truly) think that this response by Jesus to his mother represents redaction (editing) by the Fourth Evangelist into a preexisting signs source story. The abrupt redaction (remove the saying and the preceding and following texts flow more smoothly) underscores the deficiency of sign faith that does not tie Jesus activity to his being lifted up or exalted on the cross, and that does not arrive at a larger identity of Jesus as the Life and Light of the world.

* Many (including yours truly) think that this response by Jesus to his mother represents redaction (editing) by the Fourth Evangelist into a preexisting signs source story. The abrupt redaction (remove the saying and the preceding and following texts flow more smoothly) underscores the deficiency of sign faith that does not tie Jesus activity to his being lifted up or exalted on the cross, and that does not arrive at a larger identity of Jesus as the Life and Light of the world.

Third, Jesus adds a disclaiming assertion: My hour has not yet come, meaning that Jesus did not come into the world for the trivial task of resupplying a wedding with wine, but rather (given the larger context of the Fourth Gospel) to make amends for the sins of the world at the cross. Jesus word to Mary is a rebuke.

Third, Jesus adds a disclaiming assertion: My hour has not yet come, meaning that Jesus did not come into the world for the trivial task of resupplying a wedding with wine, but rather (given the larger context of the Fourth Gospel) to make amends for the sins of the world at the cross. Jesus word to Mary is a rebuke.

Here in John 2:4, the address woman rejects any special position of his mother because at this moment her mind is set on earthly things rather than heavenly things, thinking in the realm of flesh rather than Spirit, and operating from below rather than from above (see John 3:31). She is at this moment to Jesus no more than any other woman.

Here in John 2:4, the address woman rejects any special position of his mother because at this moment her mind is set on earthly things rather than heavenly things, thinking in the realm of flesh rather than Spirit, and operating from below rather than from above (see John 3:31). She is at this moment to Jesus no more than any other woman. *

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*

Here again we observe the old, tired, fundamentally silly argument that Jesus was supposedly disrespectful of His mother. This silly trifle was disposed of by Catholic apologist Jimmy Akin, citing three Protestant commentators:

The Protestant commentator William Barclay writes: The word Woman (gynai) is also misleading. It sounds to us very rough and abrupt. But it is the same word as Jesus used on the Cross to address Mary as he left her to the care of John (John 19:26). In Homer it is the title by which Odysseus addresses Penelope, his well-loved wife. It is the title by which Augustus, the Roman Emperor, addressed Cleopatra, the famous Egyptian queen. So far from being a rough and discourteous way of address, it was a title of respect. We have no way of speaking in English which exactly renders it; but it is better to translate it Lady which gives at least the courtesy in it (The Gospel of John, revised edition, vol. 1, p. 98). Similarly, the Protestant Expositors Bible Commentary, published by Zondervan, states: Jesus reply to Mary was not so abrupt as it seems. Woman (gynai) was a polite form of address. Jesus used it when he spoke to his mother from the cross (19:26) and also when he spoke to Mary Magdalene after the Resurrection (20:15) (vol. 9, p. 42). Even the Fundamentalist Wycliff Bible Commentary put out by Moody Press acknowledges in its comment on this verse, In his reply, the use of Woman does not involve disrespect (cf. 19:26) (p. 1076).

Akin concludes:

The fact it is not a title of disrespect should be obvious from the fact that Jesus, as an obedient Son who fulfilled the Torah perfectly, would never have spoken irreverently to his mother. His perfect fulfillment of the Torah includes a perfect fulfillment of the command, Honor your father and mother, which in the literal Hebrew is Glorify your father and mother. . . . To publicly speak irreverently of his mother is something that Jesus would never have been able to countenance. Actually, the way Jesus is using the term  at the two key junctures in Johns Gospel where Mary appears  is symbolic and emblematic of her role in redemptive history. Whereas Eve was the First Woman, Mary is the Second Woman, just as Adam was the First Man and Jesus was the Second Man (1 Cor. 15:47).

Did Jesus rebuke His mother at this wedding? No: . . . The Navarre Bible explains the passage:

The sentence rendered What have you to do with me? (RSV) is the subject of a note in RSVCE which says while this expression always implies a divergence of view, the precise meaning is to be determined by the context, which here shows that it is not an unqualified rebuttal, still less a rebuke. The Navarre Spanish is the equivalent of What has it to do with you and me?] The sentence What has it to do with you and me? is an oriental way of speaking which can have different nuances. Jesus reply seems to indicate that although in principle it was not part of Gods plan for him to use his power to solve the problem the wedding-feast had run into, our Ladys request moves him to do precisely that. Also, one could surmise that Gods plan envisaged that Jesus should work the miracle at his Mothers request. In any event, God willed that the Revelation of the New Testament should include this important teaching: so influential is our Ladys intercession that God will listen to all petitions made through her; which is why Christian piety, with theological accuracy, has called our Lady supplicant omnipotence.

Dom Bernard Orchards 1953 Catholic Commentary adds more insightful interpretation:

Concerning the second: the Masters question which literally reads: What to me and to thee? has to be understood from biblical and not modern usage. Therefore it does not mean: What concern is it of ours? or There is no need for you to tell me. In all the biblical passages where it occurs, Jg 11:12; 2 Kg 16:10, 19:22; 4 Kg 3:13; 2 Par 35:21; Mt 8:29; Mk 1:24, the phrase signifies, according to circumstances, a great or lesser divergence of viewpoint between the two parties concerned. In 2 Kg 16:10 it means total dissent; in Jg 11:12 it voices a complaint against an invader. In our passage, also, divergence must be admitted. In a sense our Lords answer is a refusal, but not an absolute refusal, rather, a refusal ad mentem, as a Roman Congregation would say, and the Blessed Virgin understood her Sons mind from the tone of his voice. His first public miracle belonged to the divine programme of his Messianic mission into which flesh and blood could not enter. His answer is therefore an assertion of independence of his Mother, similar to the word he spoke in the temple about his Fathers business. The Blessed Virgins subsequent action shows that the tone of our Lords protest on this occasion was neither a curt nor an unqualified refusal.

Barnes Notes on the Bible also dissents from Dr. Gagnons harsh take (though suggesting a mild reproof):

What have I to do with thee?  See the notes at Matthew 8:29. This expression is sometimes used to denote indignation or contempt. See Judges 11:12; 2 Samuel 16:10; 1 Kings 17:18. But it is not probable that it denoted either in this place; if it did, it was a mild reproof of Mary for attempting to control or direct him in his power of working miracles. Most of the ancients supposed this to be the intention of Jesus. The words sound to us harsh, but they might have been spoken in a tender manner, and not have been intended as a reproof. It is clear that he did not intend to refuse to provide wine, but only to delay it a little; and the design was, therefore, to compose the anxiety of Mary, and to prevent her being solicitous about it. It may, then, be thus expressed: My mother, be not anxious. To you and to me this should not be a matter of solicitude. The proper time of my interfering has not yet come. When that is come I will furnish a supply, and in the meantime neither you nor I should be solicitous. Thus understood, it is so far from being a harsh reproof, that it was a mild exhortation for her to dismiss her fears and to put proper trust in him.

It all comes down to language, culture, idiom, context. But doesnt Jesus fulfillment of His mothers request for more wine (by performing a miracle  His first recorded one  to provide more) suggest that He didnt intend to rebuke her in the first place? He did what she requested. One would think so, it seems to me. Much ado about nothing . . .

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Photo credit: Saint Raphael Catholic Church (Springfield, Ohio)  stained glass, Wedding at Cana  detail (Nheyob: 11-22-14) [Wikimedia Commons / Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license]

Summary: Protestant NT scholar Robert Gagnon insists that Jesus rebuked His mother Mary several times in Scripture. I reply regarding the wedding at Cana incident & His use of Woman.
In a significant move to transform road infrastructure across the Northern Region region, the government has launched a new set of road construction equipment in Tamale, the regional capital.



The multi-billion cedi initiative, headlined by Finance Minister and Member of Parliament for the Karaga Constituency, Alhaji Amin Anta, aims to boast road infrastructure in Ghana and further expand the economy.



According to the Minister, the government has invested over 17 billion cedis in roads alone this year, demonstrating its commitment to enhancing rural and urban connectivity and driving equitable growth throughout the country.



He highlighted the government's robust investment strategy, which includes 11 billion cedis allocated in the first two quarters of the year and an additional 7 billion cedis planned for the remainder.



Addressing recent claims, Mr. Anta clarified that the equipment was not funded through the MPs' Common Fund but rather through treasury bills to the contractor, which was used to secure bank loans to procure the equipment.



He stressed that this investment would significantly improve road access for farmers and rural communities, facilitating easier transportation of goods to city centres.



Deputy Minister of Roads and Highways, Hon. Thomas Mbomba, underscored the importance of decentralising road construction to bridge disparities between rural and urban areas.



He urged the Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) to utilise the equipment effectively to maximise benefits for Ghanaians.



His Royal Majesty, Ya Na Abukari II, the Overlord of Dagbon, expressed deep satisfaction with the launch and extended gratitude to the government for its dedication to improving road infrastructure.



He emphasised that the initiative represents a crucial step in supporting economic growth and development across Ghana's districts.



The Northern Regional Minister, Alhaji Alhassan Saani Saibu, noted the exceptional benefits the initiative brings to the Northern Region, which will now receive 131 new pieces of equipment, including water tankers, backhoes, rollers, wheel loaders, concrete mixers, tipper trucks, and more.



According to him, this development will create 400 direct jobs and enhance the region's road network substantially.



Mr. Munkaila Mohammed, Northern Regional Private Business Manager of Zoomlion, representing JA Plant Pool, addressed the durbar of chiefs and people, highlighting the collaboration of key stakeholders, including the Ministry of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development (MLGDRD), Ministry of Finance (MoF), Ghana Armed Forces (GAF), and JA Plant Pool.



He noted that the partnership will ensure rigorous monitoring and maintenance of the equipment, facilitated by the deployment of telematic devices for tracking and fuel efficiency.



This ambitious initiative, he said, marked a significant leap forward in Ghana's road infrastructure development, promising enhanced connectivity, economic growth, and improved quality of life for all Ghanaians.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









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

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The Ashanti Region has officially launched the District Road Improvement Project (DRIP), a flagship initiative of the government, aimed at enhancing road networks in rural areas and locations where raw materials are sourced.



At the launch ceremony held at the Regional Coordinating Council in Kumasi on Friday, August 23, 2024, the Ashanti Regional Minister, Hon. Simon Osei-Mensah, emphasised the project's significance in boosting the region's economy.



"Since His Excellency Nana Akufo-Addo took office, we've witnessed unprecedented road construction across the country. DRIP will further accelerate this progress, focusing on rural areas and raw material sources," he said.



On display at the ceremony were various pieces of equipment, including backhoes, tipper trucks, and motor graders, which will be distributed to districts across the region.



He indicated that the Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council will house the equipment for effective supervision and maintenance.



Hon. Osei-Mensah urged Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) to ensure the equipment's proper use and maintenance.



"Let's make the most of this opportunity to transform our rural communities and stimulate economic growth," he urged.



He explained that the DRIP project aligns with the government's commitment to improving road infrastructure and promoting economic development in rural areas, stating that the region is poised to benefit significantly from this initiative, which will pave the way for increased access to markets, improved livelihoods, and a brighter future.



According to him, the project will create jobs, reduce transportation costs, and increase the region's competitiveness.



"We have specialized personnel on hand to repair any faulty equipment, so theres no need to take them to just any mechanic. Each piece of equipment is fitted with built-in trackers to monitor their use. If anyone attempts to use them for private purposes, such as illegal mining, they will be caught and held accountable. There will be strict supervisionwe will not simply distribute the equipment and sit back," he assured.



The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA), Hon. Samuel Pyne, commended the NPP government for its efforts in improving road networks in the country.



He noted that despite the government's impressive record in road construction, more needed to be done to address the challenges posed by poor road networks.



He highlighted the impact of bad roads on food prices, healthcare, and the economy, citing examples of delayed ambulance services resulting in deaths or miscarriages.



Furthermore, Hon. Pyne praised the government's commitment to implementing policies to improve road networks and thanked JA Plant Pool and the Jospong Group for their collaboration on the DRIP project.



The Chief of Asante Asiakwa, Obrempong Asiakwa Agyeman Agyei, who was the Chairman for the occasion applauded Hon. Osei-Mensah, for his dedication and efforts to transforming the region's road network.



He ecalled that the DRIP project was originally envisioned by former President J.A. Kufuor but was not implemented due to circumstances.



He expressed gratitude that the project has finally been launched under the current government.



Obrempong Asiakwa Agyeman Agyei emphasised that the equipment provided under the DRIP project was government property, intended solely for government projects and not for personal use, urging the district leaders to ensure effective utilisation of the machines to achieve the government's objectives.



He also appealed to the minister for strict supervision to guarantee the efficient use of the equipment, saying,



"Let us take a moment to applaud our Regional Minister for his dedication and efforts to improve the Ashanti community. Today marks a significant event in the transformation of our road network," he said.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









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

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The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) has rubbished reports of its intention to stage a coup and has vowed to strongly resist such unlawful takeover of power by either elements acting alone or in collaboration with any security agency.



In a statement issued today and signed by Brigadier General, Aggrey-Quashie, Director General Public Relations, the GAF was emphatic that they have not held any press conference at which it declared its intention to take over the country, should the forthcoming general elections turn violent.



"We wish to draw the attention of the public that GAF will only support the Ghana Police when the latter request for assistance and that does not constitute an overthrow of a government......We therefore call on all institutions and groups not to associate GAF with anything that has the potential of heightening political tension in the country," portions of the statement read.



The statement was reactionary to remarks by the Executive Director of the Institute for Democratic Governance, Dr Emmanuel Akwetey, that the "GAF has threatened to take over control of the country if elections turns out violent beyond the control of the Ghana Police Service."





Read below the full statement from the Ghana Armed Forces:



The attention of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) has been drawn to a publication on Ghanaweb attributed to the Executive Director of the Institute for Democratic Governance, Dr Emmanuel Akwetey on Thursday 22 August 2024.



Dr Akwetey is alleged to have said GAF has threatened to take over control of the country that if elections in the country turns out violent beyond the control of the Ghana Police Service at Press conferences held in 2016 and 2020. We wish to draw the attention of the public that GAF will only support the Ghana Police when the latter request for assistance and that does not constitute an overthrow of a government.



The allegation by Dr Akwetey cannot be true because the Ghana Armed Forces has not held any press conference at which it declared its intention to take over the country. We wish to make it clear that GAF has no intention to stage a coup and will prevent and resist any individual, group or organisation seeking to take over unlawfully the power of government either acting alone or in collaboration with any security agency.



GAF wishes to call on civil society groups and the media to desist from using its name to heighten political tension in the country. We wish to urge all stakeholders to join hands in ensuring that all citizens feel free and safe to undertake their lawful activities in an atmosphere of tranquility.



GAF, like all peace-loving institutions and individuals, is looking forward to peaceful elections come December 2024. We therefore call on all institutions and groups not to associate GAF with anything that has the potential of heightening political tension in the country.



E AGGREY-QUASHIE



Brigadier General



Director General Public Relations

Source: Ghana Armed Forces









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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One of the greatest banes of Ghana over the years has been the issue of corruption with millions of dollars going down the drain by various corrupt acts.



Over the years, successive governments have expressed desire to tackle the issue but the canker keeps festering as the approach to fighting it has always been the same.



In view to this, NPP Flagbearer, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has devised a new way in the fight against corruption using digitalization which has already prevented several age-old corrupt practices and saved the nation millions of dollars.



At the launch of his manifesto over the weekend, Dr. Bawumia reiterated his commitment and passion to continue fighting corruption.



Also, one of the many ways Dr. Bawumia has adopted to curb this menace is his Ghana Card initiative which has helped to remove ghost names on government payroll.



Dr. Bawumia, in his manifesto, detailed his effective method at fighting corruption and below is how he will deal with it under his Presidency:



Ladies and Gentlemen, one of the most potent weapons against corruption is transparency. Many corrupt activities are cash-based.



Apart from the obvious economic benefits of moving in the direction of a cashless society, the literature does indicate that the more electronic payments are used in transactions as opposed to cash, the more there is traceability and therefore the less the corruption.



I would like to bring Ghana close to a cashless economy in the shortest possible time. So far the Bank of Ghana, has made a lot of progress in this direction by putting in place a lot of the systems and infrastructure required.



These include mobile money interoperability, merchant interoperability, Universal QRCode payment system, Gh-Link, debit cards, Ezwich, and GhanaPay. We have put in place the necessary infrastructure for Ghana to go cashless.



Recently the Bank of Ghana has completed a pilot of a digital version of the Ghana cedi in Sefwi Wiawso. This is known as central bank digital currency (CBDC) or e-cedi. The e-cedi is designed to work online and offline and will be launched by the Bank of Ghana in due course.



The e-cedi, will be the ultimate weapon in our fight against corruption because it will provide transparency, reduce the risk of fraud, robbery, tax avoidance, and money laundering since it will be easy to track the movement of money and identify suspicious activity. The e-cedi will quicken the pace of Ghanas move towards a cashless or near cashless society.



We will also implement blockchain technology and smart contracts for secure data exchange and transparent e-government services.



Employing a distributed ledger technology improves transparency and efficiency. This will make all government transactions permanently traceable and not subject to alteration

Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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

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The National Democratic Congress (NDC) believes Ghana is moving in a direction that needs an experienced leader to manage its affairs before the worst happens.



In doing so, the party said its flagbearer, John Dramani Mahama is the only hope for Ghana to transform the country from its current state.



Launching its 2024 manifesto ahead of the December 7, presidential election, the NDC said they aim to reset Ghana to a better place.



The party has outlined some key interests the Mahama-led government will undertake when elected as president.



Jobs, accountability, prosperity, are some focuses of the NDC.



Attached is the 2024 manifesto  the Abridged version

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Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman/Peacefmonline.com









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Chinese Premier Li Qiang, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, pays a field survey visit to the 2024 World Robot Expo in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 25, 2024. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing)

BEIJING, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Qiang has emphasized the need to foster an open environment for technical innovation and support foreign firms and research institutions to invest in China, when talking about advancing the robot industry through closer global collaboration.

Li made the remarks while on a field survey visit on Sunday to the 2024 World Robot Expo in Beijing.

He said it is necessary to establish and make good use of cooperation platforms for industrial exchanges, maintain the stability and smoothness of industrial and supply chains, and facilitate technical innovation of the robot industry worldwide.

Li toured the expo's exhibition hall and inquired about the performance, technological advantages, and in particular the applications of some robots on display.

The expo was part of the five-day World Robot Conference which opened on Wednesday and was themed "Co-fostering New Quality Productive Forces for a Shared Intelligent Future."

Li called for strengthened efforts to boost technical innovation and industrial development to cultivate new growth engines and continuously improve people's well-being.

Referring to robots as an "important yardstick for technical innovation and high-end manufacturing strength," Li said relevant innovation should target industrial upgrading, consumption upgrading demand and world-leading industrial frontiers.

Li added that China's advantages, ranging from a super-sized domestic market to abundant innovation scenarios, should be put to full use, while applications of robot-related technological innovation in sectors such as manufacturing, farming and services should be accelerated.

To boost the robot industry, he also underlined the need for engaging more venture capital investment, incubating more unicorn firms and more "little giant" firms, which are small and medium-sized enterprises that specialize in a niche market and boast cutting-edge technologies, as well as fostering industrial clusters with specialties and advantages. 
By Connor Joyce

The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa forecasts by the year 2050 Africas population will have 63% of the worlds global citizenship, increasing by 950 million soles over the next 26 years. The U.N. estimate theorizes that by 2050 1 in 4 people will [be of] African [origin], a statistic that places a much-needed emphasis on increased immigration from the resource-rich continent.
Santee Cooper will meet with ratepayers starting this week to take questions and gather feedback about how much their power bills will increase next year.

The state-owned utility organized a similar gathering earlier this month, except it was with an audience of one  its biggest customer.

The discussion brought to light a simmering rift over a big-ticket expense that needs to be addressed: $3.6 billion in unpaid debt from the two partially completed reactors that Santee Cooper abandoned at the V.C. Summer Nuclear Station more than seven years ago.

The dispute centers on whether the public power company is spreading the repayment burden fairly among the 1.2 million accounts and 2 million-plus residents it serves across South Carolina, either directly or indirectly.

Central Electric Power Cooperative Inc. thinks not. The Columbia-based group, which purchases electricity from Santee Cooper and resells it to a network of small, mostly rural co-ops around the state, isnt challenging the plan to recoup the money. Rather, its taking issue with the math, saying its customers are being overcharged by about $21 million a year, or $445 million in total.

Alex Hall, a lawyer for Central Electric, described it as an improper cost shift onto the co-ops, which he stressed are willing to pay 100 percent of what we owe, not more.

The squabble boils down to an arcane bookkeeping decision. As Central Electric sees it, Santee Cooper is inappropriately penciling the V.C. Summer expenses as in service equipment and as a project thats still under construction. The two unfinished reactors, which will never be completed, fall under neither category, according to the nonprofit.

Hall said the way Santee Cooper is accounting for the debt is a direct violation of its 55-year contract, or coordination agreement, with Central Electric.

The Moncks Corner-based utility takes the opposite view, saying its Central Electric thats unfairly shifting costs  by steering them away from the cooperatives and onto Santee Coopers 200,000 retail accounts, mostly along the Grand Strand.
ZHENGZHOU, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- A total of 15 tonnes of fresh durians from Malaysia arrived in Zhengzhou, capital of central China's Henan Province on Saturday evening, marking the first batch of Malaysian fresh durians to enter the Chinese market.

The durians will be distributed by the cold chain from the Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport to cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Xiamen and Shenyang.

This batch of Malaysian fresh durians, including ten varieties such as Black Thorn and Musang King, was sourced from nine Malaysian export companies. The Zhengzhou airport customs have established a 'green channel' for cold chain goods -- ensuring quick inspection and expedited clearance upon arrival.

Currently, the air route for transporting durians between Zhengzhou and Kuala Lumpur is served by a B737-800 freighter, allowing for same-day round trips with flexible scheduling. The direct flight between the two cities takes as little as five hours. 
To casual observers, it all looked quite friendly  chummy even  when a special S.C. Senate committee met Thursday with the executives of Dominion, Santee Cooper and Duke, who want to speed up the states approval process to let them build new power plants to address what they call a looming energy crisis.

Senate Republican Leader Shane Massey kicked off the meeting by joking about how hard it was to see the utility executives way down at the other end of the room and inviting them to join senators at the long U-shaped desk. Senators played musical chairs to accommodate them; everybody spoke on a first-name basis, and they referred frequently to private conversations between the petitioners and the petitioned.

But what struck students of the Legislature were references to that other special energy committee Mr. Massey had also co-chaired with Sen. Nikki Setzler and the casual request for the executives to take an oath to tell the truth.

Falsehoods and deliberate omissions arent the concerns that they were seven years ago, when officials from Santee Cooper and Dominion predecessor SCE&G appeared before that earlier panel digging into the halted construction project at the V.C. Summer nuclear plant, which left ratepayers on the hook for billions of dollars and landed two officials in federal prison. But the oaths served as an important signal that the executives would not get the same reception they got from the House, which rushed through an anti-consumer bill this spring to give them even more regulatory relief than they asked for, at least publicly.

The unusual August meeting  the Legislature generally meets January through May  was being held because Mr. Massey and other members of the newly minted Senate Special Committee on South Carolinas Energy Future had blocked Senate passage this spring of the bill that was the top legislative priority for House Speaker Murrell Smith. As a show of good faith, Mr. Massey proposed holding special hearings through the summer and fall to provide the full vetting that had not been given to the utilities quest for relief from post-V.C. Summer safeguards.
PR-Inside.com: 2024-08-25 22:34:02

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NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / August 25, 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
Controversial crossdresser Idris Okuneye, known as Bobrisky, has opened up about why he was placed in a male cell during his jail term.

PREMIUM TIMES reported in April that Justice Abimbola Awogboro of the Federal High Court in Lagos sentenced Bobrisky to six months in jail for Naira abuse.

The judge, who sentenced the crossdresser without the option of a fine, said the sentence would serve as a lesson for others who abuse the naira.

On 5 August, Bobrisky was released from the Kirikiri Correctional Centre after serving a six-month sentence.

Since his release from prison, the crossdresser has thrown parties and shot several photoshoots but has not granted any interviews.

However, Bobrisky recently granted his first post-release interview with skit maker Bae Barbie on the Curiosity Made Me Ask podcast.

During the interview, Bobrisky said serving his jail term in a male cell made the experience more enjoyable.

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He said: I spent my jail term at the male correctional centre (cell), and I loved it. Ill give reasons why I loved it. If they had put me in the female correctional centre (cell), I wouldnt have had fun or enjoyed myself. While at the male correctional centre (cell), I was the only different person, and they were nice to me. They showed me care.

So, if I had stayed in the female cell, who would have shown me care, bought me food, asked if I had eaten, or taken care of me? I was in the female cell in EFCC custody because four people were in the room. Four to five guys were in the room, and obviously, this is a body with boobs. This is a body with a nice shape. So, they wouldnt want to put me among these guys.

VIP

Additionally, the crossdresser refuted claims of having been imprisoned in a VIP cell during his prison sentence.

This newspaper reported that Bobrisky wore a new appearance upon his release, contrary to what his fans expected after his time in prison.

His new appearance and makeup generated speculation about preferential treatment or a VIP prison stay.

Reacting to the rumours, he said, Im not going to say anything about being put in a VIP cell; thats other peoples business. Nigerians know how to sit down and say things that probably never happened or happened differently.

People love putting together one or two things and start fabricating stories. So, I wont join that party and sit here telling you. I was there because I was convicted, and I went to serve my jail term.

Why I pleaded guilty

Additionally, the crossdresser maintained that he admitted being guilty of Naira abuse because hes the one in the video.

This newspaper reported that Bobrisky admitted to being a man and pleaded guilty to the charges against him before the court.

Yes, I pleaded guilty. If I had told the judge I was not guilty, she would have given me bail, and I would have gone home. But I told her I was guilty because I was in the video. What Ive noticed about Nigerians is that they dont like the truth. I believe that when you tell the truth in court, sometimes it sets you free, and sometimes it doesnt. But I dont care whether it might not set me free; I feel its essential to be honest.

My lawyer told me in EFCC detention to plead not guilty when I got to court. But I thought about it and realised I was spending the money. I didnt know that by spraying money, you could go to prison or get arrested for it. But you know what? Let me speak the truth to my Lord. Whether my Lord is a man or a woman, I dont care. Ill tell the truth. It then depends on my Lord to decide whether Ill be given the option of a fine, community service, or something else. And my Lord chose to sentence Bobrisky to prison, he added.

A return

Moreover, Bobrisky expressed a desire to return to prison, noting that the judge sentenced him, intending to break his spirit.

Bobrisky viewed his six-month prison term as a vacation and a much-needed break.

He said he had been overworked and that the sentence allowed him to rest.

He stated, They decided to break me, but sadly, nothing happened to Mummy of Lagos. Im still okay and sound, and Im confident I will continue to be refined and pleasing. Id even consider returning to the correctional centre for a short time. I said this not because I genuinely want to go again but because these people want to break me. Yes. Ive never heard of anyone being imprisoned for spraying their money.

It is funny to me; everything happened like a movie. I sprayed my money, not anyone elses, and didnt steal it. I did not kidnap anyone, I did not rape anyone, and I did not kill anyone. I simply sprayed my own hard-earned money, yet I was sentenced to a place filled with criminalskillers, kidnappers, rapists, murderers. Im a powerful person and ready for whatever comes my way. If Ive chosen this lifestyle and its led me to where I want to be, I must be ready for the worst. The worst that has happened so far is being sent to prison, even though I didnt do anything wrong. I didnt kill anyone.

Background

Bobriskys case was similar to that of actress Oluwadarasimi Omoseyin, who was convicted for spraying and trampling on new Naira notes at a wedding in Lagos.

A video of Ms Omoseyin spraying new Naira notes at a wedding in Lekki on 28 January 2023 went viral, leading to her arrest on 1 February 2023.

On 2 February, Judge Chukwujekwu Aneke sentenced Ms Omoseyin to six months in prison or a fine of N300,000.

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Movie Title: Tokunbo

Language: English

Running time: 1 hour 52 minutes

Release date: 2024

Streaming platform: Netflix

Director: Ramsey Nouah

Cast: Gideon Okeke, Funlola Aofiyebi-Raimi, Darasimi Nadi, Majid Michel, Norbert Young, Ivie Okujaye, Tosin Adeyemi, Stanley Chibunna, Adunni Ade, Chidi Mokeme.

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Tokunbo is a stark reminder that even those closest to you can harbour the darkest intentions and plot evil against you while pretending to comfort you.

In the movie, Folashade is betrayed by her close friend, Deputy Governor Raymond and her PA as they team up to kidnap her only daughter.

The film tells the story of Tokunbo, a former car smuggler who seeks to leave his dangerous past behind and build a better life for his family. However, he gets involved in a shady deal to raise money for his sick son.

Plot Summary

Tokunbo, a car smuggler, decides to leave his dangerous life of delivering illegal cars to a notorious gangster, Gaza, after the birth of his son. Determined to become a responsible husband to Lisa and a good father to Chris, he starts working as a taxi driver.

However, eighteen months later, Tokunbo faces a difficult choice to either watch his sick son die or return to Gaza to lend the money needed to save him. Despite the warnings from a female friend who was also a victim of Gaza, Tokunbo returns to the gangster for help.

Gaza, however, refuses to assist him. As Tokunbo leaves to continue driving passengers, he hears a strange phone ringing in the back seat of his car. Upon answering, he is instructed to receive a package and deliver another shortly after. Later, he finds a child in his car seat and is given three hours to provide the package to the Seme border.

Uncertain of his decision and feeling threatened, Tokunbo risks delivering the child, unaware that the girl, Nike, is the daughter of the Central Bank Governor, Folashade.

Raymond, the deputy governor, calls his friend Folashade to console and reassure her upon hearing the news about her childs kidnapping. Unknown to her, the brain behind everything is the same Raymond, whom she trusts so much with the support of her beloved PA.

Lisa, who is kidnapped and held hostage with her sick baby, calls her husband to inform him that their son is dead. Raymond initially kidnaps them to ensure Tokunbo does the job well. Tokunbo, unable to handle this sad news, drives into the sea. Ultimately, things take a terrible turn for Raymond, Folashades PA, and Gaza.

Character Analysis

Gideon Okeke plays Tokunbo, an ex-car smuggler who decides to live a responsible life but needs money to save his dying son. At the same time, Okeke brings life to the character; poor directing limits the full potential of his performance.

Funlola Aofiyebi-Raimi portrays Folashade, the Central Bank Governor whose daughter was kidnapped. Even though more was expected from her, her performance was quite good.

Darasimi Nadi has always been an impressive child actor. In her role as Nike, she performed exceptionally, being able to switch moods. However, she could have delivered a more robust performance with more practical direction.

Majid Michels role as Raymond, the deputy governor and mastermind behind Nikes kidnapping, could deepen the tension. His character could have been more impactful if he had continued interacting with Folashade after his identity was revealed and had gained first-hand access to information.

As Lisa, Tokunbos wife, Tosin Adeyemi portrays a good woman who only wants to see her child live. However, her performance didnt fully connect with the audience, making her characters impact in the movie less memorable than it could have been.

Chidi Mokeme delivers a stand-out performance as Gaza, the notorious gangster. His performance is commendable.

Movie Analysis

Tokunbo, directed by Ramsey Nouah, is a failed attempt to create a thrilling action movie. The movie explores the themes of betrayal, trust, and love and centres around a man who has to do some illegal things to save his sick son.

Not until the films end, there was no real action to lay hold on.

For a man whose child is dying, there should be a level of desperation and seriousness seen in his performance.

The movie had the potential to be memorable and engaging, with a few twists and more decisive performances from the actors or perhaps even a different cast. Since the storyline isnt new, audiences would have appreciated a fresh and improved take.

The movie falls short on suspense, as the plot is predictable from the startyou can easily foresee Nike being found and Raymond and others paying for their crimes.

Despite its impressive aesthetics and cinematography, the film ultimately did not impress as an action movie. While the video colour grading established the tone for action scenes, the acting was flat, and the movie was boring.

Tell me why the police had a chance to catch Tokunbo at the start of the film but waited for him to notice them before taking a move. Also, why did Folashade employ the man who kidnapped her daughter as her driver because her child says he is a good man? This feels very unrealistic.

Tokunbo is now showing on Netflix

Verdict

4/10

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Since earning critical acclaim for her role in the 2022 Nollywood film Obara M, Nigerian child actor Darasimi Nadi has starred in other popular movies.

Darasimi has appeared in over a dozen movies, including A Fathers Love (2024), A Green Fever (2024), On The Edge (2024), and Egun (2024).

The 12-year-old talent recently played a prominent role in the Ramsey Nouah-directed Netflix movie, Tokumbo.

In this film, she portrayed Nike Balogun, the daughter of the first female CBN governor, Folashade (Funlola Aofiyebi-Rami), in one of her best roles yet.

In an interview with PREMIUM TIMES, the assertive, outspoken, and intelligent child actor discussed her path to stardom and her relationship with her mother.

Path to stardom

Darasimi recounted to PREMIUM TIMES how her acting career began unexpectedly. Her interest was piqued when her mother, a producer, came to their compound to shoot a movie.

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Upon seeing the camera, Darasimi was fascinated and wanted to be involved.

I didnt know what I was going to be, but I knew I was going to be a celebrity, she said.

On the other hand, her mother (Mimi Haaga) needed a child actor for a project. Still, she hesitated to consider Darasimi due to the common practice of Nollywood producers casting their children in movies. After persistent persuasion, her mother relented, and Darasimi landed her first official role.

She continued to persuade her mom that she had the potential to be a great actor. She featured in a few skits, and her mother began to see her potential.

I noticed she was a good actor but was camera shy, so she took it upon herself to correct that. We designed and started a cooking series of 8 episodes, and by the 3rd episode, she was excelling, her mother said.

This opened doors to other producers and her first paid job, The Pretty Ones Are The Loneliest.

Background

Born in Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria, Darasimi said she is not competing with her peersshe began her career in 2008.

She described herself and her journey: I do things uniquely, and no one else can do what I am doing. Im a racer, but Im not racing with anyone. Im on my own. The uniqueness is evident in her acting, but beyond movies, Darasimi is energetic, engaging, strong-willed, smart, intelligent, and true to herself she said.

Tokunbo

Tokunbo is a story about the life of a smuggler and the consequences after he stops smuggling. It explores themes of family, love, betrayal, and manipulation.

Describing her experiences while starring in Tokunbo, she said: It was fun, entertaining. I learned a lot. Mr Ramsey, being an actor-director, taught me a lot I didnt know before, and Im grateful for that.

She also praised the camaraderie of team members, actors, and crew for making the experience worthwhile

She said: Everyone had fun. We were one big family. She particularly enjoyed the speech scenes, finding them energetic and fun.

Support system

Darasimis relationship with her mother is admirablea mother who loves and understands her daughter and a daughter who loves and understands her mother.

My mom is Mimi Haaga. Shes been the best thing that has happened to me. Shes been supportive, sweet, loving, and caring, she said.

In todays Nollywood, Darasimis mum said her daughter is known for her punctuality. I dont know how to wake up early, but with my mom, I can never be late. She ensures Im up and ready on time, Darasimi said about her mother.

She added, For a year, my mom paused her job as a director. She stopped taking assignments just to prepare me for acting. She invested time, money, energy, and emotions. I love her.

Plans

Darasimi said she looks forward to advancing her career and working with renowned directors such as Kemi Adetiba and Kunle Afolayan. She also expressed her desire to work with Nse Ikpe-Etim.

She also offered words of encouragement to other child actors, saying, Keep pushing. Gods time is the best. Gods plan is what will happen in your life. Keep God close, and keep your parents closer.

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The State Security Service (SSS) has given the reason for arresting a Nigerian journalist, Adejuwon Soyinka, early on Sunday.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that SSS operatives arrested Mr Soyinka, who is the West African Regional Editor of the Conversation Africa, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos at about 5.40 a.m. on Sunday, shortly after he arrived in Nigeria via a Virgin Atlantic flight from the United Kingdom.

The reason for his arrest was not immediately known.

SSS spokesperson, Peter Ifunnaya, also told PREMIUM TIMES that he was not aware of the arrest and detention of Mr Soyinka, the pioneer Editor of the BBC Pidgin Service.

However, Mr Ifunnaya has said in an update he shared with PREMIUM TIMES that the SSS intercepted the journalist based on a request from another government agency.

We are working on Adejuwon Soyinkas case, he confirmed in a text message to PREMIUM TIMES on Sunday.

But he did not provide the identity of the agency on whose behalf, he said, the arrest was carried out.

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PREMIUM TIMES learnt that, after his arrest, the journalist was driven from the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos to the SSS headquarters annex in Lagos.

An SSS source told this newspaper that that agency was still trying to reach out to the agency that requested his interception for further action.

The source said, in the event that the SSS is unable to promptly communicate with the agency requesting the arrest, the journalist would be released and asked to report back on Monday.

Initially, the award-winning journalists colleagues said they could not contact him as messages and calls to his phone have been unanswered.

ALSO READ: SSS detains Nigerian journalist Adejuwon Soyinka

The arrest comes about two weeks after the nationwide #EndBadGovernance protests during which the SSS and the police operatives harassed and fired tear gas and live ammunition at journalists and peaceful protesters.

Some peaceful protesters arrested in their homes are still being held in custody, in an extensive government clampdown that is now targeting vocal protesters and organisers of the demonstrations.

Mr Soyinkas arrest is the latest episode that mirrors the continued deterioration of press freedom in Nigeria.

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Joseph Olivier Mendo'o, executive director of the International Exchange Department at the China-Africa Business Council, introduces African culture to Chinese students during his visit to Xindeng County in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, Aug. 25, 2022.(Xinhua)

BEIJING, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- As a doctoral graduate in international relations, Joseph Olivier Mendo'o, a Cameroonian man who loves reading, has discovered an enduring "book" in China. It is a tale he may never fully finish as it tells the story of the vast expanse of China's villages and their rural revitalization endeavors.

In 2013, Mendo'o graduated from the Free University of Berlin and returned to Cameroon, where he witnessed a number of Chinese-built infrastructure projects initiated under the Belt and Road Initiative and China-Africa cooperation. These developments sparked the curiosity of the then 20-year-old, prompting him to wonder about the distant land of China.

Driven by a desire to explore this faraway country, he enrolled in the Confucius Institute in Cameroon to learn Chinese, hoping to one day visit China and discover it for himself.

In 2016, Mendo'o realized his ambition by joining the School of International Studies at Peking University as a student pursuing a master's degree. However, he didn't limit his education to the campus. Over the years, he has visited about 50 different villages across China, where he focused his attention on local conditions and customs, and most importantly, grassroots efforts in the quest for rural revitalization.

"I come from Cameroon, an agriculture-based country, as are many African countries. I am very interested in how China helps rural areas develop, how to narrow the urban-rural gap, and how to alleviate poverty and ensure that the poor will not return to poverty. Africa needs such experience," said Mendo'o.

During his years of studying in China, Mendo'o has followed village officials around to understand their daily work, asking them questions like how to sell agricultural products from mountainous areas, and how to provide support for elderly people in their village.

He was impressed by the innovative yet practical approaches adopted by these villages. In a small village called Hezhai in Lankao County, central China's Henan Province, he found that villagers' income increased remarkably by developing the pear production industry, which includes growing pears and producing pear juice and dried pears.

In Shahao Village located in the dry region of north China's Shanxi Province, local villagers found their way to prosperity by developing traditional paper-cutting art. When Mendo'o took this story back to his native Africa, people there were amazed to learn that a cultural craft could drive economic growth in rural areas.

What struck Mendo'o most was the close bond existing between the local government, village officials and the community in the places he has visited in rural China.

"They know which family has a kid studying in the city, who is facing health challenges and what their needs are. This enables them to provide targeted solutions to address each problem, making the process both simple and efficient," Mendo'o explained.

As a result, he has acquired a deeper understanding of the people-centered approach taken by the Communist Party of China.

Mendo'o was also impressed by the active involvement of young people in rural revitalization.

"I have seen many young village officials who have just graduated from big cities like Beijing and Shanghai, and they volunteered to devote their knowledge and energy to rural revitalization," Mendo'o said.

Mendo'o has observed that many young African people are eager to promote cooperation between China and Africa, after completing their studies in China. Recognizing the vital role of the youth, he co-founded the China Africa Youth Federation in 2019 to organize exchange programs.

After graduating from Peking University, Mendo'o stepped into a new role as the executive director of the International Exchange Department at the China-Africa Business Council. He aspires to serve as a bridge between Chinese companies and Africa to foster greater cooperation.

In September this year, Mendo'o plans to embark on a new journey to coastal rural areas in Fujian Province to learn more about rural revitalization in that part of China.

"'As long as you work hard, you can grind an iron rod into a needle.' This is the Chinese proverb that has had the most profound impact on my life. It signifies that perseverance can make the impossible possible, much like China's path to poverty alleviation and my own life's journey," Mendo'o said. 
The State Security Service (SSS) has released a Nigerian journalist, Adejuwon Soyinka, after detaining him for more than six hours on Sunday.

SSS operatives arrested Mr Soyinka, the West African Regional Editor of the Conversation Africa, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos at about 5.40 a.m. on Sunday, on his arrival from the United Kingdom via a Virgin Atlantic flight.

He was driven from the airport to the SSS headquarters annex in Ikoyi, Lagos, where he was detained until about 12.30 p.m. when he was granted bail.

PREMIUM TIMES learnt that SSS decided to grant him bail following the intervention of the International Press Institute (IPI) Nigeria.

As part of his bail conditions, the agency seized his passport and asked him to provide his Nigerian address and reliable phone number through which he can be reached anytime in Nigeria.

Mr Soyinka himself confirmed his release from the roughly six-hour detention in a text message he sent to PREMIUM TIMES at about 1.26 p.m. on Sunday.

I have just been released by the DSS (SSS) in Lagos. They are holding on to my passport, though. I am in an Uber ride ordered for me by the Deputy Director of DSS in Lagos, his text message read.

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He promised to speak further on his experience when he gets home.

The reason for his arrest was not immediately known, but SSS would later tell PREMIUM TIMES that its operatives intercepted the journalist based on a request from another government agency.

However, SSS spokesperson, Peter Ifunnaya, who confirmed the development to PREMIUM TIMES, declined to reveal the identity of the agency that was said to have requested the journalists arrest or his alleged offences.

The arrest comes about two weeks after the nationwide #EndBadGovernance protests during which the SSS and the police harassed and fired tear gas and live ammunition at journalists and peaceful protesters.

Some peaceful protesters arrested in their homes are still being held in custody in an extensive government clampdown that is now targeting organisers of the protest and vocal protesters.

Mr Soyinkas arrest is the latest episode that mirrors the continued deterioration of press freedom in Nigeria.

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In 2006, Adekola Akinleye thought he had taken all the right steps to secure a comfortable life. He purchased a landed property in the Lafiaji area of Eti-Osa Local Government Area of Lagos State from the Ojomu chieftaincy family, ensuring that his Deed of Assignment and Certificate of Occupancy were in order and that the land was not under government acquisition.

However, 18 years later, on 10 May, his world was turned upside down when a neighbour informed him that the Federal Ministry of Works officials had marked his house along with more than 80 others for demolition.

A letter from the authorities directed Mr Akinleye to submit documents proving ownership to the Permanent Secretary, Land Bureau in Alausa, Ikeja, as his property allegedly fell within the right-of-way alignment of the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway project. Yet, Mr Akinleye, a senior citizen like many affected neighbours, insisted that his building did not encroach on the coastal roads right-of-way.

He points out that the original alignment had been clearly marked by the Lagos State Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development and gazetted by the Federal Ministry of Works and other relevant agencies as far back as 2006 and 2013, leaving him bewildered by the sudden threat to his home.

Mr Akinleye, an octogenarian and retiree, was fully aware of the planned coastal road construction. His knowledge of the plan made him take deliberate steps to purchase a property outside the established Right of Way, avoiding any potential encroachment.

He stressed that neither the state nor federal agencies ever notified him of any changes to the original alignment, which had been marked and gazetted. It was not until the sudden and unexpected demolition notice in May 2024 that he learned of the new alignment, which has left him shocked and perplexed.

Im struggling to find words to express my disgust at the emotional trauma my family suffered when we received the demolition notice. My wife and I were in the USA when the notice arrived on 10 May, just seven days after we left Nigeria on 3 May, for medical reasons. We had to rush back home without completing our medical check-ups, putting our health at risk.

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As an 83-year-old retired government official who served my country for 25 years, I expect to live out my remaining years in peace. My wife, 77, and I are not expecting this turmoil thrust upon us, he added.

Jude Majekodunmi, another concerned resident, is filled with anxiety about the uncertain future that lies ahead for his family. Compounding his distress is a pre-existing health issue with his leg, making the situation even more precarious.

The sudden and unexpected illegal demolition notice has taken a significant toll on his mental well-being, exacerbating his worries and fears for the future.

This situation has affected my mental health. By now, this property should have been rented, but that is impossible due to this incident, Mr Majekodunmi said.

Controversial project

The Lagos-Calabar coastal highway project is a 700-kilometre road that aims to enhance regional connectivity and improve Nigerias economy. It starts from Ahmadu Bello Way, Victoria Island in Lagos, stretching along the coastal lines of Ogun, Ondo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, and Akwa Ibom states, and ends in Calabar, Cross River State.

The ambitious project was awarded to Hitech Construction Company Limited on an Engineering, Procurement, Construction, and Financing (EPC+F) arrangement. This arrangement means that the contractor bears a large share of the risk and funding, and the federal government provides counterpart funding.

However, the project has been steeped in multidimensional controversies, including the contract awarded to Hitech without bidding or open tender.

This lack of transparency has raised concerns from Nigerians, who point to the longstanding close relationship between Hitechs owners, Ronald and Gilbert Chagoury, and President Bola Tinubu.

A recent investigation by the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), published by PREMIUM TIMES, has shed further light on the extent of these connections.

According to the report, the relationship between the two families extends beyond the first generation, with President Tinubus son, Oluwaseyi, holding a majority stake in Promomedia Loatsad Global Services Limited, an offshore company registered in the British Virgin Islands eight years ago. Ronald Chagoury Jr., son of Hitechs owner, is also a shareholder in the company.

The first phase of the coastal road, which stretches 47.47 kilometres from Lagos, sparked outrage after the federal government demolished Landmark Beach Resort in Victoria Island. The popular resort accommodated several businesses and was valued at over $200 million.

Following intense criticism from Nigerians and other stakeholders, the Minister of Works, David Umah, announced that the federal government would revert to the gazetted alignment between Kilometres 16 and 25 to save submarine cables and the Okun-Ajah community.

To solve MTN, 2Africa and Okun-Ajah community (problems), we are diverting completely from the new alignment to the old alignment, and we are rejoining back to our new alignment at Kilometre 25, Mr Umahi said.

According to residents, the Lafiaji community is situated at Kilometre 13, so their homes still face demolition threats.

The affected residents have levelled allegations of ethnic bias and favouritism against the Minister of Works, claiming that the minister manipulated the projects alignment to shield the upscale Ocean Bay Estate from demolition.

According to the residents, this estate, which falls within the originally gazetted right of way, was inexplicably spared, while their own homes were targeted for demolition, raising suspicions of preferential treatment.

Lagos-based lawyer Jiti Ogunye, in an open letter, urged President Bola Tinubu to order the Minister of Works to revert to the original long-established Right of Way.

Mr Ogunye is the legal representative of Oluropo Sekoni, a professor, Kola Akinleye, Bonojo Olalekan, Festus Ogwu, and other residents in the area who are mostly well-respected retirees.

According to the human rights lawyer, the ministers decision to change the Right of Way is an abuse of power and unlawful exercise of ministerial discretion.

From available information, the new alignment being dictated by the Honourable Minister of Works and Federal Controller of Works has not been assimilated by the Office of the Surveyor-General of Lagos State and the Lands Bureau, but curiously, the Office of Development Matters, Lagos State Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, has served our clients, the letter read in part.

He added that his clients have gathered information that the Minister of Works and the Federal Controller of Works have an improper and less-than-patriotic reason for arbitrarily directing a departure from the long-established Right of Way for the construction of the Highway.

Amongst some huge housing estates that allegedly have sprung up illicitly on the long-established Right of Way are Ocean Bay Estate and others.

The developers of these Estates and some of the owners-occupiers of buildings therein are alleged to have strong political connections, ethnic ties, and social links with the powers that be; hence, the Honourable Minister of Works and Federal Controller of Works have in an unabashed display of nepotism, as alleged, ruled that the properties in these estates are too valuable to be demolished, and that demolishing them would attract huge compensation from the federal government.

In consequence, it is being alleged that the Honourable Minister of Works and Federal Controller of Works directed that the Right of Way be altered away from the established path and the said estates and that a new alignment be made through our clients lands that were never established as the Right of Way, the lawyer wrote.

He asked why his law-abiding citizens and clients are being rewarded with oppression, while violators, who knowingly and arrogantly built on the long-established Right of Way, are being treated with reverence?

Minister justifies plan

At the 3rd stakeholders meeting for the coastal highway project in Lagos, Mr Umahi stated that adhering to the original alignment would result in the demolition of approximately 750 houses, whereas adopting the revised alignment would reduce the casualties to around 490 houses.

When asked why law-abiding citizens, who had intentionally avoided infringing on the governments Right of Way, became the target of the governments decision, Uchenna Orji, Special Adviser (Media) to the Minister of Works, maintained that the planned demolition supersedes public interest.

Several stakeholders meetings were held in Lagos, and there was a need for that necessary realignment. And, of course, we do know that the government can take over a particular land overriding public interest, he stated.

This implies that the governments interests in the coastal highway project take precedence over the rights and investments of affected citizens, who had acted in good faith to comply with existing regulations.

Mr Orji also rejected claims that the Minister of Works intentionally manipulated the alignment to spare Ocean Bay Estate and other properties, labelling such accusations as fabricated and attributing them to enemies of progress who seek to obstruct development.

So, what they should be expecting or talking about is compensation within the provisions of the law, he added.

However, the residents categorically reject compensation, insisting that the government revert to the original alignment, thereby avoiding the unlawful demolition of their homes and preserving their right to safe and secure housing.

No compensation can adequately replace ones loss of ones comfort zone, especially a comfort one has enjoyed over the years. If one gives all this away out of ones free will, it is a different matter, but where one is being forced, this is intolerable and wicked. I dont know what the government considers before fixing the value, but certainly, the loser of everything will be the property owner, Mr Akinleye said.

The imminent demolition of more than 80 houses in Lafiaji poses a significant threat to the housing security of numerous residents, predominantly senior citizens, who are now facing the scary prospect of homelessness amidst an atmosphere of uncertainties of facing the twin terrors of sudden demolition and government indifference.

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The Ondo State Judiciary is investigating the alleged non-trial conviction of a suspect by a chief magistrate in the Ile-Oluji District.

The suspect, Benjamin Andrew, was arraigned by the police before the magistrates court for stealing.

In charge No 25C/MIL 2024, Commissioner of Police vs Benjamin Andrew, the suspect pleaded not guilty to the three-count charge of stealing cocoa on a farm in Ile-Oluji in the Ile-Oluji Okeigbo Local Government Area of the state.

Despite his plea, he was summarily sentenced to three years imprisonment for each count.

Following concerns raised over the courts judgement, the states chief judge, Olusola Odusola, has set up a panel to investigate it.

A statement signed by the Chief Registrar, Yetunde Ajanaku, made available to journalists in Akure on Saturday, said the judiciary was disturbed by the judgement and the uproar it generated on social media within and outside the state.

Ondo State Judiciary has taken note of a recent judicial pronouncement delivered by an Ondo State Chief Magistrates Court sitting in Ile-Oluji on the 12th day of August 2024 in the matter with Charge No: MIL/25C/2024, the case of the Commissioner of Police (COP) versus Benjamin Andrew in which the purported Certified True Copies of this judgment has become the subject of extensive online discussions and public scrutiny, the statement read.

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Ondo State Judiciary is deeply concerned about this development, and the Learned Honourable Chief Judge has promptly launched a meticulous investigation to authenticate the veracity of the Certified True Copies of the said judgment, as well as to thoroughly examine the circumstances leading to the pronouncement thereof if the Judgment is duly authenticated.

This action is aimed at ensuring that the court proceedings and practices in the state strictly adhere to the letter and spirit of the applicable laws and established judicial conventions.

Ondo State Judiciary hereby reassures the general public of its unwavering commitment to the sacred cause of justice, even while acknowledging the inherent possibility of human frailties and occasional oversights.

We respectfully appeal for calm and composed deliberation as it diligently works to resolve the issues that have arisen in this matter.

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The Director-General of the Voice of Nigeria (VON), Jibrin Ndace, says the organisation is currently working in partnership with China to begin broadcasting in Mandarin, Chinas official language.

Mr Ndace disclosed this on Saturday evening in Abuja while speaking at a dinner organised by the Southern African Development Community (SADC) group of ambassadors and High Commissioners.

He said that the initiative would enable VON to reach a vast audience in China and promote cultural exchange between Nigeria, China and Africa.

According to him, it will also go a long way toward consistently telling positive stories about Nigeria and Africa and promoting a positive narrative about the nation and the continent.

I am currently exploring opportunities for VON to begin broadcasting in Mandarin, courtesy of our partnership with the Chinese government.

This collaboration will enable us to reach a vast audience in China and promote cultural exchange between our nations.

Let us take control of our narrative and let the world respect us. We need to be intentional about creating a positive narrative about Nigeria and Africa, he said.

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Mr Ndace suggested the establishment of a partnership between SADC countries and VON, stressing that Africans share a common destiny, and should acknowledge and work towards it.

He said that by working together, they could collectively create a unified narrative that would showcase the best of Africa.

The D-G said that he was willing to offer VONs platform to all SADC countries willing to work with it, so as to consistently tell positive stories about Africa.

We can offer our platforms to journalists from SADC countries to share their stories, and vice versa.

We can work together to promote positive narratives about our continent, encourage travel within the African continent, and foster cultural exchange.

We need to promote cultural exchange programmes, educational initiatives, and economic partnerships that foster cooperation and understanding, he said.

The VON boss noted that Africa was replete with abundant beauty and diversity, which should be leveraged by its people and showcased to the world.

He urged Africans to celebrate their diversity, cultures and achievements, and define themselves by their strengths, resilience, and beauty.

We are not defined by our challenges; we are defined by our ability to overcome them.

Let us unite in our efforts to promote a positive narrative about our continent, celebrate our common future and work towards a brighter tomorrow for all Africans, Ndace said.

Also speaking, Angolan Ambassador to Nigeria, Jose Zau, said that the blocs 32nd anniversary was a reminder of the strong bonds of solidarity and cooperation that existed among its 16 member-states.

Mr Zau said that it also marked the transfer of SADCs chairmanship from President Joe Mrosso of Mozambique to President Emerson Mnangagwa of Zimbabwe.

He said that Mr Mnangagwas chairmanship would focus on promoting innovation, which he described as crucial to unlocking opportunities for sustainable economic growth and development.

The ambassador said that over the years, SADC had faced numerous challenges, including the fight against apartheid in South Africa, the consolidation of independence, and the implementation of democratic systems.

According to him, it has, however, made significant progress in promoting economic growth, social justice, and human development, through the collective efforts of its members.

He expressed appreciation for the support and cooperation SADC had received from Nigeria and said the bloc looks forward to strengthening ties with other countries.

We will continue to work towards achieving lasting peace and security in the region, particularly in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo and the province of Cabo Delgado in Mozambique.

As we celebrate this anniversary, we are reminded of the importance of our partnership with other regions and countries, including Russia.

Our mission is clear; to promote sustainable, equitable growth and socioeconomic development through regional cooperation, deep integration, good governance, and lasting peace and security.

We are committed to creating a better future for the people of Southern Africa, and we are making steady progress towards achieving our goals, the envoy said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the 16-member SADC is a strong African subregional bloc that focuses on industrialisation, food security, and adventure tourism and isas a stable and effective bloc in international relations.

(NAN)

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The South-east caucus of the National Assembly has urged tertiary institutions in the zone to comply with the verification request of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) for disbursement of loans to students.

The caucus via its leaders, Enyinnaya Abaribe and Igariwey Enwo, made the call in a statement in Abuja on Sunday.

It said that the verification would allow students from institutions in the South-east zone to benefit from the national programme.

The caucus said it had observed the absence of beneficiaries from schools in tertiary institutions in the South-east in the list of beneficiaries of the students loans being disbursed by NELFUND.

According to the caucus, out of the N2.9 billion already disbursed to 27,667 students from 19 institutions in the country, South-east higher institutions are conspicuously missing from the list.

It said that NELFUND, in its defence, had stated that absence of beneficiaries of South-east institutions was because the institutions were yet to respond to NELFUNDs request for verification of lists sent to the institutions.

The caucus, therefore, encouraged all students in the region who needed the support to ensure they applied for the loan.

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It said that this would help ameliorate some of the challenges limiting access to higher education, self-development and growth.

It is important that as a people, we do not intentionally marginalise ourselves from opportunities which are open to all Nigerians.

Those opportunities are our right and we must, like others, demand for what rightfully belongs to us, the caucus said.

(NAN)

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The Director General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ahmed Abubakar, has resigned.

Mr Abubakar who spent seven years in office, serving two administrations of President Bola Tinubu and former President Muhammadu Buhari, announced his resignation on Saturday after meeting with the president in Abuja.

After the briefing, I tendered my resignation and Mr President graciously approved and accepted the resignation, Channels Television quoted him as telling State House reporters.

The intelligence chief, appointed in 2018, said he resigned due to personal, family issues.

I discussed with Mr President, he understood very well and I promised to remain committed with issues under security situations in the country, he said.

There are quite a number of reasons one would do that. Some personal, family issues. But nothing very serious actually, he said.

When asked about the presidents reaction to his decision, the former DG declined to comment, saying it would be inappropriate to disclose the details of his conversation with the president.

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However, he said the president or the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) could issue a statement about it.

Mr Abubakar said he had during his seven years in office mentored young officers who he believes can do the job excellently well.

Who is Mr Abubakar?

Mr Abubakar, an indigene of Katsina State, was appointed as NIA DG in 2018 by former President Muhammadu Buhari. His tenure was further extended in December 2021.

In 1993, the 71-year-old retired career foreign service officer joined the security department of the Nigerian Foreign Service.

Also, he was appointed senior special assistant to the president on international relations and foreign affairs in 2015.

Mr Abubakar, a multilingual security chief, bagged his bachelors and masters degrees in French from the Bayero University in Kano.

Apart from French, he also speaks English and Arabic.

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The State Security Service has detained a Nigerian journalist, Adejuwon Soyinka, who is the West African Regional Editor of the Conversation Africa, PREMIUM TIMES learnt on Sunday.

Mr Soyinka, a former pioneer editor of the BBC Pidgin Service, was detained by SSS operatives at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos at about 5.40 a.m. on Sunday upon his arrival from the United Kingdom via a Virgin Atlantic flight

As of the time of this report, no reason has been given for his detention by the security agency.

When contacted over the matter, the spokesperson for the SSS, Peter Afunanya, said, I am not aware of the matter you have raised and have no comments on it, please.

The award-winning journalists colleagues said he has not been reachable as messages and calls to his phone have been unanswered.

Nigerian authorities had recently said that some Nigerians who played roles in the recent #endbadgovernanceyinNigeria protest had been placed on watchlist at the nations international airports.

It is unclear if Mr Adejuwons arrest is related to that controversial action, although the journalist is not publicly known to have participated in the organisation and execution of the protest.

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Several journalists covering the ten-day protest were attacked and brutalised by security agents, including personnel of the SSS.

In one shocking case in Abuja, operatives shot live ammunition at a car carrying some journalists who were on duty at the Moshood Abiola Stadium where peaceful protesters gathered.

Nigerias depressing state of press freedom

Nigerian journalists and activists have continuously decried the deteriorating state of press freedom in Nigeria, especially in the last one year under President Bola Tinubu.

More than 100 attacks on journalists have been verified in Nigeria this year, according to the Press Attack Tracker. The attacks on the press and journalists are primarily by state actors with the police accounting for almost 50 per cent of the all harassments faced by journalists in the first half of the year.

The military and the SSS are also prominent culprits, arbitrarily arresting and detaining journalists unlawfully.

Notable cases of harassments, unlawful detention

On 15 March, men in military uniform arrived at the home of Segun Olatunji, then the editor of FirstNews, after forcing his wife to take them to the house. He was subsequently taken without providing reasons or his whereabouts to his family, lawyers and colleagues. The journalist was flown to Abuja where he was held for close to two weeks after which he was released following the intervention of organisations such as the International Press Institute (IPI) Nigeria and the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE).

Like Mr Olatunji, Daniel Ojukwu of the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ) was abducted and detained with his family, lawyers and colleagues unknown of his whereabouts. He was also not allowed to contact anyone for days. By the time his family found him at the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Panti, Lagos, the police flew him to Abuja. The journalist was held for nine days before he was released on bail.

Since then, many other journalists have faced different forms of harassment including detentions and invitations without genuine reasons.

Other journalists who have faced these harassments include Nurudeen Akewushola and Dayo Aiyetan, both of the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR), who were detained four hours at the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre (NPF-NCCC) over a story they published; Emmanuel Agbo who was invited by the police over a yet-to-be-published story.

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Ben Kalus message to Gov Otti, LP

Last Monday, we brought you a report about the boast by the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ben Kalu, that the All Progressives Congress (APC) will produce the next governor of Abia State in 2027.

Mr Kalu, an APC member, said the Labour Party (LP) and Governor Alex Otti would not be allowed to govern the South-eastern state again.

The Abia State-born lawmaker represents Bende Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives.

Mr Otti was elected governor of Abia State under the LP platform in 2023 and will conclude his first tenure on 29 May 2027.

Mr Kalus remarks, which the LP and the PDP have challenged, had elicited several reactions, with many suggesting the deputy speaker was asking Mr Otti to join the APC.

Amnesty accuses security agencies of enforced disappearances in south-east Nigeria

Amnesty International Nigeria, last Monday, accused Nigerian security agencies of failing to account for the whereabouts of many residents who were arrested in the South-east.

The group said the arrested victims were often accused of being members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

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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.

Amnesty listed some victims who had gone missing after allegedly being arrested or abducted by security operatives.

The right group 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.

Enugu govts demolition of kidnappers hideouts

Last Tuesday, the Enugu State Government threatened to demolish buildings and other properties allegedly used for abetting kidnapping in the state.

The government said the decision to demolish such properties was in line with the amended Criminal Code Law of Enugu State 2017.

It said the efforts were intended to rid the state of kidnapping and other crimes.

On Wednesday, police announced the killing of 27 suspected kidnappers by a team of security operatives in the state.

The slain suspects were made of different kidnap gangs operating across communities in Enugu East Council Area of the state, according to the police.

The following day, the Enugu State Government demolished structures and properties used by the slain suspects.

The development marked the first time the state government would demolish buildings linked to kidnapping.

Nnamdi Kanus legal team urges Tinubu to hold talks with the IPOB leader

Efforts to secure the release of Nnamdi Kanu continued on Wednesday, with the legal team of the IPOB leader urging President Bola Tinubu to hold talks with him.

The legal team, headed by Nnaemeka Ejiofor, suggested that Mr Kanus release had become imperative given that the president recently freed certain individuals who were similarly being tried for offences against the country.

Alleged invasion of churches in Anambra

A report surfaced last Sunday alleging that some soldiers invaded Catholic churches and dispersed worshippers at Umunze, a community in Orumba South Local Government Area of Anambra State.

But the Nigerian army dismissed the report on Thursday, explaining that the soldiers only conducted a cordon and search operation in the area and did not invade churches.

UK, Abia govt partner to drive economic development

Last week, the United Kingdom and the Abia State Government discussed a partnership deal to drive investments and economic development in Abia State.

Governor Alex Otti of Abia State and the British High Commissioner in Nigeria, Richard Montgomery, held talks with key government officials and business leaders during Mr Montgomerys two-day visit to the state.

Family of slain truck driver demands justice, seeks Tinubus intervention

On Friday, the family of a slain truck driver in Abia State, Chinedu Ukwu, appealed for President Bola Tinubus intervention in their quest for justice.

Mr Ukwu, a father of four, died on 14 August after being hit by a stray bullet during a reported shootout between two police teams in Aba, Abia State.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that the shootout occurred between police patrol teams from Police Area Command in Aba and another police team from Umuahia, the state capital.

Anambra doctors begin to strike over colleagues kidnap

We also brought you a report that doctors in Anambra State embarked on an indefinite strike on Thursday to protest the kidnap of their colleague, Stephen Ezeh, who was held captive since 15 August.

The development highlights the worsening state of insecurity in Southeast Nigeria.

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The police have announced that two of their personnel were killed when persons suspected to be members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) attacked a checkpoint.

Abuja police spokesperson Josephine Adeh said in a Sunday statement that the attack occurred in the Wuse area of the Nigerian capital, Abuja.

She said three police patrol vehicles were also set ablaze in the attack.

The FCT police command wishes to confirm an unprovoked attack by the proscribed Islamic Movement of Nigeria, popularly known as the Shiite group, on some personnel of the Nigeria Police Force attached to FCT command at Wuse Junction by traffic light, where two (2) police personnel were killed, three left unconscious in the hospital, and three (3) Police patrol vehicles set ablaze, she wrote.

Ms Adeh said the attackers wielded machetes, improvised explosive devices (locally made bombs in bottles with kerosene), and knives.

She, however, did not disclose the time or day of the attack.

The police spokesperson said some suspects have been arrested and the FCT Commissioner of Police, Benneth Igweh, has promised to bring all the attackers to justice.

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Ms Adeh said peace had been restored in the area.

The situation is presently under control and normalcy restored, she wrote.

PREMIUM TIMES reports that the police and other security agencies have had repeated clashes with the Shiite IMN leading to scores of deaths, mainly on the part of the IMN.

The crisis escalated in 2015 when soldiers killed over 300 Shiite members who allegedly blocked a road being used by the then-army chief, Tukur Buratai.

Many IMN members, including its leader, Ibraheem El-Zakzaky, and his wife, Zeenah, were arrested after that incident.

That incident was condemned by human rights groups including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.

No soldier was prosecuted for the 2015 incident but Mr El-Zakzaky and his wife were detained for several years despite court orders until their release last year.

However, since the 2015 incident, there have been other clashes between the IMN and security agencies.

The clashes often result from security clampdowns on members of the group when they hold their rallies, with roads blocked despite warnings by security agencies.

PREMIUM TIMES reported in July that the police banned the Abuja procession of the group which was meant to commemorate the 2024 Islamic calendar day of Ashura.

Read the full statement by Ms Adeh below.

SHIITE ATTACK ON FIVE POLICE OFFICERS IN WUSE:, TWO POLICE OFFICERS CONFIRMED DEAD, THREE LEFT UNCONSCIOUS.

As police effect several arrests.

The FCT police command wishes to confirm an unprovoked attack by the proscribed Islamic Movement of Nigeria, popularly known as the Shiite group, on some personnel of the Nigeria Police Force attached to FCT command at Wuse Junction by traffic light, where two (2) police personnel were killed, three left unconscious in the hospital, and three (3) Police patrol vehicles set ablaze.

The proscribed organisation attacked the police checkpoint unprovoked, wielding machetes, improvised explosive devices (locally made bombs in bottles with kerosene), and knives.

While several arrests have been effected, the Commissioner of Police FCT, CP Benneth C. Igweh, Psc. mni. Condemns the unprovoked attack on Police officers. He promises to bring those involved to book.

The situation is presently under control and normalcy restored.

Further development will be communicated in due course.

SP Josephine Adeh, Anipr

Police Public Relations Officer

For: the commissioner of police, FCT, Abuja.

25/08/2024

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Syrian President Bashar Assad addresses the People's Assembly in Damascus, Syria, Aug. 25, 2024. (Syrian Presidency/Handout via Xinhua)

DAMASCUS, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- Syrian President Bashar Assad said on Sunday that improving Syria-Turkiye relations requires mutual respect for sovereignty and a true commitment to addressing the root causes of their tensions.

Despite high-level meetings mediated by Russia, Iran, and Iraq over the past five years, little progress has been made due to the absence of a clear framework and guiding principles, Assad said when addressing the People's Assembly, Syria's legislative authority.

"For any normalization of relations to occur, Turkiye must reverse the policies that have led to the current situation, including the withdrawal of Turkish forces from Syrian territory and the cessation of support for terrorist groups," he said.

Assad emphasized that these are not mere conditions but fundamental requirements for successful diplomacy. He called for a formal agreement between Syria and Turkiye that outlines the principles for future negotiations and ensures that all steps are aligned with international law and the sovereignty of both countries.

Meanwhile, he said Syria must remain steadfast in defending its sovereignty and pursuing its national interests amid current global tensions.

"Our capacity to influence events within our borders depends not just on military and economic power but on our collective will to resist external pressures," he said, adding that Syria would continue to seek solutions that protect its territorial integrity and national dignity.

"We will not abandon any of our rights under any circumstances, nor will we ask others to relinquish theirs. This is a principle that guides our approach to all negotiations," he said.

Formal diplomatic relations between Syria and Turkiye were severed following the onset of the Syrian civil war in 2011, with Turkiye backing opposition groups against the Assad government. While there have been signs of thawing relations in recent years, substantial progress remains elusive. 

Syrian President Bashar Assad addresses the People's Assembly in Damascus, Syria, Aug. 25, 2024. (Syrian Presidency/Handout via Xinhua)

Syrian President Bashar Assad addresses the People's Assembly in Damascus, Syria, Aug. 25, 2024. (Syrian Presidency/Handout via Xinhua)

Syrian President Bashar Assad gestures at People's Assembly in Damascus, Syria, Aug. 25, 2024. (Syrian Presidency/Handout via Xinhua)
The Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC) has arrested 20 individuals for engaging in open defecation at Ojodu Berger area of the state.

The states commissioner of Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, announced the arrest on his X handle on Sunday.

During patrol and monitoring of Ojodu  Berger yesterday (Saturday) night and early hours of today (Sunday), operatives of the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps #LAGESCOfficial arrested 20 individuals for committing environmental infractions, Mr Wahab wrote.

Earlier during the week, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Gaji Tajudeen, announced the plan to commence prosecution of people engaging in open defecation particularly along Berger Expressway.

Mr Tajudeen said the enforcement was aimed at preventing the spread of communicable diseases like cholera in the state.

As part of its advocacy campaign against open defecation, officials from the ministry of environment visited the location to enlighten residents on the importance of proper sanitation.

Lagos leads recent cholera outbreaks

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According to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), improper refuse disposal and open defecation practices are endangering water safety and leading to cholera outbreaks.

As of 11 August, a total of 5,951 suspected cases including 176 deaths have been reported from 36 states.

The NCDC cholera situation report shows Lagos State is leading the infection chart with 3,758 cases, representing 63 per cent of the total suspected cases nationwide.

Following Lagos State are Bayelsa with 481 cases; Katsina, 319; Ebonyi, 154; Abia, 130 cases; and Zamfara, 108 cases.

Suspected cases of cholera in the current year have increased by 108 per cent compared to what was reported as at Epi-week 32 in 2023. Likewise, cumulative deaths recorded have increased by 105 per cent in 2024, NCDC noted in the report.

Prevention of cholera

According to the NCDC cholera advisory, people of all ages living in places with limited access to clean water are more susceptible to cholera.

It noted that people living in areas with poor sanitation and poor hygiene, slum areas where basic water or sanitation infrastructure is missing, or do not perform hand hygiene are also at risk.

To reduce the risk of cholera, the NCDC advised the public to ensure that water is boiled and stored in a clean and covered container before drinking, practice good personal hand hygiene by washing your hands frequently with soap under clean running water.

Use alcohol-based hand sanitiser if soap and clean water are not available. Ensure that food is well cooked before consumption. Only consume raw food such as fruits and vegetables, after washing thoroughly with safe water.

It also advised against open defecation and indiscriminate refuse dumping, urging residents to ensure proper waste disposal and frequent clearing of sewage.

NCDC also advised health workers to always practise standard safety precautions, including wearing gloves while handling patients or providing care to an ill patient/relative.

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The IPI Nigeria has condemned the arrest and detention of a Nigerian journalist, Adejuwon Soyinka, for six hours in Lagos on Sunday by the State Security Service (SSS).

SSS operatives picked Mr Soyinka up at about 5:40 a.m. on Sunday at the Muhammed Muritala International Airport, Lagos, shortly after he arrived from the United Kingdom.

He was released on bail after about six-hour detention.

The SSS seized his passport as part of the bail conditions.

SSS told PREMIUM TIMES that its operatives arrested him based on a request from another agency.

The details of the requesting agency or the offences over which Mr Soyinka was held have not been provided.

In a Sunday statement, IPI Nigeria said that Mr Soyinkas arrest fits into the pattern of a systematic clampdown on journalists across the country since President Tinubu assumed office on 29 May 2023.

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We hereby demand the immediate and unconditional release of Mr Soyinkas international passport.

We also demand a commitment from the federal government to uphold the freedom of the press and stop further harassment and intimidation of journalists, the statement said.

Read IPI Nigerias full press release below.

IPI NIGERIA CONDEMNS ARREST OF MR ADEJUWON SOYINKA, REGIONAL EDITOR, WEST AFRICA, THE CONVERSATION AFRICA, DEMANDS RELEASE OF HIS PASSPORT

We hereby condemn the arrest of the Regional Editor, West Africa of the Conversation Africa and Pioneer Editor of the BBC Pidgin Service, Adejuwon Soyinka, by officers of the State Security Service (SSS) in Lagos.

Mr Soyinka was arrested and taken into custody at the Muritala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos around 5.40am on Sunday the 25th of August, 2024 shortly after he arrived Nigeria via a Virgin Atlantic flight from the United Kingdom.

Following the intervention of IPI Nigeria, the SSS released Mr Soyinka on bail after detaining him for not less than six hours.

However, the secret police are still holding on to his international passport.

Although no reason has been given for his arrest and subsequent detention, we view the action of the SSS as part of a plot to intimidate and harass journalists by the President Bola Tinubu administration.

Mr Soyinkas arrest and detention are not isolated cases.

Since President Tinubu assumed office on May 29, 2023, we have noticed a systematic clampdown on journalists across the country.

The gestapo manner with which Segun Olatunji was arrested and flew from Lagos to Abuja is still fresh in mind.

During the #ENDBADGOVERNANCEINNIGERIA protests across the nation, journalists were directly shot at reminiscent of the dark days of the military.

Hiding under the Cybercrime Act, the police have embarked on indiscriminate harassment and arrest of journalists.

For the flimsiest reason, journalists are being invited or arrested. The plan is to stop journalists from carrying out their legitimate duty.

We hereby demand the immediate and unconditional release of Mr Soyinkas international passport.

We also demand a commitment from the federal government to uphold the freedom of the press and stop further harassment and intimidation of journalists.

In the main, we advise journalists to be vigilant and go about their reportorial duty with the highest commitment to professional ethics.

Ahmed Shekarau

Secretary

Tobi Soniyi

Legal Adviser/Chair, Advocacy Committee

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Federal Ministry of Tourism has unveiled a draft of the national tourism policy aimed at establishing Nigerias global tourism leadership.

The Minister of Tourism, Lola Ade-John, disclosed this in a virtual meeting with stakeholders on Saturday in Abuja.

The minister said the policy was a significant stride towards advancing Nigerias tourism sector.

She added that it was achieved through collaboration with the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) and key stakeholders.

According to her, the crucial document marks a pivotal moment in Nigerias journey to harness the vast potential of its tourism industry and align it with global standards and sustainable practices.

The minister emphasised the policys transformative potential by highlighting its strategic focus on sustainable tourism, community engagement, and diversification of tourism products as essential pillars.

She further said this would drive Nigerias economic growth, job creation, and cultural preservation.

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This draft policy is a testament to our collective dedication to repositioning Nigerias tourism sector as a critical driver of economic diversification.

We are committed to implementing frameworks that ensure accountability, foster green initiatives, and empower women and youths, the minister said.

Comprehensive approach

She said the draft policy reflected a comprehensive approach, addressing critical areas such as digital transformation and sectoral synergies with aviation.

Mrs Ade-John said the policy is expected to be finalised in October, and a presentation to the Federal Executive Council is scheduled for November.

She said that stakeholder inclusivity had been prioritised throughout the policy development process, ensuring that the voices of all relevant sectors were considered.

The next steps involve further consultations and validation to refine the document before its implementation.

The presentation concluded with a commitment to continuous collaboration and dialogue among stakeholders to ensure the successful realisation of the policys objectives, she said.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that top government officials, private sector representatives, and key industry stakeholders attended the meeting.

(NAN)

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Many Nigerians have condemned the early Sunday arrest of a journalist, Adejuwon Soyinka, at the Muhammed Murtala International Airport, Lagos, on his arrival from the United Kingdom. They also expressed worry over the growing trend of harassment of journalists in the country.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that SSS operatives arrested Mr Soyinka at the airport on his arrival via a Virgin Atlantic flight.

In a flood of reactions following PREMIUM TIMES tweeted story of the arrest on X on Sunday, many Nigerians spontaneously took to the comment section to express their outrage about the arrest and detention.

The post had garnered 165 comments, over 1,000 reposts, and more than 140,000 views as of Sunday evening.

After being picked up at the airport, Mr Soyinka was driven to the SSS headquarters annexe in Ikoyi, Lagos, andafter about six hours of detention.

SSS operatives seized his passport to release him on bail.

The reason for Mr Soyinkas arrest is still unknown, although SSS said without giving details that its operatives arrested him based on a request from another agency.

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Meanwhile, hours after his release, reported by PREMIUM TIMES, many Nigerians continued to react in anger to the tweeted story of the detention of the journalist.

Many of the commentators painted a picture of how it has become President Tinubus governments stock-in-trade to harass journalists and suppress dissenting and critical voices.

They said Mr Soyinkas arrest is the latest in a series of government attempts to limit Nigerias civic space and curtail the right to freedom of expression.

Nigerians react in anger

Hunt for Journalists up and down in just 1 year and 3 months. Is there still light at the end of the Nigeria tunnel? an X user, @Obed Obaa, wrote.

Another user, @Amourab, said Mr Soyinkas arrest might be foretelling a broader picture. Theyre going for the journalists. I pray Nigerians wake up one day to see the bigger picture and fight for a country that works, the tweet read.

@MOOD OBIDIENT stressed the importance of freedom of the press and urged Nigerians to rise against tyranny. Freedom of the press is not just important to democracy, it is democracy. Nigeria currently runs a Kleptocracy system of Government. The citizens must rise against tyranny.

Why is the government having issues with journalists, are we back to the military regime? @Aremu Adeola, another X user, questioned.

Another user, @Giovanni, wrote: The ability of a free and independent press to hold political leaders accountable is what makes open government possibleit is the heartbeat of democracy. This recent attack on investigative journalists is quite worrisome and should be condemned!

Many others, like @SirMcAwesome247, described the attacks on the Fourth Estate of the Realm as worrisome.

Our journalists should not be harassed into a position where theyre unable to do their jobs, the reply post read.

@Future stated: First it was PIDOM now Adejuwon. Freedom of Speech is gradually dying in Nigeria. I once knew a Country.

@OnileGogoro cried out to Elon Musk, who owns X, to help protect journalists. The user wrote, Really dangerous times for Investigative Journalists in Nigeria @elonmusk, please lend us your voice! The Nigerian Government is trying to silence free speech and journalists.

Deteriorating state of press freedom

Nigerian authorities recently said that some Nigerians who played key roles in the recent #EndBadGovernance protests had been placed on watchlist at the nations international airports.

It is unclear if Mr Soyinkas arrest is related to that controversial action, although the journalist is not publicly known to have participated in organising and executing the protest.

Several journalists covering the ten-day protest were attacked and brutalised by security agents, including personnel of the SSS.

In one shocking case in Abuja, operatives shot live ammunition at a car carrying some journalists who were on duty at the Moshood Abiola Stadium, where peaceful protesters gathered.

Nigerian journalists and activists have continuously decried the deteriorating state of press freedom in Nigeria, especially in the last one year under President Bola Tinubu.

More than 100 attacks on journalists have been verified in Nigeria this year, according to the Press Attack Tracker. The attacks on the press and journalists are primarily by state actors, with the police accounting for almost 50 per cent of all harassment faced by journalists in the first half of the year.

The military and the SSS are also prominent culprits, arbitrarily arresting and detaining journalists unlawfully.

Notable cases

On Wednesday, 1 May, a journalist with the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), Daniel Ojukwu, was abducted by the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) of the Inspector General of Police for a story which revealed that the senior special assistant to former President Muhammad Buhari on sustainable development goals (SSAP-SDGs), Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, allegedly paid N147 million to a restaurant for the construction of classrooms in Lagos.

Also, in May, another journalist with WikkiTimes, Yawale Adamu, was reportedly being threatened by a political aide to the member of the House of Representatives representing the Jamaare Itas Federal Constituency in the National Assembly over a story he did accusing the lawmaker of politicising distribution of aid from the North East Development Commission (NEDC).

Also in May, the Nigerian Police Force Cybercrime Centre (NPF-NCCC) detained the Executive Director of the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR), Dayo Aiyetan, and an investigative journalist with the platform, Nurudeen Akewushola, for over nine hours after honouring their invitation.

In June, PREMIUM TIMES reporter Emmanuel Agbo was also summoned over a yet-to-be-published report he was working on.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) reported that at least 56 journalists were assaulted or harassed by security forces or unidentified citizens while covering the recent anti-government #EndBadGovernance demonstrations.

Recently, the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) reported that Nigeria remained one of West Africas most dangerous and difficult countries for journalists.

According to RSF, which ranked Nigeria 123 of 180 countries in its global press freedom report for 2023, Nigerian journalists are regularly monitored, attacked and arbitrarily arrested, and crimes committed against journalists continue to go unpunished, even when the perpetrators are known or apprehended.

In May, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) and the Nigerian Guild of Editors called on the Nigerian authorities to stop using repressive and anti-media laws such as the Cybercrime Act and some codes of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to target, intimidate, and harass journalists and media houses.

UNESCO also recently called on all authorities worldwide to prioritise the duty and responsibility to ensure the safety of journalists covering protests, in accordance with international norms and human rights obligations.

However, despite calls and criticism, the Security continued to attack and also refused to respond to calls on the need to stop attacking journalists in Nigeria.

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As part of the drive to eradicate malaria in Nigeria, the Federal Government has enlisted the support of prominent business leaders.

The government said Aliko Dangote, Chairman of Dangote Group; Femi Otedola, Chairman of Geregu Power Plc; and Tony Elumelu, Chairman of Heirs Holdings will lead the charge against the disease.

Tunji Alausa, Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, inaugurated the Nigeria End Malaria Council on Friday in Abuja.

Mr Alausa said the industry heavyweights would collaborate with the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF), National Assembly joint Health Committees and womens organisations.

He said government has tasked the appointees with the task of reducing, and potentially eliminating, the malaria scourge in the country.

The minister emphasised the urgency of addressing malaria prevalence in the country, which led to the establishment of the council,

According to him, the diseases prevalence makes it urgently expedient to explore every option available to address it.

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The Nigeria End Malaria Council was established on Aug. 16, 2017 by former President Muhammadu Buhari.

Its primary objectives are to keep malaria high on national and state agendas, and secure strong political commitment from leaders.

It is also to mobilise resources, particularly from the private sector, to close resource gaps in the national malaria strategic plan, he said. .

He said that the council had been unable to meet since 2022 due to the change in government and other operational challenges, adding that the Secretariat, however, remained functional.

He said that the country contributes over a quarter of global malaria cases and about a third of the more than 600,000 malaria deaths worldwide, mostly affecting children and pregnant women.

It is sad to note that malaria contributes about 25 per cent to 30 per cent of childhood mortality and about 60 per cent of hospital attendance.

Similarly, malaria is a major cause of absenteeism in schools, markets, and workplaces, as well as a significant out-of-pocket expense for most households in the country, he said.

He also recalled Nigerias involvement in the Ministerial Conference on Malaria in Yaounde, Cameroon, where, alongside 10 other high-burden countries, it signed a Declaration to scale up interventions against malaria.

According to him, this was followed by the Rethinking Malaria Elimination in Nigeria.

It was a roundtable which brought together major stakeholders and global players to identify challenges and strategise on eliminating malaria.

Highlighting the enormity of the challenge, he said that Nigeria currently had a population of over 200 million, and the entire population is at risk of malaria.

This puts a huge challenge on the Government and requires a different approach to tackle the disease, he said.

He, however, acknowledged that while current interventions like antimalarial medicines and protective measures such as treated nets and insecticides were essential, they remain insufficient.

He pointed out that much of the support for the interventions came from donors, which is neither adequate nor sustainable.

Alausa referenced the African Leaders Malaria Alliance (ALMA) launched in 2009 and the Malaria Scorecard developed in 2011 to monitor the countrys performance.

He said that no country had ever eliminated malaria through donor support alone.

The minister handed over the leadership of the Council to Dangote, who has served as Nigerias Malaria Ambassador as well as a member of the Global End Malaria Council.

He expressed confidence in the newly inaugurated Council.

Outlining the Councils critical role, he said The major objective of this body was to contribute to a reduction in the malaria burden and possibly the elimination of malaria in Nigeria.

According to the minister, eliminating malaria will ultimately lead to an improvement in the quality of lives of all Nigerians.

By reason of your positions in Nigeria, your passion towards health issues, especially malaria, and the interest groups you represent, your membership to this Council is inevitable for the benefit of the larger society, he said.

The Nigeria End Malaria Council Secretariat, led by its Executive Secretary, Ope Abegunde, was also handed over to the Council, signaling the governments commitment to making malaria history in Nigeria.

At the inaugural meeting of the Council, Mr Dangote urged the members to tackle malaria head-on.

He acknowledged the members collective strength across government, civil society, religion, and business, and highlighted their unique ability to mobilise resources for the national malaria programme .

He also outlined the councils primary objectives of ensuring that malaria elimination remained high on Nigerias agenda.

He, however, said that it would be possible with strong political commitment from leaders at all levels, and advocacy at both the national and state levels to secure sufficient funding.

Mr Dangote urged the council to be alive to its responsibility of protecting the progress made so far, sustaining it, and ensuring that the country is on an irreversible pathway to ending malaria for good.

READ ALSO: How govt can tackle malaria scourge decisively in Nigeria Don

I want to appreciate your acceptance to serve our beloved country in this capacity, and I am glad to join hands with you to reduce the burden and deaths due to malaria in Nigeria, he said

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that the council members will mobilise funds needed to ensure that Malaria is eliminated in the country.

(NAN)

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Airstrikes by the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) have eliminated many terrorists in Kaduna and Zamfara states, and destroyed 25 illegal refining sites in Imo and Rivers states, an official has said.

The Director of Public Relations and Information, NAF, Edward Gabkwet, made this known in a statement on Sunday in Abuja.

Mr Gabkwet said the Air Component of Operation Whirl Punch had continued in its efforts to track, locate and eliminate the terrorists responsible for the recent upsurge of terrorists activities.

He said that intelligence had revealed that terrorists responsible for recent attacks on civilians, abductions and cattle rustling within Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger were domiciled in Kaduna State.

According to him, additional intelligence revealed the sightings of these terrorists relocating from Alawa Forest in Niger, to their stronghold in Malum Forest in Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

Consequently, the Air Component planned and executed an Air Interdiction mission on the terrorists stronghold at Malum Forest on Aug 21.

Battle damage assessment and feedback from local sources revealed several of the terrorists were eliminated as a result of the strike.

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Similar strikes were also conducted on terrorists hideouts at Bayan Ruwa in Maradun Local Government Area of Zamfara.

The terrorists were tracked to the zinc-roofed structures in a vegetated area with few footpaths and a river line North West of the location.

The targets were then acquired and engaged in successive passes, he said.

In the Niger Delta, Mr Gabkwet said that the air component of Operation Delta Safe destroyed 25 illegal refining sites and overhead tanks in Ohaji/Egbema in Imo and Degema and Cawthorne Channel in Rivers.

READ ALSO: NAFDAC intercepts petrol tankers carrying edible oil in Lagos

He said that a leaking pipeline was observed with the leakage spreading across over 150 metres radius in Greenville in Rivers.

According to him, the leakage has its attendant negative consequences on the vegetation, aquatic habitats and farmlands.

(NAN)

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The upcoming presidential election in America would likely be one of its most consequential in recent memory, and understandably, Mr Trump commands the highest attention. All eyes are centred on him and the MAGA crowd, to see how they would react, especially if the result does no go their way. James Baldwin often joked about his own large, bulbous eyes; he called them bug eyes Those eyes may focus on America as Kamala Harris compete with Donald Trump this November.

Recently, I woke up to the UK Guardian and the eulogy of Kenan Malik to James Baldwin, a Black American writer and a thinker of great intellect. Bruce Malogo had hoisted the Malik piece on The Oeuvre platform, a book club of diverse palettes to which we both subscribe, with Fred Ohwahwa, Eniola Olakunrin, Wale Fatade, Chukwuma Nwokoh et al. James Baldwin, the subject of Maliks eulogy, was born in Harlem on 2 August, 1924, into a Black family in the suffocating grip of poverty during the segregation era in America.

Back in the day, lynching was common, especially in the southern parts of the country. Black lives didnt matter. For Blacks in the Segregation era, life was uncertain and dangerous in America. Reading the eulogy on James Baldwins birthday, it is rankling how colour really mattered just a few generations back. It is also striking that Baldwin lived a relatively short life, unlike Geoffrey Dearmer, a British poet of the period, who lived to be 103, and Genevieve Callerot, a French novelist who is still alive at 108. Baldwin died in 1997 at the age of 63. He would have turned 100 this August had he lived longer, like Dearmer or Callerot.

The posthumous tribute on Baldwins centenary birthday opens a latent dam, sending down a flurry of personal recollections of the great writer I met as an undergraduate in Ife four decades ago. Baldwin always pulls his readers by the collar and leads them into the deeper ends of the pool. There, he deftly immerses them, neck-deep, into the nuances of race and colour in the America of his time.

His many famous works, including Giovannis Room (1956), The Fire Next Time (1963), and Tell Me How Long the Trains Been Gone (1968), tally the immense human cost of race bigotry. But I like A Letter to My Nephew the most. First published in the Progressive Magazine in 1962, later in The Fire Next Time, the letter reads like a lament, a cautionary tale on the racial cesspit in pre-civil rights America. A Letter to My Nephew is addressed to a young Black male who he also calls James, born into a society which spelt out with brutal clarity  that he is a worthless human being, not expected to aspire to excellence (but) to make peace with mediocrity.

But Baldwin implores that his nephew, James, should pay no heed to false narrations by Whites on Black inferiority, because they arose from a racists worldview not based on true reflection but on the sad insecurity of (the) white countrymen. Rather than seeking to be accepted by Whites, he urged his young nephew to find a place in his heart to accept the Whites, to pity rather than resenting the perpetrators of racism, because they are trapped in a history they do not understand. Baldwins counsel to James reads like an excerpt from Jesus Sermon on the Mount, or the absolution of Christ for his traducers at Calvary.

For him, exile was a tactical escape at the time to prevent madness, violence and suicide. Later, he wrote on the voluntary emigration, that he felt chewed up by (New York) City and the strains that came with being Black in the city. You look for a place to live. You look for a job, and society has decided to transform you into nothing. I knew what was going to happen to me. I didnt think I could survive the race problems.

The activist-writer went on a voluntary exile to Paris, as the initial clouds of racial conflict gathered over America in 1948, and did not return until 1957. For him, exile was a tactical escape at the time to prevent madness, violence and suicide. Later, he wrote on the voluntary emigration, that he felt chewed up by (New York) City and the strains that came with being Black in the city. You look for a place to live. You look for a job, and society has decided to transform you into nothing. I knew what was going to happen to me. I didnt think I could survive the race problems.

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The bedrock of the official segregation that Baldwin often wrote about was somehow fractured in the summer of 1964, when Congress passed the Civil Rights Act. It became illegal in America to discriminate on account of race, colour, religion, sex or national origin. The Voting Rights Acts followed in 1965 to outlaw the discriminatory voting edicts enacted in many southern states after the Civil War to exclude Blacks from voting. The racial winter of the Jim Crow type has somehow thawed since the 1970s; African-Americans have gradually climbed out of the cesspits James Baldwin often describes in his books.

The lexicon of race has mutated too. The N-word is no longer an openly acceptable currency in gentrified circles; now, unlike in the days of James Baldwin, it is suave and more nuanced. KKK doesnt openly roam American streets looking for Black skulls to crack. A Black president, Barack Obama, was even installed in the White House in 2008, though four years later than Robert Kennedy forecasted at the height of the Civil-Rights riots in 1964.

Could James Baldwin now rest in peace at his centenary, pleased that America has somehow bruised its racial serpent? Most probably, he could not. He had rightly predicted that beneficiaries of racism would always want to rouse its ghost in America. He warned, as President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act in 1964, that White supremacy mutates; it doesnt just disappear. The fiery writer was talking about the 400 years of difficult race relations in America. He knew that society does not fully rotate like an owls neck, especially on delicate issues like racial segregation that had abided with his nation since birth.

Trump promised in his first term to Make America Great Again, hence his MAGA acronym, but his opponents, mostly Democrats, felt it was a ploy to evoke the ghost of race and take America back to the precinct of Jim Crow. MAGA, they insisted, was a dog whistle to rally the Whites against the growing multiculturalism in America. They now allege that Project 2025 is a desperate effort by the far right, alias MAGA, to lead America back to the infamous era that James Baldwin had worked against all his life.

Most Americans credibly believe that racism is still mutating, even in this election cycle, in the centenary of James Baldwin. They point to Project 2025, a 900-page document crafted by the far right to guide Donald Trump in office if he wins. Trump promised in his first term to Make America Great Again, hence his MAGA acronym, but his opponents, mostly Democrats, felt it was a ploy to evoke the ghost of race and take America back to the precinct of Jim Crow. MAGA, they insisted, was a dog whistle to rally the Whites against the growing multiculturalism in America. They now allege that Project 2025 is a desperate effort by the far right, alias MAGA, to lead America back to the infamous era that James Baldwin had worked against all his life.

Critics point to offending clauses in Project 2025 that want to expunge every law on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusiveness (DEI). They point to limits emplaced by some Red States, like Florida, on teaching about slavery in school curriculums. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) also worries that instead of making America great, the Project 2025 plans would worsen systemic inequalities in education, healthcare, and economic opportunities, all of which gave James Baldwin sleepless nights in the 1960s.

Of course, these are legitimate fears for most of Mr Trumps foes. His past records in office show that he is a credible threat to the left, especially on matters of race. He made no pretensions to inclusiveness and unabashedly packed the Supreme Court with ultra-conservative white justices who have already made some landmark decisions for the right. In 2017, President Trump publicly adulated a group of Klansmen and neo-Nazis who were breaking bones in Charlottesville, Virginia, describing them as very fine people. Writing on that event, someone noted that such open support for bigotry from high office had not been witnessed since 1963, when Governor George Wallace of Alabama sided with the white supremacists trying to stop the admission of Black students into the State university.

The upcoming presidential election in America would likely be one of its most consequential in recent memory, and understandably, Mr Trump commands the highest attention. All eyes are centred on him and the MAGA crowd, to see how they would react, especially if the result does no go their way. James Baldwin often joked about his own large, bulbous eyes; he called them bug eyes. The poet Amiri Baraka described them as two television tubes in the eulogy to Baldwin at his funeral in 1997. Those eyes may focus on America as Kamala Harris compete with Donald Trump this November. But it is doubtful that James Baldwin would be surprised if Trump eventually wins the election.

Wole Akinyosoye is on the faculty of GSCL, an Oil and Gas consulting group, Abuja.

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I have been particularly reflecting on the necessity of integrating young voices into the sustainability dialogue, and I was struck by research from the Enel Foundation, which surveyed around 42,000 young people globally. Their findings are encapsulated in the Global Youth Energy Outlook, readily accessible online. Id like to touch upon some key insights from this report, particularly through the lens of African youth.

The Global North has inadvertently narrowed energy transition and the sustainability discourse to climate issues, but it is also important to broaden the conversation along the lines of social sustainability, governance, age and gender.

As we discuss Africas energy future, my hands-on experience and research highlight several pivotal considerations. In my dealings with large corporations  banks, in particular, from a West African, especially Nigerian perspective  I have observed that the energy transition debate is not as captivating to them as one might expect. Their involvement in climate discussions often is not driven by a zeal to save the planet. Rather, its the allure of climate or green finance, dangled by the global north, that captures their attention. This funding is attractive, sure, but once its in the hands of financial institutions, it is often redirected. When it comes to reporting on climate impact, these banks can demonstrate compliance with remarkable adeptness. And here, I admit to a certain cynicism, especially regarding the banks.

Furthermore, the strategy of using doomsday scenarios to spur African action on climate change is ineffective. Theres a local adage: He who is down fears no fall. This encapsulates the current sentiment of many Africans. Threats of global collapse dont resonate with someone who feels they have little to lose. Instead, to genuinely engage Africans, we must address the continents most pressing issues.

Take unemployment, a factor often overlooked in the climate discourse. With around 60 per cent of African youth jobless, linking climate action to job creation, poverty reduction, and other local concerns is essential. Without this linkage, efforts are mere window dressing. People will find ways to tap into funds without truly tackling the energy transition and climate challenges that are of importance to external stakeholders.

Lastly, the conversation needs expansion. The Global North has unintentionally framed the sustainability dialogue predominantly around climate. But sustainability encompasses more  social factors, governance, and more. And it is critical to widen the dialogue to include diverse perspectives, accounting for age and gender, to make the discourse far more inclusive and representative than it stands now.

I have been particularly reflecting on the necessity of integrating young voices into the sustainability dialogue, and I was struck by research from the Enel Foundation, which surveyed around 42,000 young people globally. Their findings are encapsulated in the Global Youth Energy Outlook, readily accessible online. Id like to touch upon some key insights from this report, particularly through the lens of African youth.

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When queried about their countries investment in combating climate change, a stark 69 per cent believe there is a shortfall in investment, and another 14 per cent feel there has been no investment whatsoever. As for their input being valued by those in power, only 35 per cent feel that businesses heed their perspectives.

First, are the youths engaged with climate issues? Absolutely. The report shows that roughly 85 per cent of young Africans are either moderately or deeply concerned about climate change. When queried about their countries investment in combating climate change, a stark 69 per cent believe there is a shortfall in investment, and another 14 per cent feel there has been no investment whatsoever. As for their input being valued by those in power, only 35 per cent feel that businesses heed their perspectives.

The report also explores whether there are substantial opportunities for youth to collaborate directly with policymakers on sustainable energy matters. About 40 per cent affirm this is the case, with a slightly higher 46 per cent for engagements with businesses. However, when it comes to accountability for reducing greenhouse emissions, young Africans look to their governments first, then industries. This is where I sense a troubling paradox. The same governments identified as the largest obstacles to sustainable energy transitions are also viewed as the bearers of solutions.

In my role advising a subnational government in Nigeria, I witness firsthand the challenges of integrating sustainability. Despite my efforts to foreground these concerns, they often fall on deaf ears. Nigerias oil wealth presents a paradox central to the energy transition debate: the prevailing attitude is to exploit oil reserves now and face the consequences later.

Yet, there is hope in the actions of the youth. I know of a young African woman ambitiously aiming to produce indigenous solar solutions. Her journey is tough, with her products struggling to compete with cheaper imports from China and Europe. Another young African has taken a different route, using imported materials to meet local needs. These contrasting approaches show the range of strategies young Africans are adopting to address our energy challenges.

Despite the slow pace of the energy transition on the continent, we must not despair. With the right narratives, resources, and support, I am confident that the energy transition in Africa can gain momentum and succeed.

Kenneth Amaeshi is a leading scholar on sustainable business and finance in the global south. He is the Chair in Business and Sustainable Development and Director Scaling Business in Africa at the University of Edinburgh, and the Chair in Sustainable Finance at the European University Institute, Florence, Italy.

The article was first published in ENIs World Energy (December 2023, Number 59).

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Have you ever read Heidi Hollands Dinner With Mugabe? It was published in 2012 by a Zimbabwean journalist and columnist who worked with Illustrated Life Rhodesia magazine. The book is a very penetrating portraiture of Robert Mugabe. It is a psychobiography of a freedom fighter, liberal lawyer and revolutionary who later became, first Prime Minister and later, President of Zimbabwe. The books title was a product of a 1975 sudden call from a Holland friend. He wanted her to arrange dinner and meeting with a friend she had no idea who he was, in her home in Salisbury, now Harare, then capital of white Rhodesia. It wasnt until we stood under the veranda light and looked up as we greeted each other that I recognised him. It was Robert Mugabe, she wrote in the Preface to the book. He swaggered awkwardly as he does still. His shoulders were stooped a bit and he looked lean and agile, as if ready to sprint.

Mugabe had a train to catch that night and intermittently looked at his wrist-watch. He had just come out of an eleven years prison and was about to escape through the border into Mozambique to begin war against white rule. Holland, who later became a leading authority on the enigmatic mind of Robert Mugabe, drove Bob that night to the railway station.

For over 30 years, Holland observed Bob morph from a guerrilla-leader-in-waiting into a sadistic and grotesque dictator. Page by page, the psychobiography uncovers how tyranny took hold of Mugabe and the roots of his ruthlessness. It gradually unfolds the horrific consequences of his presidency of Zimbabwe. She interviewed many people to be able to construct the total picture the world has of Mugabe. This included an obscure younger brother of his, a Catholic priest who took his confession and then, a lengthy interview she later had with Mugabe as president. In all this, Holland reveals that Mugabe had a more complicated persona than his fearsome image the world had. She concluded that the tragedy he later became, especially his anglophobia and despotism, came out of his tortured relationship with Britain; that his hurt anger was that of a spurned friend. Mugabe was notorious for venting his fury on white farmers and Zimbabweans at large. He called the farmers Britains children and his cold-hearted governance was perhaps reflective of the poverty of his upbringing in a Shona family in Kutama, Southern Rhodesia.

Heidis psychobiography unwittingly shows that emergence of leaders is through two routes. First are the ones whose portraits are known, pre-power, ab-initio and without psychoanalysis. Such leaders the Yoruba call the e-ti- moko-loko-ikun-ki-e-to-gbin-epa-si type. Ikun, the land squirrel, is a rodent smaller than the widely known species called okere. It lives on the ground as against trees that okere is known by. This rodent is renowned for its obsession with devouring nuts in a groundnut plantation. If a farmer knew that the plantation he was about to cultivate was in a squirrel-infested field, and, yet sowed his seeds in it, when he whimpers at its devastation by squirrels, Yoruba blame him for his stupidity. He should have known that a fatal failure awaited him; what the Yoruba, again, call ofo lehin oja.

The second kind of leadership is Mugabes, as profiled by Heidi. At the outset, they wear the garb of innocence. Suddenly, these leaders transmute into wearing the visage of Dracula. They then pounce on the people with their ferocious teeth.

When life is as sour as 2024 Nigeria, the Yoruba compare existence to the taste from licking the sour seed of Iyeye. Iyeye is however Janus. As sour as its seeds are, its generational benefits are legends of folklores. Botanically named spondias mombin, in English, Iyeye is the hog plum. In Igbo, it is Ijikara while Hausa call it Tsardar masar. Its seeds are sour-sweet but the medicinal barks and leaves are used for inducing labour in women. In those days in Iwo, old Oyo State, I picked two songs that still ring in my head till today. As pupils of Ajangbala D.C. Primary School, we sang, while marching from the Assembly to our classes, Odidere eye Iwo, Aluko eye Osa, Lekeleke eye Osun, iwa re wu mi, maa ba e lo (Parrot, the bird totem of Iwo people; Woodcock, bird of the Sea and Cattle egret, bird of the Osun River goddess, your characters fascinate me and I will go with you, wherever you go).

The other was mostly sung by our mothers in eulogy to the Iyeye. They sang, Ewe iyeye, igba ni o, owo ti mo ni, ko i to o, omo ti mo ni, ko i to o, ewe iyeye igba ni (as the leaves sprouting out of the Iyeye are two hundred-fold, (may) my wealth and the children I will birth be similar in number; the ones I have are not enough). While the Iyeye song espouses and extols the multiplicity of children that a good tree begets, the two songs, taken together, speak to character and pedigree. The first extols the desirability and aesthetics of character of birds. Odidere, for instance, also called Ayekooto, (the world scoffs at the truth) is a friend of man and the Iwo. It is domesticated and is said to understand and speak the language of man. It mirrors the purity of mind that its trustworthiness connotes. Such trust is reflected in the deep Yoruba saying that, Odidere should remember the tenets of the agreement it entered into with its master (Odidere, to ba joungbe, ma joungbe o!). The birds sterling character binds, like a twine, a whole people in friendship with the Parrot, Woodcock and Cattle egret birds.

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Unlike Iwo, Sea and Osun Rivers friendship with the above birds, our land has always been unlucky to be in besotting friendship with the Abyssinian hornbill bird. Yoruba call this bird Akalamagbo or Akala. Akala is a bird in whose veins, metaphorically, blood does not flow. It is audaciously bold in doing the unthinkable. It enjoys eating sumptuous sacrifices, food of the gods. These sacrifices are products of the innermost recess of pains suffered by those who offer them. Akala also feasts on carrion, corpses of human and carcasses of non-human beings.

How did Nigerians get here? It is as a result of the fatal consequences they always suffer due to their uncritical profiling and friendship with their leader-tormentors. They once wanted a man who didnt have shoes while growing up. They ended up with a man who scarcely knew his left hand from his right. Again, they desired a Spartan. They got one whose brain was as vacant as a Venetian graveyard. Lastly, they mis-read, mis-profiled and mistook Akala for the Odidere, the latter a bird whose sense of character imposes remembrance of agreement. Have they forgotten that the Vulture comes from a family of sacrifice and cadaver eaters (iran Igun nii jebo, iran Akala a joku)? Why did they think they could make the corpse walk, apologies to James Hadley Chase, by reshaping the fatal consequences of their own hypocritical estimation? They deified a Capon whose heart is as cold as mutton as a potential Messiah. Now, they are wailing. Right by their bedside is their choice, the one they knew so much about, yet so little of the fatal damage that his pedigree they knew so well could do on their lives.

On Thursday, as fuel was being funneled inside my car, I prayed for everyone who brought this tragedy on Nigerians. To me, my blood was the petrol from the expensive nozzle majestically flowing into the car. It was N1,000 a liter! It is a very distressing time to be a Nigerian. I instantly remembered that, on October 10, 1998, almost 26 years ago, in Yaba, Lagos, with Nigeria locked in a similar chokehold of petrol scarcity, I asked todays bird of carrion, who, pretending to be Odidere, had just flown back to Iwo, what his impression of Nigeria was. In his usual cockney, he thundered: Retrogression, rolling backwards, on reverse gear; that is my impression. Sad! That people are still queuing at the petrol stations, spend more productive hours at the petrol stations than in economic sector. It is a very sad story You see poverty, glaringly on the faces of the people, in a nation that has so much resources to thrive on. It hurts. I wrote this and more in my offering of 10 December, 2023.

If poverty and suffering (glaring on the faces of the people) can be measured, I wonder which would be plentier  the ones now or the gnashing of teeth under the military in 1998? But, in unmistakable warnings, we foretold this tragedy. I did in a viral piece published on January 16, 2022. We were Heidi Holland and we literally had dinner with the harbingers of the present pains. Unlike Holland, whose portraiture of Mugabe was post-mortem, ours was ante-mortem. We were demonised as prophets of doom. Nigerians said they had discovered, right on their thumbnail, a great builder who could turn ruins to Ruby. His bio, they said, spoke volumes. Didnt we know he built Okun (the Sea) and Osa (the Lagoon) from nothing and made both a glittering expanse of aquatic modern wonder?

In their excitement, they even foretold life in abundance and plenty under the incoming builder. So they excitedly sang Laye Olugbon, a historical song sung in the old Oyo Empire during the reign of Alaafin Abiodun. The song was to buttress their anger at what they called our prophecy of doom. Indeed, during the reign of King Abiodun of Oyo-Ile in the Empire, his government typified the height of an empathetic and benevolent administration. It prioritized the peoples welfare. There was plenty. There was peace, economic growth, prosperity and development. People praised and sang the goodness and huge financial stability that Oyo witnessed under him. So, women were renowned for singing this hate-laced, scurrilous attack song against the opposition to Abiodun: During the reign of King Olugbon, we had such plenty that we bought and sewed seven exotic scarves; during the reign of King Aresa, we bought and sewed six scarves; during the reign of Abiodun, we bought and sewed velvet, silks and other pricey clothing materials (Laye Olugbon, mo daborun meje, e o maa ko yii lorin, laye Aresa, mo daborun mefa, e o maa ko yi lorin, laye Abiodun, mo ra koko, mo raran baba aso, e o maa ko yi lorin They ended their mockery-laced song by calling us lazy drones who only foretold hunger and pain. They asked us to carry our baggage and seek comfort in another land: Afole lo le pe ile yii o dun; eni ba pe ile yii o dun, ko yara keru soko, ko gboko lo.

We didnt relent in telling them how wrong they were. We told the people that no one can build, nor renew any skyscraper of hope on a cracked pedigree. The Oba Abiodun they were bringing to sit on the Rock was actually Alaafin Aole. You can check who the original was. He would steal, plunder and despoil farmlands plus their future. He was a lover of the good things of life and would go on a saturnalia with your patrimony, we warned. The modern builder they trumpeted to high heavens, we warned, was a nondescript Amukun. The Amukun is the knock-kneed whose ways are foretold by his own structural calamity. We warned, they scoffed at us and called us names. But, now is our time to scorn them! We would have done this gladly, drinking drums of palmwine as we laugh at a peoples foolishness. However, as Bob Marley sang, when the rain comes, it doesnt fall only on the nice mans house. So does hunger and devastation. We are drenched in this downpour of pain, hunger and rulership calamity. We are the Babalawo who divined famine who is also buying famine for N1000 per morsel  just like those who scoffed his divination. Our fates are conjoined.

Today, the land tastes like a sour Iyeye fruit (Ilu kan gogo). As our elders say when there is famine and maladministration, our birds chirp in awkward manner; our rats squeak in ways they had never done hitherto. Our situation is almost synonymous with the biblical Samaria where parents entered into consensus to eat their children. Hope is the scarcest on the horizon. The people suffer needlessly. They queue in serpentine, snake-like kilometers-length to buy fuel that oozes out of their own soil. Nothing seems to work. Yet, the people in power live recklessly the proverbial familetentuto life. They fly glittering jirigin sama, a $100m-worth ACJ330-200, VP-CAC (MSN 1053), while their people wallow in abject squalor and poverty. Those who daily eat eggs forget easily that the cock that lays the eggs suffer anal pains. Like Mugabes, ours is Zimbabwe where, unto the Leviathan, the legislature and judiciary bow. In our face, they flaunt the latest Cadillac Escalade and tell us to go jump inside the lagoon. A country where the groaning of the people does not grate the ears of their leaders is gasping for breath. Being a Nigerian at this time is like wearing a thorn-filled crown and carrying the heavy biblical Jesus cross.

To worsen matters, subterfuge and a coterie of lies are official responses to our anger. When you are seen as one who heaves a tall ladder (aba) to the furrows in order to climb a heap (ebe) you are an Alagabangebe  a serial liar  so say the Yoruba. A person or government which lives a life of decet; one who daily tells scores of lies, is labeled Ajipogunnro. We must be bothered about the moral imperatives and implications of governments deliberate falsehoods. We seem to live now in a post-truth, post-fact era Nigeria. Truth and fact are casualties of a government whose widely known alias is Ajipogunnro. For those who know what reputational harm can do to a government trapped timeless times spinning falsehoods, this is really scary.

Jamaican reggae music sensation, Peter Tosh, was at the emotional crossroads we are today as Nigerians. A very religious Rastafarian, Tosh preached redemption through his songs for decades, yet none came. He was often brutalized by the police. So, in frustration, he asked a rhetorical question in the track, Jah Se No,Must Rastas bear this cross alone and all the heathens go free? No. There is redemption. History tells us so. To ram home the fact that no evil goes unpunished, the Yoruba say nemesis is next door for every enemy of the people, Itadogun ku si dede, ojo elesiin kola.

Festus Adedayo is an Ibadan-based journalist.

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The buck stops at President Tinubus table. Will he allow the present scandalous situation regarding the OAU power project to continue, or will he direct the incumbent Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, to expeditiously resolve this matter to ensure that, for once, corruption is put to shame? When will Tinubu declare, Let there be light?

It has been seven seasons now since banner headlines, OAU TO GENERATE 8.03 MW OF ELECTRICITY, announced to the world that Obafemi Awolowo University was poised to become the first university in Nigeria to generate its own power and, in addition, cater to the needs of its immediate neighbour, the Ile-Ife community. In the beginning was the promise and the promise was visionary but the promise has now been dashed.

In the place of round-the-clock provision of electricity, leading to increased productivity, enhanced quality of research and improved health, the university now has an abandoned project with sundry installed equipment and facilities rotting away as yet another symbol of the Nigerian governments corruption and medieval backwardness.

The Power Project

In 2017, Obafemi Awolowo University entered into a working relationship with the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) to provide a gas-powered turbine that would produce the institutions independent power needs. The project was to be delivered within two years.

When the project was launched amidst pomp and pageantry, the institutions then Vice-Chancellor, Professor Eyitope Ogunbodede, revealed that with the coming to fruition of the project and consequent disengagement of OAU from the national grid, the institution would save between N35 million and N65 million monthly. He added that their daily energy requirement was below six megawatts. The gas-turbine-based system being installed was projected to produce eight megawatts daily, hence the assurance that the institution would be in a position to share the excess with neighbouring communities.

Seven other federal universities were also approved to self-generate electricity: Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi; Bayero University, Kano; Usmanu Danfodio University, Sokoto; Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi; Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka; University of Lagos, Akoka; Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Warri; in the first phase of the federal intervention.

For OAU, trouble started in the form of what appeared like a personality clash on the surface but was actually the monster of corruption gripping the federal system under the Buhari administration. The Rural Electrification Agency was headed by Clara Ogunbiyi at the time. For some reason, there was no love lost between her and the then newly appointed Minister of Power, Saleh Mamman. If you put your ears to the ground, you would hear that the lady was considered uncooperative, with the various sleaze schemes brought to her table. Eventually, she left Nigeria to its peccadilloes and resumed a new job in a saner environment at a global agency.

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Corruption Problems

She was replaced as Managing Director by Ahmad Salihijo, who did nothing to facilitate the completion of the Ife project but soon demonstrated that he had demons of his own to contend with. As soon as the Buhari administration expired, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), swooped in. Salihijo was suspended by the new Tinubu administration. Many eyes popped when the EFCC made public the kernel of its findings. One of the pegs of the investigation was the uncovering of 27 accounts linked with the suspended REA Managing Director.

Although Ngelale reiterated President Tinubus determination to elevate the yearnings of Nigerians for good governance and qualitative service delivery above the narrow interests of individuals who are entrusted to provide critical services to Nigerians, the Ife power project stalls still.

The commission said, among other things, that about N1.2 billion, which immediately accounted for Ahmads suspension, had been wired into the accounts of eight staff members, including two directors. The allegations against the top officials of REA are criminal conspiracy, criminal breach of trust, misappropriation of public funds, procurement fraud and money laundering.

In announcing Salihijos suspension in a statement signed by Ajuri Ngelale, the presidency had said,

In the light of new findings unearthed during a comprehensive investigation into the financial activities of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), President Bola Tinubu has approved the indefinite suspension of the Managing Director/CEO of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), Ahmad Salihijo Ahmad, alongside three Executive Directors of the Agency, from office.

Furthermore, President Tinubu has ordered a wider investigation into the conduct of the aforementioned officials in a fraudulent mis-expenditure amounting to over N1.2 billion over the past two years, some of which has already been recovered by anti-graft agencies.

Cynical Nigerians said it would all end up as a game of musical chairs. Abba Abubakar Aliyu was appointed as the MD/CEO to replace Ahmad; Ayoade Gboyega as executive director, corporate services; Umar Abdullahi Umar, executive director, technical services; Doris Uboh, executive director, rural electrification fund (REF); and Olufemi Akinyelure, head of project management unit, Nigeria electrification project.

Although Ngelale reiterated President Tinubus determination to elevate the yearnings of Nigerians for good governance and qualitative service delivery above the narrow interests of individuals who are entrusted to provide critical services to Nigerians, the Ife power project stalls still.

Rather than news about project completion, we have been regaled with tidings of a different kind. It will be recalled that throughout his tenure, President Buhari removed only two ministers. The man posted to the Ministry of Power was one of them, having been sacked for alleged corruption in September 2021. Last July, hearing in his case was stalled because he was said to have suddenly taken ill outside the court premises and had to be sprinkled with water to revive him.

Anxiety

The institutions stakeholders, who have been anxiously hoping that all encumbrances in the way of the completion of the project would immediately be removed, were surprised that so far nothing concrete is happening. The Asian staff who came for the installation of the last set of equipment on site have since returned home. Then, some sources indicated that the Tinubu government wants to convert the project to a solar-powered facility, instead of the gas originally designed and upon which the 75 per cent completion already achieved is based.

Theres also talk of introducing a new player who had never been part of the project before. Nigeria!

Now, being a self confessed engineering illiterate, I will refrain from laughing in vernacular or composing panegyrics concerning this project; neither is required, although this tragic stalling of a developmental project is both galling and dispiriting. For Goodness sake, how does corruption dog every attempt to gain an inch?

Rather than news about project completion, we have been regaled with tidings of a different kind. It will be recalled that throughout his tenure, President Buhari removed only two ministers. The man posted to the Ministry of Power was one of them, having been sacked for alleged corruption in September 2021. Last July, hearing in his case was stalled because he was said to have suddenly taken ill outside the court premises and had to be sprinkled with water to revive him. While granting Saleh the benefit of the doubt, there have been too many incidents of government officials dramatising fainting spells or showing up in wheelchairs when dragged before the law. Those are mere distractions.

The buck stops at President Tinubus table. Will he allow the present scandalous situation regarding the OAU power project to continue, or will he direct the incumbent Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, to expeditiously resolve this matter to ensure that, for once, corruption is put to shame? When will Tinubu declare, Let there be light?

ASUUs 21-Day Notice

Last week, the Academic Staff Union of Nigerian Universities issued a fresh 21-day ultimatum to the Federal Government to meet its demands. So far, I am not aware that any high profile ambassador of peace, cleric, traditional ruler, socio-cultural organisation, emergency NGO, concerned stakeholder or any of the usual interventionists who usually pop up once the strike takes effect  has waded in.

The Ministry of Education has probably reconciled itself to the notion that an ASUU strike must be a regular feature of their educational calendar. Its the habitual fire brigade approach. In the next three weeks, they will roll out their fire trucks with neon lights and long convoys but, as always, the fire hydrants will be waterless.

Youve got to feel sorry for our unborn tomorrows!

Wole Olaoye is a Public Relations consultant and veteran journalist. He can be reached on wole.olaoye@gmail.com, Twitter: @wole_olaoye; Instagram: woleola2021.

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An employee serves traditional dish at Sai's Kitchen, an eatery in the informal settlement popularly known as Havana, in Windhoek, Namibia, on Aug. 22, 2024. (Photo by Ndalimpinga Iita/Xinhua)

WINDHOEK, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- In an informal settlement about 10 km from the city center of Windhoek, the Namibian capital, a local woman entrepreneur is leveraging traditional food to transform the business scene in the area and has achieved success via catering business.

Saima Mukwiilongo, the owner of Sai's Kitchen, said she established the eatery in 2017 in the informal settlement popularly known as Havana, to redefine the often overlooked local cuisine and create employment, which is a challenge in Namibia.

According to the Namibia Statistics Agency, the country's unemployment rate stands at 33.4 percent.

The food outlet, which is named after the first three letters of the founder's name, offers traditional meals using indigenous ingredients. The menu includes dishes made with spinach, peas, tripe, marula oil, chicken, mahangu (pearl millet), maize porridge, and various types of meat. It provides a range of services, including sit-down dining, takeout, delivery, and event catering.

"It is also about taking people back to their cultural roots and making traditional food easily accessible in an urban setting," she said in a recent interview.

Mukwiilongo developed her culinary skills while working at a restaurant in Windhoek during her second year of studies at the International University of Management, where she was pursuing a degree in HIV/AIDS management.

"While I wanted to earn money to offset costs, it sparked my interest in food, something I was not really good at. Growing up here, I played more with my boy siblings as I am the only girl child," she said.

According to the 30-year-old mother, her other goal was to redefine business models in informal settlements, which are dominated by informal and unregistered businesses.

"While the outlet architecture is still corrugated iron to create an essence of belonging, the business model is formal and friendly, which is our niche," she said.

Over the years, Mukwiilongo has managed to attract new clientele by highlighting the value of tradition through aggressive social media marketing.

According to her, many people are surprised to find a food enterprise like hers in an informal settlement. Eight years on, the establishment has served nearly 10,000 clients who seek to immerse themselves in traditional food. Sai's Kitchen has also become a hub for socialization.

"Therefore, we have not only attracted people to dine but also to visit Havana's informal settlement for the first time, promoting diversity and exposure," she said.

To sustain the business, proceeds are reinvested along with continued robust marketing strategies. From initially starting as a one-person operation, the outlet now employs ten staff members.

Meanwhile, Sai's Kitchen has made a significant impact on the local community since its opening.

The catering enterprise also sources ingredients from local vendors and entrepreneurs, positively aiding the local economy. "I grew up here in Havana, and I'm a firm believer in starting where you are, which, in my case, is at home," Mukwiilongo said.

For Windhoek-based vendors like Selma David, this creates a value chain that aids the growth of informal trade at the grassroots.

In addition, locals have resonated with the eatery's meals and broader contribution to shifting business norms in informal settlements.

Apollo Shigwedha, 34, who works at a government agency, has lived in Windhoek for over 11 years. He said he learned about Sai's Kitchen from social media, where he got the chance to immerse himself more by socializing in informal settlements. The visits broadened his perspective and helped him embrace multiculturalism through the cuisine offered at the catering outlet.

The outlet is also a popular spot for those seeking natural options and the health benefits of traditional foods. "We have also received tourists keen for a true township experience," Mukwiilongo said.

As part of its business growth strategy, the enterprise has expanded, opening another branch in the Windhoek Ausspannplatz suburb, a walking distance from the Windhoek city center.

Despite this, some challenges persist. These include scaling the business in the face of uncertain client numbers and the high cost of living affecting ingredient prices, according to Mukwiilongo.

Mukwiilongo said she hopes to diversify the food menu of her catering business by including other African cuisines. It has also tailored the menu to incorporate traditional food with contemporary drinks to meet the demand for inclusivity.

"While expanding to open similar branches is also on the horizon, our primary focus remains on bringing hope to our community," she said. 

Team members of Sai's Kitchen pose for a group photo at the eatery in the informal settlement popularly known as Havana in Windhoek, Namibia, on Aug. 22, 2024. (Photo by Ndalimpinga Iita/Xinhua)
The body of Christ needs to wake up and get back to the message of the kingdom. Jesus said, my kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36). This kingdom is not consumption oriented. It is demonstrated by decreasing our influence for Christ to increase His influence. We need to come down from our high horses of greed that are built around the mandate and passion to outbuild and outperform ourselves in cash, in numbers, and in kind. Jesus is coming to rapture His body, not a privileged member of the body.

Does not wisdom cry out, And understanding lift up her voice? (Proverbs 8:1)

Now that many in the new generation, our children, are asking us very serious questions on the confusing and conflicting practices that dominate the landscape of the Christian faith, should we continue to keep quiet? Should we pretend that all is well, when we all know that is far from the truth? Should we continue to tread the faulty lines and paths of face your ministry when, if care is not taken, twenty years from today, there may not be any ministry to face again? Interestingly, the same warning was given to the Turkish church in its hey days, but which it flagrantly dismissed. Today, history has proven to be right, 98 per cent of the Christian community in Turkey has been wiped off. 

Brethren, the onus is on you and I to rise to the challenge by confronting and conquering this monster of disunity in the church on our knees and by our actions, at least to the best of our abilities. In doing this, we are certainly helping to preserve the sanctity of the gospel for the next generation.

Of all the amazing theories I studied in my undergraduate years, the study on the Gestalt theory of systems engineering stood out. My systems engineering professor did a fantastic job in the approach he employed on the Gestalt theory. Developed by a German, this theory simply proposes that, the whole of anything is greater than its parts. But I frontally disagree on the validity of the original source. This incredible principle was borrowed from the Bible. Jesus is the original author of this kingdom mindset, for the lack of the right word. He said in His word, and I quote, And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one (John 17:22).

Are we one? Does the picture of todays church in any way strike the image of oneness in your heart? Beloved, you and I live in the most disunited church since the early days of the Apostles. We are divided in doctrines, values, followership, and mentorship  a sad situation that has produced a very weak church whose influence on earth continues to dwindle at a very worrisome rate. The mantra, united we stand, divided we fall rarely means anything to many of our church leaders for as long as each leaders individual ministries continue to grow in cash, numbers, and influence.

Probably the strongest tool of destruction of any movement on earth today is the force of disunity.

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That evil personified entity, the pioneer of the famed German Third Reich, Adolf Hitler, was quoted as saying, the best way to capture your enemies is to divide them. True to his words, the weapon of disunity was deployed against the German church. Hitler fractured the church leadership, using the bait of money and other material inducements to balkanise the church community. Yes, that was what he did. It is called balkanisation, which is the method of dividing people to ultimately ensuring that the divided entities eventually become sworn enemies. It is one thing to be divided into different entities, while remaining friends even in our divided platforms. Balkanisation makes the divided entities to become enemies of one another.

What is the overarching outcome of a body whose heart is rooted in love? It is called, kingdom mindedness. It is the art of cultivating a heart for advancing the purpose of God on earth, with a focus thats beyond your personal welfare and interests, but for the wider benefits of the entire body of Christ, in a manner that ultimately brings glory to God.

At the very root of the gospel is the force of Love. This is the greatest of all Christian virtues, which Jesus died and resurrected to uphold. He told His disciples in plain terms, By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another (John 13:35).

What is the overarching outcome of a body whose heart is rooted in love? It is called, kingdom mindedness. It is the art of cultivating a heart for advancing the purpose of God on earth, with a focus thats beyond your personal welfare and interests, but for the wider benefits of the entire body of Christ, in a manner that ultimately brings glory to God.

Kingdom-mindedness is not about living your life to please yourself or your career or your calling or your ministry alone, but about pleasing God and extending this love beyond yourself to your neighbour, to other pastors, to other churches, and to every other son and daughter of God in the kingdom, to the best of your ability. A kingdom man lives for the body of Christ. Conversely, the body of Christ lives for a selfish man. But as we speak, Satan has successfully divided us into various cliques in the body of Christ; cliques that would have buried the influence and impact of the early church, had they dared to fall for that bait.

Yes, it is true that there are some entities in the body of Christ who are sold out to full blown falsehoods, with whom it is impossible and unrealistic to attain the position of unity. Agreed. But how united has been the remaining section of the church which truly shares very robust levels of doctrinal unity? In what we teach and practice as a church, how have we shown the virtues and values of unity? How many of our church leaders consider the plight of pastors in other churches prior to establishing branches of their churches in the same locations where struggling churches presently exist?

Apostle Paul has done the church a lot of favour in his detailed teachings around how the body of Christ should function. In his analogy, Paul used the typology of the human body to explain the level of strategic dependence that we all share with one another. In this typology, Paul alludes to the fact that every member of the body of Christ, the true church, functions interdependently like the physical body functions, where the eye, the hand, the head, the feet, and other parts of the body compliment each others.

And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it (1 Corinthians 12:26).

In the early church, the prosperity of one member was the prosperity of the whole church? Why will the God whose word has been made greater than His name instruct a servant of His to invest his resources solely on the expansion of his own mandate amidst several other needy and struggling members of the body? It doesnt add up. It doesnt represent the values of the true God of the Bible.

In other words, God has arranged the church in a way that the prosperity or failure of a member should actually be the prosperity or failure of the rest of the members of the body. This kind of mindset promotes deep love and compassion in the church and erodes greed, egocentrism, and competition from our midst. Why then should my wealth be solely used to further my own cause amidst a population of poor members of the body?

In the early church, the prosperity of one member was the prosperity of the whole church? Why will the God whose word has been made greater than His name instruct a servant of His to invest his resources solely on the expansion of his own mandate amidst several other needy and struggling members of the body? It doesnt add up. It doesnt represent the values of the true God of the Bible.

Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, and laid them at the apostles feet; and they distributed to each as anyone had need. (Acts 4:34-35).

It is the spirit of mammon that has craftily penetrated the rank and file of the church and its leadership, producing a distorted message of the gospel, that has successfully disconnected the church from its real identity and from the kingdom mandate. It is a Satanic attack that must be resisted. There are two forces in charge of the church  the force of the genuine God who is totally committed to His word and the force of mammon, which is acutely anti-kingdom, but pro personal empire.

The body of Christ needs to wake up and get back to the message of the kingdom. Jesus said, my kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36). This kingdom is not consumption oriented. It is demonstrated by decreasing our influence for Christ to increase His influence. We need to come down from our high horses of greed that are built around the mandate and passion to outbuild and outperform ourselves in cash, in numbers, and in kind. Jesus is coming to rapture His body, not a privileged member of the body.

Ayo Akerele is the senior pastor of Rhema Assembly and the founder of the Voice of the Watchmen Ministries in Ontario, Canada. He can be reached through ayoakerele2012@gmail.com

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Some residents of Kaduna, Kano and Katsina states say they are yet to receive the rice recently donated to the states by the federal government.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the federal government had doled out 20 trucks of rice to the 36 states and the FCT.

NAN also reports that this was part of its sustained efforts to ramp up food supplies in the country with a view to further bolstering food security.

It was also part of the federal governments synergy with the sub-nationals to lessen the current hardship being faced by Nigerians.

This hardship was aggravated by persistent food insecurity and ever-surging food prices.

However, with the recent bumper harvests in parts of Nigeria, Nigerians are heaving a sigh of relief, although there are palpable fears that the happy development may be temporary.

Some residents of Kaduna metropolis have lamented not receiving the federal governments rice allocated to the state governments to cushion the hunger currently faced in the country.

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Some of the residents, who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) said that they only heard about the rice on the news.

Salisu Musa, a resident of the Rigasa area, said he and his family did not benefit from the rice, adding that he had not heard of anyone close to him who got it.

As a traditional title holder in the Rigasa community, we have not seen any rice from the federal government.

However, we have received fertilizer and we appreciate it.

Similarly, Ibrahim Yusuf, a resident of the Doka area, said he had not received the rice but has heard that a few bags were taken to a mosque in the area.

He also acknowledged that fertilizers were shared in his area and numerous people had benefitted.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) Kaduna State Council, had on 15 August received some bags of rice from the Arewa Youth Assembly (AYA).

The group had announced that it had received 2,400 bags provided by the President Bola Tinubu-led federal government.

Muhammad Ibrahim, one of the journalists who benefitted, said the rice was shared to faith-based organisations and journalists, among others, adding he got a 25kg bag of rice.

Also, in Kaduna state, some residents in parts of Chikun Local Government Area have complained of not getting the relief items to cushion the effects of the food crisis from the state government.

The few persons who confirmed that they received some food items from the state officials said the quantity was too small.

They also accused some of the community leaders in charge of distributing the palliatives of being biased and untransparent.

However, a cross section of the residents in the city said they were yet to receive any item from the state officials.

One of the residents, Asabe Markus, claimed she had not received any palliative so far.

She alleged that the items were only distributed to residents with political affiliation to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

She said, Since the food crisis began, I have been struggling to survive by relying on the support of friends and loved ones, who have food items and cash in abundance.

Also, Rakiya Hadi, a resident, said she was only privileged to receive two measures of rice, which were distributed by a community leader.

My friend who is a community leader gave me two measures of rice, how can that feed a family for just a week? she retorted

Ms Hadi said the leader had to distribute the food items secretly to avoid commotion among the residents, as there was not enough grain for all the people.

Another resident, Audu Mallam, said nobody on his street around KASUPDA road In Sabon Tasha, has benefited from the governments palliatives.

He recalled, During the COVID-19 period, information was passed for the people to collect palliatives at the government schools, but as of now, no one is saying anything.

Grace Waziri, another resident of the state, described the exercise as a charade, adding that the government was not being sincere with the people with the palliatives.

She disclosed that she had not received any relief item from the government, noting that few of her friends, who are civil servants, had collected such items from the office.

Ms Waziri said, Two of my friends who are civil servants showed me what the state government distributed as palliatives. It was very ridiculous and insulting.

So, its clear that they are only sharing the palliatives to people who do not really need it and keep on lying that they have distributed food to vulnerable residents.

In Kafanchan, some of the residents also said they were yet to receive any rice palliatives from the federal government.

The residents made this known in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria in Kafanchan, headquarters of Jemaa Local Government Area of Kaduna.

Marta Maigari, a retired civil servant, said though she read in the media about the federal governments donation of 20 trucks of rice to each state, nothing of such had reached the people of Kafanchan.

We have not seen any rice from the federal government here in Kafanchan.

I say so because I always keep myself abreast of happenings, so I would have known if the government had gotten here, she stated.

Mr Maigari stated that the hardship faced by families and individuals at this time calls for decisive and compassionate action.

On his part, Godwin Kumai, the Coordinator of Jemaa Community Development Charter, a civil society organisation, said no rice palliatives from the federal government have been received and shared at the local government level.

Mr Kumai explained that only bags of fertiliser from the state government were currently shared to some vulnerable people in the area.

A top official of the local government, who spoke on condition of anonymity concurred with Mr Kumai.

He stated that the local government had yet to receive any rice allocation from the federal government.

I dont know if the state government has taken delivery of the items donated by the federal government.

But as for us here in Jemaa Local Government Area, we are yet to receive anything from the centre through the state, he added.

In Zaria, there were mixed reactions from different sources in the council over the distribution of the palliatives.

The Technical Assistant to the Council Chairman on Strategic Communications, Bello Habib, said the council received 600 bags of maize and millet as intervention from the state government.

He explained that the 600 bags had been distributed to the 547 polling units in the councils 13 wards.

Each polling unit got one bag and the remaining bags were shared to the boarding secondary schools in Zaria.

The beneficiary schools were Kufena College, Al Huda-Huda College, Barewa College and Government Girls Secondary School Zaria, Mr Habib said.

However, Mr Habib declined to speak on the rice palliative to the council from the federal government.

Mohammed Abdullahi, a resident of Unguwar Fatika Area of Zaria told NAN that he was not aware of the distribution of any rice from the government.

Similarly, Haruna-Rasheed Musa of Kakaki Area, Zaria said he did not receive any intervention from either the state or local government.

Aliyu Idris-Ibrahim, the chairman of Zaria Local Government Council did not respond to calls and messages put on his cellphone on how the council distributed the federal governments rice palliative.

Aminu Bello, a resident of Layin Zomo Area,Basawa Ward, Sabon Gari Local Government Area, said he did not receive any support be it rice, maize or fertiliser from the government.

A resident of the Sabon Gari Local Government who craved anonymity told NAN that a trailer load of rice was only seen at the secretariat.

The trailer went out of the council secretariat to an unknown destination with the rice, he said.

Mohammed Usman, the chairman of Sabon Gari Local Government Council, did not respond to calls and messages sent to his cellphone.

Sources at Giwa and Makarfi LGAs said the councils had not received the rice from the government as of the time of filing this report.

However, all efforts to get the comments of Rabi Salisu, Kaduna State Commissioner for Human Services and Social Development proved abortive as she was said to have travelled out of Nigeria.

In Katsina State, a coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) pledged to ensure that the rice distributed to the state by the federal government is shared to the targeted beneficiaries.

The Chairman of the coalition, Abdulrahman Abdullahi, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in Katsina.

NAN recalls that the state government had constituted a committee to oversee the distribution of the rice on 29 July and gave it a three-week deadline to submit its report.

The committees terms of reference were to ascertain and confirm the number of bags received and develop a procedure for sharing the rice across the 34 local government areas.

The committee would also ensure that the distribution of the palliatives is done in a fair and transparent manner, targeting vulnerable individuals such as widows, divorcees, aged men and women, among others.

Mr Abdullahi, who is also the Chairman of Katsina Social Protection (SP) Network, revealed to NAN that they are keenly monitoring the committee, as it was presently compiling the names of the beneficiaries.

He stated that the state and LGA levels committees were already formed and the CSOs have representation in all the committees across the 34 local governments.

The SP network will leverage on the LGAs structures of the coalition of the CSOs in the state and monitor the implementation of the distribution and report their findings.

The findings will be worked on and we will come up with our position at the end of the exercise, according to Mr Abdullahi.

NAN reports that Abdullahi Garba-Faskari, the secretary to the government of the state, headed the main committee at the state level.

Members of the committee included the Special Adviser on Public Service Administration Reform, and Commissioners for Special Duties and Information.

Others were the representative of the State House of Assembly, Managing Director, of the state Irrigation Authority, Executive Chairman, Zakat and Waqf Board, Commander, Hisbah Board and the ALGON Chairman.

The remaining were representatives of the Police, SSS, Katsina and Daura Emirate Councils, as well as that of the JIBWIS and Darika Islamic sects, the Youth Council of Nigeria, Nigeria Youths Congress

and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs).

Meanwhile, in Kano, the state government said it has distributed 130 trucks of foodstuffs it received as donations from the federal government to the beneficiaries across the 44 local government areas.

The state Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Danjuma Mahmud, disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) in Kano on Wednesday.

Mr Mahmud said the donation consisted of 40 trucks of 25kg rice,70 trucks of maize, millet and sulphur.

According to him, the food items were delivered at the headquarters of the 44 local governments for onward transportation to wards, villages and districts.

He said the beneficiaries of the gesture included Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), traditional rulers and religious leaders.

Others were the officials of the 44 local governments, the state Hisbah Commission, the Police and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps(NSCDC).

The commissioner also disclosed that the state government had received 70 trucks of fertilizer from the warehouse of the Central Bank of Nigeria(CBN) located in Minna, Niger.

Also collected from the warehouse, he said, were 30 trucks of urea.

He said the state government was now awaiting directives from the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources on how to distribute the fertilisers to the farmers.

(NAN)

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Education Cannot Wait Executive Director Yasmine Sherif Statement on the 7-Year Anniversary of the Rohingya Crisis

NEW YORK, Aug. 25, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Seven years ago, a brutal campaign of violence, rape and terror against the Rohingya people ignited in Myanmar's Rakhine State. Villages were burned to the ground, families were murdered, massive human rights violations were reported, and around 700,000 people  half of them children  fled their homes to seek refuge in Bangladesh.

Jannat, 14, dreams of becoming a doctor and is thrilled to have the opportunity to learn again. Photo:  Rubina Hoque Alee/Save the Children Bangladesh.

Today, Bangladesh's Cox's Bazar hosts the largest refugee camp in the world with close to a million children, women and men living in makeshift settlements. The crisis is an abomination for humanity. And while the Government of Bangladesh and other strategic partners are supporting the response, the resources are severely strained and access to essential services is scarce.

As the global fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises within the United Nations, Education Cannot Wait (ECW), along with its strategic donor partners, government, UN agencies and civil society, has supported holistic education opportunities for both Rohingya and host community children in Bangladesh since November 2017. The more than US$50 million in funding, delivered through a consortium of partners  including government counterparts, PLAN International, Save the Children, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNICEF and other local partners  has reached over 325,000 girls and boys with quality education. Over the years, the programmes have provided learning materials for close to 190,000 children, financial support to over 1,700 teachers, and rehabilitated over 1,400 classrooms and temporary learning spaces.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, fires in the refugee camp and other pressing emergencies, the programming in Bangladesh was quickly adapted, and over 100,000 girls and boys were able to take part in remote education programmes during the height of the pandemic.

For refugee girls like Jannat, these investments mean nutritious school meals, integrated learning opportunities, catch-up classes, and security and solace in a world gone mad.

We must not forget Jannat and the hundreds of thousands of Rohingya girls like her that only yearn to learn in safety and freedom. Our investment in their education is an investment in peace, enlightenment and security across the region. Above all, it is an investment in the Rohingya people's rights and other persecuted groups that face human rights abuses and attacks the world over.

Despite strong support from donors  as shown in this powerful joint statement by Japan, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States following their visit to the refugee camps in Cox's Bazar in May of this year  the Rohingya crisis is fast-becoming a forgotten crisis.

The Rohingya Humanitarian Crisis Joint Response Plan 2024 calls for a total of US$852 million in funding, including US$68 million for education. To date, only US$287 million has been mobilized toward the plan. More concerning still, only 12.8% has been mobilized towards the education response, according to OCHA's Financial Tracking Service. What we need to realize is that our investments in education are investments in health, food security and skills development. Taken together with other actions, it forms a cornerstone upon which all the other Sustainable Development Goals can be achieved.

As we commemorate seven years of persecution and attack, we must demand that perpetrators are held accountable for human rights violations, we must establish conditions conducive for a safe return of the Rohingya to their native lands, and we must enforce the rule of law and expect humanity for the people whose lives have been ripped apart by this brutal crisis.

Join ECW and our partners in urgently mobilizing additional resources to provide Rohingya girls and boys  and other children caught in emergencies and protracted crises worldwide  with the promise of a quality education. They deserve no less.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2487057/Education_Cannot_Wait__thrill.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1656121/Education_Cannot_Wait_Logo.jpg
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Jerusalem, Aug 25 : Israel has said that three soldiers were killed in the Gaza Strip amid its ongoing military campaign in the Palestinian enclave.

The Israel Defense Forces said on Saturday in a statement that two of them were killed on Friday in a blast in the Zeitoun neighbourhood of Gaza City and the third during a gunfight with Palestinian fighters, Xinhua news agency reported.

The soldiers, two sergeants first class and a sergeant major, were killed in central Gaza, the Israeli army said.

Since the beginning of the Gaza conflict, which was triggered by a Hamas attack on southern Israel last October, a total of 699 Israeli soldiers have been killed, according to Israeli military figures.

On Saturday, Palestinian security sources reported that the Israeli army has withdrawn from northern Khan Younis in southern Gaza but continues combat in other parts of the enclave.

The army said in a statement that it destroyed a 500-metre-long tunnel belonging to the Islamic Jihad movement and other militant infrastructures in Khan Younis, adding its ground forces were carrying out attacks in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, where they killed "dozens of militants".

The Palestinian death toll from Israeli attacks has exceeded 40,000, according to Gaza health authorities. On Saturday alone, at least 50 people were killed.

Hamas operatives also seized 251 people, 105 of whom are still captive in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.

Israel's retaliatory military campaign has killed at least 40,334 people in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run territory's Health Ministry, which does not give details of civilian and militant deaths.

Most of the deceased are women and children, according to the UN Human Rights Office.
TRIPOLI, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- Stephanie Koury, the Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Political Affairs and Officer-in-Charge of the UN Support Mission in Libya, on Sunday stressed the role of the 5+5 Joint Military Commission to uphold the ceasefire agreement in the country.

Koury made the remarks during a meeting of the Commission in the city of Sirte, which is located some 450 km east of the capital Tripoli.

"Today, I joined the 5+5 Joint Military Commission at their headquarters in Sirte to discuss the ongoing developments and challenges in Libya, notably on the security front. I emphasized the Commission's crucial role in upholding the ceasefire agreement," Koury tweeted.

"We also discussed ways to further implement the ceasefire agreement, including the withdrawal of foreign fighters and mercenaries. Peace and stability are essential to Libyan citizens as they strive for a lasting political solution," Koury said.

The 5+5 Joint Military Commission is a group composed of five representatives from the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity and five representatives of the eastern-based national army. It was formed to oversee and implement ceasefire agreements and military arrangements between rival factions in Libya.

In October 2020, the Commission signed a UN-sponsored ceasefire agreement that ended a war in and around Tripoli between the eastern-based army and the Western-based authorities.

Libya remains politically divided between eastern-based and western-based governments. The eastern-based army, led by General Khalifa Haftar, is allied with the eastern-based government.

Ever since the fall of the late leader Muammar Gaddafi's regime in 2011, Libya has been plagued by escalating violence and political instability. 
Beirut, Aug 25 : Hezbollah has said that it attacked three Israeli military sites with suicide drones and artillery shells in support of the Palestinian people's resistance in the Gaza Strip.

In three separate statements on Saturday, Hezbollah said, "Our fighters targeted on Saturday the enemy's positions in Mount Hermon and its espionage equipment in Al-Raheb and Kiryat Shmona sites with suicide drones and artillery shells, hitting them directly."

Lebanese military sources told Xinhua news agency that Lebanese army sites monitored on Saturday morning the launching of several drones, artillery shells, and rockets from southern Lebanon into northern Israel.

They added that an Israeli drone raided a house in the village of Aita al-Shaab in southern Lebanon, damaging it partially but causing no injuries, Xinhua news agency reported.

The sources said that seven border towns and villages in the eastern and central sectors of southern Lebanon were shelled, with material damage reported.

Tensions along the Lebanon-Israel border escalated on October 8, 2023, following a barrage of rockets launched by the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah toward Israel in solidarity with Hamas' attack on Israel on October 7. 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's top 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.

Fears of a full-fledged war between Israel and Hezbollah have grown amid an exchange of cross-border attacks and after the July 30 killing of senior Hezbollah commander Fouad Shukr in Beirut.

The escalation comes against the backdrop of the conflict in Gaza, where Israel has killed more than 40,200 Palestinians since the October 7 Hamas attack.

The military campaign has reduced much of the territory to rubble and left most of the people homeless, hungry and prone to disease.

The Lebanese Hezbollah group on Friday said it carried out 15 attacks targeting Israeli military sites.

This marked the largest number of attacks launched by the group in 35 days.
Cairo, Aug 25 : Egypt, Qatar and the US continued to try to broker a truce in the Israel-Hamas war amid ongoing Israeli artillery fire and air strikes across the Gaza Strip.

Cairo, Aug 25 (IANS) Egypt, Qatar and the US continued to try to broker a truce in the Israel-Hamas war amid ongoing Israeli artillery fire and air strikes across the Gaza Strip.

An overnight strike on Friday to Saturday on a house west of Khan Younis in southern Gaza killed 11 people, a doctor at Nasser Hospital said.

Negotiators geared up for a crucial weekend of Gaza ceasefire talks on Saturday, as Hamas said it was sending delegates to Cairo but would not participate in the discussions, and fighting raged in the Palestinian territory.

The war, sparked by Hamas's unprecedented October 7 attack on Israel, has devastated Gaza, displaced nearly all of its population at least once and triggered a humanitarian crisis.

The White House said progress had been made at the latest round this week, although the possible permanent presence of Israeli troops along the Gaza-Egypt border has emerged as a major sticking point.

Previous bouts of optimism during months of on-off ceasefire and hostage release negotiations have always proven unfounded.

A senior Hamas official said a delegation from the Islamist group was heading to Cairo, but that they would not engage in the talks. Instead, they would meet with senior Egyptian officials for updates on the negotiations.

The official said Hamas would insist Israel withdraw all its forces from all of Gaza, including "from the border area with Egypt," known as the Philadelphi Corridor.

The basis of the talks is a framework which US President Joe Biden outlined on May 31, and which he described as an Israeli proposal.

A second Hamas official on Saturday reiterated that "the leadership of Hamas, including its leader Yahya Sinwar" had already agreed to the Biden plan and wanted it put into effect without "amendment of its wording".

The three-phase plan outlined by Biden and endorsed by the UN Security Council would initially see hostages exchanged for Palestinians in Israeli jails during what Biden called a "full and complete ceasefire" lasting six weeks.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has since insisted on keeping troops along the corridor, arguing Israel needs to prevent Hamas from rebuilding its strength by smuggling in arms from Egypt.

The White House said CIA chief William Burns was among US officials taking part in the Cairo talks, alongside the heads of Israel's spy agency and domestic security service.

An Egyptian source close to the talks said the US was "discussing with mediators new proposals to bridge the gap between Israel and Hamas".

The source said that Sunday's "enlarged round of negotiations" would be a "pivotal step in formulating an agreement that will be announced if Washington can pressure Netanyahu".

The military announced the deaths of three soldiers in fighting in central Gaza on Friday, all of them non-commissioned officers.

The latest deaths bring the military's losses in the Gaza campaign to 338 since it launched a ground offensive in the Palestinian territory on October 27.

Tens of thousands of civilians were on the move from Deir el-Balah and Khan Younis after Israeli evacuation orders, which precede military operations, the United Nations said on Thursday.

Israel's retaliatory military campaign has killed 40,334 Palestinians in Gaza, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not give details of civilian and militant deaths.

The UN Rights Office says most of the dead are women and children.

Palestinian militants also seized 251 hostages, of whom 105 remain in Gaza, including 34 the military says are dead.

Israel's military recovered the remains of six hostages from a tunnel in the Khan Younis area this week and said bullets were found in their bodies.

Thousands protested in Tel Aviv and other Israeli cities ahead of Sunday's talks, calling for a deal to secure the release of the remaining hostages.

Efforts to reach a Gaza truce and avert a wider war intensified after the killings of two senior Iran-backed militants last month sparked threats of reprisals from Tehran and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah.

Gazans said they were desperate for an end to the war.
Indore, Aug 25 : Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has said that no individual is above the law and that the government is acting as per Constitutional norms after Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra questioned 'bulldozer justice' in Chhatarpur district.

A mob had hurled stones and damaged vehicles, leaving several policemen injured.

"All I have to say is that no person is above the law. There is the rule of law. The government is taking action under the Constitutional provisions against those who break the law," CM Yadav told reporters when asked about Vadra's post.

"Construction work should be done after taking due approval. If you don't take necessary approval for construction activity and if you become synonymous with terror in various ways, then the administration is also free to do its job. In such a scenario, they (the administration) will do what is needed," the Chief Minister added.

The Congress targeted the Madhya Pradesh government after the house of one Shahzad Ali was demolished on Thursday for his alleged involvement in a protest called by the Muslim community against the purported "anti-Islam" remarks made by Ramgiri Maharaj on Wednesday.

Earlier on Saturday, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said 'bulldozer justice' is completely unacceptable and must stop.

"If someone is accused of a crime, then only the court can decide his crime and punishment. But punishing the family of the accused as soon as the allegation is made, taking away the roof from their heads, not following the law, disobeying the court and demolishing the house of the accused as soon as the allegation is made - this is not justice," the Congress General Secretary said.

"One who cannot fulfil 'rajdharma' can neither work for the welfare of the society nor the country. Bulldozer justice is completely unacceptable, it must stop," she added.

Ramgiri Maharaj had allegedly made objectionable remarks against Islam at Shah Panchale village in Sinnar taluka of Maharashtra's Nashik district during a religious event some days ago.

Members of the Muslim community had organised a protest on Wednesday, but it descended into violence, leading to injuries to two policemen and damage to several vehicles.

"The house of Shahzad Ali under Kotwali police station limits was demolished. We had registered a case against 150 people for the violence on Wednesday. We had named 46 people," an official had said.
New Delhi, Aug 25 : Union Minister Jitendra Singh has praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his decisive leadership in restoring peace and normalcy in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), noting that the "historic decision of abrogation of Article 370 brought citizenship rights to a vast population in J&K who were deprived of it for the last seven decades".

New Delhi, Aug 25 (IANS) Union Minister Jitendra Singh has praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his decisive leadership in restoring peace and normalcy in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), noting that the "historic decision of abrogation of Article 370 brought citizenship rights to a vast population in J&K who were deprived of it for the last seven decades".

He added that the abrogation of Article 370 has allowed even senior leaders from the opposition parties to freely enjoy the region's newfound stability, as seen by the recent visit to 'Ahdoos' Restaurant in Lal Chowk.

"This is a testament to the peace and normalcy that have been restored in the region," Union Minister Singh said during a programme.

Singh, the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science and Technology, Minister of State (Independent Charge) Earth Sciences and MoS PMO, said, "Votaries of Article 370 in J&K exploited constitutional provisions to serve their political interests."

He also added that it was a vested interest for the ruling dispensation in the erstwhile state of J&K because it enabled them to get elected and form government with a mere 10 per cent or less voting and thus continue their dynasty rule, generation after generation, he said.

The Minister said, "As we celebrate the 5th anniversary, some significant developments are highly notable. In the last 5 years, transformation has happened broadly at four levels i.e. democratic, governance, development and security situation."

Jitendra Singh recalled that the 73rd and 74th Amendments of the Panchayat Act were introduced by the Congress government at the Centre but not made applicable in J&K by the same coalition government in the State. Democratic decentralization could not take place as central funds were not available to them before 2019.

Singh said, "The credit for bringing peace and development goes to PM Modi who gave confidence to the people in the region and assured that J-K will play a pivotal role in the country's development and shine as the crown jewel."

Speaking regarding the celebration of India's maiden National Space Day, Jitendra Singh traced India's Space journey beginning only 55 years back in 1969, when the US astronaut Neil Armstrong had already set foot on the Moon.

He lauded the scientific community for their unwavering dedication, which culminated in India becoming the first nation to land on the Moon's South Pole.

The Minister of State for Space credited the policy support and leadership provided by Prime Minister Modi since 2014 for accelerating scientific missions and unlocking the potential of India's scientific community.

He also noted the significant increase in space startups, now numbering nearly 300, following the opening of the space sector to private participation.

Jitendra Singh said, "Prime Minister Modi enabled India's space scientists to vindicate the dream of their founding father Vikram Sarabhai by unlocking India's space sector and providing an enabling milieu in which India's huge potential and talent could find an outlet and prove itself to the rest of the world."
Paris, Aug 25 : Pavel Durov, billionaire co-founder and chief executive of Telegram, was arrested at the Bourget airport outside Paris on Saturday evening for alleged offences related to the popular messaging app, media reports said, citing police officials

Durov was travelling aboard his private jet, TF1 TV said on its website, adding he had been targeted by an arrest warrant in France.

The 39-year-old is understood to have been travelling from Azerbaijan and was arrested at about 8 p.m. local time.

Durov was expected to appear in court on Sunday.

The Russian-born entrepreneur lives in Dubai, where Telegram is based, and holds dual citizenship of France and the United Arab Emirates.

Durov, who is estimated by Forbes to have a fortune of $15.5bn (A12bn), left Russia in 2014 after he refused to comply with demands to shut down opposition communities on his VK social media platform, which he sold.

Telegram did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Russia's embassy in France is taking "immediate steps" to clarify the situation.

Citing a representative from the Russian embassy in France, TASS reported there had been no appeal from Durov's team to the embassy, but that it was proactively taking "immediate" steps.

Durov and his brother Nikolai founded the messaging app in 2013 and it has about 900 million active users.

Telegram offers end-to-end encrypted messaging and users can also set up "channels" to disseminate information quickly to followers.

France's OFMIN, an agency tasked with preventing violence against minors, had issued an arrest warrant for Durov as the coordinating agency in a preliminary investigation into alleged offences, including fraud, drug trafficking, cyberbullying, organised crime and promotion of terrorism, one of the sources close to the case said.

"Enough of Telegram's impunity," said one of the investigators, adding they were surprised Durov came to Paris knowing he was a wanted man.
Tel Aviv, Aug 25 : Even as the indirect peace talks between Israel and Hamas are set to resume on Sunday at the behest of the US, Qatar and Egypt, there is speculation that Hezbollah may launch an attack.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is expecting an attack by Hezbollah in its northern regions if the talks fail by any chance. Both the Israel delegation and the Hamas delegation are in Cairo to take part in the talks.

Arab media has reported that the possibility of the talks reaching a positive conclusion is remote and a breakdown is very high. It may be recalled that the Chief of the Hezbollah army, Fuad Shukr was killed in an Israeli attack on July 30 in Beirut. Israel has publicly announced that its army killed the Hezbollah military commander.

Hezbollah Chief Hassan Nasarullah has earlier said that it would avenge the death of Fuad Shukr, who was the closest ally of the Hezbollah chief.

Hebrew media has reported that Israeli intelligence expects a possible Hezbollah attack in northern Israel if the talks at Cairo fail. Israel Defence Minister Yoav Gallant has directed the forces to be prepared for any onslaught from Hezbollah.

IDF spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari in a statement on Saturday late night said, "IDF forces continue operating decisively and forcefully against the terrorist organisation Hezbollah. In recent days we have struck about 70 terror targets, including numerous weapon storage sites aimed at Israel and eliminated over 20 terrorists, including senior operatives. We have damaged Hezbollah's rocket infrastructure."

He further said, "It is important for you to know that we are facing a significant week with ongoing negotiations in Cairo, fighting in Gaza, and border conflicts in the North. Our readiness for attack and defence is very high, and we will continue to work to remove threats and fight our enemies. The public must remain vigilant, as you have been so far. We will provide immediate updates on any developments."

The Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), William Burns and the White House Middle East advisor, Brett McGurk are in Cairo for the mediatory talks. Qatar Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani and the Egyptian Intelligence Chief Major General Abbas Kamel are also involved in the indirect talks.

The Israeli delegation in Cairo comprises Mossad Chief David Barnea, Shin Bet Chief Ronen Bar and Major General Eliezer Toledan.

The Hamas delegation in Cairo is led by its senior official Khalil al-Hayya. The Arab media houses from Cairo are reporting that Hamas leadership will be communicating with the Qatar Prime Minister and Egyptian Intelligence chief and will not participate in direct talks.
Tel Aviv, Aug 25 : Hezbollah said on Sunday that it has fired more than 320 rockets at northern Israel in the past few hours, along with several explosive-laden drones.

In a statement, Hezbollah claims to have targeted 11 military bases in northern Israel.

Hezbollah said that the attack was in response to the killing of its military commander Fuad Shukr in an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) strike on July 30.

Meanwhile, IDF Spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said that the Israeli military continues to thwart Hezbollah's prepared attacks on the country.

Hagari said, "We are removing threats to the Israeli home front. Dozens of planes are now attacking targets in different areas of southern Lebanon."

"Hezbollah is firing rockets and drones at Israel. Our air defence systems, Navy ships and Air Force planes are protecting the country's skies, identifying and intercepting threats, and striking anywhere in Lebanon, where it is necessary to remove threats and hit Hezbollah," the statement said.

Hezbollah Chief Hassan Nasarullah had said that it would avenge the death of Fuad Shukr, who was the closest ally of the Hezbollah chief.

Hebrew media has earlier reported that Israel intelligence has warned of a possible Hezbollah attack in northern Israel if the talks at Cairo fail and the Israel Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has directed the IDF to be prepared for any onslaught from Hezbollah.

The Hezbollah attack came precisely when the indirect peace talks between Israel and Hamas were scheduled in Cairo.

Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director William Burns and White House Middle East Advisor Brett McGurk are in Cairo for the mediatory talks. Qatar Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani and the Egyptian Intelligence Chief Major General Abbas Kamel will also participate in the talks.

The Israeli delegation in Cairo includes Mossad Chief David Barnea, Shin Bet Chief Ronen Bar and Major General Eliezer Toledan.

The Hamas delegation is led by its senior official Khalil al-Hayya. The Arab media houses from Cairo are reporting that Hamas leadership will be communicating with the Qatar Prime Minister and Egyptian Intelligence chief and not participating in direct talks.
Tel Aviv, Aug 25 : Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant declared a 48-hour nationwide state of emergency on Sunday morning after the Israeli military launched pre-emptive strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The emergency measure, effective from 6:00 a.m. (Israeli time) aims to empower the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) to implement crucial directives, including restrictions on public gatherings and the closure of vulnerable sites.

The decision comes in response to a significant escalation of hostilities, with Hezbollah claiming responsibility for firing over 320 rockets and several explosive-laden drones at northern Israel.

In a statement, Hezbollah asserted that it had targeted 11 military bases in the region, marking a severe intensification of the conflict.

The state of emergency grants the IDF the authority to issue safety instructions to the civilian population, especially in areas where the risk of attacks is high, the Defence Minister said in a statement.

"I am convinced that there is a high chance of an attack against the civilian population in areas of the country where the declaration of a special situation did not apply," Defence Minister Gallant warned, stressing the need for the nationwide emergency status.

Hezbollah's actions were described as an "initial response" to the killing of one of its top commanders, prompting Israel to engage in a series of pre-emptive strikes.

Earlier, IDF Spokesperson Daniel Hagari warned about Hezbollah's plans to attack Israeli civilians.

"We have detected preparations by the militant organisation Hezbollah to launch missiles and rockets at the State of Israel, we are attacking proactively to remove the threat," he said.

"In a self-defence act to remove these threats, the IDF is striking terror targets in Lebanon, from which Hezbollah was planning to launch their attacks on Israeli civilians," the IDF Spokesperson said in another video posted on social media platform X.
Amritsar, Aug 25 : In a crucial revelation by Punjab Police on Sunday into the firing incident in which a visiting Non-Resident Indian (NRI) from the US was critically wounded at his palatial farmhouse on the outskirts of Amritsar, the plot of getting him killed in revenge was hatched by the victim's ex-wife's family, also based in America, by hiring local miscreants.

Five people, comprising the father of the victim's ex-wife, have been arrested. The motive of the crime was strained relations between both NRI families. The grievously wounded NRI was stated to be out of danger.

Commissioner of Police Ranjit Singh Dhillon told the media here that four members of a family, belonging to the victim's previous wife's family, settled in the US allegedly hired the killers by offering them a 'supari' to kill the visiting NRI, Sukhchain Singh.

"It's a dispute between two families, both settled in America. Owing to revenge, one family hired assailants by giving them 'suprai' and sent them to the other's house. We are very close to arresting them (assailants). The case has been solved. It is a matter of time that both assailants will be arrested. They arranged funds (from outside the country) to commit the crime," he said.

"The NRI family knew that this man is currently here (in India). We have arrested five people," he said.

Besides the victim's previous father-in-law, who is based in Punjab's Hoshiarpur district, the police also arrested a manager of the hotel located in Amritsar for giving lodging to the assailants before and after the crime.

The police also traced the trail of money transferred after the crime. "Other people linked to the crime would be soon arrested," Dhillon added.

Two motorcycle-borne assailants barged into the house of 43-year-old NRI, Sukhchain Singh, in Daburji village and shot at him on Saturday morning in front of his elderly mother, wife and two children from his previous wife, leaving him grievously wounded.

One bullet pierced into his head bypassing the brain and the other hit his arm. According to the police, one of the attackers' weapons jammed and could not fire more.

Sukhchain Singh, a US resident who came here 25 days back, was shot in the head and arm by the two assailants in front of his family, including children, who could be seen in CCTV footage pleading not to harm their father with folded hands. He was immediately rushed to a private hospital in Amritsar with critical bullet injuries.

In the CCTV footage, the miscreants, who came on a motorcycle and did not wear masks, are seen entering the house in the morning. Singh's children were playing inside the house at the time. One of the armed assailants is seen approaching the NRI and asking him to enter a bedroom at gunpoint. As he resisted, both assailants fired at him from close range.
Lucknow, Aug 25 : Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) Chief, Om Prakash Rajbhar on Sunday attacked the Congress, claiming that the latter joined hands with National Conference (NC) to scrap the reservation for SCs, STs, Gujjars, Paharis and OBCs in J&K to disempower these marginalised communities.

"The Congress has joined hands with the National Conference to further its agenda, which is reflected in the NCas pro-Pakistan, pro-separatist, anti-J&K people and anti-national manifesto, to repeal the reservation guaranteed to the SC, ST, Gujjars, Paharis and OBCs in Jammu and Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370 as per Babasaheb Dr Ambedkaras Constitution," he said.

"The people of J&K were deprived of reservations for more than 60 years. It was very unfortunate that due to the anti-reservation policies of the Congress, the Dalit and deprived communities did not get the change of reservation for decades in J&K," Rajbhar asserted.

"Congress thinks that they will implement Article 370 in J&K again, and it reveals the intention of Congress to deprive SCs and STs of quota benefits," he added.

"We have seen how the reservations to SCs and STs have been reduced in Congress-ruled Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and also in West Bengal," Rajbhar stated.

He further said, "Congress did not allow reservation to SCs and STs in Jamia Millia Islamia, and Aligarh Muslim University.

He said that the NDA would not allow this dubious design of the National Conference and the Congress to disempower these communities in employment, education, and politics. The BJP will protect the reservation to SCs, STs, Gujjars, Paharis, and OBCs in J&K."

Jammu and Kashmiras oldest regional party National Conference (NC) on Monday released its manifesto, promising to strive for a plethora of issues including restoration of autonomy, Article 370, and statehood for the union territory.
Giant panda Wang Wang is pictured at Adelaide Zoo in Adelaide, Australia, Aug. 24, 2024. A 2-day celebration event for the birthday of giant pandas Wang Wang and Fu Ni kicked off here on Saturday. The two giant pandas have been on loan from China since 2009, and are among the zoo's top attractions. (Photo by Lyu Wei/Xinhua)

ADELAIDE, Australia, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- The Adelaide Zoo in South Australia (SA), held a two-day birthday celebration this weekend for two giant pandas, who turn 19 and 18 years old this year, respectively.

Wang Wang was born on Oct. 31, 2005 and Fu Ni on Aug. 23, 2006 in China. They have lived in Adelaide Zoo for 15 years, since 2009.

Adelaide Zoo has celebrated the birthdays of Wang Wang and Fu Ni every year since 2009.

Filled with fun activities that finished on Sunday, crowds gathered to sing the pandas a rousing rendition of "Happy Birthday" and watch Wang Wang enjoy a scented enrichment bubble bath and Fu Ni falling asleep peacefully.

"Wang Wang and Fu Ni have been a major drawcard for our state," said Peter Malinauskas, Premier of South Australia, in a press release issued on Saturday.

Elaine Bensted, Zoos SA chief executive, said on Saturday that Adelaide Zoo had always been proud to have Wang Wang and Fu Ni, who held a special place in the hearts of many.

Giant pandas are such a fascinating species and it is an honor to care for them, Bensted said, adding their arrival have not only brought more attention to South Australia, but served to further stimulate global enthusiasm for giant panda conservation.

Adelaide Zoo is the second oldest zoo in Australia. The pair of pandas, the stars of the zoo, attract a large number of visitors every year. 

Giant panda Wang Wang is pictured at Adelaide Zoo in Adelaide, Australia, Aug. 24, 2024. A 2-day celebration event for the birthday of giant pandas Wang Wang and Fu Ni kicked off here on Saturday. The two giant pandas have been on loan from China since 2009, and are among the zoo's top attractions. (Photo by Lyu Wei/Xinhua)

Giant panda Wang Wang is pictured at Adelaide Zoo in Adelaide, Australia, Aug. 24, 2024. A 2-day celebration event for the birthday of giant pandas Wang Wang and Fu Ni kicked off here on Saturday. The two giant pandas have been on loan from China since 2009, and are among the zoo's top attractions. (Photo by Lyu Wei/Xinhua)

Giant panda Wang Wang is pictured at Adelaide Zoo in Adelaide, Australia, Aug. 24, 2024. A 2-day celebration event for the birthday of giant pandas Wang Wang and Fu Ni kicked off here on Saturday. The two giant pandas have been on loan from China since 2009, and are among the zoo's top attractions. (Photo by Lyu Wei/Xinhua)
Mumbai, Aug 25 : Bollywood diva Malaika Arora's perfect Sunday recipe includes a 'hot cuppa joe' and some laughter.

Malaika on August 25 took to Instagram, where she shared a gamut of images. The first picture has the actress holding a coffee mug, in the second picture, Malaika's face isn't visible as her hair covers it all, the last few photographs have the dancing diva giggling.

"A hot cuppa + some laughs = my kinda Sunday," she wrote.

Malaika keeps sharing glimpses of what she enjoys and has. Recently, she shared a picture of a plate full of yumminess featuring sunny side up egg crepes, some tikkis and an avocado.

She captioned the image: "Happiness on my plate"

Earlier this month, Malaika travelled to France and visited the famous Napoleon's tomb, which has his remains following their repatriation to France from Saint Helena in 1840, at the initiative of King Louis Philippe I and his minister Adolphe Thiers.

The diva also shared a picture of a sword from the museum. She also attended the Paris Olympics and cheered for Neeraj Chopra, who won the silver in javelin throw on Thursday night.

Talking about her work life, Malaika, whose split with Bollywood actor Arjun Kapoor made headlines, has judged reality shows such as 'Nach Baliye', 'Zara Nachke Dikha', 'Perfect Bride', 'Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa', 'India's Got Talent', 'India's Next Top Model', 'MTV Supermodel of the Year', and 'India's Best Dancer'.

She also appeared in the reality series 'Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives'. She is fondly remembered as the 'Chaiyya Chaiyya' girl courtesy her dance moves on a train from the film "Dil Se" starring Shah Rukh Khan, Manisha Koirala, and Preity Zinta. The film is directed by Mani Ratnam.
Jhajjar, Aug 25 : Manu Bhaker's 2024 Paris Olympics campaign has seen her being honoured and celebrated across the country. The 22-year old reached her hometown of Jhajjar on Sunday and was felicitated by the District Commissioner for her achievements.

Upon reaching the event Manu was showered with gifts and garlands. She was thankful for the amount of support she has received from her hometown and took the time to acknowledge that.

"You always need support from a lot of people, it can't be just attributed to any one individual. I started in my village and I got a lot of support from my school, family and then my district helped me out a lot. I was facing a license issue but they sorted it out quickly and from there I started improving as a shooter," said Manu to reporters.

Manu Bhaker created history at the 2024 Paris Olympics by becoming the first Indian to win two medals in a single Olympic campaign post independence. She also is the first Indian woman to win a medal in single's shooting at the event. Despite the record breaking performance, Manu still is not satisfied with her performance and will be aiming for gold next time out.

"The aim is to always go for gold but these bronze medals have given me teachings for the future and my aim will always be to go for gold," she added

Manu also went on to confirm that she is currently on a three month long break. She is facing a slight injury issue and will only be returning to competition after tending to it.

"I have taken a three month long break, I was facing a slight injury issue so I will have to address that. After that I will return to training and the timeframe for me to return to competitions is five months,"said Manu.

India won six medals at the Paris Games out of which three medals came from the Jhajjar District. In addition to the two medals won by Manu, Wrestler Aman Sehrawat also claimed bronze in the men's wrestling freestyle 57kg. DC Shakti Singh confirmed that Aman will be coming to Jhajjar on Tuesday and will be felicitated as well upon his arrival.

"It is a very proud moment for us, our district's daughter has won two medals in the Olympics. She created history by becoming the first Indian to win two medals in a single campaign. India won six medals at the Olympics out of which three are from Jhajjar district. Aman Sehrawat also won a medal. We are very happy that she won the medal and hopefully she keeps working hard and makes the nation proud," said Jhajjar District Commissioner, captain Shakti Singh.
Srinagar, Aug 25 : Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and vice president of National Conference (NC), Omar Abdullah will contest the upcoming Assembly elections from the Ganderbal constituency.

This announcement was made by Syed Ruhullah Mehdi, a Lok Sabha member, and Nasir Aslam Wani, NC provincial president on Sunday in the presence of Omar Abdullah and Mian Altaf Ahmad, senior NC leader and MP from the Anantnag-Rajouri constituency.

Omar Abdullah had come to Nuner village of Ganderbal district where Sayim Mustafa, a political activist joined the party.

Sayim Mustafa had unsuccessfully fought the Lok Sabha election for the Srinagar seat when Syed Ruhullah Mehdi defeated Sayim among other candidates.

Sundayas announcement about Omar Abdullah deciding to fight the Assembly elections has negated his earlier statement that he would not stand for the elections as long as J&K remained a union territory.

Omar Abdullah served as the Chief Minister of erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir state from 2009 to 2015 and was also the president of his party. He is a three-time Lok Sabha MP and has represented the Assembly constituencies of Ganderbal (2008-2014) and Beerwah (2014-2019). He lost the 2002 Assembly elections to Qazi Mohammad Afzal of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from Ganderbal.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has already issued notice for the first phase of the 3-phased Assembly polls in J&K.

In the first phase, 24 Assembly segments spread in the Valley and the Jammu division will go to vote on September 18.

Voting for the second phase will take place on September 25 and for the last phase on October 1. Counting of votes will be held on October 4 and the entire poll process will be concluded by October 6.

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 Governoras rule and the then-governor Satya Pal Malik dissolved the Assembly.

On August 5, 2019, Article 370 was abrogated and J&K was bifurcated into two union territories of J&K and Ladakh.
New Delhi, Aug 25 : The Central government has introduced a new pension scheme, the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS) which will come into effect from April 1, 2025.

In UPS, the government has offered several advantages of the previous Old Pension Scheme (OPS) like assured pension, family pension and indexation benefits. This pension scheme is only for government employees unlike New Pension Scheme (NPS) which is offered to both government and private employees.

Now government employees will have the option to choose between the UPS and the New Pension Scheme (NPS) to get a pension. The Old Pension Scheme is also applicable to government employees in some states. Let's understand UPS first.

Under the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS), pension would be given to government employees by the Central government. If a government employee retires after serving for 25 years, 50 per cent of his basic salary for the last 12 months will be given as a pension. The special thing about this scheme is that it has provisions for an assured pension. If a government employee works for 10 years, at least a Rs 10,000 pension will be paid by the government with indexation benefits.

In UPS, there is also a provision for family pension. If the employee dies after retirement, his family members will receive 60 per cent of his pension.

A lump sum amount (apart from gratuity) will also be given on retirement in UPS. It will be calculated as one-tenth of the basic salary and dearness allowance (DA) for every six months of service.

More than 23 lakh Central government employees will benefit from this.

Recently, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw made a post on social media regarding the benefits of UPS, based on which we have compared UPS, NPS and OPS.

Difference between UPS, NPS and OPS

*UPS is only for government employees. NPS is for both government and private sector employees. OPS was also for government sector employees.

*In UPS, 50 per cent of the average basic salary of the last 12 months will be given as a pension after retirement. There was no provision for a guaranteed retirement pension in NPS, whereas, in OPS, 50 per cent of the last basic salary was given as a pension.

*UPS and OPS is a secure scheme. However, NPS is linked to the stock market.

*Like NPS, in UPS, 10 per cent of the salary (Basic + DA) will be deducted. However, the government's contribution to this will be 18.5 per cent, earlier it was 14 per cent. There was no deduction in OPS.

*UPS has a provision for a lump sum amount on retirement, which will be calculated as one-tenth of the employee's basic salary and dearness allowance for every six months of service. In NPS, out of the total amount deposited during service, 60 per cent could be withdrawn in a lump sum on retirement and 40 per cent could be kept for annuity.

*In UPS and OPS, no investment has to be made to get a pension, whereas, in NPS, 40 per cent of the fund has to be invested for a pension.

*The benefit of indexation in pension is available in UPS and OPS. However, this benefit is not available in NPS.

*Assured minimum pension of Rs 10,000 per month on superannuation after a minimum of 10 years of service in UPS. There is no such provision in NPS, whereas in OPS there is a provision for 40 per cent pension commutation.
New Delhi, Aug 25 : Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Sunday lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his "deep attachment" to the Himalayan state, following the PM's interaction with a young innovator from Almora during his 113th 'Mann Ki Baat' address, where he also mentioned famous 'Bal Mithai'.

During the address, PM Modi engaged with the team from Spacetech Startup GalaxEye, where Rakshit, a native of Uttarakhand's Almora district, shared insights about their advancements in space technology.

Reacting to this interaction, CM Dhami expressed his pride on X, stating, "Today in the 'Mann Ki Baat' programme, the Honorable Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Rakshit ji of Almora, who is excelling in the Space Sector, and learned about the innovative work of Spacetech Startup GalaxEye."

Highlighting the rising achievements of the state's youth, CM Dhami added that the youth of Uttarakhand are bringing glory to the state in every sector.

He further emphasised PM Modi's fondness for the state, pointing out that the Prime Minister mentioned both Almora's famous 'Bal Mithai' and the state's celebrated badminton player, Lakshya Sen, during the conversation.

"During the conversation, the Hon'ble Prime Minister mentioned the famous Bal Mithai of Almora and the state's badminton player Lakshya Sen, which shows his deep attachment towards Uttarakhand," the Chief Minister wrote.

In a lighthearted exchange, PM Modi teased Rakshit, calling him a "Baal Mithhaai wala," referring to the region's beloved sweet.

Rakshit, acknowledging the joke, replied, "Yes, Sir. Bal Mithai is our favourite."

The Prime Minister also mentioned that Lakshya Sen, a star badminton player from Almora, often shares this delicacy with him.

Additionally, Rakshit mentioned that Spacetech Startup GalaxEye, founded by alumni of IIT Madras, aims to revolutionise space imaging technology, enabling clear observations through clouds and at night.

He explained that this technology would significantly enhance national security by providing daily monitoring of borders and coastlines while also empowering Indian farmers with vital data for their operations, hence, enhancing the idea of 'Jai Jawaan, Jai Kisaan'.
Lucknow, Aug 25 : Ahead of Janmashtami, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday ordered special vigilance in Mathura, the birthplace of Lord Krishna, where the festival is celebrated with great reverence and pomp.

Highlighting the sensitive nature of the Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi/Shahi Idgah Mosque site, which has been on the radar of ISI and various terrorist organisations, CM Adityanath called for special attention to be given to security arrangements in the area.

He also mandated the videography of processions for security purposes, ensuring that all CCTV cameras along the procession routes and at event venues were operational. Furthermore, drone cameras should be deployed to monitor key sensitive areas.

Issuing necessary guidelines to the officials, he asked them to ensure security, cleanliness and other arrangements during Krishna Leela, tableau and procession across the state.

Underscoring the importance of preventing disputes during worship and processions, the Chief Minister pointed out that conflicts often arise over decorating tableaus at disputed sites, disagreements over procession routes, and organising non-traditional events.

Calling for grand and devout celebrations across the state jails, police lines and stations, he stressed the need for the festival to be celebrated traditionally and respectfully and firmly stated that no indecent dance programmes should be allowed.

Asserting that no new traditions should be introduced under any circumstances, the chief minister ordered the updation of lists containing names of anti-social and communal elements, stressing that strict action should be taken against such individuals if necessary.

The Chief Minister further instructed that a comprehensive list of Leela Sthals, pandals, temples, and 'Shobha Yatras' be compiled for each district, with a well-coordinated police arrangement in place.

Furthermore, CM Aditynatah has ordered the deployment of adequate police forces at crowded locations to ensure public safety and traffic management during the celebration programmes in various temples.

Additionally, he emphasised the importance of robust security and traffic management, taking into account the anticipated number of devotees expected to attend these events.
New Delhi, Aug 25 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi felicitated 11 lakh new 'Lakhpati Didis' in Maharashtra's Jalgaon on Sunday, who achieved the mark during the third term of his government.

The Lakhpati Didis praised PM Modias unprecedented schemes for womenas welfare.

"We are very proud to be Lakhpati Didis, PM Modi is doing great work for the welfare of women," said one of the beneficiaries of the scheme.

Applauding PM Modi, one of the 'Lakhpati Didis' remarked, "We thank PM Modi as we are now Lakhpati."

Supporting PM Modi's 'Viksit Bharat 2047' vision, one of the 'Lakhpati Didis' said, "To support his vision, we also have a dream to make our company of 5,000 people."

The PM released a revolving fund of Rs 2,500 crore which will benefit about 48 lakh members of 4.3 lakh self-help groups (SHG).

Lakhs of 'Lakhpati Didis' have hailed PM Modias unprecedented schemes for womenas welfare.

PM Modi also disbursed bank loans totalling Rs 5,000 crore to support 25.8 lakh members of 2.35 lakh SHGs.

Since the launch of the Lakhpati Didi Yojana, one crore women have already been empowered as Lakhpati Didis, with the government's goal to elevate three crore women to this status.

A Lakhpati Didi is a member of a Self-Help Group (SHG) who earns an annual household income of at least Rs one lakh. This income is calculated over a minimum of four agricultural seasons or business cycles, with an average monthly income exceeding Rs 10,000, ensuring sustainability.

These individuals inspire their communities not just through their income, but through their transformation journey. They adopt sustainable livelihood practices -- whether in farming, non-farming, or services -- to manage resources effectively and achieve a commendable standard of living.

SHG groups have fostered collective action and mutual support, serving as platforms for essential financial literacy, skill development, and livelihood assistance.

The focus has evolved from basic social and financial inclusion to empowering SHG members to embark on entrepreneurial ventures. Their skills and potential position them for higher income brackets, with the government actively supporting this transition through initiatives like Lakhpati Didi.

The Lakhpati initiative promotes diversified livelihood activities by ensuring coordination among government departments, private sector entities and market players. This strategy involves focused planning, implementation and monitoring at all levels.
Gandhinagar, Aug 25 : Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel has instructed the officials to evacuate people living in low-lying areas of southern Gujarat after the region witnessed heavy rains for the last few days.

An official said that people living in the southern districts of Valsad, Tapi, Navsari, Surat, Narmada, and Panchmahal - which have witnessed severe rainfall -have been asked to evacuate to safer areas.

He said that the Chief Minister discussed the situation with the district collectors of the rain-affected regions and directed the officials to evacuate people of these areas immediately.

"The Chief Minister was informed about the problems faced by the people and instructed to ensure residents' safety living in low-lying areas. He also emphasised relocating vulnerable populations to safer locations and safeguarding lives and livestock," the official said.

The Chief Minister has also assured that, if necessary, assistance from State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams would be sought for the affected areas.

State Emergency Operation Center said that Sagbara Taluka in Narmada district received the highest rainfall on Sunday, with 64 mm recorded between 6 am and 8 am while for the past 24 hours, Vapi in Valsad district recorded the highest overall rain of 326 mm.

Kaprada and Pardi talukas also saw over 12 inches of rain, leading to waterlogging and rising river levels, which disrupted daily life in these areas.

In Surat, Umarpada received 280 mm, Khergam recorded 268 mm, and Dharampur saw 226 mm of rainfall during the same period.

The IMD has also issued an orange alert until August 28 in Gujarat and also issued a red alert for Surat, Navsari, Valsad, Daman, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and Bhavnagar.

The MeT office has also warned of heavy to hefty rainfall, with some areas expected to experience hefty downpours over the next 24 hours.

An orange alert has been issued for Banaskantha, Patan, Mehsana, Sabarkantha, Gandhinagar, Aravalli, Kheda, Ahmedabad, Anand, Panchmahal, Dahod, Mahisagar, Vadodara, Chhota Udepur, Narmada, Bharuch, Dang, Tapi, Surendranagar, Amreli, and Botad.

The MeT office has said that these areas are also likely to receive heavy to hefty rain.
New Delhi, Aug 25 : While Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the two biggest national parties remain at loggerheads over the New Pension Scheme (NPS) and Old Pension Scheme (OPS), the newly launched Unified Pension Scheme (UPS) has found support from a leading Congress office-bearer Praveen Chakravarty.

Praveen Chakravarty, who heads the All India Professionals' Congress (AIPC), took to microblogging site X, expressed support for the UPS scheme and termed it as a 'prudent and welcome' move.

Congress leader, who batted for reforms in pension schemes earlier also, looks convinced with the latest scheme. He also sought to explain how the UPS excels the New Pension Scheme (NPS) and has even gone a step ahead in ending the 'lacuna and loophole' that existed in it.

"OPS was reformed to NPS in 2013. However, NPS did not assure a minimum amount for retired families. Now, UPS does that  UPS = NPS + Min guarantee," wrote the Cong leader, who also heads the party's Data Analytics department.

The support for UPS from Congress quarters will come as a shot in the arm for the Modi government. Soon after the announcement of UPS on Saturday, the Central government employees' body also hailed the Modi dispensation for not just acknowledging their concerns but also making amendments to the same.

The UPS scheme was cleared by the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday. It boasts of providing an assured minimum pension and family pension to Central government employees.

Notably, Praveen Chakravarty has been a votary of reforms in Pension schemes and 'differed' with his own party earlier also, when the latter pushed for a reversal from NPS to OPS in states, during Assembly elections.

In an old post on X, the Congress leader had supported former Niti Aayog Vice-Chairman Arvind Panagariya's views that reverting to OPS will be 'sinful and immoral' and will result in an 'irreversible' financial burden for future governments.
Chennai, Aug 25 : Two people were killed in an explosion at a firecracker unit in Avichipatti in Natham Taluk of Dindigul district in Tamil Nadu.

According to local residents, they heard a deafening sound from the cracker unit in the early morning.

Locals informed the police and a team of police personnel arrived to find that two persons were found dead inside the factory.

The bodies had borne severe injuries on the head, neck and arm.

The victims were sent to the Government Hospital, Dindigul for post-mortem and a case was registered in Natham police station.

The owner of the unit, K Selvam (54), is currently absconding.

The identity of the victims is yet to be ascertained. A police team is looking out for the owner. Natham police station SHO told IANS that the police are tracking Selvam and are checking whether he has the proper licence to run the fireworks factory.

Earlier on Saturday, two workers were killed and two others were injured in an explosion at a fireworks factory in Myladuthurai.

The deceased was identified as Karnan (27), a resident of Thiruvavaduthurai village.

The injured identified as Kaliperumal and Lakshmanan from Thiruvalangadu village and Kumar from Uthukadu village in Virudhunagar district, are admitted at Mayiladuthurai Government Medical College Hospital.

District Collector A.P. Mahabharathi and Superintendent of Police K. Stalin visited the spot and called on the injured at the hospital in Mayiladuthurai.

It may be noted that Virudhanagar in Tamil Nadu is the biggest producer of fireworks in the country. Sivakasi in Virudhanagar district is the hub of the fireworks industry in Tamil Nadu.

Dindigul and other adjoining districts of the state also have a few fireworks factories.

Tamil Nadu fireworks industry has a turnover of Rs 6000 crore annually and employs around 1lakh people directly and indirectly.
ISLAMABAD, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- Two troops were killed and seven others injured in a clash with militants in Pakistan's northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Sunday, police sources said.

The incident happened at about 12:20 local time (0720 GMT) in the Tirah Valley area of the Khyber district, where both sides engaged in an exchange of fire, the sources told Xinhua.

The injured, including a captain, were initially shifted to a nearby hospital from where they had been airlifted to the provincial capital city of Peshawar, the sources added.

The identities of the attackers or their affiliation with any terrorist group had not been revealed. 
Chennai, Aug 25 : Two people were killed in an explosion at a firecracker unit in Avichipatti in Natham Taluk of Dindigul district in Tamil Nadu.

According to local residents, they heard a deafening sound from the cracker unit in the early morning.

Locals informed the police and a team of police personnel arrived to find that two persons were found dead inside the factory.

The bodies had borne severe injuries on the head, neck and arm.

The victims were sent to the Government Hospital, Dindigul for post-mortem and a case was registered in Natham police station.

The owner of the unit, K Selvam (54), is currently absconding.

The identity of the victims is yet to be ascertained. A police team is looking out for the owner. Natham police station SHO told IANS that the police are tracking Selvam and are checking whether he has the proper licence to run the fireworks factory.

Earlier on Saturday, two workers were killed and two others were injured in an explosion at a fireworks factory in Myladuthurai.

The deceased identified as Karnan (27), a resident of Thiruvavaduthurai village died on the spot while Kaliperumal (42) passed away in the hospital.

The injured identified as Lakshmanan from Thiruvalangadu village and Kumar from Uthukadu village in Virudhunagar district, are admitted at Mayiladuthurai Government Medical College Hospital.

District Collector A.P. Mahabharathi and Superintendent of Police K. Stalin visited the spot and called on the injured at the hospital in Mayiladuthurai.

It may be noted that Virudhanagar in Tamil Nadu is the biggest producer of fireworks in the country. Sivakasi in Virudhanagar district is the hub of the fireworks industry in Tamil Nadu.

Dindigul and other adjoining districts of the state also have a few fireworks factories.

Tamil Nadu fireworks industry has a turnover of Rs 6000 crore annually and employs around 1lakh people directly and indirectly.
Bengaluru, Aug 25 : Jailed Kannada superstar Darshan's photo showing him enjoying a cup of coffee and cigarette inside the Central Jail in Parappana Agrahara of Bengaluru went viral on social media on Sunday, raising questions about prison authorities giving preferential treatment to him.

Bengaluru, Aug 25 (IANS) Jailed Kannada superstar Darshanas photo showing him enjoying a cup of coffee and cigarette inside the Central Jail in Parappana Agrahara of Bengaluru went viral on social media on Sunday, raising questions about prison authorities giving preferential treatment to him.

Darshan is the second accused in the kidnap and brutal murder case of his fan Renukaswamy.

The photo shows Darshan holding a coffee mug while sitting cross-legs on a chair. He is also seen holding a cigarette in another hand and is seen joyful and enjoying inside the prison.

The photo also shows Darshan sitting with his manager and other two jail inmates on chairs while having a delightful discussion without any fear or guilt.

Darshan is being kept in the special barrack of the prison.

The photo went viral on Sunday raising suspicion that Darshan and his close associates were being provided special facilities inside the prison.

Sources said that the jail authorities have given Darshan a free hand inside the prison to roam and meet inmates.

The development has shocked the family of Renukaswamy, a fan brutally killed by Darshan, his partner Pavithra Gowda and 15 others. The case is in the final stage of submission of a charge sheet and the development is seen as a setback to Darshan who is hoping to apply for bail soon after the submission of a charge sheet by the police.

However, the Police Department has not made any comments about the incident yet.

The gruesome murder of Renukaswamy took place on June 8 in Bengaluru.

He was kidnapped from his hometown, Chitradurga, brought to Bengaluru, kept in a shed, and tortured to death.

After the murder, his body was thrown into a canal.

The incident came to light after the security personnel of a private apartment building saw the body being dragged by a pack of dogs.

Renukaswamy is survived by aged parents, a pregnant wife and a sister.

When the police began the investigation, four of the accused surrendered, claiming responsibility for the murder over a financial matter.

After Kamakshipalya Police interrogated them, the involvement of actor Darshan, his partner Pavithra Gowda, and others came to light.

On the morning of June 11, actor Darshan was arrested in Mysuru, while Pavithra Gowda and some associates of Darshan were arrested in Bengaluru.

Bengaluru Police Commissioner, B Dayananda stated recently that the fan murder case involving Kannada superstar Darshan, Pavithra Gowda and 15 others, was reaching its final stage.

The Police Commissioner stated that oral, circumstantial, and technical evidence related to the sensational murder had been collected and sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) in Bengaluru, from where about 70 per cent of the reports have been received.

It was revealed that the accused had brutally hacked Renukaswamy to death for sending obscene messages to Pavithra Gowda.

The court had extended the judicial custody of Darshan, Pavithra Gowda and 15 others till August 28.
Islamabad, Aug 25 : As Pakistan has invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit Islamabad for the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Council of Heads of Governments (CHG) meeting, scheduled on October 15 and 16, analysts see it as a "protocol and not political stunt".

"Pakistan has invited Indian PM Narendra Modi and other member states to visit Islamabad for the SCO meeting. Being a host, this is a formal invitation and part of the process in practice by the host country to invite all member states to attend the meeting," sources in the Foreign Office said.

PM Modi is unlikely to accept the invitation and visit Islamabad for the meeting as relations between the two neighbouring countries have been stretched since August 5, 2019 when India abrogated Article 370, changing the status of the state of Jammu and Kashmir.

It is expected that PM Modi may depute a ministerial delegation to represent India as the SCO meeting does not require heads of state to participate. In the past as well, SCO CHG meetings have been represented by Indian ministerial appointments and the same is expected to come into force this time as well.

Analysts are wary about the possibility of PM Modi visiting Islamabad.

"Extending invitations to PM Modi and all other member states is a compulsive protocol any host country follows. Pakistan has done the same. I do not see this as a political stunt. However, I do not see PM Modi landing in Islamabad," said political analyst Kamran Yousaf.

"Indian government's policy for the past decade has kept any initiatives to move towards normalisation of relations with Pakistan, consistently on the back burner," Yousaf claimed.

Barring SCO, the two nations have refrained from initiating any engagements on various platforms and have raised questions and concerns against each other.

Last year, Pakistan's foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari visited India for the SCO Foreign Ministers' meeting.

The other reason why both sides have been able to attend the SCO meetings and manage to work together on this particular platform is that the Organization's charter does not allow member-states to raise bilateral issues and keeps its focus on regional matters.
Istanbul, Aug 25 : Turkish Airlines, Turkiye's flag carrier, cancelled its flights to and from Beirut on Sunday due to security concerns, the country's NTV broadcaster reported.

The cancellation of two flights follows recent Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon, according to the NTV. Tickets for flights from Istanbul to Beirut are currently unavailable on the Turkish Airlines website, though bookings for flights on Monday remain open, Xinhua news agency reported.

Earlier, about 100 Israeli warplanes struck and destroyed "thousands" of Hezbollah rockets and missile launcher barrels to be launched at the country, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement on Sunday.

The strikes targeted more than 40 launch areas in southern Lebanon, which began before dawn, the IDF said, adding that most of the launchers were aimed at northern Israel, with some directed toward central Israel.

Whoever hurt us -- we hurt them," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video statement.

Meanwhile, Lebanese military sources said that three Hezbollah members and one member of the Amal Movement were killed, with six others injured on Sunday following Israeli bombings in Lebanon.

The sources, who requested anonymity, reported that two Hezbollah members died in an airstrike targeting a house in al-Tiri, a village in Lebanon's border area.

Another Hezbollah member was killed and three others were wounded in an Israeli raid on the outskirts of Deir Seryan in Lebanon.

Additionally, a member of the Amal Movement was killed in an Israeli drone strike on a car in Khiam, a village in the southeast.

The sources also reported that three other individuals, including a displaced Syrian, were wounded in an airstrike on the city of Tyre in Lebanon.

The Israeli strikes were a response to a large-scale attack, carried out by Hezbollah on Sunday with hundreds of drones and rockets.

Hezbollah confirmed in a statement that it had launched drones and rockets from various positions, crossing the Lebanese-Palestinian border to its intended targets, declaring its military operation for the day complete.

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati convened an emergency meeting to assess the situation and called for international intervention to halt the Israeli aggression.

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and the Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon (UNSCOL) issued a joint appeal for a ceasefire and restraint from further escalation in light of the recent developments along the Blue Line.

Tensions along the Lebanon-Israel border have intensified since an Israeli raid on the southern suburbs of Beirut on July 30, which killed seven Hezbollah members, including senior military commander Fouad Shokor. Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah had previously promised a severe response to the Israeli action.
New Delhi, Aug 25 : The Joint Consultative Machinery (JCM), the body representing Central government employees on Sunday lauded the newly launched Unified Pension Scheme (UPS) by the Modi government and also shed light on how it was better than the previous pension schemes including OPS and NPS.

JCM Secretary (staff side) Shiva Gopal Mishra, in a special interaction with IANS, explained how the latest pension scheme bettered its previous counterparts and how the UPS came into effect with the active participation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"Unified Pension Scheme (UPS) is contributory, however, the old one was non-contributory," he said.

The JCM chief, further pointing out the difference between the new and old pension schemes said: "In UPS, 10 per cent of the emolument will be deducted from employees' salary. Similar was the case in previous schemes but that was returned to staff in the form of interest. In the UPS model, the returns will be made via a certain corpus mode. Other than this, most provisions are similar. The new provisions in UPS have been welcomed by the fraternity as this is progressive and it will make their lives easier."

Shiva Gopal Mishra further said that everyone is happy and satisfied with the UPS as it will provide assured pension, family pension, and assured minimum pension to government employees.

"The UPS will not only benefit Railway employees but the whole bunch of 23 lakh central government employees. The employees will continue to contribute 10 per cent of their basic pay and DA," he added.

Shiva Gopal Mishra further praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for approving the scheme and said, "His intervention in the matter was needed. That greatly helped us in meeting our demands."

The Union Cabinet, chaired by PM Modi approved the UPS for central government employees on Saturday. This scheme will be effective from April 1, 2025.

Under the UPS, Central government employees can select between the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS) and the National Pension Scheme (NPS). State governments will have the option of choosing between all three schemes.
Seoul, Aug 25 : The government and the ruling People Power Party (PPP) agreed on Sunday to introduce a system mandating automakers to disclose the battery brand information of all electric vehicles (EVs).

During a meeting between senior government officials and PPP officials, the two sides also agreed to launch at an early date a system mandating automakers to get government certification on the safety of the batteries for their EV models, which was initially set to be introduced in February next year.

The move comes amid safety concerns triggered by a fire that began in a parked Mercedes-Benz electric vehicle on Aug. 1, which destroyed a parking garage inside an apartment complex in Incheon, 27 kms west of Seoul, while either completely destroying or damaging over 100 cars.

Days later, a fire broke out in a parked EV in Geumsan, 166 km south of Seoul, reports Yonhap news agency.

Automakers have voluntarily released the information of battery brands used in their electric vehicles following the incident.

The government and the PPP also agreed to deploy equipment to put out fires in EVs to all fire stations nationwide, conduct free safety checks on EV batteries annually and distribute 90,000 units of "smart chargers" that prevent the excessive charge of batteries.

In addition, underground parking lots in newly constructed buildings will be required to install sprinklers capable of early fire detection and prevention.

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.
Ipswich, Aug 25 : Ipswich Town confirmed the signing of defender Dara O'Shea from Burnley on Sunday. The centre-half joins the club for a reported fee of 15 million pound. He has signed a five-year deal which will keep him at Portman Road until the summer of 2029.

The 25-year-old, who came through the Academy at West Bromwich Albion, made more than 100 appearances for the Baggies before earning a move to Burnley in June 2023, following their promotion to the Premier League.

"I'm really excited to sign for the club. It was really hard not to pay attention to everything the team was able to achieve last season and to have the chance to join a club with such ambition and momentum was really attractive," Dara told the club's official website.

"The Manager (Kieran McKenna) was a huge part of why I wanted to come here and I've really admired what he and the team have done over the last couple of seasons, so at this stage of my career it's the perfect time to make the move," he added.

Dara made his debut for the Clarets against Manchester City at the beginning of last season and netted his first goal for the club against Liverpool at Anfield in February.

He has featured for the Republic of Ireland at U17, U18, U19 and U21 level and has won 26 senior caps, having also been named FA Young Player of the Year in 2021.

"I want to play in the Premier League and test myself against the best players in the world, which is something I want to do for as long as possible, and I can't think of a better place to do that," the defender said.

"I know quite a few of the lads in the squad and the style of play really suits me, where I can show my strengths and improve my weaknesses, so I'm looking forward to getting to work as soon as possible and being part of the culture," Dara concluded.
San Francisco, Aug 25 : US NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden on Sunday backed Telegram Founder Pavel Durov, saying his arrest is "an assault on the basic human rights of speech and association".

San Francisco, Aug 25 (IANS) US NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden on Sunday backed Telegram Founder Pavel Durov, saying his arrest is "an assault on the basic human rights of speech and association".

In a post on X social media platform, Snowden who was granted Russian citizenship last year, said that the moved has lowered not only France but the world.

"The arrest of @Durov is an assault on the basic human rights of speech and association. I am surprised and deeply saddened that (French President Emmanuel) Macron has descended to the level of taking hostages as a means for gaining access to private communications. It lowers not only France, but the world," posted the US Snowden.

Durov was detained after his private jet landed at Le Bourget Airport in France, according to local media. The 39-year-old billionaire was arrested under a warrant for offences related to the popular messaging app.

He founded Telegram in 2013 and he left Russia in 2014 after refusing to comply with government demands to shut down opposition communities on his VKontakte social media platform.

The billionaire lives in Dubai, where Telegram is based, and holds dual citizenship of France and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

As of August 25, Durov was the 120th richest person in the world, In 2022, he was recognised by Forbes magazine as the richest expat in the UAE.

He was expected to appear in court on Sunday. If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison. Telegram did not immediately respond to the development. Russia's embassy in France is taking "immediate steps" to clarify the situation.

Telegram offers end-to-end encrypted messaging and users can also set up "channels" to disseminate information quickly to followers.
Cairo, Aug 25 : Israeli and Hezbollah forces engaged in extensive exchanges of fire early Sunday morning along the Israel-Lebanon border, marking a significant escalation in their longstanding conflict.

Hezbollah announced it had launched hundreds of missiles into Israel in retaliation for the killing of its commander, Fouad Shokor, in an Israeli airstrike on Beirut last month. In response, Israel reported conducting numerous preemptive airstrikes targeting Hezbollah's rocket launchers in southern Lebanon, Xinhua news agency reported.

The intensification of hostilities raises the risk of a broader conflict involving regional and international actors, including the United States and Iran, and threatens to undermine ongoing ceasefire efforts in Gaza, where Israel has been engaged in a protracted conflict with Hamas for over 10 months.

During an emergency national security cabinet meeting in Tel Aviv on Sunday morning, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the destruction of thousands of Hezbollah rockets.

"This morning we detected Hezbollah's preparations to attack Israel," Netanyahu said. "In consultation with the defence minister and the IDF chief of staff, we instructed the IDF to act proactively to remove the threat."

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) reported that around 100 Air Force fighter jets carried out preemptive strikes on Hezbollah rocket launchers. However, these attacks did not prevent Hezbollah from launching a large-scale assault on Israeli targets.

Hezbollah reported firing over 320 rockets and drones at northern Israel, while the IDF confirmed that about 210 rockets and 20 drones were launched from Lebanon, with some intercepted and others causing damage and injuries.

The Lebanon-based group also dismissed Israeli claims that the preemptive strikes disrupted its retaliation operations, claiming that the first round of its operations was "successful."

In Acre, a coastal city in northern Israel, a woman sustained light injuries from Hezbollah shrapnel, according to Magen David Adom, Israel's first aid service. Lebanese sources reported four militants killed and six others wounded in southern Lebanon due to Israeli raids.

Despite intense morning clashes, fighting has largely subsided since Sunday afternoon. However, Netanyahu warned that the Israeli airstrikes are "not the end of the story," adding that Israeli forces will "strike Hezbollah with surprising crushing blows."

After Hezbollah's rocket and drone attacks, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant declared a 48-hour nationwide emergency. Educational activities and workplaces may continue if shelter is available, but outdoor gatherings are limited to 30 people, and indoor gatherings to 300. Beaches near the Lebanon border are closed.

Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv experienced delays and flight redirections but reopened at 7 a.m. (0400 GMT), according to the Israel Airports Authority. Airlines including Royal Jordanian, Turkish Airlines, and Air France have cancelled flights to Beirut due to the escalating situation.

The situation remains tense as Iran and its allies threaten further retaliation for the deaths of Shokor and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. Israel has warned of a strong response if the conflict escalates, potentially targeting critical infrastructure in southern Beirut and Lebanon, where Hezbollah's main bases are located.

The Houthi group in Yemen and Hamas have both praised Hezbollah's actions on Sunday. The Houthi group, which has launched many attacks against Israeli targets, congratulated Hezbollah and its leader Hassan Nasrallah for what it described as a "significant and courageous attack" against Israel.

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati convened on Sunday morning an emergency meeting to assess the situation and called for international intervention to halt "the Israeli aggression."

Egypt has cautioned about the risks of escalation between Israel and Hezbollah, calling for calm and de-escalation. The Egyptian Foreign Ministry emphasized the need to maintain Lebanon's stability and prevent a state of "comprehensive instability" in the region.

Egypt is hosting high-level talks in Cairo on Sunday aimed at negotiating a cease-fire and discussing the release of hostages held by Hamas.

The talks are expected to include U.S. Central Intelligence Agency Director William Burns, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, and Egypt's chief intelligence official, Abbas Kamel. Israeli Mossad chief David Barnea is also anticipated.

Hamas has sent a delegation to Cairo for briefings but is not participating directly in the negotiations.
Romelu Lukaku Seals Permanent Exit from Chelsea as Napoli Finalise Deal

Romelu Lukakus turbulent time at Chelsea is finally over, with the club agreeing a deal to sell the striker to Napoli. After weeks of prolonged negotiations, Chelsea and Napoli have settled on a transfer fee that brings an end to Lukakus frustrating spell at Stamford Bridge. The Belgium international, who had been training with Chelseas under-21s, is now set to reunite with his former Inter Milan manager Antonio Conte in Italy. According to the Mirror.

Lukakus Long-Awaited Exit

The move to Napoli, for a fee of 25 million (30 million) plus up to 13 million (15 million) in add-ons, marks the conclusion of a saga that has dragged on throughout the summer. Napoli initially wanted Lukaku on loan with an option to buy, but Chelsea stood firm in their demand for a permanent transfer. That persistence has paid off, with Napoli finally agreeing to meet Chelseas terms, much to the relief of both clubs.

Lukakus desire to leave Chelsea has been evident, particularly after his disappointing return to the club in 2021. The Blues splashed out 97.5 million to bring him back from Inter Milan, but the investment failed to yield the expected results. In his first season back, Lukaku managed just 15 goals before being sent on loan to Inter and then Roma. His transfer to Napoli signals the end of an era that didnt live up to its billing.

Contes Influence at Napoli

Napolis decision to sign Lukaku represents a significant shift in their usual transfer strategy. Under Antonio Contes influence, the club has deviated from its traditional approach of prioritising younger talents. Conte, who worked successfully with Lukaku at Inter, has pushed hard for his signature, believing the 31-year-old can add experience and firepower to Napolis attack.

Contes public calls for Napoli to bolster their squad have paid off, with the club breaking its mould to bring in Lukaku on a three-year deal. For Lukaku, the move offers a chance to revive his career under a manager who knows how to get the best out of him.

Chelseas Squad Overhaul Continues

For Chelsea, Lukakus departure is part of a broader effort to trim down a bloated squad. Enzo Maresca, who took over as manager, has expressed concerns about managing such a large group of players, making it clear that offloading unwanted talent is a priority. When you dont find a solution, you can create some problems, Maresca said. With the squad that we have, I am working with 21, 22, 23 players because it is impossible for any manager in the world to make a session with 42 players.

Marescas comments highlight the importance of reducing the squad size to manageable levels. Lukakus exit is a step in that direction, but Chelsea still have work to do. The club is reportedly looking to move on several other players, including Raheem Sterling, Ben Chilwell, Carney Chukwuemeka, Armando Broja, and Trevoh Chalobah before the transfer window closes.

While Chelsea have been active in the market, bringing in over 200 million worth of new signings this summer, they need to balance the books and streamline the squad to avoid future complications. Lukakus transfer to Napoli helps alleviate some of that pressure, but the club will be keen to finalise more deals in the coming days.

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The Belgian strikers return to Stamford Bridge never lived up to expectations, and his transfer to Napoli draws a line under a chapter that many will be happy to move on from. The 97.5 million signing was supposed to be the final piece in Chelseas attacking puzzle, but it never quite clicked, and his loans back to Italy only confirmed that the fit wasnt right.

However, there is also a sense of what could have been. Lukakus previous success at Inter Milan and his undeniable talent meant that hopes were high when he rejoined Chelsea. Fans will likely feel some frustration that it didnt work out, particularly given the significant investment involved. Nevertheless, the clubs decision to part ways is seen as the right one, especially with Enzo Maresca looking to rebuild and re-balance the squad.

Looking ahead, Chelsea supporters will be eager to see how the rest of the transfer window unfolds. The focus now shifts to securing the remaining exits and possibly making another big move, with the ongoing interest in Napolis Victor Osimhen still on the table. For now, though, the conclusion of the Lukaku saga feels like a necessary step in the clubs evolution under new management.
New Delhi, Aug 25 : Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita will visit Tonga on August 28-29 to participate in the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Leaders' Meeting with Dialogue Partners, the Ministry of External Affairs announced on Sunday.

New Delhi, Aug 25 (IANS) Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita will visit Tonga on August 28-29 to participate in the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Leadersa Meeting with Dialogue Partners, the Ministry of External Affairs announced on Sunday.

This meeting is part of the 53rd Pacific Islands Forum and its associated events. During his visit, the Minister will also hold high-level bilateral discussions with Tongan leaders, reinforcing the strong partnership between India and Tonga which is built on shared values of mutual respect, trust, and cooperation. The visit will reaffirm both countries' strong commitment to enhancing their bilateral partnership for progress and prosperity.

According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the participation of MoS at the 53rd PIF Leadersa Meeting in Tonga marks the first-ever participation at the Ministerial level from India in the PIF Meetings. The visit is expected to further strengthen and deepen Indiaas longstanding partnership with the PIF and the Pacific Island Countries, including Tonga.

The Pacific Island Forum is the apex intergovernmental organisation in the Pacific Region consisting of 18 members, namely, Australia, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, French Polynesia, Kiribati, Nauru, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu. India has been a Dialogue Partner of the Forum since 2002.

Following the successful 3rd Summit of the Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) in May 2023 which was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, the visit of the Minister will provide India with an opportunity to engage with key decision-makers from all 14 FIPIC countries, the MEA said. Additionally, he will also meet with other Dialogue Partners on the sidelines of the PIF Meeting.

Minister Margherita's visit underscores India's attention to the Pacific Ocean region, as it comes soon after President Droupadi Murmu's state visit to Fiji, New Zealand, and Timor-Leste earlier in August.
Bengaluru, Aug 25 : Karnataka BJP has questioned the land allotment to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge's family in the Hightech Defence Aerospace Park near Bengaluru.

"When did the Kharge family become aerospace entrepreneurs to be eligible for Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB) land? How did the Large and Medium Industries Minister M.B. Patil consent to this allocation in March 2024? Is this about misuse of power, nepotism, and conflict of interest?" BJP Rajya Sabha member Lahar Singh Siroya said.

He said that it has come to light that Siddhartha Vihara Trust run by Mallikarjun Kharge's family, has been allocated five acres of Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB) land out of a total of 45.94 acres meant for civic amenities, under the SC quota, in the Hitech Defence Aerospace Park near Bengaluru.

"Interestingly, those who are trustees include Mallikarjun Kharge, his wife Radhabai Kharge; his son-in-law and Gulbarga MP Radhakrishna; another son and minister in the Karnataka government Priyank Kharge; another son Rahul Kharge among others. Is this about misuse of power, nepotism, or conflict of interest?" he questioned.

He added that the BJP has taken the matter of this alleged illegal allocation to Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot's office through an RTI activist.

He asked will the Kharge family eventually give up this land like Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has to give up the controversial Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) sites in Mysuru.

"Will this allocation be probed?" Lahar Singh questioned.
New Delhi, Aug 25 : Pakistan has long cried hoarse and portrayed itself as a victim of extremism and terrorism. As recently as June 2024, its federal government approved a "reinvigorated and re-energised national counter-terrorism campaign" to eradicate terrorism through coordinated, multi-faceted efforts.

While it is true that terrorism has surged exponentially in Pakistan in recent years, the blame lies squarely with its own rulers and military establishment. After nurturing various terrorist groups for over four decades, Pakistan is now entangled in the self-created chaos it hoped would only afflict its neighbours.

Pakistan's relationship with terrorism is long and complex. While scholars and analysts generally agree that Pakistan first began 'employing Islamist militants' as tools of its regional policy during the anti-Soviet jihad in Afghanistan, however, this is factually inaccurate.

Pakistan's association with and use of non-state actors dates back to its very emergence as a nation-state in 1947.

Within two months of its existence, the newly created Pakistan pushed thousands of tribal lashkars (militias) to invade and seize Kashmir in what was construed as a holy war (jihad) to reclaim the Muslim majority region.

It followed up this duplicitous use of terrorism in 1965 when Pakistan Army pushed hundreds of armed insurgents, mostly its soldiers, under the so-called Operation Gibraltar, into Kashmir to incite the locals against the state, something that could serve as casus belli for Pakistan against India internationally.

Furthermore, during its genocidal campaign in then East Pakistan (Bangladesh), Pakistani Army used Islamist groups, labelled as rezakars, to fight against the Bangla nationalists in 1971.

For the credit of General Zia-ul-Haq, Pakistan's military ruler, he institutionalised and incentivised the use of non-state actors in the country's foreign policy.

The 1980s were a period of global significance, with the Cold War between the US-led capitalist bloc and Soviet Russia's communist bloc unfolding in the rugged mountains of Afghanistan, ultimately tilting towards the West's victory by the decade's end.

For Islamabad, Kabul had become a major bete noire due to its refusal to recognise the contested Durand Line -- the British-drawn border dividing the Pashtun heartland -- and its support for Pashtun nationalists advocating for an independent Pashtunistan since Pakistan's creation in 1947.

When Soviet forces invaded Afghanistan in 1979, General Zia-ul-Haq, backed by the US and Gulf Arab allies like Saudi Arabia, positioned Pakistan as the frontline state in the so-called "anti-communist jihad".

The Pakistan Army established an extensive network of training centres, often disguised as madrassas (Islamic schools), along its border with Afghanistan in North-West Frontier Province (now Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province), led by Darul Uloom Haqqania of Akora Khattak, to produce mujahideen -- Islamist insurgents -- who would fight the Soviets in Afghanistan.

Thus began Pakistan's enduring association with Islamist militant groups whom it continued to use strategically for is regional interests, particularly against India, after Russians withdrew from Afghanistan.

This strategy was bolstered by Zia's Islamisation of state institutions and the armed forces, embedding Islamist ideology within Pakistan's establishment.

This institutionalisation of Islamist forces has persisted, with Pakistan's military struggling to purge their influence from its ranks, particularly under General Pervez Musharraf post the 9/11 era and US-led War on terror. Pakistanas intelligence agency, the ISI, played a pivotal role in the creation of the Afghan Taliban in 1994 and supported their rise to power in 1996, prior to their ouster by the American invasion of Afghanistan in 2001.

Interestingly, after 2001, while publicly backing the US, Pakistan covertly provided safe passage to Afghan Taliban and other insurgents into North Waziristan.

After recognising the effectiveness of using Islamist militants in Afghanistan, Pakistan shifted its focus to Kashmir where it had made earlier attempts to incite local unrest.

As such, Pakistan military redeployed the battle-hardened Afghan returned 'mujahideen' to fight in Kashmir from 1989 onwards in an attempt to replicate their success against India. Pakistan Army organised these foreign fighters under dozens of militant insurgent groups, known as askari tanzeems, including Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM), Harkat-ul-Ansar/Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (HuA/HuM), Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), along with Hizbu1 Mujahideen (HM) and Al-Badr, among others. These groups have been responsible for numerous acts of terrorism in Kashmir, resulting in the deaths of thousands of civilians and significant destruction of public property.

However, as the saying goes, one cannot nurture a snake in one's house and expect it to bite only the neighbours.

Pakistan's policy of using terrorism as a state tool has long backfired, with many of the groups it once supported turning their guns on the Pakistani state from the mid-2000s onwards.

Most notably, Deobandi Pashtun groups, who coalesced under the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in 2007, have fiercely opposed the state, especially after Pakistan's decision to join the American-led War on Terror in 2001.

A prime example of an asset gone rogue is the Hafiz Gul Bahadur group.

For years, Pakistan tried to differentiate between 'good' and 'bad' Taliban, with Hafiz Gul Bahadur being classified as a "good" Taliban leader due to his focus on assisting Afghan Taliban fight the American forces in Afghanistan rather than targeting the Pakistani Army or civilians.

Interestingly, in 2006, after a peace accord, the Pakistani establishment allowed Bahadur to establish a Shura council in North Waziristan, one of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), granting him the authority to enforce taxes and penalties. This effectively made him the leader of the local Taliban in the region.

The Pakistan Army allowed him to maintain ties with the Afghan Taliban, particularly the Haqqani network, to ensure a degree of influence over the Afghan group and demonstrate support against the American forces.

Despite granting Hafiz Gul Bahadur considerable autonomy due to his group's utility in Afghanistan, Pakistan ultimately faced the consequences of nurturing militant factions.

Hundreds of suicide attacks resulted in the deaths of thousands of civilians and soldiers, and caused extensive destruction of public infrastructure, especially between 2011 and 2014.

Under Gul's watch, North Waziristan became a haven for Afghan Taliban, foreign insurgents, and TTP affiliates, as the Pakistan Army refrained from conducting military operations in the region for over eight years.

The situation changed dramatically after the devastating Army Public School (APS) attack in Peshawar in December 2014, in which TTP militants based in North Waziristan killed over 140 people, most of them children.

This tragedy forced the Pakistan Army to launch Operation Zarb-e-Azb in the region, driving Hafiz Gul Bahadur into Afghanistan and ultimately transforming him into a "bad" Taliban in the eyes of the Pakistani state.

Another failure of Pakistan's terrorism as a state policy is symbolised by the overall failure of Afghan policy.

While it facilitated Afghan Taliban's return to Kabul in August 2021 and overthrow the Afghanistan Republican political system, with the hope of gaining strategic depth in the country and undoing the gains of countries like India, whom it presumes adversarial nemesis, the policy went haywire within merely a year.

Its once nurtured militant groups and current nemesis have only been bolstered to continue targeting the Pakistani state institutions.

Despite frequent militant attacks which has left Pakistan's internally security highly vulnerable, Islamabad refuses to learn from its mistakes and continues to employ terrorism as a policy against its neighbours, particularly India in Kashmir.

The recent surge in terrorist activities in the Jammu region of Jammu and Kashmir, carried out by Pakistan-based and sponsored militants, reflects the persistence of this approach.

As such, while Pakistan may launch numerous internal anti-terrorism campaigns, as long as it maintains this duplicity and continues to support externally focussed terrorist groups like those targeting India, it will struggle to achieve internal stability and will remain synonymous with terrorism. The sooner it learns this hard reality, the better it will for Pakistan.
Mumbai, Aug 25 : Actor Kay Kay Menon, who is receiving a lot of positive responses to his work in the recently released streaming series 'Shekhar Home', has called himself a stubborn actor.

The actor recently appeared on the 'Humans of Bombay' podcast and said that he had his share of struggles initially to the point where was demoralised and thought that the market wouldn't allow serious actors like him to work in films.

He even said that he thought of leaving the industry but then destiny took a turn. It was when he saw the Manoj Bajpayee-starrer cult classic Satya' become a huge hit, and that's when he thought that the audience and the market were now ready for actors for his school of cinema.

He said, "I was gonna leave because I thought I couldn't do the overly mainstream cinema as it used to be in the 1990s. Then I saw 'Satya', and it garnered such a great response. I felt, 'Oh now this has become a big hit'".

A few years later, the actor would go on to work with the screenwriter of 'Satya', Anurag Kashyap in 'The Last Train To Mahakali'.

However, it wasn't until 'Sarkar' that he found a strong foothold in the industry.

He said: "Till 'Sarkar' I used to introduce myself as 'Kay Kay Menon, I'm an actor'. After 'Sarkar', I stopped doing that. Uske baad, 'I'm an actor', bolne ki zaroorat nahi padi. They came to see Mr Bachchan (veteran megastar Amitabh Bachchan), and they got an additional bonus."

'Sarkar' was directed by Ram Gopal Varma, the director of 'Satya'.

He further mentioned, "Manoj Bajpayee always tells me that we are very stubborn people. There were many actors, perhaps some better than us who perished and left the city."
New Delhi, Aug 25 : Hitting back at BSP supremo Mayawati, who had termed the Samajwadi Party and the Congress "anti-Dalit", SP MP from Rampur Mohibbullah Nadvi accused her of not supporting the secular forces in the recent Lok Sabha elections.

Nadvi noted that the Dalits, the Muslims, and the Backward Classes face the same set of issues. However, Mayawati did not speak out for either of these sections in the run-up to the elections or join hands with the secular opposition parties, thus leading to the position of all three parties getting weaker, the MP told IANS.

On the comments by the BSP chief on reservation, the SP leader said that reservation is provided by the Constitution. "In this situation, if the Constitution survives, then, reservation will also survive," he said, adding that she must understand that the "elections were fought to protect the Constitution and the biggest issue was of reservation only".

He said all must join hands to foil the way that the Dalits and minorities were being targeted. He said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and SP President Akhilesh Yadav had been working for this in Uttar Pradesh, particularly his party chief who had coined the term PDA (pichde, Dalit, alpsankhyak, or backwards, Dalits, and minorities) to focus on their development.

"Mayawati should have backed this endeavour, if she supports the INDIA bloc, then, it will be easier to defend reservations for Dalits, Muslims, and Backward Classes," he said.

Nadvi also reacted to recent remarks by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on infiltrators, asking what he was doing to deal with the threat. "What is the Assam CM doing, it's his government in the state. He should prevent any infiltration attempts. Keeping the borders of the country secure is the biggest responsibility of the BJP government."

He noted that in some places, it was the Chinese who were transgressing, while, there were disturbances and incidents on the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir. The MP also claimed that relations with Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal were worsening, adding that "in light of all this, it is the responsibility of all of us to safeguard the borders".

"A thorn may prick the body at any place, but it is the heart that feels the pain. In our neighbouring country Bangladesh, the Hindus are being targeted and the government must take tough steps to deal with it. Are the Hindus not being protected there or is the government not being able to protect them? The Hindus of Bangladesh have the same rights that Muslims have in India," he further said, referring to reports of attacks on the Hindu community in Bangladesh during the recent unrest there.
Gurugram, Aug 25 : Gurugram Police have cancelled 208 false cases registered from August 1, 2023, to August 1, 2024, an official said.

He said that these cases were registered against offences including murder, rape, POCSO, molestation, kidnapping, snatching, theft and assault.

The officials said following the instructions of the Police Commissioner, Gurugram, the cops cancelled 208 fake cases and took action against 108 people under Section 182 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and currently under Section 217 Bhartiya Nyaya Sahinta (BNS).

These cases include 39 cases of rape, 10 of the POCSO Act, 16 of molestation, 22 of threatening, 4 of snatching, 4 of theft, 9 of assault, 1 of kidnapping, 1 of murder, 1 of lending money and Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

Police said giving false complaints is an offence which could be penalised with a punishment of one year and a fine.

"Several people filed complaints due to enmity, to get some other benefits or cause undue harm to someone by giving false complaints/information to the police, disobeying the law and also misusing the time of the police," Police Commissioner Vikas Arora told IANS.

He added that an innocent person has to face a lot of problems while facing fake cases or trials.

Giving more details specifically about rape cases, the commissioner asserted that It is mandatory to actively file crimes against women, and if any concerned officer failed to act, there is a provision to register a case against them.

"In rape cases, when the Gurugram Police start an investigation, we first check if the victim filed a similar case somewhere in India. If we found anything suspicious, we acted against the complainant as well. Using police machinery for personal interest is an office," Arora told IANS.
New Delhi, Aug 25 : Hitting out at Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Union Textiles Minister Giriraj Singh on Sunday said that both the leaders from the opposition camp are members of the 'Tukde Tukde' gang.

Criticising the Trinamool Congress supremo over the recent incident of the rape-murder of a woman doctor at R.G. Kar Medical College & Hospital in Kolkata and other similar recent episodes, the Union Minister told IANS: "Mamata Banerjee is a member of the 'Tukde Tukde' gang. She has no concern from the people of West Bengal. The daughters of Bengal have been subjected to (sexual) abuse and assaults... Mamata Banerjee and those linked to her are behind those incidents."

Giriraj Singh said that a 'red carpet' has been rolled out for the Rohingya Muslims in West Bengal.

"Hindus don't feel safe in West Bengal anymore. The Governor has also been saying that President's Rule should be imposed in the state. A mammoth crime (referring to the R.G. Kar case) has taken place in the state," he said.

Further taking a potshot at Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi over the issue of providing the reservation, the Union Minister said: "He is not aware of the ground realities. He is doing politics over the matter to create a narrative. Why is he not much vocal on the Caste Census issue?"

Giriraj Singh further said that Rahul Gandhi has not even revealed his caste to date.

"The Caste Census report of Karnataka has not been made public yet. The Congress can never provide any benefit to the members of the backward and downtrodden communities. Only Prime Minister Narendra Modi can ensure the welfare of those communities," he said.

On Congress' alliance with the National Conference for the upcoming Jammu and Kashmir Assembly polls, the Union Minister said: "It's good actually... Rahul Gandhi belongs to the same 'Tukde Tukde' gang which claimed that no one will hoist the flag in Jammu and Kashmir. But now, we can see the Tricolour being hoisted on the world's highest railway bridge."

"I want to ask Rahul Gandhi - will he bring back Article 370 in J&K now since he is standing alongside Farooq Abdullah? Will he take along Abdullah to Pakistan to hold discussions on the foreign policy?" Giriraj Singh questioned.
Hyderabad, Aug 25 : Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Sunday held a meeting with the leaders of his Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in Telangana as part of his efforts to reactivate the party in the state.

Naidu, who is also the TDP national President, met the partyas Telangana leaders at NTR Trust Bhavan, the partyas state headquarters here, and discussed his plans to reactivate and strengthen the TDP in Telangana and the strategy to be adopted in the local body elections.

He asked the party leaders to focus on the enrollment of party members. He gave an assurance that those who work hard for the party will be given the priority.

His statement, which came a day after his meeting with Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, left political analysts trying to figure out its implications.

Naidu announced the dissolution of all the party panels in the state to restructure the party organisation. He is likely to name a new state President of the party in Telangana after Kasani Gnaneswar quit the party late last year over its decision not to contest Assembly elections.

Since backward classes constitute about 50 per cent of Telanganaas population, the TDP leadership is said to be keen on once again appointing a BC leader as its Telangana unit chief.

Under the new state President, the TDP is likely to focus on the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) elections likely to be held next year. Naidu, who led the TDP back to power in Andhra Pradesh along with its allies Jana Sena and BJP, had last month announced his plans to reactivate the TDP in Telangana, stating that the TDP will regain lost glory in Telangana.

After staying away from the 2023 Assembly and recent Lok Sabha polls in Telangana, the TDP is looking to make a re-entry in Telangana.

On his first visit to Hyderabad after assuming office as the Chief Minister, Naidu not only met his Telangana counterpart Revanth Reddy to discuss post-bifurcation issues pending for the last 10 years but also addressed a meeting of TDP leaders and cadres.

The TDP had stayed away from Assembly elections held in November 2023 due to the crisis faced by the party in neighbouring state following Naiduas arrest in the alleged skill development scam. This was the first time that the TDP did not contest the elections since the early 1980s when the party was floated by N. T. Rama Rao. The TDP, which was lying low since its defeat in the 2018 Assembly elections, showed signs of revival in 2022 when Naidu addressed a public meeting in Khammam and expressed confidence that the party would regain glory in Telangana.

The TDP had contested in the 2018 elections in Telangana in alliance with the Congress. The party could win just two seats and both the MLAs had later defected to then ruling TRS (now BRS).
Hyderabad, Aug 25 : Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan met Russian cosmonaut Sergey Korsakov and representatives of Space Kidz India on Sunday and discussed the possibility of establishing a space park in Andhra Pradesh to raise student awareness about space technology.

Pawan Kalyan, who is also the Minister for Science & Technology, met Korsakov and others at his residence in Hyderabad. He emphasised that advancements in space research could significantly benefit the nation.

Korsakov, who spent six months aboard the International Space Station, shared extensive insights into space exploration. Dr Srimathy Kesan, Founder and CEO of Space Kidz India, and Yagna, COO of Space Kidz India, along with their representatives, were present at the meeting.

The Deputy Chief Minister emphasised the need for increasing awareness about space technology. He said the state government would encourage students to become scientists

Pawan Kalyan, who also holds the portfolio of Panchayat Raj, Rural Development, Rural Water Supply, and Environment, said that if the advancements in space research are used effectively, they can help in further progress of the nation. The actor-politician felt that awareness about space technology should be created among students.

The company representatives explained to Pawan Kalyan their research and also a satellite developed by them. The Deputy CM was informed about the functioning of the small satellite deployer made by the company. The representatives of Space Kidz told Pawan Kalyan that India does not have a space park, and it is only NASA in the US which has such a facility.

The Deputy CM responded positively when they said that if a space park is developed in Andhra Pradesh, it can help in creating awareness among students about space technology.

Pawan Kalyan felicitated Korsakov and presented him with a miniature model of Chandrayaan-3. He enquired about the Russian cosmonautas experiences in space.

The Deputy Chief Minister also shared the recipe of choice Russian dishes prepared on the occasion.
Singapore, Aug 25 : Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman arrived in Singapore on Sunday to attend the 2nd India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable, where she will be joined by three more senior colleagues, including External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar.

Sitharaman was welcomed at the Changi International Airport by Singaporeas High Commissioner to India Simon Wong and India's Deputy High Commissioner Pooja Tillu, the Finance Ministry said in a post on X.

The 2nd round of the India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable will be held on Monday and apart from the Finance Minister and the External Affairs Minister, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and Railways, Information and Broadcasting, and Electronics and Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, the MEA said in a statement.

During their visit, the Ministers will interact with their counterparts and will also call on Singaporean leadership.

According to the MEA, the ISMR is a unique mechanism established to set a new agenda for Indiaa"Singapore bilateral relations. Its inaugural meeting was held in New Delhi in September 2022. This meeting will enable both sides to review various aspects of their Strategic Partnership and identify new avenues to further elevate and broaden it, it said.

Commerce and Industry Minister Goyal, who is already in the southeast Asian country, posted on X: "Wrapped up a very fruitful day in Singapore today, with interactions and discussions with leaders of major global investment firms having over US$ 500 billion of assets under management."

"Positioned India as an attractive investment destination and invited these multinationals to be a part of our development journey."

Minister Goyal said that it "was a pleasure to meet Ms. Cindy Lim, CEO of Infrastructure at global asset manager and operator, Keppel" and they "discussed the company's investment plans in India to support sustainable development through decarbonisation and help accelerate India's target of achieving net zero carbon emissions".

He also met Ashish Goyal, Executive Vice President and Head, Asia Pacific of pension fund, OMERS, and "discussed their current and future investment strategies for India and ways to further strengthen India's investment-friendly climate".

A major source of FDI for India, Singapore, in 2023-24, was the largest contributor with an estimated $11.77 billion in inflows. The cumulative inflow of FDI from Singapore from April 2000 to March 2024 is around $159.94 billion. In bilateral trade, Singapore was the 6th largest global trade partner of India in 2023-24 with a total trade of $35.61 billion which accounts for approximately 29 per cent of Indiaas total trade with ASEAN.
 Flash

Russia's defense ministry said Saturday that 115 Russian servicemen captured in the Kursk region were returned from the territory controlled by Ukraine as part of an exchange deal.

"In exchange, 115 prisoners of war of the Ukrainian Armed Forces were transferred," the ministry said, adding that the United Arab Emirates provided mediation efforts during the swap.

All the exchanged Russian military personnel are currently in Belarus and will be sent to Russia for treatment and rehabilitation in medical institutions of the ministry, it said.




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Careful spending doesnt have to mean avoiding every splurge and always buying the cheapest option. According to some budget experts, that approach might even hurt your wallet in the long run.

Average Monthly Expenses by Age: Which Group Is Spending the Most?

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Personal finance influencer Bernadette Joy recommends an alternative method called the $1 rule. It doesnt replace careful budgeting, but it can help you spend more thoughtfully.

Earning passive income doesn't need to be difficult. You can start this week.

What Is the $1 Rule?

The $1 rule is simple: If something will cost $1 or less per use, its okay to buy. A $10 item should get at least 10 uses. A $100 item should get 100 uses, and so on.

The rule is easy to apply. Anytime you want to buy something, ask yourself how many times youll use it. This is an effective way to avoid purchases that will detract from your financial goals without much benefit.

Read Next: Im a Financial Advisor: 5 Things the Middle Class Wastes Money On

Applying the $1 Rule

Joy illustrated her $1 rule using a pair of lavender Nike sneakers that she showed off to her YouTube followers.

They cost $70, but she calculated that shed wear them about twice a week and easily get more than 35 weeks out of them. That worked out to more than 70 uses, so she bought the shoes, even though it was a little bit of a pricey purchase.

Quality Matters

The $1 rule reminds us that quality sometimes costs money, but its more sustainable than wasting money on poorly made items. The fast-fashion industry expects consumers to pay $20 for a pair of shoes or a sweater, but items at those bargain price points often dont last.

In the long run, spending $50 or even $100 on a well-made wardrobe staple is better than replacing your $20 shoes every time they fall apart. And classic items stay fashionable longer, so you dont need to sacrifice style for budget.

Buying Higher-Ticket Items

The $1 rule works well for more significant purchases, like appliances and technology. It motivates you to consider what you need from a purchase and whats worth the cost.

Take your phone, for example. Its tempting to buy the latest model with all the bells and whistles, but will you do the same thing when the next update comes out?

If you think of each day with your phone as one use, you should get three years out of your $1,000 phone if you follow the $1 rule. Instead of falling prey to advertising, save for your next model and buy one that will last.

Story continues

Handling Exceptions

The $1 rule applies primarily to discretionary consumer spending. As financial columnist Lesley-Anne Scorgie recently told Toronto Star readers, some things have more value than their number of uses.

In this case, think of the spirit of the $1 rule. Will your vacation memories last longer than it took you to pay for the trip? The answer will probably be different for special experiences than for a more affordable weekend getaway, which might not be worth the cost of the bargain motel.

The $1 rule is all about spending on what matters, not holding your purse strings as tightly as possible. Its about using your money for items and experiences that add value to your life.

Thoughtful Spending, Not Spending Guilt

Joy developed the $1 rule to offer permissions, not restrictions. Its an alternative to restriction-based budgeting strategies that make you feel guilty about every purchase so that youll do anything to avoid spending money.

The $1 rule lets you spend money on things that bring you joy. Theres even room for exceptions for purchases that significantly improve your life.

Of course, like with any good budgeting rule, you still have to be able to afford what you buy  $1-per-use buys and joyful exceptions work only if you have the money. If you dont, its not a forever no  just a no until youve saved up.

Work the purchase into your budget. If you still want it when youve saved up enough, you can then go for it, guilt-free.

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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: The $1 Rule: A Simple Way To Fix Your Spending Habits
Hyderabad, Aug 25 : Reiterating that his Hyderabad convention centre, which was demolished by civic authorities on Saturday, had not encroached on a lake, actor Nagarjuna on Sunday said he would abide by the court verdict on the matter.

A day after the N-Convention in Madhapur was demolished by the Hyderabad Disaster Response and Assets Monitoring and Protection Authority (HYDRA), Nagarjuna posted another statement on his X account, reiterating that there was no encroachment on Tummidikunta Lake.

"News about celebrities, can often be exaggerated and speculated for effect. I would like to reiterate that the land on which N-convention has been built is a Patta Documented land. Not even one cent of the land beyond that has been encroached upon."

"The Special court of AP Land Grabbing (prohibition) Act has given a judgement passing an order Sr.3943/2011 on 24-02- 2014 saying no encroachment has happened in Tummidikunta Lake. Now the formal argument is already presented in front of the esteemed High Court. I will abide to the law of the land and judgement. Until then, I sincerely request you not to indulge in speculation, any sort of rumours, misrepresentation of facts and deviations", he wrote, addressing fans and well-wishers.

Nagarjuna had Saturday called demolition as aunlawfula. He wrote that he would take the issue to court to seek appropriate relief.

The HYDRA had demolished the structure before Nagarjuna could secure an interim stay order from the High Court.

The newly-created HYDRA revealed on Sunday that it reclaimed 4.9 acres of land by demolishing N-Convention. In coordination with the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), and Town Planning, Irrigation, and Revenue Department officials, it removed encroachments in the FTL/Buffer zones of the lake.

"Due to the unchecked encroachments in and around Tammidikunta Cheruvu (lake) and the connecting nalas (drains), the area around Madhapur, HITEX are facing serious waterlogging issues. The lower reaches of the Tammidikunta Cheruvu are being inundated during heavy rains regularly as the capacity to hold water has shrunk by more than 50-60 per cent," HYDRA said in a statement. "N-Convention has been clearly manipulating the systems and process and continuing their commercial activity through the unauthorised structures built in the FTL and buffer zones," it added.
Mumbai, Aug 26 : Amid a spate of sexual assault cases in the country, including the one in Badlapur where two minor girls were abused, the Maharashtra Cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Sunday decided to study the provisions of the Shakti Criminal Laws (Maharashtra Amendment) Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, over punishment for offences against women including the death penalty.

Thereafter, the government will take a call to pursue Presidential assent for the Shakti Act which was passed during the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government.

A senior minister said that apart from Chief Minister Shinde, his deputies Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar were vocal on this issue pressing for speedy trial of such sexual abuse cases in the state. Shinde, Fadnavis and Pawar referred to the pending Presidential assent for the Shakti Criminal Laws (Maharashtra Amendment) Act which has provisions for the death penalty for atrocities against children and women.

"However, Deputy CM Fadnavis suggested that the government will have to study the provisions of the Shakti Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, which has been notified in July this year which defines punishment for rape of women under 12 years and 16 years. Death sentence was provided under section 376DB of IPC for gang rape of woman under 12 years of age. No death penalty was provided for gangrape of woman aged below 16 but above 12 in section 376DA. Now, section 70(2) of BNS provides for the death penalty for gangrape of women under 18 years of age," said the minister.

He further stated that Section 65 of BNS combines both age categories (under 12 and under 16) into a single section, simplifying the legal framework.

He added that it was decided to pursue the state government's plea for the Presidential assent for Shakti Act after thoroughly examining the provisions in the BNS.

Further, the Cabinet also decided to issue a directive to the administration across the state to remain alert to curb such cases and actively pursue them on fast track mode so that the culprits will be severely punished.

Amid outcry over Badlapur sexual abuse case and opposition's move to target the government, the state Cabinet unanimously decided to conduct the trial in the fast track court demanding death penalty for the accused.

The state Cabinet also decided to sensitise the police department quickly register such cases without any delays and initiate action against those involved in sexual abuse cases.
Jerusalem, Aug 26 : Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned Hezbollah and Iran that the intense airstrikes in Lebanon are "not the end of the story".

Addressing the Cabinet, Netanyahu said on Sunday that the strikes "destroyed thousands of short-range rockets intended to attack our citizens and forces in the Galilee".

He also claimed the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) intercepted all drones launched by Hezbollah targeting a strategic area near Tel Aviv, including the Mossad headquarters, according to state-owned Kan TV.

Before dawn, nearly 100 Israeli warplanes bombed "hundreds of armed launchers and thousands of launcher barrels, mostly aimed at northern Israel," IDF Spokesman Daniel Hagari said on Sunday in a briefing as reported by Xinhua news agency.

Hagari described the operation as a "pre-emptive attack" intended to neutralise a broader threat.

He noted that most rockets and drones launched by Hezbollah were intercepted.

Hezbollah took responsibility for targeting several military sites in northern Israel with 320 rockets, calling it "the first phase" of its retaliation for the assassination of senior official Fouad Shokor in Beirut last month.

The group also confirmed drone launches into central Israel, claiming to have caused infrastructure damage.

The IDF denied that any military base was damaged, and no casualties were reported on the Israeli side, except for one woman who sustained light injuries from shrapnel.

Netanyahu did not name the target but the Hezbollah leader, Hassan Nasrallah, described it as "a military intelligence base 110 km inside Israeli territory" just outside Tel Aviv, an apparent reference to the Glilot military base, home to the Mossad spy agency and military intelligence agencies such as the Unit 8200 electronic surveillance section.

With Israel's attack on Lebanon, the prospect of peace is moving even further out of reach

Two Hezbollah fighters and a militant from an allied group were killed in the strikes on Lebanon. An Israeli navy officer was killed and two other service members injured on a patrol boat off the coast of northern Israel that was hit by shrapnel from an Iron Dome interceptor missile.

On Sunday evening the armed wing of Hamas said that it had fired an "M90" rocket at Tel Aviv in response to what it said was the "Israeli massacres against civilians".

The IDF said sirens sounded in Rishon LeTsiyon, about 15 miles south of Tel Aviv, but the rocket landed "in an open area".

A Hamas official also said on Sunday evening that it rejected new Israeli conditions put forward in Gaza ceasefire talks, casting further doubt on the chances of a breakthrough in the latest US-backed effort.

"We will not accept discussions about retractions from what we agreed to on July 2 or new conditions," Hamas official Osama Hamdan told the group's Al-Aqsa TV on Sunday.

In a speech earlier on Sunday, Nasrallah downplayed the impact of Israeli airstrikes and portrayed Hezbollah's aerial attack, intended to avenge the killing of a senior commander last month, as a success.

Nasrallah said that Hezbollah had used its Katyusha rockets (320 of them according to its official statements) to distract Israel's Iron Dome air defence system from mass drone attacks.

He added that all the drones involved had been successfully launched and had entered Israeli airspace, but did not say how many, if any, had reached their intended target.

The Hezbollah Secretary General claimed the Lebanese Shia militia had decided not to respond to the killing in late July of its commander, Fuad Shukr, with attacks on Israeli civilians or infrastructure but to focus on exclusively military targets.

He added that Hezbollah's arsenal of guided missiles had not been used and had not been damaged by Israeli airstrikes, so could be used in the future. The impact of Sunday's salvo would be assessed before a decision on whether to take further action to avenge Shukr.

"If results are not seen to be enough, we will respond another time," Nasrallah said in a televised address.
United Nations, Aug 26 : UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has asked Israel and Hezbollah to immediately de-escalate the situation that is "threatening regional security and stability," according to his Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric.

The two sides raised the level of confrontation on Sunday with Israel launching air attacks on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon and the group retaliating with rocket attacks.

Dujarric said, "The Secretary-General is deeply concerned by the significant increase in the exchanges of fire across the Blue Line."

"These actions put both the Lebanese and Israeli populations at risk, as well as threatening regional security and stability."

The Blue Line separates Israel and Lebanon and 895 Indian peacekeepers are deployed with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) that patrols it.

"The Secretary-General calls for immediate de-escalation and on the parties to urgently and immediately return to a cessation of hostilities and fully implement resolution 1701" of the Security Council demanding an end to hostilities in the area.

UNIFIL and the UN's Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon (UNSCOL) said in a joint statement that implementing the resolutions "is the only sustainable way forward".

The two UN outfits said, "In light of worrying developments across the Blue Line since the early morning, UNSCOL and UNIFIL call on all to cease-fire and refrain from further escalatory action."

"We will continue our contacts to strongly urge for de-escalation," their statement said.

UNIFIL and the Indian peacekeepers deployed with it are caught between Israel and Hezbollah, a Shia Muslim party with its own strong militia, entrenched on the opposite side in Southern Lebanon.

As Hezbollah prepared on Sunday to avenge the killing of its founding leader Fouad Shukur by Israel in Beirut last month, Israel launched a wave of pre-emptive air strikes with about 100 jets against what it said were missile and rocket positions in Lebanon.

Hezbollah retaliated with a fusillade of 321 rockets and drones against what it said were military positions in Israel and Israel-occupied Syrian territory of the Golan Heights.

Three Hezbollah members and an Israeli soldier were killed before the latest round of confrontation ended with the militia announcing that it was concluding its operations for the day.

The escalation on Israel's northern borders coincided with Israeli attacks in Gaza even as intense diplomatic efforts by the US, Egypt, and Qatar were taking place in Egypt for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of the hostages taken by Hamas when it struck Israel in October.

Israel, however, continued its airstrike in Gaza on Sunday.

(Arul Louis can be contacted at arul.l@ians.in and followed at @arulouis)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Kuala Lumpur, Aug 26 : The crew of a Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) ship was evacuated due to heavy flooding, following a collision with an underwater object off the coast of Johor state.

All the crew had been recovered safely while the partially submerged ship was being salvaged, the RMN said on Sunday in a statement.

"A leak was first detected at 12 p.m. ... It is believed to have been caused by the vessel colliding with an underwater object. It (the leak) was initially detected in the ship's engine room before spreading uncontrollably. The crew was safely recovered after efforts to control the situation and stabilise the vessel did not succeed," it added.

RMN said the ship partially sank in the incident, which occurred at noon two nautical miles southeast of Tanjung Penyusop while it was conducting an operation in the area, Xinhua news agency reported.

It said all 39 crew members were rescued after efforts to stem the leak and stabilise the ship failed.

The focus now is on conducting a salvage operation to save the ship.

RMN will establish a special investigative board immediately to determine the cause of the incident, it said.

The Navy said several parties responded to the incident, including the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency, the police and the maritime community in the vicinity.

The public is advised not to speculate on the incident. Please refer to official RMN sources for the latest developments and accurate information, it added.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Jakarta, Aug 26 : Thirteen bodies were found and six were still missing after flash floods and landslides destroyed houses and infrastructure in Indonesia's eastern North Maluku province, a senior official said.

Fatur Rahman, head of the Search and Rescue Office in the province, said on Sunday that eight people had survived the natural disaster in Ternate City. All survivors were treated for their injuries in three local hospitals, Xinhua news agency reported.

"The victims were found inside their homes, buried by debris," Rahman told Xinhua.

He also noted that the search and rescue operation was temporarily halted due to darkness and would resume on Monday morning.

"Our priority tomorrow is to continue the search. We are looking for six missing individuals, although the number could change if families report additional missing persons. We have set up a post to assist them," he said.

Around 1,000 personnel from a joint team have been involved in the search and rescue mission, including soldiers, police officers, local rescue workers, disaster agency staff, and volunteers from various institutions.

According to him, the operation is planned to continue for seven days but could be extended if necessary.

Heavy downpours, which began on Saturday, triggered the flash floods and landslides in Ternate, as confirmed by the local disaster management and mitigation agency.

The deluge cut off the main road and access to the village of Rua in North Maluku province, the hardest-hit area, and buried dozens of houses and buildings under the mud.

Search and rescue teams worked with locals to recover the bodies and look for those still missing.

The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency said high-intensity rain is still possible in the Ternate City area and its surroundings in the coming days.

Local authorities advised residents to remain vigilant and heed instructions in case of further flooding.

Heavy rain causes frequent landslides and flash floods in Indonesia, where millions live in mountainous areas and near floodplains.
BlackRock oversees more than $10 trillion in client money, making it the largest asset manager in the world. Around $3.3 trillion of that is parked in its iShares subsidiary, which operates over 1,400 exchange-traded funds (ETFs).

The iShares Semiconductor ETF (NASDAQ: SOXX) is one of those funds, and it's generating significant returns for investors thanks to its large holdings in leading artificial intelligence (AI) chip stocks like Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices.

Image source: Getty Images.

The iShares Semiconductor ETF completed a stock split earlier this year

The iShares ETF delivered a compound annual return of 25.4% over the past decade, comfortably outpacing the S&P 500 index, which gained an average of 13.2% per year over the same period. That propelled the ETF to a share price of around $680 in March, which made it a little expensive for investors with small portfolios.

As a result, iShares conducted a 3-for-1 stock split, which increased the number of shares in circulation threefold, and organically reduced the price per share by two-thirds. Stock splits don't change the value of the underlying asset, but investors can now buy one share in the ETF for just $231.

Chip companies are at the center of the AI revolution. Without them, tech giants and start-ups alike wouldn't be able to develop powerful AI models, so this ETF is likely to continue generating positive returns. Here's how it could turn an investment of $500 per month into $1 million over the long term.

A simple way to invest in the semiconductor industry

The iShares ETF was established in 2001. It manages $14.8 billion on behalf of investors, spread across 30 different chip stocks, but it's heavily weighted toward its top five holdings, which account for 38% of the entire value of its portfolio:

Stock iShares ETF Portfolio Weighting 1. Broadcom 10.10% 2. Nvidia 9.05% 3. Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) 7.13% 4. Applied Material 6.30% 5. Qualcomm 5.44%

Data source: iShares. Portfolio weightings are accurate as of Aug. 15, 2024, and are subject to change.

Broadcom is a multifaceted AI company. It makes connectivity and networking equipment for the data center, which is increasingly important for operators running thousands of graphics processors (GPUs) to facilitate AI development. Broadcom also owns Symantec, which is integrating AI into its cybersecurity tools, and VMware, which sells software to help developers distribute their data center infrastructure efficiently.

Nvidia designs the most powerful data center GPUs in the industry, responsible for the most advanced AI models to date. Demand continues to outstrip supply, which is driving a surge in the company's revenue, and that trend is likely to continue for the foreseeable future.

Story continues

AMD has become a worthy competitor to Nvidia in the data center space, but it's also leading the semiconductor market for AI-enabled personal computers. This could be a significant growth driver for the company in the coming years.

Outside its top five holdings, the iShares ETF holds a number of other key chip stocks. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, for example, manufactures many of the chips designed by Nvidia and AMD. Then there is Micron Technology, which is experiencing growing demand for its memory and storage chips, led by the AI boom.

Turning $500 per month into $1 million

The iShares ETF has generated a compound annual return of 12.1% since it was established in 2001. As mentioned, that annual return accelerated to 25.4% over the last 10 years, and it's because of the rapid adoption of technologies like smartphones, enterprise software, cloud computing, and AI, which require a growing amount of computing power.

The table highlights the potential returns an investor could earn with $500 per month over 10 years, 20 years, and 30 years, based on three annual growth rates:

Monthly Investment Compound Annual Return Balance After 10 Years Balance After 20 Years Balance After 30 Years $500 12.1% $117,363 $506,896 $1,805,298 $500 18.7% (midpoint) $176,312 $1,300,701 $8,491,623 $500 25.4% $274,236 $3,654,323 $45,391,548

Calculations by author.

There's a good argument that the past 10 years has seen stock market performance that's unlikely to repeat itself in the future. At some point, the rule of large numbers kicks in to limit future gains. For example, if Nvidia stock gained 25.4% per year for the next 30 years, the company would eventually be valued at $2.7 quadrillion --or 900 times what it's worth today -- which isn't realistic.

But even if the ETF reverts to its annual return of 12.1%, it could still turn a $500 monthly investment into over $1 million within 30 years.

With that said, AI will likely create substantial value from here, which could result in the ETF outperforming its long-term average return. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, for example, thinks data center operators will spend $1 trillion upgrading and expanding their infrastructure over the next five years, and many of the stocks in this ETF will be direct beneficiaries.

Plus, PwC thinks the broad adoption of AI will add a whopping $15.7 trillion to the global economy between now and 2030, which will fuel demand for innovation in the chip space.

Of course, if AI fails to live up to the hype, most of the stocks in the iShares ETF could lose value, which will lead to a period of underperformance. That's why it's always a good idea to own this ETF as part of a balanced portfolio that's less exposed to the success or failure of AI.

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Anthony Di Pizio has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Advanced Micro Devices, Applied Materials, Nvidia, Qualcomm, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, and iShares Trust - iShares Semiconductor ETF. The Motley Fool recommends Broadcom. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

1 Stock-Split ETF That Could Turn $500 Per Month Into $1 Million, With Nvidia's Help was originally published by The Motley Fool
Former Congressman George Santos pled guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft on Monday in Federal District Court in New York to avoid his trial scheduled for next month. He faced 23 counts, including multiple charges of wire fraud, money laundering, and making materially false statements.

Santos has repeatedly lied about his past, claiming among other things that he graduated at the top of his class at Baruch College, obtained his MBA from New York University, and was a multimillionaire Wall Street investor who had worked for Citigroup and Goldman Sachs. Only later did he confess that he never graduated from college and that his employment claims were a poor choice of words.

His deceits were not limited to biographical hyperboles, however. Santos also concocted bizarre fabrications. He once stated that his mother, who died in 2016, was in the World Trade Center on September 11th and passed away a few years later when she lost her battle to cancer. A subsequent investigation revealed that his mother was a resident of Brazil in 2001.

Nearly one year after he became the first Republican to be expelled from the House of Representatives, many onlookers wonder how a man who allegedly ran a fake pet charity was ever elected in the first place.

Santos is not the first political figure to manufacture his resume and gain access to the halls of power. In A Wonderful Career in Crime, I tell the story of Charles Cowlam, a Gilded Age swindler who managed to hoodwink many of the eras leading politicians. He was a master storyteller who made a career by exaggerating his credentials and constantly reinventing himself. One contemporary newspaper reported that he has as many aliases as there are letters in the alphabet.

When the Civil War began Cowlam was in a Virginia prison for mail robbery. He succeeded in convincing both Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis to grant him presidential pardons. After the war he conned his way into working as a detective on the Lincoln assassination investigation, and later parlayed that work experience into detective jobs with the Internal Revenue Service and for the British government in Ireland. After returning to the U.S., he persuaded local officials in Florida to allow him to run for Congress, and convinced Ulysses S. Grant to appoint him U.S. marshal for the Northern District of Florida. He also found time to start a fake secret society, become a serial bigamist, and pretend to be a 40-year-old Union colonel suffering from dementia.

Although scholars have written extensively about the confidence man in American business, few have considered the confidence man in American politics. Yet our political institutions operate using the same sense of trust and personal connections that sustain transactions in the marketplace. And public servants are just as susceptible to being duped by con artists as the everyday citizen.

The schemes crafted by Santos and Cowlam succeeded for a time, because the stories they told were compelling and had a patina of plausibility. Their lies reflected the same sorts of aspirations and heartfelt anecdotes that often captivate voters. Con artists are very good at telling their listeners what they want to hear  a valuable trait for any politician.

Americans are fascinated with con artists for the same reasons we find them convincing. They seem to represent qualities we admire, and showcase the particularly American values of upward mobility and assimilation. From outward appearances, confidence men appear successful and are able to blend in seamlessly as they take on a new identity. They personify the rags to riches story and play upon (and prey upon) the fluidity of American life. We appreciate them for their cleverness, even as we rebuke them for their dishonesty.

Cowlam and Santos also succeeded because the world of politics is inherently insular. Politicians project an image of themselves that can be difficult for colleagues to evaluate and verify. In placing their best foot forward, they take great pains to hide incriminating information from their past. Only when a candidate reaches extraordinary heights do political parties take on the burdensome task of making sure that their contender is thoroughly vetted.

The New York Republicans that encouraged Santoss campaign were blinded by the same forces that concealed Cowlams criminal past from his contemporaries. No one bothered to ask.
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HOME > Love Island Jocelyn Prescod/Peacock

'Love Island USA' star Nicole Jacky says Kendall Washington dumped her via phone after reunion

By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 08/24/2024



USA star Nicole Jacky has claimed Kendall Washington broke up with her on the phone shortly after the show's reunion.



ADVERTISEMENT Nicole announced her split from Kendall via Instagram Stories on Tuesday, August 20.



"On August 18th, Kendall and I agree our relationship was worth working on, and we were making plans for me to visit him in Dallas soon. However, today, on August 20th, he called and ended things," Nicole wrote.



"While I understand and respect his decision, it's hard to process this one. I opened up to him in the villa, and still love and care for him now."



She concluded, "I'm struggling mentally and all I ask for is privacy during this time."



Kendall subsequently shared a statement of his own, confirming he had dumped Nicole.



"I have decided to end things with Nicole. It reached a point where it was not healthy for us to continue the relationship," Kendall explained.



"I still love and care for Nicole. I've never developed such strong feelings for a woman in my life. I have no regrets for the connection I made with her in the villa and it was real."



Kendall then insisted that Nicole "does not deserve any hate," and he added, "Please stop with the negative comments/DMs. We're taking this time to focus on our mental health. Thank you guys."



Kendall and Nicole sparked a connection on Season 6 of the Peacock reality dating series. The pair finished in fourth place and said, "I love you," to each other during the show's July finale.



Later that month, Kendall and Nicole



"It's good that she lives in California because I have a lot of family there -- my sister and my mom are in California," Kendall, who lives in Dallas, shared with the magazine.



"So it's a win-win situation when I go there. I get to see Nicole and I also get to see my family. I know my family eventually wants me to move back to California so my mom, specifically, is excited that Nicole is from there."

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Nicole, however, took to social media earlier this month and explained how life had not been "easy" since leaving the villa.



"There's much more to share on what has happened since coming home, and for now, I've been taking time to process -- these are real feelings and my real life," Nicole said.



Nicole and Kendall then filmed the USA reunion show on August 14, and viewers were able to hear more about the pair's post-show issues when it became available for streaming on Monday, August 19.



"It's been a bit tough on the outside," Kendall explained, according to Us. "Just trying to communicate..."



"Communicate?" Nicole interjected. "You have not been communicating. You never have been."



Kendall claimed they had been trying to "give each other space," to which Nicole snapped, "After you lied to my face?"



The pair then discussed the video of Kendall nude in a hotel room that had leaked on the same day USA's finale aired.



"I just want to say something. Obviously, the video is not okay. Nobody deserves that. Everybody in this room can agree, it's f-cked up," Nicole reportedly said.



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Kendall had previously shared of the video in July on Instagram Stories, "I just want to address the content that came out from my past. That was something I shared to someone in confidence and trust. It's unfortunate that it's no longer private but it is what it is."



During the reunion, Nicole was upset Kendall hadn't checked on her or defended her publicly amid the scandal. Most of the cast, however, supported Kendall.



"This just puts me in such a f-cked position because I care about you too and I love you and people are questioning that," Nicole fired back at the time.



"Even though you let the world think we're not together, we're still together."

About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.

FOLLOW REALITY TV WORLD ON GOOGLE NEWS USA star Nicole Jacky has claimed Kendall Washington broke up with her on the phone shortly after the show's reunion.Nicole announced her split from Kendall via Instagram Stories on Tuesday, August 20."On August 18th, Kendall and I agree our relationship was worth working on, and we were making plans for me to visit him in Dallas soon. However, today, on August 20th, he called and ended things," Nicole wrote."While I understand and respect his decision, it's hard to process this one. I opened up to him in the villa, and still love and care for him now."She concluded, "I'm struggling mentally and all I ask for is privacy during this time."Kendall subsequently shared a statement of his own, confirming he had dumped Nicole."I have decided to end things with Nicole. It reached a point where it was not healthy for us to continue the relationship," Kendall explained."I still love and care for Nicole. I've never developed such strong feelings for a woman in my life. I have no regrets for the connection I made with her in the villa and it was real."Kendall then insisted that Nicole "does not deserve any hate," and he added, "Please stop with the negative comments/DMs. We're taking this time to focus on our mental health. Thank you guys."Kendall and Nicole sparked a connection on Season 6 of the Peacock reality dating series. The pair finished in fourth place and said, "I love you," to each other during the show's July finale.Later that month, Kendall and Nicole told Us Weekly that they were going to try out a long-distance relationship."It's good that she lives in California because I have a lot of family there -- my sister and my mom are in California," Kendall, who lives in Dallas, shared with the magazine."So it's a win-win situation when I go there. I get to see Nicole and I also get to see my family. I know my family eventually wants me to move back to California so my mom, specifically, is excited that Nicole is from there."Nicole, however, took to social media earlier this month and explained how life had not been "easy" since leaving the villa."There's much more to share on what has happened since coming home, and for now, I've been taking time to process -- these are real feelings and my real life," Nicole said.Nicole and Kendall then filmed the USA reunion show on August 14, and viewers were able to hear more about the pair's post-show issues when it became available for streaming on Monday, August 19."It's been a bit tough on the outside," Kendall explained, according to Us. "Just trying to communicate...""Communicate?" Nicole interjected. "You have not been communicating. You never have been."Kendall claimed they had been trying to "give each other space," to which Nicole snapped, "After you lied to my face?"The pair then discussed the video of Kendall nude in a hotel room that had leaked on the same day USA's finale aired."I just want to say something. Obviously, the video is not okay. Nobody deserves that. Everybody in this room can agree, it's f-cked up," Nicole reportedly said."However, I think if you say you love somebody, in the moment, when you're telling me about something, you need to be honest. Instead of saying it's from years ago [sent] to someone you trusted -- an ex-girlfriend -- and then I find out two days later from [JaNa Craig] that it was in the hotel room before you go on the show [sent] to someone on a dating app is crazy."Kendall had previously shared of the video in July on Instagram Stories, "I just want to address the content that came out from my past. That was something I shared to someone in confidence and trust. It's unfortunate that it's no longer private but it is what it is."During the reunion, Nicole was upset Kendall hadn't checked on her or defended her publicly amid the scandal. Most of the cast, however, supported Kendall."This just puts me in such a f-cked position because I care about you too and I love you and people are questioning that," Nicole fired back at the time."Even though you let the world think we're not together, we're still together." LOVE ISLAND MORE LOVE ISLAND NEWS << PRIOR STORY

'The Bachelorette' alum Chad Johnson addresses '90 Day Fiance' Sophie Sierra dating rumors NEXT STORY >>

Grant Ellis reveals if he was ready to get engaged to Jenn Tran on 'The Bachelorette'

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By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 08/24/2024



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Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.

alum Chad Johnson has addressed rumors he's dating 90 Day Fiance star Sophie Sierra.Sophie, who currently stars on 90 Day Fiance: Happily Ever After?'s eighth season, and Chad, who was portrayed as the villain on JoJo Fletcher 's season as well as Bachelor in Paradise's third season, recently sparked dating speculation.However, Chad set the record straight on his relationship with Sophie via Instagram Stories on Wednesday, August 21.Chad posted a screenshot of several web-article headlines reporting that Chad and Sophie may be dating, but Chad revealed that's not the case.Chad said in a video statement, "So because I'm getting a lot of messages, I figured I'll go ahead and say something. We're not dating. We just did an event together.""We had a lot of fun," Chad added, "but we're not dating."TMZ reported earlier this week that Chad and Sophie had shown up to a Yung Bleu concert in Santa Ana, CA, this past weekend together.Chad and Sophie were reportedly spotted flirting and looking cozy with one another while listening to the music.Sources told TMZ that Sophie and Chad also left the music venue together at the end of the evening.Sophie and Chad subsequently fueled dating speculation by posting a TikTok video together in which Chad handed Sophie a rose and she tossed it away, seeming totally disinterested.Chad was a loud and outspoken fitness trainer and luxury real estate agent from Oklahoma when he appeared on The Bachelor franchise. He memorably yelled, "F-ck you, Chris Harrison ," on Bachelor in Paradise.Chad later briefly dated The Bachelor 23 alum Caitlin Clemmens in early 2019.Sophie has had an on-again, off-again relationship with her husband and 90 Day Fiance tenth-season co-star Rob Warne.But Rob and Sophie reportedly broke up again in June.Earlier this week, Sophie posted a video on Instagram of herself looking beautiful and having fun with friends."I love life," Sophie wrote on the clip. "No revenge, just everyone telling me I look happier now."The spouses' tumultuous dynamic has been featured on Season 8 of 90 Day Fiance: Happily Ever After?, which is currently airing its multi-part Tell All event on Sunday nights on TLC.On Part 3 of 90 Day Fiance: Happily Ever After?'s Tell All that just aired on Sunday night, Sophie confirmed that she and Rob were separated -- and not living together -- but happened to be casually hanging out."I'm planning on moving back to Los Angeles in probably a couple of months," Rob revealed.When asked if she was also going to move to L.A., Sophie replied, "I don't really know. It just seems like we bring out such bad traits in each other sometimes. I don't really know if we can make it work at this point."Rob shared, "I feel like a husband who has been put in the friend zone."Rob claimed he and Sophie had zero intimacy in their relationship. (Sophie previously admitted she and Rob didn't have sex for six months of their one-year marriage).Sophie clarified how she and Rob were cuddling, but that clearly didn't seem to satisy Rob's needs."We're both always unhappy. I don't want to have sex if I'm sad," Sophie explained, adding how she needs an emotional connection to be intimate with a man.She added, "He doesn't give words of affirmation and so I just feel like sh-t all the time."Rob insisted he was doing everything Sophie had asked him to do, but Sophie called him "delusional."The 90 Day Fiance cast asked Rob and Sophie to stop the back and forth and just make a decision once and for all."Do I want a divorce right now? No. Is it a possibility after today? Yes," Sophie admitted to the cameras. "It's very difficult because I can't see Rob not in my life."Interested in more The Bachelor news? Follow our Bachelor Nation News Page on Facebook or join our The Bachelor Facebook Group




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Costco is well-known for its cheap gas prices that help you keep more money in your bank account when you fill up your tank. But there's more to know about getting gas at the warehouse club beyond competitive prices.

Here are three surprising things about Costco's gas stations that you may not be aware of that could help you make more informed choices each time you fuel up.

1. You don't always need to be a member to buy Costco gas

Since Costco requires you to pay an annual membership fee to take advantage of its deals, it's probably not surprising that you generally need a membership to buy gas there. There is a surprising way around that rule, though.

If you have a Costco Shop Card, you're allowed to fuel up at Costco stations, regardless of membership status.

A Shop Card is Costco's version of a gift card. Only Costco members can buy Shop Cards, but if a friend or family member is a member and you're not, you could give them a few hundred dollars to buy you some Shop Cards. You can then use these throughout the year whenever you want to take advantage of Costco's cheap gas prices.

2. Costco gas has a one-way direction with long hoses so it doesn't matter what side you use

If you've never gotten gas at Costco, there's another feature that could surprise you. Costco's stations only allow traffic to flow one way.

While at most gas stations you have to decide which direction to pull up to the pump, based on where your gas tank is located, that's not the case at Costco.

Instead, the warehouse club requires you to drive only in one direction, but provides super long hoses so you can fill up your tank from either side of the vehicle. This enables you to get in and out of the gas station much more quickly, which means buying gas at Costco is not only cheap but also convenient.

3. Costco gas is TOP TIER certified

Kirkland Signature Fuel has been certified to meet the TOP TIER performance standards. This is a special designation, and fuel certified as TOP TIER must follow strict guidelines for rigorous fuel detergency.

Basically, Costco gas uses special deposit control additive formulations that are better for your car's engine. The additives help keep the engine clean and can help you get better gas mileage and preserve the parts of your vehicle so they last longer.

Convenience and better quality gas at a lower price are two major advantages of breaking out the credit cards to purchase your gas at Costco -- and now you know you may be able to do that even without a membership if you can find someone to buy a Costco Shop Card for you.

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If youre shopping with a debit card, you could be missing out on hundreds or even thousands of dollars each year. These versatile credit cards offer huge rewards everywhere, including Costco, and are rated the best cards of 2024 by our experts because they offer hefty sign-up bonuses and outstanding cash rewards. Plus, youll save on credit card interest because all of these recommendations include a competitive 0% interest period.

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We're firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers. The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.Christy Bieber has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Costco Wholesale. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

3 Surprising Facts About Getting Gas at Costco was originally published by The Motley Fool
The Border Security Force has sought the deployment of an additional battalion to check the onslaught of cross-border drones carrying drugs and ammunition and curb infiltration along the Punjab front of the India-Pakistan border.

IMAGE: BSF and Punjab police personnel recover a Pakistani drone during a joint search operation, at Noorwala village in Tarn Taran, Punjab, June 22, 2024. Photograph: ANI Photo

The force currently has about 20 battalions to guard the more than 500-kilometre-long front, out of which 18 are "actively deployed" at the border while the rest are mobilised in view of the requirements at the Attari integrated check post in Amritsar and the Kartarpur corridor at Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur district.

The drone menace that started around 2019-20 along this front is dominant in the border districts of Amritsar and Tarn Taran. One more Border Security Force battalion has been sought to better secure the Punjab border, a senior officer told PTI.

The request is under "active consideration" of the Union home ministry, he said.

Atul Fulzele, inspector general for the BSF's Punjab Frontier, had recently said that all the drugs from across the Pakistan border was coming into Punjab through the air route via drones against the earlier land route.

According to official data, more than 120 drones have been recovered by security agencies at the front this year so far, as compared to 107 such seizures made during the entirety of 2023.

The force, according to officials in Punjab and Delhi, also wants to add more troops to effectively guard the riverine areas along the Punjab front.

As many as 48 culverts are being constructed over the Ravi and the Sutlej rivers along the Punjab border, out of which work on 25 is complete.

The culverts are provided with sewage gates and locks and these are being checked regularly by BSF patrols, another officer said.

An additional battalion will bring about an operational strength of around 800-900 personnel to better guard this front, he said.

The BSF also needs more personnel in its intelligence (G branch) setup -- currently operating in a 50-kilometre area from the border.

The deployment of G branch teams along this front has led to the recovery of a number of drones and its droppings (drugs and arms), apart from having "enhanced" liaison with local police and central anti-narcotics agencies to check drug syndicates, the second officer said.

A BSF commander said, "We are getting good response from locals in the border areas who inform us about drone droppings and drug traffickers. Cash rewards have been given to such informers in about 50 cases till now."

The BSF in Punjab has shared contacts of about 75 drug smugglers and suspects with the Punjab police based on these inputs, he said.

The force is also raising a mounted unit of horse-riding women troops to patrol the front like the male personnel, officials said.

The BSF recently bolstered its strength along the Punjab-Jammu border by deploying more troops in Gurdaspur that abuts Jammu. This was done to check the infiltration of terrorists from the India-Pakistan border to Jammu via Punjab.
The lie detection test on Sanjay Roy, the main accused in the alleged rape and murder of an RG Kar Medical College trainee doctor, is underway at Kolkata's Presidency Jail where he is lodged, officials said on Sunday.

IMAGE: A polygraph expert at the Presidency Jail in Kolkata, August 25, 2024. Photograph: ANI on X

Two more individuals will undergo the test at the CBI office in Kolkata during the day, they said.

Four persons including former principal Sandip Ghosh underwent the polygraph test on Saturday, the officials said.

The CBI has sought permission from court to put seven persons including Roy and former principal of the medical college Sandip Ghosh through lie detector test.

The test cannot be used as evidence during the trial but findings give the agency a direction for the further probe.

A team of polygraph specialists flown to Kolkata from the Central Forensic Science Laboratory in Delhi is conducting the tests, they said.

Roy was arrested by the Kolkata Police on August 10, a day after the body of the 31-year-old medic was found in the Seminar hall of the medical college.

CCTV footage and a Bluetooth device found near the medic's body resulted in the arrest of Roy, who was allegedly seen entering the seminar hall of the college where the body was found at around 4 am.

Roy (33) was working with the Kolkata police as a civic volunteer since 2019.

The accused, who is a trained boxer, allegedly got close to a few senior police officers over the years, following which he was moved to the Kolkata Police Welfare Board and posted at the police outpost at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.

He has denied the allegations against him.

The CBI earlier told the Supreme Court that the crime scene was altered by the time it took over the probe which suggests there was an attempt by the local police to cover up the rape and killing of the post-graduate medic.

The medic's body with severe injury marks was found inside the seminar hall of the hospital's chest department in the morning of August 9.

The incident has sparked widespread protests.

The Calcutta high court on August 13 ordered the transfer of the probe from the Kolkata Police to the CBI, which started its investigation on August 14.
A resident doctor and a medical dresser were attacked allegedly by a patient's attendant, just days after resident doctors resumed work following an 11-day nationwide strike over the alleged rape and murder of a trainee doctor in Kolkata.

IMAGE: Students and teachers take out candle march during their protest demanding justice against the alleged sexual assault and murder of a postgraduate trainee doctor of the RG Kar Hospital, in Kolkata. Photograph: ANI Photo

The incident took place at Doctor Hedgewar Hospital in Karkardooma in New Delhi late on Saturday night while the doctor was providing critical care.

The doctor who was assaulted told PTI, "Late Saturday night, around 1:00 am, a patient with a forehead injury was brought to the hospital. I took him to the dressing room to stitch the wound. After I finished the first stitch and was working on the second, the patient suddenly pushed me and began hurling abuses."

"His son, who was outside the room, came in, slapped me and they both started abusing me further."

According to the doctor, who requested anonymity, the patient was intoxicated.

Hundreds of resident doctors in Delhi had resumed work on August 23, following an appeal by the Supreme Court and assurances from the government to address their concerns.

The strike, which began on August 12, had severely disrupted non-emergency services, including OPD and diagnostics, at major central and Delhi government hospitals.
A leader of the students' wing of Bangladesh's deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina's Awami League party died of a heart attack while attempting to flee to India, a media report said on Sunday.

IMAGE: Awami League leader and Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina casts her vote in general elections 2024 in Dhaka, January 7, 2024. Photograph: ANI Photo

Ishak Ali Khan Panna, the former general secretary of the Chhatra League, died on Saturday morning, The Dhaka Tribune newspaper reported.

Panna's nephew Laikuzzaman Talukder Mintoo, the Chirapara Par Satoria Union Parishad and organising secretary of the Kaukhali upazila Awami League, said that his uncle slipped from a hill in Shillong in Meghalaya, leading to a heart attack, according to the report.

Another relative, Jasim Uddin Khan, said he had spoken to Panna on the phone three days earlier.

Khan said he learned that Panna had entered India through the Tamabil border in Sylhet, where he died.

During his escape attempt, Panna was accompanied by a leader from the central committee of the Awami League and a leader of the Jhalakathi Chhatra League, the newspaper said, quoting sources.

Panna was elected the general secretary of the Chhatra League in the 1994 central council and became a member of the central sub-committee of the Awami League after the 2012 council, the paper said.

Most leaders of the Awami League have gone into hiding since Hasina's resignation.

Bangladesh witnessed chaos after Hasina's government collapsed.

She resigned and fled to India amid violent protests over quota reforms for government jobs, while the Army stepped in to fill the power vacuum on August 5.
Israel has declared an emergency for the next 48 hours amid the country's escalating tensions with Lebanon, according to The Times of Israel.

IMAGE: Mounted police officers secure the area as people protest against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government and to call for the release of hostages in Gaza, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, in Tel Aviv, Israel, August 24, 2024. Photograph: Florion Goga/Reuters

Israel's Defence Minister, Yoav Gallant, declared an emergency.

This comes as a "special situation in the home front," which enables the IDF Home Front Command to issue restrictions.

In emergencies, the legal term "special situation" is used to give authorities more authority over the civilian population, simplifying attempts to protect them.

It is valid for 48 hours, unless extended by cabinet ministers.

As tensions continue to rise, the Israeli public remains on high alert, bracing for the possibility of further incidents.

Earlier on Sunday, Israel Defence Forces spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari warned the Lebanese citizens who are in southern Lebanon of possible attacks by Israel in retaliation to Hezbollah strikes.

In a press conference, the IDF spokesperson said, "We warn the Lebanese citizens who are in southern Lebanon; we recognise that Hezbollah is now preparing to shoot widely into Israeli territory near your home. You are in danger. We attack and remove Hezbollah threats. Anyone who is near the areas where Hezbollah operates is required to stay away from them immediately."

"In the near future, Hezbollah will launch rockets, and possibly missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles, towards the territory of the State of Israel. Accordingly, "life-saving" instructions of the Home Front Command will be distributed in the various regions. The Home Front Command will update the areas where one must stay near the protected area or inside the protected area," Hagari said.

"The IDF is doing and will do everything necessary to protect the citizens of the State of Israel," he added.

After Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in Tehran last month, which resulted in promises of "punishment" from Iran, Israel is preparing for a strong retaliation.

However, Israel has not denied or confirmed that it was responsible for Haniyeh's death, but it had previously threatened to execute him and other senior Hamas figures for their involvement in the terrorist attacks on October 7.

Tensions in West Asia have escalated after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced on July 31 that Ismail Haniyeh had been killed in an attack in Iran's capital, Tehran.
Amazon (AMZN) is ubiquitous in todays world, not just for being one of the biggest and most established online marketplaces but also for being among the largest data center providers.

What Amazon is far less known for is being the owner and operator of nuclear power plants.

Yet thats exactly what its cloud subsidiary, AWS, did in March, purchasing a $650 million nuclear-powered data center campus next to a nuclear power plant from Talen Energy in Pennsylvania.

On the surface, the deal indicates Amazons ambitious expansion plans. But dig deeper, and the companys purchase of a data center campus adjacent to a nuclear power facility speaks to a broader issue that Amazon and other tech giants are grappling with: the insatiable demand for energy from artificial intelligence.

An aerial view of an Amazon Web Services data center situated near single-family homes on July 17, 2024, in Stone Ridge, Virginia. (Nathan Howard/Getty Images) (Nathan Howard via Getty Images)

In Amazon's case, AWS purchased Talen Energys Pennsylvania nuclear-powered data center to co-locate its rapidly expanding AI data center next to a power source, keeping up with the energy demands that artificial intelligence has created.

The strategy is a symptom of an energy reckoning that has been building as AI has been creeping into consumers' daily lives  powering everything from internet searches to smart devices and cars.

Companies like Google (GOOG, GOOGL), Apple (AAPL), and Tesla (TSLA) continue to enhance AI capabilities with new products and services. Each AI task requires vast computational power, which translates into substantial electricity consumption through energy-hungry data centers.

Estimates suggest that by 2027, global AI-related electricity consumption could rise by 64%, reaching up to 134 terawatt hours annually  or the equivalent of the electricity usage of countries like the Netherlands or Sweden.

This raises a critical question: How are Big Tech companies addressing the energy demands that their future AI innovations will require?

Aerial still of Limerick Generating Station, a nuclear power plant in Royersford, Pa., on an overcast day in fall. (Getty Images) (halbergman via Getty Images)

The rising energy consumption of AI

According to Pew Research, more than half of Americans interact with AI at least once a day.

Prominent researcher and data scientist Sasha Luccioni, who serves as the AI and climate lead at Hugging Face, a company that builds tools for AI applications, often discusses AI's energy consumption.

Luccioni explained that while training AI models is energy-intensive  training the GPT-3 model, for example, used about 1,300 megawatt-hours of electricity  it typically only happens once. However, the inference phase, where models generate responses, can require even more energy due to the sheer volume of queries.

For example, when a user asks AI models like ChatGPT a question, it involves sending a request to a data center, where powerful processors generate a response. This process, though quick, uses approximately 10 times more energy than a typical Google search.

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Rep. Jennifer Wexton uses an AI program on her iPad at her home in Leesburg, Va., on Friday, July 19, 2024. (AP Photo/John McDonnell) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

"The models get used so many times, and it really adds up quickly," Luccioni said. She noted that depending on the size of the model, 50 million to 200 million queries can consume as much energy as training the model itself.

"ChatGPT gets 10 million users a day," Luccioni said. "So within 20 days, you have reached that 'ginormous' ... amount of energy used for training via deploying the model."

The largest consumers of this energy are Big Tech companies, known as hyperscalers, that have the capacity to scale AI efforts rapidly with their cloud services. Microsoft (MSFT), Alphabet, Meta (META), and Amazon alone are projected to spend $189 billion on AI in 2024.

As AI-driven energy consumption grows, it puts additional strain on the already overburdened energy grids. Goldman Sachs projects that by 2030, global data center power demand will grow by 160% and could account for 8% of total electricity demand in the US, up from 3% in 2022.

This strain is compounded by aging infrastructure and the push toward the electrification of cars and manufacturing in the US. According to the Department of Energy, 70% of US transmission lines are nearing the end of their typical 50- to 80-year life cycle, increasing the risk of outages and cyberattacks.

Large electrical transmission lines run through grasslands to power the newly completed Meta's Facebook data center in Eagle Mountain, Utah on July 18, 2024. (GEORGE FREY/AFP via Getty Images) (GEORGE FREY via Getty Images)

Moreover, renewable energy sources are struggling to keep pace.

Luccioni pointed out that grid operators are extending the use of coal-powered plants to meet the rising energy needs, even as renewable energy generation expands.

AI upends Big Tech sustainability pledges

Microsoft and Google have acknowledged in their sustainability reports that AI has hindered their ability to meet climate targets. For instance, Microsofts carbon emissions have increased by 29% since 2020 due to AI-related data center construction.

Still, renewable energy remains a crucial part of Big Techs strategies, even if it cannot meet all of AI's energy demands.

In May 2024, Microsoft signed the largest corporate power purchasing agreement on record with property and asset management giant Brookfield to deliver over 10.5 gigawatts of new renewable power capacity globally through wind, solar, and other carbon-free energy generation technologies. Additionally, the company has invested heavily in carbon removal efforts to offset an industry-record 8.2 million tons of emissions.

Amazon has also made significant investments in renewable energy, positioning itself as the worlds largest corporate purchaser of renewable energy for the fourth consecutive year. The company's portfolio now includes enough wind and solar power to supply 7.2 million US homes annually.

However, as Yahoo Finance reporter Ines Ferre noted (video above), The issue with renewables is that at certain times of the day, you have to also go into energy storage because you may not be using that energy at that time of the day.

Google's first data center in Germany is pictured during its inauguration in Hanau near Frankfurt, Germany, on Oct. 6, 2023. (AP Photo/Michael Probst) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Beyond sourcing cleaner energy, Big Tech is also investing in efficiency. Luccioni said companies like Google are now developing AI-specific chips, such as the Tensor Processing Unit (TPU), that are optimized for AI tasks instead of using graphical processing units (GPUs), which were created for gaming technology.

Nvidia claims that its latest Blackwell GPUs can reduce AI model energy use and costs by up to 25 times compared to earlier versions.

For a glimpse of what lies ahead for tech firms that dont manage energy costs, look no further than Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSM). TSMC makes more than 90% of the worlds most advanced AI chips and has seen energy costs double over the past year, reducing the companys margins by nearly a full percentage point, according to CFO Wendell Huang.

In order to more accurately gauge energy demands and reduce future costs, experts say transparency is key.

"We need more regulation, especially around transparency," said Luccioni, who is working on an AI energy star-rating project that aims to help developers and users choose more energy-efficient models by benchmarking their energy consumption.

When it comes to tech companies' priorities, always follow the money, or in this case, the investments. Utility companies and tech giants are expected to spend $1 trillion on AI in the coming years.

But according to Luccioni, AI might not just be the problem  it could also be part of the solution for addressing this energy crunch.

"AI can definitely be part of the solution," Luccioni said. "Knowing, for example, when a ... hydroelectric dam might need fixing, [and the] same thing with the aging infrastructure, like cables, fixing leaks. A lot of energy actually gets lost during transmission and during storage. So AI can be used to either predict or fix [it] in real-time."

Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that Amazon purchased Talen's nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania. In fact, it purchased Talen's nuclear-powered data center campus, which is located next to the power plant. We regret the error.

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Activist Prashant Kishor on Sunday said his Jan Suraaj will contest all 243 seats in next year's assembly elections in Bihar and at least 40 candidates will be women.

IMAGE: Jan Suraj chief Prashant Kishor (left) during party Mahila Samvad programme, in Patna, Bihar, August 25, 2024. Photograph: ANI Photo

Addressing a women's convention in Patna, Kishor, the founder of political consultancy firm I-PAC, said Jan Suraaj wants to empower women of the state

"I have already said that Jan Suraaj will contest all 243 assembly seats in Bihar in 2025. Out of the total 243 seats, Jan Suraaj will field women candidates on at least 40 seats," he said.

"When Jan Suraaj forms the government in Bihar in 2025, any women who wish to earn on their own and want to become businesswomen will be provided financial support at a very nominal rate, which will be less than the existing rate of interest charged from Jeevika Didis," he added.

'Jeevika Didis' are women associated with self-help groups under the Bihar Rural Livelihoods Project in the state.

"Jan Suraaj wants to empower the women of the state. As long as women do not get economic independence, their equal participation is not possible in the government. When the Jan Suraaj government is formed, no one will be forced to leave Bihar for a job of Rs 10,000-12,000. We have prepared a comprehensive plan for this," Kishor said.

In January, he had said that at least 75 people belonging to the Extremely Backward Classes will be fielded by a single platform supported by Jan Suraaj in the 2025 assembly elections.
At least 40 people, including 11 Shia Muslim pilgrims, were killed and several others injured in two separate bus accidents in Pakistan on Sunday, officials said.

Image used for representational purpose only. Photograph: Reuters

The first accident occurred when a bus carrying around 70 pilgrims returning from Iraq through Iran overturned on the Makran coastal highway and fell into a ditch, the police said.

At least 11 people were killed and 35 others injured in the accident in Balochistan province, over 100 km from Karachi.

The Makran Coastal Highway is a 653-km national highway that extends along Pakistan's Arabian Sea coast from Karachi in Sindh province to Gwadar in Balochistan province.

Most of the passengers were from Lahore or Gujranwala, according to police sources.

The driver apparently lost control of the bus, which first overturned and then fell into the ravine, police said.

Senior superintendent of police Lasbela Capt. Naveed Alam said the bus was carrying pilgrims from Iran to Punjab when it overturned near Buzzi Top on the coastal highway as the driver lost control of the vehicle due to overspeeding.

He said 11 bodies were taken out from the ravine while 35 passengers who were injured were moved to hospitals.

"Four passengers are still trapped inside the remains of the bus and they are being rescued," he said.

Hours later, 29 people were killed and three others injured when a coaster bus carrying 30 people fell into a ditch in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, said Qamar Nadeem of Edhi Foundation, which runs the largest private ambulance service.

The accident took place on the Girari Bridge, Kahuta, some 400 km from Lahore, when the driver reportedly lost control of the vehicle due to the failure of brakes.

According to Rescue 1122, the dead include 23 men, five women and one child.

The bodies of some dead were taken out after cutting the bus body.

Deputy commissioner Sadhanoti Umar Farooq said the victims were from the Sadhanoti district.

The police, administration and rescue teams were present at the site of the incident.

Prime Minster Shehbaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari expressed sorrow over the loss of lives in the accident, offering their condolences to the families of the deceased.

"In this hour of sorrow, my sympathies are with the families of the deceased," Zardari said, stressing the need to speed up the relief activities.

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz offered her condolences and expressed regret over the loss of lives.

The accidents come just days after a bus carrying Pakistani Shia pilgrims met with an accident in Iran, leaving 35 dead and 15 injured.

The authorities in Iran and Pakistan's Gwadar have now imposed a travel ban for pilgrims from Iran's Gabad to Gwadar.

Gwadar DC Hamoodur Rehman said a complete travel ban had been imposed on the movement of pilgrims from Iran's Gabad to Gwadar for their safety.

"Iran has also banned the entry of pilgrims, and, therefore, they should avoid any travel at this time," he said.
A day after an non-resident Indian was shot at inside his house in Amritsar, the police on Sunday arrested five people, including the father of the victim's first wife, in connection with the incident.

IMAGE: The shooters seen in the CCTV footage firing bullets on Sukhchain Singh, who recently returned from the United States. Photograph: Screen grab

Efforts are being made to nab the two criminals who shot at Sukhchain Singh, who recently returned from the US, and are on the run, they said.

The assailants intercepted Sukhchain Singh when he was leaving his house in Daburji village on the outskirts of Amritsar for a morning walk on Saturday.

They barged into his house and fired three shots at him before fleeing. Two of the bullets hit Sukhchain Singh -- one in the head and the other near the chest.

He is stated to be out of danger, according to police.

Addressing the media here, Amritsar police commissioner Ranjit Singh Dhillon said the attack on Sukhchain Singh was carried out at the behest of the family of his first wife.

His first wife had committed suicide in December 2022 and her family nursed a grudge against him, he said.

Two criminals, Sukhwinder alias Sukha and Gurkirat Singh alias Guri, were hired to kill Sukhchain Singh, police said.

"We are after the assailants," Dhillon said.

Those arrested are Sarwan Singh, the father of Sukhchain Singh's first wife and a resident of Bains village in Hoshiarpur; Jagjit Singh and Chamkaur Singh of Tarn Taran who helped the assailants before committing the crime; hotel owner Digambar Attri and hotel manager Abhilash Bhaskar who provided accommodation to the assailants without asking for ID proofs, the officer said.

The assailants stayed in Attri's hotel before and after committing the crime, according to police.

Dhillon said police have also booked US-based Sukhwinder Singh, Kuljinder Kaur and her husband Jasvir Singh.

Sukhwinder Singh and Kuljinder Kaur are the brother and sister of Sukhchain Singh's first wife respectively.

Sukhchain Singh was shot at in front of his wife, mother and his two children from his first marriage.

Footage retrieved from CCTV cameras installed inside the victim's house showed his wife, mother and children pleading with the assailants to let him go.

Special director general of police RN Dhoke (internal security) met Sukhchain Singh's family on Saturday.
BRATTLEBORO  At a community picnic, Action Corps made clear their intentions to keep prioritizing democracy and peace.

Members of the group spoke of how their activism influences lawmakers and positive action.

"I so appreciate your vision, your energy and your work, and it really is effective," Vermont Sen. Wendy Harrison, D-Windham County, said at the event Sunday.

Brattleboro resident Isaac Evans-Frantz, executive director of Action Corps, said his group builds coalition with other organizations and trains people for grassroots activism across the U.S. He'd been trained by the humanitarian relief and development organization Oxfam to start the program.

In 2016, Action Corps became independent from Oxfam. The program became a project of the Social Good Fund in 2019.

At the picnic, Harrison was applauded for joined other Vermont legislators and Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman in signing a letter to President Biden calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. She said her background is in local government and she generally stays "in my lane."

"But Isaac was very persistent and very compelling, and he said that this one will matter, and he was right," Harrison said of the statement on Gaza. "So thank you, Isaac, appreciate that."

Vermont lawmakers urge Biden to help steer ceasefire in Gaza MONTPELIER  Vermont lawmakers sent a letter to President Biden, imploring him to "take imme

Harrison called optimism and hope in the president election processes "scarce for more than a decade."

"This isn't just difficult for us as individuals, but it's terrible for our country," she said. "Democracy requires thoughtfulness, and studies show that our brains work better on hope."

Harrison said that if she could change one thing, it would be to mandate voting. Vermonters, she said, are fortunate to have "federal representation that is accessible and reflective of our values."

"Those who would overturn our electoral processes are again implementing plans to thwart the vote of the people," she said. "Town clerks and other local election officials across the country, they saved our democracy in 2020 and they will need to do it again in 2024. They need our help."

Evans-Frantz said he knows his access to U.S. foreign policy and ability to influence is primarily through his congressional delegation. He recounted meeting with U.S. Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt, days after U.S. Rep. Becca Balint, D-Vt, became the first Jewish member of Congress to call for a ceasefire in Gaza.

"Her making that call didn't come out of thin air," he said, citing a fundraiser being interrupted in Burlington and a rally for Gaza being planned in Brattleboro. "The point is that when you show up, it matters. When you speak up, it matters."

Vermont lawmakers urge Biden to help steer ceasefire in Gaza MONTPELIER  Vermont lawmakers sent a letter to President Biden, imploring him to "take imme

Evans-Frantz counted 30 states where Action Corps has volunteers. He's one of two paid staff members for the group.

"We have an incredible ability to change policy, and we've done that with our response to the pandemic, where we brought together over 100 organizations that signed a letter calling for an international economic response to the pandemic," he said. "And because the United States controls the International Monetary Fund, we were able to get through the largest ever release of resources to the global south. And we're working on doing that again because of the debt crisis, the climate crisis, continue to affect our world."

M.D. Baker of Action Corps and other volunteers asked U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt, at public events in Brattleboro about supporting a resolution about the War in Yemen.

"I made a statement. I challenged Bernie, I asked him to do something," Baker said. "There was applause behind me. I thought, Damn, I'm not alone in this. There are other people here that care about this, that are concerned and can make noise."

Accomplishments have been made "because of all these things we've said and done," Baker said.

"We challenge the status quo," she said. "We raise people's awareness just by making noise here."

Deb Hall credited Evans-Frantz with getting her in touch with the Center for Common Ground, which she then affiliated with Action Corps. She said she was feeling "really passionate about voter suppression, which unfortunately is alive and well."

"I just needed to feel like I was doing something," she said.

Hall helped with a campaign called Reclaim Our Voice, which is aimed at encouraging the Black population to vote. On Sunday and earlier, she led local efforts to write and send postcards for the campaign.

Bob Oeser, chairman of the Brattleboro Board of Civil Authority, expressed a desire to get more voters to show up to elections in Vermont as well. About 26 percent of registered voters in the town cast ballots in the recent primary, he said.

"Just 15 percent of Vermont's registered voters cast a ballot in the state primary, a drop from 27 percent turnout in 2022 or the record breaking 34 percent in 2020," he said.

As a Brattleboro Town Meeting representative, he was credited with helping Evans-Frantz craft a resolution about Gaza that would find enough support to get to the finish line. Oeser recounted speaking at the annual meeting about how Israel's response to the Oct. 7 by Hamas was "anything but proportionate."

Described as being "instrumental" in getting a statewide inclusion statement supported in local communities and being a leader in local National Association for the Advancement of Colored People work, Rev. Lise Sparrow stressed the importance of collaboration and coalition building. She said about 78.6 percent of towns and cities in Vermont have now joined the statement.
ASTANA -- At the peak of China's repression of Turkic and Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang region some six years ago, Kazakhstan was a kind of hub for activism and reporting on what international rights experts said were "crimes against humanity."

Then came the fear.

With a population likely numbering more than 1 million people -- official statistics are lacking -- ethnic Kazakhs are the second-largest Turkic group living in Xinjiang.

Unlike the more populous Uyghurs, they live next door to a country where they are a titular people and where many of them traveled regularly before China's crackdown began.



When arrests started really flowing in late 2017 and 2018, hundreds of Xinjiang-born Kazakhs who had moved to Kazakhstan before the crisis organized to issue appeals for missing relatives, both to the Kazakh government and the international community at large.



Yet the group that drove that effort, Atazhurt, soon came under pressure from local security services.



Atazhurt splintered into factions, and its co-founder -- who claimed the Kazakh authorities were being directed by their Beijing allies -- now lives in de-facto exile in the United States.

Discussions related to the plight of the Xinjiang Kazakhs are therefore sensitive, while most of the Kazakhs in Xinjiang who have been reunited with relatives in Kazakhstan in the past couple of years -- sometimes after years of separation -- are in no hurry to talk about their experiences.

That makes any effort to restart the conversation in Kazakhstan's local press noteworthy.

One such effort occurred at the end of July when the Kazakh-language newspaper Zhas Alash published an article on what it said were 22 members of the ethnic Kazakh intelligentsia currently languishing behind bars in China.

But as the article's author said in an interview with RFE/RL's Kazakh Service, the Kazakh-based relatives of these detainees are increasingly reluctant to say anything about their cases.

"All of them refused to comment. The reason is obvious. Advocacy could worsen the situation for their relatives in detention," said Zhaqsylyq Qazymuratuly.



'I Never Saw Any Of Them Speak Out Against Chinese Authorities'



So who are these 22 authors?



While Chinese officials have presented their post-2016 policies in Xinjiang as an extension of longer-term efforts to combat radicalism and separatism, many of the people mentioned as detained in the Zhas Alash article were directly connected to the Chinese state.



"Some of the arrested individuals I know personally. We were friends, we communicated well. I have been friends with some of them for 15 years, but I never saw any of them speak out against the Chinese authorities," Xinjiang-born journalist Qaliaqbar Usemkhanuly was quoted as saying in Qazymuratuly's article.



Usemkhanuly would know. Before moving to Kazakhstan, he worked -- like many of the detainees mentioned in the article -- in the state-controlled media in Xinjiang.



As Qazymuratuly argues, this is not a profession that allows room for experimentation.



"How did things work under Soviet rule?... Information in China undergoes a similar procedure before publication," Qazymuratuly told RFE/RL's Kazakh Service.

"Every message, every news item was filtered before publication," the journalist said. "Now, after several years, they find some shortcomings. But this seems to be just an excuse for arresting and imprisoning these people."



A red line that has thickened considerably for Xinjiang Kazakhs and other Muslims in the region after the now-retired, hard-line Chinese Communist Party boss Chen Quanguo was installed in 2016 involves apolitical expressions of national identity.



One of the 22 detainees, Qarapa Nasiolla, was an educator who published works by poets, writers, and musicians, as well as reflections on Kazakh literature and history on his WeChat page that was popular with local Kazakhs.



He moved from Xinjiang to another province with a teaching job and has not been heard from since 2021, when he returned to the region from a summer holiday.



Back then, Nasiolla's Kazakhstan-based mother and brother both released public appeals seeking information about him.



But when RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reached out to Nasiolla's relatives this month, none of them agreed to an interview.

Toqaev In Xinjiang



In 2018, United Nations experts estimated that more than 1 million Uyghur and Muslim minorities had been detained in Xinjiang indoctrination camps that Chinese officials likened to vocational training centers.



These facilities, reputed for their humiliation and brutality toward detainees, are now believed to be largely closed. Other former detainees, some graduates of the camps, reported being compelled to work in factories whose goods were exported.



A third group, which has ironically received the least international media attention, consists of detainees who are serving hard jail time, inevitably on trumped-up political and terrorism-related charges.



It would be untrue to say Kazakhstan's government has done nothing for the Xinjiang Kazakhs. Authorities have more than once expressed concern to their Chinese counterparts over problems in the region impacting Kazakh citizens, although always in terms that avoided criticizing China.



Since then, ethnic Kazakhs have continued to leave Xinjiang for Kazakhstan, often arriving in batches, suggesting some level of negotiations by Astana over their resettlement.



But given Astana's economic dependence on Beijing, it is hard to escape the idea that the repression of ethnic Kazakhs are fairly low on the bilateral agenda.



Indeed, when it comes to tone-setting, President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev has offered a visible legitimacy boost to the authorities that have overseen the crackdown.

Toqaev in 2023 paid his first official visit to the region, where the Kazakh Foreign Ministry said he held talks with local decision-makers but not with the Kazakh community separately.



In March he held talks in Astana with Erkin Tuniyaz, the second-most powerful Chinese Communist Party official in Xinjiang who, like former boss Chen, is under sanctions from the U.S. government in connection with the Xinjiang incarcerations.



Months before, Turniyaz had been expected for talks in London and Brussels, where he is not under sanctions, but those visits were canceled amid a public outcry.



The Kazakh Service reached out to the Kazakh Foreign Ministry with an official inquiry, requesting comment on the allegedly arbitrary arrest and detention of 22 people in Xinjiang.



Press Secretary Aibek Smadiyarov promised to obtain information from specialists, but no response was received by the time of publication.

Kazakh authorities have previously informed people worried about ethnic Kazakhs in Xinjiang that Astana's representatives in the region have elaborated a "family reunification mechanism" in cooperation with Chinese officials.



People were told to apply to the government for help to reunite their family via the eOtinish platform.



As for getting information from China itself, the Kazakh relatives of detainees who picketed the Chinese Consulate in Almaty for more than two years would probably agree that Chinese officials prefer not to engage.



When a correspondent for RFE/RL's Kazakh Service contacted Ambassador Zhang Xiao at a recent meeting at Kazakhstan's National Center of Biotechnology, he expressed irritation that the question was about the 22 Kazakhs in Zhas Alash's article rather about his visit to the center.



"There is nothing of the sort!" Zhang exclaimed before ignoring follow-up questions.
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.
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
Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ: AMD) has long been a top performer on the stock market. The chip stock has steadily taken share from Intel in the central processing unit (CPU) market, and it also has a strong presence in the gaming segment with its graphics processing units (GPUs).

Over the past decade, the stock is up more than 3,000%, driven in part by the pandemic, and more recently, the AI boom.

However, AMD has a tough task ahead of it. It needs to keep pace with AI chip leader Nvidia if it's going to live up to the high investor expectations for the stock. AMD is starting to show evidence of that, however, as data center revenue was up 115% in the second quarter to $2.8 billion, a new record.

Now, AMD just beefed up its position in artificial intelligence by acquiring ZT Systems for $4.9 billion.

Image source: Getty Images.

What is ZT Systems?

ZT Systems is a leading provider of general-purpose compute infrastructure for the top cloud infrastructure companies like Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure. AMD expects those AI systems to complement its own chip and software capabilities.

AMD also plans to sell ZT Systems' manufacturing business, continuing its fabless approach to semiconductors. The acquisition is expected to enhance AMD AI training and inferencing services, and ZT Systems' cloud services will allow AMD to deploy its AI infrastructure at scale.

AMD seems to be planning more acquisitions as it builds a comprehensive suite of AI tools. The company expects the acquisition to be accretive to adjusted earnings by the end of 2025.

Buying the server maker will help AMD vertically integrate downstream, selling rack and server systems that customers want to buy rather than just the semiconductor components. Increasingly, companies are competing in server systems for cloud infrastructure companies and other buyers, and ZT Systems should give AMD a key asset as it looks to accelerate its growth in AI.

AMD CEO Lisa Su said that the acquisition will allow the company to more quickly deploy its new AI GPUs at the scale that buyers like Microsoft demand. Su added that "AI systems are our number one strategic priority" in an interview with Reuters.

AMD stakes its claim in the GPU market

Nvidia still dominates the data center GPU market, and it's likely to remain that way for the foreseeable future.

However, GPUs aren't a winner-take-all market, even if Nvidia's leadership will be hard to break. As the No. 2 player, AMD has some things working in its favor. There is still a significant shortage of data center GPUs as companies like Microsoft, Meta Platforms, and Alphabet race to build AI infrastructure, so there's plenty of demand for the components. That shortage could be exacerbated by the recent delay in the Blackwell platform.

Story continues

Additionally, customers are eager to break Nvidia's monopoly in GPUs and bring down prices in the sector. That may take time, but it's in their interest to prop up AMD so that GPU buyers have an alternative.

Is AMD a buy?

AMD's acquisition of ZT Systems comes just weeks after it made another AI acquisition, taking over Silo AI in a deal valued at $665 million. Silo AI's technology helps businesses create large language models, and is one of several AI companies AMD has bought as it builds its own AI assets.

With that strategy and strong momentum in segments like data center and client, which is primarily PCs, AMD is delivering accelerating growth. As the company taps into soaring demand for AI chips, the stock is likely to move higher.

The rally in the stock isn't over.

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Israel and Hezbollah, which has been designated a terrorist organization by the United States, engaged in a massive exchange of missile fire on August 25, but signaled they were not looking to escalate the conflict amid fears of all-out war in the region.

Tensions also remained high near the Gaza Strip after Hamas  an Iran-backed group also designated a terrorist organization by the United States and EU  apparently fired an "M90" rocket toward Tel Aviv late on August 25, although Israeli officials said it fell harmlessly into an empty field.

"Following the siren that sounded in Rishon LeTsiyon, one projectile was identified crossing from the southern Gaza Strip and falling in an open area in the area of Rishon LeTsiyon," the Israeli military said.

In one of the biggest clashes to rock the Middle East since war broke out in the Gaza Strip last October, Israel said it launched preemptive air strikes on targets of Iran-backed Hezbollah in southern Lebanon after Israeli intelligence detected that Hezbollah was planning to attack in the morning.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said in a speech later in the day that the attacks, which did not include using precision or strategic missiles, targeted "the Glilot base -- the main Israeli military intelligence base," near Tel Aviv, about 100 kilometers across the southern Lebanese border with Israel.

Nasrallah added in the televised speech that Israel began striking Hezbollah targets about 30 minutes before the group launched its attack, which was in response to the killing of one of its commanders.

Addressing Nasrallah and Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel's preemptive operation was "another step toward changing the situation in the north and returning our residents safely to their homes."

Thousands have been displaced in northern Israel as Hezbollah and Israel continue to trade cross-border attacks, which have intensified since war broke out in Gaza following an October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas that left some 1,200 people dead and scores more taken hostage.

The August 25 exchange of hundreds of missiles and drones sparked fears that the war may escalate and engulf the entire region, but a Hezbollah official said in a written statement to media outlets that the group had "worked" to ensure its attack would not trigger a full-scale war.

Reuters quoted its diplomatic sources as saying Israel and Hezbollah exchanged messages following the exchange saying neither wanted to escalate the conflict further.

Randa Slim, a senior fellow at the Washington, D.C.-based Middle East Institute, said that at least for now, the scope of the strikes from both sides may be enough to avoid a major war between Israel and Hezbollah "because both sides do not want it."

Earlier in the day, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said around 100 fighter jets "eliminated thousands of Hezbollah rocket-launcher barrels" that had been "aimed for immediate fire" toward northern and central Israel.

Hezbollah said the attack was "phase one" of its retaliation for the killing of its top commander Fuad Shukr in an Israeli strike on July 30 in Beirut. It insisted the operation had been "completed successfully."

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant declared a 48-hour state of emergency across Israel.

The IDF said Hezbollah had fired 150 projectiles, but Hezbollah claimed to have launched more than 320 Katyusha rockets.

Israeli fighter jets continued to strike Hezbollah rocket launchers after the group's attack to "remove threats."

Three people were killed in areas in southern Lebanon, according to the country's Health Ministry.

The extent of damage caused by Hezbollah's attack is unclear. Video footage on social media showed some rockets being intercepted and the aftermath of several rockets making impact.

The Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon called the developments "worrying" and called "on all to cease fire and refrain from further escalatory action."

"We will continue our contacts to strongly urge for de-escalation," it said.

Hezbollah and Israel have inched even closer to a full-blown war for weeks, especially after the death of 12 people in an apparent Hezbollah rocket attack in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights on July 27.

Three days later, Israel struck a target in Beirut, killing Shukr, who was widely believed to be the second-most powerful person in Hezbollah's hierarchy behind Nasrallah.

Diplomats, meanwhile, huddled in Egypt on August 25 for high-level talks aimed at brokering a cease-fire in the 10-month-old war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas.

Later, a Hamas representative said the group's delegation left Cairo after meeting with Egyptian and Qatari mediators who briefed them on the results of the latest negotiations" and said it had rejected Israel's latest terms for a cease-fire.

Israel's attack on Gaza has killed more than 40,000 people, according to the local Hamas-run health authorities.

With reporting by Reuters
Israel's military widened its attacks on Iran-backed militant groups, striking the Yemeni port city of Hodeida that is held by Tehran-allied Huthi rebels, even as it intensified air strikes on Hezbollah strongholds in southern Beirut and elsewhere in Lebanon, raising fears among global leaders of an all-out Middle East war.

"In a large-scale air operation today, dozens of air-force aircraft, including fighter jets, refueling planes, and reconnaissance aircraft, attacked military-use targets of the Huthi terrorist regime in the Ras Issa and Hodeida areas of Yemen," military spokesman Captain David Avraham told AFP on September 29.

The military said the air strikes targeted a Huthi-operated power plant and seaport used to import oil and to allegedly receive Iranian weapons. Israel has previously attacked the port, most recently in July.

Yemen has endured a civil war since 2014, when Huthi rebels seized the capital, Sanaa, prompting Saudi-led forces to intervene in support of the internationally recognized government and leading to a massive humanitarian disaster in the country of some 40 million people on the southern Arabian Peninsula.

The vast majority of humanitarian aid arrives through Hodeida's deep-water port, although much of that has been disrupted since the Huthis seized the facility.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on September 29 that Israel would strike at foes no matter the distance.

Yemen's Huthi rebels, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and Hamas in Gaza are considered to be Iranian proxies in the region. The Huthi rebels have been targeting ships in the Persian Gulf and launching missiles toward Israel over the past year, claiming it is in support of Hamas fighters in Gaza.

Hezbollah and Hamas have been designated as terrorist organizations by the United States. The European Union also designates Hamas as a terrorist organization, as it does Hezbollah's armed wing but not its political party.

Israel's continued aerial attacks on Lebanon and now in Yemen come amid mounting calls from the United Nations and major powers  including close ally Washington -- for an easing of hostilities.

France announced that Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot had arrived in Beirut late on September 29 after Barrot spoke by phone with caretaker Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati. Paris also called for "an immediate halt to Israeli strikes in Lebanon."

Mikati said in a televised speech earlier in the day that Lebanon had "no option but the diplomatic option."

U.S. President Joe Biden on September 29 told reporters that he would soon being speaking to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, although he didn't give a date.

Asked if an all-out war in the Middle East could still be prevented, he said: "It has to be. We really have to avoid it."

U.S. national-security spokesman John Kirby earlier warned that all-out war would not help Israel safely return people to their homes in the north of the country near the Lebanese border, where many thousands have been evacuated.

"An all-out war with Hezbollah, certainly with Iran, is not the way to do that. If you want to get those folks back home safely and sustainably, we believe that a diplomatic path is the right course," Kirby told CNN.

Kirby also said Washington was talking to Israeli leaders about what the best next measures in Lebanon might be and reiterated that U.S. support for Israels security was "iron-clad."

But he added that "we have made no bones about the fact that we don't necessarily see the tactical execution the same way that they do in terms of protection [of civilians]."

Iran has vowed a response for the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in a massive Israeli air strike in Beirut on September 27 and has signaled continuing support for groups confronting Israel, but it is also seeking an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council.

Israel's defense forces said on September 29 that they had conducted a "precise strike" on Hezbollah's southern Beirut stronghold.

Mikati has warned that the fighting could be displacing as many as 1 million Lebanese civilians.

Hezbollah confirmed that Israel's attacks killed the seventh of its leaders to die since mid-September, when Nabil Kaouk died on September 28.

Hezbollah also confirmed Israel's earlier assertion that another of its senior commanders, southern forces commander Ali Karaki, had died in the strike that killed Nasrallah.

WATCH: Police in Pakistan's biggest city, Karachi, fired tear gas and warning shots after protesters rallying against the death of Hassan Nasrallah threw stones and tried to cross barriers blocking access to the U.S. Consulate.

In response to the Israeli assault on Lebanon, Hezbollah has intensified its strikes on Israel, firing several hundred missiles a day, causing some injuries and property damage, although most have been intercepted by Israeli defense systems.

Netanyahu described the assassination of Nasrallah as a necessary move toward "changing the balance of power in the region for years to come."

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi was quoted by the official Fars news agency as saying in New York that "Everyone should be aware that the situation is extremely explosive, and that everything is possible...even war." He said that "this horrible crime...will not go unanswered."

But with analysts expressing doubt about Tehran's willingness to risk a direct conflict with Israel or its ally the United States, he also signaled a diplomatic push. "The diplomatic apparatus will also use all its political, diplomatic, legal, and international capacities to pursue the criminals and their supporters," Araqchi said.

UN Security Council permanent members the United States and China urged de-escalation, while Russia warned of "fraught" and "dramatic" consequences for the region.

In his first statement since Israeli forces and Hezbollah confirmed the death of Nasrallah in massive air strikes in Beirut, Netanyahu said "Nasrallah was not a terrorist, he was the terrorist."

AFP and Reuters, both citing sources, reported on September 29 that Nasrallah's body had been recovered in Lebanon but that no date had been set for a funeral.



The Lebanese escalation comes as Israel's war in Gaza nears the one-year mark since U.S.- and EU-designated terrorist group Hamas launched a cross-border attack that killed more than 1,200 people in Israel on October 7, many of them civilians.



There are fears of a rapidly expanding conflict that could include an Israeli ground offensive in Lebanon and eventually draw Iran and the United States directly into the fighting.

Israeli officials have said that a ground invasion of Lebanon is among their potential options.

Iranian media reported that Israel's September 27 attacks in Beirut had also killed a senior commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).



On September 28, Iran's mission to the United Nations reportedly called in a letter for an emergency meeting of the 15-member Security Council.



Iranian Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani is said to have accused Israel of committing "a flagrant act of terrorist aggression against residential areas in Beirut, using U.S.-supplied thousand-pound bunker busters."



On September 29, official media quoted the speaker of Iran's parliament, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, as pledging ongoing Iranian support for groups that "resist" Israel.

"We will not hesitate to go to any level in order to help the resistance," Qalibaf said, adding an accusation that the United States was "complicit" and "has to accept the repercussions."



UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was "gravely concerned" by the "dramatic escalation" in Lebanon. "This cycle of violence must stop now, and all sides must step back from the brink," Guterres said in a statement. "The people of Lebanon, the people of Israel, as well as the wider region, cannot afford an all-out war."



Security Council member Russia has condemned the killing of Nasrallah as "yet another political assassination" that is "fraught with even greater dramatic consequences for Lebanon and the entire Middle East."



On September 29, China's Foreign Ministry urged all parties, but especially Israel, to act to de-escalate the situation.

Pope Francis appealed to all parties involved in the ongoing violence "to cease fire immediately in Lebanon, in Gaza, in the rest of Palestine, and in Israel."

With reporting by Reuters and dpa
Air-raid sirens sounded in northern Israel and explosions were heard as the country's Iron Dome air-defense system shot down missiles fired from Lebanon early on August 25. The Iran-backed Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the missile and drone attacks. Even before the rockets were launched, Israel announced strikes on Hezbollah's rocket launchers, saying it had discovered the group's plan to attack. Smoke was seen shortly after dawn as Israeli fighter jets bombed sites in southern Lebanon. Israel's military had warned civilians in the area to avoid locations where Hezbollah operates.
Six people were killed in Ukrainian attacks in the Russian border region of Belgorod, local officials said on August 25, as Ukrainian authorities reported that several people -- including Western news agency staffers -- were among the dead and wounded in Russian strikes across the country.

Meanwhile, in his nightly video address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said his forces made further advances deeper into Russia's Kursk region and had taken control of two additional settlements.

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.

"I've just spoken with commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskiy, and there is an advance of our troops in the Kursk region -- from 1 to 3 kilometers. Two more settlements were taken under control," said Zelenskiy, who added that "active actions were continuing.

In Russia, Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Telegram that five civilians were killed and 12 others were wounded in Ukrainian shelling in the town of Rakitnoye. One person was killed in a Ukrainian drone attack on the village of Solovyovka, he added.

Gladkov said six of the wounded were in serious condition, including a 16-year-old girl who was in intensive care.

The claims cannot be independently verified.

Russian authorities declared a state of emergency in Belgorod earlier this month, and Moscow said it was sending more troops to defend the region following Ukraine's surprise cross-border incursion into neighboring Kursk on August 6.

Ukraine has since captured more than 90 settlements in the Kursk region, according to Kyiv, the biggest invasion of Russia since World War II.

In the Ukrainian city of Sumy -- some 30 kilometers from the Russian border -- authorities on August 25 reported that heavy Russian shelling killed at least four people and injured 13 others over the past 24 hours.

Authorities also said one person was killed and several others were wounded in Kharkiv and Donetsk regions in Russian missile and drone attacks.

Donetsk regional officials said the body of a British citizen was recovered from the rubble following an overnight strike at a hotel in Kramatorsk, a city of some 147,000 people in southeastern Ukraine.

Reuters later identified the person as Ryan Evans, 38, who was working as a safety adviser for Reuters. Evans, a former British soldier, had been with the news agency since 2022, advising staffers on safety issues at sites around the world.

Officials said four journalists -- including those with German, Latvian, and U.S. citizenship -- and two local citizens were among the injured, but the report could not immediately be confirmed.

Reuters earlier said several team members had been at the hotel but couldn't immediately confirm their whereabouts or status.

Vadym Filashkin, head of the Donetsk regional government, wrote on Telegram that the hotel was destroyed and that "17 private houses, six high-rise buildings, three enterprises, an administrative building, and a coffeeshop were damaged."

Russian attacks hit residential buildings in Kharkiv's Balakliya, Chuhuiv, and Kupyansk districts, as well as the regional capital, Kharkiv city, wounding at least 17 people and damaging several houses, local authorities said.

Russia launched several missile and drone attacks overnight, targeting northern and eastern regions, but Ukraines air-defense systems destroyed most of the weapons before they reached their targets, Ukraine's air force said.

"Most of the missiles did not reach their targets," the air force said on Telegram, adding that Russia launched an Iskander-M ballistic missile, an Iskander-K cruise missile, and six guided air missiles. It did not specify how many missiles were destroyed.

The air-defense systems shot down eight of the nine drones launched by Russian forces overnight over the Mykolayiv region, the air force claimed.

On the diplomatic front, Zelenskiy on August 25 said talks with Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, and Switzerland were continuing regarding a potential second peace summit.

The Ukrainian leader also said he had told Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his recent visit to Kyiv that he would support India hosting the summit.

"This applies not only to India but to any state that would be positive about hosting a second summit, Zelenskiy added.

Some 80 countries, but not Russia, met in Switzerland in mid-June to discuss the potential for a peace agreement between Moscow and Kyiv.

Zelenskiy has insisted Ukraine's territorial integrity must be the foundation of any peace deal, while Russia has said conditions for ending the war include Kyiv renouncing its desire to join NATO and ceding Crimea and four other occupied regions of Ukraine.

The Foreign Ministry in Kyiv also said on August 25 that Ukrainian intelligence agencies had reported that Belarusian armed forces, under the guise of military exercises, have been concentrating a significant number of personnel, weapons, and equipment including tanks, artillery, rocket launchers, air-defense systems, and engineering equipment its border with Ukraine.

With reporting by Reuters, AFP, and AP
When Soltan Achilova decided to change her profession and become an independent journalist in Turkmenistan nearly two decades ago, she knew her new job would be different and require adjustments.

But the Ashgabat-based economist turned reporter did not imagine that her new profession was going to turn her life upside down and subject her to persecution, physical assaults, and death threats.

State security agents have been following me since I started working as a journalist. They harass my family too, surveil our phone conversations, Achilova, 74, told RFE/RL. Electricity and water were cut off to our home several times. My relatives were threatened by authorities to stop talking to me or they would lose their jobs.

Turkmenistan is consistently ranked by media watchdogs, such as Reporters Without Borders (RSF), among the worst countries in the world for press freedom.

Independent media outlets are nonexistent in the authoritarian Central Asian nation, where journalism amounts only to praise for the regime, according to RSF. The government continues a relentless clampdown on dissent -- with critics being harassed, beaten, tortured, jailed, and even killed. Many others have been forced abroad into self-exile.

Achilova, a correspondent for the European-based Khronika Turkmenistana website and a former RFE/RL reporter, is the last remaining independent journalist in Turkmenistan who openly criticizes the authoritarian government. A handful of others work secretly for some foreign-based outlets.

The recent death of 35-year-old former RFE/RL reporter Hudaiberdy Allashov -- whom Turkmen authorities had vowed to drive to his grave -- put the spotlight earlier this month on how Turkmenistan punishes journalists and their families for reporting news.

'Youll Be Locked Up For A Long Time'

Allashov worked for three months for RFE/RL in 2016, reporting about issues like food shortages, forced labor in the cotton harvest, and wage arrears for state workers in his native region of Dashoguz.

The journalist and his mother, Kurbantach Arazmedova, were arrested in December 2016 and accused of possession of tobacco powder, which is banned but does not entail criminal penalties. It was a trumped-up charge widely seen as authorities punishment for Allashovs work as a journalist.

Sources told RFE/RL at the time that Allashov was beaten and tortured with electric shocks while in custody.

Police also interrogated his wife, Ejesh Arazgylyjeva, and their two young children. Arazgylyjeva was also beaten by police for spreading information about her husband and mother-in-laws arrest, according to sources close to law-enforcement agencies.

Following widespread condemnation by Western diplomats and international human rights groups, the journalist and his mother were released several months later after a court handed each a three-year, suspended prison sentence.

Allashov stopped working for RFE/RL, but the governments harassment campaign against him did not stop.

Allashov was briefly arrested again in October 2019 in his hometown of Koneurgench and beaten during several hours of interrogation. His mother fell ill under the stress of her sons arrest and died in hospital from a heart attack two days later.

Another interrogation followed the next month. Police released the journalist, but he was warned that the authorities would not leave him alone "until they drove him to his grave," he told RFE/RL.

In May 2022, Allashov and his wife were severely beaten by a group of city government employees and suffered injuries. There have never been any clear official charges against Allashov or any members of his family.

Allashov was arrested again in December 2023, when authorities reportedly told the journalist he was going to be locked up for a long time.

Amid an outcry by international human rights groups, Allashov was released after serving a 15-day administrative arrest. But the reporters health began to deteriorate due to his abusive treatment in custody, and he died on August 13.

People who knew Allashov blame his death on the physical and mental stress caused by the governments eight years of ruthless persecution to punish him for his work as an independent journalist.#

Allashovs death came 18 years after an RFE/RL reporter in Ashgabat, Ogulsapar Muradova, died in the Owadan-Depe Prison, a remote maximum-security facility in the Karakum Desert amid allegations of torture, including strangulation. Her body bore signs of ill-treatment.

Muradova, 58, had been convicted on the dubious charge of illegally possessing ammunition and sentenced to seven in years in prison after police claimed they found bullets in her car. Right groups say the criminal case against Muradova was retaliation for her work.

In June, independent journalist Nurgeldy Halykov was released after serving a four-year sentence for publishing a photo of a delegation of the World Health Organization visiting Turkmenistan during the COVID-19 pandemic.

COVID-19 was a sensitive subject in Turkmenistan where authorities insisted the country did not have a single case of infection.

Halykov, the Ashgabat reporter for the Europe-based independent news website Turkmennews, was found guilty of financial fraud. But his supporters deny the accusation and said it is a ploy against the journalist.

'Brainwashed' Youth



The Turkmen government targets every aspect of independent journalists lives to make it impossible for them to work and live in Turkmenistan, according to Achilova.



When I try to contact people for information-gathering for my reports, security agents -- who follow me -- get in touch with those people, harass them, and order them not to speak to me, she said, describing how officials try to limit her ability to follow a story.

There are a small number of people who want their voices to be heard and talk to me about problems like electricity, water, or land issues, but a majority of people in Turkmenistan are too afraid to talk to the media, the journalist said.

She believes that the climate of fear in Turkmenistan forces people to pretend they dont hear anything, see anything, and remain silent in order to be safe from police.

Achilova has been beaten on the streets, interrogated, and threatened by police, and strip-searched at an airport and then barred from traveling abroad to attend an international conference.

Achilovas profession has impacted her social life, too. Many friends, relatives, and neighbors have ceased contact with her after being officially warned about the consequences.

When I go out to sit on the benches in front of our apartment building where the neighbors gather in the evenings, everybody leaves -- one by one, Achilova said. They know I am disliked by [the government]. They dont want to be in trouble.

She is concerned about the impact of the lack of free media and information on the countrys youth. The government has blocked access to almost all social media, messaging apps, and independent news websites.

Many young people in Turkmenistan are brainwashed by the government ideology; they dont know any other viewpoint, Achilova said. Freedom of speech or human rights is a myth for them.

Despite the challenges, Achilova has vowed to continue reporting from Turkmenistan, for as long as [she is] alive. She believes her work will make a difference.
Authorities in Ukraine's Donetsk region say a British citizen was found dead under the rubble on August 25, a day after a missile hit Hotel Sapfir in the eastern city of Kramatorsk. Six other people were wounded, among them several Reuters staffers. A Russian missile struck the hotel before midnight on August 24, Ukraine's Independence Day, according to local authorities. As a major Ukrainian-controlled city in the Donetsk region, Kramatorsk serves as a base for international reporters and volunteers.
When JPMorgan Chase (JPM) told investors this month about a possible Consumer Financial Protection Bureau enforcement action targeting bank-owned payments app Zelle, it also offered a warning to those same regulators.

The New York banking giant said it was evaluating whether to sue the CFPB over the Zelle inquiries, according to a quarterly filing made on Aug. 5. Regulators and some lawmakers are concerned about fraud on the platform, which is owned by seven lenders including JPMorgan.

"The firm is evaluating next steps, including litigation," the bank said in its filing.

Read more: What is Zelle, and is it safe to use?

This is not the first time in 2024 that JPMorgan has tossed out the possibility of suing its D.C. overseers.

It also did so in January when JPMorgan's CFO, Jeremy Barnum, openly discussed the possibility of suing bank regulatory agencies over a set of higher bank capital requirements known collectively as Basel III.

Suing the banks own regulator "is never a preferred option," Barnum told reporters in January, but "it cant be taken off the table."

The aggressive stance by the nations largest bank is part of a larger pushback by many big lenders as they seek to get their way in Washington, D.C.

And they have had some success, especially after pressing regulators publicly for the last year to reconsider the Basel rule that would require them to hold greater buffers against future losses.

This year, Fed Chair Jerome Powell and other regulators made it clear that major revisions are being made to that proposal.

JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon, center, testifies before a Senate committee last December, with BofA CEO Brian Moynihan to his right and Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser to his left. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images) (Tom Williams via Getty Images)

The concerns about the capital rule  the most aggressive proposed change to how banks are regulated since the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis  range from the harm it could do to the US economy to ways in which it would reduce access to mortgages for disadvantaged home buyers.

The willingness of regulators to change what they already proposed highlights how much more leeway big banks have in Washington, even in a highly charged election year  a sharp contrast to the harsh political scrutiny they received in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis.

Then-President Barack Obama summed up that view in December 2009 when he told "60 Minutes" that "I did not run for office to be helping out a bunch of fat cat bankers on Wall Street."

"They're still puzzled why is it that people are mad at the banks. Well, let's see," he said during that 2009 televised interview.

"You guys are drawing down $10 [million], $20 million bonuses after America went through the worst economic year that it's gone through in decades, and you guys caused the problem."

Story continues

In December 2009, then-President Barack Obama met with several bankers, including JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon, who is seated third from Obama's right. (Dennis Brack-Pool/Getty Images) (Pool via Getty Images)

An 'opaque' stress test

Fifteen years later, JPMorgan is not the only big bank now willing to go public with its dissatisfaction with certain D.C. actions.

Goldman Sachs (GS) CEO David Solomon, for example, went public with his criticism of the Federal Reserve after a recent stress test result that the bank didnt like, calling the process "opaque."

The Fed called on the Wall Street giant to raise its stress capital buffer by 94 basis points, one of the largest increases among participating banks.

"This increase does not seem to reflect the strategic evolution of our business," Solomon said.

David Solomon, CEO of Goldman Sachs, has pushed back on the results of a stress test overseen by his regulators. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images) (Tom Williams via Getty Images)

JPMorgan didnt agree with its result either, noting in a statement that the Fed underestimated the amount of losses it would have in severe shock scenarios  based on the banks own weekly stress testing.

"Should the firms analysis be correct, the resulting stress losses would be modestly higher than those disclosed by the Federal Reserve," the bank said in a press release.

Another top JPMorgan executive, Marianne Lake, has warned that other new federal rules capping overdraft and late fees will mean the bank has to charge for services that are currently free.

"The industry is facing an onslaught of regulatory and potential legislative change," Lake, CEO of JPMorgan's sprawling consumer bank, told investors in May. "The people who will end up being impacted the most will be everyday Americans."

Read more: 5 common banking mistakes that could be wasting your money

Meeting with Jay Powell

Even as big banks get more aggressive, they dont have difficulty getting an audience with some of the officials who run these agencies.

CEOs from some of the biggest banks  including Dimon, Bank of America (BAC) CEO Brian Moynihan, and Morgan Stanley (MS) CEO Ted Pick  met with Powell in D.C. last month to discuss the capital rules and other topics.

The meeting with the Fed chair, arranged by industry advocacy group Financial Services Forum, was not necessarily unusual. It was Powells third meeting of the year involving Dimon, according to his meeting calendar.

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. REUTERS/Kevin Mohatt (REUTERS / Reuters)

One was in person in May, while another was virtual in January along with several other bankers, including Solomon, Moynihan, Wells Fargo (WFC) CEO Charlie Scharf, and Citigroup (C) CEO Jane Fraser.

What remains an open question in Washington, however, is how the November presidential election might change the approach to regulating these banks.

A victory by Republican Donald Trump might mean a more relaxed stance, although his running mate, JD Vance, did say last month that Trumps agenda "wont cater to Wall Street."

Democratic candidate Kamala Harris, on the other hand, has cited her toughness on the big banks during the aftermath of the 2008 crisis as a major highlight on her resume.

One key test of how financial giants may fare into the next year will be whether regulators let stand Capital Ones (COF) $35 billion purchase of Discover (DFS). The deal would make Capital One the biggest credit card lender in the US, bigger than even JPMorgan in that measure, and the sixth-largest US bank.

At a public meeting last month, critics said the deal would hurt consumers and create another too-big-to-fail bank. Democrat Maxine Waters urged regulators to block the deal while Capital One CEO Richard Fairbank argued in favor of approval.

Capital One CEO Richard Fairbank. (Photo by Marvin Joseph/The The Washington Post via Getty Images) (The Washington Post via Getty Images)

"This acquisition advances financial stability and increases competition in the industry, while also providing significant new benefits in the communities in which we operate," he said.

No matter what happens in November, one recent Supreme Court decision in June potentially strengthened the hand of banks hoping to change certain federal regulations.

The high court overturned a 40-year-old legal doctrine that gave federal agencies leeway to interpret laws, thus reining in the power regulators have to intervene in many industries, including finance.

"This decision opens the door for banks to challenge regulations in court more aggressively," Kairong Xiao, an associate professor at Columbia Business School, told Yahoo Finance.

"The last time we saw substantial deregulation in the financial sector, it culminated in the 2008 global financial crisis, he added.

David Hollerith is a senior reporter for Yahoo Finance covering banking, crypto, and other areas in finance.

Click here for in-depth analysis of the latest stock market news and events moving stock prices.

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James Cox

The community of north inner city Dublin has taken part in ongoing research into the potential uses for a neglected green public space in Sheriff Street.

On Sunday, urban community consultants, A Playful City have shared the ongoing research with Dublin City Council regarding plans to rejuvenate Sheriff Street Park into a vibrant community-based area for all in north inner city Dublin to enjoy.

The community of north inner city Dublin has been working closely with A Playful City (APC), to explore potential uses for this overlooked and underutilised green space.

Located near the statue of 'The Dubliners' musician Luke Kelly and next to The Convention Centre Dublin, the park is seen as a key site for transformation that could serve as a model for communities across the country.

The community groups and residents involved in the project are keen to ensure that Dublin City Council reviews the findings from this research, with the hope that the Council will address the key concerns outlined.

The research so far shows the following opinions and insights from the community:

Many residents found the area to be restricted and unsafe due to ongoing anti-social behaviour and the presence of uncontrolled dogs. Drug use and vandalism were also of significant concern.

There is a strong feeling that the park is underutilised and would benefit from community-led supervision. A pleasant seating area where members of the community can meet, talk, and share ideas is a common request.

Young parents expressed an urgent need for a safe place where children can play and enjoy the fresh air together.

The local residents have named the area Rainbow Park and have repeatedly raised issues of accessibility and cleanliness with public representatives, but these concerns have yet to be resolved.

Accessibility for all, including those with special needs and disabilities, is considered essential by community members.

A Playful City has spent the past three months gathering these insights from local groups to rapidly utilise the neglected green space at the heart of Sheriff Street.

Neasa Ni Bhriain, director of A Playful City, said: This research highlights the communitys desire to urgently regenerate a neglected area in the densely populated North Inner City of Dublin. We are committed to amplifying the voices of all the community groups involved in this project.

"There is something beautiful about this area that has been neglected for too long, much to the distress of the community and the people of Sheriff Street who want to bring pride back into their area.

She added: The area has witnessed rapid development, but this small green space has been overlooked, much to the dismay of the people of Sheriff Street, who are eager to restore a sense of pride.

APCs work has been supported by HubSpot, a long-standing partner "committed to fostering entrepreneurship and supporting local initiatives in the areas surrounding their Dublin office".

On Sunday, A Playful City hosted a carnival event that featured opportunities for the community to share their ideas and feedback on the ongoing transformation of Rainbow Park, with the goal of making it a sustainable, well-loved hub of activity and connection.
Telegram CEO Pavel Durov Arrested in France, Here's What We Know

Telegram, a messaging app with over 700 million users worldwide, is celebrated for its robust encryption.

Telegram CEO Panel Durov Arrest Latest News: In a surprising turn of events, Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of Telegram, was arrested in France under undisclosed charges. Known for his staunch defense of user privacy and free speech, Durovs apprehension has sparked significant attention from both supporters of his platform and critics of his libertarian views on digital communication.

Telegram, a messaging app with over 700 million users worldwide, is celebrated for its robust encryption and resistance to government surveillance. This approach has made Durov a target for various governments that seek more control over digital communication channels. The app has been banned in countries like Iran and Russia due to its refusal to cooperate with authorities in monitoring user data and conversations.

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Durov, who left his native Russia in 2014 amid pressure from the Kremlin, has positioned himself as a vocal advocate for online freedom. His arrest has raised concerns about whether it is connected to his pro-privacy stance and ongoing disputes with regulatory authorities.

Details surrounding the arrest remain unclear, with French authorities keeping information tightly under wraps. Telegram representatives have yet to release an official statement, but the companys legal team is reportedly working to resolve the situation.

This development has ignited discussions about the intersection of tech, privacy, and government intervention. Many see Durovs arrest as a troubling precedent that could embolden governments worldwide to clamp down on companies that protect user privacy. Critics, however, argue that platforms like Telegram can be a double-edged sword, sometimes being used for illegal activities due to the very encryption that makes them secure.

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As more information unfolds, the tech community will be watching closely to see how this case develops and what it means for the future of digital privacy.

(For more news apart from Telegram CEO Panel Durov Arrest Latest News, stay tuned to Rozana Spokesman)
Singapore will on Monday release July figures for industrial production, highlighting a light day for Asia-Pacific economic data.

Industrial production is expected to fall 1.3 percent on month and 1.1 percent on year after sinking 3.8 percent on month and 3.9 percent on year in June.

Thailand is scheduled to see July data for imports, exports and trade balance. In June, imports were up 0.3 percent on month and exports fell 0.30 percent on month for a trade surplus of $0.220 billion.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

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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.
Top 10 Motorcycles in India Record 6.37% Growth in July 2024  Hero Splendor Maintains Lead, Hero Xtreme 125 R overtakes TVS Raider 125

After taking a look at the top 10 two wheelers July 2024, let us now take a look at the top 10 motorcycles in July 2024. The Indian motorcycle market experienced steady growth in July 2024, with the top 10 best-selling models collectively recording a 6.37% year-on-year (YoY) increase in sales. Total sales for these models reached 6,84,696 units, up from 6,43,708 units in July 2023, reflecting an increase of 40,988 units. While some models continued to dominate, others faced significant challenges.

Top 10 Motorcycles July 2024  Hero Splendor Remains the Top Seller

Hero Splendor retained its position as the best-selling motorcycle in India, with 2,20,820 units sold in July 2024. However, this represented a slight 3.51% decline compared to July 2023, when 2,28,847 units were sold. Despite the decrease, Splendor maintained a commanding 32.25% share of the total sales among the top 10 motorcycles.

Honda Shine emerged as a major growth driver in July 2024, with sales surging by 58.53% YoY. Shine sold 1,63,402 units, up by 60,330 units from the 1,03,072 units sold in July 2023. This remarkable performance boosted Shines market share to 23.86%, making it a significant contender in the market.

Bajaj Pulsar also posted strong results, with sales increasing by 8.90% YoY. The Pulsar sold 95,789 units in July 2024, up by 7,831 units from 87,958 units in July 2023. Pulsars consistent performance secured it a 13.99% share of the top 10 motorcycle sales. TVS Apache recorded an impressive 36.76% growth in July 2024, selling 30,681 units compared to 22,435 units in July 2023. This increase of 8,246 units elevated Apaches market share to 4.48%, showcasing its strong appeal to performance-oriented riders.

Not all models in the top 10 experienced growth. Hero HF Deluxe saw a significant 29.28% decline in sales, dropping to 46,627 units in July 2024 from 65,931 units in July 2023. This decrease reduced HF Deluxes market share to 6.81%. Honda Unicorn also faced a sharp decline, with sales falling by 33.47% YoY. Unicorn sold 26,690 units in July 2024, down by 13,429 units from 40,119 units in July 2023. This drop reduced Unicorns market share to 3.90%.

No Top 10 Motorcycles Jul-24 Jul-23 Diff Growth % YoY % Share Jul 24 1 Hero Splendor 2,20,820 2,28,847 -8,027 -3.51 32.25 2 Honda Shine 1,63,402 1,03,072 60,330 58.53 23.86 3 Bajaj Pulsar 95,789 87,958 7,831 8.90 13.99 4 Hero HF Deluxe 46,627 65,931 -19,304 -29.28 6.81 5 TVS Apache 30,681 22,435 8,246 36.76 4.48 6 Bajaj Platina 28,927 33,557 -4,630 -13.80 4.22 7 Honda Unicorn 26,690 40,119 -13,429 -33.47 3.90 8 Hero Xtreme 125R 25,840 0 25,840  3.77 9 TVS Raider 24,547 36,900 -12,353 -33.48 3.59 10 RE Classic 350 21,373 24,889 -3,516 -14.13 3.12  Total 6,84,696 6,43,708 40,988 6.37 100.00

Xtreme 125 overtakes Raider

Hero Xtreme 125R made a notable impact by selling 25,840 units in July 2024. Despite being a newcomer, Xtreme 125R quickly captured a 3.77% share of the market, highlighting its potential to become a strong player in the segment. TVS Raider recorded a steep decline of 33.48% in sales, dropping to 24,547 units in July 2024 from 36,900 units in July 2023. This decrease reduced Raiders market share to 3.59%, indicating a challenging market environment for the model.

Bajaj Platina experienced a 13.80% decline in sales, with 28,927 units sold in July 2024, down from 33,557 units in July 2023. This decrease brought Platinas market share down to 4.22%. Royal Enfield Classic 350 also faced a 14.13% decline, selling 21,373 units in July 2024, down by 3,516 units from 24,889 units in July 2023. Classic 350s market share stood at 3.12%, reflecting its challenges in maintaining its sales momentum.

The top 10 motorcycles in India demonstrated overall positive growth in July 2024, with total sales rising by 6.37% YoY. While Hero Splendor continued to dominate the market, models like Honda Shine and TVS Apache showed significant growth, contributing to the overall increase in sales. However, several models, including Hero HF Deluxe, Honda Unicorn, and TVS Raider, faced notable declines. As the market continues to evolve, the competition among these top models remains fierce, with new entrants like Hero Xtreme 125R making a strong impact.
Cryptocurrency companies are spending record amounts on elections. Wenjin Chen/Getty Images

The crypto industry has injected $119 million into this year's elections, Public Citizen reported.

Coinbase and Ripple lead contributions to super PACs supporting pro-crypto candidates.

Candidates view crypto as a key voter issue amid industry scrutiny and federal probes.

The crypto industry is making its mark on this year's elections to the tune of some $119 million.

Crypto companies are one of the biggest political spenders on federal elections by a long shot, accounting for almost half the corporate money contributed to this year's races, according to data from consumer rights advocacy nonprofit Public Citizen.

The funding has largely come from two companies  Coinbase and Ripple  which are funneling money into super PACs like Fairshake PAC, which is dedicated to "elevating pro-crypto candidates and attacking crypto skeptics," according to Public Citizen.

Corporations don't have limits on the amount of money they invest in political candidates after the Supreme Court's 2010 ruling on Citizens United vs. the Federal Election Commission. However, they must contribute those funds to groups not directly involved with a candidate's official campaign.

The crypto industry has especially ramped up spending for the 2024 election, following contributions it made to the 2020 election back when Sam Bankman Fried was still its poster child.

Now, the stakes are higher. "The industry believes this election is existential," Veronica McGregor, chief legal officer at crypto wallet company Exodus, told Wired. "No matter who gets into office, changes need to happen for our industry to thrive like it should."

The money flowing into the presidential election has urged this year's candidates to see crypto as an issue that will turn voters in their favor. It may also be a turning point for an industry that has been criticized for evading laws, and been the subject of federal investigations.

At the 2024 bitcoin conference in Nashville in February, Trump  who called bitcoin "highly volatile and based on thin air" in 2019  said he'd lay out a plan "to ensure that the United States will be the crypto capital of the planet and the bitcoin superpower of the world." Trump has already won the backing of several crypto enthusiasts, including his running mate JD Vance, who owns at least $250,000 in bitcoin.

Harris, meanwhile, has been more cautious in her support of the industry. "She's going to support policies that ensure that emerging technologies and that sort of industry can continue to grow," one of her campaign advisers told Bloomberg.

Story continues

Behind the scenes, a new group called Crypto4Harris, spearheaded by PayPal's former head of blockchain strategy, Johnathan Padilla, is working on "developing a nuanced crypto-policy approach for the Harris For President campaign," according to its X page.

Padilla hopes the group can bridge the Democratic Party and the crypto industry, which seems to be rallying around Trump.

"People are angry. People are concerned," Padilla told Wired. "But I think if you have the reset we are talking about with the Harris campaign, you're in a really good spot to have temperatures simmer down."

Read the original article on Business Insider
In this article:

(Reuters) - Edgar Bronfman's plans for Paramount Global include partnering with technology companies like Amazon.com or Apple to improve its streaming TV business, Bloomberg News reported on Saturday, citing people familiar with his thinking.

(Reporting by Nilutpal Timsina in Bengaluru, editing by Deepa Babington)
Fans of the popular PBS home renovation show This Old House knew Roger Cook well.

He was a landscaper who always seemed to have an answer for all issues.

Cook has died, at 70, according to a post on the shows website.

With tremendous sadness, This Old House bids farewell to our friend and longtime landscape contractor, Roger Cook, who passed away on August 21, 2024 after a long battle with illness, the post read.

Cook was a part of This Old House for nearly 40 years, the show said in the post.

I remember every lesson from roger, the shows executive producer Chris Wolfe said. More importantly, there are millions of people whose lives have been enriched by everything Roger taught them.

Cook was a native of Burlington, Massachusetts. He founded K&R Landscape in 1982 with his wife, Kathleen. Per the post, that business is still going today. He began with This Old House in 1982 as well.

From the start, Rogers expertise and easygoing manner won hearts, an affection that only grew during the course of his dozens of TOH project houses, hundreds of Ask This Old House House calls, and numerous This Old House magazine articles, the post read.

Dad spent his entire life helping people  friends, family, and customers, his son, Jason Cook, said. One of the biggest regrets with his illness was that he could no longer help people in the same way. With that in mind Dad asked us to set up a family foundation so that we can continue his legacy as a helper going forward.

Dad identified several areas he was passionate about that we intend to focus the foundation on  most importantly wildlife and land conservation, medical research, childhood education, and military veterans, he added. Dad will be contributing a meaningful portion of his estate to the foundation and if you are willing to join him, the entire Cook family would be grateful for honoring his legacy.
Eric Fiorito has fond memories of visiting Action Park in Sussex County as a teen in the 1980s.

That includes the time he broke his nose on the Cannonball Loop, the infamous looping water slide that was among Action Parks beloved and hazardous attractions before the iconic waterpark closed in 1996.

All the rumors are true. It was one of the most dangerous amusement parks in the world, and it was awesome, said Fiorito, now 51 and living in Frenchtown.

Fiorito is co-hosting an Action Park storytelling event at Sublime, a Frenchtown gift shop whose nostalgia-themed sale items include Action Park hats and sweatshirts. Admission to the 7 p.m. event on Aug. 30 is free.

Tell your story. Or just listen and be amazed, Sublime posted to its Facebook page.

On one of Action Park's rides, the Aqua Skoot, riders would plunge down a steep slide on a toboggan.Courtesy of Andy Mulvihill/Penguin Random House

Action Park, which opened in 1978, has a complicated legacy in New Jersey. While it retains a legion of fans, the danger was real. Six people reportedly died due to incidents at the park. Others suffered fractures and head injuries.

The site had several nicknames playing off the risks  Traction Park, Accident Park and Class Action Park. The latter was a pun playing on the lawsuits the park spawned. It was also the title of a 2020 documentary by HBO Max about the waterpark.

A view from 1996 above Action Park in Vernon, New Jersey, two years before it closed.Scott Lituchy | The Star-Ledger

The Alpine Slide Wave Pool was known as the Grave Pool. The Cannonball Loop, on which Fiorito was injured, had a 360-degree turn by the end. It was only open sporadically during the parks tenure because of frequent injuries to those who didnt quite make it around the closed water slides loop.

It was a tube that you would get in and slide down. If you didnt have enough centrifugal force and speed, you could fall down inside of it, Fiorito said.

Yet Action Park, which was replaced in 1998 by another waterpark that remains in operation today as the Mountain Creek Waterpark, has an undeniable place in Generation X pop culture.

The old park was the inspiration for producer and actor Johnny Knoxvilles 2018 film Action Point. It is also the subject of Action Park: Fast Times, Wild Rides, and the Untold Story of Americas Most Dangerous Amusement Park, a book by Andy Mulvihill, son of the parks owner and a former New Jersey State Board of Education member.

It had much more of an edge than, say, Great Adventure or other amusement parks, Fiorito said.

An Action Park tube ride in a photo courtesy of Andy Mulvihill, the author of Action Park: Fast Times, Wild Rides, and the Untold Story of Americas Most Dangerous Amusement Park."Courtesy Andy Mulvihill/Penguin Random House

He was growing up in Bridgewater, about an hours drive away, when he first discovered Action Park nestled in the hills by a ski resort.

You could go into the middle of the mountains of New Jersey and do whatever you wanted to do, he said.

Fioritos co-host for the Aug. 30 event is Sublime owner Renee Olson. The gift shop is extending a special invitation to those who worked at Action Park, including lifeguards and security officers.

The infamous loop water slide at Action Park in a photo courtesy of Andy Mulvihill, the author of Action Park: Fast Times, Wild Rides, and the Untold Story of Americas Most Dangerous Amusement Park."Courtesy Andy Mulvihill/Penguin Random House

Please subscribe now and support the local journalism you rely on and trust.

Rob Jennings may be reached at rjennings@njadvancemedia.com.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  Its almost time for students to head back to school. And though they still use pencils and books  sometimes  there is quite a strong demand for high-tech supplies, like laptops and tablets.

Retailers know this, and have responded with some mighty good offers on the biggest names in technology.

Weve amassed a list of a few particularly good deals on laptops and tablets for students.

And when it comes to protecting your device, Casetify.com has them, literally, covered with a special back-to-school sale. You can get 10% off. Buy two cases for 20% off. Buy any laptop or iPad product and get 15% off during the sale.

Laptops

This Auusda 15.6" Laptop is reduced right now at Walmart.com. (Courtesy of Auusda)Courtesy of Auusda

Auusda 15.6-inch laptop

The Auusda 15.6 Laptop Intel Alder N95, with 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, Windows 11 Pro Work Computer, Fingerprint Reader and Backlit Keyboard, is on sale now at Walmart.com in silver for just $267.49. Down from $479.99

Lenovo IdeaPad 1 Student Laptop:

The Lenovo IdeaPad 1 Student Laptop, with an Intel Dual Core Processor, 20GB RAM, 1TB SSD + 128GB eMMC, 15.6-inch FHD display, one year of Office 365, Windows 11 Home, Wi-Fi 6, Webcam, Bluetooth, SD Card Reader, in grey, is on sale now on Amazon.com for $322, down from $379.

HP Victus:

The HP Victus 15.6 inch FHD IPS 144Hz Gaming Laptop AMD Ryzen 5-8645HS NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 8GB DDR5 512GB SSD Mica Silver (2024) is on sale now at Walmart. for $599, reduced by $380 from its regular price of $979.

Apple laptops are on sale now at Walmart.com.Courtesy of Apple

Apple MacBook Air:

The Apple MacBook Air 13.3 inch Laptop - In Space Gray, the laptop features a M1 Chip, Built for Apple Intelligence, 8GB RAM, 256GB storage. Now, at Walmart.com, its on sale for $649, down from $699.

Tablets

Apple 13-inch iPad Pro M4 Chip is on sale now online at B&H. Save $100 now.(Courtesy of Apple)

13-inch Apple iPad Pro:

The 13-inch Apple iPad Pro maximizes versatility and portability. The space black 13 Apple iPad Pro delivers exceptional performance with a powerful M4 Chip that features a 9-Core CPU, a 10-Core GPU with hardware-accelerated ray tracing, and a 16-core neural engine. And a four-speaker Dolby Atmos audio system immerses you in movies, music, and games. You can get it now at B&H for $1,199  a $100 savings.

The Samsung Galaxy F9 SE+ is on sale now at Samsung.com.Courtesy of Samsung

Samsung Galaxy Tab

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE is on sale now on Samsung.com for $349.99  a discount of $100. It has a 10.9-inch display. You can get it on Samsung.com while supplies last.

This Apple 10.2-inch ipad is on sale now at Walmart.com.Courtesy of Apple

2021 Apple 10.2-inch iPad:

The 2021 Apple 10.2 inch iPad with Wi-Fi capabilities and 64 GB, ninth generation, is on sale now at Walmart.com for $224  a savings of more than $100.

Cases

A back-to-school sale makes protecting your devices more affordable. (Courtesy of Ivory Paper Co)Courtesy of Ivory Paper Co

The Eleanor by Ivory Paper CoImpact Case:

This Eleanor by Ivory case is specifically designed to fit the MacBook Pro 13-inch model with two ports. It is available in several other designs. Manufactured by the Ivory Paper Co., it features a colorful floral design and is available for $68. Sales apply.

Castetify has protective cases in a seemingly endless variety, for every device. (Courtesy of Casetify)Casetify

For iPhones, Magsafe Compatible cases offer strong protection, while remaining lightweight. Designs feature popular characters, colorful prints and unusual animal designs, often on clear backgrounds.

Right now, you can get them for $58 and sales also apply. The Black Kingnake pattern is just one of may offerings.

Casetify has complete lines of cases with all your favorite characters for all your valuable devices. (Courtesy of Marvel/Casetify)Courtesy of Marvel

And one complete line of Casetify prints features limited edition Marvels Iron Man for everything, including laptops, tablets, phones and AirPods. They even have Iron Man AirTag holders.

An AirPods Pro 2 case looks to be dripping with honey and thrilling Disney's Winnie the Pooh, but be assured it is dry and will protect your AirPods perfectly. (Courtesy of Casetify)Courtesy of Casetify

Theres also a new full line of Disney Winnie the Pooh patterns, including a charming AirPods Pro 2 case designed to look like Pooh sitting on a jar of honey. The Winnie the Pooh Hunny Pot Collectible Earbuds Case for AirPods Pro 2 is $102, and sales apply.

And iPad cases are available in any pattern, with clear or colorful backgrounds. The custom designs range from serious to cheerful and the beach and fun food patterns take you to where youd most likely prefer to be!
By Allison Lampert

MONTREAL (Reuters) -A decision obliging more than 9,000 Canadian rail workers to stay on the job is a win for the railways and could impact bargaining in other federally regulated sectors like aviation, the head of a Canadian rail workers' union told Reuters.

Paul Boucher, president of the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference, also said the union would work with other labour groups as it mounts a legal challenge to a Saturday decision that halted work stoppages at the country's two largest railways and imposed arbitration.

While the Teamsters will obey the order to return to work, the union has warned it could lead to the imposition of future contracts, eroding workers' bargaining power. The decision comes as Air Canada pilots press for a new contract and can commence job action as early as mid-September if there is no agreement with the country's largest carrier.

Air Canada said on Sunday its intent is to reach a negotiated settlement with the pilots over the coming weeks.

"Any federally regulated company, it's a win for them at this point," Boucher told Reuters in his first interview since the Thursday lockout. "This is disastrous for labour, for workers."

The Canada Industrial Relations Board made the decision after Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon asked it on Thursday to end an impasse in separate talks between the Teamsters, Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Kansas City.

The dispute, which triggered a first-ever lockout of Teamsters workers on Thursday at both freight rail carriers, led to unprecedented disruptions that threatened to hammer Canada's export-driven economy, leading agricultural businesses to plead for relief.

Tim Perry, president of the Air Line Pilots Association Canada, which represents Air Canada pilots, said the union is concerned.

"The new Minister of Labour does not trust the Canadian laws governing collective bargaining, nor does the government he represents respect the constitutional rights of workers," Perry said in a statement.

A spokesperson for Canada's labour minister declined to comment on whether the decision to impose binding arbitration on railways would serve as a precedent in other sectors, including aviation.

CN has said the company would have preferred a negotiated agreement but was satisfied that the labour stoppage is over. Spokesperson Jonathan Abecassis said on Sunday that CN tried to get an agreement for nine months and made five offers that would have improved wages and working conditions but the union did not engage. A CP spokesperson said it regretted that the government had to intervene and fundamentally believes in and respects collective bargaining.

Story continues

Both railways have said they are focused on restoring service, with the Teamsters calling off a CN strike on Monday but planning to appeal the decision in federal court.

Other unions could participate in court and support the Teamsters, Boucher said.

"This historical moment is so extremely important that labour needs to get involved and they will," he said.

The 58-year-old Boucher, who once worked as a CN locomotive engineer, has been bargaining with CN out of a second-floor conference room at a downtown Montreal hotel.

The Teamsters union disagreed with CN and CP over scheduling, shift duration and availability. CN, for example, wants employees to work up to 12-hour shifts, compared with 10 hours in the current agreement, a move opposed by the union.

Boucher said he has been in contact with the union representing more than 5,400 Air Canada pilots who approved a strike mandate last week.

"We're going to be calling on all labour across Canada to join our fight and take this all the way," he said.

(Reporting By Allison Lampert in MontrealEditing by Nick Zieminski and Lisa Shumaker)
There is one type of investment thats notably absent from a typical big super fund, even though its the biggest asset class in Australia: housing.

The nations residential real estate is worth about $10.7 trillion on CoreLogics numbers, several times bigger than the stockmarket. But if you look at where big super funds invest, theres likely to be very little, if anything, in domestic housing.

The federal government is keen for super funds to invest in new housing. Credit: Dion Georgopoulos

Treasurer Jim Chalmers wants to change this as part of a plan to increase the supply of new homes, and the issue is becoming a political fight we are likely to hear more about.

Chalmers has backed more investment in housing from big investors such as super funds, and some high-profile funds have vowed to do exactly that. The Coalition, however, is keen to draw a contrast.
Just last week, Australias domestic, family and sexual violence commissioner Micaela Cronin said domestic violence perpetrators should be tracked with the same forensic and urgent attention as suspected terrorists. One woman is killed every 11 days by an intimate partner, according to Australian government data. Riot squad police prepare to undertake a search warrant under Operation Amarok. Credit: Dion Georgopoulos Amarok uses an intelligence-based approach and involves each police area command paired with unique criminal profiling. Detective Sergeant Adam Townsend, central metropolitan region team leader of the Domestic Violence High-Risk Offender team, said his team targeted the worst of the worst.

Theyre usually offenders that are wanted by the police area commands, but they cant find them, so they send us a job to try and locate them. Most of them are known to police, theyve got prior convictions and the reason they cant be found is because theyre good at hiding. While Amarok is a special four-day operation, tracking down dangerous offenders is business as usual for Townsend and his team. Hundreds of domestic violence offenders were arrested in the four-day raids. Credit: Dion Georgopoulos They had carefully curated a plan to arrest Taylor, whose criminal history includes domestic violence, weapons and drug offences. On Friday, he faced court over the breach of his community correction order and possessing an unauthorised pistol and was re-sentenced to a community correction order for 18 months.

While Taylor was co-operative with police, Townsend said many others were not. There are cases where offenders dont want to go willingly, and as a result, they resist police, they assault police, he said. Police found knuckle dusters at the home of 22-year-old Jyah James Divall. Credit: Dion Georgopoulos Even without warrants for someones arrest, police have other tools to keep an eye on serious offenders. This was the case with Jyah James Divall, who was released from jail on parole in January after serving 10 months for a string of vicious domestic violence offence assaults.

After yelling Police, open the door. Force will be used, officers smashed down the 22-year-olds door on Friday to ensure he was complying with a firearms prohibition order, which bans him from acquiring, possessing or using a firearm, firearm parts or ammunition. A search of the property uncovered illegal knuckle dusters. Police sent them off for DNA testing to help determine their owner and Divall, who was not home during the search, has not been charged over the weapon. Police prepare to make their move on a violent DV perpertrator. Credit: Dion Georgopoulos While the operational aspect of Amarok was crucial, NSW Police Executive Sponsor for Domestic and Family Violence and Deputy Commissioner Peter Thurtell said educating the next generation was just as important. While the operational results under Operation Amarok are crucial to our fight against domestic and family violence, so too is preventing the problem in the first place, Thurtell said.

This Operation Amarok we had a focus on getting into schools and in front of students to educate them about the various issues that lead to people becoming domestic offenders. Kids are our future and teaching them about domestic violence early gives them the power to break the cycle. NSW Police visited more than 100 schools under Operation Amarok to teach students about coercive control. Credit: NSW Police Amarok is led by the Domestic and Family Violence Registry but involves officers from each regions Domestic Violence High-Risk Offenders Team, along with specialist officers from Raptor Squad, Youth Command, Traffic and Highway Patrol Command and the Police Transport Command. The educational aspect of Amarok focused on educating students on coercive control, which became illegal in NSW in July.
He was the man you would go to if you wanted someone killed. Now the Angel of Death has been gunned down in a late-night execution that bears all the signs of a professional hit.

Tarek Ayoub earned his fearsome nickname organising gangland murders that shocked Sydney last year, police say. This also earned him powerful enemies, who ended his life in a quiet Parramatta street just after 3am on Monday.

The crime scene on Harold Street, Parramatta, where underworld figure Tarek Ayoub, known as the Angel of Death, was shot dead on Monday. Credit: James Brickwood.

Emergency services were called to Harold Street, Parramatta, following reports of gunfire.

I heard about six shots; it woke us up, one neighbour told the Herald on Monday. Id never heard bullets in person before, but we were pretty sure what it was.
Sutherland police area command Superintendent Donald Faulds said a number of bystanders, unaware of the situation, stopped to help. Among them was Cronulla Sharks chairman Steve Mace, who recounted the terrifying moment he attempted to help the victim from her alleged attacker. Mace was driving his son to junior football when the accident unfolded in front of him and when he got out to assist, he found himself caught in the attack. The crashed cars at Engadine. Credit: Edwina Pickles There was an accident in front of us, Mace said. I said to [his son] Cooper, it looks like the airbags have gone off. Ill quickly jump out to make sure theyre OK.

Cronulla Sharks chairman Steve Mace intervened to help the victims. I could hear him [the attacker] screaming, but I could hear her screaming more. I ran around to the other side and he was just ruthlessly stabbing her. She was in the car with the seatbelt on. Im trying to drag her out between him trying to stab me. Mace said he tried to reason with the attacker. I said, stop, stop. Leave her.He said, no, f--- her. She changed my radio station. Another bloke came to try to grab her out by the legs, but then the bloke slit him right down his chest. The Sharks official said helpers managed to get the woman out of the car and onto the ground. But the man then started to go towards his son.

He went to go for Cooper and then I had to bolt around. Thankfully, he kept raging and came back towards my side. He was speaking about it being a big conspiracy and wed all be dead. He said, were dying together, were dying together. We finally got to the point where he said he wanted her to live. Eventually, the cops were able to shoot him with the Taser. He ripped it out and ran up the road [towards Engadine]. The alleged offender fled before a police officer caught and Tasered the man. The officer suffered a cut to the wrist during the incident. Credit: Nine News I only got a cut to my hand, but the other bloke copped a decent cut to his chest, Mace told the Herald. Police believe the suspect used the box cutter on himself, but it was not clear at what stage.

We think [his injuries] were intentional on his behalf, Faulds told journalists on Sunday afternoon. The allegation is that he is covered in blood as he exits the vehicle  whether or not thats his blood [is not known], but hes definitely seen to injure himself after exiting the vehicle. A police officer and other people suffered multiple stab wounds and lacerations after the collision. Credit: Nine news Faulds said a total of six people were treated by paramedics; two were injured in the crash and four were stabbed, including bystanders and the police officer. The suspect was taken to Liverpool Hospital in a critical condition but is now stable and under police guard. His passenger was taken to St George Hospital in a critical condition but was also stable by Sunday evening.

The man is known to police for multiple offences but Faulds could not confirm if they were domestic violence related, except to say there was no known domestic violence history between the suspect and the victim. The police officer was doing quite well as his condition was not serious, Faulds said, before praising his work along with the amazing bystanders. Theyve just turned up thinking it was a motor vehicle accident, so theyre obviously going to render assistance to both people, and then theyre faced with a box cutter, he said. Its quite frightening, but very, very brave as well.

Premier Chris Minns said he was briefed on the alleged stabbing on Sunday afternoon and Albanese called the incident shocking and distressing in a post on X. Both sent well-wishes to the injured and thanked the first responders and members of the public who intervened. The Princes Highway was closed in both directions for at least five hours but reopened to traffic about 4.30pm Sunday. A police officer was injured in the incident. Credit: Nine News Eyewitness Wayne told 2GB radio he saw a man and a woman in a white sedan go through the intersection and hit a blue Mitsubishi Lancer. The man got out of the white car and said, Im going to kill you to the woman, Wayne said, adding the man was armed with a Stanley knife and started to rant and rave.
The problem was identified only in August last year, and the documents have since been provided to Ormans lawyers. Many, which were also never furnished to the royal commission, relate to the police case against Orman over the 2002 murder of underworld figure Victor Peirce, for which he served 12 years in jail before his conviction was quashed by the Court of Appeal. Mick Gatto and Orman. Credit: Nine The documents included details of a plan by Purana taskforce detectives, known as Phase Three, to pressure Orman into testifying against underworld figure Mick Gatto over his alleged involvement in Peirces murder and the killing of fruit and vegetable wholesaler Frank Benvenuto in 2000. Gatto was never charged over the gangland murders and The Age does not suggest he had any involvement. Police repeatedly tried to coerce Orman to roll over based on information from Gobbo and senior prison staff, including targeting his family and placing him in unsanitary conditions while in custody, according to the documents belatedly discovered by Corrs Chambers Westgarth.

The documents also reveal police paid for travel and gifts for the wife of an underworld figure who gave crucial evidence against Orman at his trial in 2009. Gobbo had also represented the underworld figure. Other emails, which were never sighted by the royal commission, included a request by Gobbo for a share of the $100,000 reward for her help in solving Peirces murder. The Age can also reveal concerns about evidence given by a veteran police officer during an ongoing appeal by underworld kingpin Tony Mokbel against his convictions for drug trafficking. Superintendent Boris Buick, who has been a police officer for more than 30 years, led the investigation by the Purana taskforce that resulted in Ormans murder conviction in 2009. Loading In March, Buick was repeatedly warned by Justice Elizabeth Fullerton over evidence he gave  much of it relating to the Orman investigation  after he was provided with a certificate that conferred legal privilege against self-incrimination. Id propose to remind the witness that the certificate which Ive granted him does not extend to him giving deliberately false evidence in these proceedings, Fullerton told Buick on March 20.

Fullerton warned it may be necessary for me to take the matter further. I have very grave concerns that this witness is giving truthful evidence before me, she said. Buick is expected to be a key witness next year at Ormans civil trial, unless parliament passes the State Civil Liability (Police Informants) Bill beforehand. He could also be required to testify in a long-running Supreme Court case initiated by Gobbo over the forces failure to protect her identity as a supergrass, if the case proceeds to trial in October. In an interview with The Age, Chief Commissioner Shane Patton said Victoria Police had learnt only from the media about the existence of the bill aimed at quashing the lawsuits.

We didnt have input into that bill being drafted. Ive never been briefed on it, Patton said. Weve obviously been in litigation with a number of people leading into it and we were acting in good faith as a model litigant, as were supposed to do. The government brought a bill in; thats a matter for them. Chief Commissioner Shane Patton. Credit: Paul Jeffers Patton said Victoria Police disclose everything that is relevant to a case and he had full confidence in the lawyers working on the cases, including Corrs Chambers Westgarth. Ive not had anything reported to me that the lawyers had done anything wrong. I have full confidence in them.

Patton also noted that no criminal or disciplinary charges have ever been laid against a Victoria Police officer in relation to the Lawyer X matter. A Corrs Chambers Westgarth spokesman denied it had failed to provide documents to the royal commission. It is important to clarify that all documents relevant to the royal commission were identified, reviewed and provided to the royal commission at the relevant time (between 2019 and 2020). In relation to the specific subsequent matter of Faruk Orman v the State and Nicola Gobbo, some documents relevant to issues in that proceeding were initially not identified but were subsequently identified and provided, the spokesman said. Victoria Police was served with 250 notices to produce during the royal commission. Commissioner Margaret McMurdo repeatedly criticised the forces obstructionist approach to the provision of documents.

Victoria Polices frequent failure to produce documents in a timely and comprehensive manner, together with its, at times, narrow view of and obdurate approach to the scope of notices to produce, unnecessarily diverted the commissions attention and impeded the inquiry, McMurdo said in her findings. Loading Ormans solicitor, Jeremy King, raised concerns about Corrs Chambers Westgarths conduct, in an affidavit last November. The First Defendants [State of Victoria] past and continuing conduct in the provision of discovery has resulted in excessive delay, costs and significant unfairness to the plaintiff [Orman] in prosecuting his claim, King said. He said the case was originally due to go to trial in September 2022, but Corrs Chambers Westgarth had taken more than two years to hand over relevant documents  in 18 tranches of discovery.
The scale of the challenge facing Victoria in reaching its emissions reduction target has been revealed, with forecasts the state will need 27 million additional solar panels, 900 onshore wind turbines and 1.4 million electric vehicle chargers by 2035.

A new document released by the Allan government, Cheaper, Cleaner, Renewable: Our Plan for Victorias Electricity Future, has outlined how the energy transition away from fossil fuels will lead to the state consuming 50 per cent more electricity in 10 years.

Victoria expects another 900 onshore wind turbines will be needed for the states energy transition. Credit: James Brickwood

Energy experts say the targets are achievable but have questioned whether they can be completed on time, as obstacles remain around determining who will ultimately bear the costs of the transition.

The document forecasts that by 2035, there will be a rising amount of electricity use through the conversion of gas products to electric and through transport, with the addition of 1.4 million electric cars and an equal amount of charging ports.
The well-heeled folk of Hunters Hill have been known for their strident stance against overdevelopment since 1971 when about a dozen local mums joined with the late union organiser Jack Mundey and his green bans movement to stop Kellys Bush becoming a housing estate.

So an application to the council to almost double the size of Woolwich Marina met a groundswell of opposition in what is being billed an existential battle against the privatisation of a public waterway.

Hunters Hill councillor Ross Williams and volunteer coordinator David Griffith are leading a community battle against the expansion of Woolwich Marina into one of the busiest parts of Parramatta River. Credit: Dion Georgopoulos

On the drawing board is a proposal to expand Woolwich Marina from the current 45 berths to 79, and to moor larger vessels up to 35-metre super yachts.

The estimated cost of $8.5 million seems to be the least of the hurdles facing the marinas ultimate owner, Hong Kong businessman Chan Hoi Li, given it was unanimously rejected by both Hunters Hill Council and the North Sydney Local Planning Panel.
Jerusalem: Israel launched a wave of airstrikes across southern Lebanon early Sunday in what it said was a pre-emptive strike on Hezbollah, as the militant group said it had launched hundreds of rockets and drones to avenge the killing of one of its top commanders last month.

The heavy exchange of fire threatened to trigger an all-out war that could draw in the United States, Iran and militant groups across the region. It could also torpedo efforts to forge a ceasefire in Gaza, where Israel has been at war with the Palestinian group Hamas, an ally of Hezbollah, for over 10 months.

A Hezbollah UAV intercepted by Israeli air forces over north Israel. Credit: AFP

The Israeli military said Hezbollah was planning to launch a heavy barrage of rockets and missiles toward Israel. Soon after, Hezbollah announced it had launched an attack on Israeli military positions as an initial response to the killing of Fuad Shukr, one of its founders, in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut last month.

The attacks came as Egypt hosted a new round of talks aimed at ending the Israel-Hamas war. Hezbollah has said it will halt the fighting if there is a ceasefire in Gaza. Iran supports both groups as well as militants in Syria, Iraq and Yemen who might join any larger conflict.
It is a well-known ancient art form, and now, the lion dance is set to be jointly nominated by China and Malaysia for Unesco's intangible cultural heritage list.

During Chinese Premier Li Qiang's maiden visit to Malaysia in June, which celebrated 50 years of bilateral diplomatic relations, he and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim underlined the cultural significance of the dance by signing a joint communique to nominate it for the Unesco Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Observers say the move by the two Asian nations highlights the part played by the dance in helping people form social networks in local and diasporic communities, while accentuating the "transnational nature" of Chinese cultural heritage across Southeast Asia and also supporting Chinese-Malaysian ties.

Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team.

The aim of the list from the UN's heritage body is to help safeguard inherited traditions and living expressions across civilisations around the world, such as Chinese silk farming, Arabic calligraphy and Thailand's "nora" dance.

References to the lion dance have been found in writings from as early as the fourth century, including the Chinese literary canon Shujing, also known as the Book of Documents. The tradition is widespread across Southeast Asia, carried by communities that historically originated in southern China.

"Both sides celebrate the lion dance as a form of shared history and jointly promote the safeguarding of the shared heritage," a statement on the joint nomination said.

Chinese ambassador Ouyang Yujing lauded the move as being able to "better preserve and shine this common heritage in the new times".

It is not the first time the two countries have worked together to protect a culturally important practice: in 2020 the Wangchuan ceremony, which involves rituals to maintain a sustainable connection between people and the ocean, was added to the Unesco list after a joint nomination by China and Malaysia.

According to Emily Wilcox, a Chinese studies professor at the College of William & Mary in the US state of Virginia, Beijing has promoted the lion dance as a "symbol of Chinese folk culture" since the early 1950s, with the art form popularised in films as well as featured in award-winning routines by Chinese teams in international dance competitions.

Story continues

Chinese Premier Li Qiang with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in Putrajaya, near Kuala Lumpur, on June 19. Photo: EPA-EFE alt=Chinese Premier Li Qiang with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in Putrajaya, near Kuala Lumpur, on June 19. Photo: EPA-EFE>

"The joint nomination reflects the deep roots of this tradition in both China and Malaysia, as well as the presence of active and vibrant contemporary lion dance communities in both countries," said Wilcox, who specialises in China's performing arts and cultural history.

"Joint nominations help to recognise the transnational nature of Chinese cultural heritage and its importance throughout the Southeast Asian region."

According to Wilcox, the lion dance has become an important part of local Malaysian Chinese cultural life. Malaysian Chinese lion dancers have also contributed to new innovations in dance practices, as well as hosting major international lion dance competitions.

Modern interpretations of the art form - usually presented during festive occasions like weddings, business openings and the Lunar New Year - feature dancers in lion costumes performing culture-soaked acrobatics alongside rhythmic drumming.

Wilcox described the custom as "ritually meaningful".

"In multicultural Southeast Asian societies, lion dance has at times served as a public expression of Chinese minority identities in the face of pro-assimilationist policies or local bans on Chinese cultural practices," she said.

Malaysia's National Culture Policy, introduced in 1970, defines the heart of the country's identity as being indigenous Malay and Islamic, emphasising an assimilation of the non-Malays into the Malay ethnic group.

"Since the 1990s, Malaysian Chinese have enjoyed increased opportunities for public expression of [their] culture, of which [the] lion dance is an important component ... [with] teams forming important social networks in local communities, and helping to sustain the passing down of cultural heritage from one generation to the next," Wilcox said.

A total of 14 memorandums of understanding (MOU) were signed during Li's three-day trip to Kuala Lumpur, on topics ranging from the durian trade to semiconductor investments. The joint nomination was a "follow-up" to one of the agreements, according to Koh King Kee, president of the Centre for New Inclusive Asia, a Kuala Lumpur-based think tank.

The MOU, titled "Executive Programme for the Implementation of the Agreement on Cultural Cooperation", is effective until 2029 and is a "manifestation of the long and close cultural ties between the two countries", according to Koh.

"Such cultural cooperation between China and Malaysia is not due to geopolitical pressures. It reflects the shared values and long historical ties between the two peoples," Koh said, noting that bilateral relations are not confined to trade and investment.

"Cultural exchange and cooperation promote people-to-people bonding, which is the foundation of strong bilateral relations, particularly in a multicultural society like Malaysia," he said.

Koh added that Chinese heritage is "well preserved" in Malaysia, which merges cultures originating in China, India, Islam and the West.

"Lion dance has been accepted by all communities in Malaysia. There are now lion dance teams with members composed mainly of Malays and Indians."

Malaysia also intends to make a Unesco nomination for the 24 festive drums, a performance that blends drumming with choreography inspired by agricultural workers, Koh said. It references the lunar calendar's 24 solar terms, created by farmers in ancient China to guide agricultural affairs and farming activities.

"As the performance is rooted in ancient Chinese traditions, it stands a better chance of being incorporated into the list if a submission is made jointly by Malaysia and China," he said.

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.
CORRECTED: Israel army says three soldiers killed in Gaza fighting



Jerusalem, Aug 24 (AFP) Aug 24, 2024



The Israeli military announced on Saturday the deaths of three reserve soldiers killed in fighting in the Gaza Strip the previous day.

The soldiers, two sergeants first class and a sergeant major, were killed in central Gaza, the military said.

Two were killed in a bomb blast, while the third died in a gun battle when militants opened fire on a group of soldiers, military spokesman Daniel Hagari said in a televised briefing.

In recent weeks, Israeli forces have been engaged in fierce fighting with Palestinian militants in central Gaza, particularly in the Deir el-Balah area.

The latest deaths bring the military's losses in the Gaza campaign to 338 since it launched a ground offensive in the Palestinian territory on October 27.

The war in Gaza erupted after Hamas-led militants attacked Israel on October 7, which resulted in the deaths of 1,199 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.

Militants also seized 251 people, 105 of whom are still captive in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.

Israel's retaliatory military campaign has killed at least 40,334 people in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry, which does not give details of civilian and militant deaths.

Most of the dead are women and children, according to the UN human rights office.
Israel says 'struck thousands' of Hezbollah rocket launchers in south Lebanon



Jerusalem, Aug 25 (AFP) Aug 25, 2024



The Israeli military said its fighter jets attacked thousands of Hezbollah rocket launchers in south Lebanon on Sunday morning that were aimed at northern and central Israel.

"Approximately 100 IAF fighter jets ... struck and destroyed thousands of Hezbollah rocket launcher barrels that were located and embedded in southern Lebanon," the military said in a statement.

"Most of these launchers were aimed toward northern Israel and some were aimed toward central Israel."

Hezbollah in turn "fired hundreds of rockets and UAVs towards northern Israel", most of them after Israel launched its attack, Israeli military spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Nadav Shoshani told reporters.

The fire from Hezbollah was "part of a larger attack that was planned and we were able to thwart a big part of it this morning", Shoshani said, while declining to specify what Hezbollah had targeted.

"We're still in a situation assessment of the aftermath of the attack... there is still some fire happening," Shoshani said.

"But I can tell you there was a little damage... very little damage."

Shoshani said Israel's partners including the United States did not take part in Sunday's attack on Hezbollah.

"This morning was an Israeli operation," he said.
Israel says Lebanon strikes thwarted large-scale Hezbollah attack



Jerusalem, Aug 25 (AFP) Aug 25, 2024



Israel launched air strikes into Lebanon on Sunday, saying that it had thwarted a large-scale Hezbollah attack, while the Lebanese group announced its own cross-border raids to avenge a top commander's killing.

The Israeli military said its fighter jets had destroyed "thousands" of Hezbollah rocket launchers "aimed toward northern Israel and some were aimed toward central Israel", far from the border.

Hezbollah, the powerful Iran-backed Lebanese armed group, countered that Israel was making "empty claims" of having thwarted a larger attack, and said its own operation for Sunday "was completed and accomplished".

The office of the United Nations special coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, and the UNIFIL peacekeeping force urged "all to cease fire and refrain from further escalatory action".

Hezbollah's leader Hassan Nasrallah was due to speak on the "latest developments" at 6:00 pm (1500 GMT), the group said.

The group has traded near-daily cross-border fire with Israeli forces throughout the Gaza war, in a campaign Hezbollah says is in support of Palestinian ally Hamas.

But fears of a wider regional conflagration soared after attacks in late July blamed on Israel killed Iran-aligned militant leaders, including Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr, prompting vows of revenge.

Hezbollah, which last fought a major war against Israel in 2006, said its militants launched "a large number of drones" and "more than 320" Katyusha rockets targeting "enemy positions" across the border.

The Lebanese movement said its attack was an "initial response" to Shukr's killing, adding that it had "ended with total success", although the extent of the damage on the Israeli side was not immediately clear.

Lebanon's health ministry reported at least three dead in Israeli strikes in the country's south. No casualties were immediately reported in Israel.



- 'Larger attack' -



Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said his country's strikes were meant "to remove the threats aimed at the citizens of Israel".

Another military spokesman, Nadav Shoshani, said Hezbollah's strikes were "part of a larger attack that was planned and we were able to thwart a big part of it this morning".

The government declared a 48-hour state of emergency, but by 7:00 am (0400 GMT) flights had resumed at Israel's main international airport after a brief suspension, the aviation authority said.

In Lebanon, Beirut airport did not close but some airlines, including Royal Jordanian and Etihad Airways, cancelled flights.

The United States, Israel's top arms provider, said its military was "postured" to support its ally.

The Israel-Hamas war, triggered by Hamas's October 7 attack, had already drawn in Iran-backed groups like Hezbollah and Yemen's Huthi rebels.

The fighting between Israeli forces and Hezbollah has killed hundreds, mostly in Lebanon, and displaced tens of thousands of residents in both southern Lebanon and northern Israel.

Some 605 people have been killed on the Lebanese side, mostly Hezbollah fighters, but including at least 131 civilians, according to an AFP tally.

On the Israeli side, including in the annexed Golan Heights, authorities say 23 soldiers and 26 civilians have been killed.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened his security cabinet and vowed "to do everything to... return the residents of the north safely to their homes" after more than 10 months of violence.

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati told an emergency government meeting that he had contacted "Lebanon's friends to stop the escalation", and called for an end to "the Israeli aggression".

The Iran-backed Huthi rebels in Yemen hailed the Hezbollah attack and declared that their own response for an Israeli strike on a key Yemeni port on July 20 was "definitely coming".

In a call with Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, his US counterpart Lloyd Austin "reaffirmed the United States' ironclad commitment to Israel's defence against any attacks by Iran and its regional partners and proxies", the Pentagon said.



- Gaza talks -



Shukr's death last month and an attack hours later that killed Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran ratcheted up concerns that the Gaza war could spiral into a broader conflict.

In recent weeks, US and Arab diplomats have sought to head off a broader response to the killings, as mediators were making their latest push towards a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal.

An official from Netanyahu's office said a decision would be made late in the day about whether Israeli spy chiefs would attend planned talks in Cairo on Sunday.

Hamas has said a delegation would go to Cairo but only to meet with Egyptian officials rather than participate in the discussions.

On the ground in the besieged Palestinian territory, an AFP correspondent reported strikes and shelling in Gaza City, where rescuers said at least three people were killed.

Witnesses said battles raged in the area of Deir al-Balah, further south.

Hamas's October 7 attack on southern Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,199 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.

Israel's retaliatory military campaign has killed at least 40,334 Palestinians in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry, which does not break down civilian and militant deaths. The UN rights office says most of the dead are women and children.

Palestinian militants have also seized 251 hostages, of whom 105 remain in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.

burs-ami/dc
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The Armed Forces of Ukraine have attacked over 30 settlements in Russia's border region of Belgorod over the past 24 hours, Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said Saturday.

The attacks targeted nine districts in the region, resulting in five people injured, Gladkov said in a Telegram post.

Russia declared a federal-level state of emergency in the Belgorod region last week as Ukrainian forces continued their offensive near the Russian borders.

Russia's Defense Ministry said Saturday the Russian forces continue to repel the attacks of the Ukrainian Armed Forces into its territory, adding that Ukraine has lost more than 360 servicemen and 29 armored vehicles over the past 24 hours.




DKSH Holdings (Malaysia) Berhad (KLSE:DKSH) Second Quarter 2024 Results

Key Financial Results

Revenue: RM1.86b (up 2.3% from 2Q 2023).

Net income: RM26.7m (up 12% from 2Q 2023).

Profit margin: 1.4% (up from 1.3% in 2Q 2023). The increase in margin was driven by higher revenue.

EPS: RM0.17 (up from RM0.15 in 2Q 2023).

All figures shown in the chart above are for the trailing 12 month (TTM) period

DKSH Holdings (Malaysia) Berhad Earnings Insights

Looking ahead, revenue is forecast to grow 3.5% p.a. on average during the next 3 years, compared to a 3.4% growth forecast for the Trade Distributors industry in Asia.

Performance of the market in Malaysia.

The company's share price is broadly unchanged from a week ago.

Risk Analysis

You should learn about the 1 warning sign we've spotted with DKSH Holdings (Malaysia) Berhad.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.
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I am not going to put a number on the degree of confidence that we have that we will find the remains of Robert Nairac but what I can say is that if they are there we have the skills, ability and experience to find them

Jon Hill
We recently compiled a list of the 10 Best Stocks to Buy According to Value Investor Oldfield Partners. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Embraer S.A. (NYSE:ERJ) stands against the other stocks recommended by value investor oilfield partners.

Investors, in general, follow herd mentality, causing share prices to drop too low after bad news and rise too high after good news, a tendency further amplified by momentum investing. However, Oldfield Partners LLP, a boutique, owner-managed fund management firm, believes that price discrepancies generated through hyped up news about a certain theme could easily distract investors from finding potential bargains  lowly valued stocks, trading at a healthy discount to their intrinsic worth.

Oldfield Partners was founded in November 2004 by Richard Oldfield. Richard holds a BA (Hons) in History from Oxford University and authored the investing book Simple but not Easy, published in 2007. He has a distinguished career in investment management and governance with his tenure at Oxford University Investment Committee and Oxford University Endowment Management Ltd as Chairman from 2007 to 2014. He is also a director of Witan Investment Trust plc and a trustee for both the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity and Canterbury Cathedral Trust.

Oldfield Partners serves a global clientele, including endowments, pensions, charities, and family offices. Oldfield Partners employs a value investing strategy with a focused, diversified portfolio, no leverage, and a long-term approach. It employs several distinct strategies: Global Equity, EAFE, Global Equity Income, Global Small cap and Emerging Markets (including EM ex China) through separate accounts or a variety of pooled funds.

An example of Oldfield Partners' contrarian investment philosophy is that of South Africa where political and economic crises can create opportunities to purchase quality assets at significant discounts. However, the country's structural issues, driven by poor policymaking, weakened institutions, corruption, and a hostile business environment, make the potential for high returns from low valuations less certain. Over the past decade, South African capital markets have underperformed, with negative total dollar returns compared to the S&P's annualized return of over 12%. The recent elections in May further disrupted the political status quo, adding to the uncertainty.

Opportunity drives Oldfield Partners' investment strategy, which is why their Emerging Market Fund includes a single Russian investmentLukoil, a low-cost oil and gas producer. Before the war, the rationale for investing in the stock was its production of a globally traded, dollar-denominated commodity, making it less susceptible to Russia's domestic economy. Since the war, however, the stock has impacted the fund's performance, though it remains one of the better "performers." Over the past three years, while the MSCI Emerging Markets Index has declined by 17%, the oil and gas producer has risen by 62%. Despite this, sanctions have made it impossible for foreign institutions to trade its shares on the Moscow Exchange, forcing the fund to hold them at a "nil value" (zero). The shares remain in custody with dividends still accruing, and the fund continues to seek a legal exit strategy.

Oldfield Partners currently sees more attractive bottom-up investment opportunities in other emerging markets. Although the emerging markets are still generally improving, they make strong valuation targets. While the firm avoids making short-term predictions, their bottom-up valuation models indicate that the fund's holdings remain appealing, both in absolute terms and relative to other opportunities.

Our Methodology

Stocks mentioned in this article were picked from the investment portfolio of Hosking Partners at the end of the second quarter of 2024. In order to provide readers with a more comprehensive overview of the companies, the analyst ratings for each firm are mentioned alongside other details. A database of around 900 elite hedge funds tracked by Insider Monkey in the second quarter of 2024 was used to quantify the popularity of each stock in the hedge fund universe.

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 engineer examining a detailed blueprint of an aircraft.

Embraer S.A. (NYSE:ERJ)

Oldfield Partners' Stake Value: $14,404,604

Percentage of Oldfield Partners' 13F Portfolio: 2.72%

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 29

Embraer S.A. (NYSE:ERJ) designs, develops, manufactures, and sells aircraft and systems. Embraer recorded its first firm orders from NetJets, with deliveries starting in 2025, and a total of 250 aircraft expected over the next 14 years. Additionally, Embraer (NYSE:ERJ) signed an MoU with Mahindra to pursue the sale of the C-390 Millennium to the Indian Air Force.

Although the division's revenue declined year-over-year due to supply chain delays and seasonality, Services & Support saw a 12% revenue growth and maintained a record $3.1 billion backlog. The division also began ramping up GTF 1100 engine induction at its Portuguese MRO, expecting revenues to reach $500 million by 2028. EVE, Embraers urban air mobility venture, is on track to achieve key milestones in 2024, including the completion of its first prototype and Urban Air Traffic Management trials.

Embraer (NYSE:ERJ) delivered 18 executive jets in Q1, a 125% increase from the previous year, and maintained a strong backlog of $21.1 billion, the highest in seven years. The company reported $900 million in Q1 revenue, a 25% growth year-over-year, driven by strong performance in Executive Aviation and Services & Support. However, Defense & Security and Commercial Aviation faced challenges due to supply chain issues and limited deliveries. The company recorded $47 million in adjusted EBITDA, though adjusted net income was negative at $13 million, reflecting typical first-quarter seasonality. Despite these challenges, Embraer reduced its gross debt by $276 million in Q1 and remains in a strong liquidity position.

Overall ERJ ranks 8th on our list of the stocks recommended by value investor oilfield partners. While we acknowledge the potential of ERJ 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 more promising than ERJ 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 10 Stocks in June.

Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.
As global markets react to anticipated interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve, small-cap stocks have been outperforming their larger counterparts, reflecting a broader optimism among investors. In this context, identifying high-growth tech stocks in Hong Kong can be particularly rewarding, as these companies often exhibit strong innovation and potential for rapid expansion in dynamic market conditions.

Top 10 High Growth Tech Companies In Hong Kong

Name Revenue Growth Earnings Growth Growth Rating Wasion Holdings 22.71% 25.80%  Be Friends Holding 33.82% 32.27%  MedSci Healthcare Holdings 45.88% 45.90%  Inspur Digital Enterprise Technology 21.83% 38.02%  iDreamSky Technology Holdings 29.81% 104.11%  Cowell e Holdings 30.96% 35.72%  Archosaur Games 21.96% 166.80%  Innovent Biologics 21.21% 50.78%  Biocytogen Pharmaceuticals (Beijing) 21.35% 100.10%  Beijing Airdoc Technology 31.64% 83.90% 

Click here to see the full list of 48 stocks from our SEHK High Growth Tech and AI Stocks screener.

We'll examine a selection from our screener results.

Simply Wall St Growth Rating: 

Overview: BOE Varitronix Limited is an investment holding company that designs, manufactures, and sells liquid crystal display and related products globally, with a market cap of HK$3.39 billion.

Operations: Varitronix generates revenue through the design, manufacture, and sale of liquid crystal displays across multiple regions including China, Europe, the United States, and Korea. The company focuses on both consumer electronics and automotive sectors.

BOE Varitronix has shown promising growth with sales reaching HKD 6.16 billion for the half year ended June 30, 2024, up from HKD 5.21 billion a year ago. Despite a net income drop to HKD 172.1 million from HKD 202.51 million, the company's R&D expenses have been significant in driving innovation and maintaining competitiveness in the tech industry. Earnings are forecasted to grow at an impressive rate of 23.9% annually over the next three years, outpacing Hong Kong's market average of 10.9%.

SEHK:710 Revenue and Expenses Breakdown as at Aug 2024

Simply Wall St Growth Rating: 

Overview: Newborn Town Inc. is an investment holding company that operates in the global social networking sector, with a market cap of HK$3.20 billion.

Operations: The company generates revenue primarily from its social networking business, which brought in CN2.97 billion, and its innovative business segment, which contributed CN335.88 million.

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Newborn Town's revenue is projected to grow at 16.9% annually, outpacing Hong Kong's market average of 7.4%. The company's earnings are forecasted to increase by 12.2% per year, surpassing the local market growth rate of 10.9%. Recent guidance indicates a substantial revenue boost for H1 2024, expected between RMB 2.25 billion and RMB 2.30 billion, driven by market expansion in the Middle East and North Africa and strategic acquisitions like BlueCity Holdings Limited. R&D expenses have been pivotal in enhancing their diversified social products portfolio, contributing significantly to their competitive edge in the tech industry.

SEHK:9911 Revenue and Expenses Breakdown as at Aug 2024

Simply Wall St Growth Rating: 

Overview: Linklogis Inc., an investment holding company, offers supply chain finance technology and data-driven emerging solutions in Mainland China with a market cap of HK$2.91 billion.

Operations: Linklogis generates revenue through its Supply Chain Finance Technology Solutions, specifically FI Cloud (CN299.65 million) and Anchor Cloud (CN523.90 million), as well as Emerging Solutions like Cross-Border Cloud (CN35.12 million) and SME Credit Tech Solutions (CN9.10 million). The company's primary focus is on providing advanced financial technology solutions within Mainland China.

Linklogis, a tech firm in Hong Kong, is forecasted to grow its revenue by 15.2% annually, outpacing the local market's 7.4%. Despite being unprofitable currently, earnings are expected to surge by 138% per year over the next three years. The company has initiated share repurchases authorized up to 222 million shares as of June 18, 2024, potentially enhancing net asset value and earnings per share. Significant R&D investments have been crucial for their innovative supply chain financing solutions.

SEHK:9959 Revenue and Expenses Breakdown as at Aug 2024

Summing It All Up

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

Companies discussed in this article include SEHK:710 SEHK:9911 and SEHK:9959.

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ST. LOUIS COUNTY  A woman has filed a class action lawsuit against St. Lukes Hospital, claiming the health care provider did not give its contracted nurses the minimum number of shifts it committed to.

The suit was filed Wednesday by Angela Schuster, a St. Louis County resident and a contracted nurse who worked at St. Lukes hospital in Chesterfield.

Schuster said she and other nurses signed uniform contracts with the health care provider beginning in April 2022 that guaranteed a minimum of 36 night shifts that were 12 hours long over a period of 13 weeks.

But, the suit claimed, the hospital did not hold up its end of those agreements.

The suit said the medical center began canceling nurses shifts just before they were to begin, or putting the contracted nurses on standby, which meant they had to remain available during the 12-hour shift and be ready to drive to the hospital and work, if needed.

Schuster claimed at some point during her contractual period the hospital deducted all of the hourly wages she earned while on standby to date. The hospital then continued to cancel shifts or put her and other nurses on standby, so they were not working the minimum number of hours, the lawsuit said.

St. Lukes Hospital did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The health care provider has nearly 30 locations across St. Louis and St. Charles counties, the lawsuit said. It began contracting with travel nurses to supplement its staff during COVID and continued to do so after the pandemic subsided, according to the suit.

But St. Lukes recently established its own internal program to eliminate all Contracted Agency RNs and to add more stability to St. Lukes current night shift workforce due to vacancies in specific areas, the lawsuit said.

The class action membership consists of former and current St. Lukes Hospital contract nurses. The suit was filed on behalf of Schuster by Consumer Protection Legal LLC.
BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn.  The country is facing heightened threats from many corners at a time when law enforcement agencies are struggling, FBI Director Christopher Wray said in an exclusive interview, adding that he is hard pressed to think of a time in my career where so many different kinds of threats are all elevated at once.

Wray spoke Wednesday with The Associated Press while visiting the Minneapolis field office to talk about partnerships among law enforcement agencies and with other entities. His remarks come as the FBI confronts heightened concerns over terrorism, both domestic and international, as well as Chinese espionage and intellectual property theft, and foreign election interference.

I worry about the combination of that many threats being elevated at once, with the challenges facing the men and women in law enforcement more generally, Wray said at the office in the suburb of Brooklyn Center. And the one thing that I think helps bridge those two challenges is partnerships. Thats how we get through. It is by all working together.

Wrays assessment of an elevated threat landscape is consistent with alarm bells he has sounded for months. Soon after the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas in Israel, Wray began warning that the rampage could serve as an inspiration to militants, the likes of which we havent seen since ISIS launched its so-called caliphate years ago.

The FBI has also scrambled to deal with security concerns related to the United States southern border, with officials revealing in June that eight people from Tajikistan with suspected ties to the Islamic State group were arrested and were being held on immigration violations.

Officials are also dealing with the specter of foreign election interference. The FBI and other federal agencies announced Monday that Iran was responsible for a hack targeting the Trump campaign and for an attempted breach of the Biden-Harris campaign, part of what officials portrayed as a brazen and aggressive effort to interfere in American politics.

Wray declined to talk about a specific investigation or threat but said investigations into cyberattacks, including against election infrastructure, candidates or campaigns, require help from the private sector.

One of the things that we have been doubling down on with every passing day is, is on partnerships, because ultimately youre talking about the ability to connect the dots, whether its against some kind of election influence threat or some other kind of threat, Wray said. You need to have partners sharing information with each other to put the two pieces together to see the bigger picture.

Law enforcement officers are being killed in the line of duty at a rate of about one every five days, Wray said, noting that four first responders have died in Minnesota alone in 2024. They include a Minneapolis officer killed in May while trying to help someone, and two officers and a paramedic who died in Burnsville in February when a heavily armed man opened fire.

Such violence breaks my heart every single time, the director said.

The FBI has not been spared such attacks: Days after agents searched Donald Trumps Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago, to recover classified documents, a gunman who called on social media for federal agents to be killed on sight died in a shootout after trying to get inside the FBIs Cincinnati office.

Wray said the FBI has been working to beef up traditional partnerships with state and local law enforcement, while also creating other ones with business and academia to help counter threats against cybersecurity or intellectual property. In Minneapolis and other offices, he said, authorities are cooperating with school resource officers and mental health professionals to help at-risk teenagers in hopes of heading off future threats.

Working with industry is important for protecting innovation and artificial intelligence from foreign threats, Wray added.

AI is in many ways the most effective tool against the bad guys use of AI, he said. So we need to work closely with industry to try to help make sure that American AI can be used to help protect American people from AI-enabled threats coming the other way.

How cybercrime losses have more than doubled in 2 years How cybercrime losses have more than doubled in 2 years Total and average losses among cybercrime victims are rising
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The U.S. Department of Defense supplied Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles to Port-au-Prince, Haiti, in July 2024. The DOD announced Friday, Aug. 23, 2024, that it would send 24 additional vehicles. (Mitchell Corley/U.S. Air Force)

The U.S. military is sending additional equipment to Haiti to help the security operation in the Caribbean nation.

A U.S. Air Force C-17 cargo plane began delivering shipments of 24 additional Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) MaxxPro vehicles on Friday, according to a U.S. Southern Command news release. They will be added to the existing fleet of 10 U.S.-provided MRAPs, sent in July.

The shipments will be delivered and transferred to Kenyan personnel as part of the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission. The mission was first requested by Haitis previous government in 2022, and of the handful of countries that have together pledged over 2,500 troops, the Kenyan contingent remains the only group to have arrived, according to Reuters.

The C-17 transport missions also will deliver 34 Overhead Gunner Protection Kits, commonly called turrets. Department of Defense-funded contractors will install the turrets on the armored vehicles to enhance the tactical field of view and protection of MSS personnel utilizing MRAPs during joint security operations led by the Haitian National Police.

The delivery of the MRAPs follows President Joe Bidens signing of a Presidential Drawdown Authority in April, clearing the way for the transfer of U.S. federal resources to nations contributing personnel to the MSS mission to bolster their support of Haitian led security efforts.

Under the drawdown, the Department of Defense (DOD) and other interagency partners are providing equipment, supplies, parts, and services needed to support MSS mission sustainment and operations, including vehicle fleet repairs and maintenance.

In addition to the articles and services provided to the MSS mission under Presidential Drawdown Authority, the United States has provided more than $300 million to support the missions effort, the Pentagon said.
Ukrainian servicemen operate 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. Ukraine launched a surprise offensive into the Russian border region of Kursk on Aug. 6, 2024, capturing over two dozen towns and villages in the most significant cross-border attack on Russian soil since World War II. (Roman Pilipey, AFP, Getty Images via TNS)

(Tribune News Service)  Ukraines operation in Russias Kursk region is a part of a broader military, political and diplomatic effort aimed at making Russia accept a fair peace, said President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Everything we do is for the purpose of forcing Russia be ready for fair peace, Zelenskyy told Indian journalists in Kyiv on Sunday, according to his Telegram.

Ukraines leader also discussed with the visiting media Ukraines planned second peace summit, his meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, and Kyivs hoped-for integration into the European Union.

Ukrainian forces launched a surprise incursion into Russias Kursk region this month. On Saturday, Zelenskyy said the move was done to protect the northeastern Sumy region and to capture Russian soldiers who could be used for prisoner-of-war swaps.

Putin on Saturday night received reports from at least five commanders involved in combat missions in Russian territories bordering Ukraine, the Kremlin said on Sunday.

Ukrainian forces claim to have control of more than 1,250 square kilometers (483 square miles) of territory in the first foreign military offensive inside Russia since World War II.

In an operational update, Russias defense ministry said its troops continue to repel Ukrainian efforts in several settlements in the Kursk region, from which thousands of residents have fled in recent weeks.

Reconnaissance and search operations continue to identify and destroy enemy sabotage groups in forested areas that were attempting to penetrate deep into Russian territory, the ministry said.

The Kremlin on Saturday released video of Putin meeting with Valery Gerasimov, chief of the Russian Armed Forces General Staff. It was unclear when the meeting took place.

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(Reuters) -Pavel Durov, billionaire founder and CEO of the Telegram messaging app, was arrested at the Bourget airport outside Paris on Saturday evening, TF1 TV and BFM TV said, citing unidentified sources.

TF1 and BFM both said the investigation was focused on a lack of moderators on Telegram, and that police considered that this situation allowed criminal activity to go on undeterred on the messaging app.

Telegram did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. The French Interior Ministry and police had no comment. Russia, which has in the past tried to ban Telegram, said it was taking steps to "clarify" Durov's situation.

What is known about Durov and Telegram:

* Russian-born Durov, 39, is founder and owner of messaging app Telegram, a free to use platform that competes with other social media platforms such as Facebook's WhatsApp, or Instagram, TikTok and Wechat. The platform aims to surpass one billion active monthly users within a year.

* Telegram is influential in Russia, Ukraine and the republics of the former Soviet Union. It has become a critical source of information on Russia's war in Ukraine, used heavily by both Moscow and Kyiv officials. Some analysts call the app "a virtual battlefield" for the war.

* Durov, whose fortune was estimated by Forbes at $15.5 billion, left Russia in 2014 after refusing to comply with government demands to shut down opposition communities on his VKontakte social media platform, which he sold.

* Durov became a French citizen in August 2021. He moved himself and Telegram to Dubai in 2017, and according to French media he has also received United Arab Emirates citizenship. He is also a citizen of St. Kitts and Nevis, a dual-island nation in the Caribbean, according to media reports.

* Russia began blocking Telegram in 2018 after the app refused to comply with a court order to grant state security services access to its users' encrypted messages. The action had little effect on the availability of Telegram there, but it sparked mass protests in Moscow and criticism from NGOs.

* Telegram's increasing popularity, however, has prompted scrutiny from several countries in Europe, including France, on security and data breach concerns. In May, the EU tech regulators said they were in touch with Telegram as it neared a key usage criterion that could see it subject to more stringent requirements under a landmark EU online content legislation.

* "I would rather be free than to take orders from anyone," Durov told U.S. journalist Tucker Carlson in April about his exit from Russia and search for a home for his company which included stints in Berlin, London, Singapore and San Francisco.

(Reporting by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; Additional reporting by Camille Raynoud in Toronto; Editing by David Gregorio and Kim COghill)
A screenshot from a video shared by the Ukrainian military on Aug. 16 shows the apparent mass surrender of Russian soldiers. (80th Separate Air Assault Brigade)

Ukrainian forces have captured more than 240 Russian soldiers since their surprise invasion of Russias Kursk region this month, according to an analysis of visual evidence that includes mass detentions of young troops appearing to surrender without resistance.

The Washington Post reviewed more than 130 photos and videos taken since the incursion began Aug. 6, most of which appear to have been filmed by Ukrainian soldiers and shared on social media. The analysis also included photos taken by a Post photographer at a prison housing captured Russian soldiers in Ukraine. The verified visuals depict at least 247 Russian prisoners and support Ukrainian officials claims to have captured hundreds of Russians during the incursion.

Some of the captured troops identify themselves in the videos as conscripts, Russians who are serving mandatory time in the military. Conscripts are not generally expected to face battle, and their capture in recent days creates a politically sensitive problem for Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to analysts.

Its been a long time since Ive seen a video of Russian soldiers surrendering en masse like that, said Dara Massicot, a senior fellow with the Russia and Eurasia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. My instinct upon seeing those videos was that those soldiers were not combat-experienced troops who have been fighting inside Ukraine.

The visuals showed prisoners being taken in locations that spanned more than 14 miles across territory on Russias side of the border with Ukraine.

New videos and photos continue to be posted online, and The Post did not count prisoners seen in visuals it could not independently verify, meaning that the actual number of Russian prisoners taken during the offensive is much higher.

In seven videos verified by The Post, prisoners refer to themselves as conscripts  men between the ages of 18 and 30 who are serving a mandatory year of military service. Conscripted troops are not paid and are poorly trained, and Putin has made pledges that they will not be sent into combat, though Russian law allows it as long as they have had four months of basic training.

Having conscripts in combat undermines the social contract between Russian families and the government that has held under Putins leadership since 1999, Massicot said.

Several videos filmed less than half a mile inside Russia, in the village of Sverdlikovo, show at least 29 captured Russian soldiers. Flanked by armed Ukrainian soldiers and with their arms raised above their heads, they are filmed by a drone as they march north along a small road lined with trees and residential buildings on one side.

In other videos, they are on the same road lying face down or kneeling with their hands behind their backs. One Ukrainian soldier films the captured soldiers as they state their names and military units to the camera.

Near the Sudzha border crossing, several videos show the capture of at least 40 Russian soldiers. Drone footage shows the destruction of buildings in the checkpoint and Russian troops raising white flags in surrender.

The Ukrainian military, which shared the video on its official channels, said that the operation had been conducted by its 80th Air Assault Brigade, supported by artillery and heavy armored vehicles.

The International Committee of the Red Cross and other human rights groups have stated that recording and disseminating even statements that appear voluntary by prisoners of war violates rules against exposing them to public curiosity, since they are inherently vulnerable and their well-being depends entirely on an enemy power.

Neither the Ukrainian nor the Russian government has said how many Russian prisoners have been taken prisoner so far during the Kursk offensive.

The head of a prison in northeast Ukraine holding soldiers taken during the offensive told a reporter from The Post during a visit this month that 320 Russians had passed through his facility in the prior 10 days on their way to other prison camps in Ukraine. Around 80 percent of the Russian soldiers being held in the Ukrainian prison visited by The Post were conscripts, the prison chief said.

Before the Kursk invasion, Putin said that Russia was holding 6,465 Ukrainian soldiers and that Ukraine was holding 1,348 Russian soldiers, meaning that the number of new prisoners taken during the Kursk offensive could represent a large portion of all Russian prisoners held by Ukraine.

Its not clear whether taking prisoners was planned as part of the Kursk offensive or a coincidental cherry on top, said Mathieu Boulegue, a nonresident senior fellow with the Transatlantic Defense and Security Program at the Center for European Policy Analysis.

I was not expecting so many easy surrenders, he said. But it also shows how fragile the war narrative is in Russia, and it also shows how desperate probably these soldiers are who would much rather be with Ukraine in Ukrainian prisons or cells than fighting for Russia.

Russian forces in the area of the Kursk offensive were likely surprised, under the control of different ministries or organizations that didnt communicate well, and inexperienced in combat, all of which contributed to Ukraines success, Massicot said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has referred to the capture of so many Russian prisoners as refilling the exchange fund  soldiers to trade for captured Ukrainian troops. Kyrylo Budanov, the chief of the Ukraines military intelligence directorate, has said they will prioritize the return of Azov Brigade fighters who were captured during Ukraines defense of the eastern city of Mariupol more than two years ago.

The return of those prisoners has been a sensitive issue in Ukraine, with large demonstrations calling for their freedom taking place most weekends. Hundreds are believed to still be in Russian captivity.

Siobhan OGrady and Ed Ram in northeastern Ukraine and Samuel Oakford in New York contributed to this report.
Anthony S. Fauci, former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, testifies June 3 before a congressional committee investigating the coronavirus response. (Matt McClain/The Washington Post)

Anthony S. Fauci was hospitalized with West Nile virus this month, according to a spokesperson for the nations former top infectious-disease official.

Fauci, 83, was the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for nearly four decades before he retired in 2022. He achieved unprecedented fame while enduring withering political attacks as the face of the coronavirus pandemic response under Presidents Donald Trump and Joe Biden.

Fauci was hospitalized for six days before he returned home from the hospital this week.

Tony Fauci has been hospitalized with a case of West Nile virus. He is now home and is recovering. A full recovery is expected, the spokesperson said.

A person familiar with Fauci, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe the circumstances, said the former director does not know how he contracted the virus.

West Nile virus is a mosquito-borne illness that can cause fever, body aches, diarrhea and rash, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There are no vaccines or treatments for the virus.

Even though he left government nearly two years ago, Fauci has continued to face fierce political attacks from congressional Republicans for his role in the nations coronavirus response.

In June, he testified before a House panel investigating the response, with Republican lawmakers accusing him of orchestrating a coverup of the viruss origins, which Fauci fiercely rejected as simply preposterous. The infectious-disease expert said Republicans have distorted emails between himself and other scientists as they discussed whether a laboratory leak of the coronavirus was possible.

After leaving government, Fauci joined the faculty at Georgetown University, where he serves as a distinguished professor in the School of Medicine. He also holds a position in the universitys McCourt School of Public Policy.

This summer, Fauci released a memoir called On Call that recounted his long career in public health and medicine, including the leading role he played in responding to the nations AIDS epidemic in the 1980s and 1990s, and his unlikely rise to fame and political notoriety as the face of the coronavirus response under President Donald Trump.
Judge David Gill sits for photo inside his courtroom at the San Diego Central Courthouse downtown on Aug. 21. (Alejandro Tamayo/The San Diego Union-Tribune)

(Tribune News Service)  When San Diego Superior Court Judge David Gill was first sworn in, Richard Nixon was the president and America was still in Vietnam. Elvis was still touring, and Ronald Reagan was Californias governor.

Reagan was the one who appointed Gill to the bench. That was March 1974.

Over the next 50 years, Gill would oversee hundreds of criminal trials  including San Diego Countys longest, at 217 days  and make thousands of legal rulings. And he would gain a reputation as a thoughtful judge, one who listened and carefully considered.

Among judges currently on the bench, Gill is the longest-serving in the state of California. Hes also San Diegos longest-serving judge ever.

This year, Gill is hanging up his robe for good. His last day at work was earlier this month, but his official retirement is Dec. 13, on his 90th birthday. He leaves behind a long legal legacy.

He could have retired decades ago. Why stay? I was having too much fun, Gill said last week in the San Diego condo he shares with wife, Marcia.

Working is not keeping me from doing anything else I want to do, said Gill. I dont have any all-consuming hobbies. Im not going to sail my sailboat from here to Acapulco. Im not going to go climb Mount Kilimanjaro.

Hes one of my heroes

When Gill commits, he commits. Fifty years on the bench, 50 years volunteering with the Boy Scouts, 35 years in the Army Reserves. Gill doesnt just join, he goes all in. Take his undergrad degree from Stanford. Three majors  history, political science and economics. And as a musician, he didnt just play one type of saxophone. He played three (although he prefers the tenor sax).

Part of what drew him to the legal profession was his love for discussing issues  not debating much as just offering up contrarian positions. I enjoyed sort of confronting people who make a real, bold statement, he said. I tended to be the one to say, Well, wait a minute. Have you considered this? Isnt there another side to that coin?

Gill has sent several defendants to death row, including Billy Ray Waldron, convicted of three 1979 murders and a separate rape. He was stuck with another judges decision allowing Waldon to represent himself. That was probably my most challenging and interesting case.

He was also the judge in the criminal trial of Dale Akiki, a former Spring Valley church day care volunteer who was wrongly accused in a bizarre case involving allegations of ritual child abuse. The 1993 trial lasted 217 days, the longest criminal trial in San Diego history. It took the jury just seven hours to deliberate. Akiki was acquitted.

His recent work included presiding over hearings to determine where sexually violent predators will be allowed to live in the community.

Superior Court Judge Michael Smyth, who was the presiding judge in San Diego last year, praised Gills analytical skills and said he would sometimes turn to Gill for insight. Hes seen it all, and he has a very quick mind.

Were all sort of in awe of him, Smyth said. Im really happy for him deciding to retire, but also melancholy about it, because he has been such a reliable presence and force on the court for so long.

Former San Diego U.S. Attorney Robert Brewer has been friends with Gill for about 40 years, and he describes the judge as a soft-spoken man, a serious thinker with a dry wit and quick smile.

Hes one of my heroes, Brewer said, and he has been for years.

Those who have had jury duty at the downtown San Diego courthouse may remember Gill. For a couple of decades, he was the primary judge to address the pool of potential jurors during orientation. The way Brewer remembers it  he sat through Gills presentation six times as a potential juror  people started off bored, maybe reading a newspaper or staring off. Then Gill spoke, explaining the importance of the jurys role and rallying their patriotism. Suddenly even those who had initially hoped to slink off and shirk their civic duty were eager to serve.

The San Diego County Bar Association tapped Gill as Jurist of the Year in 2012. The California Council of the American Inns of Court honored him with an award for civility and ethics. And last fall, he was honored with a Pillar of the Legal Community award during the Red Boudreau Dinner, an annual event in the local litigation community. The pillar award, designed to recognize local judges, is new.

It was very easy to decide who should be the first honoree, said Brian Rawers, chair of the Red Boudreau Dinner committee. He pointed to Gills long legal career and his just-as-long history of community work.

Deep San Diego roots

Gill was born in Indiana but grew up in San Diego. He went to local elementary and middle schools, then graduated from San Diego High School in 1952, the same school his mother had graduated from years earlier. He was an only child, and his father died when Gill was about 3 years old. Gill does not have any children.

He earned his law degree at Stanford University and joined the Army Reserves in 1955. He was on active duty in the Army Judge Advocate Generals office in the Pentagon from 1960 to 1963, the same year he was admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court. He stayed in the reserves until 1990, retiring as a colonel.

I wouldnt trade my military service for anything, Gill said. He laughed and slipped in, I can still fit into my uniform.

After his Pentagon work, Gill returned to San Diego in 1963, where he served as a deputy city attorney, then deputy district attorney for a few years before jumping into private practice as a criminal defense attorney. When the state bar looked to establish specializations in legal work, he jumped to join a committee that would set requirements. He landed one of the very first numbers as a specialist in criminal defense, too. His legal specialization number was  and he gets a kick out of this  007. I was a great James Bond.

The judge has long been a big enough deal in San Diego to garner mentions in local newspaper columns for decades. One 1979 piece noted his promotion from the municipal bench to superior court  and teased that he might need to change his personalized license plate. At that time, his plate read 90 Days  a nod to the maximum sentences the lower court judges could give back then.

Another column that same year snuck in a mention of his engagement to Joann Bloomquist, who was Gills first wife. She died in 1987. He would later meet and marry Marcia. Theyve been married for 30 years.

Running out of ways to honor him

Gills exhaustive list of memberships, awards and honorifics covers much of a full page, typed and single-spaced.

Hes been a part-time law school professor, joined several legal organizations and sat on several boards of directors  among them Goodwill Industries, Salvation Army, and a lifetime spot with Army Services YMCA.

His eyes twinkle most when he talks about his work with the Boy Scouts, now known as Scouting America. For five decades, Gill has pulled together panels of bigwigs  surgeons, attorneys, engineers and the like  to decide whether to grant Eagle Scout status to hopeful young candidates. Hes handled thousands of such hearings, and has done it for so long hes now reviewing Eagle Scout applications from the children of Eagle Scout candidates he had promoted years ago.

Sean Roy is the Scout Executive and CEO of the San Diego-Imperial Council for Scouting America, and he said his group is simply running out of ways to honor Gill, who Roy said gives his time, talent and treasure to scouting.

And he did it all behind the scenes, Roy said. He is just a gem.

Gills wife said her husband was a Cub Scout as a little boy, but that focus ended when his mother brought home a clarinet. It started a lifelong love of music, and hes played in several local bands, including a big band made up entirely of lawyers.

Gill may be hanging up his robe but hes still planning to continue his volunteer work.

Smyth summed up Gill like this: Hes just a friendly gentleman who is a great judge. And theres just literally nothing not to like about him.

2024 The San Diego Union-Tribune.

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The Polaris Dawn flight crew, from left, Jared Isaacman, Scott Kidd Poteet, Anna Menon and Sarah Gillis, in September 2022. (Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post)

HAWTHORNE, Calif.  Three years ago, billionaire entrepreneur Jared Isaacman made history when he led the first all-private astronaut mission to orbit. Now hes spending more of his fortune on another nongovernment voyage: a SpaceX rocket flight early Tuesday that would put a crew of four in the highest orbit since the Apollo era and, even more dramatically, have them open the hatch and perform the first spacewalk by private astronauts.

If successful, the flight, known as Polaris Dawn, will mark a significant milestone for the commercial space sector as NASA increasingly relies on companies like SpaceX, Blue Origin and Intuitive Machines to build the rockets and spacecraft as well as develop the technologies required for its flagship space endeavors.

For years, NASA has relied on the private companies to fly cargo as well as astronauts to the International Space Station. Now the space agency is also looking to the private sector to build the space stations that would eventually replace the ISS, the spacecraft that would fly them to the surface of the moon, the space suits astronauts would wear while there, and even the rovers that would allow them to explore it more fully.

All of that is a marked change from the days when NASA owned and operated all the hardware and oversaw the missions exclusively. (Jeff Bezos, the founder of Blue Origin, owns The Washington Post.)

Isaacman, who is worth an estimated $2 billion, has not disclosed how much he is paying SpaceX for the flight. He said the Polaris Dawn mission is designed to continue NASAs pioneering work in an effort to help humans reach the moon and Mars, and eventually spread into the solar system.

Jared Isaacman flies a MiG fighter in formation. Isaacman owns a fleet of fighter jets and is an elite pilot. (Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post)

SpaceX is doing all the hard work to be at the tip of the spear of commercial space, the founder of Shift4Payments, a payment processing company, said in an interview here. Were playing a small part in it, and were choosing to direct that energy towards things that could really move the needle towards the ultimate goal of making life multiplanetary, he said. Star Wars or the Jetsons is the future were aiming for.

In addition to Isaacmans flights, SpaceX has partnered with Axiom Space, a Houston-based company, to fly private citizens to the space station. Recently, SpaceX announced another private astronaut mission, which would fly around the poles of the Earth, the first human spaceflight mission to do so.

The Polaris Dawn mission is the first of three Polaris flights that Isaacman has commissioned from SpaceX. The first would feature the spacewalk. The second was intended to help raise the orbit of NASAs Hubble Telescope, but NASA has expressed concerns, and the mission is not yet determined. The program would culminate with the first crewed flight of SpaceXs Starship rocket, the largest and most powerful ever developed, which NASA intends to use to land astronauts on the moon.

Isaacmans first flight in 2021, called Inspiration4, proved the commercial sector could fly an ambitious mission to orbit without NASA after a group of four private citizens, who had never met before they were chosen for the flight, spent three days in orbit aboard SpaceXs Dragon capsule.

In the upcoming flight, Isaacman will be joined by Scott Kidd Poteet, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel and fighter jet pilot, as well as two SpaceX employees: Sarah Gillis, who oversees the companys astronaut training program, and Anna Menon, who serves as a mission director and an astronaut communicator from mission control.

A key objective is to test SpaceXs spacesuit, which could be vital in the mission to service NASAs Hubble Space Telescope and raise its altitude. Over the years, the 34-year-old telescope has crept closer to Earth, and by about 2034 it could get near enough to burn up in the atmosphere.

If Isaacman and SpaceX could raise its orbit, NASA would be saved tens of millions of dollars and the life of the telescope would be extended. But the mission has also revealed tensions between a private sector rapidly pushing a new space age and those who fear that NASAs role is being diminished at the cost of safety and reliability.

The Hubble mission is risky and could also go horribly wrong. Instead of saving the telescope, the crew could damage a national asset, or, worse, endanger their own lives. As a result, some at NASA have bristled at the commercial sector taking over responsibilities that had long been under the governments purview, as NPR reported earlier this year.

The SpaceX launch of the Inspiration4 crew of civilian astronauts led by Jared Isaacman on Sept. 15, 2021. (Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post)

Isaacman said in the interview that a successful spacewalk would demonstrate his teams ability to handle a task as complex and dangerous as the Hubble mission.

I havent given up hope on this, he said. I still think it will be an absolutely great mission for science and commercial space. I dont think that door is closed, but if its not Hubble, itll be something else very meaningful.

For now, he said, he is focused on the first Polaris flight. Stepping out into the vacuum of space for a spacewalk, also known as an extravehicular activity or EVA, is generally considered one of the most dangerous activities astronauts perform. SpaceX has spent more than two years developing a suit that would essentially serve as a personalized spacecraft for the astronauts, protecting them against radiation and extreme temperatures while making sure they can move freely and communicate with each other and controllers on the ground.

Its also a slimmer, sleeker upgrade. New technologies, such as a heads-up display that projects data on the visors, make the suits used by NASA astronauts, designed decades ago, look like Michelin-man anachronisms.

We are going to pave the way by pushing the envelope and learning how to go higher and farther and faster and longer safely, said Stu Keech, SpaceXs vice president of Dragon engineering. And all of that will apply to future human spaceflights. The EVA suit in particular has that end goal of how do you build thousands and then eventually millions for the moon and Mars? Thats really the motivation behind that.

In the training session here, Isaacman and his crew rehearsed getting in and out of their suits, emerging through the Dragon spacecraft hatch and using special handrails SpaceX engineers call Skywalker.

When the capsule is depressurized for the actual mission, all four crew members will put on their space suits. Then Isaacman and Gillis will take turns exiting the hatch, while tethered to the spacecraft and using the Skywalker rails for stability. They plan to perform several mobility tests but will stay close to the hatch. It should take about two hours to vent and then repressurize the spacecraft.

Weve been doing a ton of training to prepare the physical motions of the spacewalk, Gillis said. And weve done a ton of work as a crew to be ready for every contingency that could arise.

Workers prepare the SpaceX Starship and Super Heavy rocket on April 18, 2023. (Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post)

Instead of training in a massive pool, as NASA astronauts do, the crew members have been training here at SpaceX headquarters, where the company has designed a special pulley and harness that mimics weightlessness. Theyve also spent time flying in Isaacmans fleet of fighter jets to get used to heavy G loads, the kinds of strong gravitational forces they will experience during flight. Theyve also spent time mountain climbing, scuba diving and getting comfortable being uncomfortable, Poteet said.

Its about adaptation to the environment that were going to live in for five days in space, he said during a briefing with reporters recently. Its very austere, and weve got to get ready for that.

The mission, which could launch as early as 3:38 a.m. Tuesday, with backup launch times later in the morning, is SpaceXs first human spaceflight mission since one of its Falcon 9 rockets suffered an upper-stage engine failure in June during a satellite launch. SpaceX said it was able to identify and fix the problem, and the Federal Aviation Administration quickly signed off on its return to flight.

Menon said that she had no reservations about flying after the engine problem and that the quick return to flight is the way SpaceX does business. They make sure to look at all of the data, get to the root cause, and then develop all of the fixes necessary to get to the other side.
Im a porn star and proud of it

A heroin addict and a former stripper accused of driving offences have appeared in court.

Sascha Machala and Rebecca Whyte appeared side by side in the dock of Ballymena Magistrates Court on Thursday.

Machala (35), originally from the Bangor area but now of Sedan Terrace in Enniskillen, is charged with driving while banned and driving without a licence and insurance on July 30.

Heroin addict White (31), originally from Co Down but now living with Machala at his address in Enniskillen, is accused of drink driving on Fountain Hill in Antrim and causing or permitting someone to drive with no insurance.

A police officer told the court she believed she could connect the defendants to the respective charges.

District Judge Nigel Broderick freed them both on bail and ordered them to return to the same court in two weeks.

According to Whytes Facebook profile, she and Machala got engaged in July 2022.

If convicted of the offences, she would be in breach of a suspended nine-month jail sentence that was imposed in August last year for burgling the home of a frail man in his 80s.

Whyte barged into her victims property on July 29 and initially refused to leave.

It was later discovered she had stolen 85 in cash from the vulnerable pensioner.

Machala previously boasted to Sunday Life about his sleazy past in pornographic films, and claimed to have appeared in an X-rated movie that was shot in an English castle.

Im a porn star and proud of it, he said.

The then Lord Chief Justice Sir Declan Morgan advised him in 2010 to incorporate a monitoring tag he had been ordered to wear into his act as a stripper.

Machala was on bail for burglary at the time.

He spent a few nights in custody for breaching the terms of his bail after walking into a police station and cutting the tag off his leg.

A court was told he had decided to remove the monitoring device because it was interfering with his act.
Nicholas Rossi was extradited from Scotland to the US in January after a lengthy case in the Scottish courts.

A man accused of faking his own death and fleeing the US to avoid rape charges is to stand trial, a judge in Utah has ruled.

Nicholas Rossi was extradited from Scotland to the US in January after a lengthy case in the Scottish courts.

District Judge Barry Lawrence ruled during Rossis preliminary hearing in Utah that prosecutors had presented enough evidence to warrant a jury trial, KTVX-TV reported.

Prosecutors say Rossi, 37, raped a 26-year-old former girlfriend after an argument in Salt Lake County in 2008.

Nicholas Rossi leaving Edinburgh Sheriff and Justice of the Peace Court last July (Andrew Milligan/PA)

In a separate case, he is accused of raping a 21-year-old woman in Orem, Utah, that same year. He was not identified as a suspect for about a decade due to a backlog of DNA tests at the Utah State Crime Lab.

Rossi, whose legal name is Nicholas Alahverdian, has used several aliases and has said he was an Irish orphan named Arthur Knight who had never set foot on US soil and was being framed.

The American fugitive grew up in foster homes in Rhode Island and had returned to the state before allegedly faking his death and fleeing the country.

Nicholas Rossi (KSTU/AP)

An obituary published online claimed Rossi died on February 29, 2020, of late-stage non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Authorities and his former foster family doubted his death.

Rossi was arrested in Scotland in 2021 after being recognised at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow during treatment for Covid-19.

He lost an extradition appeal in Scotland in December.

Utah County court documents show that Rossi is also accused of sexual assault, harassment and possible kidnapping in Rhode Island, Ohio and Massachusetts, KTVX-TV reported.
Formosa Prosonic Industries Berhad (KLSE:FPI) Second Quarter 2024 Results

Key Financial Results

Revenue: RM185.0m (up 5.0% from 2Q 2023).

Net income: RM23.1m (down 13% from 2Q 2023).

Profit margin: 13% (down from 15% in 2Q 2023). The decrease in margin was driven by higher expenses.

EPS: RM0.09 (down from RM0.10 in 2Q 2023).

All figures shown in the chart above are for the trailing 12 month (TTM) period

Formosa Prosonic Industries Berhad shares are down 1.7% from a week ago.

Risk Analysis

You should learn about the 1 warning sign we've spotted with Formosa Prosonic Industries Berhad.

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Oliver Boswell and Kathleen Boswell were removed from the United States to Ireland on Tuesday and handed over to gardai

Two Irish noncitizens who are alleged to be linked to an international fraud network known as the Travelling Conmen Fraud Group have been deported from the US.

Oliver Boswell and Kathleen Boswell were removed from the United States to Ireland on Tuesday and handed over to gardai.

Deportation officers from Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) New York Citys Newburgh office arrested the pair on July 18.

Oliver Boswell had lawfully entered the United States on February 15, 2023, while Kathleen Boswell arrived later that year, on August 11. However, both had violated the terms of admission.

International law enforcement co-operation enabled ERO New York City to remove these two fugitives and return them to their home country to face justice, said ERO New York City Field Office Director Kenneth Genalo.

We will continue to pursue community safety as our highest priority.

According to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, authorities in the UK sought custody of Oliver Boswell and Kathleen Boswell for 19 counts of money laundering charges that defrauded numerous victims out of more than 3m.

They are believed to be leaders of a gang that struck across the country, conning elderly and vulnerable victims out of millions.

The four men and one woman from Wolverhampton were named by a fraud taskforce trying to track them down who identified them as serious offenders.

According to an earlier report in Birmingham Live, the duo and their gang used a number of ruses to dupe their victims, including fake calls from a judge at court.

Kathleen Boswell is wanted for sentencing, having been convicted in her absence of 19 counts of money laundering following trial.

She reportedly received more than 220,000 from 14 victims across the UK between December 2013 and December 2014.

Oliver Boswell pleaded guilty to four money laundering offences in January 2017.

He received 24,000 from four victims between January 2014 and June 2014.

Sentencing was postponed until after the trial where Kathleen Boswell was convicted, but she failed to attend and is wanted by the court.

John McCarthy, 33, is wanted for five fraud and money laundering offences.

On at least one occasion he posed as a UK Trading Standards officer, convincing elderly occupants across London, Surrey, Kent, and Sussex to pay thousands to have flood damage in their houses repaired.

He targeted a man from Purley, Surrey, in an advance fee fraud in February 2014, convincing his victim to transfer 17,000 into McCarthys account, under false pretences.

He used the same method to trick a man from Bromley, Kent, between March and August of that year, with the victim suffering a total loss of 47,500.

The victim transferred fees of 2,500 and 4,000 to McCarthy, both of which the suspect withdrew on the day of transfer.

In May 2014, a man from Enfield, London, transferred a total of 74,100 to McCarthy in four transactions, after becoming his latest victim of a rogue trader scam.

In June 2014, a woman from Crowborough, Sussex, was also defrauded of 2,500, having been convinced to transfer money under false pretences to McCarthys account due to a supposed water leak at her property.

The following month, a Croydon-based man fell victim to the same scam, transferring 18,000 into McCarthys account.

James Flynn, 42, is sought in connection with fraud and money laundering offences, one of which saw a man from East Sheen, London, defrauded between September and October 2014.

Flynn, who also uses the name James Sheridan, carried out an advance fee fraud, or rogue trading fraud, on his victim, who was tricked into transferring money into four different accounts. Flynn received 64,600 in total.

Daniel Sheridan, 48, is sought in connection with four fraud and money-laundering offences.

One of these included the use of multiple callers, calls from court and eventually a conference call where the male claimed to be a judge and threatened the victim with imprisonment for contempt of court if transfers were not made.

Transfers to a total of 79,000 were made Sheridans bank account.
Our exclusive photographs show the mobster in black tie, sitting directly behind the MMA superstar and his sons at the lavish bash in Co Tipperary

Whelan (left) was seen chatting to Conor and Terry

Kinahan cartel gangster Graham The Wig Whelan is pictured looking dapper as one of the VIP guests at Conor McGregors sister Erins wedding.

Our exclusive photographs show the mobster in black tie, sitting directly behind the MMA superstar and his sons at the lavish bash in Co Tipperary.

Whelan is dating McGregors other sister Aoife, and watched with pride as his glamorous girlfriend took her place as one of Erins bridesmaids in the open air ceremony at the plush five-star Cashel Palace Hotel last weekend.

Infamous criminal Whelan also chatted to Conor and Erins new husband, Terry Kavanagh, during breaks in the proceedings.

Graham The Wig Whelan (left) sat behind Conor and groom Terry

The wedding, for which the McGregors booked out the entire hotel, is estimated to have cost 1.5m, with Erin wearing a dress by Lebanese designer Zuhair Murad which cost an estimated 100,000.

Erin, who has been on Dancing With The Stars and in the panto, sold what she thought were exclusive photos and interview rights to People magazine in the US, with American media experts saying she would have received a six figure sum for the images.

This is the first time Whelan (42) has been pictured in public with Aoife, aside from a snap of him early last year posing with the blonde beauty at McGregors Black Forge Inn, which she quickly removed from social media.

The Sunday World revealed three years ago how Whelan is a regular player for McGregors Black Forge pub team, and even handed over a cheque for 750 to homeless charity Stronger Together, which expressed shock when informed as to who had handed over the money.

Conor Mcgregor with Graham 'The Wig' Whelan

A former senior ranking member of the Kinahan drugs cartel, Whelan recently spent a year in custody after being convicted of money laundering offences, including possession of a 28,000 watch.

The Sunday World exclusively revealed Aoife had visited him in prison on a number of occasions after they became close friends following the breakdown of her marriage.

A day after Whelan was released from prison in December 2022, we photographed him in his dressing gown standing outside his home, after waking from his first nights sleep as a free man in more than a year.

Whelan is understood to be a friend of her Notorious brother Conor.

Known as The Wig, Whelan has previously appeared in photographs with McGregor and the pair share a number of childhood friends.

A self-described dangerous criminal, Whelan was close pals with cartel figure David Byrne, who was shot dead in the Regency Hotel gun attack in February 2016.

Bride Erin withTerry, her parents, brother Conor and daughter Taylor

Whelan pleaded guilty in July 2021 to participating in the actions of an organised crime gang by laundering money for the group.

He also pleaded guilty to possession of 1,200 in cash and an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak gentlemans watch, the proceeds of crime, at the Intercontinental Hotel, Ballsbridge, Dublin, on January 31, 2019.

Whelan further admitted he had paid 2,140 for a three-night stay at the hotel at Room 342, knowing or believing that the money was the proceeds of criminal conduct.

At the time of his sentencing in November 2021, his defence counsel, Michael Bowman, said Whelan had four children, aged between three and 10, and that he was their primary carer following the death of his partner.

Mr Bowman said Whelan had undergone drug and alcohol counselling and that his priority was the upbringing of his children since the death of their mother.

Mr Justice Tony Hunt noted, however, that Whelan made a number of comments when initially arrested by gardai.

Whelan with Aoife McGregor

This included him telling them that he got the cash from up his Swiss roll and that they could keep it.

He also told detectives Im a dangerous criminal and to look me up. The court heard this was in reference to Whelan being jailed for six years over a 1.6m drug seizure at a hotel in Dublin city centre.

The infamous bust, carried out at the Holiday Inn in March 2000 when Whelan was just 17, was seen as the beginning of the Crumlin-Drimnagh feud which led to 16 people being murdered.

Both he and his pal Phillip Griffiths received hefty sentences in relation to the 1.6 million seizure.

Whelan left Ireland in 2009 after the introduction of new gangland laws and moved to the UK where he lived until 2016.

He was a close associate of the Kinahan cartels top man in the UK, Thomas Bomber Kavanagh.

The Intercontinental Hotel room bust in 2019, for which Whelan was most recently jailed, led to a Criminal Assets Bureau probe into his affairs and the States seizure of 75,000 from him, which was judged to be the proceeds of crime.

Documents found during CAB searches following his arrest suggested that he had property in the UK and had been paying a mortgage, which had been transferred to a vulture fund.

It was also heard that Whelan was in possession of a drugs tick list and an EncroChat phone at the time of his arrest, which happened 18 months before Dutch and French police hacked the network and staged massive arrests across Europe.

Aoife was previously married to Mark Elliot, whom she split from in November 2020.

Bride Erin with Terry

In an exclusive interview with this reporter in August 2021, Mark told us the marriage ended over the issue of children.

It was basically to do with kids  she wanted a baby and I didnt, Mark told the Sunday World back then.

In a remarkable insight into one of Irelands most famous families, Mark detailed the fall-out from the marriage break-up, admitting that Conor and others could see the split coming a long time ago.

We almost made it to our four-year anniversary  which is a long time to be married in this day and age, he laughed.

Dubliner Mark (48), who has twin 23-year-old daughters from a previous relationship, said the marriage stopped working.

The life we were living together, it just wasnt working. It wasnt for me and it wasnt for her. She wanted to do one thing, and I wanted to do the other and thats it, he said.

Conor McGregor, Erin and Terry all shared behind the scenes pictures of the wedding  but none of them included Graham Whelan.
Simeon in the market to tutor law students as Enoch again returns to Wilsons Hospital school

The Burke family at the Criminal Courts of Justice

Simeon Burke is escorted out of the Court by gardai

Simeon Burke is offering to help students for 25 an hour

Simeon Burke, who recently successfully appealed his conviction for breach of the peace following a melee in Dublins Four Courts, is offering his expertise to law students at a rate of 25 an hour.

Burke (25), who qualified as a barrister last year, is a brother of teacher Enoch Burke, who spent more than 400 days in Mountjoy Prison for breaching a court injunction ordering him to stay away from a Westmeath school.

Enoch Burke was released from prison in June when the last school term and State exams had ended, but he returned to the school this week to coincide with the beginning of the new year.

The wider Burke family, who are Evangelical Christians, also hit the headlines this week after they objected to An Post delivering their post in a van with LGBTQ+ colours.

Now it has emerged that Simeon  one of 10 siblings in the Burke family  is offering his service as a tutor to law students for a knockdown fee on the website, superprof.ie.

Simeon Burke is offering to help students for 25 an hour

He was called to the Bar last October after being awarded his barrister-at-law degree from Kings Inn.

He charges 25 an hour to tutor law students and is offering the first lesson free.

Simeon says he will offer the lessons in person within 50km of his Castlebar home, or online.

As well as his qualification as a barrister, he also says he has a Bachelor of Civil Law degree from the University of Galway and a Master of Law degree from the University of Cambridge.

I interned at the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court in 2021 as a participant in the University of Galway School of Law-Suffolk University Law School summer externship programme. I was selected as an Iveagh Fellow in 2021 and went on to intern in the area of disability rights policy, Simeon wrote in an online biography.

He offers to tutor law subjects including Tort, Constitutional, Contract, Criminal, EU, Administrative, Company, Labour/Employment, Land, Evidence, Equity, Irish Legal System, Legal Methods & Research.

The website also includes a number of glowing testimonials from Simeons clients.

One writes: Deadly! I had the privilege of being tutored by Simeon in preparation for my Barrister-at-Law entrance exams, and I cannot recommend him highly enough.

If youre looking for an outstanding tutor who will go above and beyond to help you achieve your goals, Simeon is the perfect choice.

While another says: Simeon is super organised, diligent in his preparation of the tutorials and gives more than 100pc to his student.

At least once or twice in a lifetime you will meet a teacher who inspires you. Simeon is definitely one such as that.

On Thursday, Simeons brother, Enoch, defied a court order for him to stay away from his former job in a Westmeath school and turned up as it opened for its first day of term today.

Mr Burke arrived at the Wilsons Hospital school premises near Multyfarnham and spent the working day there, leaving just after 3pm at the same time as other staff and pupils.

Speaking to reporters, Mr Burke denied it was inevitable that he would end up back in prison.

Last July, Simeon was convicted of a volatile breach of public order following a melee at Enochs High Court case in March 2023. However, the conviction was overturned on appeal in April.

Simeon Burke is escorted out of the Court by gardai

Judge John Martin said he did not feel that the garda evidence in the case had met the standard to prove Mr Burkes behaviour warranted a criminal conviction.

I have heard evidence that he strongly resisted [gardai] and was obstructing them and was crying terms concerning transgenderism and that gardai should deploy their resources to other parts of the city, said Judge Martin in his ruling.

Does it reach the criminal standard? I am afraid it doesnt and I am allowing the appeal, the judge said.

Martina Burke outside court

In May this year, Simeons father, Sean, and sister, Ammi, were found guilty of offences arising out of the same incident at the Four Courts last year.

Sean Burke was found guilty of assault after a trial heard he grabbed and flung a female garda to the ground after his wife was escorted out of the court.

He was given the Probation Act, leaving him without a recorded conviction despite being found guilty.

The Burke family at the Criminal Courts of Justice

Ammi Burke, a qualified solicitor, was found guilty of obstructing a garda during the same commotion and fined 400.

She said she didnt intend to pay the fine and was appealing the conviction.

In June, Simeons sister Jemima was convicted of a public order offence after running up and down a street recording witnesses and legal professionals involved in an inquest.

She was convicted and fined 350.
Sources say Glen Killer Kane, who was scooped by PSNI officers after attending a race-hate rally, is worshipped by a small band of locals in Belfasts Shankill area

Coolock Says No flag with Loyalist protesters on the streets of Belfast

Glen Kane refused to speak to the Sunday World this week when we called to his Shankill road home

Keyring tributes to a sectarian loyalist killer who appeared at a rally with Coolock Says No protestors are on sale in Belfast, the Sunday World has learned.

Sources say Glen Killer Kane, who was scooped by PSNI officers after attending a race-hate rally, is worshipped by a small band of locals in Belfasts Shankill area despite  or maybe because  of his sick past.

Kane was jailed for nine years in 1992 for his part in kicking a Catholic to death and, although UDA sources are adamant he never joined the terror group, over the decades hes been like a groupie to the most feared loyalist paramilitary leaders.

Kane hit the headlines last month when he was spotted at an anti-immigrant rally in Belfast city centre.

The rally was also attended by a number of members of the Coolock Says No group who travelled from Dublin for the event.

Glenn Kane in his mirror sunglasses

It has been reported that the Dubliners were also seen drinking with known UDA members at a loyalist bar after attending the anti-immigration rally.

Taoiseach Simon Harris has condemned those who hijacked the Irish flag to march alongside paramilitary actors in Belfast, and urged them to leave our flag alone.

Two weeks ago, a crowd of supporters gathered around Kanes home as a posse of police officers arrived to arrest him.

In his Shankill Road heartland  where he is known by the nickname Mr X  he has been treated as a local hero.

The Glenn Kane tribute keyring on sale

And we can today reveal that local shops are now cashing in on Kanes new fame by selling mini Mr X key rings at 2 a pop.

The two-inch caricature figures show Mr X dressed in a black suit, white shirt and red tie and wearing his trademark mirrored sunglasses.

One shopkeeper told us: They have been flying out the door ever since Glen appeared in the news over the demos.

Coolock Says No flag with Loyalist protesters on the streets of Belfast

But when the Sunday World caught up with Kane at his Riga Street home this week, we discovered that Mr X had reverted to Mr Nasty.

Our reporter greeted Kane on his doorstep with pleasant: Hello Mr X. Can I have a quick word?

But after taking a few seconds to weigh up the situation, the veteran loyalist barked back: F**k off  Ive nothing to say.

Kane  wearing his usual royal blue Ulster Rugby top  slammed the door shut, causing two reinforced glass panels to rattle in their frames.

According to friends, Kane (58) adopted his nickname as a teenager after learning his hero, cut-throat killer Lenny Murphy, was dubbed Mr X during the notorious Shankill Butchers murder trial.

At the time, it was a legal requirement because Murphy wasnt one of the accused men standing in the dock.

Shankill Butcher leader Lenny Murphy

When the case concluded in February 1979, 11 members of Murphys UVF murder gang were convicted of 19 murders. And creating a legal record, Judge Turlough ODonnell handed them 42 life sentences.

But master butcher Lenny Murphy had successfully managed to evade justice, although he was shot dead by the IRA three years later.

Friends who knew Glen Kane as a teenager say he became obsessed with the infamous Shankill Butchers boss.

Kanes recent celebrity status on the Shankill reached fever pitch two weeks ago when heavily armed cops scooped him outside his Riga Street home.

Neighbours and friends cheered and clapped as burly PSNI officers led the handcuffed Mr X to a waiting police Land Rover.

Police had suspected Kane and others were orchestrating race riots and spreading misinformation on the internet, which may have influenced attacks on immigrant homes, businesses and religious buildings.

And after quizzing Kane for two days, they placed him before Belfast Magistrates Court, where he was charged with possession of threatening, abusive or insulting written material, for distribution with intent to stir up hatred.

Kane with Johnny Mad Dog Adair

The court heard how, during a search of Kanes home, police found a UVF flag, badges and a picture, a UFF snood, two Britain First hats, a key tag and a British National Party video.

Police also seized 100 copies of a booklet which claimed to be concerned with the immigration crises.

Kane conceded he had attended a demonstration in Belfast city centre, but said he only went for a look and took no part in the rioting which followed.

But the Shankill Road man appeared to enjoy his brief court experience last week.

Judge Michael Ranaghan twice warned him to desist from smiling during the proceedings, before granting him bail with extremely strict conditions imposed.

In 1993, Kane was part of a loyalist gang which battered 35-year-old Catholic man Patrick Abrams to death near North Howard Street army barracks.

Kane received a nine-year sentence when he pleaded guilty to manslaughter and riotous behaviour.

And it is believed it was Kanes time in jail  where he met and mixed with hardened loyalist terrorist leaders  which influenced his future political outlook.

Glen Kane is a true loyalist. Hes studied the history of loyalism, but hes also studied the IRA, claimed a former prisoner who served time alongside him in the early Nineties.

In 1994, Kane earned his loyalist wings when he took part in a rooftop protest inside Crumlin Road Prison.

He and 100 others managed to gain access to the prison roof and they hurled slates and other debris at staff below in the yard.

Kane was pictured on the roof standing next to UFF boss Johnny Mad Dog Adair and Red Hand Commando killer Frankie Curry, later murdered by the UVF.

Glen Kane refused to speak to the Sunday World this week when we called to his Shankill road home

The dispute arose over the enforced integration of prisoners. Two years before, the IRA had killed a loyalist prisoner by planting a bomb in the canteen area. And loyalists replied firing an RPG rocket at a block which housed IRA prisoners.

During that period, Kane was close to Frankie Curry and Johnny Adair. The truth is he idolised Johnny and he hung on his every word, said an ex-prisoner.

The Sunday World has learned that around the same time, Kane also struck up a close prison friendship with fellow Shankill Road man Bobby Moffet, later shot dead by the UVF in 2010.

He was also pictured enjoying a trip around Belfasts Victoria Centre with his close friend and advisor Clifford Peeples.

Known in loyalist circles as the Pipe Bomb Pastor, Peeples was also arrested in the wake of the Belfast street violence. He was released on police bail pending further inquiries.
Inner city pub bags itself another couple of world-famous customers

Shay Duignan with Ed Sheeran and Niall Horan in the Hacienda, off Dublins Capel Street

Dublins secret hideaway for the stars, The Hacienda Bar on Little Mary Street, played host to a couple of well-known musical faces on Friday night.

Fresh from his sold-out show at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham, Niall Horan brought along pal Ed Sheeran to meet the legendary owner of the northside night spot, Shay Duignan, who welcomed the musical duo to his speakeasy.

Posting on social media, Shay wrote: Great to welcome Ed Sheeran and Niall Horan to the Hacienda last night. It was a wonderful night and it was also special to welcome James Blunt and Lewis Capaldi.

In the picture that will join the numerous others dotted along its hallowed walls, Shay is joined by the One Direction star, who had earlier delighted fans by introducing his good friend Sheeran, who joined him on stage.

Niall Horan and Ed Sheeran on stage at Kilmainham

Horan who was back in Dublin to play two nights this weekend, is currently on his Show tour, his biggest yet, as he performs songs from all three of his solo albums.

Horan said: He loves this country dearly and made his way across from England today to be here with us tonight. Can you please give it up for my good friend, the great Ed Sheeran.

The pair sang Horans hit song Little Things, with both playing the guitar.

Sheeran took to Instagram after the show and shared a photo to his stories of himself drinking a pint of Guinness wearing a green Dublin is for Lovers T-shirt.

The lads were just the latest in a long line of famous faces who sought out the citys favourite haunt of the stars.

Taylor Swift booked out the Hacienda speakeasy bar in the capital after her trio of sold-out concerts at the Aviva stadium earlier this summer.

Lewis Capaldi, Aaron Rowe, Ed Sheeran and James Blunt in the Hacienda

Joining the American superstar at the after-party were her boyfriend Travis Kelce and Fleetwood Mac legend Stevie Nicks.

We revealed how inside the bar there are pictures of owner Shay with dozens of celebrities whove enjoyed a tipple in the pub.

The imposing white coloured three-storey pub is located on little known Little Mary Street in the north inner city, which is within walking distance of Capel Street on one side and Smithfield on the other.

Some of the stars have individual framed promotional type pictures on the walls, many of them signed.

Among the well-known faces pictured on the walls, having obviously visited the boozer, are The Stokes, Damien Dempsey, Domhnall Gleeson, Saoirse Ronan, Brian ODriscoll, Hozier, Gavin James, Kate Beckinsale, Glen Hansard, Kings of Leon, Fontaines D.C., Jason Patric, Camille OSullivan, Jack Gleeson, Jennifer Zamparelli, Anna Friel, Erasure, Bronagh Gallagher and Barry Keoghan.

Former taoiseach Leo Varadkar chose the bar to host a 30th birthday party several years ago for partner Matt Barrett.
Im not going to rush getting married because I feel like as women were told to concentrate on certain things like having kids and getting married, but I want to enjoy the now.

Roz Purcell has said that shes not in any rush to get married to her fiance Zach Desmond.

The former Miss Universe Ireland announced that her long-term partner, who is the son of MCD Productions managing director Denis Desmond and Hoziers manager Caroline Downey, had popped the question last August with a series of Instagram snaps at the Cliffs of Moher.

However, the pair are taking it slow when it comes to the next step in their relationship, and Roz admitted that shes too busy living in the present to focus on walking down the aisle.

In my twenties, I always felt like I was in such a rush. I thought I should be getting engaged at a certain age or have a house by that age, she told Her.ie.

But now that Im in my thirties Im going to actually enjoy these things and slow life down. Im really enjoying being engaged.

Im not going to rush getting married because I feel like as women were told to concentrate on certain things like having kids and getting married, but I want to enjoy the now.

The RTE 2fm presenter previously shared how she hasnt put much thought into her nuptials despite getting engaged a year ago.

The wedding planning isnt going anywhere. I havent really done anything. Work has been really busy, so this will definitely be a long engagement, she told VIP Magazine back in May.

The hardest part is finding somewhere where we actually want to get married. We have an idea of what we want but we dont know where.

She said that any newlyweds shes spoken to about their wedding have said that choosing the locations is a crucial step as the ceremony itself wont be for another two years as everywhere is booked out.

The Tipperary native seems to have changed her mind about her and Zachs period of engagement, as she revealed last autumn that she was keen to walk down the aisle as soon as possible following the death of a relative.

She opened up at the time about how the death of her aunt Mary, affectionately known as Mame, made her realise she wanted to tie the knot soon.

"We were hoping to get married as soon as possible because I have lots of older relatives," she told the RTE Guide.

"Our plan was to get married so that Mame could be at the wedding, but she sadly passed away a few weeks ago. She was a huge part of our childhood and was like a second mum to us.

"It was auntie Mame who instilled my love of baking and it was she who kept us busy and entertained as children.

"And yes, Mame will get a big mention at the wedding, Roz added.
Ever so gently, Elaine Williams leans over a canvas, studiously breathing air into a plastic blue straw which directs black ink onto the branches of her painting.

As the dark hue meets the surface it flicks out in all directions, bringing to life vivid little twigs  a beautiful nuance to her creation. Wow.

The complete novice to the world of art is giving her boundless creativity to the artwork  but it is giving her much more in return.

The Mount Maunganui woman has a mild form of cognitive decline which is hereditary. And in the past few months shes been meeting up with Bay of Plenty award-winning artist Bronwyn Copeland to create her own masterpieces.

Bronwyn is among eight artists collaborating with 12 BOP residents living with Alzheimers to create their own artwork to show in a first-of-its-kind exhibition to open in Tauranga next month.

Out of comfort zone

This was completely out of my comfort zone, says Elaine. But Bronwyn was great to work with.

They began with a huge piece of canvas and ended with a sculptural painting that features coffee cup imprints and pieces of LP covers. Theyre things from my life that I love, laughs Elaine.

I have a big family of 11 kids  three of my own and eight step-children  so we added native New Zealand birds onto the frame to represent them. It just evolved and we couldve gone on and on.

Elaine is part of a support group for people aged under 65 who have early onset Alzheimers and is keen to pass on her newfound knowledge of art. I do a lot of jigsaws and crosswords but being introduced to art makes me want to do more.

Dont ignore it

Elaine continues: Anyone who thinks a family member might be declining shouldnt ignore it. Its not something to be frightened of and theres no stigma to it. Its happening to thousands of people.

Elaines artworks will be among a huge variety of work being produced for the exhibition, which in turn will support the work of the local Alzheimers Society.

The August 29-September 21 exhibition is being showcased into September, which is New Zealands Alzheimers Awareness Month. Plus, most artworks will be for sale at the exhibition, with funds raised going to the Alzheimers Society.

And it was Bronwyn  who works as a Tauranga geriatric psychiatrist  who put her two passions together for the greater good.



Elaine Williams blows paint through a straw while working on her creation for Artful Mind. Photo: Bronwyn Copeland.

Vital

Why does she think its vital for people who living Alzheimers to participate in things like art?

Its [important] for many reasons. Firstly, cognitive stimulation  the more exercise you can give your brain, the better, Bronwyn says.

I think its important for just expressing a story or capturing a memory or a moment in time and also improving quality of life.

Bronwyn had a ball with her four resident art clients.

With one client we worked the whole of Matariki from 9.30am-3.30pm having a fabulous time, painting, chatting and laughing. Id never met the person before but it was fantastic, she says.

And were giving people with Alzheimers a day of total fun, where they can do something different but also express themselves.

The exhibition

In terms of breaking down barriers in society, Bronwyn says connecting total strangers through art is so meaningful as it gives the two involved in the project a common goal.

It makes art accessible to all and collaboration with clients who have their own challenges makes it even more special.

The Artful Mind exhibition opens on August 28 at 5.30pm at The Incubator Gallery, 159 17th Ave, Tauranga. Everyone is welcome. The exhibition runs 10am-3pm Mondays to Saturdays from August 29-September 21.
A long-running Mount Maunganui urban market will end today, leaving one upset regular stallholder exploring other options to make up for lost income and a shopper stuck with the supermarket.

The Mount Mainstreet Urban Market has been running for more than 15 years and is held every Sunday at Te Papa o Nga Manu Porotakataka  formerly the Phoenix car park  from 8.30am to 12.30pm.

The Mount Business Association says the market, which has gone by several names over the years, is no longer viable in its current form - but there is potential for a new local market to take shape in the future.

Liberty Growers has been selling fresh produce at the Mount Mainstreet Urban Market since 2012.

Debbie Miller told the Bay of Plenty Times her family business, Liberty Growers, had been selling fresh produce at the market almost every Sunday since 2012.

This included lettuce, spinach, rocket, herbs, chillis, cherry tomatoes and homemade pestos.

Debbie says she enjoyed seeing lovely regular customers who came every Sunday rain, hail or shine.

She says the closure is really sad and in her view, it had been hard to keep the market vibrant after some stallholders moved on.

Debbie says the closure will affect the business' income because it had a double stall during the summer and was really busy.

The final Mount Mainstreet Urban Market is today, Sunday, August 25.

She already went to the Tauranga Farmers Market on Saturday mornings and would potentially go to a market in Papamoa.

Were just looking at other options.

She and other stallholders had looked into running the market themselves, but found it involved too much paperwork.

This included setting up a not-for-profit company, reporting to the Charities Commission, having a committee with meetings, and getting public liability insurance, she says.

No choice but to shop at the supermarket

Mount Maunganui resident Marlene Brown, 72, says she has been going to the market most Sundays for 13 years and was devastated it was closing.

I just think its sad  its a community service, its a meeting place, [theres] often musicians.

Marlene says the market is walking distance from her home and she uses it to stock up on fruit, vegetables, herbs, and bread.

After the market closed, she would have no choice but to buy her food from the supermarket.

The market is at Te Papa o Nga Manu Porotakataka in Mount Maunganui. Photo / George Novak.

Mount Business Association destination manager Michael Clark confirmed the final Mount Mainstreet Urban Market in its current form is today.

He says the markets status and viability had been an ongoing discussion in the past six months.

The public announcement was made on August 6 with stallholders previously notified.

Michael says factors negatively impacting the market included the feasibility of the weekly event, crossover with other community Sunday markets and losing stallholders.

Our loyal stallholders have expressed to us that they understand the hard decision weve come to. We cant thank them enough for their dedication to turning up every Sunday with their second-to-none local produce. We wish them the very best.

Michael says the associations board and management team would love to see a new Mount Maunganui market take shape when the time was right and there was potential for this to happen in the future.

Its just in its current form that it is no longer viable.

We appreciate that loyal customers are disappointed to hear this announcement. However, we are committed to continuing to put on activations for our community, and initiatives that support our business member community.

Michael says Mount Mainstreet naturally attracted locals and visitors, but it saw great value in bringing more vibrancy to the area across a myriad of events and promotions.

We really feel it isnt goodbye, but see you soon.
Kais Education, a New Zealand-based innovator in the field of educational robotics, has been recognised as one of the top 50 EdTech startups in New Zealand and Australia for 2024 by HolonIQ.

HolonIQs 2024 Australia & New Zealand EdTech 50 list highlights the most promising EdTech companies driving innovation and advancing learning across the region.

With only 50 startups considered for this honour, being named to this prestigious list underscores Kais Educations dedication to transforming the way students interact with technology.

Ronel Schodt, co-founder at Kai's Education says the team couldnt be more proud of this latest recognition.

This places Kais Education among the leading companies making an impact in the educational technology sector across the region. This is a huge milestone for us and supports the next steps in the companys development and global growth, she says.

The recognition comes at a pivotal time as Kais Education continues to expand global reach after recent conferences in the States, working on integrating their solutions into schools, extracurricular programs, and homes worldwide.

Bruce Jackson presenting to teachers at ITS. Photo: Supplied.

KaiBot, the companys latest educational robot, has gained international recognition for its versatile and student-friendly approach to teaching coding through block-based and text-based platforms, such as Block.ly and Python.

Ronel says that Kais Education is committed to fostering future-ready skills through engaging, hands-on learning experiences.

Their core products, KaiBot and Kais Clan, empower students to explore coding, robotics, and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) concepts through hybrid physical and virtual environments.

Kais Educations mission is to inspire students of all ages to become confident creators and innovators in the rapidly evolving digital world.

At Kais Education, we really believe in nurturing curiosity and creativity from an early age, helping students become problem-solvers and critical thinkers, as well as providing an inclusive platform and space for all, says Ronel.

Students using Kai's Education resources. Photo: Supplied.

Kais Education is not only focused on academic achievement but also on preparing students for the future workforce, recognising the growing demand for industry qualifications and 21st-century skills that are essential for success in todays rapidly evolving job market.

Thats why we are expanding our curriculum to include studies that equip students with the practical skills and knowledge they need to thrive in various industries.

"By bridging the gap between education and real-world applications, we ensure that students are prepared to seamlessly transition into the workforce, ready to meet the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century, says Ronel.

The future looks bright for Kais Education as it continues to break down barriers to coding and robotics education, striving to make STEAM accessible to all learners. The company remains committed to growing its influence in the EdTech industry and shaping the next generation of innovators.

For more information, visit Kais Educations website at www.kaiseducation.com and read more about the HolonIQ 2024 Australia & New Zealand EdTech 50 list here.
We recently compiled a list of the 7 Cheap Chinese Penny Stocks to Buy According to Hedge Funds. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Gaotu Techedu Inc. (NYSE:GOTU) stands against the other cheap Chinese penny stocks.

As China navigates its ambitious economic goals for 2024, the spotlight is increasingly on undervalued investment opportunities, particularly in the realm of Chinese penny stocks. These low-priced stocks, often overlooked by mainstream investors, are gaining traction among hedge funds due to their substantial upside potential in a rapidly changing economic landscape. Chinas economic trajectory has captured global attention, especially in the wake of recent discussions at the World Economic Forums Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2024. Premier Li Qiang, addressing the gathering of global leaders in Dalian, emphasized the vast potential of Chinas market. Chinas large market is open, he stated, underscoring the nation's commitment to leveraging new industries and technological advancements to drive economic growth. Despite recent slowdowns, there is a prevailing optimism about meeting the countrys ambitious growth target of 5% for 2024.

The World Economic Forum's discussions reflected a consensus on the critical role of new growth avenues and high-quality development. As China transitions from a period of high-speed growth to one of high-quality growth, industries such as artificial intelligence, digital financial services, and green technologies are poised to play pivotal roles. This transformation is supported by substantial investments in clean energy and research and development, areas where China is already making significant strides. Hedge funds, recognizing the potential for high returns in this evolving market, are turning their attention to Chinese penny stocks. These stocks, characterized by their low prices and high volatility, offer a unique opportunity for investors willing to navigate the risks associated with emerging markets. The attractiveness of these investments is heightened by Chinas commitment to innovation and growth in key sectors, which could translate into substantial gains for early investors.

In a recent podcast episode, Laura Wang and Robin Xing from Morgan Stanley discussed their 2024 outlook for China's economy and equity markets. Wang, the Chief China Equity Strategist, and Xing, the Chief China Economist, highlighted that China's recovery post-reopening has been underwhelming in 2023, facing significant challenges in housing and local government financing. Xing noted that China is grappling with "3D problems"debt, deflation, and demographics. Despite some progress in reflationary measures, the recovery remains uneven, and it may take time for economic stability to be achieved. To avoid a debt deflation loop, Xing suggested a comprehensive 5R action plan: Reflation, Rebalance, Restructuring, Reform, and Rekindle. This plan involves stimulating the economy, rebalancing towards consumption, restructuring troubled sectors, reforming state-owned enterprises, and revitalizing the private sector. Currently, only about 25% of this plan has been implemented, with expectations of reaching 50% by the end of 2024.

Story continues

On demographics, Xing pointed out that China's aging population is likely to dampen growth, with labor quantity lowering GDP growth by 40 basis points annually from 2025 to 2030. However, efforts to improve labor quality and revive private sector confidence could help mitigate this impact. Looking ahead, Morgan Stanley forecasts modest GDP growth recovery for 2024, expecting real GDP growth to rise slightly to 4.2% and a rebound in the GDP deflator to 0.6%. Challenges remain, particularly in stabilizing aggregate demand and managing housing and local government debt. Monetary policy is anticipated to stay accommodative with expected interest rate cuts. Regarding Chinese equities, Wang anticipates a largely range-bound market with limited upside, projecting the MSCI China index to reach a target of 60 by the end of 2024. While there are headwinds on corporate earnings, opportunities for high-quality investments in growth sectors remain. For investors, Wang recommends focusing on high-quality names with strong earnings and management, which can provide downside protection and upside potential when market conditions improve.

In this article, we will explore seven Chinese penny stocks that are currently drawing interest from hedge funds. These stocks are seen as promising due to their alignment with Chinas strategic economic goals and their potential to benefit from the country's evolving market dynamics. This examination will not only highlight the potential returns but also offer a deeper understanding of the investment landscape in Chinas rapidly evolving economy. As China continues to open new avenues of growth and innovation, the opportunities within its penny stock market are becoming increasingly apparent.

Our Methodology

For this article, we first used a stock screener to list down all Chinese penny stocks (under $5) with PE ratios under 20. We then picked 7 of these stocks with the highest number of hedge fund investors. We gauged hedge fund sentiment for these equities using Insider Monkeys database of 912 hedge funds. The stocks mentioned in this article are penny stocks. Therefore the number of hedge funds bullish in these stocks is small.

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).

The College With the Unhappiest Students

A line of students working on their computers in an after-school tutoring center.

Gaotu Techedu Inc. (NYSE:GOTU)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 18

Gaotu Techedu Inc. (NYSE:GOTU), a prominent player in the technology-driven education sector, has shown strong growth and operational resilience in its Q1 2024 results. The company was founded by Xiang Dong Chen in June 2014 and is based in Beijing, China. The company's net revenue surged by 33.9% year-over-year to RMB946.9 million, driven by robust product innovation and expanding market reach. Gross billings also climbed 35.3% year-over-year to RMB729.4 million, reflecting Gaotu Techedu Inc. (NYSE:GOTU) increasing market penetration and enhanced customer base.

A significant factor bolstering Gaotu Techedu Inc. (NYSE:GOTU) outlook is the recent relaxation in Chinese regulations for after-school tutoring. The Chinese government, having previously imposed stringent restrictions, has begun to reverse its stance amid rising youth unemployment and economic challenges. This policy shift is expected to benefit major players like Gaotu, which has already demonstrated strong performance in its non-academic tutoring segment. In Q1 2024, over 75% of Gaotu's revenue came from non-academic services, reflecting a 35% increase year-over-year and showcasing the sectors growth potential.

Gaotu Techedu Inc. (NYSE:GOTU) financial health is robust, with substantial cash reserves of RMB3.8 billion supporting ongoing investments in educational content and service enhancements. The companys diverse educational offerings, including new offline learning centers and comprehensive services, enhance its competitive edge and market position.

Looking forward, Gaotu Techedu Inc. (NYSE:GOTU) growth prospects are promising. The companys strategic investments and policy tailwinds are expected to drive sustained revenue and profitability. The recent regulatory changes provide further upside potential for Gaotu Techedu Inc. (NYSE:GOTU) stock price, positioning it as a compelling investment opportunity despite inherent risks such as regulatory fluctuations and demographic shifts.

In the second quarter of 2024, the number of hedge funds with stakes in Gaotu Techedu Inc. (NYSE:GOTU) increased to 18 from 17 in the previous quarter, according to Insider Monkeys database. The combined value of these stakes is approximately $72.22 million. Run Ye, Junji Takegami And Hoyon Hwangs Tiger Pacific Capital emerged as the largest stakeholder among these hedge funds during this period.

Overall GOTU ranks 1st on our list of the cheap Chinese penny stocks to buy. While we acknowledge the potential for GOTU 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 GOTU 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.
Fernando Alonso Torremolinos Sunday, 25 August 2024, 21:57 Opciones para compartir Copiar enlace

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In 1851, the British traveller Louisa Tenise described Torremolinos as follows: "At the far end of the Sierra de Mijas is the little village of Torremolinos where, like Churriana, most of the bread consumed in Malaga is made. No one can beat the cleanliness of its houses. The river that runs through it drives several mills that are constantly at work. The utmost care is taken in the preparation of the grain before it is milled. It is carefully washed in running water and dried again in the sun, several times, before being sent to the mill. A gentleman, who is known as Parodia, has a lovely cottage here, where visitors can arrange to stay for a while and it really is an enviable place to spend a short period of time in the spring or summer months."

According to Pascual Madoz, in 1849 there were 785 inhabitants living in Torremolinos in 234 houses. As Louisa Tenise observed, the bakery industry was important in Torremolinos, to the extent that it was the town that supplied Malaga with this staple food. When it rained heavily and there was flooding, it was impossible to cross the Guadalhorce and the city ran out of bread. In some extreme cases, Malaga city council had to send a boat to Torremolinos to bring bread, as happened in January 1856.

The first boarding accommodation in Torremolinos was run by Nicolas Parodi, a former army officer (who our traveller refers to as 'Parodia'). This military officer owned an orchard and a house which was located where what is now the house of the Barrabino family, opposite the entrance to Calle San Miguel. Juan Trujillo, who has just published 'Historia de Torremolinos' (history of Torremolinos), has documented this pension in 1845, which brings it some 75 years ahead of the legendary Hotel del Ingles, which began operating around 1920. Parodi's country house must have been quite comfortable and elegant, as the English consul, the proto-tourist of the millions who would visit in the following century, often stayed there.

In Torremolinos there were as many as nineteen mills, from the Inca mill to the Peligro (dangerous) mill, so called because of its proximity to the sea at a time when this location was not an advantage, as there were many dangers, from pirate attacks to storms. Torremolinos was crossed by a natural river that fed the mills, of which there are traces in the toponymy of Calle Cauce (gully), parallel to Calle San Miguel. Many houses opened their back doors to this stream. For centuries, the cascade of water from the springs of Torremolinos was visible from the sea and attracted all kinds of boats to take on water.

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In 1760, sixteen mills were working at full capacity in Torremolinos. The construction of the Santa Clara castle in 1763 meant peace of mind for the millers and the residents in general, as it protected the coast from undesirable incursions. The industrial exploitation of the water from the springs can be considered the origin of Torremolinos.

However, there was a lack of water in Malaga and the springs of Torremolinos were able to guarantee an abundant and continuous supply. After six years of construction, the Torremolinos water supply was inaugurated on 19 June 1876. It was a historic day for the capital but marked the beginning of the decline of the mills, as it led to the compulsory expropriation of the water usage rights previously enjoyed by the millers. Nevertheless, the management of this service was riddled with irregularities.

Torremolinos, Spain's paradise This was the first slogan that promoted Torremolinos as a tourist destination in a national campaign. It dates back to 1940, and we can share it today thanks to the research of Juan Trujillo. At that time, the town had two still unspoilt beaches, separated by a promontory (where the Englishman's hotel once stood). However, for many of its inhabitants, Torremolinos was far from a paradise. The "choros"fishermen from La Carihuelafrequently suffered from storms that battered their homes, which were so close to the beach that they had to open both doors to allow the seawater to pass through, preventing their fragile houses from being destroyed. In the late 1950s, the Hotel Pez Espada was built in La Carihuela. It is said that the owners visited the area and were shocked to see naked, barefoot children. They believed that a luxury hotel could not thrive in such a deprived area and decided to sell the hotel to the construction company, unaware that the Hotel Pez Espada would mark the beginning of Torremolinos development.

In 1913 a mass demonstration took place, led by the Marquis of Larios and Jose Alvarez Net, "to seize (sic) the waters of Torremolinos that supply the city". But Torremolinos was an independent municipality. If Malaga absorbed it, it would be easier. It so happened that Torremolinos' municipal coffers were depleted, apparently because some of the large landowners refused to pay their taxes. The town council's debt amounted to 252,288 pesetas, equivalent to five years' budget.

In 1905, Malaga had annexed Churriana, overwhelmed by its municipal debt. The mayor of Torremolinos, Miguel Fernandez Alcauza, announced at the end of 1923 the unanimous municipal agreement requesting annexation to Malaga. This was made official on 7 January 1924. In 1923, work had begun on the second water pipeline, which was inaugurated three years later. As Juan Trujillo explains, it was clear that the Malaga bourgeoisie was particularly interested in annexing Torremolinos because of the water business. Torremolinos did not secede from Malaga until 1988.
Juan Soto Malaga Sunday, 25 August 2024, 10:18 Opciones para compartir Copiar enlace

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Princess Leonor has made the most of her visit to the Costa del Sol. After being spotted two days ago at a beach bar in Velez-Malaga, the future queen of Spain went on to party at Malaga's annual summer fair with a group of friends.

According to SUR sources, Leonor the Princess of Asturias, visited the Titi 'caseta' where she arrived with five or six friends and a group of bodyguards. Despite there being a lot of people in the area at the time, there are hardly any images of the visit. However, there have been numerous comments on social media.

The heiress to the Spanish throne has visited Malaga just days before joining the military academy where she is studying. In fact, it seems that she came to the city at the invitation of one of her friends and colleagues at the academy, who is from here.

As SUR reported on Friday, the princess was previously seen in Velez-Malaga on the eastern strip of the Costa del Sol. Together with the same group of friends, she dined at the El Saladero beach bar. On that occasion, in an attempt to go unnoticed, she did not take off her black cap during the entire visit.
Juan Cano Malaga Sunday, 25 August 2024, 07:38 | Updated 08:04h. Opciones para compartir Copiar enlace

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A young man died on Saturday (24 August) after the jet ski he was driving was in a collision with a pleasure boat in Marbella. The Guardia Civil is investigating the circumstances of the death.

The incident happened at around six o'clock in the evening. The emergency services received several calls alerting them to the collision and reporting that one person was seriously injured.

The 112 Andalucia emergency coordination centre operators mobilised the Guardia Civil and Spain's Salvamento Maritimo maritime rescue service. The driver of the jet ski, aged 26, was rescued alive, but despite the efforts of the medics to revive him, his death was confirmed shortly afterwards.

This is the second fatal accident in Marbella this summer involving a jet ski. Just three weeks ago, a child died when the water craft he was riding on with his father toppled on top of him. The young boy's family, who had only been on holiday on the Costa del Sol for a couple of days, had gone to spend a day at the beach and were taking a ride on a jet ski owned by some friends. On reaching the shore, the jet ski passed an area of the coast where waves form due to the topography of the seabed there. Just as it crossed this point, the water craft turned on its side and the waves threw its occupants into the water. The jet ski capsized on top of them in a shallow area of the sea.

Since July 2023, four people have died in accidents involving these watercraft along the Costa del Sol's coastline

In the last twelve months there have been two other fatal accidents involving jet skis on the coast of the province of Malaga. One of them happened on Sunday 16 July last year, coinciding with the celebration of the Virgen del Carmen festivities in Malaga city. Marina, aged 32, died after suffering serious injuries after apparently falling from the watercraft after trying to grab her cap which had blown off. A few days later, on 9 August, a 32-year-old French man lost his life in another accident involving a similar craft in Fuengirola.
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Manlius, N.Y.  An English and theater teacher at Fayetteville-Manlius High School died in a car crash Saturday, the schools principal said.

David Engel, 48, was driving a Toyota Camry around 8:38 a.m. in the 8800 block of East Seneca Turnpike when the car went off the road, Manlius police said in a news release.

The car hit telephone poles before overturning, they said.

Engel was taken to Upstate University Hospital, where he later died.

Engel taught drama, helped put together plays in the fall and ran the schools improv and thespian clubs.

In a letter announcing Engels death, the district included a message from a co-worker calling Engel successful at teaching all kids because, most importantly, he understands who they are: people deserving of respect and who want to know that they have been seen and cared for.

He works tirelessly to ensure that every student who wants to try acting has a shot at doing so, the message continued. He turns no child away from pursuing their dream and gives them all a safe space to grow and challenge themselves without fear of being criticized.

F-M high school will be open 5 to 7 p.m. Sunday for counseling support.

Staff writer Fernando Alba covers breaking news, crime and public safety. Have a tip, story idea, question or comment? Reach him at falba@syracuse.com.
Chicago, Ill.  Peggy Chase remembers being moved by Geraldine Ferraros vice presidential nomination in 1984, which marked a historic achievement for women in America.

I remember thinking Oh my god, a woman can do anything, the former Onondaga County Legislator said.

Four decades later, Chase said she saw a powerful continuation of that progress in watching Vice President Kamala Harris presidential nomination as one of New Yorks 307 delegates. The memory of Ferraros candidacy, combined with the hope of electing the first female president in November, serves as a potent reminder of how far women have come in the country and how much further they still need to go, she said.

At the Democratic National Convention last week in Chicago, the party made history in nominating Harris for president  the first Black and Southeast Asian woman to secure the nomination. For arguably the first time in DNC history, it was not men who took center stage at the convention, but women, several being from New York, where the womens suffrage movement began in 1848.

It means everything to me as a woman to see women rightfully taking our places in leadership, Speaker of the New York City Council Adrienne Adams said. I cant tell you how many women have stopped me over the past couple of days, just grabbed me by the arms and said, Weve made it. Weve made it.

The first night of the DNC featured highly-visible primetime speeches from former Secretary of State and New York Sen. Hillary Clinton, Gov. Kathy Hochul and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, all of whom endorsed Harris. Ocasio-Cortez, who serves New Yorks 14th congressional district, received national praise for her speech.

Chair of the New York State Democratic Committee Jay Jacobs praised the inclusion of Ocasio-Cortez, Hochul and Clinton on the national stage, calling it a great night for his daughter, granddaughter and women as they aim to elect the first female president of the United States.

The time is now, its not yesterday, its not tomorrow, Jacobs said at the New York delegation breakfast Tuesday. Three women, three generations, three powerful women who will help lead (New York) forward.

Grace Meng, another female representative from the state, also spoke Wednesday night.

New York Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes said that New York serves as a model for the rest of the country on the effectiveness of women leadership, citing politicians like herself, Hochul, Attorney General Letitia James and State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins. She added that when women are in charge and on the same accord, that anything is possible.

Now thats not saying were leaving our men out, were not because we need them, Peoples-Stokes said. Its just about time they understand they need us too.

Looking at the rising role of women in political leadership, Assemblywoman Michaelle Solages recounted a former colleagues experience of having to address the lack of a womens bathroom on the legislative floor. She noted that such stories reveal both how women are historically excluded, but also how critical their involvement in leadership is.

Solages noted that historically, decision-making has been dominated by men. Even with more women taking on significant political roles, New Yorks male politicians, such as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who could be the next Democratic speaker of the House, continue to wield considerable influence in the state.

Several female New York delegates said that the visibility of female leadership at the DNC combined with Harris historic nomination reflects the progress and potential of women, particularly Black women, in leadership roles. Chase said that Harris unique blend of assertiveness and kindness will bring a necessary female perspective to the White House.

As the first Black female speaker of the first women majority New York City Council, Adams said the prospect of having the countrys first Black female president held personal significance for her.

Looking at Vice President Kamala Harris, I see a lot of myself, Adams said. I see the prospects for our future children and generations to come. I see future daughters, mothers, grandmothers, living through (her.)

Debbie Louis, a New York delegate and a director of New York City Intergovernmental Affairs, said that Harris role as a Black woman in the nations highest office will inspire more women to engage in politics and seek leadership positions at all levels.

Harris serves as an example of Black women finally being allowed at the head of the table, Adams said, shifting the focus from historically male-dominated perspectives. Peoples-Spokes added that electing a diverse female president would change global perceptions and enhance respect for America on the world stage.

Its our turn, we as Black women have been the strongest and most vocal voice  on the Democratic ticket, Peoples-Spokes said. I would have been enormously disappointed in the party had she not been the candidate.

Louis said Harris nomination and political success reflects a breakthrough for women, but also serves as a call to action for women to continue pushing forward.

Its our time, she said. This is a pivotal time in our nation and in New York  and if we do not work together we can ruin what our ancestors have been fighting for for years.

Samantha Olander is a junior journalism student at Syracuse Universitys Newhouse School. She is part of a group of student journalists providing coverage of the DNC for syracuse.com and The Post-Standard.
Geddes, N.Y.  A longtime vendor at the New York State Fair has set aside a table in the Colonnade for the two law enforcement officers gunned down in April, and on Monday will raise money for their families.

Tommy Cs set the table this morning in honor of Onondaga County Sheriffs Deputy Lt. Michael Hoosock and Syracuse Police Officer Michael Jensen. The two were killed April 14 in a shootout by a man with a semiautomatic assault rifle.

Tom Centore, the owner of the stand, prepared the tribute for Law Enforcement Day at the Fair on Monday. The Meiers Creek Brewing Co. created a special label to wrap around its Floatin On By pilsner.

Those two officers would be here enjoying some great Fair food and sipping a beer if they hadnt been murdered that day, Centore said. This is the least we can do in their honor.

Centore and Meiers Creek is donating $1 to the Police Benevolent Association Foundation for every 16-ounce can sold on Monday. The PBA, in turn, will give the proceeds to the officers families.

Tommy Cs is the first food and drink stand located on the righthand side once you pass the wine slushie vendors by Chevy Court. The stand will also have live music from 4 to 6 p.m. and food specials throughout the day at the stand. They will be selling Krispy Kreme doughnuts, with $5 for each dozen sold going to the familys foundation.

While the promotion doesnt start until Monday, fairgoers have already been stopping by to take pictures of the tribute. Many already bought the $8 beers to take home.

Tommy C's, a food and drink stand in the State Fair's Colonnade, has a table reserved for the two law enforcement officers who were gunned down in April. They'll be selling a beer Meier's Creek brewed in their honor and donate the proceeds to the officers' families. (Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com)(Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com)

On Monday, active and retired law enforcement personnel and corrections officers can get into the Fair for free. A ceremony to honor fallen officers begins at noon at the Veterans Memorial in front of the Horticulture Building.

The Law Enforcement Parade steps off from the back of the Exposition Center at 6 p.m. and moves counterclockwise following the perimeter of the building down Broadway, around Cayuga Avenue and back to Iroquois.

****

Charlie Miller is a journalist for syracuse.com and The Post-Standard.Contact him at (315) 382-1984, or by email at cmiller@syracuse.com. (AND he pays for what he and his guests eat and drink, just so you know.) You can also find him under @HoosierCuse on Twitter and on Instagram. Sign up for his weekly Where Syracuse Eats newsletter here.
Even if you might not fully understand what it means in a technical sense, you've probably heard of Novo Nordisk's (NYSE: NVO) medicines like Ozempic and Wegovy. These drugs have been tremendously helpful for people struggling with obesity and type 2 diabetes, respectively.

The underlying compound, called semaglutide, work by targeting the GLP-1 receptor in the human body. And while GLP-1-targeted therapies are relatively new, their success has been tremendous, which is why these drugs help generate billions of dollars for Novo Nordisk and peers like Eli Lilly every quarter.

That's why a handful of biotech companies are hard at work developing new GLP-1 drugs to get a slice of the action. If any of their candidates prove to be safer, more tolerable, or more effective than the existing options, they might just steal market share from the big dogs, supercharging their share price along the way.

Though it isn't alone in being very promising in that regard, there's one biotech in particular that investors should be aware of, so let's take a look and determine if it's a smart investment.

This player has a few tricks up its sleeve

Zealand Pharma (OTC: ZLDP.F) has something most of the other weight-loss biotechs don't: A platform that contributed to drugs that were eventually approved for sale.

Via its past collaborations with Novo Nordisk and Sanofi, two medicines made using its capabilities have been commercialized, one of which targets GLP-1. In the first half of 2024, it brought in around $7.3 million in revenue; its business model calls for passing off all of its proven candidates to big pharma collaborators that can take on the hefty costs of manufacturing and distribution in exchange for a trickle of royalties and milestone payments.

Thus, its revenue today is nowhere near enough to make it profitable or even to cover its research and development (R&D) costs. But as of Q2, it has approximately $1.4 billion in cash, cash equivalents, and marketable investments on hand, and a pipeline that's chock-full of clinical-stage candidates that use GLP-1 and other mechanisms to treat obesity. And some of its programs that don't even target GLP-1 are shaping up to be more capable than anything Novo Nordisk has on the market or in its own pipeline.

Per the initial results of a phase 1b clinical trial published in late June, its program called petrelintide is one of those programs that could one-up Novo Nordisk. In the trial, over the course of 16 weeks, patients lost an average of 8.6% of their body weight. Only one patient out of the 48 in the trial, representing just 2.1% of the cohort, opted to discontinue participation as a result of gastrointestinal side effects, and no patients reported serious adverse events. Phase 2b trials are already planned for later in 2024.

Story continues

For the sake of comparison, 7% of 1,961 patients in one of Novo Nordisk's phase 3 clinical trials testing the active ingredient of Wegovy discontinued treatment due to the same type of side effects, and 9.8% of patients reported a serious adverse event. Plus, over 68 weeks of treatment, study participants lost an average of 14.9% of their weight, suggesting that Novo's molecule is probably not as effective as Zealand's. What's more, preliminary findings suggest that petrelintide may lead to less loss of muscle mass as a proportion of the pounds shed compared to other interventions.

This matchup isn't looking like it's very close, even if the biotech still has late-stage trials to run.

The amount of Novo's pain won't be equal to Zealand's gain

Petrelintide is just one program in Zealand's pipeline, and it isn't even its most mature. Nor does it even target GLP-1, though it has other programs which do.

In short, this means that the biotech could have several opportunities to take a bite out of Novo Nordisk's market share within the next few years. There's not much reason to expect patients to continue taking medicines that are uncomfortable to use, and potentially less effective too.

It'll also have a few chances to one-up the other biotechs in the weight-loss and GLP-1 space. The more its next set of clinical trials confirms the unique capabilities of its candidates compared to the other products on the market, the easier time it'll have in finding a collaborator to commercialize whichever programs it proves to be worthwhile.

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sanchari BHPian

Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Blr/Hyd Posts: 385 Thanked: 536 Times

Re: Interstate transfer of vehicles - Repayment of taxes struck down by J&K High Court Quote: pedrolourenco Originally Posted by

You don't need 2 different registration series for 2 options of tax payment.







The Vaahan database has all the information. They should enhance it so that when someone transfer from one state to another, the people can initiate transfer on the vaahan portal. The vaahan system can then automatically calculate the pro-rated tax that needs to be sent from original to new state, and mention the balance to be paid. At the end of each month, it can calculate the balances to be paid by each state and accordingly transfer it to the states. Whatever remains can be deducted from the central share of taxes that central govt pays to state.



Regarding the RTO office identifier in the registration , like in "KA 01", "TS-07" etc, it has outlived its usefulness. Earlier before computerization, it made sense as all records were maintained in that RTO and it was easier to identify the location quickly. Now that everything is centrally computerized, it is no longer required. The MVA should make it easier for people to register their vehicles or get their driving license from any RTO within the state. What is the need to go to particular RTO only based on your residence address when everything is computerized and stored centrally? Just take address proof for your residence in state and walk into any RTO for vehicle registration, transfer or DL/LL. That is how it works in other countries. In India, since RTOs are money-making centers (with officials paying bribes to get transferred to lucrative RTOs), they don't want to do it. Hope Nitin Gadkari pushes some of these basic changes through, though it is difficult as RTOs/vehicle registration/DL etc are state subjects The different registration series will ensure police can check if any vehicle has paid the renewed fees or not. The whole "Lifetime tax" came about because it is difficult to enforce annual tax in India. In US for e.g., they issue tab stickers when yearly tax is paid, which is stuck on the license plate which has the year mentioned on them. The police use that to identify if taxes are paid or not. That might not scale in India.The Vaahan database has all the information. They should enhance it so that when someone transfer from one state to another, the people can initiate transfer on the vaahan portal. The vaahan system can then automatically calculate the pro-rated tax that needs to be sent from original to new state, and mention the balance to be paid. At the end of each month, it can calculate the balances to be paid by each state and accordingly transfer it to the states. Whatever remains can be deducted from the central share of taxes that central govt pays to state.Regarding the RTO office identifier in the registration , like in "KA 01", "TS-07" etc, it has outlived its usefulness. Earlier before computerization, it made sense as all records were maintained in that RTO and it was easier to identify the location quickly. Now that everything is centrally computerized, it is no longer required. The MVA should make it easier for people to register their vehicles or get their driving license from any RTO within the state. What is the need to go to particular RTO only based on your residence address when everything is computerized and stored centrally? Just take address proof for your residence in state and walk into any RTO for vehicle registration, transfer or DL/LL. That is how it works in other countries. In India, since RTOs are money-making centers (with officials paying bribes to get transferred to lucrative RTOs), they don't want to do it. Hope Nitin Gadkari pushes some of these basic changes through, though it is difficult as RTOs/vehicle registration/DL etc are state subjects Last edited by sanchari : 25th August 2024 at 18:04 .
What just happened? Telegram is one of the largest social media and communication tools currently available with over 950 million active users worldwide. But not all of those users leverage the platform's capabilities with the best of intentions, and the lack of moderation for these users has led to a warrant and arrest of the platform's CEO, Pavel Durov.

Originally reported by the French media outlet TF1, Durov was arrested by the Air Transport Gendarmerie (GTA) on the tarmac of Le Bourget airport around 8 p.m. on Saturday. He was apprehended shortly after departing his private jet following a flight from Azerbaijan.

The warrant for Durov's arrest was authorized by the OFMIN (Office to Combat Violence Against Minors) and issued by French authorities as part of a preliminary investigation into Telegram's practices and potential facilitation of criminal activity.

Contributing factors included Telegram's lack of moderation, Durov's unwillingness to cooperate with law enforcement regarding criminal matters tied to the platform, and the availability of tools like burner phone numbers, encrypted communications, and cryptocurrencies that enable Telegram-based criminal activities.

Unnamed French authorities told TF1 that the warrant was only valid if Durov was on French soil, describing his landing at the airport just outside Paris as "a blunder." Before this incident, Durov had carefully avoided European countries known for keeping a close eye on Telegram and its operations.

Durov's next steps may not be quite what he had in mind after landing at Le Bourget. According to the TF1 report, investigators from the Customs Directorate's National Anti-Fraud Office (ONAF) placed Durov in police custody until he is presented to a judge for indictment. The list of potential charges is serious, referencing everything from terrorism, narcotics, and money laundering to supporting the transmission of pedocriminal content.

French law enforcement sources told TF1 that Durov "allowed an incalculable number of offenses and crimes to be committed, for which he did nothing to moderate or cooperate." He is currently awaiting indictment, which is likely to be followed by detention due to his substantial resources, making him a high flight risk.

This ordeal could mark the closing chapter in the long history of Pavel Durov. Born in Russia, he and his brother, Nikolai Durov, founded Telegram in 2013. Pavel was forced to leave Russia in 2014 after refusing to comply with the government's demands to shut down communities voicing opposition on his previous social media platform, VKontakte, which he later sold. In an interview with Tucker Carlson following his departure, Durov remarked, "I would rather be free than take orders from anyone."
We recently compiled a list of the 10 Best Stocks to Buy According to Value Investor Oldfield Partners. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Infosys Limited (NYSE:INFY) stands against the other stocks recommended by value investor oilfield partners.

Investors, in general, follow herd mentality, causing share prices to drop too low after bad news and rise too high after good news, a tendency further amplified by momentum investing. However, Oldfield Partners LLP, a boutique, owner-managed fund management firm, believes that price discrepancies generated through hyped up news about a certain theme could easily distract investors from finding potential bargains  lowly valued stocks, trading at a healthy discount to their intrinsic worth.

Oldfield Partners was founded in November 2004 by Richard Oldfield. Richard holds a BA (Hons) in History from Oxford University and authored the investing book Simple but not Easy, published in 2007. He has a distinguished career in investment management and governance with his tenure at Oxford University Investment Committee and Oxford University Endowment Management Ltd as Chairman from 2007 to 2014. He is also a director of Witan Investment Trust plc and a trustee for both the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity and Canterbury Cathedral Trust.

Oldfield Partners serves a global clientele, including endowments, pensions, charities, and family offices. Oldfield Partners employs a value investing strategy with a focused, diversified portfolio, no leverage, and a long-term approach. It employs several distinct strategies: Global Equity, EAFE, Global Equity Income, Global Small cap and Emerging Markets (including EM ex China) through separate accounts or a variety of pooled funds.

An example of Oldfield Partners' contrarian investment philosophy is that of South Africa where political and economic crises can create opportunities to purchase quality assets at significant discounts. However, the country's structural issues, driven by poor policymaking, weakened institutions, corruption, and a hostile business environment, make the potential for high returns from low valuations less certain. Over the past decade, South African capital markets have underperformed, with negative total dollar returns compared to the S&P's annualized return of over 12%. The recent elections in May further disrupted the political status quo, adding to the uncertainty.

Opportunity drives Oldfield Partners' investment strategy, which is why their Emerging Market Fund includes a single Russian investmentLukoil, a low-cost oil and gas producer. Before the war, the rationale for investing in the stock was its production of a globally traded, dollar-denominated commodity, making it less susceptible to Russia's domestic economy. Since the war, however, the stock has impacted the fund's performance, though it remains one of the better "performers." Over the past three years, while the MSCI Emerging Markets Index has declined by 17%, the oil and gas producer has risen by 62%. Despite this, sanctions have made it impossible for foreign institutions to trade its shares on the Moscow Exchange, forcing the fund to hold them at a "nil value" (zero). The shares remain in custody with dividends still accruing, and the fund continues to seek a legal exit strategy.

Oldfield Partners currently sees more attractive bottom-up investment opportunities in other emerging markets. Although the emerging markets are still generally improving, they make strong valuation targets. While the firm avoids making short-term predictions, their bottom-up valuation models indicate that the fund's holdings remain appealing, both in absolute terms and relative to other opportunities.

Our Methodology

Stocks mentioned in this article were picked from the investment portfolio of Hosking Partners at the end of the second quarter of 2024. In order to provide readers with a more comprehensive overview of the companies, the analyst ratings for each firm are mentioned alongside other details. A database of around 900 elite hedge funds tracked by Insider Monkey in the second quarter of 2024 was used to quantify the popularity of each stock in the hedge fund universe.

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)

A programmer typing on a laptop, highlighting the cutting edge software engineering solutions provided by the company.

Infosys Limited (NYSE:INFY)

Oldfield Partners' Stake Value: $10,244,687

Percentage of Oldfield Partners' 13F Portfolio: 1.93%

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 25

Infosys Limited (NYSE:INFY) is an Indian multinational IT and consulting services company, headquartered in Bengaluru, India, with operations spanning 50 countries. In Q1 2025, Infosys witnessed its revenues grow 3.6% sequentially and 2.5% year-on-year in constant currency terms, driven by strong performance across all geographies and industry groups. Notably, the financial services segment saw a 7.9% growth, particularly in North America. Infosys Limited (NYSE:INFY) secured 34 large deals, totaling $4.1 billion in contract value, reflecting its position as a preferred partner for consolidation and efficiency programs. Operating margins improved by 1% sequentially, with free cash flow reaching a record $1.1 billion.

Infosys Limited (NYSE:INFY)s investments in generative AI, particularly through their Topaz platform, are gaining strong traction with clients. It is partnering with a telecommunications leader to enhance product engineering with AI and working with a leading bank to modernize IT infrastructure using AI. It has launched Aster, an AI-powered marketing suite, and continues to train its global workforce in AI-first skills, with over 270,000 employees now equipped to deliver AI-powered solutions.

Infosys has raised its revenue growth guidance for the full financial year to 3%-4% in constant currency due to strong performance and outlook, while maintaining operating margin guidance at 20%-22%. Infosys Limited (NYSE:INFY) has closed the acquisition of in-tech, which will further enhance its capabilities in the engineering sector. With a robust pipeline and ongoing investments in AI and cloud services, it is well-positioned for continued growth.

Overall INFY ranks 9th on our list of the stocks recommended by value investor oilfield partners. While we acknowledge the potential of INFY 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 more promising than INFY 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 10 Stocks in June.

Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.
Brazil deploys military planes in 'war' on wildfires



Ribeirao Preto, Brazil, Aug 25 (AFP) Aug 25, 2024



The Brazilian government is deploying military aircraft as part of a "war" against wildfires ravaging the southeastern state of Sao Paulo, where dozens of cities are on high alert, officials said Sunday.

Following a crisis meeting of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's cabinet, Environment Minister Marina Silva announced a "war against the fire" and said federal police were investigating the "atypical situation" that has caused extensive damage and disruption.

Tarcisio de Freitas, the Sao Paulo governor, decreed a state of emergency in 45 municipalities and said two people suspected of starting fires had been arrested.

With dense smoke drifting across a wide swath of Brazil -- even reaching capital city Brasilia 720 kilometers (450 miles) to the north -- several flights have been canceled and travel on some roads has been halted.

"I stuck my nose out last night around 7:00 pm and I had a lot of trouble breathing," 66-year-old retiree Carlos Rodrigues told AFP. "I've lived here 32 years and I've never seen anything like it."

Two factory workers died Friday in Urupes, in the northern part of the state, while fighting a fire, officials said.

The military aircraft being deployed include a KC-390 Embraer, a converted troop transport craft that can drop up to 12,000 liters (3,170 gallons) of water on fire zones.

The Embraer was sent to one of the cities most threatened, Ribeirao Preto, about 300 kilometers from Sao Paulo.

But Lula said the plane "was unable to operate because of the amount of smoke," adding: "That gives you an idea of the problem."

Videos posted on social media showed the city plunged into near-darkness by a dense layer of smoke. Some residents have had to evacuate.

"It's apocalyptic," a person is heard saying on one video.

Around the region, farm fields have burned and scores of cattle have died.

Governor de Freitas said 10 million reais (around $1.8 million) was being allocated to help farmers who lose crops or livestock.

Amid prolonged drought, Sao Paulo state is experiencing its worst month for fires in decades, with 3,480 separate blazes identified, according to INPE, the National Institute for Space Research.
Nuthawut Somsuk / Getty Images

As the 2024 presidential election approaches, Pennsylvania residents are weighing how each candidates policies could impact their financial futures. For many, retirement security is a top concern. Two Keystone State voters shared their thoughts on why they believe Vice President Kamala Harriss proposals would be better for their retirement plans.

Mark S., 62, is a middle-class resident of Harrisburg looking to retire in the next few years. Sarah J., 59, is a part-time administrator from Pittsburgh just starting to think seriously about saving for retirement. Both see Harriss policies as potentially beneficial for their long-term financial security.

Check Out: Mark Cuban and Many Other Venture Capitalists Are Supporting Harris for President  Heres Why

Up Next: 7 Reasons You Must Speak To a Financial Advisor To Boost Your Savings in 2024

Earning passive income doesn't need to be difficult. You can start this week.

Protecting and Expanding Social Security Benefits

As someone who has paid into Social Security my entire working life, Im counting on those benefits to form a significant part of my retirement income, Mark explained. Hes concerned about projections showing that Social Securitys trust funds could be depleted by 2033, potentially leading to across-the-board benefit cuts.

Mark appreciates Harriss consistent opposition to Social Security cuts and her support for expanding the program. Her backing of the Social Security Expansion Act, which would increase benefits by $200 per month for all recipients, could make a real difference in helping me keep up with rising costs in retirement, he said.

Sarah, while retirement is a little further off for her, also sees the value in strengthening Social Security. Knowing theres a strong safety net in place gives me peace of mind as I head into the great unknown of retirement  hopefully sooner rather than later! she said.

Learn More: Trump Wants To Eliminate Income Taxes: How Would That Impact You If You Are Retired?

Boosting Retirement Savings Incentives

Both Mark and Sarah believe Harriss support for expanding tax credits and other incentives to encourage retirement savings could help them build their nest eggs.

Ive been working hard to maximize my 401(k) and IRA contributions, Mark said. Policies that provide matching contributions for middle-income workers like myself could really help me make the most of these crucial years before I stop working.

Sarah added, As someone just starting to think seriously about retirement savings  I know! Im so late!  any extra help to boost my contributions would be welcome.

Story continues

Lowering Healthcare and Prescription Drug Costs

Mark is approaching retirement age and healthcare costs are important to him. Medicare doesnt cover everything, as my mom never fails to remind me, he said. Harriss support for [expanded] Medicare could potentially save me thousands  especially on my hearing aids!

While not an immediate concern, Sarah also sees the value in addressing healthcare costs. Knowing there are efforts to make healthcare more affordable in retirement means I can focus on saving for retirement, she said.

Maintaining a Strong Economy

As he heads into retirement, Mark is very concerned about his nest egg.

A strong economy is crucial for the health of my retirement accounts, Mark shared. I cannot have my portfolio tanking right as I stop working for good.

He likes that Harris is focused on creating steady, long-term growth rather than short-term booms and busts.

Addressing Climate Change

An issue thats perhaps not typically associated with retirement planning, climate change, is on both voters minds.

Im increasingly concerned about how climate change could impact my golden years, Mark said. Extreme weather events are scary, but theyre also avoidable! I appreciate that Harris has made addressing climate change a priority.

Sarah shared similar thoughts: As a mom and soon-to-be grandma, Im thinking about the world my daughters and (hopefully multiple!) grandkids will inherit. I want a planet thats safe and comfortable to live in  today and forever.

Both Mark and Sarah acknowledged that campaign promises dont always translate to policy realities. A lot of it depends on Congress, right? Mark said. But based on her track record and stated priorities, I believe a Harris administration would work harder to protect and enhance retirement security for middle-class Americans like myself.

Editors note on election coverage: GOBankingRates is nonpartisan and strives to cover all aspects of the economy objectively and present balanced reports on politically focused finance stories. You can find more coverage of this topic on GOBankingRates.com.

More From GOBankingRates

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: I Live in Pennsylvania: 5 Reasons Harris Would Be Better for My Upcoming Retirement
Expert tips on what you need to do to successfully launch your small business idea.

A surprising number of Australian companies have indicated they are confident about the state of the economy despite inflationary pressures and high interest rates, which have caused many businesses to collapse in the past 12 months.

National Australia Bank, the countrys largest business bank, interviewed 700 small- and medium-sized enterprises and found 60 per cent planned to invest to grow their business next year  a positive signal for the economy.

Sixty per cent of businesses surveyed by NAB say they plan to grow their business in 2025. Credit: Penny Stephens

Were starting to see the emergence of a two-speed economy, said Krissie Jones, NABs executive general manager for small business in her first interview since taking over the role a month ago.

Some businesses are thriving, some businesses are struggling, but theres a positive sentiment. The Australian economy, whilst it has been challenged, is really resilient and really impressively. These small business customers can adapt quickly.
Rio Tinto and Woodside Energy have signed up to underpin the launch of a $60 million Australian research hub, where scientists will work with big polluters on novel ways to cut down their emissions and convert their waste into lower-carbon fuels and materials.

As governments and climate-minded shareholders ratchet up pressure on major emitters to tackle global warming, the ASX-listed mining and gas giants have emerged as two key partners of the new bio-sustainability hub at the University of Queensland, the first of its kind in Australia.

Major emitters are backing a push to use a carbon-eating bacteria to convert greenhouse gas into feedstock to make cleaner fuels for the aviation industry. Credit: Nic Walker

The hub will focus on synthetic biology processes, including the use of a carbon-eating bacteria to convert energy giant Woodsides waste carbon emissions into higher-value products, such as a feedstock for ethanol that could ultimately be used to make sustainable aviation fuel.

If successful, proponents say the technology could restrict the amount of harmful emissions released from gas-production activities, and reduce the proportion of jet fuel made using crude oil.
In 2013, Brad McBride was making homemade adult films in Geelong when he published images of an amateur actress, which he promised would stay private, following a property dispute. He created a website, uploaded 12 images from the movies showing the woman engaged in sexual acts, and posted a link on his Twitter account without her knowledge. According to court reports at the time, McBride became unsteady on his feet in the dock when he heard he was facing up to two years jail, and when handed a three-month suspended sentence, he collapsed. An ambulance was called but was not required after court staff administered first aid. McBride regained consciousness, managing to walk out of the courtroom unassisted. Loading Today McBride  going by the name of Brad Shaw  is at the helm of Shawline Publishing Group, along with a slew of other associated publishing entities, though he recently closed an affiliated bookshop. On Thursday Shaw said this mastheads inquiries sound ominous, adding he would only respond to questions after seeing a draft copy of the article before publication. He did not respond to specific questions about his identity, Shawlines business model, bankruptcy or Brad McBrides criminal convictions, instead notifying this mastheads management he was lodging a complaint with the Australian Press Council and commencing legal proceedings.

Authors signed contracts with Shaw to publish their debut books, each paying about $5000 for services such as editing, cover design, distribution and marketing, with Shaw claiming the company would match that price dollar for dollar investing in the books. Authors were charged additional fees to buy copies of their own books from the publisher. All of them claim Shaw promised their books would be successful, but say they received a pittance in royalties and saw little evidence of sales figures or tangible marketing activity. Sydney author Steve Hiles says he has made enough royalties to buy a large coffee at a cheap cafe. Credit: Melinda Jane/Western Weekender Sydney author Steve Hiles estimated the royalties from his biography of 19th-century Australian boxer Albert Young Griffo Griffiths would buy a large coffee  at a cheap cafe. Brad could really talk the talk. He raved about my book; it felt good to hear someone being so flattering about your work  maybe I was being foolish, but he was a great salesman, Hiles said.

Dan Moon said he paid Shaw about $6000 for his book to be published and marketed. He promised me the world, that he would do all this marketing and really put everything into launching the book, Moon said. But he received $650 in royalties. After hiring his own publicist his book was featured in Good Weekend, The Guardian, News Corp publications, spots on breakfast television and talkback radio, features in online sites including Mamamia and a lengthy podcast with media identity Jessica Rowe. Thats millions of potential buyers  I cant believe it has not earned more royalties than what Ive seen, Moon said. He is suing Shawline Publishing in the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal claiming he is owed thousands in unpaid royalties.

I was never given an exact figure of how many copies it sold, Moon said. He has since self-published a revised version titled Time For Her: A Male Escorts Memoir of Love via Amazon. It wasnt that difficult either, sadly. I learnt that the hard way, he said. Author Kim Barden outside Shawline Publishings now defunct bookshop. Fledgling author Kim Bardens relationship with Shaw deteriorated quickly when she attempted to sever ties with the publisher. I feel Brad really plays on peoples dreams, using peoples naivety of the industry to take advantage. The experience left me angry and feeling quite hollow at times. Attempting to convince her to stay, Shaw wrote a lengthy email from a place of care and respect.

When she declined his overtures, he wrote back: Based on your irrational explanation, which is beyond any intelligent comprehension, and my desire to spend not one more cent of my money or minute of my valuable time on this redundant relationship, your works are immediately being removed from our list. Barden has since self-published her works, estimating that in the first three months of her fantasy novel The Gilded Mirror being republished she made four times the $110 royalties she received over three years from Shawline. Alana Andrews worked as a production co-ordinator with Shawline and said she was aware of authors grievances, claiming she is also owed money and has initiated legal action against Shawline. I think potential authors need to know what is really going on, she said. According to Nielsen BookDatas BookScan, the Australian book market was worth $1.33 billion in 2023, with sales of 69.8 million units.

According to the 2023 Australian Society of Authors survey, 52 per cent of respondents earned between $0 and $1999 in the previous financial year. Eighty per cent earned less than $15,000. Shawline Publishing remains a member of the Australian Publishers Association, which is aware of the authors concerns. In a statement, the association said: If there is evidence that a member is operating in a way that is detrimental to the interests of the publishing industry, the board of directors has the power to suspend or expel that member. Loading Australian Society of Authors CEO Olivia Lanchester said the net profit business model was high risk for authors because, despite the authors upfront investment, the publisher must recoup all their costs before paying the author. Typically authors do not have any visibility over what those costs are. In the ASAs view, its unreasonable to be asked to stump up the money but then be kept in the dark on the information required for you to evaluate your financial risk. Most books dont make a profit so, more often than not, the authors will be paid very little or not at all. The question becomes: is this business funded by book sales or funded by authors? Lanchester said, adding the ASA offered a service to help potential authors navigate contracts.
Hundreds of people required help and thousands are without power after thunderstorms hit much of Victoria on Sunday, damaging buildings and downing trees.

Thunderstorms reached Melbourne in the early evening, bringing lightning and heavy rain from 6.15pm. Storms later in the evening saw SES call-outs double to more than 400 in the three hours from 6pm to 9pm.

The SES had 261 calls for fallen trees, 130 for building damage and 39 for flooding as of 6am with Emerald (41 calls), Whitehorse (35 calls) and Bendigo (30 calls) the municipalities in need of most help.

But the wild weather dissipated overnight, with 471 call-outs total in the past 24 hours to 6am.
Woodside is yet to apply for federal environmental approval for a key part of its $30 billon-plus Browse gas export project after its bid for a regulatory shortcut was rejected.

It is a setback for Woodsides plan to develop the gas fields it discovered 51 years ago that already faces possible rejection by Western Australias environmental regulator, as it could affect blue whales feeding, destroy a nesting site for endangered turtles, or damage Scott Reef with an oil spill.

Federal environment minister Tanya Plibersek will decide whether Woodsides plan to bury CO2 under the seabed is environmentally acceptable. Credit: Alex Westover and Wendy Mitchell / Greenpeace

In 2019, Australias largest oil and gas company lodged a proposal for Browse that included releasing up to 107 million tonnes of carbon dioxide from the gas fields into the atmosphere over the projects lifetime.

Woodside told the federal environment regulator in a 2022 submission that capturing and storing the reservoir CO was a high-risk, high-cost option that remains technically challenging; however, with time, carbon capture and storage technology will improve.
Australians make too little of the success of our democracy. So it is unsurprising that last month, the centenary of an event which profoundly shaped it passed uncelebrated and unnoticed. On July 31, 1924, the amendments to the Commonwealth Electoral Act which enshrined compulsory voting at federal elections came into effect.

The vaguely festive character of Australian election days is unique in the world. Credit: Bloomberg

Any well-informed American, British or other foreign political observer or journalist will usually speak of admiration for an electoral system which gives every citizen a sense that they have a stake in the democratic process; one which removes any possibility that the results legitimacy might be called into question by claims that, because of variabilities in turnout, it did not represent the true will of the people.

Compulsory voting has had a hugely stabilising effect on Australian democracy. Objections to compulsion are overcome by the fact  as every election pedant will tell you  that the obligation is not to vote, merely to take a ballot paper. Its such an infrequent and low-level civic obligation that only the sternest of hard-core libertarians would object.

Meanwhile, as is our glorious national custom of taking the pomposity out of serious occasions, election day in Australia is something like a national fete as we troop to schools and community halls to be greeted not just by party workers, but volunteers on cake-stalls, selling raffle tickets and barbecuing the ubiquitous democracy sausage. The vaguely festive character of Australian election days is unique.
Western Australias Environment Minister has described his shock after an 800-year-old tree in the states south-west was cut down to a stump.

The state government hired a contractor to trim the beloved trees branches before the mistake was made.

Its an absolute tragedy that it has been removed, Reece Whitby said of the peppermint tree in the Ferguson Valley.

Im not happy about it. Far from happy about it in fact, and Ive asked for a full report to work out what happened here.
In a city obsessed with cars, theres arguably no more romantic road in Los Angeles than Mulholland Drive. Winding along the craggy ridge of the Santa Monica Mountains for 34 kilometres, its the ultimate stretch of tar for a joyride, with scenic turnouts that have lured forbidden lovers and Hollywood bad boys burning rubber for decades.

Mulholland Drive  You feel the history of Hollywood in that road.

You feel the history of Hollywood in that road, said David Lynch, director of the eponymous murder mystery of 2001 that celebrated Mulholland Drives dreamlike mystique. Its a mysterious road. Its rural in many places. Its curvy, its two lanes, it feels old. It was built long ago, and it hasnt changed too much. And at night, you ride on top of the world.

Like the Hollywood sign, Mulholland Drive began life in 1924 as a means of opening up real estate, a link to the rural outskirts of Los Angeles. But with its celestial heights and views over Downtown, Hollywood and the Valley, it soon became one of the most desirable addresses in itself, attracting movie stars (Clark Gable, Marlon Brando and Jack Nicholson) and mobsters (Bugsy Siegel) alike.

The young stars of Hollywood were also drawn to the parkways infamous curves. James Dean used to practise his car-racing skills on its hairpin bends; while the script for Deans opus magnum Rebel Without a Cause was inspired by chicken runs  where two cars drive towards each other at speed, with the loser first to swerve out of the way  through a tunnel on Mulholland.
 Flash

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) lashed out Saturday at the nuclear strategy of the United States, vowing it will "resolutely cope with any type of nuclear threat posed by the U.S.," state media reported.

The DPRK has denounced the nuclear strategy, saying that the United States is pursuing a unilateral nuclear edge and falsely portraying other countries as "nuclear threats," the official Korean Central News Agency reported, citing a press statement by a DPRK's foreign ministry spokesperson.

The United States' nuclear posture readjustment "has a serious negative impact on the global nuclear balance, security environment and nuclear disarmament system," the statement said. The United States currently holds the world's largest nuclear arsenal.

The statement said the United States has created "a nuclear-based military bloc" with its allies in the Asia-Pacific, including South Korea and Japan. It called the country "the most irresponsible actor and rogue state triggering a nuclear arms race and increasing the possibility of nuclear clashes worldwide," according to the statement.

The DPRK will bolster its strategic strength to control and eliminate all sorts of security challenges that may result from the nuclear readjustment and resolutely counter any nuclear threat, it added.




While many Washington wineries are retrenching and reconsidering their futures during a time when consumer demand for wine appears in decline, at least one family operation in the Horse Heaven Hills has launched an ambitious expansion plan.

McKinley Springs Winery and Horse Heaven Wine Co., owned by the Andrews family, a family whose farming roots reach back to the 1930s, have made two major changes to their operation this year as part of a years-long plan shepherded by Justin Andrews to expand its grape-growing and winemaking operations.

First, the family bought the former 14 Hands winery building in Prosser at the end of May from Chateau Ste. Michelle Wine Estates. Then, in mid-July, they opened a brand-new tasting room at 400 Bradley Blvd. in Richland adjacent to Longship Cellars and The Bradley restaurant.

The family has accumulated a formidable set of resources to implement its ambitious plans. In early 2023, they hired a 13-year veteran of the Ste. Michelle red winemaking team, Reid Klei of Kennewick, to take over a major share of their winemaking, joining Justin Andrews. While at Ste. Michelle, Klei regularly visited the Andrews plantings and got to know several family members.

Chilled bottles of wine are available at the recently opened McKinley Springs Winery and Horse Heaven Wine Co. tasting room. Its located in the River Walk Village at 400 Bradley Boulevard in Richland.

Early this year, they added another industry veteran, Carlos Trevino, whose career in the business stretches back 34 or 35 years. The Prosser native started at Hogue Cellars back to the early 1980s the Hogue family owned it.

There is a new focus, including new labels, new wines, a new winemaker and now a new tasting room in Richland, Justin says enthusiastically. Hes eager to keep the familys vineyards and the McKinley Springs label relevant and inject a new energy as the family moves into the next generation.

Deep roots

His family previously has been best known as owners of Washingtons largest contiguous wine grape planting of about 2,600 acres.

The family originally bought 7,800 acres in the Horse Heaven Hills before World War II and didnt start farming it until after the war because the army used it as a bombing range.

Since 1980, they have grown and then sold wine grapes from their diversified farming operation to scores of wineries that turned those grapes each year into award-winning wines.

As their grape plantings expanded and became renowned for their quality, the Andrews vineyards developed a customer portfolio that included several Ste. Michelle labels, including 14 Hands, H3, Columbia Crest and Ste. Michelle. The family also started making bulk wines sold as inexpensive by-the-glass pours in restaurants and bars and started their own small label, McKinley Springs Winery.

Story continues

McKinley Springs Winery and Horse Heaven Wine Co. bought the former 14 Hands winery building in Prosser at the end of May from Chateau Ste. Michelle Wine Estates.

The familys reinvented McKinley Springs wines will still be rooted in the toil and creativity of generations past, he said, but he aims to bring something new with his new team.

Klei, after working with Horse Heaven Hills grape growers for nearly two decades, said joining the Andrews family was really a homecoming. At Ste. Michelle, he had regularly spent long hours with family members checking vineyards as grape harvest approached in late summer, and well into the fall as various grape varieties ripened and were harvested.

And returning to the Prosser facility is a second homecoming for him. He first started his career working for Ste. Michelle there.

McKinley Springs Winery and Horse Heaven Wine Co. recently opened a tasting room in the River Walk Village at 400 Bradley Boulevard in Richland.

The Andrews are very hands-on and always in the vineyards, Klei said. I got to know Rob Andrews really well, then Justin. The whole family is just really great people.

Exceptional vineyards

Klei says he can count on some of the finest grapes from the Horse Heaven Hills American Viticultural Area (AVA), which stretches roughly 75 miles from Wallula Gap at its east end to its western end near Bickleton.

I can be super selective, he said, noting the three barrels of Cabernet Sauvignon he chose for the reserve tier is only 0.3% of the production of Cab from 2022. The wine was chosen from a great diversity of clones, vine ages and vineyard sites.

Cabernet Sauvignon grapes from the area gained national notice in 2009 when Columbia Crest Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve from 2005  made at least in part from Andrews family grapes  was named the years best red wine by Wine Spectator and awarded 95 points.

Ste. Michelle Wine Estates sold its 14 Hands Winery in Prosser.

Those grapes were stunning examples of the quality the Horse Heaven Hills 17,000 acres of vineyards can produce. The resulting Cabernet displayed lush aromas and flavors of black cherry, blackberry, oak spice, black currant and chocolate, plus good acidity, firm tannins and a long, well-balanced finish. The wine carried its power, strength and finesse well past a decade.

Klei has always seen consistent quality from the Horse Heavens. The source of roughly 20% to 25% of Washingtons grapes, the AVA has since gained a reputation for also producing top-flight Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Malbec, Merlot, Syrah, Carmenere, Grenache, Tempranillo, Viognier and many other varieties.

Richard Larsen, retired research winemaker for the Wine Science Center at Washington State University Tri-Cities, says Horse Heaven Hills grapes possess a number of characteristics that make them distinctive.

The area has a sort of Goldilocks climate, he said, explaining that, because the hills are bordered on the south by broad reservoirs backed up along the Columbia River, temperature extremes are tempered a bit. The Columbia Gorge also channels coastal breezes inland straight up past Wallula Gap. Those winds moderate super-cold winter freezes and mitigate the heat dome effects observed in recent years.

The hills form the east-west backbone of Benton County and extend west across Klickitat and Yakima counties, peaking at Bickleton Ridges 4,327 feet.

They lead to the Simcoe Mountains, which extend west to the Cascades. Their underlying basalt ridges were formed millions of years ago from massive lava flows and eventually folded into cracked cliffs and outcrops that have spent millennia catching wind-blown sands from the Pacific and rocks, gravel and silt that Ice Age floods carried west down channels etched the lands over several thousand years.

Near the backbone of the ridges and just over the hill tops, Larsen said, are the best sites for Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc, whose popularity languished until recently. With the Horse Heavens and other cooler sites producing sensational wines with brilliant acidity and savory aromatics, plus the AVAs dusty minerality.

He noted even such Rhone whites as Roussanne and Marsanne, which are often faulted for lacking acidity and aromatics, can develop surprising complexities in the Horse Heaven Hills.

A new chapter

Such qualities are what Klei aims to produce in all his wines, using upgraded facilities, more new oak barrels, new tanks and new fermenters. What the public will see most readily is the new tasting room on Bradley Boulevard.

Klei looks forward to helping the Andrews family through a time when everyone in the industry expects some difficult times because of a wine grape surplus nationwide.

He describes it as a good time to pivot and readjust, a time to get creative, a time to maybe pull out some vines and varieties that have become less desirable or productive.

Some plots will be replanted to expand on higher-demand varieties, such as Mourvedre and Cabernet Franc, while other plots will be planted in new varieties, including Albarino, one of the states new all-star whites.

The wine grape surplus has changed our mentality a bit, says Andrews. In the past we have relied almost exclusively on selling our grapes to other wineries and making just a little of our own wine. We are now trying to diversify the vineyard more and bring a better balance between grape sales and what we are producing of our own.

Ultimately, we wanted more control of our own destiny, he said. We have great grapes and can make great wine. That pretty much became the motto of his generation of the family. And it also allows him to put to work skills learned at Walla Walla Community Colleges winemaking and viticulture program, which he graduated from in 2007 after studying under the late Stan Clarke, a pivotal figure in the history of Washington wine.

The winemaking Justin has done over the past five years allowed him to hone those skills, with assistance from his family, including his dad, Rob. He started by crushing 11 tons of grapes for McKinley Springs in 2019 and has basically been doubling that each year.

Roughly 300 tons went into the program last year. With the addition of the Prosser production facility, Klei estimated production may reach 1,000 tons this year.

Klei said he believes the Prosser facility can do up to about 20,000 tons, which will leave plenty of room for expansion to serve the new tasting room and new wine club members they aim to attract.

A sign displays the hours of operation for the recently opened McKinley Springs Winery and Horse Heaven Wine Co. tasting room. Its located in the River Walk Village at 400 Bradley Boulevard in Richland.

It feels like this location between George Washington Way and the Columbia River is the perfect place to expand. It feels like a gateway destination within the city.

The family, with its generations of farming in the Horse Heavens, has the experience, skills and patience to know the changes wont all be easy, nor made overnight.

I think we have something special going on, Justin concluded. Its been an exciting time full of growth and change, and I cant wait to hit our goals in the future.

Ken Robertson has been writing about Northwest wine since 1978.
Solingen, Germany: A man suspected of a stabbing rampage in the western German town of Solingen has been taken into police custody, some 24 hours after the attack that killed three people.

The man, a 26-year-old Syrian, had turned himself in and admitted to the crime, Duesseldorf police and prosecutors said in a joint statement.

Police investigators stand at the site of the deadly stabbings that left three dead and eight injured. Credit: Getty Images

The involvement of this person is currently under intensive investigation, they said.

The details provide a somewhat fuller picture of an account by a state official who announced on German television the arrest of the man that authorities had been searching for in the 24 hours since the attack.
Israels military spokesperson, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, said about 100 Israeli planes struck 270 targets, 90 per cent of them rocket launchers aimed at northern Israel. He said they were investigating the percentage of incoming rockets and drones intercepted but said the vast majority were thwarted. This photo taken from a position in northern Israel shows a Hezbollah drone over north Israel during the exchange. Credit: AFP What targets were hit Israel and Hezbollah said they aimed only at military targets. Israel said no military target was hit, but one soldier with its navy was killed and two others were wounded either by an interceptor for incoming fire, or by shrapnel from one. Two Hezbollah fighters and a militant from an allied group were killed, the groups said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the military eliminated thousands of rockets that were aimed at northern Israel and shot down drones heading for the centre of the country. I repeat  this is not the end of the story, he added. Flights diverted as air raid sirens wail Air raid sirens were reported throughout northern Israel, and Israels international airport closed and diverted flights for about an hour. Israels Home Front Command later lifted restrictions in most areas.

Hezbollah said its attack involved more than 320 Katyusha rockets aimed at multiple sites in Israel and a large number of drones. Loading Israels military said its intelligence base near Tel Aviv wasnt hit. Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani, an Israeli military spokesman, said an initial assessment showed very little damage in Israel. How likely is an all-out war? Sundays exchange of fire did not set off a long-feared war, and the heavy firepower and lack of civilian casualties might allow both sides to claim a sort of victory and step back. But tensions remain high.

Hezbollah began firing rockets and drones at Israel shortly after the outbreak of the war in Gaza, which was triggered by Hamas surprise attack into Israel on October 7. Hezbollah and Hamas are allies, each backed by Iran. Israel has responded with airstrikes, and the near-daily exchanges have escalated in recent months. More than 500 people have been killed in Lebanon by Israeli strikes since Oct. 8, most of them fighters with Hezbollah and other armed groups but also more than 100 civilians and noncombatants. In northern Israel, 23 soldiers and 26 civilians have been killed by strikes from Lebanon. Tens of thousands of people have been displaced on both sides of the tense border. Israel has vowed to bring quiet to the border to allow its citizens to return to their homes. It says it prefers to resolve the issue diplomatically through US and other mediators but will use force if necessary. Hezbollah officials have said the group does not seek a wider war but is prepared for one. What would a full-blown war look like?

Israel and Hezbollah fought a monthlong war in 2006 that left much of southern Beirut and southern Lebanon in ruins, and drove hundreds of thousands of people from their homes on both sides. Everyone expects any future war to be far worse. An image showing the airstrikes by Israel on Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon that was shared on social media. Credit: https://x.com/sentdefender Hezbollah has an estimated 150,000 rockets and is capable of hitting all parts of Israel. It has also developed an increasingly sophisticated fleet of drones and has been experimenting with precision-guided missiles. A full-scale war could force hundreds of thousands of Israelis to flee, paralyse the Israeli economy and force the army, which is still engaged in Gaza, to fight on two fronts. Israel has vowed a crushing response to any major Hezbollah attack that would likely devastate Lebanons civilian infrastructure and economy, which has been mired in crisis for years. Beiruts southern suburbs, and towns and villages across southern Lebanon, where Hezbollahs main strongholds are located, would likely be flattened.

An Israeli ground invasion to root out Hezbollah could drag on for years. The militant group is far more advanced and better-armed than Hamas in Gaza, which is still putting up a fight after 10 months of intense Israeli bombardment and ground manoeuvres. Would a war draw in others? An all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah could spiral into a region-wide conflict.

Iran is a patron of Hezbollah, Hamas and other militant groups in Syria, Iraq and Yemen. Iran has vowed to carry out its own retaliatory strike over the killing of Hamas top leader, Ismail Haniyeh, in a blast in its capital last month that was widely blamed on Israel. Israel has not said whether it was involved. Iran-backed groups across the region have repeatedly attacked Israeli, US and international targets since the start of the war in Gaza and could ramp them up in a bid to take pressure off Hezbollah. The United States, meanwhile, has pledged ironclad support for Israel and moved a vast array of military assets to the Middle East in recent weeks to try and deter any retaliatory strike by Iran or Hezbollah. The USS Abraham Lincoln recently joined another aircraft carrier strike group in the region. A US-led coalition helped shoot down hundreds of missiles and drones fired by Iran toward Israel in April in response to an apparent Israeli strike in Syria that killed two Iranian generals.

Both sides downplayed an apparent Israeli counterstrike on Iran, and tensions gradually subsided. What does this mean for Gaza? The United States, Egypt and Qatar have spent months trying to broker an agreement for a cease-fire in Gaza and the release of scores of hostages held by Hamas. Those efforts have gained urgency in recent weeks, as diplomats view such a deal as the best hope for lowering regional tensions. The USS Abraham Lincoln had been deployed to the region. Credit: AP Hezbollah has said it will halt its attacks along the border if there is a cease-fire in Gaza. Its unclear whether Hezbollah or Iran would halt or scale back their threatened retaliatory strikes over the killing of Shukur and Haniyeh, but neither wants to be seen as the spoiler of any cease-fire deal.
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CBI begins lie detection tests on ex-principal, five others







KOLKATA/NEW DELHI :

Polygraph analysis of key accused postponed

THE Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Saturday began lie detection tests on former RG Kar Medical and Hospital principal Sandip Ghosh and five others as part of their probe into the rape-murder of a woman medic at the institute and also registered a case of alleged financial irregularities at the same facility, officials said. The polygraph test on arrested key accused Sanjay Roy was postponed due to technical issues and the central probe agency will determine a new date soon, they added. The polygraph tests are being conducted on Ghosh and five others, including interns, doctors, and an person connected to Roy. Technical glitches prevented civic volunteer Roys test from being conducted as scheduled. We will soon decide when to carry out the test, an officer said. A CBI source said the test on Roy may be held on Sunday at Presidency Correctional Home, where he is currently lodged.

Due to the time-consuming nature of the polygraph tests and the limited availability of devices  only two are currently available  it may take a few more days for the CBI to complete testing all seven persons involved, the source added. Additionally, on Saturday, the CBI interrogated over 15 people, including 10 police officers and civic volunteers, as part of their ongoing investigation into the brutal rape-murder of the medic. On the same day, the school Education Department in West Bengal issued showcause notices to three educational institutions - Baluhati High School, Baluhati Girls High School, and Bantra Rajlakshmi Girls School - for involving students in a rally during school hours in protest against the crime. The schools were given 24 hours to respond to the notices. According to a school education department official, the rally, which took place on Thursday, involved not only students but also teachers and non-teaching staff, and was conducted in violation of regulations.

The CBI took over the investigation from Kolkata Police last week, following an order from the Calcutta High Court. Meanwhile, the agency on Saturday registered a case of alleged financial irregularities at RG Kar Medical College. It took over the investigation from the Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the West Bengal Government on the directions of Calcutta High Court.The Calcutta High Court directed the CBI to submit a progress report on the investigation within three weeks. The High Court had given the directive for a CBI probe on the plea of former deputy superintendent of the hospital Akhtar Ali who had alleged financial irregularities in the hospital during the tenure of its former principal Sandip Ghosh and sought a probe by the central agencies. Earlier in the day, a team of senior state health department officials visited the hospital to meet the protesting junior doctors and urge them to resume work.
Lucid Group (NASDAQ: LCID) is an up-and-coming electric vehicle (EV) maker that has attracted a lot of investor attention since merging with a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) three years ago. The EV maker boasts a driving range well above its competition and aims to take on companies like Tesla with its luxury vehicles.

Lucid stands to benefit from the growing demand for EVs, but it has taken some time to start producing them. This raises another concern: It has repeatedly raised capital to ensure it has enough funding to keep moving forward. If you're considering an investment in the young EV company, consider the following facts first.

Lucid's technological advantage

Lucid Group has a couple of advantages. First, it focuses on manufacturing luxury vehicles. By focusing on creating a premium brand, Lucid wants to attract a customer base that is more resilient to economic cycles. To do so, it aims to provide its customers with a high-quality experience, but building an enviable brand from scratch takes time.

Another key selling point for Lucid is that its vehicles offer a more extended range than their peers. Its flagship Lucid Air Pure model, which costs $69,900, has a range of 420 miles and 430 horsepower. Its Grand Touring, one of its more expensive models, costs $110,900 and has a driving range of up to 512 miles. Its fast charging technology could add 200 miles of range in 12 minutes.

Image source: Lucid Group.

Lucid has a technological edge over competitors, but the business side has taken a while to develop. When it first went public, the company projected 49,000 vehicle sales by 2023. Those goals proved a little too optimistic. Last year, the company sold 6,000 vehicles and pushed back the launch date of its second vehicle, the Gravity SUV, by a year.

Production is growing, but it continues to burn cash

Lucid delivered 2,394 vehicles in the second quarter, a 70% increase from last year. It also produced 2,110 vehicles in the quarter and is on track for 9,000 vehicles by the end of this year. Its Lucid Air sales are trending in the right direction, and in Q2, it had $200.5 million in revenue, representing a 33% increase year over year.

That said, the company's cash burn rate is a primary concern. Through the first six months of this year, Lucid's loss from operations is $1.5 billion, a modest improvement from its $1.6 billion loss last year. Meanwhile, its net cash used in operating activities was $1 billion, which improved from last year's $1.5 billion.

LCID Revenue (TTM) Chart

Funding and liquidity are vital for young upstart companies like Lucid. Last month, the company received positive news when the Public Investment Fund (PIF), Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund, invested another $1.5 billion in the EV maker.

The liquidity injection brings the PIF's investment in Lucid to about $7.9 billion since 2018 and shows the fund's long-term commitment to the EV company. According to management, the move pushed Lucid's liquidity to $4.28 billion, extending its cash runway through the end of 2025.

Buy, sell, or hold Lucid Group?

Lucid Group is an intriguing company that has developed exciting battery technology that's pushing the limits of EVs as we know it. Last year, it reached a long-term arrangement with Aston Martin, giving it access to its powertrain, battery system, and software technology. In return, Lucid received 28 million shares in Aston Martin and a cash installment payment of $33 million, with $99 million due over the next three years.

The company stands to benefit from long-term tailwinds for EVs. According to projections from the consulting firm PwC, the number of EVs in the U.S. could reach 27 million by 2030 and 92 million by 2040. If Lucid can gain its footing and generate positive cash flows, it has a real chance to grow rapidly alongside this market.

The company is taking steps to rein in costs and improve margins. That said, it will likely require further investments from the PIF to keep things going, and investors will want to continue monitoring its progress on sales and production along with its cash burn. One thing I'd like to see is a clearer path to profitability for the luxury EV maker. Until then, investors can afford to wait patiently on the sidelines with this stock.

Should you invest $1,000 in Lucid Group right now?

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Hindus-Muslims guard this Dhaka temple after fall of Govt





By Kunal Dutt :

DHAKA,

DESCRIBING the deity of the ancient Dhakeswari temple here as a mother to all humans, a priest of the revered shrine said several Hindus, Muslims and others from the local community had come together to guard it soon after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina Government in Bangladesh. The centuries-old temple in old Dhaka has many mosques in its vicinity. PTI on Friday visited the Sree Sree Dhakeswari National Temple, one of the prominent shakti peethas, and interacted with priests and members of the Hindu community who visited the shrine. People of many religions come here to pray. And, Maa (Goddess) is mother to all humans whether it is Hindus, Muslims, Christians or Buddhists. They come here to seek solace, prosperity and mental peace, Ashim Maitro, one of the main priests, told PTI.

After serving the temple for 15 years, he looks at the shrine of Maa Dhakeswari as a symbol of religious and communal harmony. The 53-year-old priest, some of whose family members also live in West Bengal, says the evening aarti of this temple is performed at 7 pm, nearly 30 minutes after the Maghrib prayer at mosques nearby. Maitro said on August 5, when the anti-Government protests had reached their peak leading to the ouster of the Hasina Government and her fleeing to India, he was at the temple premises. I was not feeling afraid for myself but just concerned about the safety of our old temple and idols of deities here.
India to be free of Naxal menace by 2026: Shah





Union Home Minister Amit Shah along with Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai talking to media persons at MayFair Lake Resort in new capital city Nava Raipur Atal Nagar of Chhattisgarh on Saturday.

Staff Reporter

RAIPUR,

UNION Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Amit Shah, has affirmed the Governments commitment to eradicating Naxalism from India by March 2026, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Shah made this declaration during a press conference at the MayFair Lake Resort in Nava Raipur Atal Nagar, following a review meeting on Left Wing Extremism (LWE) and an inter-state coordination meeting with Chief Secretaries and Director Generals of Police from Chhattisgarh and neighboring States. Shah emphasised that the fight against LWE has reached a decisive phase, and the Government is resolute in its goal to eliminate Naxalism entirely within the next two years. We must now double the speed and intensity of our efforts compared to when the operations against Naxalism first began; only with such determination can we fully eradicate this issue from our nation, Shah stated.

He outlined the Modi Governments three-pronged strategy to combat LWE, focusing on development, prosecution, and operational efforts. These measures, according to Shah, have significantly diminished the Naxalite threat, which is now confined to a few pockets in Chhattisgarh. He credited the progress to the BJP-led Governments intensified efforts in the State over the past eight months, which have resulted in the highest number of Naxalites being neutralised, surrendering, or apprehended. Shah commended Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai and Home Minister Vijay Sharma for their effective handling of the Naxal issue. He contrasted their success with the slower progress made under the previous Congress Government, asserting that the current BJP administration has accelerated the campaign against LWE. Shah also announced that the Chhattisgarh Government would soon introduce a new surrender policy for Naxalites, with details expected within the next two months. Furthermore, Shah called for the training and preparation of Special Investigation Agencies (SIA) in the States, suggesting they be modeled after the National Investigation Agency (NIA). He stressed the importance of bringing extremists who have crossed a point of no return to justice as part of the broader effort to control extremism.

He urged Naxalites to abandon violence and embrace the development initiatives spearheaded by Prime Minister Modi. He mentioned that the Chhattisgarh Government, in collaboration with the Ministry of Home Affairs, would develop a policy to provide education for those who have been rendered illiterate due to LWE activities. Additionally, Shah highlighted the need to dismantle the entire ecosystem that supports LWE, calling for a ruthless and comprehensive approach from all states. In Chhattisgarh, Shah pointed out, 14 top Naxal commanders have been neutralised during the BJP Governments eight-month tenure in the State. He described Leftist extremism as the greatest challenge to Indias democratic system, noting that around 17,000 people have lost their lives in Naxal-related incidents over the past 40 years. Since the Modi Government took office, the Naxal problem has been acknowledged as a significant challenge, with efforts made to steer Naxalites away from violence while also prioritising the development of areas affected by Leftist extremism. Shah highlighted several achievements in the fight against Naxalism, including a reduction in deaths, which in 2022 were at their lowest in four decades.
Pawar to be blamed for politics of divide in State, alleges Raj





Staff Reporter :

Putting blame on Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar) Chief Sharad Pawar for the politics of divide in State, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) Supremo Raj Thackeray said, It is Sharad Pawar who started politics of divide from 1978 when he broke away from Vasantdada Patil-led Congress Government in Maharashtra. He kept doing that till the formation of NCP. He did it later also when Sena was split and Bhujbal joined him. This has not stopped till now. Now we are witnessing the politics of caste and defection in the state. After the NCP was founded, even saints got divided on the basis of caste, and states atmosphere worsened. We all should need to stand for the betterment of the society. Thackeray was addressing mediapersons at Ravi Bhavan on Saturday. Thackeray is on Vidarbha visit for the last two days. He had visited Gadchiroli and is addressing constituency-wise meetings. When asked about his impression about the situation in State, Thackeray said, It is disgusting to see the kind of politics is being played in state. The situation was never such bad in our state.

The Opposition Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP (SP) and Congress did not win Lok Sabha seats because of their own deeds. They were benefited because of the anger of the people against Modi and Shah. Nobody should misunderstand that there is an increase in mass support for the Maha Vikas Aghadi, Thackeray made it clear. The parties led by Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar will not get these anti-incumbency votes in the assembly polls, which are likely to be held after Diwali, pointed out Thackeray. In 2009 we had contested 240 seats. This time we are contemplating to field our candidates on 225 seats. We will field candidates against everyone including Fadnavis, Shinde, asserted Thackeray but refused to reveal the strategy. Stating that there is no certainty that people will vote for the ruling alliance even after schemes like the Ladki Bahin Yojana, Thackeray remarked, "People are asking for work, not money. Farmers don't want free electricity, they want uninterrupted supply. They are ready to pay electricity bills. No Government should offer freebies, no political party should make pre-poll promises.

This is damaging societal structure. I dont think the State Government has enough money to run this scheme. Raj Thackeray had put the Government on edge regarding the Badlapur sexual abuse case. Replying to a query on the issue, Thackeray commented, Protesters may be arrested, but why did it take time to arrest the accused? Now why are they repeatedly facing such incidents? Doubts have been expressed on this. The statistics against women atrocities in Maharashtra since 2017 gives unhappy picture. Rape, dowry, molestation, sexual abuse, immoral trade and other abuses have increased. As per the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB), state witnessed 4,320 rape cases in 2017, 4,974 in 2018, 5,412 in 2019, 4,846 in 2020, 5,954 in 2021, 7,084 in 2022 and 7,521 in 2023. According to these statistics in Maharashtra, one serious crime is reported every hour. Unreported crimes will be more. How many cases are registered in every police station in Maharashtra and I just want to say that it was not shown for so long. The case of Badlapur is very unfortunate. The reason for this is that we do not have strict governance, strict laws. Why this issue is being raised now only. I suspect political angle in it. This issue has been suddenly taken up because elections are round the corner, slammed Thackeray.
Russia-Ukraine Truce?



By Lt General MK Das,PVSM, SM**,VSM (Retd)



The question as to why the world largely has been in a state of turmoil, with very little interludes of peace. The answer lies in strong personalities at the helm, in most of the nations.

It may sound strange but the people world over have preferred strong leadership to shape their destiny. Individually as a country, the choice of strong leaders at helm may be correct but collectively amongst the comity of nations, it more often spells friction, uneasy truce, disturbed situation and at times leads to war or war like situation. In case of any kinetic or non-kinetic conflict, it is very difficult for the strong leadership to exhibit any climbdown, because that spells disaster for the strong personality.

You have big influence.Pr-esident Zelenskyy to PM Modi during his visit to Ukraine. Prime Minister Modi embarked on one of his most challenging diplomatic trips to war- torn Ukraine on 23 August 24, which involved 20 hours train journey to and from Kyiv. The visit was extremely significant and highly symbolic in more ways than one. PM Modi undertook the momentous journey in the unique Train Force 1 which is also called war train. Accompanied by the EAM S Jaishankar, NSA Ajit Doval and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, the powerhouse team had done their homework and all the optics of the visit were well taken care of. The world has multiple flash points and the international peace has taken a big hit in the last three years. Post most devastating epidemic of COVID19, the world should have devoted its energies to rebuild from the huge losses of lives and livelihood. Instead, from February 2022, Russia and Ukraine are waging a deadly war over more than 900 days with massive loss of lives and destruction of infrastructure and property. After the visit of PM Modi to Russia in July 24, the visit of PM Modi to Ukraine provides a historic opportunity to end the war and usher an era of international peace. It has to be underscored here that PM Modi is the only global leader to have visited both the nations, that too within the space of less than 45 days. So, this begs the question as to why the world largely has been in a state of turmoil, with very little interludes of peace.

The answer lies in strong personalities at the helm, in most of the nations. It may sound strange but the people world over has preferred strong leadership to shape their destiny. Individually as a country, the choice of strong leaders at helm may be correct but collectively amongst the comity of nations, it more often spells friction, uneasy truce, disturbed situation and at times leads to war or war like situation. In case of any kinetic or non-kinetic conflict, it is very difficult for the strong leadership to exhibit any climbdown, because that spells disaster for the strong personality. Another reason for the failure of maintaining peace and just order is virtual collapse of international institutions like the UN and WHO. The United Nations is a pale shadow of the past and has been reduced to virtual non entity in the peace process. A clear bias was seen in the functioning of WHO during the COVID19 pandemic where it was seen more interested in protecting the interests of a country widely believed to be the originator of the virus. Big organisations like the Amnesty International are less effective. Even big media with some great reputation in the past, like the  BBC are resorting to biased reporting. Under such circumstances, the world order looks more at those leaders who wield power of any sort. The emergence of the Deep State which is composed of influential families, large corporate groups and business tycoons is a new phenomenon which the world has to cope up. This clandestine group orchestrates key global events to disrupt the world with their immense political, economic and media clout to meet their vested interests. Simply put, a disturbed world order suits their narrative and they wield even more power in such a scenario.

A rising nation like India is likely to face huge disruption through the deep state in multiple spheres. It is believed that with their deep pockets, they can even overthrow democratically elected governments. The recent events in Bangladesh may be the handiwork of such a deep state. The world has been in war or warlike situation for the last five years. It may not have been as violent as the Second World War (1939-1945) but the death, destruction and devastation are already of similar magnitude, if we add the damage done by Climate Change. It is the common man who has suffered the most in these tragic times. Unlike in the past, we do not have a Vivekananda, Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela or Mother Teresa with a sane voice and peace message. It is therefore, through the strong and influential leaders with global standing like PM Modi that the initiative for peace has to come. The timing of PM Modis visit to Ukraine is also critical. From the beginning of August month, Ukrainian forces launched an offensive into Russias western Kursk region and advanced to capture approximately 500 sq km of Russian territory. This offensive no doubt had the full military hardware supplied by the US led NATO. Taken by surprise, the Russians have launched a counteroffensive towards eastern Ukraine and as of now, the Russian forces are about 8 miles from the town of Pokrovsk, a major transit and logistic hub of Ukrainian forces. The key issue here is that Russian President Putin is likely to press for recapture of all Russian territory before a ceasefire is agreed upon. This again is to do with strong leadership trait, so very essential for them to remain in power. The whole world must have followed the visit of PM Modi to Ukraine and Russia very closely. More importantly, through the visit to Ukraine, PM Modi is signaling the US led NATO nations to exhibit an accommodating stance. President Biden announced another $125 million military package to Ukraine on 23 August 24, no doubt to further sting President Putin.

As an outgoing President, the world expects more from him to contribute to peace, rather than score brownie points in the run up to the US Presential elections. The visit certainly brought the necessity of dialogue towards conceivable pathways to peace. PM Modi reiterated that a solution can not be found on the battle field and the need for practical engagement between all stakeholders to develop an innovative solution that will help build broad acceptability and contribute towards peace and stability in the region. Even with uncertainty posed by the US Presidential elections, the truce between Russia and Ukraine can be brokered with broad terms of ceasefire, before the onset of severe winters. The Global Peace Summit has to take cue from the historic visit of PM Modi and continue to push for peace, without any biases. Both Russia and Ukraine have acknowledged the big influence of PM Modi in the world affairs. The world urgently needs one success story in ushering international peace. One success story could be contagious for the world to believe about the futility of war. It could begin with an end to Russia-Ukraine war with a message for peace in other conflict zones.

The deep state will not allow it easily and therefore a collect might of the strong leadership would be needed. The history will be very harsh to those who fail to rise now and usher peace. PM Modi has concluded one of the most critical diplomatic journeys by Train Force1 from Poland to Ukrainian capital Kyiv and back. It is my firm belief that this train journey has able to navigate the complex geopolitical landscape in a war-torn region and is harbinger of lasting peace in the world.
THE BRIDGE





AS THE United States and Russia watched with keen interest Indian Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modis visit to Ukraine, India managed a skillful rebalancing act by yet again de-hyphenating its engagements on its own terms. Mr. Modis meeting with President of Ukraine Mr. Volodymyr Zelenskyy has once again put India in a position to act as a bridge between Kyiv and Moscow and seek an end to the long-stretched conflict which has put vital interests of the entire world in peril. Within six weeks of his much-talked about visit to Moscow to meet Russian President Mr. Vladimir Putin, the Indian Prime Minister has managed to strike a fantastic balance in international relations which has remained a highlight of New Delhis foreign policy in the last one decade. Mr. Modis visit to Ukraine is a message to the world that India would always be ready to engage with every player for the sake of a rules-based global order with peace as its core guiding principle. India has also assuaged many fears stoked by disinformation about Mr. Modis visit to Moscow and also calmed some frayed nerves in Ukraine. Since the beginning of Russian military campaign in Ukraine, Kyiv has been seeking Mr. Modis indulgence in finding a way out of the conflict. India, too, has been calling for negotiations and dialogue as the way forward to end hostilities.

As its steadfast position on international conflagrations, New Delhi has remained neutral and the two visits to Moscow and Kyiv underline the Indian position that it would act as a bridge to peace rather than taking sides despite strong bilateral and trade relations with the countries involved in the conflict. Mr. Modis talks with Mr. Putin and now with Mr. Zelenskyy have made it clear that India is not bound by the veto imposed by Western nations nor it would get bogged down by the historic, strategic ties with Russia. It is the same policy effectively employed by Mr. Modi during his separate visits to Israel and Palestine in 2018. That was a bold and calculated policy showing that rather than treating the two entities as one complicated unit, India would pursue a separate relationship with each party.

The visit to Kyiv has come on the same lines as Mr. Modi has sent a signal to Moscow that New Delhi has its own view of the conflict and its own interests to safeguard. The carefully planned visits to Poland and then to Ukraine in a 10-hour train journey from Warsaw have emphatically decked Mr. Modis image as a senior statesman having a grip on international affairs. He is the only leader in the world who had directly told Mr. Putin in one-on-one talks that it is not an era of war. Those words resonated in the world as a powerful message from a country that always believed in a peaceful society. In Kyiv, too, the Prime Minister reassured Ukraine that India would help in every possible way to bring peace in the region. This consistent approach has made the international community see Mr. Modi as someone who has the ability to break the ice and bring Russia and Ukraine back to the negotiations table. The Indian Prime Minister is one of the very few world leaders to have visited both Moscow and Kyiv. It gives him the leverage to reach out to both with peace proposals. India must now play a key role in making the peace summit proposed in November a visible success.
We recently compiled a list of the 7 Cheap Chinese Penny Stocks to Buy According to Hedge Funds. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Lufax Holding Ltd (NYSE:LU) stands against the other cheap Chinese penny stocks.

As China navigates its ambitious economic goals for 2024, the spotlight is increasingly on undervalued investment opportunities, particularly in the realm of Chinese penny stocks. These low-priced stocks, often overlooked by mainstream investors, are gaining traction among hedge funds due to their substantial upside potential in a rapidly changing economic landscape. Chinas economic trajectory has captured global attention, especially in the wake of recent discussions at the World Economic Forums Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2024. Premier Li Qiang, addressing the gathering of global leaders in Dalian, emphasized the vast potential of Chinas market. Chinas large market is open, he stated, underscoring the nation's commitment to leveraging new industries and technological advancements to drive economic growth. Despite recent slowdowns, there is a prevailing optimism about meeting the countrys ambitious growth target of 5% for 2024.

The World Economic Forum's discussions reflected a consensus on the critical role of new growth avenues and high-quality development. As China transitions from a period of high-speed growth to one of high-quality growth, industries such as artificial intelligence, digital financial services, and green technologies are poised to play pivotal roles. This transformation is supported by substantial investments in clean energy and research and development, areas where China is already making significant strides. Hedge funds, recognizing the potential for high returns in this evolving market, are turning their attention to Chinese penny stocks. These stocks, characterized by their low prices and high volatility, offer a unique opportunity for investors willing to navigate the risks associated with emerging markets. The attractiveness of these investments is heightened by Chinas commitment to innovation and growth in key sectors, which could translate into substantial gains for early investors.

In a recent podcast episode, Laura Wang and Robin Xing from Morgan Stanley discussed their 2024 outlook for China's economy and equity markets. Wang, the Chief China Equity Strategist, and Xing, the Chief China Economist, highlighted that China's recovery post-reopening has been underwhelming in 2023, facing significant challenges in housing and local government financing. Xing noted that China is grappling with "3D problems"debt, deflation, and demographics. Despite some progress in reflationary measures, the recovery remains uneven, and it may take time for economic stability to be achieved. To avoid a debt deflation loop, Xing suggested a comprehensive 5R action plan: Reflation, Rebalance, Restructuring, Reform, and Rekindle. This plan involves stimulating the economy, rebalancing towards consumption, restructuring troubled sectors, reforming state-owned enterprises, and revitalizing the private sector. Currently, only about 25% of this plan has been implemented, with expectations of reaching 50% by the end of 2024.

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On demographics, Xing pointed out that China's aging population is likely to dampen growth, with labor quantity lowering GDP growth by 40 basis points annually from 2025 to 2030. However, efforts to improve labor quality and revive private sector confidence could help mitigate this impact. Looking ahead, Morgan Stanley forecasts modest GDP growth recovery for 2024, expecting real GDP growth to rise slightly to 4.2% and a rebound in the GDP deflator to 0.6%. Challenges remain, particularly in stabilizing aggregate demand and managing housing and local government debt. Monetary policy is anticipated to stay accommodative with expected interest rate cuts. Regarding Chinese equities, Wang anticipates a largely range-bound market with limited upside, projecting the MSCI China index to reach a target of 60 by the end of 2024. While there are headwinds on corporate earnings, opportunities for high-quality investments in growth sectors remain. For investors, Wang recommends focusing on high-quality names with strong earnings and management, which can provide downside protection and upside potential when market conditions improve.

In this article, we will explore seven Chinese penny stocks that are currently drawing interest from hedge funds. These stocks are seen as promising due to their alignment with Chinas strategic economic goals and their potential to benefit from the country's evolving market dynamics. This examination will not only highlight the potential returns but also offer a deeper understanding of the investment landscape in Chinas rapidly evolving economy. As China continues to open new avenues of growth and innovation, the opportunities within its penny stock market are becoming increasingly apparent.

Our Methodology

For this article, we first used a stock screener to list down all Chinese penny stocks (under $5) with PE ratios under 20. We then picked 7 of these stocks with the highest number of hedge fund investors. We gauged hedge fund sentiment for these equities using Insider Monkeys database of 912 hedge funds. The stocks mentioned in this article are penny stocks. Therefore the number of hedge funds bullish in these stocks is small.

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).

A person's hands typing on a keyboard, circling around a wealth management platform, signifying the company's cutting-edge technology.

Lufax Holding Ltd (NYSE:LU)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 11

Lufax Holding Ltd (NYSE:LU) operates a technology-driven personal financial services platform, offering personal lending and wealth management solutions. Founded in August 2005 and headquartered in Shanghai, China, Lufax Holding Ltd (NYSE:LU) is well-positioned to capitalize on its robust financial foundation and attractive dividend yields. Lufax Holding Ltd (NYSE:LU) remains an appealing investment due to its strong fundamentals and promising outlook.

The company's recent Q1 2024 results highlight positive trends in its loan-related metrics, signaling an inflection point in new loan volume growth, with a +2% increase quarter-over-quarter after seven consecutive quarters of contraction. This growth reflects Lufax Holding Ltd (NYSE:LU) strategic shift toward higher-quality assets, supported by a favorable loan mix that increasingly focuses on consumer finance. The share of consumer loans in Lufax Holding Ltd (NYSE:LU) total new loans has surged from 24% to 42% year-over-year, demonstrating the company's successful diversification away from its core small business owner segment.

Moreover, Lufax Holding Ltd (NYSE:LU) rising take rate, which improved from 7.3% in Q4 2023 to 9.0% in Q1 2024, underscores the company's ability to generate higher returns from its loan portfolio. This is bolstered by the company's "100% guarantee model," which commands a significantly higher take rate of around 14%. As this model gains a larger share of the loan portfolio, Lufax Holding Ltd (NYSE:LU) overall take rate is expected to continue rising, further enhancing its profitability. Lufax's dividend outlook is equally compelling, with projected forward yields of 8.2% and 8.7% for FY 2025 and FY 2026, respectively. These conservative estimates suggest that the company's actual dividend distributions could exceed expectations, especially if Lufax leans towards the higher end of its 20%-40% payout guidance. Despite short-term challenges like withholding tax impacts from a special dividend, Lufax is poised for solid revenue growth and healthy margins in the coming years.

Trading at a consensus forward FY 2025 P/E ratio of just 3.3x, Lufax Holding Ltd (NYSE:LU) offers substantial upside potential as its valuation could re-rate higher, given its strong dividends and improving financial metrics. This makes Lufax a compelling Buy for investors seeking value and income in the personal financial services sector. In the second quarter of 2024, there were 11 hedge funds holding positions in Lufax Holding Ltd (NYSE:LU), as compared to 17 in the previous quarter according to Insider Monkeys database. The total value of these holdings is approximately $34.38 million. Christopher Wangs Yunqi Capital held the largest stake among these hedge funds during this period.

Overall LU ranks 3rd on our list of the cheap Chinese penny stocks to buy. While we acknowledge the potential for LU 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 LU 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.
Unclaimed body

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IMPHAL, Aug 25 : Lamphel police have set August 29 as the deadline for disposal of an unidentified body lying at RIMS mortuary if it remains unclaimed till the specified date.

In a notification, the police said that the deceased (male) has short hair, slim body, wheatish complexion and 5 feet 3 inches tall. He wore a blue and white shirt, a yellow T shirt and gray pants.

Saying that the body has started decomposing, the police added that legal actions will be taken up to dispose of the body if the same is not claimed by August 29.


UNC appeals

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IMPHAL, Aug 25: The United Naga Council (UNC) Peace Committee has once again appealed to the Meiteis and the Kuki-Zo community to hold a dialogue, reports NNN.

The Naga peace committee stressed the importance of dialogue saying that delaying in talking is not helping anyone.

In a statement issued to the Newmai News Network this evening, the UNC Peace Committee said that better understanding can come only through dialogue.

"Let us recognise the importance of dialogue," the Naga peace committee stated.

The UNC Peace Committee said that lack of dialogue in Manipur is one of the key factors that is aggravating the situation in the State.

As such, the Naga peace committee stressed that everyone must recognise the importance of dialogue.

"Relationship among communities in Manipur will definitely improve if dialogue is given utmost importance," the UNC Peace Committee added.
Show-cause notices were issued by the education department to three schools in Howrah for protesting on the R G Kar issue.

The headmasters of Balu Hati High School, Balu Hati Girls High School, and Bantra Rajlakshmi Balika Vidyalaya in Howrah have been issued letters stating that if they do not provide an explanation for their actions within 24 hours, disciplinary action will be taken. Trinamul Congress claimed the Opposition is organising slander campaigns with this show-cause notices.

The civil society has been agitating over the death of a young doctor from R G Kar Medical College and Hospital. Shortly after these marches, three schools in Howrah received notices from the Howrah district school inspector. Notices were sent to the headmasters of Balu Hati High School, Balu Hati Girls High School and Bantra Rajlakshmi Balika Vidyalaya, irking the locals and guardians. The notice questioned why teachers and students participated in the protest march during school hours last Friday. It also alleged that some students were intimidated into participating in the march, thus violating childrens rights. The schools were given 24 hours to explain their actions, with a warning that failure to respond would result in strict action by the district school inspector. The controversy began in the Paschim Medinipur district.

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On Thursday, the district inspector of schools there issued an order stating that students are not allowed to participate in any event outside of school premises unless it is organized by the school education department. On Friday, the School Education Commissioner issued a notification, reminding that corporal punishment is prohibited on school campuses and stating that neither teaching nor non-teaching staff may physically or mentally abuse students. The notification also specified that students must not be involved in any political activities.

Kunal Ghosh of Trinamul Congress has dismissed the entire issue as slander and misinformation. He also provided an explanation from the party regarding the show-cause notices.

The Trinamul Congress believes that a frenzy is being created around the entire issue. The ruling party also suspects that the CPMs teacher organizations, ABTA and ABPTA, are playing a role behind this. On Saturday, Kunal Ghosh said, We have investigated the matter in detail. It appears that certain political forces at the local level are compelling schoolchildren to join protest marches. In some cases, teachers are also politically biased, leading the children to participate. The education department has aimed to prevent this.

The Trinamul Congress further clarified that the education department has never said that students cannot participate in protests. The instruction was that it should not happen during school hours. Complaints had been received that this was occurring in some places, which is why the education department issued show-cause notices. Kunal also made it clear, If anyone protests or marches before or after school hours, no one has any objection to that.

Chief Secretary B P Gopalika specifically warned district magistrates that students are being used in various programmes, including road blockades and this will not be tolerated.

In response to the R G Kar incident, various forms of protests have begun. Now, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) wants to add an epic element to these protests. Monday marks Janmashtami, the day of Lord Krishnas birth, and also the VHPs founding anniversary. To mark this occasion, the VHP has planned several programmes across the country. However, given the atmosphere of protest in West Bengal, the VHP intends to replace their usual organizational campaigns with a different kind of march. On that day, they plan to hold marches across the state, featuring school children dressed as Krishna, demanding justice. Preparations have already begun statewide for this event.
Agitating junior doctors, including postgraduate trainee (PGT) doctors, house staff, interns and medical students stuck to their stand of continuing with their cease-work as their meeting with the health department officials held at R G Kar Medical College Hospital, on Saturday, remained unsolved.

On the other hand, later this evening, Narayan Swarup Nigam, principal secretary in charge of health department, also held a meeting with senior doctors belonging to the Indian Medical Association (Bengal chapter), and other platforms like Association of Health Service Doctors (AHSD), Service Doctors Forum (SDF) etc., affiliated to different political parties seeking their opinion on how to solve the ongoing crisis, which is disrupting healthcare services in state-run hospitals.

Prof (Dr) Aniruddha Neogi, officer-on-special-duty (OSD) and special secretary in health department, informed the Joint Platform of Doctors (JPD) and Junior Doctors Front (JDF) to attend the meeting to discuss issues on how to restore normal healthcare services in government medical colleges and hospitals across the state.

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Prof (Dr) Kaustav Nayek, director of medical education (DME), Dr Debashis Halder, director of health services (DHS) and representatives of JPD and JDF were present in the meeting.

The senior officials of the health department met the representatives of both platforms and urged the agitating doctors to join work so that healthcare services can be normalized.

We will continue to cease-work because todays meeting was fruitless. First, we want justice for the heinous incident of rape and murder of a woman doctor. We also want to know about the mystery behind it. We will decide our future course of action in connection with the protest, said Dr Aniket Mahato of JDF.

We will hold a meeting with representatives of other government medical colleges tonight to discuss the protest plan, he added.

Considering severe disruptions in healthcare services in government hospitals across the state for the past two weeks, the health department has been repeatedly urging the agitating junior doctors to join work as soon as possible.

The Supreme Court has also asked the junior doctors to withdraw their cease-work programme.

Most of the government teaching hospitals OPDs are virtually closed because of cease-work of junior doctors, the backbone of public healthcare facilities in the state.
The security and safety of women, especially doctors, nurses, paramedical staff and patients are of paramount importance for the Sealdah division. Recent incidents have highlighted the urgent need for increased vigilance and collective efforts to prevent harassment and violence against women. Its now the top priority of the administration to ensure total security for women at railway hospitals and railway premises as well.

A high-level meeting was earlier called by DRM/SDAH and it was decided to adopt a host of measures to ensure safety and security for women which includes wide CCTV coverage of every corner of the hospital; installation of adequate lighting; deployment of additional security personnel for providing sense of security of women; compulsory identity card for everyone including doctors, staffs and paramedics; using unique QR coding system for opening and closing of the doors at hospital; installation of panic buttons particularly at sensitive places etc.

An apex level meeting was held today in presence of DRM/SDAH, ADRMs, departmental heads and medical director/B R Singh Hospital to review the progress of the aforementioned works. It has been transpired that there are satisfactory improvements in a large array of security aspects. Under the direction of Deepak Nigam, DRM/SDAH, Sealdah division once again reaffirms its unwavering commitment to providing a safe and secure environment for women doctors, staff, patients and visitors.

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(Widens distribution.)

ZURICH (Reuters) -Nestle intends to keep its Health Science unit, Chairman Paul Bulcke said in a newspaper interview published on Sunday, after the food giant announced it was replacing its CEO Mark Schneider with company veteran Laurent Freixe.

The health business is among the Nestle units which some analysts say could be sold over the medium turn.

Asked by the NZZ am Sonntag newspaper whether Nestle would retain Nestle Health Science, Bulcke said: "Absolutely," adding that the sector was "promising with benefits for society."

Bulcke's remarks come after Nestle said on Thursday Schneider would step down after nearly eight years at the helm.

It wouldn't surprise us if Nestle Health Sciences was sold in the medium term, which would be welcomed by the majority of investors," ZKB analysts said in a note on Friday.

Nestle shares have been on a decline since May 2023 after a series of mishaps, earnings misses and downgrades of its revenue expectations, after hitting a record high in January 2022.

Still, Bulcke told the paper Schneider's departure was "not dictated" by the share price.

(Reporting by Oliver HirtWriting by Dave GrahamEditing by Bernadette Baum)
The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI), the largest body of accountants in the world, seems well set to take Indias technological skills, domain knowledge and technology adoption experience outside India. As a starter, ICAI will be organising and participating in a workshop and conference on how AI and other emerging technologies can be adopted in the accounting profession, in San Francisco (the US) sometime soon. The same model may be replicated elsewhere also.

ICAI is also working in a concerted way with the Comptroller & Auditor General and other concerned authorities to spread financial and tax literacy across the country. At present, financial and tax literacy rate is estimated to be 23 per cent and moves are now afoot to take this up to 87 per cent. Then only India will get the desired level, said Ranjeet Kumar Agarwal, president, ICAI. The institute is offering a specially designed course in as many as 12 regional languages for students who pass out 12th standard, Agarwal said. This is a four-month-long course and will be offered for a fee of as low as Rs 500. Interestingly, students who pass out of this course may get jobs like municipal and panchayat accountant with a starting salary of Rs 40,000 per month, he said, adding that a long-term vision of this move is to do away with or at least minimise the cases of financial frauds.

Thats not all! Speaking to newspersons at the 49th regional conference of the Eastern Indian Regional Council of ICAI, Agarwal said that ICAI is working jointly with the RBI, banks, SEBI, CAG and other concerned bodies to promote the idea and concept of non-financial reporting, which is being made mandatory. The level of carbon emission, commitment to sustainability goals and so on, are becoming increasingly important and these are being made part of non-financial reporting. Realising this, we are gearing up to spread awareness and knowledge about this, said the ICAI president.

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In another significant development, ICAI is developing audio-visual learning modules on adoption of AI and how to read balance sheets, in various vernacular languages and reaching out to even far-flung areas with this, said Agarwal.
Siliguri MLA Dr Sankar Ghosh, who also serves as the chief whip of the Opposition in the state assembly, today urged the state BJP president Dr Sukanta Majumdar and the Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari to launch a non-cooperation movement against Mamata Banerjees rule in West Bengal.

Dr Ghosh drew parallels to the historic non-cooperation movement against British rule, emphasising the support from freedom-loving people.

Dr Ghosh believes it is high time for such a movement, as millions of people have spontaneously taken to the streets, demanding justice for the alleged rape and murder of a trainee doctor at R G Kar Medical College.

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He pointed out the widespread calls for chief minister Mamata Banerjees resignation after her failure to protect a female trainee doctor in a state-run medical institution.

Speaking to reporters, Dr Ghosh explained why his party, alongside millions of citizens, is demanding justice and the chief ministers resignation.

I personally appeal to the state party president and the Leader of Opposition to make a decision on this matter. I believe that a non-cooperation movement against the chief minister and her government is necessary in the present situation, Dr Ghosh stated.

He further emphasised that a proper investigation and justice for the victim are impossible unless Mamata Banerjee steps down from her position.

Justice for this case can never be fully achieved without the resignation of the chief minister. She has attempted to cover up this crime and will continue to use her machinery to obstruct the CBI investigation, protecting the true culprits involved in this heinous crime, he added.

Dr Ghosh praised the spontaneous movements and courageous protests by the people, urging them to continue raising their voices against the CMs alleged role in tampering with evidence at R G Kar Medical College, with the assistance of the police, certain doctors, and her trusted associates.

During the press interaction, Dr Ghosh claimed, The chief minister, Kolkata Police commissioner and the director general of police, along with others, have been relentlessly working to alter the crime scene, expedite the post-mortem and cremation, and destroy evidence from the moment the incident occurred until the investigation was handed over to the CBI.

When the Supreme Court exposed various loopholes and discrepancies in the states and polices narrative, the state government engaged 21 highly paid lawyers to cover up for their failures and incompetence. This premeditated attempt to shield those involved in this murder is evident, Dr Ghosh added.

Dr Ghosh asserted that from government employees to common citizens, everyone needs to participate in this movement to expose the true face of this government.
An illegal arms supply cartel was busted by the Delhi Police with the arrest of two suppliers, the police said on Sunday.

The police have recovered eight pistols from the accused procured from Khargone Madhya Pradesh. The consignment was meant for Delhi-NCR.

The arrested individuals have been identified as Arvind Kumar and Vinod Kumar, both residents of Uttar Pradesh. According to the police, they were using social media platforms to supply firearms procured from Madhya Pradesh at a price range of 12-15 thousand per pistol, and the same were sold at a price range of Rs 25-30 thousand.

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It added that the recovered consignment was to be delivered to an associate of a Delhi-based gangster at a lucrative price of Rs 40,000 per weapon.

The accused reached the pre-decided delivery point and were waiting for the associate of the gangster before being nabbed by the police.

The police said both the accused were involved in this cartel for the last eight years and they were also arrested earlier.

It further added that in view of the use of illegal firearms in various crimes in Delhi and adjoining states, the Special Cell of the Delhi Police has been working round-the-clock to thwart the nefarious designs of such anti-social elements.
In a delightful twist to his usual on-screen roles, Chris Hemsworth recently made headlines for his musical prowess. The actor, best known for his role as Thor, took to the stage at Ed Sheerans concert in Bucharest, Romania, where he dazzled a crowd of around 70,000 fans with his drumming skills.

Hemsworth was in Romania filming for the second season of his popular series, Limitless With Chris Hemsworth, set to air in 2025. The show explores profound themes like pain, fear, cognitive impairment, and social connection. With guidance from leading experts and spiritual mentors, Hemsworth embarks on a global journey to uncover insights and secrets for a better life.

During his time in Romania, Hemsworth seized the opportunity to collaborate with Sheeran, who is currently on his += (Mathematics) Tour. The unexpected partnership came about after Hemsworth reached out to Sheeran last December. In an Instagram post, Sheeran shared the news with his followers, revealing that Hemsworth had been practicing the drums as part of a documentary on cognitive health and the benefits of learning new skills.

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Sheerans post included a video clip of Hemsworth on stage, performing a drum solo for Sheerans Thinking Out Loud. Sheeran expressed his excitement about the collaboration, noting that it was a special moment for both him and the actor.

I got Chris to learn to play drums for my stadium show, Sheeran wrote on Instagram. He reached out about a documentary hes doing on cognitive health and learning an instrument. And, now hes performing in front of 70,000 people.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ed Sheeran (@teddysphotos)

Hemsworth, who appeared thrilled by the opportunity, reflected on the experience, saying, Ive been thinking about it a lot. Itll be nice to put this to bed. His performance was met with enthusiastic applause, adding a memorable highlight to Sheerans already celebrated tour.

Sheerans tour will continue its journey across Europe and beyond. Upcoming stops are in Bulgaria, Cyprus, and Brazil in 2024, followed by additional international dates in 2025.
The recent publication of the Hema Committee report on the working conditions for women in Malayalam cinema has caused a stir in the industry, leading to significant repercussions. One of the most notable outcomes has been the resignation of filmmaker Ranjith Balakrishnan from his role as chairman of the Kerala Chalachitra Academy.

The catalyst for Ranjith Balakrishnans resignation was an accusation made by Bengali actress Sreelekha Mitra on August 23. Mitra alleged that Balakrishnan had behaved inappropriately during the audition for his 2009 film, Paleri Manikyam: Oru Pathirakolapathakathinte Katha.

The film, which featured prominent actors like Mammootty, Shwetha Menon, and Mythili, was the brainchild of Ranjith Balakrishnan.

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Balakrishnans career in Malayalam cinema began with his writing work on Oru Maymaasa Pulariyil in 1987. However, it was the success of his script for Orkkapurathu in 1988 that marked his rise. His subsequent works, including Peruvannapurathe Visheshangal, Pradeshika Varthakal, and Pookkalam Varavayi, further established him as an actor.

In addition to his work as a writer, Balakrishnan made directed Raavanaprabhu, the sequel to Devasuram.

The Hema Committee report and the resulting testimonies have underscored the need for greater accountability and improved working conditions in the Malayalam film industry. Balakrishnans resignation from the Kerala Chalachitra Academy reflects a broader reckoning within the industry, highlighting ongoing issues of harassment and the necessity for systemic change. As the industry grapples with these revelations, the focus remains on fostering a safer and more equitable environment for women in the industry.
Union Minister Jitendra Singh has praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his decisive leadership in restoring peace and normalcy in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), noting that the historic decision of abrogation of Article 370 brought citizenship rights to a vast population in J&K who were deprived of it for the last seven decades.

He added that the abrogation of Article 370 has allowed even senior leaders from the opposition parties to freely enjoy the regions newfound stability, as seen by the recent visit to Ahdoos Restaurant in Lal Chowk.

This is a testament to the peace and normalcy that have been restored in the region, Union Minister Singh said during a programme.

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Singh, the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science and Technology, Minister of State (Independent Charge) Earth Sciences and MoS PMO, said, Votaries of Article 370 in J&K exploited constitutional provisions to serve their political interests.

He also added that it was a vested interest for the ruling dispensation in the erstwhile state of J&K because it enabled them to get elected and form government with a mere 10 per cent or less voting and thus continue their dynasty rule, generation after generation, he said.

The Minister said, As we celebrate the 5th anniversary, some significant developments are highly notable. In the last 5 years, transformation has happened broadly at four levels i.e. democratic, governance, development and security situation.

Jitendra Singh recalled that the 73rd and 74th Amendments of the Panchayat Act were introduced by the Congress government at the Centre but not made applicable in J&K by the same coalition government in the State. Democratic decentralization could not take place as central funds were not available to them before 2019.

Singh said, The credit for bringing peace and development goes to PM Modi who gave confidence to the people in the region and assured that J-K will play a pivotal role in the countrys development and shine as the crown jewel.

Speaking regarding the celebration of Indias maiden National Space Day, Jitendra Singh traced Indias Space journey beginning only 55 years back in 1969, when the US astronaut Neil Armstrong had already set foot on the Moon.

He lauded the scientific community for their unwavering dedication, which culminated in India becoming the first nation to land on the Moons South Pole.

The Minister of State for Space credited the policy support and leadership provided by Prime Minister Modi since 2014 for accelerating scientific missions and unlocking the potential of Indias scientific community.

He also noted the significant increase in space startups, now numbering nearly 300, following the opening of the space sector to private participation.

Jitendra Singh said, Prime Minister Modi enabled Indias space scientists to vindicate the dream of their founding father Vikram Sarabhai by unlocking Indias space sector and providing an enabling milieu in which Indias huge potential and talent could find an outlet and prove itself to the rest of the world.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, on Sunday, launched a comprehensive four-point strategy to tackle the drug menace in the country, emphasizing the importance of Dictation, Destruction, Detention, and Rehabilitation.

He said while drug consumers are victims of the system, those involved in drug trafficking are the true criminals. He directed officials to adopt a scientific approach while investigating drug trafficking cases, advocating a top-to-bottom and bottom-to-top method to trace even the smallest quantities of narcotics to their origin and dismantle entire networks. He also urged authorities to seize the properties of drug dealers without hesitation.

Shah made these remarks during the inauguration of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) regional office in Naya Raipur, Chhattisgarh. The event marked the conclusion of his three-day visit to the state. The new NCB office, located in the Central Secretariat Building, aims to enhance the coordination between the central and state governments in combating the drug menace. The inauguration was attended by Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai, and Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma.

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Chhattisgarhs strategic location, sharing borders with six states- Odisha, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Andhra Pradesh makes it a critical corridor for drug trafficking, Shah said.

The NCB office here will work closely with state agencies and the central government to dismantle these networks.

Shah reiterated the importance of a multi-faceted approach to tackle drug problem. We must focus on dictating the terms, dismantling the networks, detaining the culprits, and rehabilitating the addicts, he said. Shah also pointed out that Chhattisgarhs proximity to the Bay of Bengal, along with the coastal connectivity of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, creates a significant drug trafficking route. He noted that the states cannabis usage rate is 4.98%, far exceeding the national average of 2.83%.

Shah emphasized the need to seize the properties of drug dealers and urged officials to use central agencies for financial investigations. Funds generated from narcotics are often used to support terrorism, Naxal insurgency, and other activities aimed at weakening India, he warned.

Shah instructed officials to hold regular reviews with clearly defined targets, ensuring that the fight against drugs is not just a formality. He also stressed the importance of creating joint coordination committees to strengthen efforts against drug trafficking, with a focus on financial investigations and the sources of funding.

On the concluding day of his Chhattisgarh visit, Shah shifted focus from combating Naxal insurgency to strategizing on preventing drug trafficking nationwide. The meeting brought together officials from various central and state departments to discuss strategies for disrupting drug networks, enhancing enforcement actions, and raising awareness among youth and students.

Participants in the meeting included representatives from the Intelligence Bureau, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, Railway Protection Force, India Post, State Drug Controller, forensic science experts, Ministry of Social Justice, Enforcement Directorate, and the State AIDS Control Organization.
Stating that the safety of women is a top priority of the nation along with their empowerment, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said atrocities against women are an unpardonable sin,

Speaking at the Lakhpati Didi Sammelan in Maharashtras Jalgaon on Sunday, the prime minister said those guilty of such crimes, and those who assist them, should not be spared.

I understand the pain and anger of my sisters and daughters, irrespective of the states they belong to, he added.

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On the occasion, he said, Governments may change, but our biggest responsibility as a society and as a government should be to protect the life and dignity of women.

People should be held accountable for any negligence in ensuring womens safety, he said, adding whether it takes place in public institutions, be it a hospital or a school or an office, or the police system, should be made accountable and any sort of negligence is unacceptable.

PM Modi underlined the need for governments to enact stringent laws for the harshest punishment to those who commit atrocities on women.

Pointing out that FIRs for complaints were not registered on time earlier and the legal process had been very time-consuming, the PM said such obstacles have been removed in the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) where an entire chapter has been written on the atrocities on women and children, he said.

He said the victims can register e-FIR if they do not wish to go to the police station and measures are in place to ensure swift action and no tampering with e-FIR at the police station level. It would help in speedy investigation and strict punishment for the culprits. The new laws have provisions for the death penalty and life imprisonment for sexual crimes against minors.

On the occasion, the prime minister felicitated 11 lakh new Lakhpati Didis who became Lakhpati during the third term of the present government and handed certificates to them. He also interacted with Lakhpati Didis from across the country.

The prime minister released a Revolving Fund of Rs 2,500 crore, benefiting about 48 lakh members of 4.3 lakh Self-Help Groups (SHG), and disbursed bank loans of Rs 5,000 crore which will benefit 25.8 lakh members of 2.35 lakh SHGs.

Since the inception of the Lakhpati Didi Yoajna, one crore women have been made Lakhpati Didis. The government has set a new target of three crore Lakhpati Didis, an official statement said.

This corpus of funds will bolster many women to transform into Lakhpati Didis. The PM also extended his best wishes, he said.

The PM also conveyed condolences to the victims of the bus accident in Tanahun, Nepal where several people from Jalgaon lost their lives. He said the authorities contacted their Nepalese counterparts as soon as the mishap took place and Union Minister Rakshatai Khadse was sent to the neighbouring country.

He prayed for the speedy recovery of those injured in the accident and assured all possible assistance from the Central and state governments.

He mentioned witnessing the culture of Maharashtra during his recent visit to Poland and said that the people of Maharashtra are highly respected by Polish citizens.

He spoke about the Kolhapur Memorial which is dedicated to the spirit of service and hospitality of the people of Kolhapur by the people of Poland.
Chairing a review meeting on the expansion of cooperatives in Raipur, Chhattisgarh on Sunday, Union Home Minister and Cooperation Amit Shah launched the Primary Agriculture Credit Society (PACS) in 33 districts to work as Water Committees in their respective districts.

Many dignitaries, including the Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, Union Minister of State for Cooperation Murlidhar Mohol, Deputy Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh Arun Sao, Minister of Cooperation Kedar Kashyap and Secretary of the Union Ministry of Cooperation Dr. Ashish Kumar Bhutani, were present on the occasion.

As part of the Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam campaign, the Union home minister planted saplings under Peepal for People programme and inaugurated various development works of the Chhattisgarh government.

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In his address at the Cooperative Review Meeting, he said a cooperative society is being formed in every panchayat of the country to realize Prime Minister Narendra Modis dream of Sahkar Se Samriddhi.

He said the Chhattisgarh government should come up with a new public dairy scheme with a focus on tribal development. The scheme should envisage PACS to work like a multi-purpose unit also catering to dairy and fisheries cooperative institutions.

Union Minister said all 2058 PACS of Chhattisgarh have adopted the Model Bye-Laws. The National Cooperative Database should be used to find the dry area in Chhattisgarh which will help in the expansion of cooperatives.

He stressed with computerisation, every PACS should be made a Common Service Center (CSC) so that the benefits of various activities done by PACS can reach the rural people.

Amit Shah said that there should be a contract between NCCF, NAFED, and the State for ethanol production so that farmers can be encouraged towards maize cultivation. The cost in maize cultivation is also low and all the maize of the farmers will be purchased by the central government at the Minimum Support Price. Shah said that 100% registration should be done by PACS on NAFED and NCCF portals for the sale of farmers agricultural produce.

Union minister of cooperation said it should be mandatory for every trader, PACS, and cooperative society of every market to open an account in the District Cooperative Central Bank.

Chhattisgarh has four cooperative sugar mills out of which only one mill has an ethanol production plant.

Shah said multi-feed ethanol production plants should be set up in the remaining 3 cooperative sugar mills within 6 months so that ethanol can be produced from maize and sugarcane. He said the Central government will help in this regard. He said that there is a need to promote the cultivation of maize and pulses in Chhattisgarh and for this, the State Agriculture Department should take the initiative.

Amit Shah said at present, there are a total of six District Cooperative Central Banks (DCCBs) in 33 districts of Chhattisgarh, and keeping in mind the expansion of PACS in the state soon, at least four more DCCBs should be established.

He said the Animal Husbandry, Agriculture, Tribal Affairs and Cooperative departments of the State Government should work together under the Whole Government Approach for the economic development of rural and tribal people of Chhattisgarh.
Admitting that there was a lot of political pressure as the government agency HYDRAA began demolishing structures encroaching on tanks and lakes of Hyderabad, Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy said his government would continue the crackdown on encroachers even if they were influential in the society.

The chief ministers statement came a day after the HYDRAA demolished the N Convention Centre belonging to Telugu actor Nagarjuna. So far, the HYDRAA has reclaimed 43.94 acres of encroached land within the Outer Ring Road (ORR) area within three months since its inception.

Addressing a programme organised by the Hare Krishna Movement the chief minister said, Nizams had developed Hyderabad hundreds of years ago as a lake city. Some farmhouses have been built for luxuries in the vicinity of the lakes and ponds which quench the thirst of crores of people. Waste water from farmhouses is being discharged into Gandipet (Osman Sagar) and Himayat Sagar which have been providing drinking water to the city.

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Reddy also said Bhagavad Gita was an inspiration when it came to demolishing illegal structures constructed at Full Tank Level (FTL) of the water bodies by the HYDRAA. Since powerful people owned these farmhouses there was a lot of pressure but this was a matter of the citys future.

He said, Being elected public representatives, we should not neglect this matter. The government started protecting the lakes from encroachments through HYDRAA. This is not a programme taken up for politics or political parties. The government has undertaken this programme with a will to provide better lives to future generations. We will not succumb to the pressure and instead take stringent action against the encroachers. We will follow the preaching of Lord Krishna which proclaims that for the good of the people one should follow Dharma to defeat Adharma through a fight.

However, detractors were quick to point out that at the programme, the chief minister was flanked by former minister and MLC Patnam Mahender Reddy who owns a private resort built in the buffer zone of Himayat Sagar Lake. Several properties of political leaders have been demolished so far by the HYDRAA but a number of properties of ministers and other key Congress leaders are still standing.

The BRS alleged that the chief ministers brothers property encroached upon Durgam Cheruvu, the lake near the IT Hub at Hitec City. AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi also criticised the action of the HYDRAA. Some of the AIMIM leaders properties, including that of the Bahadurpura MLA, were also demolished by the HYDRAA.

HYDRAA does not have legislative or legal backing Earlier there was a waterfall where the GHMC office stands today. Necklace Road has been constructed on FTL, you demolish it, said Owaisi.

Meanwhile, the common people are quite happy with the demolition. Several middle-class and economically backward neighbourhoods face flooding due to these encroachments. Members of the Gandipet Welfare Society took out a walk in support of the demolition drive by the HYDRAA near Osman Sagar Lake in Rajendranagar. Complaining that almost all the ponds have been encroached upon a member said it was not a matter of supporting a particular political party. HYDRAA is doing a good work. We want to support it, he added.
In order to justify the effort of selecting individual stocks, it's worth striving to beat the returns from a market index fund. But if you try your hand at stock picking, you risk returning less than the market. We regret to report that long term Low Keng Huat (Singapore) Limited (SGX:F1E) shareholders have had that experience, with the share price dropping 39% in three years, versus a market decline of about 14%. The more recent news is of little comfort, with the share price down 25% in a year.

So let's have a look and see if the longer term performance of the company has been in line with the underlying business' progress.

View our latest analysis for Low Keng Huat (Singapore)

There is no denying that markets are sometimes efficient, but prices do not always reflect underlying business performance. By comparing earnings per share (EPS) and share price changes over time, we can get a feel for how investor attitudes to a company have morphed over time.

We know that Low Keng Huat (Singapore) has been profitable in the past. On the other hand, it reported a trailing twelve months loss, suggesting it isn't reliably profitable. Other metrics might give us a better handle on how its value is changing over time.

We note that the dividend has declined - a likely contributor to the share price drop. In contrast it does not seem particularly likely that the revenue levels are a concern for investors.

The image below shows how earnings and revenue have tracked over time (if you click on the image you can see greater detail).

If you are thinking of buying or selling Low Keng Huat (Singapore) stock, you should check out this FREE detailed report on its balance sheet.

What About Dividends?

As well as measuring the share price return, investors should also consider the total shareholder return (TSR). Whereas the share price return only reflects the change in the share price, the TSR includes the value of dividends (assuming they were reinvested) and the benefit of any discounted capital raising or spin-off. So for companies that pay a generous dividend, the TSR is often a lot higher than the share price return. We note that for Low Keng Huat (Singapore) the TSR over the last 3 years was -32%, which is better than the share price return mentioned above. This is largely a result of its dividend payments!

A Different Perspective

While the broader market gained around 8.6% in the last year, Low Keng Huat (Singapore) shareholders lost 21% (even including dividends). Even the share prices of good stocks drop sometimes, but we want to see improvements in the fundamental metrics of a business, before getting too interested. Unfortunately, last year's performance may indicate unresolved challenges, given that it was worse than the annualised loss of 4% over the last half decade. Generally speaking long term share price weakness can be a bad sign, though contrarian investors might want to research the stock in hope of a turnaround. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand Low Keng Huat (Singapore) better, we need to consider many other factors. For instance, we've identified 3 warning signs for Low Keng Huat (Singapore) (2 are a bit unpleasant) that you should be aware of.

Story continues

But note: Low Keng Huat (Singapore) may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with past earnings growth (and further growth forecast).

Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on Singaporean exchanges.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.
The Malayalam film industry, which was rocked by the Hema Committee report and the subsequent revelations of sexual assault by female actors, has plunged into deeper crisis with two prominent film personalities stepping down from their posts.

Malayalam film director Ranjith stepped down as the chairman of the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy on Sunday, following public outcry for his resignation after allegations of sexual misbehaviour by Bengali actress Sreelekha Mitra while noted actor Siddique resigned as the General Secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) after actress Revathy Sampath accused him of sexually assaulting her.

Ranjith informed his decision to resign to Cultural Minister Saji Cherian, stating that he is unwilling to continue in the position in the light of the allegations against him.

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Cultural Minister Saji Cherian told the media persons that Ranjith had called him and informed him of his decision to resign from his position as the chairman of the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy.

Ranjith, in a voice clip released to the media, termed the allegation by Sreelekha Mitra as part of an effort by a group of people ever since he assumed the position as the chairman of the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy.

Mitra on Friday told the media that Ranjith had sexually misbehaved with her when she came to Kerala for the audition of Ranjith directed 2009 film Paleri Manikyam: Oru Pathira Kolapathakiathinte Katha. She said he made inappropriate advances towards her and that she left Kerala the following day.

Earlier on Sunday, actor Siddique resigned as general secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA). He sent his resignation to the AMMA president Mohanlal, via.email. I am stepping down from the position in the light of the allegations against me, Siddique stated.

Siddiques resignation comes a day after actress Revathy Sampath made serious allegations against him, accusing Siddique of physically assaulting her in 2016.

She also claimed that a few of her friends had similar experiences with him. Revathi Sampath said that Siddique contacted her using a fake social media account under the guise of discussing a film project in 2016.

He is a criminal He subjected me to sexual assault for an hour. He even locked me in a room.However, I managed to escape, Revathy said.

Meanwhile, casting director Tess Joseph has come out against actor Mukesh, alleging that he had misbehaved with her during the shooting of a reality show for a popular TV channel.

She claimed that Mukesh repeatedly disturbed her while staying at the hotel. Tess had opened up about the incident during the #MeToo movement in 2018.

Mukesh had rubbished the allegations against him by Tess Joseph stating that he never met her.He termed the allegation a political conspiracy and that he is being targeted as he is a CPI-M MLA.

In another shocking revelation, Revathy Sampath, who raised serious sexual assault allegations against actor Siddique, on Sunday raised allegation of misconduct against actor Riyaz Khan.

Revathy revealed that Khan spoke obscenely to her over the phone and asked her to introduce friends who were willing to cooperate with him.

Actress Sonia Malhar also revealed that she encountered harassment from a young actor in 2013. Sonia said the actor grabbed her while she was returning from the restroom at a shoot in Thodupuzha.
The District Administration and police in Chhindwara district of Madhya Pradesh razed the allegedly illegally constructed parts of the house of a rape accused.

According to officials, the accused Nafees alias Vicky Mansoori was arrested a few days ago after a girl lodged a complaint of rape, blackmailing, threatening and floating her photos on the internet.

The accused belongs to village Lalgaon in Chand Tehsil of Chhindwara. He is accused of raping the victim repeatedly over a period of four years.

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He also filmed the girl in a compromising situation and subsequently floated her pictures on the internet after the girl got married to someone else on 12 August.

Following the arrest of the accused, the areas SDM Prabhat Mishra ordered officials to check the construction of Vickys house.

The officials found that about 1080 square feet part of the house had been built on encroachment.

On Saturday, the teams of police and district administration officials reached Vicky Mansooris house and a bulldozer demolished the encroached parts of the house that were built without due permission.
Senior AAP leader and Delhi Cabinet Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj on Sunday raised questions over the alleged involvement of Delhis Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena in the illegal felling of trees in the citys Satbari area.

Bharadwaj, while citing affidavits submitted by Delhis officers before the Supreme Court, suggested that the L-G and senior officials were either complicit in the act or willfully ignored the alleged illegal actions.

He asserted that the trees were felled with the connivance of all involved, and added that officers are now lying to protect the L-G.

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Bharadwaj further said: For the last few days, the SC has been hearing a case regarding illegal felling of about 1100 trees in Satbari Ridge area of Delhi without permission. There was a lot of confusion about this issue.

I and my party (AAP) were constantly saying that L-G himself had visited the tree felling site on 3 February 2024. When the court asked about this, it was misled by saying that L-G had not gone there; he had gone to visit the hospital. After that, the Supreme Court asked all the officers to file their affidavits. Some officers have filed affidavits but some officers are still considering it, he claimed.

Bharadwaj, who was addressing a press conference here, stated that Principal Chief Conservator of Forest, in his affidavit, said that L-G reached the place and the direction to expedite the work was given by L-G in writing.

He further said the DDA Member Engineering has also written in his affidavit that on 03/02/2024, L-G, after completing his visit to the Central Armed Police Force Institute of Medical Science (CAPFIMS) Hospital, had a stop-over on CAPFIMS Road where he reviewed the progress of the road work.

The senior AAP leader further added that the top court has said that it is certain DDA got these trees cut and its contractor fell them.

The AAP leader alleged that L-G was visiting there to inform them that the road widening work was getting delayed due to trees not being cut.

He further hit out at L-G and Chief Secretary alleging that they are trying to misguide the people of Delhi and the apex court by mentioning they were not aware of requirement of a permission of felling trees, and requested L-G to hold a press conference and answer the people of the city about how it is possible that he did not know that permission from the tree officer is needed to cut trees.

The minister claimed that all the officers know that permission is required to cut trees and they also know that they did not have the same, but still no senior IAS officer had the courage to tell their L-G that trees cannot be cut without permission.

Taking a dig at the citys bureaucracy, Bharadwaj said: From this, you can understand the bureaucracy of Delhi; what is their condition in front of the L-G.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita liberates our democracy from the colonial mindset, and its basic spirit should become as effective as possible, this responsibility is now in front of all of us.

Addressing the Platinum Jubilee celebrations of the Rajasthan High Court in Jodhpur, he said We have abolished hundreds of colonial laws that have become completely irrelevant. After so many decades of independence, emerging from the mentality of slavery, the country has adopted the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita in place of the Indian Penal Code.

The Prime Minister said: I believe that justice is always simple and clear but sometimes the process makes it difficult. It is our collective responsibility to make justice as simple and clear as possible and I am satisfied that the country has taken many historic and decisive steps in this direction.

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Justice instead of punishment is also the basis of Indian thinking, he said. The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita takes this human thinking forward.

The Prime Minister said the Indian judiciary has always fulfilled the moral responsibility of being vigilant and active on national issues. The example of the removal of Article 370 from Kashmir and the constitutional integration of the country is before us, he said.

Mr Modi said the example of humanitarian laws like CAA is before us. What natural justice says in the national interest on such issues has been completely clear from the decisions of our courts. From the High Court to the Supreme Court, the judiciary has strengthened the resolution of Nation First on such issues many times.

As you may remember, just on this 15th August, I have talked about a secular civil code from the Red Fort. Even though a government has become so vocal on this issue for the first time, our judiciary has been advocating it for decades. This clear stand of the judiciary on the issue of national unity will further increase the trust of the countrymen on the judiciary, the Prime Minister said.

The Prime Minister said the country has changed rapidly in a decade. We have risen from the 10th position ten years ago to become the 5th largest economy in the world.

Today, the dreams of the country are big, aspirations of the countrymen are big. It is important that we do new innovations according to the new India and modernize our systems. This Justice for All is equally important for this. We are seeing that technology can play such an important role in our judicial system, he said.

Our e-courts project is the biggest example of how big a change can happen through the IT revolution. Today more than 18,000 courts in the country have been computerized. I have been told that information about more than 26 crore cases has been linked to a centralized online platform from the National Judicial Data Grid, the Prime Minister said.

Today more than 3,000 court complexes and more than 1200 jails of the entire country have been connected through video conferencing, he said. And I am happy that Rajasthan is also working at a very fast pace in this direction. Hundreds of courts here have been computerized, he said.

Paperless courts, e-filing, electronic service for summons, arrangement for virtual hearing, these are not ordinary changes. A litigant had to take any number of rounds of courts for his case, he said.

Today, after decades, the country has taken effective steps to end the suffering of that common citizen, to end those rounds. This has awakened a new hope about justice. We have to maintain this hope, we have to keep reforming our judicial system continuously, he said.

The Prime Minister said The Rajasthan High Court has completed 75 years at a time when our Constitution is also going to complete 75 years, he said.

This is also a moment to celebrate the integrity and contributions of many great people. This is also an example of our faith in the Constitution. I congratulate all of you jurists and the people of Rajasthan on this occasion, he said.

The Prime Minister received a grand welcome as he passed through the Jodhpur city to attend the Rajasthan High Court celebrations.
Israel has called on the international community to back its efforts in defending against what it describes as the Iranian axis of evil and its proxy organizations, especially Hezbollah.

Shortly after Hezbollah launched a large-scale drone and missile attacks on Israel, Foreign Minister Israel Katz on Sunday addressed dozens of his counterparts around the world, urging them to support Israel following a series of preemptive strikes against the Lebanese militant group.

According to a statement by the Israeli Foreign Ministry, Katz informed his counterparts that the Israeli military launched airstrikes after identifying a large-scale planned attack by Hezbollah involving missiles and drones targeting Israeli territory.

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The foreign minister emphasised that the strikes were carried out to prevent this attack and protect Israeli citizens.

In his appeal, Katz highlighted the broader context of Israels actions, framing them as part of a larger struggle against what he referred to as the Iranian axis of evil.

He reiterated that Irans goal, through its proxy Hezbollah, is to bring about Israels destruction.

Israel does not seek an all-out war and will act according to developments on the ground, Katz assured, emphasising that the countrys actions are purely defensive.

The escalation comes as ceasefire talks with Hamas continue, raising concerns over a potential broader conflict in the region.

Katz stressed that global support for Israels right to defend itself against Iranian-backed threats is now more crucial than ever.
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) on Sunday launched a series of airstrikes across southern Lebanon, targeting Hezbollahs rocket launchers and military sites in response to the Iran-backed militant groups drone and missile attack.

The Israeli air strikes, involving over 100 Israeli Air Force (IAF) fighter jets, came in response to Hezbollahs large scale attacks, which the group claims is retaliation to the Israeli militarys assassination of its top commander Fraud Shukr in July.

The Islamic Resistance in Lebanon, Hezbollahs armed wing, stated that it had successfully completed what it called the first phase of its operation.

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According to Lebanons National News Agency (NNA), the Islamic Resistance targeted Israeli barracks and sites, facilitating the passage of drones deep into Israeli territory.

Over 320 rockets have been fired at Israeli military positions, including key bases in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights, the NNA stated in a release.

The sites targeted by Hezbollah include Meron Base, Neve Ziv Bunker, and several military installations in the Golan Heights, among others.

Meanwhile, Israels Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, declared an emergency situation across the country for the next 48 hours. The escalation also resulted in the temporary suspension of flights at Tel Avivs Ben Gurion Airport but they resumed once the attack was over.

Addressing a press conference, IDF Spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said that Israels military is actively working to thwart Hezbollahs attacks, stating, We are removing threats to the Israeli home front.

He added that Israels air defense systems, navy ships, and air force planes are engaged in identifying and intercepting threats from Hezbollah, while continuing to strike targets in southern Lebanon.

As the tension continues to mount in West Asia, the United States have reaffirmed its commitment to Israels protection and reiterated its support to Jewish nations right to defend itself.
Delhi Congress President Devender Yadav on Sunday took a jibe at the recent defection of five Aam Aadmi Party councilors to the BJP, describing their move as searching for better pastures.

The Congress leader further criticized the AAP for being directionless in the absence of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who is lodged in the Tihar jail in connection with the alleged liquor scam and money laundering case.

Yadav alleged the BJP has a well-known history of always including public representatives in its party to gain power. It is now adopting the same tactics to form the Standing Committee and capture the Ward Committees in the Delhi Municipal Corporation, as this week the process of election of Ward Committee followed by the Standing Committee will start in the Corporation.

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He further claimed that due to the delay in the formation of the Standing Committee and Ward Committees in the Corporation, the sanitation and other development works in the colonies of Delhi have come to a complete halt.

He said that the political blame game between BJP and AAP is visible in Delhi on every issue related to the public but no one is working for the welfare of the public, to provide those rights and facilities.

He added that due to their non-working style, AAP and BJP involve administrative officers in politics in the fight of allegations and counter allegations.

Speaking about the support in the civic committee elections, Yadav said that the Congress will keep its vote neutral and our nine councilors will work as per the ideology of Congress.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh underlined the various emerging co-development and co-production opportunities in the defence sector in India due to the progressive reforms undertaken by the Modi government.

He invited foreign original equipment manufacturers, including from the United States, to set up manufacturing units in India, develop joint ventures and also to make India their alternate export base.

The defence minister was interacting with the senior leadership of US defence companies in Washington last night. He said the planned co-production of GE 414 aero-engines in India shall be a significant milestone in India-US bilateral relations.

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Mr Singh highlighted that Partnership and Joint Efforts are the two keywords that differentiate Indias defence industry partnership with other nations.

The event saw the attendance of senior leadership from prominent US defence and technology companies such as Boeing, GE, General Atomics, General Dynamics Land Systems, L3 Harris, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon Technologies, Rolls Royce, and ThayerMahan.

In addition, few Indian companies such as ideaForge, Tata Sons and Tsecond, along with senior leaders from The Cohen Group attended the interaction with the defence minister. During the interaction, the business leaders briefly outlined their ongoing projects and future plans for India, and provided valuable feedback.

The defence ministers meeting with US defence companies came a day after the US approved a possible foreign military sale of anti-submarine warfare sonobuoys and related equipment to India at an estimated cost of USD 52.8 million for the multi-mission MH-60R Seahawk helicopters.

During the course of his four-day visit to the US, Mr Singh had significant meetings with US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and other key officials during which the two sides deliberated on the evolving geopolitical situation and the ongoing defence industrial collaboration between the two countries.
Putting at rest all the speculations on its candidate for the Milkipur Assembly by-election, the Samajwadi Party on Sunday announced the name of Ajit Prasad, son of Faizabad MP Awadhesh Prasad, as the partys nominee.

The announcement was made after a consensus was reached on Ajit Prasad becoming the candidate in a meeting of SP leaders and workers of the district held at the Lucknow party office on Sunday.

The by-election was necessitated as Milkipur MLA Avadhesh Prasad became MP.

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Even though the party had already indicated that it is going to field Ajit Prasad from the reserved seat, two other contenders staked their claim to the seat.

To take a final decision on the candidate, SP National President Akhilesh Yadav held a meeting on Sunday with about 700 people, including all former MLAs, office bearers, booth and sector agents of the party at the partys Lucknow office to discuss the candidature. He solicited suggestions from everyone during the meeting. When everyone agreed on the name of Ajit Prasad, he directed them to forget their differences and work for the victory of the consensus candidate.

SPs Ayodhya District President Parasnath Yadav said after a consensus was reached on Ajit Prasads candidature, the partys national president announced the meeting itself. Since there is no internal difference of any kind in the Samajwadi Party, the victory in this seat is certain.

Former SP MLA Anandsen Yadav, who was upset with the Lok Sabha elections, has been the MLA from Milkipur assembly constituency twice. The Milkipur assembly constituency has been considered his stronghold since the time of his father and former MP Mitr Sen Yadav. In such a situation, it was not easy for the SP to win this seat amid their resentment.

Anandsen Yadav also attended the meeting putting an end to all the speculations. He openly supported Ajit Prasad anticipating his victory in the elections.
Leader of the Opposition in the Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta on Sunday accused the citys Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government of incompetence and negligence, leading to recurring water logging faced by the citizens of Delhi.

The statement by the PWD that a cloudburst led to the waterlogging is absurd, especially since only 80 millimeters of rain fell on Friday, Gupta said.

He argued that cloudbursts typically involve rainfall exceeding 100 millimeters and are usually associated with hilly areas, not plains like Delhi.

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Delhi is not a hilly region where such incidents are common. This is just another attempt by the government to deflect blame and cover up their incompetence, he added.

Gupta also criticized the lack of coordination between the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) and the Delhi government, stating that the people of Delhi are suffering due to the governments inability to manage critical infrastructure.

He pointed to the failure of the AAP government to devise a comprehensive plan to tackle the challenges posed by the monsoon season, leading to frequent incidents of waterlogging across the city.

Further, Gupta referred to the statements from officials of the Central Road Research Institute (CRRI), who attributed the waterlogging at Dhaula Kuan to inadequate desilting of drains in the area.

According to CRRI, the high altitude of Dhaula Kuan area requires an efficient drainage system, which appears to have been neglected, resulting in the severe waterlogging experienced on Friday.
Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) is a king of reliability, known for its consistent financial and stock growth. Over the last five years, the company's share price has risen 200%, while free cash flow has climbed 92%.

Microsoft's steady growth has secured it a market cap above $3 trillion, allowing it to remain in the world's top three most valuable companies. In fact, from about February to June of this year, Microsoft temporarily surpassed Apple and Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) in market cap, taking the top spot.

Market fluctuations have seen the world's top five most valuable companies reshuffle multiple times in 2024. Even throughout August, Nvidia and Microsoft have been duking it out for second place on an almost weekly basis. Meanwhile, Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) appears to be on a bull run that could surpass the Windows company in the coming years.

Nvidia and Amazon have been on exciting growth paths thanks to skyrocketing earnings. These companies dominate their respective industries and are profiting from consistent investment in the lucrative artificial intelligence (AI) market.

While Microsoft is known for consistency, Nvidia and Amazon are expanding at a rate that could allow them to overtake the company. So, here are two growth stocks I predict will be worth more than Microsoft in five years.

1. Nvidia: A meteoric rise that is unlikely to slow any time soon

Nvidia's business has delivered record growth since the start of 2023, with its stock up 779%. Its meteoric rise has seen it steadily climb through the ranks of the world's most valuable companies, as seen in the chart below.

AAPL Market Cap Chart

As of this writing, Nvidia's market cap is above Microsoft's. Their positions switched multiple times this month, suggesting could swap again by the time you read this. However, Nvidia is included in this list as I'd argue that it will have surpassed Microsoft for good and gained a solid lead within the next five years.

Nvidia massively outperformed Microsoft in 2024, with its stock up 159% compared to Microsoft's 10% rise. Meanwhile, Nvidia's quarterly revenue is up 18% year to date, with Microsoft's up 4%. At this rate, Nvidia could even secure its spot ahead of Microsoft much sooner than five years.

Nvidia's stellar gains are primarily thanks to its dominance in AI. The company is responsible for between 70% and 95% of all AI graphics processing units (GPUs), the chips necessary for training AI models. Competitors like Advanced Micro Devices and Intel are working to catch up, launching rival GPUs this year. However, Nvidia's head start and $39 billion in free cash flow (compared to AMD's $1 billion and Intel's negative $13 billion) suggests it won't have too much trouble maintaining its lead.

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In AI, Microsoft has a prominent role in cloud computing. However, fellow cloud giants Amazon and Alphabet are much closer competitors than Nvidia's rivals in the GPU market.

Nvidia will report its second quarter of fiscal 2025 earnings on Aug. 28. After over a year of beating quarterly earnings, the company will likely continue recent trends and deliver another quarter of impressive growth. Its stock could soar, furthering its lead on Microsoft.

2. Amazon: Soaring earnings and the cash to surpass its rivals

Amazon and Microsoft are in steep competition in the cloud industry. As of Q2 2024, Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud market share stood at 31%, while Microsoft Azure's was at 25%. However, Amazon ramped up its cloud investment over the last year, which could allow it to hold onto its lead in the industry and eventually push its market cap above Microsoft's.

MSFT Chart

Amazon consistently outperformed Microsoft over the last year. Solid growth in retail and AWS has seen Amazon's profits soar, allowing it to sink billions into its AI efforts.

In March, Bloomberg reported that Amazon plans to spend nearly $150 billion on data centers over the next 15 years to expand AWS' reach. The company anticipates an explosion of demand for AI applications and other digital services, requiring a more extensive cloud network. The news aligns with multiple reports in recent months that announced Amazon's data center investment in U.S. locations including Ohio, Indiana, and Virginia, as well as international spots such as Singapore, Spain, Saudi Arabia, India, and Taiwan.

The expansion will increase Amazon's cloud and AI capabilities. Meanwhile, a vast network will allow it to boost other areas of its business with the generative technology, such as e-commerce, grocery, digital advertising, and more.

Amazon's market cap currently sits at $1.8 trillion. However, its earnings and stock are expanding at a rate that will likely see it overtake Microsoft in the coming years.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to Kyiv on Friday was not just a symbolic gesture but a crucial diplomatic engagement that could shape Indias foreign policy trajectory amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict. Mr Modis discussions with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy highlighted Indias complex balancing act between its historical ties with Russia and its growing engagement with Ukraine and the West. During the meeting, Mr Modi iterated Indias consistent call for peace and dialogue. He emphasised that India, while not taking sides in the conflict, believes in the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all nations, including Ukraine.

Mr Modis message to President Zelenskyy was clear: India supports a peaceful resolution to the conflict through diplomatic channels rather than military means. Mr Modi also expressed deep concern about the humanitarian crisis caused by the war. India has already provided humanitarian aid to Ukraine, and Mr Modi assured Mr Zelenskyy that the country is ready to do more if necessary. He highlighted Indias commitment to helping those affected by the conflict, particularly in ensuring the safety and well-being of civilians. A key aspect of Mr Modis message to Mr Zelenskyy was Indias willingness to play a role in facilitating dialogue between Russia and Ukraine. Indias neutral stance allows it to act as a potential mediator, and Mr Modi offered Indias good offices to support any peace initiatives. This aligns with Indias broader foreign policy approach, which seeks to engage all parties in global conflicts without compromising its strategic autonomy.

Beyond the immediate conflict, Mr Modi and Mr Zelenskyy discussed the broader geopolitical implications of the war. Mr Modi expressed concerns about the impact of the conflict on global food security and energy markets, issues that have directly affected India and other developing nations. He urged Mr Zelenskyy to consider the wider ramifications of the conflict and to work towards a resolution that stabilises these critical sectors. Furthermore, Mr Modi highlighted the importance of strengthening bilateral ties between India and Ukraine. While defence cooperation remains a sensitive topic due to Indias reliance on Russian military hardware, Mr Modi and Mr Zelenskyy explored other areas of collaboration, such as technology, agriculture, and education. Mr Modi emphasised that India sees Ukraine as an important partner in Eastern Europe and is committed to building a long-term, multifaceted relationship.

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However, Mr Modi was careful not to alienate Russia during his discussions with Mr Zelenskyy. He reaffirmed Indias historical ties with Moscow and avoided any statements that could be perceived as a condemnation of Russias actions. This delicate diplomacy underscores Indias desire to maintain strategic partnerships with both Ukraine and Russia, a balancing act that will be crucial for Indias foreign policy moving forward. By emphasising peace, dialogue, and humanitarian support, Mr Modi has positioned India as a responsible global player that can engage with all sides without compromising its core interests.
Some leaders emerge during elections, such as Lok Sabha or Assembly polls. One such person is 59-year-old Sunita, the wife of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. She has become a crucial link between her jailed husband and the party. It is still being determined whether she will continue to work for the party if and when Kejriwal gets bail. Women from political families often enter politics as substitutes for their relatives. One successful example is Sonia Gandhi.

Another notable case is Rabri Devi. She led Bihar from 2000 to 2005, when her scam-tainted husband had to resign. However, there was criticism that Rabri was only a rubber stamp while her husband was the unofficial chief minister. The only difference was that Lalu resigned, and Kejriwal continues to run the government sitting in Tihar jail. Sunita brings a wealth of experience and a solid professional background. Her 22-year tenure in the income tax department, ending as IT commissioner at the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT), showcases her competence.

As a wife, Sunita supported her husband even during the India Against Corruption movement as he emerged as a political leader besides being an activist. In fact, Sunita has supported her husbands political journey with a low profile. Kejriwal projected himself as a family man and campaigned with Sunita during the Lok Sabha polls. Sunitas increasing involvement in the Aam Aadmi Party, particularly after Kejriwals imprisonment, demonstrates her commitment and determination. Speculation about her potential role as the chief minister if Kejriwal resigns could inject a fresh perspective into AAP politics. Secondly, Sunitas leadership is crucial now as the Aam Aadmi Party is grappling with a crisis. Many senior leaders are facing corruption charges.

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The arrest of Kejriwal has added to the partys challenges. The Centre has given him a long rope and has not dismissed his government. Assembly elections to Delhi are due in January 2025, and will be of the utmost importance. Manish Sisodia, Kejriwals deputy, suggests Sunitas role in the Party would end when Kejriwal is out of jail. Sisodia was also arrested in connection with the excise policy case on February 26 last year. Sisodia, a founder and member of AAP, could succeed Kejriwal. AAP MP Sanjay Singh claims Sunitas role as Kejriwals messenger is growing. Still, Kejriwal says Sunita has no interest in politics. While Sunita may be seen as a stop-gap replacement, her growing influence in the party makes it challenging to sideline her.

Even if Kejriwal is granted bail, it is clear that Sunitas role in the Aam Admi Party will continue to be significant. The Party needs a morale booster with the upcoming Haryana and Delhi polls and a credible leader. Sunita fills up the gap. AAP members have accepted Sunita as the link for now. Though actively involved, Sunita holds no official position in the AAP. She had campaigned during the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and has just begun campaigning in Haryana. Her line of defence was that some political forces were involved in discrediting her husband. The opposition coalition INDIA has acknowledged Sunitas increasing involvement and acceptability. She was seated in a prominent position alongside Sonia Gandhi at a recent rally in Ramlila Maidan.

Sunita launched Kejriwals guarantees (freebies) last week, launching the campaign for the upcoming Haryana Assembly polls. These guarantees include free electricity, medical treatment, education, Rs 1,000 monthly aid to every woman, and employment for youngsters. On several occasions, she lauded the AAP government for establishing Mohalla clinics and developing government schools. She also asked for their vote, saying, Jail ka jawab vote se. Sunita has some downsides. Despite Kejriwals political success, she is inexperienced in politics and has not even become a member of the AAP.

Her leadership qualities still need to be established. Whether she can make tough decisions and keep the party intact is still being determined. Her limited purpose at present is to keep the party together. With such an uncertain position, she has to function in a restricted manner. Sunita has also started holding negotiations with other parties, such as the Nationalist Congress Party. She now has access to all top leaders of the Opposition. Her proactive approach in choosing candidates for the Assembly polls and coalition with other parties, depend on the Aam Aadmi Partys future alliances and overcoming anti-incumbency as it seeks a third term in Delhi. Upon his return, Kejriwal must ensure that there are no internal issues within the party.

He must also closely watch Punjab, where the AAP is ruling. Additionally, he should establish a clear chain of command and avoid sidelining Sisodia or Sunita. Kejriwal tends to be controlling and has not allowed a second line of leadership. He needs to keep his team united and realistically evaluate his promises of benefits. The results of the upcoming elections, particularly in Haryana and Delhi, could significantly shape Delhis political landscape.
India and Indonesia, two large countries in the Indo-Pacific, have strongly condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and emphasised the need for strengthening international cooperation to combat the menace in a comprehensive and sustained manner. They also condemned the use of terrorist proxies for cross-border terrorism.

At the sixth meeting of the India-Indonesia Joint Working Group on Counter-Terrorism in Jakarta, they also condemned the use of terrorist proxies for cross-border terrorism.

Mr K D Dewal, Joint Secretary (Counter-Terrorism) in the Ministry of External Affairs of India, and Mr Andhika Chrisnayudhanto, Deputy for International Cooperation, National Counter Terrorism Agency of the Republic of Indonesia (BNPT) led the delegations of the two countries in discussing global counter-terrorism challenges and the ongoing bilateral counter-terrorism cooperation.

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The two sides exchanged views on the domestic, regional and global terrorism threat assessment. They discussed counter-terrorism challenges related to the use of new and emerging technologies by terrorists, misuse of the internet for terrorist purposes, terror financing, and the nexus between organised crime and terrorism. They exchanged views on cooperation in regional, global and multilateral fora such as the UN, ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) and Association of Southeast Asian Nations(ASEAN) to combat global terrorism.

The ongoing cooperation in counter-terrorism is an important element of the India-Indonesia partnership, the Ministry of External Affairs said.
NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore, who flew to the International Space Station (ISS) in June this year on board Boeings faulty Starliner capsule, will return to Earth early next year, the space agency said in a release on Saturday.

NASA will return the Boeings Starliner to Earth without the two astronauts aboard the spacecraft, the agency said.

The uncrewed return will allow NASA and Boeing to continue gathering testing data on Starliner during its upcoming flight home, while also not accepting more risk than necessary for its crew.

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In a post on X, NASA said: After extensive review by experts across the agency, NASAs @BoeingSpace Crew Flight Test will return with an uncrewed #Starliner. Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are scheduled to return to Earth next spring.

Wilmore and Williams, who flew to the International Space Station in June, have been busy supporting station research, maintenance, and Starliner system testing and data analysis, among other activities, the NASA release said.

Spaceflight is risky, even at its safest and most routine. A test flight, by nature, is neither safe, nor routine. The decision to keep Butch and Suni aboard the International Space Station and bring Boeings Starliner home uncrewed is the result of our commitment to safety: Our core value and our North Star, said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, adding: Im grateful to both the NASA and Boeing teams for all their incredible and detailed work.

Wilmore and Williams will continue their work formally as part of the Expedition 71/72 crew through February 2025. They will fly home aboard a Dragon spacecraft with two other crew members assigned to the agencys SpaceX Crew-9 mission. Starliner is expected to depart from the space station and make a safe, controlled autonomous re-entry and landing in early September, NASA said in the release.

NASA and Boeing identified helium leaks and experienced issues with the spacecraft reaction control thrusters on June 6 as Starliner approached the space station.

Since then, engineering teams have completed a significant amount of work, including reviewing a collection of data, conducting flight and ground testing, hosting independent reviews with agency propulsion experts, and developing various return contingency plans.

The uncertainty and lack of expert concurrence does not meet the agencys safety and performance requirements for human spaceflight, thus prompting NASA leadership to move the astronauts to the Crew-9 mission, the space agency said.


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The rape and murder of a doctor in Kolkata has been an inflection point for the country. But as we feel rage and anguish at the crime, its cover up and the shocking mob vandalism that targeted protesting doctors, there are many other problematic responses in the aftermath of the horror that should give us pause.

The Mamata Banerjee government did many things wrong in its response to what unfolded in the R.G. Kar Medical College. The most egregious is its unexplained protection of Sandip Ghosh, the principal of the college. Not only did the violence unfold on his watch, doctors say he blamed the victim by callously questioning why she was alone in the seminar hall at nightthis after she had wrapped a 36-hour shift. He is responsible for college officials lying to the parents of the victim and telling them that their daughter died by suicide. He allowed suspicious renovations to take place 20 metres near the crime scene, triggering apprehensions of a cover-up. And, worst of all, when he finally resigned, he was not sacked. Instead he got a new job as the principal of the Calcutta National Medical College. It is to the credit of young doctors there that they refused to let him enter the premises. But, bizarrely, two local Trinamool Congress politiciansa legislator and a state ministerreached the college to persuade students to call off their agitation against Ghosh. As the Calcutta High Court asked while sending Ghosh on long leave, why is this man so powerful? The court pointed out that a government lawyer had been sent to defend him.

Imaging: Deni Lal

The attempt to improve working conditions for women doctors in the aftermath of the crime has come with its own problems. While measures like separate resting space, toilets, mobile apps connected to local police stations are all welcome, two advisories are extremely problematicavoiding night shift for women doctors and restricting their working hours to 12. This is the exact opposite of the reclaim the night movement led by protesters after the rape. Women have not sought differential working hours. Women have sought freedom and security at all hours. This move is antithetical to the very spirit of the protests besides being yet one more obstacle in the career trajectory of women professionals.

Some of the medias descriptive cliches also need a review. To call this Nirbhaya 2.0 or Justice for Abhaya as many have is well-intentioned but needs examination. When we call a rape victim by these nomenclatures, we are foisting a forced idea of fearlessness on a woman who is no longer there to speak about her ordeal. Women are brave but no one is fearless about sexual violence. No one should be fearless about an attack so brutal that it left the doctor bleeding from eyes and private parts. This idea of thrusting fearlessness on murdered women who suffer assault needs to be examined. This language also takes away from demanding change in what creates fear to begin with.

Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud called this a moment of national catharsis. Which it is. But we need to learn some lessons from it. And the first one is, how not to react to rape and sexual violence.

editor@theweek.in
My job is to install an elected chief minister in Srinagar, Paddy told us on an August evening in 1996. Elections to the Jammu and Kashmir assembly, the first after the outbreak of insurgency in the late 1980s, had been called. He had called some of us on the defence beat to his Lodhi Estate home for a farewell drink, before leaving for Udhampur to take charge as the northern army commander.

We took it with large gulps and a pinch of salt. Elections to the J&K assembly had been called and called off several times, once from Ouagadougou. No joke! Narasimha Rao had announced J&K polls on a 1995 midnight from Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso. Now, in 1996, prime minister H.D. Deve Gowda had called for polls again, and was sending Lt.-Gen. S. Padmanabhan to sanitise the valley. Sceptical scribes, we thought either the polls would soon be called off citing rising violence, or that Paddy, then the armys spymaster (journalese for director-general, military intelligence) would do a 1987.

1987, if you dont know, was when J&K had had its last polls, which was rigged to the core. A winning Syed Salahuddin got so pissed off on being declared loser that he crossed over to PoK, graduated from the academies of terror, obtained a Masters in remote-bombing, and returned to set up his Hizbul Mujahideen.

Illustration: Deni Lal

But Paddy was too military-straight to rig polls. He had earlier tackled insurgency as a corps commander, and knew how to keep the badmasheshis word for militantsin check from interfering with the polls. To cut a long poll campaign short, Paddys dashing presence in the strife-torn state gave a free hand to the Election Commission to hold free and fair polls with few guns or grenades going off. Farooq Abdullahs National Conference, which had boycotted the earlier-held Lok Sabha polls, joined the fray after the PM promised maximum autonomy. More than half the voters voted; Farooq was installed CM.

Today, if Jammu and Kashmir has come a long way from the insurrecting 1990s, Padmanabhan had a stellar role in effecting the transformation. The very fact that the current round of polls has been announced, along with Haryanas, by the three commissioners at a routine press meet in Delhi, shows that the valley of fear has turned into a valley of hope.

Indeed! In one master-stroke of the pen five years ago, the Narendra Modi regime cut the Gordian knot of Article 370 that had been tied around the constitutional neck of the republic. The state has since been cut into two, and its statehood taken away. Other things remaining equal and Jammu getting to normal, the Ladakhless J&K will join Delhi and Puducherry as the third Union territory with an elected assembly in October. And statehood, one hopes, is a short hop away.

A word more about Paddy. He retired as chief in 2002, after mobilising the army for Op Parakram in the wake of the attack on Parliament. The boys stood mobilised for 10 months till the 2002 assembly polls, the last feather to adorn Paddys cap.

The Vajpayee regime offered him the Assam Raj Bhavan, but Paddy chose to retire and write books. A bad decisionfor, the hand that had wielded the sword of honour so well was no good with the pen. I found his first book so badly edited that I wrote a nasty review in THE WEEK. You did to my book what a dog would do to a lamp-post, he told me in mock anger when we met next. But I like your professionalism. You didnt allow our friendship to colour your judgment.

Cheers, general! You had a golden heart! Rest in peace, sir; Kashmir will remember you fondly.

prasannan@theweek.in
Telegram chief executive Pavel Durov (39) was arrested by French police at Bourget airport, north of Paris on Saturday evening.

Reportedly, Durov was travelling to Azerbaijan and was arrested at about 8 pm local time. He was detained after his private jet landed at the airport.

According to officials, the billionaire was arrested under a warrant for offences related to the messaging app. Durov was accused of money laundering, failing to take steps to curb criminal uses of Telegram. Western governments have often criticised Telegram for its lack of content moderating on the messaging service.

He is expected to appear in court on Sunday.

Reportedly, the app is also accused of failure to cooperate with law enforcement over drug trafficking, child sexual content and fraud.

Meanwhile Russia has expressed outrage over Durov's arrest and pointed fingers at the double standards of the West on the freedom of speech. Following his detention, the Russian Embassy in France requested the French authorities to clarify the reasons for the arrest and provide protection for Durov's rights.

The Embassy also requested the authorities to facilitate consular access.

"As of today, the French authorities are, at the present time, not cooperating on this issue...We are in contact with P. Durovs lawyer," it added. Several Russian officials condemned Durov's arrest. Social media users came up with posts supporting Durov with several memes and posts.

TELEGRAM:



 U.S. Intelligence agencies tried to recruit Telegram developers to install backdoors, Pavel Durov revealed before his arrest in France. pic.twitter.com/HkbYzeYzZA  Radar (@RadarHits) August 25, 2024 Imagine you own a large apartment complex.



France says, "It is a legal requirement to put microphones in every room and let us listen."



You say, "No, people should be able to have private conversations."



They arrest you.



The digital equivalent just happened to Pavel Durov.  Sean Linehan (@seanlinehan) August 24, 2024

Durov holds dual citizenship in the United Arab Emirates and France. Though born in Russia, he lives in Dubai.

Telegram was banned in Russia in 2018 following Durov's refusal to hand over user data.

Founded in 2013, Telegram is ranked as one of the major social media platforms after Facebook, WhatsApp, YouTube, Instagram and WeChat.
Malayalam filmmaker and former Kerala Chalachitra Academy Chairman Ranjith said he is being targeted ever since he assumed the role and said he would proceed legally to prove the accusations against him are not true. Ranjith resigned on Sunday after Bengali actor Sreelekha Mitra accused him of misbehaviour during a film discussion in 2009.



Ranjith, in an audio clip shared with the media, said, "I have been targeted by a certain section of people since the day I took charge as the chairman of the Academy. I need to prove before the society that the allegations are untrue. I have decided to move legally and bring out the truth," PTI said.

Ranjith added though it is not easy to correct the huge damage suffered personally due to the accusations by Sreelekha Mitra, he is bound to prove to the society that a part of the accusations were untrue. I have decided to proceed legally and the world should know the truth behind this, Ranjith said in the clip.

Ranjith added he is also resigning to avoid the CPI(M)-led Left government in the state being targeted in his name. The director said he doesn't want to continue in the position as it would adversely impact the reputation of the Left government in the state and felt it wouldnt be right to proceed legally while continuing in office.

Sreelekha Mitra had alleged Ranjith misbehaved with her when she was invited to his residence for a project discussion. She said his gestures made her extremely uncomfortable so she decided not to work on the project. Ranjith denied the accusations, stating that Mitra was called for an audition for the movie Paleri Manikyam but was not selected as she was not suitable for the role.

Ever since the Justice Hema Committee report on harassment faced by women in the Malayalam cinema industry was released, there have been calls from several quarters to initiate action against the guilty. The report has recorded explosive accounts of harassment, exploitation and ill-treatment of female professionals. It also alleged that a "criminal gang" was controlling the industry where unyielding women were squeezed out. The panel report also alleged there was a "power nexus" consisting of a handful of producers, directors, actors and production controllers.

The commission was constituted by the Kerala government after the 2017 actress assault case involving actor Dileep to study issues of sexual harassment and gender inequality in Malayalam cinema.

Sexual abuse allegations have rocked the Malayalam film industry and Ranjith's resignation came soon after actor Siddique resigned from his post as general secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists.
Huge news hit the restaurant space this month. Brian Niccol, the CEO who righted the ship at Chipotle, announced a surprising job switch to become the CEO of Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX). Starbucks made this move quickly with the help of its board of directors and ex-CEO Howard Schultz due to deteriorating financial performance at Starbucks locations around the globe.

Investors applauded the move, sending Starbucks stock up over 20% in the days following the announcement. There are big expectations for Niccol, a man who built the modern Taco Bell and Chipotle brands. But I think investors are underrating a potential development that could unlock value for Starbucks shareholders, a move that Niccol was a part of when he worked at Yum Brands (owner of Taco Bell).

Here's my prediction for the big move Brian Niccol will make once he gets settled in at Starbucks and why it can help unlock value for the stock.

Brian Niccol: The restaurant brand fixer

Who is Brian Niccol? The long-standing executive worked his way up at Yum Brands, eventually becoming the CEO of Taco Bell in 2015. During this time, he introduced the "Live Mas" marketing tag line and the Doritos Locos tacos, which were huge successes for Taco Bell. Generally, the division for Yum Brands thrived under Niccol.

Around the same period, Chipotle went through a huge rough patch after multiple salmonella outbreaks happened at its restaurant locations. Chipotle prides itself on having fresh, never-frozen ingredients. This makes the food taste better but introduces more risks for food-borne illness. A salmonella outbreak is obviously bad for a restaurant's brand, and traffic at Chipotle locations suffered as a result.

Then, in 2018, Chipotle made the move to hire Brian Niccol away from Taco Bell to become Chipotle's CEO. Since then, Chipotle has been one of, if not the best-performing, restaurant stocks out there. Same-store sales growth -- which measures growth at existing restaurants -- has been consistently high, with strong traffic and delivery sales performance. Since the beginning of 2018, Chipotle stock is up 800%, outperforming the Nasdaq-100 index, which is "only" up 200% over that same time. The Nasdaq-100 Index tracks some of the largest U.S. technology companies, such as Nvidia, making it a high hurdle rate for any stock to beat. The fact Chipotle is crushing this index is a testament to how strong a manager Brian Niccol was for the brand.

Learning from Yum Brands and China

Starbucks investors are hoping Brian Niccol can bring his playbook to Starbucks, which is currently struggling with same-store sales. In North America, same-store sales fell 2% year over year last quarter, driven by a 6% decline in transactions. China looks even worse, with an ugly comparable sales decline of 14%. These two markets are vital for Starbucks as they make up over 61% of the company's global stores.

China is supposed to be a growth market for Starbucks. However, due to government interventions in the economy and hypercompetitive upstarts such as Luckin Coffee, the segment is struggling mightily. The 7,306 stores in the country are a huge drag on the company right now.

This is why I think Brian Niccol will spin out the Starbucks China business as its own separate company. Yum Brands did this with Yum China, earning a small royalty for using the company's branding. This helped the Yum China subsidiary to develop a better relationship with the Chinese regulators and allowed management to focus on tailoring the business specifically to the Chinese market.

Starbucks could see the same benefits from spinning out Starbucks China. This wouldn't be unusual for the company when operating overseas. For example, Starbucks already has the Mexican company Alsea Group, which runs its locations in Central and South America. This could be an easy way to fix the bleeding with the Chinese subsidiary, which is why I think Niccol will make the move within a few years.

SBUX Operating Margin (TTM) Chart

Is Starbucks stock a buy?

Whether this prediction comes true or not, Niccol and the Starbucks team still need to fix the North American business. Customers have complained about long wait times in the morning when ordering through the app and a robotized experience when making a Starbucks run. This is far away from the historical Starbucks experience that welcomed people for meetings, dates, and a third place for work.

I do not know what specific things Starbucks will do to get the business back on track. But I don't have any experience running a restaurant. Brian Niccol does. Given his track record at Taco Bell and Chipotle, investors should have confidence that he can improve Starbucks's financials.

Today, Starbucks has a price-to-earnings ratio (P/E) of 26.2. For a mature business, this does not look dirt cheap. This may not capture the big picture, and the fact that Starbucks is facing declining operating margins, which have fallen to 15% vs. closer to 20% before the pandemic. If profit margins improve (something Niccol did wonderfully at Chipotle, by the way) and revenue starts growing again, Starbucks could grow its earnings at an impressive rate over the next five years, making the P/E of 26 come down rather quickly vs. current prices.

Take everything together, and I think now is a good time to buy Starbucks stock if you believe in the brand and Brian Niccol's expertise in running restaurants.

Should you invest $1,000 in Starbucks right now?

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Prediction: The New Starbucks CEO Will Eventually Make This Big Move was originally published by The Motley Fool
Sexual abuse allegations have rocked the Malayalam film industry forcing popular actor Siddique and director Ranjith to resign from their posts as general secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (A.M.M.A.) and Kerala Film Academy chairman. While a female actor levelled allegations of sexual assault against Siddique, popular Bengali actor Sreelekha Mitra had accused Renjith of misbehaving with her.

The revelations come amid the release of Justice Hema Committee report which states about incidents of sexual abuse and casting couch in the industry.



Siddique told reporters that he had sent his resignation letter to A.M.M.A president Mohanlal. "Yes. I have tendered my official resignation to the president of the organisation, Mohanlal. Since there were allegations against me, I have decided not to continue in the post and resigned," Siddique said.



This comes as a female actor levelled serious allegations of sexual assault against Siddique. She alleged that Siddique abused her after inviting her for a movie discussion. The victim charged that many of her friends too faced similar attacks from the actor.



The actress said that she contacted Siddique when she was 21. The senior actor told her to come to the Mascot Hotel in Thiruvananthapuram to meet him. "There, he locked me in the room and sexually abused me. I had to escape from there," she added. The actress said she had raised the complaint before too but nothing happened. She added that she was expelled from movies and hence decided to come forward once again with the allegations.



Meanwhile, Mitra alleged that Renjith, a prominent director and actor, misbehaved with her when she was invited to his residence for a project discussion. She said his gestures made her extremely uncomfortable so she decided not to work on the project. Ranjith denied the accusations, stating that Mitra was called for an audition for the movie Paleri Manikyam but was not selected as she was not suitable for the role.



Ever since the Justice Hema Committee report on harassment faced by women in the Malayalam cinema industry was released, there have been calls from several quarters to initiate action against the guilty. The report has recorded explosive accounts of harassment, exploitation and ill-treatment of female professionals. It also alleged that a "criminal gang" was controlling the industry where unyielding women were squeezed out. The panel report also alleged there was a "power nexus" consisting of a handful of producers, directors, actors and production controllers.



The commission was constituted by the Kerala government after the 2017 actress assault case involving actor Dileep to study issues of sexual harassment and gender inequality in Malayalam cinema.


The Centre's decision to approve the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS), which provides an assured pension to government employees, was hailed by the government employees' outfit on Saturday. The Joint Consultative Machinery (JCM), a joint form of government employees' organisations, expressed their gratitude after meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday.

Shiv Gopal Mishra, secretary of the Joint Consultative Machinery (JCM), a joint form of government employees' organisations, said they were invited by the prime minister for the meeting. He added that the Prime Minister acknowledged their concerns after days of protest. "This was for the first time that JCM was invited by the PM. It was a very good meeting. It was a very proud moment for 32 lakh government employees," he told reporters here. The Prime Minister too took to X to talk about meeting the JCM delegation, stating that they "expressed joy on Cabinet's decision" on the Unified Pension Scheme.



As per the UPS, the government employees who joined the service after 2004 will get 50 per cent of their salary as pension. So far, their pension was dependent on the stock market and market speculations. Over 20 lakh employees will benefit from the scheme.

Also read: Centre launches unified pension scheme for govt employees; check salient features

Mishra said that from now on, employees will get half of their last salary on retirement, besides DA benefits. "We were told that the family pension will be 60 per cent plus the DA. There has been talk of a minimum pension of Rs 10,000," he said.

Union Minister Amit Shah also hailed the decision, stating the Modi government has reiterated its commitment to the financial security of those who form the backbone of the nation's governance.



Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adithyanath too welcomed the decision. He said the central cabinet's approval of the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS) has provided the nation with the "assurance of economic security" and a brighter future.



Adityanath said on X, "The approval given to the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS) given by the Union Cabinet today, under the successful leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is continuously dedicated to making the lives of 140 crore countrymen easier, is commendable."



"This revolutionary decision benefiting lakhs of central government employees has brought a new sunrise in their lives with the assurance of economic security and a happy future. My heartfelt gratitude to you, prime minister!" he added.



Announcing the decision, Modi on Saturday said the Unified Pension Scheme ensures dignity and financial security for government employees.


Prime Minister Narendra Modi said crimes against women are unpardonable and the guilty, those who help guilty should not be spared. Modi said strong provisions have been included under the new criminal laws for the protection of women.



Addressing the Lakhpati Didi Sammelan in Jalgaon, Maharashtra, Modi said, Be it in any state of the country, I understand the pain and anger of my sisters and daughters. I will once again tell every political party of the country, every state government that crime against women is an unpardonable sin. Whoever is guilty should not be spared. Those who help him in any form should not be spared.

Modi said womens dignity is everyones responsibility. Be it a hospital, school, government or police system, at whatever level negligence occurs, everyone should be held accountable. The message should go very clearly from top to bottom. This sin is unpardonable. The prime minister said governments will keep changing but the protection of women is everyones responsibility.

Talking about the new laws, Modi said strong provisions have been provided under new laws for sexual crime against minors. The new laws have provisions for death penalty and life imprisonment for sexual crimes against minors. There have been many cases of cheating in the name of marriage with daughters. Earlier, there was no clear law for this. Now false promises of marriage and deception have also been clearly defined in the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, he said. Modi added the central government is with the state governments in every way to stop atrocities against women.

In the past 10 years, his government has done more for women than previous regimes since Independence, Modi said. Till 2014, less than Rs 25,000 crore loans were given to women self-help groups but in the last 10 years, Rs 9 lakh crore help was given, PTI reported quoting Modi.

The prime minister released the Rs 2,500 crore revolving fund benefiting 48 lakh members of 4.3 lakh self-help groups during the programme. Modi said, In the last 10 years, one crore Lakhpati Didis were made, and in just two months 11 lakh more Lakhpati Didi were added to one crore, PTI said.

The prime minister also expressed his anguish over the Nepal bus accident in which 14 persons from Jalgaon district were killed. Modi also recalled his recent visit to Poland and the respect people there have for the people of Maharashtra. The PM said during World War II, the Kolhapur settlement housed Polish refugees, including women and children and the Polish people respect the people of Maharashtra for this gesture.
The BJP on Sunday questioned why the Congress party had not fulfilled its promise of implementing the old pension scheme in the states where the party is in power. The BJPs swipe came after Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge took a sarcastic jibe at the Centre, saying the U in the UPS (unified pension scheme) stands for the Narendra Modi governments U-turns.

Asserting that the Modi government doesnt make any U-tun, senior party leader Ravi Shankar Prasad asked why the Congress party took a U-tun on its poll promise of implementing the OPS.

"The Congress has made the old pension scheme a massive issue in Indian politics over the last two years. So much so that the Congress made even Priyanka Gandhi Vadra announce during elections in Himachal Pradesh that the party will implement the old pension scheme in the state if voted to power," Prasad said.

"Will this Congress only make announcements or implement them as well? The Congress in general and Rahul Gandhi in particular, please tell the nation, did you implement the old pension scheme as promised in Himachal Pradesh," he added.

The BJP leader said Modi listened and understood the concerns of the central government employees, set up a committee to look into that, and took a meaningful decision.

Prasad further stepped up his attack on Rahul Gandhi, saying governing India is a serious business where decisions have to be made after careful consideration.

"Rahul Gandhi, what are you doing, brother? How much do you bluff? Tell the truth sometimes. And when you say something, you should do it. If you can't do it, then don't say it," he said.

In a major announcement, the Union cabinet on Saturday approved the UPS which is expected to benefit over 23 lakh government employees who joined service under the National Pension System (NPS).

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the new scheme will be implemented from April 1, 2025 and employees will have the option to choose between the NPS or UPS.

The Congress, however, alleged that the UPS appears to be an attack on Dalits, tribals and backward classes.

"In many states, the upper age limit for government jobs in the reserved category is 40 years. In UPSC, this limit is 37 years. Under the unified pension scheme, it is mandatory to render 25 years of service to get a full pension. In such a situation, how will Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and Other Backward Classes employees avail this facility," asked Pawan Khera, Congress' media and publicity department head.

"Now the government should tell whether it wants to end the upper age limit facility available to the underprivileged or wants to deprive them of full pension?, he asked.

Under the UPS, government employees will be eligible to get 50 per cent of the average basic pay drawn over the last 12 months before the superannuation as pension. For this full pension or 50 per cent of pay as the pension, the eligibility service length will be 25 years.
Eighty days since they took off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida onboard Boeings Starliner mission, astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore will have to remain on the International Space Station (ISS) till February 2025. Their return journey to Earth ran into trouble because of issues plaguing the Boeing Starliner spacecraft.

With the Starliner suffering setbacks with helium leaks and thrusters, NASA on Saturday deemed it was too risky to bring the two astronauts back in the capsule. Instead, the space agency decided to turn to Elon Musk's SpaceXs workhorse Crew Dragon spacecraft.



NASA administrator Bill Nelson said NASA considered its extensive experience with spaceflight  both successful and unsuccessful  when they decided to opt for SpaceX. The agency also held a poll of its representatives from across its departments and oversight and development centres. He added that NASA lost two space shuttles "as a result of there not being a culture in which information could come forward."



NASA will return @BoeingSpace's #Starliner to Earth without @NASA_Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams aboard the spacecraft.



The uncrewed return allows NASA and Boeing to continue gathering testing data on Starliner during its upcoming flight home, while also not pic.twitter.com/wkXX0qQXkq  NASA Commercial Crew (@Commercial_Crew) August 24, 2024

"Spaceflight is risky, even at its safest and even at its most routine. And a test flight, by nature, is neither safe, nor routine," he said.



The starliner will fly home empty in early September.



SpaceX, which has been conducting astronauts to the ISS since 2020, has a routine mission scheduled in September, called Crew-9. This will now have to be reconfigured to carry Williams and Wilmore. It will have to scrap the initial plan to send a four-person crew and leave two seats for the duo. New Dragon spacesuits for the astronauts, along with other necessary supplies, will be brought to the station in the coming months. SpaceX will work with NASA to decide which astronauts will not fly to the ISS on Crew-9.



It was during 2020 that SpaceXs Crew Dragon completed its first crewed test flight, thereby earning certification from NASA. The successful flights of SpaceX's workhorse.



Over the last four years, it has carried a dozen crews to and from the ISS.

SpaceX president and chief operating officer Gwynne Shotwell has shared that her company is ready to work with NASA to bring back astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams on the Crew Dragon spacecraft.
Fears of an all-out conflict peaked in the Middle East as Lebanon-based militant group Hezbollah launched a barrage of missiles against Israel on Sunday in retaliation for the assassination of a senior commander Fuad Shukr.

According to the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF), some 210 rockets and some 20 drones were launched from Lebanon at northern Israel in Hezbollahs attack. While the Iron Dome intercepted some projectiles, the others impacted. Many rockets also struck open areas.

The IDF simultaneously sent fighter jets to Hezbollah targets inside Lebanon, bombing thousands of targets, calling it a "preemptive operation against weaponry that would have been used in a major attack on central and northern Israel." Thousands of Hezbollah rocket launchers were struck simultaneously by some 100 IAF fighter jets.

Israeli officials told local media that the IDF identified overnight preparations in Hezbollahs rocket array for a major and immediate attack on Israel and sent fighter jets to remove the threat shortly before 5 a.m. local time. "The IDF identified the Hezbollah terrorist organisation preparing to fire missiles and rockets toward Israeli territory. In response to these threats, the IDF is striking terror targets in Lebanon," the Israel Defence Forces said in a statement.

Also read: How Israel killed Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr via a phone call

The Hezbollah said it had launched drones and more than 320 Katyusha rockets towards Israel and hit 11 military targets, terming it the first phase of its response to Shukr's assassination. The full response would take "some time". It also dismissed Israel's account of the pre-emptive strikes, stating that its military operation had been completed successfully for the day.

There are reports that the militant group's chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah will address the latest developments in a televised speech on Sunday at IST 8:30 pm.

Footage from the Western Galilee shows the Iron Dome engaging a Hezbollah rocket attack from Lebanon. pic.twitter.com/AKgd9horSm  Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) August 25, 2024

No casualties

Soon after the pre-emptive strikes, Israel's cabinet met at 7 am local time, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office announced. "We are determined to do everything possible to defend our country, to return the residents of the north safely to their homes and to continue to uphold a simple rule: Whoever harms us we harm him," Netanyahu said in a statement.

Footage circulating on social media shows a Hezbollah drone impacting a highway in northern Israel. pic.twitter.com/7ivd4xvlg0  Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) August 25, 2024

The IDF strikes were mostly centred around Southern Lebanon but the military said it was ready to strike anywhere there was a threat.

The state also declared a state of emergency, and flights to and from Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv were suspended for around 90 minutes. Warning sirens and alerts were issued in northern Israel, where explosions were heard. The Israeli military also told people that they could go to work as long as they were able to reach air raid shelters quickly. No casualties were immediately reported in Israel.

As for Lebanon, a security source told Reuters that 40 Israeli strikes hit various towns in the country's south. One fighter from the Hezbollah-allied Shi'ite group Amal was killed in a strike on the town of Khiam. Residents also reported waking up to the sound of planes and loud explosions of rockets.

Tension has been brewing in the region after Israel killed Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr, in retaliation for his orchestrating the rocket attack on the Golan Heights that killed 12 young people and left 40 other civilians injured. Hezbollah had since vowed revenge.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on Sunday said all of its drones successfully entered the Israeli airspace and the mission was a success.

Nasrallah added that the response was delayed due to several reasons, including ongoing ceasefire talks in Cairo and negotiations over hostage release.

The group decided not to respond to the killing of top commander by targeting civilian areas...We wanted to target military sites close to Tel Aviv...military intelligence base 110 km into Israeli territory1.5km away from Tel Aviv was targeted, he said in a televised address.

It was the first time, Hezbollah had sent drones to Israel from the Bekaa region. Katyusha rockets were also fired to distract the Iron Dome, paving the way for the other drones to enter the airspace.

We launched drones from both south and north of Litani River, Nasrallah said.

All drones launched successfully and entered Israeli air space, he added.

Hezbollah had no plans to fire at targets in Tel Aviv, including Ben Gurion airport and the Israeli Defence Ministry.

He also added that none of the precision or strategic missiles were damaged in Israeli strikes. We had no intention to use precision missiles today, but may use them in the near future, Nasrallah said.

Our military operation was completed as planned, with precision...We will assess the impact of today's operation if results are not seen to be enough...we will respond another time, he added.

Israels preemptive strike across southern Lebanon has escalated the cross-border conflict. Though both sides halted the offensive, the situation remained tense in the region.

The Israeli military said it had launched around 100 fighter jets for the preemptive strikes. PM Benjamin Netanyahu said, this is not the end of the story. We would hurt anyone, who would try to hurt us, he added.
Hotel Sapphire at Kramatorsk town in Eastern Ukraine was partly destroyed after being hit by a missile on Saturday night. The hotel is well known among the journalists covering the war in Ukraine and one of the few places in the frontline town that was counted as safe for visiting journalists and volunteers.

As THE WEEKs photo editor, I covered the war in Ukraine in July 2023 and stayed at this hotel for nearly a week and travelled to the frontline trenches near Bakhmut and Velyka Novosilka from there.

At the time of the latest attack, six journalists of the Reuters news agency were staying at the hotel. "One of our colleagues is unaccounted for, while another two have been taken to the hospital for treatment," the agency said in a statement.

"Three other colleagues have been accounted for. We are urgently seeking more information, working with the authorities in Kramatorsk, and supporting our colleagues and their families. We will give an update when we have more information," it added.

Reuters has been taking precautions before sending its staff to conflict zones after the death of its chief photographer in India Danish Siddiqui while covering the war in Afghanistan in 2021. He was killed in Spin Boldak near Pakistan- Afghanistan border shortly before the Taliban took control of Afghanistan.

During my stay at Hotel Sapphire in 2023, I discussed the war with the hotel staff and learnt that the hotel was previously targeted by a Russian missile. The missile, however, fell short of the target, they said.

I couldnt sleep the whole night, thinking a missile could hit the hotel anytime as I was hearing air raid sirens constantly. I was even worried to go to the washroom and take a bath. I always felt relieved when I went out of the hotel. It is sad to hear that people who were making a living in war-hit Ukraine by renting out the rooms lost their source of income.

The three-story hotel is situated at the intersection of two main roads. The hotel was only providing stay, not the food, and there were only a few occupants, mostly journalists or volunteers.

Kramatorsk town is frequented by soldiers fighting on the frontlines for shopping essentials. On June 27 last year, famous Ukrainian writer Victoria Amelina died along with 13 people as Russias Iskendar M missile hit the town. As many as 61 people were injured in the attack.

The same Iskendar M missile is blamed for the attack on the Sapphire Hotel. Russia has not yet commented on the incident. But governor of Donetsk Vadym Filashkin said in a post on Telegram that "the Russians hit Kramatorsk", and that two journalists were injured, while one was missing after a strike on a hotel.

"Authorities, police, and rescuers are working on the spot. Debris clearance and rescue operations are ongoing," he said.

The attack comes after Ukraines incursion into Russias Kursk region. For more than two weeks, Ukraine has been holding more than 1,200 square kilometres of Russian land. Meanwhile, Russia is targeting the eastern town of Pokrovsk and continuing its advance towards the town. Ukraine had ordered citizens of Pokrovsk to evacuate the town last week.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Kyiv on August 23 and held meetings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The two leaders discussed the current situation and ways to bring peace to Ukraine.

Modi took a 10-hour train journey from Poland to Kyiv, and the historic visit came six weeks after he met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
Israel's preemptive strike across southern Lebanon on Sunday targeting Hezbollah military centres has escalated the cross-border conflict. Hezbollah fired hundreds of rockets and drones against northern Israel in response to the attack.

The Israel military said it had launched around 100 fighter jets for the preemptive strikes, making it the largest attack on Lebanon since the full-scale war between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006.

We are still operating to thwart real-time threats.



IDF fighter jets have just struck additional Hezbollah launchers in several areas in southern Lebanon and a terrorist cell operating in the area of Khiam in southern Lebanon. pic.twitter.com/j6E1WNwb4d  Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) August 25, 2024

Meanwhile, around 300 rockets and missiles were fired by Hezbollah targeting military facilities in northern Israel. Hezbollah termed its strikes as successful.

ALSO READ | Hezbollah launches missiles at Israel; IDF bombs militant group's targets inside Lebanon

In a self-defense act to remove these threats, the IDF is striking terror targets in Lebanon, from which Hezbollah was planning to launch their attacks on Israeli civilians.



Listen to an update from IDF Spokesperson, RAdm. Daniel Hagari, regarding Hezbollahs plans to attack pic.twitter.com/fKvbUVSmbT  Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) August 25, 2024

Lebanons caretaker Economy Minister Amin Salam, after an emergency government meeting, said the officials were feeling optimistic about a de-escalation. We feel more reassured since both sides confirmed that the expected operations ended, and we know that the negotiations in Cairo are very serious, he said.

Though both sides scaled back the strikes, the situation remained tense in the region.

Hezbollah in a statement said this was the first phase of its response to the Israeli assassination of a senior Fouad Shukr in Beirut last month.

ALSO READ | How Israel killed Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr via a phone call

At least three fighters were killed in the strikes on Lebanon, while Israel reported no causalities.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel eliminated thousands of rockets and shot down drones heading for the centre of the country. He said it marked another step toward changing the situation along the border.

"I repeat this is not the end of the story," he said. We are determined to do everything to protect our country, return the residents of the north safely to their homes and continue to uphold a simple rule: whoever hurts us  we hurt them, said Netanyahu.

The Pentagon said Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Gallant, about Israel's defences.

The strikes took place as high-level talks were going to take place on Sunday over truce terms and exploring ceasefire options as the Hamas-Israel war rages on. The talks, hosted by Egypt, were to be attended by CIA director William Burns and David Barnea, the head of Israel's Mossad intelligence agency.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for the National Security Council, said President Joe Biden was closely monitoring events in Israel and Lebanon.

President Biden is closely monitoring events in Israel and Lebanon. He has been engaged with his national security team throughout the evening. At his direction, senior US officials have been communicating continuously with their Israeli counterparts," Sean Savett said.

Meanwhile, Israel said it still expected an extensive Hezbollah response and declared a 48-hour state of emergency, giving the military special powers. Sirens sounded in towns across northern Israel, the Tel Aviv airport was closed for a few hours and incoming flights were diverted in the wake of high tension in the region.
A 26-year-old suspect arrested, over the stabbing attack at a festival in the western German city of Solingen, is believed to be a member of the Islamic State. The suspect had turned himself in and confessed to the mass knife attack.

In a joint statement, Dusseldorf police and prosecutors confirmed that the suspect in custody was a 26-year-old Syrian man.

A spokesperson for German federal prosecutors, who have taken over the investigation, also said the man was suspected of being a member of Islamic State.

ALSO READ | Germany: Solingen knife attack leaves 3 dead, police detains a 15-year-old suspect

The Islamic State on Saturday claimed the responsibility for the attack without providing any evidence. Three people died and eight got injured in the attack.

The extremist group on its news site said that the attacker targeted Christians and that the perpetrator carried out the assaults Friday night to avenge Muslims in Palestine and everywhere.

"The involvement of this person is currently under intensive investigation," said the statement.

North Rhine-Westphalias interior minister, Herbert Reul said that earlier two arrests were made by the police that were unlikely to be the attacker. "The real suspect is the one that we've arrested now," he said.

A 15-year-old was arrested on Saturday in connection with the incident. Later it was found that he was not involved in the attack.

Meanwhile, police found at least one weapon that may have been used for the assault. The forensics team is analysing the weapon for DNA traces. However, the police said there were no indication of any security threat at the festival.

Paying tribute to the victims, people started leaving flower bouquets and candles in the centre of the Solingen city.

Also, authorities had set up a website for people to send in footage or any information about the alleged attack. Police also urged the witnesses not to post videos directly to social media.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz condemned the attack and said it "shocked" him greatly. "The attack in Solingen is a terrible event that has shocked me greatly. An attacker has brutally killed several people. I have just spoken to Solingen's mayor, Tim Kurzbach. We mourn the victims and stand by their families, said Scholz.
miodrag ignjatovic / Getty Images

Retirement planning is always a crucial aspect of your money management both for short-term and long-term financial goals. However, if you are a business owner, all of your funds and resources often go into keeping your company afloat and growing as opposed to other sustainable investments.

Unlike salaried employees who might have the benefit of employer-sponsored retirement plans, as a business owner, you must proactively design and implement your retirement strategies.

Consider This: 8 States To Move to If You Dont Want To Pay Taxes on Social Security

Learn More: 7 Reasons You Shouldnt Retire Before Speaking to a Financial Advisor

Here are some key takeaways as to why retirement planning is essential for business owners and how they can navigate this complex but vital process:

If you are hoping to sell your business once you reach retirement age and use the profit as a nest egg, keep in mind there are no guarantees for how much youll earn from the sale. Essentially, dont put all your nest eggs in one basket.

As a small business owner, youre responsible for not only your retirement income but also the earned income and potentially matching contributions to your employee retirement plans.

A few of the most straightforward ways to set up individual retirement accounts (IRAs) are to establish a SIMPLE IRA, a SEP IRA, a traditional or Roth IRA and a Solo 401(k), all of which are a solid savings strategies.

Here are some key retirement planning strategies for ambitious business owners.

Earning passive income doesn't need to be difficult. You can start this week.

Start Strategizing With These 3 Retirement Savings Plans

Once you hit age 50, or well before that in many cases, how youve been saving for retirement and what you have in your accounts is pitted against skyrocketing housing markets, a volatile stock market and general cost-of-living increases.

Trending Now: These Are Americas 50 Fastest-Growing Retirement Hot Spots

If you own a business it seems like you have to prepare all possible outcomes and hope what you have is enough to last you through your golden years.

To put your best foot forward, you can try one, or preferably a combination, of the following:

SIMPLE IRA

A Savings Incentive Match Plan for Employees, also known as a SIMPLE IRA, is a plan for you and your employees. Both you and your employee can contribute money up to the 2024 contribution limit of $16,000. For those aged 50 or older, you can defer up to $19,500 by taking advantage of a $3,500 catch-up contribution.

With this plan, you can match your employee contribution up to 3% of the employees compensation or contribute 2% of each eligible employees compensation of up to $345,000 in 2024. Though you are not required to provide retirement plans as a benefit, all of your employer contributions are tax deductible and can incentivize your employee motivation and loyalty.

Story continues

SEP IRA

A SEP IRA, short for simplified employee pension, is another IRA to which you and your employees can both contribute. As a small business owner, this plan allows you to make pretax contributions of up to 25% of income or $69,000 depending on which is less, and all contributions are tax-deductible.

Its also good for your employees to note that they wont pay taxes on the amounts an employer contributes on their behalf until they take distributions from the plan upon retirement.

Whats nice about these plans is that they work no matter how many employees you have, and the amount you contribute is flexible. This is beneficial because if you have a bad business year you arent mandated to a specific amount.

Whether you are a partnership, corporation or nonprofit, even owners of the business are considered employees and can therefore make their employee contributions, which gives you wiggle room for larger contributions and greater flexibility overall. This can be a great option for small business owners looking to establish retirement plans that benefit their employees as well as their strategic investing and savings.

IRAs and Solo 401(k) Plans

If youve just started your small business and are financially ready to provide employee retirement plans, that doesnt mean you shouldnt still be setting aside money for yourself. You could set up a traditional IRA, Roth IRA or other solo 401(k) plan to contribute to as long as you can.

Here are some key takeaways from example options:

Roth IRA: As of 2024, contribution limits are $7,000 or $8,000 if you are older than age 50. You can contribute after-tax dollars and take pre-tax distributions.

Traditional IRA: Similar to a Roth IRA but with this you contribute pretax dollars and have to pay tax on the distributions.

Solo 401(k): Also known as a Self-Employed 401(k) is an option if you dont have employees. However, you as an individual can contribute as both employer and employee a combined total of $69,000, increasing by $7,500 if youre age 50 or over.

The Benefits of Retirement Planning

The peace of mind that comes with putting a retirement plan in place is priceless. Getting to that point, however, comes with some nickel-and-diming.

For many business owners, their businesses represent their primary source of income and their legacy. Whether you want to see your business continue to thrive under new leadership or ensure its sale benefits your family or chosen causes, retirement planning gives you the tools to make those dreams a reality.

Here are some key benefits to consider when it comes to retirement planning:

Financial Independence: One of the primary reasons for retirement planning is ensuring your financial independence. As a business owner, you might pour most of your profits back into the business, often neglecting personal savings. However, a well-structured retirement plan helps you build a financial cushion outside of your business, ensuring you have enough resources to maintain your lifestyle after you retire.

Creating Business Continuity: Retirement planning is also closely linked to business succession planning. Many business owners envision passing their company on to the next generation or selling it to fund their retirement. By integrating retirement planning with succession planning, you ensure a smooth transition when you determine how you want to transfer ownership, whether through a sale, inheritance or some other means.

Tax Efficiency: Effective retirement planning helps you manage taxes more efficiently. Business owners have access to various retirement savings options that offer tax advantages, like SEP IRAs, Solo 401(k) plans and defined benefit plans. These accounts allow you to defer taxes on your contributions, reducing your taxable income in the present and providing tax-deferred investment growth.

Final Take To GO: Have an Exit Strategy

The bottom line is that retirement planning is an essential, yet often overlooked, aspect of financial management for business owners. Though it may be years down the road, establishing a business exit strategy should be one of the first steps you take toward formulating your retirement plan.

This small business you own could become one of your largest assets for funding your retirement plans, keeping your options diversified.

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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Retirement Planning: Strategies and Benefits for Business Owners
Interview/ R.R. Swain, Director-General, Jammu and Kashmir Police

ABOUT THREE DOZEN Pakistani terrorists entered the border areas of Samba, Kathua and Hiranagar through tunnels during the three-month-long Lok Sabha elections to carry out attacks in Jammu. It was a new challenge for security agencies because unlike in the Kashmir valley, where indoctrination drives terrorism, it is the lure of money that is feeding the terror ecosystem in Jammu. The people who are guiding the terrorists are doing it for money, says R.R. Swain, director-general of Jammu and Kashmir police, in an exclusive interview. He says the police are focusing on village defence committees and setting up border police stations with night vision devices and better technology to defeat terrorism. Excerpts:

Q/ Many soldiers lost their lives in terror attacks in Jammu recently. Is terrorism back in Jammu after long years of peace?

A/ Terror threats in the Jammu region have been there for some time. In October 2021, we witnessed a terror attack in Poonch district, where five soldiers were killed in an ambush. There have also been drone attacks, including those targeting the Air Force facility in Jammu in June 2021. So it is not a recent phenomenon. For almost three years, the adversary has been trying to deflect the pressure [caused by the] tightening of security in the valley. A suicide attack was planned on the eve of the prime ministers visit for a rural development programme in the Palli village on the outskirts of Jammu in April 2022. Two foreign terrorists attempted a suicide attack but were neutralised. During the exchange of fire, one CISF assistant sub-inspector lost his life and some others were injured. So Jammu has always been on the radar.

Q/ Is there any evidence of Pakistan support to the terror attacks in Jammu?

A/ How can a tunnel be dug from the other side (Pakistan-occupied Kashmir) without the knowledge or support of the Pakistani army? Usually the length of these tunnels varies between 350 to 600 metres and it will take at least 30 days for digging up. These activities cannot be hidden from anyone as it requires logistical support and manpower to make it operational. There will be enough movement in the area when the terrorists use it and it cannot be done without the knowledge of the Pakistani state.

Q/ It is said that these terrorists belong to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region and trained alongside the Taliban.

A/ We know for sure that the two suicide attackers who attempted a terror strike days before the prime ministers visit to Jammu were non-Urdu and non-Sindhi speakers and in all probability spoke Pashto. Pakistan has a sizeable Pashto-speaking population on its side of the Durand Line even though it is the language of the dominant population in the southern and eastern regions of Afghanistan. These are badlands without any control and these people are battle-hardened. They have trained with outfits like Jaish-e-Mohammed and other terrorist outfits who have openly rallied there in March and April, urging the youth to join them and move into India.

Q/ Is Jammu becoming a fertile ground for radicalised youth who take up arms?

A/ There is less indoctrination and fewer ideology-driven terror activities in Jammu than in Kashmir. Rather, it is the lure of money through narcotics and criminal syndicates that is being used for smuggling of drugs, arms and ammunition that is feeding the terror ecosystem. In Jammu, Kathua and Samba, the people who are guiding the terrorists are doing it for money and gradually a fear factor is inculcated in them as they get indexed in Pakistan once their handlers record their videos and identify their families.

Q/ Will the security environment allow the peaceful conduct of the assembly elections?

A/ As far as providing security is concerned, we are absolutely committed to it and we dont see that as a challenge. We overcame these threats and challenges during the Lok Sabha polls and the outcome has been extremely positive and encouraging, as a large number of people stepped out of their homes to participate in the electoral process.

Q/ Has the alienation of local people over the years led to human intelligence drying up in J&K?

A/ This theory has no evidence. It is a conjecture because human intelligence is still flowing as it used to be in the past few years. The difference between intelligence gathering in the valley and in Jammu is that while most areas in the valley are connected by road or telecommunication facilities, in mountain regions it takes hours to reach from one spot to another and there is no road or mobile connectivity. Therefore, there is a gap between getting information about the movement of terrorists and reacting to it quickly. This gap between active information and action has to be reduced by way of dominating the heights. Unless we occupy the heights and reach quickly, there is bound to be a time lapse. The J&K Police, like all forces deployed in J&K, has its own challenges of manpower, but efforts are being made to occupy the heights in a way that the enemy does not have an advantage.

Q/ How is the J&K Police engaging the local population in far-flung areas?

A/ We have selected villages where we are supporting village defence committees and setting up border police stations, enabling them with night-vision devices, better equipment and technology to create a deterrent. A village defence committee has approximately fifteen persons, mostly young and able-bodied men who are keen to act as volunteers to assist the local police. We are offering them incentives such as permanent jobs in the police force if they demonstrate courage in collecting information and the action against terrorists and also meet the criteria such as age, height and so on. We also offer liberal cash rewards for doing something that can be directly linked to protection of community, installations and public assets.
Elections are necessary in democracies, because the core strength of democracy lies in participatory politics. Today, Jammu and Kashmir is preparing to hold its first assembly elections in a decade, in a strategic-sociopolitical environment that underwent a radical transformation after the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019.

Security strategists believe that, in an effort to maintain its indirect hold on the levers of power, Pakistan would covertly support attempts to retain the anti-India constituency in Kashmir. The elected leadership in Jammu and kashmir will need to have absolute clarity regarding its approach towards Pakistan. For peace, it is imperative that New Delhi and Srinagar are on the same page.

The big question now: how can political parties help make the elections free and fair, ensuring that voters overcome challenges rooted in historical reasons that had pitted a sizeable section of the population against the Indian state?

The polls will define what a vote for democracy means in Jammu and Kashmir today. In the past five years, there has been a sharp swing in the rhetoric of political parties in Jammu and Kashmirfrom a vocal unwillingness to fight the polls unless Article 370 was restored, to demands for statehood and, finally, expressing willingness to participate in the polls. Some politicians even concede that boycotting the district development council polls in 2020 was a mistake.

This demonstrates two points. First, the Indian state matters. Second, the political classincluding the BJP, the Congress, the National Conference and the Peoples Democratic Partyunderstands that for the common man bijli, sadak, paani (electricity, road, water) matter. Hospitals, schools and colleges matter. Roads and infrastructure matter. Employment matters.

Politicians, as most Kashmiris would agree, have not historically done well when it comes to meeting their expectations. Hence, the apprehension among voters about whether the upcoming polls would bring much-needed relief in their day-to-day lives or just be a vehicle for vote bank politics that would skirt around issues of development and governance.

Poll position: People waiting to cast their votes in the Lok Sabha polls in Srinagar on May 13 | AFP

So, in an ecosystem that has failed to deliver on public welfare, and has, over time, become vulnerable to not just terrorism and separatism, but also anti-India sentiments, how must the Indian state respond?

It must respond with democratic fervour, as it is doing todayby preparing to hold the much awaited polls. The annual budget of Jammu and Kashmir had always been enriched by grants from the Union government, irrespective of the party in power. Now, the promise of welfare schemes must come without colour or tags.

A new dawn?: Businessman Mujtaba Kadri says GI tags and QR codes are helping artisans in Srinagar take their products to foreign shores | Sanjay Ahlawat

If both the elected government and the lieutenant governor work towards peace and progress, how can there be any difference [between them]? said Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha. The elected government will get complete support of the office of the LG if it wants to work towards peace and development of Jammu and Kashmir.

The people are eager to elect their representatives. I have felt the pulse of the people during my public meetings, said Vijay Kumar Bidhuri, divisional commissioner of Kashmir. They are very eager for the polls. They have seen that, during the panchayat and local body polls, the sarpanch and block members have been able to distribute benefits of welfare schemes. There is a feeling of empowerment that percolates down when elections are held.

The recent Lok Sabha polls saw a sharp rise in the number of candidates, because of which Bidhuri had to ensure that polling booths had two voting machines each. We expect more participation in the assembly polls, and the subsequent panchayat and local body polls, he said.

There are several reasons behind the increased participation. The youth are keen to participate in the decision-making process and, unlike in the past, when there was disenchantment with the government, they feel the need for participatory politics.

The Jammu and Kashmir administration is not particularly worried about the possibility of political protests, sloganeering and unrest in Kashmir once an elected government is formed. Once people start reaping the dividends of peace and development, it is an irreversible process, said Bidhuri. Take the example of the right to information. There can be aberrations or misuse, but no one asks for taking back laws that benefit citizens. School curriculums have been completed, tourism got a boost, and markets opened up. The people of J&K are intelligent and will not fall back to the dark days of unrest.

With the poll campaign set to start, voters are keen to know the core issues around which political parties would weave their narratives. They also want to find answers to several questions. Such as, does a particular party have a veneer? If yes, would the loss of that veneer make the party no different from the others? And, has the entry of a new party created a genuine political space, or is the party just colluding with another?

All citizens have a right to be in control of their destiny and the moment they think there is no choice available on the political shelf, the elections will fall prey to the danger of being labelled as rigged, said a senior government official.

A robust strategy is required to steer clear of these pitfalls, which pose a big challenge to the Union government. The answer may lie in a cross-party consensus that sends a message to voters that just as anti-India narratives are being expelled from spheres such as economy, trade, education, governance and security, such sentiments would be dispelled from Jammu and Kashmirs political discourse as well.

If there are protests by common people or political parties in a democratic way, and within the tenets of the Constitution, then I have no problem, said Sinha. But if there are actions that endanger the safety, sovereignty and integrity of the country, or challenge the unity of the nation, then I would exercise the powers vested in me by the Constitution.

The judiciary and law enforcement will also need to play the watchdog role. Provisions of the Representation of the People Act and the Election Commissions model code of conduct are enough to rein in possible attempts by political parties to create divisions in society.

In the run-up to the polls, a cross-party consensus for ensuring peace and stability in Jammu and Kashmir can be as radical a step as the voiding of Article 370 was. It will be a progressive step to declare that there would be no interference of the Army or the police in the polls, and that money power would not be allowed to influence the democratic process. Voters would certainly hope that all institutions rise to the occasion and make these pledges.

State and non-state actors in Pakistan could not disrupt the Lok Sabha elections. But the threat of cross-border terror persists. Security strategists believe that, in an effort to maintain its indirect hold on the levers of power, Pakistan would covertly support attempts to retain the anti-India constituency in Kashmir. The assembly polls, therefore, demand a security approach that is as cautious as the one that had been in effect during the Lok Sabha polls.

The militancy situation in Jammu and Kashmir keeps oscillating between the valley and the Jammu region, said D.K. Pathak, former director general of the Border Security Force. Whichever area gets more security pressure, militant activities shift to the other half of J&K.

This is exactly what the Jammu region is experiencing now. For almost three years now, the enemy is trying to deflect the pressure [caused by the] tightening of the security in the valley, said R.R. Swain, director general of the police.

After Article 370 was voided, security forces were concentrated in the valley, where more violent reactions was expected. This created a sort of vacuum in the Jammu region, where militant groups got opportunities to infiltrate and activate sleeper cells. According to Swain, battle-hardened terrorists from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in Pakistan tunnelled their way into Jammu. Central intelligence agencies are now wary of the terror net spreading into the hinterland from Punjab, where Pakistan-based Babbar Khalsa International and Khalistan Zindabad Force have been trying to fish in troubled waters.

Bringing normalcy in Jammu and Kashmir will be the single biggest challenge for the next government. The first priority will be the strengthening of the police, which needs its own command structure to maintain law and order and carry out counter-terror operations. With the presence of more than half a dozen security forces, Jammu and Kashmir continues to have the countrys highest concentration of boots on the ground. Additional Army troops are being deployed to secure the higher reaches of Jammu from terrorist infiltration.

Traditionally, there is a three-tier security grid on the international border. The Border Security Force forms the first line of defence; the Army forms the second; and the police forms the third. Swain, whose tenure saw several steps being taken to strengthen the police, will retire amid the polls on September 30. He will be succeeded by Nalin Prabhat, a 1992-batch officer of the Andhra Pradesh cadre. Swain has been instrumental in dismantling the terror ecosystem to a large extent, at times even ruffling the feathers of politicians.

Preventing terror-related violence requires a strong government, unbiased bureaucrats and a vigilant police. Since geopolitical dynamics will continue to influence the border situation, the elected political leadership will need to have absolute clarity regarding its approach towards Pakistan. For peace, it is imperative that New Delhi and Srinagar are on the same page.

Increased militancy in Jammu and Kashmir has been a result of unresolved political problems and a trust deficit between New Delhi and J&K, said M.M. Ansari, who was an interlocutor for Jammu and Kashmir during 2010-2011. The Centre must adhere to democratic principles of governance without using draconian laws like the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act.

A drive through the tiny lanes of downtown Srinagar makes it evident how peace in recent times has brought back some sense of normalcy. Glass windows adorn brick buildings, where artisans are back in business. Two decades ago, when stone throwing first became widespread, the popularity of glass windows had taken a hit. Peace, it seems, has brought them back in favour.

Yasmina, one of the women artisans at Eidgah, Srinagar, once a nerve centre of militancy, has been working to revive the traditional spinning wheel craft with modern, foot-operated charkhas. It is faster and safer for working long hours. If we work hard, we can earn more profits, said a hopeful Yasmina.

Helping her and other local artisans revive their craft is Mujtaba Kadri, a businessman who said GI tags and QR codes were helping them take their products to foreign shores. Kadri hopes that the artisans would be able to increase their wages and profit margins if peace continues to prevail.

It is time Jammu and Kashmir is freed from those profiting from conflict, said Bidhuri, and [is allowed to] build on the gains it has made so far.
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Russia and Ukraine exchanged over 100 prisoners of war each on Saturday as Kyiv marked its third Independence Day since Moscows full-scale invasion.

Ukraine said the 115 Ukrainian servicemen who were freed were conscripts, many of whom were taken prisoner in the first months of Russias invasion. Among them are nearly 50 soldiers captured by Russian forces from the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol.

The Russian Defense Ministry said the 115 Russian soldiers had been captured in the Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces launched their surprise offensive into Russia two weeks ago. The ministry said the soldiers were currently in Belarus, but would be taken to Russia for medical treatment and rehabilitation.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a post on X that the United Arab Emirates had again brokered the exchange, the 55th since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of its neighbor in February 2022.

Photos attached to Zelenskyys post show gaunt servicemen with shaven heads and wrapped in Ukrainian flags.

We remember each and every one. We are searching and doing our best to get everyone back, Zelenskyy said in the post.

Officials from the two sides meet only when they swap their dead and POWs, after lengthy preparation and diplomacy. Neither Ukraine nor Russia discloses how many POWs there are in total.

According to the U.N., most Ukrainian POWs suffer routine medical neglect, severe and systematic mistreatment and even torture while in detention. There have also been isolated reports of abuse of Russian soldiers, mostly during capture or transit to internment sites.

Last January, Russia and Ukraine exchanged hundreds of prisoners of war in the biggest single release.

Drone and artillery attacks continue

Five people were killed and five others wounded on Saturday in Russian shelling of the center of the city of Kostiantynivka in Ukraines partially occupied eastern Donetsk region, local officials said.

In the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, Russian shelling killed two people and wounded four on Saturday, including a baby, officials said.

Two people were killed in a Russian drone attack, and one further person in shelling, in the northeastern Sumy region.

Ukraines air force said it had intercepted and destroyed seven drones over the countrys south. Russian long-range bombers also attacked the area of Zmiinyi (Snake) Island overnight with four cruise missiles, while the wider Kherson region was also struck by aerial bombs.

In Russia, the Defense Ministry said Saturday that air defenses had shot down seven drones overnight.

Five drones were downed over the southwestern Voronezh region bordering Ukraine, wounding two people, regional Gov. Aleksandr Gusev said. Ukraines Military Intelligence Directorate claimed to have blown up a warehouse storing 5,000 tonnes of ammunition in the regions Ostrogozhsky district. News outlet Astra published videos appearing to show explosions at the ammunition depot after being hit by a drone. The videos could not be independently verified.

Two people were wounded in a drone attack in the Belgorod region, also bordering Ukraine, regional Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov said. Local authorities did not report any casualties in the Bryansk region, where the fifth drone was intercepted.

In the Kursk region, regional Gov. Alexei Smirnov said Saturday that three missiles were shot down overnight and another four on Saturday morning.

Russian air defenses shot down two more drones on Saturday morning, Russias Defense Ministry said  one over the Kursk region and one over the Bryansk region.

Independence Day commemorations

Ukraine marked its 33rd Independence Day Saturday as its war against Russias aggression reaches a 30-month milestone. No festivities are planned and instead Ukrainians will mark the day with commemorations for civilians and soldiers killed in the war.

Speaking at a ceremony marking the anniversary, Zelenskyy announced on Saturday that Ukraine has successfully used a new domestically produced drone for the first time against Russian forces.

Today, we had the first and successful combat use of our new weapon  a completely new class of weapon, the Ukrainian missile drone Palyanitsa, Zelenskyy said.

He did not give further details, but added that the enemy was struck, and thanked the developers and manufacturers.

Zelenskyy also said that Ukraines offensive in the Kursk region was a preventive strike that made it possible to avoid encirclement of part of Ukraines Sumy region.

Polands president joins the commemorations in Kyiv

Polish President Andrzej Duda arrived in Kyiv by train early Saturday in a symbolic show of support from one of Ukraines key allies.

Videos posted by his office showed him being greeted by Ukrainian officials and later paying his respects in a ceremony at the Wall of Remembrance of the Fallen for Ukraine.

Dudas visit to Kyiv, his fifth since February 2022, sends a message that Warsaws support for Ukraine remains strong as the war drags on for the third year.

Poland, located to Ukraines west, has donated arms and become a hub for Western weapons destined for Ukraine. It has also welcomed tens of thousands of Ukrainians who fled the war. It hosts the most Ukrainian refugees outside of the country after Germany.

A trade dispute over Ukrainian grain that dragged down ties last year, and historical grievances between the two countries, sometime provoke bad feelings, particularly among Poles who remember a World War II-era massacre by Ukrainian nationalists.

(AP)
Fires broke out Friday on a Greek-flagged oil tanker previously attacked by Yemens Houthi rebels this week, with the vessel now appearing to be adrift in the Red Sea, authorities said.

It wasnt immediately clear what had happened to the oil tanker Sounion, which had been abandoned by its crew on Thursday and reportedly anchored in place.

The Houthis didnt immediately acknowledge the fire. The rebels are suspected to have gone back and attacked at least one other vessel that later sank as part of their monthslong campaign against shipping in the Red Sea over the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. The attacks have disrupted a trade route that typically sees $1 trillion in goods pass through it annually.

The British militarys United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center reported the fires in a note to mariners on Friday night.

UKMTO have received a report that three fires have been observed on vessel, the center said. The vessel appears to be drifting.

A United States defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence matters, said American officials were aware of the fires and continued to monitor the situation.

The vessel had been staffed by a crew of 25 Filipinos and Russians, as well as four private security personnel, who were taken by a French destroyer to nearby Djibouti, the European Unions Aspides naval mission in the Red Sea said Thursday.

The Sounion has 150,000 tons of crude oil aboard and represents a navigational and environmental hazard, the mission warned. It is essential that everyone in the area exercises caution and refrains from any actions that could lead to a deterioration of the current situation.

Late Friday night, the Houthis released footage of an explosion striking the Sounion, their fighters on the water in the distance chanting the groups slogan: God is the greatest; death to America; death to Israel; curse the Jews; victory to Islam.

A frame-by-frame analysis of the video conducted by The Associated Press suggested three simultaneous explosions struck the deck of the Sounion. That signature suggests an attack conducted by planted explosives, rather than a strike by missile or drone.

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. One of the sunken vessels, the Tutor, went down after the Houthis planted explosives aboard it, after its crew abandoned the ship due to an earlier attack, the rebel group later acknowledged.

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 U.S. or the U.K. to force an end to Israels campaign against Hamas in Gaza. However, many of the ships attacked have little or no connection to the conflict, including some bound for Iran.

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. militarys Central Command said that the Lincoln had reached the waters of the Middle East, without elaborating.

Washington also has ordered the USS Georgia-guided missile submarine to the region, 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.

Early Saturday, the U.S. militarys Central Command said it had destroyed a Houthi missile system in Yemen over the last 24 hours.

(AP)
The same Iranian hacking group believed to have targeted both the Democratic and Republican presidential campaigns tried to go after the WhatsApp accounts of staffers in the administrations of President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, Meta Platforms said Friday.

Meta said it discovered the network of hackers, who posed as tech support agents for companies including AOL, Microsoft, Yahoo and Google, after individuals who received the suspicious WhatsApp messages reported them. Metas investigators linked the activity to the same network blamed for the hacking incident reported by Trumps campaign.

The FBI this week said a hack by Iran of the Trump campaign and an attempted breach of the Biden-Harris campaign was part of a broader Iranian effort to interfere with the U.S. presidential election.

A statement Friday from Meta, the parent of Facebook and Instagram, said that the hackers had tried to target the WhatsApp accounts of individuals in the Middle East, the United States and the United Kingdom, as well as political and diplomatic officials  including unidentified officials associated with the Trump and Biden administrations. A small cluster of accounts was blocked by Meta, the company said.

We have not seen evidence of the targeted WhatsApp accounts being compromised, but out of an abundance of caution, were sharing our findings publicly, in addition to sharing information with law enforcement and our industry peers, Meta said in a statement.

In a report this month, Googles threat intelligence arm said the same Iranian group, which it linked to the countrys Revolutionary Guard, had tried to infiltrate the personal email accounts of roughly a dozen people linked to Biden and Trump since May. That report expanded on a separate study released days earlier by Microsoft that revealed suspected Iranian cyber intrusion in this years presidential election.

U.S. intelligence officials say Irans increasingly aggressive use of cyberattacks and disinformation has several motives: to confuse and polarize voters in an effort to undermine confidence in U.S. democracy, to erode support for Israel, and to oppose candidates that it believes will increase tension between Washington and Iran.

Iran has vowed revenge against Trump, whose administration ended a nuclear deal with Iran, reimposed sanctions and ordered the killing of an Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani.

In July, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines said Irans government gave covert support to American protests against Israels war against Hamas in Gaza. Groups linked to Iran posed as online activists, encouraged campus protests and provided financial support to some protest groups, Haines said.

Messages left with the Trump and Harris campaigns were not immediately returned Friday.

(AP)
PRINCE GEORGE COUNTY, Va.  A serious accident on Interstate 95 in Prince George County early Sunday morning left three people, including an infant, with significant injuries. The crash occurred around 9:15 a.m. near the Route 623 exit when an SUV veered off the highway and overturned, according to Sgt. Jessica Shehan of the Virginia State Police.

First responders arrived to find three victims at the scene, including an infant who had been ejected from the vehicle. Due to the severity of the injuries, a medical helicopter was summoned to airlift the infant to a hospital. The driver and another passenger were also transported to a local medical center. Authorities report that all three individuals sustained serious but non-life-threatening injuries.

Local Askonim immediately sprang into action to ensure they are in good hands; including Chaim Feldman from Columbia Hospital, and Meyer Spitzer from Florida Hatzalah, Yedidya Blau from Chaveirem of Rockland, and Aron Slone from the Norfolk Virginia community  that took a 2 hour drive with food and other important items.

They expect to make a full recovery.

Names for Tehillim are:



 Avraham Mordechai ben Rochel Tzeporah

 Chasya Bracha bas Rivka Shira Miriam

 Chava Basya bas Chasya Bracha

(YWN World Headquarters  NYC)
The IDF have conducted a series of operations in the Gaza Strip, targeting terrorist infrastructure and personnel.

In Khan Yunis, soldiers from the Yahalom unit and the 82nd Battalion discovered and dismantled an underground tunnel route belonging to Islamic Jihad, measuring approximately 500 meters in length.

In a separate operation, troops from the 77th Battalion raided a terrorist compound, uncovering a cache of weapons, including military vests and grenades. Additionally, the soldiers found a rocket launcher ready to fire, which was subsequently destroyed.

The 7th Brigade is currently operating on the outskirts of Deir al-Balah, where soldiers have eliminated dozens of terrorists and dismantled terrorist infrastructure.

(YWN World Headquarters  NYC)
Dominion Energy (NYSE: D) has been on a long journey, but it appears to be nearing the end of the effort. That's a good thing for investors and likely one of the reasons why the stock is up 15% or so over the past year. However, the shares remain 35% below their 2020 highs, and the dividend isn't expected to be increased for a little while as management focuses on paying down debt.

Here's a quick look at why there's still time to buy this high-yield utility stock.

A long and winding path

Dominion Energy was once a very different company, with assets that spanned from energy production to pipelines to electric and natural gas utilities. Over the past couple of decades, it has been trimming out assets to simplify its operations. The last couple of years have been particularly difficult on investors, with the sale of the company's pipelines business to Berkshire Hathaway resulting in a dividend cut.

Image source: Getty Images.

But that wasn't the worst of it. After the dividend cut, management said it was ready to start growing the business again, including the dividend. That didn't last very long, with just one dividend increase before another big corporate overhaul was announced. This time, however, management didn't surprise investors with an asset sale -- it simply told investors that it was reviewing the business.

After leaving shareholders in limbo for about a year or so, the company started to sell assets, the biggest being the sale of three regulated natural gas utilities to Canadian midstream giant Enbridge. The cash from the sale is expected to be used to pay down debt and invest in the business.

At this point, Dominion has whittled itself down to just a regulated electric utility operation. But that is likely to be a good thing for investors, which is a key reason why the stock has risen roughly 15% or so over the past year. That said, the yield remains relatively high at 4.7%. That compares to 3% for the average utility, using Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF as a proxy.

D Chart

Where does Dominion go from here?

As the chart shows, Dominion has deeply lagged the average utility. And, as far as it goes, the stock's recent gains are roughly in line with the broader industry. So all in, there's a gap to close, and that suggests that there's still time for income investors to buy this high-yield utility. If management is right about the future, it seems likely that the shares will continue to close the gap with peers.

For dividend investors, the first big step is going to be debt reduction. That's happening right now, with the last of the three natural gas utility sales expected to be completed in the third quarter.

After that, management plans to focus on earnings. It believes it can achieve 5% to 7% earnings growth per year, on average, through at least 2029. That would be a pretty respectable showing in the utility sector.

Driving that growth will be the company's five-year capital investment plan, which totals roughly $43 billion. Dominion has fairly strong relationships with regulators, is investing in a large offshore wind development, and has notable demand drivers in the regions it serves, including from data centers.

Earnings growth, in turn, will lower Dominion Energy's dividend payout ratio, which is currently elevated relative to peers. Once the payout ratio is back in line with peers, dividend growth is expected to resume at a pace roughly equal to earnings growth, or between 5% and 7% a year. That would be a very attractive dividend growth rate for a utility.

Getting in ahead of the best news

A return to dividend growth will be the final step in Dominion's overhaul. After that, the stock is likely to be afforded a higher multiple on Wall Street. So despite the recent stock advance, investors buying now have a chance to collect an above-average yield and the opportunity for more upside as the company continues to progress with its overhaul plan.

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Reuben Gregg Brewer has positions in Dominion Energy and Enbridge. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Berkshire Hathaway and Enbridge. The Motley Fool recommends Dominion Energy. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Is It Too Late to Buy High-Yield Dominion Energy Stock? was originally published by The Motley Fool
The Israeli Air Force (IAF) conducted a precise strike in Gaza, eliminating Taha Abu Nada, a high-ranking Hamas terrorist responsible for producing military equipment and weaponry. This weaponry is used by Hamas to target Israeli territory and IDF troops in the Gaza Strip.

In a separate operation, IDF troops launched a targeted assault on terrorist infrastructure in Gaza City, adjacent to the Central Gaza Strip Corridor. The operation has resulted in the elimination of multiple terrorists and the dismantling of terrorist infrastructure sites.

In the Tal as Sultan area of Rafah, IDF troops engaged in close-quarter combat, eliminating dozens of terrorists over the past day. The IAF also conducted strikes in the area, targeting terrorists operating near IDF troops. Additionally, a large cache of weapons was discovered, including mortars, explosive devices, and explosive materials.

The IDF also struck terrorists operating near troops and dismantled a weapons storage facility in the area.

(YWN World Headquarters  NYC)
Dozens of Israeli war jets are carrying out airstrikes against Hezbollah across a broad swath of southern Lebanon tonight, in what is a preemptive move against a planned large-scale attack.

Footage from Lebanon shows a large number of Israeli jets hurtling into Hezbollah-controlled airspace, and massive explosions.

Hundreds of airstrikes have been confirmed thus far  and more are still coming.

In a statement, the IDF said that it detected rockets and missiles being prepared to be fired at Israel, with the strikes aimed at taking out the launching positions before they could be fired.

The Israel Airports Authority announced that all flights at Ben Gurion Airport will be delayed for the next few hours. Incoming flights are being redirected to alternative airports in the region.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah has begun firing hundreds of rockets and missiles at the northern front, with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant declaring a 48-hour special situation in northern Israel.

(YWN World Headquarters  NYC)
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu began a meeting of Israels political-security cabinet at the Kiryah in Tel Aviv on Sunday morning by addressing the IDFs massive preemptive strike on Hezbollah earlier that morning.

This morning we identified Hezbollah preparations to attack Israel, Netanyahu said. In consensus with the Defense Minister and the IDF Chief of Staff, we directed the IDF to initiate action to eliminate the threat.

Since then, the IDF has been taking strong action to foil the threats. It has eliminated thousands of rockets that were aimed at northern Israel. It is thwarting many other threats and is taking very strong action  both defensively and offensively.

Citizens of Israel, I request that you adhere to the directives from IDF Home Front Command. We are determined to do everything to defend our country, to return the residents of the north securely to their homes, and to continue upholding a simple rule: Whoever harms us  well harm them.

The IDFs Home Front Command on Sunday morning issued restrictions on Israeli citizens from Tel Aviv northward for the next 48 hours.

Workplaces and educational or camp programs can be open only if a nearby shelter can be quickly and easily accessed and gatherings are restricted to 30 people outdoors and 300 people indoors. Beaches near the Lebanese border have been closed.

However, following a new assessment early Sunday afternoon, the Home Front Command lifted restrictions from Tel Aviv northward, leaving them in place only in communities in the Golan and near the Lebanese border

(YWN Israel Desk  Jerusalem)
Israeli Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz sent messages to Israels allies around the world urging them to support Israel against Iran and its proxies in the wake of Hezbollahs intended massive attack on Israel early Sunday morning.

This morning, I sent a direct message to dozens of foreign ministers worldwide, urging them to support Israel against the Iranian axis of evil and its proxies, led by Hezbollah, Katz stated.

I informed them that Israel acted after definitively identifying a large-scale planned attack of missiles and drones by the Hezbollah terrorist organization against targets in Israel, and we delivered a preemptive strike to prevent the assault and protect Israeli citizens and territory.

Israel is confronting the axis of evil led by Iran, which has the explicit aim of destroying Israel.

We do not seek a full-scale war  but we will do whatever it takes to protect our citizens.

(YWN Israel Desk  Jerusalem)
New Hope chairman Gideon Saar exorciated the IDFs preemptive strikes against Hezbollah on Sunday morning as a continuation of Israels failed containment policy.

Faced with Hezbollahs decision to fire thousands of missiles and rockets, once again the government chose the least correct strategic response, Saar stated.

The choice to only thwart the attack after ten and a half months of Hezbollahs attacks on Israel is the continuation of the policy of containment. This decision has one meaning: only our enemies determine the timing and scale of escalation.

This opportunity should have led to a decision on a comprehensive pre-emptive attack to change the reality in the north.

Leaving the existing reality in the north of the country unchanged means the continuation of constraint. There will never be a point in time in the future with the perfect conditions for a war. Whoever runs away from war  war will chase him, Saar ominously concluded.

Yisrael Beiteinu chairman Avigdor Leiberman responded to the attack by stating: Israels government needs to act per the enemys intentions and not according to the results.

If Hezbollah indeed intended to fire 6,000 projectiles (missiles, drones, etc.) with the central goal of striking Israels strategic infrastructure, just removing the threat cannot suffice. Israel must stop with the defense and go on the offensive and end the war of attrition and the abandonment of the residents of the north for almost 11 months, even at the price of a dramatic escalation.

Security must be restored to the residents of Israel and the residents of the north in particular, he concluded.

(YWN Israel Desk  Jerusalem)
French police have apprehended and detained a suspect in a terror attack on a synagogue in a southwestern Mediterranean town that injured a police officer, the countrys acting interior minister said Sunday.

Two cars parked at the Beth Yaacov synagogue complex in the seaside resort town of La Grande Motte, near Montpellier, were set ablaze just after 8 a.m. Saturday. Firefighters discovered additional fires at two entrances to the synagogue. A police officer who walked up to the site was injured after a propane gas tank placed near the burning vehicles exploded.

Five people, including the rabbi, who were present in the synagogue complex at the time of the attack were unharmed, it added.

BFM TV said the suspect was a 33-year-old Algerian. Local police did not provide details.

The anti-terrorism prosecutors office said on Sunday morning that the suspect was arrested shortly before midnight on Saturday: Before the police could intervene, (the suspect) opened fire on the (police), which returned fire. The man was wounded in the face, the office said in a statement, adding that two other suspects were arrested.

The alleged perpetrator of the arson attack on the synagogue has been arrested, Gerald Darmanin, the acting interior minister, said in a post on X. He visited the site on Saturday afternoon along with acting Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, whose father is Jewish, and met with local officials and the synagogue staff.

Darmanin also hailed the professional conduct of police forces and its elite intervention unit despite the gunfire during the operation.

Prosecutors were investigating the attack as an attempted assassination linked to a terrorist group and destruction of property with dangerous means, and a crime planned by a terrorist group with an intent to cause harm, the statement said.

(YWN Israel Desk  Jerusalem & AP)
The IDF has reported the death of a reserve soldier during clashes in Gaza City earlier today. The fallen soldier has been identified as Master Sgt. (res.) Shlomo Yehonatan Hazut HYD, 36, of Ashdod, who served in the Jerusalem Brigades 9207th Battalion.

Another soldier was seriously injured in the same incident.

Preliminary findings from the IDF indicate that the soldiers were struck by an explosive device planted on a road in the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City.

(YWN World Headquarters  NYC)
Theresa May followed our first Fat Cat Files report on the pay and perks showered on FTSE 100 chief executives with an attempted clampdown on boardroom excess.

She ordered a list be compiled of firms where there had been a significant shareholder rebellion against over-generous rewards. The idea was to name and shame companies she described as 'damaging the social fabric of our country'.

The register, which still exists, is a table of companies where at least one in five investors protested against pay at the annual meeting. The hope  as it transpired, a vain one  was that this would put the brakes on executive rewards.

In control?: The new Labour government seems disinclined to bother much about top pay

Our latest Fat Cat pay report shows that although pay has gone up, there are fewer rebellions by shareholders.

Perhaps big City investors, who are the owners of the businesses on our behalf, have simply lost the will to object, faced as they are by the granite stubbornness of the high pay culture.

We have not reached the extremes here of the US, where coffee chain Starbucks offered its new chief executive Brian Niccol a deal where he could earn up to $100m (76m) in his first year.

The ludicrous arrangement includes the use of the company's private jet to commute 1,000 miles from his California home to the office in Seattle three days a week.

That level of largesse would still be considered obscene this side of the Atlantic.Particularly so in a company such as Starbucks where ordinary baristas are paid very modestly and tax payments, at least in this country, are tiny.

If Niccol receives his full performance-linked package, it would dwarf the Starbucks Coffee Company (UK) tax payment of just 7.15m last year, compared with sales of 548m and gross profit of 149m.

During Covid, a number of Footsie bosses decided to forgo bonuses in solidarity with their struggling customers and staff. They are now making up for lost time: pay has ballooned and their perks are as shameless as ever.

Why is it so hard to stop the greed?

The market for talent is international and some FTSE 100 chiefs agitate for US-style packages, despite the companies they run tending to be smaller and less cut-throat. Niccol's predecessor, the former Reckitt Benckiser chief executive Laxman Narasimhan, was brutally ousted after a very brief tenure, which is less common here. A big boss who tries to forswear mammon would not be popular with the next tier of senior managers, as his or her rewards set a ceiling on theirs.

My suspicion is that is the reason Chris O'Shea, the CEO of British Gas owner Centrica, started accepting his bonuses after a couple of years doing without.

Those at the top of the pay league, Pascal Soriot of AstraZeneca, Tufan Erginbilgic at Rolls-Royce and Charles Woodburn at BAE Systems, have performed well and delivered handsome rewards for investors. The same cannot be said of others.

And can individuals be credited with share price rises that are influenced by factors outside their control, and performance that is a collective achievement?

The new Labour government seems disinclined to bother much about top pay, saying it is purely a matter for shareholders.

Theresa May was closer to reality when she said excessive rewards are corrosive to society. Perhaps Labour is too busy surrendering to union barons to pay attention to boardrooms, but it seems odd to be so complacent.
Tesco is Britains most unequal blue chip company, The Mail on Sundays annual audit of boardroom pay reveals today.

Ken Murphy, chief executive of the countrys biggest supermarket, made 10million in 2023, which is 431 times the sum received by a typical Tesco worker. He made more in a day than Tescos UK staff did on average all year.

The size of the pay gap at the grocery chain dwarfs that of other FTSE 100 companies.

Audit: Tesco is Britains most unequal blue chip company, The Mail on Sundays annual audit of boardroom pay reveals today

Compass, whose boss Dominic Blakemore was paid 303 times the sum paid to the average employee at the contract catering business, came next on the list.

Others with large pay gaps between the boss and the rest include retailers Sainsburys, B&Q-owner Kingfisher and clothing giant Next.

The findings form part of The Mail on Sundays Fat Cat Files, which chart the millions of pounds handed out each year in salary, bonuses and perks to the bosses of Britains biggest companies.

The audit shows that in 2023:

- FTSE 100 chief executives were paid an average of 4.7million  a 300,000 rise on the previous year

- AstraZenecas Pascal Soriot was again the highest paid FTSE 100 boss, taking home 16.9million

- The best paid female FTSE 100 boss was Emma Walmsley at rival drugs group GSK on 12.7million

- The number of bosses paid more than 10million doubled to eight

- Finance directors also fared well, pocketing more than 2.2million each on average

- The highest paid finance chiefs were defence giant BAEs Brad Greve and Nick Luff at the information and analytics company Relx. They both got 7.1million

- Almost a quarter of FTSE 100 finance directors  often a stepping stone to the chief executives job  are now female, raising hopes that women may finally break through the glass ceiling

In the money: Ken Murphy, chief executive of Tesco, made 10m in 2023

Our findings will fuel the debate about ballooning boardroom pay. They come as top firms push for even bigger rewards for their leaders, saying they need to be paid more to compete with US rivals.

The typical FTSE 100 chief executive earns 120 times more than their employees median pay, according to the High Pay Centre think-tank, but soon they could be taking home even more.

Sixteen of the top 100 firms are looking to revamp their pay policies, according to business consultancy Deloitte.

Nine of the companies have drawn up radical plans to boost their bosss pay this year, compared with four before.

Among those leading calls to pay bosses based in Britain even more is Rupert Soames, president of the Confederation of British Industry lobby group.

He has dubbed many companies in the FTSE 100 as Brilos  British in Listing Only  because most of their revenue come from overseas.

Soames also chairs Smith & Nephew, the medical equipment group, where nearly half of its shareholders voted against plans to give chief executive Deepak Nath a huge pay rise.

It was the biggest investor revolt at a major company last year, the Fat Cat Files found.

Also leading the charge on chief executive pay is Julia Hoggett. The London Stock Exchange chief executive has warned that a lack of a level playing field is driving a brain drain from the City to New York and beyond.

Shareholders backed plans to more than double the pay of her boss, David Schwimmer, to 13.2million.

Companies such as chipmaker Arm Holdings, plumbing giant Ferguson and Tarmac-owner CRH have already moved their main listing from London to Wall Street, where sky-high boardroom pay is more widely tolerated.

The vast sums on offer to US chief executives was highlighted this month when Brian Niccol, new boss of Seattle-based coffee chain Starbucks, was given a pay package potentially worth more than 78million  with permission to work remotely from California.

US-style: Brian Niccol, the new boss of Seattle-based coffee chain Starbucks, was given a pay package potentially worth more than 78m

Not all top bosses made pay hay last year. NatWests Alison Rose missed out on 5.1million after she was ousted over the de-banking of Reform UK leader Nigel Farage.

But her loss was minor compared with Bernard Looneys at BP. He was docked 3million in pay and forfeited up to 29million in share awards after he was found to have lied to the board about his personal relationships with other staff.

Tesco defended Murphys award. Alison Platt, chair of the remuneration committee that sets executive pay, said at the time it recognised the strong performance of the business and the fact Tesco had delivered for all of its stakeholders over the last year, including record investment in colleague pay.

Additional research by Angus Ritchie
 Flash

Alaeddin Boroujerdi, chairman of the Iran-China Friendship Association and a senior Iranian lawmaker, speaks to the media in Tehran, Iran, Aug. 22, 2024. Boroujerdi commended the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Iran and emphasized that Iran's new administration would be committed to enhancing bilateral ties. (Xinhua/Shadati)

Promoting ties with China is among the foreign policy priorities of Iran's newly formed government, a senior Iranian lawmaker has said.

"Iran's new administration seeks to have good relations with all countries, especially the neighbors, Muslim states and other friendly countries, such as China," Alaeddin Boroujerdi, also chairman of the Iran-China Friendship Association, told Xinhua in a recent interview.

He said the Iran-China relationship is firm and at a "high level," highlighting the great potential for expanding bilateral cooperation on the "good basis" of the 25-year Comprehensive Cooperation Agreement signed in March 2021.

Boroujerdi listed some fields for further bilateral cooperation, such as the oil and gas sector, high-speed railway construction, and the establishment of joint ventures.

In an article published in Tehran Times on July 13, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian remarked that his country "highly values" the friendship with China, describing expanding relations with Beijing as a foreign policy priority.
Like many Americans, Ashley and Brandon turned to a debt consolidation company to manage their growing pile of credit card debt. Unfortunately, the consolidation enabled them to build up even more debt.

We did a debt consolidation loan, paid off our credit cards and then maxed out our credit cards again, Ashley said on Ramit Sethi's podcast, I Will Teach You to Be Rich. I mean every single one of them.

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Altogether, they have over $100,000 in credit card debt alone, which is less than half of their total debt burden.

The couple's story highlights how a lopsided financial partnership can have disastrous consequences.

Ashleys disproportionate financial responsibility

Sethi said the couples problems stem from the fact that they cant get on the same page about the familys finances.

Ashley is the breadwinner, earning $95,000 in annual gross income, and is primarily responsible for managing the household budget. Brandon earns $65,000 and admits that he only brings up the subject of money when he wants to buy something.

Ashley wants to pay off debt faster, and you want to live life  is that the bottom line? Sethi asked Brandon, to which he agreed. Guys, that's not a functioning financial partnership.

Women were the primary breadwinners in 16% of marriages across the U.S., according to a 2023 report by the Pew Research Center. Meanwhile, 49% of women said they would consider themselves the Chief Financial Officer of the household, and 51% said they were more financially savvy than their spouses, according to the 2023 Women Money Power study from Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America.

Couples who struggle to share financial responsibility risk stretching the familys budget in different directions. Brandons reckless spending and lack of financial engagement have left the couple with too many leisure vehicles: a truck, a snowmobile, a motocross bike, a boat and a four-wheeler.

Is this a joke? Sethi said, in disbelief.

Brandons desire for automobiles isnt rare. Auto loans have become a larger share of non-housing debt across the country in recent years. As of the second quarter of 2024, auto loans were worth $1.63 trillion  more than aggregate student loan debt which sits at $1.58 trillion, according to the Federal Reserve.

Story continues

For Ashley and Brandon, their growing pile of auto loans and credit card debt is holding them back from a major life decision: having a baby.

Read more: Car insurance rates have spiked in the US to a stunning $2,150/year  but you can be smarter than that. Here's how you can save yourself as much as $820 annually in minutes (it's 100% free)

Surrogacy costs

Some of the couples debt is related to an attempted surrogacy that failed.

The money was gone and there was no baby, Ashley said. So we're paying that loan and we have no baby.

Despite their disappointment, she added they are willing to try again. She estimates the process could cost somewhere between $20,000 to $40,000.

Thats on the low end of expected costs. Stephanie Levich, founder and president of Family Match Consulting, tells Today that the average cost of surrogacy can be between $125,000 and $175,000.

To put themselves in a better financial position, Sethi asked Ashley and Brandon if they wanted to make no changes, small changes or really big changes.

Big changes

Sethi recommended couples therapy to help them get on the same page about their familys finances. Nearly half of all couples surveyed by Empower in 2023 said they do not discuss money matters with their spouse. Better communication would lead to better outcomes, according to Sethi. Debt counseling would also help in this instance.

The first step is to get rid of the recreational vehicles and lower their monthly payments to leave room in the budget for tackling debt. Then use budgeting techniques like the envelope method to keep spending in check. Or, you can download a budgeting app with spending alerts.

Meanwhile, Ashley said she believes Brandon needs to take more responsibility and adopt an active role in the couples finances.

I don't want you to rely on me to make all the money, she told him. I don't expect you to ever earn a certain amount, but I don't want you to go into any job situation thinking like, Oh, Ashley will just pick up the slack, it's fine because Ashley makes enough money; I'll just take a cut because Ashley makes enough. I want you to have that ambition of like, I want to do this for my family.

What to read next

Unlock access to 4,700+ hand-picked, single-family homes across America  and the juicy rental cash they can generate. Here's how to start with as little as $10

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This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
When billionaire investor Warren Buffett makes a move, investors take notice, with many of them mimicking his decisions and buying and selling the same stocks. He has generated massive wealth over the years due to his investing acumen and his long-term buy-and-hold strategy.

But that doesn't mean every stock in the Berkshire Hathaway portfolio has necessarily been a great market-beating investment. In many cases, Berkshire holds safe dividend stocks that can offer consistent payouts, long-term stability, and value preservation -- but not much in the way of great capital gains.

Thus, if you're looking at Buffett's stock purchases as ways to find the next great stock to own, you might be disappointed, as that's not necessarily his strategy or goal when making stock picks. In fact, one of his most beloved and favorite stocks has also made for a laggard investment when compared to the S&P 500.

Coca-Cola is a top holding and prototypical Buffett stock

Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO) is an iconic beverage brand with its logo known all over the world. Buffett loves the company's products, and for years, Coca-Cola has been one of Berkshire's top holdings. Today, it accounts for nearly 9% of the fund's total portfolio.

It has generated more than $40 billion in revenue in each of the past two years, and with strong profit margins in excess of 20%, it ticks off many of the things Buffett looks for when buying a stock.

But if you have been holding Coca-Cola stock for the past decade, you might be disappointed with its performance. While it generates consistent profits and the stock is a Dividend King, making it an ideal option for income investors, its total returns simply haven't been all that impressive.

Coca-Cola has consistently underperformed the S&P 500

An effective way of gauging a stock's returns is comparing it against the S&P 500. The broad index can make for a good, default option for investors, offering them a way to generate decent returns (it has averaged a long-run return of 9.7%) while keeping their overall risk low. If you don't expect that you can outperform it, then you're probably better off just holding the index.

Here's what Coca-Cola's stock returns look like when compared against the S&P 500 over the past 10 years.

Year Coca-Cola Stock Return S&P 500 Return 2023 -7.4% 24.2% 2022 7.4% -19.4% 2021 8% 26.9% 2020 -0.9% 16.3% 2019 16.9% 28.9% 2018 3.2% -6.2% 2017 10.7% 19.4% 2016 -3.5% 9.5% 2015 1.8% -0.7% 2014 2.2% 11.4%

Data source: YCharts.

Story continues

In just three of the past 10 years, Coca-Cola stock has been able to outperform the market. And over the past decade, Coca-Cola's stock has risen by 67% in value, while the more diversified S&P 500 has generated gains in excess of 180%. If you include dividends, Coca-Cola's total returns rise to 130%, but investors still would have been better off with the index -- its total gains are still far higher at 240%.

Does this mean Coca-Cola stock is a bad buy?

Depending on your investing strategy, Coca-Cola may or may not be an optimal stock to hold. It's incredibly valuable for risk-averse investors who just want to collect a dividend and not worry about the markets. The big advantage it offers investors is stability. The one thing you may notice from Coca-Cola's returns over the past 10 years? Not once did the stock decline by double digits.

For investors who are nearing retirement and don't want to take chances with their savings, Coca-Cola can be an extremely valuable and worthwhile investment to hang on to. You might miss out on some gains by going with Coca-Cola, but given its stability, it can make for a safer option than the S&P 500, which will be more susceptible to market conditions.

Coca-Cola may not be a roaring growth stock with huge potential, but the business is still solid and can be counted on for consistently strong financials and recurring dividend income.

Should you invest $1,000 in Coca-Cola right now?

Before you buy stock in Coca-Cola, 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 Coca-Cola 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 $792,725!*

Stock Advisor provides investors with an easy-to-follow blueprint for success, including guidance on building a portfolio, regular updates from analysts, and two new stock picks each month. The Stock Advisor service has more than quadrupled the return of S&P 500 since 2002*.

See the 10 stocks 

*Stock Advisor returns as of August 22, 2024

David Jagielski has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Berkshire Hathaway. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

This Top Warren Buffett Stock Has Only Beaten the Market in 3 of the Past 10 Years was originally published by The Motley Fool
What makes the ultimate growth stock? Beyond high growth rates, I'd say it has to have long-term growth drivers, be on the cusp of or already demonstrating profitability, have some sort of hedging or resilience, and not be overvalued.

Sounds too good to be true? Check out Nu Holdings (NYSE: NU). Nu is a Brazil-based digital bank that offers a wide array of financial services in three Latin American countries, and it appeals to a broad base of customers through its low rates, easy-to-use platform, and modern technology. It has all this and more.

High growth rates

Quarterly growth rates have been incredibly high for Nu as it adds customers at a fast pace -- and these customers are engaging at high rates. Nu added more than 5 million customers in the second quarter, zooming past 100 million for the first time, for a total of 104.5 million. Customers in its headquarters and main market of Brazil are still joining at a healthy clip despite more than half the adult population -- 56% -- already using the platform, and engagement rates are increasing as well, reaching 83.4% in the quarter.

Average revenue per active user (ARPAC) increased 30% year over year, and it keeps growing sequentially as well on a currency-neutral basis.

Data source: Nu Holdings.

Long-term growth drivers

The bank is still capturing market share in Brazil, and it's growing even faster in its newer markets of Mexico and Colombia. Mexico added 1.2 million customers in the second quarter for a total of 7.8 million, while Colombia surpassed 1 million in the quarter.

It still has limited services in the countries, and it only recently launched its high-interest savings account that's attracting new membership. Growth in the Mexico business was the main driver of deposit increases in the second quarter, with deposits there tripling over the past two quarters since launching the savings account. Management says these two markets are still in their "investment phases."

As Nu picks up more accounts and launches new services, it's leading to higher engagement and more cross-sells and upsells. That should keep growth rates robust for the foreseeable future.

Near or demonstrating profitability

All of that could still pose risk if Nu wasn't turning sales dollars into profits. But the company has been reporting strong profits for several consecutive quarters, driven by a stable cost to acquire and a low cost to serve that it says is 85% lower than incumbents. Increases in deposits are also driving higher net interest income (NII) and margin (NIM) in the credit business. NII increased 77% year over year in the second quarter, while NIM rose from 13% to 14%. Total net income increased 134% to $487 million currency neutral.

Nu is demonstrating this kind of profitability even though the Mexico and Colombia businesses remain in the red. It's important for a company that can grow long term to have that kind of capital available to grow without worrying about overall profitability, which is likely one of the reasons Warren Buffett likes this stock.

Hedging its bets

Buffett has talked about varied earnings streams as a feature he looks for in a stock, and Nu is expanding its platform to protect its business. It has diversified to cover bank accounts, lending products, and other financial services.

The high growth in deposits, which is what's driving growth in its newer markets, gives it cash to drive its lending business, and it has taken on some extra risk and defaults, given its swelling and healthy credit portfolio. The total portfolio increased 49% year over year in the second quarter, and loan originations increased 78%.

Reasonable valuation

Nu stock trades at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 23, which looks like a bargain in relation to its performance and opportunities. It certainly looks reasonably valued compared with other high-growth stocks.

Too good to be true?

So is Nu a no-brainer buy? There's still some risk because it operates in a region where there's high economic volatility, and it's still a fairly young company. That's mitigated by its strong risk management and stability thus far.

It's also a Buffett stock. That's not proof of anything, but since Buffett generally avoids riskier stocks, it gives investors a flavor for the level of risk with Nu stock. I'd say it's minimal at this point.

If you have $500 to spend after paying down debt and saving for an emergency, you can get a fair amount of Nu stock while it's still below $15. You'll thank yourself later.

Should you invest $1,000 in Nu Holdings right now?

Before you buy stock in Nu Holdings, 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 Nu Holdings 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 $792,725!*

Stock Advisor provides investors with an easy-to-follow blueprint for success, including guidance on building a portfolio, regular updates from analysts, and two new stock picks each month. The Stock Advisor service has more than quadrupled the return of S&P 500 since 2002*.

See the 10 stocks 

*Stock Advisor returns as of August 22, 2024

Jennifer Saibil has positions in Nu Holdings. The Motley Fool recommends Nu Holdings. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

The Ultimate Growth Stock to Buy With $500 Right Now was originally published by The Motley Fool
Japans stock markets have shown modest gains recently, with the Nikkei 225 Index rising 0.8% and the broader TOPIX Index up 0.2%, amid speculation about the Bank of Japan's monetary policy stance. As economic indicators remain supportive of a hawkish shift, investors are keenly observing opportunities for undervalued stocks that could benefit from these market conditions. In this environment, identifying undervalued stocks involves looking at companies with strong fundamentals and growth potential that may not yet be fully recognized by the market. Here are three such Japanese stocks to watch in August 2024.

Top 10 Undervalued Stocks Based On Cash Flows In Japan

Name Current Price Fair Value (Est) Discount (Est) Link and Motivation (TSE:2170) 565.00 1065.54 47% Hagiwara Electric Holdings (TSE:7467) 3495.00 6712.56 47.9% Shin Maint HoldingsLtd (TSE:6086) 1498.00 2839.02 47.2% Hottolink (TSE:3680) 336.00 660.46 49.1% West Holdings (TSE:1407) 2578.00 5011.50 48.6% BayCurrent Consulting (TSE:6532) 4344.00 8584.01 49.4% SHIFT (TSE:3697) 12320.00 23262.92 47% Visional (TSE:4194) 8610.00 17124.22 49.7% TORIDOLL Holdings (TSE:3397) 3676.00 7046.94 47.8% Nxera Pharma (TSE:4565) 1731.00 3461.43 50%

Click here to see the full list of 79 stocks from our Undervalued Japanese Stocks Based On Cash Flows screener.

We're going to check out a few of the best picks from our screener tool.

Overview: West Holdings Corporation, with a market cap of 102.24 billion, operates in the renewable energy sector both within Japan and internationally through its subsidiaries.

Operations: West Holdings Corporation's revenue segments (in millions of ) are: Renewable Energy Business null.

Estimated Discount To Fair Value: 48.6%

West Holdings is trading at 2578, significantly below its estimated fair value of 5011.5, indicating potential undervaluation. Despite a volatile share price recently, the company's earnings are forecast to grow 22.5% annually over the next three years, outpacing the broader Japanese market's growth rate of 8.5%. However, debt coverage by operating cash flow remains a concern. Recent buybacks totaling 2.79 billion for 1 million shares may signal managements confidence in future performance.

TSE:1407 Discounted Cash Flow as at Aug 2024

Overview: JAC Recruitment Co., Ltd. operates as a recruitment consultancy business in Japan with a market cap of 116.21 billion.

Operations: JAC Recruitment Co., Ltd. generates revenue primarily through its recruitment consultancy services in Japan.

Estimated Discount To Fair Value: 40.2%

JAC Recruitment is trading at 728, well below its estimated fair value of 1217.48, suggesting undervaluation based on cash flows. The company has announced a share repurchase program worth 2 billion to improve capital efficiency and shareholder returns. Despite recent downward revisions in earnings guidance due to lower-than-expected job placements, earnings are forecast to grow significantly at 20.9% annually over the next three years, outpacing the Japanese market's growth rate of 8.5%.

TSE:2124 Discounted Cash Flow as at Aug 2024

Overview: Nxera Pharma Co., Ltd. develops and sells biopharmaceutical products in Japan, Switzerland, the United States, Bermuda, and the United Kingdom with a market cap of 155.62 billion.

Operations: Nxera Pharma Co., Ltd. generates revenue from biopharmaceutical product sales across Japan, Switzerland, the United States, Bermuda, and the United Kingdom.

Estimated Discount To Fair Value: 50%

Nxera Pharma, trading at 1731, is significantly undervalued with an estimated fair value of 3461.43. The company is expected to become profitable within three years and achieve above-average market growth. Recent milestones include a $10 million payment from AbbVie for neurological disease research and a $4.6 million milestone from Centessa Pharmaceuticals for its orexin receptor agonist program. Despite past shareholder dilution, Nxera's revenue is forecast to grow faster than the Japanese market at 13.1% annually.

TSE:4565 Discounted Cash Flow as at Aug 2024

Key Takeaways

Click this link to deep-dive into the 79 companies within our Undervalued Japanese Stocks Based On Cash Flows screener.

Are these companies part of your investment strategy? Use Simply Wall St to consolidate your holdings into a portfolio and gain insights with our comprehensive analysis tools.

Unlock the power of informed investing with Simply Wall St, your free guide to navigating stock markets worldwide.

Curious About Other Options?

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

Companies discussed in this article include TSE:1407 TSE:2124 and TSE:4565.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com
VP Bank (VTX:VPBN) First Half 2024 Results

Key Financial Results

Revenue: CHF162.6m (down 10% from 1H 2023).

Net income: CHF11.5m (down 55% from 1H 2023).

Profit margin: 7.1% (down from 14% in 1H 2023). The decrease in margin was driven by lower revenue.

EPS: CHF1.86 (down from CHF4.15 in 1H 2023).

All figures shown in the chart above are for the trailing 12 month (TTM) period

VP Bank Earnings Insights

Looking ahead, revenue is forecast to grow 2.3% p.a. on average during the next 3 years, compared to a 5.8% growth forecast for the Capital Markets industry in Switzerland.

Performance of the Swiss Capital Markets industry.

The company's shares are up 4.1% from a week ago.

Risk Analysis

You should learn about the 1 warning sign we've spotted with VP Bank.

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 Buffett hasn't seen a lot to like in the stock market recently. He's sold more stock than he bought for Berkshire Hathaway's (NYSE: BRK.A) (NYSE: BRK.B) equity portfolio in each of the last seven quarters. But last quarter Buffett made his biggest stock sale in the history of the company.

Berkshire unloaded 389,368,450 shares of Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL). Those shares are valued around $88 billion at the time of this writing. Berkshire received less for the shares as Apple traded below its current level throughout the second quarter.

That makes the third straight quarter Buffett sold shares of Apple, but last quarter's sale was by far the largest. He sold 10 million shares in the fourth quarter followed by 116 million shares in the first quarter, and the 389 million in the second quarter.

At Berkshire's most recent shareholder meeting, Buffett said the sales of highly appreciated assets like its Apple investment take advantage of the current tax code. Still, the tax bill will be quite hefty for Berkshire this year.

Image source: The Motley Fool.

Here's how big the tax bill could be

Apple shares traded between $165 and $216 during the second quarter. The average closing share price during the period was $186.49. If we assume Buffett received the average share price on the sale, just so we can do some that, that would be proceeds of $72.6 billion.

Berkshire accumulated the bulk of its Apple position between 2016 and 2018, paying an estimated $36.51 per share on a split-adjusted basis. If every single share sold last quarter came from that lot of purchases and sold at the Q2 average, Berkshire Hathaway would have produced a gain around $150 per share for the 389 million shares sold. That's a $58.4 billion gain.

Berkshire also sold a big chunk of Apple shares in the first quarter, when the stock traded for an average price of $181.83. The estimated gain on that sale is $16.9 billion. That would be a total gain of $75 billion on Apple stock sales alone, and we're only halfway through the year.

Using these calculations, at the current federal corporate tax rate of 21%, Berkshire would have to pay Uncle Sam about $15.8 billion out of the proceeds from the stock sale. Nebraska currently charges a corporate tax rate of 6.5%, so Berkshire will have to pay its state government an additional $4.9 billion.

That said, the current tax code saved Berkshire shareholders a lot of money compared to several years ago. The 2017 tax cuts lowered the corporate tax rate from 35% to 21%. Under the old law, Buffett's sale would've cost an additional $10.5 billion. President Joe Biden has proposed a 28% corporate tax rate to go into effect when the 2017 tax cuts expire after next year.

Story continues

How will a massive tax bill impact Berkshire shareholders?

Berkshire Hathaway shareholders may be wondering how this tax expense will impact the company's earnings. The good news for investors is that Berkshire accounts for its tax liability on unrealized capital gains each quarter as a deferred tax expense. In other words, the bulk of the tax on Apple's gains has probably already been accounted for during previous quarters' earnings reports. That's why investors didn't see a sudden surge in tax expenses on Berkshire's second-quarter report.

As a result, earnings won't be affected by the stock sale (other than the missed earnings from any continued rise of Apple's shares). That said, the sale will result in a real cash expenditure, which management warns will impact cash flows. "Operating cash flows over the remainder of 2024 will be reduced by significant income tax payments derived from taxable gains on disposals of equity securities," management wrote in its second-quarter earnings release.

Despite the hefty tax bill, Berkshire has more than enough cash on hand to pay the government. As of the end of June, it held $277 billion in cash and short-term Treasury bills. A measly $20.7 billion in taxes won't change the fact that Buffett has more cash than he has good investment options for Berkshire.

Should you invest $1,000 in Berkshire Hathaway right now?

Before you buy stock in Berkshire Hathaway, 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 Berkshire Hathaway 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 $792,725!*

Stock Advisor provides investors with an easy-to-follow blueprint for success, including guidance on building a portfolio, regular updates from analysts, and two new stock picks each month. The Stock Advisor service has more than quadrupled the return of S&P 500 since 2002*.

See the 10 stocks 

*Stock Advisor returns as of August 22, 2024

Adam Levy has positions in Apple. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Apple and Berkshire Hathaway. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Warren Buffett Just Made His Biggest Stock Sale Ever. Here's What the Tax Bill Could Be. was originally published by The Motley Fool
A service to help young people quit vaping is urgently needed to save thousands of teenagers from lifelong nicotine addiction, a charity has said.

The Irish Heart Foundation said there is a youth vaping epidemic in Ireland and dedicated support was needed to help young people quit one of the most addictive substances on the planet.

In its pre-Budget submission, the charity also called for the price of cigarettes to increase to 20 euro a pack and new taxes on vapes set at a sufficient level to deter young people from taking them up.

We know that many young people are looking for help to quit vaping and from programmes in the US that when such help is available, it can be highly effective, said Irish Heart Foundations director of advocacy Chris Macey.

Failing to provide this support in the face of a youth vaping epidemic the State has not done enough so far to prevent, would be tantamount to abandoning thousands of teenagers at risk of long-term addiction.

Mr Macey said the HSE is continuing to receive calls across all its stop smoking services from people looking for help with quitting vapes.

But despite the growing demand, he said Quit.ie is not resourced to provide the service, which requires different approaches than traditional smoking cessation services to be most effective.

The Irish Heart Foundation also pointed to data from youth information and support platform, Spunout, which has received thousands of views of its webpage on the health effects of smoking and vaping, with the search query how to quit vaping? the biggest driver of traffic to this content.

The charity also said that a US programme, This is Quitting, launched by public health NGO, the Truth Initiative, to counter the rise of youth vaping, has helped over 750,000 young vapers.

Vaping can affect teenage brain development, damage blood vessels, cause high blood pressure, changes in heart rhythm and have serious effects on the respiratory system, said Mr Macey.

Worst of all, research shows it is a gateway to smoking, which is still claiming 12 lives every day in Ireland, making it our biggest cause of preventable death.

Our concern is that the increase in vaping, relentlessly marketed to teenagers with around 16,000 different flavours, will increase smoking rates and expose our young people to premature death from tobacco-related diseases.

The Foundation is also calling for a budget allocation of over one million euro to develop a vaping prevention information campaign and a research programme to inform the development of a vaping cessation programme.

It wants an increase of 3.25 euro in the price of cigarettes to bring the cost to 20 euro per pack.

Mr Macey also said smokers should be given more help by the State to quit while they pay one billion euro in additional taxes, annual anti-smoking measures amount to just 17 million euro.
Here's what we know for certain . . .

If the Veep doesn't win the White House in November . . . Mayor Q becomes Kansas City's new political punching bag.

Meanwhile . . . For those of us without dreams of escaping to The Beltway . . . We offer this moment of doubt for so many local progressives touting "excitement" after the DNC convention . . .



Behind the scenes, party strategists are worried about Democratic voters and activists  who will need to turn out, knock on doors and convince their friends and family to head to a ballot box on 5 November  getting carried away.



Opinion polls have moved in their direction in the weeks since President Biden stepped aside but this is still a very tight race. It will be won, too, in a handful of states  Georgia, Arizona, Nevada, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Michigan and North Carolina.



In nearly all of those places, it seems either candidate could feasibly win. And if the past six weeks are any guide, the political dynamics could change quickly again in the 70 or so days left.



Jim Messina, a veteran Democratic strategist who managed Barack Obamas 2012 campaign, told the BBCs Americast podcast that any certainty Democrats are on course for victory is misplaced.



"Kamala Harris has, since she got in this race, had the best 30 days in American politics Ive seen in a very long time," he said. "But she is still tied [in the polls]. The Democrats have clawed up from five points down to tied. So it's still a tight race with 75 days left."

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com links . . .

The Party Is Over For Democrats. Now Comes The Hangover. A wave of joy and enthusiasm permeated the Democratic National Convention in Chicago this week. But Kamala Harris does not have this in the bag.

Kamala Harris leaves DNC with huge momentum but close race with Trump looms The Democratic nominee now turns to an important 2-week stretch through the Labor Day holiday and leading up to the expected Sept. 10 debate with Trump, the next big milestone in the race.

Democrats are riding high - but victory is far from certain After a jubilant party convention capped a month of momentum, polls still suggest a close election.

Developing . . .
Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal has invited Lithuania to join the initiative to purchase weapons and military equipment from Ukrainian manufacturers.

In a post on the Telegram messaging app, Shmyhal wrote: I am pleased to welcome a true friend of Ukraine, the Prime Minister of Lithuania Ingrida Simonyte, to Kyiv on a special day for us - Independence Day.

He thanked her for consistent support and various types of assistance, particularly in the energy sector. Lithuanian manufacturers stated they would provide generators and solar panels to Ukraine.

We also highly appreciate Lithuania's participation in various international coalitions in support of Ukraine, the Prime Minister said.

According to Shmyhal, he invited Lithuania to join the initiative to purchase Ukrainian weapons and military equipment from our manufacturers. We are also interested in creating joint innovative production facilities in Ukraine that will work for the Armed Forces.

The Prime Minister emphasized that strengthening air defense capabilities remains a priority.

Lithuania continues to be a close and reliable partner of Ukraine in its struggle for independence and justice, Shmyhal said.

As Ukrinform reported, during a speech in Ukrainian at a solemn event on Ukraine's Independence Day in Kyiv, Ingrida Simonyte said that Lithuania will continue to do everything to bring Ukraine's victory closer, which the two countries will celebrate together.
In Kyiv, Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal and President of Poland Andrzej Duda have discussed support for Ukraine on its path to joining the European Union and NATO.

In a post on Telegram, Shmyhal wrote: We discussed support for our European integration and Euro-Atlantic path. Poland has made a significant contribution. We are grateful for the offer from the Polish side to help us in the technical process of EU accession negotiations. We have an ambition to go through this process quickly.

According to Shmyhal, Poland also supports Ukraine's accession to NATO. We appreciate our friendly bilateral relations and the powerful assistance from the Polish government and people, he added.

The Prime Minister expressed gratitude to the President of Poland for his visit on this important day for Ukraine.

As reported by Ukrinform, on August 24, President of Poland Andrzej Duda arrived in Kyiv for a visit.
What do Iranian drones have in common with Russian hypersonic missiles and China's DF-21D "aircraft carrier killer" rocket? All three pose a clear and present danger to U.S. forces and their allies, and all three require air defense missiles to protect against this threat.

That's a problem for the U.S. and allied militaries, though, and for defense companies like Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) and RTX Corporation, makers of the famous PATRIOT air defense missile (as well as many other missiles, such as the just as famous HIMARS rocket in use today in Ukraine).

Defense products, you see, involve long supply chains  similar to what one sees in the automotive industry  where one company may produce a final product (like a PATRIOT) but depends on subcontractors to produce the components that go into that final product. You probably recall how shortages of low-tech automotive semiconductor chips resulted in widespread shortages of cars during the pandemic, for example. Well, today, slow shortages of rocket engines pose a bottleneck to the production of rockets by America's defense companies, too.

From problem to solution

The Wall Street Journal reports that Northrop Grumman and L3Harris are the two defense giants that dominate the production of missile engines. Both have caught flak from Lockheed and RTX for their failure to produce enough to meet demand. To remedy this situation, Lockheed Martin has proposed that it get into the rocket engine-making business itself.

It's a big job, though, and Lockheed can't do it alone. Last week, the company confirmed it would form a joint venture with defense rival General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), aiming to develop a new generation of military missile motors to supplement the constrained supply produced by Northrop and L3Harris.

In this partnership, Lockheed will apparently act largely as a silent partner (and exclusive customer), although assisting with the design and testing of the engines. General Dynamics will do the actual manufacturing at its Camden, Arkansas, munitions factory and then ship them next door to Lockheed Martin's Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) rocket assembly plant. GMLRS is one of the primary weapons launched by HIMARS rocket launchers. Having General Dynamics fulfill all of Lockheed's motor needs for this one type of missile should diminish demand for motors for other missiles, thus helping to unkink the supply chain both for Lockheed  and for everyone else.

What it means for Northrop and L3Harris

In the long term, the joint venture could expand its production to provide motors of other missile types produced by Lockheed and by other buyers, as well  creating a permanent rival to Northrop and L3Harris in the missile engine market.

Story continues

L3Harris's Aerojet Rocketdyne subsidiary supplies only 5.4% of the company's total annual revenue, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence, limiting its exposure to this new threat. The effect on Northrop Grumman is harder to parse. Rocket motors are part of the company's space systems division (which is quite large, accounting for 35% of Northrop's annual revenue).

It's hard to tell, however, how much of this revenue comes from rocket motors in particular.

What it means for Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics

What does seem clear is that the new joint venture has the potential to benefit Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics quite a lot. Northrop Grumman earns a respectable 8.7% operating profit margin on its "space" business, while L3Harris's Aerojet unit generates even better profit margins of 11.6%.

Those aren't bad numbers at all, assuming a Lockheed-GD joint venture can duplicate them. Moreover, if expanding the production of rocket engines helps Lockheed to sell more complete missiles to its customers, the operating margins at Lockheed's missiles and fire control division average 12.9%! Growing sales in that unit would clearly be a big boost to its business.

As for General Dynamics, the fourth part of this four-way dynamic could benefit most of all. GD's combat systems division would do the heavy lifting in building all these new rocket engines (I should also point out that Lockheed wants to grow GMLRS production by 40% this year). GD already earns 13.9% operating profit margins on its combat systems sales  making it easily the company's most profitable business.

Simply put, if this deal comes together, General Dynamics stock will be the biggest beneficiary of all.

Should you invest $1,000 in General Dynamics right now?

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Why Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics Just Declared War on Rocket Engines was originally published by The Motley Fool
Deutsche EuroShop AG (ETR:DEQ) is about to trade ex-dividend in the next 4 days. The ex-dividend date occurs one day before the record date which is the day on which shareholders need to be on the company's books in order to receive a dividend. The ex-dividend date is an important date to be aware of as any purchase of the stock made on or after this date might mean a late settlement that doesn't show on the record date. Meaning, you will need to purchase Deutsche EuroShop's shares before the 30th of August to receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 3rd of September.

The company's next dividend payment will be 2.60 per share, on the back of last year when the company paid a total of 0.80 to shareholders. Calculating the last year's worth of payments shows that Deutsche EuroShop has a trailing yield of 3.1% on the current share price of 26.10. If you buy this business for its dividend, you should have an idea of whether Deutsche EuroShop's dividend is reliable and sustainable. As a result, readers should always check whether Deutsche EuroShop has been able to grow its dividends, or if the dividend might be cut.

See our latest analysis for Deutsche EuroShop

Dividends are typically paid from company earnings. If a company pays more in dividends than it earned in profit, then the dividend could be unsustainable. Deutsche EuroShop reported a loss last year, so it's not great to see that it has continued paying a dividend. Given that the company reported a loss last year, we now need to see if it generated enough free cash flow to fund the dividend. If Deutsche EuroShop didn't generate enough cash to pay the dividend, then it must have either paid from cash in the bank or by borrowing money, neither of which is sustainable in the long term. Deutsche EuroShop paid out more free cash flow than it generated - 195%, to be precise - last year, which we think is concerningly high. We're curious about why the company paid out more cash than it generated last year, since this can be one of the early signs that a dividend may be unsustainable.

Click here to see the company's payout ratio, plus analyst estimates of its future dividends.

Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?

Companies that aren't growing their earnings can still be valuable, but it is even more important to assess the sustainability of the dividend if it looks like the company will struggle to grow. If earnings fall far enough, the company could be forced to cut its dividend. Deutsche EuroShop was unprofitable last year and, unfortunately, the general trend suggests its earnings have been in decline over the last five years, making us wonder if the dividend is sustainable at all.

Many investors will assess a company's dividend performance by evaluating how much the dividend payments have changed over time. Deutsche EuroShop has seen its dividend decline 4.4% per annum on average over the past 10 years, which is not great to see.

Remember, you can always get a snapshot of Deutsche EuroShop's financial health, by checking our visualisation of its financial health, here.

The Bottom Line

From a dividend perspective, should investors buy or avoid Deutsche EuroShop? We're a bit uncomfortable with it paying a dividend while being loss-making, especially given that the dividend was not well covered by free cash flow. Overall it doesn't look like the most suitable dividend stock for a long-term buy and hold investor.

Although, if you're still interested in Deutsche EuroShop and want to know more, you'll find it very useful to know what risks this stock faces. We've identified 2 warning signs with Deutsche EuroShop (at least 1 which doesn't sit too well with us), and understanding these should be part of your investment process.

Generally, we wouldn't recommend just buying the first dividend stock you see. Here's a curated list of interesting stocks that are strong dividend payers.

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.
ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 25th Aug, 2024) Nestled in the majestic mountains of AJK, a picturesque hill station has emerged as a captivating destination for tourists, offering a serene escape from the hustle and bustle of city life where its breathtaking landscapes, lush green forests and tranquil atmosphere has become a favorite among travelers seeking a rejuvenating experience.

"The Azad Jammu & Kashmir hill station is also home to several historical landmarks and cultural attractions, showcasing the region's rich heritage," a report aired by a private news channel.

"With its pleasant climate and warm hospitality, the AJK hill station is an ideal destination for families, couples and solo travelers alike," said a tourist.

The hill station's stunning vistas and picturesque landscapes made it a photographer's paradise. Every turn revealed a new and breathtaking view, from the misty valleys below to the towering peaks above, said a women tourist.

"The locals were so friendly and welcoming. They made me feel like part of the community, and I left with a heavy heart and a promise to return", a foreigner tourist from Canada.

"The hill station offers a unique blend of natural beauty, cultural heritage, and adventure activities. We are committed to preserving its charm and ensuring that tourists have a memorable experience," PTDC tourism officer commented.

"We are thrilled to see the hill station gaining popularity among tourists", said a local.

"We are constantly looking for ways to improve the tourist experience, whether it is through infrastructure development, training for local guides or promoting new attractions. Our goal is to make the hill station a world-class destination." PTDC Development Officer added.
RAWALPINDI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 25th Aug, 2024) Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) has directed the authorities concerned to take strict action in accordance with the law against illegal housing schemes.

According to RDA spokesman, RDA on the directives of the Director General, RDA Kinza Murtaza had issued notices to the owners of seven illegal housing schemes.

He informed that the Metropolitan Planning and Traffic Engineering (MP&TE) Directorate RDA issued notices to the owners of seven illegal housing schemes namely Gilgit City in mouza Kohala, Mehmood Town (K & M Construction and Developers (Pvt) Ltd. in mouza Misriot, Hamdard City in mouza Dheri, Top View City in mouza Piswal, Wanni in Tehsil Taxila, Green Hurtus in mouza Chakri, illegal Land Subdivision near Gandhara City and Farm Land Estate located in mouza Adyala near DHA, Tehsil and District Rawalpindi for illegally marketing and booking of plots.

The spokesperson informed that the DG had directed the MP&TE Directorate to take strict action against illegal advertisements/marketing and First Information Reports (FIRs) should also be lodged against the owners of illegal housing schemes.

He said that the MP&TE Directorate had also advised the citizens not to invest in illegal housing schemes.

The spokesman said, the managements of the illegal housing schemes could not advertise their projects and sale and purchase the plots without prior approval of Authority.

The MP&TE Directorate RDA had directed the owners of illegal housing schemes to stop all kinds of development works, advertisements, sale,and purchase of the plots. In case of non-compliance of the orders, strict action in accordance with the law would be taken against the rules violators, he added.

The citizens were advised to visit RDA website www.rda.gop.pk to check status of legal and illegal housing schemes, he said.
ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 25th Aug, 2024) A team from the British High Commission, accompanied by senior journalists, visited the National Press Club in Islamabad to empower the journalism community and enhance their careers.

The initiative aimed to guide journalists on Chevening applications and the South Asian Journalism Programme (SAJP), highlighting the benefits and opportunities these programs offer.

During the visit, Deputy Communications Officer Senah Lala briefed the journalists on the Chevening programme, encouraging them to seize this opportunity to advance their careers.

She emphasized how the programme spotlights mid-career journalists, providing them with a chance to excel in their field.

Shumila Noreen, a senior journalist and SAJP alumna, shared her personal experience, describing it as a "wonderful chance to advance your career." She explained the course structure and the challenges one faces while visiting the United Kingdom.

Another SAJP alumnus, senior journalist Shabbir Hussain, elaborated on how to become part of the programme and its benefits for one's career. He detailed the process of the one-year Chevening fellowship programme and the requirements candidates must keep in mind while applying.

Both journalists assured their full support regarding the application process and guidance for the journalists.

They also agreed to continue visiting the National Press Club to provide guidance and mentorship to fellow journalists, ensuring the initiative's sustainability.

On the occasion, President of the National Press Club Azhar Jatoi thanked the team and emphasized the need for such initiatives to continue at the club for the betterment of journalists.

Similarly, Secretary of the NPC Nayyar Ali endorsed the president's views, requesting the British High Commission team to continue their support for journalists.

This collaborative effort between the British High Commission and the National Press Club in Islamabad aims to uplift journalists and provide them with opportunities to grow professionally. By sharing their experiences and expertise, the team hopes to inspire and motivate journalists to take advantage of these programs and enhance their careers.

The event marked a significant step towards fostering a supportive community of journalists in Pakistan. With the guidance and mentorship offered by Shumila Noreen and Shabbir Hussain, journalists can now navigate the application process with confidence. The British High Commission's continued support will undoubtedly play a crucial role in shaping the future of journalism in Pakistan.
(@FahadShabbir)

PESHAWAR, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 25th Aug, 2024) Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Faisal Karim Kundi on Sunday stressed the role of vocational education in combating unemployment and skills development in the province.

The governor made these comments during a discussion with Gulmina Bilal Ahmad, Chairperson of the National Vocational and Technical Training Commission (NAVTTC) at Governor House. During the meeting, NAVTTC presented an update on its initiatives aimed at promoting vocational education in KP.

The governor expressed his satisfaction with the progress and highlighted the importance of involving as many young people as possible in these activities. He said that economic difficulties are a major source of unrest among youth and emphasized that empowering youth and women is among his top priorities.

Governor Kundi pointed out that while there is a global demand for skilled labour, the lack of vocational training tailored to international standards often leaves Pakistani youth unable to secure jobs abroad. He welcomed the Prime Minister's decision to increase the budget for vocational education, stressing the need for training programs that meet modern requirements and international needs.

The governor commended NAVTTCs efforts in launching courses in agriculture, IT and other fields, and discussed various proposals for further enhancing vocational education. He assured the NAVTTC Chairperson of full support from the Governor House to ensure a better future for the new generation.

Meanwhile, Governor Faisal Karim Kundi praised overseas Pakistanis and discussed social projects in a meeting at the Governor House with prominent social activist Imran Agra, a leader in the overseas Pakistani community-based in the United States.

Social figures Malik Kifayat and Zahid Saleem from Islamabad were also present on this occasion.

During the meeting, Governor Kundi commended the overseas Pakistanis for their role as ambassadors of the country, acknowledging their significant contributions to enhancing Pakistan's global reputation through their hard work and dedication. He lauded the efforts of overseas Pakistanis in advancing social causes within Pakistan.

The discussion also covered various topics, including the promotion of education and social service projects in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Several proposals were reviewed to further these initiatives.

Governor Kundi expressed his appreciation for Imran Agra's suggestions and assured him of his full support and cooperation in these endeavours.

Meanwhile, Governor Faisal Karim Kundi, expressed deep sorrow over the tragic bus accident on the Makran Coastal Highway, which resulted in the deaths of 12 pilgrims.

In his condolence message, the governor extended his condolences to the families of the deceased, offering heartfelt sympathy and prayers for the elevation of the souls of the departed. He also conveyed his best wishes for the speedy recovery of the injured in the accident.

Governor Kundi expressed solidarity with the grieving families, describing the incident as extremely tragic. He prayed to Allah Almighty to grant them patience and strength during this difficult time.

Similarly, Governor Kundi has expressed his deep sorrow over the loss of precious lives in the bus accident in Kahuta, Rawalpindi. He extended his condolences and prayers for the departed souls of the victims.

Governor Kundi also conveyed his solidarity with the families of the deceased, sharing their grief.
PESHAWAR, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 25th Aug, 2024) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Wildlife Department has imposed a ban on the hunting of partridges and their trade in the province.

According to the spokesman of the KP wildlife department, a complete ban on the hunting of partridges has been imposed this year.

He sought the cooperation of the general public in this regard.

Strong action would be taken against violators, he said.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 25th Aug, 2024) At least eight people lost their lives and 32 others were injured when a bus carrying Zaireen (pilgrims) returning from

Iran to Punjab overturned and fell into a ditch on the Lasbela Makran highway on Saturday morning.

According to police sources, the exact cause of the accident was still under investigation, but the authorities have confirmed the casualties. Police said that medical assistants were being provided to the injured, private news channels

reported.

Rescue teams and emergency services rushed to the scene and shifted the dead and injured to the district headquarter hospital.
ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 25th Aug, 2024) President Asif Ali Zardari on Sunday expressed his grief and sorrow over loss of lives in two separate road mishap on Makran Coastal Highway and Azad Pattan, near Kahuta.

The president expressed condolences with the bereaved families and prayed for the eternal peace of the departed souls.

He also wished for quick recovery of the injured passengers, President Secretariat Press Wing said in a press release.

The president also directed for prompt assistance and caring for the injured in the accident.

Expressing condolences to the bereaved families, the president said that they also shared their grief.

According to media reports, a bus carrying Zaireen fell into a ravine on the Makran Coastal Highway, resulting in several deaths and injuries to other passengers.

In another mishap, scores of passengers were dead and injured after a coaster plunged into a gorge near the Azad Pattan Pana Bridge near Kahuta.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

Dakar, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 25th Aug, 2024) At least 15 civilians including children were killed Sunday by drone strikes in Mali's north, where the army and its Russian allies are fighting separatists and jihadists, local sources said.

The separatists blamed "the army of the Malian junta and Russian mercenaries from the Wagner group" for the strikes at Tinzaouatene, near Algeria, giving a provisional death toll of 21 civilians, including 11 children.

"These initially targeted a pharmacy, then other strikes followed, targeting human gatherings near the first damage," said spokesman Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane.

A local politician told AFP at least 15 civilians were killed in the strikes.

Meanwhile a local NGO official said "at least 20 civilians including children" had been killed in the drone strikes on Sunday, and a retired local official told AFP at least 20 people were left dead.

After an eight-year lull, hostilities between Bamako and separatists fighting for an independent homeland resumed in August 2023.

The West African nation's military leaders who seized power in a 2020 coup have made it a priority to retake all of the country from separatists and jihadist forces linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group.

Under Colonel Assimi Goita, the junta broke off its traditional alliance with former colonial ruler France, turning towards Russia instead.

This led to troops from the Wagner mercenary group being deployed to the country, though the junta insisted they were only there as "instructors".

In late July, Tuareg-led separatists claimed to have killed 84 Wagner fighters and 47 Malian soldiers after three days of intense fighting on the outskirts of Tinzaouatene.

The Malian army and Wagner acknowledged significant losses without giving a precise toll.

sd-amt/rox/sbk
We recently compiled a list of the 7 Cheap Chinese Penny Stocks to Buy According to Hedge Funds. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Zhihu Inc. (NYSE:ZH) stands against the other cheap Chinese penny stocks.

As China navigates its ambitious economic goals for 2024, the spotlight is increasingly on undervalued investment opportunities, particularly in the realm of Chinese penny stocks. These low-priced stocks, often overlooked by mainstream investors, are gaining traction among hedge funds due to their substantial upside potential in a rapidly changing economic landscape. Chinas economic trajectory has captured global attention, especially in the wake of recent discussions at the World Economic Forums Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2024. Premier Li Qiang, addressing the gathering of global leaders in Dalian, emphasized the vast potential of Chinas market. Chinas large market is open, he stated, underscoring the nation's commitment to leveraging new industries and technological advancements to drive economic growth. Despite recent slowdowns, there is a prevailing optimism about meeting the countrys ambitious growth target of 5% for 2024.

The World Economic Forum's discussions reflected a consensus on the critical role of new growth avenues and high-quality development. As China transitions from a period of high-speed growth to one of high-quality growth, industries such as artificial intelligence, digital financial services, and green technologies are poised to play pivotal roles. This transformation is supported by substantial investments in clean energy and research and development, areas where China is already making significant strides. Hedge funds, recognizing the potential for high returns in this evolving market, are turning their attention to Chinese penny stocks. These stocks, characterized by their low prices and high volatility, offer a unique opportunity for investors willing to navigate the risks associated with emerging markets. The attractiveness of these investments is heightened by Chinas commitment to innovation and growth in key sectors, which could translate into substantial gains for early investors.

In a recent podcast episode, Laura Wang and Robin Xing from Morgan Stanley discussed their 2024 outlook for China's economy and equity markets. Wang, the Chief China Equity Strategist, and Xing, the Chief China Economist, highlighted that China's recovery post-reopening has been underwhelming in 2023, facing significant challenges in housing and local government financing. Xing noted that China is grappling with "3D problems"debt, deflation, and demographics. Despite some progress in reflationary measures, the recovery remains uneven, and it may take time for economic stability to be achieved. To avoid a debt deflation loop, Xing suggested a comprehensive 5R action plan: Reflation, Rebalance, Restructuring, Reform, and Rekindle. This plan involves stimulating the economy, rebalancing towards consumption, restructuring troubled sectors, reforming state-owned enterprises, and revitalizing the private sector. Currently, only about 25% of this plan has been implemented, with expectations of reaching 50% by the end of 2024.

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On demographics, Xing pointed out that China's aging population is likely to dampen growth, with labor quantity lowering GDP growth by 40 basis points annually from 2025 to 2030. However, efforts to improve labor quality and revive private sector confidence could help mitigate this impact. Looking ahead, Morgan Stanley forecasts modest GDP growth recovery for 2024, expecting real GDP growth to rise slightly to 4.2% and a rebound in the GDP deflator to 0.6%. Challenges remain, particularly in stabilizing aggregate demand and managing housing and local government debt. Monetary policy is anticipated to stay accommodative with expected interest rate cuts. Regarding Chinese equities, Wang anticipates a largely range-bound market with limited upside, projecting the MSCI China index to reach a target of 60 by the end of 2024. While there are headwinds on corporate earnings, opportunities for high-quality investments in growth sectors remain. For investors, Wang recommends focusing on high-quality names with strong earnings and management, which can provide downside protection and upside potential when market conditions improve.

In this article, we will explore seven Chinese penny stocks that are currently drawing interest from hedge funds. These stocks are seen as promising due to their alignment with Chinas strategic economic goals and their potential to benefit from the country's evolving market dynamics. This examination will not only highlight the potential returns but also offer a deeper understanding of the investment landscape in Chinas rapidly evolving economy. As China continues to open new avenues of growth and innovation, the opportunities within its penny stock market are becoming increasingly apparent.

Our Methodology

For this article, we first used a stock screener to list down all Chinese penny stocks (under $5) with PE ratios under 20. We then picked 7 of these stocks with the highest number of hedge fund investors. We gauged hedge fund sentiment for these equities using Insider Monkeys database of 912 hedge funds. The stocks mentioned in this article are penny stocks. Therefore the number of hedge funds bullish in these stocks is small.

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).

A network administrator monitoring a data center, with a wall of servers in the background.

Zhihu Inc. (NYSE:ZH)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 08

Zhihu Inc. (NYSE:ZH), headquartered in Beijing and founded in 2010, runs an online content community in China. The platform enables users to find inspiration, solve problems, make decisions, and enjoy themselves. Zhihu Inc. (NYSE:ZH) also provides technology, business support, consulting, information transmission, software, IT, and internet services. Additionally, the company offers marketing services, vocational training, and holds an audio-visual permit.

Zhihu Inc. (NYSE:ZH) is emerging as a leader in China's content-driven online community, with its strategic focus on AI and high-quality content creation driving user engagement and positioning the company for profitability. The Q1 2024 earnings report highlights significant progress, with Zhihu Inc. (NYSE:ZH) achieving its sixth consecutive quarter of gross profit margin growth. This success stems from optimizing cost structures, reducing labor and user acquisition costs, and emphasizing high-return segments like paid memberships and vocational training. The company's unique content ecosystem encourages active participation, making Zhihu Inc. (NYSE:ZH) a first mover in exploring new business models in the AI era. This shift has led to increased user engagement and a notable rise in content creators earning income on the platform. Vocational training revenue surged by 35.9% year-over-year, showcasing Zhihu Inc. (NYSE:ZH) ability to capitalize on emerging trends like AI-driven courses.

Zhihu Inc. (NYSE:ZH) integration of AI into content moderation and user engagement further enhances efficiency, reduces operational costs, and expands monetization opportunities. The company's success in leveraging AI for operational improvements and new business ventures positions it well for sustained growth in China's digital content landscape. In summary, Zhihu Inc. (NYSE:ZH) strategic advancements in AI, cost optimization, and monetization, combined with strong community engagement, make it a compelling investment with a clear path to profitability and long-term growth.

During Q2, 2024 the count of hedge funds holding positions in Zhihu Inc. (NYSE:ZH) grew to 8 from 5 in the prior quarter, as reported by Insider Monkeys database encompassing 912 hedge funds. These holdings collectively amount to around $0.83 million. Phil Frohlichs Prescott Group Capital Management emerged as the leading shareholder among these hedge funds during this timeframe.

Overall ZH ranks 7th on our list of the cheap Chinese penny stocks to buy. While we acknowledge the potential for ZH 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 ZH 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.
(@FahadShabbir)

London, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Aug, 2024) British Airways and Air France on Sunday suspended flights to Tel Aviv, after the biggest clashes between Israel and Hezbollah since the start of the war in Gaza.

BA said it was suspending its flights to and from Tel Aviv until Wednesday, while the French carrier suspended services to Tel Aviv and Beirut scheduled for Sunday and Monday.

"We've been continually monitoring the situation in the middle East and have taken the operational decision to suspend our flights to and from Tel Aviv up to and including Wednesday 28 August," a spokesman for BA said.

"Safety is always our top priority, and we're contacting customers to advise them of their travel options."

The announcements came after Israel launched air strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon while the Lebanese group said it had delivered a drone and rocket barrage across the border.

The exchanges marked an intensification of hostilities fuelled by Israel's ongoing assault against Hamas in Gaza.

Air France, which usually runs a daily service to both cities, had already halted flights to Beirut between July 29 and August 15, but had kept flying to Tel Aviv.

Air France's subsidiary Transavia, which serves both destinations, is also halting its flights, the spokesman said.

Any resumption of services to the two destinations will depend on the result of a new assessment of the security situation, Air France said in a statement.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

Jerusalem, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 25th Aug, 2024) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that Sunday's strikes in Lebanon were "not the final word" in his country's military campaign against Lebanese armed group Hezbollah.

"We are striking Hezbollah with surprising, crushing blows... This is another step towards changing the situation in the north and safely returning our residents to their homes. And, I repeat, this is not the final word," Netanyahu told a cabinet meeting.

He said the military destroyed thousands of "short-range rockets, all of which were intended to harm our civilians and forces in the Galilee".

"Additionally, the IDF (Israeli military) intercepted all the drones that Hezbollah launched at a strategic target in central Israel," he said, without identifying what the target was.

Israeli media however reported the target Hezbollah aimed to strike was the headquarters of the Israeli Mossad spy agency near Tel Aviv.

mod-jd/jsa
Vatican City, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 25th Aug, 2024) Pope Francis on Sunday highlighted victims of the mpox virus in his weekly prayers and called on governments and the pharmaceutical industry to do more to get vaccines to the worst-hit countries.

"I pray for all the infected people, in particular the population of the Democratic Republic of Congo, so affected, I express my closeness to the local churches most touched by this disease," the pope said during his Angelus prayers in St Peter's Square.

The World Health Organization this month declared the surge of mpox cases from DR Congo to other African nations to be a global health emergency. It has also called for greater production and sharing of vaccines.

"I encourage governments and private industry to share the technology and available treatments so that nobody lacks adapted medical care," the pope said.

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 per cent of cases, with children more at risk, according to the WHO.

The virus has swept across DR Congo, killing more than 570 people so far this year. Outbreaks have been reported in Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda since July. The first case in Europe was reported in Sweden last week.

The virus can spread from animals to humans but also between humans through close physical contact.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

Moscow, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 25th Aug, 2024) An overnight Ukrainian strike in the Russian border region of Belgorod killed five people and wounded 12 others, the region's governor announced early Sunday morning.

"To our great sorrow, the enemy shelling claimed the lives of five civilians," Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Telegram. "As a result of the shelling, 12 people were wounded, including three minors."

One of the children was treated at the scene, while the two others were taken to hospital with "various shrapnel wounds", he added.

Seven of the adult victims were also hospitalised, with four of them in serious condition, Gladkov said.

Kyiv has stepped up its strikes inside Russian territory of late, particularly since launching a ground offensive into the nearby Kursk region earlier this month.

Gladkov declared in mid-August a state of emergency in Belgorod due in part to the Ukrainian bombardments, while Russia's defence minister said it was sending additional troops to the region to defend it in light of the incursion into neighbouring Kursk.
The leaders of Brazil and Colombia on Saturday again called on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to release voting tallies, days after the country's Supreme Court backed the government's disputed claims that it won elections in July.

In a joint statement, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Colombian President Gustavo Petro said the "credibility of the electoral process can only be restored through the transparent publication of disaggregated and verifiable data."

The two leaders also warned against repression as the Venezuelan government has jailed thousands and met protests with violence.

The governments spoke a day after several other Latin American countries and the U.S. rejected the Venezuelan high court's certification. Many were waiting to see how the two leftist leaders would respond to the court because both are close allies of Maduro and have been working to facilitate talks with both sides.

Lula and Petro said they "take note" of the court's ruling, but added they are still awaiting release of the tallies.

Maduro claims that he won the presidential vote, but so far has refused to release official tally sheets, considered the one verifiable vote count in Venezuela as they are almost impossible to replicate.

The main opposition coalition has accused Maduro of trying to steal the vote.

Opposition volunteers managed to collect copies of voting tallies from 80% of the 30,000 polling booths nationwide that show former opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez won by a more than 2-to-1 margin. The Supreme Court alleged those tallies were forged.

The governments also called on actors in Venezuela to "avoid resorting to acts of violence and repression" as security forces arrested more than 2,000 people and cracked down on demonstrations that erupted spontaneously throughout the country protesting the results. But the two leaders didn't directly accuse the Maduro government of carrying out the violence.

The arrests have again spread fear in a country that has seen other government crackdowns during previous times of political turmoil.

Both Lula and Petro have previously been criticized for what some say have been lenient policies toward Maduro's government, but their tone has grown more stern in recent months, especially in the wake of the election fallout.

Their two countries are neighbors to Venezuela and their governments were to witness agreements struck between Maduro and the opposition that aimed to chart the path to free and fair elections, which the opposition and other observers accused Maduro of violating. The two leaders reiterated their willingness to facilitate dialogue between the government and the opposition.

"The political normalization of Venezuela requires the recognition that there is no lasting alternative to peaceful dialogue and democratic coexistence," the statement read.
Pavel Durov, the Russian-born founder of Telegram who was arrested in Paris, has nothing to hide and it is absurd to hold an owner responsible for abuse of the messaging and social media platform, Telegram said in a statement.

Durov, a 39-year-old billionaire, was arrested at Le Bourget airport outside Paris shortly after landing on a private jet late on Saturday from Azerbaijan.

The arrest of the Telegram CEO prompted a warning from Moscow to Paris that he should be accorded his rights, and prompted criticism from X owner Elon Musk, who said that free speech in Europe was under attack.

Telegram, in a short statement released after midnight Paris time, gave no details of the arrest but said the Dubai-based company abided by European Union laws and its moderation was "within industry standards and constantly improving."

"Telegram's CEO Pavel Durov has nothing to hide and travels frequently in Europe," Telegram said. "It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform."

"Were awaiting a prompt resolution of this situation. Telegram is with you all."

Durov, who has dual French and United Arab Emirates citizenship, was arrested as part of a preliminary police investigation into allegedly allowing a wide range of crimes due to a lack of moderators on Telegram and a lack of cooperation with police, a French police source said.

A cybersecurity gendarmerie unit and France's national anti-fraud police unit are leading the investigation, the source said, adding that the investigative judge was specialized in organized crime.

Telegram was founded by Durov, who left Russia in 2014 after he refused to comply with demands to shut down opposition communities on his VK social media platform, which he has sold.

The encrypted application, with close to 1 billion users, is particularly influential in Russia, Ukraine and the republics of the former Soviet Union. It is ranked as one of the major social media platforms after Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok and WeChat.

Durov, who was born in Soviet Leningrad and graduated from St Petersburg State University, lists his political views as "libertarian" and says he was inspired by Apple Co-Founder Steve Jobs.

Estimated by Forbes to have a fortune of $15.5 billion, Durov said in April some governments had sought to pressure him, but the app should remain a neutral platform and not a "player in geopolitics."

Durov, whose arrest led news bulletins in Russia, came up with the idea for an encrypted messaging app while facing pressure from Russian authorities. His younger brother, Nikolai, designed the encryption.

"I would rather be free than to take orders from anyone," Durov said in April about his exit from Russia and search for a home for his company, which included stints in Berlin, London, Singapore and San Francisco.

Russian lawmaker Maria Butina, who spent 15 months in U.S. prison for acting as an unregistered Russian agent, said Durov "is a political prisoner - a victim of a witch-hunt by the West."
Seated in front of a searing furnace, Ghulam Sakhi Saifi teases forth sinews of molten blue glass -- the guardian of an Afghan glassblowing trade refusing to break with tradition.

"This is our art, our inheritance. It has fed us for a long time," he told AFP, resting from the work that has singed his knuckles and calloused his palms.

"We are trying to make sure it is not forgotten. If we do not pass it down, it will disappear from the whole world," said Saifi, who guesses his age is around 50.

Glassblowing in Afghanistan's western city of Herat is an ancient craft. Saifi says it has run in his family for about three centuries.

The last two furnaces in the windswept metropolis near the border with Iran are in his family home and a mud-and-straw shed with a holey roof in the shadow of Herat's citadel.

'Slow suffocation'

Saifi now lights one of the furnaces only once a month -- eking out around $30 from his stock of cups, plates and candleholders after expensive wood for fuel, dyes and other raw materials are accounted for.

He attributes the dramatic downturn to the exodus of already low numbers of foreign customers during the COVID-19 pandemic followed by the 2021 Taliban takeover, which saw many diplomats and aid workers pack up and leave.

Cheaper Chinese-made imports have also dented demand.

"There have been times when we haven't worked for three months -- we sit at home forever," he said.

"Locals have no use for these products, for the price they would first think to buy two loaves of bread for their children."

But when the furnace is lit, Saifi is in his element.

With a crude kitchen knife and a blowpipe he pulls glowing globs of glass out of the mud furnace and inflates them into household wares.

Unlike in the past, when they used quartz, the glassblowers now use easier-to-find recycled bottles shattered into shards and superheated back into their liquid state.

The green and blue pieces cool into charmingly imperfect shapes, shot through with air bubbles, and are sold from clattering piles in shops in Herat and the capital Kabul for around $3 each.

Outside the shed it is already 36 degrees Celsius but stepping over the threshold is like being gripped by a sudden fever.

"Sometimes we really feel the heat, I think I am being slowly suffocated," Saifi said. "But this is our inheritance, we are used to it.

"Today is a bad day, but maybe it will get better in the future. Maybe the day after tomorrow, we hope to God."

'Craft needs to endure'

A gaggle of boys and teenagers assists Saifi in his work, but it is growing hard to tempt the younger generation into a trade they view as a dead end.

His eldest son became an expert in the craft only to abandon it for migrant labor over the border in Iran.

Two cousins who learned to blow glass also saw no future and downed their tools.

His middle son, 18-year-old Naqibullah, vows he will continue the trade, though it's not clear how.

Before the Taliban takeover there was still enough demand for three days of work a week -- a distant prospect for the young man who shares shifts with his father on the rare occasion they light the furnaces.

"We hope that there is a future and that day by day things will get better," Naqibullah said.

"Even if we're not making much money the craft needs to endure," he added. "The art of making things by hand needs to be preserved. We can't let this skill disappear."
French police apprehended and detained the suspect behind the arson attack on a synagogue in a southwestern Mediterranean town that injured a police officer, the country's acting interior minister said early Sunday.

Two cars parked at the Beth Yaacov synagogue complex in the seaside resort town of La Grande Motte near Montpellier were set ablaze just after 8 a.m. (0600 GMT) Saturday, the National Antiterrorism Prosecutor's Office said in a statement Saturday.

"The alleged perpetrator of the arson attack on the synagogue has been arrested," Gerald Darmanin, the acting interior minister, said in a post on X, formerly Twitter. He visited the site Saturday afternoon along with acting Prime Minister Gabriel Attal and met with local officials and the synagogue staff.

Darmanin also hailed the "professional conduct" of police forces and its elite intervention unit "despite the gunfire" during the operation. He did not provide further information.

Firefighters discovered additional fires at two entrances to the synagogue. A police officer who walked up to the site was injured after a propane gas tank in one of the vehicles exploded, the prosecutor's statement said.

Five people, including the rabbi, who were present in the synagogue complex at the time of the attack were unharmed, it added.

Prosecutors were investigating the attack as an attempted assassination linked to a terrorist group and destruction of property with dangerous means, and a crime planned by a terrorist group with an intent to cause harm, the statement said.

After the attack Saturday, Darmanin ordered police reinforcements to protect Jewish places of worship following what was "clearly a criminal act."

"I want to assure our Jewish fellow citizens of my full support and say that at the request of President Emmanuel Macron all means are being mobilized to find the perpetrator," Darmanin posted on X. He ordered more police officers deployed at Jewish places of worship around the country following a surge of antisemitism since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in October.

La Grande Motte Mayor Stephan Rossignol said that investigators were reviewing the city's surveillance videos and said that a lone suspect was spotted at the site of the attack.

"The individual in question did not manage to get inside the synagogue, even though that was clearly his objective." Rossignol said in an interview with broadcaster France Info.

Prosecutors said a male suspect spotted in surveillance videos fleeing the site was carrying a Palestinian flag and a weapon. They spoke on the condition of anonymity in line with regulations amid an ongoing investigation.

President Emmanuel Macron said the synagogue attack was a "terrorist act" and assured that "everything is being done to find (the) perpetrator."

"The fight against antisemitism is a constant battle," Macron said on X.

Attal, the acting prime minister, said the synagogue was targeted in the "antisemitic attack," a "shocking and appalling" act of violence.

"Once again, French Jews have been targeted and attacked because of their beliefs," Attal said after meetings in La Grand Motte. "We are outraged and repulsed."

At least 200 police officers and other security personnel were deployed to apprehend the perpetrator, Attal added.

The assailant who hit the synagogue on the Shabbat morning was "very determined" to cause damage and casualties, Attal said and added that preliminary evidence collected by investigators shows that "we have narrowly avoided a tragedy."
The suspect in custody for a stabbing rampage in the western German city of Solingen that killed three people and injured eight is a 26-year-old Syrian man, authorities said early Sunday.

The suspect turned himself in and admitted to the crime, Duesseldorf police and prosecutors said in a joint statement.

"The involvement of this person is currently under intensive investigation," they said.

The attack, for which the Islamic State group claimed responsibility, occurred Friday evening in the Fronhof, a market square where live bands were playing at a festival to celebrate Solingen's 650-year history. Mourners have made a makeshift memorial near the scene.

The arrest of the suspect threatens to stoke fears ahead of three state elections next month in Thuringia, Saxony and Brandenburg, which the anti-immigrant far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has a chance of winning.

The suspect came from a home for refugees in Solingen that was searched on Saturday, said North Rhine-Westphalia's interior minister, Herbert Reul.

Der Spiegel, citing unidentified security sources, reported that the man moved to Germany late in 2022 and sought asylum, and that his clothes had been smeared with blood.

The police declined to comment on the Spiegel report.

Meanwhile, German federal prosecutors have taken over the case and are investigating whether the suspect was a member of Islamic State, a spokesperson for the prosecutors said.

The group described the man who carried out the attack as a "soldier of the Islamic State" in a statement on its Telegram account on Saturday: "He carried out the attack in revenge for Muslims in Palestine and everywhere."

It did not immediately provide any evidence for its assertion, and it was not clear how close any relationship between the attacker and Islamic State was.

Hendrik Wuest, premier of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, on Saturday described the attack as an act of terror.

Germany's Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) has counted around a dozen Islamist-motivated attacks since 2000.

One of the biggest was in 2016, when a Tunisian drove a truck into a Christmas market in Berlin, killing 12 and injuring dozens.

"The risk of jihadist-motivated acts of violence remains high. The Federal Republic of Germany remains a direct target of terrorist organizations," the BKA said in the report earlier this year.
Backstage at a celebration of Indigenous peoples in Mexico City's sprawling central square, Carlos CGH traced his fingers across a black and red "gaban," which is similar to a poncho.

The garment, native to the Triqui people in western Oaxaca, is a source of pride for the 24-year-old rapper and reserved for special occasions. Its textured surface is decorated with intricate needlepoint patterns of multicolored corn husks.

As the rapper  whose full name is Carlos Guadalupe Hernandez  prepared for his performance, Oaxacan muralist Alberto Sebastian Bautista Figueroa brainstormed details. He crafted a drawing with the word "RAICES," or "ROOTS," in twisting strokes, for a mural he planned to create during the performance.

"We're always proud," Guadalupe later said on stage, wearing the gaban. "This goes out to all craftspeople who are here, people don't know all the history and all the resistance behind one garment."

Such details are an important part of his identity as a musician, representing his origins as a descendant of the Triqui nation. His verses are reflective of his culture, and he aims to conserve his native tongue, Triqui, through contemporary rap.

'A better future'

Triqui is one of many Mixtec languages spoken in Oaxaca and has four variants. One variant, Xnanj nu' a, is particular to Guadalupe's hometown of San Juan Copala.

"To my Triqui brothers  farmworkers, students, doctors and all the women," Guadalupe rapped in Spanish. "We fight every day for a better future." He held up a shirt that said "Triqui Nation Resists!" while his DJ dropped a series of trap horns.

The Indigenous Triqui people, numbering about 20,000, have struggled with political and social conflicts going back more than 80 years. The area also has become a hot spot for arms trafficking, drug trafficking and illegal logging.

Growing internal disputes for territorial control, including dozens of killings, have led to forced displacement for many in the community.

Many Triquis have moved to Mexico City but push to return to their homes. Guadalupe is originally from the municipality of Santiago Juxtlahuaca, which many Triquis were forced to leave. At the age of 6, he relocated to another Oaxacan city, Huajuapan de Leon, about two hours away.

He got his start in music at age 12 as a percussionist with a local band, surrounded by Oaxaca-Mixteca artists he admired. He started rapping in 2013, inspired by the local scene. "Like love at first sight," he recalled after seeing local lyricists perform.

He sees rap as a way to conserve his mother tongue.

"It's a language that is at risk of disappearing. Parents and grandparents are no longer teaching it to their kids," he said. "We learned that through rap we can make songs that would interest the new generations to speak it (Triqui) again."

In Oaxaca, the variety of rap is abundant. To mark the 50th anniversary of hip-hop's birth, Oaxaca's Sound Archive, an independent project to demonstrate the state's musical diversity, created a "sonic" map of the region's most influential rappers earlier this year. Carlos CGH was among them.

With about a dozen Indigenous languages, Oaxaca has nurtured a diverse scene. Among Guadalupe's peers are rappers who take pride in rapping in Mixtec, Zapotec, Cuicatec and other languages.

But the scene has suffered from the violence in Oaxaca. Last month, Rosty Bazendu, a passionate lyricist in the Zapotec language, was killed.

"When you look up the Triqui community on the internet, a lot of things are going to come up regarding some of the problems we have," Guadalupe said. "Here in Mexico City, I come to talk about what's within my community  the celebrations, the craftsmanship, the children, everyone who has stood out."

On stage, Guadalupe's vision of Triqui culture came to life.

"Where are my people from the Triqui nation?" he shouted. A family in the front row raised their hands.

His last song, dedicated to the people of Santiago Juxtlahuaca, opened with playful arrangements of traditional Oaxacan banda music.

The crowd cheered for "El Baile del Diablo," or "Devil's Dance," a traditional dance from the Oaxacan coast. The muralist Bautista exchanged his cans of spray paint for the traditional garb of the devil, wearing a handcrafted wooden mask and stomping across the stage.

Throughout the track, Guadalupe seamlessly wove Spanish verses with Triqui rhymes.

"I will never forget my culture, tradition and language," he said with pride at the end.
Israel carried out its biggest assault on Lebanons Iranian proxy group Hezbollah in 10 months of fighting early Sunday, acting on what an Israeli security source told VOA was precise intelligence to stop thousands of rockets and drones from being launched into Israeli territory.

The Israeli military said about 100 fighter jets struck more than 40 Hezbollah launch sites primed with thousands of rockets and drones in southern Lebanon shortly before 5 a.m. local time. Hezbollah is a U.S.-designated terror group and the main regional proxy force of Irans Islamist rulers.

At around 5:30 a.m., Hezbollah began firing what the Israeli military said were more than 150 rockets and drones into northern Israel. One Israeli soldier was killed, and several were wounded in the attacks, which also caused some property damage.

In a series of social media statements, Hezbollah said it launched more than 300 rockets and drones into Israel at dawn as part of what it described as its initial retaliation for Israels assassination of its top military commander, Fouad Shukur, in southern Beirut on July 30.

"Our military operation for today has been completed and accomplished," Hezbollah said, asserting that it was targeting Israeli military sites.

Israeli reserves Brig. Gen. Jacob Nagel, a former national security adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, told VOA in a text message that Israels "precise intelligence worked very well" in detecting Hezbollah plans to strike deep into Israel with the aim of damaging both military and civilian facilities and harming civilians.

The Israeli military said most of the Hezbollah rockets and drones primed for Sundays predawn assault were aimed at northern Israel, while some also were aimed at the countrys densely populated center. The group denied that its planned attack was largely thwarted by a preemptive Israeli assault.

Hezbollah began smaller, near-daily strikes on northern Israel on October 8 in solidarity with Palestinian terror group Hamas, another Iranian proxy, which had started its war with Israel by invading the countrys south from Gaza a day earlier.

Speaking to VOA by phone, Israeli reserves Maj. Sarit Zehavi said Hezbollahs early Sunday strikes were "completely different" from those of the previous 10 months because they targeted a wide swath of northern Israeli towns and villages simultaneously, including those that had not been evacuated. Tens of thousands of Israelis already had evacuated communities within several kilometers of the Lebanese border at the onset of the conflict.

Zehavi, president of Alma Research and Education Center that specializes in security challenges on Israel's northern border, also disputed Hezbollahs assertion that it was targeting only Israeli military sites in its assault.

"When you launch these kinds of rockets, they are inaccurate and hit anything," she said.

Nagel, whom Netanyahu appointed to chair a commission on evaluating Israel's security budget earlier this month, said Israels aim in preemptively striking Hezbollah is not to trigger a full-scale war.

"But we will do what is needed to bring our northern citizens back home safely," said Nagel, who also works as a senior fellow for the Washington-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

In a separate VOA interview, former Israeli intelligence official Avi Melamed said Sundays predawn strikes on Hezbollah also highlight the groups increasing struggle with maintaining deterrence against Israel.

Melamed, who runs Inside the Middle East, a U.S. nonprofit research group, said Hezbollah already has struggled with Israel using superior intelligence to carry out strikes killing more than 400 of its operatives in Lebanon in 10 months, among them senior commanders like Shukur.

"Sundays preemptive Israeli strike disrupted Hezbollahs attack plan [to avenge Shukur], adding to a deterrence problem that also affects its patron Iran," Melamed said.

Nagel said he sees Irans radical ruling clerics as behind all of the region's terror activity that targets Israel.

"So the time is approaching for Israel to exercise a relatively new national security strategy and punish the terror leaders there," he wrote, referring to Iran.
Tensions heightened in the Middle East Sunday with Israel's military and Hezbollah militants in Lebanon launching hundreds of strikes against each other and then, as the barrage seemingly ended, vowed to continue the fight.

"We are striking Hezbollah with surprising, crushing blows, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a Cabinet meeting. This is another step towards changing the situation in the north and safely returning our residents to their homes. And, I repeat, this is not the final word.

Hezbollah described its return attacks against Israel as the first stage of retaliatory strikes for the Israeli assassination last month in Beirut of Fouad Shukur, a Hezbollah commander Israel blamed for an attack that killed 12 children and teenagers on a football field. Hezbollah said new attacks would target sites deeper into Israel but that military operations for today have been completed."

Watch related report by Arash Arabasadi:

Meanwhile, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered two aircraft carrier strike groups to be positioned in the Middle East, the Pentagon said Sunday, strengthening the U.S. military presence amid the regional tensions.

The announcement, made in a summary of a call between Austin and Israeli defense chief Yoav Gallant, represents a shift. The Pentagon had initially deployed the Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group to the region with a plan to replace the Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group.

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. CQ Brown, is on a visit to the region that is expected to take him to Israel, Egypt and Jordan.

The Israeli and Hezbollah attacks did not appear to ignite a broader Mideast war, but old issues remained unresolved. In Cairo on Sunday, Egypt was hosting new high-level negotiations to try to reach a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas militants to end more than 10 months of fighting in Gaza and an agreement on the release of 100 or so hostages Hamas is holding. The cease-fire talks have been stalemated for months.

In the Sunday fighting, Israel said it launched a wave of airstrikes across southern Lebanon in what it called a preemptive strike on Hezbollah. The Lebanese militant group then said it fired hundreds of rockets and drones in retaliation for Shukurs killing.

As the barrage of attacks appeared to end by mid-morning, Israel said no military target was hit, but one soldier with its navy was killed and two others were wounded either by an interceptor for incoming fire or by shrapnel. Hezbollah said two of its fighters and a militant from an allied group, Amal, were killed.

Netanyahu said the Israeli military destroyed thousands of "short-range rockets, all of which were intended to harm our civilians and forces in the Galilee."

"Additionally, the [Israel Defense Forces] intercepted all the drones that Hezbollah launched at a strategic target in central Israel," which Israeli media identified as the headquarters of the Israeli Mossad spy agency near Tel Aviv.

Netanyahu, speaking at the start of the Cabinet meeting, said the military had eliminated "thousands of rockets that were aimed at northern Israel" and urged citizens to adhere to directives from the Home Front Command.

"We are determined to do everything to defend our country, to return the residents of the north securely to their homes and to continue upholding a simple rule: Whoever harms us  we will harm them," he said.

Air raid sirens were reported throughout northern Israel, and Israel's Ben-Gurion International Airport closed and diverted flights for about an hour due to the threat of attack. Israel's Home Front Command raised the alert level in northern Israel and encouraged people to stay near bomb shelters.

Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, an Israeli military spokesperson, said Hezbollah had intended to hit targets in northern and central Israel. He said initial assessments found "very little damage" in Israel, but that the military remained on high alert. He said around 100 Israeli aircraft took part in Sunday's strikes.

Hezbollah said its attack involved more than 320 Katyusha rockets aimed at multiple sites in Israel and a "large number" of drones. It said the operation was targeting "a qualitative Israeli military target that will be announced later" as well as "enemy sites and barracks and Iron Dome [missile defense] platforms."

Randa Slim, a senior fellow at the Washington-based Middle East Institute, said Sunday morning's exchange was "still within the rules of engagement and unlikely at this point to lead to an all-out war."

In the U.S., deputy spokesperson for the National Security Council, Sean Savett, said President Joe Biden was "closely monitoring events in Israel and Lebanon."

"At his direction, senior U.S. officials have been communicating continuously with their Israeli counterparts," Savett said. "We will keep supporting Israel's right to defend itself, and we will keep working for regional stability."

Some material in this report came from The Associated Press and Agence France-Presse.
At least 15 people, including children, were killed by drone strikes Sunday on the town of Tinzaouaten in north Mali, near where the army suffered a heavy blow last month, Tuareg rebels said.

Mali had already carried out airstrikes on insurgent targets in and around Tinzaouaten shortly after Tuareg and Islamist fighters killed many Malian soldiers and Russian Wagner mercenaries near the town in July.

The town, located near the Algerian border, came under drone attack again Sunday, a spokesperson for a rebel coalition known as the Permanent Strategic Framework for Peace, Security and Development (CSP) said.

The strikes hit a civilian home, a pharmacy and other parts of town, Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane said via telephone.

Around 15 people are confirmed dead, including children, and the death toll is likely to rise, he added.

Mali's army did not respond to a request for comment.

The fighting near Tinzaouaten in late July could be Wagner's heaviest defeat since it stepped in two years ago to help Mali's junta fight insurgent groups.

Tuareg rebels said they killed at least 84 Wagner mercenaries and 47 Malian soldiers. An al-Qaida affiliate said it had killed 50 Wagner mercenaries and 10 Malian soldiers.

Neither Mali nor Wagner have said how many troops they lost, although Wagner said it suffered heavy losses.

Both Tuareg separatists and jihadi insurgents liked to al-Qaida and Islamic State operate in north Mali.

The country has been grappling with jihadi insurgents since Islamist groups hijacked a Tuareg rebellion in 2012.

Frustrations over authorities' failure to restore security contributed to coups in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger since 2020.

Juntas have subsequently cut ties with Western and regional allies, turning instead to Russia.

The separatists, meanwhile, signed a peace agreement with Mali's government in 2015. But CSP pulled out of talks in 2022.
Former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said on a visit to Taiwan Saturday that an isolationist policy isn't "healthy" and called on the Republican Party to stand with her country's allies, while still putting in good words for the party's nominee, Donald Trump.

Haley, who ran against Trump for the Republican presidential nomination, told reporters in the capital, Taipei, that supporting U.S. allies, including Ukraine and Israel, is vital. She underscored the importance of Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its territory, to be brought under control by force if necessary.

"I don't think the isolationist approach is healthy. I think America can never sit in a bubble and think that we won't be affected," she said.

While the U.S. doesn't formally recognize Taiwan, it is the island's strongest backer and main arms provider. However, Trump's attempt to reclaim the presidency has fueled worries. He said Taiwan should pay for U.S. protection in an interview with Bloomberg Businessweek published in July and dodged answering the question of whether he would defend the island against a possible Chinese military action.

When Haley shuttered her own bid for the Republican nomination, she did not immediately endorse Trump, having accused him of causing chaos and disregarding the importance of U.S. alliances abroad. But in May she said she would be voting for him, while making it clear that she felt her former boss had work to do to win over voters who supported her.

On Saturday, she spoke in Trump's favor. She said that having previously served with Trump's administration, "we did show American strength in the world," pointing to their pushback against China and their sanctioning of Russia and North Korea, among other efforts.

"I think that all of that strength that we showed is the reason that we didn't see any wars, we didn't see any invasions, we didn't see any harm that happened during that time. I think Donald Trump would bring that back," she said.

Trump has claimed that if elected, he would end the conflict in Ukraine before Inauguration Day in January. But Russia's United Nations ambassador said he can't. Trump's public comments have varied between criticizing U.S. backing for Ukraine's defense and supporting it, while his running mate, Sen. JD Vance, has been a leader of Republican efforts to block what have been billions in U.S. military and financial assistance to Ukraine since Russia invaded in 2022.

Concerns among Ukraine and its supporters that the country could lose vital U.S. support have increased as Trump's campaign surged.

Haley criticized Trump's rival, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, saying she would "do exactly" what President Joe Biden had done. She said Harris was part of his administration when the Taliban took over Afghanistan in 2021, when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022 and when the Hamas-Israel war broke out last year.

"She was in the situation room right next to Joe Biden. She was there making the exact same decisions. Those decisions have made the world less safe," she said.

Haley added that while the Republicans and Democrats may not currently concur on much, they agree on "the threats of China," adding that Taiwan is now looking "to make sure that if China starts a fight with them, that they are prepared to make sure that they can fight back."

She said her party should stand with the country's allies and make sure that U.S. shows strength around the world. She also said any authoritarian regime and "communists" harming or hurting other free countries should be a personal matter to the U.S.

"We don't want to see communist China win. We don't want to see Russia win. We don't want to see Iran or North Korea win," she said.

Haley met Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te during this week's trip. She called for more international backing for the self-ruled island, a coordinated pushback against China's claims over it, and for Taiwan to become a full member of the United Nations.

Taiwan's Defense Ministry said Saturday that 38 warplanes and 12 vessels from China were detected around the island during a 24-hour period from Friday morning. Thirty-two of the planes crossed the middle of the line of the Taiwan Strait, an unofficial boundary that's considered a buffer between the island and mainland.
An attack Sunday by an outlawed pro-Iran Nigerian Shiite group killed at least two law enforcement officers, police said, with three more found unconscious in the capital Abuja.

The capital's police force confirmed "an unprovoked attack by the proscribed Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN)... on some personnel of the Nigeria Police Force," said a statement by police spokesperson Josephine Adeh.

During the attack on a police checkpoint, "two police personnel were killed, three [were] left unconscious in the hospital, and three police patrol vehicles [were] set ablaze," Adeh added.

Inspired by the Islamic Revolution in Iran in the late 1970s, the IMN still maintains close ties with Tehran.

It has long been at loggerheads with Nigeria's secular authorities and was banned in 2019.

Sunday's attackers carried out their assault wielding machetes, knives and improvised explosive devices, according to the police.

With several arrests made, Abuja's police commissioner, Benneth C. Igweh, condemned the "unprovoked attack," vowing to bring the perpetrators to justice.

"The situation is presently under control and normalcy restored," the police statement added.

In July 2021, after more than five years in prison, IMN leader Ibrahim Zakzaky and his wife were released by a court in Kaduna, in the north of the country.

A Shiite cleric, Zakzaky has repeatedly called for an Iranian-style Islamic revolution in Nigeria  where the Muslim population is predominantly Sunni.
A member of the Reuters news agency team was killed and two others were injured in a strike on a hotel in the Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk.

Reuters said Ryan Evans was killed when a missile hit the hotel where he was staying while working as a safety adviser.

Three other members of the six-person Reuters team were safe and accounted for, the agency said.

"We send our deepest condolences and thoughts to Ryan's family and loved ones. Ryan has helped so many of our journalists cover events around the world; we will miss him terribly," Reuters said in a statement.

"We are urgently seeking more information about the attack, including by working with the authorities in Kramatorsk, and we are supporting our colleagues and their families," the news agency said.

Evans, 38, was a former British soldier who had worked for Reuters as a safety adviser since 2022.

Ukrainian authorities said his body was found in the rubble of the hotel at around 6:35 p.m. local time after a nearly 20-hour search.

Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sent condolences to family and friends of Evans.

Zelenskyy added that Russia had used more than 100 missiles and drones on Saturday to target critical civilian infrastructure.

Regional officials said four other journalists, with German, Latvian, Ukrainian and U.S. citizenship, were injured in the strike on the hotel.

The attack hit Hotel Sapphire around 10.35 p.m. local time Saturday. The hotel had regularly been used by media and aid workers as a base when reporting in the region.

Ukraine said Russian attacks killed 15 civilians in the past day.

Reuters said it has not independently verified if the missile was Russian or if the strike was deliberate.

Vadym Filashkin, the head of the Donetsk region, said on social media site Telegram Sunday that authorities and rescue workers were on site.

Debris clearance and rescue operations are ongoing," he said, adding, "Seventeen private houses, six high-rise buildings, three enterprises, an administrative building and a coffee shop were damaged."

Reuters said that Russias Ministry of Defense had not responded to a request for comment.

Footage shared on X by VOA sister network Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty showed rescue workers removing at least one body from the rubble, and damage to the hotel and surrounding buildings.

At least 15 journalists have been killed covering the war in Ukraine, since Russias full-scale invasion in February 2022, according to data by the Committee to Protect Journalists.

Six of those were foreign correspondents, including Fox News video journalist Pierre Zakrzewski and American filmmaker Brent Renaud.

Some information for this report was provided by The Associated Press and Reuters.
Tens of thousands of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar who live in sprawling camps in Bangladesh on Sunday marked the seventh anniversary of their mass exodus, demanding safe return to Myanmar's Rakhine state.

The refugees gathered in an open field at Kutupalong camp in Cox's Bazar district carrying banners and festoons reading "Hope is Home" and "We Rohingya are the citizens of Myanmar," defying the rain on a day that is marked as "Rohingya Genocide Day."

On August 25, 2017, hundreds of thousands of refugees started crossing the border to Bangladesh on foot and by boats amid indiscriminate killings and other violence in Myanmar's Rakhine state.

Myanmar had launched a brutal crackdown following attacks by an insurgent group on guard posts. The scale, organization and ferocity of the operation led to accusations from the international community, including the U.N., of ethnic cleansing and genocide.

Then-Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina ordered border guards to open the border, eventually allowing more than 700,000 refugees to take shelter in the Muslim-majority nation. The influx was in addition to the more than 300,000 refugees who had already been living in Bangladesh for decades in the wake of waves of previous violence perpetrated by Myanmar's military.

Since 2017, Bangladesh has attempted at least twice to send the refugees back and has urged the international community to build pressure on Myanmar for a peaceful environment inside Myanmar that could help start the repatriation. Hasina also sought help from China to mediate.

But in the recent past, the situation in Rakhine state has become more volatile after a group called Arakan Army started fighting against Myanmar's security forces. The renewed chaos forced more refugees to flee toward Bangladesh and elsewhere in a desperate move to save their lives. Hundreds of Myanmar soldiers and border guards also took shelter inside Bangladesh to flee the violence, but Bangladesh later handed them over to Myanmar peacefully.

As the protests took place in camps in Bangladesh on Sunday, the United Nations and other rights groups expressed their concern over the ongoing chaos in Myanmar.

Washington-based Refugees International in a statement on Sunday described the scenario.

"In Rakhine state, increased fighting between Myanmar's military junta and the AA [Arakan Army] over the past year has both caught Rohingya in the middle and seen them targeted. The AA has advanced and burned homes in Buthidaung, Maungdaw, and other towns, recently using drones to bomb villages," it said.

"The junta has forcibly recruited Rohingya and bombed villages in retaliation. Tens of thousands of Rohingya have been newly displaced, including several who have tried to flee into Bangladesh," it said.

UNICEF said that the agency received alarming reports that civilians, particularly children and families, were being targeted or caught in the crossfire, resulting in deaths and severe injuries, making humanitarian access in Rakhine extremely challenging.
Five civilians died and 12 were injured in Ukraine's shelling of the town of Rakitnoye in Russia's Belgorod region, the governor of the region in the country's southwest said Sunday.

Among the injured are three children, Vyacheslav Gladkov, governor of the Belgorod region that borders Ukraine, said on the Telegram messaging app.

Reuters could not independently verify the reports. There was no immediate comment from Ukraine.

Both Russia and Ukraine deny targeting civilians in the war, which Russia launched with a full-scale invasion on its smaller neighbor in February 2022.

Saturday in Kyiv, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy touted a newly developed Ukrainian "drone missile" that he said would take the war back to Russia.

As Ukraine marked 33 years of post-Soviet independence, Zelenskyy said the new weapon, Palianytsia, was faster and more powerful than the domestically made drones that Kyiv has so far used to fight back against Russia, striking its oil refineries and military airfields.

"Our enemy will ... know what the Ukrainian way for retaliation is. Worthy, symmetrical, long ranged," he said.

Zelenskyy said the new class of Ukrainian weapon had been used for a successful strike on a target in Russia, but did not say where.

Russia, which has attacked Ukraine with many thousands of missiles and drones since it invaded in February 2022, has decried Ukraine's drone attacks as terrorism. Moscow's troops are advancing in Ukraine's east and occupy 18% of the country.

Zelenskyy has been pressing Kyiv's allies to allow him to use Western weapons deeper in Russian territory, to strike, for example, airbases used by Russian warplanes that pound Ukraine with missiles and glide bombs.

"I want to stress once more that our new weapon decisions, including Palianytsia, is our realistic way to act while some of our partners are unfortunately delaying decisions," Zelenskyy told a news conference.

Ukrainians say the word "Palianytsia," a type of Ukrainian bread, is too difficult to pronounce for Russians and it has been used - sometimes humorously - during the war as a way to tell Ukrainians and Russians apart.

"It will be very difficult for Russia, difficult to even pronounce what exactly has hit it," Zelenskyy said of the drone missile.

In a decree, Zelenskyy promoted his top commander, Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi, to the rank of general, a tacit gesture of praise after Ukraine's lightning cross-border incursion into Russia's Kursk region launched on August 6.

Slammed by Russia as an escalation and major provocation, Ukraine's incursion has captured more than 90 settlements in the Kursk region according to Kyiv, the biggest invasion of Russia since World War II.

Speaking at a joint news conference with Poland's and Lithuania's leaders, Zelenskyy told reporters the operation had in part been a preventive move to stop Russian plans to capture the northern city of Sumy.

Apart from capturing prisoners of war and creating a "buffer zone," Zelenskyy said the operation had other objectives that he could not disclose publicly.

Polish president Andrzej Duda confirmed that Polish PT-91 Twardy tanks given to Kyiv by Warsaw were taking part in the fighting in Kursk region.

"We are touched to see how the PT-91 Twardy tanks, given by Poland [to Ukraine] more than one year ago, are defending today Ukraine on the battlefields, fighting in the Kursk region," he said.

Russia has strongly condemned the use of western weapons for the incursion, which Putin has said will receive a "worthy response."

Independence Day has surged in importance for Ukrainians during the invasion, which has spurred widespread patriotic sentiment.

To mark the date, Zelenskyy ratified the Rome Statute, paving the way for Ukraine to join the International Criminal Court, one of many steps needed to join the European Union, accession to which Kyiv sees as a priority.

He also signed legislation banning the activities of religious groups linked to Russia, creating a legal instrument for the government to ban a branch of the Orthodox Church seen as linked to Russia.

Ukraine and Russia also said they had each secured the release of 115 prisoners of war in an exchange. The Russian Defense Ministry said its freed servicemen had been captured during Ukraine's attack in the Kursk region.
Five people died in Ukrainian shelling in Russias border region of Belgorod, officials said Sunday, while Russian forces struck a hotel in eastern Ukraine, leaving one journalist missing and two others injured.

Twelve other people were wounded in the Russian village of Rakitone, 38 kilometers (23 miles) from the Ukrainian border, including a 16-year-old girl reported to be in critical condition, said regional Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov. Another man also died in a separate drone attack on the border village of Solovevka, he wrote later on social media.

Russian forces struck a hotel overnight in the Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk in the country's eastern Donetsk region, injuring two people and leaving one trapped under the rubble, regional Gov. Vadym Filashkin said. They were reported to be journalists from Ukraine, the U.S. and the U.K.

Reuters news agency said Sunday that its journalist covering the war in Ukraine was missing and two other team members were hospitalized after Hotel Sapphire, where a six-person crew was staying, was hit by an apparent missile strike Saturday. One of our colleagues is unaccounted for, while another two have been taken to hospital for treatment, the agency said.

The rest of the team has been accounted for, the news agency said.

Local officials said that the hotel had been struck with an Iskander Russian ballistic missile, leaving the reporters with blast injuries, concussions, and cuts on the body.

Associated Press reporters at the scene described the former hotel as rubble, with excavators still being used to clear debris hours after the attack.

In addition to the hotel, a nearby multistory building was also destroyed, Filashkin said, and rescuers were busy clearing the debris at the site.

Ukraines eastern Kharkiv region also came under Russian fire, resulting in multiple civilian injuries, regional Gov. Oleh Syniehubov wrote on the Telegram messaging app.

In Kharkivs Chuhuiv region, five people were injured, including a 4-year-old boy and a 14-year-old girl, after two houses were struck by Russian fire. In Kharkiv city, eight people were wounded when a two-story house was set on fire by a Russian attack.

In Balakliia, a Russian strike destroyed six houses and damaged others. A 55-year-old man was injured. In the Kupiansk area, a house was set on fire by a Russian attack, wounding four women.
 Flash

The China Coast Guard (CCG) said that a Philippine vessel on Sunday intruded into the adjacent waters of Xianbin Jiao of China's Nansha Qundao and kept sailing toward a CCG ship in a dangerous way.

The intrusion of the vessel was unpermitted by the Chinese government and the CCG has taken lawful control measures against it, according to the CCG.
Venezuelan prosecutors have summoned opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia for questioning on Monday as part of a criminal investigation following the country's disputed presidential election claimed by strongman Nicolas Maduro.

"Citizen Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia" is summoned "on August 26 at 10 a.m. for an interview," prosecutors said Saturday, as part of an investigation into the opposition's publishing of electoral records that it claims show Maduro was clearly defeated.

Attorney General Tarek William Saab, a Maduro ally, had foreshadowed the summoning Friday, saying Gonzalez Urrutia would have to explain his "disobedience" of the authorities.

Saab said the opposition's website, where it has posted a detailed breakdown of election results, had "usurped" the powers of the Maduro-aligned National Electoral Council.

Election investigation

The CNE declared Maduro the winner of the July 28 election with 52% of the votes cast, but it has refused to publish detailed results, claiming hackers had corrupted the data.

An observer mission from the U.S.-based Carter Center said there was no evidence of a cyberattack.

The polling station-level results published by the opposition show that Gonzalez Urrutia, a 74-year-old retired diplomat, defeated Maduro with 67% of the vote.

Venezuela's top court, widely regarded as loyal to Maduro, on Thursday certified his reelection to a third, six-year term, and reprimanded Gonzalez Urrutia for not appearing as ordered.

The opposition candidate refused to attend the hearings, saying doing so would risk his freedom.

Maduro has called for the arrest of Gonzalez Urrutia, who has not been seen in public since he led a march on July 30 with opposition leader Maria Corina Machado.

"He is going to have to show his face," Saab said Friday.

Machado is also in hiding but attended a mass rally in Caracas on August 18.

She has demanded that Maduro enter into transition negotiations, which he has rejected outright.

On Saturday, she said in a televised Fox News interview that Maduro had unleashed a brutal "campaign of terror" after his defeat.

She pledged to "keep on fighting, peacefully protesting, increasing pressure domestically and internationally, until Maduro understands that his best option is to accept the terms of a negotiation that would bring us to a transition to democracy."

Protests following the disputed vote left 27 people dead, including two military members, and nearly 200 injured.

More than 2,400 people have been arrested since the election, including some high-profile opposition members.

The United States, European Union, several Latin American countries and multilateral bodies have refused to recognize Maduro's victory claim without seeing the detailed results.

Mexico, Brazil and Colombia have been promoting negotiations to find a way out of the Venezuelan crisis.
Bereavement

The death sadly occurred on Sunday, Auguat 18, of Mr. Bernard OKeeffe, Ballinaboola, Halfway House, Co Waterford and formerly of Waterford County Council. Predeceased by his loving wife Esther and his sister Rena, he is survived by his loving children Dolores, Noel and Darren, grandchildren Jacinta, Lisa, Colm, Gillian and Sinead, grandchildren Cara, Daithi, Ben, Pennie, Saoirse, Fionn and Senan, sister Phylis (Condon), brothers Hugh and Brian, son-in-law Michael, daughters-in-law Caroline and Sandy, sisters-in-law, brothers-in-law, nieces, nephews, extended family, relatives, neighbours and friends. Bernard will be sadly missed by all his family, relatives, neighbours and friends Requiem Mass took place on Thursday, August 22, in St. Marys Church, Ballygunner, followed by burial in the adjoining cemetery. Condolences are extended to Bernard's family, relatives and friends. May he rest in peace.

Bereavement

The death sadly occurred on Sunday, August 18, of Mr Stephen Gallwey, Woodlands House, Faithlegg, Co Waterford. He is survived by his loving wife Susan, loving father of Jane, Nick and Anna, his sisters Eve, Clare and Eily, his extended family, neighbours and friends. Stephen will be sadly missed by all his family, relatives, neighbours and friends. A celebration of Stephen's life took place on Friday, August 23, in St Patrick's Gateway, Patrick Street, Waterford, at 11am. Private cremation will take place at a later date. Condolences are extended to Stephen's family, relatives and friends. May he rest in peace.

Bereavement

The death sadly occurred on Wednesday, August 21, of Mr. Eamonn J Balfe, Ardkeen Village, Waterford and formerly of Claremorris, Co Mayo. Predeceased by his loving daughter Bern and brother Seanie, he is survived by his loving wife Aine, children Mary, Anne, Tricia, Carmel, John and Nora, grandchildren Cian, Aisling, Neil, Emi, Luke, Miles, Paddy and Laurie, great-grandchildren Gwenllian, Llewela and Mair, siblings Maura, Ethel, Anne, Noreen and Liam, partners and extended family, neighbours and friends. Eamonn will be sadly missed by all his family, relatives, neighbours and friends Funeral Mass took place on Saturday, August 23, in St Marys Church, Ballygunner, at 12 noon followed by burial in the adjoining cemetery. Condolences are extended to Eamonn's family, relatives and friends. May he rest in peace.

Volunteers Needed

Volunteers are needed for the Slice of Culture Festival, which is back this year bigger than ever. This fantastic event is a true celebration of the rich diversity and vibrant cultures that make our community unique and will take place on Saturday, September 7, from 11am to 7pm in Wyse Park, Waterford City. It will be a multicultural event and will be aimed at fostering the community spirit that exists locally. Join us in bringing this incredible event to life and gain a rewarding experience while connecting with people from all walks of life. Your support will help us make this a memorable celebration for all. The event is being organised by local migrant individuals and communities of the Waterford New Communities Network and is supported by the Harvest Festival. Mark your calendars and join us for a day of vibrant cultural celebrations. For more information go online to https://buff.ly/3npkK4S https://buff.ly/3SJhHoC

Children In Hospital

We are seeking play volunteers to support children and young people in Waterford University Hospital. As you can imagine, hospital can be a scary and stressful time, so our volunteers provide a space for fun and give them a positive experience. Volunteers must be 18 or older and available to give two hours per week, weekdays or at weekends. To find more information or to apply go online to https://childreninhospital.ie

Coffee Morning

An Age Well coffee morning will take place on Friday, September 13, in the The Tower Hotel, Waterford, at 9.45am to be seated. Please register by Friday, September 6. For more information or to register email edelfinan@wwetb.ie or telephone on 086 0845354.

Solas Ladies Lunch

Solas Ladies Lunch will take place on Saturday, September 14, in Faithlegg House Hotel. Due to late cancellation, we have limited tickets available for our Ladies lunch event. For more information call 051 304604 or email: events@solascentre.ie

Run and Walk For Life

The Solas Cancer Support Centres Run and Walk for Life returns to the streets of Waterford City on Sunday, October 13, and Dungarvans Greenway on Saturday, October 12. The 10K Run and Walk in Dungarvan will begin at 10am on Saturday, October 12, at Walton Park. The 10k Run and Walk on Sunday 13, in Waterford City, will begin at 10am on the quay. A new 4K family walk has been added to both Waterford and Dungarvan to encourage families to take part in tandem with the 10K routes. The popular virtual option will also be available and workplaces are being encouraged to once again #GoOrangeForSolas. Registration is open online at www.solascentre.ie. The registration fee is 25 per adult and 15 per child. This fee includes a t-shirt and an event medal, kindly sponsored by Eirgen Pharma.

Farronshoneen Project Centre

If you are living in the Williamstown or Dunmore Road area we have a mixed gender art group for those aged 16 to 18 years running every Monday from 7pm. If you are interested please don't hesitate to contact Nina on 086 7816269.

Writing Workshops

Waterford Libraries is delighted to again bring a series of free Writing Workshops to the people of the Deise. The programme will run from now until mid-December and will give participants an opportunity to attend courses in both Irish and English. The courses are free of charge and open to people over 18 years, resident anywhere in the county. Application forms are also available at library desks.

Board Games Saturdays

Board Game Saturdays at Central Library take place each Saturday morning from 10am to 12noon. All are welcome to attend and those under 12 must be accompanied by an adult.

Baby and Me Group

A Baby and Me Group meets on Wednesdays from 10.30am to 12noon in Ardkeen Library. Children under 12 years must be accompanied and supervised in the library by a parent or guardian. Everyone is welcome to drop in.

Tales and Rhymes

Tales and Rhymes take place on Fridays from 10.30am to 12pm in Ardkeen Library. Children under 12 years must be accompanied and supervised in the library by a parent or guardian.

Draughts Club

Draughts Club sessions for adults take place in Ardkeen Library on Thursdays at 10.30am. All welcome.
A scout group from County Waterford has won a major national award after beating off strong competition from around the country.

The Cobra Patrol of Ballymacarbry Scouts, won the Environmental Award at the All-Ireland Campcraft competition, known as The Phoenix.

The event ran from for four days in the Showgrounds in Cork where Scout patrols from across Ireland were put through their paces in campcraft, pioneering, tent pitching, cooking, backwoods, First Aid and emergencies. The Environmental Award was presented to the County Waterford group for managing all of the challenges and tasks in the most sustainable way.

The Cobra Patrol, from Ballymacarbry, ably led by patrol leader Kate Doocey and assistant patrol leader Sam Carrigan-Smyth, created their own bit of history by becoming the first group of scouts from Ballymacarbry to take home an award in Scouting Irelands most eminent competition.

Speaking after the event, Ballymacarbry Scout Group leader, Muiris OSuilleabhain described the win as "a fantastic achievement" for the group.

"The scouts put incredible effort into this event and to take home an award from the Phoenix is quite special," he said.

"Kate and her team were just fantastic and credit to themselves, their parents and all their leaders from Beavers, through Cubs and onto Scouts," he added.
Ellen O'Donoghue

Two men were arrested following public order, criminal damage and dangerous driving incidents that occurred between Tallaght, Dublin 24, and the M50 southbound on Saturday morning, August 24th.

A number of vehicles were set on fire in the Brookfield Rd area of Tallaght, and a number of Garda units responded to incidents there.

Public order units were deployed to manage the situation, and no injuries were reported at the time.

During an incident of dangerous driving, an attempt was made to ram an official Garda vehicle, a statement said.

The air support unit, public order unit, divisional traffic and several units from the south and east Dublin metropolitan regions provided assistance in finding the vehicle, which was located in the Co Wicklow area.

The two arrested men are currently detained at a Garda station in the Dublin area.

Investigations are ongoing.
The life of one of Waterfords most notable historical figures has been transformed into a new play courtesy of the Minaun Community Theatre Group, who are set to present their 90 minute production on the extraordinary life of Dr Mary Somerville Parker Strangman.

She was one of the first female doctors in Ireland and the UK, and became Waterfords first female Councillor in 1912.

She pioneered work in alcoholism and addiction, championed social reform, womens rights and public health, particularly combating tuberculosis. Even after retiring from public office in 1920, she continued to serve as a physician.

Born in Carriganore, in 1872, to Thomas Handcock Strangman and Sarah White Strangman, Mary was home-schooled with her six siblings. In 1891, she entered the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI), the first medical school in the UK and Ireland to admit women on equal terms with men, along with her sister Lucia.

After graduation she built a pioneering medical career in the UK and was awarded the fellowship of the RCSI in 1902, the second Irishwoman to achieve such a distinction.

Dr Strangman returned to Waterford in 1903 where she set up a practice championing public health and advocating for womens rights.

As a suffragist, she was acutely aware of the inequities in womens healthcare and franchise rights and when in 1911 women became eligible for election to local council, she stood for election, becoming Waterfords first female Councillor, on January 15, 1912.

As an elected representative, she served on the Public Health Committee, advocating for policies aimed at improving the well-being of all. She retired from public office in 1920.

In 1923 she was appointed physician at Waterford County and City Infirmary, and also continued in general practice until shortly before her death in January, 1943.

Her vital work was honoured on Friday, March 22, of this year at City Hall, as the Large Room was named in her honour. Dr Strangman also has a Civic Trust Blue Plaque dedicated to her on Parliament Street in Waterford City.

The upcoming play will be presented by the Minaun Community Theatre Group, which aims to transform local theatre in the region by producing original short performances entirely created by the community, at a nominal cost. Representatives describe the project as 'theatre for the people, by the people.'

Membership is flexible, allowing members to participate as their schedules permit. The group originally planned to stage one-hour performances twice a year.

This in-person event will be held at Faithlegg National School on Thursday, September 5, at 8 pm. Tickets are available at eventbrite.ie
Transport Minister Jo Haylen may be enjoying a long victory lap after the successful opening of the Sydney Metro last week.

It was a different story less than 12 months ago, when Haylen was fighting to overcome a series of jobs-for-mates type scandals.

First there was the decision to appoint former Labor premier Morris Iemmas old chief of staff Josh Murray to Transport Secretary.

When news broke that Kieren Ash, a former Labor candidate for Balmain, and now a public servant in Haylens department had been seconded to her office and was doing political work, the ministers chief of staff Scott Gartrell took the fall.

Haylen survived. Ash, meanwhile, seems to have landed on his feet (what staffer doesnt). Months after quitting Transport for NSW, Ash has a more appropriate job at lobbyists Counsel House, whose employees include Nathan Rees, another former Labor premier and one-time ALP state frontbencher Mick Veitch.
In an unassuming storage unit among the industrial blocks of western Sydney, a record collection apparently too vast to be counted is about to be auctioned off.

Records, CDs, books, magazines, newspaper clippings and other rock music ephemera sit haphazardly on warehouse shelves as potential buyers sift through what is estimated to be over 80,000 items.

Glenn A. Baker among his 50,000 records in the Penrith warehouse. Credit: Louise Kennerley

The value of each item ranges from $20 books to rare records that could fetch closer to $20,000.

The entire collection will go under the hammer on August 30, when a lucky bidder will become the owner of what could be Australias largest trove of rock music memorabilia.
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 This story is part of the August 25 edition of Sunday Life. See all 13 stories . Though she had established herself as one of the stars of Torontos iconic improvisational comedy troupe The Second City, and stepped into the limelight-adjacent as an understudy to the legendary Gilda Radner, Catherine OHaras Hollywood story begins in a rental car, in the pre-mobile phone era. Im so glad that we didnt go further than a date or two, she says of her frequent comedy collaborator, Eugene Levy. Credit: Contour by Getty Images It was 1988, in Los Angeles hot, dry San Fernando Valley, and our star-in-the-making was on her way to Warner Brothers to audition for a role in a film named Beetlejuice, directed by another legend, Tim Burton. But minutes turned to hours, and hours turned into streets and neighbourhoods that didnt look like Hollywood. After driving forever I was thinking, I dont know who this guy is, but he cant be in showbusiness because his office is far out, OHara says, laughing. Eventually, she pulled her rental car to the side of the road, called her agent from a payphone and realised she was hopelessly lost. When she finally found her way back to the Warner Bros lot, she was directed to the bungalow that served as Burtons office, but found the door locked and a note pinned to it. The note said: Im sorry. I waited as long as I could. In that moment, in a town infamous for long commutes and legerdemain directions, OHaras conquest of Hollywood had gone off the rails. The good news is, this story has a very happy ending. OHara and Burton eventually connected, and one of the films most memorable roles, sculptor and eccentric conceptual artist Delia Deetz was hers. I just remember sitting with Tim and laughing and telling stories. Hes got a great sense of humour, OHara says. OHaras experience with Burton was sublime. Tim directs by osmosis, its like hes saying things and telling you things, and hes not telling you what to do, but you get it, OHara says. He totally gets what he wants out of you in his original way, his completely original way.

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The best directors are manipulators; gentle, loving manipulators, and he is, OHara adds. That first Beetlejuice set was just so loose and fun and silly and exciting and creative, and Tim wanted to get that back, and he did. It really changed my life...I met all the wonderful people, Tim and everybody, Michael Keaton and Winona Ryder, and then Bo, of course. Beetlejuice, which starred Michael Keaton as the charismatic bio-exorcist Betelgeuse, became a smash hit. OHara followed it with roles in Home Alone and The Nightmare Before Christmas, and, collaborating with writer/director Christopher Guest, and actor Eugene Levy, roles in Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, A Mighty Wind and For Your Consideration. But Beetlejuice somehow endured in the culture. A sequel, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, reuniting OHara, now 70, and Keaton, is coming out. The original film also endured in OHaras life: it was where she met her husband, production designer Bo Welch, while working on the film. It really changed my life, OHara says. I met all the wonderful people, Tim and everybody, Michael Keaton and Winona Ryder, and then Bo, of course. Were still married, thank goodness, but I dont know, it was just fortunate. So many people have such fond memories of the time that they first saw Beetlejuice, and its just carried all this positivity all around it, she adds. My little story of meeting Bo, it really did change a lot in my life. I feel fortunate that anybody knows me as anything, that Im in peoples lives somehow, their childhoods, OHara says. Credit: Contour by Getty Images

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In a sense, too, Beetlejuice laid the groundwork for one of OHaras most potent creative threads, playing eccentric and beautifully unpredictable (sometimes neurotic) women. In one mad and memorable scene from the original Beetlejuice, Delia declares: I must express myself. If you dont let me gut out this house and make it my own, I will go insane, and I will take you with me. In hindsight, in that performance, its hard not to see threads of what would become her most memorable career role, Moira Rose, the soap opera star wife of Johnny Rose and mother of their children David and Alexis, in Schitts Creek. More so when you realise that Delias line was not in the original script, but was added by OHara, who came from a background of improvisational theatre. Its definitely something in me that that keeps coming out, OHara says. I just love that idea of, its sad but funny, believing you have something and no one seems to get it, no one seems to get how much potential you have, no matter how many opportunities youre given. I dont have that desperate need. I dont even have a social network. I dont need followers. The first time you see Delia in the second Beetlejuice is at her art gallery show, and we had a full gallery set up in Soho in London. It was amazing. With a real program, with my work, sculptures, my body, because the work is about my body. So, then, to understand the difference between all the women in the room, if Moira and Delia are both women who crave followers, is OHara is a woman who doesnt? Ive been very fortunate in my work. I dont feel like, Oh, if only people could see me, if only they knew how talented I could be, she says. I dont have that desperate need. I dont even have a social network. I dont need followers.

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Theyre definitely the same person, theyre definitely related, OHara says of Delia and Moira. Moira was way more confident. Definitely confident in her relationship with her husband, too. Thats really grounding. I think they had a real solid love, and she grew to love her kids. Shed missed out, but she got a second chance. Shes very lucky that way. Loading Delia is less secure, I think, just as a human being, OHara adds. I dont know what her upbringing was, but yeah, I think both of them, the money is new to them. They did not grow up with money, and they want to be seen. Which brings us to perhaps the greatest collaboration of OHaras career, with actor Eugene Levy. On screen they have played a multitude of strange and wonderful couples, from Gerry and Cookie Fleck in Best in Show, to Mickey and Mitch in A Mighty Wind. The relationships are plainly milked for comedy, but they are also incredibly tender. What makes them so specific is that there is never an absence of love in the room. I remember at the beginning of Schitts Creek, it was sort of written to be a little more of a hard-ass funny, but hard-ass, smart-ass wife, and giving Johnny a lot of heat for the situation that theyre in, OHara says. It felt like its negative and it doesnt go anywhere, and what happens to that? Does it grow? Do you grow out of it? And without talking about it, we just both naturally went the way of having a solid relationship. And I think that grounded us as a family.

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Eugene and I both take the comedy really seriously, OHara adds. We like to have it grounded in reality, and sometimes the reality is drama, right? The drama in life. And theyre in a terrible situation and they really have lost touch with their kids. They barely know them. But to have something solid there, I think grounded that family. OHara describes Levy as a lovely gentleman, and he really is, and hes a good man, and hes got a cool wife. And hes a very loving father, and maybe you cant go any other way with him. I dont know, maybe its him. Hilariously, they almost dated when they first met. Oh, we tried. Everybody tried, OHara says, laughing. Im so grateful that we didnt go further than a date or two. I dont believe wed have the relationship we have, the working relationship. I see him rarely when were not working. Hes like family that way, where when youre together, youre instantly together again, she adds. Im very happy it didnt work out with Eugene and me. We both have our spouses that were happy with, thanks. Loading While she is not a woman of a thousand faces, OHara does have in her repertoire some of television and films most memorable mothers. There is Delia. And Moira. And the role that still gives her a high level of on-the-street recognition  Kate McCallister, from Home Alone. While it might be said that Kate was not the best mother  she did, after all, somehow leave a child behind when the family embarked on their now iconic Christmas vacation  she is still somehow beloved by generations.

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Denver Mayor Mike Johnston claimed success in reducing homelessness, despite only 150 fewer people living on the streets without any shelter compared to last year. The city spent $155 million, $65 million more than anticipated, to move 1,673 people off the streets and into short or long-term shelter. However, 188 have ended up unsheltered on Denver's streets again, and 12 have died, 34 are in jail, and the city does not know the status of 53 others. The point in time count excludes illegal immigrants who were bussed into Denver by southern border states.
Construction will grind to a halt around the country tomorrow when tens of thousands of angry workers walk off the job.

It comes as the federal government and the union movements peak body separately rejected fanciful claims of broken promises from former CFMEU state secretary John Setka.

Members of the CFMEU, Australian Manufacturing Workers Union, Electrical Trades Union and the plumbers union (Plumbing and Pipe Trades Employees Union) are preparing to stop work from 10am to protest against the Commonwealths takeover of the construction union.

Former CFMEU boss John Setka. He quit before the Building Bad investigation was published. Credit: Chris Hopkins

It followed the Building Bad investigation by this masthead, 60 Minutes and The Australian Financial Review, which aired allegations of corruption, coercion and bikie infiltration in the union.

Tens of thousands of workers were planning to congregate outside the Trades Hall in Carlton, on the edge of Melbournes CBD, from 11am.

The unprotected action is expected to stop work on some of the state governments pipeline of infrastructure projects for the rest of the day.

One union source put the estimated number of attendants in Melbourne about 30,000. Itll be big, another said.

Melbourne protesters were expected to march to the Fair Work Commission, said another union source unable to speak publicly.

More on what to expect tomorrow.
Hundreds of new demountable classrooms will be added to West Australian schools in the next two years as population growth continues to boom.

While the Department of Education moves the older-style demountables between schools as they cater to changes in enrolments, a new and improved version is now on the block.

Shenton College, the states biggest school, is fast approaching 3000 enrolments and has become the first to receive a modular classroom block  a more modern and permanent version of a demountable that takes just one year to build.

The new design, which opened for the schools year 9 students in term 3, cost the state government $15 million but can house 300 additional students and could be part of the solution to schools bursting at the seams.
Anthony Albanese understandably bristled when media outlets and the Coalition began labelling him Airbus Albo just weeks after Labors 2022 election victory. After all, Albaneses travel schedule has hardly been extravagant compared to that of his predecessors. In his first 18 months as prime minister, Albanese made 18 overseas trips compared to 17 for Scott Morrison and 16 for Tony Abbott.

And the opposition appeared to want to have it both ways, attacking Albanese for travelling both too much and not enough  for example, by not visiting Israel following the October 7 attacks or skipping a Ukraine peace summit held in Switzerland in June.

Anthony Albanese has taken only one overseas trip so far this year. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

Yet the perception Albanese was overseas too often  coupled with the governments focus on the ill-fated Indigenous Voice to parliament referendum  undoubtedly hurt the government politically at a time of high inflation.

Aware of this reality, Albanese slashed his travel commitments in the first half of this year.
Australian officials are confident of locking in regional support this week for an ambitious Pacific-wide policing pact they hope will help stymie Beijings energetic efforts to gain a security foothold in the region.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will travel on Tuesday to the Pacific Islands Forum in Tonga, with the Pacific Policing Initiative set to be one of the key agenda items alongside tackling climate change and the recent unrest in New Caledonia.

The initiative, to cost hundreds of millions of dollars, would see a regional training centre established in Brisbane, centres of law enforcement excellence set up across the Pacific and the formation of new multinational police units that could rapidly deploy across the region when trouble arises.

Anthony Albanese and Tuvalus then-prime minister Kausea Natano struck a landmark pact at last years Pacific Islands Forum leaders meeting. Credit: AAP

Pacific police chiefs have compared the initiative to bodies such as EUROPOL (the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation) and AMERIPOL (the Police Community of the Americas) that combat crime beyond national borders.
Having delivered the trifecta of latter-day insults, a quartet of teals would like the jibes they launched last week to be the last uttered by parliamentarians.

The first in the trifecta was the word racist, hurled across the chamber at Opposition Leader Peter Dutton by Zali Steggall in the tremulous lisp of a six-year-old accusing her brother of being a bum-head. Steggall could well have a reasoned argument against a blanket ban on Gazans coming to Australia, initially hinted at by Dutton on Sky, but she reached into a shallow bag of Scrabble tiles to make it, so well never know.

Teal independents (from left) Sophie Scamps, Zali Steggall and Kylea Tink. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

The second word was bully. This is what Steggall called Dutton when it was reported he was seeking legal advice in response to her invective. Responding to being called a racist was part of his playbook, she said on morning radio, of bullying and intimidating people from calling out his policy and behaviour.

The third word was misogynist. This came from soon-to-be-abolished North Sydney teal Kylea Tink, who rounded off the week of strong words with a scattergun accusation against the condescending, unprofessional and often misogynistic behaviour from a number of male MPs from the Liberal and National parties.
Chinas top economic officials are preparing to host Treasurer Jim Chalmers for a significant visit as the superpowers faltering steel sector threatens to punch a multibillion-dollar hole in Australias budget bottom line.

A trip by Chalmers to China would be the first such visit in seven years, representing another milestone in improved ties after Beijing placed Australia in the diplomatic deep freezer during the previous Coalition government.

Chalmers warned last week that Chinas slowing economy will weaken Australian iron ore prices and could leave the budget $3 billion worse off over the next four years, reflecting the importance of China to the Australian economy.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers says he is monitoring economic developments in China closely as the nations steel sector struggles. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

Were following these developments very closely because of their potential impact on our economy and our budget, Chalmers said.
The second reason was its role in Labors 1987 election victory. One had to be in the Sydney Opera House to grasp the transformative effect of this promise, wrote Freudenberg. There was still life in the old Labor Party and it galvanised the whole campaign for a hard-won victory.

The first was the specific policy  a new payment  that accompanied it. That policy was delivered, wrote Freudenberg, and was a step towards a goal and an ongoing aspiration. Not a small step, either: in 2017 the head of the Australian Council of Social Service, Dr Cassandra Goldie, told this masthead that Hawke had reduced child poverty by a full 30 per cent. Weve had no PM do the same since.

Freudenberg wrote the line, but Hawke accepted unflinchingly the unspoken contract that the person who delivers the speech owns it. Accordingly, Hawke later said he regretted it. But there were two reasons Freudenberg stood by it.

In May 2019, Bob Hawke died. Just two months later, the great Labor speechwriter, Graham Freudenberg, died too. Before he did, he wrote a piece explaining the value of Hawkes promise that by 1990, no Australian child will be living in poverty.

Its hard to imagine a Labor leader making a similar campaign promise now. That is partly a result of Hawkes failure to deliver on his pledge, which left such rhetoric, both specific and grandiose, looking overblown. But there is another reason, which is that the Labor Party has changed. Freudenberg wrote that Hawkes payments were the last great Labor reform in the old Labor tradition. Later, the centre of Labor gravity set firmly in the broader middle class.

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Which raises an interesting question about political trade-offs. Fighting for the broader middle class means you offer something tangible to more voters, which may make you well liked. But that is a different thing from electrifying. Do political parties which choose to appeal to broader groups of people effectively give up their chance of exciting voters? The types of causes we think of as inspiring often come from fighting against injustice; fighting for a small, or voiceless, group of people. Pundits say there are fewer votes in such policies; they play to the base. But that dismisses the power of excitement.

The shift from fighting for those doing it toughest to representing the middle classes is tied to two other shifts. Campaigns have had to shift: instead of inspiring voters, centre-left parties generally try to cajole them instead. The ambition of centre-left parties has also changed. Once, there was value in arguing that society should be reshaped not through revolution, but through dramatic structural changes. But those same parties now speak to people more likely to be happy with the broad shape of things because they judge that they have benefited: they want change, but not too much. So thats what the politicians offer them.

This goes some way to explaining the parallels between Britains new Labour prime minister, Keir Starmer, the new Democratic presidential nominee, Kamala Harris, and Anthony Albanese.
It was a blow to Boeing, adding to the safety concerns plaguing the company on its aeroplane side. Boeing had counted on Starliners first crew trip to revive the troubled spacecraft program after years of delays and ballooning costs. The company had insisted Starliner was safe, based on all the recent thruster tests both in space and on the ground. Boeing did not participate in the news conference by NASA, but released a statement: Boeing continues to focus, first and foremost, on the safety of the crew and spacecraft. The company said it is preparing the spacecraft for a safe and successful return. Astronauts Suni Williams, left, and Butch Wilmore were only meant to be away for eight days. Credit: AP Wilmore, 61, and Williams, 58, are both retired Navy captains with previous long-duration spaceflight experience. Before their June 5 launch from Cape Canaveral, Wilmore and Williams said their families bought into the uncertainty and stress of their professional careers decades ago. During their lone orbital news conference last month, the astronauts said they had trust in the thruster testing being conducted. They had no complaints, they added, and enjoyed pitching in with space station work.

Wilmores wife, Deanna, was equally stoic in an interview earlier this month with WVLT-TV in Knoxville, Tennessee, their home state. She was already bracing for a delay: You just sort of have to roll with it. Flight operations director Norm Knight said he talked to the astronauts and they fully support the decision to postpone their return. There were few options. NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore before take-off at Space Launch Complex 41 on June 5. Credit: AP The SpaceX capsule currently parked at the space station is reserved for the four residents who have been there since March. They will return in late September, their routine six-month stay extended a month by the Starliner dilemma. NASA said it would be unsafe to squeeze two more into the capsule, except in an emergency. The docked Russian Soyuz capsule is even tighter, capable of flying only three  two of whom are Russians wrapping up a year-long stint.

So Wilmore and Williams will wait for SpaceXs next taxi flight. Its due to launch in late September with two astronauts instead of the usual four. NASA is yanking two to make room for Wilmore and Williams on the return flight in late February. NASA said no serious consideration was given to asking SpaceX for a quick stand-alone rescue. Last year, the Russian Space Agency had to rush up a replacement Soyuz capsule for three men whose original craft was damaged by space junk. The switch pushed their six-month mission to just over a year. Former Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield, applauded the decision via X: Good to err on the side of caution for astronaut lives. He said long missions are what astronauts work their entire career for. Id take it in a heartbeat! Starliners woes began long before its latest flight.

Bad software fouled the first test flight without a crew in 2019, prompting a do-over in 2022. Then parachute and other issues cropped up, including a helium leak in the capsules propellant system that nixed a launch attempt in May. The leak was eventually deemed to be isolated and small enough to pose no concern. But more leaks sprouted following liftoff, and five thrusters also failed. All but one of those small thrusters restarted in flight, but engineers were perplexed by ground testing that showed a thruster seal swelling and obstructing a propellant line. They theorised that the seals in orbit may have expanded, then reverted to their normal size. Officials said the results marked the turning point, as their concerns grew. Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams wont return to Earth until February next year. Credit: AP With all the uncertainty about how the thrusters might perform, there was too much risk for the crew, Steve Stich, NASAs commercial crew program manager, told reporters. These 28 thrusters are vital. Besides being needed for space station rendezvous, they keep the capsule pointed in the right direction at the flights end as bigger engines steer the craft out of orbit. Coming in crooked could result in catastrophe.

With the Columbia disaster still fresh in many minds  the shuttle broke apart during reentry in 2003, killing all seven aboard  NASA made an extra effort to embrace open debate over Starliners return capability. Despite Saturdays decision, NASA isnt giving up on Boeing. Nelson said he is 100 per cent certain that Starliner will fly again. The Boeing Starliner spacecraft with astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams aboard on its approach to the International Space Station on June 6. Credit: NASA NASA went into its commercial crew program a decade ago, wanting two competing US companies ferrying astronauts in the post-shuttle era. Boeing won the bigger contract: more than $4 billion, compared with SpaceXs $2.6 billion. With station supply runs already under its belt, SpaceX aced its first of nine astronaut flights in 2020, while Boeing got bogged down in design flaws that set the company back more than $1 billion.
Pius Kamau, M.D., a retired general surgeon, is president of the Aurora-based Africa America Higher Education Partnerships; co-founder of the Africa Enterprise Group and an activist for minority students STEM education. He is a National Public Radio commentator, a Huffington Post blogger, a past columnist for Denver dailies and is featured on the podcast, Never Again.
Toby Lee is a recent graduate of Colorado Christian University and worked this summer in Colorado as a Common Sense Institute Daniels Scholar Junior Fellow.
In 1939, at the beginning of the Second World War, the Coastwatching Service was set up to monitor and record "belligerent activity" around the Irish coast.

Ireland declared itself neutral during the war but invasion by Nazi Germany was a very really threat. Consequently, some 83 Look-Out Posts (LOPs) were built in strategic locations along the Irish coast stretching from County Louth clockwise to County Donegal to help maintain Irelands neutrality, ensuring that the entire coastline came under observation.

These small pre-cast concrete buildings had large windows facing seaward. They were sparsely furnished with a small chimney in which to light a fire, and a telephone connection to enable contact to be made with the relevant authorities. LOPs were manned day and night, seven days a week, by the Coastwatchers, local volunteers who received training to carry out their observation duties efficiently. They worked in pairs, travelling on foot from the surrounding villages to take up their shifts.

Duties included keeping accurate and detailed handwritten records in the LOP logbook of belligerent forces sighted, describing weather conditions, aircraft in the vicinity, marine traffic (including troop ships, convoys, destroyers, submarines and lifeboats), onshore mines and, tragically, the bodies of army and civilian casualties of war being washed ashore.

This information, gathered at a local level, was crucial in building up military intelligence at a national level. Information from LOPs was transmitted to Defence Forces headquarters, to the Office of An Taoiseach and ultimately to Irish military intelligence (G2) for strategic analysis.

In 1943, huge EIRE signs were outlined on the ground in bright-coloured stone near the LOPs and the number of the station was also included. Measuring on average 12 metres x 6 metres, and built with up to 150 tonnes of stone, they were easily spotted by overflying aircraft whose pilots now knew they were over neutral Ireland.

Sean O Gearbhain (Johnny Mhicheail), An tAthair Ford agus Tomas O Broin (Tommy Bhess) at Teachain a Watch during World War II.

During the Battle of the Atlantic, information gathered from LOPs was also passed on by Irish diplomats to Britains Royal Air Force and the British Royal Navy to assist in locating lost trans-Atlantic aircraft and the hunt for German U-boats. In return, Ireland sought military equipment from Britain.

The crucial role played by the Coastwatchers while manning their posts in remote locations was a significant part of Irelands second world war engagement, ensuring that Ireland, while often co-operating with the Allies, could remain neutral overall through the conflict.

Comhar Dun Chaochain Teo, a community co-operative based in Ceathru Thaidhg in North Mayo, has worked closely with photographer Amelia Stein to tell the story of one of these Look-Out Posts, known locally as Teachain a Watch  LOP 63. It sits in isolation on the edge of a precipitous headland overlooking Portacloy Bay.

During a severe storm in October 2014, the entire building came tumbling down. Thanks to the efforts of the local community, particularly the Cill Chomain Rural Social Scheme, and various agencies including the Irish Air Corps, which airlifted building materials to the site, this important link to World War II has now been fully restored.

Supported by Ealain na Gaeltachta, the project team is now ready to tell its story, and in doing so acknowledges the role played by LOP 63 during World War II as well as commemorating the loss of life at sea during this time. Documents, maps, photographs and details from the logbooks from Military Archives, Cathal Brugha Barracks, combined with oral histories, showcase the archival research which forms the basis for a dedicated website. The visual art response consists of works from Pat Harris, Selma Makela, Mick ODea, Noah Rose, Linda Ruttelynck and Amelia Stein, all of whom have interpreted this story with poignancy, consideration and great visual impact.

The two-day programme of events includes a group exhibition at Custom House Studios, Westport (F28 CD39) on Thursday, August 29th, at 6pm consisting of the artists works and exhibits from Military Archives, Comhar Dun Chaochain Teo, Padraig O Dochartaigh, Helen Keogh and Treasa Ni Ghearraigh with opening remarks from Dr Michael Kennedy.

On Friday, August 30th, at 1pm, two information signs will be launched near Portacloy Pier by Dr Michael Kennedy, followed by a visit to the newly-restored Teachain a Watch building. At 3.30pm, there will be a viewing of the LOP63 website at An tSeanscoil Community Centre (F26 Y8P7) where refreshments will also be available.

Everyone is invited to attend this two-day commemoration of a valuable and fascinating chapter in our history.
By Grainne Ni Aodha, PA

Irish peacekeepers in Lebanon are safe, Tanaiste Micheal Martin has said, after Israel launched a wave of air strikes across the southern part of the country.

In an escalation of tensions in the region on Sunday, Hezbollah said it launched hundreds of rockets and drones to avenge the killing of one of its top commanders last month.

The heavy exchange of fire threatened to trigger an all-out war that could draw in the United States, Iran and militant groups across the region.

Foreign Affairs and Defence Minister Micheal Martin, said he had been briefed by the Irish armys chief of staff Sean Clancy.

He was told that the Irish peacekeepers in the region had sheltered in bunkers overnight and are safe.

Members of the 124th Infantry Battalion at Camp Shamrock in Debel in Lebanon (Niall Carson/PA)

The Tanaiste called for an immediate de-escalation of hostilities from all sides.

I have been briefed by the Chief of Staff on the situation in Lebanon following the strikes between Hezbollah and Israel overnight, Mr Martin said.

I have been advised that while Irish personnel serving in Unifil have taken shelter in secured bunkers overnight, all are safe and accounted for.

The Defence Forces and Unifil HQ continue to monitor the situation closely and the Chief of Staff will continue to update me accordingly.

It is imperative that we see the immediate de-escalation of military hostilities by all parties.

There are 332 Irish members of the 124th battalion, which also includes several Maltese, Polish and Hungarian personnel.

The battalion began its six-month deployment to Lebanon in May as part of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil).
Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Editor's note: There has been a major update to this story. Click here to see the latest update.

Recovery efforts continued overnight Saturday for a person who reportedly failed to resurface after going into the water at Rampart Reservoir.

Just before 5 p.m., Saturday, the Colorado Springs Fire Department posted on social media that they had deployed a drone, as well as dive and heavy rescue personnel, to assist Colorado Parks and Wildlife with the rescue.

In an update shared about half an hour later, firefighters said the water rescue had shifted to a recovery effort.

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According to the social media post, Colorado Parks and Wildlife was providing equipment for firefighters to search the water.

Around 9 p.m., the fire department reported that they had cleared the reservoir and were returning to Colorado Springs.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife would take over command of the incident and search throughout the night, the fire department reported.

This is a developing story. Stay with gazette.com for updates.
Honorary professorship for Welsh Ambulance Service paramedic

A Welsh Ambulance Service paramedic has been awarded an honorary professorship at a world-leading university.

Nigel Rees, Assistant Director of Research and Innovation, was inaugurated as an honorary professor at the University of Warwick Medical Schools Clinical Trials Unit.

Honorary titles are bestowed by universities to those who make a significant contribution to academic business, usually through research collaboration, clinical teaching or both.

Professor Gavin Perkins, Dean of Warwick Medical School, said: Warwick Medical School is delighted to welcome Professor Nigel Rees to its honorary professoriate.

His appointment recognises his significant and sustained contribution to research which has been vital in providing the evidence the NHS needs to transform services and improve outcomes for patients and their families.

We look forward to a long-lasting collaboration with Nigel and the Welsh Ambulance Service.

Professor Rees joined the ambulance service in 1989 as a cadet with Powys Ambulance Service, before progressing to the Patient Care Service then becoming an Emergency Medical Technician, working at various locations across south Powys.

He returned to Ystradgynlais as a Paramedic in 1993 and was Powyss first Advanced Paramedic.

He left the Welsh Ambulance Service for a period to join the then Cwm Taf Local Health Board as an Advanced Emergency Practitioner within a team of Advanced Practice Nurses and Paramedics that was the first its kind in Wales.

His research interests include clinical trials, qualitative research, violence and aggression towards ambulance staff and the use of drones in pre-hospital care.

Professor Rees has led and contributed to more than 100 peer-reviewed articles.

He is Associate Editor of the Paramedicine journal and a member of many funding panels and groups, including the Bevan Commission, NHS Wales Research and Innovation Leadership Group and the National Institute for Health and Care Research.

Over the years, Professor Rees has helped to secure funding worth 15 million for research and innovation projects and has been Chief and Principal Investigator on a number of large-scale trials.

He is a former Wales Council member of the College of Paramedics and a Fellow.

In 2017, Professor Rees was awarded the Queens Ambulance Service Medal in the New Years Honours List for exemplary service.

Professor Kieran Walshe, Director of Health and Care Research Wales, for which Nigel is a Chief Investigator, said: We are delighted that Nigel has been recognised for his contribution and commitment to research over many years.

We are proud to support him, both as a researcher, but also in the leadership role he has in Wales as Research and Development Lead in WAST.

Professor Rees added: I would like to thank Warwick University, all of my colleagues in WAST, and the people of Wales and beyond who continue to support research and are reflected in this honour.

In April, the Welsh Ambulance Service was awarded University Trust status by Welsh Government in recognition of its commitment to develop its current and future workforce and to drive research and innovation.
Newbridge repair could mean road reopening in May

The Newbridge road could be finally open in nine months time.

The B5605 in Newbridge, in Wrexham county borough, was closed in January 2021 after a large part of the road collapsed down an embankment during Storm Christoph.

There have since been lengthy delays to repair work, causing frustration for drivers who use the busy route between Cefn Mawr and Chirk, which also acts as a diversion from the A483 bypass.

The Welsh Government awarded 2.8m in funding to Wrexham Council to cover the cost of the repairs in May 2022.

Now local Cllr Terry Evans has said in a semi-private update, Myself & officers visited Newbridge site to assess the situation.

Yes,very positive work going on,the wall has been removed now,they are putting the temporary road down to the river bed for the heavy machinery to arrive first two weeks in September,then the pile driving operation can commence.

I have asked the company and the council to put regular information out to the public to show how progress is going, and I will be keeping a close eye on the situation.

The first prospective end date to the saga was also made public, with Cllr Evans saying weather permitting end date next May  caveated with a fingers crossed emoji.
Wrexham Youth services empower local teens with support and advice

Youth work services in Wrexham are helping young people to thrive by providing a range of services from two city centre facilities, including face to face support, homelessness prevention and drug and alcohol services.

Meeting with staff and young people at the INFO shop and The Victoria Young Peoples Centre, the Cabinet Secretary for Education, Lynne Neagle heard firsthand how the diverse range of services were helping young people aged 11-25.

The award winning Inspire Hospital Youth Work Project is one of the projects based at the Victoria Young Peoples Centre and works with young people in Wrexham and Flintshire with self-harming behaviours.

Since 2019 there has been a 278 per cent increase in self-harm referrals at Inspire.

By building coping skills, improving emotional wellbeing and decreasing isolation this youth work project is helping to reduce instances of self-harm which can lead to hospital admissions.

Last year the INFO Shop, on Lambpit Street, handled more than 10,000 queries from young people  ranging from mental health advice to requests for sexual health information.

Feedback from service users has shown improvements in many aspects of their emotional, psychological, social and financial wellbeing after accessing the service.

Alongside general advice and guidance on any health and wellbeing issues that are of concern to them, there is targeted provision, with face-to-face support to young people who are at risk of homelessness or with drug and alcohol use.

Young people can also find support and information on activities, services and opportunities through the interactive Young Wrexham website.

Through the Youth Support Grant, Welsh Government provide funding to local authorities to provide and develop quality and vital youth work opportunities for young people up and down the country

Youth work services often provide an alternative source of support outside a formal school or college setting. At a time when many young people will be looking at their options after receiving exams results or completing qualifications, youth work services like these two centres in Wrexham can be a valuable source of information and support during a challenging time.

Lynne Neagle said: It has been inspiring to see how much impact these youth work projects are having on the lives of young people here in Wrexham.

I want Wales to be a place where every child and young person knows where to go for help and feels supported.

Youth work is a service which helps young people realise their potential and to find their voice as empowered members of their communities.

This is why I have protected funding for youth work services to ensure its vital role continues to have a positive, transformative effect on our young people and communities.

Donna Dickenson, Head of Service Prevention and Support at Wrexham Council said: We are really pleased that the Cabinet Secretary has visited us today so that we can showcase two of the excellent services provided by Wrexham Youth Service.

Our priority is to ensure that our services are accessible to all young people, especially in their times of need.

By co-locating teams together at the Vic and Info Shop, it means that young people can have access to timely information, advice and guidance, whilst also enjoying safe spaces to get together with other young people.

We are very proud of Youth Services in Wrexham, which are delivered by both the Council and the Voluntary Sector and where we all work together to ensure that the offer to young people is broad and varied across the County Borough.
A WSWS reporting team campaigned Friday at Vauxhalls auto plant in Luton, England to raise with workers the threat of job losses being carried out in the US and internationally by parent group Stellantis.

The Luton plant, which produces larger petrol and diesel vans, is one of two auto plants in Britain owned by Stellantis. The other is in Ellesmere Port in the north west of England which produces the Vauxhall Combo-e, Citroen e-Berlingo, Peugeot e-Partner and FIAT E-Doblo electric vans and their passenger car equivalents. At least 100 million was invested in the refurb of the Ellesmere Port plant.

WSWS team distributing leaflets at the Stellantis Vauxhall plant in Luton, England, August 2024

Both UK plants are threatened with closure, as the global competition among Electric Vehicle (EV) manufacturers intensifies.

In January 2021, Groupe PSA and Fiat Chrysler automobiles merged to form Stellantis. Employing a global workforce of hundreds of thousands across 30 countries, Stellantis owns many brands including Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Citroen, Dodge, Fiat, Jeep, Lancia, Maserati, Opel, Peugeot, and Vauxhall.

Both UK plants are undergoing their annual summer maintenance periods, with workers telling WSWS teams that they were unaware of threatened job losses in the United States where 2,450 workers are to be laid off at the beginning of October at the truck assembly plant in Warren, Michigan.

A more massive cull of jobs is being prepared at Stellantis Italian operation, with the company announcing August 8 that up to 12,000 jobs could be lost in 2025. This will result in the loss of a further 13,000 jobs among workers at parts suppliers in Italy.

Workers at both UK plants blamed the trade union bureaucracy for keeping them in the dark about the job losses.

Stellantis is leveraging its position as a global corporation to demand additional subsidies, including changes to sales tax policy from the UK Labour government led by Sir Keir Starmerbacked by threats to shift production elsewhere.

In April, Stellantis head Carlos Tavares stated that the then Conservative governments electric vehicle policy is terrible, threatening to bankrupt carmakers. Tavares complained about the 2023 government zero emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate which stipulates that manufacturers meet EV sales targets that rise annually or be hit by fines. This is a requirement to meet a goal of 100 percent of new cars and vans sold in Britain being zero emission vehicles by 2035. By 2030, the target is 80 percent of new cars and 70 percent of new vans. Tavares stated that this was double the natural demand of the market, adding, To survive, companies have to stay in the black I will not sell cars at a loss.

At the end of June, as profits at Stellantis dropped a massive 48 percent to 5.6 billion in the first half of the year, the company ramped up pressure on the incoming Labour government which took office just days later. In a Financial Times article, Stellantis threatens to halt UK production over EV targets, Maria Grazia Davino, the companys top UK executive, said amid tough EV mandates amid slowing sales in battery-run cars, If this market becomes hostile for us, then we will enter an evaluation of producing elsewhere.

This threatening regime, which demands ever increased levels of exploitation of the workforce, can only proceed because of the collusion of the union bureaucracy. As one worker at the Luton plant told the WSWS, The union officers just sit around eating cream cakes and drinking tea and just let management do what they want.

Unite union national officer Des Quinn said before Labour came to office that an incoming government had to relax the ZEV [zero emission vehicle] mandate for those car companies investing in Britain. Theres got to be a balance I would give a bit to take something back in terms of automotive sector and industrial strategy.

The unions response to the impending job losses is to call for ever closer collaboration with the company in Britain in order that job losses take place elsewhere. It is in their role as industrial enforcers for the corporation that their lucrative positions as adjuncts of management is maintained.

On the announcement of EV production at Ellesmere Port in 2021, then Unite General Secretary Len McCluskey boasted, Unite has battled for years to secure the future of this site. Our members have been unfailing in their efforts, and I have lobbied Stellantiss CEO Carlos Tavares and the top levels of government personally on numerous occasions.

Now its profits are threatened amid the cut-throat EV market, Stellantisjust three years lateris threatening its entire UK workforce with plant closures unless its demands are met. Unite will again be called on to enforce even harsher working conditions carried out by a reduced workforce

Auto workers in Britain must reject the nationalist pro-capitalist agenda of the union bureaucracy which can only lead to job losses, and even the total closures of Luton and Ellesmere Port.

Jobs are being lost in the thousand throughout the auto industry in Europe. Last month Volkswagen announced plans threatening 3,000 jobs as it discontinues production of the Audi Q8 e-tron electric SUV, and prepares to shut down its Audi plant in Brussels. Up to 1,500 of these jobs could be gone by October.

The Financial Times noted that this would mark the German carmakers first-ever plant closure in Europe. Fords Saarlouis plant in Germany is also on the way out, and the UK is, of course, no stranger to car companies ceasing production. It concluded, Closing plants, while painful, may be a signal that the sector is instead grappling with the harsh realities of its predicament.

Workers at Stellantis, Volkswagen, Ford and other carmakers must establish independent action committees operating independently of the unions, in preparation for a joint struggle in defence of their jobs and working conditions. The International Workers Alliance of Rank-and-File Committees (IWA-RFC) is coordinating this work internationally.

***

Hundreds of workers took leaflets at the factory gates at Vauxhall, Luton. The common response of workers to the statement by the World Socialist Web Site and the International Workers Alliance of Rank-and-File Committees: Stop mass layoffs at Warren Truck! Mobilise the International working class against job cuts! was Thanks for letting us know, We did not know about this and The union have not told us about this.

One assembly line worker said the union had not told them of the Detroit plant closure, youre the first ones to tell us about it. He held up his fist and added, I support a fight, solidarity with Detroit!

Another told the campaign team, Stellantis will not be happy you being here. It is a nasty atmosphere in there. The union officers just sit around eating cream cakes and drinking tea and just let management do what they want. Its not just me, everyone in there will tell you the same thing.

Workers were aware of the threat to their plants future. One said, We know this plant is threatened. Stellantis is demanding government money to stay. If they dont get it, then they will shut it down and move on, Its how these companies operate.

A new senior manager has appeared recently. He doesnt talk to anyone. Its been seen before. It resulted in the closure of a large part of the factory. Pointing to new houses and flats he added, They sold the land to build those new luxury flats and houses you can see.

Another worker recounted the experience of the closure of the Peugeot plant in Coventry, West Midlands, where he had friends. Trimmers were the last to go. Can you imagine, as each part of the factory closed, it was knocked down and youre watching this. It is what they are doing here.

A worker described his dismay at the impact of incentive schemes, which created an atmosphere of distrust and competition between different plants in Vauxhall, between Luton and Ellesmere Port. Im not sure about the programme you are advocating. I will have to look more into it. Ill go to your website, but what I do know is what has not or does not work is setting workers in plants in one country or country against country. That does not work. Factories just close.

Another said of the role of the union at the plant, Some union convenors pay has been raised to the level of management. They are not going to challenge anything. They are going to look after their income first.
In National Geographics Queens, an all-female production team  one of the big draws and highlights of the project, narrator Angela Bassett tells THR  examines the behavior of animal matriarchies from Costa Rica to the Congo. Bassett, who received an Emmy nom for outstanding narration for her work on the seven part-documentary for which shes also an executive producer, chats about how she approaches narration roles and why shes glad she eventually said yes to the heart-inspiring docuseries.

You initially declined this project. What changed your mind?

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The initial no  it was summertime. It was hiatus [for 9-1-1]. It had been a long season. I was looking forward to going on vacation, spending time with the family, and downtime from work because its a continuous roller coaster. But they came back around and sent me the sizzle reel and I said, OK, let me put my full attention on this for a moment and see what the project is exactly. Once I did that, it didnt pass me by.

How do you approach narration versus your on-camera roles?

I just see it as storytelling. You have to paint pictures with your voice. Theres an inherent drama in it, and I try to find that and ride that wave, with the help of the director and what they have in mind, because I can be a little dramatic. (Laughs.) I might think it calls for more drama and they just want that subtle underlay. But this one, they embraced the drama of the moment that was

captured. Sometimes the voice can take over, so [you have to remember the story], support it, lead it. This whole project was different from beginning to end. It was a fresh perspective, and it was a testament to new voices and energy; it was awe-inspiring.

This story first appeared in an August stand-alone issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.

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Cheryl Hines, who shot to fame playing the beleaguered wife of Larry David on Curb Your Enthusiasm, has faced her share of real-life headaches as the wife of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

But the actress is about to face her biggest challenge yet as her husband suspends his independent campaign for president and throws his support to Donald Trump, in the hopes of securing a cabinet position in a Trump White House 2.0.

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In a statement released shortly after her husband made his announcement, Hines tells The Hollywood Reporter, I deeply respect the decision Bobby made to run on the principle of unity. Over the last year and a half, I have met some extraordinary people from all parties  Democrats, Republicans and independents. Its been my experience that the vast majority of all parties are truly good people who want the best for our country and for each other. It has been an eye-opening, transformative and endearing journey.

But despite the show of unity with her husband, Kennedys decision to align himself so closely with Trump will make for, at best, some awkward dinner table conversations at home; at worst, it may result in a full-scale shunning of Hines by the Hollywood establishment.

Hines, 59, has made no secret of her aversion to Trump and his predilection for personal attacks  particularly toward women.

I know its going to be bad, Hines noted of the coming mudslinging in a cover profile interview with THR. But these politicians are Teflon. Theyre like nobody Ive ever seen. I think back to Trump. Remember the early days of Trump when he insulted Ted Cruzs wife about her looks?

Hines was referring to an exchange of tweets when Cruz and Trump were still presidential rivals in 2016. Trump tweeted side-by-sides photos  a glamour shot of Melania and an unflattering one of Heidi  with a caption that read, The Images Are Worth A Thousand Words.

The tweet disturbed Hines.

Thats so ridiculous and disrespectful that he would say something disrespectful about Ted Cruzs wife, she told THR. She has nothing to do with any of this. And Im sure Ted Cruz will never forget that.

Then cut to Trump as president and Ted Cruz couldnt be happier, she continued, referring to Cruzs later enthusiastic endorsements of his former political rival.

As the campaign proceeded, and Hines realized she and her husband would never see eye to eye on politics, she found herself easing up on her knee-jerk reactions to Trumps brand of politics.

Id think, Why am I holding on so tightly?' Hines said. I dont need Ted Cruz to be mad at Trump. I need to let it all go. I was holding on so tightly for so long. Even when Trump was elected, I had to really have a long talk with myself because I thought, Im not going to make it through these four years,' Hines said.

Later in the conversation, which occurred in December, Hines openly pondered the various, unknowable turns the election could take  particularly with two chaos actors like her husband and Trump in the mix.

Is Trump going to be in jail? she asked, referring to the multiple lawsuits Trump faced. (He would later be found guilty of 34 charges in his New York hush-money trial, making him the first American president to be convicted of felony crimes.) Thats the other thing I ask Bobby all the time: Can Trump be a president from prison? Bobby said, Its not in the Constitution that he cant.

Because who would write it in the Constitution? she added.

Asked how she might respond to Trump turning his attacks on her husband, and by extension, herself, Hines joked, Ill be in Greece. With no reception. Thats my plan.

But, it turns out, the attacks never came from Trump, but rather from the Democratic establishment and Kennedys own family members. The Democratic National Committee spent millions to block Kennedy from ballots, according to one senior-level Kennedy campaign staffer.

That quiet allegiance set the stage for one of the most controversial political alliances, between two of the strangest and most colorful figures, in recent history.

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When you sit down at your favorite local sandwich joint and order a Cubano, you can expect to get ham, not turkey. A traditional Cuban sandwich (aka Cubano) uses a combination of savory roast pork and thinly sliced sweet ham. A Tampa-style Cuban sammy adds funky Genoa salami, which was inspired by a culinary fusion of the Cuban and Italian immigrants in Southern Florida where the sandwich was originally invented. But, in another avant-garde twist from the self-described "foodist," Alton Brown revealed that he swaps pork for turkey when he makes a Cuban sandwich on a hot day. The tip comes from a post on Brown's official Instagram account, in which he writes, "The Cuban is my favorite sandwich of all time and I respect it deeply. However, sometimes, in summer, I occasionally skip roasting a hunk of pork and reach instead for herb-roasted turkey from the deli. Is it authentic? No. It is however, delicious."

This is far from Brown's first potentially controversial variation on a beloved classic. The chef caught major backlash for omitting triple sec from his go-to margarita recipe. Fans took to the comments section of his reimagined Cuban post to sound off their opinions on the adaptation. "Ay dios mio! Alton, I'm not opposed to using roast turkey but please don't call it a Cuban," one commenter joked-slash-pleaded. As another fan suggested, the sandwich could be called a "Cuban club."

Read more: Styles Of Regional BBQ In The US

Brown Uses Herb-Rosted Turkey Instead Of Ham In His Summer Cubano

Alton Brown's turkey Cuban sandwich - Alton Brown/Instagram

Turkey certainly adds a brighter, lighter lift to this traditionally hearty sandwich, which was literally designed to be hearty to feed hard-working laborers. Per the lore, the Cuban sandwich was invented not in Cuba but as a hearty lunchtime favorite of cigar factory workers in Key West, Tampa, and Ybor City during the mid-1800s. To keep some of the classic Cubano flavor in Brown's summertime turkey version, perhaps consider marinating the roasted turkey in the same mojo marinade used to flavor Cuban-style roast pork. Mojo is a vinaigrette-style mixture of sour orange juice, garlic, oregano, cumin, and olive oil.

From there, load up your marinated roasted turkey sammy in a classic Cubano style. To do it, stack the protein with Swiss cheese, sour dill pickles, and yellow mustard, all married between Cuban bread -- a white loaf made with lard-enriched dough for a slightly sweet taste and plush softness even when toasted. This ingredient can be found at your local Hispanic or Cuban bakery, but if there are none in your neighborhood, a soft Italian loaf totally works, too. To finish, be sure to press that turkey "Cuban club" in a hot panini press or beneath a large heated skillet for the signature warm, toasty finish that foodies love and expect from the classic sammy, even if it's a poultry-centric adaptation.

Read the original article on Tasting Table.
For some reason, cigars tend to turn up in a lot of famous aphorisms. There was "Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar" (Sigmund Freud), modified by Stephen King to "Sometimes a cigar is just a smoke," and before that Mark Twain's remark that "If heaven has no cigars, I shall not go there." Maybe the Surgeon General needs to cook up a few pithy comments of his own.

In any event, let's dispense with the cigar commentary and talk about their labeling. There's a lot to like about that.

Smoking tobacco has been around for centuries. It originated in the New World and no less an explorer than Christopher Columbus was among the first to witness it. He saw tobacco being cultivated in what now is Haiti and the Dominican Republic and eventually introduced its use to Europe. By the mid-19th century, cigars had become a standard means of smoking tobacco, and production moved from Hispaniola to Cuba. Demand boomed, and before long there were hundreds of factories rolling cigars and shipping them off to Europe.

Gilt-trimmed cigar box labels like this have become increasingly collectible.

As competition increased, the need arose for factories to distinguish their products from all the others.

During Cuba's battle for independence from Spain, many cigar makers relocated to Key West and later to Tampa. Thanks to cigars, Tampa by the late 1920s had become a thriving community with more than 10,000 residents engaged in that business. The peak came in 1929 when some 200 factories churned out nearly half a billion cigars. Thereafter, however, the decline was swift as the cigar industry began to embrace automation and the increasing popularity of cigarettes adversely affected demand. The final nail in the coffin came in 1962 with the embargo of Cuban tobacco by the United States.

Today, only one cigar factory in Tampa remains in operation.

It was during Tampa's heyday as the cigar-making capital of the world that the idea of glitzy box labels was introduced. Many were beautifully designed, often with gilt trimmings, and regularly featured historical figures, landmarks and patriotic themes. The latter were especially popular during the Spanish-American War in 1898, the irony of which was probably not lost on many. That a product made from tobacco grown in a Spanish colony was now trumpeting the colors of its opponent in war was an interesting twist in cigar marketing history. All the same, fancy labels continued to adorn boxes of cigars until Cuban tobacco was banished from import, but the expense of gilt printing and new types of packaging techniques largely put an end to their use.

Today, of course, most legal cigar tobacco comes once again from the island of Hispaniola where enormous plantations still thrive. The Dominican Republic is now the world's largest cigar producer with brands such as Arturo Fuente and Davidoff. Nicaragua is also on the rise as a major cigar producer, while Cuban brands such as Cohiba, Montecristo and Partagas remain the elite elsewhere in the world. As for cigar box labels, the Museum of Florida History has more than 1,500 examples in its assortment, and they are a sight to behold. Collectively it is one of the most elegant arrays of marketing artwork ever created. Many are easily viewed online.

Mike Rivkin and his wife, Linda, are long-time residents of Rancho Mirage. For many years, he was an award-winning catalogue publisher and has authored seven books, along with countless articles. Now, he's the owner of Antique Galleries of Palm Springs. His antiques column appears Sundays in The Desert Sun. Want to send Mike a question about antiques? Drop him a line at info@silverfishpress.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Antiques: Sometimes a label makes the cigar
Costco is known for its budget-friendly food court items. Where else can you purchase a huge slice of pizza for only $1.99? Well, it turns out that the store offers a more expensive pizza option as well. The grocer also sells a $90 3-pack of pizzas from the pizzeria chain Giordano's.

Now, you may be thinking, "$90? That is way too much money for three pizzas!" The cost averages out to $30 a pie. But these aren't just regular pizzas with crust, tomato sauce, and cheese. They are special pizzas of the Chicago deep-dish variety from a tried-and-tested brand, two of which have meaty toppings.

Deep-dish pizza is a staple in Chicago and tourists are often left looking for a way to take the savory dish home, as it is not as common in other places around the world. Giordano's is known for its take on this regional food and has been heralded as one of the best pizza spots. And being served from the freezer doesn't change a thing. Reviewers on the Costco website praise the pizza product for its strong flavor and crispy crust, and some even say that they have already ordered it for a second time. Curious to give this notorious pizza place a try? Here's everything you need to know about the chain and why the price at Costco is a good deal.

Read more: How Restaurant Steak Tricks Your Tastebuds

Giordano's Is A Chicago Staple Known For Deep Dish Pizza

Giordano's store front with red awning - Joe Hendrickson/Getty Images

When you step foot in Chicago, deep-dish pizza is only ever a few steps away. Given the food's popularity, there are several options for restaurants that serve the popular dish, but Giorando's comes recommended and carries a rich history in the city. The restaurant was founded in 1974, but the family recipe dates back over 200 years ago in northern Italy as a dish known as Italian Easter Pie. The meal is commonly served at the end of Lent and resembles a double-crusted quiche filled with cheese, meats, and eggs. However, the Giordano matriarch adjusted the recipe to resemble a pizza.

Doing so is quite simple. A Giordano's deep dish pizza starts with a high-sided thick and flakey crust. It is then stuffed with mozzarella cheese and any additional toppings. A second pie crust is layered on top, followed by a generous serving of pizza sauce. The restaurant also offers the lesser-known Chicago tavern-style pizza. Instead of being extra thick and stuffed with fillings, this pizza is served on a thin crust and is traditionally sliced into rectangles.

While Giordano's is most known for setting up shop in Illinois, where it has 46 locations, there are also a few other storefronts scattered throughout the United States. The pizzeria can be found in Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Nevada, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Ohio.

Why The $90 Trio At Costco Is A Steal

Giordano's frozen pepperoni pizza - Giordano's

Since we've established the notoriety of Giordano's, it's time to discuss Costco's deal. Deep-dish pizzas are huge and require more ingredients than traditional pizzas. The tall crust creates a two-to-three-inch wall for the toppings, which are piled high. Therefore, the dish tends to be more expensive than the average pie. Costco's $89.99 listing comes with three different 10" deep-dish stuffed pizzas from the pizzeria: a cheese pizza, a pepperoni pizza, and a sausage pizza. Now, if you were to purchase a trio from Giordano's website, it would set you back $109.99. Both Costco and the website offer free shipping, but there is still a $20 difference.

Costco is known for being budget-friendly, from its inexpensive but massive pies to its brand-name pantry items. The store also limits the variety they offer of each product to keep the price down, but Giordano's is different. When you purchase the trio from the store, you are locked into the three specific pizzas whereas when you purchase from the restaurant, you can customize your trio. That means anybody who is vegetarian can opt for three cheese pizzas or can spice up their variety with a spinach pizza. So, the price difference makes sense. And if you're not a picky eater, you can save big at Costco while still taking a beloved piece of Chicago home with you!

Read the original article on Chowhound.
While Barcelonas inhabitants spray visitors with water pistols and Venice charges them an entrance fee, in Greece tourists can still expect a warm welcome. That said, there are growing signs of disgruntlement. The beach towel movement has seen seafront protests motivated by the lack of space on the sand for locals. A few spats have occurred in Athens over short-term lets driving up rents. The perennially overcrowded Santorini and Mykonos are mulling over restrictions on cruises.

Given that tourism contributed 42.7 billion (36.2 billion) to the countrys GDP in 2023 and employs a quarter of the workforce, its hardly surprising that Greece is reluctant to kill its golden goose. But its not just about money: the countrys deep-rooted tradition of filoxenia (a love of strangers) is still astoundingly resilient, a fact that was clearly demonstrated during last years Rhodes wildfires, when locals turned out in their thousands to help stranded tourists. We cant not help someone who is in need  it is just not possible for us, taxi driver Giorgos, an islander who helped move dozens of tourists to safety, told me.

Travel writer Patrick Leigh Fermor played a prominent role in the Cretan resistance  and his role hasn't been forgotten

Greeks also have long memories when it comes to past conflicts: O Vyronas (Lord Byron), who gave his life for the Greek Revolution in 1824, is still remembered fondly throughout the country, and Cretans often reminisce about the derring-do of Patrick Leigh Fermor, who helped rally the islands resistance during the Second World War. We have always liked the British  like them, we believe in tradition, says Dimitris Stavropoulos, the director of the non-profit organisation Hermoupolis Heritage, on the island of Syros.

However, the warm welcome wont last long if you dont respect a few important rules. Here are my pointers.

Dont be obnoxious

In the 1950s novel The Ugly American by Eugene Burdick and William Lederer, the term Ugly American is used to describe US citizens behaving obnoxiously in south-east Asia: A mysterious change seems to come over Americans when they go to a foreign land. They isolate themselves socially. They live pretentiously. They are loud and ostentatious.

Its counterpart, the Ugly Briton, would be the one who bawls out to friends in the street, instead of waiting to be close enough to chat; who eats food in a taxi or drinks beer in the street; who wanders around bare-chested or clad in a skimpy bikini in busy town centres or takes endless selfies in popular spots. Want to be loved by Greeks? Dont be the Ugly Briton.

Learn a few words of Greek

English may be the European Unions first language, but Greeks swear it should be theirs. Everything comes from Greek, even OK  which is shorthand for ola kala, which means all OK, one friend argued (though his etymological theory isnt widely supported). You might not want to adopt Greek as your own official language but if you make the effort to learn certain key words and phrases  kalimera (good day); kalispera (good evening); efcharisto (thank you); parakalo (please)  Greeks will appreciate it.

Dress decently for church

According to a recent Global Consumer Survey by Statista, 45 per cent of Britons identify as atheists or non-religious. In Greece, however, where 98 per cent of residents adhere to the Greek Orthodox faith, respect for all things religious is paramount. Covering up in churches and monasteries is a must. Both men and women should conceal bare arms with a shirt or shawl; women should also wear a long skirt to cover their knees. Going behind the altar in a church  even when its empty (and especially if you are a woman)  is also a big no-no, and if you feel the urge to mimic locals and kiss the icons, never kiss them on the face.

Tip, tip, tip

Most hospitality workers receive around 780 (660) per month, which is close to the minimum wage in Greece for 2024. According to a recent report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, however, Greece is the fourth-most expensive country worldwide in terms of food prices, with 26 per cent of the population facing the risk of poverty, according to the Hellenic Statistical Authority. Many Greeks have two jobs and work 14- to 16-hour days in season just to make ends meet. A tip  even if its only a couple of euros  makes a huge difference.

Leaving a tip for hospitality workers is always appreciated

Get off the beaten track

Over-tourism is understandably a major peeve in certain Greek destinations during the summer months, and Santorinis inhabitants are still fuming at local politician Panos Kavalariss recent tweet calling for residents to restrict their movements in order to leave space for cruise ship passengers. Although youre unlikely to meet with any outright hostility in Santorini, Mykonos and other heavily touristed areas, youll be sure of a much warmer welcome if you visit smaller islands in lesser-visited island chains, such as the Dodecanese. Better still, travel to Greece out of season  in April and May or September and October  when there are far fewer crowds and prices for food and accommodation are generally lower.

Give up smoking

This last one might sound like a joke, but the current flurry of fires, some of which are thought to have been caused by careless tourists (and Greeks) flicking their still-burning cigarettes from car windows, are no laughing matter. With the huge fire in Attica a couple of weeks ago that scorched 100,000 acres of forest and destroyed more than 100 homes, along with the extensive Rhodes blazes last year, Greece is on red alert when it comes to wildfires. Want to show that you care? Avoid lighting barbecues, leaving candles burning or putting cigarette butts anywhere but in an ashtray, especially during the scorching summer season.

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A community in Texas stepped up to help six abandoned Golden Retriever puppies and were able to change lives in record time.

On August 21, 2024, Nueces County, Texas, shared that their anima service officers had found six abandoned Golden Retriever puppies at the beach. Here's what happened.

Nueces County Animal Services praised the "power of community" as "amazing" after taking quick action to help abandoned puppies in their area.

Related: Formerly Abandoned Dog Has Most Touching Reaction to Picking Human Sister Up From School

"Our office received a report for puppies that had been found by Coastal Parks in a very remote area of the beach," the animal services team shared on Facebook. It didn't take long for "multiple Nueces County employees" to "immediately" jump into action to help the dogs.

According to the social posts from both animal services and Nueces County, they believe the dogs to be around "3-4 months old" and are all Golden Retrievers. "They look healthy, and there are 6 of them," the announcement explained, including several photos of the little but healthy-looking pups.

According to 3News, Scott Crass, a coastal parks director at Nueces County, explained that it took less than four hours for the dogs, which were found abandoned on the beach, to find new homes.

The Nueces County Animal Services confirmed this in their social post, noting that "several puppies found homes before our Officers arrived, and the remaining puppies have been brought into our shelter have all received adoption applications with their new families eager for them to come home when they complete their stray holds."

Nueces County Animal Services took time to thank the community for all they did, noting that the community rallying around the small Golden Retriever puppies was incredible.

"THANK YOU to all who shared posts, called, and helped find homes for these pups," they shared on Facebook. "We have closed applications for these pups, but we have plenty of other shelter pets who still need homes," they added.

The social share also asked people to share any information they may have had about "how the puppies ended up on such a rural part of the beach," but in a new update, they shared that the person responsible has been found.

"The person who abandoned the puppies has been identified, according to Animal Services officials," 3News reported.

What Should You Do If You Come Across an Abandoned Puppy?

According to the British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (BC SPCA), if it's safe to approach the dog, the first thing you should if you come across puppies who have been abandoned is to look for identification, such as a collar or ID tag.

"A collar or tag may have the animals home number or address. For dogs, some tags are municipal licenses and may not have the guardians contact information," the agency writes.

From there, you should follow the same script as the animal shelter: post to social media.

"Post to social media: Take a quality photo of the animal and circulate it on your Facebook or [X] networks with the location in which it was found," the BC SPCA suggests. "Encourage your friends to share the photo on their page."

While you're doing all that, you should contact your local animal service organization, such as the Humane Society or SPCA animal shelter.
Although there's so much coffee on the market today, many of us still lump it into two broad categories: the cheap stuff and the expensive stuff. This can leave you wondering how cheap coffee and expensive coffee compare to one another and which one you should buy. Many of us are still trying to figure out whether it's worth spending top dollar on coffee beans or if we should just buy whatever's available for the lowest price at the supermarket.

As an experienced food and drink writer, as well as a former barista, I'm well-versed in coffee. However, I'm aware that I don't know everything about coffee, so I wanted to consult some experts in the field. To that end, I spoke to four authorities on coffee, including roasters and other industry professionals. I picked their brains about the many factors that affect the price of coffee and what this means in real world terms.

This helped me to uncover the real difference between cheap and expensive coffee in taste, bean type, processing methods, origins, growing practices, and more. I'm ready to give you the lowdown on the similarities and differences between pricy beans and ones that cost next to nothing. Of course, we'll also finish it all up with expert opinions on which sort of coffee you should actually buy. There are all kinds of coffee mistakes you might be making, but with our help, you don't have to let choosing the wrong beans be one of them.

Read more: How To Get More Flavor From Your Coffee Pods & Other Keurig Hacks

Cheap Coffee Is Often Made Using Robusta Beans

coffee beans in sack - Ricardo Mendoza Garbayo/Getty Images

There are two main types of coffee beans: robusta and arabica. Robusta beans cost less to buy and produce, so cheap coffee is often 100% robusta or a blend of robusta and arabica. Expensive coffee, on the other hand, is almost always pure arabica. But what does this really mean for your cup of joe?

"Arabica beans have a sweeter, smoother taste and a more sophisticated flavor than other cultivars," Maria Caceres, owner of The Coffee Temple, tells us. "They will often bear fruity and chocolate-y notes." Robusta beans, meanwhile, don't have such a great flavor. "Their taste would be characterized as strong and harsh, ranging more toward the parameters of earthy or bitter, with some comparing it to charred rubber," Caceres says. For many, it's preferable to choose arabica beans, even if they come at a higher price.

Matt Lounsbury, president of Proud Mary Coffee USA, explains that it's not just the taste that makes robusta beans cheaper. "Robusta, as a species, is more productive and disease resistant, when compared to arabica," he notes. "Smaller yields and greater susceptibility to disease results in a higher cost of production for most producers growing arabica." This also means that robusta beans are cheaper for importers, roasteries, and coffee companies to buy, another way in which they usually find their way into cheap coffee.

Expensive Coffee May Come From Pricier Growing Regions

coffee cherries on tree - Pramote Polyamate/Getty Images

Shonali Paul, founder of Paul John Indian Caffeine Company explains that the reason coffee is pricier from some areas is "because of the reputation of an origin, in that their practices and consistency of coffee quality has been good."

But it might not just be the country that makes a difference in the price; sometimes, this can be specific to smaller regions. "The highest quality coffee beans are produced in special microclimates within larger growing regions of Central and South America, Africa, and Asia/Indonesia," notes Brian Abernathy, master roaster at Grumpy Goat Coffee Company. For instance, some of the most expensive coffee comes from parts of Jamaica and Panama.

The area of a bean's origins might bump up their price, but it can also affect the flavor. Ethiopia is known for producing coffee with fruity, floral notes and high acidity. South American coffee beans, on the whole, have lower acidity with more chocolatey, nutty, and caramel-like notes. However, it's important to remember that all of this can vary a lot between countries and smaller regions.

Cheap Coffee Is More Likely To Be Grown At A Low Altitude

coffee plants at high altitude - Douglas Rissing/Getty Images

Another factor in the price of coffee is the altitude at which it's grown, which affects growing conditions and logistics. Ultimately, it is more expensive to grow coffee at higher altitudes, though these environmental conditions will also affect flavor.

"At higher altitudes, there is a greater difference between daytime and nighttime temperature," Matt Lounsbury tells us. "Cooler temperatures cause the trees to mature more slowly, extending the time between planting and harvest. When the trees do begin to produce fruit, they do so in smaller quantities (when compared to lower altitudes), and the fruit takes longer to mature and ripen." He notes that it's also tougher to get people up the mountain to harvest the coffee. All these factors increase the cost of production that farmers face, bumping up the prices.

So, high altitude coffee costs more, but does it taste better? Maria Caceres says that it makes a difference to coffee quality, as altitude is definitely one of the factors that affects how coffee tastes. "The varieties of beans grown at higher altitudes have a slower growth rate," she says. "This ends up giving a more complex flavor and beans that are denser."

Expensive Coffee Can Mean Growers Who Put More Care And Attention Into The Process

coffee farmerpicking fruits - SALMONNEGRO-STOCK/Shutterstock

If you pay more for coffee, it's likely that the producers put more care, attention, and expertise into growing it. Coffee is a tricky crop to grow well, with a range of factors that go into producing the highest quality beans. Meanwhile, some farmers just want to put out a high-yield crop without much attention to quality. These kinds of beans are often the ones you'll be able to buy cheaply, while pricier ones have been grown with far more consideration.

"Normally those expensive varieties are grown with more care and skill," Maria Caceres says. "In general, high-end coffee requires careful farming, right from selection of the best coffee cherries to ideal conditions for growing," she explains. Growers can't just plant any kind of coffee in any location and hope for the best. For prime results, they need to grow the correct types of beans for the area they're working in, then cultivate plants with skill.

"This process produces beans that are really better in quality and actually justifies the added cost," says Caceres. "Not only that, but these beans are actually picked at the peak of their ripeness, and this fact adds to the difference in flavor." It's like the difference between buying heirloom tomatoes from a farmer's market and any old ones from the supermarket produce aisle.

When Coffee Is Cheap, Poor Pay And Unfair Labor Practices May Be Involved

supermarket coffee aisle - TY Lim/Shutterstock

The cost of living seems to be ever increasing and so we understand wanting to save money on your grocery bill. But when coffee is cheap, the harsh truth is that someone has probably been exploited along the way. These include coffee estate owners being paid unfairly for their beans to poor labor practices that affect workers on these farms.

"It's a pretty good rule of thumb to assume that really cheap coffee to the consumer means that growers might not have received a good price," says Matt Lounsbury. "Generally, cost of labor, along with heaps of other increasing costs of producing coffee are factors in what coffee should cost." However, he notes that, all too often, these details aren't reflected in the cost of coffee to the consumer and speak to corners that have been cut.

Maria Caceres believes that low prices are usually the result of practices that prioritize minimizing costs instead of paying producers reasonable prices, treating them and workers fairly, or adopting sustainable farming practices. "Labor conditions have a large impact on coffee prices," Caceres tells us. "Fair trade, direct trade, and ethically sourced coffee often comes with a higher price to ensure the farmer is paid correctly for work."

Expensive Coffee May Have Been Roasted In Small Batches By A Specialty Producer

person working in coffee roastery - DG FotoStock/Shutterstock

Expensive coffee often comes from independent specialty producers and is roasted in small batches. These producers tend to go into the industry because of a passion for coffee and truly care about the quality of the beans they sell. On the other hand, cheap coffee often comes from large corporations that care more about making coffee that's just good enough that people will continue buying it.

"Buyers can expect a higher degree of expertise from small roasters as they are taking extra care into sourcing high quality green coffee beans and are roasting in smaller batches to ensure freshness," says master roaster Brian Abernathy. "Small roasters also have a higher degree of control over the roasting process, which can result in much better tasting coffee."

"Most of the small roasteries are quality-, freshness-, and precision-oriented," says Maria Caceres, who agrees that smaller roasters can pay greater attention to detail. "The roast profile will generally be tweaked to get the best out of each given bean type," she notes. Caceres also praises the expertise of small roasters and says they're "more transparent about where they source and, hence, ethical." She admits that this all means you can expect a higher price tag, though.

Cheap Coffee Is More Likely To Be A Blend

cup of espresso and beans - Alexraths/Getty Images

Cheap coffee is more likely to be a blend, while more expensive coffee is likely to be what's called single-estate or single-origin. But what's the difference between a blend and single-origin, not to mention between single-origin and single estate  and what difference does it make to your brew?

"Single-origin coffee is from one country or region and represents the local taste profile, while single-estate coffee represents beans from a specific farm or estate and is inclined to manifest the peculiarities of the place," explains Maria Caceres. If a farm produces exceptional coffee, then single-estate beans can be amazing. But, while blends have gotten a bit of a bad rep, single-estate doesn't necessarily mean the coffee is better. "Blends involve beans that are mixed from different regions or farms to strike a balance in flavor," Caceres continues. "Blends are relatively cheap because they can be made from high-quality beans blended with more affordable beans to bring down the average cost."

A blend doesn't necessarily have to be a bad thing. "The great thing about blends is that the result can often be greater than the sum of its parts. Blending coffees together can often create a product that tastes better than any of the components individually," says Matt Lounsbury. "But yes, blends tend to be cheaper."

You Can Expect A Better Flavor Overall From Expensive Coffee

person enjoying cup of coffee - Tom Werner/Getty Images

When you splash out for coffee, are you going to notice the difference or will you be disappointed? To many, expensive coffee just objectively tastes better. It's just in a different league compared to cheap coffee produced by big corporations.

"Generally, the more expensive the coffee is, the better it tastes," says Maria Caceres. "This is due to superior beans, processed with great care, and roasted by masters," She explains that you can expect flavors that are subtle and more complex, with a smoother finish and fewer bitter notes. "Expensive coffee brings out certain tastes of fruit, chocolate, or flower undernotes, while cheaper coffee may have some sort of generic flavor that is one-dimensional in nature."

However, it's worth noting that coffee is a bit like wine  what you like will be highly individual. If you buy a coffee with high acidity and fruity notes but you're a fan of richer, more chocolatey coffees, you might not like it even if it comes from a high-end brand. That's why it's also worth figuring out what tasting notes, roast levels, regions, and processing methods you prefer in a coffee.

If Coffee Is Cheap, It May Have Been Processed Using A More Cost-Effective Method

coffee drying in sun - Eric Isselee/Shutterstock

After coffee fruits, known as cherries, are picked, they can be processed in a variety of ways to remove the flesh and leave the beans behind. Some methods are more cost-effective than others, meaning pricier methods will produce more expensive coffee. However, it doesn't necessarily follow that beans processed using a cost-effective method are cheap, as other factors readily come into play. "Processing method can play a small role in the price of the coffee," remarks Brian Abernathy. "However, the quality of the coffee that is being processed is a more significant factor."

"More labor and more resources come into play with washed, or wet, processing," Maria Caceres explains. In washed processing, the coffee cherry is removed from the bean within a few days of being picked. Then, the beans are washed before the drying process begins. This resource-intensive method thereby increases the price.

In natural processing, the beans are left to dry with the fruit intact. Caceres notes this can bring out complex, fruity flavors. Because the process is simpler, the resulting coffee tends to be cheaper.

Supply And Demand Affects Coffee Prices

sacks of green coffee beans - Edwin Remsberg/Getty Images

The price of coffee doesn't just come down to quality. There's the issue of supply to consider, as when certain types of coffee are scarce, they can demand a higher price. "Supply is a factor in coffee pricing," Brian Abernathy tells us. "For example, Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee costs more because of the small supply that comes off the island." Certain other coffees can be quite rare, because it can only grow in small, specific regions or because it's crafted in a way that produces a small yield.

Then, there's demand, which means there must be a market for the coffee. In other words, just because there's a scarcity of something doesn't mean it can fetch a high price. It must be sought-after. Fluctuations in supply and demand can cause rises and falls in the price of coffee. "Coffee prices change constantly, based off of supply and demand," explains Shonali Paul.

Cheap Coffee May Have Been Roasted Long Ago

coffee being roasted - Skaman306/Getty Images

While there isn't a direct correlation between how recently coffee was roasted and its price, specialty coffee is likely to be freshly roasted and therefore on the pricier side. On the other hand, coffee sold by large corporations may have been roasted some time ago. These types of beans are usually cheaper.

"Most roasting companies that are dedicated to sourcing the best coffees they can find," says Matt Lounsbury. These companies "will only really sell coffees a few days off roast." Maria Caceres agrees. "More expensive coffee  smaller roasters  will almost certainly be fresher than less expensive supermarket blends," she says.

But why does the freshness of the roast matter? "The closer to the roast date that you consume the coffee the better tasting it will be," explains Shonali Paul. "There is a rest period after coffee is roasted which is generally around 3 to 7 days to let the negative combustion gasses come out of the roasted beans." According to Caceres, "The flavors in fresher roasts are livelier, and the fragrance is stronger, too [...] Coffee loses flavor over time while sitting on a shelf because it oxidizes, so the fresher, the better." That's why using old coffee beans is a bad idea.

Should You Buy Cheap Or Expensive Coffee?

person scooping coffee from bulk bins - puhhha/Shutterstock

Now that you know more about the difference between cheap coffee and expensive coffee, which should you buy? While there are some products on the market where the difference between cheap and expensive versions are negligible, but coffee isn't one of them. As our experts have explained, there's a real and noticeable difference in quality between budget beans and their costly counterparts.

However, which one you should buy is up to you. "This will really depend on what matters to you in your coffee experience," says Maria Caceres. "If nuanced flavor, ethical sourcing, and supporting small producers is something you appreciate, then paying a premium is often worth it. Expensive coffee will give you a more pleasurable, complex, and satisfying cup."

Personally, coffee is one of the things I never feel bad about splurging on, because the difference is huge and I'm fussy about what I like. But not everyone is as picky. "If you only need a quick shot to pep yourself up and are really not particular about the flavor or origin of the bean, cheaper options may do," continues Caceres. "After all, it boils down to personal preference and priorities."

If you want the best-tasting coffee, be prepared to fork out a decent amount for coffee from a small roastery or artisan third-wave producer. But, if you can't tell the difference  or honestly don't care  go ahead and save your money.

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The Redditor estimated the cost to be around $4,000 for the ones she was interested in (Getty Images)

People online defended one girlfriend after her boyfriend refused to buy her a lab-cut diamond engagement ring.

In a recent post on Reddits Am I The A**hole, a frustrated woman opened up about her predicament, admitting her proposal wishes havent lined up with her partners.

The Redditor admitted she and her boyfriend have been discussing their future engagement and getting married. With that, the conversation has focused a lot on her engagement ring. While she appreciates a traditional lab diamond, her boyfriend doesnt believe the makeup of the ring matters.

He doesnt believe rings hold any value and thinks its silly to spend money on lab diamonds or gold, she explained.

Still, her original wish was to receive a ring from a reputable jeweler. Of course, her boyfriend thought the prices of these rings were too high. She estimated the cost to be around $4,000 for the ones she was interested in.

The Reddit user said: We went back and forth for a while and I looked into other options that were cheaper (~$2k) and he said he was still opposed to that much and had a budget of $600.

This budget is artificially imposed because he doesnt believe in rings rather than because he cant afford it, she added.

In addition to his distaste for the price of the diamond rings she wants, her boyfriend believes he should get a material gift of the same value.

She noted: He was also against the principle that rings are a one way street where the man is required to buy something expensive and theres no reciprocity which is fair.

Their compromise was that she would get him a gift if she got a ring from him. When the Reddit user finally found a ring she liked, she asked her boyfriend if their compromise still worked for him. Unfortunately, it didnt.

According to the Reddit writer, her boyfriend backed out, questioning why she needed a lab diamond again.

Essentially (he) told me that he doesnt understand why getting a diamond (lab) ring is so important to me and why I cant just get a $100 moissanite ring that would look similar and that we can use the rest of the ring budget for something else, she confessed.

At this point, the Redditor wants to buy herself the ring she wants so she doesnt end up unhappy with a style her boyfriend settles on.

Wondering if she was being unreasonable, the writer asked readers for their opinion, and an overwhelming majority supported her.

One reader remarked: I say this as a woman who doesnt like jewelry. This is not about the ring. This is about him refusing to bend in the slightest over something that is important to you.

I agree with your bf but the ring itself isnt your issue. You guys arent able to resolve this difference of opinion about something that clearly matters a lot to both of you, another added.

A third noted: The ring has no value to him, but it does to you. Because it is important to you, that should be important to him. When you become partners, each others wants and needs should be prioritized with the other.

You get to feel how you want to feel, one person simply said.
Located off Irelands western coast, 28 nautical miles from Galway, Inis Meain (pronounced IN-ish MAAN) isnt the sort of place you stumble upon by accident. Nor is it where youd expect to find a state-of-the-art operation producing some of the most covetableand frequently copiedsweaters on the market.

Founder Tarlach de Blacam didnt come here to make crewnecks. A scholar of Irish and Celtic languages at Trinity College in Dublin, he arrived in the late 1960s to improve his fluency and wound up marrying a local, Aine Ni Chonghaile. In 1976, to make a living in a bleak economic climate, the couple set up a knitting cooperative.

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Ireland was about 50 years behind the rest of the world, and this island was about 50 years behind Ireland, says the de Blacams son, Ruairi, the companys managing director. What it did have was plenty of talent skilled at making Aran sweaters, named for the trio of isles in Galway Bay. Once largely utilitarian, the distinctive ivory cable knits were traditionally made here from undyed sheeps wool, densely woven to protect fishermen from the elements. At the time, cheap versions were flooding tourist shops in Cork and Dublin, crowding out the real deal. Inis Meain reclaimed the islands heritage and ensured that a generation of craftspeople wouldnt have to leave home to find work.

Among the firms most striking designs was a riff on the classic Aran that used plaited, colorful two-tone yarnsthe better to highlight the patterns twisted-rope motif. Imitators abounded, prompting the de Blacams to apply for a patent, which was granted in 1999, though even that couldnt prevent a knockoff from surfacing at the biannual Italian menswear trade show Pitti Uomo in 2004. It wasnt long until the Patented Aran earned a permanent place in Irelands National Museum.

Though the company has never shied away from using technology to enhance its capabilities, it has stuck to small-batch production. Our scale is ridiculous, says Ruairi. As in ridiculously small. Tight supply, along with palatable pricingthe most expensive design, a cashmere zip-up, goes for about $975means these pieces are notorious for selling out quickly. So when you see an Inis Meain knit you like, such as the Patented Aran here and on the following pages, grab it.

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1. Landscape Inspiration

1. Landscape Inspiration

The company has long drawn inspiration from naturea particularly striking sunrise might result in five or six colors of yarn that inform the collection. Were on an island surrounded by blue seas, blue sky, and gray limestone rock, says Ruairi, so plum, orange, and red versions are common.

2. Combining Old and New

2. Combining Old and New

Referencing archival imagery of traditional garments and weaving techniques is an essential part of the design process. Still, the firm embraces the latest technology to guarantee consistency in its items and speed up production. Whereas hand knits will vary slightly according to each knitters approach, the machines standardize the tension, resulting in a far more predictable outcome.

3. Pattern Modification

3. Pattern Modification

Many newfangled commercial knitting systems come preloaded with patterns, which plenty of other companies are happy to use. We try to manipulate the machines to our own unique way of doing things, says Marie-Therese de Blacam, Ruairis wife and the companys head of marketing. Inis Meain programs the machines to follow its own proprietary designs, which are informed by historic precedent.

4. Color Choice

4. Color Choice

The wool in this sweater comes from Italy, where a yarn spinner translates the desired color palette into spools. The Patented Aran requires six cones of wool, so the machine setup alone can take an hour.

5. Two-tone Effect

5. Two-tone Effect

Due to the complexity of the plaited Aran pattern, multiple machines are needed to achieve the signature two-tone effect across the sweaters front, back, sleeves, and trim.

6. Dual Effort

6. Dual Effort

A circular linking machine holds the sweaters sections together while a worker aligns the pieces stitch by stitch, creating a clean line. Its quite intensive in terms of the hand skills required for the cables to match up perfectly, says Marie-Therese.

7. Observance

7. Observance

The sweater is placed onto an illuminated form, allowing workers to easily identify and repair any holes, snags, or other irregularities.

8. Wash and Felting

8. Wash and Felting

The company knits with unwashed yarns, so the finished product is sent through highly specialized washers (using purified water) before its dried, enabling the natural felting process, which condenses the fibers. This transition from a loose to a tight knitthe garments emerge from the dryers at half their original sizehelps them keep their shape.

9. Edge Smoothing

9. Edge Smoothing

The sweater is steamed by hand to smooth and flatten the hems and linked edges. Steaming also prepares the surface for the addition of the brands label, which is sewn on by hand.

10. Final Measuring

10. Final Measuring

Though specific sizing is programmed at the outset and the washing process has been distilled to a science, the team, charmingly, still relies on a good old-fashioned tape to check that each sweater measures up.
Im a doctor  this is what you should do if you start choking on food

Following last week's death of Olympic cyclist Daniela Larreal Chirinos, a doctor is sharing exactly what to do if you're alone and start to choke while eating.

Venezuelan five-time Olympic cyclistDaniela Larreal Chirinos died last week in her Las Vegas home after reportedly choking on food. She was 51 years old.

There were around 5,500 choking deaths in the US in 2022, research shows, with the elderly and young children being most at risk. Now, an Ohio-based ear, nose and throat surgeon is sharing exactly what to do if youre alone and start to choke while eating.

Five-time Olympic cyclist Daniela Larreal Chirinos was reportedly found dead days after she failed to show up to her hotel job in Las Vegas. Getty Images

Save this post right now, because it may come in handy if, God forbid, you ever find yourself in that situation, Dr. Tonia L. Farmer, who goes by Dr. Nose Best, said in a TikTok this week with more than 4.5 million views.

She advises calling 911, coughing really hard and performing the Heimlich maneuver on yourself.

Call 911

Even if you cannot talk, I still want you to call 911, Farmer advised. Put that phone down, keep that line open. The operator is going to know that you need help, and theyre going to send help.

Cough as hard as you can

If you can talk or you can cough, that means that there is not a complete obstruction, and some air is still moving, Farmer explained. So try to cough as hard as you can and see if you can get that food to fly out.

Dr. Tonia L. Farmer demonstrates how to thrust your abdomen against a countertop if you find yourself choking on food. Tiktok / drnosebest

Perform the Heimlich maneuver on yourself

If that doesnt work, if you cant cough at all, no air is moving, youre going to perform the Heimlich maneuver just like you would on somebody else, Farmer said. And theres two ways that you can do that.

The first is by thrusting your abdomen onto a chair or against a countertop to try to expel the food.

You want to make sure that the chair that you are using does not have any sharp edges because you dont want to cut into your abdomen, Farmer added. You dont want to cause any internal injury.

If that doesnt work, make a fist and thrust it into the middle of your abdomen, underneath the rib cage, just like you would on someone else, Farmer said.

If a countertop or chair doesnt work, try making a fist and shoving it into the middle of your abdomen to dislodge the food. Tiktok / drnosebest

She advises seeking medical help even if you successfully dislodged the food.

You can call 911 again, if they didnt come already. You can now call a family member or a friend to help you, Farmer counseled. But you want to get to the hospital, you want to seek medical help, because there could be some damage or injury in your throat, or even [to] your internal organs and abdomen, depending on how hard you had to thrust.

The Mayo Clinic also recommends bending over a hard surface such as a countertop or chair.

If that doesnt work, place a fist slightly above your navel, grasp the fist with your other hand and shove the fist inward and upward.
1 Hospitalized and arrested after crash on the Merritt Parkway

WESTPORT, Conn. (WTNH)  One person was hospitalized and then arrested following a crash on the Merritt Parkway near Westport Sunday afternoon.

Connecticut State Police were investigating an accident that happened near the Clinton Avenue overpass Saturday in which three individuals exited one of the cars and fled the scene.

StatePolice confirmed that the vehicle involved in the accident was stolen from another jurisdiction. At 1:50 p.m. they contacted Westport and Norwalk Police who were able to apprehend one of the suspects quickly.

The suspect was suffering from injuries they received in the accident and they were transported to Norwalk Hospital.

Westport deployed drone and K9 units but were unable to locate the other two suspects.

Anyone who may have observed the accident or any suspicious activity in the area is encouraged to contact Westport Police at 203-341-6000.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
10-foot python found in car after police chase from Vallejo sideshow

(KRON)  In an escape from the police, a reptile owner left their 10-foot python in a vehicle, according to the Vallejo Police Department.

The Vallejo Police Department projected around 500 participating vehicles in a sideshow on the Mare Island Way and Harbor Way intersection on Friday night. The spectators and participants were reportedly blocking traffic, said police.

VPD was dispatched to the sideshow at 11:12 p.m. Multiple agencies responded to the sideshow, according to VPD.

Police car struck in massive Richmond sideshow

The California Highway Patrol Air Operations Unit noticed that multiple occupants of a 2007 Cadillac CT6 were pointing lasers inside their flight deck as they were performing donuts in the street. The occupants were also beaming the laser in Vallejo officers eyes, according to VPD.

An officer with the 10-foot python. Image provided by the Vallejo Police Department

Image provided by the Vallejo Police Department

Vallejo police officers attempted to stop the Cadillac, however, the driver did not comply. The pursuit ended in Hercules, where all four suspects fled on foot.

Police said they located a 10-foot python inside the sedan.

Multiple agencies assisted in the apprehension of all the suspects. According to VPD, the driver was arrested on several charges, including felony evading. The three passengers received misdemeanor citations and were released from the scene, police said.

The Cadillac was towed. Vallejo PD said the python was returned to its criminally charged owner.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRON4.
PLAINVILLE, Mass. (WPRI)  A Massachusetts man is accused of drunkenly driving a stolen vehicle and causing a crash that killed a 10-year-old boy.

Michael Escolas, 42, of Oxford, was arrested following the crash Saturday night on Route 1 in Plainville.

Massachusetts State Police said Escolas allegedly stole a Vermont couples Jeep from the Gillette Stadium parking lot around 8:30 p.m. and sped off down Route 1 South.

A short time later, he rear-ended a car stopped at a red light at the I-495 intersection, according to police. That collision led to three other vehicles getting involved in the crash.

Police said there was a family of six inside the car. They were all brought to the hospital where one of the children, a 10-year-old boy, died from his injuries.

Escolas will be arraigned Monday on charges including motor vehicle manslaughter while OUI and larceny of a motor vehicle.

NEXT: 20-year-old man dead in Woonsocket motorcycle crash

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WPRI.com.
Two boys have been charged in the May drowning death of 8-year-old Noah Bush in Jesup, Georgia.

WSBTV reports, citing lawyers, that an unnamed 11-year-old admitted to taking Bush down to a borrow pit full of water and held his head under the water while he drowned. The boy was charged and sentenced to two years in a detention facility.

This 11-year-old admitted under oath he, in fact, led Noah Bush down to the clay pits, pushed him into the water and ultimately held his head under the water until he drowned, family attorney Francys Johnson told WSBTV.

The outlet reports that another unnamed boy, aged 10, received a two-year sentence of confinement for his role in concealing the death and for trespassing. Both boys received the maximum sentences for juveniles and were sentenced in July.

Family Demands Justice After Drowning of 8-Year-Old Black Boy

My baby was 8 years old with a full life ahead of him, Bushs mother, Demetrice Bush, told WJCL. And two years is what the state of Georgia calls justice for an entire life thats lost. Bush added in a GoFundMe that her son was a vibrant young man, full of life not yet lived.

The family maintains that the crime was racially motivated and is working with lawyers from Davis Bozeman Johnson Law to keep the case moving forward.

This is not the end, said attorney Mawuli Mel Davis told WJCL. The adults who were involved, who helped mislead this family, must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law as well.

Bush initially went missing on May 15 before his body was found in the borrow pits the next day. Police at the time did not suspect foul play.

A GoFundMe, started by Bushs teacher Gracie Yoder, raised over $14,500 to give to the family for funeral and other expenses.

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EL PASO, Texas (KTSM)  Border Patrol agents working in the Las Cruces area found and rescued 15 migrants from a stash house recently, according to the Border Patrols El Paso Sector Chief Anthony Scott Good on his X account.

The Border Patrols Las Cruces Anti-Smuggling Unit worked with New Mexico State Police and the Dona Ana County Sheriffs Office during the operation. Good did not say where the stash house was or when this operation happened. He also did not say if any arrests were made.

Smugglers carelessly force, extort & overcrowd migrants inside houses, Good said in his tweet.

So far in Fiscal Year 2024, 244 stash houses have been found with 2,389 apprehensions in the El Paso Sector, which includes all of New Mexico, Good said on X.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
MERCER COUNTY, Ky. (FOX 56)  Police carried out a search warrant at a home on Oregon Road outside of Salvisa on Sunday, but officers didnt expect to find what was also inside.

The Harrodsburg Police Department posted on Facebook Sunday that officers went to a home in the area of Oregon Road in Harrodsburg in connection with a lengthy investigation.

2 charged in connection with investigation into multiple Laurel County burglaries

Harrodsburg police said when officers went into the Oregon Road home, a large quantity of crystal methamphetamine was located along with related paraphernalia and US currency.

Harrodsburg Police found a large quantity of crystal methamphetamine was located along with related paraphernalia and US currency, as well as numerous animals were found on the property not being properly cared for and living in deplorable conditions during a search of a home in the area of Oregon Road outside of Salvisa on Sunday.

This embedded content is not available in your region.

In addition to the illegal drugs authorities reportedly found in the home, officers said that numerous animals were found on the property not being properly cared for and living in deplorable conditions.

Police said the drug investigation as well as a separate investigation into the welfare of the animals found in the home are both currently underway.

LATEST KENTUCKY NEWS:

Gabriella Follmer, 52, was lodged in the Boyle County Detention Center on Sunday. (Harrodsburg Police Department)

Kenneth Brawner, 47, was lodged in the Boyle County Detention Center on Sunday. (Harrodsburg Police Department)

The Harrodsburg Police Department said 47-year-old Kenneth Brawner was arrested and charged with trafficking methamphetamine  second offense or greater, as well as 33 counts of cruelty to animals, and torture of a dog or cat. 52-year-old Gabriella Follmer was arrested and charged with second-degree cruelty to animals, torture of a dog or cat, first-degree possession of fentanyl, and complicity in trafficking methamphetamine.

Brawner and Follmer were both lodged at the Boyle County Detention Center.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 56 News.
SAN JOSE, Calif. (KRON)  The San Jose Fire Department responded to a two-alarm residential fire that killed two pets, hospitalized a firefighter, and displaced over a dozen residents on Saturday afternoon.

1 dead, 1 in critical condition after 2 shootings at Vallejo sideshow

SJFD responded to reports of a multi-unit townhouse fire on the 2800 block of Cicero Way in East San Jose at about 2:49 p.m. Traffic was impacted, and drivers were asked to avoid the area.

Photo: SJFD

Photo: SJFD

Fire crews said both units in the complex caught fire. Adjacent buildings were also evacuated as a precaution.

One firefighter was injured after his ears and face were burned. SJFD said the firefighter was sent to a nearby hospital and that he is expected to survive.

At 5:15 p.m., San Jose fire crews said 14 displaced residents, including six adults and eight children. SJFD said residents are getting help from the Red Cross to connect to resources such as temporary housing, food and water, or hygienic supplies.

SJFD said none of the residents were injured. However, animal control has been contacted to assist with two deceased dogs, SJFD said.

Aside from the two townhouses, SJFD told KRON4 that no other structures had fire damage.

This is a developing story. Stick with KRON4 for more updates.

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LE MARS, Iowa (KCAU)  The Iowa SIDS Foundation hosted its 25th annual Walk for the Future, an event that remembers the babies that were lost too soon to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, or SIDS.

Its the passing of a normally healthy baby. We really dont know the reasons why yet, theres been lots of research done to find the cause of SIDS, but at this point, its still unknown, said Iowa SIDS Foundation state board member Pam Jeneary. We have three main goals; support, support for families that have lost a child to SIDS, educate, we do a lot of education throughout the whole state for safe sleep practices, and research. A lot of the funding today will go to Bostons Childrens Hospital to find the cause of SIDS.

More than 100 people walked to honor and remember the northwest Iowa babies that have passed on.

This type of event brings awareness that it is something that happens, and its happening to local families, and we can help get the information out there about ways to reduce risk because really thats where were at right now, we really dont know what causes but we do know what will reduce risks of it happening, said Le Mars Walk for the Future team member Alyssa Bendickson.

Through the Walk for the Future, the Iowa SIDS Foundation ensures that the babies that were taken too soon will always be remembered.

Our son passed away from SIDS, it would be 41 years ago, but still we want him to be remembered, said Jeneary. So every year when people come and donate, it just makes all those families feel like yes, we do remember and we always will remember your child.

In past years the Walk for the Future has raised $20,000 for SIDS research and awareness.

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Parolee Kenneth Dean Lee was sentenced to prison  again  last year for sexual assault on a child.
Russian forces struck Sumy Oblast 229 times on Aug. 25, killing three people and injuring six others, the Sumy Oblast Military Administration said.

According to Sumy Oblast Prosecutor's Office, Russia dropped a KAB guided aerial bomb onto a residential five-story building in the village of Svesy around 3 p.m. local time. The attack left two people, the driver and a passenger of a motorcycle, dead, and left two other occupants of the building injured.

Separate KAB guided bomb attacks on the village of Bzdryt as well as the regional capital, Sumy, left a combined one person dead and four others injured, the Sumy Oblast Military Administration said.

No further details were provided on the attacks, and no identifying details were provided on the victims.

Residents in Sumy Oblast are subjected to daily attacks on the region. The security situation in Sumy Oblast became more tense with the start of Ukraine's cross-border incursion into neighboring Kursk Oblast in Russia, which began on Aug. 6.

On Aug. 24, four people were killed and another 13 were injured in attacks on the region.

On Aug. 20, amid ongoing attacks on the region, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko told reporters that authorities are planning to evacuate a total of 45,000 residents from Sumy Oblast.

Approximately 21,000 residents have been evacuated from Sumy Oblast thus far, including 5,000 children, Klymenko added.

Read also: Operation in Kursk Oblast prevents Russias attempts to occupy Sumy, Zelensky says













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FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE)  Two more McLane High School students have been arrested after a fight led to a shooting outside the school Wednesday afternoon, the Fresno County Sheriffs Office announced.

Around 3:40 p.m. Wednesday, the Fresno Police Department says they responded to a shots fired call at an Autozone near Clinton and Cedar where a fight broke out between a group of students.

One 15-year-old pistol-whipped a person, and a 16-year-old pulled out a gun firing several shots striking a vehicle and a restaurant.

Following help from witnesses and videos recorded at the scene, detectives report they were able to locate and arrest the 16-year-old gunman in a nearby neighborhood.

McLane High student arrested after shooting nearby, another boy still wanted

MAGEC detectives and the Sheriffs Violent Criminal Apprehension Team (ViCAT) worked over the next 60 hours to protect the campus, along with identifying and capturing anyone else who was responsible for Wednesdays shooting.

Tony Botti with the Fresno County Sheriffs Office says they initially thought it was a gang-related shooting, which is now considered false.

Theyre not really gang members. Theyre wannabes. You know, the information came out at first that they were gang members. So, we followed it like that. You know, to say, at the very least, theyre just two groups of people that were on opposite sides. They had some problems with each other, Botti said.

MAGEC reported ultimately arresting the 15-year-old boy who pistol-whipped another teen and another 15-year-old boy who helped both gunmen dispose of their firearms. Those guns have still not been recovered.

Those two that pointed the guns and fired the shots. Theyre facing felony charges involving guns. The other 15-year-old is facing some conspiracy or accessory charges for helping out these other kids to try and get rid of their weapons, Tony Botti, Public Information Officer for Fresno County Sheriffs Office said.

According to the Sheriffs Office, nobody was shot and the guns have not been recovered.

Officials dont know if the guns were on campus earlier that day.

We dont know that for sure. I mean, theres a fair assumption that might be true given how quickly after they got out of class that they now were pointing these guns at people, Botti said.

Authorities say they hope these arrests bring relief to the McLane High School community and advise if you see something, speak up.

If you see somebody thats in possession of a weapon at school or theyre talking about the fact that, hey, Ive got something on me, take it seriously, report it to staff, report it to law enforcement so that we can look into it right away, Botti said.

Even though arrests have been made, anyone with additional information regarding this case is asked to contact the Fresno County Sheriffs Office at (559) 600-3111.

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32-year-man killed, 2 others injured in overnight shooting in Humboldt Park, police say

CHICAGO  A 32-year-old man was killed in a shooting that injured two other people overnight in Humboldt Park on the citys Northwest Side.

According to Chicago police, the victims were standing in the street in the 1700 block of North Harding Avenue around 2:30 a.m. Sunday when shots were fired by an unknown offenders or multiple offenders.

Man dies after being shot in head on N. DuSable Lake Shore Dr.

Police say a 32-year-old man was shot in the head and taken to an area hospital in critical condition, where he was pronounced dead.

Additionally, police say, a 19-year-old man was taken to an area hospital with a gunshot wound to the back and listed in good condition, while a female (age not given) was not shot but took herself to an area hospital with minor injuries from broken glass.

3 shot in Chicagos North Lawndale neighborhood

There is nobody in custody, and Area Five detectives are investigating.

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4 dead, 13 wounded during Russian strikes on Sumy Oblast on Aug. 24

Russian forces struck Sumy Oblast 261 times on Aug. 24, killing four people and injuring 13 others, police said on Aug. 25.

"On the territory of the oblast, six apartment buildings, 26 private residential buildings, an educational institution building, farm buildings, cars, a gas pipeline, and shops were damaged, and a dry area of about 2 hectares caught fire," Sumy Oblast Police added in a statement.

It did not provide further details on those killed or injured.

Residents in Sumy Oblast are subjected to daily attacks on the region. The security situation in Sumy Oblast became more tense with the start of Ukraine's cross-border incursion into neighboring Kursk Oblast in Russia, which began on Aug. 6.

Sumy Oblast borders Russia's Bryansk, Kursk, and Belgorod oblasts. Civilians in Sumy Oblast within 20 kilometers (12 miles) of the border with Kursk Oblast are now subject to restrictions on movement due to increasing Russian attacks, according to the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces.

On Aug. 20, amid ongoing attacks on the region, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko told reporters that authorities are planning to evacuate a total of 45,000 residents from Sumy Oblast.

Read also: Reuters team hit in Russian strike on Kramatorsk hotel, 2 injured, 1 missing

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As the search continued Sunday for a relative accused of stabbing a 4-year-old girl multiple times at the child's New Jersey home, the father of the young victim said she's fighting for her life and the attack left him "dumbfounded."

The child remains in stable condition at Saint Joseph's University Medical Center, where she is being treated for puncture wounds to her lung and liver and an injured diaphragm, according to her family.

"She couldn't respond because she had tubes and everything down her, but she opened her eyes and when she heard my voice she started making eye contact trying to see me. That brought joy to me that she was responsive," the girl's father, Faherem LaSane, told ABC New York station WABC outside the hospital on Saturday afternoon.

PHOTO: First responders are shown at the scene of a stabbing in Paterson, New Jersey, on Aug. 23, 2024. (WABC)

LaShane said his daughter's name is Amber, and described her as a happy girl with a big smile and an appetite to match.

The stabbing unfolded just after 4 p.m. on Friday in Paterson, New Jersey, according to the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office. Officers were called to the home for a domestic dispute and found the child stabbed multiple times, prosecutors said.

PHOTO: First responders are shown at the scene of a stabbing in Paterson, New Jersey, on Aug. 23, 2024. (WABC)

Police did not immediately identify the suspect, but Paterson council member Luis Velez told WABC that police are looking for the child's aunt in connection with the incident.

The aunt was babysitting Amber while the girl's mother was at the home caring for another child, relatives said.

MORE: Woman allegedly stabs 3-year-old boy to death in random attack at grocery store parking lot

Neighbor Keema James said she saw the mother emerge from the home holding the child, both covered in blood.

"She had a big gash on her forehead and she had her wrapped up," James said of the victim in an interview with WABC.

MORE: Video 3 children dead after stabbing at Taylor Swift-themed event in England

LaShan said he was stunned when he received word of the stabbing and immediately rushed to the hospital to be at his daughter's side.

I was totally dumbfounded, and I was shocked because I didnt want to believe it. I didnt want to believe it at all," LaShan said.

A motive for the stabbing remains under investigation.

The Passaic County Prosecutors Office asked anyone with information about the incident to contact its office.

4-year-old stabbed multiple times in New Jersey home, suspect at large: Police originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
40,405 Palestinians killed in Israel's military offensive on Gaza since Oct. 7, Gaza health ministry says

CAIRO (Reuters) - At least 40,405 Palestinians have been killed and 93,468 others injured in Israel's military offensive on Gaza since Oct. 7, said the Gaza Health Ministry.

In the last 24-hours, 71 were killed and 112 were injured in what the ministry called three "massacres" by Israel in the strip.

The recent war in Gaza started after Hamas militants attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people, according to Israeli tallies.

Israel says it goes out of its way to avoid civilian casualties and accuses Hamas of using human shields, an allegation the group denies.

(Reporting by Jaidaa Taha; Editing by Michael Georgy)
5 men arrested in Operation Rooftop for theft of construction materials across GA

A multi-agency operation led to the arrest of five men police say stole commercial roofing material from across job sites around Georgia.

Operation Rooftop was executed on Wednesday, with officers from 11 Georgia departments serving search warrants at four units of an apartment complex in the 6000 block of Peachtree Industrial Boulevard in Atlanta and in the 3000 block of McElroy Road in Atlanta.

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Five men, 27-year-old Jose Amaya Martinez, 30-year-old Juan Adrian Torres Tello, 30-year-old Gabriel Amaya Zalasar, 20-year-old Margarito Amaya Salazar, and 24-year-old Miguel Amaya Zalasar were arrested as the primary suspects in the theft ring.

Four of the men live at the apartments officers searched on Peachtree Industrial Boulevard, while Tello lives at the McElroy Road home.

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The multiple law enforcement jurisdictions delivered search warrants for the men on theft and conspiracy charges.

Over the course of the investigation, officials say initial investigation that began in June showed the men targeted large commercial construction sites, stealing roofing materials, including various types of membrane.

In total, the men reportedly made around $500,000 from the theft ring, law enforcement officials say.

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The Hall County and Pickens County Sheriffs Offices coordinated and carried out Operation Rooftop with sheriffs offices in Banks, DeKalb, Gwinnett and Jackson Counties, as well as police departments in Brookhaven, Cartersville, Dunwoody and Flowery Branch and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

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Member of British journalist team dies after Russian missile hits hotel in eastern Ukraine

Reuters safety adviser Ryan Evans takes a selfie while working with a news reporting team near the border with Gaza in Be'eri, southern Israel, Feb. 8, 2024. (Ryan Evans/Reuters via AP)

KYIV, Ukraine (AP)  A British safety adviser working with a team of Reuters journalists was killed when a Russian missile struck a hotel in the Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk, the news agency confirmed.

Ryan Evans, 38, was staying at the Hotel Sapphire with colleagues in Ukraines eastern Donetsk region when it was hit by a Russian missile Saturday night.

Two other members of the six-person Reuters crew were hospitalized with injuries.

Local officials said the hotel was struck by an Iskander-M Russian ballistic missile, leaving the reporters with blast injuries, concussions and cuts on the body.

Associated Press reporters at the scene described the hotel as rubble, with excavators being used to clear debris hours after the attack.

Besides the hotel, a nearby multistory building was also destroyed, Donetsk regional Gov. Vadym Filashkin said.

Ukraines eastern Kharkiv region also came under Russian fire, resulting in multiple civilian injuries, regional Gov. Oleh Syniehubov wrote on the Telegram messaging app Sunday.

In Kharkivs Chuhuiv region, five people were injured, including a 4-year-old boy and a 14-year-old girl, after two houses were hit by a Russian strike.

In Kharkiv city, eight people were wounded when a two-story house was set on fire by a Russian attack.

In Russia, five people died in Ukrainian shelling in of the border region of Belgorod, officials said Sunday.

Twelve other people were wounded in the Russian village of Rakitone, 38 kilometers (23 miles) from the Ukrainian border, including a 16-year-old girl reported to be in critical condition, said regional Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov on Sunday. Another man also died in a separate drone attack on the border village of Solovevka, he wrote later on social media.

___

Follow the APs coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC)  Five veterans of the American Revolutionary War are buried at Falls Cemetery in Greece. Saturday, the Greece Historical Society hosted a ceremony there, bringing their history to life.

Local chapters of the Sons and Daughters of the American Revolution dressed in clothing from the time-period and carried out decades-old traditions like the rifle salute, which organizers said began long before the War of Independence.

These weapons that were shooting, theyre primitive weapons, and we enjoy that. We dress in the uniforms that the Patriots  Soldiers wore then, said Brent Downing with the Rochester chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution. People can look at us and say, you know what? I can picture a group  how they wouldve appeared 250 years ago or longer.

According to online records, Naham Benedict, buried in Falls Cemetery in Greece, died at the age of 77 on Aug. 10, 1839. Hes buried next to his wife, Rachel. These gravestones were featured at Saturdays ceremony (WROC).

However, its not just about honoring the dead, or remembering the history these soldiers had a hand in crafting  but to keep it alive too, he said.

The morals that were explained and expressed in that constitution, and the form of government that was set then, has worked for 248 years, Downing explained. Now, that doesnt mean we dont have disagreements or conflicts within our citizenships here, but we dont want to stray from that too much.

Downing also noted that about one-third of all battles of the American Revolution took place in New York State.

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62-year-old man shot in the back during drive-by shooting in southeast Atlanta

A man was hospitalized after Atlanta police said he was shot during a drive-by shooting Sunday morning.

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At 7 a.m. officers were called to 1518 Jonesboro Road in southeast Atlanta regarding a person shot.

The address appears to be Rios Italian Ice & Ice Cream shop.

When police arrived, they found a 62-year-old man with a gunshot wound to his back.

He was taken to the hospital for medical treatment. His identity was not released.

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During the investigation, APD learned that the man was outside the business when he was hit by gunfire which came from a moving vehicle.

The suspects drove away before police arrived. The investigation is ongoing.

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Jon Caldara is president of the Independence Institute in Denver and hosts The Devils Advocate with Jon Caldara on Colorado Public Television Channel 12. His column appears Sundays in Colorado Politics.
LANSING, Mich. (WLNS)  A 70-year-old man drowned after swimming with family in Lake Chemung in Genoa Township Saturday evening.

The Livingston County Sheriffs Department responded to the lake at 5:30 p.m. for a reported drowning, where they learned that the man was not wearing a life jacket while swimming in the lake.

The Livingston County Dive Team searched the lake for the man. With the help of drones and sonar, the mans body was successfully recovered from the lake at 9:30 p.m. from 33 feet of water.

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The incident is under investigation by the Livingston County Sheriffs Detective Bureau.

Also on the scene were the Brighton Area Fire Department, Howell Fire Department, Hamburg Township Police and Fire Departments, Livingston County EMS, D.A.R.T., and the Southeast Michigan Dive Group including the Oakland County Sheriffs Office and Genesee County Sheriffs Office.

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(FOX40.COM)  A probation search conducted by Northern California police recently led to the discovery of $80,000 in stolen merchandise, about $30,000 in cash, and various narcotics.

The Stockton Police Department said its officers and various agencies, including the San Joaquin County Sheriffs Office and California Highway Patrol, completed the search around Bear Creek Way in the northern portion of Stockton.

As a result, a 51-year-old and a 56-year-old were arrested and booked into county jail on charges related to organized retail crime.

Police operation leads to recovery of over 30 guns and 6 pounds of marijuana

This successful investigation unequivocally demonstrates the unwavering dedication and commitment of the Task Force to safeguarding businesses and consumers from the repercussions of retail crime, Stockton police said. It underscores the ongoing collaboration and partnership with our law enforcement partners.

Police said the stolen merchandise will be returned to the businesses and an investigation into the matter is ongoing.

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Ability to strike at targets in Russia's rear is crucial for Ukraine  ISW

The West's permission to strike military targets in Russia's rear is crucial for weakening Russia's military potential in the war against Ukraine.

Source: Insitute for the Study of War (ISW)

Quote: "Ukrainian long-range strikes against Russian military targets within Russias rear are crucial for degrading Russian military capabilities throughout the theatre, and the lifting of restrictions on Ukraine's use of Western-provided weapons would allow Ukrainian forces to strike a wide range of significant targets undergirding Russias war effort."

The ISW assesses that Russia has at least 250 military and paramilitary targets within the range of the ATACMS missiles provided to Ukraine by the United States. Nevertheless, the United States is currently limitingUkrainian forces from utilising these missiles to strike military objectives inside Russia, restricting their use to US-supplied HIMARS air defence systems. As a result, Ukraine is able to target only 20 out of the 250 possible sites.

Additionally, only 17 of these 250 sites are airfields, and it is deemed unlikely that the Russian military has successfully redeployed assets from all of the other 233 sites.

Details: Analysts point out that US officials remarks concerning the redeployment of Russian air assets have largely disregarded the majority of sites within the ATACMS range that Ukrainian forces could target if US restrictions were lifted.

Among the 233 military and paramilitary sites within ATACMS range are major military bases, communication hubs, logistics centres, repair facilities, fuel storage, ammunition depots, and permanent headquarters  locations where quick redeployment or rapid enhancement of protection measures would be extremely difficult or even unfeasible.

Quote: "Any assessment that argues that there is no point in allowing Ukraine to strike targets in Russia on the exclusive basis of air asset redeployments is incomplete without also accounting for the hundreds of other facilities supporting Russias war against Ukraine and would thus be incorrect."

Details: The analysis highlights that Ukrainian forces do not need to strike every Russian military and paramilitary site within the range of Western-supplied weapons in order to begin applying significant operational pressure on the Russian military.

It is noted that the continued Ukrainian drone strikes on Russia's rear areas pose a threat to certain facilities, though not severe enough to compel the Russian military command to undertake a large-scale redistribution of logistics and support systems  a process that would be extremely disruptive.

The threat to Russias rear areas may also lead Russian military commanders to make strategic decisions about allocating their limited air defence and electronic warfare resources to safeguard a wider geographical area.

There is speculation that the Russian military might try to avoid such redeployments if Western restrictions are lifted, by heavily concentrating air defence and electronic warfare assets to protect military and paramilitary targets in the rear. However, there are questions as to whether the Russian military has sufficient air defence capabilities to achieve this.

Details: Experts underscore that recent successful Ukrainian strikes on Russian military targets within ATACMS range, using indigenously produced precision weapons, show that Ukraine possesses a striking capability that could be significantly enhanced if US restrictions were eased.

To the ISW's Key Takeaways on 24 August:

Ukrainian long-range strikes against Russian military targets within Russias rear are crucial for degrading Russian military capabilities throughout the theatre, and the lifting of restrictions on Ukraine's use of Western-provided weapons would allow Ukrainian forces to strike a wide range of significant targets undergirding Russias war effort.

An unnamed senior Biden administration national security official reportedly stated that Ukrainian strikes with Western-provided weapons against targets within Russia would not be effective because the Russian military has redeployed military aircraft from Russian airbases near Ukraine  but this assessment ignores how Russian forces are leveraging sanctuary space in deep rear areas within Russia for a wide array of infrastructure besides airfields to support military operations against Ukraine.

The redeployment of Russian air assets from Russian air bases in range of ATACMS does not remove the utility of using ATACMS against other Russian military targets, however.

Ukrainian forces do not have to strike every single Russian military and paramilitary object in Russia within range of Western-provided weapons to start generating significant operational pressures on the Russian military.

Recent successful Ukrainian strikes against Russian military targets within ATACMS range with Ukraines own domestically produced precision weapons demonstrate that Ukraine still has a requirement to conduct strikes that lifting the US restrictions could help fill.

Some US officials assess that the Russian military will likely need to redeploy significant forces from Ukraine and/or operational reserves to repel Ukrainian forces from Russian territory.

Ukrainian forces continued offensive operations within their salient in Kursk Oblast on 24 August, and neither Russian nor Ukrainian forces made any significant claimed advances.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy commented on some of the objectives of the Ukrainian operation into Kursk Oblast on 24 August.

Ukraine and Russia conducted their first prisoner of war (POW) exchange since the Ukrainian incursion into Kursk Oblast.

Russian forces recently advanced near Toretsk and Pokrovsk.

Kursk Oblast officials announced the creation of the BARS-Kursk volunteer detachment on 24 August and stated that the detachment will fight solely within Kursk Oblast.

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SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU)  Secretary of State Paul Pate is reminding Iowans that its time to check voter registration status, find a polling place, and request an absentee ballot as the November election approaches.

According to a release, Iowans may start requesting ballots on August 27 for the 2024 general election. Absentee ballots will be sent out starting on October 16.

Harris isnt backing away from Bidens democracy focus. But shes putting her own spin on it

Additionally, October 16 also marks the beginning of in-person absentee voting. Voters need to have their absentee ballot returned to their county auditors office by the time polls close at 8 p.m. on election day.

There are a number of ways for Iowans to make their voices heard by voting, and planning ahead is key to successfully casting a ballot, Pate said. Whether you choose to vote by mail, vote absentee in person at your county auditors office, or vote in person on election day, now is the time to prepare. Iowans can rest assured that when they cast their vote in the general election, we will ensure it is counted accurately and fairly.

Nebraskas new $3M, regional approach to spurring economic development is off and running

Absentee Ballot request forms can be found here. Voters should download the form, complete and sign it, and submit it to their county auditor.

Active military members and overseas citizens can also request an absentee ballot here.

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Pittsburgh celebrated Disability Pride and the 34th anniversary of the Americans With Disabilities Act on Saturday.

Community members of all abilities gathered in Schenley Plaza for activities, performances and food during an event that celebrates the disabled community while also advocating for a more inclusive world.

There are so many of us, and yet were stuck at home, or were in institutions, and that isnt where we should be. We need to be out in the community celebrating with everyone else, living our lives just like everybody else does, said Monica Albert-Still, who is on the Board of Directors of Disability Rights Pennsylvania.

This was the third year for Disability Pride Pittsburgh. Channel 11s own Jennifer Tomazic and Trisha Pittman helped emcee the event.

The event was sponsored in part by 11 Cares partner, Highmark Wholecare.

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"There's going to be no circumstance where you see people being lifted off the roof of an embassy of the United States in Afghanistan," argued President Joe Biden in July 2021 as he prepared to end America's 20-year war there. It was "highly unlikely," he claimed, that the Taliban would be "overrunning everything and owning the whole country."

Biden was proven wrong just a month later. That August, the Taliban took over Afghanistan, the Afghan forces outmatched.

Desperation engulfed the capital, Kabul. Afghans intent on escaping the impending regime clung to the side of a U.S. military plane leaving Hamid Karzai International Airport, several falling to their deaths. Outside the airport gates, scores of men, women, and children crowded together in the mud and summer heat in hopes of safe passage. More than 160 of themalong with 13 U.S. service memberswould die in a suicide bombing carried out by an Islamic State affiliate.

One Afghan man who worked closely with the U.S. military was in Kabul during the fall. He spoke to Reason from his new home in the United States. Out of privacy concerns, he asked to go by the pseudonym Baryalai. (It means "victorious," he explained, adding a smiley-face emoji.)

Back in August 2021, Baryalai was tending to business at the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs when he was urged to take an alternate exit out of the building. "By the time I got out of the ministry, the government vehicles were rushing here and there. I did not know what was happening," he says. "The Taliban were not supposed to enter Kabul. There was supposed to be a transfer of power."

The city had fallen into "a nightmare," he continues. "The president escaped and it looked like a whole army was left without any commander."

Baryalai spent the next two and a half years on the run. Since he had worked with the U.S., the risk of Taliban retribution was high. Interpreters have been hunted down, tortured, and killed since the Taliban took power. "I was living in hiding with my family. From one city to another, changing locations," he says. Eventually, he had to leave the country.

Things weren't supposed to go this way. In return for his service to the U.S., Baryalai was eligible for a sanctioned escapea visa pathway specifically designed for allies like him, a reward for years of faithful military service. If that pathway wasn't backlogged and addled by bureaucracy, he might have gotten out of Afghanistan far earlier.

Instead of cashing in on a promise made by the U.S. government, Baryalai and thousands of other Afghan allies were forced to fashion their own paths forward. Some now struggle to maintain legal status in neighboring countries. Others have become unwilling nomads in their own country, on the run to avoid detection. The burden has been on them to escape Taliban rule or become invisible in Afghanistan.

They haven't been alone: They've been aided by an impressive civil society movement that organized itself around keeping the promise that the U.S. government broke. Veterans and others have banded together with nonprofits to help allies get out of Afghanistan, complete their visa applications, and build new lives in the United States. They stepped in to pick up the pieces of a yearslong government failure, something that never should have been their job to fix.

Three years after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, thousands of Afghan allies still depend on civil society to keep their cause alive and keep making progress. But the government could stop that progress in its tracks.

'Faithful and Valuable Service'

Afghanistan has been called the "graveyard of empires," a reference to the string of great powers that have tried and failed to control the country. The U.S. eventually joined that list. But before then, as it attempted to avoid that fate, it relied on a vast network of Afghan helpers who could help American forces navigate uncharted territory.

"There was a huge language barrier, so there's very little we could've gotten done" without interpreters on the ground, says Jim Fenton, an Army veteran who served in Afghanistan for several years. Interpreters were "critical" in "getting that communication going," he explainseverything from translating locals to deciphering radio communications, but also in understanding cultural differences and the dynamics between Afghanistan's different ethnic groups.

During the two-decade war, the International Rescue Committee estimates, some 263,000 Afghan civilians helped the U.S. mission in some way. Afghans who served Western militaries risked infuriating the Taliban. An interpreter who spoke with Reason in 2021 shared that he once found a letter from the Taliban in his yard, threatening to kill him as "a lesson" to other Afghans working with the U.S. military.

A 2020 report by No One Left Behind (NOLB), a nonprofit that supports interpreters and other allies in Afghanistan and elsewhere, "identified over 300 interpreters or their family that were killed in Afghanistan because of their service to the U.S.," explains Andrew Sullivan, the group's director of advocacy. That's an undercount, he addsit's just what the organization has been able to find. In 2022, another NOLB survey turned up 242 reports of reprisal killings.

These risks prompted Congress to create the Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program, which was launched in 2009. The SIV program provides an immigration pathway to certain Afghans who assisted U.S. military forces, framed as a reward for "faithful and valuable service to the U.S. government"a recognition of the great risk they undertook to facilitate the American mission. Afghan interpreters who worked for the U.S. for at least a year are eligible.

"This is really the lifeline for Afghans who worked for the U.S. government, who fear Taliban reprisal because of that connection," says Amie Kashon, program manager at the Evacuate Our Allies Operations Center at Human Rights First. Unfortunately, she continues, the SIV program and other pathways available to Afghans are "often quite slow, they're often quite bureaucratic, they often take advocacy from outside stakeholders, [and] they're processes that are difficult to navigate as a pro se applicant."

During the intensive 14-step application process, Afghans must detail their record and time of service to the U.S., provide a letter of recommendation from an American supervisor, and describe threats they've received as a result of their employment. They must also attend an in-person interview at an embassybecause there are no U.S. consular services in Afghanistan now, that means visiting an embassy in Pakistan or a third countryand undergo security and medical screenings. Advocates point out the huge logistical and financial risks that applicants must undertake to fulfill those requirements, a process that might involve traveling through hostile territory and attracting unwanted Taliban attention.

The complex, lengthy application process leaves a lot of room for things to go wrong. "Our original senior interpreter" in Afghanistan, Fenton says, "was a week out from his flight and they shut everything down for COVID." By the time the pandemic lockdowns were lifted, his medical materials were outdated. The interpreter and his family had to redo their medical examinations, costing thousands of dollars. The family didn't escape until 2021.

Another of Fenton's interpreters is still trying to leave the region. A member of Afghanistan's Hazara ethnic minority, the interpreter served in the Afghan army until he began to experience beatings due to his background. He quitsomething that Fenton knew about, but it raised the hackles of visa adjudicators.

"He put in for an SIV and kept getting denied because it had this derogatory file that said that he was not trustworthy," says Fenton. "Granted, I had a stack of probably 25 certificates from colonels and majors and one-star generals for the work that he did." The interpreter's application was denied repeatedly but with little clarity offered beyond form letter responses.

"We must've doneI think two or three full applications, trying to narrow down, 'What is the thing that is kicking this back?'" Fenton recounts. Eventually, all was resolved and the application could progress, but the interpreter was now at the end of the queue. "Even though his first SIV case he started in probably 2017, 2018, his approved one is 2023," says Fenton. "They're priority evacuating 2021 right now." The interpreterlike so many othershas spent the intervening years on the run, spending time in Pakistan before returning to Afghanistan, unable to find work or secure legal status.

Congress mandates that SIV applications be adjudicated within nine months, but processing times have usually defied that time frame. As of 2021, someone applying for an SIV could expect the process to take three to six years, according to a report by Brown University's Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs. Slow processing times in turn caused a huge backlog. By May 2021, there were 18,000 pending SIV applications, not including family members. (According to an October 2023 State Department report, more than 135,000 applicants were in just the earliest stages of the process.)

Thousands of Afghan allies and their family members made clear well before the Taliban takeover that they wanted to leave the country. But the U.S. government prepared poorly for the coming storm. During the August 2021 airlift, the U.S. relocated about 76,000 Afghans, many of whom never served the U.S. mission. A February 2022 report by the Association of Wartime Allies (AWA) estimated that 78,000 of the 81,000 SIV applicants in Afghanistan as of the Taliban takeover96 percentwere left behind.

'The Most American Thing'

"I know there are concerns about why we did not begin evacuating Afghan civilians sooner," said Biden in August 2021. "Part of the answer," he claimed, was that some Afghans simply "did not want to leave earlier." He also said that "the Afghan government and its supporters discouraged us from organizing a mass exodus to avoid triggering, as they said, a crisis of confidence."

Publicly, the Biden administration had its excuses. Privately, many SIV advocates worried that there could be a slaughter ahead.

The White House had been "meeting with folks who still believed that the standing government in Afghanistan would hold, who still believed that the U.S. would have a [diplomatic] presence there," says Kim Staffieri, co-founder and executive director of the AWA. Evacuating SIV applicants quickly would have "played into a different narrative," she argues. But she knew things were heading south: "We did not have faith that the Afghan government would hold.We saw the army just falling to pieces."

The U.S. government's chaotic withdrawal in August 2021 helped jumpstart the nongovernmental effort.

"When Kabul fell, this cross-section of American societypeople that served in Afghanistan and didn'tsaw the images. They said, 'What the fuck? This does not comport with our American values,'" says Shawn VanDiver, a Navy veteran who chairs #AfghanEvac, a coalition of organizations that helps Afghan allies. "All of these people stood up, and what we did very effectively was get them all rowing in the same direction."

Humanitarian efforts have taken many forms. At Staffieri's AWA, the work has involved providing SIV applicants with educational advice, helping them understand translations, and conveying the application requirements in nonlawyer language. At Kashon's Evacuate Our Allies, it has involved refugee program referrals and coordination between different humanitarian organizations. At VanDiver's #AfghanEvac and Sullivan's NOLB, it has involved coordination with U.S. politicians and policy makers and relocating Afghan allies from dangerous territory.

Congress had years to fix the dysfunctional SIV program, but reform fell to the wayside for the usual reasons. One of the advocates' main jobson top of the more immediate work of advising or relocating Afghanshas been to keep the plight of Afghan helpers a live issue. "The role of civil society in this really has been in agitating the federal government to make sure this is a priority," says Kashon. "They had no choice but to listen," VanDiver explains. "We surrounded them."

A major advantage that the nongovernmental actors have over their government counterparts is their ability to work quickly, largely unhampered by bureaucracy and politics. "We bring ground truth from Kabul or ground truth from various sites where people are processingto the highest levels of government," says VanDiver. "It's not filtered by the bureaucratic morass in the middle. We get real information to decision makers."

That advantage, along with advocates' strong grasp of the situation on the ground, has enabled them to propose novel, better-targeted policy changes. VanDiver rattles off a list of successes from the past few years: #AfghanEvac has helped the government reduce timelines for Afghan refugee processing; it has prodded the National Security Council to ensure that communications to and about Afghans are consistent, reducing confusion; it has helped get a family reunification mechanism established.

Behind the scenes, several organizations have been working to get Afghan helpers out of the region. "Last year, we helped 2,400 Afghans get to safety out of Afghanistan," Sullivan says, describing a collaboration with the State Department and other nonprofits. "This year we have a goal of 7,000 and we actually already hit 1,000 this calendar year [as of late March], so we're still full steam ahead on trying to move people to safety."

The relocations provide a lifeline not just for Afghans trapped in Afghanistan but for those who fled to nearby countries that haven't necessarily been accommodating. United Nations agencies estimate that at least 600,000 of Pakistan's 2 million undocumented Afghans moved there after the 2021 Taliban takeover of Afghanistan; it has been difficult for them to attain or maintain legal status there. "I applied for a Pakistan visa thrice," shares Baryalai. "Thrice my visa was rejected and every time it took me two to three months." The Pakistani government has announced plans to deport many Afghan refugees, citing security concerns.

The civil society actors are often motivated by their personal connections to Afghanistan and the helpers trapped there. As the general public and government officials pivot to other conflicts and policy battles, it's been on advocates to get "people to realize that the mission did not end when we left in August of 2021," Sullivan says. Many veterans have taken it upon themselves to keep promises to the interpreters they served alongside.

"We have the trust of Afghans, which the U.S. government squandered and is rebuilding now," says VanDiver. "But we act as expanding capacity, and it's all volunteer and it's the best example of civic engagement."

"This is the most American thing I've ever been a part of," he continues. "And I served in the Navy for 12 years."

'It Shouldn't Have Been Our Job'

For all the progress that civil society actors are making (and for all the ways they've pushed the government to be more effective), they're working within a system that can be ambivalent or outright hostile to helping the Afghans.

Congress authorized only a certain number of SIVs when it established the program. By spring 2024, "we'd gotten down to the point where there were probably less than 7,000 visas available, while still having over 130,000 applicants," Sullivan says. Without action, it looked like the program would run out of visas by August or September 2024.

That would obviously impact the effort to relocate Afghans from overseas, eliminating one of their main visa options. But it would also impact Afghans already living in the United States. Thousands of the Afghans brought to the U.S. in August 2021 came here on a temporary status called parole, which allows certain people to stay in the country without a visa for "urgent humanitarian reasons." Parolees don't automatically receive a pathway to lawful permanent resident status. They need to adjust to a different statusfor the Afghans, usually asylum or the SIV program.

Every domestic SIV adjustment removes a visa from the general SIV count. In other words, every domestic adjustment limits prospects for overseas Afghans, and every relocated SIV limits the status prospects for stateside Afghans. If the U.S. runs out of SIVs, VanDiver says, "nobody who's here on parole [could] adjust their status" and Afghan helpers still in Kabul wouldn't "be able to leave."

Congress and the White House took a welcome step to address the visa shortage in March. A compromise deal tacked an additional 12,000 SIVs onto a bipartisan funding bill and extended the SIV program through 2025. "We're thankful that we got those visas authorized," Sullivan says, but he argues that it doesn't make sense to have "this artificial cap" on the number of SIVs that can be issued. "The idea thatit's going to be the first 58,500 through the door, and if you don't get through in time, too badI don't think people will agree with that."

Lawmakers are considering two bills that would provide more relief. The Afghan Allies Protection Act, introduced by Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (DN.H.) and Roger Wicker (RMiss.), calls for 20,000 additional SIVs and would extend various application deadlines. It would also extend eligibility to people who couldn't otherwise fulfill employment requirements due to injuries sustained as a result of their work. The Afghan Adjustment Act, sponsored by Sens. Amy Klobuchar (DMinn.), Lindsey Graham (RS.C.), and 15 other senators, would provide green cards to thousands of Afghans who supported the American mission and now live in the U.S. without lawful permanent resident status. This would help ensure that available SIVs can go to Afghan helpers still stuck overseas.

Despite the bipartisan nature of the bills, they've languished for years. An effort to include the Afghan Adjustment Act in an omnibus spending bill in December 2022 failed. The Hill reported that it's been blocked twice by Sen. Tom Cotton (RArk.), including in August 2023. A sprawling border bill introduced in early 2024 would have enacted much of what the Afghan Adjustment Act calls for, but that bill was quickly abandoned. The Afghan Allies Protection Act faces even longer odds.

"This is meant to be an entitlement. These people served alongside us. They took up arms in our name," VanDiver says. "These folks have done incredible work andCongress made it so hard for them."

Beyond Congress, advocates have seen some wins. "It's a testament to the value of civic engagement, the impact, but it's also a testament to the Biden administration's willingness to engage these folks," says VanDiver. For all its faults during the August 2021 withdrawal, he argues, the administration has "done extraordinary work to try to make it easier for [SIVs]." Kashon notes that "we're seeing pretty significant improvements in approval timing" for certain Afghan asylum applications, "especially compared to other asylum applicants." A re-parole process rolled out in mid-2023 has generally worked well, she adds.

But policies implemented through executive discretion and at the agency level can be easily reversed by future administrations. Some presidents simply haven't treated the program as a priority, letting it fall into disrepair. Then there was the Trump administration, which took a machete to the nation's immigration infrastructure. "The last administration purposefully set this up for [the Biden administration] to fail," says VanDiver. "They deconstructed the resettlement and refugee systems, fully broke them. And broke them in ways that we're still discovering." Without congressional reform, a future administrationunder Trump or another restrictionistcould scrap the progress that's been made.

Hostile circumstances encouragedor perhaps forcedthe civil society effort to take root. "It shouldn't have been our job to do this," says VanDiver, "but we did." And it may very well continue to be their job if congressional foot draggers and executive saboteurs have their way.

Promises Made, Kept, and Broken

"I arrived in the U.S. on February 6," Baryalai says. By the time all was said and done, the process took him about five years and brought him across many borders, from Afghanistan to Pakistan to Qatar and finally to the United States.

"After almost three years of living in hiding, I could say who I was to everyone," he explains. "I felt the real freedom here. Finally, I felt I was home."

NOLB was instrumental in getting Baryalai to safety. In its 10 years of operation, it has evacuated more than 5,500 Afghans. The U.S. "left tens of thousandswhen you look at family members, probably hundreds of thousandsof Afghan allies behind," says Sullivan. Though the March authorization of 12,000 additional visas is "just a start," he explains, "it means that 12,000 alliesand then also their family members, who aren't counted against that 12,000they're going to be safe." It means that the work of relocation and resettlement can continue for now.

It's difficult to keep public attention on Afghanistan as other overseas conflicts and domestic policy disputes dominate the news cycle. Foreign policy officials have turned their attention to Ukraine and Russia, Israel and Hamas; immigration officials have set their sights on the Mexican border. It's been three years since Afghanistan fell to the Taliban, and there are thousands of Afghans still waiting for the U.S. to hold up its end of the bargain, to reward the risk they undertook. "It's a damn shame how difficult it is for us to remember the promises that we made," says Fenton.

The civil society effort hasn't faltered. "Hundreds and hundreds of organizations [are] still pushing for this, almost three years later," says Staffieri. "No one takes their foot off the gas. No one releases the pressure on the U.S. and Department of State to live up to these promises."

The government should have acted with urgency years earlier. It should have looked at the giant application backlogs and the many reports of Taliban retribution against Afghan allies and realized that the visa program meant to provide relief was instead leaving people in danger. Much of the harm done to those helpers can never be undone.

But advocates decided to forge a better path forward. "This is about the people. It's about thousands of people across the country who stood up, said, 'I'm going to do what I can do. I'm going to communicate with Afghans, because the federal government won't or can'tthey don't have the capacity, they don't have the staff, or they don't have the inclination,'" says VanDiver.

"We made them," he says. "We made them do this."

The post The Afghan Allies Left Behind in the Graveyard of Empires appeared first on Reason.com.
AKRON, Ohio (WJW)  The Akron Police Department released footage Saturday from the officer-involved shooting last weekend.

FOX 8 News is not showing the provided body camera footage due to its graphic nature, but the surveillance camera footage can be viewed at the top of the story.

Last Saturday, officers were reportedly looking into a spotted stolen vehicle at Duke and Duchess gas station parking lot on East Avenue around 1 a.m.

2 Canton men, 1 woman arrested in Pennsylvania after bank robberies

A police officer fired two rounds during the incident, striking the suspect, identified as 54-year-old Michael Donnell Jones, according to investigators.

The medical examiners office confirmed Jones died from two gunshot wounds to the torso.

The Akron Police Department Saturday said a 911 caller had said Jones was shot while handcuffed, but that those claims are inconsistent with the body camera footage, and the shooting of Mr. Jones occurred inside the vehicle. He was not handcuffed at the time.

Police said Jones was removed from the vehicle and was handcuffed before medical assistance was provided.

Previously, Akron PD said officers found a loaded firearm inside the vehicle, but the new footage suggests an officer found the firearm on or near Mr. Jones after he was removed from the vehicle.

The officer involved in the incident is now on paid administrative leave. The officer has been with the department for two and a half years and has not been identified.

Akron Mayor Shammas Malik released the following statement regarding the footage:



Today, the Akron Police Department released body camera footage and surveillance camera footage of the officer involved shooting last Saturday that resulted in the death of 54-year-old Michael Jones. My heart goes out to his family in this loss.



While it is never easy to watch someones last moments, I believe it is important that our community has a clear picture of what we know so far. I also want to acknowledge that the investigative process is in the beginning stages.



Over the coming months, the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) will conduct a full, independent investigation of this incident. Then, the APD Office of Professional Standards and Accountability (OPSA) will conduct an internal investigation that will be reviewed by Akrons Independent Police Auditors office.



I am committed to making sure our community continues to have robust, open conversations about public safety, in order to strengthen a collective sense of safety in Akron.



My thoughts remain with the loved ones of Mr. Jones, and with the officers involved.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Fox 8 Cleveland WJW.
Alaska Republicans are looking to avoid a repeat of the 2022 midterms, when they lost the states lone House seat to Rep. Mary Peltola (D) after the party failed to coalesce around a single opponent in the Last Frontiers ranked-choice system.

Peltola finished first in this weeks top-four nonpartisan primary, followed by Republicans Nick Begich and Lt. Gov Nancy Dahlstrom (R), according to the latest tallies from Decision Desk HQ. But Dahlstrom, backed by former President Trump, bowed out of the race Friday as her party looks to consolidate support.

I entered this race because Alaskans deserve better representation than what we have received from Mary Peltola in Washington, Dahlstrom said in a statement shared to the social platform X. At this time, the best thing I can do to see that goal realized is to withdraw my name from the general election ballot and end my campaign.

Dahlstroms exit comes two years after the midterms, when the ranked-choice system debuted and Peltola flipped the seat blue for the first time in decades in a special election to fill out the rest of the late Rep. Don Youngs (R) term. She went on to win a full term that fall, over a GOP divided between Begich and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who criticized the voting setup as confusing.

Despite the ranked-choice setup, many Begich and Palin supporters didnt rank the other GOP contender as their second pick, or left their second-choice slot blank, according to an analysis from Cook Political Report.

Just a day before dropping out, Dahlstrom had said in a video interview shared to X that she still saw a path to winning the seat, and shrugged off the suggestion that having two strong GOP candidates would be a liability for the party. But some Republicans were pushing hard to consolidate support behind one contender.

Alaska is a red state, and Nick will win with a united GOP behind him. Nancy Dahlstrom ran a strong race, but she should drop out so we can beat radical Democrat Mary Peltola, Florida Rep. Byron Donalds (R), a Trump ally, wrote Thursday.

Begich, after the primary, urged that the party must unite as conservatives and argued the ranked-choice system only benefits the Democrats. On Friday, he praised Dahlstrom upon her campaign suspension, touting a unified party push to oust the incumbent Democrat.

House Republicans campaign arm has targeted the Alaska seat as an offensive pickup opportunity this fall and named Dahlstrom to its Young Guns list just last month, a program that mentors candidates in vital races. But National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) Chair Richard Hudson (N.C.) nevertheless lauded Dahlstrom for her exit.

Nancy Dahlstrom has led a life of service, and I want to thank her for stepping into the arena this year. Her selfless decision today puts Alaskans and the team first, allowing voters to unite around a single Republican, Hudson said in a statement shared with The Hill. Alaska has a great choice in Nick Begich  working together we will retire Mary Peltola this fall.

The Hill has reached out to Peltolas campaign for comment.

This year marks just the second cycle under Alaskas ranked-choice voting system, and while proponents say Alaskans understand the relatively new system, some top GOP names have sharply criticized the process. Trump called the system a total rigged deal in 2022, and Palin panned it as crazy, convoluted [and] confusing after her loss. This year, a proposal aimed at reversing the recent changes looks on track to qualify for the ballot this fall.

Under ranked-choice voting, the top four candidates  reshuffled after Dahlstroms exit  will advance from the pick one nonpartisan primary, regardless of affiliation. In Novembers general election, voters will order their top picks by preference. If no candidate gets more than 50 percent of first-choice votes, the candidate with the fewest first-choice votes gets eliminated, and their votes are redistributed according to those voters second preference. The race goes into subsequent rounds of counting until a winner emerges with a majority.

In theory, the system helps eliminate vote-splitting and potential spoiler candidates, said Alaska-based Republican strategist Robert Dillon, who was involved in advocating for the 2020 ballot measure that implemented ranked-choice voting. But if they dont pick a second choice, then that support doesnt transfer to the next candidate.

Dahlstroms exit helps make things cleaner for the GOP, said Anchorage-based Republican political consultant Matthew Shuckerow. Now, Begich can run essentially a head-to-head race against Peltola.

Its been fairly clear from the beginning: Two Republicans running against a Democrat would have been a very tough path to victory, he said, adding that theres plenty of time for the party to coalesce around Begich.

Republicans, though, still have an uphill battle in their efforts to unseat Peltola, a rare Democrat representing a state that went to Trump in both 2016 and 2020.

Observers attribute her success in Alaska to her positioning as a moderate focused on state-specific issues, and shes carefully distanced herself from the Democratic establishment amid the White House race shake-up. She was one of several vulnerable Democrats who skipped the party convention this week, where Vice President Harris accepted the White House nomination.

Though Alaska is all but guaranteed to pick Trump again in the presidential race, Cook Political Report nevertheless rates Peltolas seat as lean Democrat. Notably, more than half of all voters arent registered with a major political party.

Tuesdays primary results are a promising sign for the Democrat. With 80 percent of ballots counted, Peltola snagged 50 percent of the vote, followed by Begich with 27 percent and Dahlstrom with 20 percent. The rest of the candidates all clocked in at below 1 percentage point.

Her team can feel good about their operation, said Alaska-based strategist John-Henry Heckendorn. But the stakes are still very high for the general.

Heckendorn also argued the primary results shouldnt be looked at as a predictor of how ballots will be cast in November, adding that Peltola has definitely still got her work cut out for her as Election Day nears.

For one, the primary race saw low turnout  around 16 percent, according to unofficial results from the state  in an election year lacking a marquee Senate or gubernatorial race, both of which helped energize voters in the midterms.

This fall, though, voters will also be weighing in on the White House battle, with Trump and Harris at the top of the ticket, which could juice turnout and mean the general electorate looks different than those who showed up for the August contest.

The primary looks great, Peltola should feel good, said Amy Lauren Lovecraft, a professor of political science at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. But then she has to pivot and capture all of these other folks who didnt vote in the primaries and who are not affiliated with either party.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
FILE - Macklemore performs at Austin City Limits Live at the Moody Theater during the South by Southwest Music Festival on Friday, March 17, 2023, in Austin, Texas. American rapper Macklemore said Saturday, Aug. 24, 2024, he canceled an upcoming October concert in Dubai over the United Arab Emirates' "role ... in the ongoing genocide and humanitarian crisis" stemming from the war gripping Sudan through its reported support of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces there. (Photo by Jack Plunkett/Invision/AP, File)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)  American rapper Macklemore said he canceled an upcoming October concert in Dubai over the United Arab Emirates' role "in the ongoing genocide and humanitarian crisis in Sudan through its reported support of the paramilitary force that's been fighting government troops there.

The announcement by Macklemore reignited attention to the UAE's role in the war gripping the African nation. While the UAE repeatedly has denied arming the Rapid Support Forces and supporting its leader Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, United Nations experts reported credible evidence in January that the Emirates sent weapons to the RSF several times a week from northern Chad.

Sudan plunged into chaos in mid-April 2023, when long-simmering tensions between its military and paramilitary leaders broke out in the capital, Khartoum, and spread to other regions including Darfur. Estimates suggest over 18,800 people have been killed in the fighting, while over 10 million have fled their homes. Hundreds of thousands are on the brink of famine.

At a contentious U.N. Security Council meeting in June, Sudan's embattled government directly accused the UAE of arming the RSF, and an Emirati diplomat angrily told his counterpart to stop grandstanding. The UAE has been a part in ongoing peace talks to end the fighting.

The Emirati Foreign Ministry offered no immediate comment on Macklemore's public statement Sunday, nor did the city-state's Dubai Media Office. Organizers last week announced the show had been canceled and refunds would be issued, without offering an explanation for the cancellation.

In a post Saturday on Instagram, Grammy winner Macklemore said he had a series of people asking me to cancel the show in solidarity with the people of Sudan and to boycott doing business in the UAE for the role they are playing in the ongoing genocide and humanitarian crisis.

Macklemore said he reconsidered the show in part over his recent, public support of Palestinians amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war raging in the Gaza Strip. He recently has begun performing a song called Hind's Hall, in honor of a young girl named Hind Rajab killed in Gaza in a shooting Palestinians have blamed on Israeli forces opening fire on a civilian car.

I know that this will probably jeopardize my future shows in the area, and I truly hate letting any of my fans down, he wrote. I was really excited too. But until the UAE stops arming and funding the RSF I will not perform there.

He added: I have no judgment against other artists performing in the UAE. But I do ask the question to my peers scheduled to play in Dubai: If we used our platforms to mobilize collective liberation, what could we accomplish?

The RSF formed out of the Janjaweed fighters under then-Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, who ruled the country for three decades before being overthrown during a popular uprising in 2019. He is wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of genocide and other crimes during the conflict in Darfur in the 2000s.

Dubai, home to the long-haul carrier Emirates, the world's tallest building the Burj Khalifa and other tourist destinations, long has tried to draw A-list performers in the city-state at a brand-new arena and other venues. However, performers in the past have acknowledged the difficulties in performing in the UAE, a hereditarily ruled federation of seven sheikhdoms in which speech is tightly controlled.

That includes American comedian Dave Chappelle, who drew attention in May in Abu Dhabi when he referred to the Israel-Hamas war as a genocide while also joking about the UAE's vast surveillance apparatus.

Macklemore, a 41-year-old rapper born Benjamin Hammond Haggerty in Kent, Washington, won Grammy awards in 2014 for his breakout song, Thrift Shop.
Chris Love of the Arizona for Abortion Access campaign speaks at an April 17, 2024, news conference in Phoenix. In an interview, Love said a history of miscarriages and an abortion as a teenager led her to advocate for reproductive rights. (Jerod MacDonald-Evoy/Arizona Mirror)

Three months before the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the federal right to an abortion, Arizonas former Republican Gov. Doug Ducey signed legislation banning abortion after 15 weeks.

When the Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization decision came down in June 2022, GOP Attorney General Mark Brnovich asked the judiciary to lift a block on a dormant Civil War-era abortion ban, Arizona Mirror reported.

Though both of those restrictions got caught up in court post-Dobbs, eventually, the 15-week ban with no exceptions for rape, incest or genetic abnormalities became law.

The logo for the Behind the Ballot series shows a hand dropping a ballot into a slot

Editors Note: This is part of a series of conversations about voter-initiated efforts to restore abortion access across the country.

All of the back-and-forth led to a lot of confusion for people seeking abortion services and providers, said Chris Love, Arizona for Abortion Access spokesperson. The confusion was obviously the point, right?

The erosion of abortion access lit a fire under reproductive rights advocates like Love in the state. A group called Arizonans for Reproductive Freedom launched a ballot initiative in 2022 to put the question to voters about codifying abortion protections in state law, but with just a couple of short months to gather signatures, the organization failed to meet the states deadline, according to the Mirror.

A few months later, voters elected Gov. Katie Hobbs and Attorney General Kris Mayes, Democrats who ran on protecting reproductive health care, to replace Republicans Ducey and Brnovich. Advocates started planning to get an abortion measure on the ballot in 2024.

They succeeded: A proposed constitutional amendment on the ballot in November aims to restore the right to abortion up to fetal viability and beyond to preserve a persons mental or physical health, and their life.

Like similar efforts across the country, abortion-rights advocates faced pushback from opponents who launched a decline to sign campaign, and they dealt with Republican lawmakers who described ballot measures using anti-abortion language. In April, the state Supreme Court ruled in favor of a 19th century near-total ban.

The legislature repealed that law before it could take effect. But the courts decision boosted momentum for the ballot campaign, leading to an increase of volunteers and donations, Love said.

States Newsroom spoke with Love on Aug. 16, in the midst of court battles over a voters pamphlet featuring anti-abortion language and a bid by opponents to kick the measure off the ballot entirely.

Loves group lost the first lawsuit but won the second.

Shes been working on reproductive rights advocacy for almost 10 years, starting out as a Planned Parenthood Arizona volunteer, and said when it comes to the tactics of abortion-rights opponents, theres nothing new under the sun. She discussed her history of advocacy, pregnancy loss and why its important to say the word abortion.

The following interview has been edited and condensed.

States Newsroom: Was there a certain moment or situation where you felt called to work in reproductive rights?

Chris Love: Yeah, absolutely. I was pregnant once upon a time. I had health insurance that did not cover my pregnancy, because I was on an independent plan as opposed to a large employer plan. My husband and I were already engaged and had planned our wedding, and we had to get married a month before our actual wedding date in order for me to access reproductive health care. Unfortunately, I miscarried. The services that I was provided during that time were life-saving.

I was really appreciative of the care I received, but also I recognized that through my pregnancy journey  I got pregnant again and miscarried again  I recognized that accessing that care that I needed wasnt as easy as it should have been. In particular, I can remember having a miscarriage and not being offered a D and C [dilation and curettage] and literally having to wait eight weeks after my miscarriage to have a D and C. That should have been care that would make things easier for me as a person suffering through a loss and trying to get pregnant again.

I also have my own other abortion stories. I chose to have an abortion when I was 19. I think this popped up over and over again in my life, and thats why this is the advocacy that Ive chosen to engage in.

SN: Thanks for sharing those experiences. There have been several Republican-led efforts to block the initiative. The Arizona Supreme Court ruled that the phrase unborn human being could remain in the first sentence of a pamphlet sent to voters. Can you talk about why those three words are significant, and what neutral, nonpartisan language looks like?

Love: In our process here, the Legislative Council actually gets to craft the language that goes into a voter pamphlet to every Arizona voter throughout the state. It is required by law to describe all of the initiatives in neutral terms. The one change that we asked for was a reference to unborn human being. Other places in that language use the term fetus, which is the scientific, medically-accurate language.

We recognize that unborn human being is something that is tinged with anti-abortion sentiment. Weve seen that that phrase has been used by the opposition and folks who oppose abortion. The change that we asked for was not granted by the Legislative Council, so we decided to sue. And the trial court judge got it correct. We understand, and everyone understands, that unborn human being is literally an anti-abortion phrasing.

SN: For folks who look at a 15-week ban and think thats not as severe as a near-total ban, explain how broadening abortion rights in the state helps Arizonans.

Love: The current ban does not have exceptions for victims of rape and incest. The current ban does not have the broader medical exceptions for the physical and mental health of a pregnant person. The one exception that that ban does have is clearly undefined. Its something that weve seen in other states where pregnant women are on deaths door before they can get the treatment that they need. We just dont believe that pregnant Arizonans should have to go through that in order to get necessary and life-saving health care services. The current ban that we have simply harms pregnant patients here in our state. What were seeking to do is essentially go back to before the Dobbs decision was decided in 2022.

SN: Did the team ever consider asking voters to also secure the right to fertility treatments like IVF and contraception?

Love: I think that we are all focused on the broad bundle of reproductive rights and reproductive freedom. However, we had to create an initiative that was basically something that would pass based upon our laws in our state that limit us to posing laws that address a single subject. We felt that by simply addressing abortion at this point in time was something that would ensure that we wouldnt get kicked off the ballot for trying to do more than the single subject law would allow.

SN: Youve been vocal about disdain for words like choice and euphemisms like Roevember. Why do you take issue with that particular language?

Love: Though Ive been working in reproductive rights for a very long time, I try to use a reproductive justice lens in all of my advocacy. I recognize it has done our movement a bit of a disservice not to say the things, to say what were fighting for is abortion. To understand that even with a right to abortion, a lot of pregnant folks dont have choices. They dont have a choice in respect to issues of access to abortion for a number of different reasons.

Planned Parenthood as an organization stopped using pro-choice/pro-life framework in 2013, more than 10 years ago. Its time for everyone to catch up on that, because the conversation is more nuanced, obviously. Those frameworks dont capture that nuance. But right now, abortion is the thing thats being attacked. Abortion is the right that was basically stripped by the Dobbs decision. Abortion is the right that were fighting for in this initiative. And I think we need to be clear about that.

Abortion is a medical procedure. Its not a dirty word. We dont need to whisper it. Youre using a medically accurate, scientific term. And theres nothing wrong with that. I would encourage folks all the time to lean in to saying the things you mean. When were talking about abortion, we should say abortion. When were talking about birth control, we should say birth control. When were talking about IVF and fertility treatments, we should say those things so that were absolutely clear about destigmatizing all kinds of reproductive health care.

SN: You talked about being dedicated to a reproductive justice framework, which was a concept founded by Black women. Whats it like being one of the faces of this campaign in Arizona as a woman of color?

Love: Hard. [Laughs.] Quite honestly, its one of those things as a Black woman in a political space, were always doing a lot of hard work. When its said and done, we might not get the credit for it when we win. But when we lose, we absolutely get the blame for it. Its one of those things that Ive had to wrestle with every day being in this space. And being a Black woman in Arizona, where we make up so little of the population here.

But we were also intentional about building an inclusive group of leaders and organizations. So, the leadership of our campaign is mostly women of color. Also, we have a lot of queer folks representing our organization. Were an organization that is really led by women. Were trying to center the folks that are really most impacted by the issue of abortion.

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WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW)  The Arkansas City Fire Department is in mourning after the death of firefighter and EMT Trevor Rusk.

The ACFD said in a news release Rusk was off-duty at the time of his death. He was a valued member of the ACFD, known for his commitment to the safety and well-being of others.

The release said Rusk joined the department on June 5, 2023, and quickly became a beloved colleague.

Police seek help finding truck in Sunday hit & run

Trevor was not only a dedicated firefighter but also a friend to many. His courage, professionalism, and selflessness will never be forgotten. We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, and fellow firefighters during this difficult time, Fire Chief Stuart Cassaboom said.

Trevor Rusk was an exemplary firefighter whose contributions to the safety of our community were invaluable, City Manager Randy Frazer said in the release. His loss is deeply felt not only within the department but across the entire city. We are mourning alongside his family, friends, and colleagues, and we will ensure that his legacy of service is honored in the days 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 KSN-TV.
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN)  A man said to be acting erratically and armed with a gun and a hammer was shot by Portland police early Saturday night but is expected to survive, officials said.

The incident unfolded around 5:15 p.m. when then man was seen walking down the 7600 block of North Portsmouth carrying the weapons. When officers tried to contact him, he took cover behind a car and remained armed.

Both the Special Emergency Reaction Team (SERT) and the Crisis Response Team rushed to the scene.

A masked man armed with a hammer and a gun was shot and wounded by Portland police in the 7600 block of North Portsmouth, August 24, 2024 (Nick J)

Witness Pedro Sanchez told KOIN 6 News he saw the entire episode  and eventually he ran for cover. When he and his wife saw SERT units surround that area of North Portsmouth Avenue, he began to capture it on his camera.

The man kept hopping from behind cars and in-and-out of a nearby apartment, officials said.

Hes coming in the middle to the road with the hands up and asking the cops, like, shoot me,' Sanchez said.

One of our officers deploys a non-lethal round, and then another officer follows with lethal rounds, and we hit this individual, PPB spokesperson Mike Benner said.

Even though he was wounded, police said, the suspect continued to disobey commands. A police K9 was sent in and the man was taken into custody around 6:20 p.m.

A gun lays on the ground after an officer involved shooting in the 7600 block of North Portsmouth in Portland, August 24, 2024 (PPB)

It is unclear where he was shot. Authorities also said the man did not fire his gun.

PPB Chief Bob Day said their expectation is that the suspect will survive.

Our officers are all safe, and the community is safe, and tonight is just another reminder of the challenges were facing as a community, as a city, Day said Saturday night.

The suspects name has not yet been released. The officer involved is now on paid administrative leave, standard procedure in these situations.

City data shows this is the fourth person shot by Portland police this year, the same number of officer-involved shootings as in 2023.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
Army Widow to run 93 miles around Mount Rainier to honor fallen husband

It has been 15 years since Lisa Hallett lost her husband, Captain John Hallett, in Afghanistan. She plans to begin a 93-mile run around Mount Rainier to honor his sacrifice and raise money for Gold Star families.

On August 25, Lisa will run the Wonderland Trail around Mount Rainier over the next few days. The trail ascends to 22,000 feet before descending.

Captain John Hallet died on August 25, 2009, in Afghanistan when a roadside bomb exploded, leaving Lisa and their three children without a father.

Captain Hallett was deployed out of Fort Lewis.

Lisa has trained for the last several months to remember, heal and grow.

Her goal is to raise $150,000 for Gold Star families with the help of her wear blue: run to remember nonprofit.

The PenFed Foundation has generously provided a $25,000 matching grant to Lisas 150KM challenge, amplifying the impact of every dollar raised to support the military community.

As of Saturday, Lisa has raised almost $43,000 and needs your help to reach her goal.

If you are interested in donating, you can donate here.




ST. LANDRY PARISH, La. (KLFY)  A 53-year-old Arnaudville man was killed in a single-vehicle crash Friday evening, according to Louisiana State Police.

The crash claimed the life of Kevin Meche.

In a news release Saturday, state police said the crash occurred around 6 p.m. Friday on LA Highway 93 near Grand Lake Drive in Arnaudville.

Investigators said Meche was driving a 2003 Chevrolet Silverado south on Highway 93 when the vehicle veered off the roadway and into a ditch. From there the vehicle continued to travel south before re-entering the roadway and overturning multiple times, state police said.



Meche, who was restrained, sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced deceased at the scene, police said.

Latest 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 KLFY.com.
Arrest made in fatal shooting of woman in luxury New Rochelle apartment building

New Rochelle police have made an arrest in the fatal shooting of a woman in a downtown apartment building.

Robert Wooten, 28, was scheduled for arraignment Monday on a charge of second-degree murder in the death of Meisha Williams. Wooten was taken into custody in Queens Saturday night, about 11 hours after police were called to 55 Clinton Place and discovered Williams body in her apartment, police said.

Williams, 30, and Wooten knew each other but the exact nature of the relationship or what led to the shooting was unclear. Police said Wooten's last known address was in Queens.

One Clinton Park, a new luxury apartment building in downtown New Rochelle, Feb. 24, 2023.

It was not known how long Williams had lived there. The luxury, 28-story rental building, also known as One Clinton Park, was completed in 2022 and its sister building Two Clinton Park opened in June.

A woman who answered the phone at One Clinton Park on Sunday morning said management had no comment.

Detective Lt. Brian Fagan thanked the NYPD's 103rd Precinct, the FBI Safe Streets Task Force, the Westchester County police Real Time Crime Center and the Westchester County District Attorneys Office for assisting city police and detectives in the investigation.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Man arrested in shooting of woman in New Rochelle luxury apartments
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.

This story first appeared in the Pennsylvania Capital-Star, a member with the Phoenix in the nonprofit States Newsroom.
I asked 5 Starbucks baristas to make me their favorite off-menu drinks. I'd order them all again despite the prices.

I asked 5 Starbucks baristas to make me their favorite off-menu drinks. I'd order them all again despite the prices.

I had five Starbucks baristas make me their favorite off-menu drinks.

All of the drinks were tasty, though I was shocked one customized grande latte cost me $8.20.

My favorites were twists on the brown-sugar oat-milk shaken espresso and I learned ordering tricks.

Starbucks has a new CEO coming  and analysts predict that his reign could come with changes to store operations and, of course, menus.

The chain's menu typically changes seasonally, with special drink releases popping up throughout the year. But Starbucks is also known for the wide variety of customizations it has available to customers  and many play with them to create "secret menu" drinks.

Instead of putting my own creativity to the test, I stopped by two Starbucks locations in the Southern California area and asked five baristas to create their favorite off-menu beverages for me.

Here's how it went.

Barista Sophia had a seasonal twist on one of my favorite drinks at Starbucks.

I like Starbucks' brown-sugar shaken espresso, but I don't normally add anything extra. Paige Bennett

One barista I spoke to, Sophia, told me she likes to make a brown-sugar shaken espresso with two pumps of dark caramel sauce and lavender cold foam, a seasonal ingredient.

I was mostly on board because I love the brown-sugar shaken espresso on its own, but I was skeptical about the flowery cold foam.

This drink turned out well-balanced.

The lavender cold foam paired nicely with espresso. Paige Bennett

I ended up loving this drink, lavender cold foam and all.

The dark caramel sauce gave the drink a richer, more indulgent flavor. It was balanced out by the creamy cold foam, which had a very subtle floral taste.

I would order this again, even if it cost me $8.20 for a grande, making it the most expensive drink I tried.

Another barista recommended a drink that required them to make a custom cold foam.

Tommy's Starbucks drink incorporated chai and vanilla flavors. Paige Bennett

Starbucks barista Tommy promised me a bit of a "weird" drink that involved making a chai cold foam.

Starbucks doesn't have chai cold foam on its menu, so he made his own version by adding pumps of chai into a combination of cinnamon-sweet-cream and vanilla-sweet-cream cold foams.

This concoction was topped with a doppio (double) espresso and cinnamon powder. It sounded right up my alley, considering I already love Starbucks' chai drinks.

The drink was strong, but the cold foam balanced the bitter espresso.

The chai-inspired cold foam was delicious. Paige Bennett

This drink was very strong from an espresso standpoint, making it perfect for days when you really need an energy boost.

The espresso was powerful and bitter (not in a bad way), and the drink's flavor was balanced with the sweet, subtly spiced cold foam.

The price was hard to nail down because the cold foam was customized, but if I tried to order a drink like this in the future, it would likely cost about $6.45.

For barista Nathan, espresso-based drinks are great for working, but a cold brew is best when off the clock.

Nathan adds white-chocolate mocha to his shaken espresso. Paige Bennett

When off the clock, barista Nathan told me, he'd order a simple cold brew.

But while working, the barista prefers an iced shaken espresso with all four pumps of the classic syrup removed. He then adds two pumps of white-chocolate mocha sauce and substitutes the default 2% milk for oat milk.

This sounded similar to how I make my own espresso drinks at home, so I figured I would enjoy it.

This drink was strong and lightly sweet.

The white-chocolate-mocha syrup was a nice addition to the shaken espresso. Paige Bennett

This drink had a strong espresso flavor that finished on a lighter, sweeter note, thanks to the white-chocolate mocha.

The Starbucks signature espresso was slightly more bitter than I'd prefer, so I think I'd order this again and substitute the signature espresso for the blonde.

I liked that this is a more affordable beverage, ringing up to $5.25 even with the oat-milk substitute.

Barista Noe' suggested I add cold foam to a favorite menu item.

This Starbucks barista likes the brown-sugar oat-milk shaken espresso with extra espresso. Paige Bennett

Like Sophia, Noe likes the brown-sugar oat-milk shaken espresso with a twist.

Noe adds an extra shot of espresso, which seems to be a trend among the baristas I spoke with, and the brand's popular vanilla-sweet-cream cold foam.

The vanilla-sweet-cream cold foam prevented the espresso from overpowering the drink.

The shaken espresso I got had four shots instead of the usual three. Paige Bennett

The grande brown-sugar oat-milk shaken espresso usually comes with three shots, so adding extra seemed like it would make for one bitter beverage.

But it didn't taste bitter at all because it used a blonde roast and was topped with the vanilla-sweet-cream cold foam. Instead, the coffee flavor I love was balanced with some sweetness.

At $7.70, this drink came in at the mid-range price point of all the barista-recommended Starbucks drinks I tried.

Finally, I tested a nuttier version of a white mocha recommended by barista Nelly.

The fifth barista I spoke to customized an iced white-chocolate mocha. Paige Bennett

Nelly, the fifth barista I talked to, recommended an iced white-chocolate mocha with several adaptations.

This drink started as an iced white mocha, subbing the signature two shots of espresso for a triple shot of blonde espresso roast, swapping two of the four pumps of white-chocolate mocha sauce for two pumps of toffee-nut syrup, and nixing the whipped cream.

I'm not the biggest fan of white chocolate, but I was willing to give it a shot.

The nutty, toffee syrup balanced out the sweetness of the white chocolate.

The toffee-nut syrup was one of the stars of this Starbucks drink. Paige Bennett

As it turned out, swapping some of the white-chocolate-mocha sauce for toffee-nut syrup gave me the sweetness of the white chocolate without so much of the artificial flavor.

I really enjoyed the nuttiness of the toffee-flavored syrup. This drink was just shy of being too sweet, and I think keeping the signature espresso roast would actually help balance the flavored syrups.

This drink was really delicious, but at $8 for a grande, it will be a special splurge for me in the future.

I'd order any of these drinks again.

The off-menu Starbucks drinks I tried were all pretty great. Paige Bennett

I enjoy coffee in many forms, whether it's hot and black or blended with syrup over ice  so I wasn't surprised I enjoyed all the drinks the Starbucks baristas recommended.

My two favorites were Noe's and Sophia's recommendations, which were both twists to my favorite Starbucks drink, the brown-sugar oat-milk shaken espresso.

I also learned new ordering tricks. I'd never thought to swap out espresso roasts based on what I think will best complement the drink I'm ordering. I'm also excited to explore adding more than one flavor of cold foam to my drinks.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Audience signs and chants at the DNC were all about America. At the RNC, it was the Trump show.

Audience signs and chants at the DNC were all about America. At the RNC, it was the Trump show.

The Democratic and Republican national conventions concluded this week.

Between party speeches and celebrity appearances, audience members held signs and led chants.

A political scientist told BI that DNC signs were more positive, while RNC imagery was all about Trump.

The Democratic and Republican National Conventions concluded this week, solidifying former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris as their party's respective nominees.

But between the partisan speeches and celebrity appearances, the ambiance of the convention  created in part by the design of the stage each candidate spoke on and the signs held by audience members  underscored each party's priorities headed into this year's contentious election.

A political scientist told Business Insider the stagecraft and audience participation at the conventions revealed significant differences among both the voters and the candidates themselves.

"Harris' backdrop was more traditional American imagery while Trump's was Trump imagery," Christian Grose, a professor of political science and public policy at the University of Southern California, told BI. "That's an important contrast."

Audience members at the RNC wore bandages on their ears as a symbol of support for Trump, who had survived an assassination attempt days prior. His defiant, fist-in-the-air pose from just after being shot was seen on posters and t-shirts around the convention hall.

Perhaps the most striking difference was each candidate's stage design. Harris, at the DNC on August 22, stood in front of a row of American flags. When Trump took the stage at the RNC on July 18, he stood in front of a Broadway-style display of his name in lights.

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump stands in front of his name in lights at the Republican National Convention. AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster

"There were definitely American flags and imagery of that sort of the Republican Convention, but there was more about Trump himself," Grose said.

Grose noted that this appeared in keeping with Trump's brand in general and was reminiscent of his first presidential run when he said he was the only candidate who could save America and "drain the swamp" in Washington, DC.

On the other hand, the DNC's approach leaned hard into American exceptionalism, and Grose said the party seemed to be "reclaiming" flag imagery that historically has been popular at Republican events.

Kamala Harris on the DNC stage had a backdrop of American flags. Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images

"I mean freedom and flags 20 years ago could have been the 2004 Republican convention, and it wouldn't surprise you know that that that jargon and lingo would be there from a symbolic standpoint," Grose said. "I thought the Democrats did really well in terms of that presentation."

The signs held by audience members at each convention also stood in stark contrast, garnering viral attention on social media and coverage from the Los Angeles Times and Washington Post.

Attendees hold signs reading "mass deportations now!" during the third day of the 2024 Republican National Convention. PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images

Audience members at the RNC held signs with slogans like "Make America Strong Again!" and "American Oil From American Soil," as well as more ominous messaging, including "Mass Deportation Now!" and "Stop Biden's Border Bloodbath."

Overall, while the messaging was honed into issues that galvanize Republican voters  such as immigration and America-first job creation  "regardless of if people agree or not, it was just more negative in tone," Grose told BI.

An attendee holds up a sign reading "Stop Biden's Border Bloodbath" on the second day of the Republican National Convention. Leon Neal/Getty Images

"The theme that came up in the Democratic Convention was one of more joy or hope or future," Grose said. "And you saw that anytime the signage was there, it was usually in that direction  even when they're trying to discuss policy."

DNC signs held by delegates and party loyalists included phrases like "Union Yes!" and "We Love Joe Biden." Many simply read, "USA."

Delegates and attendees cheer as they hold "Union Yes!" signs on the first day of the Democratic National Convention. ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images

Harris' face was far less prevalent at the DNC than Trump's was at the RNC. However, it wasn't absent entirely  where she did appear on posters, she was often depicted with the caption "Forward" or in similar colors to Barack Obama's iconic "Hope" poster.

Harris' husband, Doug Emhoff, also had his own posters with phrases like "Doug for First Mensch," though BI could not find any instance of Melania Trump being featured solo on any posters or signs.

While voters respond to both negative and positive signage and messaging, Grose said, audiences generally want a positive message at conventions. While the RNC this year did highlight themes of unity more than past conventions, the Democrats were more aligned with positive messaging this year overall.

Signs reading "USA" and a Kamala Harris poster captioned with the word "Forward" were seen among delegates on day 4 of the Democratic National Convention. Melina Mara/The Washington Post via Getty Images

"The positive signage and the positive message can make voters feel better and more motivated," Grose said. "When you're thinking about the sliver of undecided voters, or maybe the people that aren't that excited about either candidate, the positive imagery and the positive signage can potentially move people in that direction."

Read the original article on Business Insider
August 24 prisoner exchange did not include any Azov soldiers, brigade commander says

Azov Regiment commander Denys Prokopenko criticized the recent prisoner exchange, expressing disappointment that none of the Azov fighters, who have been in Russian captivity for over two years, were included.



He accused Ukrainian authorities of failing to deliver on their promises, despite having significant negotiating power.



Prokopenko said that Ukraine's Independence Day should be a time to show gratitude to those who defended the country, especially the Azov fighters who fought fiercely in Mariupol against all odds.



Ukraine has failed this test of gratitude today. The task has not been fulfilled, Prokopenko wrote on X.

"What are all the pompous words spoken today worth if none of the 900 loyal to Ukraine servicemen who are being treated the absolute worst in Russian captivity have been returned home?"



President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed on Aug. 24 that 115 Ukrainian soldiers were brought back from Russian captivity.

Soldiers from the National Guard, army, navy, and State Border Guard Service were among those returned to Ukraine.

It was the 55th such prisoner exchange, said Lubinets. In total, 3,520 Ukrainian POWs have been brought back home since the beginning of the full-scale war, he added.

Read also: Operation in Kursk Oblast prevents Russias attempts to occupy Sumy, Zelensky says

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
DENVER (KDVR)  The city of Aurora has become a focal point of the influx of migrant arrivals in Colorado.

On this weeks Colorado Point of View, Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman addresses the issue and how it relates to law enforcement concerns about reported Venezuelan gang activity.

Meanwhile, Aurora selected a new police chief who awaits confirmation by the Aurora City Council, and House Speaker Mike Johnston visits Colorado to support Gabe Evans candidacy for the 8th Congressional District.

Watch the full episode in the video player above. Colorado Point of View airs weekends on Colorados Very Own Channel 2.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver.
AUSTIN (KXAN)  Austin native returns home from his mountain climb in support of children battling cancer.

President and Founder of the Keep Climbing Foundation, Ryan Kelley came back home to Austin, Texas after completing his 10th annual mountain climb fundraiser supporting local children battling severe illnesses.

Kelleys nonprofit organization hosts a fundraiser called Climb for the Kids, an annual mountain climb. The first adventure the organization completed was back in 2015.

Ryan Kelley, the president and founder of Keep Climbing Foundation

Ryan Kelley, the president and founder of Keep Climbing Foundation

Ryan Kelley, the president and founder of Keep Climbing Foundation

RELATED: Texas girl sworn in as police officer before her 7th chemo round

Since the first climb, the Keep Climbing Foundation has raised $435,000 to support research for kids battling cancer and 100% of the donations that are raised go to the charities the foundation supports.

The biggest climb so far was in 2022, when the group reached the top of Chimborazo and raised $55,000 for St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital.

For the past 10 years, no matter whats been going on in our personal and professional lives, weve made time to Climb for the Kids, Kelley said.

This year Kelley and the CFTK team decided to go back to how it all started and embark on their very first climb again which took place in 2015. On Aug. 17, they returned to Washington State to take on a dual summit of Mt. Baker and Twin Sisters. 100% of the funds raised went to the first organization they partnered with, Friends of Kids with Cancer.

RELATED: Now cancer-free, Granite Shoals 7-year-old promoted to police detective

Over the years weve climbed mountains all over the world, but for our 10th anniversary we decided it was time to honor where we started, both in Washington state and in our partnership with Friend of Kids With Cancer, Kelley said.

The overall fundraising goal for this years climb is $25,000, so far they have raised $11,531. The climbs are always sponsored by The Home Loan Expert allowing for 100% of the proceeds to go entirely to Friends of Kids with Cancer this year.

Kelley will be joining KXAN LIVE with our Anchor Esmeralda Zamora at 1 p.m. to share more details on how the climb went this year and what is next for the organization.

To donate or learn more about the organizations goals visit their website.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin.
Back to School Bonanza gets kids prepped on supplies for the new school year

A local church made sure students were prepared for the school year ahead.

Girard United Methodist Church held a Back to School Bonanza on Saturday afternoon.

Move-in season kicks off for students at local colleges

Students and families in the community were able to come for games and prizes and get free school supplies.

Pastor Ali Berkey said this is their second year they are holding this event and it has significantly grown.

Advice on how to shake off those first-day-of-school jitters

We actually received a grant to be able to get everything that we have today and that took a lot of preparationThen we just ordered the things. We have four churches that work together in the United Methodist Church, and we have volunteers in the different churches that are here to help and supply and work today, Berkey said.

He went on to say they enjoy seeing everyones smiling faces.

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SAN ANGELO, Texas (Concho Valley Homepage)  The City of Ballinger issued a temporary closure of Ballinger Lake to vehicles, ATVs, jet skis, boats, and camping activities on Aug. 24.

According to a social media post shared by the City of Ballinger, this comes in response to very low water levels that have caused the lake to be unusable for recreational activities. City officials are limiting access to the campgrounds and dry areas at the lake until further notice.

Residents are urged to report any occasions of trespassing. To report violations, contact dispatch at 325-365-3591.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ConchoValleyHomepage.com.
I became a first-time mom at 43, and I consider my age a plus

The author became a mother for the first time at 43. Courtesy of Blake Turck

I became a mom for the first time at the age of 43.

Though many people would label me an 'old mom,' I think it's actually a good thing.

I have a lot of wisdom and life experience, and I feel secure in who I am as a parent.

I became a first-time mom at 43 years old after six painful years of infertility and miscarriages, including three years of IVF cycles. My doctor assured me I was actually young for fertility treatments in New York City, where I live. But according to everything else, and everywhere else, I was "old."

As a New York City native, I didn't feel the urge to settle down until my 30s. I met my boyfriend at 31. We traipsed around the city and enjoyed our life and each other before getting married half a decade later. I wanted to be a mom someday, but it never dawned on me that it might happen at an age I'd be labeled "geriatric" by medical professionals.

It's a frustrating term, considering more people than ever are having babies well into their 40s. According to CDC data, the birth rate rose by 4% among those 40-44 since 2021, and births for those 45 and older went up 12% since 2015.

This rise in older mothers is attributed to several things, including the prioritization of higher education, career, and financial concerns associated with childcare costs. I didn't plan on being an "older mom," but now that I am, I've found there are plenty of advantages to having a baby later in life.

I've had more time to develop a sense of self

People often proclaim that having a baby provides fulfillment. But during my long journey to have one, I learned that finding purpose within myself first was more important. Infertility is all-encompassing. I'd cultivated a strong sense of being, but infertility made me initially doubt everything about my identity. Over time, I learned that finding contentment in other areas of my life was imperative  for my sanity, and for the will to keep moving through the process.

Some outlets where I found it were swimming, watching horror and thriller movies, and writing, especially. These things helped restore parts of my confidence I thought I'd lost.

Self-assurance is an important trait to teach a child, and though I wouldn't wish fertility struggles on anyone, experiencing them helped instill resilience in me that's necessary for raising my daughter. It was part of my growth as a whole person and taught me to believe in something bigger than myself.

I spent a decade prioritizing my social life and no longer worry about missing out

In my 20s, I traveled to South America, Italy, Spain, and other countries on countless girls' trips. I spent a decade being single, prioritizing style and my social life. In my 30s, I enjoyed being a devoted girlfriend in a loving, grown-up relationship. Nights out, vacations, and many evenings were reserved for watching horror movies with our Goldendoodle.

Now, my husband and I spend most nights on the couch with our 3-month-old. Not only do I not fear missing out, but I've never felt more at home, literally and symbolically. Usually, a greater number of years on Earth is accompanied by the capacity to find satisfaction in stillness.

Being an older mom means I have more wisdom to offer

Becoming a mother later in life can come with shaming. Yes, I may have slightly less energy to run after her, and yes, I'll be 61 at her high school graduation (which still isn't exactly old). I'm sure there's no shortage of people who would jump to remind me of these things if I sought their opinions. As an older mom, I may have less agility, but I also have the benefit of more life experience.

I'm definitely wiser now than I was 10 years ago. I've navigated loss, love, and adulthood. I've nurtured myself, as well as my partner, and during that time, acquired certain instincts and traits that will undoubtedly make me a better mother today than I would've been at 33.

Everything I've been through  losing my own mom at 29, learning how to be in a successful marriage, and continuing fertility treatments, even when they seemed hopeless  has allowed me to possess a level of certitude. Parenthood includes feelings of doubt or unworthiness at times. It also includes selflessness, a more achievable trait after you've lived a good amount of time focused on your own advancements.

I don't identify solely as a mother, but after spending 43 years learning about myself, I'm more excited to spend the next chapter discovering and nurturing someone else.

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Belarus gathering significant number of troops, weaponry along Ukraine's border 'under guise of exercises,' Ukraine says

Belarus' Armed Forces are "concentrating a significant number of personnel" as well as weaponry along Ukraine's northern border with Belarus "under the guise of exercises," Ukraine's Foreign Ministry warned on Aug. 25, citing information gathered by the country's intelligence sources.

Minsk is concentrating Special Operation Forces, as well as weaponry, including tanks, artillery, multiple-launch rocket systems (MLRS), air defense systems, and engineering equipment near the Belarussian city of Gomel, a statement released by the Foreign Ministry said. The city lies within about 30 kilometers of the Belarus-Ukraine border.

The Foreign Ministry noted that some former Wagner PMC troops were also present in the area.

Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko previously said he had sent a third of the nation's army to the border this summer. Lukashenko claimed the buildup of troops along the border was the result of a misunderstanding between Belarus and Ukraine.

Belarusian Air Defense Forces Commander, Maj. Gen. Andrey Lukyanovich, said on Aug. 19 that the country deployed additional air defense troops and aircraft to its border with Ukraine.

On Aug. 25, the Foreign Ministry warned Belarus "not to make tragic mistakes for their country under Moscow's pressure," and to immediately withdraw forces away from Ukraine's border.

"We warn that in case of a violation of Ukraine's state border by Belarus, our state will take all necessary measures to exercise the right to self-defense guaranteed by the UN Charter," the Foreign Ministry said in its statement.

"All troop concentrations, military facilities, and supply routes in Belarus will become legitimate targets for the Armed Forces of Ukraine," the statement continued.

Ukraine's Foreign Ministry additionally warned that Belarusian troops conducting exercises close to the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant, would post "a threat to the national security of Ukraine and global security."

Belarus is Russias closest ally and hosts Russian troops and missiles. However, the Belarusian army is not currently directly involved in the invasion of Ukraine.

The Ukrainian Security and Defense Council's Center for Countering Disinformation said in May that it predicted the launch of a new Russian psychological operation about the opening of a new front in the north of Ukraine near the Belarusian border, aimed at "stirring up mass panic" in Ukrainian society.

It is unclear if a new risk assessment has been made by Ukraine's military as to the ongoing build up of Belarusian troops along its border. The statement from Ukraine's Foreign Ministry comes as the first published statement on relations between Ukraine and Belarus since September 2023.

Read also: Kursk operation: What Ukraine achieved so far and potential future gains











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Belarusian troops at a parade in the city of Minsk. Stock photo: Getty Images

A grouping of Belarusian forces massed on the border with Ukraine consists of about 1,100 people and poses no threat to Ukraine, the monitoring group Belaruski Hajun has said.

Source: Belaruski Hajun in response to a statement by Ukraines Foreign Ministry regarding the build-up of Belarusian troops near the border under the guise of training

Quote from Belaruski Hajun: "Lets keep in mind that according to Belaruski Hajuns information, the grouping concentrated near the border with Ukraine consists of about 1,100 personnel, and this number of troops transferred to the border poses no threat to Ukraine.

Lets also bear in mind that the troops are deployed up to 50 km from the border.

We believe that the objectives of the current escalation of the situation at the border are information-related and political, not military."

Background: Ukraines Foreign Ministry said on Sunday evening that a large number of Belarusian Armed Forces military personnel and equipment had gathered near the Belarusian-Ukrainian border under the pretext of military exercises. Former members of the Russian Wagner Group have also been spotted in the same area. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry urged Belarus to avoid making a tragic mistake under pressure from Moscow.

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A betrayal

A lot of praise is being heaped on a presidential candidate, Kamala Harris, who did not win any primary votes and who has held no press conferences or interviews. This is coming from a party that ruthlessly dispatched the current president because they thought he would not win  yet many in the party knew of his flaws for the past two years, maybe longer. In all of the enthusiasm, there is no discussion at all of this betrayal to Democratic voters.

Richard Boyle, Charlotte

Attack ads

As usual, all political attack ads should be carefully scrutinized.

Kamala Harris was never assigned the role of border czar. She was tasked with visiting Central American countries to help address the root causes of mass migration. Also, the number of rapes being reported in North Carolina began to increase several years before Josh Stein became attorney general, and that was part of a national trend as more victims became willing to come forward.

Arnie Grieves, Huntersville

Dan Bishop

In the last two weeks, I received multiple mailings from the Dan Bishop campaign that all say the same thing. Dan wants to require proof of citizenship in order to register to vote. Multiple investigations have shown this not to be a problem.

An audit of the 2016 elections by state investigators caught 41 voters  out of 4.8 million  who cast a ballot even though they were a citizen of another country. All of them, the audit said, were lawful U.S. residents. No election was altered.

Bishop seems to be hoping fear and xenophobia are more important to voters than common sense.

Vincent Keipper, Concord

Teacher shortage

Regarding CMS announces 293 teacher vacancies before classes start. How will schools cover openings? (Aug. 22):

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools is short nearly 300 hundred teachers. Schools without enough teachers have been asked to submit plans to the central office on how the vacancies will be covered.

As a retired educator, I can tell you that teachers will have to give up their precious planning periods to cover these empty classrooms. Once again teachers are being taken advantage of in our state. In addition to spending their own money for classroom supplies, they are being asked to work longer hours for less money.

People need to stop the hand-wringing about whether we can attract more teachers. Pay them more and give them the respect all professions deserve.

Augie Beasley, Charlotte

School investors

Regarding Demand like never before. Why millions are flowing to NC charter schools from investors, (Aug. 19):

Private equity investments in charter schools... Who could have seen that coming? So henceforth, to satisfy the insatiable appetites of investors for profits, either the amount spent by the state for education and the taxes which fund education will have to rise, or the amount spent actually educating our children will have to fall. I suspect its too late to put the toothpaste back in the tube.

Thomas Strini, Spencer

Digital price tags

Regarding Kroger has alarming plans for digital price tags, lawmakers say ( Aug. 16):

This article on Krogers plans should frighten all shoppers. Surge pricing, facial recognition cameras on every shelf, customer profiling by age and gender in every aisle  makes us want to run to the nearest competitor. After shopping at Harris Teeter since 1975, I cant wait for Publix to open nearby.

Jim Villier, Charlotte

A con man

In the face of overwhelming evidence otherwise, Donald Trump has convinced thousands of followers that the 2020 election was stolen. He performs his cons by spewing continued lies and name-calling. But his statements calling Kamala Harris dumb now clearly define him as a bigot.

Here is a man with more than 30 felony indictments who was found liable for sexual abuse, calling one of the most accomplished women in America dumb as a rock! This is a person who should never see any public office, much less the White House.

Debs Pedigo, Fort Mill
Boat owner has bad day when truck, trailer wind up in Puget Sound waters

A boat owner watched as his truck and trailer rolled into Puget Sound waters Friday morning, the Thurston County Sheriffs Office posted on social media.

About 7 a.m., the Thurston County Dive Rescue team was dispatched to Boston Harbor marina, north of Olympia on the east side of Budd Inlet.

The owner was able to swim back to shore; however, the truck posed a risk to other watercraft and environmental hazards, the Sheriffs Office said in its social media post. The dive team was able to recover the truck and trailer from the marina.

The driver of the truck had forgotten to put it in park when he exited and it rolled down the ramp into the water, Sheriffs Office Lt. Mike Brooks said Sunday.
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NASA's Boeing Starliner astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams will now return to Earth on a SpaceX Dragon capsule in February 2025. | Credit: NASA

On Saturday (Aug. 24), NASA announced its final decision regarding the fates of the two astronauts aboard the International Space Station whose original eight-day space jaunt had turned into a nebulous multi-month excursion. Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, who launched to the ISS aboard Boeing's Starliner capsule on June 5, will return home no earlier than February of 2025.

Furthermore, NASA and Boeing jointly decided that Williams and Wilmore will not head back to Earth aboard the same Starliner capsule that brought them to the ISS. Rather, they will climb aboard a SpaceX Dragon capsule for their descent to our planet, a vessel dedicated to the Crew-9 mission set to launch in September that will be modified to accommodate the Starliner astronauts. That capsule will only launch with two crewmembers in order to create space for Wilmore and Williams when the time comes to return to Earth, and it will also be reconfigured to carry more cargo, personal items and Dragon-specific spacesuits for the Starliner duo.

Meanwhile, NASA and Boeing are going to work on bringing the Starliner capsule back to Earth, crewless, to land in White Sands Space Harbor, New Mexico, sometime in September.

This decision comes after quite a bit of uncertainty about when the two Starliner astronauts will come back to Earth following the completion of what's known as the Crew Flight Test of their capsule; the test is named as such because this trip marked the first time Starliner embarked on a crewed mission in contrast to its previous two uncrewed tests.

"The decision to keep Butch and Suni aboard the International Space Station and bring the Boeing Starliner home uncrewed is a result of a commitment to safety," NASA Administrator Bill Nelson told reporters on Saturday.

Safety is of concern because of what the team says is a key issue with Starliner's propulsion system  namely, its thrusters. Starliner's launch to orbit wasn't exactly perfect, having been delayed due to a minor helium leak, for instance, but its docking to the ISS was what most worried operators. Basically, during docking, the capsule experienced malfunctions in five of its 28 reaction control thrusters. Both NASA and Boeing therefore decided to extend the Starliner astronauts' stay aboard the ISS while they troubleshooted the complication  and it would appear that a solution hasn't yet been defined.

"We are dealing with a very complex issue with the thrusters," NASA's Commercial Crew Program manager Steve Stich said during Saturday's conference. "It's challenging to predict their performance; it's challenging to predict the temperatures we'll see."

"One of the really important factors is that we just don't know how much we can use the thrusters on the way back home before a problem," Ken Bowersox, NASA's Associate Administrator for Space Operations, said during the conference, specifically pointing out heating effects that happened "on the way uphill."

So, because of all that uncertainty, NASA emphasizes that it's too risky to attempt bringing Wilmore and Williams back to the planet within the Starliner capsule that ferried them off.

A white and black Boeing Starliner space capsule is seen docked at the International Space Station through a station window with the Earth below.

"If we had a model  if we had a way to accurately predict what the thrusters would do for the undock and all the way through the deorbit burn and through the separation sequence  I think we would have taken a different course of action," Stich said. But when the team looked at the data, including figures surrounding the potential for thruster failures with a crew on board, "it was just too much risk."

Of note, Nelson mentioned that NASA's two fatal space shuttle accidents  Challenger in 1986 and Columbia in 2003, that killed 14 astronauts collectively  were on his mind when participating in the decision-making process, particularly as he was a U.S. senator during the latter.

"Obvious mistakes were not being brought forth," he said of those missions. "Going back to the loss of Challenger, even the engineers in Utah, in Morton Thiokol were begging their management not to launch because of the cold weather  and that information never got up."

And with Columbia, he said, issues with the hardware weren't brought up because of a particular culture that fostered this kind of data omission: "NASA, ever since, has tried very hard to bring about an atmosphere in which people are encouraged to step forward and speak their mind, and I think right today is a good example of that."

On a more positive note, NASA's Associate Administrator Jim Free said that NASA and the Boeing team have made substantial technical progress in building a new and more accurate thruster model based on physical thruster testing as well as an understanding of relevant fluid physics and material properties.

Of course, the choice to keep Wilmore and Williams on the ISS until Feb. 2025 means they'll have to remain on the Earth-orbiting station for an unanticipated total of about eight months, which raises questions about how the delay affects station operations. However, ISS Program Manager Dana Weigel doesn't feel any major stress about the amended duration, saying the agency has had astronauts stay on the station for about 12 months at a time before. Plus, in terms of supply allocation, all astronauts currently aboard the station have been fine and there hasn't been a need to ration, she explained.

So, next steps? Well, they involve planning for the uncrewed Starliner capsule's descent to Earth, which would technically be referred to as an "uncrewed test flight."

"We are changing the separation sequence that we planned, and we will review those aspects at the Readiness Review," Stich said. "We're going to go with a simplified separation technique to get away from the station a little more quickly. We'll get to the deorbit burn and execute that nominally."

When asked about where Boeing stands on all of this, Bowersox says the polling was unanimous amongst all the NASA folks  but that Boeing officials expressed they'd be willing to bring a crew home on Starliner. "They believe in their vehicle," he said.

RELATED STORIES:

 How are Boeing's Starliner astronauts spending their time on ISS?

 Starliner: Boeing's next-generation spaceship for astronauts

 Will Boeing's Starliner astronauts ride a SpaceX Dragon home in 2025?

"As far as the mood," he added, "all of us really wanted to complete the test flight with crew, and I think, unanimously, we're disappointed not to be able to do that."

There was also talk about the importance of supporting Boeing in its endeavor to find success with Starliner in general, especially because NASA hopes to have more than one option for crew flights in the future. Right now, SpaceX's capsule is the go-to.

"Competition is healthy in a lot of ways," Bowersox said. "It causes you to develop your technology, it causes you to get better pricing, and we would like to have that competition in the future."

This is in fact why, in 2014, NASA awarded Boeing a $4.2 billion contract to build a capsule that sees six crewed flights to the ISS; SpaceX received a similar $2.6 billion contract that year and has since completed nine such flights in its Dragon capsule. Crew-9 would mark the tenth.

To that end, Nelson also affirms he is 100% certain that Boeing will launch Starliner with a crew onboard again  but not before completing all necessary safety testing.

"We want to further understand the root causes and understand the design improvements so that the Boeing Starliner will serve as an important part of our assured crew access to the ISS," Nelson said. "Our core value is safety  and it is our North Star."

"This has not been an easy decision," Free said. "But it is absolutely the right one."

Editor's note: This story was updated on 8/24 with new information and comments from the Aug. 24 press conference regarding Boeing's Starliner Crew Flight Test.
Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) on Sunday argued Vice President Harris feels urgently about reaching a cease-fire and hostage release deal in the Israel-Hamas war, as she and the Democratic National Convention face criticism for not featuring a Palestinian speaker at the event.

Well, I know politics is critically important, but I know Kamala, Vice President Harris, very personally. Shes been anguished over this conflict from the first reports of the Hamas attacks, Booker said when asked on CNNs State of the Union if it was a mistake for the convention to not include a Palestinian American speaker.

She has felt urgently that we have got to bring about a cease-fire, get the hostages returned, and end the enormity of the ongoing suffering of the Palestinian people, he said.

I think that the convention did a good job of bringing up this conflict over and over again, from Vice President Harris herself, to my friend [Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.)], to even past presidents all spoke to the urgency for us to end this conflict and bring about a cease-fire, end Palestinian suffering, get the hostages released, which includes American hostages, Booker added.

A number of congressional Democrats, uncommitted delegates and pro-Palestinian activists criticized Harris and the convention for the denial of a Palestinian American speaker at the event as the party continues to navigate discussions around the Israel-Hamas war.

Some were particularly upset by the rejection of a speaker because the parents of an American hostage held by Hamas were given time at the convention for a speech.

Booker said he is encouraged because Harris is part of the Biden administration, which he argued is doing an extraordinary job trying to end the war and prevent it from escalating into other parts of the Middle East.

During her speech, Harris pledged to always defend Israel against terrorist attacks, calling out Hamas for the deadly Oct. 7 attacks, during which they killed about 1,200 people and took roughly 250 hostages in southern Israel. She also expressed her concern about the toll in Gaza, where more than 40,000 people have died.

What has happened in Gaza over the past 10 months is devastating, she said to a round of applause. The scale of suffering is heartbreaking. President Biden and I are working to end this war such that Israel is secure, the hostages are released, the suffering in Gaza ends and the Palestinian people can realize their right to dignity, security and freedom to self-determination.

Some war protesters have called for a more direct condemnation of the conflict from Harris and a more nuanced perspective than President Biden has given.

Negotiations for a cease-fire and hostage release deal appeared to collapse last week as Israel and Hamas remain at odds on major issues. Secretary of State Antony Blinken traveled to the Middle East last week to push negotiations toward the finish line but left without any major agreement in place.

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MEXICO CITY (AP)  The European Union's top diplomat on Saturday said that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has still not provided the necessary public evidence to prove he was the winner of Julys elections, days after the countrys Supreme Court backed the governments disputed claims of victory.

The bloc joined a slate of other Latin American countries and the United States in rejecting the Venezuelan high courts certification. Authorities repeated calls for Maduro to release the election's official tally sheets, considered the one verifiable vote count in Venezuela as they are almost impossible to replicate.

Only complete and independently verifiable results will be accepted and recognized," Josep Borrell, the high representative of the EU, said in a statement.

Borrell's comments came as the leaders of Brazil and Colombia also demanded the release of the tallies, saying on Saturday the credibility of the electoral process can only be restored through the transparent publication of disaggregated and verifiable data.

The joint statement from Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Colombian President Gustavo Petro didnt go as far as to reject the court certification. Many had been waiting to see how the two leftist leaders would respond to the court because both are close allies of Maduro and have been working to facilitate talks with both sides.

Maduro claims that he won the presidential vote, but so far has refused to release the tallies. Meanwhile, the main opposition coalition has accused Maduro of trying to steal the vote.

Opposition volunteers managed to collect copies of voting tallies from 80% of the 30,000 polling booths nationwide that show former opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez won by a more than 2-to-1 margin. The Supreme Court and other government entities alleged those tallies were forged.

The Venezuelan government rejected Borrells statements, calling them interventionist. Its Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Saturday that the continued disrespect to Venezuela's sovereignty by the EU could considerably affect diplomatic, political and economic relations."

Lula and Petro said they take note of the courts ruling, but added they are still awaiting release of the tallies.

The Brazilian and Colombian leaders also called on actors in Venezuela to avoid resorting to acts of violence and repression as security forces arrested more than 2,000 people and cracked down on demonstrations that erupted spontaneously throughout the country protesting the results. But the two leaders didn't directly accuse the Maduro government of carrying out the violence.

The arrests have again spread fear in a country that has seen other government crackdowns during previous times of political turmoil.

At the same time, key opposition figure Maria Corina Machado has since gone into hiding and the government said Friday it will order Gonzalez to provide sworn testimony in an ongoing investigation, claiming he was part of an effort to spread panic by contesting the results of the election.

Both Lula and Petro have previously been criticized for what some say have been lenient policies toward Maduros government, but their tone has grown more stern in recent months, especially in the wake of the election fallout.

Their two countries are neighbors to Venezuela and their governments were to witness agreements struck between Maduro and the opposition that aimed to chart the path to free and fair elections, which the opposition and other observers accused Maduro of violating. The two leaders reiterated their willingness to facilitate dialogue between the the government and the opposition.

The political normalization of Venezuela requires the recognition that there is no lasting alternative to peaceful dialogue and democratic coexistence, the statement read.
Ryan Evans, a member of the Reuters team reporting on the war in Ukraine, was killed, and two other Reuters journalists were injured in a Russian missile strike on Kramatorsk that occurred late at night on Aug. 24, the news agency said.

A total of six people have been injured in the attack, including two local female residents, Ukraine's National Police confirmed.

Two of the agency's journalists were being treated in hospital; one of them was seriously injured. "We are urgently seeking more information about the attack, including by working with the authorities in Kramatorsk, and we are supporting our colleagues and their families," Reuters said.

In a statement, Reuters it said a six-person team had been staying at the Hotel Sapphire when it was hit by "an apparent missile strike." Ukraine's General Prosecutor's Office said the attack happened around 10:35 p.m. on Aug. 24.

Evans, a former British soldier, had been working with Reuters since 2022 and advised its journalists on safety around the world including in Ukraine, Israel and at the Paris Olympics. He was 38 years old.

Earlier on Aug. 25, Donetsk Oblast Governor Vadym Filashkin said in post on Telegram that two journalists had been injured and another as missing, adding they were "citizens of Ukraine, the U.S. and Great Britain."

Ukraine's State Emergency Service later said Russian forces carried out the strike with an Iskander-M ballistic missile. Filashkin said a high-rise residential building was also damaged in the attack and rescue operations were ongoing.

Kramatorsk is often used as a base for journalists traveling to and from the front lines in the east of Ukraine.

The city comes under regular Russian attacks, and a strike on a restaurant in the city center, popular with volunteers, journalists, and soldiers, in June 2023 killed 13 people and injured dozens of others.

The well-known Ukrainian writer Victoria Amelina was seriously injured in the June 2023 strike and later died in hospital.

Amelina's work has been translated into numerous languages, including English, Polish, Italian, Spanish, German, Croatian, Dutch, Czech, and Hungarian.

She founded the Niu-York Literature Festival in 2021, which took place in the front-line town of Niu-York in Donetsk Oblast. It was postponed in 2022 due to Russia's full-scale invasion.

Read also: How Ukraines military has changed since it last paraded through the streets of Kyiv

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A journalist from the UK is likely to be trapped under the rubble following a Russian attack on a hotel in the city of Kramatorsk, Donetsk Oblast.

Source: Vadym Filashkin, Head of Donetsk Oblast Military Administration, on Facebook

Details: Filashkin said the number of people injured in Kramatorsk has risen to four. They are all Reuters journalists and are citizens of Ukraine, the US, Latvia and Germany.

A British journalist is likely to be still under the rubble. A search and rescue operation is ongoing at the site of the strike.

Background:

On the night of 24-25 August, Russian forces attacked a hotel in Kramatorsk, probably with an Iskander-M missile, the Donetsk Oblast Prosecutor's Office reported.

Earlier, it was reported that Polish journalist Monika Andruszewska, who has been covering the war in Ukraine since 2014, was injured in the attack. She was driving a car near the site of the missile strike. Andruszewska has been documenting Russia's war crimes on the territory of Ukraine and providing assistance to the Ukrainian army.

Reuters has reported that one member of its Ukraine team is missing as a result of the Russian strike on the Sapphire Hotel, and two others have been taken to hospital. A team of six Reuters staff members were staying at the hotel.

Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has called for Russia to be punished for the Saturday attack on Kramatorsk in which the foreign journalists were injured.

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Understanding ISB's Focus

Tips for Writing Effective Essays

Be authentic. Let your true personality shine through in your writing.

Let your true personality shine through in your writing. Show, Don't Tell: Use vivid examples and anecdotes to illustrate your points.

Use vivid examples and anecdotes to illustrate your points. Proofread Carefully: Ensure your essays are free of grammatical errors and typos.

Ensure your essays are free of grammatical errors and typos. Seek Feedback: Ask friends, family, or mentors to review your essays and provide constructive criticism.

Example Essays

Variation 1

Essay 1: Contemplate situations that have shaped your personal journey. Present what these situations have taught you about your strengths and weaknesses, and how they have shaped your personal and professional journey. (400 words)

Essay 2: What intellectual experiences have influenced your approach to learning and have led you to pursue an MBA? Please describe using anecdotes from your own experiences. (400 words)

Essay 3

Given your previous experience and future aspirations, 50 words

how do you plan to use the PGP at ISB to fulfil your professional goals? 200 words

Note: It is

not

necessary for you to write this essay. Please use this space only if there is something really significant that you would like us to know. 250

Reapplicant Essay (if applicable)

Prompt:

Conclusion

Feeling stuck in your ISB journey?

Are you dreaming of pursuing an MBA from the prestigious Indian School of Business (ISB)? If so, crafting compelling essays is a crucial step in your application process. ISB's essays are designed to provide the admissions committee with a deeper understanding of your personality, goals, and fit with their program. In this blog post, we'll delve into the key elements of ISB MBA essays and offer valuable tips to help you stand out.ISB is renowned for its emphasis on "Global Leadership." This philosophy highlights their commitment to fostering leaders who can navigate the complexities of the global business landscape. When writing your essays, keep this in mind and showcase how your experiences and aspirations align with ISB's values.Throughout my life, a few key situations have profoundly shaped my personal and professional journey, teaching me valuable lessons about my strengths and weaknesses.One such situation occurred during my final year of college when I was elected as the president of a student organization. This role was my first real taste of leadership, and it came with significant challenges. I quickly realized that leading a group of diverse individuals with different opinions and approaches was far more difficult than I had anticipated. There were moments when I felt overwhelmed by the responsibility, especially when conflicts arose within the group. However, this experience taught me that one of my strengths is my ability to stay calm under pressure. I found that by listening to each persons concerns and working to find common ground, I could help the group navigate disagreements and move forward. At the same time, I became aware of a key weakness: my tendency to take on too much responsibility myself, often struggling to delegate tasks effectively. This experience highlighted the importance of trusting others and empowering them to contribute, a lesson Ive carried into my professional life.Another defining moment came during my first job after graduation, where I worked as a marketing coordinator for a small company. I was excited about the opportunity, but I quickly discovered that the role required me to be much more proactive and self-directed than I had expected. There was little guidance from my supervisors, and I often had to figure things out on my own. Initially, I found this daunting and felt uncertain about my ability to succeed. However, I learned that I am resourceful and can thrive in situations where I need to learn quickly and adapt to new challenges. This experience strengthened my confidence and taught me the value of being independent and taking initiative. On the flip side, I also realized that I sometimes hesitate to ask for help when I need it, out of fear of appearing incompetent. Over time, Ive learned that seeking advice and collaboration is not a sign of weakness but a path to growth.These experiences have shaped me into someone who values both independence and collaboration. Theyve taught me to recognize and build on my strengths, while also addressing my weaknesses. As I move forward in my career, I continue to strive for a balance between taking initiative and seeking support, knowing that both are essential for personal and professional growth.One of the most significant moments in my journey happened during my undergraduate studies. I was part of a team working on a project to create a sustainable business model for a local non-profit. This was completely new to meI had never worked on anything that combined business with social good. Initially, I felt out of my depth, especially when it came to understanding market trends and consumer behavior. But as I collaborated with my teammates, who came from different fields of study, I realized how powerful it was to bring together different perspectives. This experience opened my eyes to the importance of teamwork and learning from others. It also sparked my interest in business and strategy, which has stayed with me ever since.After finishing my degree, I worked as a project manager at a tech startup. The job was fast-paced and often stressful, requiring me to make quick decisions that balanced technical details with business needs. I quickly learned how crucial it was to communicate complex ideas in a way that made sense to everyone, from engineers to clients. This role taught me the value of clear communication and strategic thinking. It also made me realize how much I enjoyed being at the intersection of technology and business, which is one of the main reasons I decided to pursue an MBA.Another important experience was a leadership development program I participated in. Through this program, I gained a deeper understanding of the human side of businesshow emotions, communication, and team dynamics can impact success. One workshop, in particular, focused on emotional intelligence and its role in leadership. It struck me how vital it is for leaders to be aware of and manage not just their own emotions but also those of their team members. This experience solidified my belief that good leadership is about more than just making smart business decisions; its also about being empathetic and understanding the people you work with.These experiences have taught me that learning is a lifelong process that involves both gaining knowledge and understanding people. They have led me to pursue an MBA, where I hope to continue growing, both professionally and personally, by learning from others and applying what I learn to make a positive impact in the business world.Leveraging my four-year experience in the TMT domain (telecom, media, and technology) with an MBA, I aspire to be a Consultant and eventually, a Partner with MBB specializing in SaaS, Hardware, and AI in the long term. I plan to focus on consulting in Technological Assessments, Strategic planning, and due diligence. With this in focus, ISB will upskill me in technology-led transformations and their impacts on the economy.The ABC Center research environment would foster my goals and aspirations in building and leading a TMT practice. Connecting with industry leaders participating in speaker series and the advisory board from leading tech companies would help me build my knowledge and network with industry and academia. Affiliated faculty with this research center, like Shilpa Agarwal and Anusha Sirigiri, across the Economics and Strategy disciplines, would allow me to interact and research emerging digital and tech topics.ISBs collaboration with Kellogg, LBS, and MIT would give me deep insights into all aspects of the networked economy, like Economics & public policy, Strategy, and entrepreneurship, supported by Vikrant Vij and Harbir Singh.Besides, the ISB ELP initiative would provide me with an opportunity to work on business problems, from writing proposals to researching and generating insights.ISBs strong alumni network will help me connect with like-minded people to achieve my aspirations. I look forward to the holistic PGP at ISB with its 360-degree growth encompassing the Experiential Learning Program, global collaborations, and collaborative initiatives.Please use this space to explain significant improvements in your profile since your last application to the ISB PGP. (200 words)Since my last application to the ISB PGP, I have focused on making significant improvements in both my professional skills and personal growth.Professionally, I took on a more challenging role at my company, where I led a team on a critical project aimed at expanding our market presence. This project not only required me to develop a deeper understanding of market dynamics but also pushed me to enhance my leadership and decision-making skills. I successfully led the team to achieve our targets ahead of schedule, which resulted in a 15% increase in our market share. This experience has given me greater confidence in my ability to lead and deliver results under pressure.On the personal front, I have worked on improving my communication skills, particularly in public speaking and presentation. I joined a local Toastmasters club, where I regularly practice and receive feedback. This has helped me become more confident and effective in conveying my ideas, a skill that I know will be crucial in an MBA program and beyond.These improvements have strengthened my profile, and I am now even more motivated and prepared to contribute to and benefit from the ISB PGP program.Crafting compelling ISB MBA essays requires careful thought, planning, and self-reflection. By understanding ISB's focus, addressing the key essay components, and following the tips provided, you can increase your chances of gaining admission to this prestigious program. Remember, the goal is to present a well-rounded picture of yourself that showcases your potential as a future global leader.Need guidance to progress?and get the clarity you need to move forward with confidence!_________________
Broward mom faces murder charge a decade after her son died during an unsupervised visit

Antwan Hope died in 2013 during an unsupervised weekend visit at a South Florida home with his troubled mother, from whom he was taken years prior after investigators discovered she had tried to smother him. The 4-year-olds death catapulted a probe that ended with Floridas child protection agency slammed for its failures.

Now, a decade later, the boys mother  long suspected of being responsible for his demise  was arrested and jailed Friday in Broward County.

Destene Simmons, 34, faces first-degree murder and aggravated child abuse charges. Jail records indicate that shes being held without bond in the North Broward Bureau in Pompano Beach.

The Florida Department of Children and Families removed Antwan from Simmons care after she was committed to a mental health facility in 2011. But a few years later, on June 7, 2013, ChildNet, DCFs private child welfare group in Broward, reunited Antwan with his mother after she met several conditions that could allow her unsupervised visitation.

The 4-year-old would be dead three days later. He had just graduated from preschool a week before.

4-year-old Antwan Hope

Needed to be rescued

The circumstances of Antwans death, which Coral Springs police called suspicious, have been unclear for a decade. Simmons, according to the Miami Heralds archives, waited 10 to 15 hours before calling police.

The Miami Herald reached out to Antwan Hope, the boys father, who on Sunday afternoon declined to comment, citing that he was processing the recent news.

My son was everything to me, Hope told the Herald at the time. Ive been a father to my son, and now hes gone.

Antwan, according to his aunt Deborah Jackson, was a bright child, who just needed to be rescued.

They put him in the hands of death, Jackson said back in 2013.

Not the first time

Years before Antwans death, Simmons was already on the radar of law enforcement, child welfare authorities and mental health professionals.

In 2011, Simmons attempted to smother 2-year-old Antwan, placing a pillow over his face, according to the Heralds archives. DCF failed to act  despite a June 13, 2011, report penned by Broward Sheriffs Office deputies detailing the incident.





The child protection agency stated that Antwan, who was then a toddler, never divulged what his mother did.

Antwans grandmother Shonta Rivers, however, saw what unfolded that day at the Coral Springs home. The boy, she said, was lying in bed with his mother when she asked Simmons if she could give him a kiss.

Enraged, Simmons replied: I will make sure you cant see him.

Simmons then took the boy into another room, shutting the door. Shortly after, Rivers overheard Antwan pleading with his mother to stop. She opened the door  and witnessed Simmons holding a pillow over Antwans face.

The mothers descent into mental health issues was documented in calls to law enforcement, starting in the spring of 2011, the Herald previously reported.

At one point, Simmons mother said she had been acting irrational and she didnt know what had happened. Her daughter, she said, turned into a different person and does not let anyone get near Antwan.

Simmons was taken to a mental health facility under Floridas involuntary commitment law, the Baker Act. Child protection workers took the boy to live with his father, where he remained until Simmons came to the home and made verbal threats to harm the child.

Is agency culpable?

Antwans tragic story emerged in a scathing report on DCFs systemic failure to protect children in dysfunctional households.

The 2013 document uncovered that DCF seldom intervened in a meaningful way, despite also finding that the leading cause of death among children in the review was suffocation by parents or family members.

What may have been the attempted murder of this child in 2011 was disregarded because the child, less than 3-years-old at the time of the attempted suffocation, did not disclose that the incident had occurred, the report said.

Miami Herald staff writer Carol Marbin Miller contributed to this report
Social Democrat Michael Roth, Chairman of the Bundestag's Foreign Affairs Committee from Olaf Scholzs party, believes that the US$50 billion loan planned by international partners for Ukraine should be given to Kyiv in addition to Germany's existing bilateral military assistance, rather than instead of it.

Source: Die Welt, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Roth stated that he believes the German government's support for Ukraine is decreasing with each passing year.

He emphasised that, instead of 7.5 billion this year, the German government intends to allocate 4 billion for military assistance to Ukraine in 2025, with the amount reduced to 0.5 billion by 2027.

The German government stated that in the future, Ukraine will be able to meet its military needs through a multibillion-dollar loan provided at the expense of the Russian Federation's frozen assets.

Quote: "This raised concerns in Ukraine and among our Central and Eastern European partners about Germany's reliability. It is appropriate to demand that the aggressor pay in the future and use the proceeds from frozen Russian state assets to fund military assistance for Ukraine.

However, a new international financial instrument totalling 46 billion euros currently exists only on paper," Roth said.

He added that it is still unclear when and how much of these funds will be made available to Ukraine.

However, the frozen Russian assets were intended to save Ukraine's freedom rather than the federal budget. If other countries reduce their bilateral aid, the new financial cauldron will not last.

"That is why the money from a large loan should come not instead, but in addition to the existing bilateral military assistance from Germany. This would be a real relief for Ukraine," says Michael Roth.

The politician warned that if Ukraine loses the war or is forced to accept dictated peace, the consequences for Germany's security and stability in Europe will be serious.

Last weekend, German media reported that the German federal government's current budget planning does not provide for the allocation of new funds to support Ukraine, and additional applications from the German Ministry of Defence for military aid to Ukraine will no longer be approved at Chancellor Olaf Scholz's request.

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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Authorities said the death of an inmate Friday at California State Prison, Sacramento, near Folsom is being investigated as a homicide following a fight with five other inmates.

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said guards saw inmates Darryn Mayberry, Robert Keller, Tray Watson, Marcell Battiest and Otis Wyatt, attack fellow inmate Darryl Hudson in the dayroom at the facility known as New Folsom just before 3 p.m. Thursday.

Hudson was allegedly hit by Mayberry several times and lost consciousness, corrections officials said. Guards stopped the fight by shouting verbal orders and immediately called for emergency services. Officials said they had limited movement on the yard where the fight took place.

Hudson was taken to a hospital but was pronounced dead at 6:11 p.m. Friday. Corrections officials said no staff or additional inmates were injured in the altercation.

Hudson, 40, was convicted of first-degree murder and first-degree robbery in Contra Costa County in 2009 and sentenced to life without parole. In 2021, he was convicted of an in-prison offense of battery on a non-prisoner in Kern County and sentenced to an additional seven years.

The Sacramento County Coroners Office will determine Hudsons official cause of death, CDCR said.

The five inmates involved in the fight were placed in restricted housing while corrections officials and the Sacramento County District Attorneys Office conduct an investigation into the homicide.

Mayberry, 30, was serving a 10-year sentence for second-degree robbery. Keller, 38, was convicted of first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder and sentenced to life without parole. Watson, 58, was sentenced 18 years for assault with a firearm. Battiest, 29, was convicted of attempted second-degree murder and second-degree robbery and serving life without parole. Wyatt, 27, was sentenced to life without parole for second-degree murder.
Capitol View: Analyzing the road to the White House

LITTLE ROCK, Ark.  The presidential race takes another step forward.

Capitol View host Roby Brock talked with former dean of the Clinton School and one-time chairman of the Democratic Party of Arkansas, Skip Rutherford former executive director of the Republican Party of Arkansas, GOP strategist and lobbyist with Impact Management Group, Richard Bearden, who weigh in on our political roundtable.

Roby talks with both analysts about the impact of the Republican and Democratic National Conventions and how they could affect key states heading into Novembers election.

Capitol View airs on Sundays at 8:30 a.m.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KARK.
Editors note: Jack Becker is the editor of the Caprock Chronicles and authors todays essay. He can be reached at Jack.Becker@ttu.edu. This is the third of a series of articles that commemorate the Red River War, which occurred 150 years ago this year.

Angered by the white mans wanton destruction of the buffalo by buffalo hunters, also known as hide men, the Cheyenne, Comanche, and Kiowa peoples left their reservation in Indian Territory and traveled on the South Plains in attempt to stave-off the hide mens destruction of their main food source. The southern plains Indians had exclusive rights to hunt buffalo on the South Plains, according to the Treaty of Medicine Lodge (1867).

Consequently, in the spring of 1874, Comanche and Kiowa warriors attacked a camp of hide men near the abandon site of Adobe Walls in present day Hutchinson County. Although the battle was considered a victory for the hide hunters. The battle sent shock waves across the southwest and soon afterwards, the Army was ordered into the area to use any means necessary to force the Indians back on to their reservations.

Military leaders pick Col. Nelson Miles, an experienced Indian fighter for the job. He left Fort Dodge in the late summer, heading south west with 744 soldiers, 554 horses and between 65-100 wagons, and 125 citizen employees under his command. After stopping and Camp Supply, in present day Oklahoma, he continued his march toward the Llano Estacado where he expected to find the off-reservation Indians.

It is at this site the Comanche, Kiowa and Cheyenne chose to attack the soldiers who had been following them so aggressively. Miles reported that between 75 and 100 warriors attacked an advance party of scouts less than two miles from the main force he personally commanded. Miles organized his troops and quickly came to the scouts rescue.

The Indians fell slowly back to a better prepared position some distance to the southwest where between 400-600 warriors held a very strong defensive position. At this point a five hour long running battle ensued. Covering about 12 miles starting at the Griffin Hills, where first contact was made, over the dry river bed of the Prairie Dog Branch of the Red River, to the mouth of Tule Canyon. The battle took place in southern Armstrong and northern Briscoe Counties.

Miles could not make the Indians give battle like he had hoped. He had hoped that one quick decisive battle would end the Red River War, but that was not to be. The warriors successfully fought a delaying action, which allowed their village of mostly women and children to escape. After burning their village, which included everything they could not carry, the Indians traveled up Tule Canyon, following the trail that lead them to the top of the Llano Estacado.

Miles command spent the night on the Red River planning to follow the Indians the next day onto the top of the Llano. Following the trail the soldiers found that the Indians split up into many smaller trails, scattering in almost every direction of the compass. It soon became obvious to all that further pursuit was unless.

Miles returned to the site on the Red River where they had spent the previous night. During the night he determined that his command was dangerously low on ammunition, food and other supplies. And a rest was necessary to replenish his men and horses.

Although the Battle on the Red River was not the success Miles wanted, after all the Indians had escaped, they had, however, lost most of their worldly possessions and possibly the lives of 25 Indians. But the battle sent a message to all the Indians who now lived freely on the Llano. The U.S. Military intended to make war to the fullest.

The next day Miles ordered Captain Wyllys Lyman to return to Camp Supply with several wagons for the badly needed supplies.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Caprock Chronicles: The Battle at Red River
Car crash, shooting occur within minutes of each other in Nutbush

MEMPHIS, Tenn.  Memphis Police are investigating a shooting and a car crash that took place just minutes after each other on Jackson Ave.

At 3:21 p.m., officers responded to a shooting at 3675 Jackson Ave. The victim received medical treatment at the scene and refused to be transported.

Memphis Police say no one has been detained, but this is still an ongoing investigation.

1 dead after multi-vehicle crash; eastbound and westbound lanes closed

At 3:53 p.m., officers responded to a multi-vehicle crash at 4118 Jackson Ave. One male victim was taken to Regional One Hospital in critical condition.

Memphis Police said that two people have been detained. All three lanes are closed as they investigate.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
A car wash crash in Perry leads to $700k civil rights lawsuit against police. What we know

A man accused of hit and run for allegedly damaging a car wash says he was a victim of unjust police force in Perry and is seeking six figures in a lawsuit.

The man alleges his arrest was unlawful, according to a lawsuit filed in federal court Wednesday. He also claims deputies pressured him into signing an agreement that he wouldnt file a lawsuit, according to court documents.

Jason Kerr is seeking $700,000 in damages from the city of Perry, Police Chief Alan Everidge, Houston County Sheriff Cullen Talton and police officers Sean Whilden, Heath Dykes and an unspecified officer after he was charged with hit and run for allegedly damaging the sign of Skweeky Kleen Car Wash last year.

Kerr alleges his car was under the mechanical control of the car washs machinery during the crash. Kerrs wife, Jennifer, is also involved in this suit against the city and police officers.

On June 18, 2023, Whilden and the unspecified officer arrested Kerr, according to the lawsuit. They threatened him with a taser despite his compliance, according to the lawsuit. He also claims he was afraid during the arrest.

The officers actions that day violated Kerrs civil rights for their excessive and unnecessary use of force, Kerr alleged in the suit. Kerrs lawsuit also says he was falsely arrested and imprisoned, subjected to assault, battery, intentional infliction of emotional harm and coercion.

The lawsuit alleged that, after the arrest, Dykes attempted to coerce Plaintiff Jason into signing a document waiving his rights to file a lawsuit against the agencies involved in his arrest in exchange for non-prosecution of offenses related to Plaintiff Jasons arrest.

Kerr refused to sign the waiver, according to the court document. The same document mentioned that Kerr and his wife sought medical treatment costing about $25,000 for the injuries they sustained.

The Kerrs want a jury to hear the allegations.

Officials for the city of Perry said they would let their lawyers handle the lawsuit. Police Chief Everidge declined to comment on the allegations.
CARTHAGE, Mo.  Members of the Carthage community gather to make their voices heard after the failure to appoint a new fire chief for the city.

Were here to support Jason Martin for fire chief, said Susan Reddy, Carthage resident.

More than 50 residents lined Garrison Avenue, Saturday, holding signs in support.

I want the citizens of Carthage to understand what they are doing to this man. Hes put 30 years with the fire department  almost 30  28 I believe. And what they are doing to this mans reputation is trying to ruin it, said Chris Taylor, Carthage city council member.

PREVIOUS: Carthage Council delays hiring new fire chief

Community members are outraged after the city council did not promote Martin.

People of this city have a right to be governed legally  not because you have a personal agenda or because you dont like somebody, said Taylor.

Carthage resident Susan Reddy tells us her support is personal.

He was a very good friend of my brother, Steve Fierro. They both worked together at the fire station, and my brother died in the line of duty. And Jasons always, every year, made sure that our memorial was taken care of at the fire station at  Im sorry, at the cemetery  and made sure that we had a remembrance of him every year, said Reddy.

Reddy says the whole situation has been unfair to Martin.

Everything that went on  with the hiring committee 100 percent of wanting him on there  and then it got ripped from him so they can do more investigating. We just want him to know we support him, said Reddy.

PREVIOUS: Carthage FD questions city councils inaction

Community members tell us they just want answers.

Im here to speak out against tyranny  because the reason he is not the fire chief is all about political or personal reasons. I have investigated every single claim against Jason Martin and found them to be false. I want to know what their reasoning is for Jason Martin not being the fire chief after the committee for hiring a fire chief picked him, said Taylor.

He deserves the job and we deserve to have a good fire chief, said Reddy.

| The Latest From Carthage City Council:

(Story Date: April 1, 2024  April 30, 2024)

(Story Date: May 1, 2024  May 31, 2024)

(Story Date: June 1, 2024  June 30, 2024)

(Story Date: July 1, 2024  Present)

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSNF/KODE | FourStatesHomepage.com.
Re: Tourists have long complained that hotel accommodations in Midville ar [ #permalink

1 Kudos
Uniquely is a Sacramento Bee series that covers the moments, landmarks and personalities that define what makes living in the Sacramento area so special.

In the heart of downtown Sacramento, just a few blocks from the state Capitol, rests one of the citys most historic buildings  the 135-year-old Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament.

The landmark sits at the intersection of K and 11th streets with a grand dome, a 5,000-pound bell and three spires extending into the sky. It marks the site of what was once the largest cathedral west of the Mississippi River.

The cathedral is the main church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sacramento. The diocese serves more than 500,000 Catholics across 102 churches, ranging from Sacramento County to the Oregon border.

The building contains religious artwork donated by some of Sacramentos most famous figures. It has been the site of funeral masses for past California governors. But above all, the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacred has served as a space for people from all different religious and ethnic backgrounds to gather, according to lead docent Oscar Ramirez.

Its not a cathedral just for us Catholics, it is a cathedral for everyone in Sacramento, he said.

The Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament stands on 11th Street in downtown Sacramento on Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024. In the late 1800s, Bishop Manogue convinced the Vatican to allow him to pursue its construction.

Docent Oscar Ramirez, who gives weekly tours in English and Spanish at the Cathedral Blessed Sacrament in downtown Sacramento, looks up at the buildings splendor on Tuesday.

The history behind Sacramentos only Catholic cathedral

The Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament was built because a former gold miner had a dream.

Irish immigrant Patrick Manogue came to California in search of riches during the Gold Rush. After a few years, he turned a great profit and met a few wealthy friends along the way, Ramirez said.

Eventually, Manogue decided to end his mining career prematurely to become an ordained priest. He attended a seminary in Paris, where he was struck by the beauty of the Church of the Holy Trinity.

He felt moved to create a similar version once he became the bishop of Sacramento, according to the cathedrals website. In the mid-1880s, he called on his gold miner acquaintances to donate land and help fund the cathedrals construction. The site in downtown Sacramento was selected deliberately to be next door to the state Capitol building.

In 1886, construction began at 1019 11th Street. It took three years to finish the $250,000 project  the equivalent of $6 million today  Ramirez said. At the time, it was the largest cathedral on the West Coast and one of the few places where Sacramentans could gaze upon radiant stained-glass windows and Renaissance artwork.

In 1889, there wasnt much art. There wasnt much beauty in Sacramento, Ramirez said. When this was built, it was the second most important building in Sacramento in the city, and it remains to this day, second only to the Capitol.

An image of a bishop being eaten alive by wild beasts with an angel arriving at the top of the frame to martyr him hangs east of the church organ at the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in downtown Sacramento. A gift to the church by Bishop Manogue in 1889, its message is to be willing make any sacrifice for the flock.

Art and architecture inside the cathedral

Upon entrance, the cathedral is a stunning spectacle of light, art and religiosity. The Victorian-style building takes architectural inspiration from the Italian Renaissance and features artwork donated by several famous former Sacramento residents.

The baptismal bowl faces east from the entry of the church at the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in downtown Sacramento. Once baptized, a new Catholic is welcomed by the churchs community.

Dozens of wooden pews that can seat up to 1,400 people line the 200-foot long church. Twelve chandeliers that were once gas-fueled perch over the pews. Confessionals made of pine, cedar, redwood and oak wood from the 1800s reside in the back corners of the church.

Look above and dazzling stained-glass windows flank every side of the cathedral. Several of the stained-glass windows feature rectangular inserts that were donated by art collector and Sacramento philanthropist Margaret Crocker, Ramirez said.

A crucifix that hangs above the altar at the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in downtown Sacramento is suspended with aircraft cables.

The twelve inserts showcase the Stations of the Cross, which depict Jesus on his day of crucifixion and were created from recycled glass from the Italian Renaissance. Even though Crocker was not Catholic, she was a great devotee of Bishop Manogue.

Similarly, another non-Catholic but historic Sacramento leader donated art that still lives in the cathedral.

Jane Stanford, a former first lady of California and co-founder of Stanford University, received permission from the Emperor of Austria to have a replica made of The Sistine Madonna by Renaissance painter Raphael Sanzio. Visitors can see the painting hanging on the left side of the church.

This is the cathedral that immigrants built, that women built and that gold and silver built, Ramirez said.

Central points of the cathedral also feature a baptismal font and altar containing marble mined and carved in China and Spain. Above the altar, hangs a 2,000-pound crucifix suspended by airplane cables.

The crucifix hangs above the altar at the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament is suspended with aircraft cables.

During the renovation of 1939, the bishop of the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in downtown Sacramento was at a conference the Philippines, and saw the tabernacle in the Manilla cathedral. He commissioned an exact replica, plated with gold and silver. The tabernacle is decorated with symbols of the Eucharist and resides at the east end of the church.

Major renovations

Some of these characteristics are still new to the cathedral. In 2003, the diocese embarked on a massive two-year renovation project to update the cathedral.

The restoration started with a leaking roof and soon evolved into a $34 million project. The building was retrofitted for earthquakes and the interior was transformed into a more unified aesthetic rooted in the past, according to the cathedrals website.

At the time, the cathedral was closed to parishioners to allow for construction. When it reopened, the revitalized cathedral had several new components, including updated confessionals and a new altar and baptismal font. Ramirez said the grandest development of all was an inner dome that visitors could gaze up into for the first time in more than 60 years.

In the 1930s, the 110-foot inner dome was completely covered to improve the buildings acoustics for mass-going parishioners. It was stripped to wood and nails, and the beauty contained in the domes interior was destroyed without any photographic record, Ramirez said.

The dome of the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacramento is viewed from inside the downtown Sacramento cathedral in Sacramento. Sealed off for decades because of acoustic reasons, its interior was reconstructed during a remodel in the 2000s. The images inside the dome depict images from the New Testament, the Old Testament, and the Book of Revelations.

The baptismal bowl faces east from the entry of the church at the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in downtown Sacramento. Once baptized, a new Catholic is welcomed by the churchs community.

The 1903 bronze-plated sanctuary lamp hung in the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in downtown Sacramento until it disappeared in the the renovation in 1939. A woman in El Dorado Hills called the church in 2003 and mentioned the lamp hanging in her home might have come from the church. The church bought the lamp back for $5,000.

During the most recent renovation, the diocese searched through newspaper clippings, diaries and journals in an attempt to reconstruct the artwork of the original dome. Now, the eye of the reconstructed dome portrays the Holy Spirit and extends into painted scenes from the Bible where God is physically and spiritually feeding his people.

Over the years, the cathedral has undergone three significant renovations in 1939, 1972 and 2005. But despite these changes, Ramirez said the mission of the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in downtown Sacramento has remained the same.

Since the beginning, this church, this cathedral has not been perceived only as a Catholic temple, it has been perceived as a civic building for the city of Sacramento and a civic source of pride, he said.
Yahoo Sports

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.
Central Kentucky animal shelters and rescues are facing an unending battle this summer with an influx of animals in their care, and a lack of space to keep them. The situation has become so dire that they are pleading with the public to help in any way it can.

The Lexington Humane Society had 500 animals in its care as of Aug. 20, and Lexington Fayette Animal Control and Care is housing over 100  numbers that keep climbing. Last week, Lexington animal control took in 26 homeless dogs and cats. In one night, 10 puppies arrived, bringing the total to 36 animals in a single day.

Homeless animal intake has risen by 13 percent this summer, according to the Lexington Humane Society, pushing it to the brink, it said in a post on Facebook. It is using any space available to try and keep pets.

We are beyond full, the program shared on social media. Were scrambling to find extra kennels, squeezing them into office spaces  using every inch we have. But how do we make room for the animals society has discarded?

The facilitys efforts, resources and hearts are stretched to the limit, it said. The organization pleaded for people to adopt or foster a pet, even if it is just for a week. This allows the staff time to find space and homes for the animals.

Jessamine County Animal Care and Control has admitted 74 dogs and puppies to its facilities with few reclaims, according to a Aug. 24 post on social media. The situation has put the facility into a critical situation with adult dogs.

Our adoption and stray areas are full, and we are looking for rescues to pull some if they can, the facility posted on social media.

Even if people are unable to adopt or foster, shelters are asking for donations. With so many animals in their care, expenses are increasing.

We need our community to understand and help today, the Lexington Humane Society posted. These animals are counting on us, and were counting on you.
Cherokee County man convicted by jury for possession of sawed off shotgun

A Cherokee County man will be sentenced soon for his possession of a sawed-off shotgun, according to the district attorneys office.

The Sandy Springs Police Department executed a search warrant on a home in May 2023 where Matthew Miller, 35, lived with his girlfriend.

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When police entered the home, detectives located a sawed-off barrel that was illegally modified by being cut to a length shorter than allowed by law.

Officials say the shotgun had one round in the chamber and five in the magazine tube.

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Sentencing is set for a later date, officials said.

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IN OTHER NEWS:
China has expressed its outrage over the new US sanctions against Chinese companies that are helping Russia circumvent sanctions and exporting dual-use goods that are used in weapons production for the war against Ukraine. Beijing has vowed to take measures to safeguard the rights and interests of its businesses.

Source: Financial Post

Quote from China's Commerce Ministry: "China urges the US to immediately stop its wrong practices and will take necessary measures to resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and interest of Chinese companies."

Details: On 23 August, the United States announced sanctions against hundreds of firms in Russia, Europe, Asia and the Middle East, accusing them of providing products and services that are helping Russia evade sanctions. The US State Department said it was concerned about the "scale of dual-use exports" from China to Russia.

Meanwhile, China's Ministry of Commerce in a statement strongly opposed the fact that the US has placed a number of Chinese companies on its export control list. This move prohibits such companies from trading with US firms without obtaining an almost unattainable special licence.

The ministry said that the US actions are "typical unilateral sanctions" that would violate global trade rules and regulations and "affect the stability of the global industrial and supply chains".

The US Department of State noted that some Chinese companies had supplied Russian companies with machine tools and components.

China attempts to maintain a neutral stance, but following Western sanctions on Russian oil in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, China has significantly increased its purchases of Russian crude oil, thereby expanding its influence in Russia.

Russian leader Vladimir Putin also emphasised China's importance when he met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing shortly after his inauguration for a fifth term in the Kremlin.

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Chinese firms are gaining access to top US technology and AI via AWS

When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission.

Credit: Shutterstock

State-linked Chinese entities are leveraging cloud services from Amazon Web Services (AWS) and its competitors in order to access advanced US chips and AI capabilities that have been restricted in the nation.

By accessing overseas technologies via cloud computing services, Chinese organizations can circumvent US export controls to obtain advanced technology.

The news comes after around two years of US government efforts to impose strict regulations to limit the export of high-end AI chips to China in an effort to hinder the countrys militarys technological advancements.

China is still accessing banned US tech

Anti-China regulations imposed by the US do not prevent the country from accessing such technology through cloud services, but rather the direct export or transfer of tangible goods, software or technology, therefore the country can maintain its access.

A Reuters investigation of more than 50 tender documents posted to Chinese public database over the past year found that at least 11 Chinese entities sought access to restricted US technologies or cloud services  four of which named AWS as their cloud service provider, although they accessed the service through local intermediaries.

One such example is Shenzhen Universitys 200,000 yuan ($28,000) payment to access cloud servers powered by Nvidia A100 and H100 chips, which have been banned for export to China.

AWS, which accounts for around one-third of the global cloud market, or the same as Microsoft and Google combined, states that it complies with all applicable US laws.

Consequentially, the US government appears to be increasingly worried about the loophole, with legislators proposing new measures to regulate remote access to US technologies via cloud services. The effectiveness of current export restrictions is also under fire.

A company spokesperson confirmed in an email to TechRadar Pro: "AWS complies with all applicable US laws, including trade laws, regarding the provision of AWS services inside and outside of China."

More from TechRadar Pro
These Chinese nuclear submarines show it's serious about countering US dominance under the waves

China has built upon decades of earlier failures to field a growing submarine force.

Its attack boats and boomers have grown much quieter and harder to track.

The fleet build-up shows the importance China believes subs will have in future conflicts.

Two days before US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in China this April for meetings with the country's leader and other high-ranking Chinese officials, China's People's Liberation Army Navy released footage of a nuclear submarine firing a ballistic missile.

The video, which also showed three other submarines making up the carrier Shandong's strike group, was released as part of celebrations marking the 75th anniversary of the country's navy. Two months after its release, a Chinese ballistic missile submarine surfaced in the Taiwan Strait, near Taiwan's Kinmen islands.

The publicity and show of force are the latest evidence of China getting serious about its ambitions to build up its nuclear submarine fleet.

China has built upon decades of earlier failures to field a growing submarine force whose boats are more capable against the US's advanced subs in a sign that China believes its ambitions may come down to an undersea fleet that can sink rivals and deter enemies from nuclear attack.

Its vast shipbuilding industry is cranking out nuclear submarines at a fast clip, with new designs also in the works.

The Type 093 nuclear-powered attack submarine, seen here in 2019, is a leap ahead of its flawed predecessor. (Photo by Kyodo News Stills via Getty Images

Nuclear attack submarines

China's interest in nuclear submarines dates as far back as the mid 1950s, immediately after the US Navy commissioned the world's first nuclear submarine, USS Nautilus. But with the Soviet Union unwilling to transfer nuclear propulsion technology to China, the Chinese had to start from scratch.

China's first attempt at creating a nuclear-powered submarine was focused on developing a nuclear attack submarine (classified as SSN) because designing a nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine would have required developing a naval reactor, submarine-launched ballistic missile, and underwater launching system all at once.

The effort was given the green light in 1958, but construction on the first boat would not begin until 1968. Though launched in 1970, construction was further delayed by the upheaval of the Cultural Revolution, and the vessel was not commissioned until 1974.

Known as the Type 091, it was designated as the Han-class by NATO. Measuring from 321 to 350 feet long and displacing over 5,000 tons submerged, it was armed with six torpedo tubes at the bow that could fire at ships or other submarines. In all, five Type 091 SSNs were built between 1968 and 1990.

The Type 091 class was nowhere near as combat-capable as its peers, largely due to the fact that they were the first nuclear-powered submarines China ever built, and because they had no assistance in doing so; the sub's reactor must be stable enough to continuously provide mechanical power to turn its propellor and to generate its electricity. These subs were substantially louder than most of their contemporaries and were viewed as considerably outdated.

Type 091 subs did undertake multiple deployments and were involved in a number of incidents. They also received upgrades that improved their performance in the early 2000s. Ultimately, however, they served more as stepping stones towards future nuclear subs than as front-line assets. Two of the five subs have since been retired.

China's second-generation SSN, the Type 093, proved a drastic improvement over its predecessor. Designated the Shang-class by NATO, development on the subs originated in the 1980s, but construction on the first sub only began in 1998, four years after a decision by Chinese leaders to proceed with building a new class of SSNs to better face the challenges of the coming century.

Unlike the Type 091, the Type 093 benefitted from technology transfers from Russia. The Russian Rubin Design Bureau also reportedly consulted with the Chinese on the class's overall design. By 2003, the first sub was launched, and in 2006, it was commissioned into service.

At 351 feet long and with a displacement of about 7,000 tons, the Type 093s have six torpedo tubes capable of firing wired, acoustic, and wake-homing torpedoes. They are also capable of launching YJ-18 and YJ-82 anti-ship cruise missiles, and are equipped with bow and flank-mounted sonars.

Seven Type 093 SSNs have been built across three variants; two Type 093s, four Type 093As, and at least one Type 093B. The Type 093A is an upgraded design with improved quieting  noise is one of a submarine's biggest giveaways, which can be detected by passive sonar and hydrophones. The Type 093B is a further upgraded version, equipped with a pump-jet propulsor and the ability to deploy a towed sonar array. It is expected to play more of a land-attack role with long-range cruise missiles.

A man looks at a model of the Type 092, China's first nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine of which only one was built. WANG ZHAO/Getty Images

Nuclear ballistic missile submarines

Also known as "boomers" and given the classification "SSBN," nuclear ballistic missile submarines are perhaps the greatest nuclear deterrent any nation can possess. Intended to stay submerged for months at a time on a patrol, they carry nuclear missiles with long ranges and preserve a country's ability to retaliate if they are attacked with what's known as a second-strike capability. Deployed submarines are much more difficult to destroy compared to ICBM silos and strategic bombers.

China's first SSBN, the Type 092 (designated Xia-class by NATO), was based on the Type 091 SSN. Launched in 1981 and commissioned in 1983, only one was built. Measuring about 393 feet long and with a submerged displacement of about 8,000 tons, it was armed with six torpedo tubes and 12 launch silos for SLBMs.

Like the Type 091, the problem-plagued Type 092 is regarded as little more than a test case.

Despite being commissioned in 1983, it was only active from 1987 onwards. It had a terrible safety record, with reports of it suffering from radiation leakage, and was also considerably loud  so much so that there was little doubt it would be detected by its adversaries.

The SLBM it carried, the JL-1, was also comparatively unimpressive. Not fully operational until 1988, it was unable to carry multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRVs), and instead only carried a single nuclear warhead ranging from 200  300 kilotons. Its range was also only about 1,056  1,335 miles, which severely limited its ability to strike the most relevant targets.

Consequently, the Type 092 never made a single deterrent patrol, and instead spent most of its time either within Chinese territorial waters or docked in Chinese naval bases. For all its inadequacies, however, the Type 092 did act as something of a stepping stone for the development of China's next SSBN, the Type 094.

Designated as the Jin-class by NATO, the Type 094 is a vast improvement over its predecessor, with a new propulsion system, improved electronics and sensors, and, perhaps most crucially, lower sound levels.

At 450 feet long and with a submerged displacement of around 10,000 tons, the sub's armament is similar to the Type 092 (six torpedo tubes and 12 SLBM launchers), but it carries a different SLBM: the JL-2.

Capable of carrying a one megaton nuclear warhead or 3-8 MIRVs, the JL-2 was introduced in 2015, and has an estimated range of between 4,970 - 5,592 miles. In 2022, it was reported that China began deploying the new JL-3 SLBM on its Type 094s.

Able to carry a single 1-megaton nuclear warhead and possibly multiple MRVs, the JL-3 is believed to have a range of over 6,200 miles  putting the American West Coast in range of Chinese SLBM's for the first time.

By comparison, US Navy Ohio-class SSBNs are each armed with 20 Trident II SLBMs, which are believed to have a minimum range of 1,242 and a maximum range of 7,456 miles.

Six Type 094s have been constructed, with the first laid down in 2001. The two most recent subs are of the Type 094A upgraded subvariant. The class represents China's first credible sea-based nuclear deterrent, with the US Department of Defense reporting in 2022 that China "is conducting continuous at-sea deterrence patrols" for the first time.

China's nuclear attack subs could play a hunter-killer role in an assault on Taiwan, the self-ruled island Beijing covets. JADE GAO/AFP via Getty Images

Numbers, sophistication, and use

The growth of China's nuclear submarine fleet is impressive considering the timeline. According to the US Department of Defense, China has constructed 12 nuclear submarines in the last 15 years.

And the growth isn't just constrained to numbers  it also includes capabilities, with the newest Chinese nuclear submarines closing the gap with their American counterparts. The Type 093, for instance, is believed to be about as quiet as the US Navy's current Los Angeles-class SSNs.

China's fleet of diesel-electric powered submarines is also getting larger and more sophisticated, with recent upgrades aimed at increasing stealth and time underwater being implemented on their newest Type 039 class subs.

The growth in numbers and sophistication reflects the importance China believes submarines, particularly nuclear submarines, will have in potential future conflicts with its regional and global adversaries.

Chinese SSNs, with their ability to stay under water for long periods of time, could act as hunter-killers of American and allied ships and submarines in the waters east of Taiwan, possibly pushing them towards the Second Island Chain.

Chinese SSBNs, meanwhile, would likely operate from the safety of their bastions in the South China Sea, ready to launch their SLBMs whenever required. They could also operate in the Sea of Japan, putting even more of the continental US in range of their missiles.

All the while, they could be aided by their fleet of diesel-electric attack subs and the Underwater Great Wall, a network of sensors embedded on the floor of the East and South China seas aimed at detecting rival subs.

But China's nuclear subs still have limitations. The Type 094, for instance, is reportedly louder than the 1970s-era Russian Delta III-class SSBN and about twice as loud as its current American or Russian counterparts.

China's nuclear submarine ambitions remain undiminished. A new class of SSBN, the Type 096, has been in development for years and is expected to be operational by 2030. A new SSN, the Type 095 , is also planned as well.

Benjamin Brimelow is a freelance journalist covering international military and defense issues. He holds a master's degree in Global Affairs with a concentration in international security from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. His work has appeared in Business Insider and the Modern War Institute at West Point.

Read the original article on Business Insider
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI)  Police officers in Chula Vista rushed into a convenience store Saturday morning to save an employee from the burning building. Hours later, police 100 miles away arrested a suspect, the Chula Vista Police Department reports.

Saturday morning, officers with the Chula Vista Police Department responded to calls to assist with a fire at a 7-Eleven convenience store in the 800 block of Broadway in Chula Vista.

Brush fire stopped at 27 acres in Jamul

Officers arrived at the scene around 8:12 a.m. before the Chula Vista Fire Department and found smoke coming from the inside of the store and an employee with burn injuries walking out of the building, the police department says, but after hearing a voice inside the building, officers ran inside the store.

The police department says three officers rushed into the building to save the second victim, who was also an employee. The officers report she was severely burned and couldnt leave the store on her own, prompting them to rescue her from the burning building. Police say she was taken to the hospital for treatment of what they are considering life-threatening injuries.

Brush fire in Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve stopped

Thats when firefighters arrived on the scene and were able to put out the fire.

The other employee that was already outside when officers arrived was also taken to the hospital with serious burn injuries, however police describe those as non-life-threatening.

Because of the suspicious nature of the fire, Chula Vista Police detectives and Chula Vista Fire Department arson investigators were called to the scene to investigate.

During the course of the investigation, authorities were able to determine a man entered the store just before the fire began. He was believed to have flammable liquid police say he may have used to start the fire before fleeing the scene in a vehicle.

Police describe the suspect as a Hispanic man, wearing a green sweater with possible burn marks, and report he fled the scene in a dark BMW sedan.

After police entered the suspects vehicle into the Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR), they were notified Saturday afternoon by officers in Redlands, California they located the vehicle at a gas station in the area, which is around 100 miles north of Chula Vista.

Police in Redlands arrested 47-year-old Jose Carlos Villanueva of Chula Vista. He was arrested without incident and was taken into custody to be transported back to Chula Vista for processing, Chula Vista Police report.

Investigators believe the suspect may know at least one of the victims and said this did not seem to be random.

Delivery truck sparks fire, power outage near Oceanside school; students safe

The three Chula Vista Police officers that ran into the building were checked at the scene for smoke inhalation and have all been cleared, but the police department says they will continue to monitor them.

Authorities are asking any witnesses that may have been in the area of Broadway and L Street Saturday morning to contact San Diego County Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477 or submit tips anonymously online or through the P3tips mobile app.

This story is developing. Check back for updates

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 5 San Diego & KUSI News.
Pinsent Masons is trialling burnout alerts for overworked staff following the death of one of its partners who suffered a severe mental health crisis.

The law firm has introduced a new time-tracking system that will notify bosses when employees are consistently working long hours.

It is part of a package of internal changes made by Pinsent Masons to help lawyers manage intense workloads and reduce stress following the death of partner Vanessa Ford last year.

The coroners court in February ruled that Ms Ford was struck by a train in Hackney after consuming a significant amount of alcohol while undergoing an acute mental health crisis.

The inquest heard that Ms Ford worked 18-hour days advising on the all-consuming sale of Everton FC in the months before her death in September 2023.

It triggered widespread debate about burnout in the legal sector, where City lawyers are often expected to work long hours and during the weekend in return for six-figure salaries and bonuses.

Pinsent Masons, which employs 3,000 people worldwide, believes the alert system will help improve working conditions and better share caseloads among lawyers.

A spokesman said: It is still early days, but using technology like this will help increase our visibility of colleague workloads, the time being spent on client work and those people who have capacity and can help busy teams.

Other changes have included enhanced mental health and wellbeing training, and increased promotion of the external support available for workers.

It comes in response to consultations with clients and employees about ways to better balance work and family life following the coroners ruling.

Pinsent Masons managing partner, Laura Cameron, also held discussions with other law firm leaders about how to respond to work-life balance challenges.

The London-based organisation also hosted discussions with rival firms that saw them reconfirm their commitment to Mindful Business Charter, which pledges to tackle lawyers unpredictable hours and remove unnecessary stress.

The mental health charity was launched by 2018 by lawyers and bankers at Pinsent Masons, Addleshaw Goddard and Barclays.

In March, the Mindful Business Charter warned that lawyers were twice as likely to experience suicidal thoughts than the general population, and lack of sleep and disconnection from loved ones can result in mental distress.

It said: The old adage that hard work never killed anyone is simply not true.

A Pinsent Masons spokesman said: We are pleased that early engagements on this industry-wide challenge have been positive.

Meanwhile, the firm is piloting a new compressed working week which allows all employees to finish by Friday lunchtime without reduced pay, subject to client and team requirements. It will review the results of the flexible working scheme at the end of August.

Pinsent Masons, founded in 1769, has more than 27 offices globally. Its clients have included HSBC, the Post Office and Google.

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CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio (WJW)  An operation kept the 2000 block of Staunton Road shut down for hours in Cleveland Heights Saturday evening.

Around 6 p.m., the city said law enforcement agencies had blocked off traffic in the area and were asking people who live nearby to stay home.

The city offered an update just before 9 p.m. saying while there was no immediate threat that police operations, which were court authorized, were ongoing in the area. No one was reported injured.

An hour later, the city said while police may still be on site, the area was reopen to traffic.

2 Canton men, 1 woman arrested in Pennsylvania after bank robberies

People had been asked to maintain a safe distance from the area and traffic was blocked. It is not yet clear what led to the shut down.

No further information has been released at this time. Check back for updates on this developing story.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Fox 8 Cleveland WJW.
As climate threats to agriculture mount, could the Mississippi River delta be the next California?

Michael Katrutsa walks through rows of tomatoes on his 20-acre produce farm in Camden, Tennessee. His crops also include sweet corn, watermelon, cantaloupe, peppers, cucumbers, okra and more. (John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout)

A smorgasbord of bright red tomatoes and vibrant vegetables line the walls of Michael Katrutsas produce shop in rural Camden, Tennessee. What began a decade ago as a roadside farm stand is now an air-conditioned outbuilding packed with crates of watermelon, cantaloupe and his locally renowned sweet corn  all picked fresh by a handful of local employees each morning.

The roughly 20-acre farm west of the Tennessee River sells about half of its produce through his shop, with the rest going to the wholesale market.

Farms like Katrutsas make up just a sliver of roughly 10.7 million acres of Tennessee farmland largely dominated by hay, soybeans, corn and cotton. Specialized machines help farmers harvest vast quantities of these commodity row crops, but Katrutsa said the startup cost was too steep for him. While specialty crops like produce are more labor-intensive, requiring near-constant attention from early July up until the first frost in October, Katrutsa said he takes pride in feeding his neighbors.

The World Wildlife Fund sees farms in the mid-Mississippi delta as ripe with opportunity to become a new mecca for commercial-scale American produce. California currently grows nearly three-quarters of the nations fruits and nuts and more than a third of its vegetables.

But as climate change compounds the threats of water scarcity, extreme weather and wildfires on Californias resources, WWFs Markets Institute is exploring what it would take for farmers in West Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas to embrace  and equitably profit from  specialty crop production like strawberries, lettuce or walnuts.

Specialty crops make up only 0.19% of the regions farm acreage, but their higher sale value allows them to generate 1.08% of the regions agriculture revenue, according to WWFs May report, called The Next California, spearheaded by Markets Institute Senior Director Julia Kurnik. She argues that theres an opportunity to proactively create more inclusive, higher-yield business models on existing farms, preventing natural ecosystems from being unnecessarily transformed into farmland.

But shifting produce growth to the Mid-Delta comes with hurdles: it requires buyers willing to try new markets, understanding of new crops diseases and needs, specialized equipment like cold storage and lots of expensive hands-on labor.

It is not as simple as a farmer simply putting new crops in the ground, Kurnik said.

Early adopters put idea to the test

Sixth-generation Arkansas farmer Hallie Shoffner is putting WWFs models to the test through a nonprofit called the Delta Harvest Food Hub. The hub works with Black and women farmers to pilot the scalability of growing specialty crops in the Delta region, starting with specialty rice.

Shoffner grows basmati, jasmine, sushi rice, sake rice seeds and more on her 2,000-acre, century-old farm located in an unincorporated town outside Newport, Arkansas. Shes skeptical about a full switch to produce, but sees specialty rice products as low-hanging fruit easily adopted in the mid-Delta, where commodity rice is already widely grown.

The United States is the fifth-largest rice exporter in the world, and Arkansas is the countrys top producer, with other Mississippi River valley states not far behind. But the majority of specialty rice is grown in California or imported from East Asian countries.

We are forward-thinking farmers who want to change, who want to do something different, Shoffner said. We want to make more money, because we know we cannot make as much money as small farms in the current agricultural economy.

The commodity farming that dominates Delta agriculture makes the economic success of farmers largely dependent on the market prices of rice, corn, soybeans, wheat and other crops, Shoffner said. This incentivizes farms to grow larger to ensure they turn a profit even when prices are low, like they are now. But smaller farms struggle to stay afloat.

Shoffner said her vision for developing specialty crop markets in Arkansas will be through more collaboration between many smaller farms to diversify crop production and produce for large contracts together. Shes also exploring possibilities for expanding chickpea, sunflower, sesame and pea production in Arkansas.

We are forward-thinking farmers who want to change, who want to do something different. We want to make more money, because we know we cannot make as much money as small farms in the current agricultural economy.

 Hallie Shofner, sixth generation Arkansas farmer

And while shes at it, Shoffner is working to make agriculture more equitable.

As a white farmer who is a sixth generation farmer, I realize that I have inherited a large amount of land that systematically disenfranchised Black farmers, Shoffner said. And it is my responsibility to acknowledge that, and leverage what Ive been given to help others.

Her project, Delta Harvest, has a contract to grow specialty rice with a large company and shes working with several Black farmers. She was too small to do it by herself, so they are doing it cooperatively.

Finding the right markets

In Mississippi, efforts to shift some of Californias sprawling specialty crop industry to the Mid-Delta drew skepticism from some farmerseven those with established specialty crop operations.

For the past 20 years, Don van de Werken has co-owned a 120-acre blueberry and tea farm in Poplarville, Mississippi, distributing much of its crops to buyers in his county and nearby cities.

Van de Werken questioned whether there would be enough regional demand to sustain a scaled-up specialty crop industry in Mississippi, noting that the success of his own enterprise hinges on targeting hyper-local markets like New Orleans. Shipping vegetables, fruits and other produce to buyers outside the Delta region would quickly become cost prohibitive for local farmers, van de Werken said.

The problem we have, not just in Mississippi but the mid South in general, is we just dont have the population base, said van de Werken, who is also president of the Gulf South Blueberry Growers Association. We dont want our blueberries to go to Maine or Seattle. We want to focus our produce in a regional market.

To make growing specialty crops worthwhile, Mississippi farmers would need to identify nearby buyers willing to purchase the new products on a consistent basis, van de Werken said. While selling goods directly to retail grocery chains like Kroger is often difficult, farmers could reduce financial risks by signing purchasing agreements with regional brokers like Louisiana-based Capitol City Produce.

Anybody that puts anything in the ground is already taking a risk, but you want to minimize that risk, he explained. If you can prove to the brokers and the buyers that they can make money doing this, then the farming will come.

The WWF report investigates ways to distribute risk across the supply chain to make selling to new markets easier on farmers, and works to connect buyers with Mid-Delta farmers.

AgLaunch, a Memphis-based nonprofit that guides farmers in innovation, estimates that adding specialty crops to the Mid-Delta region could spur $4.6 billion in added revenue and 33,000 jobs. But while commodity crop prices are readily available on the Chicago Board of Trade, the specialty crop market is generally not so transparent. Large, vertically integrated companies usually dictate contract terms, AgLaunch President and farmer Pete Nelson said.

AgLaunch helps build smart contracts that allow multiple farmers to produce on a contract, helping them secure higher quantity deals with proper compensation as a collective.

Purdue College of Agriculture professor Fred Whitford said the idea of farming cooperatives that help smaller farmers carve out space in a large-quantity market is more than 100 years old. Whitford compared commodity producers to retail giants like Walmart, which make money by selling in bulk. Small producers are more like Ace Hardware, he said.

Maybe the smaller folks have an ability to make more off their land by going to a specialty crop, he said.

New challenges need new solutions

Farmers who embrace specialty crops will face hurdles before they make it to the market.

Growing produce can be more profitable but easier said than done, Whitford said. Its nice on paper  but boy, in reality, youre going to have to keep an eye on this crop, whatever youre growing, because one slip up  then you have lost a lot of money.

In Tennessee, Katrutsa grew strawberries in addition to his other crops for 10 years, but last April, a hail storm pulverized his entire field, leaving him with nothing. Hes not growing strawberries this year, and he might not plant them again  hes not sure if he can find enough labor to make it work.

He grows many types of produce so if one fails, its less catastrophic. He sources seedlings from a neighboring state (its cheaper than growing from seed) and plants five times each season to maximize yield.

He works with a consultant to help identify diseases and how to treat them. Tomatoes are the most challenging, Katrutsa said. Some of his tomato plants withered this year due to bacterial wilt that flourishes in wet soil and high temperatures and has few effective chemical remedies.

Chemical treatments pose other challenges. In Shaw, Mississippi, Michael Muzzi relies on a range of herbicides to grow soybeans and other feed grains on his 2,000-acre farm. Once sprayed, herbicides like Liberty and Dicamba remain in the ground and can drift in the air, which is hazardous to specialty crops, like tomatoes, that arent resistant.

Ukrainian farmer Mike Katrutsa grows over 20 acres of produce in Camden Tennessee. Katrutsa surveys his farm where he grows over 20 acres of produce. Photograph by John Partipilo/ Tennessee Lookout 2024

Ukrainian farmer Mike Katrutsa grows over 20 acres of produce in Camden Tennessee. Customers come from all over other to shop produce at Mike Katurtsa farm in Camden. Photograph by John Partipilo/ Tennessee Lookout 2024

Ukrainian farmer Mike Katrutsa grows over 20 acres of produce in Camden Tennessee. Field hands go through the 20 acres and help pick produce during the growing season. Photograph by John Partipilo/ Tennessee Lookout 2024

Ukrainian farmer Mike Katrutsa grows over 20 acres of produce in Camden Tennessee. Katrutsa talks with Mark Hargis and Linda French in the back of Mikes Produce, Photograph by John Partipilo/ Tennessee Lookout 2024

Youre not going to be able to spray [those herbicides] on specialty crops, Muzzi said. Youd have to have something thats chemically tolerant.

Growing fruits and vegetables on a farm with previous heavy herbicide use would require insulating those crops from chemical runoff  a feat that could only be reliably achieved by leaving whole acres of land unused for years, he said.

AgLaunch is exploring innovative ways to address these problems. For some farmers, this means helping make their existing row crops more efficient using farmer-incubated technology, adding local value by growing specialty crops or taking on processing, Nelson said.

Then theres disruption with higher risk: farmers can partner with agriculture automation technology startups, allowing them to field test their products and collect data in exchange for farmer equity in the startup companies. If the startup succeeds, the farmer shares in the benefits.

Its not as simple as, Hey, we should grow tomatoes, Nelson said. Its how you think about the whole value chain and make sure the farmer is protected. Make sure its not an opportunity just to grow a crop, but its an opportunity to own part of the processing or to build new products.

Kurnik said WWF isnt trying to recruit farmers to start growing specialty crops  they just want Mid-Delta farmers to have the information they need to make informed decisions. In terms of acreage, row crops dwarf specialty crops in the United States. A small percentage shift would mean a significant change in the level of specialty crops in the Delta.

We dont need everyone to want to jump on board tomorrow, she said. They would flood the market if they did.

This story is a product of the Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk, an independent reporting network based at the University of Missouri in partnership with Report for America, with major funding from the Walton Family Foundation. Disclosure: The Next California report was also funded by Walton.



Tennessee Lookout is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Tennessee Lookout maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Holly McCall for questions: info@tennesseelookout.com. Follow Tennessee Lookout on Facebook and X.
Coating clothes with this simple material could cool your body by up to 8 degrees

Spending time outside during a heat wave can be sweaty, uncomfortable, even health-endangering, but scientists have come up with an innovation they say could provide relief: clothes that physically cool down the body.

Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst have developed a flexible, chalk-based coating which can be added to fabrics. During tests in scorching summer heat, they found it reduced the temperature underneath clothes by up to 8 degrees Fahrenheit compared to the air, and by up to 15 degrees compared to untreated fabrics.

This innovation is one of a number of efforts to turn peoples clothes into a tool against extreme heat, which is intensifying as humans continue to burn planet-heating fossil fuels. Heat is the deadliest type of extreme weather, causing heat exhaustion and even heat stroke, a potentially fatal illness where the body loses the ability to cool itself down.

The UMass researchers say they wanted to develop a way to cool fabric using an environmentally benign material. Inspired by traditional limestone-based plasters used to cool homes in hot climates, they coated fabric tiles with particles of calcium carbonate  the main component in limestone and chalk.

The coating was able to both reflect the suns energy back into the atmosphere, as well as allow the wearers natural body heat to escape, according to their new study, currently being peer-reviewed, which was presented to the American Chemical Society this month.

We start with your cotton T-shirt and we just apply this coating on either one or both faces of the fabric, Trisha L. Andrew, a chemist and materials scientist at UMass, told CNN. The coating is entirely surface level. It does not penetrate or change the cotton fibers, she added.

The coating can be applied to nearly any commercially available fabric and can also be put through the washing machine, the scientists say.

Without any power input, were 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, Evan Patamia, a graduate student at UMass who worked on the innovation, said in a statement.

A sample of the fabric used in the University of Massachusetts Amherst study. - Evan D. Patamia

Cooling fabrics are not a new invention, but past designs have often involved rigid structures, complex manufacturing processes and electrical components, according to a 2023 scientific review of cooling fabric research, making them uncomfortable to wear and expensive.

The UMass development is part of a growing body of research exploring cheaper, comfier and more scalable alternatives as the threat of extreme heat around the world grows.

Scientists at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia, have used tiny particles called nanodiamonds to coat cotton fabric, resulting in a temperature drop of up to 3 degrees Celsius (5.4 Fahrenheit) compared to untreated cotton, according to a recent study.

This may not sound huge, but it makes a difference in comfort and health impacts over extended periods, and in practical terms could be the difference between keeping your air conditioner off or turning it on, Shadi Houshyar, project lead and a senior lecturer at RMIT, said in a statement.

The RMIT University study found that using cooling fabrics could lead to a 20 to 30% energy saving due to lower use of air conditioning, which is a hugely climate-polluting cooling tool.

Nanodiamonds may sound expensive, but researchers say they are not the same as the diamonds used in jewelry. Theyre actually cheap to make, Houshyar said.

There are still improvements to be made, she added. For example, they found the efficiency of the nanodiamond fabric decreased after the fabric was washed multiple times.

A sample of the treated fabric (L) used in RMIT University's study, next to a sample of untreated fabric (R), with a researcher holding dish of nanodiamonds. - Cherry Cai/RMIT University

The nanodiamonds work in a similar way to the limestone particles UMass is using, Houshyar told CNN. The principle of these studies is the same, she said, using nanoparticles to transfer heat away from the body.

Houshyar  who has researched protective clothing for over a decade  said the production process used by UMass was promising but they would need to work out how to scale it up and keep costs low.

Cooling fabrics must be affordable, she said. If the cost is triple times the cost of the normal fabric, its not going to be enough for everyone to use it. It is often the poorest people who are among the most vulnerable to extreme heat and have the least access to cooling technologies.

As more products enter the market, there is a lot of opportunity in this area to scale it up to make it available to everyone, Houshyar added.

UMasss Andrew said her team had been limited so far by the size of their laboratory equipment. Through a new startup company, however, they aim to start a pilot production, making treated fabric sheets that are 5 feet wide and 300 feet long.

The costs of the raw materials for the coating are low to manageable, Andrew said, but accepted the overall price would increase slightly due to the application process, during which the coating is applied to the fabric.

If it proves possible to scale up the production of affordable cooling fabrics, some researchers say the benefits could extend far beyond clothing.

Scientists at the University of Chicago hope their cooling fabric, made from materials including silver nanowire and wool, could also be used to cool buildings and cars. In tests under the fierce Arizona sun, they found the fabric stays 16 degrees Fahrenheit cooler than commercial silk fabric often used in summer clothing.

Using cooling fabric more widely would reduce the costs and climate impact of air conditioning, the scientists said. Our civilization actually uses about 10 to 15% of the energy in total just to make ourselves feel comfortable wherever we go, Po-Chun Hsu, a University of Chicago molecular engineering professor and a study author, said in a statement.

While tackling extreme heat means rapidly reducing the burning of fossil fuels, deadly heat waves are already here, and some scientists believe these cooling fabrics can play a useful role as more people are exposed to heat their bodies can struggle to tolerate.

Personal cooling textiles show great promise to tackle heat-related impacts of climate change, Xueping Zhang, a professor specializing in personal thermal-moisture management at Donghua University, China, told CNN, who was an author on the 2023 scientific review of cooling fabrics.

They can provide localized cooling to specific body regions with high accuracy, she added, and can be tailored for different environments.

She sees a large-scale role for cooling fabrics  and soon. With the advancement of materials and technology, personal cooling textiles (will) be available for general public use in the near future.

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GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK  A shot of cold water from Glen Canyon Dam appears to have stalled a smallmouth bass invasion of the Grand Canyon and protected rare Colorado River fish there, federal officials say.

In early July, two years after first finding the predatory bass spawning below the dam and in threatened humpback chub territory, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation began releasing cold water from deep in Lake Powell in an effort to chill the river past the temperature at which bass are known to reproduce.

So far this summer, numerous netting, snorkeling and electrofishing trips on the river have turned up no newly hatched bass, biologists reported to an advisory committee meeting on Grand Canyons South Rim on Thursday.

Thats huge, said Kelly Burke, executive director at Wild Arizona and its Grand Canyon Wildlands Council, which had pushed for flow alterations from the dam to disrupt the bass invasion.

Cooler water was a must for preventing possible biological disaster this summer in particular, she said. It couldnt be better timed. Were having an extraordinarily hot summer.

The initial success also means the National Park Service will not dump a fish-killing chemical into spawning grounds a few miles downstream of the dam this year as it did last summer. Last years effort drew a rebuke from some tribal officials associated with Grand Canyon, who prefer nonlethal controls.

Federal officials considered the bass invasion an emergency requiring quick action to prevent a population explosion that could devastate humpback chubs, 90% or more of which live in the Canyon. Cooling the river below 60 degrees Fahrenheit has at least stalled that explosion.

With potentially hundreds of adult or year-old bass still swimming upstream of or within the Canyon, though, Reclamation and the National Park Service are contemplating more lasting changes, such as dredging a river channel through the prime spawning habitat of a backwater slough and draping a screen across lower Lake Powell to prevent more fish from spilling through the dams power turbines, as the initial invaders are thought to have done.

At this point, it may be impossible to remove the bass already living in the Lees Ferry zone above Grand Canyon, committee members acknowledge. Instead, the goal is to keep their numbers from swelling to the point where they consume large numbers of native fish downstream, or ideally to let them eventually die out without replacing themselves.

Protecting native fish cuts into power production

The cooling programs apparent initial success comes at a cost, as the Western Area Power Administration is forced to spend several million dollars a month to replace power that Glen Canyon could have generated if the water had poured through the hydropower turbines as usual, instead of into the dams deeper and consequently colder bypass intakes.

Hydroelectricitys value is not just measured in dollars but in life-preserving summer cooling, Sheri Farag of Phoenix-area Salt River Project reminded fellow members of the Glen Canyon Adaptive Management Work Group, who advise the U.S. Interior Department on such programs.

People do need it, especially in the desert Southwest, to stay alive, she said.

The committee has endorsed the river-cooling experiment, which required an environmental assessment that federal officials signed off on just days before water temperatures required action to prevent bass spawning.

It truly has been a race against time, said Wayne Pullan, Reclamations Upper Colorado regional director who leads the advisory committee that includes representatives from federal, state, tribal, energy, environmental and recreational interests.

A legal requirement to study the experiments possible effects before getting Interior Secretary Deb Haalands approval caused enough delay to give the bass a short head start.

Studies show that smallmouth bass spawn when water reaches 16 degrees Celsius. The approved experiment in cooling calls for the dam to release water through the bypass tubes when temperatures at the Colorados confluence with the Little Colorado  some 76 miles downstream, and a major humpback chub rearing area  reaches 15.5 degrees Celsius for three days.

A water temperature model had suggested that wouldnt happen until mid-August, but this year it happened during the week of June 23, according the Bureau of Reclamation. The secretary OKd the program on July 3, and the cold water started flowing six days later.

So far, various agency biologists report, theres no evidence that the bass were able to capitalize. Fish-trapping trips will continue through fall, and the committee will then consider whether to recommend a second year of cooling flows for next year.

Non-native species: As Lake Powell shrinks, voracious smallmouth bass are staging for a Grand Canyon invasion

How non-native fish found their way downstream

Water temperature has been a point of worry for protecting Grand Canyons native fish, including the humpback chub, ever since Glen Canyon Dam began impounding river water in Lake Powell in 1963. For years, the fear was that by drawing relatively deep and cool water through its power plant, the dam harmed native fish by year-round chilling of a river that had previously been flashy, flush with cold snowmelt in springtime but warm during the summer and fall.

Some native fish disappeared from the Canyon, including the salmon-length Colorado pikeminnow. But the chub, a smaller, silvery eater of insects and small fish, found refuge and spawning habitat in the Little Colorado.

More recently it has proliferated in the Colorado mainstem, where it warms farther from the dam in western Grand Canyon, enough so that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service upgraded the species' status from endangered to threatened.

As the warming climate dried the mountain streams that supply the Colorado and Lake Powell, though, it seems the river may have warmed too much for the chubs own good. As more than two decades of drought drained much of Lake Powells capacity, the water line plunged closer to the hydropower intakes. That brought both the warm surface layer and the warm-water invaders swimming in it closer to those intakes.

Non-native bass, stocked in Lake Powell for decades as sport fish, were known to have occasionally made it through the dam before, but until 2022 they were not known to have subsequently spawned in the river below. Now the dams warming outflows created welcoming conditions for them and their young.

To cool the river and restore a buffer for the chubs downriver, Reclamation is mixing deeper outlet tube water with some of the warmer water now passing through the power turbines. To minimize the economic harm, that only happens outside of peak power demands in the late afternoon and evening hours.

So far, according to Brian Sadler with the Western Area Power Administration, its costing $5 million or more per month in power that the organization must purchase elsewhere on the grid. If the experiment lasts as expected into October, he said, it will have cost $15 million to $20 million, not counting potentially higher prices that individual utilities may pay when bidding for the same power the Western Area Power Administration distributes to its customers.

The long-term costs worry Leslie James, who represents the Colorado River Energy Distributors Association on the committee. Losing potential hydropower year after year to cool the river for fish would cost utilities that rely on the power, including rural and tribal providers. Better to make physical changes such as the slough alteration that the government is currently considering, she said.

Buoys hold up a mesh barrier a cross a backwater slough a few miles downstream of Glen Canyon Dam on Sept. 13, 2023. The slough has fostered hundreds of invasive smallmouth bass over the last two years, and biologists have attempted to isolate and poison them there before they can grow to threaten Grand Canyon's humbpack chubs.

The slough in question, about 3 miles downstream from the dam, provides a warm-water nursery that connects to the river but holds still water behind a sandbar. The Interior Department is studying the possibility of dredging a river channel through that sandbar as early as this winter to allow the Colorados flow to better disrupt spawning beds there.

The cost, estimated at $26 million, sounds high except when compared with continuing bypass flows that reduce power production, James said.

Flow options cannot be the only alternative, she said.

Besides, James said, she believes its too early to call the so-called cool-mix flows a success.

Im very glad they havent found evidence of spawning, she said. Can the scientists say for sure thats the result of the experiment? No.

A natural resource: To keep the Colorado River's heart beating, people step in to do what nature once did

An 'existential threat' to native species

Others on the committee say it will take multiple measures, including flow changes, to protect native fish and ultimately prevent even costlier changes that the Endangered Species Act could trigger.

This is an existential threat to the native fish, Grand Canyon National Park Superintendent Ed Keable said.

Some Native tribal officials remain troubled by some components of the bass-control program, such as the electrofishing rigs with which biologists stun and then remove and kill non-native fish. The cooling program, though, has broad support.

Its the more ethical approach, said Erik Stanfield, the Navajo Nations representative on the committee.

Serendipitously for sport anglers, the cooling program may aid in recovery of the one-time trophy rainbow trout fishery that gained notoriety after Glen Canyon Dam cooled and cleared the river around Lees Ferry. That fishery has suffered in recent years as the river warmed and consequently lost oxygen. The cool mix is reversing that damage this summer.

Its providing good, cool water and dissolved oxygen that trout like, said Jim Strogen of Trout Unlimited.

Rainbow trout are, like the bass, non-native in the Colorado, but they are considered less of a threat to native fish. (Brown trout are more of a threat to eat chubs, and a separate program pays cash incentives to anglers who catch and keep them.)

While officials and advocates hope the cold water continues to block a larger bass invasion into Grand Canyon, other threats loom ominously in Lake Powell. The reservoir holds other non-native predators that have devoured chubs and other native fishes on the Upper Colorado, upstream of Powell. Some of them, like the walleye, have been spotted below Glen Canyon Dam but are not known to have reproduced there.

Such threats may warrant a costlier barrier above the dam in coming years, and Interior has begun studying the options. Meantime, Grand Canyon Wildlands Council ecologist Larry Stevens said, diverting cold water downstream is the rivers best medicine, despite the cost.

Stevens described floating on the river more than 50 miles downstream of the dam this year and glancing down to see an adult walleye swimming there.

To randomly see one out of the blue, just looking at the river, tells me were well on the way to a walleye invasion, he said. Its hugely concerning.

Brandon Loomis covers environmental and climate issues for The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com. Reach him at brandon.loomis@arizonarepublic.com.

Environmental coverage on azcentral.com and in The Arizona Republic is supported by a grant from the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust.

Sign up for AZ Climate, our weekly environment newsletter, and follow The Republic environmental reporting team at environment.azcentral.com and @azcenvironment on Facebook and Instagram.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Federal experiment appears to block Grand Canyon bass spawn for now
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH)  A Columbus man was charged after allegedly raping and kidnapping a woman who was at his house for a tattoo, police said.

According to police, Mario Rodriguez Ibarra, 22, forced the victim to engage in sexual activity with him by brandishing a hand gun and threatening force.

Police said Rodriguez Ibarra picked up the victim with a male acquaintance and drove them to Rodriguez Ibarras residence after connecting via Facebook where they discussed him giving her a tattoo. Police said when they got to the home, he threatened her with a hand gun and assaulted her.

Middle school educator allegedly sent lewd photos to student

The victim told police after Rodriguez Ibarra fell asleep, she left and asked the male acquaintance for help. He then called police and waited with her until officers arrived and detained Rodriguez Ibarra at the scene.

The victim said while waiting for officers, Rodriguez Ibarra came outside and admitted threatening her to have intercourse. Rodriguez Ibarra was transported to the Franklin County Jail  Jackson Pike.

According to police, he was arraigned Saturday morning with a bond of just over $75,000. His preliminary trial is set for Aug. 30 at 9 a.m.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NBC4 WCMH-TV.
Columbus police looking for driver in NW Side hit-skip that killed pedestrian Sunday

An unnamed Columbus police officer is under investigation after firing a gun while responding to a report of a break-in Tuesday morning. A police spokesperson said nobody was hurt in the incident.

Columbus police are seeking a driver they say killed a pedestrian in a hit-and-run early Sunday on the city's Northwest Side.

Around 3 a.m., a 2013 or 2014 white Scion xD driving east on West Granville Road struck a pedestrian walking in the area west of Sawmill Place Boulevard, according to Columbus police. The driver of the Scion xD fled the scene, according to police.

Emergency medical personnel pronounced the adult pedestrian dead at the scene. Police have not yet named the pedestrian.

Police are asking anyone with information about the vehicle or driver to contact the Accident Investigation Unit at (614) 645-4767. Those wishing to remain anonymous may contact Central Ohio Crime Stoppers at (614) 461-8477.

jlaird@dispatch.com

@LairdWrites

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Pedestrian killed in hit-and-run crash on Columbus Northwest Side
Column: Kamala Harris puts California at the center of politics. Will that help or hurt her?

If Kamala Harris wins in November, she'll make history in yet another way, becoming the first California Democrat elected president. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

When Kamala Harris was formally installed as the Democratic presidential nominee, her home-state delegation had the best seats in the house, right up front.

Visions of the Golden State and a parade of its personalities filled the conventions four-day program, and passes to Californias after-parties  featuring appearances by John Legend, the Killers and Oaklands Tony! Toni! Tone  were among the hottest tickets in Chicago.

Suddenly, California is at the center of politics, in a way the most important and populous state in the nation hasnt been since former Gov. Ronald Reagan was in the White House.

A California Democrat sits atop the partys presidential ticket for the first time in history, thanks in good part to the machinations of another California Democrat who helped elbow the incumbent  and nominee-in-waiting  aside.

California is having a moment, said Don Sipple, a political strategist who helped elect several of the states governors, because of the woman who opened the door and the woman who walked through it.

(Though, it should be noted, the door-opening woman, Nancy Pelosi, and Harris have never been close. The former House speaker publicly spoke of an open process to replace President Biden before endorsing his vice president as the best alternative after Biden gave up his reelection bid.)

Read more: Column: Kamala Harris faced a high bar for her DNC acceptance speech. She soared past it

With heightened attention comes greater scrutiny, and with that added scrutiny comes a fight to define California  and, by extension, Harris  for the rest of America.

The outcome could very well determine who wins in November.

Is California a sun-kissed incubator of innovation and opportunity that continues to beckon doers and dreamers from the world over, as it has for well over 150 years?

Or is it an overburdened and overstretched collection of struggling communities that fail to provide even the basics  safety, clean shelter, sustaining livelihoods  for a shamefully large portion of its population?

Yes and yes.

There is plenty of evidence to support both views, said Jack Pitney, a former Republican operative and professor of government at Claremont McKenna College. He paraphrased Walt Whitman.

California is large. It contains multitudes, Pitney said. It is possible for two things to be true at once.

Red and blue America. Prosperous and failing California. Two ways of seeing the same thing.

Bill Carrick, longtime political advisor to the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein, scoffed at the notion that Harris home state will hang like a millstone around the vice presidents neck.

Ultimately, a presidential campaign is about picking someone who you think will make your life better, said Carrick, who has worked extensively in national politics. Its not, he said, about a candidates return address.

Read more: Column: Donald Trump's Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Convention Week

Sure, Carrick went on, there are some ideological Republicans who are devoted to Trump and who eagerly lap up the California-as-hellhole narrative  but were not going to get them anyway.

Most voters, or at least those who are open to supporting Harris, know very little about the vice president. That, Carrick said, gives her an opportunity to introduce herself  and her home state  on her own terms, as opposed to the Republican cartoon characterization.

Maybe so.

But Trump and his fellow Republicans, abetted by Fox News and other sympathetic media, will make a case that California is a case study in what goes wrong when Democrats are put in charge. They will hold up Harris, a statewide officeholder for more than a dozen years, as the prime example of its destructive ruling class.

That vastly overstates her power and influence, first as attorney general and then for a relatively brief stint as one of Californias two U.S. senators. But that detail will surely be lost in the fog of campaign warfare.

Harris is, however, an exemplar of her home state in one significant way.

Theres no doubting she reflects the politics and makeup of modern California, just as the two presidents the state yielded, Reagan and Richard M. Nixon, embodied the California of their day and age.

The two men rose to power at a time when California was mostly white and reliably Republican, with a broad and deep conservative streak. By the time Harris arrived in Sacramento after being elected attorney general in 2010, the state was solidly Democratic, increasingly liberal and had more Black and brown than white residents. Not least, there were also significantly more opportunities for a woman in politics.

In that way, Harris and Reagan serve as perfect bookends to the state they represented.

Read more: In Kamala Harris, a sequel to Ronald Reagan?

Given the changes of the last 30-plus years, its surprising California Democrats havent managed to put one of their own in the White House, said Jim Newton, a biographer and state historian.

We think of it as such an exceptionally blue place, he said, and its produced so many national Democratic leaders.

Among them, the legendarily powerful Rep. Phillip Burton, Pelosi (who succeeded Burtons widow in representing San Francisco in Congress), and Feinstein. But until Biden chose Harris as his running mate, no California Democrat had come remotely near the White House, though several tried.

Of course, Harris wouldn't have this shot at the presidency but for a unique set of circumstances. If Biden hadnt performed so terribly in that June debate, if Democrats hadnt panicked afterward, if Pelosi and other party leaders hadnt maneuvered to shove the president aside, the vice president could very well have been out of a job come January.

That still might happen. But give Harris her due for getting where she is. After 20 years in politics, she stands within hailing distance of the White House and making further history from a geographic standpoint.

In politics, as so often in life, timing is everything.

Get the latest from Mark Z. Barabak

Focusing on politics out West, from the Golden Gate to the U.S. Capitol.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WMBB)  Several families got out of the house and soaked up some sunshine at Daffin Park Saturday. Thats where the Panama City Parks, Culture, and Recreation department hosted Family Fun Day.

Bounce houses, relay races, sweet treats, and family time are all hallmarks of the free event.

The Department of Environmental Protection postponed parks meeting

Its to bring the community together, different parts can all come together and have fun. We have a field day. The parents can get active and the kids as well, Panama City Parks, Culture, and Recreation Program Coordinator Tatyanna Bell said.

Parks and recreation officials say they host the event to get kids active and bring families together.

We have a tug of war, we have an egg race, we have a balloon race, a sack race as well as a three-legged race. Then at the end, were going to kick off the last hour with a big old kickball game for everybody, Bell said.

Parker resident Ariel Bessette says its her first time attending Family Fun Day with her nieces.

I wanted to get the kids out of the house, away from electronics. I decided to drag them out and have some fun for a little bit, do some tug of war and stuff and just enjoy ourselves and be out on this beautiful day, obviously, Bessette said.

Tyndall Academy wins Emerald Coast Shade contest

Bessettes niece, Heidi Shifflett, says shes enjoying the event with her aunt.

Its actually really cool because half the time she has work and when she takes us places, its really, really fun, Shifflett said.

Panama City Parks, Culture, and Recreation officials say theyre hosting a Touch a Truck event in November. Kids will have the opportunity to check out fire trucks, law enforcement vehicles, and 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 mypanhandle.com.
Community mourns loss of Brighton man killed in high-speed crash. Who was Thomas Chase?

Rochester residents are grieving the loss of 92-year-old Thomas Chase, who was killed in a high-speed crash resulting from a police pursuit on Thursday afternoon.

The pursuit began in Rochester after three teenagers allegedly stole a car and fled. According to police, the chase lasted about eight minutes before the stolen vehicle collided with Chases car at the intersection of East Avenue and Elmwood Avenue.

Chase, a Brighton resident who was a beloved member of the community, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Remembering Thomas Chase

Thomas Chase, a graduate of the Eastman School of Music in 1954, was a prominent figure in the Rochester community. He was known for his dedication to Friendly Senior Living, where he volunteered for 30 years.

Denise Hubler, vice president of marketing and development at Friendly Senior Living, praised Chases contributions, noting he spent approximately 5,000 hours performing music for residents.

"Generations of residents have looked forward to his regular concerts as a way to immerse themselves in familiar and beautifully performed music, relive special memories and take a moment to pause and enjoy life's many gifts," Hubler said. "His talents were a treasure, and his kind, generous nature was an inspiration to all who knew Tom."

Chase, a Hornell native and Army veteran, also had a distinguished career as a college professor in Virginia, Indiana, and Arkansas. After retiring in 1997, he continued to volunteer his musical talents, creating engaging programs that included classical music and historical insights.

"He was very thoughtful in developing these presentations, often centering them around holidays and occasions that are important to his delighted audiences," Hubler said.

Eastman School of Music officials expressed their condolences, highlighting Chases support for both the school and the Golisano Childrens Hospital.

Thomas studied piano at the Eastman School of Music and graduated in 1954; he went on to teach piano at Henderson State University, according to a statement released by the Eastman School of Music. Thomas was a longtime supporter of Eastman as well as the Golisano Childrens Hospital. Our thoughts are with his loved ones.

Details of the police pursuit and crash in Brighton NY

The pursuit began when the teenagers, aged 17, 18, and 19, stole a car and evaded police, according to police.

Capt. Greg Bello of the Rochester Police Department said the chase traveled through Rochesters Clinton section before moving into Brighton. The stolen vehicle struck Chases car while it was turning onto Elmwood Avenue.

During a media briefing on Friday, Rochester Police Chief David Smith noted the chaotic scene at the intersection and offered his condolences to Chases family. He criticized the reckless behavior of the teenagers and their impact on the community.

Investigation ongoing in Brighton NY crash

As of Friday afternoon, no charges have been filed, but they are pending. The Major Crimes Unit and the Monroe County District Attorneys Office are investigating.

The 17-year-old driver, a known offender on parole for burglary, has been arrested and faces charges for previous crimes, including multiple burglaries and thefts using stolen vehicles, police said.

The teenagers were injured in the crash and taken to Strong Memorial Hospital for treatment.

Anyone with information about the pursuit or crash is being asked to contact the RPDs Major Crimes Unit at (585) 428-7157 or email MajorCrimes@CityofRochester.gov.

 Madison Scott is a journalist with the Democrat and Chronicle who edited our Weld Street Project and also did reporting for it. She has an interest in how the system helps or doesn't help families with missing loved ones. She can be reached at MDScott@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Thomas Chase, victim in high-speed Brighton NY crash, remembered
PLAINFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD)  It has been exactly one year since the National Weather Service confirmed an EF1 tornado touched down north of Grand Rapids.

A line of thunderstorms tore across Michigan on Aug. 24, 2023, downing trees and damaging homes.

The tornado touched down at 8:15 p.m. that night in the area of Peach Ridge Avenue and 6 Mile Road in Alpine Township. It tracked northeast for 8.7 miles before lifting off at 8:30 p.m. near Rockford High School, the NWS said. Winds were estimated at up to 110 mph.

EF1 tornado leaves trail of damage near Grand Rapids

The NWS reported hundreds of downed and uprooted trees and damage to buildings and homes along Alpine Avenue and Pine Island Drive.

One of the hardest hit areas was Comstock Park, where some neighbors homes had so much damage, they were not able to live in them until a few weeks ago.

Saturday, Comstock Park neighbors held a block party to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the storms. Neighbor Jon Jenkins, who organized the party, told News 8 its a testament to the communitys strength.

A block party held in a Comstock Park neighborhood one year after a tornado tore through. (Aug. 24, 2024)

A block party held in a Comstock Park neighborhood one year after a tornado tore through. (Aug. 24, 2024)

We all made it through and this party just signifies that we are here, we are together and we get to move on, he said. Theres kind of a wide range of things that have happened over the year but the nice thing is that this neighborhood really came together and people got closer so it was a great experience out of a bad experience.

The event featured food, drinks, a bounce house and more for the neighbors to enjoy while they reflected on the year. Some neighbors are still feeling the effects of the storms and some homes still have damage. One garage was boarded up, still missing a door.

Young and old, Comstock Park neighbors clean up after tornado

Brittany Klein moved into her home in April, just four months before the storm. She said this past year has been a challenge, but she is thankful to have made it this far.

After the storm to see everyone come out and help each other and the clean up only moments after the tornado had passed, it was really a testament of We are meant to be here, we are here for a purpose, this community is really awesome,' she said.

Jenkins said he still thinks about that night and how scary it was for him and his family but said that it has changed his perspective, making him more vigilant for future storms.

Theres PTSD, I mean when those sirens go off and the skies get dark, we really realize hey there is something real now. Instead of being a true Michigander and looking at the sky we take cover now because its real it can happen, he said.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Controversial Ukrainian Member of Parliament Artem Dmytruk fled the country on Aug. 25 after being charged with assaulting a soldier as well as a law enforcement officer in separate altercations, the Prosecutor General's Office announced.

According to Suspilne, Dmytruk, an independent MP, was involved in two separate altercations with authorities. While in Odesa, Dmytruk, along with accomplices, allegedly caused minor bodily harm to an on-duty law enforcement officer during a dispute. The accused also allegedly attempted to steal the officer's weapon.

In another incident in Kyiv, Dmytruk, allegedly got into an altercation with a soldier, causing moderate bodily harm after delivering several blows to the head.

Dmytruk was not directly named by the Prosecutor General's Office, but sources within law enforcement agencies confirmed to Suspilne that the suspect was Dmytruk. No details were provided as to when the altercations occurred.

In a post on Telegram on Aug. 24, prior to fleeing the country, Dmytruk acknowledged that law enforcement officials conducted a search of the MP's hotel room in Kyiv, as well as his apartment in Odesa.

Dmytruk, without evidence, claimed that the search was politically motivated, as a result of his previously pro-Russian political views, as well as support for the Kremlin-linked Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP).

First elected as an independent MP representing Odesa in 2019, Dmytruk later joined, and was was subsequently expelled, from the Servant of the People faction in parliament.

While serving in parliament, Dmytruk took a number of pro-Russian stances on various issues. A staunch supporter of the UOC-MP, Dmytruk allegedly posted bail for the priest of a UOC-MP who allegedly collaborated in support of Russia.

Dmytruk, in his role as MP, also reportedly took part in a ceremony honoring a group of separatists who died in a confrontation in Odesa with Euromaidan in May 2014.

Law enforcement officials told Ukrainska Pravda that Dmytruk fled Ukraine through Moldova, and took a flight into Rome, Italy the same day.

The Kyiv Independent cannot independently verify any of the claims.

Dmytruk is charged under Ukraine's Criminal Code with two counts of assault, attempting to steal a firearm, and the "gross violation of public order."

Read also: Zelensky signs law potentially banning Moscow-linked church

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Convicted Air Force major blames wife for fight that led to her death

This story originally aired on Dec. 9, 2023. It was updated on August 24, 2024.

They were the picture of the American dream. Andreen McDonald, described as a "rising star," and Andre McDonald, a major in the U.S. Air Force, were a San Antonio power couple who ran a successful business that funded a lavish lifestyle. Their seemingly perfect world came crashing down in the winter of 2019 when Andreen suddenly disappeared.

"I remember  like a panic set in," says friend Mandy Hall. "Andreen is not the person to go take off somewhere and no one knows where she is."

Andreen McDonald became a successful entrepreneur and found her purpose in serving others. / Credit: Instagram

Investigator Frank Stubbs tells "48 Hours" correspondent Peter Van Sant, "Her purse was still there, her keys were on the counter and her vehicles were still there." Stubbs saw something startling while searching the home. "I found there was blood on the wall in an area that was kind of odd, there was blood and hair on a light switch," he says.

AN AMERICAN DREAM TURNED NIGHTMARE

In the afternoon of March 1, 2019, after 29-year-old Andreen McDonald was reported missing by her mother Maureen, a Bexar County sheriff's deputy arrived at the McDonald home in an upscale gated community in San Antonio.

Within minutes, the deputy saw that blood and hair on the light switch. And in the backyard, normally beautifully landscaped, another troubling clue: a random burn pile.

A zipper from Andreen McDonald's blouse was discovered in a burn pile in the backyard of her home. / Credit: Bexar County District Courts

Maureen Smith: We found a  zipper from uh, Andreen's blouse.

Peter Van Sant: It was Andreen's blouse?

Maureen Smith: Mm hmm (affirms).

Andreen's husband, Andre "Andy" McDonald, told the deputy that when he woke up, he got their daughter Alayna to school before reporting to Lackland Air Force Base, where he served as a cyber warfare analyst.

Once he learned Andreen was missing, Andre rushed back home. But he quickly headed out the door again to act on a hunch that Andreen, who suffered from migraines, might have gone to a nearby hospital for treatment.

Andre's arrival to the hospital was captured by surveillance cameras, says lead investigator Frank Stubbs.

Frank Stubbs: On that tape  he comes in, you can see him  asking for McDonald  and they tell him  there's somebody in Room 3 named McDonald.

Peter Van Sant: He arrives back to the house. What does he tell them?

Frank Stubbs: He tells them that she's in the hospital.

But when the deputy called the hospital, he discovered that the McDonald who had checked in was not Andreen McDonald.

Andre told deputies that he rushed back home before seeing his wife because he had left his cellphone at home and wanted to let Maureen know he had found Andreen.

Sheriff Javier Salazar of the Bexar County Sheriff's Office:

Sheriff Javier Salazar: There was some indication to him that she was there and injured to some extent.

Unfortunately, the major's hunch turned out to be wrong.

Maureen Smith: When I heard, I was  oh, God, I was so upset  I was just thinking that she's someplace that we can find her.

And for Andreen's mother-in-law, Jackie Horne, who lived in Florida, there was uncertainty.

Jackie Horne: I had called Andreen's phone about a thousand times already, saying, "Andreen, whatever it is, please, please, just call me back."

What concerned everyone was the fact Andreen would never just disappear. She was known for her sense of responsibility and dedication to her family and business.

Peter Van Sant: How would you describe Andreen?

Maureen Smith: She knows what she wants. And she would never stop until she get it.

ANDREEN (video): I did come in before he did. Way  ANDRE: Right, Andreen did defeat me, and she is so excited.

Andreen created an assisted living business in San Antonio called Starlight Homes when she was just 22. And, according to Andre's close friend Andrew Russell, Andre bankrolled her dreams.

Andrew Russell: In order to start the business, Andre, he liquidated his 401K.  And .. he sold the BMW that he owned.

Jackie Horne: They were doing so well. They were doing everything that would make any mother proud.

Starlight Homes thrived, and under Andreen's watch the tiny home-based business transformed into a multimillion-dollar enterprise in just seven years.

ANDREEN MCDONALD SPEECH: When I started my assisted living, I only started with three residents  Today, Starlight Homes Assisted Living, we have two locations in the San Antonio area.

Childhood friend, Mandy Hall, says Andreen's success was born out of humble beginnings.

Mandy Hall: Growing up in Portland, Jamaica  we didn't have a lot.  And, so, we figured if we wanted to get somewhere in life  it would be in America.  That's where the dream was.

Andreen's dream of coming to America came true at 19, when she met Andre. He was also a native of Jamaica, who at the time was a captain in the U.S. Air Force. Andre had returned home to Port Antonio, Jamaica, in May 2009 to attend a funeral where he met Andreen, who was 10 years younger.

Andreen and Andre McDonald / Credit: Jacqueline Horne

Peter Van Sant: Was there an attraction right from the beginning?

Maureen Smith: She was excited when she met him.  excited about the captain in the Air Force.  they both decide for her to come to America.

They married that July.

Jackie Horne: I was happy to know he had met somebody that he could have a life with.

That life would soon include a baby girl, Alayna. Alayna was at the center of Andreen's world, which made her disappearance so perplexing, says Horne.

Jackie Horne: I don't think Andreen would just get up and walk away and leave Alayna, and nobody would hear from her.

That evening, a forensic crime unit examined those stains in the bathroom and confirmed the initial belief that they were blood.

Peter Van Sant: While you were going through the house, was Andre there?

Frank Stubbs: Yes, he was.

Peter Van Sant: Did you see any signs of bruising on his body, any signs of  of any injuries that perhaps he'd been in a struggle?

Frank Stubbs: Nothing that we could  that we could determine.

Investigators were hoping Andre had some answers. But he said the last time he had seen his wife was the night before, and they said what Andre described raised more questions than answers.

Frank Stubbs: He had told them they had come home from the tax preparers office, and that they had argued over the business and  he went up the road  got some gas and just cooled off.

On Feb. 28, 2019, after a heated argument with his wife, Andre McDonald says he left the house to cool off. He is seen on surveillance video at a gas station. / Credit: Bexar County District Courts

Frank Stubbs: We were able to obtain video evidence of him going to the Shell station.

Andre said when he returned home, he and Andreen went to separate bedrooms.

But according to investigators, what Andre didn't mention was the text exchange that happened at the gas station.

TATTOOS, TEXTS, AND A MARRAGE IN TURMOIL

For investigators, the text messages found on Andre's phone revealed a marriage in turmoil, including allegations of betrayal.

Peter Van Sant: Accusations of unfaithfulness in these text messages, correct?

Frank Stubbs: That's correct.

Peter Van Sant: We have a printed copy. Would you mind reading these from his phone?

Frank Stubbs (reading the text): Andreen responds  "If you bring up Aubyn again, I will divorce you myself."

Aubyn Hall, a businessman living in Port Antonio, Jamaica, who according to investigators, was Andreen's ex-boyfriend and, potentially, her current lover.

In response to Andreen's threat of divorce, Andre texts: "I don't care if you get a divorce. You brought Aubyn into our life."

Aubyn dated Andreen when she was a teenager, say investigators. Andreen's close friend Mandy Hall says the two rekindled their romance in 2017 during one of her philanthropic trips to the island.

Mandy Hall: Aubyn has always been that first love  It wasn't something Andreen got over, emotionally.

Hall says they carried on their affair in secret until the summer of 2018 when Andreen got two new tattoos: an initial "A" tattooed on her hand and a date tattooed on her wrist.

Mandy Hall: Andy was definitely suspicious of what it meant.

With a suspicious mind, Hall says Andre went to work to solve this tattoo mystery.

Mandy Hall: He went, and he did his own digging.

It was on social media where Andre discovered an interesting photograph of Aubyn branded with the same exact tattoo that was also on Andreen's hand.

Audreen McDonald's tattoos -- an initial

And those numbers 14-3-76? They're Aubyn's birthday  day, month and year.

Mandy Hall: She told me that she impulsively got the tattoo  she knew it was something stupid to do.

Enraged, Hall says Andre threatened divorce unless Andreen cut off contact with Aubyn, covered up her tattoos, and promised to never travel to Jamaica without him.

Mandy Hall: She did cover up the tattoos.  She didn't want to lose half of everything she worked hard for.

At Andre's 40th birthday party, Hall says by all outward appearances, the McDonalds seemed to be getting along. But just 13 days later, on March 1, 2019, that's when Andreen disappeared.

The once festive home had transformed into a crime scene as investigators worked the McDonald residence until 2 a.m. the next morning. When they couldn't locate Andreen's cellphone, investigators checked to see if her credit cards or passport had been used  all dead ends.

Frank Stubbs: We came up dry on  on all of these inquiries.  At this point, all we had was a missing person.

Within hours of his wife's disappearance, Andre McDonald was a person of interest. He stopped answering questions and lawyered up.

At 2 p.m. the next day, an undercover investigator assigned to watch the McDonalds' house noticed that the garage had been damaged and Andre was backing out of the driveway.

Surveillance video of Andre McDonald purchasing a 9mm handgun and ammunition. / Credit: Bexar County District Courts

The investigator followed him to a nearby gun shop where additional investigators, who were called to the scene, observed Andre purchasing a 9mm handgun and ammunition.

Frank Stubbs: We were under the assumption that he was purchasing a gun to probably harm himself.

When Andre walked back to his car, investigators confronted him in a violent takedown.

Investigators moved to detain the Air Force major and turned him over to military authorities for a mental evaluation.

Meanwhile, investigators returned to the house with a search warrant and checked Andreen's car. While there, some objects caught their eye.

Peter Van Sant: There was a shovel. There was an ax.

Items found in Andreen McDonald's car included a shovel and ax, as well as a hatchet, heavy-duty large trash bags, gloves and two 5-gallon gas cans. / Credit: Bexar County District Courts

Frank Stubbs: An ax. There was a  like a hatchet kind of maul. There was  trash bags, there were gloves  And a couple of gas cans.

And there was more.

Frank Stubbs: Inside  the garbage can in the house was  a receipt from Lowe's that had been torn up.

Detectives were able to obtain surveillance footage from the hardware store items that were purchased the day after Andreen went missing.

Andre McDonald is seen at the checkout of a Lowes store. Two red gas cans can be seen on the counter. / Credit: Bexar County District Courts

Frank Stubbs (watching surveillance video): This is Andre McDonald coming into the Lowe's he's going to purchase several items.  You can see him with a basket here. You can see there's a shovel in the basket  And now, he comes up here  there's two gas cans.  There's a maul 

Peter Van Sant: There's the hatchet.

Frank Stubbs:  or a hatchet  Here's that ax.

Peter Van Sant: What's at play here?

Frank Stubbs: It appeared to us that  now that his wife was missing. It pointed to the disposal of her body.

Peter Van Sant: Look at that cart full of ill will, right?

Frank Stubbs: Yes.

And in the corner of the garage, investigators would uncover what they say was the most damning evidence of all.

Frank Stubbs: We found a hammer and clothing  in the garbage.  The clothing that we found  appeared to be Andre's clothing.

Investigators say they found traces of blood on the pocket of a pair of jeans.

Peter Van Sant: What's on the claw hammer that's of interest?

Frank Stubbs: The lab determined that there was the presence of  blood on  the hammer.  And the DNA that they  obtained from that  that blood sample was from Andreen.

Frank Stubbs: We concluded that that hammer was probably used as the murder weapon.

Peter Van Sant: This is significant.

Frank Stubbs: Very significant.

ALL EYES ON MAJOR ANDRE MCDONALD

On March 2, 2019, 48 hours into the investigation, Stubbs believed he had discovered key evidence that implicated Major Andre McDonald in his wife's disappearance. Investigators located those items stained with Andreen's blood inside the family's trash can. This missing person's case had become much more sinister.

Peter Van Sant: And it's pointing toward what?

Frank Stubbs: The evidence  was pointing towards a murder.

But there was a problem. None of the evidence collected proved that a murder had actually occurred.

Frank Stubbs: Turning a missing person's case into a homicide case is very difficult.

On March 3, 2019, the Air Force concluded its evaluation of Andre and released him. Civil authorities quickly moved in and placed him under arrest.

On March 3, 2019, Andre McDonald was arrested for tampering with evidence based on the torn up Lowe's receipt investigators found in the trash. / Credit: Bexar County District Courts

But it wasn't for murder. Major Andre McDonald was arrested for tampering with evidence based upon that torn receipt found at the house listing the items he had purchased from the hardware store.

Andre's arrest left his mother in a state of shock and disbelief.

Jackie Horne: I saw that Andre was taken into custody.  And I just collapsed.  I know he loved Andreen. Why would he harm her?

Andre and Andreen McDonald / Credit: Instagram

And for Andreen's mother, Andre's arrest left her head spinning.

Maureen Smith: Oh, God. Andre could not hurt Andreen. That's what I was saying. But who else?

Adding to everyone's sense of shock, confusion and suspicion was Andre's decision to stop cooperating with detectives.

Sheriff Javier Salazar: Andre's face told us  there was no way in hell we were going to break him and make him tell us what had happened.

Sheriff Salazar went on local TV asking for help.

SHERIFF SALAZAR (news conference): We are asking anybody with any information on her whereabouts to give us a call "

Soon after, the community of San Antonio, along with family and friends came out in droves to look for Andreen, including a volunteer search party formed by former Air Force Airman Bobby Green.

Green took "48 Hours" out to one of the areas where he searched for Andreen.

Bobby Green (walking with Peter Van Sant): Right now, we're behind a  hospital we thought  he might have taken her here to a wooded area.

Peter Van Sant: As you walk through here  what are you looking for?

Bobby Green: You would look at  tree branches that have been pushed away, something that was cut  fresh, uh, tire tracks.

Peter Van Sant: How many miles did you cover?

Bobby Green: It was hundreds of miles.

As search efforts continued, Andre McDonald was released from jail on bond.

With his wife absent, Andre took over the management of Starlight Homes. Search efforts continued, although investigators say Andre didn't take part. Days would eventually turn into months of dead ends.

As the search for Andreen went on, investigators dug further into the couple's relationship, learning that they had business problems as well as romantic ones.

In WhatsApp messages shared with friends, there are arguments over who really was the brains behind their successful business. In one, Andreen tells Andre: "Starlight Homes is my idea, my dream, and would not have happened without my drive."

Back then, friends like Andrew Russell became worried about the potential for violence.

Andrew Russell: And I have text messages from Andreen that's saying  "someone is going to snap."

Russell told investigators that the couple's war of words turned physical the night before a Christmas party at their home in 2018, where the McDonalds got into a physical altercation.

Andrew Russell: So, when I went into the kitchen, Andy and Andreen were grappling on the floor.  The next morning they were laughing about it.  I did feel uncomfortable after that. I thought the situation had become toxic.

Just over two months later, Andreen's blood was spilled in her home, and she vanished. Finally, on the evening of July 11, 2019, 133 days after Andreen had gone missing, there was a break in the case.

SHERIFF SALAZAR (news conference): About 7:30 this evening, Bexar County Sheriff's Office patrol deputies were dispatched to this location for a report of some human  human remains that were found 

Skeletal remains were located in a farmer's field just six miles from the McDonald home. Clifton Klabunde made the discovery. Klabunde had taken out his tractor to retrieve a cow skull that had been spotted right along the tree line of the property.

Clifton Klabunde: I saw the  what appeared to be a human skull in front of the cow skull.

Peter Van Sant: That must have been a shock.

Clifton Klabunde: A shock. Yes.

After months of searching for Andreen McDonald, her remains were found in July 2019. Her skeletal remains were located in a field six miles from her San Antonio home. / Credit: Instagram

Officials determined that the human skeletal remains belong to Andreen McDonald.

Cindy Johnson | Andreen's sister: I was at a church praying for Andreen.  I couldn't do anything. I broke down.

Maureen Smith: It hit us like a storm because we still wasn't thinking like that.

Jackie Horne (crying, shaking her head) Never.  I never saw this coming.

Less than 48 hours later, Andre McDonald would be arrested and charged with his wife's murder.

MAJOR ANDRE MCDONALD TAKES THE STAND

Andreen's family had waited for justice for four years.

Cindy Johnson: It hurts  every night before I go to my bed, I think about her.

Bexar County Assistant District Attorneys Steve Speir, Lauren Scott and Ryan Groomer would prosecute Andre McDonald for the murder of his wife, Andreen.

But the prosecution would face an uphill battle. Despite the evidence found at the McDonald home  the hammer and the blood  the prosecution could not say for sure how Andreen died.

Lauren Scott: Because  Andreen's body  was out in the elements in that field for all of those days  medical examiner's office was unable to specify what exactly caused Andreen's death.

Peter Van Sant: And does that, Steven, complicate your preparation?

Steven Speir: No, it absolutely does.  we say he caused her death; however, we don't know how.

Andre McDonald was arrested and charged with his wife's murder. He pleaded not guilty. / Credit: Bexar County Sheriff's Office

Peter Van Sant: If Andre murdered his wife, what do you believe was his motive?

Steven Speir: I believe it was largely because he felt emasculated  she was such a rising star, had control of these businesses  And I think he was jealous of that.

Andre McDonald, who pleaded not guilty, was represented by some of the top defense lawyers in San Antonio: John Convery, Zoe Russell and John Hunter.

Peter Van Sant: How would you respond to the notion that  what caused all this was his  envy of his wife's success?

John Hunter: I  I don't see any evidence of that.

Zoe Russell: Andre is a major in the Air Force. I mean, he's incredibly successful on his own right.

Major Andre McDonald had been under house arrest since April 2021. But days before his trial was set to begin on Jan. 17, 2023, Andre, who had remained silent about his wife's death began telling an extraordinary story, beginning with his own mother.

Jackie Horne says her son told her Andreen's death was an accident.

Jackie Horne: He looked at me and  he said, "Mom, I'm going to tell you the truth"  and he started to cry.

McDonald then called Andreen's mother and sister, Cindy, who put the call on speaker phone.

Peter Van Sant: [He]  gave the family, for the first time, details of what happened according to him.

Cindy Johnson: Yes, according to him. Yes.

It was a phone call that stunned his defense team.

Peter Van Sant: Was it shocking to you that he had done this?

John Hunter: Shocking's a good word for it, yeah.  The entire context of the case changed.

Zoe Russell: His best thought would be to tell his story in court.

Andre would get to tell his story, but not before the prosecution laid out its case in opening statements.

STEVEN SPEIR (in court): Inside the trash bin in the garage  a hammer. That hammer has blood on it. It is the victim's blood.

The defense contended that Andreen's death was an accident.

JOHN CONVERY (in court): This is not a murder case.  it is a case about the degree and level of responsibility  With evidence of accident. A mutual fight. All of which happens in the blink of an eye.

The prosecution also called forensic pathologist Dr. James Feig who testified that Andreen's skeletal remains had severe injuries consistent with being struck by a blunt object. She had a fractured spinal cord, a broken rib and a split jaw.

Dr. James Feig testified that Andreen's skeletal remains had severe injuries consistent with being struck by a blunt object. She had a fractured spinal cord, a broken rib and a split jaw.

But the pathologist could not determine what exactly had caused Andreen's death.

DR, JAMES FEIG (in court): So, the way that I have phrased her cause of death is homicidal violence, including blunt force trauma.

After six days of testimony and 33 witnesses, the prosecution rested. The defense had only one witness.

JOHN CONVERY (in court): Defense calls Major Andre McDonald.

Andre McDonald described the evening of Feb. 28, 2019. While at the tax preparer's office with his wife, he discovered that Andreen had started a new business a year earlier without his knowledge.

JOHN CONVERY (in court): What did that signify to you?

ANDRE MCDONALD: Basically that meant to me pretty much that she was robbing me.

After a heated argument that evening, McDonald says he left the house to cool off at that gas station. McDonald says they continued their argument over text. And when he returned home, he raised the possibility of divorce and splitting their business in half.

ANDRE MCDONALD (in court): She became extremely irate at the thought of  splitting the business.  and charges into the room to confront me.

ANDRE MCDONALD: So, when she comes into the room, you know, I turned around and she comes like right up in my face.  So at that moment  she spits in my face  So at that point  I grabbed her, because she's like right in front of me, so I like grabbed her head  I think we had like a clash of heads, and I think it opened up like a cut somewhere on her face.

Andre said Andreen ran into the bathroom and turned on the lights. When Andreen saw her bloody face in the mirror, Andre claims she attacked him.

His testimony may be disturbing to some.

ANDRE MCDONALD (in court): When she comes, she's like throwing like some punches, so I'm trying to like duck down to and like keep my head, my face  from getting hit with the blows. I remember like grabbing her and like tripping her  And then she like falls  and that's when I kicked her like twice  The  the second kick, I think I heard like some type of wheezing  and then also like in the background I could hear like some footsteps.

The footsteps of their young daughter, Alayna. Andre said he left to put Alayna back to bed, and when he returned about 30 minutes later, his wife was dead.

ANDRE MCDONALD (in court): I became like pretty frantic at that point because  you know, she's dead on the floor.

STEVEN SPEIR: You never thought I need to call 

In cross-examination, Prosecutor Speir asked if Andre had thought about calling 911.

ANDRE MCDONALD: I never thought about calling anybody to revive a dead person.  My purpose at that point was simply to get her out of the house so that my 7-year-old daughter wouldn't see her mother laying on the floor dead.

After putting Alayna back to bed, Andre said he dumped Andreen's body in the field, stripped her naked and returned home to burn her clothing which left that burn patch in the backyard.

But what about Andreen's blood on the yellow hammer? On the face of it, the evidence doesn't square with Andre's account of an accident.

Andre had an explanation for that. He testified that when investigators finished searching his home, he went back to the field before dawn, angry and armed with the yellow hammer, a can of gasoline and a plan.

ANDRE MCDONALD (in court): My plan was to hit the person that  caused this whole circumstance.

STEVEN SPEIR: You felt it was her fault, right?

ANDRE MCDONALD: It's absolutely her fault.

STEVEN SPEIR: What did you do with gasoline?

ANDRE MCDONALD: I poured it on her and then I used the  the lighter and set it on fire.

Andre McDonald testified he lit Andreen's body on fire and attacked her corpse repeatedly with the yellow hammer. / Credit: Bexar County District Courts

Andre said when the flames subsided, that's when he attacked his wife's corpse with the yellow hammer.

ANDRE MCDONALD (in court): I hit her in the face, the neck.  and I just like hit her again as I was walking away.

STEVEN SPEIR: Why that last blow?

ANDRE MCDONALD: As I was walking away?

STEVEN SPEIR: Yes.

ANDRE MCDONALD: I guess I was still angry when I was walking away.

After that gruesome testimony, the defense shifted gears and tried to refocus the jury on their theory of the crime. And for the first time, the defense brought up why Andre acted the way he did that night.

JOHN CONVERY (in court): Have you always believed you acted in self-defense?

ANDRE MCDONALD: Yes, I have always believed that from the very beginning.

At trial, the defense team showed videos of Andreen McDonald powerlifting and carrying Andre McDonald on her back to demonstrate that she was stronger than him. / Credit: CBS News

The defense played videos showing Andreen giving her husband a piggyback ride and working out.

JOHN CONVERY (in court): Would you describe Andreen as a very strong, powerful woman?

ANDRE MCDONALD: Yes. I would.

According to Andre, his wife could lift up to 300 pounds.

JOHN CONVERY: When she attacked you, were you in fear?

ANDRE MCDONALD: Yes, I was in fear of, you know, being harmed during that whole situation.

STEVEN SPEIR: They want you to forget and disregard about all his actions.

Then came closing arguments.

STEVEN SPEIR (in court): Defense counsel said that this is self-defense, Folks, this is not self-defense.  It's time to hold this man responsible for what he did. And it's time to find him guilty of murder.

JOHN CONVERY: Andre McDonald did not intentionally or knowingly murder Andreen McDonald.  He acted in self-defense.  and your duty and your obligation is to say not guilty. Thank you.

After six days of testimony, the jury got the case. Approximately 11 hours into their deliberation, the jury sent a note to the judge.

John Convery: That says, "we're hopelessly deadlocked."

A SHOCKING VERDICT

After almost 11 hours of deliberating, the jury was deadlocked unable to decide if Andre McDonald was guilty of murder, manslaughter or not guilty by self-defense. Andreen's sister, Cindy Johnson, was perplexed.

Cindy Johnson: Everything was said in the courtroom. All the evidence were  were there.  He confessed on the stand what he did  They saw his demeanor.  I don't know what was the problem.

Brandon Medellin: I voted for murder. And I saw that we were six and six.

Rudy Ruiz: At no point did any juror think that he was innocent or that it was self-defense.

For jurors Brandon Medellin and Rudy Ruiz, the problem was wording.

Brandon Medellin: Cause people really picked apart the definitions of murder and recklessness.

The jury of six women and six men spent hours discussing whether Andre McDonald had intentionally murdered Andreen McDonald or if he had recklessly killed her making it manslaughter. / Credit: David Teran Photography

The jury of six women and six men spent hours discussing whether Andre had intentionally murdered Andreen or if he had recklessly killed her making it manslaughter. Murder carries a life sentence; manslaughter up to 20 years.

Brandon Medellin: I think most of us could agree that whatever happened it was reckless. He left her on the ground, and he did not render aid.  Now, the trick was to try and convince the other jurors that it was murder.

But as the deliberations continued, some of the jurors had been swayed, with nine now for manslaughter. Medellin says the biggest factor in swaying the vote was Andre McDonald's testimony.

Brandon Medellin: There was so little evidence  And so, a lot of people believe, because we don't know anything else other than what he has told us, that we have to take what he told us.

And he was actually able to convince a lot of the jurors.

Randy Ruiz: And we had that one juror that he said, "Well, I've kicked someone, and I never intended to kill them."

Medellin, Ruiz, and a third juror were the staunch holdouts for murder.

Rudy Ruiz: No one was going to change anyone's mind.

The judge then invoked what's called an Allen Charge urging the holdout jurors to reconsider the evidence and reach a unanimous decision. After another hour of deliberations: a verdict.

JUDGE FRANK CASTRO: Mr. McDonald, please stand with your counsel.  To the count of murder, charged in the indictment, the jury finds the defendant, not guilty of the offense of murder. As charged in the indictment: guilty  guilty of the offense of manslaughter.

Andre McDonald was found not guilty of murder, but guilty of the lesser charge: Manslaughter. Andreen's sister was in disbelief.

Cindy Johnson: Manslaughter. After he spoke with no remorse, no love, nothing at all, and used hammer, stripped her clothes, throw gasoline on her, burned her, and they gave him manslaughter  That's crazy. I am going to struggle with this thought until the day I die.

The prosecution had a mixed reaction to the verdict.

Steven Speir: I was disappointed.  However  the jury  rejected his self-defense argument and held him accountable for at least something.

For the defense, Andre McDonald may not have walked out a free man, but 

John Hunter: This is a win.  Despite how I believe that this is a self-defense case. I do respect the outcome.

Andreen's best friend, Mandy Hall.

Mandy Hall (crying): He's there to tell his story. He's there to make up whatever he wants to make up.  She  she doesn't  she can't do that because he took that away from her.

Cindy Johnson now sees that phone call from Andre before the trial in a whole new light: as a calculated ploy to deflect blame.

Cindy Johnson: It's four years. It took him four years for him to recognize that he did what he did.  And then all of a sudden  he's reaching out to us.  To let us think that he's being responsible.  He didn't mean anything, he is lying.  All a lie. It's all a lie.

After the verdict, Sheriff Salazar reached out to Andreen's father, a retired member of the Jamaican Army, with an unusual offering.

SHERIFF SALAZAR (post-verdict news conference): I did present Mr. Anderson with a gift. I asked my deputy to remove the handcuffs from from Andre as they put him back into the cell. And I gave I presented those cuffs to to Mr. Anderson.

PAUL ANDERSON: I want to tell you that we really appreciate it.  Thank you very much. God bless you (shakes the sheriff's hand).

Sheriff Salazar: I wanted them to feel some sort of connection to at least sending him away to  to prison.

For Andreen's mother, nothing about this tragedy makes sense  her daughter and the beautiful life she had created are gone. Andreen McDonald, who came to America, became a successful entrepreneur and found her purpose in serving others. Sadly, the business she created is now closed.

Maureen Smith: I miss her very much. Most times when I think about her, I just, it's like I feel like giving up.

Maureen Smith and Cindy Johnson hold hands in front of Andreen McDonald's grave. / Credit: CBS News

And in those times, Maureen and Cindy lean on one another.

Cindy Johnson: We're blessed to have each other to take us through this sad journey. Um, when I'm weak, my mom is strong. When my mom is weak, I am strong.

Maureen Smith: We have to be strong for Alayna.

Alayna now 12-years-old is the glue that binds this fractured family. A family that still includes Andre's mother, Jackie though she is mainly left with the memories and the pain of what once was.

Jackie Horne (crying as she looks at a photo of Andre, Andreen and Alayna): I think I hurt for Alayna more than I hurt for everyone. No child should ever have to go through what she went through.

Andreen's mother and sister are now raising Alayna.

Cindy Johnson: It's bittersweet because we have Alayna.

Maureen Smith: Alayna reminds us so much of Andreen.

Andre McDonald was sentenced to 20 years in prison for manslaughter plus five years for tampering with evidence. He is appealing those convictions.

On March 8, 2024, a San Antonio civil jury awarded $210 million to Andreen McDonald's family in a wrongful death lawsuit against Andre McDonald.

Andre McDonald's appeal was denied in August 2024 and his conviction has been upheld.

"48 HOURS" POST MORTEM PODCAST

"48 Hours" producers Marie Hegwood and Lauren A. White share their experiences from within the courtroom and discuss everything from Andre McDonald's shocking testimony to the moving victim impact statement from Andreen McDonald's father, Paul Anderson.

This embedded content is not available in your region.

Produced by Marie Hegwood and Lauren A. White. Grayce Arlotta-Berner, Michelle Harris and George Baluzy are the editors. Morgan Canty is the associate producer. Anthony Batson is the senior broadcast producer. Nancy Kramer is the executive story editor. Judy Tygard is the executive producer.

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SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4)  Happy Sunday, Utah! A cooler start to your day follows a strong cold front Saturday over northern Utah.

The low pressure system still moving through the region today will generate some cloud cover and a few storms near the Idaho/Utah Stateline. A few thunderstorms remain possible over southeast Utah as well where flash flooding will remain a threat for most recreational areas today. Winds remain elevated for eastern Utah today as the storm continues to push northeast. In northern Utah, the biggest change in our weather pattern will be the temperatures. Daytime highs are expected to stay in the 70s for much of northern Utah while southern Utah wont cool off quite as much, where highs are expected to remain in the upper 80s  roughly 5-10 degrees below average.

FIRE START: Boulter Fire ignites near Juab-Tooele county line, evacuations issued











Looking ahead to Monday and beyond, the weather should be relatively quiet. A low-pressure trough will continue to exit the region, and a flat ridge of high pressure will move in on Tuesday, bringing dry conditions. Temperatures will start off about 10 degrees below normal on Monday but should warm up a bit by Tuesday.

By Wednesday, another weak low is expected to move across the northern Rockies, but theres some uncertainty about its strength and timing. If the storm picks up steam, it could bring stronger winds to northern Utah, which, combined with low humidity, might create some fire weather concerns once again.

As the trough moves east on Thursday, we should see mostly dry conditions with temperatures a bit below normal. Then on Friday, a ridge of high pressure is likely to build over the Great Basin, and theres a good chance it could be strong enough to bring some moisture back into southern Utah by the afternoon, leading to a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Stay tuned.

Bottom Line?! Winds remain elevated Sunday as a trough moves through the state. Storms remain possible for far northwest and southeast Utah.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah.
MEMPHIS, Tenn.  The Corinth Police Department is looking for a man accused of shooting someone Sunday afternoon.

In a post on Facebook, the CPD said they are actively working an active shooter incident.

They said that the alleged shooter, Antonious Bean, was originally at 601 N. Parkway, but has since left the area on foot.

CPD requested that all citizens in the area move indoors and lock their doors.

In a later post, the CPD announced that after speaking with witnesses, it was determined that the shooting was an isolated incident.

One person was grazed by a bullet but no other injuries have been reported at this time.

They advise that if citizens see Bean, do not approach and call 911 immediately.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WREG.com.
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) criticized Republicans who spoke at the Democratic National Convention last week, saying they were suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome in a Sunday interview on ABC Newss This Week.

What I make of them is that Trump Derangement Symptom is a real thing, Cotton said when asked what he makes of the GOP speakers. Cotton was referring to a fabricated condition to which former President Trump frequently ascribes the attacks of some of his toughest critics.

Several Republicans spoke at the Democratic convention last week, including former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (Ill.), who served on the committee investigating the Capitol attack; Stephanie Grisham, former White House press secretary in the Trump administration; and former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, who helped resist Trumps efforts to overturn the election results in his state in 2020.

Asked about Democrats strategy of trying to appeal to Republicans who are uneasy with Trump atop the party ticket, Cotton brushed off concerns.

Well, in every election  you have some members of one party endorsing a candidate of the other party. Thats a very traditional aspect of American politics, Cotton told ABC News anchor Jonathan Karl.

I mean, look at what just happened this week. The Democratic Party under Kamala Harris has gone so far to the left that you actually had a Kennedy endorse a Republican. Thats pretty remarkable that the Democratic Party has become so radical under Kamala Harris that a member of the Kennedy family has come out to endorse a Republican, Cotton continued.

Former independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ended his campaign for president Friday and endorsed Trump for president.

Kennedy began his campaign challenging President Biden for the Democratic Partys nomination but then ran as an independent. Kennedy, throughout the campaign, had become more popular among right-leaning voters than left-leaning voters.

Kennedy has frequently diverged from his family on policy issues. After the former 2024 presidential candidate announced his endorsement of Trump, Kennedys family blasted that decision, calling it a betrayal of the values that our father and our family hold most dear.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
The pair alleges that they arrived at a renowned fertility center for treatment and were told that their embryo was gone

KSDK News/YouTube St. Luke's Hospital in St. Louis, where the Infertility Center of St. Louis stored embryos

A Memphis couple is preparing to take legal action after a St. Louis-based fertility clinic lost their embryo.

In an interview with NBC affiliate station KSDK published on Thursday, Aug. 22, Mary and Jimmy Gorman said that they had been trying to have a baby for years  and decided to travel from Memphis, Tennessee, to Missouri to work with the reputable Dr. Sherman Silber at the Infertility Center of St. Louis to undergo IVF.

I'll do anything it takes to have a family," Mary told the outlet, adding, "I heard really good things about this doctor."

According to the Mayo Clinic, during IVF  or in vitro fertilization  doctors collect eggs from a person's ovaries and fertilize them with sperm in a lab to create an embryo, which is then placed in the person's uterus. A full cycle of IVF takes about two to three weeks, the clinic states.

The Gormans told KSDK they shelled out more than $70,000 and spent nine months undergoing hormone injections to retrieve two viable embryos.

Related: Mom Says IVF Saved Her Life After First Child Died at 3 from Rare Disease: 'A Second Chance' (Exclusive)

Mary told the outlet that her two embryos were retrieved on Sept. 19, 2023. The first one was transferred on Feb. 7 this year, and it was not successful. Months later, on May 14, she arrived at the Infertility Center of St. Louis for her second transfer attempt and had gotten as far as putting on a hospital gown when her doctor gave her some unthinkable news  she would not be able to undergo the procedure.

"Because they lost it. They don't know where it was at," Mary alleged to KSDK, telling the outlet that the clinic had no idea where her embryo was.

I don't understand why that would happen or why it happened. They cant answer me. They won't give me an answer," Mary added.

Josh Tolin, a Missouri-based medical malpractice attorney, whom KSDK reported is representing the couple, stated that although he plans to file lawsuits against the center, as well as St. Lukes Hospital  where the center stores embryos  he fears that the Gormans are unlikely to find out what happened to their lost embryo.

It's a finger-pointing process," Tolin told KSDK. "I don't know that we'll ever get the truth."

They made a mistake. They screwed up," Tolin alleged.

The Gormans told KSDK that they are afraid their missing embryo has something to do with St. Luke's announcement in July that it would no longer be offering fertility storage services. According to the outlet, as well as the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the hospital began moving some of its storage to ReproTech, a facility in Garland, Texas. Mary alleged to KSDK that she did not receive any warning.

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In a statement given to KSDK, St. Luke's wrote that "Dr. Silber informed his patients of this transition with multiple communications beginning in the Fall of 2023."

"Patients have been notified that, upon request, their specimens are available to be transferred to a different fertility clinic or storage service if they so choose," the statement continued, in part. "Nothing has changed for our patients other than the storage location of their specimens."

Related: Celebrities Who've Opened Up About Their Emotional IVF Journeys

"St. Lukes dedication to providing exceptional care to every patient, every time, is the foundation of everything we do. St. Lukes has always, including during this transition, maintained stringent policies and practices related to the collection, preservation and storage of reproductive specimens and embryos, and any claims to the contrary are without merit," the hospital's statement added.

Neither Silber nor the Gormans' attorney was immediately available for comment.



That could have been my chance to have a child," Mary told KSDK of the incident.



I dont want this to ever happen to anybody again," she added. "This is horrible."



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Read the original article on People.
Court order violator may be armed, on run in Gresham

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN)  Gresham police are searching for a suspect on the run who may be armed.

According to a spokesperson with Gresham police, officers responded to the 18300 block of Northeast Flanders Street just before 3:15 p.m. searching for a suspect who had reportedly violated a court order.

Police said the suspect is possibly armed and they are encouraging people to avoid the area at this time.

KOIN 6 News has a crew at the scene and will have more information later.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com.
Weve let our COVID guard down

COVID levels rising in SLO County, wastewater monitoring shows (sanluisobispo.com, July 19)

Lets be clear. Compared to last summers wave, things are worse  the amount of circulating virus, positivity rates, emergency department visits and even hospitalization rates (experts need to check the lagging CDC surveillance site for details). In California we are flirting with rates similar to our last winter wave (which has been traditionally much worse than summer).

As has been apparent for several years, we have confused progress with success and collectively let our guard down. We have decided to ignore the 76,000+ deaths last year and close to 35,000 deaths so far this year that are stark signs that the virus is still wreaking havoc on the society. We almost completely ignore the effects of PASC ( long COVID), which has significant impacts on all parts of the population  not just the high risk populations.

Opinion

With total complacency the norm, it is easy to believe that there is no longer a threat, but the health data reveals that a public health strategy like ours that ignores COVID just means that the pandemic will continue for decades.

Chuck Slem

San Luis Obispo

Bad move, A.G.

Got something to say? Youd better spit it out fast in this SLO County city (sanluisobispo.com, Aug. 23)

The Arroyo Grande City Council recently made an unprecedented move to limit public comment for items not on the agenda to just 60 seconds, even though the agenda did not include reducing public comment.

The citys consent calendar, where routine business usually sails through without controversy, included an update to the city handbook. But, on this night, with few in attendance, Mayor Pro Tem Jim Guthrie pulled the item from the agenda and suggested reducing the general public comment period to just one minute.

Each of the council members ultimately agreed, even Mayor Caren Ray Russom, who is running for reelection and historically champions herself as accessible and transparent.

While allowing public comment for three minutes is not a requirement, it is customary and appreciated. Its just three minutes of ones life; less time than it takes to microwave popcorn or watch a TikTok video.

Had the city publicized the outrageous idea through their agenda materials, putting the community on notice, it is likely the chambers would have been packed.

Arroyo Grande is setting the dangerous precedent with one minute public comment, bordering on quashing our First Amendment Rights to free speech and its dangerous for democracy.

Julie Tacker

Los Osos

Skepticism about seafloor mapping

Offshore wind developer using sounds waves to map seafloor off SLO County (sanluisobispo.com, Aug. 21)

Im just reading the about the offshore wind generation ocean floor testing currently approved and underway.

The multi-beam echo sounder will emit sound blasts of between 200 and 400 kHz, neither able to be heard by sea life  so they say. Fugro Corp. and the Go Adventurer ship theyre using.

The next paragraph states that fish and sea turtles hear sounds between 2 and 4 kHz, larger marine animals hear up to 160 kHz, according to the California Coastal Commission.The impact is reduced if sea life is more than 15 feet from the invading sound source.

Considering that sea life lives and thrives on our sea floor, how can this invasion not be life threatening and damaging? This wind farm may never be financed, yet this rather aggressive ocean floor mapping by Fugro Corp. and the Go Adventurer ship theyre using is preparing someone to exploit what I consider sacred remaining habitat, our ocean world.

L. Owen

Los Osos

Thanks for bike path!

Thank you to past and present mayors, City Council members and city of SLO employees for making the Anholm Bikeway and neighborhood park possible. Such a wonderful, positive change to the neighborhood that my family has lived in since the 1950s. Its great to see people of all ages riding their bikes in a much safer environment. Please keep up the good work.

Mark Swain

San Luis Obispo

Respect our military

These men and women deserve our upmost respect! I wore the uniform for four years of what I would call undistinguished service.

What I did do was swear allegiance to my country and Constitution. In that regard, I did my duty and believe in those principles to this day. For Donald Trump to so blatantly denigrate every single person who serves  especially those whose valor in battle earned them the highest award that can be bestowed on a service member  is the most egregious, disgusting and morally reprehensible act I can imagine!

Trump is a traitor to his country and anybody who supports him is no better than he is.

Michael McGee

San Luis Obispo

We the People

A humanitarian crisis is underway. For months residents of our county have appealed to the Board of Supervisors and local city councils to agendize and support a resolution for a ceasefire in Gaza. They refused, saying that it is not a local issue.

The bombs and bullets raining down on Gaza are stamped Made in the USA. Tens of thousands of innocent people are being maimed and murdered  a large percentage of them children. Their homes, schools and hospitals have been turned into mountains of rubble. Access to health care, food and clean water is denied. They face full -famine and disease brought on by the use of water contaminated with sewage.

Places of refuge used by displaced people are bombed. There is no safe harbor for them. Their world is in chaos, an ugly genocide is in progress.

In the West Bank Israeli settlers are driving Palestinians off their land and killing hundreds  all with the support of the Israeli government.

Our tax dollars and weapons keep the war going. We have the leverage to change that. Our silence implies support for the genocide.

As a democracy, a government of We the People, we are obligated to speak up. We shape national policy and are shaped by it. The genocide of Palestinians is a local, national and global matter.

Shirley Schaffer

Arroyo Grande
CPD officers shot at during investigation on South Side

CHICAGO  Chicago police officers were shot at Sunday morning during an investigation on the citys South Side.

Police said officers were conducting a follow-up investigation just before 10 a.m. in the 7600 block of South Dante Avenue in Grand Crossing when at least one person fired shots toward them.

32-year-man killed, 2 others injured in overnight shooting in Humboldt Park, police say

No one was injured and no arrests have been made.

Area Two Detectives are investigating.

Anyone with additional information may leave an anonymous tip at cpdtip.com.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGN-TV.
A Home Office crackdown on car washes over the hiring of illegal workers has led to more than 120 employers being fined.

At least 75 illegal migrant workers were detained and more than 225 premises were visited by immigration enforcement teams in a nationwide operation, the Government announced.

Yvette Cooper condemned dodgy employers who she said were working hand-in-glove with smuggling gangs which bring migrants to the UK for off-the-books employment.

The Home Secretary said: These workers are sold complete lies by the gangs before being made to live and work in appalling conditions for a pittance.

We are determined to put a stop to this, which is exactly why we have launched crackdowns such as this.

The majority of the 225 premises visited by immigration enforcement officers in last weeks operation were car washes, an industry of particular concern regarding illegal workers.

'We are determined to put a stop to this,' says Home Secretary Yvette Cooper - Jeff Moore/AFP via Getty

The Home Office said that often migrants live in squalid conditions on-site and receive less than the national minimum wage, often for working more hours than illegally allowed.

Employers found to have employed illegal workers can be fined up to 45,000 per worker for a first offence and 60,000 per worker for repeat violations.

Eddy Montgomery, an immigration enforcement official, said: Were dedicated to stopping exploitation by criminal gangs, ensuring vulnerable people receive the correct support and make sure that those who break the law face serious consequences.

Ms Cooper said last month that 1,000 civil servants had been redeployed from the now-scrapped Rwanda scheme to work on a returns and enforcement programme targeting businesses suspected of employing illegal workers.

She wrote in The Sun on Sunday that car washes, along with nail bars and beauty salons, would be the focus of raids as they were the types of business known to use illegal immigrants operating in the black market.

Labour is set to benefit from a predicted fall of 300,000 in net migration as a result of measures introduced by the Tories, including bans on foreign workers and students bringing in dependents and increases in the skilled worker salary threshold from 26,200 to 38,700.

The party had pledged to go further, by introducing legislation under which companies that broke employment law  such as by failing to pay their staff the minimum wage  would be banned from hiring workers from abroad.

They also said that training would be underpinned by legislation that would limit companies access to the visa system if they failed to train and recruit British workers.

But after the election, Labour delayed its plans to introduce two major legal changes to require bosses to limit foreign labour until a second session of Parliament next year.

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NOKOMIS, Fla. (WFLA)  A two-vehicle crash has sent multiple people to the hospital and closed roads in Sarasota County, the sheriffs office announced Saturday.

The crash occurred around 9:21 p.m. near the intersection of Tamiami Trail South at Colonia Lane East in Nokomis. Southbound lanes of Tamiami Trail South will be shut down for an extended period, the Sarasota County Sheriffs Office said.

The sheriffs office said deputies are assisting the Florida Highway Patrol in the investigation.

Multiple occupants of the vehicles are being evaluated at local hospitals following the crash.

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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MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (WBOY)  Milanos Pizza in Morgantown has added a bit more West Virginia flair to its interior with a cryptid mural designed by local artist Liz Pavlovic.

Cryptid mural at Milanos Pizza in Morgantown. Artwork by Liz Pavlovic (@keepon_creepinon on Instagram)

Owners of Milanos, Dan and Karis Field, said they wanted to find a way to make the restaurant their own since acquiring the business about two years ago. Milanos also happens to be Pavlovics favorite pizza spot, so the collaboration felt perfect for both parties.

I was super excited when they reached out about it, Pavlovic told 12 News. We get pizza from them all the time so, it was a natural fit.

The mural features The Flatwoods Monster (Braxton Monster), Bigfoot, Mothman and the Grafton monster enjoying each others company along with a hot pizza. When approaching her art, Pavlovic says she usually tries to give viewers a quick glance into the everyday lives of the characters shes drawing.

Stranger Things actor and more at WV PopCon 2024

I like to think of them as everyday characters or people or whatever, sort of like a slice-of-life cryptid vibe, Pavlovic said. Theyre just hanging out like anyone else would be, doing the same kind of thing and having a good time.

If you want to check the mural out for yourself, you can find Milanos Pizza off Greenbag Road. If you want to see more of Pavlovics artwork, you can follow her on Instagram.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WBOY.com.
UPDATE: SUNDAY 8/25/2024 11:21 a.m.

(EL PASO COUNTY, Colo.)  CPW reported that the water rescue team recovered the body of the person who went missing in the Rampart Reservoir around 2 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 25.

According to CPW, the victim was a man paddleboarding with his dog on Saturday afternoon when strong winds caused him to fall into the reservoir. CSFD responded after witnesses reported the man falling into the water and disappearing. The dog initially remained on the paddleboard before swimming to shore in the 62-degree water.

CSFD crews conducted an aerial search with a helicopter before calling in CPWs Marine Evidence Recovery Team (MERT), led by Boating Safety Program Manager Grant Brown. MERT used a specialized boat equipped with sonar and a submersible, remote-operated vehicle (ROV) with sonar, lights, and a video camera.

Brown and CPW rangers from Denver, Steamboat Springs, and Walsenburg arrived around 7 p.m. and conducted a grid search of the area where witnesses last saw the paddleboarder. The search was complicated by Rampart Reservoirs 500-acre size and unique underwater rock formations.

At around 1 a.m., sonar detected the victim approximately 67 feet underwater. CPW rangers used an ROV to confirm and recover the body by 2 a.m. The El Paso County Coroners Office took custody of the remains around 4:30 a.m. and will identify the victim, determine the cause of death, and notify relatives.

This is a tragedy and we offer our condolences to the family and friends of the victim, Brown said. Weve experienced far too many water deaths in Colorado. We urge everyone on or near the water to please wear a life jacket. When someone is plunged into such cold water, the shock from cold water immersion can cause your entire body to cramp leaving you unable to swim. You can die in one or two minutes.

According to CPW, there have been more than 30 recreational drownings in the state in 2024.

ORIGINAL STORY: CSFD: Water rescue becomes recovery at Rampart Reservoir

SATURDAY 8/24/2024 6:47 p.m.

The Colorado Springs Fire Department (CSFD) has reported that a rescue operation has been shifted to a recovery at Rampart Reservoir as of 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 24.

CSFD posted that crews were assisting Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) with a possible rescue at 5 p.m. on Saturday. According to CSFD, reports came in that a person went underwater and wasnt seen coming back up.

CSFD Battalion 1, Special Operations Drone 52, and personnel from Station 17 Heavy Rescue and Dive responded to search for the missing person.

CSFD reported a half hour later that it had taken the lead in the incident and command had shifted it from a rescue to a recovery operation. CPW was assisting in getting equipment to help crews search the water.

The public is asked to avoid the reservoir while the search is ongoing.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX21 News Colorado.
CULLMAN COUNTY, Ala. (WIAT)  A 21-year-old Cullman County woman was killed in crash involving a Ford Mustang on I-65 Saturday evening, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency reports.

Mirra Bride Dot Popee Chafin, of Vinemont, was fatally injured when the Mustang she was driving departed the road, hit a ditch and overturned. The crash occurred about seven miles south of Dodge City.

Chafin, who was reportedly not wearing a seat belt, was ejected from the Mustang. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

St. Clair County crash leaves 2 dead

The ALEA also stated another passenger in the Mustang was not wearing a seat belt. Lara Phillips, a 23-year-old woman from Cullman, was also ejected. Phillips sustained injuries and airlifted to UAB Hospital.

The ALEA noted after the Ford was left unoccupied, it entered oncoming traffic. The Mustang and a Toyota Sienna collided. Suzanne Woods, a 56-year-old woman from Hayden, was driving the Sienna. Woods was taken to UAB Hospital with injuries.

The crashes occurred around 6:30 p.m., and troopers with the ALEAs Highway Patrol Division are investigating them.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to CBS 42.
KANSAS CITY, Mo.  As the Kansas City Chiefs kick off the regular season at the beginning of September, and the Royals continue their exciting playoff drive, this week 4 The People dives into the long-range planning on stadiums. Specifically, where do things stand now?

And to do so, we visit with key players on both sides of the state line.

FOX4 Sports: Read more Chiefs, Royals, Sporting, Current news

In Missouri, the Jackson County Legislature is expected to vote Monday to put a new sales tax package on the November ballot. It would be a Chiefs-specific sales tax of  cent for 20 years, but even its sponsor views it as a Hail Mary.

Legislator Manny Abarca joins this week to discuss why its important to take the sales tax back to voters, and other issues surrounding keeping the Chiefs and Royals.

Then, Kansas House Speaker Dan Hawkins joins to discuss the Sunflower States efforts to lure one or both teams across the state line.

Read more Politics stories from FOX4

Viewed as an economic development tool, how will the STAR Bond package impact efforts, where do things stand now, and what are the procedures going forward?

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports.
The unsolved 2012 murders of two young Iowa cousins still haunts this town

Elizabeth Collins (L) and her cousin Lyric Cook-Morrissey were kidnapped and murdered in July 2012 (Courtesy of the Elizabeth Collins Foundation )

Drew Collins says his eight-year-old little girl Elizabeth and niece Lyric Cook-Morrissey, 10, were like any other Midwestern girls their age.

They loved spending time outdoors, singing, dressing up and would often choreograph dance routines together to face their neighbors.

They were like sisters, Collins told The Independent.

But unlike most other little girls in the sleepy town of Evansdale, Iowa, Elizabeth and Lyric never got to grow up.

One summer afternoon in 2012, the cousins went for a bike ride together near a lake in northeast of the town.

Then, the girls vanished.

All that was left behind were their bikes and Collinss purse with her cell phone inside traipsed over a fence.

Months of worry descended into a parents worst nightmare: their bodies were found by hunters 20 miles from where they were last seen playing together.

More than a decade later, the cousinss deaths are still shrouded in mystery and treated as a double murder. Collins said hes unable to escape the summer of 2012.

Despite a conflated effort between local and federal law enforcement, the victims families and Evansdale locals, the killer has never been found.

Now, their case has been placed under the microscope in new three-part Netflix documentaryTaken Together: Who Killed Lyric and Elizabeth?

Dylan Siress series set out to do something which authorities have, as of yet, failed to do: track down the little girlss killer.

Its a trap

Elizabeth Collins was just eight-years-old when she was snatched and murdered in her sleepy Iowa town (Courtesy of the Elizabeth Collins Foundation)

Evansdale was home to about 4,000 people which placed community at its center. Nevertheless, Collins said hed never let his 8-year-old go on a bike ride without an adult.

Elizabeth and Lyric were dropped off at their grandmother Wylma Collinss house in downtown Evansdale on the morning of July 13, 2012 to be minded while their parents  Collins is a busy tree surgeon  were at work.

The grandmother, who took a more laissez-faire approach to parenting, let the girls go out on their bicycles. They pedalled away at about 12.15pm after their grandma told them to be home soon.

After an hour, the girls were still not home.

The cousins were last sighted alive between 12.30pm and 1pm by Gilbert Drive, next to Meyers Lake  a favorite amongst anglers. It was about five foot deep and filled with algae, Collins recalled.

Almost three hours had passed, and Wylma alerted her daughter, Heather, who rushed home from work before, finally, calling the police.

Fathers heartbreak

Elizabeths dad Drew Collins said there hasnt been a day where he hasnt thought about his little girl (Courtesy of the Elizabeth Collins Foundation)

Collins, Elizabeths father, had just got in from work when his wife, Heather, told him that the girls were missing.

They'd gone, evaporated into thin air, Collins said.

Upon their search, authorities and the family found the bikes, along with Collinss cell phone inside her purse at the lakes southeast corner. The area was surrounded by eight foot fences; Elizabeths purse was found strewn over one of them.

When we found the purse over the fence, I started to really get nervous, Collins said.

Days passed and local volunteers flocked in their droves to assist the family and police in the search for the two little girls.

The Sherriffs Office joined the search by Saturday, shortly by the FBI and Department of Criminal Investigations.

Police drained Meyers Lake as the FBI sent their divers into some of its deeper underwater pockets.

Candlelight vigils and press conferences conferences were held, yet still there was no sight of Elizabeth and Lyric.

Collins was stuck in a nightmare, but he still had to put food on the table.

I would just go till I broke, and then I would let myself completely fall apart, break down, cry, or whatever I had to do, scream, and then I would get back up and go till I broke again, he said.

Cold case

A missing poster for Collins (L) and older cousin Cook-Morrissey (R) (Courtesy of the Elizabeth Collins Foundation)

After five nerve-shredding months, the phone rang.

It was December 5, 2012, and the family minister told Collins to come down to city hall due to a major break in the case of the missing girls.

Two girls had been found dead more than 20 miles away.

A day later, Chief Deputy Rick Abben with the Black Hawk County Sheriffs Office confirmed that the bodies belonged to to Elizabeth and Lyric.

It tears your heart apart. In one way, you're relieved because they were found and you don't have to worry anymore. But then you're like, feel guilty, he said.

Collins then broke down.

You feel guilty because you just felt relief because you knew where they were, but they're dead. And you're like, how can I feel relief when they're gone, he said.

It really f**** you up, man.

It doesnt go away

A mural of the cousins etched onto a fence (Courtesy of the Elizabeth Collins Foundation)

Collins still cant wrap his head around how on the middle of the day on a Friday, nobody saw anything.

By 2017, authorities had interviewed more than 1,000 people and investigated over 300 sex offenders.

Twelve years have passed since the girls were murdered, but that just means over 4000 days where Collins has grieved, trapped in purgatory.

Its all consuming, he said. It doesnt go away. Youre stuck in 2012 wondering what happened to your kids.

What were their last moments like? What did they do to my daughter?

Collins knows that the killer is still out there. He believes that it is very possibly they still live right under his nose in Evandale.

Elizabeths father says that it has been impossible to move on from the day he learnt of his daughters death in 2012 (Courtesy of the Elizabeth Collins Foundation)

Unless you were from the area, the dad said, youd never even know that the fenced-off spot were the girls bikes were found existed.

While heartbroken, the dad has never lost faith that the killer will come to justice.

Collins hopes that the Netflix documentary might urge someone with knowledge to step forward.

They might even think they got away with it all together. And you know, I'm not going anywhere. I know the police ain't going anywhere, he said.

He takes comfort in the killers discomfort: knowing each day could be the day that the police come knocking at their door.

That's the hell they live, he added. One of these days is gonna be the day, and the police are going to be knocking on their door.

Elizabeth and Lyricss family members and family friends set up the Elizabeth Collins Foundation: a charity to provide funding to assist in solving cold cases of missing persons.
Daniel Suarez's car bursts into fire at NASCAR Cup Series Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona

Daniel Suarez's No. 99 Chevrolet Camaro caught fire during his initial pit stop early in Saturday night's Coke Zero Sugar 400 NASCAR Cup Series race at Daytona International Speedway.

A backfire from Denny Hamlin's No. 11 positioned behind Suarez on pit road ignited a spark, which started a fire in Suarez's trunk.

Suarez returned to pit road after his stop with his car ablaze. Suarez had to be told to get out of his car.

Daniel Suarez's car caught fire entering pit road.  #NASCAR | NBC and Peacock pic.twitter.com/nXdJuVu9V0  NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) August 25, 2024

Suarez said he could feel the heat behind him but could not see it because he no longer has a rearview mirror. He uses a rear camera, which didn't show the fire.

The incident took Suarez out of the race. Several cars had topped off their fuel, which left the excess on the ground on pit road.

Suarez was coming off an eighth-place finish last week at Michigan.

Reach Mike Organ at 615-259-8021 or on X @MikeOrganWriter.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Daniel Suarez's car bursts into fire in Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona
Community members, activists and political candidates from the QCA gathered at Vander Veer Park in Davenport on Saturday afternoon to rally for womens rights.

This is about a whole set of issues and its about a lot more than abortion, Christina Bohannan, Democrat Candidate for Congress, said.

On this years National Womens Equality Day, one hundred and four years after the nineteenth amendment was certified, women are still fighting for their rights.

And with the upcoming election, political candidates in Iowa are making their priorities clear.

We need the freedom to choose, Maria Bribriesco, Candidate for the Scott County Board of Supervisors, said. Thats what America is all about, its about freedom. The freedom to choose.

To hear more, click on the video.

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MATTOON  The Daily Journal-Gazette and Commercial-Star is pleased to announce that after considerable negotiation it has succeeded in bringing to this city the World Famous Gates' Flying Circus, for one day, Tuesday, Aug. 26. Through the medium of exchange newspapers, the JG has been reading for several months of the marvelous performances and exhibitions given by this group of master bird-men in all sections of the country. It has followed the progress of the Gates' Circus through Illinois, under the auspices of the largest newspapers of the state, and upon learning that the organization would have this day open upon its schedule, took immediate steps to ensure the spending of that day in Mattoon, where interest in aviation and all pertaining to it is at fever heat ... MATTOON  Charles Chism, Miss Sophia Chism, Miss Emma Chism and Otto Johnson returned Sunday afternoon from a 1,000-mile automobile trip to Michigan and Indiana, after an absence of one week. The return trip for a distance of five miles east of Terre Haute to this city was through steady rain. Mr. Chism states they left Indianapolis at 6:40 a.m. Sunday and arrived in Mattoon at 3:30 p.m. "It was a grand trip and we saw lots of sights," he said. "We had but one puncture and no other trouble. The weather was fine and motoring was over good roads all the way, almost 1,000 miles. We used one gallon of gasoline to each 26 miles of the trip, our record shows." ... RANTOUL  A delegation of 100 farmers and their wives from Essex County, Ontario, who are making a week's automobile tour through the farming districts of Illinois, stopped here today to inspect the Chanute aviation field. From there the party went to the farm of Frank I. Mann, a prominent farmer of Gilman. This is the third year the Canadians have made a tour of the states to study methods being followed by farmers here. Saturday the party spent at Urbana, studying the work of the College of Agriculture, University of Illinois. The party is traveling in 25 automobiles.
On This Day, Aug. 25: Paris liberated from German occupation in WWII

France's Division Leclerc work to liberate the city of Paris from German occupation on August 25, 1944, during World War II. File Photo courtesy of the National Museum of the U.S. Navy/Wikimedia Commons

Aug. 25 (UPI) -- On this date in history:

In 1609, Galileo Galilei exhibited his first telescope in Venice.

In 1718, the city of New Orleans was founded.

In 1875, Matthew Webb, a 27-year-old British merchant navy captain, became the first person known to successfully swim the English Channel.

In 1944, allied forces and the French resistance freed the city of Paris from German occupation during World War II. United Press reporter James McGlincy was the first foreign correspondent in the capital amid the fighting. He reported the Parisians welcomed the Allies with kisses: "Lord, how they kissed us!"

Rescue workers bring in a family through rising flood waters in the Cypress Station neighborhood as waters rise during Hurricane Harvey in Houston on August 28. The storm made landfall August 25, 2017. File Photo by Jerome Hicks/UPI

In 1967, a sniper assassinated American Nazi leader George Lincoln Rockwell in Arlington, Va.

In 1985, Samantha Smith, 13, was killed with her father and six other people in a plane crash in Maine. Samantha's 1983 letter to Soviet President Yuri Andropov about her fear of nuclear war earned her a visit to the Soviet Union.

On August 25, 1989, Voyager 2, after a 4 billion-mile journey, made its closest pass over Neptune, sending back images of southern lights and its moon, Triton, to Earth. File Photo courtesy of NASA

Photo courtesy RIA Novosti archive

In 1989, Voyager 2, after a 4 billion-mile journey, made its closest pass over Neptune, sending back images of southern lights and its moon, Triton, to Earth.

Neil Armstrong speaks during a Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony on Capitol Hill in Washington on November 16, 2011. On August 25, 2012, Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, died in Cincinnati. He was 82. File Photo by Roger L. Wollenberg/UPI

In 2009, U.S. Sen. Edward "Ted" Kennedy, D-Mass., a liberal fixture in the Senate for 46 years, died of brain cancer at the age of 77.

File Photo by CJ Gunther/UPI

Float riders in the Rex parade toss beads to the crowd on St. Charles Avenue in New Orleans on February 28. On August 25, 1718, the city of New Orleans was founded. File Photo by AJ Sisco/UPI

In 2012, former astronaut Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, died in Cincinnati. He was 82.

In 2017, Hurricane Harvey made landfall on San Jose Island, Texas, as a Category 4 storm. Harvey killed more than 100 people and caused $125 billion in damage.

A student peers through a telescope at a star party held at Madras High School the night before crowds come to watch the total solar eclipse in Madras, Ore., on August 20. On August 25, 1609, Galileo Galilei exhibited his first telescope in Venice. Photo by Aubrey Gemignani/UPI

In 2020, the Africa Regional Certification Commission declared Africa free of wild polio after four years without a case.

File Photo by Marshall Wolfe/EPA
KANSAS CITY, Mo.  The Wyandotte County Sheriffs Office is currently investigating a death at the Wyandotte County Lake.

FOX4 Forecast: Heat Advisory Sunday

The sheriffs office claims that around 5 p.m. on August 24, deputies were dispatched to the lake on reports of an unresponsive person in the lake. This individual, a Hispanic male who appears to be in his 60s was pronounced dead.

The Wyandotte County Sheriffs Office is asking anyone with additional information to please contact the Crime Stoppers TIPS hotline at 816-474-TIPS. All tips remain anonymous.

This is an ongoing investigation, FOX4 will provide updates as theyre made available.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports.
Following a decade-long battle, a substantial part of Crimean artifacts is now on display in Kyiv until the occupied peninsula is liberated, officials say.

After a lengthy legal struggle, the return of the so-called "Scythian gold" last year was, for Ukrainians, an important cultural milestone amid the ongoing decade-long war with Russia.

The artifacts originated from four Crimean museumsBakhchysarai, Kerch, Simferopol, and Sevastopoland were exhibited at the Allard Pierson Museum in Amsterdam in February 2014, when Russian troops moved in to occupy the peninsula and its museums.

The artifacts were stuck in legal limbo, with now-occupied museums demanding the return of the items, whereas Ukraine attempted to return its cultural heritage home.

After nearly ten years, a collection of 565 artifacts, or 2,111 items, was finally returned to Ukrainian-controlled territory.

The items shown in the Treasury of the National Museum of the History of Ukraine have been digitized, a practice used by many Ukrainian museums to preserve the cultural heritage amid Russia's near-daily missile attacks.

"This (the return) is not only a museum matter but a matter for the entire country. It is important for future steps. This exhibition is about the past, but it is actually a bridge to the future," said archaeologist Yurii Polidovych, a leading researcher at the museum.

Ukraine's Acting Culture Minister Rostyslav Karandieiev (R) and Director of the National Museum of History of Ukraine Natalia Panchenko (L) attend the unpacking procedure of the 'Scythian Gold' collection's items by a museum expert on Nov. 28, 2023, in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Oleksii Chumachenko/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)

Scythian gold

Known as "Scythian gold," most of the artifacts aren't actually made of precious metals. The majority of the items are made of limestone, bronze, clay, iron, wood, and other materials.

These artifacts cannot be attributed to the Scythians alone. They were used by various nomadic peoples who lived on the peninsula from approximately the 5th century BCE to the 7th century AD, such as the Sarmatians, Goths, and Huns.

The very definition  "Scythian gold"  was largely made up by the media, experts say.

The entire collection is estimated at about 1.5 million euros ($1.6 million), a modest price for the one-of-a-kind artifacts.

Many of the items were found in necropolises, large city cemeteries. The most precious items were retrieved from the Ust-Alma necropolis, in southwest Crimea  ancient lacquer jewelry boxes made some 2,000 years ago in China.

"Each of the items tells its own story about the ancient people who lived in Crimea. These treasures are not about price tags, but about value, something that matters for spirituality, culture, and history," Polidovych told the Kyiv Independent.

Years-long battle

The battle for the Crimean artifacts was long, gaining national attention in the process.

Four Ukrainian museums in Crimea, now under Russian control, filed a lawsuit with the Amsterdam District Court demanding the return of the artifacts to the occupied peninsula. Kyiv demanded that the treasures be handed over to the owner of each exhibit, meaning Ukraine.

The court battle lasted for nine years, with the artifacts remaining in Amsterdam for the duration of the legal process.

"The European judiciary got trapped. They began to sort national legislation and European legislation. But there was a clear question: how will these (artifacts) be taken to Crimea from Amsterdam?" Evelina Kravchenko, a senior researcher at the Institute of Archeology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, told the Kyiv Independent.

In 2016, the Dutch court ruled that the Crimean artifacts should be transferred to Kyiv, but the Russian-controlled museums appealed. After a dragged-on trial and a rejected Russian appeal, the final decision in favor of Ukraine was reached only in 2023, as Russia was waging an all-out war against Ukraine.

"The current decision is one of strategic importance for the future of things that enter Europe from Ukraine illegally. In particular, from Crimea, the things that can be illegally exported by Russia, private individuals, and so on," Kravchenko said.

Polidovych agrees that the decision was crucial.

"The most important thing in this case is that it recognized Crimea as a part of Ukraine, and the cultural and historical heritage of Crimea is part of the common cultural space of Ukraine," said Polidovych.

Ukraine's debt for storing the exhibits in the Dutch museum was waived. Despite Russia's ongoing full-scale war, the artifacts were returned to Ukraine in November 2023.

Heritage at risk

As of 2014, the Crimean museums had over 930,000 items belonging to the Museum Fund of Ukraine, according to the National Museum of the History of Ukraine.

Yet, the artifacts brought back from the Netherlands are the only archaeological treasures returned to Ukraine-controlled territories since 2014.

Approximately 1.5 million museum artifacts remain in Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine, acting Culture Minister Rostyslav Karandieiev said.

Attempts to destroy or appropriate Ukrainian cultural heritage have been a Russian policy for centuries, and the attacks on museums and cultural sites became a hallmark of Moscow's all-out war. According to the Culture Ministry, at least 1,085 cultural heritage sites in Ukraine have been damaged by Russian forces as of early July.

A picture shows a view of Chersonesus, an ancient Greek city and UNESCO heritage site, after Russia's invasion on April 1, 2014, in the city of Sevastopol, Crimea, Ukraine. (Olga Maltseva/AFP via Getty Images)

Exhibits from Russian-looted museums in the occupied parts of Ukraine's south were taken to Crimea, while cultural items from the occupied peninsula, such as paintings and sculptures, are being transferred to Russia.

"This is not a mass phenomenon yet, although requests from Russian museums to take museum items out of Crimea have become much more frequent recently," Kravchenko told the Kyiv Independent.

Over the years, Russia has excavated huge areas in Crimea and appropriated the found artifacts. It also demolished several cultural heritage sites that have been around.

Moscow destroyed the UNESCO-listed city of Chersonesus, an ancient Greek colony founded over 2,500 years ago, located within the city limits of occupied Sevastopol, replacing the original sights with new buildings.

"It will be possible to return (stolen cultural items) only after significant change depending on how the war ends, what kind of agreement will be signed, and who will sign it. If they end up on Russia's territory, it will be very difficult to bring them back," Kravchenko said.

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Democrats are leery about the prospect of Vice President Harris putting out anything close to a fleshed-out agenda, believing they must make the 2024 election about the former president  not the current vice president.

Instead, theyre hoping Harris will run a largely atmospheric campaign  one with limited policy substance  to make the race more of a referendum on former President Trump than on her administrations record.

One Democratic senator who attended the Democratic convention in Chicago said Harriss strategy is to remain vague on issues ranging from fracking, which is important in Pennsylvania, to how she would handle the war in Gaza, which has divided the Democratic Party.

What Barack [Obama] did when he ran is he wasnt very detailed. People read into him every hope and dream. I know that Kamala probably isnt going to be drilling on public lands, is probably going to greenlight some fossil projects, but I can hope right now shell be stronger than Biden has been in terms of recognizing that you cannot stop climate change if you dont stop the extraction of fossil fuels, the lawmaker said.

I can hope that right now because she hasnt been explicit and people can read into her their hopes and dreams. We know the difference between her and Trump. We know the difference in style and the importance in integrity, the source added.

Democrats acknowledge most voters around the country know relatively little about Harris, even though shes served nearly four years in the nations second-highest office.

But they argue thats a strength in a race against Trump, who voters know very well after his years in and out of the office. They say it helps Harris shape the race as more of a referendum on Trump than President Biden, even though it is the latter who is now in office.

The fact that the president stepped down, its now a referendum on Trump, said Jim Manley, a Democratic strategist.

Thats one of the most important dynamics thats happening. We were headed toward a straight-up referendum election on Biden before he ended his campaign.

Manley acknowledged things can change fast in a race as Republicans spend tens of millions on attack adds to define Harris negatively.

Despite the unbelievable momentum that they built up over the last four weeks, there are plenty of danger signs out there in the key battleground states, Manley observed. I for one remain concerns that pollsters havent worked out all the kinks and Trump votes are underrepresented.

It has mostly been Republicans and conservative media figures pressing Harris to offer more specifics on her plans. But some Democrats have joined those calls.

Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), a leading House progressive, said hes hoping Harris will unveil a boldly liberal agenda, even though she has substantially reined in some of her more liberal stances since becoming vice president.

I think that she has the opportunity to bring forth a progressive agenda, and were waiting to see the details of that, he said. I would like to see at least a commitment to universal child care, a commitment to expanding Medicare, to including dental, vision, hearing, he said.

Khanna said he would also like Harris to make a commitment to taxing wealth in this country, a commitment to free public college, a commitment to ending the awful war in Gaza.

I think she has an opportunity over the next few weeks to define her vision, he said.

The Democratic nominee has yet to sit down for a wide-ranging media interview or to address tough questions at a press conference about her past support for Medicare for All, the Green New Deal and a fracking ban, three hot-button issues from which she has since backed away.

Harriss convention speech focused on biographical details, sharing with the nation her memories of her mother and other family memories and of learning how to make gumbo and play chess. She touched broadly on issues such as Social Security, Medicare, abortion rights and border security but offered little detail.

Instead, she pledged to voters and delegates that her election to the Oval Office would be a chance to chart a new way forward.

While Democrats are trying to define their candidate as a hopeful change candidate without delving much into specifics, Republicans will spend the next two months working hard to define her as a far-left California liberal.

Theyre running a great campaign because theyre not allowing the candidate to speak extemporaneously, because once she does, shes much more of a flawed candidate, Republican strategist Ron Bonjean said of Harriss tightly scripted campaign.

He said Republicans are waiting for Harris to make a mistake so they can define her as a gaffe-prone leader without a clear leadership vision.

He said voters know who Donald Trump is, theyre trying to figure out who Kamala Harris is.

Trump and his allies are trying to seize on Harriss positions from the 2020 Democratic presidential primary, when she was competing with rivals to pick up support from the partys liberal base.

Harriss team is trying to distance her from her most liberal positions and tack toward the center by embracing the Biden administrations accomplishments, which include a major bipartisan infrastructure investment law and the most significant law addressing gun violence in decades.

The race to define Harris right now is on, Bonjean said. Voters know her name, but they have no idea who she is.

Harriss campaign chair Jen OMalley Dillon told The Washington Post that the next two months of the campaign will be an opportunity to define who she is and her leadership and stressed that she will run on more than Bidens record.

We know that the American people dont know that much about the vice president, and so we really have an opportunity to fill that in for them, she said.

For example, a national survey of Latino voters conducted Aug. 6-10 by the Hispanic Federation and the Latino Victory foundation found that only 33 percent of those voters said they were well-informed about Harriss policy agenda, while 30 percent said they were not too informed or not at all informed.

Steve Jarding, a Democratic strategist, said being largely unknown two months before Election Day would be a problem for most candidates, but he argued its an asset for Harris, given how widely known and how unpopular her opponent is.

If she were running against Mitt Romney or Nikki Haley, thats a problem because theyre not as polarizing as Trump is, he said, citing moderate Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) and former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley.

Its less of a problem now because Trump is so well-defined and not necessarily very favorably outside his core MAGA group, he added.

A lot of Americans would say I may not know her, but thats OK because its an alternative to Trump, and Ill give her a chance. The difference with Biden is those same Americans that might do that for Harris just looked at him and said, No, hes too old, Jarding said.

He warned that Harriss biggest danger is to let herself get dragged by Trump into a personal, insult-laden fight that would let the GOP nominee define the race on his terms.

One of the things thats most impressed me about her is that she hasnt really taken the bait when Trump tries to beat her up. She kind of laughs it off, and I think thats a really good approach because that just gets under his skin, and he gets mean and gets off message, he added.

If it looks like its getting her and cutting into her, thats a problem. If I were advising her, I would say keep smiling. Keep laughing at his craziness, Jarding said. Dont do what Rubio did and talk about the small hands.  Then youre playing on his turf and hell probably beat you.

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Last weeks Democratic Convention in Chicago was quite the contrast to the revenge-soaked Republican Convention with its hundreds of grievances all to pay homage to the Commander-In-Grievance Donald Trump. Instead of Republican cheers for the old man candidate, Donald Trump, it was the old man, Joe Biden, who took the stage on the first night and handed off the leadership of the Democratic Party to a new generation.

As tough as it must have been for Biden to find himself in this auxiliary role last Monday night, its to his credit that he and Jill Biden headed for a California vacation for a couple of weeks so Democrats can celebrate their new leader and give her full rein of the convention as she leaves the past behind and charts her new course for America.

This Democratic Convention charted a new course, with delegates young and old roused with a renewed sense of optimism and joy reminiscent of Barack Obamas arrival on the scene. The innovative and musical approach to the roll call of the states to determine the official nomination of Kamala Harris and Tim Walz highlighted the diversity and youth of the party and bore no resemblance to the Republican Conventions roll call announced by an aging delegate.

This was a party of diversity and not just of race, but of political affiliation as well. Trumps former aide, Stephanie Grisham, took the podium to endorse Harris. Grisham, who quit her job the day of the Insurrection, shared what it was like to serve alongside Trump who she said has no empathy, no morals and no fidelity to the truth. Among other Republican presenters, the Republican mayor of Mesa, Arizona spoke to the TV audience of Republicans and Independents about how he could not support Trump and was endorsing Harris/Walz.

One of the most insightful lines of the convention was uttered by Obama who was preceded on the podium by First Lady Michelle Obama and joked that anyone who follows Michelle at the podium is stupid. He sure knew what he was talking about.

Michelle Obama ignited the crowd with observations about Trump and his supporters that rang true for this columnist who served as a Republican official for 18 years. She uttered just a few words that should cause many Americans to rethink the issue of affirmative action.

She told the delegates 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 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.

As a candidate and officeholder who sought campaign contributions from Republican donors, it offered me a new and personal slant on the issue of affirmative action. How many times, as I asked for campaign contributions from the monied class, did I hear the same old tripe about how no one should be allowed to cut in line and get special consideration?

Affirmative Action was the bogeyman Republicans trotted out for years. And yet it came from those whose kids were legacy admits at Ivy League schools and left debt-free, from those whose kids were poised to take over the family business or could network through their parents contacts for jobs, from those whose kids were fortunate enough to attend the finest public or private schools in the safest neighborhoods and receive the very best education this nation offers.

Those who oppose affirmative action  and I have no doubt from my experience that most are Republicans serve a cold dish of hypocrisy without even understanding and acknowledging their unabashed arrogance in not thinking through the genetic advantages their kids have. That is precisely what Michelle Obama laid bare with her comment about the affirmative action of generational wealth.

The pundits thought more of former President Bill Clinton speech than I did. He just didnt seem to arouse the same passionate audience response that others had. His presence at the Convention reminded me of his policies on international trade and how Hilary was skewered in her 2016 campaign for Americas job losses that headed for Mexico and China.

Trump hammered away at the Washington establishment that build NAFTA, a policy that began with President George H.W. Bush, but was enthusiastically promoted and signed by Clinton. It made sense for Bush Republicans to tout free trade with their devotion to free market economics. But as Max Cameron, the author of The Making of NAFTA, noted in an interview with Time Magazine, Clinton led the Democratic party down the road to free trade, seemingly more interested in competing with the Republican Party for the support of Wall Street instead of its usual priority of guaranteeing workers rights and trade unions.

What did Americas workers get for it? Americans lost at least 700,000 manufacturing jobs to Mexico because of NAFTA, according to Robert Lighthizer, the international trade expert who wrote, No Trade is Free: Changing Course, Taking on China, and Helping Americas Workers. (Lighthizer also served as U.S. Trade Representative under Trump and was the architect of Trumps China tariffs, which President Biden continued and then added some on electric vehicles.) Public Citizen, a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization, estimates the job losses from NAFTA at 950,000.

Then there was Chinas admission to the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 1998. Clintons plan was to integrate China into the global economic order by requiring tough conditions for its entry that would lead China down the road to economic and political reforms. Instead, China ignored WTO rules and employed massive subsidies for its industries and engaged in industrial espionage aimed at Americas tech industries. All of this lowered the cost of goods China sent abroad and undercut the value of American goods. Consumers who try to find something not made in China know about this firsthand.

Over the years since China joined the WTO in 1998, 3.7 million American jobs were lost as goods from China flooded the market as American jobs evaporated. This seems to have hit small town America particularly hard as factories shut down and jobs headed abroad.

From campaigning statewide in Illinois years ago, I still remember the factories on the edge of town after town providing a livelihood for its residents, but when those jobs dried up, Trump came along with his MAGA rallies. They were packed with those fed up with politicians who took their jobs away. Of course, there were other cultural issues as the Democratic Party drove its platform leftward with a woke agenda that contributed to Trumps rise to power, but NAFTA and Chinas admission to the WTO certainly played a role.

Harris choice of Tim Walz to join the ticket indicates she is aware of the need for Democrats to regain the rural America they lost over recent years. Walz comes from small town America, raised in rural Nebraska, lived for years in rural Minnesota and represented rural Minnesotans in Congress. He speaks fondly and joyously of rural people and the hard work they do to keep Americans fed. He rejoices in his neighbors and friends who he showers with praise. And he was not afraid as governor and a hunter to support and sign legislation to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous individuals.

This columns deadline missed coverage of Harris keynote speech on Thursday night. If the conventions mojo through Wednesday is an indication, it will surely awaken the U.S. to a new day dawning for discouraged and disillusioned Americans frustrated by Trumps version of a politics that has descended to the depths of Dantes hell. Lets hope when they fight, they win!

Bob Kustra served as president of Boise State University from 2003 to 2018. He is host of Readers Corner on Boise State Public Radio, and he writes a biweekly column for the Idaho Statesman. He served two terms as Illinois lieutenant governor and 10 years as a state legislator.
Limited government. Protecting your personal freedoms.

Congressional candidate Monica Tranel says these themes are winning her favor with voters in the western Republican-leaning district of cherry red libertarian Montana.

Except, Tranel, a 58-year-old lawyer, is a Democrat. And shes talking to conservative voters about abortion.

Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade two years ago, the landmark case guaranteeing a constitutional right to abortion, Democrats have been on an electoral win streak. Candidates on the left saw a boost attributed to reproductive rights rhetoric in the 2022 midterm elections, and voters have recently sided with measures favoring abortion access in a handful of state ballot referendums.

As Democrats continue to campaign on the charged issue, many are emphasizing liberty and limited government  values historically touted by more conservative politicians.

Vice President Kamala Harris, who last month took over the top of the ticket for Democrats following President Joe Biden's decision to exit the race, called her presidential campaign "a fight for freedom." And her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, has doubled down on this message.

"In Minnesota, we respect our neighbors and the personal choices they make," Walz told the Chicago crowd at the Democratic national convention.

"And even if we wouldn't make those same choices for ourselves," he continued, "we've got a golden rule: Mind your own damn business."

Since his debut with the Harris campaign, Walz has sought to differentiate Democrats' ideas of "freedom."

"Some of us are old enough to remember when it was Republicans who were talking about freedom," Walz said at a rally in Philadelphia earlier this month. "It turns out now what they meant was the government should be free to invade your doctor's office."

Republicans meanwhile have grappled with their response, with intraparty disagreement over federal versus state-level bans and where to set the limit.

Still, abortion is animating both parties, and is expected to weigh heavily in the outcome of 2024 and the first post-Roe presidential election.

And with that in mind, congressional candidates like Tranel are fine-tuning their reach to moderate and undecided voters, whose decision may hinge on this hot button issue.

Democrats take conservative talking points to abortion

Michelle Vallejo, a Democrat running to represent Texas' 15th Congressional District, recalls that while campaigning at a county fair earlier this year, she met a voter there who was quick to bring up her position supporting abortion access  and his disagreement.

I told him, You know, actually, we have much more in common than you know, Vallejo, 33, told USA TODAY. First of all, we are both proud Texans, and we love our freedom. And when it comes to defending women's reproductive freedom and choice, that's what it's all about.

Michelle Vallejo, a progressive democratic candidate for district 15 that has been endorsed by Elizabeth Warren, talks to attendees during her Election Night Watch Party in McAllen, Texas, U.S. March 1, 2022. REUTERS/Veronica G. Cardenas

Like Tranel, who has a similar story from being out on the campaign trail, Vallejo is attempting to curry favor  and votes  from moderate and even conservative voters by talking the rights bread and butter, limited government.

And he said, you know, I kind of like the sound of that, Vallejo said.

A recent poll by KFF, a nonprofit health policy organization, found 50% of Republican women voters believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases. And specifically younger GOP women  18 to 49 years old  said they would consider themselves pro-choice.

And while 55% of Republican women said they prefer their party on women's issues, 11% think Democrats would do a better job and 34% trust neither side.

Voters don't vote for policy," said Peter Loge, a professor and director of George Washington University's School of Media and Public Affairs.

"We all think we're smart and detail-oriented and rational," he said. But, "we vote for feelings. We vote for ideas. We vote for visions that get translated into policy.

Republicans talk "commonsense solutions" on abortion

If red-state Democrats seem to be borrowing from the conservative playbook, emphasizing shrinking government and highlighting personal freedom when talking abortion, their hope would be to peel away voters from the traditional GOP base.

"The other thing that it does then is set up a contrast," Loge said. "Because if Democrats believe in freedom, Republicans, by definition, don't ... Obviously, Republicans believe in freedom, but the implication of the framing is, We're the party of freedom, therefore Republicans must not be.

Republicans say its a ridiculous claim.

The sensitive and personal topic of abortion is already being used by Democrats as a wedge issue to divide New Mexicans, Yvette Herrell, a former congresswoman and now Republican candidate for a district in southwest New Mexico, said in a statement to USA TODAY.

I believe we can disagree civilly on difficult issues like abortion, Herrell added, while also working together to bring down the cost of living, secure our border, and get crime under control, all of which our current congressman has not done.

Herrells campaign website emphasizes commonsense solutions and shared values. On that values page, Herrell mentions specifically that she would stop government overreach into our lives and protect the hardworking families of New Mexico.

Below that, Herrell's campaign site includes an opinion piece written by Herrell in May explaining her position on abortion.

First, and this is no secret, I am pro-life, Herrell wrote. As a Christian, I believe every human life is a sacred gift from God.

Herrell continued to say, though, she supports exceptions in the case of rape, incest or life of the mother.

While the left has found their foothold on reproductive rights, candidates and lawmakers on the right are often just as animated by the issue  even if they are often more hesitant to put abortion in the foreground.

New York Republican and congressional candidate Alison Esposito lists abortion as the second of nine real key issues on her campaign website.

Like most Americans, Alison believes in reasonable exceptions and has NEVER advocated for a federal abortion ban, Espositos website reads. She believes that abortion should be safe, rare and not used as a form of birth control.

Rep. Jen Kiggans, R-Va., uses similar language on her reelection campaign site: Jen believes we should approach this issue with compassion, common sense, and consensus, her issues page reads.

Kiggans and Esposito did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

One way or the other, voters expected to respond

Abortion isnt usually the first issue voters bring up when Tranel goes door-knocking across the western region of Montana. More often, she said they will start by telling her about their strained wallets or housing headaches.

But then if you ask them, well, what would you actually crossover and vote on, this is the crossover issue, Tranel said.

The sentiment spans political parties in states like Arizona, where congressional candidate Kirsten Engel said she hears from independents  an influential voting bloc in the Grand Canyon State  that they want decisions related to reproductive care to be theirs.

It's one of the most universal things that I hear, is that these should not be political decisions, Engel said. These are personal decisions. They're complicated. They impact healthcare, and they are healthcare. And they're just not a decision that you can come up with some kind of rule about.

Still, Loge said Republicans hold their own advantage in this discussion of rights and freedom.

"It's not a question of who wants to restrict freedom," he added. "It's a question of which freedom in which context, and then who gets to sort of own that framing.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Democrats running for Congress talk abortion with Republican voters
DENVER (KDVR)  Investigators are responding to the scene of a suspicious death in Clear Creek County Saturday.

The Clear Creek County Sheriffs Office said the death investigation is underway in the 1000 block of Two Brothers Road, north of Idaho Springs.

This embedded content is not available in your region.

The death is considered suspicious. We have investigators responding to the scene now, the sheriffs office said in a post on Facebook.

The sheriffs office said it took a report of a missing person associated with the same property on Wednesday, but said it cannot confirm that the deceased person is the missing person.

No further details were immediately available.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver.
HINTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD)  A motorcyclist was airlifted to the hospital after crashing in Mecosta County Saturday, deputies say.

Around 3:20 p.m., a motorcyclist was driving in the area of 1 Mile Road and 100th Avenue in Hinton Township when he was unable to make the curve in the road and jumped the ditch, according to a release from the Mecosta County Sheriffs Office.

The driver, a 35-year-old Pierson man, was airlifted to a hospital in Grand Rapids with injuries that were severe but not life-threatening, deputies said.

This embedded content is not available in your region.

Meceola Central Dispatch, Mecosta County EMS and AeroMed assisted the sheriffs office.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOODTV.com.
Deputies find vehicle stuck on dirt road near GA prison. Now, the driver is behind bars

A 28-year-old woman was arrested after deputies found a vehicle stuck on a dirt road near a Georgia prison.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

Early Friday morning, Washington County deputies were contacted about a vehicle stuck on a dirt road near the prison in Davisboro.

Deputies along with the Department of Corrections K9 began investigating and found contraband.

The vehicles driver, Danielle Mangum 28, of Claremont, Ga. was arrested.

Mangum is charged with criminal trespass, crossing guard lines, possession of meth with intent to distribute, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, and trading with inmates.

TRENDING STORIES:

You would think that the word would have gotten around that we were out and about this morning making drug arrests, the sheriffs office said.

Around lunchtime, a sheriffs investigator was patrolling the area of West Elder Street and witnessed a hand-to-hand drug sale.

Deputies arrested Freddie Flemming, 59, and Justin Sutton, 32, both of Sandersville.

Flemming was charged with possession of cocaine with intent to distribute cocaine. Sutton was charged with possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, trafficking cocaine, and possession of a weapon during the commission of a felony.

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Early Friday morning, Washington County deputies and several other law enforcement agencies also conducted a search warrant at a home on Gum Street in Sandersville.

During the search, an undisclosed amount of drugs were found. As a result of the search, Robert Johnson, 64, of Sandersville, was arrested and charged with the three counts of sale of cocaine.

Were committed to keeping drugs out of Washington County, Sheriff Joel Cochran said.

Several others were arrested Friday after deputies said they were selling and in possession of drugs.

The following people were arrested:

Howard Swint, 54, of Sandersville is charged with two counts of the sale of cocaine;

Donald Sutton Jr., 47, of Sandersville is charged with two counts of sale of cocaine possession of a firearm by a convicted felon;

Anthony Williams, 30, of Warthen is charged with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and probation violation;

William Hall, 39 of Tennille is charged with possession of cocaine, parole violation, false report of a crime, fleeing or attempting to elude, failure to obey a stop sign, and failure to maintain lane.

Together, well continue to fight against this threat to ensure the safety and well-being of our residents. We wont back down, Cochran said.

IN OTHER NEWS:
POLK CITY, Iowa  Des Moines area heroes were honored at the first annual Hero Appreciation Tribute Day on Saturday.

The event, which was hosted by several local non-profit organizations, included free lunch, a raffle, cornhole tournament, and tug-of-war contest, and was open to veterans, first responders, and their families.

It also offered information on resources such as medical care, career services, therapy and support groups.

All of these organizations have a specific thing that they do for our veterans through their respective organizations and its something I wanted to collect because its important to give back to our veterans in Iowa, said Rameses Yebra, president of QRFUP.

20th annual World Food and Music Festival hosts record-breaking amount of vendors

According to its website, QRFUP works to support veterans and their families work through issues such as mental health, readjusting to civilian life, finances, and career placement. The organization is also creating an app which would provide immediate support to the user during a time of crisis with the goal of preventing veteran suicide.

Horses Helping Heroes, a nonprofit which WHO-13 highlighted this past Spring, provides free horse therapy for Veterans who are struggling with PTSD, anxiety and depression.

Were just trying to help as many veterans, first responders, and national guardsmen that want to participate, that want to help their PTSD, said Eric Moorman, the program instructor.

Moorman said he is working to expand the Jester Park program to include miniature horses, riding horses and driving programs.

Those attending the event at Big Creek State Beach were also encouraged to bring an old pair of shoes to donate and in exchange received a free raffle ticket.

Organizers said they plan to host the event again next year.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to who13.com.
The front page of the Deseret News on Aug. 25, 1928, announcing the start of Admiral Richard Byrd's expedition to Antarctica.

A look back at local, national and world events through Deseret News archives.

On Aug. 25, 1928, an expedition led by Adm. Richard E. Byrd set sail from Hoboken, New Jersey, on its journey to Antarctica.

Byrd made the first airplane flight over the North Pole in 1926 and the first over the South Pole on Nov. 29, 1929, though some of his claims of the North Pole mission have been disputed.

His first expedition to southern polar regions arrived at Antarctica in December 1928 and his expeditions continued through 1955. The Winchester, Virginia, native was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor the following year.

Byrd is best known for his achievements in Antarctica. In 1928, he established Little America as a scientific base on the ice and flew over the South Pole, and led five major expeditions.

One of Byrds missions, Operation Highjump (1946-47), the largest-ever expedition to Antarctica, which included 4,000 men, 23 aircraft and 13 ships.

Many Utahns and Westerners recognize Little America.

Little America, Wyoming, was named after Little America, Antarctica, the barren outpost constructed on the Ross Ice Shelf by Byrd on his first trip to the South Pole, in 1928. The popular outpost continues as a gas station/diner/RV park/hotel in western Wyoming.

Here are some stories from Deseret News archives about Byrd, his forays into Antarctica, and the mysteries it still holds:

Scientists just revealed details about an antarctic fossil that would have been the biggest bird ever

New stamp features honeybee

About Utah: Penguin has tie to Byrds travels

Explorer Vaughan dies at age 100

Antarctica: A frigid place where scientific research is hot

Fascinating facts about Antarctica

USU researcher gears up for all-female Antarctica expedition

Antarctic shipwreck found after 107 years underwater

Antarctica: Mystery continent holds key to mankinds future

Scientists used a robot to observe Antarcticas doomsday glacier  and its in trouble

Record high temperature recorded in Antarctica
Diaries of Mao's secretary at the center of a legal battle over the history of modern China

HONG KONG  The diaries of a top Chinese official and prominent critic of Beijing are at the center of a U.S. legal battle, raising questions about who will write the history of modern China.

Li Rui, who died in 2019 at the age of 101, held a number of important positions within the ruling Chinese Communist Party, including personal secretary to longtime leader Mao Zedong. In detailed handwritten diaries he kept from 1946 to 2018, Li recorded his experiences and observations during seven tumultuous decades of Communist Party rule  a version of events that might conflict with the official party line.

As a high-ranking official, Li was an authoritative witness to parts of history that the party would rather not highlight  from internal disputes and policy missteps to the deadly Tiananmen Square crackdown  because they challenge its narrative of uninterrupted prosperity and political unity as China rose from a poor and isolated nation to become the worlds second-largest economy.

A trial that began in California on Monday will decide whether Lis diaries should remain at Stanford Universitys Hoover Institution, where his daughter donated them, or be returned to his elderly widow, who has been accused of acting as a front for Chinese authorities who would most likely censor them.

Weve never had something like this before, said Joseph Torigian, a research fellow at the Hoover Institution.

These are diaries and personal papers that run to dozens and dozens of boxes that talk about everything from the early years of the revolution to Li Ruis work as a secretary to very powerful individuals, including Chairman Mao.

Few top Chinese Communist Party officials have kept such detailed diaries, especially after the Cultural Revolution of the 1960s and 1970s, when they were used as evidence for political persecution.

It is very hard to study the Peoples Republic of China because it is an authoritarian regime that believes that different narratives about its past are very dangerous for regime security, which means that they run a tight ship, said Torigian, who is also an assistant professor at the School of International Service at American University.

In his diary, Chinese official Li Rui referred to the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown as Black Weekend.

Stanford says Li had directed his daughter, Li Nanyang, to donate the materials to the Hoover Institution, which is known for its large archive of historical materials on modern China, for fear they might otherwise be destroyed by Chinese authorities as part of a crackdown on dissent he saw growing worse under President Xi Jinping.

Li Nanyang, a vocal critic of the Chinese Communist Party who lives in the United States, carried most of the diaries out of China in 2017. She made the donation to the Hoover Institution official days before her fathers death in 2019, once she felt he was safe from possible reprisal.

Shortly after that, Lis second wife, Zhang Yuzhen, sued for the return of the original diaries, which she says are rightfully hers. Her lawyers argue that they contain deeply personal information about her relationship with Li, and that the violation of her privacy has caused her emotional distress.

A Beijing court found in favor of Zhang, a ruling Stanford says cannot be enforced because it was denied the opportunity to appear in court and defend itself. The university has sued Zhang in California in return.

Lawyers for both sides say their claims are buttressed by comments Li made in his diaries and in interviews about what he wanted to happen to his writings and who should represent him.

But given that Zhang is now in her 90s, questions have been raised about whether the lawsuit was her idea.

She will not be capable of making money or contributing money for a lawsuit or to pursue the return of the diary, said Feng Chongyi, an associate professor of China studies at the University of Technology Sydney, who met regularly with Li.

Only the Chinese Communist Party, he said, has the resources, the money and the political will to do that.

Zhangs lawyers have said that she is acting alone. The Chinese Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday.

Feng and others worry that Chinese authorities would severely restrict access to any diaries by Li, a longtime critic of the partys leaders and policies, whose writings were banned in China in 2006.

Li joined the Chinese Communist Party in 1937 at the age of 20, rising through the ranks as it defeated the existing government in a civil war to gain power in 1949. By 1958, Li had become Maos personal secretary.

But he was expelled from the party the following year over his criticism of the Great Leap Forward, an industrialization program championed by Mao that led an estimated 30 million to 40 million people to die of starvation in three years. During his 20 years in exile, Li was imprisoned in a labor camp and spent eight years in solitary confinement.

He was reinstated to the senior party ranks in 1979, three years after Mao died. In the 1980s, Li worked in the partys powerful Organization Department, which is responsible for the appointment and promotion of high-ranking officials.

Li was also highly critical of the Chinese governments deadly crackdown on pro-democracy protests in 1989. From the balcony of his apartment in Beijing, he could see soldiers firing on protesters in and around Tiananmen Square in what he described in English as Black Weekend.

His diaries, Torigian said, reveal his thinking as well as a lot of other very senior revolutionary elders during that crisis, public discussion of which is suppressed in China.

Li Rui at age 89 in 2006.

In his later years, Li was a leader of a group of pro-reform elder intellectuals in Beijing, and there are details about his interactions with that circle as well, Torigian said.

So the breadth and the detail are really something that are quite unprecedented for the study of politics and the Chinese Communist Party, he said.

Though the Hoover Institution has scanned copies of the diaries, archivists and historians say its important to retain the original materials as well, both for research purposes and to reinforce the authenticity of the scans.

The Communist Party of China has a history of altering materials in order to fit what it wants the version of history to be, said Perry Link, a Sinologist and emeritus professor of East Asian studies at Princeton who testified at the trial last week.

If scholars publish research based on the Hoover copies but the originals are in Beijing, the government in China can say, No, your conclusions are wrong, you worked from the wrong materials. We have the originals, and thats not what they say, said Link, who is also a professor at the University of California, Riverside.

With the originals in their possession, party elites could release them selectively to support their preferred narratives and might even change whats in the diaries, he said. Theyve done this before.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Disneyland to remove stereotypes from one of its classic rides

Disneyland to remove stereotypes from one of its classic rides

(NewsNation)  Disney is planning to update one of the oldest rides at Disneyland to correct stereotypical depictions of Indigenous people.

Peter Pans Flight was one of the original rides when Disneyland opened in Anaheim, California, in 1955. It has now come under scrutiny for its racist portrayal of Tiger Lily and her tribe.

The current scene shows tribal members  including the chief with his arms crossed  sitting around a campfire. Some Reddit users complained the current ride characters are problematic and called them caricatures of native people.

The update was inspired by a recently revised Never Land Tribe scene at the Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. The company says riders can expect to see those revisions at all its locations globally, but did not provide a timeline.

TikTok names Songs of the Summer: Which is No. 1?

Before the update in Orlando, Tiger Lily and her tribe were also depicted sitting around a fire with crossed arms while others drummed. The tribesmen have exaggerated features such as broad noses and large feathered headdresses. The updated figures show Tiger Lily and her grandmother dancing around the fire and men drumming in the background.

We consider ourselves constant learners and as we identify ways that can make our attractions and experiences more authentic and relatable, and our stories connect more deeply to our guests, we make thoughtful changes, Disneyland officials said in a statement.

View of an unidentified woman and a child as they ride the suspended Peter Pans Flight attraction at Disneyland in September 1962. (Photo by Tom Nebbia/Corbis via Getty Images)

The update received praise from many on social media.

Drum circle and dancers, I love it. Someone put a lot of thought into the update rather than just removing it, a Facebook user commented.

However, not everyone was impressed with the change.

Go woke go broke, another user commented.

How does Spirit Halloween choose its locations?

Disneyland officials said in their statement that the company has a longstanding history of making updates and enhancements to attractions and experiences, so they remain fresh and relevant.

Back in 2018, the parks Pirates of the Caribbean ride was updated to remove the scene of tied-up women being presumably auctioned off to pirates, The San Bernardino Sun reported. The scene now shows a female pirate overseeing an auction.

Disneyland is also working to reimagine Splash Mountain into Tianas Bayou Adventure.

In recent years, Splash Mountain has drawn heat since it featured characters and music from the 1946 animated feature Song of the South, a movie criticized for its stereotypes of Black men and its romanticized view of the post-Civil War South. The rides new storyline focuses on Princess Tiana, Disneys first Black princess, and the events that took place after the 2009 animated hit Princess and the Frog.

KTLAs Imam Palm 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 FOX21 News Colorado.
The DNC put Chicago in the limelight, but it also emptied the Loop of office workers, hurting some restaurants. It was mostly a bad week.

Chicago stepped into the limelight this week as host of the Democratic National Convention, with Mayor Brandon Johnson and the Democratic Party winning praise for hosting an event without serious disruptions. But even though the roughly 50,000 attendees enjoyed raucous nights at the United Center, parties on Navy Pier and perfect sunny days, many downtown business owners said it was a tough week.

We lost around 60 to 70% of our lunchtime business, said Brad Alaoui, chief operating officer of Roanoke Hospitality and operator of The Roanoke restaurant at 135 W. Madison St. The Loop was a real ghost town. It was scary how slow it was.

City officials said the convention would raise Chicagos profile and boost downtown businesses, but many employers, worried about congestion and possible disorder stemming from protests, advised workers to stay home during the four-day convention, robbing restaurants and stores of their regular customers.

For us, it was mostly a bad week, said Zach Flanzman, chief operating officer of Brown Bag Seafood Co., a fast-casual restaurant with several downtown spots. Our customers are office workers who are usually here Tuesday through Thursday, and when theyre not, we struggle.

Brown Bag restaurants in Lincoln Park and Roscoe Village did ring up above-average sales, he added, with many locals strolling over from their at-home offices. But the extra business up north didnt make up for what happened in the Loop, where revenues were cut in half.

I do think the amount of panic about protests and that type of thing was overblown, but it wasnt the city that was telling people to stay home, it was individual businesses, Flanzman said. Its disappointing that even with all these beautiful sunny days, the Loop was so empty. In hindsight, this could have been a strong week if everyone had been in the office.

Metra commuter trains were also relatively empty during the convention.

Ridership was definitely lower across the system as many employers allowed work from home during the convention, according to a Metra spokesperson. For most of the week, we were at about 35% of pre-pandemic levels versus ridership the week prior which was about 60% of pre-COVID.

Not all downtown businesses suffered. Hotel owners say the thousands of convention-goers, media and event volunteers helped keep many rooms filled, even if the proceeds did not quite live up to their original forecasts.

Our overall occupancy was quite strong throughout the week because of the convention, although we probably had stronger numbers than many other hotels, said Nabil Moubayed, general manager of the InterContinental at 505 N. Michigan Ave. Convention officials had reserved about 80% of the hotels 792 rooms.

But even the InterContinental, located on the popular Magnificent Mile near Navy Pier and midway between the West Sides United Center and the South Sides McCormick Place Convention Center, which held many DNC events, wasnt jammed with patrons throughout the four days.

The only area where we didnt do as well as we thought was our restaurants and bars, because the conventioneers were at the United Center so late, Moubayed said. We stayed open until 2 in the morning, so we got some late rushes but not at the volume we wanted. And, of course, we know a lot of locals stayed away.

The 223-room Sable at Navy Pier was nearly full, said proprietor Robert Habeeb, the CEO of Maverick Hotels and Restaurants, and other hotel owners told him they saw similar numbers.

I think everyone is very pleased with the way the week unfolded, he said. The weather was absolutely fantastic all week and it certainly showcased the city to the world in a very positive way.

Habeeb hoped earlier this year that the Democrats would occupy every room at Navy Pier, spilling over into both downtown and neighborhood hotels. But party officials didnt need all their reserved rooms, so Habeeb began renting those out to the general public, eventually hitting an 85% occupancy rate.

Thats pretty good, he said. Its not the complete sellout we hoped for, but well take it.

Many restaurateurs say they will need time to recover from the downtowns empty week.

Business has been way down, said Tamar Mizrahi, partner at Goddess and the Baker, a breakfast and lunch cafe with five locations in the Loop and River North. We have been very slow, with no one coming downtown and no catering.

Flanzman said this weeks blow was softened because some building managers, including at Willis Tower, where Brown Bag opened in 2019, told restaurants to expect sparse crowds.

We werent blindsided by this, he said. We knew it was going to be really slow, so we staffed accordingly, treating the whole week as if it were a Friday, normally a slow day when we need far fewer workers, instead of a normal Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday.

Some restaurants near the United Center did enjoy profitable weeks. Maxwells Trading at 1516 W. Carroll Ave. in the Kinzie Industrial Corridor, which specializes in food inspired by Chicagos immigrant communities, closed its doors to the public during the DNC, renting the space instead to Care in Action, a nonprofit that fights for the rights of domestic workers such as house cleaners and nannies. The group held DNC-related events, invited speakers and one night held a convention watch party.

Chicago has a long and healthy history of protests, but weve been in the city long enough to know these things can go sideways, so we decided the best way to navigate this was to find one client, said Joshua Tilden, who with several partners opened the restaurant last December. It ended up being a lot of fun.

The street closures around the United Center still hurt other nearby businesses.

I talked to some other restaurants in our neighborhood and it didnt work out well for them, Tilden said. Sometimes during big events like this, Chicagoans like to stay in their own neighborhoods.

Flanzman said hes not sure if Chicago officials could have done anything differently.

Ultimately, a convention is supposed to drive economic activity to the city, and in the end, this was a mixed bag, he said. But it could have been worse.

Alaoui is just glad the week is over.

Now we can put it behind us and move forward, he said.

Tribune reporter Sarah Freishtat contributed.
DNC showed Harris campaign is dismissing the noise from Trump and pundits. Its working.

It seems, from the jubilant success of last weeks Democratic National Convention to Donald Trumps public writhing, that when presidential nominee Kamala Harris replaced President Joe Biden at the top of the ticket, she threw a switch that made her party smarten up.

The Democrats stopped acting scared of Trump and his false aura of inevitability and started behaving like theyre running against an almost comically bad candidate who carries more baggage than Chicago's OHare International Airport at Christmastime.

They stopped fearing the pundits who were holding Biden to an entirely different standard as a candidate, effectively normalizing Trump and glossing over his serial dishonesty, age and rampant incoherence.

Harris showed up, and the lights went on for the Democrats

Democratic Presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris delivers her acceptance speech during the final day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center.

Its as if the entire Democratic campaign apparatus around Harris stopped and said: Wait a minute. We have a sitting vice president and vibrant former prosecutor who reflects the American story better than Trump ever could, and were facing an undisciplined 78-year-old guy with 34 felony convictions and a cruelty schtick that has grown old and boring. Lets act like it!

And so they have, with the convention brightly illuminating that change in attitude.

Trump isn't powerful. Harris labels him 'an unserious man.'

Trump was brought up often during the DNC, but largely to highlight his anti-democratic actions (see Jan. 6, 2021, and constant election denial) and the flatly absurd things he has said.

In her nomination acceptance speech Thursday, Harris said: In many ways, Donald Trump is an unserious man.

Unserious? Why would she think that? Trump was being very serious as he rage-posted dozens of times on his Truth Social account during Harris 40-minute speech, including a bizarre call out to President Joe Bidens son  WHERES HUNTER?  and IS SHE TALKING ABOUT ME?

Trump is a joke at this point: Harris accepts Democrats' nomination at boisterous DNC. Sorry Trump, no 'coup' here.

Harris and other speakers at the convention didnt suggest Trump poses a threat to the country because hes some great, powerful being.

They made him out to be a washed-up clown.

Harris and Democrats are stealing Trump's power by dismissing him

They framed the real threat as the policies Trump might enact  crafted by Trump allies behind the extreme governing blueprint outlined in the Heritage Foundations Project 2025  and how an unstable person like him might behave now that the U.S. Supreme Court has given presidents broad immunity.

In other words, Trump isnt strong  hes just weird and weak enough to implement whatever policy people around him suggest while he gets to recklessly abuse the power of the office.

Balloons are released after Democratic presidential nominee and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris appeared onstage on Day 4 of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., August 22, 2024. REUTERS/Mike Segar/Pool ORG XMIT: POOL (Via OlyDrop)

Its a smart and accurate approach by Democrats that will drive the Mar-a-Lago menace bonkers. Trump thrives on getting into peoples heads with his lies and bullying, often putting them on the defensive when theres actually nothing for them to defend.

Harris and Co. have figured that out. They are dismissing rather than responding. It negates one of Trumps primary tools of distraction.

If media won't demand specifics from Trump, why should Harris abide?

Beyond that, it was evident at the convention that Democrats are not going to be cowed by either liberal or conservative pundits.

For starters, the convention credentialed a slew of influencers and creatives, people who could bring Harris message and potentially viral moments from the week to voters via more direct means rather than the mainstream news media.

Trump's lies about crime: Crime has declined since Donald Trump was president. He insists on lying about that.

Many journalists were bent out of shape about a lack of space and credentials, but I dont think the Harris campaign cared. And I cant say I blame them.

Too often in the age of Trump, mainstream news outlets have bent over backward to normalize such a wildly abnormal and destructive politician.

A Trump social media post gets treated as a thing we should believe?

Take this example from Friday. Trump posted on social media: My Administration will be great for women and their reproductive rights.

That resulted in this New York Times headline: On Truth Social, Donald Trump Tries to Refashion Himself as Supportive of Abortion Rights.

Are you kidding me? Trump has boasted endlessly about appointing the Supreme Court justices who overturned Roe v. Wade, even saying, We broke Roe v. Wade.

Vice President Kamala Harris accepts the presidential nomination of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Aug. 22, 2024.

He represents a party that wants a national abortion ban and has even eyed banning IVF and contraception.

So one Truth Social post claiming, with no specificity or evidence, that he will be great for reproductive rights is not Trump refashioning himself as Supportive of Abortion Rights. Its not him refashioning anything. Its just another lie. That The Times would treat it as anything less is ridiculous.

Harris isn't ducking. She's charting her campaign's own path forward.

The same political press that sanitizes Trumps nonsense will turn to the Harris campaign and demand one-on-one interviews and press conferences and greater detail on the vice presidents policy proposals.

Her message in response seems to be something akin to: Well speak on my terms, not yours, and weve already released more policy particulars than our opponent. Have you considered asking him to better detail how he plans to conduct a mass deportation? Or how he plans to vote on the Florida ballot measure seeking to do away with the states six-week abortion ban. Will Trumps refashioned support of abortion rights apply to his vote on that issue?

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Ideally, Im not in favor of politicians ducking the media. But what Harris is doing is not ducking. Shes smartly seeking a level playing field from news outlets that have failed to accurately reckon with a congenital liar and, to quote Harris, an unserious man.

The DNC showed us that the Harris-Walz campaign is hardwired to deliver its own message and dismiss the bully in the race. Those are savvy tactics when your opponent behaves like a child and the press props him up to seem like an adult.

Follow USA TODAY columnist Rex Huppke on X, formerly Twitter, @RexHuppke and Facebook facebook.com/RexIsAJerk

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kamala Harris showed us why Donald Trump's campaign is struggling
Dog the Bounty Hunter, born Duane Chapman, offered to locate and deport immigrants for Donald Trump on Sunday. While speaking to Fox News Jimmy Failla, Dog said he is willing to deport, export, and yee-haw, theyre going back home for the GOP presidential candidate.

A field trip for everybody, he continued. So maybe we bring Oprah, and you know, Oprah gives everybody a car, you dont give them a ride home.

Dog was on the show to promote his book Nine Lives and Counting. Failla told his guest he was asked on to the show because the U.S. faces two scenarios in this years election: If Trump wins, hes vowing to deport 10 million people. Now, if Kamala wins, theyre going to deport themselves, so its not really that big of a deal.

Dog first intentionally mispronounced Vice President Harris first name then said, So what hes going to deport is the felonious felons that have crossed the border illegal. And let me tell you something, brother, this dog can hunt. So I hope Im on the list. I know that Im a Kennedy fan. And yeah, I will hunt them down. Ive got a bunch of people ready.

Well, the FBI makes you retire at 52, 54 years old. So they called Dog in. So when the election is over, theyre going back. I love this. It does sound like a Sylvester Stallone movie, too, he added.

Dog also insisted that Harris is so liberal, she wants to defund the cop in the Village People. In a June 2020 interview on the New York program Ebro in the Morning, Harris said of the defund the police movement, This whole movement is about rightly saying, we need to take a look at these budgets and figure out whether it reflects the right priorities. Harris comments came just weeks after George Floyd was killed by a Minneapolis cop.

You can watch the interview with Dog the Bounty Hunter in the video above.

The post Dog the Bounty Hunter Offers to Hunt Immigrants Down for Donald Trump: I Will Deport, Export and Yee-Haw | Video appeared first on TheWrap.
This article was produced by Capital & Main. It is co-published by Rolling Stone with permission.

Its a familiar story. After the police murder of George Floyd in 2020, there was national soul searching and protests, and racial justice suddenly became fashionable. Money that once had been a trickle flowed into racial equity and anti-racism efforts across the board, from corporate diversity, equity and inclusion programs to Black Lives Matter.

Almost as quickly, the intensity of the epiphany began to fade as the publics attention was absorbed by the Covid pandemic and other, political crises. Predictably, the right wing stepped up its critiques of wokeism, especially calls to reallocate funding for police, pointing  ironically  to the street protests as proof of escalating crime that actually necessitated more police.

While white backlash is part of the historic ebb and flow of the racial justice movement, the 2020 fallout is unique: Emboldened by the popularity of Trumpism and a right-leaning judicial system hostile to racial equity, conservatives are now seeking to defund racial justice itself.

What this means is that in 2024, Black nonprofits say funders and foundations are in retreat. They are either reducing racial equity granting or watering down the language of Blackness and anti-racism or both.

The fate of racial equity funding is at a serious crossroads  an inflection point. Without money and, more importantly, without the public interest in equity, the battle for racial justice would continue, of course, but it would be severely marginalized, almost certainly set back. What the movement is facing is a giant wave of right-wing determination, aided by a string of favorable court actions in the last year or so, to not just defund but delegitimize advocacy for racial justice.

Funders are fearful of legal repercussions, but fearful in a deeper, more existential way as the nation contemplates the political sea change of a second Trump term that feels more than possible. For Black nonprofits long vested in racial equity, the fight is not just to preserve dollars but to make sure donors dont lose their nerve, now or in the future.

The shift away from funding equity calls for courage  and counteraction. Earlier this year, at the behest of the Black Equity Collective, over 100 Black-led organizations signed an open letter to the philanthropic community, calling on it to not just stand firm in the face of the conservative onslaught, but to keep going. Kaci Patterson, founder of the Black Equity Collective, a partnership of funders and Black communities that funds Black-led projects in Southern California (full disclosure: This column is funded by a grant from the BEC), said nonprofits had been experiencing pullback from funders, resulting in reduced support she describes as mostly window dressing. Patterson was forced to revise her own budget mid-year, due to a $700,000 drop in funds that were pledged but didnt materialize.

Both in the letter and in her daily work, Patterson is encouraging nervous funders not to modify the mission of Black justice, but to redouble their commitment to it. The letter urges funders to read and incorporate into their mission the recommendations released by Californias Reparations Task Force, the first state reparations task force in the country. Taking such an unapologetically pro-Black stance carries risk, for foundations but more so for nonprofits. Patterson believes firmly that for nonprofits on the front lines of the movement for racial equity, there is no other choice. Do we fear losing money? Yes of course, she said. But we have to do this. The work isnt stopping.

The stakes are higher than ever, because the right has more traction now than theyve ever had, said Marc Philpart, executive director of the California Black Freedom Fund, a state initiative to support Black-led nonprofits. So we have to be intentional in telling the truth about power, injustice, how people are systematically trying to dismantle progress. The rights agenda is white supremacy and fascism. This is not just an attack on Black folks, its an attack on democratic principles.

Philpart sounds unusually blunt for someone in the social justice sphere, which tends to emphasize cooperation and visions of a shared good. But he said the moment leaves him no choice. We are very far from the hopeful moment four years ago, when many foundations acted almost as one to dramatically increase support for racial equity. Of course, that increase was not nearly enough. A 2023 survey of 25 community foundations by the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy found that while funding of Black equity amongst those foundations increased by $125 million, much of it wasnt long term. Overall, only 2.4 percent of foundation budgets were spent on racial equity, even though that represented a doubling from 2016-18.

Still, foundations were reporting a new, critical understanding about the importance of racial equity, one not captured by funding levels. We are finally willing to articulate and call out racism as a fundamental root cause of the opportunity gap, said one foundation leader interviewed in another study of racial equity granting published in 2022 by the Center for Effective Philanthropy. You cant talk about closing the opportunity gap without talking explicitly about race.

But that new certainty started to waver after the conservative and even liberal backlash to the Black Lives Matter movement set in, notably its calls to defund the police. J.D. Vance, now the GOP vice presidential nominee, attacked liberal foundations as social justice hedge funds with a favorable tax status that should be revoked.

And then the hammer fell when the Supreme Court ruled in June 2023 to ban affirmative action in colleges and universities. The ruling had nothing to do with philanthropy, and in California, such a ban has been in place since 1996. The states ban is limited to public universities, but the Supreme Court ruling applies to both public and private institutions. The expansion was viewed as a warning shot, a preview of what a racially hostile judicial branch might take aim at next.

Conservative groups have been filing lawsuits against programs that have racial equity as a goal, claiming theyre discriminatory (one such lawsuit was filed last year against the Black Student Achievement Plan, the Los Angeles Unified School Districts educational equity effort).

One closely watched case in Georgia centers on the Fearless Fund, which was offering grants of up to $20,000 to Black women entrepreneurs via a competition. Fearless was sued by a conservative group last August that alleged it was practicing discrimination. In May, a federal appeals court upheld an injunction suspending Fearless grant program.

To combat California funders rising anxiety about legal attacks and to educate them about what is actually illegal (supporting racial justice is not) and what is merely scare tactics, the California Black Freedom Fund in May launched the Legal, Education, Advocacy and Defense (LEAD) for Racial Justice Initiative, a partnership with lawyers who do just that. Philpart said he is already getting interest from organizations outside the state in utilizing LEADs services  another way in which California may be setting the pace for political resistance in the age of Trump.

We need to. Eric Gorovitz, a tax attorney who advises nonprofits and works with LEAD, points out that groups like Students for Fair Admissions that have been around for years  the affirmative action case started in 2014  are reaping the benefit of being the right thing, at the right time. The courts have caught up with them, he said.

Patterson said thats all the more reason for the racial justice movement to hold firm and increase its own demands. Martin Luther King said we have an obligation to follow moral law, she said. Founders need to follow that morality. Time to call them to the carpet.

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Donald Trump coming to Pennsylvania for fourth rally since assassination attempt

(WJET/WFXP)  Former President Donald Trump is heading to Pennsylvania once again with another rally set for next week.

According to his website, the 45th president will deliver remarks in Johnstown, Pa.  about 57 miles east of Pittsburgh  on Friday, Aug. 30, 2024.

RFK Jr. suspends his presidential bid and backs Donald Trump before appearing with him at his rally

Doors will open at 12:30 p.m. with the rally set to kick off at 4:30 p.m. EDT at the 1st Summit Arena at Cambria County War Memorial, located at 326 Napoleon St. #1780.

If you are interested in attending the Cambria County event, you can register for tickets by heading to Trumps website.

Its our time: As Harris accepts the nomination, many women say a female president is long overdue

This will be the fourth rally Trump has hosted in Pennsylvania since the July 13 assassination attempt in Butler County  July 31 rally in Harrisburg, Aug. 17 rally in Wilkes-Barre and Aug 19. rally in York.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJET/WFXP/YourErie.com.
When youre the top cop in Texas, you get to leave on your terms.

Not amid the cries of anguished families from Uvalde, but over the applause of those gathered in Austin for the graduation of the newest crop of Texas state troopers.

Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraws retirement announcement Friday, wrapped in accolades from Gov. Greg Abbott, isnt the resignation that Uvalde parents demanded two years ago as the departments failures and false narratives around the deadliest school shooting in Texas history came painfully into focus. But some took comfort in McCraws departure nonetheless.

About time!! Brett Cross, who lost his son, Uziyah "Uzi" Garcia, in the Uvalde shooting, wrote Friday on social media about the DPS directors retirement. Good riddance.

Still, it is a hollow coda to the Uvalde tragedy, a neatly wrapped ending to McCraws career that sweeps aside the accountability that grieving families deserved.

Steve McCraw, Director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, administered the oath of office to the 175th Trooper Training Class during graduation on Friday, August 23, 2024. McCraw, announced his retirement after 15 years during a graduation ceremony at Great Hill Baptist Church in northwest Austin with Gov. Greg Abbott was in attendance. Abbott was the keynote speaker at the event.

Accountability would have been a full, public airing of the actions of the 91 DPS troopers who largely stood idle for more than an hour on May 24, 2022, while a gunman killed 19 kids and two teachers at Uvalde's Robb Elementary School.

Instead, the DPS has stonewalled. The department continues to fight a court order to release records about the shooting, and McCraw refused for 18 months to hear the appeal of Texas Ranger Christopher Ryan Kindell, one of only two officers served with termination papers for the Uvalde response (the other trooper retired).

With hundreds of law enforcement officers from various agencies responding to the shooting scene, the culpability of any one officer is up for debate. But, as I wrote in January, blocking Kindells appeal kept the matter from reaching a public hearing that would have opened the entire DPS response to scrutiny. Any hope for that reckoning evaporated earlier this month, when McCraw quietly reinstated Kindell.

Accountability also would have been the Public Safety Commission holding McCraw to his 2022 pledge to resign if the DPS had any culpability for the botched response. Instead, incredibly, commissioners praised McCraw last year as they gave him a $45,437 raise, boosting his annual salary to $345,250.

Texas Department of Public Safety Steve McCraw announced his retirement at Friday's DPS trooper graduation ceremony in Austin.

Somehow, in between a Texas House committee finding "systemic failures and egregious poor decision making and the U.S. Justice Department documenting law enforcements cascading failures at Uvalde, McCraw was rewarded with a 15% raise.

That pay hike, granted exactly a year ago, raised the average of McCraws three highest-earning years, which will translate into a higher monthly pension when he starts drawing his retirement benefits.

We are truly fortunate to have somebody of the caliber of Steve McCraw as director of the Department of Public Safety, Public Safety Commission Chair Steven P. Mach said last year. And on Friday, Abbott lauded McCraw as a leader, visionary, and the quintessential lawman that Texas is so famous for  big, white cowboy hat and all.

Wow. Good thing our DPS chief looked the part.

I recognize McCraw spent 15 years leading a vast agency entrusted with challenging missions, from running Abbotts Operation Lone Star border security effort to handling highway patrols to operating the states woefully backlogged drivers license offices.

There is no more important responsibility in government than ensuring the safety and security of our citizens, McCraw wrote in his letter announcing his retirement. Leading the DPS, he added, "has been the greatest honor of my life."

The tragedy in Uvalde was not the totality of McCraws tenure. But the failed response and false narratives are indelibly inked in his legacy, even if the official retirement announcements dont carry a word about it.

Texans wont forget, and the Uvalde parents who buried their children two years ago wont give up. Nineteen families of the victims sued the DPS and 92 officers in May, looking to the courts to apportion some much-needed accountability.

McCraw may be hanging up that distinctive trooper hat on his own terms. But his story isn't done.

Grumet is the Statesmans Metro columnist. Her column, ATX in Context, contains her opinions. Share yours via email at bgrumet@statesman.com or on X at @bgrumet. Find her previous work at statesman.com/opinion/columns.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: McCraw ends DPS tenure without accountability for Uvalde | Grumet
Driver is killed in Sunday morning wreck in Thurston County, State Patrol says

An unidentified male driver was killed early Sunday morning in a crash off the freeway in south Thurston County, according to the Washington State Patrol.

About 4:15 a.m., the driver was headed south on Interstate 5 at a high rate of speed. Troopers say the driver drove off the roadway south of the Maytown rest area where the vehicle came to a stop in the trees and caught on fire.

County Coroner Gary Warnock said Sunday that his office will be relying on a dental records to identify the man.

The road was blocked for nearly six hours after the crash, according to State Patrol.
For the record:

11:01 a.m. Aug. 27, 2024: A previous version of this article said that Diablo Canyon Power Plant faced risks of suffering a Chernobyl-style meltdown. Federal regulators and nuclear plant operators say that numerous safeguards protect against an event like Chernobyl.



A previous version of this article said the concern during a damaging earthquake would be to shut down the nuclear reaction within the core. The concern would actually be to continue cooling the reaction within the core.



A previous version of this article said the NRC estimates that in any given year, each of Diablo Canyons two reactor units has a roughly 1 in 12,000 chance of experiencing a nuclear meltdown similar to Japans Fukushima disaster. The NRC did not cite Fukushima in its risk estimate.



A previous version of this article compared Diablo Canyons chance of suffering a meltdown or mass casualty catastrophe with the chances of being killed in a car crash or being struck by lightning. PG&E insists that nuclear risk metrics do not relate to injuries or fatalities.



This article has been updated to reflect PG&Es assertion that critics do not properly calculate the cost of nuclear power when comparing it to solar and wind energy.





Under two gargantuan domes of thick concrete and steel that rise along California's rugged Central Coast, subatomic particles slam into uranium, triggering one of the most energetic reactions on Earth.

Amid coastal bluffs speckled with brush and buckwheat, Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant uses this energy to spin two massive copper coils at a blistering 30 revolutions per second. In 2022, these generators  about the size of school buses  produced 6% of Californians' power and 11% of their non-fossil energy.

Yet it comes at almost double the cost of other low-carbon energy sources and, according to the federal agency that oversees the plant, carries a roughly 1 in 25,000 chance of suffering a nuclear meltdown that could endanger life before its scheduled decommissioning in just five years  due primarily to nearby fault lines.

As Gov. Gavin Newsom's administration looks to the aging reactor to help ease the state's transition to renewable energy, Diablo Canyon is drawing renewed criticism from those who say the facility is too expensive and too dangerous to continue operating.

Diablo is just the latest in a series of plants built in the atomic frenzy of the 1970s and 80s seeking an operating license renewal from the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission as the clock on their initial 40-year run ticks down. As the price of wind and solar continues to drop, the criticisms against Diablo reflect a nationwide debate.

Tom Jones, right, a regulatory and environmental senior director at PG&E, and Jerel Strickland, a senior licensing and spent nuclear storage consultant, walk past one of two massive turbine-generator units at the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant recently. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

The core of the debate lives in the quaint coastal town of San Luis Obispo, just 12 miles inland from the concrete domes, where residents expected Diablo Canyon to shut down over the next year after its license expired.

Instead, Newsom struck a deal on the last possible day of the state's 2021-22 legislative session to keep the plant running until 2030, citing worries over summer blackouts as the state transitions to clean energy. The activists who had negotiated the shutdown with Pacific Gas & Electric Co. and the state six years prior were left stunned.

Today, the plant is still buzzing with life: Nuclear fission, in the deep heart of the plant, continues to superheat water to 600 degrees at 150 times atmospheric pressure. Generators continue to whir with a haunting and deafening hum that reverberates throughout the massive turbine deck.

Without constant cooling, the nuclear fission reaction can heat the core to thousands of degrees, liquifying the metal around it into radioactive lava. If the shaking from an earthquake is so rapid and intense that the plants cooling infrastructure is critically damaged, operators could become helpless in preventing a meltdown.

PG&E's Tom Jones talks about how the Diablo Canyon plant operates. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

A display explains the fission process at Diablo Canyon. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

Diablo Canyon is built to endure specific intensities and speeds of shaking  but predicting how likely an earthquake is to exceed those specifications is no easy task. Earthquakes are the result of deeply complex underground motion and forces, and theyre notoriously chaotic.

In order to start estimating the seismic safety of the plant, geophysicists have to understand: first, where the faults are; second, how much theyre slipping to trigger earthquakes; and finally, when those quakes hit, how much shaking they cause.

Earthquakes account for about 65% of the risk for a worst-case scenario meltdown. Potential internal fires at the plant make up another 18%. The last 17% is made up of everything from aircraft impacts and meteorites to sink holes and snow.

In assessing the likelihood of all these threats, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission estimates that in any given year, each of Diablo Canyon's two reactor units has a roughly 1 in 12,000 chance of experiencing a nuclear meltdown.

Likewise, theres about a 1 in 127,000 chance a failure will cause the plant to release signifcant radioactive material into the atmosphere before residents could evacuate.

Diablo Canyon employees work around the clock to ensure the risk is as small as possible. Our safety culture, its always on the top of my mind, said Maureen Zawalick, the vice president of business and technical services at Diablo. Its in my DNA.

Maureen Zawalick, PG&E business and technical services vice president, in her office at the Diablo Canyon plant. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

The plant is the only one in the U.S. with a dedicated geoscience team that studies the region's seismic landscape. And like other nuclear facilities, Diablo has done countless tests on its equipment, hosted walkthroughs with regulators to identify possible points of failure and generated thousands of pages of analysis on the facilitys ability to withstand the largest earthquake possible at the site.

Earthquake precautions include massive metal dampers that are fixed to essential infrastructure, such as the duct carrying the control rooms air supply. In the event of a tremor, monstrous concrete pillars sunk deep into the bedrock keep the building and essential infrastructure grounded. The hefty concrete walls reinforced with steel rebar as thick as a human arm safely distribute the forces throughout the structure to prevent critical cracks or collapses.

If the plant loses power, there are backup generators for the backup generators.

A worker pushes a utility cart past a display that lists employee goals at Diablo Canyon. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

Operators spend a fifth of their time on the job training for every possible nightmare. Diablo has a simulator on site thats an exact replica of the Unit One control room. Its capable of putting operators through the worst conditions imaginable. It shakes with the vigor of a real earthquake. The lights flicker and the analog dials spin back up as emergency power comes online.

For everyone working on site  including the senior leadership team  safety is personal. Should something go wrong, their lives are on the line.

With any source of energy, there is risk, said Zawalick. All the independent assessments, all the audits, all the third party reviews, all of that . is what gives me the confidence and the security and the safety of why Ive been out here almost 30 years. Her office is no more than 500 feet from the reactors.

"If there ever was an earthquake of any magnitude in this community," she said, "I would grab my two daughters and wed come here.

PG&E executive Maureen Zawalick looks out her office window at Diablo Canyon Power Plant. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

Many critics charge that the risks are understated  due in part to a cozy relationship between industry and regulators. (Some scientists involved with one of Diablo Canyons two independent review organizations have collaborated on scientific papers with PG&E staff and funding.)

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission also oversees the plant and conducts its own investigations. In July, the government agency dismissed all three formal criticisms against Diablo's seismic safety in the plant's license renewal process.

Sam Blakeslee, a San Luis Opispo geophysicist and former state senator and Assembly member, has a list of technical concerns  primarily the lack of shaking data close to fault lines, which are used to inform the models that predict earthquake motion at the plant  but he likens the core of his concern to the NASA Challenger disaster.

NASA publicly touted a strong safety culture and low chances of things going wrong. Yet, the investigation of the 1986 shuttle explosion found political and public pressures had corrupted the emphasis on safety from the top down.

He argues this is a possibility for any large organization dealing with complex and potentially dangerous systems. Therefore, people need to constantly hold the plant accountable.

Thats why I tend to try to make sure that the community voice is present, he said,  because we are the ones that will pay the price.

In 2022, Newsom introduced a proposal to keep Diablo Canyon open past its two reactors' 2024 and 2025 shutdown dates. His proposal, distributed to lawmakers just three weeks before the end of the legislative session , set off a flurry of negotiations among PG&E, the governor and the Legislature.

After discussion drew on past midnight, the Legislature passed the bill.

But the extension comes at a cost.

While the average price of solar and wind energy have dropped dramatically over the past 15 years, nuclears has been steadily rising . In 2009, solar cost three times what nuclear did, and wind was about even with it. Now, nuclear is over two times the cost of both renewables.

PG&E insists that such comparisons are unfair, because they ignore the fact that Diablo operates around the clock, whereas wind and solar power is intermittent. The comparisons also fail to account for the cost of expanding battery infrastructure for solar and wind, the company says.

Nationally, technical advancements have slashed the price of renewable energy, but nuclear power has faced more outages, equipment replacements and increasingly stringent and expensive safety requirements in the wake of Japan's Fukushima disaster.

One study from MIT researchers found that about a third of the increasing cost could be attributed to safety requirements from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. They attribute another third to research and development projects for efficiency, reliability and safety improvements, and they assign the final third to a decrease in worker productivity  perhaps in part due to lower morale.

Twin containment domes rise above the facility as seen through a windshield on the drive to Diablo Canyon. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

PG&E is estimating that Diablo Canyon will produce energy at $91 per megawatt-hour during its extension. (The average U.S. household buys about 10 megawatt-hours every year.)

However, the Alliance for Nuclear Responsibility argues the plants cost is even higher. David Weisman, the legislative director at the alliance, said PG&E is using optimistic predictions of its energy output for the extended period  5% higher than previous years.

On top of that, the state gave PG&E a $1.4-billion loan to alleviate the initial costs of extended operations. But Weisman said the funds dont necessarily need to go toward offsetting the cost of running Diablo. The federal government agreed to reimburse the state up to $1.1 billion  depending on whether the plant meets specific operating criteria  and PG&E is expected to pay off the rest of the loan with profits.

While the loan isnt a cost that consumers would see on their energy bills, taxpayers across the country could foot the bill. Weisman argued that it brings Diablos cost to a maximum of $115 per megawatt-hour  roughly double the cost of solar.

Yet Newsom argues that if California is to meet its goals of 60% renewable energy by 2030, Diablo needs to stay online in the meantime to ensure the state has reliable power amid heatwaves and wildfires.

Diablo Canyon essentially runs 24/7, providing constant power to the state (assuming it doesnt have any issues, which it sometimes does). For solar to provide similarly constant power, the electric grid will require a massive expansion of its battery infrastructure to store the energy between the midday peak of energy production and the evening peak of energy use.

However, new studies are finding that energy storage is a feasible approach to grid reliability  and that even when adding the price of that infrastructure, solar still costs less than nuclear.

Tom Jones talks about the number of days that Turbine Unit One has operated to bring power to California. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

Since Diablos extension was signed into law, California has almost doubled its battery storage. The state now has enough to supplement about a quarter of the state's power needs for about half an hour during peak energy usage (although, in practice, it would likely supplement much less for much longer).

Thats four or five Diablo Canyons, said Weisman. Newsom should save the people of California [billions of dollars] thrown down PG&Es rat hole, declare triumphant victory in the renewable race and accept the laurels.

Instead, at a recent press event announcing California had reached a fifth of its storage capacity goal, Newsom laughed off the idea that Californians will no longer have to worry about blackouts.

We have a lot of work to do still in moving this transition, with the kind of stability thats required, he said. So no, this is not today announcing that blackouts are part of our past.

Diablo Canyon's leaders and advocates view the plant as supporting California through this challenging transition period: It's not perfect, but it provides the state with much-needed reliable, clean power, they say.

In a conference call shortly after Diablo's initial 2024 shutdown date was negotiated, then-chief executive of PG&E Tony Earley acknowledged the plant would eventually become too expensive to operate.

As we make this transition, Diablo Canyons full output will no longer be required, he said.

Steam rises from the Pacific Ocean where an outfall of heated water from the Diablo Canyon Power Plant pours into coastal waters. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

Zawalick said the Diablo team is ready to continue operating as long as the state needs it to. "Thinking about electrification, [electric vehicle] demand, continued drought, the temperatures we're seeing, wildfires ... tariffs  I mean, the list goes on," she said. "That's making the equation a bit challenging to see exactly when Diablo will shut down versus how long Diablo will be needed by the state."

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
East Palestine municipal worker injured after lawn mower goes into lake

An East Palestine municipal worker was injured after an incident involving a lawn mower.

The Village of East Palestine issued a statement on Friday saying the worker was on a lawn mower that went into a lake at the City Lake park.

Officials say the worker was a minor but did not release an exact age.

The worker did sustain injuries but the extent of those injuries is unknown at this time.

Our thoughts are with the injured employee and their family during this difficult time. We are working diligently to gather all the facts surrounding the incident and are supporting local authorities to ensure a thorough investigation, the statement said.

Channel 11 reached out to the Village of East Palestine on Sunday to learn more. We are waiting to hear back.

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During a speech at the 2024 Democratic National Convention, former President Obama said, "College shouldn't be the only ticket to the middle class." (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

A curious theme emerged during the first two nights of the Democratic National Convention: emphasis on the need to create well-paid careers for people who dont obtain a bachelors degree.

College shouldnt be the only ticket to the middle class, former President Obama proclaimed Tuesday. We need to follow the lead of governors like Tim Walz whove said that if youve got the skills and the drive, you shouldnt need a degree to work for state government.

He was referring to an executive order that Walz signed in October 2023, shedding bachelors degree requirements for state government jobs that dont really need one. (In fairness, it was former President Trump who started the ball rolling with a similar executive order for federal jobs in June 2020.)

Read more: Editorial: You shouldn't need a college degree to have a decent life in America

On the first day of the convention, President Biden touted the CHIPS and Science Act, legislation that encourages investment in nanotechnology and clean energy, noting that companies are building massive new chip-making factories that provide well-paid jobs, and you dont need a college degree.

The idea that not everyone wants or needs a college degree is having a political moment. After years of the college for everyone movement, its about time.

A July 2024 poll by Gallup and the Lumina Foundation found that most Americans question the value and cost of college. Only 36% said they had high levels of confidence in college, down from 57% in 2015. On average, one U.S. college is closing every week.

Read more: Granderson: Here's one way to bring college costs back in line with reality

College does have value, and on average, college graduates earn significantly more than those with less education. But its not for everyone; people have different skills and talents to offer society that sometimes arent a good fit for the expectations of a classroom.

More than 30% of four-year college students dont complete a degree within six years, which usually means they leave without a bachelors, having spent time and money with nothing to show for it. And more than 40% of bachelors holders are underemployed in jobs that didnt really need a degree.

Convention speeches, of course, are long on pep and short on details. Now that Democrats have outlined this as a priority, it is time to start talking about the specifics of how the nation will get there. There are a few clear paths worth considering.

Read more: Commentary: California needs to break down walls between CSU and community colleges

White-collar apprenticeships: The United States needs to pay more than lip service to the apprentice route for well-paid, white-collar jobs. To do this, it need look no further than Switzerland, where the bulk of students spend their last two years of high school attending classes part time, and training in paid, part-time apprenticeships in fields that generally require bachelors degrees here.

Think bank executives, hotel resort managers, human resources and marketing personnel, financial analysts and middle managers. They might need a year of additional training afterward, but then they enter well-paid careers, with no debt and money in the bank.

Read more: Opinion: Why pushing STEM majors is turning out to be a terrible investment

A program modeled on Switzerlands has been started by a philanthropist in Denver, but it's a small program and even with significant growth its reach is limited. In addition, the Chicago Apprentice Network, a consortium of corporations, has become an apprenticeship program for community college students.

These types of apprenticeship programs involve broad public-private partnerships that require structure, funding and a push from the U.S. Department of Education.

More help for community colleges and their students: Just because a bachelors degree isnt required doesnt mean that many students are ready for the job world after high school. Community colleges play the biggest role in preparing students for well-paid employment through both associates programs and short-term certificates that allow them to enter fields as diverse as video game design, avionics and shoeing horses. Close to 30% of people with a two-year associates degree earn more than the average bachelors holder.

These colleges deliver education at a low cost to students and taxpayers; they need more funding to give students the courses and financial help to learn skills for their chosen careers without having to work full time while they try to succeed in their classes.

Better training for school counselors: School counselors have been under intense pressure for the past 30 years to send more students to four-year colleges. As a result, most counselors dont know enough about other paths for students who arent college-bound, beyond skilled trades and the military.

Both can be good options, but there are many more  entrepreneurialism, creative careers, service work, healthcare, travel and outdoors occupations are just some of them. They seldom know employers open to hiring people without a college degree, even though far more employers fall into that category.

All of these programs will cost taxpayers money, but it's worth it. The funding will be returned several times over in the form of fewer student loan defaults and a more financially stable generation of young employees who dont feel like failures because four years of coursework after high school wasnt for them.

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.
CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi warned America's top general during a meeting on Sunday of the dangers of a major conflict in Lebanon.

U.S. Air Force General C.Q. Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, arrived in Egypt hours after a significant missile exchange between Israel and Lebanese Hezbollah.

Hezbollah launched hundreds of rockets and drones at Israel and Israel said it struck Lebanon with about 100 jets to thwart a bigger attack, in one of the largest clashes in more than 10 months of border warfare.

In a statement, Sisi's office said the Egyptian leader told Brown that the international community needed to "exert all efforts and intensify pressures to defuse tension and stop the state of escalation that threatens the security and stability of the entire region."

"(Sisi warned) in this regard of the dangers of opening a new front in Lebanon, and stressing the need to preserve Lebanon's stability and sovereignty," the statement read.

Brown did not make public remarks during his visit, on which he also met the defence minister and the country's chief of defense.

In remarks to Reuters prior to arriving in the region on Saturday, Brown said he aimed to discuss ways to avoid any new escalation in tensions that could spiral into a broader conflict.

Browns spokesperson said the U.S. general discussed ways "to deter the conflict from broadening" during the meetings.

Prior to his Egypt trip, Brown met Jordan's Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Maj. Gen. Yousef Al-Huneiti in Amman.

In a statement, Brown's spokesperson said the two military leaders discussed "regional tensions and efforts to deescalate them."

They also discussed "the urgency of bringing the Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal to closure," the statement said.

Negotiators have been meeting in Cairo trying to clinch a still-elusive Gaza ceasefire-for-hostages deal between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas.

U.S. President Joe Biden's administration has been seeking to limit the fallout from the war in Gaza between Hamas and Israel, now in its 11th month. The conflict has levelled huge swathes of Gaza, triggered border clashes between Israel and Lebanon's Iranian-backed Hezbollah movement and sparked attacks by Yemen's Houthis on Red Sea shipping.

Meanwhile, U.S. troops have been attacked by Iran-aligned militia in Syria, Iraq and Jordan.

In recent weeks, the U.S. military has been bolstering its forces in the Middle East to guard against major new attacks by Iran or its allies, sending the Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group into the region to replace the Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group.

The United States has also sent an Air Force F-22 Raptor squadron into the region and deployed a cruise missile submarine.

Beyond the dangers of a major escalation between Israel and Lebanon, U.S. officials are keeping a close eye out for any military moves by Iran.

Iran has vowed a severe response to the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, which took place as he visited Tehran late last month and which it blamed on Israel. Israel has neither confirmed or denied its involvement.

(Reporting by Phil Stewart; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
Local election officials in key swing states are taking on new power heading into 2024, worrying some legal observers who expect attempts to slow down the certification process in favor of GOP candidates.

In the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election, which former President Trump baselessly claimed was rigged against him, local election offices, which typically provide clerical roles, are now giving glimpses into what potential chaos might loom in 2024.

In Georgia, recent last-minute rule changes by the state election board  an unelected panel of three Republicans, one Democrat and a nonpartisan chair  have raised alarm among citizens and election officials that the battleground states election results could be easily thrown into disarray.

Michigan and Nevada have also seen their share of attempts to decline certification of certain results. Meanwhile, in Arizona, a local county supervisor is suing to have ballots be counted by hand instead of machines.

Going into this election, we see election deniers who are more organized than they were before, who have been through this once before, and may have learned something or two from all of their defeats in the 2020 election. And we also see more intensity, said Uzoma Nkwonta, a partner at Elias Law Group, a firm that Vice President Harriss campaign has brought on to assist with election litigation.

In Georgia, the state board recently began requiring local boards to conduct a reasonable inquiry before certifying election results, which critics warn could cause delays.

On Monday, the board decided 3-2 that investigations must also be ordered if local election board members locate discrepancies at a precinct. Its left to the board to determine how to compute the votes justly if they identify an error beyond correction.

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R), who has spoken out against the boards actions as an 11th-hour effort to impose new activist rulemaking, said earlier this month that refusing to certify election results is unlawful and that counties must certify results by Nov. 12.

We fully anticipate that counties will follow the law, Raffensperger wrote on the social platform X.

Trump, on the other hand, has praised the boards three Republicans as pit bulls fighting for honesty, transparency and victory.

Some 850 people attended a virtual meeting Monday where the state election board invited public comment on the proposals. Election workers, voters and the Democratic Party of Georgia pushed back against the new rules as excessive and implemented too late. Administrators of the meeting were frequently forced to mute the microphones of angry detractors attempting to interject.

This board has wasted time and taxpayer money to reopen issues that have already been settled, said Allison Prendergast, who identified herself as a Gwinnett County, Ga., voter. Thats a misuse of power.

Kathy Boockvar, former secretary of the commonwealth of Pennsylvania, said in an interview that the wide range of election officials raising concern about the changes is a red flag the Georgia panel shouldnt ignore.

Here weve got a situation where both the chief state election official and local county election officials all agree this is a bad idea, which, to me, is full stop  then, this is a bad idea, Boockvar said.

With just less than 75 days until Election Day, the changes introduce new variables to an election that officials have likely been planning for nearly two years under regular threats. Its bound to be disruptive and challenging, said former Washington Secretary of State Kim Wyman (R).

Its just one more example of  a new rule thats going to impact the administration of elections without any funding or resources to pull it off, Wyman said.

High-profile conservative activists joined the meeting to express support for the proposed rules, including Harry MacDougald  a lawyer for Jeffrey Clark, the ex-Justice Department official charged alongside Trump in his Georgia election subversion case  and the Heritage Foundations Hans von Spakovsky, who authored Project 2025s federal election oversight section.

You need to ignore all these partisan allegations youve heard, said von Spakovsky, who spoke in a personal capacity. This is a matter of good government, not politics, and those who say, This will disenfranchise voters  thats just not true.

The former secretaries of state, Boockvar and Wyman, warned that the flurry of changes could cause delays that bump up on deadlines prescribed in the Constitution.

If theyre delaying the certification of the presidential election, theyre delaying the certification of the entire election, Wyman said. And so, what impact does that have? Does Georgia not have a congressional delegation on the floor of the House when theyre supposed to certify the results, and does that happen in other states? What disruption does that cause?

The battle over election certifications has already played out in key swing states the last few elections.

In Arizona, GOP board members in two ruby-red Arizona counties  Mohave and Cochise  sought to delay certifying their 2022 vote canvasses until courts and state officials commanded they do so. Mohave County Supervisor Ron Gould (R) at the time said he was only voting to certify under duress.

As this years election approaches, Gould has led an effort for his county to count ballots by hand instead of using machines. After Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes (D) sent a letter saying it was illegal, Goulds board rejected the idea in a 3-2 vote.

Gould has since sued so his county can order a full hand count, also calling Mayess letter threats and intimidation and accusing her of abusing her office.

Hand counting ballots will take much longer and require more staff time than using the machine counts, as the law permits, said Nkwonta, the Elias Law partner.

In Michigan, officials in Delta County, a rural area in the Upper Peninsula, delayed certification of a recall election ousting three incumbent Republicans. The county ultimately certified the results after initially deadlocking 2-2 in May.

And in Nevada, three Republicans on the Washoe County board last month declined to certify two primary recounts. Commissioner Clara Andriola, one of those Republicans, voted against certifying her own victory.

The board ultimately relented only after Secretary of State Francisco Aguilar (D) went to the states highest court, which ultimately dismissed the case as moot Monday.



Its order, however, acknowledged that the issue is perhaps capable of repetition.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell speaks during a press conference after the EU Foreign Ministers' meeting in Brussels. The European Union's foreign affairs chief on Sunday released a statement saying the bloc "remains extremely concerned about the deepening political crisis in Venezula," following a disputed presidential election in the country. Francois Lenoir/EU Council/dpa

The European Union's foreign affairs chief on Sunday released a statement saying the bloc "remains extremely concerned about the deepening political crisis in Venezula," following a disputed presidential election in the country.

Josep Borrell's statement follows the decision by Venezuelan Supreme Court on Thursday to confirm government claims that incumbent President Nicolas Maduro won the July 28 election.

But countries including the United States, Peru, Argentina, Ecuador, Panama, Uruguay and Costa Rica have recognized opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez as the true winner, alleging electoral fraud.

In a statement issued on behalf of the EU on Sunday, the bloc's foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell urged Venezuela's election authority to "publish and independently verify" the voting records or "actas" of all polling stations.

"The reviewed 'actas' published by the opposition exhibit the security features of the original result protocols, thereby confirming their reliability," Borrell said.

"According to the publicly available copies of the 'actas,' Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia would appear to be the winner of the presidential election by a significant majority."

"Venezuelan authorities must respect the right of all Venezuelans to peacefully demonstrate and freely express their political opinions without fear of reprisal," he added.

"They must refrain from using excessive force, end the repression and harassment of the opposition and civil society, and release all political prisoners."

Earlier this month, a United Nations report said at least 1,260 people had been detained and 23 killed since the election amid "fierce repression by the state."

Maduro himself said on August 3 that 2,000 people had been detained and would be punished. "This time there will be no pardon," he told his supporters.
Everything must go at the Florida Auction Network gov.t surplus auction

BAY COUNTY, FL. (WMBB)  Several people were raising hands and writing checks at the Springfield government surplus auction Saturday morning.

The Florida Auction Network hosted the event at its East Business 98 location. They auctioned off a variety of vehicles, trailers, tractors, and even a fire truck. These surplus items came from the Bay County and Walton County sheriffs offices, Bay County Commission, Panama City, Panama City Beach, Talquin Electric Co-op, and others.

Crash on Thomas Drive leads to the DUI arrest of a Panama City woman

Florida Auction Network Manager and Auctioneer Jon Sewell said this is a great opportunity to get good deals on used vehicles.

Its one of those things where this stuff gets a new life. Its getting repurposed, getting reused. For a lot of folks, these vehicles are just an absolute blessing. Its a great way to get the kids back and forth to school, get back and forth to work, and its a good way to get a very good deal on pretty much anything you buy here, Sewell said.

Florida Auction network also has an online auction that began August 6th and runs through September 3rd. The next in-person auction will be held at the end of September.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to mypanhandle.com.
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM)  The family of retired FBI Agent Julio Cordero is struggling to come to terms with what led up to his death after an encounter with an El Paso Independent School District Police Officer early Thursday morning, Aug. 22 at Franklin High School.

Cordero, 56, was killed at the school around 5:45 a.m. after an EPISD PD officer allegedly found him vandalizing the school his oldest son attends as a senior.

Deadly officer-involved shooting cancels classes at Franklin High School

Days after his death, his family says they still havent been formally notified of his death by investigating agencies or given information on when they can begin to plan his funeral.

Cordero was born into a family of eight children to working-class parents who instilled in their children the importance of education. After all eight graduated from Bel Air High School, three Cordero boys  Pete, Marco, and Julio  joined the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the mid-1990s.

During his decorated career as an FBI agent, Cordero won numerous awards, including the Attorney Generals Distinguished Service Award in 2005 for his role in Operation Baja Kings, resulting in 66 federal indictments and opened the door for future cooperation with Mexican authorities on international drug operation enforcement.

He also led the investigation of Operation Poisoned Pawns, which in 2007 brought about more than 40 convictions of prominent El Pasoans in a web of massive public corruption. The convictions included former County Judge Anthony Cobos, local attorney Luther Jones, and other notable business leaders and elected officials in El Paso.

While Corderos career progressed, his personal life began to unravel. In 2014, a suicidal man jumped in front of Corderos car and died. Marco says Julio started to have nightmares.

Then, memories from a car accident in 1993 that claimed the life of Julios sister began to resurface. While Julio walked away from the crash with only a concussion, the crash that killed his sister and her boyfriend also began to haunt him. He started having guilt over their deaths, and that seeped into his relationships.

He was a very respected lawman in the city. He made a big difference. For those not familiar with Poisoned Pawns, read up on it. That was his baby, Marco said. He had a stellar career. A career that a lot of us would like, but no profession should be more important than your family.

After retiring from the FBI in 2018, Julios mental state continued to deteriorate. Despite attempts by family members to help him, Julio often stopped sleeping for days on end and experienced paranoia and PTSD symptoms. He would begin taking medication and get better, only to stop taking the medication and start the cycle over again.

Beautiful people get sick. He was very well taken care of, and we, as an extended family, did everything we could to protect him. Outside of living his life, there was nothing more we could have done, Marco Cordero says.

While Marco says Julio was not a violent man and never owned a gun after leaving the FBI, he had a few run-ins over the last two years stemming from his deteriorating mental state. Hed started breaking windows. Often, once hed break them and snap out of his mental state, hed go back to the businesses and apologize, offering to pay for the damages.

As a law enforcement family, the Corderos are now seeing the world from a different perspective.

When he would get scared, he would freeze. It was like you were talking to him, but he couldnt hear you. He cant process information, so its very possible that theyre giving him commands and hes not doing what hes supposed to do, and part of its fear, and the other part is PTSD that kicked in, Marco Cordero said. I dont know, right? Suddenly, I find myself on the other side of the fence, and now Im not so quick to say, Do what the cops tell you to do.'

The family is left wondering why a less-lethal use of force was not used and says theyre hoping EPISD Police will release the body camera and surveillance footage to family friends in law enforcement, who can personally review the incident leading up to his death to determine if the use of force was warranted.

In the meantime, they are choosing to focus on the amazing and kind man Julio was, his incredible career as a lawman, and his best legacy  his four children.

If you or someone you know are experiencing a mental health crisis, call or text 988 to reach a trained counselor 24/7.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News.
What to expect from the new Boeing 777-9  the worlds longest and widest passenger plane

Emirates will be among the first carriers to fly the Boeing 777-9, shown here at the Dubai Air Show 2023 - Bloomberg

Last week Jack Hayward, senior first officer at British Airways, tweeted: Exciting times as BA announces the intention to operate Boeing 777-9 aircraft as part of our fleet.

There has never been a better time to join us  flying the biggest and best jets to all four corners of the globe.

He was writing shortly after Americas Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) granted permission for Boeing to conduct the first certification flights of its new jet.

Its not hard to see why a pilot might be excited at the prospect of the 777-9. After the four-engine Boeing 747 flew into the history books of most airlines during the pandemic and Airbus scrapped the production of its double-decker successor, the A380 superjumbo, the world has needed a new giant of the skies.

Boeing  and Hayward  are convinced that the 777-9 is it.

So what is special about the 777-9 and what do passengers  and pilots  have to look forward to?

The largest new commercial jet soon to be available to airlines may be a successor to the jumbo and the A380 but it is, alas, a single-decker plane.

There are no stairs which fancy fliers can ascend to the bubble on the top deck. Double-deckers require four engines and none but a handful of carriers want to operate four-engine jets any more because they consume too much fuel per passenger.

The 777-9 does, however, have some snazzy design features.

To improve fuel efficiency and help to combat turbulence, which many analysts say is getting more frequent and more severe, the wings are the longest on any commercial jet, with a span of 235ft.

They are so long that in order to park at the gates in most airports, the tips will fold up after the plane has landed, like on a fighter jet, which will allow First Officer Hayward to indulge his Top Gun fantasies.

Boeing already has 481 orders for the new 777-9 jet, including from BA, Qatar Airways and Emirates - Bloomberg

The fuselage is the longest of any commercial jet, more than 250ft, allowing airlines to carry up to 426 passengers, depending on how many classes they offer. New lean-burn engines mean it can fly for 8,400 miles in one hop, making non-stop flights from London to Hawaii possible.

Boeing already has 481 orders for the new jet, which has a list price of 334 million. Qatar Airways and Emirates, which will be among the first carriers to fly it, will use the 777-9 to install brand new first-class cabins, just as they used the A380 to introduce halo products, such as suites, bars and showers. British Airways and Singapore Airlines will follow suit.

The jet is so large that most airlines will go for a four-class configuration: economy, premium economy, business and first. The width of the fuselage means that there will be 10 seats across in economy, arranged three-four-three across the cabin.

Most passengers would prefer nine but Boeing insists the seats will still be roomier than most economy seats. Passengers in every cabin will have something of a view because the windows will be the largest on a jet of this size.

Boeing says the 777-9 will boast the most advanced air filtration systems to keep the air cleaner and less dry than on rival jets.

The cabin will be pressurised at an altitude of 6,000ft, the lowest pressure possible, which will prevent passengers legs and ankles swelling. LED lighting systems will enable airlines to change the brightness and tone from sunrise to sunset, and even show a starry night sky, to try to nudge travellers on to the time zone of their destination and reduce jet lag.

The 777-9s long wing span and GE9X engines mean it will be more efficient than competing aircraft, such as the Airbus A350-1000, and will have 10 per cent lower operating costs, Boeing claims.

Boeing hopes its 777-9s will be approved to go into service next year - Bloomberg

Brad Till, the firms managing director of commercial aeroplanes product marketing and analysis, says: This aircraft will have the lowest CO2 emissions per seat of any wide-body flying.

The new engine technology also delivers lower NOx [nitrogen oxides] emissions and less noise, both in the cabin for the passengers and for our airport communities, compared to the aeroplanes that this will replace.

Its not only the width and efficiency of the 777-9 that surpass its competitors: it has been more delayed than any new aircraft.

It was announced in 2014 but its development has been set back by the pandemic, supply chain snarl-ups, troublesome testing programmes and the distraction posed by the FAAs investigation into the corner-cutting which was responsible for the botched development of the short-haul 737 Max 8 model.

Some 346 people died in two separate crashes in 2018 and 2019 when first an Indonesian Lion Air Boeing 737 Max 8 short-haul jet and then an Ethiopian Airlines Max 8 plummeted to the ground shortly after take-off.

Boeing ended production of its 747 jumbo jet (pictured here) in 2023, more than half a century after its first flight in 1969 - Getty

Boeings woes deepened earlier this year when a door panel on a 737 Max blew out at 16,000ft and reports emerged that some of the companys long-haul 787 Dreamliner jets had not been assembled and maintained correctly.

Boeing has agreed to plead guilty to criminal fraud in the development of the Max and to pay hundreds of millions of dollars in fines in a proposed settlement with the FAA.

Boeing built a handful of 777-9s for Emirates but they were never delivered because the aircraft had not been certified as safe to fly in time. The interiors had to be scrapped since they would have been out of date by the time the jets finally came into service. Now that the 777-9 is undergoing certification flights, Boeing hopes it will be approved to go into service next year.

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PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD)  Wake up and take a look at some of our top stories of the last week in our Eye Opener.

Former CIA director makes stop in Peoria, speaks about international wars

Leadership is important everywhere. Thats the message of a special guest who spoke at a luncheon in East Peoria on Monday. David Petraeus was the head of the Central Intelligence Agency from 2011-12.

READ MORE HERE

Colleges across Central Illinois start classes

Students at Illinois Central College and Illinois State University were welcomed back to campus earlier today with hopes of having a successful school year.

READ MORE HERE

Tourism significantly growing for the Peoria area

Gov. JB Pritzker recently announced Illinois saw record tourism growth in 2023. Data from tourism economics shows the state saw an increase of one million visitors and $3 billion in spending from the previous year.

READ MORE HERE

School bus crash injures 15 students in Downtown Peoria

More than a dozen students were injured and taken to an area hospital after a two-vehicle collision Wednesday in Downtown Peoria.

READ MORE HERE

Washington City Council votes to cut ties with city administrator

At their meeting Monday night, the council voted 5-2 to approve a separation agreement between City Hall and James Snider who has served in that role since Nov. 15, 2021.

READ MORE HERE

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to CIProud.com.
After Colorados elections for local offices this past November, a state Republican Party official sent out a notice to local board members saying they should vote against certifying the results.

Nothing has changed since the 2020 elections, wrote Ron Hanks, who leads the Colorado GOP's election integrity unit. He called the state a playground for election manipulators and alleged systemic fraud without providing evidence.

Republicans on five local canvass boards subsequently voted against certifying their results. Even though other board members outweighed the no votes, Hanks  a former state lawmaker who later lost his bid for a seat in Congress  laid out their real purpose.

The elections of 2024 will be an epic battle, Hanks wrote in his notice, framing the city council and school board votes as a practice run. Our standing and credibility will be upheld if we reject the corruption of the unchanged voting process  in Colorado and throughout our nation.

Colorado is part of a nationwide trend in which local Republican officials vote against certifying elections. Many of these same Republicans question the results of the 2020 presidential election, and experts see the votes as testing the waters for discrediting the results of this years presidential election.

Its a kind of strategy, if its a close election, to find a way to slow things down or provide a path for changing election outcomes, said Rick Hasen, a political science professor at the University of California, Los Angeles who runs ElectionLawBlog.org.

Democrat Kamala Harris is counting on Colorados 10 electoral votes to win the election. And down the ballot, there are competitive races for the House of Representatives, which Republicans only narrowly control: A moderate Democrat is trying to win an open seat, and theres a close race for a bellwether district just north of Denver.

Ron Hanks speaks at the CO-3 assembly in Pueblo on April 5, 2024.

Colorado Republicans back up votes with debunked talking points

Colorados elections are certified by local canvass boards with three members. The Democratic Party appoints one, the Republican Party appoints another, and the elected county clerk or recorder either serves themselves or designates someone.

Though Democrats and the county officials have consistently outvoted the lone Republicans who voted against certification, there has nonetheless been a consistent drum of Republicans on local canvass boards voting against certifying results.

The Colorado Republican Party encourages members to do whatever they think is appropriate given the information that is presented as they serve on canvassing boards, party chairman Dave Williams said in an email. The election results are the main factor that canvassing boards consider, but often there are members who cannot sign off on a potentially untrustworthy process.

In November 2023, five counties that include the urban areas of Boulder, Colorado Springs, Durango, Fort Collins and Lakewood all had members cast votes against certifying results for seats such as city council and school board. No votes came again in three counties during the March presidential primary and the downballot primary in June.

John Barrett, the Republican member of the Boulder County canvassing board, told USA TODAY his vote not to certify June's local election results wasn't prompted by the Colorado Republican Party. He pointed to comments he made in July that raised questions about proper training for performing signature verification and the security of drop boxes in Colorado's mostly mail elections.

Barrett did not answer which candidate won the 2020 presidential election and said that whether he votes to certify the November presidential election will depend on the actions of the county clerk. He said the points he made about the election benefit "all voters, not any specific party."

Candice Stutzriem, who voted against certifying results in the county that includes Colorado Springs in November, March and then June, wrote a report in December outlining the reasons she voted against certification. The countys Republican Party posted it on its website.

Theres no way to prove there is a single, verified, legal voter behind each ballot cast, Stutzriem said. She also made claims about the dependability of voting machines and ballot boxes  arguments that Trump supporters have embraced but election watchdogs have debunked.

Stutzriem and did not respond to multiple messages from USA TODAY seeking comment.

Stutzriems predecessor, Adriana Cuva, who voted against certification of city council and school board races in November 2021 and in a June 2022 primary, told USA TODAY her vote wasnt prompted by the Republican Party.

"As a canvass board member, you are an independent board member," Cuva said. "You are to make your own opinions on why you certify or not."

Colorado Republican state party chair Dave Williams speaks during the Colorado Republican Party's state assembly at the Southwest Motors Events Center on Saturday, April 6, 2024.

County clerks defend canvass process in Colorado

The justifications given for voting against certification involve general election administration rather than proof of fraud that would change an election result. Colorado county clerks  who are largely elected in partisan races  have been the ones on canvass boards voting with Democrats to certify elections.

I think the powers driving the election denial movement have been using the last three years as a testing ground for different techniques, different strategies to see what they can do to create confusion and cause chaos in the process, said Matt Crane, the executive director of the Colorado County Clerks Association.

"I would call myself very much a conservative Republican," Crane said. He called himself more conservative than former Republican President George W. Bush and said he agreed with "the original intent of the Tea Party." He said the majority of county clerks are Republicans, too.

In Jefferson County, which Joe Biden won in 2020 by about 70,000 votes, local officials are vehemently pushing back on Nancy Pallozzi, the Republican representative on the local canvass board who voted against certifying elections in November, March, and June.

Pallozzi told USA TODAY there were questions about the chain of custody of ballots and paper ballot encryption, among other things. She did not answer who won the 2020 presidential election, saying only that Biden is the president.

Weve worked with Nancy many times and every election she sends us a letter with some sort of reason for not certifying the election, and none of it is ever coherent, wrote Sarah McAfee, spokesperson for the Jefferson County Clerk and Recorder. It seems to be some sort of political statement.

Local opposition could slow certification of Electoral College

Across the country, it's common for local boards to certify, or canvass, vote tallies in their areas. The signoff may be the responsibility of a county commission or a county board of elections. Colorado has specialized canvassing boards.

Starting with the 2020 election, there have been at least three dozen times nationwide that local officials have delayed certifying or voted against certifying the results of an election, for races ranging from the presidency to school board, according to a review by USA TODAY. Many who cast these votes are still serving in office.

The states where this has happened are Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania  a combination of battleground states that both candidates are fighting over and blue states that Harris is expected to win.

The people fighting certification rarely make up a majority, meaning the elections are usually still certified. On the handful of occasions that a majority on a board voted no on certifying an election, enough members have reversed their no votes later so the election is certified. In Washoe County, Nevada, the board reversed course within a week.

Though it hasnt happened before and isnt likely to happen in the future, Hasen said, a successful effort at the local level would stop the state from being able to finalize the statewide results and send electors to the federal government, where the vice president needs to be able to count those electors on Jan. 6 to certify the winner.

If no candidate gets a majority of electoral votes, it would trigger a 12th Amendment process in which each states House members share one vote for president  effectively taking the presidential election out of the hands of the people. (The Senate would choose the vice president.)

What folks need to understand when were talking about not certifying is  thats not an academic exercise, said Hannah Fried, the executive director of the voter education group All Voting Is Local. Thats your vote. That is your vote not being counted.

When Trump allies sent certificates from fake slates of electors to Washington, one potential outcome was using the same 12th Amendment process to elect Trump. And Sen. JD Vance, the Republican vice presidential candidate, said Congress should have responded to those certificates by battling it out.

Colorado put safeguards in place

Crane said his organization is working to make sure that county clerks have everything they need headed into November. He's concerned that his members will continue to be targeted by "grifters and bad actors" who want them to vote against certifying elections.

"Weve heard from some Republican canvass board members that they see no issue but theyve been instructed that they just need to not sign off, and theyre worried about the blowback if they dont," Crane said of past elections.

Colorados Democrat-led Legislature passed a law to allow the secretary of state to step in and certify an election if the local canvass boards wont. And the current secretary, Democrat Jenna Griswold, has been aggressive about opposing efforts to undermine elections.

I have the ability to oversee, to take oversight over a countys elections, and if there is any indication of bad actions, I will not hesitate to make sure that theres good oversight over a countys elections, Griswold told USA TODAY in July.

National efforts to protect election certification

Trump allies in 2020 wanted legislatures to choose who won the states electors in lieu of the voters, and they pressured Vice President Mike Pence not to certify the outcome of the election, but Congress passed a law in 2022 making it clearer that the vice president cannot overturn an election result. And the Supreme Court limited the power of state legislatures  the majority of which are run by Republicans  in federal elections.

In Nevada, after a local board refused to certify an election result  before reversing itself a week later  Democratic Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar asked a court to tell it that it had to. The court declined to make a decision.

In the swing state of Georgia, a Fulton County official asked a court to declare that she doesnt have to certify elections. Three Trump-approved Republicans on a five-person state board passed multiple rules in August that could delay county certifications, including ordering an undefined "reasonable inquiry" into the results by certifying officials.

"They are a mess," Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a Republican who in 2020 rebuffed Trump's request to help him "find" votes, said in a statement about the state election board.

In 2022, state officials in North Carolina removed two local board members in the Charlotte area because they refused to sign off on election results. That same year, New Mexicos secretary of state referred members of a county commission for criminal investigation.

Officials who are doing this are putting themselves into legal jeopardy, and I would think twice before doing that, Fried said. Is it worth it? is a question they should ask themselves."

Contributing: Aysha Bagchi

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Colorado Republicans keep voting against certifying elections
Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, her running mate on the Democratic presidential ticket, speak at a rally Tuesday in Milwaukee. Walz recently criticized former President Donald Trump's actions regarding overtime pay.

Statement: Former President Donald Trump cut overtime benefits for millions of workers.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz told union workers in Los Angeles that a Trump-Vance administration would harm unions and diminish workers paychecks.

Former President Donald Trump "cut overtime benefits for millions of workers," Walz said at the Aug. 14 convention of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.

Walz mischaracterized what happened.

When contacted for comment, the Harris-Walz campaign pointed to news articles showing that former President Barack Obama proposed to extend overtime pay eligibility to more workers, but a judge blocked it in November 2016, just before it was slated to take effect. The Trump administration did not challenge the judges ruling and instead set its own overtime rule, which extended overtime pay to millions fewer people than Obamas rule would have done.

The Obama rule was not in effect at the time Trump took office, so Trumps administration did not cut an existing benefit.

Overtime rules under Obama, Trump

Most employees are eligible for time-and-a-half pay if they work more than 40 hours a week. But there are exceptions for white-collar workers.

To be considered a white-collar worker by the federal government, an employee has to make more than $455 per week; be paid a salary rather than an hourly wage; and work in an administrative, executive or professional position.

The Obama administration sought to boost the baseline amount salaried white-collar workers could earn and still qualify for overtime. So, in 2016, the administration said it would extend overtime eligibility to white-collar salaried workers earning less than $913 a week, or $47,476 a year. This was about double the exemption level set in 2004 of $455 per week, or $23,660 a year. (Hourly workers were already guaranteed overtime pay regardless of their earnings level).

The change would have extended overtime pay eligibility to 4.2 million additional Americans, the Obama administration said. (Economists generated their own estimates, lower or higher, but still in the millions.)

Republican-led states and business trade groups challenged the rule. A federal court in Texas halted Obamas rule in November 2016, a week before it was to take effect.

Because the judge threw out the rule, the overtime threshold reverted to $23,660 in annual pay, said Rachel Greszler, a senior research fellow at the conservative Heritage Foundation.

A few months after the judge struck down the Obama rule, Trump took office. Trumps administration did not defend the Obama-era rule change, dropping the governments appeal in 2017.

The Trump administration proposed its own rule in 2019, with an earnings cutoff lower than the Obama rule but higher than the status quo.

The Trump Labor Departments overtime rule became effective Jan. 1, 2020, and raised the overtime pay eligibility to salaried workers earning $35,568 per year. The department estimated that 1.2 million additional workers would be eligible for overtime pay.

Did the Trump changes constitute a cut?

It wasnt the case that millions of workers previously qualified for overtime pay and then Trump changed that. The Trump administration did not defend the Obama-era legal case.

"By abandoning the 2016 rule and eventually introducing a new one with a significantly lower salary threshold, the Trump administration excluded millions of workers who would have benefited from the 2016 rules new or strengthened overtime protections," said Jenn Round, director of Beyond the Bill, a program that advocates for labor standards enforcement at the Rutgers University Workplace Justice Lab.

The president of the Economic Policy Institute, Heidi Shierholz, who served in the Obama administration as chief economist at the Labor Department, wrote in 2019 that the Trump administrations rule left millions of workers behind.

"At its heart, the Trump administrations rule is based on the notion that someone making $35,568 a year is a well-paid executive who doesnt need or deserve overtime protections," Shierholz wrote. Rather than defend the Obama rule, "Trump has sided with the interests of corporate executives over those of working people."

However, the notion that this represents a cut presumes that the courts would have upheld the Obama rule, which was far from a certainty.

"I cannot think of any way in which actions that the Trump administration took could be construed as cutting overtime benefits," Greszler said.

After the judge threw out Obamas rule, the overtime threshold remained at $23,660, Greszler said. When Trump established a rule that increased the salary threshold to $35,568 "this increased the number of workers subject to overtime rules," Greszler said.

And the skirmish continues: The Biden-Harris administration set a rule, effective July 1, that initially raised the salary threshold for overtime pay to $844 per week, the equivalent of $43,888 annually. The threshold would rise to $58,656 per year on Jan. 1, 2025. There are at least three lawsuits pending against that rule.

PolitiFact's ruling

Walz said Trump "cut overtime benefits for millions of workers."

In 2016, the Obama administration set a rule that would have raised the salary threshold for overtime pay. It said the change would extend overtime pay to 4.2 million more workers. But a judge struck it down before it took effect, and the incoming Trump administration dropped a challenge against the ruling.

The statement has an element of truth because the decision not to continue the judicial appeal process meant the Trump administration gave up on the possibility of providing overtime eligibility to millions more workers compared with the Obama-era rule. But categorizing it as a cut is misleading because it relies on the assumption that Obamas more expansive rule would have been approved by the courts, which was not a certainty.

Trumps administration did not take action to cut an existing benefit; the Obama rule was not in effect at the time Trump took office.

We rate this Mostly False.

Our sources

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Fact-check: Tim Walz misleads about Trump on overtime pay
By Michael Georgy

DUBAI (Reuters) - Islamic State has described the 26-year-old Syrian man taken into custody after a stabbing rampage in the western German city of Solingen as a "soldier" of the group.

Though largely crushed by a U.S.-led coalition several years ago, IS has managed some major attacks while seeking to rebuild.

They include an assault on a Russian concert hall in March that killed at least 143 people and two explosions in the Iranian city of Kerman in January that killed nearly 100 people.

The Sunni militant group also claimed responsibility for an assault by suicide attackers on a mosque in Oman in July that killed at least nine people, raising fears the group may be attempting a comeback in new territory.

In August, authorities said a 19-year-old Austrian suspected of masterminding a planned attack on a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna had vowed allegiance to the leader of Islamic State.

Following are facts about the movement.

HISTORY

At the height of its power from 2014-2017, IS's "caliphate" held sway over a wide area of Syria and Iraq, imposing death and torture on opponents of its radical brand of Islam. Its fighters repeatedly defeated both countries' armies and carried out or inspired attacks in dozens of cities around the world.

Its then leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, killed in 2019 by U.S. special forces in northwestern Syria, rose from obscurity to lead the ultra-hardline group and declare himself "caliph" of all Muslims.

The caliphate collapsed in Iraq, where it once had a base only a 30-minute drive from Baghdad, and in Syria, after a sustained military campaign by a U.S.-led coalition.

The new leader, known by a pseudonym Abu Hafs al-Hashimi al-Quraishi, remains shrouded in secrecy, almost a year after he was named to the role.

NEW TACTICS IN THE MIDDLE EAST

IS has switched tactics since the collapse of its caliphate and a string of other setbacks in the Middle East.

Once based in the Syrian city of Raqqa and the Iraqi city of Mosul, from which it sought to rule like a centralised government, the group took refuge in the hinterlands of the two fractured countries.

Its fighters are scattered in autonomous cells, its leadership is clandestine and its overall size is hard to quantify. The U.N. estimates it at 10,000 in its heartlands.

The movement went underground with sleeper cells that launch hit-and-run attacks, according to an Iraqi government security adviser who helps track IS.

All key foreign fighters fled Iraq for countries such as Afghanistan, Syria and Pakistan. Most have joined Islamic State's Khorasan branch (ISIS-K), named after an old term for the region that included parts of Iran, Turkmenistan and Afghanistan.

It is active along Iran's borders with Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Sanaullah Ghafari, the 29-year-old leader of the Afghan branch of IS, has overseen its transformation into one of the most fearsome branches of the global Islamist network, capable of operations far from its bases in the borderlands of Afghanistan.

AFRICA

Islamic State - often called ISIS, ISIL, or the pejorative Daesh - has also made its mark in parts of Africa.

In Uganda, militants from IS-connected rebel Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), staged a series of attacks in recent months including a massacre at a boarding school, the murder of a honeymooning couple and, last month, a raid on a village that killed at least three people.

The group, which started as an uprising in Uganda, has largely moved its operations to neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo where it has staged multiple attacks.

Several other groups have pledged allegiance to IS in West Africa and across the Sahel. Affiliates have control of large areas of rural Mali, Niger and northern Burkina Faso and into North Africa.

In January 2023, the U.S. military carried out an operation that killed a senior IS leader in northern Somalia. The U.N. fears militant groups could exploit the political instability in Sudan, which is gripped by a civil war.

OVERALL STRENGTH

The U.S. National Counterterrorism Center has said the threat posed by IS and another militant group al Qaeda "is at a low point with the suppression of the most dangerous elements".

But it went on to warn that half of IS's branches are now active in insurgencies across Africa and "may be poised for further expansion".

It said the group had lost three overall leaders and at least 13 other senior operatives in Iraq and Syria since early 2022 "contributing to a loss of expertise and a decline in ISIS attacks in the Middle East".

(Reporting by Michael Georgy; Additional reporting by Catherine Cartier; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne and Kirsten Donovan)
FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE)  A man was airlifted to a hospital after a failed hang gliding attempt near Dunlap Saturday afternoon, the Fresno County Sheriffs Office announced.

Deputies say around 1:50 p.m. they responded to Highway 180 in Dunlap near the Delilah Lookout.

Investigators learned a man was attempting to hang glide, and while attempting to launch, fell into the bushes below the launch ramp on a cliffside. He sustained injuries to the head and possibly a broken wrist.











Cal Fire who also responded to the scene said thankfully the man landed in a somewhat easy spot to reach. Crews were able to carry the man out before he was airlifted to a local hospital.

Firefighters say the man was conscious and breathing when he was airlifted.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to YourCentralValley.com | KSEE24 and CBS47.
Someone affixed fraudulent QR codes to parking meters in popular areas of Redondo Beach in an attempt to scam residents and visitors, authorities warned.

The QR codes  which direct people to a website thats not affiliated with the city or its official parking meter system  were found on about 150 parking meters along the Esplanade and in the Riviera Village area, the Redondo Beach Police Department said Saturday in a news release. When users reached that website, poybyphone.online, they were prompted to enter their location and payment information.

The stickers, all of which have since been removed, were placed next to labels for legitimate companies that allow people to make parking fee payments online by either scanning a QR code, downloading an app or visiting a website. The city contracts with two companies, ParkMobile and PayByPhone, to take those payments.

Anyone who may have been defrauded by the fake QR codes, who received a parking citation after making a payment through the fraudulent website, or who has information about those responsible for the scam stickers is asked to contact the Redondo Beach Police Department at (310) 379-2477.

The scam has precedent. QR codes directing users to the same fraudulent website were recently discovered on at least 51 parking meters in Ottawa, Canada, according to the Ottawa Citizen.

And earlier this month, Alhambra police warned residents that someone was leaving fake parking tickets on vehicles that included a QR code directing to a website not affiliated with the city. Authorities warned people not to scan the code, as it might install a virus on their phone.

In fact, the practice is now so commonplace that it has a name: quishing, short for QR code phishing, according to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. This brand of identity fraud scam typically sees criminals try to lure victims into providing personal or financial information by placing QR codes in high-traffic locations or sending them via email or text message. The codes direct unsuspecting users to fraudulent websites that often attempt to masquerade as sites affiliated with government agencies or banks, according to the USPIS. The information the scammers obtain can then be used to commit other crimes such as financial fraud.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN)  After four years and a weeklong trial, the family of a Clarksville murder victim has closure.

On Friday, Jaelyn Gant was found guilty on four charges following the 2020 murder of a 28-year-old Seth Stephens.

PREVIOUS: Man found guilty in 2020 Clarksville Chinese restaurant murder case

Following the verdict, Seths mother and sister spoke with News 2. Although they were relieved to have closure, they said the verdict still doesnt bring Seth back.

We were able to put someone who is truly a monster away, but well never get Seth back, sister Hannah Stephens said. I saw him a week before he died and I held him close and I told him I loved him. And of course he thought it was weird and was like, Get off! Now, I would do anything in the world to just have that back.

Back in December 2020, Seth was working at the New King Mao Chinese restaurant on Needmore Road. The District Attorneys Office worked to prove Gant walked in, demanded money from Seth, then shot him when he refused to hand it over.

READ MORE | Latest headlines from Clarksville and Montgomery County

Seths mom, Rachael Stephens, recalled learning Seth had died at the scene.

It just seemed like it was just a nightmare and I wanted to go to my son and, of course, I couldnt, Rachael said. That was hard because I really wanted to see if what they were telling me was true. I hope no one ever has to experience that.

During trial, the state connected Gant to a gun and cell phone later found in Illinois. That cell phone had searches relating to Seths murder in Clarksville. Gant was arrested in Illinois on other charges, then extradited back to Tennessee.

Gant argued that the gun came into his possession after the murder. However on Friday, a Clarksville jury returned their guilty verdict in a matter of hours.

I think in him being away for a long period of time will save other lives, honestly, Rachael said. I believe there Seth served his purpose in bringing a monster  like [Hannah] called him  to justice.

CRIME TRACKER | Read the latest crime news from Middle Tennessee

Gant was found guilty of first-degree felony murder during the perpetration of a robbery, second-degree murder, especially aggravated robbery, and unlawful possession of a firearm while a convicted felon.

Sentencing has scheduled for Oct. 9.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2.
(This column originally ran Aug. 2, 2014.)

A number of Nebraska towns started as colonies of similar-minded groups usually of a common ethnic or religious belief, though some were formed to take advantage of the states vast unclaimed land, often available through railroad holdings. Many, like Grand Island, were very successful; a few withered. Gibbon, in Buffalo County, was born of a more commercial process and has had an almost unbroken record of population growth in its more than 140 years.

In the summer of 1866, the Union Pacific Railroad built through what would become Buffalo County and established a siding to supply Gen. John Gibbons troops stationed at Fort Kearny. The siding was named Gibbons Switch in honor of the Civil and Indian War officer, though the only resident was railroad employee John Reddy, who lived in the section house southwest of the siding.

In April 1869, Ohioan John Thorp led the formation of a colony on Union Pacific Railroad land in Saline County, Kansas. Because of that groups success, Thorp began investigating Union Pacific land in Nebraska and contracted with the railroad to form a colony in Nebraska of not less than 100 people west of Hall County. Thorps profit occurred by the railroads giving him the town site, which he could then sell, while the Union Pacific not only sold land but gained a community that would use the railroads services.

In late 1870, Thorp began advertising the concept, which he called the Soldiers Free Homestead Temperance Colony, in Eastern newspapers. Membership in the colony cost a mere $2, but about its only advantage was that members received a discount on rail transportation.

In February 1870, Buffalo County was formed, with its sparse settlers mainly living on the Wood River near the present village of Sheldon. Because no county seat was designated, meetings rotated between the county officers homes, where records also were kept. The first meeting was held at Nebraska Center not far from todays Gibbon.

Through mail communication with Thorp, the first colonists were instructed to meet on April 4, 1871, at Buffalo, New York. There the families, primarily from New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts, who had never before met, boarded the Lakeshore & Michigan Southern Railroad for Chicago. The following day at noon in Chicago, more colonists joined the original group and left for Council Bluffs, Iowa, on the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad. At Council Bluffs, because there was no Missouri River bridge, boats ferried them to Omaha where, the following morning, they boarded the Union Pacific bound for Gibbon.

By gathering families at each stop, the ultimate 61 arrived at Gibbon at noon April 7, 1871. As they left the train they were met with desolation -- no town, no station, no population; even existing trees had been harvested for ties by the railroad. The Union Pacific left one rail car for use as a station and a number of others to be used by the settlers until sod homes, dugouts or cabins could be built. Each of the colonists then traveled to the Grand Island land office where they filed for a quarter section of land in the Gibbon area. Knowing nothing of the area and feeling one claim was as good as another, they chose quarter sections by drawing lots. Ultimately 14 states were represented with 80 of the men having served in the Union Army.

The first real building on the townsite itself was the Gilman, Thorp & True Hotel, with the post office opening June 21, 1871, with Isaac LaBarre as postmaster. Because the colonists outnumbered the entire balance of the countys population, the election, which was held on Oct. 10, resulted in their making Gibbon the official county seat. In 1872, the voters approved a bond issue to build a two-story brick courthouse, which they felt would cement the city as the permanent county seat. Because the brick was burned on the site, additional bricks were manufactured and used in the construction of the Presbyterian church at the same time. In 1873, a flouring mill was built just north of town on the Wood River, which attracted business from as far as Kansas.

Unfortunately, by the fall of 1874, Kearney Junction, nearer the center of the county, began to develop, and that fall the now far more populous county voted to move the county seat from Gibbon to Kearney Junction, where a new courthouse was immediately constructed. Gibbon then purchased the old courthouse for $2,200 as the academic department of its public school. In 1880, the building and land were given to the Baptist Seminary/College, which, two years later, reported an enrollment of 120. But it moved to Grand Island a short time later.

In 1882, Gibbon was called one of the coziest and most home-like little villages in the county and bragged that it had no saloons or lawyers.

Gibbons favorite son Dick Cavett was born there Nov. 19, 1936, and lived in Gibbon for his first five years. Gibbons current population of about 1,800 shows it is still slowly growing.

Perhaps in deference to the temperance colonys one gentleman who was said to have become inebriated during the overnight in Omaha in 1871, one no longer has to drive several miles west to Kearney -- there is now one bar in Gibbon.
The Fate Of Detroit Judge Who Embarrassed 15-Year-Old Girl, Diddy Accuser Files Police Report, Ga. Hospital Loses Part of Black Mans Skull, Black Family Called Racial Slur On Restaurant Receipt And More

(Left) Mother of Eva Goodman, Latoreya Till (Right) Attorney James Harrington - Screenshot: FOX 2 Detroit

Updated as of 8/21/2024 at 3:15 p.m. ET



The Black teen who was forced to wear jail clothes and handcuffs for falling asleep in a Detroit courtroom is taking action against the judge who humiliated her. - Kalyn Womack Read More

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Former pro wrestler Hulk Hogan has a history of spewing discriminatory and racist rhetoric about Black people. So its not surprising that Vice President Kamala Harris is the target of yet another offensive tirade from Hogan. - Noah A. McGee Read More

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A New York City Parks Department employee is in major trouble after authorities accused him of going on a fatal fit of rage toward a group of Venezuelan migrants. - Kalyn Womack Read More

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TEXARKANA, Texas (KTAL/KSHV)  FEMA teams are going door to door while they work to survey and evaluate damage from severe storms this summer.

The Texarkana Texas Police Department said the two teams expect to be in the area for a few more weeks. Theyll be going door to door across the city to evaluate the damage that residents had to their property due to the storm.

The TTPD urged residents not to be concerned and said the FEMA officials are legitimate. They will have ID badges, uniform shirts, and FEMA traffic vests on, so they should be easily identifiable.

As a reminder, its not normally a good idea to share information or allow access to your home to people that you dont know. However, these people are legit. Of course, you can always call us if youre not sure about someone, and we can check them out for you.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTALnews.com.
Fight over Tampa dog adoption leads to an aggravated assault investigation

Fight over Tampa dog adoption leads to an aggravated assault investigation

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA)  A fight over an attempted dog adoption escalated to an aggravated assault investigation, according to the Tampa Police Department.

According to TPD, during an attempted dog adoption on Meadowbrook Avenue around noon on Saturday, two women got into an altercation, leading to one woman pulling a gun.

Investigators said the two women gave conflicting statements about events leading up to the incident and that the firearm on the scene was seized as evidence.

As with all cases, the Tampa Police Department is committed to holding suspects accountable and bringing justice to victims, the department said in a statement.

TPD said additional details will be made available pending the investigation.

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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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFLA.
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC)  Rochester fire crews are investigating a house fire on Belknap St. near Jay St. in Rochester.

Over a dozen firefighters were at the scene Saturday night around 10:30 p.m. A home nearby appears to have sustained damage to its left exterior wall. Its unclear at this time if there was anyone home, or if any injuries were reported.

We have reached out to the Rochester Fire Department for more information.

This is a developing story, check back later for more details.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to RochesterFirst.
DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN)  Multiple agencies were called to respond after a barn erupted into flames Friday night.

A fire broke out at a swine barn on Brown Road in Versailles late on Friday evening. Crews from multiple surrounding jurisdictions arrived soon after, as the fire triggered a second and third alarm response.

Trotwood water recovery efforts resume Sunday morning

Versailles Fire Chief Brian Pearson told our partners at the Daily Advocate that the fire was contained to one barn and no injuries were reported.

CareFlight was alerted of the fire when a first responder went missing, but the individual was located and CareFlight was called off.

The building is a newer structure, reportedly containing 1,100 pigs.

Flames from the fire could be seen from a far distance. Rossburg Fire Chief Rob Widener shared photos to Facebook of the intense fire.

(Photo/Rossburg Fire Department)

(Photo/Rossburg Fire Department)

(Photo/Rossburg Fire Department)

(Photo/Rossburg Fire Department)

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WDTN.com.
AUSTIN (KXAN)  The Austin Fire Department responded to a balcony fire Saturday night at a residential building in the 3500 block of Speedway, the agency shared on social media.

Speedway was shut down between 35th and 38th streets as a result of the fire, per the post. Crews said the fire was reported on a third-floor balcony.

Fire crews extinguished the fire. No injuries were reported, according to AFD.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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'First one to help anybody': Missouri man drowns after rescuing 2 people in lake

A Missouri man drowned after jumping in the water to save his girlfriend's 5-year-old son, according to local reports.

David Moore, 66, from St. Joseph, Missouri, died Aug. 17 after he jumped into the water when the boy, who was wearing a life vest, began to float away from the boat. Another person who was not wearing a life vest also fell into the water, KQ2 ABC and KCTV 5 reported.

Moore was also not wearing a vest when he jumped in.

The two people fell off a pontoon boat on Smithville Lake, about 30 miles north of Kansas City.

Moore was able to rescue the two people and get them back on the boat, but the current pulled him away from the boat, causing him to drown. The other two people survived.

His head went underwater three times before he disappeared. The Missouri State Highway Patrol later found Moore's body, reports KCTV 5.

David Moore 'spent a lifetime' helping others

"David lost his life helping others out and wouldn't have had it end any other way," according to a GoFundMe that was put together to help raise money for funeral costs.

The GoFundMe raised around $100, but was later deactivated by the organizer, Jeff Penland.

He would be the first one to help anybody, Moore's childhood friend William Bill Penland told KCTV.

Police and Moore's family are urging people to wear their life vests on the water.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Missouri man drowns in Smithville Lake after rescuing 2 people
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.  Customers stroll into Tanganyika Market, a one-stop-shop of Central African goods. There's fish out of Tanganyika Lake, racks of vibrant African dresses, and stacks of cassava flour bags. Two men chat in Swahili near the cash registers.

The West Michigan shop is a long way from the battlefields of Congo's central African plains. But for Congolese residents in this small U.S. enclave of refugees, the war roughly 7,500 miles across the globe weighs heavily on their minds even as they roam the aisles of plantains and spices.

Its kind of sad to see the things that are happening in Africa aren't being taken seriously," said HanGa Ngandu, who works the register at the store owned by her parents. There's a war raging in her homeland, and she says many people brush off the conflict by saying: "Oh, stuff is always happening in Congo."'

Refugees from war-torn African countries of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sudan tell USA TODAY they feel left behind by American sentiment and spending, especially as conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine dominate U.S. headlines.

HanGa Ngandu, 27, left, and her mother Vumilia chat Tuesday, June 18, 2024, at their family's specialty grocery store in Kentwood, Mich. They specialize in African and other international goods and foods.

Both African countries face some of the most dire humanitarian disasters in the world, which human rights advocates say are driven by global inaction, and in Congo, a yearslong battle for "blood minerals" used in phones, electric cars and computers.

The United States is home to 72,000 Sudanese people, according to the U.S. Census Bureaus American Community Survey, and a smaller Congolese community is rapidly growing, with more than 18,000 refugees resettled in fiscal year 2023, according to the State Department.

People from Gaza, they deserve safety and protection," said Dr. Yves Kaduli, a Congolese refugee now living in Alexandria, Virginia. "People from Ukraine, they deserve safety. People from Congo too, my region from Kivu, everywhere, we deserve safety and protection.

Shock of Sudan war reminiscent of early pandemic days

Alaa Suliman had just started a two-week break from teaching in the Bay Area when her mother called on the morning of April 15, 2023, and turned her world upside down.

Fighting had broken out in Khartoum, the densely populated capital city of Sudan in a war that has since killed 15,500 people and created the worlds largest child displacement crisis. Suliman's parents were trapped in the city when the first shots were fired, her mother said. Large booms could be heard in the background during their tense calls.

Alaa Suliman, 42, is a Sudanese American living in the Bay Area.

Thousands and thousands of miles away, you just don't know what to do with yourself in that moment, said Suliman, 42.

The early days of the war were reminiscent of the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, when people still wondered if it would just be another week or two before life resumed. Then you realize its not going anywhere."

A power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces and paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces erupted into war last April, and U.S. officials and human rights groups have since accused the RSF of carrying out an ethnic cleansing campaign. Most recently, U.N. experts accused both sides of using starvation as a weapon of war as humanitarian aid is blocked and fighting disrupts the harvest season, making widespread famine "imminent" in coming months.

Suliman, who has lived in the U.S. for most of her life, remembered frantically trying to help her parents and brother escape Khartoum. She and her three siblings in the U.S. would relay phone calls to their parents so someone was constantly speaking with them.

While Suliman was reeling from the trauma of wondering if her family would survive another hour, she was also mourning the abrupt end of a cherished dream. She had been planning to move back to Sudan to support rebuilding efforts.

I wanted to be part of that vision and part of that better Sudan. And then suddenly it was just like: 'Nope. That's not going to happen.' But I couldn't even process it because we had bigger issues to deal with.

Her parents and brother eventually escaped with only carry-on bags, leaving behind their lifes possessions, Suliman said. And with several public offices burned to the ground, she said there was likely no record of their Sudanese identity or that the house they owned was theirs.

But as her own family bears the weight of the war, Suliman said, other conflicts in the world remain top of mind.

Its natural to feel some type of way when your own people are being massacred and killed and theres kind of a silent genocide happening, Suliman said. But I understand how Gaza is getting all that attention, and I'm extremely happy that it is getting all that attention.

Suliman said the embattled Gaza Strip holds a big place in her heart for its religious and historic significance. And as a human being, she mourned the widespread destruction.

But Suliman said she would like to see more attention on her parents' homeland while also maintaining focus on other conflicts. "I don't want Gaza to be covered like Sudan. I want Sudan to be covered like Gaza."

Advocating for end to Congo conflict from Virginia

Kaduli frantically sits by the phone in Alexandria, waiting to hear from his family. Sometimes months pass before it rings.

Kaduli, 38, said he left behind a prestigious career as a general physician and the company of loved ones three years ago. He said he had been beaten at the hospital where he worked in Kalonge, a village in Congo's South Kivu, for speaking out against the government.

I was putting it in my mind that if I reach the United States, I will be safe, and I believe that my dream became a reality.

Yves Kaduli, 38, moved from the Congo to Virginia in 2021.

With phone and internet communication severely limited in Congo, Kaduli said he hasnt been able to locate his mother but last heard she was in Goma, where fighting has broken out. His 10-year-old son, Ivan, is sheltering in a Catholic church, Kaduli said.

Coming to the U.S. presented its own challenges. Kaduli said some people viewed him as a criminal because he was an immigrant and refugee from a foreign country.

But the chance to speak out for peace in Congo has motivated him to stay, Kaduli said. He now assists national immigrant advocacy groups CASA and African Communities Together while working at a senior living facility. Kaduli's medical degree didn't transfer to the U.S., but he said he hopes to stay in the medical field in some capacity.

I believe that this country will help me to change the world, and to change my life, too," he said.

But Kaduli said that over years of advocacy, his pleas have largely been met with silence  which he viewed as a stark contrast to responses to other conflicts.

When Ukraine was invaded, Kaduli said, Western countries rushed to act while his people have been left behind. A recent analysis by ONE Campaign found the share of aid by G7 countries to Africa has reached its lowest point since 1973.

In fiscal year 2023, the U.S. provided $677 million in humanitarian aid to the Democratic Republic of Congo and nearly $596 million to Sudan through international organizations and nongovernmental organization partners, a spokesperson for the State Department told USA TODAY. In that same time period, the U.S. provided more than $16 billion to Ukraine, according to federal data.

Kaduli also said he is trying to shine a light on technological business interests behind the conflict devastating his homeland and is worried that if he doesn't keep trying, the disaster will only grow worse.

If we dont speak out and show what is in Congo, no one will be educated, or no one will act positively in order to change it, Kaduli said.

The Democratic Republic of Congo, or DRC, has faced decades of overlapping crises with ties stretching back to the Atlantic slave trade, according to humanitarian aid organization Concern Worldwide U.S. National conflict in the late 1990s has shifted into localized fighting centered on battles for land, resources and power, the group said. Violence has escalated since 2021 when M23 rebels backed by Rwanda resurfaced in the eastern DRC and attacked the Congolese army.

But human rights groups for years have also highlighted shrouded ties between the conflict and a decadeslong fight over highly sought-after natural resources.

Though many people in Congo such as Kadulis mother dont have easy access to smartphones, the countrys minerals power millions of screens across the world. More than 70% of known cobalt comes out of Congos mines, an essential material used in technology.

Most recently, a group of international lawyers on behalf of Congo raised questions to Apple CEO Tim Cook about the California-based tech giant's sourcing of blood minerals." This refers to materials such as cobalt that the group says armed factions and outside actors have historically benefited from while contributing to chronic violence against Congolese people.

The State Department did not say whether it agreed with the assertions against Apple when reached by USA TODAY but said the company has a longstanding public record of proactive engagement on issues related to supply chains that connect to eastern DRC. The department noted it regularly engages with Apple and other U.S. companies on mineral questions.

Governments, corporations, workers and consumers all play a role in preventing and ending the worst forms of child labor and other human rights abuses that can occur at points of a global supply chain, a spokesperson for the State Department said. No mine site anywhere in the world should tolerate child labor, forced labor, unsafe conditions, or other violations of workers rights.

The State Department deferred to Apple and the Securities and Exchange Commission for further comment. Spokespeople for Apple and the SEC declined to comment when reached by USA TODAY.

Trip to refugee camp haunts Sudanese American

Running into old friends and relatives clinging to life at a refugee camp is one of the harshest experiences Abdelillah Douda said he has ever experienced in his 58 years.

They told me, frankly, that 'You came from America, but Americans forgot us,'" Douda recalled.

A Sudanese American who has been outspoken about immigration and anti-war advocacy in his hometown of New Haven, Connecticut, Douda has had a front row seat to decades of agonizing conflict.

Abdelillah Douda, 58, is a Sudanese American in New Haven, Connecticut.

But his November trip to Chad, a bordering country of Sudan where more than 553,000 Sudanese refugees have fled, was unlike anything he had seen. Newcomers to the camps used grass, wood and whatever else they could find to build shelter, Douda said. Clean water and bathrooms were sparse, creating filthy, unhealthy conditions.

Douda worked with nonprofit organizations such as U.S.-based Sudan Sunrise to raise money for a makeshift hospital in the camps, staffed by doctors and nurses who were forced to flee their home country. But after sending requests to several aid groups, Douda was shocked to see only a fraction of them respond with an offer of support.

And while Douda grapples with the frustration of advocating for an end to the war with little support, he is also mourning the death of his mother, who didn't survive the evacuation when the war began.

Douda said he is trying to apply for the rest of his family to join him in the U.S. as the fighting forced them to scatter from El Geneina, a city where human rights groups have documented crimes against humanity.

Human Rights Watch, an international research and advocacy group, released a report in May that said the Rapid Support Forces, an independent military force in armed conflict with the Sudan military, and allied militias carried out an ethnic cleansing campaign against non-Arab populations in El Geneina, killing thousands of people and displacing hundreds of thousands more.

Pastor finds solace, hardship in Grand Rapids community

Banza Mukalay had never heard of the word "refugee" until he became one in 1998 when he was forced to flee from Congo to a crowded camp in Tanzania with his wife, mother and 1-year-old daughter.

Refugees were allowed to stay only within the camp boundaries, Mukalay said, recalling sticky red mud and makeshift shelters made out of trees and plastic sheets. Some people were born in the camps, including his three younger children. Others died in them while waiting for a way out, like Mukalay's mother.

"We fled because of war, to be safe, because they were killing us," Pastor Banza Mukalay says, Tuesday, June 18, 2024, during an interview at the Restoration Community Church in Wyoming, Mich. Mukalay and his family fled the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1998, and lived in a Tanzanian refugee camp for fifteen years before coming to the U.S. He was a social worker in Tanzania. He worked a few years in construction when he came to the U.S. before his calling to the ministry.

After 15 years of drudgingly passing the days in the makeshift shelters, where he made $10 a month as a social worker, Mukalay made his way out of Tanzania to the U.S. with his wife and children.

He soon established the Restoration Community Church in a small basement room in Wyoming, Michigan, filled with neat rows of navy blue chairs and walls embellished with gold curtains. Mukalay now runs the church alongside his former camp neighbor.

I feel like I'm living," he said of his new life in the U.S. "In a refugee camp, you feel like youre not living.

He also championed Grand Rapids as a supportive community that had met him with kindness, noting his unique appreciation for America as an immigrant who found refuge after years of struggle and was now able to freely speak out for his people.

But on April 4, 2022, a single gunshot reverberated through his community.

Patrick Lyoya, a Congolese man Mukalay considered almost as a son, was shot to death by a Grand Rapids officer during a traffic stop. Christopher Schurr was charged with second-degree murder after shooting Lyoya, who was face down on the ground. The death fueled a national outcry about police violence.

Some Congolese people began wondering why they had come to the U.S. if their children could be killed here, too, Mukalay said.

As a refugee from Congo, we are very sensitive to see someone to be killed, Mukalay said, noting the collective trauma people continue to grapple with after years of war.

Even in the refugee camp, where people had to build their own houses out of trees and ate only beans and peas for years on end, Mukalay said that at least they were safe, which his community no longer felt in West Michigan.

But, he said, his friends and neighbors drew hope from the solidarity they received from people outside the Congolese community who also decried Lyoya's killing.

We are not alone."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: They fled genocide. In America they found safety  and apathy.
JAKARTA (Reuters) -Thirteen people were killed and two injured in Indonesia's North Maluku province on Sunday after floods in the east of the sprawling archipelago, authorities said.

The country's disaster management agency BNPB said the floods, caused by heavy rain since Saturday, also badly damaged 10 houses in Ternate city.

Citing forecasts that heavy rain may continue in the next few days, BNPB warned local residents to be on guard.

"We urge people to remain vigilant and follow directions from authorities on potential subsequent floods," spokesperson Abdul Muhari said in a statement.

BNPB said it has deployed a team to help evacuate the victims. Search and rescue agency Basarnas also said that efforts to evacuate victims, who were hit by landslides and debris swept along by floodwaters, were ongoing.

In May, flash floods and mud slides in Indonesia's West Sumatra province killed more than 60 people.

(Reporting by Stefanno Sulaiman in Jakarta; Editing by William Mallard and Kim Coghill)
I will forever be here for your widow and daughter, Mike Lynchs bodyguard vows

Mike Lynch and wife Angela. His bodyguard has pledged to look after the tycoon's surviving family - Dominic O'Neill

Mike Lynchs bodyguard who was required to make sure he did not abscond while facing fraud charges in the US has vowed to look after his family in a tribute.

Rolo Igno also described the memory of a beautiful soul in 18-year-old Hannah Lynch after they died when her fathers superyacht sank off Sicily early on Monday.

The tech tycoon, who founded software giant Autonomy in 1996, was cleared in June of carrying out a massive fraud relating to its $11 billion (8.64 billion) sale to Hewlett Packard after a trial at a federal court in San Francisco.

Mr Igno said he had the privilege of spending almost every waking moment with Mr Lynch while he was in custody in San Francisco, having been the court-appointed guard, describing the detail as unlike any other he had ever worked and one that was life-changing.

In a tribute to the pair, he vowed to look after Angela Bacares, 57, who survived the sinking, and Mr Lynchs remaining daughter Esme.

Mike Lynch and daughter Hannah. She had a 'beautiful soul', said the tycoon's former bodyguard

He said: As an executive protection agent, the number one rule is simple, dont ever get close to the principal.

They arent your friends, theyre a client and the relationship is strictly professional. But with Mike, that didnt fly with him and for me that rule quickly dissolved.

Mike, I will forever cherish our short time together. My family will miss your masterful storytelling, and we will forever regret not seeing you do the robot dance that night, we were so close.

Hannah, my family and I will miss your beautiful smile, your loving soul, and your calming presence. My daughter Emma will never forget the time you two shared.

Take care of your daddy up there

He added: I dont know what everyones beliefs are, but I believe that Mike and Hannah woke up in a far better place.

Till we see each other again. Hannah, take care of your daddy up there for me. Down here, Ive got your mum and sister.

Prosecutors are investigating whether the captain and crew of Mr Lynchs superyacht failed to alert passengers that the vessel was sinking when it was hit by a violent storm.

A manslaughter investigation was announced on Saturday amid questions about how six passengers died in the disaster, while all but one of the crew survived.

The Bayesian superyacht. Prosecutors are investigating whether the crew failed to alert passengers that the vessel was sinking - Perini Navi/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Investigators in Italy will scrutinise whether the Bayesian crew did enough to alert passengers who were sleeping in cabins below deck when a storm hit the yacht in the early hours.

They said that five of the victims were found together in a cabin on the port side of the ship, closest to the surface, suggesting that they may have been searching for the last pockets of air as the yacht started to submerge.

Recounting the time he first escorted Mr Lynch and his daughters to lunch, Mr Igno said: I opened the door for them and told Mike, If you need anything at all sir, Ill be right at this table by the entrance.

He chuckled and in his confident way, Mike replied, No, no, no, youll be sitting with us.

When I hesitated, not wanting to disrupt their family time, he insisted, saying, Rolo, do you want me to tell my beautiful daughters that the tough and handsome security guy, who was a former marine, didnt want to sit with us because he was intimidated by them? How could I possibly say no to that?

So, I joined them, sitting at the far end of the table, feeling out of my element but gradually realising how genuine and loving they all were.

Work started to feel less like work, Mr Igno said, as he described being excited to get back to San Francisco after his days off just to be around Mike.

The year I spent living with him allowed me to experience first-hand his loving and caring heart, he said.

The security team became less of a detail and more like a family.

He described their shared time in Ravello, Italy, earlier this month, calling it one of his most cherished memories, adding: Overlooking the stunning Amalfi coast, Mike came up to me and said, Rolo, I feel so much better knowing you will always have my familys back.

He was right, and Mike, if youre listening, I will always have your back. I will forever be here for Angela and Esme.

People gather for vigil

On Sunday evening, hundreds of people gathered in Porticello, the town close to where the boat sank, for a poignant candle-lit vigil to the victims.

A solemn procession, led by teenagers holding a silver crucifix, proceeded through the streets to the seafront, clutching candles and intoning blessings and prayers. Passersby made the sign of the cross and bowed their heads in respect.

In a moving ceremony, Father Vincenzo Buscemi, the local priest, read out the first names of all seven of the victims of the tragedy.

We are here to pray for the victims, who have concluded their earthly journey, he told the large crowd, which included fire service divers, coast guard officers dressed in white and local volunteers.

After the ceremony, he told The Telegraph: This is a moment of prayer for the community to remember the victims. Ours is a community that has in the past felt the pain of tragedies like this. Many men have lost their lives while working at sea.

For a lot of locals, the tragedy of the Bayesian brings back memories of past losses, it reopens wounds. There is huge sympathy for the victims and their relatives. People here want to show solidarity with them.

Anna Maria Vella, 51, said: My husband is a fisherman. I know the anxiety of seeing him go out to sea and wondering if he will come home.

Giuseppe DAgostino, the mayor of Porticello, said: We are a town of about 12,000 people and half the population relies on fishing. Its the main employer here. The tragedy has hit people hard.

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BEIRUT (AP)  Five-time former Lebanese Prime Minister Salim Hoss, who served during some of the most tumultuous years of his countrys modern history, died Sunday at age 94, the current premier said.

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati described Hoss, who was also a former government minister and member of parliament, as the conscience of Lebanon in a statement announcing his death. He added that Hoss passed away at the most difficult and delicate stage in which Lebanon needs its conscience.

Mikati was referring to fears that Lebanon could be pulled into a full-on war with Israel. Lebanese militant group Hezbollah began attacking Israel a day after the start of the war in Gaza, which was triggered by Hamas Oct. 7 attack into southern Israel. Israel and Hezbollah have exchanged fire almost daily since then, displacing tens of thousands of people on both sides of the border.

Hoss was a prominent economist and a role model for his expertise, ethics and knowledge, Mikati said. He placed the countrys supreme interest and the interest of citizens above all considerations.

Hoss was often described as a technocrat and widely respected as a rare statesman in a country marked by political and sectarian divisions.

He served as prime minister for four terms during the countrys 15-year civil war that lasted from 1975 to 1990. His final term in office was from 1998 to 2000.

At one point, he presided over one of two dueling governments. After the term of President Amin Gemayel ended in 1988 with no successor elected, Lebanon became ruled by two governments, one headed by Michel Naim Aoun in Christian east Beirut and another by Hoss in Muslim west Beirut.

By convention the prime minister of Lebanon is always a Sunni Muslim, the president a Maronite Christian and the speaker of Parliament a Shiite Muslim.
H.R. McMaster, former national security adviser to former President Donald Trump, on Sunday said that Trump needs "a competent team around him" because he is susceptible to being manipulated.

Speaking Sunday on CBS' "Face the Nation," McMaster said: "He can make really sound decisions and disrupt things that need to be disrupted in terms of foreign policy, national security, but oftentimes struggles to hang on to those decisions and see them through."

He added of the Republican presidential nominee: "People know kind of how to push his buttons, especially buttons associated with maintaining the complete support of his political base."

McMaster was appearing on the telecast to promote his new book, "At War With Ourselves: My Tour of Duty in the Trump White House." He is a retired Army lieutenant general who served as Trump's national security adviser from February 2017 to April 2018. McMaster's book, among other things, describes meetings in the White House as exercises in competitive sycophancy."



In an excerpt published in the Wall Street Journal, McMaster lamented how Russian President Vladimir Putin pushed Trump's buttons: "Putin, a ruthless former KGB operator, played to Trumps ego and insecurities with flattery."

Trump and his allies have continually argued that he is much better equipped to deal with Putin and other autocrats than his Democratic rival Kamala Harris because he projects great strength and authority, and she does not.

"Vladimir Putin, just like the Ayatollahs, have played Joe Biden and Kamala Harris like a fiddle," Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) said in a "Face the Nation" interview earlier this month. Trump has argued world leaders will walk all over Harris if she were elected president.

Talking to host Margaret Brennan, McMaster said he wasn't sure if he should document Trump's relationship with Putin.

"I struggled, Margaret, should I write about how Putin tried to manipulate President Trump, or not? And I thought, well, Putin knows how he was trying to do it. So maybe in writing about how Putin was trying to press Donald Trump's buttons, that will make a future President Trump, if he's elected, less susceptible to those kind of tactics.

McMaster noted that every presidential administration has people who try to manipulate the president and said that if Trump were given smart advice, the president often made good decisions. One of those, in McMaster's view, was withdrawing the United States from the nuclear treaty with Iran in the spring of 2018.

"The narrative around that first year was all about chaos, but we got a lot done," he said.

Iran, McMaster said, is now a real threat. particularly given that Biden has backed away from some of Trump's policies.

Saying Iran "is willing to expend every Arab life, every Palestinian life, every Lebanese life, in pursuit of its objective of destroying Israel," McMaster said that the Iranian threat needs to be taken seriously.

"I think," McMaster said, "that the narrative that you constantly hear about turning down the temperature, escalation management, the reluctance, really, to confront Iran directly and impose costs on Iran, that actually gives Iran license to escalate on their own terms, with impunity."
Former President Donald Trump returning to Pennsylvania, will hold rally in Johnstown

(WHTM)  Former President Donald Trump is returning to the Keystone State for the third time this month and the fourth time since the assassination attempt in Butler County.

He will be holding a rally in Johnstown on August 30.

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According to a campaign press release, it will be held at 1st Summit Arena at the Cambria County War Memorial in the city.

Doors open at 12:30 p.m. and Trump is set to speak at 4:30 p.m.

Tickets are available via the campaign website here.

Trump has made three stops since the July 13 shooting, including two stops in the Midstate.

He was in York this past Monday, Wilkes-Barre last Saturday, and Harrisburg on July 31.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Can a college education really be free? The answer is an unequivocal yes!

Michigan just became one of over 30 states to offer free tuition to students. Michigan began exploring this concept of free college a few years ago during COVID. It started with the Frontliners for the Future program, which offered free tuition to all individuals, regardless of age, who were frontliners, compelled to work during the pandemic. This included agriculture workers, fast food workers, pizza delivery workers, and a host of others. While it covered numerous industries, it did not cover all.

Then came Michigan Reconnect, which was free tuition for anyone 25-years old or over who wanted to attend a community college. In both cases, they simply had to take 12 credit hours during the year, which meant that part-time students could qualify. Additionally, both of these, like all the others, are last dollar programs, which means students who qualified for other forms of financial aid had to access that first, with the remaining balance then paid from these programs.

Staying on that trajectory, the state then just last year offered Reconnect 21, which is free tuition for anyone 21 and over. Then, more recently came the Michigan Achievement Scholarship (MAS) which is for recent high school graduates attending a college, university, or career training program. It provides:

Up to $2,750 per year for community college students

Up to $4,000 per year for private college or university students

Up to $5,500 per year for students attending a public university or four-year degree program at a community college

Up to $2,000 a year for learners in a career training program

The newest effort is the Community College Guarantee (CCG), which is part of the MAS specific to community colleges and covers tuition costs for all Michigan high school grads working toward an associate degree or certificate at a state community college. Students with "higher financial need" will receive $1,000 for other costs like food, housing, transportation, and childcare. The CCG could save over 18,000 students around $4,820 annually on tuition.

In Monroe, residents who reside outside of Monroe County are also eligible to receive the Community College Guarantee to attend MCCC; however, it will cover only up to the cost of in-district tuition.

To be eligible, students must:

Be a Michigan resident since July 1 of the previous calendar year. For dependent students, parent(s) must also meet this requirement.

Complete the Free Application for Financial Aid (FAFSA)

Have graduated from high school or earned a high school graduation equivalency certificate in 2023 or 2024

Enroll full time at MCCC within 15 months of the date of their high school graduation.

Meet MCCC's Satisfactory Academic Progress policy.

Additional eligibility requirements may apply. Students are not eligible if they are in default on a federal student loan. Free community college programs are often called "promise programs." While the programs significantly reduce costs, they often do not cover other expenses like room and board, transportation and book fees.

The average cost of an undergraduate degree ranges from $25,707 to more than $218,000, according to the Education Data Initiative. The price varies and depends on whether a student lives on campus and the type of institution they're attending. Many students have to take out loans to afford college. The burden of those loans can often dictate the types of careers students pursue and their opportunities after graduating. Research from the Federal Trade Commission found that offering free community college increased enrollment by 26 percent and degree completions by 20 percent.

So, to qualify for the CCG, students have to be recent high school graduates, complete the FAFSA, and be enrolled fulltime at a community college such as MCCC. Students from out-of-county will have their tuition reduced by the amount of the scholarships. While part-time students do not qualify for the CCG, they still qualify for the Reconnect programs.

Everyone knows that education is transformative, be it technical/vocational or more liberal arts oriented. The cost of college continues to spiral out of control, and all these programs givestudents an opportunity to earn a credential of economic value. While these free programs offer access, the focus is on success. After all, it is all about student success.

 Kojo Quartey is president of Monroe County Community College and an economist.

This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Free college comes to Michigan
The French gendarmerie block the road near the synagogue. Following the explosion outside a synagogue in La Grande-Motte in the south of France, the anti-terrorism prosecutor's office has taken over the investigation. The authorities confirmed this to the German Press Agency in Paris. Pascal Guyot/AFP/dpa

Police have detained a person following an explosion in front of a synagogue in the south of France, acting Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin announced early on Sunday.

Two doors of the synagogue in La Grande-Motte near Montpellier were set on fire on Saturday morning along with two vehicles in front of the building.

A gas bottle exploded in one of the vehicles. A police officer was injured. The five people who were in the synagogue at the time were unharmed.

According to the broadcaster BFMTV, the suspect was arrested in Nimes, about 40 kilometres from La Grande-Motte.

French President Emmanuel Macron called the attack "a terrorist act" that a unified France would fight.

"The fight against anti-Semitism is an ongoing battle, the fight of a united nation," Macron wrote on X. He added that everything would be done to find those responsible.

The incident is being investigated by France's anti-terrorism public prosecutor's office.

Acting Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said some 200 police officers and gendarmes were deployed.

"We can assume that we have narrowly escaped an absolute tragedy," said Attal.

Initial findings suggest that the perpetrator was very determined. If the synagogue had been full at the time of the crime and people had come outside, there would likely have been fatalities, he said.

He described the act as outrageous and pointed to the increasing number of anti-Semitic attacks in France.

Darmanin ordered an immediate increase in the presence of security forces outside Jewish places of worship. He wrote on X of an "apparently criminal attempted arson," and expressed his full support for the Jewish community.

Attal, writing earlier on X, spoke of an anti-Semitic act: "Once again, our Jewish fellow citizens have been targeted."

Saturday is the Jewish sabbath and traditionally when people attend religious services.

Yonathan Arfi, chairman of the umbrella organization of Jewish organizations in France, CRIF, wrote that the explosion took place at a time when worshippers were expected to arrive at the synagogue.

"It was not just an attack on a place of worship, it's an attempt to kill Jews," he wrote.

Police officers stand near a synagogue after an explosion outside the building. Following the explosion outside a synagogue in La Grande-Motte in the south of France, the anti-terrorism prosecutor's office has taken over the investigation. The authorities confirmed this to the German Press Agency in Paris. Pascal Guyot/AFP/dpa
Galina Brok-Beltsova, who has died aged 99, was the last survivor of Stalins three female air regiments.

She enlisted in the Red Army aged 16 in 1941 and flew 36 combat missions as a bomber-navigator with the 587th Bomber Regiment, starting in June 1944 with Operation Bagration to liberate Belorussia, a decisive victory that paved the way for the invasion of Germany; she also took part in the storming of Konigsberg and the capture of the Baltic ports of Pillau (now Baltiysk, in Kaliningrad Oblast) and Libow (now Liepaja in Latvia).

Galina Brok-Beltsova was one of more than 800,000 women who served in the Red Army, of whom roughly 1,000 were aviators. The three womens regiments  the 586th Fighter Regiment, the 587th Bomber Regiment and, most famously, the 588th Night Bomber Regiment, nicknamed the Night Witches  had been formed by Stalin in 1941 at the behest of the record-breaking long-distance aviator Marina Raskova, a Soviet celebrity comparable to Amelia Earhart in the West.

Galina Brok-Beltsova: her first mission was a baptism of fire

Whereas in the US Air Force women were barred from combat missions until 1993, and in the RAF until 1994, the Russian attitude to this question had been avant-garde even before communism. At least two women had been given special dispensation by the Tsar to fly reconnaissance missions in the Imperial Russian Air Service in the First World War; another had fought dogfights illicitly in male drag.

By end of the 1930s, women accounted for nearly a third of all the pilots trained in USSR. Marina Raskova had intended to form only one regiment, but filled three  and turned many recruits away. Only the 588th was technically all-female; in Galina Brok-Beltsovas regiment, the 587th, most of the tail-gunners were men because the machine-gun required great strength to reload. The women flew with photographs of Marina Raskova in their pockets.

Galina Brok-Beltsova sat back-to-back with her pilot, Antonina Bondareva-Spitsina, in the brand-new Petlyakov PE-2, nicknamed Pawn, a feisty twin-engined dive bomber that was devilish to fly but could perform, as Galina Brok-Beltsova put it, like a beautiful bird of prey.

Galina Brok-Beltsova in later life

One of the navigators roles was to push against the pilot on take-off to help her reach the instruments, which were set slightly too far away. She also dropped the bombs and operated the Berezin gun that fired upward.

Her first mission was a baptism of fire, with swarms of aircraft, enemy and friendly, cluttering the sky. Navigation was further hampered by the fact that the land bore no resemblance to her pre-war maps, because the Nazis had cut down the forests and razed the villages.

On one mission they scented petrol in the cabin. Antonina Bondareva-Spitsina bent down, noticing a hole in the fuel tank. At that moment, a shell flew through the cabin, where her head would have been. Galina Brok-Beltsova was also nearly hit, and even after the mission her mouth was screwed up in a funny way, recalled the pilot.

Once, their engine cut out, leaving them easy prey to two German fighters, who harried them with terrible smiles on their faces. On another occasion, after a mid-air collision, they had to land with the unexploded bombs still attached to the plane, coming to rest in a sandy trench.

Her hair was cut short because Marina Raskova declared that 'war was not the time for hairstyles'

Between missions they would knit a piece of cloth to go between their parachutes and their backs. They lived in dug-outs heated by an oil-drum fire known as a burzhujk, from the word bourgeoisie, because it was relatively luxurious. There was no running water, but they heated cold water in tins. Just when each dug-out had been made passably inhabitable they would have to move airfield and start afresh.

Although they faced the same discomfort and danger as the men, there was the odd touch of gallantry. Some low-flying Soviet fighters dropped a big teddy bear, to which was pinned a note: Dear young girls, we have just learned we are escorting you. Dont be frightened; we will do everything to defend you, fight for you with the last drop of our blood. Thank you.

By the end of the war, her regiment  renamed the 125th MM Raskova Borisov Guards Dive Bomber Regiment  had flown 1,134 sorties, dropped 980,000kg of bombs, produced five Heroes of the Soviet Union and been collectively awarded the Orders of Suvorov and Kutuzov. She was demobbed aged 20.

With Georgy Beltsov

Galina Pavlovna Brok was born on February 12 1925 in Moscow, where her father ran a factory. For military training she was sent to Samara on the Volga, where she was billeted in a barn to sleep on a heap of frozen horse manure; winter temperatures reached -30C. Her hair was cut short because Marina Raskova declared that war was not the time for hairstyles; bathhouse time was limited to five minutes a day, which was perhaps no hardship since the floor was covered in huge piles of faecal matter, frozen solid.

In 1942, while studying navigation and meteorology in Yoshkar-Ola, she caught the attention of her commander, Georgy Beltsov. He was considered something of a heartthrob but she was too focussed on going to the Front.

He gave her a white soapstone bear as a lucky charm and wrote her three letters a day until the end of the war, when he proposed marriage, but she refused him because she wanted to go to university. Crestfallen, he replied: I waited the whole war for you and now, with your soldiers boots, you are trampling on the soul of a man who is devoted to you.

They married  trading some good-condition second-hand underwear for a celebratory goose  and she attended university, became a history professor, did a stint in the KGB and had three children. Her husband predeceased her in 2005.

Galina Brok-Beltsova, born February 12 1925, died August 15 2024

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GARY, Ind.  Police in Gary, Indiana are asking for the publics help in finding a missing teenage girl.

Police said 13-year-old JaNiyah McMichael was last seen Sunday, Aug. 11 in the 1900 block of Malcolm X Drive.

She was last seen wearing pajamas with a black hoodie and black and red shoes. She stands four feet tall and weighs 110 pounds.

Anyone with information should call the Gary Police Department at 219-881-7300.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
Until now, Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster has held his fire about his stint in the Trump White House. McMaster served with distinction in key American conflicts of the past decades: the Gulf War, the Iraq War and the war in Afghanistan, but as McMaster recounts in his new book, At War with Ourselves: My Tour of Duty in the Trump White House, in some ways, his most challenging tour as a soldier was his last one: serving as the national security adviser to a notoriously mercurial president.

In his blistering, insightful account of his time in the Trump White House, McMaster describes meetings in the Oval Office as exercises in competitive sycophancy during which Trumps advisers would flatter the president by saying stuff like, Your instincts are always right or, No one has ever been treated so badly by the press. Meanwhile, Trump would say outlandish things like, Why dont we just bomb the drugs? in Mexico or, Why dont we take out the whole North Korean Army during one of their parades?

McMasters book, which focuses on Trumps tenure as commander in chief, comes at a particularly timely moment, just as many Americans start to really consider whether Trump or Vice President Kamala Harris would make a better commander in chief.

In her acceptance speech for her nomination to the presidency at the Democratic National Convention on Thursday, Harris spent some of her speech trying to demonstrate her national security credentials. She talked, for instance, about the war in Gaza, saying that as president she would stand firm on the US alliance with Israel to ensure Israel has the ability to defend itself. Harris also said that the Palestinians have their right to dignity, security, freedom, and self-determination. With this speech, Harris was trying to thread a delicate needle between Americans who strongly oppose the war  many of them in her own party  and those who back Israel wholeheartedly.

McMaster provides unique detail on Trumps approach to foreign policy and  similarly to his successor in the national security adviser role, former United Nations Ambassador John Bolton, who wrote scathingly about the former president in a book published in 2020  his account is likely to do little to reassure US allies about the prospects of a second Trump term.

In addition to being a highly decorated officer, McMaster also has a doctorate in history. His first book, Dereliction of Duty: Johnson, McNamara, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Lies That Led to Vietnam, recounted the dismal history of how the top American generals told President Lyndon Johnson only what they thought he wanted to hear about the Vietnam War, rather than giving him their best military advice about how the conflict was going and the full range of policy options that were open to their commander in chief.

Tell Trump what he didnt want to hear

McMaster wasnt going to make the same mistake after Trump tapped him to be his national security adviser in February 2017. He writes, I knew that to fulfill my duty, I would have to tell Trump what he didnt want to hear. This helps explain why McMaster lasted just over a year in the job. (Disclosure: I have known McMaster professionally since 2010, when he ran an anti-corruption task force in Afghanistan.)

One subject was particularly neuralgic for Trump: Russia. McMaster astutely observes, I wished that Trump could separate the issue of Russian election meddling from the legitimacy of his presidency. He could have said, Yes, they attacked the election. But Russia doesnt care who wins our elections. What they want to do is pit Americans against one another . McMaster writes that the fragility of Trumps ego and his deep sense of aggrievement would never allow him to make this kind of distinction.

McMaster felt it was his duty to point out to Trump that Russian President Vladimir Putin was not and would never be Trumps friend. McMaster warned Trump that Putin is the best liar in the world and would try to play Trump to get what he wanted and manipulate him with ambiguous promises of a better relationship.

The final straw that ended McMasters tenure in the White House seems to have been when he publicly said on February 17, 2018, at the Munich Security Forum  the annual gathering of top Western foreign policy officials  that the indictment of a group of Russian intelligence officers for their interference in the 2016 US presidential election was incontrovertible evidence of Russian meddling in that election.

Trump soon tweeted, General McMaster forgot to say that the results of the 2016 election were not impacted or changed by the Russians. Once the commander-in-chief started publicly castigating him on Twitter, it was obvious that McMaster would not be long for the White House.

McMasters account of the Trump team is not pretty. Steve Bannon, Trumps chief strategist early in the presidency, is portrayed as a fawning court jester who played on Trumps anxiety and sense of beleaguerment  with stories, mainly about who was out to get him and what he could do to counterpunch.

Meanwhile, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Secretary of Defense James Mattis were often at odds with Trump, McMaster says. Tillerson, who had previously run Exxon, is portrayed as inaccessible to top officials in Trumps administration, while Mattis is described as an obstructionist. McMaster writes that Tillerson and Mattis viewed Trump as dangerous and seemed to construe their roles as if Trump was an emergency and that anyone abetting him was an adversary. Trump himself also contributed to the dysfunction: He enjoyed and contributed to interpersonal drama in the White House and across the administration.

Also, McMaster wasnt on the same page as his boss on some key foreign policy issues. McMaster enumerates those issues as allies, authoritarians, and Afghanistan. Trump denigrated American allies whom he saw as freeloaders; he embraced authoritarian rulers who McMaster despised; and while Trump largely believed Afghanistan was a lost cause, McMaster thought there was a path forward for the country, and he pushed for a more significant US commitment there, while simultaneously blocking a cockamamie notion by Bannon to turn the conduct of the Afghan war over to American private military contractors.

McMaster credits Trump on Syria and China

McMaster does give Trump his due for some sound foreign policy decisions. Unlike President Barack Obama, who had dithered over his own red line when the Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad used chemical weapons against civilians, Trump acted decisively when Assad used chemical weapons in early April 2017, killing dozens of civilians. Trump responded by ordering airstrikes against the Syrian airbase where the chemical weapons strike was launched from.

And on the most important foreign policy issue, China, McMaster concluded that Trump made the right decisions. McMaster oversaw Trumps 2017 national security strategy document, which took a tougher public stance on China than previous administrations, calling the Chinese out for stealing US intellectual property every year valued at hundreds of billions of dollars while noting that China is building the most capable and well-funded military in the world, after our own. Briefed by McMaster on the new national security strategy, Trump responded, This is fantastic, and asked for similar language in his upcoming speeches.

The assault on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, seems to have marked a decisive break from Trump for McMaster, who, in a previous book published in 2020, Battlegrounds: The Fight to Defend the Free World, had avoided direct criticisms of his former commander in chief.

By contrast, in his new book, McMaster writes that in the aftermath of his 2020 electoral defeat, Trumps ego and love of self drove him to abandon his oath to support and defend the Constitution, a presidents highest obligation. McMaster adds, The attack on the US Capitol stained our image, and it will take a long-term effort to restore what Donald Trump, his enablers, and those they encouraged took from us that day.

So, what might this all mean for a second Trump term, if there is one? The Heritage Foundations Project 2025 outlines plans for Trump loyalists to replace numerous career foreign service officers and intelligence officials. Those loyalists would likely tell Trump precisely what he wants to hear rather than give the president their unvarnished assessments of the national security challenges facing the US, which is the proper role of American national security professionals.

Trump has tried to distance himself from Project 2025, but the fact that CNN found at least 140 people who worked for Trump are involved in the project speaks for itself. And in a second Trump term, there would likely be no McMasters to tell Trump what he doesnt want to hear; in fact, thats kind of the whole point of Project 2025, which would replace as many as 50,000 workers in the federal government with Trump loyalists.

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In our increasingly urgent quest to clean up our climate-altering, carbon-fueled culture, biodiesel and renewable diesel have become two new darlings of alternative fuel advocates.

While diesel fuel may be diesel fuel, biodiesel and renewable diesel are not the same thing. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, both are produced from the same renewable feedstocks such as vegetable oils, animal fats or used cooking oil.

The key difference is that renewable diesel is produced using a hydrogen treatment which makes it chemically equivalent to petroleum diesel. That means renewable diesel can be blended at higher levels and transported using existing pipelines.

Production of U.S. biodiesel peaked at 1.8 billion gallons in 2018-19 while renewable diesel production  just 40 million gallons in 2010  passed 2.3 billion gallons in 2022-23.

That rapid rise also increased U.S. soybean oil use; 46% of all U.S. soybean oil in 2022-23 was used in the production of alternative diesel fuels. Also, imports of animal fats and vegetable oils  to use as feedstocks for renewable diesel production increased, notes the USDA.

Other U.S. trade operations were affected, too. As U.S. soybean crush expanded to produce more (soybean) oil, driven by high soybean oil prices fueling strong crush margins  U.S. soybean exports declined on expanding Brazilian supplies.

In addition to that surprising development, the United States became a net soybean oil importer for the first time in 2023.

Few market watchers saw either price-rattling change coming.

Likewise, few predicted that Californias adoption of its Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) in 2007 would create a flood of credits from renewable diesel and manure biomethane digesters. That flood means the Golden State now consumes more than half of the national (biodiesel) supply even though California consumes only 7 percent of the nations overall diesel fuel."

Its a modern example of the Law of Unintended Consequences: Californias highly incentivized alternative diesel program is so lucrative that it sucks up half the nations vegetable- and tallow-based diesel supply and, in the process, all but ensures other states air will become dirtier because very few other states have similar incentives to create renewable diesel markets.

Heres another unintended consequence: According to recent reporting by FERN, the Food & Environment Reporting Network, The United States imported near-record volumes of renewable diesel each of the first five months of this year  which were 29 percent higher than in the same period in 2023."

Moreover, The imports  came from one producer, Neste, and were shipped almost wholly to the West Coast.

In other words, Californias renewable diesel markets  and now Oregon's and Washingtons similar programs  are so subsidy lucrative that one company, Neste, based in Helsinki, Finland, is sending an average of 30,000 barrels of renewable diesel per day to the West Coast to meet the government-generated demand.

Also, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), ... the larger imports were probably driven by the expansion of Nestes plant in Singapore and increased storage capacity at a terminal in Los Angeles.

So Neste, a tightly held company where the Prime Ministers Office in Finland own(s) 35.91% of the shares, has sent an average of 3 million gallons of renewable diesel fuel 7,600 miles from Singapore to Los Angeles every day for nearly half of 2024.

Additionally, according to Finnish press reports, Neste consumes 1-2% of the worlds palm oil production in its alternative fuels program.

As such, if any aspect of the California alternative diesel game is green, its likely due to the U.S. dollars underwriting it, not any environmental benefits generated by it.

Most valuable crops grown in Nebraska Most valuable crops grown in Nebraska #9. Oats #8. Sunflower #7. Millet #6. Sorghum #5. Potatoes #4. Wheat #3. Hay & haylage #2. Soybeans #1. Corn
Georgia lands federal funds to get the lead out of school water

Georgia will receive $1.15 million in federal funds to help schools and child-care centers reduce lead in drinking water.

The Georgia funding is part of a $26 million allocation nationwide by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which will be used by 55 states and territories and the District of Columbia.

The science is clear: There is no safe level of exposure to lead, said Bruno Pigott, the EPAs acting assistant administrator for water. This $26 million will help protect our children from the harmful impacts of lead.

The EPA also is investing $15 billion to remove lead pipes and is helping local communities develop and put in place lead pipe replacement projects.

While children are especially susceptible to harm from lead, most states havent done enough to safeguard their schools water, according to an analysis by the Environment Georgia Research & Policy Center.

For far too long, testing has been the main approach to lead in water, said Jennette Gayer, the centers director. Yet, lead concentrations in water are so highly variable that even taps where no lead is detected can be highly hazardous.

It is crucial that Georgia officials use that (EPA) funding on actions that will actually get the lead out - such as installing filters and replacing old fountains with new water stations at school.
Police arrect a man after turning himself in on the street and claims to be the perpetrator of the knife attack at the Solingen town festival. Several people were killed and injured in a knife attack on Friday evening at the city festival celebrating the 650th birthday of the city of Solingen. Christoph Reichwein/dpa

Germany's highest prosecuting authority, the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office, has taken over the investigation into the knife attack in the western town of Solingen that left three people dead.

A spokeswoman for the prosecutor's office told dpa that it was investigating a main suspect, who handed himself in, on suspicion of membership of the terrorist militia Islamic State. Islamic State previously said that one of its members carried out the stabbing.

German police detained what they described as a "real suspect" in connection with the knife attack in Solingen that left three people dead, North Rhine Westphalia's Interior Minister Herbert Reul told broadcaster ARD on Saturday night.

Police said the suspect had admitted responsibility for the attack, and was currently being questioned.

The attack took place on Friday evening at a market square in the city centre where a stage was set up for live music during the Festival of Diversity, which was being thrown to celebrate Solingen's 650th anniversary.

Those killed in the attack were two men, aged 67 and 56, and a 56-year-old woman. Eight other people were wounded, four of them seriously, according to local police chief Thorsten Fleiss. The attacker apparently chose his victims at random but appeared to target their necks, Fleiss said.

Police arrect a man after turning himself in on the street and claims to be the perpetrator of the knife attack at the Solingen town festival. Several people were killed and injured in a knife attack on Friday evening at the city festival celebrating the 650th birthday of the city of Solingen. Christoph Reichwein/dpa

Police officers stand at a cordon in the city center in the early morning following a knife attack at the Solingen town festival. Several people were killed and injured in a knife attack on Friday evening at the city festival celebrating the 650th birthday of the city of Solingen. Thomas Banneyer/dpa

Police emergency vehicles stand at a cordon in the city center in the early morning following a knife attack at the Solingen town festival. Several people were killed and injured in a knife attack on Friday evening at the city festival celebrating the 650th birthday of the city of Solingen. Thomas Banneyer/dpa

People lay flowers and candles near the scene of a knife attack at the Solingen town festival. Several people were killed and injured in a knife attack on Friday evening at the city festival celebrating the 650th birthday of the city of Solingen. Thomas Banneyer/dpa

Emergency chaplains stand at a cordon in the city center in the early morning following a knife attack at the Solingen town festival. Several people were killed and injured in a knife attack on Friday evening at the city festival celebrating the 650th birthday of the city of Solingen. Thomas Banneyer/dpa

People lay flowers and candles near the scene of a knife attack at the Solingen town festival. Several people were killed and injured in a knife attack on Friday evening at the city festival celebrating the 650th birthday of the city of Solingen. Thomas Banneyer/dpa
The alleged perpetrator of the knife attack in Solingen is taken by a helicopter after being brought before the investigating judge at the Federal Court of Justice (BGH). Several people were killed and injured in a knife attack on Friday evening at the city festival celebrating the 650th birthday of the city of Solingen. Uli Deck/dpa

The suspect in the Solingen knife attack that left three people dead has been remanded in custody on the orders of an investigating judge.

After being flown by helicopter to Germany's Federal Court of Justice (BGH) in Karlsruhe, a presiding judge issued a formal arrest warrant on suspicion of murder and membership of the Islamic State terrorist group, among other charges, the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office said.

The alleged perpetrator of the knife attack in Solingen is taken by a helicopter after being brought before the investigating judge at the Federal Court of Justice (BGH). Several people were killed and injured in a knife attack on Friday evening at the city festival celebrating the 650th birthday of the city of Solingen. Uli Deck/dpa
The suspect in the Germany attack was motivated by Islamic State group ideology, prosecutors say

The alleged perpetrator of the knife attack in Solingen is escorted from a helicopter in Karlsruhe, Germany, Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024. (Uli Deck/dpa via AP)

SOLINGEN, Germany (AP)  A Syrian man on Sunday was ordered held on suspicion of murder and membership in a terrorist organization in connection with the Solingen knife attack that left three dead and eight wounded at a festival marking the citys 650th anniversary.

A judge at the Federal Court of Justice in Karlsruhe ordered 26-year-old Issa Al H. held pending further investigation and a possible indictment after federal prosecutors said that he shared the radical ideology of the Islamic State extremist group  and was acting on those beliefs when he stabbed his victims repeatedly from behind in the head and upper body.

The ruling came after the suspect turned himself in, saying that he was responsible for the attack, police said. He is also suspected of attempted murder and serious bodily injury, prosecutors said. His last name wasn't released in line with German privacy rules.

The suspect, wearing handcuffs and leg shackles, was taken Sunday from the police station in Solingen for the initial court appearance.

He shares the ideology of the foreign terrorist organization Islamic State and on the basis of his radical Islamic convictions decided to kill the largest possible number of those he considers unbelievers at the festival, the Office of the Federal Prosecutor said in a statement.

The suspect is a Syrian citizen who had applied for asylum in Germany, police confirmed to The Associated Press. The dpa news agency reported, without citing a specific source, that his asylum claim had been denied and that he was to have been deported last year.

On Saturday, the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack, without providing evidence. IS said on its news site that the attacker targeted Christians, and that the perpetrator carried out the assaults Friday night to avenge Muslims in Palestine and everywhere.

The attack comes amid debate over immigration before regional elections on Sept. 1 in Germanys Saxony and Thuringia regions where anti-immigration parties such as the populist Alternative for Germany are expected to do well. In June, Chancellor Olaf Scholz vowed that the country would start deporting criminals from Afghanistan and Syria again after a knife attack by an Afghan immigrant left one police officer dead and four other people injured.

Friday's attack plunged the city of Solingen into shock and grief. A city of about 160,000 residents near the bigger cities of Cologne and Duesseldorf, Solingen was holding a Festival of Diversity to celebrate its anniversary.

People alerted police shortly after 9:30 p.m. local time Friday that a man had assaulted several people with a knife on the citys central square, the Fronhof. The three people killed were two men, ages 56 and 67, and a 56-year-old woman, authorities said. Police said that the attacker appeared to have deliberately aimed for his victims throats.

The festival, which was due to have run through Sunday, was canceled as police looked for clues in the cordoned-off square. Instead, residents gathered to mourn the dead and injured, placing flowers and notes near the scene of the attack.

Warum?  meaning why  asked one sign placed amid candles and teddy bears.

Among those asking themselves the question was 62-year-old Cord Boetther, a merchant fron Solingen.

Why does something like this have to happen? Its incomprehensible and it hurts, Boetther said.

IS declared its caliphate in large parts of Iraq and Syria about a decade ago, but now holds no control over any land and has lost many prominent leaders. The group is mostly out of global news headlines.

Still, it continues to recruit members and claim responsibility for deadly attacks around the world, including lethal operations in Iran and Russia earlier this year that killed dozens of people. Its sleeper cells in Syria and Iraq still carry out attacks on government forces in both countries as well as U.S.-backed Syrian fighters.



David McHugh contributed from Frankfurt.
Special police forces carry out an operation at a refugee shelter which, according to the police, is connected to the knife attack at the Solingen city festival. An attack at the 650th anniversary celebrations of the city of Solingen has resulted in fatalities and injuries. Christoph Reichwein/dpa

German police have detained a "real suspect" in connection with the knife attack in Solingen that left three people dead, North Rhine Westphalia's Interior Minister Herbert Reul told broadcaster ARD on Saturday night.

Reul said the suspect was currently being questioned. A spokesman for the state Interior Ministry confirmed that the man had turned himself in.

Reul said that the detention of the suspect was the result of following a lead. He said he was "a little relieved," emphasizing that there was more than just a suspicion against the man as there were also "pieces of evidence."

"The person we were really looking for all day is now in custody," he said, adding that it was too early to say whether the arrest was ultimately a success.

According to the Spiegel magazine, the suspect is a 26-year-old man who came to Germany at the end of December 2022 and applied for asylum.

The security authorities were not previously aware of him as an Islamist extremist.

The so-called Islamic State (IS) terror group issued a statement earlier on Saturday claiming to have been behind the attack and that the culprit was a member of the group.

IS claimed that the attack was "revenge for Muslims in Palestine and elsewhere," according to a statement on the group's mouthpiece Amak.

German police said they were still reviewing the claim and had not yet determined if it was credible. Investigators noted that IS has previously made claims of involvement after other attacks without any reliable evidence of real involvement.

The attack took place on Friday evening at a market square in the city centre where a stage was set up for live music during the Festival of Diversity, which was being thrown to celebrate Solingen's 650th anniversary.

Those killed in the attack were two men, aged 67 and 56, and a 56-year-old woman.

Eight people were wounded, four of them seriously, according to local police chief Thorsten Fleiss. The attacker apparently chose his victims at random but appeared to target their necks, Fleiss said.

Earlier on Saturday, senior public prosecutor Markus Caspers said terrorism could not be ruled out as a motive but that authorities are still trying to piece together what happened.

The mayor of Solingen, Tim Kurzbach, said on Saturday evening that "the pain is infinitely large" in the city following the attack. He spoke just before a prayer service in the city centre that drew hundreds to mourn those killed and pray for the community.

"We in Solingen are deeply affected, our city is full of grief. But not being alone in this grief is a good sign," said Kurzbach.

In addition to the emergency services, he also wanted to thank many people from all over Germany and from abroad for their expressions of sympathy. He said he received condolences from all over the world.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz called the attack a "terrible crime" and urged that the perpetrator be severely punished. He also pledged assistance to the city.

Special police forces carry out an operation at a refugee shelter which, according to the police, is connected to the knife attack at the Solingen city festival. An attack at the 650th anniversary celebrations of the city of Solingen has resulted in fatalities and injuries. Christoph Reichwein/dpa

Special police forces carry out an operation at a refugee shelter which, according to the police, is connected to the knife attack at the Solingen city festival. An attack at the 650th anniversary celebrations of the city of Solingen has resulted in fatalities and injuries. Christoph Reichwein/dpa
A man looks at flowers laid near the scene of a knife attack at the Solingen town festival. Several people were killed and injured in a knife attack on Friday evening at the city festival celebrating the 650th birthday of the city of Solingen. Thomas Banneyer/dpa

German federal prosecutors have taken over the investigation into a knife attack in the western city of Solingen that left three people dead and others severely wounded, as they probe a possible Islamist motive.

Police said on Saturday night that a suspect had handed himself in and admitted responsibility for the attack.

A spokeswoman for the prosecutor's office told dpa on Sunday that it was investigating the suspect on suspicion of membership of the terrorist militia Islamic State.

Islamic State previously said that one of its members carried out the stabbings.

Police in Dusseldorf said on Sunday morning that the suspect is a 26-year-old Syrian. He was wearing blood-stained clothing when he handed himself in, dpa was told by a source in the police.

According to the Spiegel magazine, the suspect came to Germany at the end of December 2022 and applied for asylum.

Police check credibility of Islamic State claim

The security authorities were not previously aware of him as an Islamist extremist.

Islamic State claimed that the attack was "revenge for Muslims in Palestine and elsewhere," according to a statement on the group's mouthpiece Amak.

German police said they were still reviewing the claim of an Islamist link and had not yet determined if it was credible.

Investigators noted that Islamic State has previously made claims of involvement after other attacks without any reliable evidence of any real involvement.

The attack took place on Friday evening at a market square in the city centre where a stage was set up for live music during the Festival of Diversity, which was being thrown to celebrate Solingen's 650th anniversary.

Those killed in the attack were two men, aged 67 and 56, and a 56-year-old woman.

Eight people were wounded, four of them seriously, according to local police chief Thorsten Fleiss. The attacker apparently chose his victims at random but appeared to target their necks, Fleiss said.

On Saturday, senior public prosecutor Markus Caspers said terrorism could not be ruled out as a motive but that authorities are still trying to piece together what happened.

Mourning in city church

The crime scene in the city centre remained cordoned off on Sunday morning and several police cars were still on the scene.

The mayor of Solingen, Tim Kurzbach, said on Saturday evening that "the pain is infinitely large" in the city following the attack.

"We in Solingen are deeply affected, our city is full of grief. But not being alone in this grief is a good sign," said Kurzbach.

In addition to the emergency services, he also wanted to thank many people from all over Germany and from abroad for their expressions of sympathy. He said he received condolences from all over the world.

Hundreds of people gathered in a church within sight of the crime scene for a memorial service on Sunday morning.

The crowds were large - volunteers pushed additional chairs into the church at times. "At such times, we feel our helplessness and our powerlessness," said the pastor, Friederike Horoldt.

The service had been intended to help mark the 650th anniversary, but "now everything is different," Horoldt.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz called the attack a "terrible crime" and urged that the perpetrator be severely punished. He also pledged assistance to the city.

Police officers stand at a cordon in the city center in the early morning following a knife attack at the Solingen town festival. Several people were killed and injured in a knife attack on Friday evening at the city festival celebrating the 650th birthday of the city of Solingen. Thomas Banneyer/dpa

Police emergency vehicles stand at a cordon in the city center in the early morning following a knife attack at the Solingen town festival. Several people were killed and injured in a knife attack on Friday evening at the city festival celebrating the 650th birthday of the city of Solingen. Thomas Banneyer/dpa

People lay flowers and candles near the scene of a knife attack at the Solingen town festival. Several people were killed and injured in a knife attack on Friday evening at the city festival celebrating the 650th birthday of the city of Solingen. Thomas Banneyer/dpa
What goes into a disaster kit and go-bag? Heres a checklist for wildfires, hurricanes and other storms

When disasters hit, they can mean days to weeks without power, and sometimes they allow just enough time to grab a bag of supplies and go. Now is the time to prepare, well before the disaster is on your doorstep.

I study ways to improve disaster communications. Heres what you need to think about.

Know your areas disaster risk

While some hazards, like windstorms, happen in every region, certain disasters are more common in specific geographic areas. Its important to know your risks.

The American Red Cross has a tool for determining common disasters in your area, like hurricanes along the Gulf and Atlantic Coasts from June through November, and wildfire season in the West, that seems to last all year now but worsens as winds pick up in late summer and fall. Each hazard requires different preparation steps.

States with the most disasters that caused over US$1 billion dollars in damage, by disaster type. Climate.gov

Figuring out the specific threats to your own home requires more work. Homeowners are often unaware of just how susceptible their property may be to flooding.

To figure out your basic risk, start with Federal Emergency Management Agency flood maps, but be aware that new construction can change how water flows and that flood risks are rising as the planet warms, particularly along the coasts but also from more extreme downpours. State and local emergency management departments websites may also have tools for reviewing localized hazard resources.

How to make an emergency supply kit

When a disaster strikes, you may have to get by without power, safe running water or help for several days. An important safety measure is to have emergency supplies on hand and in a safe place where you can easily get to them.

A disaster supply kit contains basic items that your household may need. Ready.gov, the U.S. governments disaster preparedness website, suggests packing the following items:

Water: one gallon per person per day for several days.

Food: at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food, such as canned meats and fruits.

A battery-powered or hand-crank radio.

A flashlight.

A first-aid kit.

Plastic sheeting and duct tape that can help provide protection.

Also: extra batteries, a whistle, dust masks, moist towelettes, basic personal hygiene items, blankets, extra clothing, garbage bags, a wrench or pliers, a manual can opener, local maps and a cell phone with chargers.

Some important additions

In addition to the items suggested by Ready.gov, there are other considerations that are useful when creating a supply kit.

For example, gather prescription medications and have an up-to-date list of the medications everyone in the household uses. This can be especially important for older adults and people on a life-sustaining medical treatment. With the pandemic ongoing, include extra face masks  you might spend time in a public disaster shelter.

Go-bags and disaster kits should cover the needs of pets, too. John Leyba/The Denver Post via Getty Images

Pet owners may also want to consider creating a separate disaster supply kit for their animals. These supplies include veterinary records, pet food and a can opener, food and water bowls and medications.

Battery packs and portable USB power chargers are useful additions for a disaster supply kit when the power goes out. When Hurricane Harvey flooded in Houston in 2017, people used their smartphones to post pleas for help on social media. Phone batteries can run down quickly, though, so be prepared. And make sure the portable charger is charged and ready to go.

Warnings and news reports dont always reflect the risks at the edges of a storm or other threats, so be prepared even if you dont appear to be in the center of the forecast storm track or expected direction of the wildfire.

Grab and go

Several types of disasters may require evacuating your home, and you may only have a few minutes to prepare. Having emergency supplies ready to go is important if you need to leave right away.

These bags are different from household disaster supply kits because you might need to carry the bag on foot.

Typically, you would include food and water, a small battery-powered or hand-crank radio, a flashlight, extra batteries, a small first-aid kit, copies of crucial documents, local maps and a phone charger and battery pack.

Communication plans matter

Before a disaster forces you to move fast, make a plan for where you could go. Find destinations in several different directions in case one of the routes is blocked, and make sure everyone in your household and your emergency contacts know the plan.

Households should have conversations about disasters, including discussing their evacuation plan, who to contact, where to meet if separated, and where the emergency supply kit is stored.

September is National Preparedness Month, but the risks continue year-round. Winter storms that can knock the power out just round the corner. Talking about disasters before they strike and planning ahead can make the process go more smoothly amid the chaos when a disaster arrives.

Read more: Why social media apps should be in your disaster kit

This article was updated Sept. 27, 2021, with maps of the most common disasters by state.

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: Brett Robertson, University of South Carolina

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Brett Robertson 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.
Paul deLespinasse

The basic conflict between governmental complexity and democracy first came to my attention in 1976, when I participated in a summer seminar on democracy conducted by Professor Alfred G. Meyer (1920-1998) at the University of Michigan.

Al Meyer had good reasons to be in favor of democracy and the rule of law, having escaped from Nazi Germany at age 17. His parents died in Hitler's holocaust.

When the Ann Arbor Symphony later performed Dmitri Shostakovich's Thirteenth Symphony, Al sang in the men's choir required by that piece. The symphony memorialized thousands of Jewsmurdered during two days in the Babi Yar ravine near Kiev in 1941. Knowing Al's history, I could only imagine the emotions he must have felt during that performance. .

Al's seminar greatly enhanced my understanding of democracy's benefits and limitations. Many of the limitations turned out to result from the complexity of modern government and the specialization that underlies the productivity of modern societies.

My seminar paper exploring the relationship between complexity, specialization, and democracy developed themes later incorporated in my 1981 college textbook,Thinking About Politics: American Government in Associational Perspective..

The seminar also allowed me to polish up concepts I had been developing since my 1970-1971 sabbatical at the Harvard Law School and recently summarized in a "periodic table" of human associations.

An important implication of this periodic table is that laws---rules of action enforceable by sanctions---must be truly general, applying to the actions of all people. Sanction-enforced rules only applying to some people are in a separate location in the periodic table, and I call them pseudolaws.

"Black people must ride in the back of the bus" is an example of a pseudolaw. Hitler's efforts to exterminate all Jews was another example.

Constitutionalism can be defined as the rule of law (meaning no pseudolaws) plus democracy. It turns out that excess complexity in government is incompatible both with the rule of law, and with democracy.

Complex legislation is probably not general. The more complex the rules, the more they can apply different requirements to different people. A general rule can and must apply to everybody, but if separate rules pertain to whites and blacks, Jews and non-Jews, men and women, rich and poor, old and young, a great proliferation of pseudolaws is inevitable.

Due process of law requires that notice be given to people of their legal rights and duties. If these legal rights and duties are too complicated for the average person to understand, it is impossible to give people due notice of what is required of them.

Finally, when government and its operations are highly complicated, opportunities for official corruption multiply. Official activities that would be obviously wrong if legislation were simple become obscure or even invisible in the din and confusion.

American taxes are a major example of complexity run wild.

The incompatibility of excess governmental complexity with democracy is obvious. It is impossible for voters to evaluate alternatives and vote in their own interests when they cannot understand what is going on.

Complexity in government must therefore be minimized if democratic control is to be maximized.

Specialization is often an effective way for people to cope with complexity. Experts can concentrate on dealing with a very limited part of the complexity of modern life. Most people who work for government are therefore specialists.

Ultimate power in a democracy rests with the electorate Unfortunately, the electorate cannot be made up of political specialists. Whenever "dilettantes" (voters) confront specialists (the governmental apparatus), as generalists voters will be at a major disadvantage.

The ultimate strategy for electorates seeking effective control over government must therefore be twofold: 1. constant pressure on leaders to simplify government ; and 2. encouragement of broad liberal education, maximizing the average sophistication of voters.

Voters should regard proposals that would increase governmental complexity---no matter how plausible or noble-sounding the reasons---with utmost suspicion.

 Paul F. deLespinasse is professor emeritus of political science and computer science at Adrian College. He can be reached at pdeles@proaxis.com

This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Governmental complexity undermines democracy and the rule of law
Holy words and hymns in English and Dinka filled a Papillion church recently as a former Lost Boy from South Sudan became Nebraskas newest Episcopal priest.

The Rev. Joseph Alaak was ordained at St. Marthas Episcopal Church in a ceremony on Aug. 17 that reflected the 45-year-olds background as both a former refugee from South Sudans Dinka community and a resident of the Omaha area for over 20 years.

Youre living with two identities, Alaak said of his background as both South Sudanese and American.

Alaak is believed to be the first South Sudanese priest ordained by the Episcopal Church of Nebraska.

Bishop J. Scott Barker, who presided over the ceremony, said he performs two to six ordinations per year, but doesnt often come across a story quite like Alaaks.

Hes certainly traveled a long way to be here, Barker said.

Alaak, who came to Omaha in 2001, was part of the so called Lost Boys of Sudan, a group of nearly 4,000 children who came to the United States after being displaced by the Sudanese civil war.

Alaak grew up Episcopalian and said finding the local church community helped Omaha feel more like home for him.

Once he got involved, Alaak worked to create a place in the church for other South Sudanese refugees in Omaha to pray and worship in their native Dinka language.

We were delighted to be able to gather together and to pray in our own language, he said. Coming to church became a gathering spot, he said.

Alaak continued to build that community and decided in 2018 to take the next step and go to seminary school.

He was not the first person in his family to become a priest. After his mothers death about a decade ago, Alaak said he and his younger sister both became motivated to find meaning in life and did so through the church. His sister is now a priest in South Sudan.

I found the church as a saving place, he said.

After finishing school, Alaak became a deacon and was assigned to St. Marthas, where he began working under the churchs rector, the Rev. Emily Schnabl.

Schnabl said shes appreciated getting to learn about the Dinka culture through working with Alaak.

He comes from a different cultural tradition and so that keeps me thinking in fresh ways, she said.

Schabl said she thinks Alaak will make a good priest because hes forward thinking, caring and works well with children.

I do believe that people who have a foot in each world, as he described, actually make excellent priests, because you dont take anything for granted, she said. You had to learn this whole other culture, and I think it makes you more empathetic. I think it makes you aware of pressures and circumstances that people go through.

Under Alaaks lead, St. Marthas has grown to offer church services in Dinka, Dinka language classes and support for refugee families.

Alaak said the church is a convenient location for many South Sudanese families who live in Papillion, Bellevue and Ralston.

St. Marthas is a very generous community and we fit in this place, he said.

Both the English-speaking and Dinka communities have a lot to offer each other, Alaak said.

I hope in the near future, the area of Papillion and the area of St. Marthas will see a lot of diversity in learning what the Dinka community can bring here, and what they can bring to the Dinka community in this area, he said.

Photos: Ordination of Rev. Joseph Pageer Alaak
Its great TCU is expanding. But do something about that dangerous traffic on campus | Opinion

Think about safety first

Its great that TCU has so many expansion plans for its campus. (Aug. 20, 1A, TCU releases extensive details of expansion plans on campus)

However, any construction projects should include overpasses on University and Stadium drives, both as a safety feature for the universitys students and as a convenience for drivers passing through.

With the way the streets are configured , it is beyond frustrating to navigate that area by car.

- Darlene Tutjer, Fort Worth

Council members wrong to be MIA

As a retired law enforcement officer, I want to know why Fort Worth City Council members Elizabeth Beck, Chris Nettles and Jared Williams couldnt show up to 30-year veteran police Sgt. Billy Randolphs funeral. (Aug. 20, 1A, Fort Worth police leader calls out council over funeral)

Their absences reflect poorly on their commitment to honoring those who serve their community. They are supposed to be city leaders, but when an officer is killed in the line of duty, they cant take the time to attend his funeral?

- Charles Clark, Bedford

How can a felon campaign?

If a convicted felon in Texas cant vote until his or her case is fully discharged, why can a convicted felon can campaign for a public office? It seems like an injustice to allow a felon to campaign for an elected public office when that person couldnt vote for himself.

- Mark Hall, Garland

Youth advocates voices silenced

I am disappointed in the Tarrant County juvenile board. At its meeting Wednesday, public comment abruptly ended when a quorum was no longer present because several board members left early. (Aug. 11, 4C, Tarrant juvenile justice board missteps on contract)

Youth Advocate Programs, with a 30-year presence here, is an initiative that has built deep relationships with families, graduate-mentors and local employers to divert troubled young people into community-based alternatives to jail. Minutes of the last meeting show no discussion of its work, but verbiage on a national website prompted the board to end the relationship.

A speaker was presenting data on the organizations work Wednesday when she was stopped and the board chairman adjourned the meeting.

It is distressing that judges on the board are paying so little concern to due process, due diligence and the voices of the community.

- Julie Griffin, Fort Worth

Dickies Arena did everything right

Whoever came up with the idea to build Dickies Arena was a genius. I dont know of a better venue in Texas. We were there Aug. 15 to see Santana. We drove 150 miles one way.

The arena is hands down 100 times better than Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Parking was a breeze. The staff was great and friendly. My hat is off to Fort Worth police officer Jow, who was helpful and polite inside the arena.

- Joe Cooksey, Brownwood

Constitutional duty to help

I was so pleased to read Commissioner Roy Brooks quote in the Aug. 16 Star-Telegram: In the preamble to the U.S. Constitution, one of the responsibilities of government is to promote the general welfare. (1A, Tarrant County gives preliminary approval to tax cut)

Finally, a rational voice in Tarrant County government has spoken. Its unlikely his hard-right colleagues understand the difference between promoting and providing welfare. Kudos to Brooks for speaking the truth and demonstrating he understands the purpose of a representative government.

- Glenn Celerier, Arlington
Even the most purblind politicians and commentators prepared to blame Israel for all ills in the Middle East must now concede that the greatest threat to peace in the region is Iran and its proxies. The barrage of missiles fired by Hezbollah from bases in southern Lebanon is the latest in a succession of outrages that reached its apogee with the Oct 7 massacres and kidnappings by Hamas, another Iran-backed group.

Those who take a one dimensional view of the regions troubles may be unaware that Tehran over the years has been providing Hezbollah with thousands of rockets over the years hidden in villages and houses just a few miles from the Israel-Lebanon border.

Since Israel invaded Gaza in response to the Oct 7 attacks, the Lebanese-based militias have fired scores of missiles into Israel. This recent barrage, however, was the biggest so far and is by way of retaliation for the assassinations of terrorist leaders, one in Tehran itself, another in Beirut.

Iran had been threatening a serious reaction but chose to use its clients in Lebanon rather than fire missiles from its own soil, as happened earlier in the year. Tehran provides specious justification by saying it will hold off a direct attack in order not to jeopardise the Gaza ceasefire talks in Cairo, the condition being Israels agreement to the terms.

This is effectively blackmail and yet the regime seems to think it can bomb Israel with impunity provided nothing is fired directly from inside Iran, thereby inviting a return strike.

Israeli military intelligence had been expecting this attack and was able to order pre-emptive air strikes against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon. Yet neither these nor the Iron Dome defence system prevented some damage. This appears to be light though official controls on reporting have made the extent hard to corroborate.

Critics of Israel have called for a proportionate response to avoid inflaming tensions in the Middle East. But it is not they who are responsible. The presence on their borders of heavily armed militias intent on destroying the Jewish state is a reality they have had to live with for decades.

Pat McFadden, the Cabinet Office minister, said the UK government was very concerned about the Israeli airstrikes and called for restraint to avoid a major regional war in the Middle East. He called this possibility a real danger. He is right but these words need to be directed at the real menace: the mullahs in Tehran.

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Seattle Police are looking for two men wearing coveralls who crashed a car into the front door of a business, attempted to steal a safe, and caused thousands of dollars in property damage in the Green Lake neighborhood of Seattle.

On Thursday, Seattle Police responded to a smash-and-grab burglary in the 400 block of Northeast 71st Street in Green Lake.

Police said the suspects were two men who were wearing coveralls and masks.

They smashed through the glass door and tried to rip out a safe with a chain but were not successful.

While trying to rip the safe out, they also took the security gate off the building and damaged the front walls of the business.

Without the safe, the suspects fled in two cars before police arrived.

One car crashed into fourteen other cars and caused thousands of dollars worth of damage, police said.

Detectives with the General Investigations Unit have been assigned to the case and are asking anyone with information to call 911 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.








Gwinnett County is welcoming a new facility to the area that will serve as a hub for the countys human services.

The Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners voted on Tuesday to begin construction on OneStop Gwinnett.

The facility will offer vital community resources, including veteran and family services, workforce development programs, community and partner spaces for classes and training, and house the command center for the countys community navigator team.

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OneStop Gwinnett is also partnering with View Point Health to address the countys growing mental and behavioral health services needs.

The 78,800-square-foot, three-story facility will feature a 30-bed inpatient stabilization unit and a 23-hour temporary observation day center to accommodate up to 15 people.

Gwinnett County Chairwoman Nicole Love Hendrickson said she expects the facility to have a significant impact on the community.

Our communitys well-being is our top priority. Because of this historic investment, our new health and human services center will house a state-of-the-art crisis stabilization unit and represents a significant step forward in our commitment to providing comprehensive and accessible mental and behavioral health services to all our residents, said Hendrickson. As the first facility of its kind in Gwinnett, the center will serve as a vital resource for individuals in crisis, providing immediate, compassionate care in a safe and supportive environment.

Retired Army Lt. Colonel and District 3 Commissioner Jasper Watkins III serves on the View Point Health Board and said that the facility shows a dedication to meeting the residents needs in mental health.

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By bringing these services together in one location, we are enhancing access and creating a stronger, more connected community, Watkins said. This facility is a testament to our dedication to meeting the needs of Gwinnetts residents, particularly in mental health and human services. Additionally, the focus on serving veterans at this location emphasizes our commitment to those who have served our country.

View Point Health CEO Jennifer Hibbard said the organization is grateful to offer services in Gwinnett.

View Point Health is grateful for the opportunity to locate services in the Gwinnett County OneStop in Lawrenceville, Hibbard said. This will be the first-ever behavioral health crisis center with 24/7 access to care in Gwinnett County as well as an outpatient clinic and administrative offices.

The board of commissioners awarded a contract for $35 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds to Reeves Young, LLC for the construction of the facility.

The facility is the only one in the Tri-County area including Gwinnett, Newton and Rockdale, and will be located on Grayson Highway in Lawrenceville, the same site as the new Gwinnett County Records Management and Storage Facility.

Construction is set to begin in January 2025.

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IN OTHER NEWS:
An image provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows Tropical Storm Hone as it continues to track to the west toward the Hawaiian Islands, Saturday, Aug. 24, 2024 (AP)

Hawaii is bracing itself for wind gusts of over 85mph after Tropical Storm Hone was upgraded to a hurricane.

On Sunday Hawaiis branch of the National Weather Service (NWS) announced the upgrade, warning of strong wind speeds and continued risk of flash flooding.

Hurricane Hone is passing south of Big Island through early Sunday morning, the forecaster posted online. Hones main threats to the state continue to be the potential for heavy rainfall leading to flooding, damaging winds and large surf along east-facing shores.

Governor Josh Green declared a state of emergency Saturday that was expected to be in effect through Monday. The proclamation allows the governor to activate the National Guard and a state disaster fund while suspending aspects of state law that could hinder a rapid response.

Winds of between 50 and 75mph are expected, with some gusts reaching up to 86mph.

However, an update from the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said despite such high winds, the hurricane would weaken gradually from Sunday afternoon onwards.

Tropical storm conditions will continue on the Big Island through the morning hours on Monday and winds are expected to be strongest on higher terrain, over headlands, and through passes, the center said.

Hurricane Hone is expected to produce storm total rainfall of 6 to 12 inches over parts of the Big Island, with locally higher amounts possible. Rainfall totals of 2 to 4 inches will be possible over portions of the smaller islands.

Hurricane Warning in Effect



Tropical Storm Hone upgraded to Hurricane



Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 15 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 125 miles.



Winds 50-75mph with gusts up to 86 mph



Seas 15-25 ft pic.twitter.com/CJsOuZV2jI  NWSHonolulu (@NWSHonolulu) August 25, 2024

As the rain gets pushed up the mountain terrain it wrings it out, kind of like wringing out a wet towel, Jon Jelsema, a senior forecaster at the Central Pacific Hurricane Center in Honolulu, said on Sunday. Its been really soaking those areas, theres been flooding of roads.

Roads have been cut off by high flood waters there in the windward sections of the big island, and really thats the only portion of the state thats had much flooding concern at this point.

Some Big Island beach parks were closed due to dangerously high surf and officials opened shelters as a precaution, Big Island Mayor Mitch Roth said.

A tropical storm remains in effect for Hawaii County, and swells could cause life-threatening surf and rip currents across the island chain on Saturday, NHC said.

"Rapidly rising" wave heights of 14 to 18 feet were forecast for Saturday along the east-facing coastline of the Big Island, where waves could remain dangerously "large and disorganized" through Sunday, the National Weather Service said in a coastal hazard message.

The east-facing shores of Maui could also see a rapid increase in wave heights, the weather service added. "Stay away from the shoreline along the affected coasts," a warning read.

The hazardous conditions evoke memories of the deadly blazes on Maui, which occurred just over one year ago on August 8 2023. The wildfires were fueled by hurricane-force winds.

They gotta take this thing serious, said Calvin Endo, a Waianae Coast neighborhood board member who lives in Makaha, a leeward Oahu neighborhood prone to wildfires.

The blaze that torched the historic town of Lahaina was the deadliest US wildfire in more than a century, with 102 dead. Dry, overgrown grasses and drought helped spread the fire.
After a head injury as a baby, Benjamin Dowling died more than three decades later. His former babysitter just pleaded guilty in his death

A former babysitter in Florida has been sentenced to three years in prison after pleading guilty in connection with the death of a man she was accused of disabling when he was a baby in her care 40 years ago.

After long denying she hurt Benjamin Dowling, 62-year-old Terry McKirchy admitted she injured Dowling and pleaded guilty to manslaughter in a Broward County courtroom Wednesday. A judge sentenced her to three years in prison, followed by 10 years of felony probation.

Dowling was five months old when doctors told his family he was shaken so badly that nerves were severed, leaving him with severe brain damage.

McKirchy pleaded no contest to attempted first degree murder and aggravated battery on a child in 1985. She was sentenced to weekends in jail for 60 days and three years of probation.

Dowling spent his entire life severely disabled before he died at age 35 on September 16, 2019.

In 2021, prosecutors charged McKirchy with first-degree murder, citing a medical examiners report that found Dowlin gs death was a direct result of the injuries he sustained in 1984. McKirchy was facing life in prison before pleading guilty Wednesday to the lesser manslaughter charge as part of a deal with prosecutors.

Benjamin Dowling. - Courtesy Dowling Family/Broward County State Attorneys Office

A mourning family demands accountability

Everyone who knew Benjamin Dowling was better for it, his mother, Rae Dowling, told the court Wednesday.

She described the way her sons family and community rallied around him to give him a life with as much opportunity and adventure possible, despite everything that he missed out on.

Benjamin never enjoyed a traditional school setting, never went to a homecoming dance, senior prom or graduation. He never drove a car, had a girlfriend, or got to play with his sister or brother, Dowling said. Benjamin was never able to say he loved his mother or father, or any member of his family.

Benjamin was profoundly disabled every minute of every day, all 35 years that he lived, because of what Terry McKirchy did to him while he was in her care on July 3, 1984, she continued.

The Dowlings were introduced to a 22-year-old McKirchy through a cousin of Benjamins father, Dowling said. They knew McKirchy was a mother with childcare experience, so they entrusted her with Benjamins care, she said.

Dowling read a passage from a journal she kept 40 years ago, describing the state in which she found her baby boy when she picked him up from Terrys house on that Tuesday in July.

Joe and Rae Dowling were in court when McKirchy pleaded guilty in his death. - Carline Jean/Pool/South Florida Sun Sentinel/AP

He was sitting in his car seat, whiter than a ghost, fists clenched, moaning and gazing into space. He didnt know who I was. I knew something was wrong, and I got out of there as soon as I could, Dowling read.

She took Benjamin to the hospital, where she learned he was very ill. The doctors, suspecting trauma, called police, she said.

For all intents and purposes, Benjamins short, 173-day, five-month and three-week life was over, she said.

As part of her plea agreement, McKirchy wrote a letter of apology to Benjamins parents. Her lawyer read that letter aloud in the courtroom Wednesday.

I recall being extremely overwhelmed and exhausted while looking after all the children in my home, and it was in this state, out of impulse and anger, that I struck Benjamin while he and other children were crying, the letter read.

Your lives, Benjamins life and well being were all harmed by me. For that I am truly sorry, the letter continued.

CNN reached out to a lawyer for McKirchy, who declined to comment.

Benjamin Dowling, age 34, with his mother, Rae Dowling. - Courtesy Dowling Family/Broward County State Attorneys Office

Shaken Baby Syndrome

Medical experts use the term shaken baby syndrome to refer to a type of abusive head trauma that can result from violent shaking or shaking and impacting a babys or small childs head, which can potentially result in death or permanent neurological disability, according to the National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome.

The group says about 80% of victims suffer lifelong disabilities and about 25% die from their injuries.

Babies less than a year old are most at risk of abusive head trauma, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nearly all victims experience long term health consequences, which can include vision problems, hearing loss, developmental delays and physical disabilities, the agency says.

Experts say that this type of abuse often happens when babies are crying inconsolably  as infants are prone to do  and a caregiver shakes them out of frustration or anger.

In recent years, a trend has emerged in defense of those who cause abusive head trauma, with witnesses telling courts that the science behind shaken baby syndrome has been debunked.

Some medical authorities have shifted to using the term abusive head trauma instead of shaken baby syndrome to acknowledge the abuse can be caused by actions other than shaking. While experts say the wording shift has been misinterpreted by some in legal and medical circles as doubt about the diagnosis, research published by the American Academy of Pediatrics shows this type of trauma is real and preventable.

The academy recommends pediatricians watch for the signs and symptoms of abusive head trauma and report suspected cases to authorities.

CNNs Sandee LaMotte contributed to this report.

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n ultrasound is performed to verify a pregnancy at the Hope Medical Group for Women in Shreveport, La. Helping a pregnant minor travel to get a legal abortion without parental consent is now a crime in two Republican-led states, and lawmakers in other states have considered similar legislation. (Gerald Herbert/The Associated Press)

This story originally appeared on Stateline. Read more Stateline coverage on how states are either protecting or curbing access to abortions.

Helping a pregnant minor travel to get a legal abortion without parental consent is now a crime in at least two Republican-led states, prompting legal action by abortion-rights advocates and copycat legislation from conservative lawmakers in a handful of other states.

Last year, Idaho became the first state to outlaw abortion trafficking, which it defined as recruiting, harboring or transporting a pregnant minor to get an abortion or abortion medication without parental permission. In May, Tennessee enacted a similar law. And Republican lawmakers in Alabama, Mississippi and Oklahoma introduced abortion trafficking bills during their most recent legislative sessions, although those bills failed to advance before the sessions ended.

Those five states are among the 14 that enacted strict abortion bans following the U.S. Supreme Courts June 2022 Dobbs decision, which dismantled the federal right to abortion. Now, conservative state lawmakers are pushing additional measures to try to restrict their residents from getting them in states where it remains legal.

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A lot of folks thought Dobbs was the floor and its really not, said Tennessee state Rep. Aftyn Behn, a Nashville Democrat whos challenging Tennessees trafficking law in court. [Anti-abortion lawmakers] are coming for state travel and the ability to even talk about abortion.

Abortion-rights advocates have filed lawsuits in Alabama, Idaho and Tennessee, arguing the laws are vague and violate constitutional rights to free speech and travel between states. A federal judge has temporarily blocked Idahos law from being enforced while the case is ongoing.

Proponents of the laws argue theyre needed to protect parental rights and to prevent other adults from persuading adolescents to get abortions.

This is a parental rights piece of legislation, Idaho Republican state Rep. Barbara Ehardt told Stateline. We cant control someone getting an abortion in Oregon. But you cannot take a child to get an abortion without the parents knowledge because, at least in the past, we would have called that kidnapping.

But critics warn that abortion trafficking laws could have grave implications not only for interstate travel, but also for personal speech and communication between friends, or between children and adults they trust.

If courts go down this road, it could change the scope of the First Amendment, Mary Ziegler, a legal historian and law professor at the University of California, Davis School of Law, told Stateline. It could have an effect on what else qualifies as crime-facilitating speech, and that could limit the kinds of things people can say and do online and in other contexts.

Opponents also question whether states should be permitted to interfere in the business of other states. Criminalizing travel within an abortion-ban state to reach another state for a legal abortion would allow prosecutors to project power across state lines, said Ziegler.

We havent seen states try to interfere in whats happening in other states in quite the same way in a long time, she said. Thats why there is legal uncertainty  because were not talking about something where we have a lot of legal precedent.

Parental rights

Tennessee state Rep. Jason Zachary, a Knoxville Republican, defended Tennessees legislation as a parental rights bill that reinforces a parents right to do whats best for their child, in remarks he made to the Tennessee General Assembly before the bill passed. Republican Gov. Bill Lee signed it into law in May.

The following month, Behn joined with Nashville attorney and longtime abortion access activist Rachel Welty to file a lawsuit challenging the new law.

Behn and Welty sued nearly a dozen district attorneys in Tennessee, alleging they ignored Weltys requests to define what behavior would be deemed illegal under the new law. The Tennessee law says that abortion trafficking occurs when an adult intentionally recruits, harbors, or transports a pregnant minor within the state to get an abortion or an abortion-inducing drug without parental consent, regardless of where the abortion is to be procured.

A hearing to determine whether the court will grant a temporary injunction blocking the Tennessee law, which is currently in effect, is scheduled for Aug. 30.

After Idaho passed its law in April 2023, two advocacy groups and an attorney who works with sexual assault victims sued the state attorney general. The plaintiffs claim Idahos law is vague and violates the First Amendment right to free speech, as well as the right to travel freely between states. The right to interstate travel isnt spelled out in the U.S. Constitution but its implied, legal experts say. The Idaho law directly applies to travel within the state, but it also notes that defendants are not immune from liability if the abortion provider or the abortion-inducing drug provider is located in another state.

Megan Kovacs, a board member with the Northwest Abortion Access Fund, which is a plaintiff in the case along with the Indigenous Idaho Alliance, said it is so clearly unconstitutional to disallow people from accessing health care from within or outside their state. Kovacs added that her group also wants to protect its volunteers from legal liability.

Neither the Idaho nor the Tennessee law exempts minors who become pregnant after being raped by a parent.

If that person had to go to a parent who didnt believe them or wanted to defend that family member who was the abuser, that only impedes healing even more, said Kovacs, who has spent a decade working with survivors of domestic and sexual violence.

Ehardt, who sponsored the Idaho bill, said any adult who is told by a child about an incident of incest should call authorities rather than helping the minor obtain an abortion without parental consent.

You have to call the police and they will be the ones to help protect the childs safety, she said.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals held a hearing in May in Seattle, and Kovacs said she expects to learn in the next few weeks whether the court will uphold the temporary injunction blocking Idahos law while the lawsuit rolls on.

In July 2023, a group of health care providers sued Alabama Republican Attorney General Steve Marshall and district attorneys, asking the court to prevent the state from prosecuting people who help Alabamians travel to get abortion care in states where its legal.

The providers filed the lawsuit in response to remarks that Marshall made on a radio show in 2022, when he suggested that some people who aid a pregnant person in planning or traveling to get an abortion in another state could be prosecuted under the states criminal conspiracy laws. A judge denied Marshalls motion to dismiss the lawsuit earlier this year, and the case is ongoing.

A coordinated effort

The Tennessee and Idaho laws mirror language in model legislation that was published in 2022 by the National Right to Life Committee, which bills itself as the nations oldest and largest grassroots pro-life organization.

With this model law, we [are] laying out a roadmap for the right-to-life movement so that, in a post-Roe society, we can protect many mothers and their children from the tragedy of abortion, said Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life Committee, in a June 2022 statement introducing the model anti-abortion law.

Anti-abortion-rights organizations, like other interest groups, have long coordinated strategies to promote their preferred legislation to state and federal lawmakers.

The Idaho and Tennessee laws focus specifically on minors, even though they comprise a small fraction of people who get abortions. Those under 19 accounted for 8.1% of abortions, and those under age 15 accounted for just 0.2% of abortions in 2021, the most recent year for which the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has published data.

Kovacs and Ziegler say the bills zero in on minors access to abortion because policies that regulate children and teens tend to be more politically acceptable than broader restrictions that affect adults. Such bills also tend to be more likely to survive legal challenges in court.

A chilling effect

Nobody in Tennessee or Idaho has yet been prosecuted under the abortion trafficking laws, but an Idaho woman and her son were charged with kidnapping last fall for allegedly taking the sons girlfriend, a minor, out of state to get an abortion.

One main goal of a law such as Tennessees, Behn believes, is to create a chilling effect so that average people are scared to help anyone who might need an abortion, for fear of breaking the law.

These bills create an environment of suspicion, fear and misinformation, said Behn. But I do think we will see more aggressive district attorneys start to prosecute these cases. [The law] widens the permission structure to start prosecuting people.

Laws criminalizing abortion travel and imposing other abortion restrictions may be designed to provoke a legal challenge, Ziegler said. With a 6-3 conservative majority, the U.S. Supreme Court might be inclined to support them.

Abortion-rights advocates argue that restrictive abortion laws end up harming even those people who live in states where abortion is still legal.

Oregon, for example, has some of the strongest abortion protection laws in the nation. And yet the strict abortion ban next door in Idaho has made it more difficult for Oregonians to access care, said Kovacs, who lives in Oregon.

These bills create an environment of suspicion, fear and misinformation. But I do think we will see more aggressive district attorneys start to prosecute these cases.

 Tennessee Democratic state Rep. Aftyn Behn

Before Idahos ban, many people in Eastern Oregon traveled to Idaho for abortion care, she said, because its clinics were closer than Oregons clinics, most of which are concentrated on the western side of the state. Last year, in response to increasing abortion restrictions in other states, Oregon passed a sweeping health care omnibus bill that strengthens protections for abortion providers and explicitly allows minors to seek abortions without parental consent. It was signed into law and took effect in January.

Ziegler said its not hard to imagine that if abortion trafficking laws are upheld in abortion-ban states, at some point prosecutors in those states could file charges against providers in safe states for providing abortion help, such as mailing abortion pills.

I think its not intended to just stop with the people who are in the ban states, Ziegler said.

Stateline is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Stateline maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Scott S. Greenberger for questions: info@stateline.org. Follow Stateline on Facebook and X.

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A recent Nebraska Supreme Court ruling that said the state couldnt be held liable for placing three foster children in an abusive home highlights flaws in the placement process, according to an attorney and the director of a child advocacy group.

The plaintiffs attorney, Diana Vogt, said she worries this immunity exception, which kept the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services from being held liable, could lead to more children being placed in abusive homes.

I believe that there has to be at least the prospect that you or your supervisors or the state could be responsible for something you do wrong to keep people from just completely disregarding any kind of rational behavior, Vogt said.

The case involved three siblings, who now are in their 20s and 30s, who were physically and sexually assaulted while in foster care from 1996 to 2004. In the lawsuit, the now-adult siblings alleged the state had been negligent in recommending and supervising their placement and in failing to remove them sooner when officials "knew or should have known" it was happening.

"The facts of this case are undeniably tragic," the Supreme Courts decision acknowledged.

Much of childrens history in the foster care system can be gathered from extensive court records. One of the siblings talked to the Journal Star about their experiences, but the Journal Star is not naming that person or their biological parents to protect them from further trauma.

The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services declined to make someone available for an interview for this story and did not respond to submitted questions  which they requested as a method for response  prior to the deadline for this story.

The civil lawsuit against the state, HHS, a caseworker and one of the foster parents, Miles Ruch Sr., was filed in 2015. The foster mother, Carol Ruch, died in 2006.

According to the district court order in the case, the foster mother was on the Nebraska Abuse and Neglect Central Registry in 1993 for a substantiated report of abusing a foster child, but it was determined to be a one-time incident and she completed the required steps to be expunged from the registry. She had been off the list for over a year prior to the children being placed with her.

Vogt said the state refused to provide contact information for a retired HHS worker who she believes would have supported her clients claims that the foster mother did not complete the requirements needed to be taken off the abuse registry.

The state really worked against us in ways that are unusual, Vogt said.

The foster children claimed HHS was negligent in placing and then failing to remove them from the home of Miles Ruch, who was arrested in 2004 for sexually and physically abusing the children and sentenced to 20 years in prison.

They also claimed HHS should have removed them from Carol Ruchs care after Miles Ruchs arrest and ultimately not returned them to the care of their biological father, who previously was declared unfit, and was arrested several months later for also sexually assaulting them.

What led to foster care

In 1995, the three siblings had been put into the care of HHS after their mother suffered serious injuries in a car crash and was placed permanently in assisted living. Their father was declared unfit due to alcoholism and lack of a stable job and home.

The car crash came one month after the mother was granted a protection order. She said in court records that her husband, the childrens father, had assaulted her and attempted to drive her and the kids off the road while drunk before violently punching the vehicles windshield.

Between 1975 and 1995, the father had racked up nine DUIs. He was also convicted of assaulting their mother in 1993 and had pleaded to a lesser charge after an assault against a half-sibling.

The court records indicate there was a complaint against the childrens mother for spanking one of the children and pulling the childs hair. The mother had also been diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

The siblings attorney Vogt said these facts should have been considered when placing the kids with the Ruches, who were family friends.

People kind of tend to hang out with people who are like them so I think that that should always be a consideration, she said.

The childrens biological mother had left her children in the Ruches care a few times and she had helped them get their foster care license a few years before they became her childrens foster parents.

Vogt said the state trusted the history of this relationship too strongly and it did not prove the placement would be safe for the kids.

(The mother) was in a situation where she probably would have left the kids with anybody and the fact that they knew each other or were acquainted somehow certainly does not relieve DHHS of its responsibility to make certain that it's a safe place, she said.

Prior to the three siblings being placed in the Ruch home, the foster mother  Carol Ruch  had been on the child abuse registry with a note for no small children to be placed in her home. The three siblings were all under the age of 5 at the time of the placement.

While court records indicate Carol Ruch was removed from the registry after completing necessary steps, Vogt said there is no evidence its true and she believes the woman was removed because the state needed a place for the children.

Two of the children were placed in the Ruch home in September 1995 and the youngest, who was less than 1 year old, was placed with them in June of the following year.

Carol and Miles Ruch emotionally and physically abused the children daily, and Miles Ruch sexually abused them, court records show.

The children reportedly told case workers, teachers and therapists about the abuse multiple times but often werent believed. The children alleged HHS didnt investigate their reports.

Vogt said foster children are supposed to be removed following the first substantiated record of abuse.

Despite Carol Ruch admitting she used physical violence as punishment, HHS workers did not remove the children, instead telling her it wasnt allowed. After one of the children ran away and reported the abuse, police took away Ruchs paddle.

Dawn Rockey, executive director of Court Appointed Special Advocates for Lancaster County, also known as CASA, said every report should be investigated. And she said teachers and counselors are usually the people who would know whats really going on since they see the kids a majority of the time.

If they repeatedly tell somebody and that person doesn't do anything to stop it, then why would you keep telling? Rockey said.

After being their foster parents for four years, the Ruches became the childrens guardians in 1999 and HHS oversight ended.

In August 2004, the children said they told Carol Ruch about Miles sexually abusing them. He turned himself in to the Falls City Police Department and confessed.

He admitted he would sexually abuse them nightly and would sometimes take them on weeklong truck routes for his work and sexually abuse them in the truck.

I can't underscore how awful the trauma is and how compounded the trauma is for those children to, number one, be in the system, be adopted, then no, they're not safe again, Rockey said.

Miles Ruch was charged with 10 felony counts of sexual assault of a child. Six counts were dropped in a plea deal. He was sentenced to 20 years and required to register as a sex offender when he was released after serving nine years in 2014.

Following Miles Ruchs arrest, the kids remained in Carol Ruchs care until she was caught physically abusing one of the children. They were removed immediately.

Carol did not have any impulse control at all when it came to lashing out at the kids, Vogt said.

Back in fathers care

When the children were removed from the Ruches care, the state placed them back with their father.

While the children were in the Ruches home, he had not been showing up to scheduled visits, and its unclear whether he had stopped drinking. He had also been diagnosed with polysubstance dependence  a disorder in which a person uses at least three substances and has no preference.

When the children were returned to his care, the father also sexually abused them and could not provide for the family. He was charged with three felony counts of sexual assault of a child but plead no contest to three attempts. He was sentenced to one year for each count and is a registered sex offender.

Today, the siblings suffer from anxiety among other issues. One of them has issues with alcoholism, Vogt says. Another has crooked toes and complex partial seizures due to brain bruises that occurred when they were thrown down the stairs in the Ruch home, according to court documents.

Worries for other placements

A recent Omaha case where a foster mother is accused of killing a 5-year-old boy after leaving him in a hot car while she worked has Vogt worried that HHS might again not be held responsible if the department was negligent in his foster home placement.

Juanita Pinon, 40, has pleaded not guilty to a charge she committed child abuse negligently resulting in Dionicio Perezs death. State officials have said they are reviewing whether the system failed the boy.

Pinon was a family friend of Perezs biological mother, who reported older siblings had displayed inappropriate sexual behaviors, which led to some of her children being placed in foster homes.

When it comes to placements with family or friends, Vogt said the state should be more careful.

There's tension between the need to keep the child close to the family and the need to keep the child safe, she said.

Pinon had a history of thefts and debts before the boy was placed in her care in July 2022, about a month after she was discharged from probation for scamming two people out of thousands of dollars in 2016. She also had previously been charged with more than a dozen misdemeanor charges of issuing bad checks and had on multiple occasions failed to pay her rent, according to court documents.

Although the state did not respond to questions for this story, the HHS website says applicants to be foster parents cannot be convicted of crimes including abuse or neglect, spousal abuse, a crime against a child or children, or violent crimes including rape, sexual assault or homicide.

While Vogt can see why someone shouldnt be disqualified from being a foster parent for a one-time theft, she sees repeat offenses as red flags.

It certainly shows some inability to follow general society rules, so I would think that they should have been more cautious, Vogt said.

Under state regulations, Nebraska foster parents are also required to undergo criminal background checks, a check of personal references, a home study, licensing and training.

In the Ruch familys case, Vogt said she believes they became foster parents to gain another source of income. While she doesnt think there should be an income requirement to become foster parents, she does think applicants should be required to show financial responsibility.

Rockey said one of the ways to ensure parents arent fostering children for the money is to have more eyes on foster cases, such as CASA workers.

Judge says state not negligent

In 2021, Richardson County District Court Judge Julie Smith ruled the state had acted reasonably under the circumstances. She said HHS had investigated the complaints of alleged child abuse or neglect and determined they were unfounded. But Smith did award the siblings nearly $3 million against Miles Ruch in a largely symbolic gesture, since he has no assets.

Ten days later, the siblings appealed. The Supreme Courts decision came this year on May 3.

In making their decision, the justices referred to Moser v. State, a 2020 ruling that said the state was immune from a lawsuit filed by the family of a man killed by his cellmate because it involved an assault.

The Nebraska State Tort Claims Act prohibits entities of the state from being sued for damages as a result of assault or battery. In its ruling on this case in May, the Supreme Court pointed out that unless the Legislature changes the law regarding these types of tort claims, the states sovereign immunity applies.

Supreme Court Justice Lindsey Miller-Lerman disagreed with the majority, saying she believed the claims of negligence against HHS should not have been dismissed.

She said the majority read the intentional tort exception broadly to conclude that HHS is shielded by sovereign immunity because the siblings injuries resulted from assaults caused by nongovernmental actors. Miller-Lerman said because it wasnt a state employee accused of the assault, the exception shouldnt apply.

She said the siblings also had proved harm separate and distinct from physical and sexual assaults.

"While under the eye of DHHS and in its custody, the siblings were beaten, sexually assaulted, and emotionally abused by the foster parents. The people paid to keep them safe delivered fear. As explained above, in my view, even under the Moser line of cases created by the majority, the siblings can sue the state for damages caused by the nonassault cruel emotional abuse. However, under the majoritys reading of the statutes, they cannot sue the state. Is this what the Legislature intended?" Miller-Lerman said.

A bill (LB25), passed in the legislative session that ended in April, would have allowed state agencies to be held civilly responsible for child sex abuse that occurred while the children were in their care.

Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen vetoed the bill, calling it "overbroad" and claiming the legislation would "substantially increase the cost Nebraska taxpayers must bear for claims of abuse by government employees and even non-employees."

In July, the chance to sue state and political subdivisions, including HHS, was reintroduced during a legislative special session.

I hope these kinds of things keep being brought back and back and back to the court until somebody pays attention to (Justice Lindsey Miller-Lerman) and her dissent, Vogt said.

Rockey said state officials need to start seeing the difference between holding the state accountable for not filling in potholes and not taking care of people when it comes to the state tort claims act.

The bad thing is we're dealing with people and you can't predict them, she said.

Top Journal Star photos for August 2024
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO)  A Sioux Falls Life Scout had a big dream for his Eagle Scout Project. However, it was one that needed help from the community.

Cooper Rey wants to help create a database with photos of veterans headstones in four cemeteries across Sioux Falls. But to cover all the areas, he needed help from a lot of people.

When I first started emailing people and launched the signup Genius, it wasnt doing so great. So seeing this many people has definitely made me more hopeful because we didnt think that wed be able to complete it in one day. But it appears that will be possible, Eagle Scout project, Cooper Rey said.

He says that anywhere from 40-50 people showed up to help, and they were ahead of schedule.

The volunteers were definitely a very important part to this. Without them, it definitely would not have gone smoothly. We would not be ahead of track without the volunteers. This would take like a really long time, Rey said.

KELOLAND Pet Food Drive set for Friday

For veteran Victoria Lique, she was happy to spend her Saturday remembering veterans whove passed away.

Theyre not recognized for their service and I feel like, you know, the especially the older vets are kind of forgotten in a sense, volunteer with the project, Victoria Lique said.

Along with remembering veterans, she says this is also a great project for the family members of those veterans.

To have something to be able to look up and find out the history of their family and where their relatives might be buried and maybe the stories of heroism behind it that go untold, Lique said.

As these volunteers spend just a few hours of their weekend, to help remember those who have served our country.

For the second part of the project, Rey will need help entering all the data collected today.

To help with the second part of the project, Reys email is 346eagle@gmail.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 KELOLAND.com.
Defence Minister of Israel Yoav Gallant speaks during a memorial ceremony for Israel's fallen and victims of terrorism. Shachar Yurman/Defense Ministry/dpa

The pro-Iranian militia Hezbollah said early on Sunday it had begun its retaliation against Israel for the killing of one of its commanders in Beirut.

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant declared a 48-hour state of emergency across Israel, in response to the escalating security threat.

He said that the emergency situation would be in force for the next 48 hours, from 6 am (0300 GMT).

Earlier, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement it had discovered that Hezbollah would "soon fire rockets, and possibly missiles and UAVs" towards Israeli territory.

"In a self-defense act to remove these threats, the IDF is striking terror targets in Lebanon, from which Hezbollah was planning to launch their attacks on Israeli civilians," army spokesman Daniel Hagari said.

"We warn the civilians located in the areas where Hezbollah is operating to move out of harm's way immediately for their own safety," he added.

Israel would not tolerate Hezbollah's attacks on Israel's civilian population, Hagari warned.

Security circles in Lebanon confirmed the Israeli attacks.
Portrait of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah seen during the funeral ceremony of Hezbollah fighter Abbas Badii Milhim, who was killed by the Israeli forces in southern Lebanon. Vasily Krestyaninov/SOPA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa

The pro-Iranian Hezbollah cheif Hassan Nasrallah says military sites were the main target of hundreds of missiles aimed at Israel earlier on Sunday to avenge the killing of one of the movement's most senior commanders.

"The target should not be a civilian enemy or infrastructure," Nasrallah said in a speech describing the long-anticipated revenge attacks. "One of the characteristics [of the targets] is that they should be linked to the assassination operation."

Israeli forces and the pro-Iranian militia Hezbollah engaged in massive exchanges of fire across the border between Israel and Lebanon early on Sunday.

Israel had been bracing for a larger attack following the killing of Hezbollah military commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut on July 30. Nasrallah said the delayed response was also a punishment for the Israeli enemy.

Hezbollah said it fired more than 320 missiles while Israel put the number at 200 missiles and about 20 drones.

The Israeli military meanwhile said it carried out dozens of pre-emptive airstrikes in southern Lebanon. Lebanese security sources said Israel had attacked at least 40 targets in southern Lebanon. After more than an hour of bombardment, the situation seemed to have calmed down, they added.

Two people were wounded in the Israeli strikes, and a drone strike killed one other person, the Lebanese Health Ministry said. The country's caretaker prime minister, Najib Mikati, called a meeting of his crisis cabinet at his residence in Beirut in response to the attack.

Nasrallah added that he had to be careful with the choice of the location of the attack in order to give the negotiations to end the Gaza war a chance. He added on of the targeted bases was located very deep inside Israeli territory, at the outskirts of Tel Aviv.

After this first phase, attacks by the movement's allies, Iran and the Houthi militia in Yemen, are still pending.

Nasrallah it is the first time Hezbollah launched drones from the Bekaa in eastern Lebanon. He also said that the posts hit by Israeli airstrikes on Sunday were empty.

According to Nasrallah only three fighters were killed in the Israeli strikes. The Israeli army said a soldier was killed in Israel. Local media reported the 21-year-old soldier was hit by parts of an Israeli defense missile on a navy boat.

Hezbollah is considered Iran's most important non-state ally in the Middle East and the most heavily armed non-state group in the region.

Since the beginning of the Gaza war ten months ago, Hezbollah fighters and the Israel military have engaged in almost daily shelling, killing dozens of civilians on both sides of the border.

Defence Minister Yoav Gallant earlier declared a 48-hour state of emergency across Israel, in response to what he said was an escalating security threat.

Restrictions on the movements of civilians in the area from Tel Aviv up to the northern border with Lebanon were lifted later on Sunday afternoon, Hagari announced. There were no further major exchanges of fire reported during the day.

Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi militia has hailed the Hezbollah attack against Israel and said their own attack is "inevitably coming."

The Houthi political office congratulated Hezbollah and Nasrallah on what it called a "large and courageous attack" and a "strong and effective response" against Israel, the Yemeni militia's mouthpiece television al-Masirah reported.
Hezbollah chief says Sunday attack on Israel went as planned, further strikes possible

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said on Sunday that his group would assess the impact of its rocket and drone attack on Israeli military targets earlier in the day before determining whether it would carry out further attacks to avenge a slain commander.

The leader of the Lebanese armed group said in a televised address that it had been able to carry out its attack "as planned," denying statements by the Israeli military that its pre-emptive strikes had stopped a wider attack by the group.

Nasrallah, speaking about 12 hours after the most intense exchange of fire between Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israel since hostilities broke out in parallel with the war in Gaza, said the group had intentionally refrained from targeting civilians or public infrastructure, including Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv.

He said the group's main target was a military intelligence base about 110 km (70 miles) inside Israeli territory - the deepest attack yet and just 1.5 km (1 mile) north of Tel Aviv.

Nasrallah said the group would assess the results of the operation, a retaliation for Israel's killing of top Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr on the edges of Beirut last month.

"If the result is not enough, then we retain the right to respond another time," Nasrallah said.

Hezbollah fighters had successfully launched a volley of more than 300 Katyusha rockets to distract Israel's Iron Dome defences before sending attack drones, he said.

They included drones fired from the eastern Bekaa Valley, a first for the group, he said. None of the drone or rocket launchers were damaged in Israel's pre-emptive strikes, he said.

Nasrallah said Hezbollah had not planned a larger attack, specifically denying Israeli military statements that the group had intended to fire thousands of projectiles.

But he acknowledged that the operation had been delayed for several reasons, including what he called a "mobilization" of Israeli and American military assets in the region.

(Reporting by Maya Gebeily; Editing by Frances Kerry)
Herzi Halevi, the Israeli military chief of general staff, directs the operation against Hezbollah in the early hours of Sunday morning - Israel Defense Forces/Reuters

Not since Yom Kippur in 1973 has the Middle East been so close to all-out war.

That conflict, also known as the Ramadan War, raged for 19 days between Israel and a coalition of Arab states led by Egypt and Syria. It claimed up to 20,000 lives, including some 2,500 Israeli soldiers. Many thousands more on both sides were maimed and injured.

Its a reminder of what is at stake after the biggest exchange of fire yet seen on the Israel-Lebanon border as part of the current conflict erupted in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Both sides were reported to have exchanged messages via intermediaries after the initial strikes saying they were done and had no interest in further escalation, yet the room for miscalculation is extraordinarily high.

Exactly what happened remains obscured by the fog of war and the desperate need for both sides to establish deterrence through strength  real and perceived.

Israel says it moved first and pre-emptively after detecting Iranian-backed Hezbollah was poised to launch a major strike in revenge for the assassination of Fuad Shukr, one of its most senior commanders, in Beirut on July 31.

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Rear-Adml Daniel Hagari, Israels military spokesman, said 100 Israeli jets had hit 40 sites in southern Lebanon, destroying thousands of rocket launchers that were primed for use against Israel. The tally was later revised to hundreds.

Hezbollah said Israels defences had failed and it has successfully hit various Israeli military sites, including a Mossad intelligence building outside Tel Aviv, in an attack involving more than 320 Katyusha rockets and a large number of drones.

The enemys claims about the pre-emptive action it carried out, the targets it struck and its disruption of the resistances [Hezbollah] attack are empty, said the group in a statement issued on Sunday morning.

The main target for the operation inside Israel was the Glilot base - the main Israeli military intelligence base, the groups leader Hassan Nasrallah added in a televised speech aired later in the day.

Israel denied the intelligence base had been hit and said Hezbollahs attack had been mostly thwarted.

Whether or not the latest exchange can be contained is likely to be determined by the actions and diplomacy of the US and Iran.

Both say they want to avoid a regional war and both have considerable influence over the two sides but do not control them.

Lloyd Austin, the US defence secretary, called Yoav Gallant, his Israeli counterpart, on Sunday morning to stress the importance of avoiding regional escalation.

In response, Israel said it was not looking for a wider war but added that its defence establishment is determined to defend the citizens of Israel and will use all the means at its disposal to remove imminent threats.

Likewise, Abbas Araghchi, Irans new foreign minister, called for dialogue to resolve bilateral issues in a call with the EUs top diplomat on Thursday.

In our foreign policy, it is our responsibility to minimise the costs of the [US] aggression to the greatest extent possible, he said, indicating a desire in Tehran to lower tensions in the region.

Mr Nasrallahs speech on Sunday afternoon had some of the same political expediency, perhaps reflecting the wishes of his backers in Iran.

He appeared to indicate that the groups desire for revenge over the Beirut assassination had been satiated and honour restored, albeit leaving the door open to further action.

We will assess [the] impact of todays operation, if results are not seen to be enough, we will respond another time, he told his Arab audience of millions.

Another positive - although a faint one - was that the Gaza ceasefire and hostage talks continued in Cairo on Sunday, although no breakthrough was reported.

Whether or not any of this will be enough for Israel, only time will tell as its political and military class remain under extreme pressure.

Israel intercepted some Hezbollah missiles on Sunday morning but Hezbollah still claims to have successfully hit 11 other sites - JALAA MAREY/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

Since the start of the war on Oct 7, Israel has had to evacuate 60,000 to 80,000 people from an area of some 650 square kilometres along the Lebanon border  about 3 per cent of its total land mass  because of Hezbollahs rockets.

In the south around Gaza, many of the kibbutzim and commercial farms still resemble ghost towns.

We are determined to do everything to protect our country, return the residents of the north safely to their homes and continue to uphold a simple rule: whoever hurts us  we hurt them, Israels prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said on Sunday.

Sundays exchange was not the end of the story, he added.

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Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the Hezbollah leader, gives a televised address, in this screengrab taken from a handout video obtained on Aug 25 2024 - Al-Manar TV/Handout via REUTERS

Benjamin Netanyahu warned that Israels preemptive strike on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon on Sunday morning is not the end of the story.

Fears of the Middle East descending into all out war flared on Sunday as Hezbollah launched its long awaited retaliatory attack on Israel over the assassination of one of its top commanders in Beirut in late July.

Acting preemptively 30 minutes before the attack, Israel used more than 100 fighter jets to take out hundreds of missile launchers in 40 locations across southern Lebanon.

It was the most intense exchange of fire on the Israel-Lebanon border since Oct 7 and came as high-level talks resumed in Cairo aimed at ending the bloody 10-month conflict in which more than 2,500 Israelis and 40,000 Palistinians are thought to have died, according to the Hamas-controlled health ministry.

Hezbollah claimed to have hit an Israeli military intelligence site near Tel Aviv in a barrage of 320 Katyusha rockets and a large number of drones, while Israel claimed the attack had been mostly thwarted.

Mr Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister said preemptive strikes in Lebanon were not the final word in his countrys military campaign against Hezbollah.

We are striking Hezbollah with surprising, crushing blows... This is another step towards changing the situation in the north and safely returning our residents to their homes. And, I repeat, this is not the final word, Mr Netanyahu told a cabinet meeting.

Israel does not seek an all-out war but will exact a heavy price for any aggressions, added a spokesman.

The next strike on Israel may come not from Hezbollah in Lebanon but from other Iranian-backed terrorist groups in the region, Israel analysts believe.

Israeli officials told The Telegraph that they thought Hezbollah would not seek to escalate things further.

However, they warned that Iranian backed proxies in Yemen, Iraq and Syria could launch attacks on Israel at any time.

The assessment at the moment is that the next wave of retaliation will come from another country [other] than Lebanon, said an Israeli official.

Reuters reported that both sides had exchanged text messages following the exchange via intermediaries, saying they were done and did not want to escalate further.

Since the start of war on Oct 7, Israel has had to evacuate 60,000 to 80,000 people from an area of some 650 square kilometres along the Lebanon border  about three per cent of its total land mass  because of Hezbollahs rockets.

It is thought that both the US and Iran, neither of which want to become embroiled in another major war in the Middle East, are also applying intense diplomatic pressure on their respective allies to stand down.

Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollahs leader in Lebanon, appeared to indicate in a televised speech on Sunday that justice had been served and he was standing down his forces for the moment at least.

At this current stage, the country can take a breath and relax, he said.

We will monitor what happened and how the enemy has kept it under wraps. If we are satisfied with these results, we will consider our response complete. If they are not sufficient, we reserve the right to retaliate at another time.

Mr Nasrallah claimed to have hit the Glilot military intelligence base, near Tel Aviv.

Israel insisted the Glilot base was not hit and that it continued to operate as normal.

Joe Biden, the US president, was closely monitoring events in Israel and Lebanon, said a spokesman for the National Security Council.

The Pentagon said Lloyd Austin, the defence secretary, spoke with his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant urging restraint but backing Israels right to defend itself.

Pat McFadden, UK Cabinet Minister, said major regional war in the Middle East was a real danger and called for restraint.

David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary, said further escalation in the Middle East must be avoided at all costs.

Flights diverted as air raid sirens wailed across Israel during the exchange early Sunday and initially all citizens were warned to stay inside.

Avi Melamed, Israeli intelligence official and regional analyst, said he expected de-escalation now on the northern front.

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The exchange of fire alongside the Israeli-Lebanese border earlier today, and the post-strike messages from both Israel and Hezbollah seemingly indicate neither is interested in an all-out war, he said.

Mr Melamed added that Israel would probably have coordinated its military action with the US in advance and Hezbollah would have done the same with Iran.

Danny Citrinowicz, an expert at Israels Institute for National Security Studies, said Hezbollah might be trying to balance the equation without escalating into war.

Each side hopes their narrative will be sufficient for them to declare victory and avoid a wider confrontation, he said.

Iranian state media on Sunday played up the Hezbollah attack, calling it a success, but there was no immediate comment from Iranian officials.

The US and other mediators see a ceasefire in Gaza as key to averting a wider war. Hezbollah has said it will halt its strikes on Israel if there is a cease-fire.

Egypt continued to host high-level talks in Cairo on Sunday aimed at bridging the gaps in a proposal for a ceasefire and the release of scores of hostages held by Hamas.

The talks include William Burns, CIA director, and David Barnea, the head of Israels Mossad intelligence agency.

Hamas sent a delegation to be briefed by Egyptian and Qatari mediators but was not directly taking part in negotiations.

05:53 PM BST

Thanks for following todays live blog

Thank you for following todays live coverage of the Israel-Hezbollah conflict.

Well be back soon with more updates and analysis from the conflict.

05:51 PM BST

Pictured: Benjamin Netanyahu at military headquarters on Sunday morning

Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister (centre), Yoav Gallant, the defence minister (2R) and others at the 'pit' at the military headquarters in Tel Aviv, early on Aug 25 2024 - Maayan Toaf/Defense Ministry

05:47 PM BST

Israels strikes in Lebanon not the final word in campaign against Hezbollah

Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister said Sundays strikes in Lebanon were not the final word in his countrys military campaign against militant group Hezbollah.

The IDF carried out a wave of strikes on Hezbollah targets in south Lebanon on Sunday morning to thwart a large-scale attack which included a plan to hit the Mossad headquarters.

We are striking Hezbollah with surprising, crushing blows... This is another step towards changing the situation in the north and safely returning our residents to their homes. And, I repeat, this is not the final word, Mr Netanyahu told a cabinet meeting.

Hezbollah returned fire this morning, with more than 300 rockets and drones reaching Israeli territory, an Israeli spokesman said in a press conference this afternoon.

A Hezbollah official said the group worked to ensure its response to the Israeli killing of one of its top commanders would not trigger a full-scale war.

Israel does not seek an all-out war but will exact a heavy price for any aggressions, its spokesman said.

The spokesman also described Iran and Hezbollah as an axis of evil that despises democracy and is attacking Israel on its way to attacking other Western countries.

05:29 PM BST

UK defence minister speaks to Israeli defence minister

John Healey, the UK Secretary of State for Defence, has been briefed on the exchange of fire between Israel and Hezbollah by Yoav Gallant, the Israeli minister of defence.

Mr Healey and Mr Gallant discussed Israels preemptive strikes against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon and the importance of preventing regional escalation, according to an Israeli government press release.

04:56 PM BST

Nasrallah: Israel is covering up losses

Nasrallah claimed Israel is covering up losses inflicted by Hezbollah drone strikes this morning.

According to our information, a number of drones reached their intended targets, but the enemy remains silent about this as usual, Nasrallah said.

He also said Israel has exaggerated the success of its preemptive airstrikes against Hezbollah targets.

Netanyahu and his armys claim that they destroyed thousands of missiles and thousands of missile launchers is false. Only two of our rocket launchpads were hit by their strikes - after our operation and not before, Nasrallah said.

04:45 PM BST

Locations of cross-border strikes by Israel and Hezbollah

04:42 PM BST

Hezbollah may use precision missiles in the future, Nasrallah says

Hezbollah had no intention to use precision missiles today but may use them in the future, Nasrallah said, adding that none of these missiles were damaged in Israeli strikes today.

The militant group fired more than 300 rockets to distract Israels Iron Dome defence system while launching drones from the Bekaa region, which all entered Israeli airspace, Nasrallah claimed.

04:23 PM BST

Nasrallah: Hezbollah targeted Israeli military intelligence near Tel Aviv

Hezbollah targeted an Israeli military intelligence base outside Tel Aviv and avoided attacking Israeli infrastructure, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said in a press conference this afternoon.

The main target of todays operation was the Glilot base, where Unit 8200 is located. The targeted base is 110 kilometers from the Lebanese border and 1,500 meters from Tel Aviv, Nasrallah said.

Unit 8200 is an Israeli Intelligence Corps unit responsible for surveillance and cyber intelligence. It is often compared to the American National Security Agency.

Nasrallah claimed its retaliation for the Israeli assassination of Fuad Shukr was delayed due to American and Israeli mobilisation, and to give negotiations a chance.

04:11 PM BST

Hezbollah chief begins speech

Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah gives a televised address, in this screengrab taken from a handout video obtained on August 25, 2024. - Al-Manar TV/Handout via REUTERS

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has begun a televised address following the exchange of fire between the militant group and Israel this morning.

Nasrallah began his speech by paying tribute to former Lebanese prime minister Salim Hoss, whose death was announced earlier today.

03:51 PM BST

One Israeli soldier killed and two wounded in combat in northern Israel

One Israel navy soldier was killed and two wounded during combat in northern Israel on Sunday, the Israeli military said.

It gave no details of the circumstances of the soldiers death but Israeli media reported it occurred on a naval vessel offshore as an interceptor from Israels Iron Dome aerial defence system engaged a drone fired by Hezbollah.

03:47 PM BST

Israel says 300 Hezbollah drones and rockets evaded Iron Dome

More than 300 rockets and drones fired by militant group Hezbollah reached Israeli territory, an Israeli spokesman said in a press conference this afternoon.

The barrage followed a pre-emptive strike by Israeli forces against Hezbollah early this morning, raising fears of a wider conflict in the Middle East.

Hezbollah projectiles reached central Israel, the spokesman said, but he would not confirm details of any damage.

The spokesman also said that Israel does not seek an all-out war, but repeated comments made by Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister, that whoever harms us will be harmed.

We will exact a heavy price for any aggressions, the spokesman said, adding that Hezbollah and Iran have formed an axis of evil that have formed a stranglehold on Israel.

Israel introduced a censorship order this afternoon, banning journalists from reporting on details of any damage caused by the Hezbollah attack.

A Hezbollah official said the group worked to ensure its response to the Israeli killing of one of its top commanders would not trigger a full-scale war.

Mr Netanyahu said Sundays strikes in Lebanon were not the final word in his countrys military campaign against Hezbollah.

03:41 PM BST

Jordan warns escalation in conflict could lead to regional war

Jordan on Sunday warned that heightened escalation between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah could lead to a regional war that would threaten stability.

Foreign ministry spokesperson Sufain Qudah said that Israels relentless aggression in Gaza and the failure to reach a ceasefire was exposing the region to the dangers of an expansion of the conflict, Jordanian state media reported.

03:30 PM BST

Watch: Disruption at Beirut airport

Passengers have been left stranded at Beirut airport today after airlines cancelled flights to Lebanon following the exchange of fire between Israel and Hezbollah this morning.

Air France has cancelled all flights to Beirut until at least Monday. It has also suspended all flights to Tel Aviv in Israel, alongside British Airways, Etihad Airways, Wizz Air, and others.

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02:30 PM BST

Hezbollah tried to avoid triggering full-scale war, official says

A Hezbollah official said today that the group worked to ensure its response to the Israeli killing of one of its top commanders would not trigger a full-scale war.

The official said that the groups rocket and drone attack against Israel had been delayed by political considerations, chiefly among them the ongoing talks on a ceasefire and hostage release deal for the Gaza Strip.

Benjamin Netanyahu said Sundays strikes in Lebanon were not the final word in his countrys military campaign against Hezbollah.

We are striking Hezbollah with surprising, crushing blows... This is another step towards changing the situation in the north and safely returning our residents to their homes. And, I repeat, this is not the final word, Mr Netanyahu told a cabinet meeting.

02:26 PM BST

Iran and Hezbollah attacking Israel to destroy Western democracy, says spokesman

An Israeli spokesman said Iran and Hezbollah are an axis of evil that despises democracy and is attacking Israel on its way to attacking other Western countries.

Israel remains at extremely high alert following the barrage of 300 Hezbollah rockets and drones that reached Israeli territory this morning, the spokesman said in a press conference this afternoon.

Our long arm will reach anyone who causes harm to our civilians, the spokesman said

In the press conference, the spokesman thanked Israels allies, especially Joe Biden for his steadfast support.

02:10 PM BST

Israel orders media blackout as Hezbollah promises to show proof of damaged targets

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Israel introduced a censorship order on Sunday banning the reporting of any damage caused by Hezbollah strikes as the Iran-backed terror group promised to show evidence it had hit some targets.

Israel said it carried out a wave of air strikes on targets in south Lebanon on Sunday morning to thwart a large-scale Hezbollah attack.

The Israeli Defense Force (IDF) said initial assessments found very little damage from Hezbollahs rocket fire.

However, Hezbollah issued a statement saying it had completed the first stage of its attack and disputed Israels claims to have successfully disrupted its assault.

A censorship decree issued by the Israeli government said reporters require permission before publishing damage caused by rocket attacks to strategic national infrastructure or to military bases to avoid harm to Israeli forces on the ground.

The BBC reported that Hassan Nasrallah, the Hezbollah leader, is expected to show proof that rockets hit targets in Israel, including close to Tel Aviv.

01:45 PM BST

Israel vows to exact heavy price for rocket attacks

Israel has reiterated that it does not seek an all-out war but will exact a heavy price for any aggressions.

In a press conference this afternoon, a spokesman described Iran and Hezbollah as an axis of evil, which has formed a stranglehold on Israel.

Israel is determined to return the 62,000 residents displaced by rocket attacks in the north of the country, the spokesman said.



12:54 PM BST

Pictured: Man inspects building hit by Hezbollah rocket

A man looks at the damage at a residential building following a direct-hit from a projectile, after Hezbollah launched hundreds of rockets - Ammar Awad/REUTERS

12:30 PM BST

Hamas congratulates Hezbollah on strong and focused response

Hamas has hailed strikes by Hezbollah against Israel as a slap in the face of the Israeli government.

In a statement, the Palestinian militant group said Hezbollahs rocket strikes send the message that Israels terrorism and crimes against the Palestinian and Lebanese peoples will not pass without a response, and will not achieve its goals and aggressive plans.

The statement continued: At the same time, we in Hamas condemn in the strongest terms the escalation of the Zionist occupations brutal aggression against the sisterly Lebanese Republic, and the continuation of its brutal and criminal bombardment of lands and civilians in Lebanon.

We consider it a blatant violation of all international conventions and norms, and a Zionist persistence that reveals once again that it is a rogue entity that poses a real danger to the region, and threatens international security and stability, which holds the US administration fully responsible for its repercussions, as it supports and partners with this Zionist entity in its ongoing aggression and criminality in Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen and Iraq.

12:16 PM BST

Watch: Home damaged by Hezbollah rockets in Acre, northern Israel

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12:07 PM BST

Israel lifts security restrictions across most of the country

Israel lifted restrictions on gatherings across most of the country at 12.30 local time, about six hours after they were introduced following the IDFs strike against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.



Partial restrictions remain in the border areas of northern Golan and some of southern Golan.



11:40 AM BST

Watch: IDF strikes Hezbollah military site

Footage shows the IDF striking an alleged Hezbollah military site in Zebqin in southern Lebanon this morning.

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11:23 AM BST

Israel-Hezbollah conflict escalates as US deploys navy forces to Middle East

The United States has been moving its navy forces to the Middle East in recent weeks as fears rise that a wider war could break out in the region, according to The New York Times.

Two American aircraft carrier groups and an attack submarine are currently deployed around the Gulf of Oman to deter Iran and its allies from further attacks against Israel. The US ordered additional combat aircraft and missile-shooting warships to the area earlier this month.

The attack submarine USS Georgia can fire cruise missiles and carry teams of Navy Seal commandos.

11:21 AM BST

Israel strikes Lebanon to thwart Hezbollah attack on Mossad HQ

Israel carried out a wave of strikes on Hezbollah targets in south Lebanon on Sunday to thwart a large-scale attack which included a plan to hit the Mossad headquarters.

The IDF said 100 fighter jets hit thousands of rocket launchers aimed at central and northern Israel, as Hezbollah claimed to have fired 320 missiles and drones in an early morning barrage.

Western intelligence officials told The New York Times that the rocket launchers preemptively hit by Israel were primed to fire at 5am local time.

The Israeli army said Hezbollah was planning to strike the Glilot base in central Israel.

The base near Herzliya houses several IDF intelligence units and the Mossad headquarters.

The IDF said initial assessments found very little damage in Israel from Hezbollahs rocket fire, but that the military remained on high alert.

On Sunday morning, Hezbollah issued a statement saying the first stage of its attack was over and disputing Israels claims to have successfully disrupted its assault.

Israel and the West have been braced for escalation in the Middle East since Iran, Hezbollahs sponsor, vowed revenge for the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas, in Tehran.

10:59 AM BST

Major war in the Middle East a real danger

Pat McFadden, a UK cabinet minister, told Sky News that the Government is very concerned after Israel carried out air strikes in Lebanon and Hezbollah launched drone and rocket attacks in northern Israel. He called for restraint to avoid a major regional war in the Middle East, calling this possibility a real danger.

Najib Mikati, Lebanons caretaker prime minister, held an emergency cabinet meeting this morning at 10:30am local time to discuss Israeli attacks in the south of the country.

10:20 AM BST

Homes damaged by Hezbollah rockets in northern Israel

Man stands in residential building damaged by Hezbollah rockets in Acre, northern Israel - Ammar Awad/REUTERS

A woman standing in a building hit directly by a rocket fired from Lebanon overnight, in the northern Israeli city of Acre. - Xinhua/Shutterstock

Photographers capture destruction in Acre in northern Israel. Several dozen apartments were damaged by Hezbollah rockets in Acre this morning, according to Israeli newspaper Yediot Achronot.

10:11 AM BST

Hezbollah leader to show proof of successful rocket strikes in Israel, reports BBC

Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollahs leader, is expected to show proof that rockets have hit targets in Israel, including one that is apparently close to Tel Aviv, according to BBC reporter Nafiseh Kohnavard.

10:02 AM BST

IDF: Israel strikes further Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon

The Israeli military said in the past hour it struck Hezbollah rocket launchers in several areas in southern Lebanon and a Hezbollah cell operating in the area of Khiam near the Israeli border.

09:51 AM BST

UN officials call for cease fire

The Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon (UNSCOL) and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) say developments on the Lebanon-Israel border are worrying and call on all sides to cease fire.

09:30 AM BST

Home destroyed in Hezbollah barrage

More images have started to emerge of the damage caused by Hezbollahs drone attack.

A home in the town of Katzrin in the Golan Heights appears to have been largely destroyed.

Firefighters inspect the damage in Katzrin in the Golan heights - AFP

Smoke billows from the wreckage caused by the strike - Israel news pulse

09:11 AM BST

Israeli delegation still heading to Cairo for ceasefire talks

Israel is still sending negotiators to Cairo for ceasefire talks with Hamas brokered by Egypt and Qatar.

The US has been pushing hard for a truce in Gaza amid reports that Iran will hold off attacking Israel directly if one is agreed.

With the region on edge following this mornings clashes, the delegation going ahead can be seen as an attempt to calm tensions.

Hamas leaders are also in the Egyptian capital but it is unclear if they will participate in the talks.

09:01 AM BST

Woman injured by rocket-fire in northern Israel

Early damage assessments carried in the Israeli media appear to corroborate the militarys view that the Hezbollah strike caused very little damage.

A woman has been lightly wounded in the port-city of Acre, while one rocket hit a house in Manot in northern Israel, where a separate missile caused a fire in a chicken coop.

Tel Aviv said that leisure activities in the city were cancelled and closed its beaches.

But flights resumed out of the Ben Gurion airport at 7am local time.

08:51 AM BST

Three people killed in Israeli pre-emptive strike, says Lebanon

At least three people were killed in Israels early morning raid on southern Lebanon, the countrys health minister said.

Firass Abiad said it was too early to tell if the toll would rise but added that the attack had mostly hit forested and open areas.

Meanwhile, Israeli firefighters were dousing flames on buildings wrecked by Hezbollah drones in Galilee, northern Israel.

Drones hit sites across northern Israel but the government says the overall damage is minimal - Shutterstock

08:42 AM BST

Mossad headquarters was target of planned attack, IDF believes

Hezbollah was planning to strike the Glilot base in central Israel, the Israeli army estimates.

The base near Herzliya houses several IDF intelligence units and the Mossad headquarters.

Unit 8200, the main Israeli signals intelligence gathering unit, is based at the site.

Most of the rocket launchers destroyed by IDF jets this morning were pointed at northern Israel, but some were aiming towards the centre of the nation.

08:32 AM BST

Watch: Hezbollah drone hits highway in northern Israel

Footage circulating on social media shows a Hezbollah drone impacting a highway in northern Israel. pic.twitter.com/7ivd4xvlg0  Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) August 25, 2024

08:30 AM BST

Israel not interested in all-out war

Israel is not interested in all-out war, its foreign minister said on Sunday.

Israel Katz called for the support of world leaders against the axis of evil led by Iran in a statement issued by the foreign ministry.

Israel is not interested in all-out war and will act according to developments on the ground, it said.

Fears have risen over the potential for a regional war in the Middle East following Israels assassination of Hezbollah and Hamas leaders at the end of last month.

08:23 AM BST

Photographer captures moment Hezbollah drone is shot out of sky

Hezbollah drone intercepted over northern Israel - AFP

Jalaa Marey, AFP photographer, managed to capture the moment a Hezbollah drone heading towards Israel was blown out of the sky.

Israel says that Hezbollahs attack did very little damage, partly thanks to a pre-emptive strike by its air force on the terror groups rocket launchers in southern Israel.

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Guest Opinion. The U.S. Constitution is often thought to have originated from the intellectual musings of the Founding Fathers in a tobacco smoke-filled room in Philadelphia.

The Magna Carta (1215) is often credited for its inspiration for our governance in America. But the Magna Carta speaks to fair trials and juries of equals, representation in government and abolishing the exclusive power of one King. That certainly inspired the Bill of Rights, but it did not speak to the structure of governance.

So what was truly considered in the development of the structure of the newly formed United States of America that makes up Articles I, II and III of the U.S. Constitution?

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It was clear that there was little interest in copying Parliament as a model, and certainly no royalty would be part of the new structure of government.

As early as 1744 at the Lancaster Treaty Council, Benjamin Franklin and others had been advised by Canasatego, a Haudenosaunee (hoe-dee-no-SHOW-nee) leader, that they would be benefited by forming a government like theirs:

... we, the Six Nations, heartily recommend union and a good agreement between you .... Our wise Forefathers established Union and Amity between the Five Nations; this has made us formidable; this has given us great Weight and Authority with our neighboring Nations. We are a powerful Confederacy; and, by your observing the same Methods our wise Forefathers have taken, you will acquire fresh Strength and Power; therefore whatever befalls you, never fall out one with another.

-Canasatego

This alone is often considered sufficient evidence that the U.S. Constitution was influenced by the structure of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy.

Benjamin Franklin wrote a letter in 1751 to James Parker, expressing his admiration for the Haudenosaunee (with a Eurocentric perspective) :

It would be a very strange Thing, if six Nations of ignorant Savages should be capable of forming a Scheme for such an Union, and be able to execute it in such a Manner as that it has subsisted Ages appears indissoluble; and yet alike Union should be impracticable for ten or a Dozen English Colonies, to whom it is more necessary, and must be more advantageous; and who cannot be supposed to want an equal Understanding of their Interests. -- Benjamin Franklin

Ten years after being advised by Canasatego to adopt a plan like the Haudenosaunee, Benjamin Franklin wrote the Albany Plan of Union (1754) as the first plan to unite the colonies. Scholars agree that Franklin "admired the Iroquois confederation and plainly had it in mind in his earliest discussion of the need of union among the colonies.

Some stories around the time of the drafting of the Constitution tell the story that a group of Iroquois chiefs came to Philadelphia and were sleeping on the second floor of Independence Hall, during the time John Hancock was presiding over the Continental Congress. The story is that the Haudenosaunee had been invited earlier to come down and view this new Continental Congress.

Articles of Confederation

The Articles of Confederation (1777) was intended to address the ongoing trade wars that resulted in impeding commerce and constant bloodshed and wars between the colonies and the Indian Nations. The agreement to work together on commerce, seemed like a good idea, but the Articles of Confederation lacked the binding power it needed, and the ability to use resources from the colonies for its own national defense were major flaws which proved fatal. It was in effect from 1781 to 1789.

In 1787 ten years after the ratification of the Articles of Confederation, the federal government was unable to resolve trade disputes and had little power over commerce, where tariffs continued to prevent free trade. They began to think about revisiting the Haudenosaunee model.

The Need for the Constitution

A Constitution was needed to address these problems which led to the strong Commerce Clause power enumerated for Congress.

Something very much like the federalism structure of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy was needed, as Canasatego recommended in 1744. It was evident that the federalism concept could be used to structure the relationship between the states and the federal government, much like the Haudenosaunee Confederacy and the Six Nations (the Tuscarora Nation was a later member Nation).

The formation of the Haudenosaunee Confederation

The Haudenosaunee Confederacy may be better known by the name given by the French, the Iroquois Confederacy, but they call themselves the Haudenosaunee.

The Haudenosaunee Confederacy is the oldest known representative democracy, and its formal beginning dates to 1142. In 1142, the Mohawks, Oneidas, Cayugas, and Senecas had agreed to the confederation, but the Onondaga were holding out. The occurrence of a total eclipse influenced their decision to join the confederation, marking the time of the formation of this compact with this cosmic event. The blood feuds that existed at the time had come from the tradition that required that if a person was killed by someone in another clan or in another Nation and then those in that victims clan were bound to go and kill or capture at least one person from the group that did the killing. There was no peace.

Hiawatha was a skilled speaker and speechmaker and other Tribes who heard of his vision of peace for all of the Tribes, sought him out for consultation. There are many stories about where the ideas originated. Some say Hiawatha was the speaker but Deganawida was the person with the ideas, but was a stutterer, so he was unable to deliver them as effectively as Hiawatha. They joined forces to stop the blood feuds and established the Great Law of Peace. Ultimately, in 1142 a union was formed which has lasted throughout that time to the present.

Federalism

The idea of separation of powers and power held by the people as well as the notion of federalism is set forth in the Great Law of Peace.

In 1785 when there was great frustration in the government with the Articles of Confederation, three representatives were asked to examine the Haudenosaunee form of government more closely and come back with a new proposal --- they were Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and James Monroe. Jefferson became the ambassador to France. Monroe and Madison conferred with an Oneida Chief, Grasshopper. James Madison is largely credited with writing most of The Federalist Papers, considered the founding documents of the U.S. Constitution. The resulting U.S. Constitution with its three branches of government, enumerated powers and power to defend the nation are derived from the influence of the Haudenosaunee.

By June 1788, nine States had ratified the Constitution and by November 1789 all but one had ratified the Constitution so that meant according to the terms of the Constitution it would go into effect March 4, 1789.

Reflection

The Magna Carta, one of the most famous documents in the world, as well as the intellectual writings of philosophers like John Locke and Montesquieu are widely known as influences on the drafters of the U.S. Constitution. But the creation of the U.S. Constitution did not happen in a vacuum of European thought. With the colonies facing trade wars that threatened the economic viability of the colonies, the interference of the states, the inability to tax the colonies so the new nation could defend itself were all looming priorities as the Founding Father drew from the governing nations around them  the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, in particular. It is important not to forget that European thought was an important influence but to omit the historical reality of the influence of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy on the structure of the U.S. Constitution is just intellectual dishonesty.

I often hear comments from law students that they had never even heard of this influence on the formation of the U.S. Constitution, and they are surprised to see the historical documentation was ignored through their early education. I have looked at dozens of references in traditional resources for any mention of the influence of the Haudenosaunee or Iroquois Confederacy on the Constitution and found none, even those specifically discussing the role of Benjamin Franklin who had the most documented evidence of this influence.

To read more articles by Professor Sutton go to: https://profvictoria.substack.com/

Professor Victoria Sutton (Lumbee) is a law professor on the faculty of Texas Tech University. In 2005, Sutton became a founding member of the National Congress of American Indians, Policy Advisory Board to the NCAI Policy Center, positioning the Native American community to act and lead on policy issues affecting Indigenous communities in the United States.

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
This is some crazy s--- overall and also on a technical level, said a Skiatook High School students mother

Getty A stock image of a student doing homework

A homework assignment ignited uproar online after a concerned parent shared a photo of the questions a teacher wanted her child to answer, including "Is God real?"

Oklahoma mother Olivia Gray posted her sophomore daughter Nettie Grays world history assignment from a Skiatook High School teacher on Facebook on Aug. 15, describing it as some crazy s---.

The assignment  titled How did the world start?  ended with two questions that raised concerns: Is God real? and Is Satan real?

Its being called a research paper, Olivia wrote of the assignment, which asked students to provide sources using APA Style to support their answers.

This is some crazy s--- overall and also on a technical level. Literally the kid had been in school ONE WEEK, she concluded.

Related: High School Principal Placed on Leave After Dancing with Mascot at School Rally, One Father Says 'It Was All Weird' (Exclusive)

Many reacted to the assignment in the comments section of Olivia's Facebook post.



This assignment is wrong on more than ten levels, one person commented, while another wrote, Im stunned and horrified they are even being allowed to push or preach their own personal religion/religious bias like that onto students in a public school in the United States.

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In a statement to area news outlet 2 News Oklahoma on Aug. 19, the school district addressed the situation.

Skiatook Public Schools became aware of the World History assignment in question through a social media post, the statement read. Once administration reviewed the assignment, it was determined that the presentation of the material was not conducive to our instructional plan.

Administration and staff will continue to collaborate on best practices to meet the Oklahoma Academic Standards, the statement added.

PEOPLE reached out to Skiatook Public Schools Superintendent Rick Loggins and Director of Curriculum Tim Buck for comment about the controversial assignment, but did not immediately hear back.

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Read the original article on People.
FORT LIBERTY  Cavalry units in the 82nd Airborne Division have started inactivating, the division announced on its social media pages this month.

The Army announced in March that it will cut 32,000 jobs, which includes 3,000 to special operation forces and 10,000 in close combat forces, along with inactivating cavalry squadrons in continental U.S.-based Stryker brigade and infantry brigade combat teams.

The force structure change aligns with a shift from counterinsurgency and counterterrorism operations to large-scale combat operations, the Army said.

Paratroopers with the 3rd Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment participate in a unit inactivation ceremony Aug. 9, 2024.

3rd Squadron

Social media posts from the division stated that the 3rd Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment cased its colors during an Aug. 9 inactivation ceremony.

The regiment was first activated Jan. 13, 1941, as the 76th Tank Battalion and participated in campaigns from World War II to the current Operation European Assure, Deter, and Reinforce in Europe.

We are grateful to our generations of Veterans and this remarkable unit, the post stated.

The 82nd Airborne Division has three squadrons under its 73rd Cavalry Regiment at Fort Liberty  the 1st Squadron, 3rd Squadron and 5th Squadron.

1st Squadron

The 1st Squadron, which inactivated July 31, traces its beginnings to the 756th Tank Battalion, an Army article stated.

The 756th designated as the 73rd Heavy Tank Battalion and assigned to the 7th Infantry Division on July 14, 1950, and spent three years of combat in Korea, before inactivating in July 1957, and reactivating July 1, 1963, as 1st Battalion, 73rd Armor during the Vietnam War.

The battalion deactivated at the end of the Vietnam War and reactivated from 1981-1988 at Fort Irwin, California, and was redesignated and assigned to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team in 2006, deploying as a part of Task Force Falcon to conduct operations to support Operation Iraqi Freedom.

In January 2010, the squadron was part of the Global Response Force deployed to Haiti for humanitarian relief after an earthquake. It deployed again from May to December 2011 to Iraqs Anbar Province in support of Operation New Hope and to Kuwait in 2015 for Operation Inherent Resolve in support of Iraqi forces defeating ISIS.

In 2020, the squadron deployed to Syria to support Operation Inherent Resolve to provide security for special operations forces to maneuver.

The 1st Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment cases its colors during a July 31, 2024, unit inactivation ceremony at Fort Liberty.

Attending the July ceremony were family members, former commanders and veterans, including retired Command Sgt. Maj. Retired Ronald Regan, who served with the unit for about 16 years.

You can see by the history it was a great unit and it's sad to see history being set aside, Regan said.

According to the Army article, the battalions colors and other unit artifacts will remain in the 82nd Airborne Museum archive.

Lt. Col. Kevin D. Humphres, commander of the squadron, said the unit will be remembered by those who served in it.

When casing the colors a final time it is a feeling of a dearly departed friend, who you know you will never see again, Humphres said.

The Army announced it's cutting these jobs. What does that mean for Fort Liberty?

'Its no secret': 82nd Airborne Division leader addresses Army cuts to cavalry squadrons

What's next for paratroopers in cavalry units?

During a video interview with The Fayetteville Observer in May, division commander Maj. Gen. J. Pat Work said leaders were taking care of the roughly 1,000 paratroopers affected by the change.

The Army report stated it is cutting jobs and not individual soldiers.

Cavalry scouts who are junior paratroopers will change jobs, and senior noncommissioned officers are working with them to ensure they maintain momentum with their careers, Work said.

Leaders have found jobs for armor officers that allow them to remain competitive, he said.

Those paratroopers have numerous options on what they choose to do in uniform, he said.

Staff writer Rachael Riley can be reached at rriley@fayobserver.com or 910-486-3528.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: 82nd Airborne cavalry units inactivate at Fort Liberty
JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV)  The capital city and Mississippis current capitol building have played big roles throughout Mississippis history, but so have many others over the last 226 years.

Since Mississippi was a territory, six cities have served as the seat of state government. In 1798, Congress delegated Natchez as the political center of the Mississippi territory. The designation went to nearby Washington in 1802, back to Natchez in 1817, Columbia in 1821 and Jackson officially in 1832. Macon and Columbus were temporary state capitals during the Civil War.

Historic bridges in Mississippi

State government met in countless hotels, taverns, houses or wherever officials could find space for much of Mississippis early history. Below are some of the most well-known places where Mississippis government went to work.

First capitol buildings

For decades, the legislature and other statewide officials lacked official buildings to conduct state business. The General Assembly did not have a place to hold regular meetings until Mississippis territorial government secured the use of the Government House from the U.S. Military in Natchez.

When Mississippis territorial government moved to the town of Washington, its general assembly often met in a tavern owned by Charles de France. When the legislature returned to Natchez, the body often met in Texada, a privately owned house still in the cultural capital of the Old South.

A more centrally located capital became desired soon after Mississippi became a state in 1817. State government temporarily moved to Stovall Springs Hotel in Columbia as legislators decided where to put the new state capital. Le Fleurs Bluff on the Pearl River was eventually determined as the ideal place; it was later named after U.S. President Andrew Jackson.

The states first formal capitol building was a two-story 2,400 square-foot building in Jackson. The legislature first met in there back in 1822. The state government quickly outgrew it; the legislature began using the Old Capitol in 1839. This small building no longer exists.

During the Civil War, Union troops eventually occupied Jackson. Macon and Columbus served as temporary capitals and hosted legislative sessions during the Civil War. Three buildings used by the state legislature included the Lowndes County Courthouse, Calhoun Institute near Macon and Columbus Christian Church.

Old Capitol Museum

Old Capitol

After firing the first architect, Mississippi chose William Nichols to design and build the Greek Revival capitol building. It stood intact following the end of the Civil War, but by the turn of the 20th century, the capitol was falling apart.

8 Civil War sites to visit in Mississippi

After legislators moved into the current building in 1903, the Old Capitol was dormant for decades. Dunbar Rowland, the first director of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, saved it from being demolished. Today, it is the Old Capitol Museum. It also serves as a venue space for conferences, meetings, and even weddings.

Mississippi_New_State_Capitol_Building_in_Jackson_402991

Mississippi State Capitol

Originally the capitol building housed all branches of Mississippis state government. The former Supreme Court chamber is now a committee meeting room. The Governors Office is used either occasionally or for ceremonial purposes.

The Mississippi State Capitol has also been home to American history. From the Mississippi Freedom Trail to the retirement of the state flag, some of the states -and countrys- most pivotal movements and moments in time occurred on 400 High Street.

A $19 million restoration project finished in 1983 and others completed since then preserve and maintain the original integrity of the building. The National Park Service designated the Mississippi State Capitol as a National Historic Landmark back in 2016.

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TOWN OF WATERFORD  The investigation into a police officer who reached a separation agreement with the town was triggered by another departments investigation completed last year.

Former officer David Ferger signed a voluntary resignation agreement, waiver and release with the Town of Waterford on June 24 with an effective date of Sept. 3. He will be paid $19,266 for unused vacation, sick and compensatory time.

Ferger started working at the Waterford Police Department in 2017 and became a full-time employee in 2021. He also had part-time police jobs in Chenequa, Big Bend and the Town of Randall.

On Aug. 21, 2023, it was recommended that Fergers part-time employment at the Chenequa Police Department be terminated for a pattern of dishonest and untruthful statements, according to a Matter of Record statement signed by CPD Sgt. Adam J. Nelson.

Ferger was accused of not being truthful with CPD in five instances related to being late for a scheduled work shift at both CPD and WPD, and job training that he said he needed to attend.

He resigned after meeting with CPD Chief Daniel Neumer, Capt. Matthew Carney and Nelson about multiple potential violations of the departments rules and regulations

In September 2023, CPD provided the information from its investigation of Ferger to the Waukesha County District Attorneys Office. The DAs office then issued a Brady notice, which is designed to warn police departments statewide when a police officer has been found to be untruthful in a way that might jeopardize the officers credibility in courtroom testimony in future criminal cases.

On May 1, 2024, Ferger was placed on administrative leave by Lt. William Jeschke, who was serving as acting chief at WPD, based on CPDs findings and Fergers inclusion on the Brady List.

The town hired Community Security Solutions LLC, a private agency from West Bend, to conduct an investigation.

In a report prepared for the town, Steven C. Rinzel, a partner at CSS, said that he wasnt able to determine why WPD waited more than seven months to act.

While I do not have an explanation for the timing of the Notice by the Department, Rinzel wrote, the delay does not affect the accuracy of this Brady Gillio disclosure and its impact on the Waterford Departments requirement to take action as it has done.

Rinzel further wrote that while the disclosure might not have been timely, the Brady notice to Officer Ferger and the Administrative Suspension prior to completion of an investigation would be justified.

However, the Wisconsin Professional Police Association, the union to which Ferger belongs, says many of the allegations of dishonesty cited by CPD are based on inaccurate information and a perception that he (Ferger) omitted information or was untruthful with minor facts, according to a letter sent to the Wakesha County District Attorneys Office and the Racine County District Attorneys Office by Luke Wagner, business agent at the police union.

The letter also says that none of the five reasons cited by CPD demonstrate any act of willful untruthfulness or intentional omission of fact by Ferger and that a scheduling error should not derail his law enforcement career that he has been working in for the last 10 years without any issues.

Waterford Town Chairwoman Teri Jendusa Nicolai declined to comment about the Ferger investigation.

The report, in its entirety, speaks for itself, she said.

Ferger also declined to comment, referring questions to his union representatives.

Jim Palmer, executive director of the WPPA, said that while Ferger disputes the findings against him, he decided to resign because of dynamics at work in Waterford and its management of the police department.

Palmer said police officers have little recourse when a district attorney labels them as untruthful  a system that Palmer said is fraught with inconsistencies.

There is no rhyme or reason, he said. It truly is the wild west.

Ferger was one of the three WPD employees placed on administrative leave in early May pending investigation. The other two are still on leave and have not been publicly identified.

Town officials have not publicly explained why any police employees in recent months have been placed on administrative leave and have been investigated. That includes officer Nate Schweitzer, a union steward in the department, who recently became the fourth employee suspended.

WPD serves both the town and the neighboring Village of Waterford with a staff of nine full-time patrol officers, plus part-timers and reservists.

The town has been without a police chief since Matt Johnson retired in January. The search for a new chief is on hold, and the Racine County Sheriffs Office is providing administrative oversight.

Eight new Racine Police Department officers sworn in Eight new officers sworn in, in City Hall Eight new officers sworn in, in City Hall Demariae Thomas Bryce Spaulding Derrick Nerling Jakyra Moore Kenneth Meyer II Gabrielle Hood Khadeja Dismuke Brady Brenner
Breathtaking view from cafe terrace of Alfama, the oldest neighbourhood in Lisbon - RRRAINBOW/iSTOCKPHOTO

Restaurants in Lisbon are reportedly charging tourists higher prices than local diners, operating a system of secret cheaper rates for Portuguese people who are in the know.

Eateries in Lisbons scenic historic centre show tourist prices on menus in several languages.

But a lower price for locals eating the same dishes is transmitted verbally, in whispers or indicated on menus placed in inconspicuous or even hidden areas, according to a report by Expresso, the Portuguese weekly newspaper.

Industry experts told Expresso that charging different prices for food based on nationality is completely illegal.

Portugals AHRESP hospitality industry association said it was not aware of restaurants having discriminatory prices for tourists. It said that rates for dishes must be equal for all customers and displayed in a totally transparent manner.

The Ribeira Market is a popular public market by the Cais do Sodre, alongside the Tagus river in Lisbon - Moment RF

Revelations of the alleged two-tier pricing practice come amid a backlash against the impact of mass tourism in parts of Portugal and in neighbouring Spain.

Residents of Lisbon have recently launched campaigns to reduce the negative impact of what they see as overtourism, including a ban on tuk-tuk three-wheeler taxis typically used by sightseers.

A group campaigning for affordable housing has presented a petition with 9,000 signatures, sufficient to trigger a referendum, in Lisbon on ending short-term Airbnb-style rental accommodation for tourists.

Lisbon (population 570,000) received 6.5 million foreign visitors in 2023.

Rents in the Portuguese capital have soared by 94 per cent since 2015, with house prices rising by 186 per cent in the same period, according to housing data specialists Confidencial Imobiliario.

Barcelona, Spains most popular city for tourists, recently decided to terminate by 2028 the licences of the 10,000 legal short-term rental apartments it currently allows.

There are an estimated 20,000 tourist apartments operating in Lisbon.

Lisbons city council agreed last month to increase its tourist tax on overnight stays in the capital from two to four euros per night, a measure due to come into force next Sunday.

Portugal received 26.5 million foreign tourists last year, an increase of 19.2 per cent compared with the previous year and 7.7 per cent above the pre-pandemic year of 2019.

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SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI)  Homicide detectives are investigating after a man was found dead in his home by family members during a welfare check Saturday afternoon.

San Diego Police were notified at 1:53 p.m. Saturday that a man was found dead in his home in the 6000 block of Madrone Avenue in the OFarrell neighborhood by concerned family members performing a welfare check after they were notified he did not show up for work.

Man dies swimming in Pacific Beach; investigation ongoing

The police department says officers and paramedics noticed the man had visible trauma to his body when they arrived at the scene. He was pronounced dead by first responders with San Diego Fire-Rescue.

At this time, police say not much is known about the circumstances that led up to the mans death and there is no suspect description at this time.

Chula Vista police save employee from burning store; man facing arson charges

San Diego Homicide Detectives were called to the home and have taken over the investigation. They are collecting evidence from the scene and interviewing any possible witnesses.

Homicide Detectives say they will be working with the San Diego County Medical Examiners Office to confirm a cause of death and the extent of the victims injuries.

Man found dead in Boulevard home, deputies say

Police say the victim has been identified as a 55-year-old Hispanic man, but his name is not being released at this time.

Anyone with more information is asked to call the Homicide Unit at 619-531-2293 or 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.
As Democrats enthusiastically turn their attention to the Democratic Partys new presidential ticket, so have House Republicans, who in recent weeks have launched a series of investigations into Vice President Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.

House Republicans, who had spent much of the past 3 1/2 years investigating President Biden, are now re-aiming their congressional firepower at Harriss limited role in migration and border policy and Walzs China ties.

That messaging recalibration extends to terminology.

In the weeks since Biden dropped his reelection bid, some GOP committees have made a noticeable stylistic change to their press releases and letters, adding -Harris to many products that previously criticized only the Biden administration.

The House Judiciary Committee has mentioned the Biden-Harris administration in press releases more times in the past month than it has since President Biden took office.

Some other efforts have been more blatant.

In a move that served to counter pro-Harris messaging at the Democratic National Convention, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), House Homeland Security Committee Chair Mark Green (R-Tenn.), and House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) held a press call last week criticizing the vice president in the wake of a new inspector general report about the challenge Immigration and Customs Enforcement has had in tracking court dates for unaccompanied migrant children.

The report did not mention Harris at all. But in keeping with the GOP strategy of placing most of the blame for problems at the border on Harris, the Republicans focused almost entirely on her.

Vice President Harris was put in charge of the border when the UAC [unaccompanied minor] disaster began and  and these original decisions were made, and this is largely her fault and done on her watch, Johnson said on the call.

While the GOP has tried to pin overall border conditions on Harris, labeling her the border czar, her role on the issue was narrower, focused instead on addressing the root causes of migration. The effort to stem flows from the south has largely involved investing heavily in development and democracy building throughout Latin America.

Republicans are also putting investigatory resources behind their criticism.

In another effort to highlight Harriss involvement in border issues, House Oversight and Accountability Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) reached out to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)  an agency with little role in responding to broader migration factors  asking for documents and communications with Harris about her work on immigration matters.

Comer did not seek documents from the two agencies most involved in the root causes strategy: the State Department and USAID. While both have numerous resources on the strategy referenced on its websites, the CBP website does not contain a single reference to the program.

In his letter to CBP, Comer said its unclear what actions, if any, Vice President Harris has taken to fix the border crisis.

The sudden shift in focus to Harris has not been missed by House Democrats, who see it as a broader pattern of using the chambers investigative might to aid former President Trump.

This entire Congress, Chairman Comer has had a simple MO: block any investigation into Donald Trump and use the Committee gavel to conduct sham inquiries into Trumps political rivals, a spokesperson with House Oversight Democrats said in a statement.

Rather than working with House Democrats to pass the bipartisan bill to secure the border or investigate Trumps receipt of millions of dollars from the Chinese government while he was Commander-in-Chief, he is once again using the Oversight Committee to boost Donald Trumps failing campaign.

The pivot to Harris coincides with longtime probes into Biden, focused mostly on alleged connections to his familys foreign business dealings, fizzling out.

House Republicans released their much-awaited impeachment inquiry report just ahead of the Democratic National Convention. While it was highly critical of Biden, it did not prove any direct financial ties, and did not recommend moving forward with impeachment articles.

It was met with a scattered reaction from Republicans, many of whom had long been skeptical about any impeachable conduct and were eager to move on from the Biden inquiries.

With Biden no longer serving as the nominee, some suggested the party needed to turn attention to its new main opponent: Harris.

We have much more work to do to assess how much Kamala Harris and other senior officials knew, when they knew it, and what role they took in covering up for the empty suit in the Oval Office, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) wrote on the social platform X when the report dropped Monday morning.

And it is not only Harris getting the scrutiny. Lawmakers have also seized on Walzs connections to China.

The former educator spent a year teaching in China in 1989, and later led field trips to the country  visiting China dozens of times.

Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) wrote to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin questioning whether Walz complied with foreign travel reporting requirements for his security clearance as he traveled to China while serving in the National Guard.

And in a letter to the FBI, Comer asked the agency to acknowledge whether it has ever offered any defensive briefings to Walz, a practice by which the agency informs politicians and other figures whether they may be a target of Chinese intelligence or influence efforts. Comer also asked the FBI to turn over information on more than a dozen Chinese entities, including some its unclear Walz had any contact with.

A Harris-Walz campaign spokesman said in a statement that the governor has stood up to the CCP [Chinese Communist Party], fought for human rights rights and democracy, and always put American jobs and manufacturing first, and accused Republicans of twisting basic facts.

Walz has also been a critic of China, meeting with the Dalai Lama and a Hong Kong democracy activist, and cosponsoring the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act in the House.

Still, Comer in press interviews is suggesting that Walzs China ties could be even more concerning than those of Bidens family members, even while admitting that there is no evidence of financial ties.

Unlike the relationship that we discovered during our relationship with the Bidens, where China was paying Joe Bidens family, with Walz it doesnt appear to be any type of payments being transacted, Comer said on Fox Business on Friday.

Republicans, Comer added, fear that its an infatuation that Tim Walz has with China, with their communist system, with the way they operated over the last 30 years. And if thats so, that should be a concern to every American.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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 handout screen grab taken from a video released by the Houthis media center on 23 August 2024 shows flames and smoke rising from an explosion at the Greek-flagged oil tanker Sounion after an attack in the Red Sea, Yemen (EPA)

Three fires broke out on a Greek-flagged oil tanker in the Red Sea, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) has reported, after Iran-backed Houthi militants attacked the vessel and its crew was evacuated.

The tanker first sustained damage on Wednesday when repeated strikes from the Houthis led to a fire and a loss of engine power. The vessels 25-member crew was later rescued by a European warship. Left unmanned, the tanker remained anchored in the waters between Yemen and Eritrea, according to a maritime security source who spoke to Reuters.

On Friday, UKMTO issued an advisory noting reports of three fires on the vessel, which added it now "appears to be drifting. Its not yet clear what happened on the tanker before the fires.

That same day, the Houthis released a video on social media allegedly showing their forces setting the tanker ablaze. The Independent has not independently verified the video.

The Sounion, which is carrying 150,000 metric tons of crude oil, now represents a significant environmental risk, according to the EUs Red Sea naval mission, Aspides.

The group has warned of the potential for a catastrophic oil spill that could devastate the regions marine ecosystem. The Djibouti Ports & Free Zones Authority echoed the concerns, stating on the platform X, formerly Twitter, that such a spill could have disastrous consequences.

Successful Salvage Operation of the Greek-Flagged Tanker "Sounion" after Attack in Yemen Waters



Last night at 10:00 PM, the Ports and Free Zones Authority successfully coordinated the salvage operation of the Greek-flagged tanker "Sounion" following an attack west of Hodeidah, pic.twitter.com/uPfoFyPaVq  Djibouti Ports & Free Zones Authority (@dpfza) August 23, 2024

The Sounion is the third tanker owned by Athens-based Delta Tankers to be targeted by the Houthis this month. The Houthis justified the attack by accusing Delta Tankers of violating its ban on entry to "the ports of occupied Palestine," as stated by their military spokesman Yahya Saree in a televised address.

In a brief statement on Friday, Delta Tankers said they were doing everything possible to secure the vessel and its cargo, but declined to provide further details for security reasons.

The recent attack on the Greek-flagged oil tanker Sounion is the latest in a series of increasingly bold operations by Yemens Houthi rebels, part of a broader campaign that has escalated tensions across the Red Sea.

Image from footage the Houthis say was as one of their attacks on the Greek-flagged oil tanker Sounion in the the Red Sea (AP)

Over the past 10 months, the Iran-backed Houthis have intensified their efforts to disrupt commercial shipping in the region, particularly targeting vessels associated with countries they view as adversaries.

This campaign, which the Houthis claim is in support of Palestinians in the conflict between Israel and Hamas, has seen the group launch a variety of maritime assaults, including missile strikes and the deployment of explosive-laden drones. Its operations have focused on areas around the Bab al-Mandab strait, a critical maritime chokepoint through which a significant portion of the worlds oil passes.
Human remains were found within the Gifford Pinchot National Forest in eastern Skamania County.

The Skamania County Sheriffs Office said a hiker reported the human skull on August 10, 2024, in the Big Lava Bed.

A deputy went to go look for the skull the next day and did not find it.

In a press release, the Sheriffs office said the hiker volunteered to return to the area with authorities to recover the skull five days later.

Detectives believe the remains belong to a hiker that went missing in 2013.

It said the same location where the skull was found is where the missing hiker was last seen.

The skull and the other remains in the area are with the Clark County Medical Examiners Office for identification.

KIRO 7 previously reported on two different missing persons cases for 2013 in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest.

One of them is Maureen Kelly, 19, of Vancouver.

She was last seen in June 2013 leaving on a spiritual quest.

And detectives still have not found Kristopher Zitzewitz, 31 of Oregon.

He went missing a couple of months later after being separated from his hiking partner.

Both Kelly and Zitzewits have not been found.

This story will be updated.
Wreaths were sent out to sea in a tribute to the victims - Alberto Lo Bianco/LaPresse/Shutterstock

Hundreds of people in the Sicilian town close to where the British superyacht Bayesian capsized and sank with the loss of seven lives held a poignant candle-lit vigil for the victims on Sunday evening, almost a week after the tragedy.

On a sweltering night in the fishing community of Porticello, a large crowd attended a special Mass at the Church of Maria Santissima del Lume, or Most Holy Mary of the Lamp, where the altar is decorated with a giant image of Christ in marine blue robes hovering over fishermen pulling up their nets from two boats.

A solemn procession, led by teenagers holding a silver crucifix, then proceeded through the streets of the town to the seafront, clutching candles and intoning blessings and prayers. Passersby made the sign of the cross and bowed their heads in respect.

It was a heartfelt gesture of grief and mourning from a town that lives off fishing and knows all too well the dangers of the sea.

The hundreds of locals stopped at a point on the esplanade that was just a couple of hundred yards from where the bodies of multi-millionaire British tech tycoon Mike Lynch, his teenage daughter Hannah and the other victims were brought after being recovered from the wreck by specialist divers.

Mike and Hannah Lynch had been holidaying on the luxury yacht when a storm hit - PA

The luxury yacht sank barely half a mile off shore, within plain sight of the town.

In a moving ceremony, Father Vincenzo Buscemi, the local priest, read out the first names of all seven of the victims of the tragedy.

We are here to pray for the victims, who have concluded their earthly journey, he told the large crowd, which included fire service divers, coast guard officers dressed immaculately in white and local volunteers.

The seven victims: Mike and Hannah Lynch, Judy and Jonathan Bloomer, Chris and Neda Morvillo, and Recaldo Thomas

As the crowd recited the Lords Prayer, four lavish wreaths were laid on the water, the waves gently pulling them out to sea, towards the spot where the Bayesian went down in an intense storm in the early hours of last Monday.

This is a moment of prayer for the community to remember the victims. Ours is a community that has in the past felt the pain of tragedies like this. Many men have lost their lives while working at sea, Father Buscemi told The Telegraph.

For a lot of locals, the tragedy of the Bayesian brings back memories of past losses, it reopens wounds. There is huge sympathy for the victims and their relatives. People here want to show solidarity with them.

The tragedy has shocked local communities - Alberto Lo Bianco/LaPresse/Shutterstock

Anna Maria Vella, 51, said: My husband is a fisherman. I know the anxiety of seeing him go out to sea and wondering if he will come home.

Giuseppe DAgostino, the mayor of Porticello, said: We are a town of about 12,000 people and half the population relies on fishing. Its the main employer here. The tragedy has hit people hard.

Italian prosecutors announced on Saturday that they had launched an investigation into the tragedy, looking into the potential crimes of multiple manslaughter and causing a deadly shipwreck. They said the investigation was still at an early stage and stressed that nobody has yet been charged.

The captain of the 30 million yacht, 51-year-old James Cutfield from New Zealand, was interviewed by prosecutors last week and is likely to be questioned again, along with the rest of the crew.

James Cutfield, 51, was the captain of the Bayesian

The surviving passengers, including Angela Bacares, Mr Lynchs wife, left the hotel they had been recovering in on Saturday, reportedly flying home on private jets.

Prosecutors said that the passengers were under no legal obligation to remain in Italy.

Post-mortems on the victims, who include Morgan Stanley International bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer, his wife Judy Bloomer, Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda Morvillo, and the ships chef, Recaldo Thomas, will be carried out at a clinic in nearby Palermo.

Prosecutors are investigating whether the captain and crew failed to alert their passengers that the yacht was sinking when it was hit by a violent storm.

There are questions about how six passengers died in the disaster while all the crew survived, with the exception of the ships Canadian-Antiguan chef.

Data from the ships Automatic Identification System or AIS reportedly shows that there was a 16-minute period between the storm hitting the 184ft-long Bayesian at 3.50am on Monday and the vessel sinking at 4.06am.

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Emergency shelters are being placed at various local high schools as the state's governor declares a state of emergency.

A satellite image by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shows Tropical Storm Hone, left, and Hurricane Gilma southeast of Hawaii on Friday. (NOAA via AP)

Hurricane Hone is gradually moving away from Hawaiis Big Island, but tropical storm conditions will continue in other parts of the state with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph, according to the latest advisory of the National Hurricane Center (NHC).

As of 11 a.m. HT (5 p.m. ET) on Sunday, the center of Hurricane Hone (pronounced hoe-NEH) was moving westward. It's roughly 100 miles southwest of Kailua-Kona, a town on the west coast of Hawaii's Big Island, and 175 miles southwest of the states capital city of Honolulu.

Meanwhile, roughly 1,365 miles away from Hilo, Hurricane Gilma is now a Category 3 storm and continues to move westward across the open waters of the Pacific. As of 5 p.m. ET on Sunday, Gilma has maximum sustained winds of 115 mph and is expected to remain a hurricane through early Tuesday, before weakening considerably through the end of the week, according to the NHC.

Tropical storm warnings are in effect in Hawaii County, as both storms are likely to bring rough seas and surf to the islands, posing potential danger to surfers, swimmers and small boats in the coming days.

Where is Hurricane Hone now?

Hurricane Hone's location as of 5 p.m. ET, or 11 a.m. HST on Sunday. (NHC)

As of 5 p.m. ET on Sunday, Hone is moving west-northwest at around 12 mph and will likely continue this motion for the next few days. The center of the storm reached its closest point of approach to the Big Island at around 10 a.m. ET, passing approximately 45 miles due south of South Point, according to the NHC.

Location : Around 100 miles southwest of Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, and 175 miles southwest of Honolulu.

Maximum sustained winds : 80 mph.

Present movement: Hone is moving west-northwest at 12 mph, which will continue for a few days.

What are the watches and warnings?

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green declared a state of emergency on Saturday, allowing him to activate the National Guard and state disaster funds to expedite emergency response efforts, if needed.

Hurricane warnings, tropical storm warnings, high winds and flash flood warnings remain in effect for Hawaii County as of 5 p.m. ET on Sunday, according to the National Weather Services Honolulu office.

As of midday Sunday, wind gusts of 73 mph (at Kohala Ranch) and roughly 18 inches of rainfall have been observed on Hawaii's Big Island, according to AccuWeather, causing over 21,000 customers to be without power.

An additional 3-5 inches of rainfall is expected in southeast-facing slopes of the Big Island on Sunday through Monday morning, according to the NHC, with a potential 1-3 inches affecting the windward coasts of the smaller Hawaiian islands.

Closures and bus route cancellations

In a weekend weather update, Hawaii County Mayor Mitch Roth urged residents to take necessary precautions, warning of dangerous surf on the Big Islands eastern-facing shores.

Waipio Valley access road is closed and overnight camping at Whittington & Punaluu Beach Parks is canceled, according to Hawaii Countys Hazard Impact Map. Hele-On Bus Service is also canceled through the weekend and emergency shelters have opened from Kau to Hamakua should people need them  including at Honoka'a High School cafeteria, Waiakea High School gymnasium, Kea'au High School library and others.

Visit Hawaii Countys Hazard Impact Map for up-to-date information on road closures, cancellations and emergency shelters.

What about Hurricane Gilma?

Hurricane Gilma's location as of 5 p.m. ET on Sunday, or 11 a.m. HST. (National Hurricane Center)

As of 5 p.m. ET Sunday (or 11 a.m.), Gilma was also moving west-northwest at 12 mph. Its expected to continue its trajectory during the next several days, according to the NHCs latest advisory.

Location : Around 1,365 miles east of Hilo.

Maximum sustained winds : 115 mph

Present movement: West-northwest at 12 mph

No coastal watches, warnings or hazards affecting land are in place for Hurricane Gilma, according to the NHC.
WEST SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP)  The Irish Cultural Center of Western New England, Black Rose Academy of Irish Dance, and Cassin Academy of Irish Dance are hosting the ICCs fifth annual Lunasa Feis on Sunday.

West Springfield celebrates 250th anniversary with spirited parade

This years Irish dance competition will take place at the Eastern States Exposition in West Springfield. New this year is the introduction to the Tin Whistle workshop, which provides a chance to learn traditional Irish music.

The dance competition is set to begin at 9 AM and run until 4 PM, and the Tin Whistle Workshop will run from 12 PM until 1 PM. Bakers can also enter a Soda Bread Competition at the feis.

A Monitored Dress Room will be available for sellers to hang their dresses, and to allow others to try them on. A $10 donation is requested for each dress and a $5 donation for accessories like shoes.

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.
Indonesia election body gets approval to issue new rules in line with protesters' demands

Annual State of the Nation Address, ahead of the country's Independence Day, in Jakarta

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesia's election body secured parliament's nod on Sunday to issue new rules in line with demands from protesters, who have been furious over an attempt by allies of outgoing President Joko Widodo to change eligibility requirements in their favour.

Demonstrations flared up in several cities in Indonesia last week as anger mounted over what Widodo's critics say is an attempt to further consolidate his power as he prepares to make way for successor Prabowo Subianto in October.

The new rules will adopt a decision made by the Constitutional Court on Tuesday, which upheld the minimum age of 30 for candidates by the time of nomination and clauses that made it easier for parties to make nominations, the election body's acting chief Mochammad Afifuddin said.

"We are thankful that we can speed up (the consultation process with parliament), as it will give more room for us to prepare the nomination process," he said referring to the registration of regional leader candidates starting next Tuesday.

Parliament had started discussions late last year to revise the regional election laws but decided to speed it up earlier this week following the Constitutional Court's decision.

The policy shift opens the door for Prabowo's presidential election rival Anies Baswedan to be nominated for Jakarta governor, a post he held from 2017-2022, but also means Jokowi's 29-year-old son Kaesang Pangarep cannot run in regional polls.

On Sunday, the election body attended a hearing with the parliamentary commission overseeing election issues to secure the lawmakers' approval before issuing the new rules.

Law minister Supratman Andi Agtas said in the same hearing the government will help to speed up the process to issue the new regulations.

The labor party is scheduled to hold a protest again on Sunday, demanding the election body issue the new rules soon.

The popularity and outsized influence of Jokowi, as the president is known, after a decade in charge was instrumental in Prabowo winning February's election by a big margin, in what was widely seen as a quid-pro-quo to ensure the outgoing leader retains a political stake long after he leaves office.

(Reporting by Stefanno Sulaiman; Editing by Kim Coghill)
Inside the plan for a massive WA insulation plant to spin molten rock like cotton candy

A proposed manufacturing plant southeast of the Tri-Cities will make building insulation by crushing stone, melting it and spinning the lava-like material in an industrial-strength cotton candy maker.

Roxul USA Inc., aka Rockwool, plans to build a 2.7 million-square-foot plant at Wallula Gap Business Park, near Wallula Junction.

Its buying 250 acres about 10 miles from Pasco from the Port of Walla Walla for $8.75 million.

In March, the company announced it would build ts fifth North American manufacturing facility in Eastern Washington to serve as a launch pad for its West Coast expansion. The others are in Canada and the U.S.

The first of three phases is a $175 million plant with 125 employees and an annual payroll of $8.5 million.

When all phases are complete, Rockwool will boast one of the larger manufacturing and warehouse facilities in the state. The Boeing Co.s 4.3 million-square-foot airplane plant in Everett is the largest.

Rockwools 2.7 million square feet will be big enough to contain both warehouses Amazon recently built in east Pasco plus enough room left over for Sageview High School, the new school being built in north Pasco.

The company is a $4 billion manufacturer with a U.S. base in Kearneyville, W.Va. It is an arm of Rockwool Group, based in Denmark.

The proposed plant is a significant win for western Walla Walla County both for jobs and for its ability to recruit a manufacturer to the region.

More than two dozen documents totaling more than 2,240 pages released under the Washington State Environmental Policy Act in July offer a clearer picture of the plan beyond the details announced in the spring.

Rock insulation

Rockwool is being celebrated as an important addition to the green economy. Rock-based insulation fire- and water-resistant, sound proof and durable.

At the end of its 65+ year lifespan, the old insulation can be reused to produce new with no loss of value.

Stone-based insulation offsets 100 times the carbon released during the manufacturing process, Rockwool claims.

A nine-minute video tour of Rockwools Ranson, W.Va. plant with YouTube personality Matt Risinger shows how the company transforms crushed rock into the woolly insulation contractors embed in walls, attics, under floors and anywhere insulation is needed in commercial and residential structures.

It sells its products of varying insulation values under the Rockwool name.

It all starts with the same recipe: Gravel, high heat, spinning molten material in a giant candy cotton machine.

Rockwool plants receive truckloads of gravel from area quarries.

It screens the material and magnets remove metal debris. It is crushed to a consistent size.

A giant melter heats the material to a lava-like consistency. Industrial spinners fling the molten material into a web of thin strands. If the process is shut down for some reason, the molten material flows into a waste chamber, where it cools into glassy bits and is returned to the start of the process and reused.

Layers upon layers of glassy material form into thick batts. High-pressure water jets cut them them into commercial sizes.

The insulation is packaged and stacked on pallets before being shipped on to distributors.

U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, the Empire State Building in New York and Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle all incorporate Rockwool insulation, according to the company.

Heavy industry, heavy development

The Rockwool plans for Wallula Gap involved intense development, according to the SEPA documents, which identify the plant by its code name, Project Sequoia.

The extensive review is part of the process leading up to project approval. The plant is expected to begin operations in either 2027 or 2028, according to differing reports.

The Rockwool documents detail the expected traffic impacts, hazardous air emissions, power requirements and even the steps it will take to protect sensitive archaeology from excavators.

While it produces a sustainable product, Rockwools impact on traffic will be significant, though its not clear exactly how significant.

WSP USA, a Portland engineering firm, completed a 435-page analysis that said Rockwool would contribute 2,900 daily vehicle trips in the first phase, growing to nearly 7,700 by the time the second and third phases are complete in 20 years.

Port and state officials say the numbers are incorrect and are being revised.

Patrick Reay, the ports executive director, said the port is working with the developer and the state Department of Transportation on revisions.

Meagan Lott, spokeswoman for WashDOT, confirmed the state views the 7,700 figure as inaccurate.

Regardless of the final number, Rockwool will be served by Highway 12, a road the state has spent the past 20-plus years working to expand from two lanes to four from Burbank, at the confluence of the Snake and Columbia rivers, all the way to Walla Walla. The Walla Walla side is largely complete, but the western section is still mostly confined to two lanes.

The eight phase of the four laning effort will cover 10 miles between the Wallula Gap industrial area and Nine Mile Hill to the east. The Burbank-to-Wallula Gap stretch comes after that.

Lott said the state is working with the port and Rockwool to ensure plant construction doesnt affect work in the eighth phase, which is which is supposed to start in 2027.

She added that additional traffic along the four-lane section wont create congestion, but officials are focused on the intersections that cross the highway.

A proposed Rockwool plant for the Wallula Gap area will generate lots of traffic once it starts operating.

Phased approach

If the project is approved as expected, Phase 1 would begin next year with grading of 112 acres. Physical construction would begin in fall 2025, with the plant beginning operations in 2027 according to one checklist or 2028 according the traffic study.

Phase 2 would begin in 2033 and would follow a similar path, with construction lasting about two years. Phase three would begin in 2041.

The project has one wild card: A possible rail line. If built, it will be constructed from 2032-34 and would allow raw materials  gravel to arrive by train.

At maximum capacity, Rockwool could operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week and consume 168,000 tons of raw materials per year for each of the three anticipated phases.

Sourcing energy

Rockwool will power the plant with both electricity and natural gas.

The company has an agreement with Pacific Power to provide approximately 221,000 megawatt hours of electricity per year, enough to power a smallish city.

Paul Espinosa, spokesman, said its power supply will be 80% renewable by 2030 and 100% so by 2040, as required under Washingtons Clean Energy Act. Portland-based Pacific Power serves customers across the Northwest and generates electricity with a mix of coal, wind, dam, solar and natural gas.

Cascade Natural Gas will supply its gas needs.

Rockwool will use energy efficient equipment such as LED lights and motion sensors where feasible, he added.

Recruiting manufacturers

The Washington state Department of Commerce supported creation of the Wallula Gap Business Park last year when it named it one of six sites to split a $2.5 million grant to attract and expand manufacturing.

Rockwool is one of two manufacturers considering locating facilities there.

The second is SkyNRG, a Seattle aviation fuel company, which aims to build a produce sustainable fuel on a 130 acre site starting in 2029. It would employ 100.

Current neighbors include Packaging Corporation of America, Tyson Fresh Meats and Tri-Cities Intermodal.

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The post Isaac Hayes Estate Granted Emergency Hearing for Injunction Against Trump appeared first on Consequence.

A federal court has granted an emergency hearing regarding an injunction request from Isaac Hayes estate against Donald Trump over the unauthorized use of the song Hold On, Im Coming.

According to Hayes son, Isaac Hayes III, the Northern District of Georgia Federal Court in Atlanta has scheduled the hearing for September 3rd.

Earlier this month, Hayes estate threatened Trump with a copyright lawsuit after identifying 134 instances where the former president allegedly used Hold On, Im Coming at campaign rallies without permission. The estate gave Trump until August 16th to pay a $3 million licensing fee or face further legal action.

After the deadline passed, the estate filed the lawsuit against Trump, also naming the RNC, the NRA, and Turning Point USA as co-defendants.

In a video posted to social media earlier on Saturday, Isaac Hayes III explained that while Trump may have initially been shielded by an ASCAP or BMI license, the estate opted out of those licenses once Trump began playing Hold On, Im Coming at campaign events. As a result, Hayes claims that by continuing to play the song, Trump is liable for a $150,000 fine for every instance in which he has done so.

Trump is also facing potential legal actions from Foo Fighters after playing My Hero at a campaign rally with Robert Kennedy Jr. this past Friday.

Breaking The Federal Court has granted our request for an Emergency Hearing to secure injunctive relief. Donald Trump, @realdonaldtrump, the RNC, Trump, Trump for President Inc. 2024, Turning Point and The NRA are required to appear in court September 3rd, 2024 at the  Isaac Hayes III (@IsaacHayes3) August 23, 2024

If I repeatedly used any of @realdonaldtrumps IP without permission, he would sue the shit out of me.  For all the copyright experts out there heres how it works. And to the writers who dont want Trump using their songs heres how you stop him. @jameslwalkeresq @bmi pic.twitter.com/zGo5fE1Tbw  Isaac Hayes III (@IsaacHayes3) August 25, 2024

Isaac Hayes Estate Granted Emergency Hearing for Injunction Against Trump

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Police have detained two people over a knife attack in Solingen, Germany, which left three people dead and eight others wounded and for which the Islamic State militant group has claimed responsibility.

The attack took place during a festival celebrating the citys 650th anniversary.

The group said the attacker, who was detained after the group claimed responsibility, targeted Christians and is a soldier of the Islamic State, carrying out the assaults Friday to avenge Muslims in Palestine and everywhere.

The claim has not been verified and no evidence for the groups connection was provided.

The state internal affairs minister announced they had arrested a one person early Sunday. That person was detained at a refugee shelter in the city of the attack, 15 miles east of Dusseldorf, police said. However authorities did not indicate if the suspect was a refugee or that the individual was thought to be the attacker.

We have been following a hot lead all day, Herbert Reul told Tagesschau, the news program of the German public television network ARD, according to the Associated Press.

The person we have been searching for all day has been detained a short while ago, he said.

Police say they have clues and collected pieces of evidence.

Prior to announcing the arrest of a suspect, officials also said that a 15-year-old boy, suspected of knowing about the planned attack and failing to inform authorities, was arrested.

The attack killed two men, aged 67 and 56, and a 56-year-old woman, authorities said. Police also said that the attacker apparently tried to aim for his victims throats on purpose.

The program for the event, expected to draw about 75,000 people, according to the Washington Post, included live music, theater, cabaret and acrobatics, with food from all over the world.

Authorities said they are considering terrorism as a motive and are warning against the spread of misinformation surrounding the attack.

Several German officials, including Chancellor Olaf Scholz, condemned the attack. Scholz described the attack on social media as a terrible event that shocked me greatly, and that the perpetrator must be caught quickly and punished to the full extent of the law.

Meanwhile, Solingen Mayor Tim Kurzbach said that the city was in shock, horror and great sadness, in a statement late Friday.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
JERUSALEM (AP)  Israel has launched a wave of airstrikes across southern Lebanon in what it called a preemptive strike on Hezbollah.

The Lebanese militant group then said it had fired hundreds of rockets and drones in retaliation for the killing of a top commander in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut last month.

The heavy exchange of fire did not appear to have ignited a long-feared war, but the situation remains tense.

U.S. and Arab mediators have been trying to broker a cease-fire in the 10-month-old Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, hoping to head off a wider conflict that could draw in the U.S. and Iran.

By mid-morning, it appeared that the exchange had ended with few casualties and no major damage.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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 News

Israel and Hezbollah on Sunday exchanged their heaviest cross-border strikes yet since their ongoing conflict began after Oct. 7, but stopped short of an all-out war.

The Israeli military said it used 100 fighter jets to preemptively strike 40 launch sites Hezbollah was planning on using for a broader attack. The Iranian-backed militant group in Lebanon then fired hundreds of rockets targeting Israeli military assets.

Three people died in Lebanon, according to Reuters, and there were no fatalities in Israel, which saw limited damage from the strikes.

Both sides signaled that they were not seeking a full-scale war, but fears remain that their heightened conflict could further inflame regional tensions, and imperil high-stakes Gaza ceasefire negotiations scheduled Sunday.

Hezbollah indicated it was not planning further strikes for now, but said this was the first phase of its retaliatory attack over Israels assassination of its senior leader that the group had delayed in the hopes of a ceasefire agreement. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned, This is not the end of the story.

The White House said President Joe Biden was closely monitoring events in Israel and Lebanon.

Both Israel and Hezbollah have good reasons to avoid war, The Guardian wrote: Israel does not have the stamina for another front and knows defeating Hezbollah would require a ground invasion, risking thousands of Israeli lives. Hezbollah, meanwhile, is worried that a war would devastate its military and financial assets held in Lebanon.

Still, just because neither Israel nor Hezbollah wants a war now, does not mean it is not going to happen, The Guardian argued, especially if there are any miscalculations.
This photo taken from a position in northern Israel shows an Israeli Air Force fighter jet firing flares as it flies to intercept a hostile aircraft that launched from Lebanon over the border area with south Lebanon on August 25, 2024. The Israeli military announced early August 25, 2024 that it was conducting pre-emptive strikes in Lebanon after detecting preparations for "large-scale" attacks by the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah. Hezbollah said August 25, 2024 it had launched more than 320 rockets at Israel overnight, targeting a string of military positions, even as Israel's military said it was carrying out pre-emptive strikes against the group. (Photo by Jalaa MAREY / AFP) (Photo by JALAA MAREY/AFP via Getty Images)

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) say they launched preemptive strikes on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon. Very shortly after those air strikes, Hezbollah fired a massive volley of rockets and drones at Israel, saying it was undertaking retaliation actions for the assassination last month of Hezbollah military commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut. Hezbollah did not say the rocket barrage was in response to Israels strikes, so it would have been part of the impending attack Israel was working to degrade.

As of yet, Iran has not joined in directly but has threatened in the past to attack Israel in revenge for the assassination in Tehran last July 31 of Ismail Haniyeh, a top Hamas political leader.

The IDF identified the Hezbollah terrorist organization preparing to fire missiles and rockets toward Israeli territory, the IDF said on Telegram. In response to these threats, the IDF is striking terror targets in Lebanon. Israeli Air Force (IAF) fighter jets are currently striking targets belonging to the Hezbollah terrorist organization that posed an imminent threat to the citizens of the State of Israel. Following the strikes, and in accordance with the IDF Home Front Commands situational assessment, life-saving guidelines for the public in certain areas of Israel will be published.

Dozens of IAF jets are currently striking targets in various locations in southern Lebanon, said IDF spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari. We are continuing to remove threats, and to intensively strike against the Hezbollah terrorist organization.

Footage of #Israel's IDF beginning to preemptively strike #Hezbollah targets in #Lebanon amid indications of preparations to attack Israel. pic.twitter.com/QVz0jn5l3h  Jason Brodsky (@JasonMBrodsky) August 25, 2024

In a self-defense act to remove these threats, the IDF is striking terror targets in Lebanon, from which Hezbollah was planning to launch their attacks on Israeli civilians.



Listen to an update from IDF Spokesperson, RAdm. Daniel Hagari, regarding Hezbollahs plans to attack pic.twitter.com/fKvbUVSmbT  Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) August 25, 2024

The night sky over northern Israel lit up with Iron Dome air defense system interceptors targeting incoming Hezbollah projectiles.

BREAKING:



At least 100 rockets have been fired towards northern Israel from Lebanon in response to the Israeli attack.



Lebanese missiles and drones are heading towards the Western Galilee. Iron Dome attempts to intercept a barrage of Lebanese rockets in northern Israel. pic.twitter.com/hiorQKcEMP      (@NiohBerg) August 25, 2024

Since this morning, Israel intercepted 200+ rockets fired from Lebanon by Hezbollah, the Iranian-Backed Lebanese terror organization.



Israel has the right to defend itself! pic.twitter.com/eJB2b6Nf01  David Saranga (@DavidSaranga) August 25, 2024

Iron Dome saving lives over northern Israel tonight. pic.twitter.com/jlCf7gA3Cy  Aviva Klompas (@AvivaKlompas) August 25, 2024

The Israeli shootdown of a Hezbollah drone over northern Israel was captured in amazing photos by AFP photographer Jalaa Marey.

This photo taken from a position in northern Israel shows a Hezbullah UAV over north Israel on August 25, 2024. The Israeli military announced early August 25, 2024 that it was conducting pre-emptive strikes in Lebanon after detecting preparations for large-scale attacks by the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah. Hezbollah said August 25, 2024 it had launched more than 320 rockets at Israel overnight, targeting a string of military positions, even as Israels military said it was carrying out pre-emptive strikes against the group. (Photo by Jalaa MAREY / AFP) JALAA MAREY

This photo taken from a position in northern Israel shows a Hezbollah UAV intercepted by Israeli air forces over north Israel on August 25, 2024. The Israeli military announced early August 25, 2024 that it was conducting pre-emptive strikes in Lebanon after detecting preparations for large-scale attacks by the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah. Hezbollah said August 25, 2024 it had launched more than 320 rockets at Israel overnight, targeting a string of military positions, even as Israels military said it was carrying out pre-emptive strikes against the group. (Photo by Jalaa MAREY / AFP) JALAA MAREY

At least one home in northern Israel was damaged by a Hezbollah rocket.

Damage to a Home in the Northern Israeli City of Acre, following an Impact from a Hezbollah Rocket. pic.twitter.com/UOUpjdooXU  OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) August 25, 2024

Hezbollah released a statement about its actions and claimed to have fired hundreds of rockets into Israel.

Hezbollah begins the process of responding to the assassination of the martyr Fouad Shukr, according to the Hezbollah-affiliated Al Mayadeen news outlets Telegram. The Islamic Resistance in Lebanonconfirms targeting a qualitative military target, and completing the first phase with complete success.

Hezbollah claims to have fired over 300 rockets in first phase of retaliation against Israel; no reports of significant damage  BNO News (@BNONews) August 25, 2024

Israels preemptive attack was aimed at missile launchers in Lebanon that had been programmed to be fired at 5 a.m. in the direction of Tel Aviv, The New York Times reported, citing a Western intelligence official. The official said that all the launchers that were targeted were destroyed and that Israel was anticipating a harsh response from Hezbollah.

There are conflicting reports about whether the U.S. was warned ahead of Israels attack.

One senior U.S. official said the United States had not been given advance notice of Israels intent to carry out pre-emptive strikes, The New York Times reported. But a second U.S. official said that Israel had briefed American officials in the past day and said the I.D.F. had assessed that Hezbollah was planning to attack early Sunday morning.

President. Joe Biden is closely monitoring events in Israel and Lebanon, said Sean Savett, a White House National Security Council spokesman. He has been engaged with his national security team throughout the evening. At his direction, senior U.S. officials have been communicating continuously with their Israeli counterparts. We will keep supporting Israels right to defend itself, and we will keep working for regional stability.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III spoke with Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant to discuss Israels defense against Lebanese Hizballah attacks, Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said in a statement. Secretary Austin reaffirmed the United States ironclad commitment to Israels defense against any attacks by Iran and its regional partners and proxies.

What exactly this multi-phase campaign Hezbollah is saying it is executing will look like remains unclear, but Israel has been putting its country in a posture for a major hostilities, including cancelling all flights into and out of the Tel Aviv, although it looks like that the airport is now reopened.

Ben Gurion airport right now  all flights to and from Israel cancelled until at least 10 am pic.twitter.com/Kz78qbcabe  Emily Schrader      (@emilykschrader) August 25, 2024

Hezbollah has a massive arsenal, largely furnished by Iran, that includes longer-range weaponry that could strike across Israel. So far, it appears this onslaught was limited to less advanced rocket capabilities and drones. How this is related to Irans delayed reprisal attacks against Israel, if it all, remains an unknown.

This is a developing story.

Update 1:41 AM Eastern 

The IDF released a new statement on the number of aircraft used and targets it claimed were hit:

Approximately 100 IAF fighter jets, directed by IDF intelligence, struck and destroyed thousands of Hezbollah rocket launcher barrels that were located and embedded in southern Lebanon. Most of these launchers were aimed toward northern Israel and some were aimed toward central Israel. More than 40 launch areas in Lebanon were struck during the strikes.

-100    -,     ,              .        .



 ,    40  . pic.twitter.com/VjcIibEu1O  Israeli Air Force (@IAFsite) August 25, 2024

Update: 1:53 AM Eastern 

Israeli Prime Minister delivered a message after a meeting of the Israeli Political and Security Cabinet at the IDF Headquarters in Tel Aviv.

Whoever hurts us, we hurt him, he said.

      . pic.twitter.com/KsoHJbhsCx  Benjamin Netanyahu    (@netanyahu) August 25, 2024

Contact the author: howard@thewarzone.com
Israel launched a series of airstrikes in Lebanon early Sunday in what the countrys military described as a preemptive attack against Hezbollah, leading to them quickly responding with rockets and drones.

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it launched the attack after learning Hezbollah had plans to launch missiles and rockets toward Israel, spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said in a video early Sunday.

The strikes involved about 100 Israeli Air Force fighter jets, which the IDF claimed eliminated thousands of Hezbollah rocket launcher barrels aimed at northern and central Israel. The strikes hit more than 40 Hezbollah launch areas, the IDF said.

A short time later, Hezbollah announced it waged an attack on Israeli military positions in retaliation for the death of Hezbollahs most senior military commander Fuad Shukr in a strike in Beirut last month, the Associated Press reported. He was the right-hand man to the Lebanese militia groups leader, Hassan Nasrallah.

At least three people were killed in the strikes in Lebanon, while no deaths were reported in Israel, the AP reported.

The exchange of fire marked one of the largest clashes between the Iran-backed group and Israel in the past 10 months, sparking further concerns of an all-out war.

Hezbollah began attacks against Israel shortly after the Israel-Hamas war broke out in Gaza, which was sparked by Hamass Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel. Israel and Hezbollah have exchanged fire almost daily, per the AP.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday said Israel eliminated thousands of rockets that were aimed at northern Israel, adding the country is determined to do everything to defend itself, the news wire added.

The Pentagon told The Hill Sunday it is continuing to monitor the situation closely and reinforced the U.S. is postured to support the defense of Israel.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant regarding Israels defenses, the AP said, citing the Pentagon.

National Security Council spokesperson Sean Savett said President Biden is closely monitoring the unfolding events.

He has been engaged with his national security team throughout the evening. At his direction, senior U.S. officials have been communicating continuously with their Israeli counterparts, Savett said Sunday. We will keep supporting Israels right to defend itself, and we will keep working for regional stability.

It comes as negotiations for a cease-fire and hostage release deal appeared to collapse last week as Israel and Hamas remain at odds on major issues. Secretary of State Antony Blinken traveled to the Middle East last week to push negotiations toward the finish line but left without any major agreement in place.

The Associated Press contributed reporting.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Israel launched a series of what it characterized as preemptive airstrikes in southern Lebanon, saying they were designed to thwart a heavy barrage of rockets and missiles from being launched toward Israel by Hezbollah. NBC News Matt Bradley reports on the scope of the strikes, as the region has been bracing for retaliation for days.

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ADDS MOTHER"S NAME The mother, Iris Shitrit, center, of Petty Officer 1st Class David Moshe Ben Shitrit, who was killed on a Hezbollah attack, mourns during the funeral of her son at the Mount Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem, Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

JERUSALEM (AP)  A round of high-level talks in Cairo meant to bring about a cease-fire and hostage deal to at least temporarily end the 10-month Israel-Hamas war in Gaza ended Sunday without a final agreement, a U.S. official said. But talks will continue at lower levels in the coming days in an effort to bridge remaining gaps.

The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the talks, said lower level working teams will remain in Cairo to meet with mediators the United States, Qatar, and Egypt in hopes to addressing remaining disagreements. The official called the recent conversations, which began Thursday in Cairo and continued through Sunday, as constructive and said all parties were working to reach a final and implementable agreement.

The talks included CIA director William Burns and David Barnea, the head of Israels Mossad intelligence agency. A Hamas delegation was briefed by Egyptian and Qatari mediators but did not directly take part in negotiations.

The development came after Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah traded heavy fire early Sunday but backed off from sparking a widely feared all-out war, as both sides signaled their most intense exchange in months was over.

Hezbollah claimed to hit an Israeli military intelligence site near Tel Aviv as part of a barrage of hundreds of rockets and drones, and Israel claimed its dozens of strikes had been preemptive to avert a larger attack. Neither offered evidence.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said the attack, a response to Israels killing of a top militant commander in Beirut last month, had been delayed to give the Gaza cease-fire talks a chance, and so fellow Iran-backed groups could discuss with Iran whether to attack Israel all at once. Israeli and U.S. military deployment also played a role.

We will now reserve the right to respond at a later time if the results of Sundays attack arent sufficient, Nasrallah said, adding that allied Houthi rebels in Yemen -- and Iran itself -- had yet to respond. But he told the Lebanese people: At this current stage, the country can take a breath and relax.

Israel and Hezbollah said they aimed only at military targets. Israel said no military target was hit by Hezbollah but that one soldier with its navy was killed and two others were wounded either by an interceptor for incoming fire, or by shrapnel from one. Two Hezbollah fighters and a militant from an allied group were killed, the groups said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the military eliminated thousands of rockets that were aimed at northern Israel and shot down drones heading for the center of the country.

I repeat  this is not the end of the story," he added.

Flights diverted as air raid sirens wail

Air raid sirens were reported throughout northern Israel, and Israel's international airport closed and diverted flights for about an hour.

Israels military spokesperson, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, said about 100 Israeli planes struck 270 targets, 90% of them rocket launchers aimed at northern Israel. He said they were investigating the percentage of incoming rockets and drones intercepted but said the vast majority were thwarted.

Hezbollah said its attack involved more than 320 Katyusha rockets aimed at multiple sites in Israel and a large number of drones.

Some Israelis were shaken. In the northern city of Acre, retired teacher Saadia Even Tsur, 76, said he was at the synagogue and arrived home five minutes after his bedroom was damaged. I went up and saw the size of the miracle that happened to me, he said. A window was broken and debris was on the bed.

Lebanons caretaker Economy Minister Amin Salam, after an emergency government meeting, said officials were feeling a bit more optimistic about a de-escalation after both sides confirmed that the operations had ended.

President Joe Biden was closely monitoring events in Israel and Lebanon," according to Sean Savett, a spokesman for the National Security Council. The Pentagon said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Gallant, and ordered both U.S. carrier strike groups in the region to stay. The U.S. military has been building up its forces across the region in recent weeks.

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. CQ Brown, arrived in Israel late Sunday for meetings on what the Israeli military called joint preparations in the region as part of the response to threats in the Middle East.

All-out war apparently averted for now

Danny Citrinowicz, an expert at Israels Institute for National Security Studies, said Hezbollah might be trying to balance the equation without escalating into war. Each side hopes their narrative will be sufficient for them to declare victory and avoid a wider confrontation, he said.

Hezbollah began attacking Israel almost immediately after the start of the war in Gaza, which was triggered by Hamas' Oct. 7 attack into southern Israel. Israel and Hezbollah have exchanged fire almost daily, displacing tens of thousands of people on both sides of the border.

Hezbollah, which fought Israel to a stalemate in 2006, is believed to be far more powerful now. The United States and Israel estimate it has some 150,000 rockets and is capable of hitting anywhere inside Israel. The group has also developed drones capable of evading Israel's defenses, as well as precision-guided munitions.

Israel has vowed a crushing response to any major Hezbollah attack. It has an extensive multi-tiered missile defense system, and it is backed by a U.S.-led coalition that helped it shoot down hundreds of missiles and drones fired from Iran earlier this year.

Hezbollah is a close ally of Iran, which has also threatened to retaliate against Israel for the killing of senior Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last month. Israel has not said whether it was involved.

Iranian state media played up the Hezbollah attack, calling it a success, but there was no immediate comment from Iranian officials.

The U.S. and other mediators see a cease-fire in Gaza as key to averting a wider Mideast war. Hezbollah has said it will halt its strikes on Israel if there is a cease-fire.

In the occupied West Bank, Israel's military said it killed two people who allegedly tried to run over soldiers in Ariel, slightly hurting one.

___

Madhani reported from Dover Air Force Base, Delaware. Sewell and Chehayeb reported from Beirut. Associated Press writers Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv, Israel; Samy Magdy in Cairo; and Alexis Triboulard in Acre, Israel contributed.
The site of an Israeli air strike on Zibqin in southern Lebanon on Sunday - KAWNAT HAJU/AFP

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The Israeli military struck Hezbollah targets in Lebanon on Sunday after claiming the group had been planning a large-scale attack, while the Iranian-backed group said it had sent drones and rockets into Israel.

The Israeli military said its fighter jets attacked thousands of Hezbollah rocket launchers in south Lebanon that were aimed at northern and central Israel.

Approximately 100 IAF fighter jets ... struck and destroyed thousands of Hezbollah rocket launcher barrels that were located and embedded in southern Lebanon, the military said in a statement. Most of these launchers were aimed toward northern Israel and some were aimed toward central Israel.

It said initial assessments found very little damage in Israel from Hezbollahs own operation, but that the military remained on high alert.

A Hezbollah drone crossing from Lebanon is intercepted by an Israeli fighter jet - JALAA MAREY/AFP

Hezbollah said it was responding to the killing of its top commander in a Beirut suburb last month and its attack involved more than 320 Katyusha rockets aimed at multiple sites in Israel and a large number of drones.

It said its operation had targeted a qualitative Israeli military target that will be announced later as well as enemy sites and barracks and Iron Dome [missile defence] platforms and added a full response would take some time, seen as a hint another wave would come on Monday.

Israeli Defence Forces spokesman Daniel Hagari said Hezbollah had been planning to attack Israel civilians

Israels defence minister earlier on Sunday morning declared a temporary state of emergency, calling the assault a special situation on the home front.

Hezbollah said it had completed the first phase of its retribution on Sunday and listed 11 bases, barracks, and military positions that it said it had aimed at in northern Israel and the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights. Hezbollah said this first phase would allow it to launch more attacks deeper into Israel.

It also denied Israels claims of disrupting its operation with this mornings preemptive strikes in southern Lebanon and said Hassan Nasrallah, its leader, would make a statement later today.

Israeli military Chief of General Staff Herzi Halevi, second from left, directs an operation from Tel Aviv in this partly blurred picture released on Sunday - Israel Defence Forces via Reuters

In an earlier statement, the Israeli military accused Hezbollah of preparing to fire missiles and rockets toward Israeli territory and warned that that Hezbollahs actions could lead to wider regional escalation.

Rear-Adml Daniel Hagari, the Israeli military spokesman, said: In a self-defence act to remove these threats, the [Israeli military] is striking terror targets in Lebanon, from which Hezbollah was planning to launch their attacks on Israeli civilians.

Sirens sounded in northern Israel and flights to and from Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv were suspended, though they resumed later on Sunday morning.

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Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister, convened an urgent meeting of Israels security cabinet. Mr Netanyahu said Israel would take all measures necessary to defend itself. We are determined to do everything possible to defend our country, to return the residents of the north safely to their homes and to continue to uphold a simple rule: Whoever harms us  we harm him, he said in a statement.

Lebanons state-run National News Agency said one person had been killed in a strike on a car in the town of Khiam. Lebanese media reported other strikes across the south, and footage of apparent strikes circulated on social media.

In his statement announcing the Israeli self-defence, Rear-Adml Hagari said: We can see that Hezbollah is preparing to launch an extensive attack on Israel, while endangering the Lebanese civilians.

'In a self-defense act to remove these threats, the IDF is striking terror targets in Lebanon, from which Hezbollah was planning to launch their attacks on Israeli civilians.'@IDF Spokesperson, Daniel Hagari, regarding Hezbollah's plans to attack Israel

pic.twitter.com/KEIzG0pXWA  Israel  (@Israel) August 25, 2024

He did not provide additional details on the intelligence he cited.

We warn the civilians located in the areas where Hezbollah is operating to move out of harms way immediately for their own safety, he said.

The military earlier warned Israelis to expect incoming missiles and drones launched by Hezbollah.

In an Arabic-language message addressed to the residents of southern Lebanon, the military said: We are monitoring Hezbollahs preparations to carry out large-scale attacks on Israeli territory near your homes. You are in danger. We are attacking and eliminating Hezbollah threats.

Anyone who is near areas where Hezbollah operates should leave immediately to protect themselves and their families, the message posted on Telegram continued.

In a separate statement, the military said its jets were striking targets in Lebanon that posed an imminent threat to Israelis.

Mourners carry the coffin of Hezbollah fighter Husein Mohamad Choukair, who was killed in an Israeli drone strike in southern Lebanon on Friday, past rubble from a destroyed house during his funeral on Saturday - Chris McGrath/Getty Images

Fears have been high in recent weeks that the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip could escalate into a regional conflict after an Israeli strike killed a senior Hezbollah commander and a suspected Israeli assassination operation in Iran killed Ismail Haniyeh, the then Hamas leader.

A White House national security spokesperson said Joe Biden has directed American officials to continuously communicate with Israel and that the US will keep supporting Israels right to defend itself.

The attacks came as Egypt hosts a new round of talks aimed at ending the Israel-Hamas war. Hezbollah has said it will halt the fighting if there is a ceasefire in Gaza.

The Pentagon said Lloyd Austin, the US defence secretary, spoke with his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Gallant, about Israels defences against Hezbollah. Mr Austin reaffirmed the United States ironclad commitment to Israels defence against any attacks by Iran and its regional partners and proxies, a statement said.

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Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Herzog said the U.S.s very strong posture in the Middle East has prompted Iran to hold off on a retaliatory attack against Israel as threats of an all-out war loom over the region.

I think the Iranians are contemplating an attack on Israel, but decided for now to put it on hold, Herzog said on CBS Newss Face the Nation. And I think the main reason for that was, deter messages from Israel and the U.S., and a very strong U.S. posture in the region, which tells you that you can deter them.

U.S. forces have been moved in the Central Command region in the Middle East, including about 40,000 U.S. service members. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin earlier this month ordered a guided-missile submarine to the Middle East and told the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft strike group to accelerate its travel to the region amid rising tensions between Israel and Iran.

The U.S. and allies have feared an all-out war following the apparent assassinations of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and a senior Hezbollah commander in Beirut earlier this month.

Iran has reiterated its intention to punish Israel for the death of Haniyeh, for which Israel has yet to take responsibility. Tehran, however, has not yet launched an attack amid weeks of speculation.

Herzog on Sunday maintained Iran is not seeking war.

However, there is room for miscalculation, and I think part of his regional visit is to make sure that everything is under control, Herzog said of Joint Chiefs Chair Charles Q. Brown Jr.s slated visit to Israel on Sunday. Again, the U.S. posture in the region is very strong; I think [it] played a role in deterring Iran.

The remarks came hours after Israel launched a series of airstrikes in Lebanon early Sunday in what the countrys military described as a preemptive attack against Hezbollah.

The Iran-backed group last month launched an attack on Israeli military positions in retaliation for the death of Fuad Shukr, Hezbollahs most senior military commander, in a strike in Beirut, The Associated Press (AP) reported. He was the right-hand man to the Lebanese militia groups leader, Hassan Nasrallah.

The exchange of fire marked one of the largest clashes between the Iran-backed group and Israel in the past 10 months, further fueling concerns of an escalation in conflict in the region.

Hezbollah began attacks against Israel shortly after the Israel-Hamas war broke out in Gaza, which was sparked by Hamass Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel. Israel and Hezbollah have exchanged fire almost daily since then, per the AP.

Negotiations for a cease-fire and hostage release deal appeared to collapse last week as Israel and Hamas remain at odds on major issues. Secretary of State Antony Blinken traveled to the Middle East last week to push negotiations toward the finish line but left without any major agreement in place.

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The Israeli military launched what it called preemptive strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon, as the Iran-backed militant group said it carried out its own attacks in response to the killing of a top commander.

The overnight strikes are some of the most serious yet between Israel and Hezbollah, who have been exchanging fire for months. The hostilities have raised the specter of a regional conflagration, prompting intense diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said about 100 of its fighter jets struck and destroyed thousands of Hezbollah rocket launcher barrels across dozens of launch sites from Lebanon on Sunday. It followed these up with further attacks later in the day.

Israel said it carried out the strikes in self-defense after identifying that Hezbollah was preparing to fire missiles and rockets toward Israeli territory. Hezbollah called Israels description of its strike as preemptive baseless.

We removed a wider threat, probably also a future threat in some areas, IDF spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said Sunday.

Soon after the Israeli raids, the IDF said approximately 200 rockets had been launched from Lebanon towards Israel early Sunday, with no reports of injuries so far. Hezbollah said the first phase of its strikes against Israel ended with complete success, claiming that it launched 320 rockets and a barrage of drones toward Israel.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said in a televised speech later on Sunday that the groups attack on Israel was meticulously completed but further strikes could be carried out.

Hezbollah said it carried out strikes towards Israel in response to the killing of top military commander Fuad Shukr last month in the southern suburbs of Beirut, a populous neighborhood that is also the Iran-backed groups stronghold.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the military intercepted all of the drones that Hezbollah launched to a strategic target in the center of the country, without clarifying what the target was.

Netanyahu added that what happened today is not the end, and that Nasrallah in Beirut and Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in Tehran should know that this was another step on our way to change the situation in the north and safely return our residents to their homes.

One Israeli soldier, 21-year-old David Moshe Ben Shitrit of the Israeli Navy, was killed in the fighting. He and two others were injured either directly from an Iron Dome interceptor or from falling shrapnel from the interceptor that accidentally hit a Dvora-class fast patrol boat after intercepting a UAV, an army official told CNN.

Two people were killed in Israeli strikes on the village of At Tiri in Nabatiyeh in southern Lebanon, Lebanese health officals said, and a third was killed when a car was hit in the town of Khiyam. The Hezbollah-allied Shia group Amal movement also said one of its fighters, was killed in Khiyam, but it is unclear if they are the same person.

A Hezbollah UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) is intercepted by Israeli air forces over northern Israel on August 25, 2024. - Jalaa Marey/AFP/Getty Images

For the Lebanese group, Shukrs assassination was a change in the rules of engagement, Danny Citrinowicz, research fellow in the Iran Program at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) in Tel Aviv, said. They had to retaliate, Citrinowicz told CNN, adding that the group may have been trying to draw a line in the sand to avoid further attacks.

The question was not if but when, he said, adding that it is yet to be seen whether the group will be content with its attack or whether more projectiles will follow in the coming days.

Ceasefire talks resume despite strikes

The attacks took place just hours before mediation talks resumed in the Egyptian capital Cairo, which aim to strike a ceasefire-hostage deal between Israel and Hamas.

An Israeli official told CNN on Sunday afternoon that Israeli negotiators arrived in Cairo for ceasefire and hostage release negotiations.

I dont think Iran wants to find itself in escalation, especially when the US presence in the region is (now) in staggering numbers, he said, adding this is indicative of de-escalatory efforts.

The Iranian government is yet to react to the cross-border fire between Israel and Hezbollah, something Citrinowicz said suggested Iran was willing to distance itself from Hezbollahs attack amid the negotiations in Cairo.

Following the strikes, Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant declared a special situation on the home front across the country, which enables the Israeli military to issue instructions to citizens, including limiting gatherings and closing sites where it may be relevant.

US President Joe Biden is closely monitoring events in Israel and Lebanon, the White House said Saturday night.

A man watches smoke billow after an Israeli airstrike in village of Qsair, in southern Lebanon, on August 25, 2024. - AFP/Getty Images

Rocket fire toward Israel by Hezbollah militants in southern Lebanon has become a near-daily occurrence since the outbreak of war in Gaza, but there has been an increasing number of skirmishes.

On Friday, Hezbollah had claimed 15 strikes against Israel. Hezbollah also acknowledged the death of seven fighters on Friday but did not specify where or when they were killed. The IDF said a total of 110 projectiles were launched from Lebanon towards Israel on Friday, marking one of the fiercest days of cross-border fire in recent weeks.

Flights have resumed at Tel Aviv airport after being temporarily suspended for less than two hours on Sunday. A brief restriction on gatherings in northern Israel has also lifted, except for the immediate border area with Lebanon and some settlements in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

This story has been updated with additional information.

CNNs Mohammed Tawfeeq, Zeena Saifi and Nadeen Ebrahim contributed to this report.

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Vice presidential candidate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz celebrates with his daughter Hope, son Gus and wife Gwen at Democratic National Convention on Wednesday, Aug. 21, in Chicago. The Walzes clarified this week that they didnt use IVF but another kind of fertility treatment to grow their family. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

The broader scope of fertility treatments entered the spotlight this week after Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and his wife Gwen shared that they had children through a less commonly known procedure.

Since Vice President Kamala Harris selected Gov. Walz as her running mate, he has discussed his familys fertility journey during speeches in Pennsylvania, Nebraska and mostly recently at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois.

It took Gwen and I years, Walz said on Wednesday night. But we had access to fertility treatments. And when our daughter was born, we named her Hope.

This week, the Walzes clarified that they conceived via intrauterine insemination, not in vitro fertilization.

IUI involves injecting sperm into the uterus during or just before ovulation to increase the chances of fertilization and pregnancy.

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, Gwen Walz said in a statement provided to States Newsroom. 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.

During IVF, eggs and sperm are combined in a lab and an embryo is inserted into the uterus. IVF has been drawn into national reproductive rights debates for much of this year, and Walz has been talking about it on the campaign trail while discussing his familys fertility journey.

U.S. Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, the Republican vice presidential candidate, accused his opponent of lying about how he and his wife had children. In an Aug. 20 social media post, Vance said, Today it came out that Tim Walz had lied about having a family via IVF. Who lies about something like that? He also shared a clip of Walz talking about fertility care and families on Aug. 9.

In a statement, Harris-Walz campaign spokesperson Mia Ehrenberg said, Governor Walz talks how normal people talk. He was using commonly understood shorthand for fertility treatments.

Experts said that patients commonly get IUI and IVF confused or refer to them interchangeably, given that in vitro fertilization is more popular.

Theres such a huge sort of alphabet soup that comes along with assisted reproduction, said Kimberly Mutcherson, a professor at Rutgers University-Camden who specializes in reproductive justice, bioethics, and family and health law.

Dr. Kelly Acharya, a fertility physician and assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Duke University, said patients partners are more likely to mix up the two treatments or rope related procedures into IVF.

A lot of times in my line of work, I see people that are referring to other things, like egg freezing, they call that IVF, even though technically its not, she said.

Both Acharya and Mutcherson said the main differences between IUI and IVF are where fertilization occurs, the price and effectiveness.

Intrauterine insemination or IUI is basically less invasive. Its typically less expensive, and it is often what is recommended as the first thing that somebody tries, Acharya said. When somebody has mild forms of infertility, like if there are mild differences in the semen analysis, or if somebody is young and theyre not quite sure why theyre not getting pregnant, then often a provider will recommend that they do IUI as a first step to help things along.

IUI is performed during or near ovulation, and it typically takes 10 minutes and is a minor procedure, according to Acharya. The price of IUI varies, depending on insurance coverage, from a few hundred dollars to several thousand dollars.

Mutcherson noted that some people also confuse IUI with intracervical insemination, or ICI. During this method, the sperm is inserted into the cervix  the passageway to the uterus, according to the Carolina Fertility Institute.

Doctors often recommend ICI or IUI as a precursor to IVF, which Mutcherson said can cost $12,000 to $15,000 per cycle  or more with grading and genetic testing. During IVF, fertilization happens outside of the body, Acharya said.

IUI, the treatment the Walz family used to have children, is not under the same scrutiny as IVF, which has faced opposition from anti-abortion hardliners. It sometimes is listed as being less controversial than IVF, because its just helping along the natural process of getting the sperm inside the uterus and then expecting fertilization to happen inside the body, Acharya said.

But Mutcherson said that could also be attributed to the fact that its a less well-known procedure.

I think the really big issue when it comes to something like artificial insemination is that it allows people to create families that a lot of these folks  unfortunately, in the Republican Party and folks who are evangelicals  dont approve of: families with two moms, families with two dads, single women who are having children, she said.

Price is a significant barrier to fertility care. Only 21 states require insurers to cover fertility procedures, Stateline reported. A successful birth via IVF can cost more than $60,000, according to a 2022 study published in Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology.

It requires a lot more physically, emotionally and economically to be able to do IVF, Mutcherson, who conceived via IUI, said.

IVF became a national reproductive rights issue in February after the Alabama Supreme Court likened frozen embryos to unborn children in a ruling. The plaintiffs were couples who sued for damages under an 1872 wrongful death of children law after their embryos were accidentally destroyed in a clinic four years ago, Alabama Reflector reported. Alabamas fertility clinics temporarily closed after the ruling until Republican Gov. Kay Ivey signed legislation in March shielding providers from criminal and civil liabilities, the Reflector reported.

But theres still uncertainty over whether embryos and fetuses in the state have legal personhood rights. Despite the new law, two fertility clinics in Alabama announced plans to close by the end of the year, though one denied the decision was related to the ruling.

Since the Alabama ruling, polls have shown most Americans back IVF. A survey conducted by Pew in April found that 70% said IVF is a good thing, while 22% said theyre not sure, and 8% said its a bad thing. Awareness is growing, too: 42% of Americans said they or someone they know have had fertility treatments, according to a 2023 Pew poll.

Nationally, Republicans and Democrats condemned the Alabama Supreme Courts ruling and filed bills seeking to protect IVF this spring, though all of them stalled in Congress. The Republican Partys platform featured support for both IVF and the equal protections clause of the 14th Amendment, which conservative legal scholars argue can be used to solidify fetal personhood along with effectively banning abortion. And in June, the Southern Baptist Convention  the largest Protestant denomination in the U.S.  voted to condemn IVF, particularly the destruction or donation of embryos that are not implanted in the uterus.

People who believe that life begins at conception, people who believe that an embryo is no different than a 5-year-old sitting in a kindergarten classroom, those are people who have really deep and abiding principles related to procedures like in vitro fertilization, Mutcherson said.

The number of babies born in the U.S. using assisted reproductive technology has increased in recent years: 2.5% of newborns were conceived using fertility treatments in 2022, according to the American Society of Reproductive Medicine. Thats up from 2.3% in 2021, per federal data.
Vice presidential candidate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz celebrates with his daughter Hope, son Gus and wife Gwen at Democratic National Convention on Aug. 21, 2024 in Chicago. The Walzes clarified that they didnt use IVF but another kind of fertility treatment to grow their family. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

The broader scope of fertility treatments has entered the spotlight after Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and his wife Gwen shared that they had children through a less commonly known procedure.

Since Vice President Kamala Harris selected Gov. Walz as her running mate, he has discussed his familys fertility journey during speeches in Pennsylvania, Nebraska and mostly recently at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois.

It took Gwen and I years, Walz said on Wednesday night. But we had access to fertility treatments. And when our daughter was born, we named her Hope.

The Walzes clarified that they conceived via intrauterine insemination, not in vitro fertilization.

IUI involves injecting sperm into the uterus during or just before ovulation to increase the chances of fertilization and pregnancy.

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, Gwen Walz said in a statement provided to States Newsroom. 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.

During IVF, eggs and sperm are combined in a lab and an embryo is inserted into the uterus. IVF has been drawn into national reproductive rights debates for much of this year, and Walz has been talking about it on the campaign trail while discussing his familys fertility journey.

U.S. Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, the Republican vice presidential candidate, accused his opponent of lying about how he and his wife had children. In an Aug. 20 social media post, Vance said, Today it came out that Tim Walz had lied about having a family via IVF. Who lies about something like that? He also shared a clip of Walz talking about fertility care and families on Aug. 9.

In a statement, Harris-Walz campaign spokesperson Mia Ehrenberg said, Governor Walz talks how normal people talk. He was using commonly understood shorthand for fertility treatments.

Experts said that patients commonly get IUI and IVF confused or refer to them interchangeably, given that in vitro fertilization is more popular.

Theres such a huge sort of alphabet soup that comes along with assisted reproduction, said Kimberly Mutcherson, a professor at Rutgers University-Camden who specializes in reproductive justice, bioethics, and family and health law.

Dr. Kelly Acharya, a fertility physician and assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Duke University, said patients partners are more likely to mix up the two treatments or rope related procedures into IVF.

A lot of times in my line of work, I see people that are referring to other things, like egg freezing, they call that IVF, even though technically its not, she said.

Both Acharya and Mutcherson said the main differences between IUI and IVF are where fertilization occurs, the price and effectiveness.

Intrauterine insemination or IUI is basically less invasive. Its typically less expensive, and it is often what is recommended as the first thing that somebody tries, Acharya said. When somebody has mild forms of infertility, like if there are mild differences in the semen analysis, or if somebody is young and theyre not quite sure why theyre not getting pregnant, then often a provider will recommend that they do IUI as a first step to help things along.

IUI is performed during or near ovulation, and it typically takes 10 minutes and is a minor procedure, according to Acharya. The price of IUI varies, depending on insurance coverage, from a few hundred dollars to several thousand dollars.

Mutcherson noted that some people also confuse IUI with intracervical insemination, or ICI. During this method, the sperm is inserted into the cervix  the passageway to the uterus, according to the Carolina Fertility Institute.

Doctors often recommend ICI or IUI as a precursor to IVF, which Mutcherson said can cost $12,000 to $15,000 per cycle  or more with grading and genetic testing. During IVF, fertilization happens outside of the body, Acharya said.

IUI, the treatment the Walz family used to have children, is not under the same scrutiny as IVF, which has faced opposition from anti-abortion hardliners. It sometimes is listed as being less controversial than IVF, because its just helping along the natural process of getting the sperm inside the uterus and then expecting fertilization to happen inside the body, Acharya said.

But Mutcherson said that could also be attributed to the fact that its a less well-known procedure.

I think the really big issue when it comes to something like artificial insemination is that it allows people to create families that a lot of these folks  unfortunately, in the Republican Party and folks who are evangelicals  dont approve of: families with two moms, families with two dads, single women who are having children, she said.

Price is a significant barrier to fertility care. Only 21 states require insurers to cover fertility procedures, Stateline reported. A successful birth via IVF can cost more than $60,000, according to a 2022 study published in Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology.

It requires a lot more physically, emotionally and economically to be able to do IVF, Mutcherson, who conceived via IUI, said.

IVF became a national reproductive rights issue in February after the Alabama Supreme Court likened frozen embryos to unborn children in a ruling. The plaintiffs were couples who sued for damages under an 1872 wrongful death of children law after their embryos were accidentally destroyed in a clinic four years ago, Alabama Reflector reported. Alabamas fertility clinics temporarily closed after the ruling until Republican Gov. Kay Ivey signed legislation in March shielding providers from criminal and civil liabilities, the Reflector reported.

But theres still uncertainty over whether embryos and fetuses in the state have legal personhood rights. Despite the new law, two fertility clinics in Alabama announced plans to close by the end of the year, though one denied the decision was related to the ruling.

Since the Alabama ruling, polls have shown most Americans back IVF. A survey conducted by Pew in April found that 70% said IVF is a good thing, while 22% said theyre not sure, and 8% said its a bad thing. Awareness is growing, too: 42% of Americans said they or someone they know have had fertility treatments, according to a 2023 Pew poll.

Nationally, Republicans and Democrats condemned the Alabama Supreme Courts ruling and filed bills seeking to protect IVF this spring, though all of them stalled in Congress. The Republican Partys platform featured support for both IVF and the equal protections clause of the 14th Amendment, which conservative legal scholars argue can be used to solidify fetal personhood along with effectively banning abortion. And in June, the Southern Baptist Convention  the largest Protestant denomination in the U.S.  voted to condemn IVF, particularly the destruction or donation of embryos that are not implanted in the uterus.

People who believe that life begins at conception, people who believe that an embryo is no different than a 5-year-old sitting in a kindergarten classroom, those are people who have really deep and abiding principles related to procedures like in vitro fertilization, Mutcherson said.

The number of babies born in the U.S. using assisted reproductive technology has increased in recent years: 2.5% of newborns were conceived using fertility treatments in 2022, according to the American Society of Reproductive Medicine. Thats up from 2.3% in 2021, per federal data.
I've stayed in hostels in 9 different countries. Here's why they're my preferred option  especially for solo travel.

I've stayed in at least 20 hostels in nine countries.

They're always my top choice for solo travel. The main advantage is that they're super cheap.

But they're often more centrally located than hotels and Airbnbs and have kitchens for meal prep.

Hostels are my preferred option when I'm traveling alone.

I've never stayed in a hotel or an Airbnb by myself. I'll reserve a bed in a hostel dorm instead.

I've stayed in at least 20 hostels in nine different countries: Austria, Costa Rica, France, Germany, Iceland, the Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and the US.

Some hostels I've stayed at have had resident feline friends. Grace Dean/Business Insider

Here's why they're my accommodation of choice.

They're often dirt cheap

Hostels are usually the cheapest option for accommodation. I've paid less than $15 a night for last-minute hostels in Costa Rica  one of which even had a pool  about $40 to stay at one in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and about $180 for three nights in Paris.

This is much less than I'd pay for a hotel  especially given the central locations of some of the hostels I've stayed in.

I stayed at one in Reykjavik, Iceland, located on the city's main shopping street, and one in Hamburg and Munich, Germany, just a couple of minutes walk from the main train station.

This hostel in Costa Rica had a pool and a view of the sea. Grace Dean/Business Insider

And as a solo traveler, I wouldn't have anyone to split the Airbnb or hotel cost with. In a hostel, I just pay for my one bed.

Dorms aren't that bad

Hostels have a bad reputation, and often it's not deserved. Yes, I've stayed in rooms with people who've snored, hogged the bathroom, crawled in late from a club, or set their alarm for the crack of dawn to catch a flight. But if you have earbuds and an eye mask, it's not that bad. Hostels increasingly have been installing individual curtains round each bed, too, so that you can block off the noise and light at night.

You usually have to make your own bed and strip off the bedding when you leave. But this is a quick task and is one of the ways that hostels keep prices low.

This hostel in Glasgow had questionable decor. Grace Dean/Business Insider

Hostel dorms are generally cleaned every day. You usually have a shelf by your bed with an individual light and plug socket, and almost all hostels have lockers in the rooms.

Dorms aren't always perfect, though. At one hostel, I found a dental retainer under my bed. At another, in Salzburg, people in my dorm placed their damp socks on the radiator to dry after a day of walking in the snow, leaving the room stinking. And at one in Paris, the hostel bar below played loud music into the early hours.

Hostels have everything you need

This hostel in Hamburg had vending machines for umbrellas and sex toys, as well as twin toilets with a disco light. Grace Dean/Business Insider

Hostels often provide many of the facilities you need. Almost all of the hostels I've stayed in have had kitchens, meaning you can save money on breakfast or coffee. This is a real standout compared to hotels, where you generally have no choice but to buy breakfast from either the hotel or a bakery.

Usually, there's enough kitchen space to make a full meal. This can really help you save money on meals while traveling.

Some hostels give you free breakfast, like this one in Costa Rica. Grace Dean/Business Insider

And if you don't fancy cooking, some hostels offer cheap breakfasts, too.

In some cases, they're free.

Hostels usually have laundry facilities you can pay to use, vending machines for snacks, and a lounge area for reading or socializing with other guests. Many even have a bar.

Some hostels sell alcohol. Grace Dean/Business Insider

Meet new people

You might not make lifelong friends at a hostel, but you'll often find people to chat with while you have your breakfast or make a coffee. Hostels attract people from all over the world, and many are the extroverted type, meaning that conversations are plentiful and varied.

This hostel in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, had a gorgeous social area. Grace Dean/Business Insider

You can also get recommendations for the city you're visiting from other guests.

You can book yourself onto an excursion

Unlike Airbnbs and many hotels, some hostels host their own social activities or help you book excursions. For example, the hostel I stayed at in Salzburg, Austria, played "The Sound of Music" in its lounge every night. Some hostels offer free tours of the city, board game nights, and group meals. The hostel I stayed at in Belfast offered discounts for booking a tour of the Giant's Causeway.

I was able to book a canoe tour through a hostel in Costa Rica. Grace Dean/Business Insider

Leave your bag after checkout

Like hotels, but unlike many Airbnbs, hostels often let you leave your bag there after you check out  in most cases for free. This means that on your last day, before your flight or train, you can continue to explore the city without your luggage weighing you down.

Read the original article on Business Insider
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan is expected to travel Sunday to Canada where he will meet with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to reinforce the U.S.-Canada relationship on various security issues, the White House announced Sunday.

Sullivans meeting with Trudeau, along with an address to Canadas annual Cabinet retreat, will discuss national security priorities including continued defense of Ukraine, the climate crisis and the advancement of democracy and human rights around the world, National Security Council (NSC) spokesperson Sean Savett said in a statement.

The Canadian prime ministers office said Sullivan will take part in the Cabinet retreat Sunday night in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

The U.S. and Canada share what officials have touted as one of the closest relationships in the world, underscored by high bilateral trade between the bordering countries. They also have worked together in efforts to combat terrorist financing and money laundering.

The Hill reached out to the NSC for further comment.

Trudeau, like President Biden, has been a longtime supporter of Ukraine and has provided the embattled nation with military, economic and humanitarian assistance.

The visit comes ahead of a Tuesday trip to China, where Sullivan will discuss key global issues and seek to set up another meeting between Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping, a senior Biden administration official said.

Sullivans trip to Beijing, which will last through Thursday, makes him the first national security adviser to travel to China since 2016, the official added. He will address topics including tensions in the South China Sea, the conflicts in the Middle East and Chinas provision of nonlethal technology to Russia for its war with Ukraine.

While overseas, he is also slated to meet with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, director of the Communist Party foreign affairs commission office, whom hes worked with in the past for other Biden-Xi meetings.

Contention between the U.S. and China has flared up in recent years on multiple issues  including the U.S. governments sanctions on Chinese citizens and officials, restricted import of Chinese semiconductors, debate over the Chinese-owned social media platform TikTok, and Taiwan.

Both sides have signaled an easing of some of the tension, however, and Biden last December said his meeting with Xi produced positive steps.

Updated at 4:24 pm.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
1. Yes. They look better and require less maintenance. Most high-end housing areas have them.

2. Yes. Wood fences can weather and look unsightly, plus masonry walls help to block sound.

3. No. Residents should have a choice of what kind of barriers are put up near their homes.

4. No. Allowing a variety of materials will be better for aesthetics, and costs may be lower.

5. Unsure. Its hard to say. Masonry walls may be sturdier, but mandating them is problematic.

Vote

View Results
JANE LEW, W.Va. (WBOY)  Around 400 people had a chance to interact and learn more about their local authorities on Saturday as the Jane Lew Lions Club held its annual Safety Fair at the Jane Lew Park.

The free event included eye exams for all and an opportunity for parents to get their childs fingerprints and pictures taken by the FBI as a precaution if that childs information is ever needed in the future. Children in attendance also had an opportunity to go into a Health Net helicopter and try their hands at spraying a fire hose.

Child gets to use fire hose at 10th annual Jane Lew Safety Fair 2024. (WBOY image)

Child gets to use fire hose at 10th annual Jane Lew Safety Fair 2024. (WBOY image)

Eye exam at 10th annual Jane Lew Safety Fair 2024. (WBOY image)

Child gets fingerprinted at 10th annual Jane Lew Safety Fair 2024. (WBOY image)

Debby Walker, Safety Fair Coordinator and Jane Lew Lions Club member, views the event as a great opportunity for locals, especially children, to learn about their local authorities.

Lewis County High School gets new carts to transport people to football field

We want the kids to be familiar with all these community helpers, to know what they do and to feel safe and comfortable when theyre around them.

Members of organizations told 12 News they enjoyed coming out every year and participate in this kind of interactive community outreach.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WBOY.com.
JD Vances neighbors have slammed the vice presidential candidate after the Secret Service closed and barricades a park near his home in Alexandria, Virginia.

The city announced that it would be closing the Judy Lowe Neighborhood Park on Sunday and an adjacent block would be restricted to residents only after the Secret Service ramped up measures for Donald Trumps running mate.

Beginning Sunday, August 25, and in response to a request from the United States Secret Service (USSS), the Judy Lowe Neighborhood Park, located at 1 & 7 E. Del Ray Ave., will be temporarily closed until further notice, a city notice read, reported the local news website ALXnow.

But the move sparked a backlash in comments posted on social media and on ALXnow.com.

I am all for protecting people, but if that park is such a danger, he should probably move, wrote someone who identified themself as Thomas Blackwood on ALXnow. The park belongs to the city and the people of Alexandria not his protection staff. And to be perfectly honest, a true Republican would not want the government infringing on other peoples rights.

Another commentator added that the park belongs to the residents of Alexandria, therefore, they should be able to freely use the City resources regardless who lives adjacent to the park. Let the Secret Service figure it out. What happens if some other high level protectee move in adjacent to some other park?

Another commentator on ALXnow attempted to add some levity to the situation. Oh for goodness sakes. Enough. The man is running for VP of the United States. No matter your political affiliation you should be proud your neighbor is willing to run for office, they wrote. Shame on you for being so ugly.

In a post on X, business leader Michael Brown, former executive director of the Nevada Governors Office of Economic Development Office, said that he lived on this [Vances] block and knew the woman the park was named after.

Judy Lowe was a friend and a Democratic activist, Brown wrote on X. Weirdly, Vance moved to the heart of this socially progressive neighborhood next door to a park named for Judy. She believed in everything he opposes.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Republican vice presidential contender JD Vance was back in the hot seat Sunday over comments he made while running for the US Senate in 2021 about Americans  particularly women  without children.

The Ohio senator spoke to NBCs Kristen Welker just a few days after his running mate spoke to her colleagues at the network during a trip to the southern border. In his interview, he was asked once again whether he regrets making a dig at childless cat ladies  something he said he did not regret doing. Instead, he said he regretted that Democrats were supposedly lying about the context of his remarks.

He also fired back at the idea that some women voters may take his words as a gut punch and would wonder if hed really represent both men and women.

Look, I regret certainly that a lot of people took it the wrong way, and I certainly regret that the DNC and Kamala Harris lied about it, Vance said.

When Welker pressed him again, he answered: I have a lot of regrets, Kristen, but making a joke three years ago is not at the top ten of the list.

Welkers line of questioning did not get into the meat of Vances comments at all; namely, the assertion that a womans role in society is primarily as a childbearer. Vance made several comments to this regard, both in a speech to a conservative group in 2021 as well as during an interview with Tucker Carlson on Fox News around the same time.

There was also the undertones of the childless cat lady comment itself: the dual assertion that Kamala Harris and Pete Buttigieg do not have children (both do, through nontraditional means), and that those Americans who do not have children dont really have a direct stake in the countrys future, per Vances words.

Those twin arguments would not be out of place in a right-wing Christian nationalist radio broadcast but put Vance on the extreme fringe of the American contemporary political spectrum. Theyve been seized by Democrats in recent weeks as Harriss party pummels their opponents as out of touch extremists with weird views about women.

Donald Trump and JD Vance at the North Carolina Aviation Museum & Hall of Fame in Asheboro, North Carolina (REUTERS)

Vance has sought to walk back his remarks on multiple occasions, with Sunday being his latest attempt  he referred to them as sarcastic remarks to Welker. But Buttigieg in particular has gone for the jugular, accusing Vance of not recognizing adoptees, step-parents and a whole range of other family structures which do not cleanly fit the nuclear model.

In the same interview with Welker on Sunday, Vance took another step in that effort and pledged that a second Trump administration would not allow a national abortion ban to be instituted.

The Republican vice presidential contender has seen his favorable ratings plummet amid the barrage and the Trump campaign as a whole has largely lost its momentum in the race since his nomination and the announcement which quickly followed: Joe Bidens withdrawal from the presidential race. The former president now trails Harris, his new opponent, in an average of national polling while swing states appear to largely be trending in the vice presidents favor.

This weekend, the Harris campaign also announced that it had pulled in more that $80m in donations during the four-day Democraic National Convention last week, bringing their one-month fundraising total starting from the launch of her campaign past the $500m mark.
PLAINVILLE  Massachusetts State Police said a man stole a Jeep from Gillette Stadium during the Kenny Chesney concert Saturday night and later slammed into a family of six stopped at a red light, killing a 10-year-old boy.

Family of six hurt in crash

It happened at about 8:30 p.m. near the intersection of Route 1 and Interstate 495 in Plainville. State police said 42-year-old Michael Escolas of Oxford was speeding in a 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee and slammed into the family's Nissan Altima.

A man and woman were in the Nissan along with their four children when they were hit by the stolen Jeep. The impact from the crash also damaged three other cars.

Massachusetts State Police troopers who were working the Kenny Chesney concert responded to the crash, along with Plainville police and seven ambulances from throughout the area.

The Norfolk District Attorney's office said all six family members were rushed to the hospital, as was Escolas. The 10-year-old boy was later pronounced dead.

The extent of the boy's parents and his siblings' injuries was not released.

Chesney fans stunned by crash

Fans getting ready for Sunday night's Chesney concert were shaken up with the news.

"As a mom of a 12- and 15-year-old, as a teacher of 8-year-olds, that's completely heartbreaking, and I just want to give my condolences to the family," Chesney fan Jamie Guilmette said..

Investigators said the Jeep belonged to a Vermont couple attending the concert. Kenny Chesney played three shows over the weekend at Gillette Stadium.

A spokesperson for the stadium issued this statement following the crash.

We are deeply saddened and extend our sincerest condolences to the family who has tragically lost a loved one. We are working with the Massachusetts State Police, who are doing the investigation under the jurisdiction of the Norfolk District Attorney's Office, to understand the circumstances surrounding this tragic event. Once again, we offer our heartfelt sympathies to the family.

Police say the horrific crash is still under investigation. Escolas faces a number of charges, including motor vehicle manslaughter. He will be arraigned on Monday morning in Wrentham District Court. He is currently being held on $25,000 cash bail.

Task force members visit scene of Trump assassination attempt

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JERSEY CITY, N.J. (PIX11)  Jersey City Pride is on display.

The 23rd Anniversary Jersey City LGBTQ Pride Festival on Newark Avenue celebrates the diversity of the LGBTQ communities and allies of Hudson County and the New York City Metropolitan area.

More Local News

Last years Pride Month festival attracted an estimated 25,000 attendees, showcasing its position as one of the largest pride festivals in New Jersey.

Co-organizer Joseph Cameron told participants, We celebrate every year to show everyone that we are here and to remember how quickly our rights can be taken away if were not diligent.

Former New Jersey Governor Jim McGreevey, who resigned from office in 2004 amid an extramarital affair with a man, also spoke about how easily the Supreme Court can reverse rights the LGBTQ community may take for granted.

McGreevey tells PIX 11 News, On one hand, I think America has moved forward, and we like to respect everyones perspective, but people have to understand that our rights, our privilege, our civil liberties should be entitled to the same protections as every American.

The Festival runs from 1 pm to 9 pm on Saturday from Grove Street to Jersey Avenue along Newark 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 PIX11.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE)  An East Tennessee judge was struck and killed early Sunday morning in Jefferson County.

Okie Duane Slone, 61, has died. According to a preliminary report from the Tennessee Highway Patrol, he was walking east on E Highway 25/70 towards Mountain Vista Trail around 1:30 a.m. when he walked out into the roadway and was struck by a car. The Jefferson County Sheriff said Slone had a flat tire, which was why he was walking along the highway.

Man charged after domestic incident, police pursuit in Knoxville

No charges are pending, according to the THP report.

Slone was first elected to the Fourth Judicial Circuit Court in 1998 and co-founded his judicial districts Drug Recovery Court in 2009. The Fourth Judicial Circuit has jurisdiction in Cocke, Grainger, Jefferson, and Sevier counties.

My heart is crushed. Judge Slone had a massive heart for people that came to his courtroom. He literally put drug courts on the map for TN, State Rep. Jeremy Faison (R-Cosby) wrote on Facebook. He will forever be missed and his contribution to substance abuse will be felt for generations.

The Cocke County and Sevier County sheriffs offices shared statements mourning Slones death.

Its with a heavy heart to report the passing of Judge Slone from a tragic accident. A judge that had all intentions to see the good in all people in his courtroom. He loved kids and always wanted the best for them. Prayers for all that are involved in the accident, the families affected, the court system and anyone else involved during this tragedy. We most definitely will miss him on the bench.

Cocke County Sheriffs Office

Sevier County launching new resource initiative on Overdose Awareness Day

Judge Slone cared deeply about helping others. His ambition to deter and rehabilitate those affected by drugs and addiction led to him to co-found the drug recovery court. Duane truly believed in these efforts and if you knew him personally, you were witness to his profound purpose. We are praying for everyone involved in this tragedy, for his family, his friends, and for the judicial community, who lost one of their own. Sevier County Sheriffs Office

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WATE 6 On Your Side.
Dozens of friends, neighbors and co-workers showed up at Marine Park on Saturday to support the family of the father and son who were fatally shot outside their north Fort Worth home last week.

The two men  41-year-old Fermin Ramirez and 22-year-old Jacob Ramirez  will be remembered as hard workers with good hearts, Fermins sister Inosencia Ramirez told the Star-Telegram.

Officers responded to the Ramirez home in the 2400 block of Ross Avenue around 1:50 a.m. Aug. 17. Both men were pronounced dead at the scene of the double homicide. Police think they were killed during an altercation with the shooter.

Inosencia Ramirez said her brother and nephew had just returned home from a club. A friend also showed up at their house with one of his friends.

The friends friend started getting cocky, according to Inosencia Ramirez, and Fermin and Jacob asked him to leave. The man pulled out a gun and shot both of them, she said.

Its just hard, Inosencia Ramirez said.

She remembers spending time with her nephew Jacob Ramirez in Breckenridge, Colorado, last month. Jacob took her and some other family members on the trip and paid for everything, she said.

Jacob Ramirez might have been young, but Inosencia Ramirez said he was already living the American dream. He was set to inherit his grandparents house this fall, and Fermin Ramirez was going to help him fix it up.

The father and son had a close relationship, Inosencia Ramirez said.

Saturdays fundraiser at Marine Park was to help cover funeral expenses for the two men.

One of Jacob Ramirezs coworkers, who identified herself as Rachael E., described the 22-year-old as a really good kid who was easy to like.

He was so loved at work, she told the Star-Telegram.

Freida Rivera of the community organization No More Violence was preparing to help with a balloon release for Fermin Ramirez and Jacob Ramirez later in the day. Shes attended multiple events to honor those lost to violence, but said this event hit her differently because Fermin and Jacob were her cousins.

I never expected it to be in my family, Rivera told the Star-Telegram.

Rivera said she was a victim of violence a few years ago. Thats what motivates her to support victims families and work toward ending all types of violence. Now its hard for her to realize that she survived but her cousins didnt.

The suspect in the double shooting fled the scene in a vehicle, police have said. No arrests have been announced.

 More top stories from our newsroom:

 Gateway campus pastor let go due to moral issue

 Kidnapper forced Lyft driver to take him from Arlington to Miami

 Tex-Mex restaurant reopens in Stockyards

[Get our breaking news alerts.]
(COLORADO SPRINGS)  The Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) reported that on Friday, Aug. 23, around 3 p.m., the Violent Offenders Fugitive Task Force, with help from the Patrol Division, located and arrested a fugitive wanted for felony parole violation and domestic violence. The arrest involved multiple CSPD divisions, an off-duty officer, and K9 Milo.

Courtesy: Colorado Springs Police Department

CSPD reported growing concerns over the suspects escalating behavior toward the victim in the domestic violence case, prompting fears for her safety. Although on his days off, Sgt. Frahm of the Violent Offenders Fugitive Task Force contacted Parole Officer Rohan Ellis with the Colorado Parole Fugitive Apprehension Team, who located the fugitive and learned he might be armed.

Ellis coordinated with the on-duty CSPD Tactical Enforcement Unit (TEU), Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) support, and K9 Officer Comstock with K9 Milo. Officers set up around 2600 Monument Street, near East Platte Avenue and North Circle Drive.

According to CSPD, the suspect was seen walking in the area and, after noticing the officers, attempted to walk away before being confronted by Officer Comstock and K9 Milo. Comstock issued several warnings to stop or risk being bitten by the K9. The suspect allegedly ignored the warnings and changed direction toward the door of an unrelated home.

Concerned that the suspect might be armed and posed a threat to the homeowners and the victim, Officer Comstock released K9 Milo when the suspect ignored commands. Milo apprehended the suspect by the leg, after which the suspect complied with officers and was taken into custody. He received immediate medical attention and was treated for minor injuries at the hospital before being booked into the Criminal Justice Center.

CSPD wishes to recognize Sgt. Frahm for his initiative in using available resources and sharing critical information on his day off, Parole Officer Ellis for prioritizing the suspects apprehension, locating him, and coordinating the arrest with CSPD officers, and K9 Milo and Officer Comstock for their quick actions in the successful 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 FOX21 News Colorado.
NEW YORK (PIX11)  With the Democratic National Convention over, political analysts are weighing in on what they observed as Vice President Kamala Harris officially accepted the presidential nomination.

PIX on Politics host Dan Mannarino sat down with a panel consisting of PIX11s Henry Rosoff, Sally Goldenberg, the senior New York editor for Politico, and Craig McCarthy, the deputy police bureau chief of the New York Post, to discuss their perspectives on how the Democratic Party handled the convention.

More Local News

This whole election has been about vibes, instead of policy. Not playing up as much as I expected this identity and historic nature of nominating a woman of color at the top of the ticket. I didnt get a huge sense of that, said Rosoff.

One of the goals was to introduce people to Kamala Harris. Heavy on biography, I think there was a lot of acknowledging that a lot of Americans dont really know much about her or really follow the vice president, said Goldenberg.

I think they have been using Trump as a foil because they havent really defined Kamala Harris. Over the last few years, shes been working in the background and they havent done much to bring her to the foreground. To an extent, this was introducing her to the voters, added McCarthy.

Watch the video player for the full panel.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11.
AfroNation should be Detroit's signature festival

AfroNation Detroit 2024 did not disappoint. As a second-time attendee, I am once again proud that an event of this magnitude could happen in my hometown. Having lived through the economic lows of the city, it is pure redemption to see people coming from other states and countries to share an experience here. Detroit was on full display this past weekend, with plenty of safe lodging, dining and nightlife experiences for everyone. This is the Detroit we brag about, a place of unity, pride and celebration. ("Afro Nation: Thousands enjoy Afrobeats festival in its 2nd year," Aug. 18, Detroit Free Press.)

I am looking forward to AfroNation Detroit 2025. I hope to see this turn into a signature summer event for Detroit like Coachella in California or Lollapalooza in Chicago. When it does (fingers crossed), I would like to see it evolve into a three-day festival with more activations and performances.

Aderonke Ibironke

Detroit

Musa Keys performs at Afro Nation in Detroit on August 17, 2024.

Kamala Harris' laugh is a power tool

At the Democratic National Convention Wednesday night, Oprah Winfrey commented on how exceptionally joyful the Harris-Walz campaign is, a joy thats rooted in Kamala Harris thousand-watt smile and her propensity to laugh. Trumps tried to make fun of the laughing, dubbing her Laffin Kamala and Cackling Co-Pilot Kamala (before he moved on to the of course much more explainable Kamabla, lol).

He makes fun of it because its what makes her powerful.

Laughing when you feel like it is a power tool. It means youre relaxed, because you know youre the most powerful person in the room. Nothing to worry about. Whose jokes do we always laugh at? The boss jokes.

Kamalas laugh is the source of her strength, that shes authentic. And because she feels free to be authentic, I feel I can be authentic, too, in more and more public spaces.

Thank you, Kamala. Keep on laughing, all the way to the White House

Linda Falcao

North Wales, Pennsylvania

Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump, left, during a campaign rally in Atlanta, Georgia on Aug. 3, 2024, and U.S. Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris at a campaign rally in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Aug. 6, 2024.

Everyone's talking about Project 2025. Here's what they're missing.

Hold the line, Dana Nessel

Thank you, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, for questioning DTE Energy's requesting increased rates to, in part, pay for its leaders to fly in corporate jets. ("DTE asking customers to pick up the tab for trips on private corporate jets," Aug. 21, Detroit Free Press.)

Not only is this unfair to ratepayers, who are subsidizing luxury travel, it also demonstrates a stunning lack of environmental awareness on the part of DTE Energy, who (we would hope) should be thinking about things like the climate crisis. Private jets emit appalling amounts of carbon dioxide per passenger mile. To those of us who avoid any form of flying to decrease our carbon footprint, the use of private jets reeks of "we don't give a damn."

Please hold the line, AG Nessel!

Sue Donaldson

Northampton, Massachusetts

Private jets are an environmental disaster

Reading your article on DTE Energy's proposed rate increase requests, I was dismayed to learn about their extravagant spending on private jet travel. At a time when every responsible corporate entity should focus on sustainability, DTEs actions fly in the face of what is required to combat climate change.

Private jets have the worst emissions per passenger-mile compared to other transport modes. Its particularly egregious for a utility that should be championing lower emissions to opt for such an environmentally detrimental travel option when commercial flights or virtually any other means of transport are readily available. Each private jet trip not only reflects poorly on their commitment to sustainability but also burdens consumers with unnecessary costs.

Moreover, the 2024 Republican presidential candidate plans to reverse many policies aimed at promoting renewable energy and combating climate change. This makes local accountability all the more crucial. Approving DTEs lavish travel expenses undermines consumer trust and our broader climate goals.

Its high time DTE aligns its actions with the urgency of the climate crisis. Utility companies should lead by example, not indulge in practices that contribute heavily to the problem.

Frederick Hewett

Cambridge, Massachusetts

I thought my parents moved to Holly for the schools. I was wrong.

I get why the GOP likes Kwame Kilpatrick

Kwame Kilpatrick spoke at the annual Oakland County Republican dinner this week.

They can keep him.

I grew up in Oakland County, and from my high school window you could see the Detroit skyline on a clear day. It wasn't viewed nearly as positively then  no stories about comebacks, new investment, or population growth. Instead, it was seen as a city so poorly run the joke was "the last person out, remember to turn the lights off." That lack of opportunity shoved plenty of people in my generation right out the door to places like Chicago, New York, San Francisco, or others.

Why? Leaders like Kwame Kilpatrick. He pilfered the city's coffers to fund his own luxe lifestyle, slept with subordinates, blatantly engaged in corruption, covered up a death, and lied every chance he got.

Looking at the top of their ticket in this year's presidential election, I see why Republicans want him so badly now.

Connor Rubin

Chicago

Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick speaks during the Oakland County Republican Partys Lincoln Day Dinner at the Suburban Collection Showcase in Novi on Wednesday, August 21, 2024.

One more for the Oakland County GOP

It was noted that re-entering felon Kwame Kilpatrick was invited to speak to the Oakland County Republicans. As he still owes court ordered money to the City of Detroit, I assume that any fees or honoraria he is paid will be collected by the city and applied to his debt. I assume, also, that the Republican Party of Oakland County will assist in this effort. As Republicans, they are used to dealing with felons both pardoned and currently convicted.

Robert Kokoszka

Plymouth

I don't buy arguments against raising the minimum wage

Arguments against raising the minimum wage frequently include the statement that smaller employers may have to lay off some employees. Let's consider this scenario. If an employee is laid off because his employer cannot afford to pay his employees a higher wage, the employee can look for another job. He will find one. Help wanted signs are abundant at the moment.

Another argument is that a higher minimum wage will increase prices that the consumer will have to pay for products and services. Prices are continually rising now, even with the low minimum wage currently in effect. And yet people like the Meijer brothers are still making billions of dollars even as they have raised their employee wages.

Fran Potasnik

Saline

Democrats betrayed Joe Biden

I only caught moments of the DNC Monday night, but the real story is not Kamala Harris  it is the tragedy that is Joe Biden.

Here is a man who spent 50 years in government service, and at the end, he was defeated by an 80-year-old woman and her comrades. What is worse is that at the end, he had no friends.

There was no Democrat who would stand up on his behalf and decry the way he has been treated for the last year. The worst part is the way he was treated in the last few weeks. Having no friends at the end of your life, no friends you could point to who will stand beside you, who will defend you, is the tragedy.

He was cast aside because he was no longer useful. What a shame. And what little time he has left on this earth he will spend thinking about how he was betrayed by people he trusted, and by those he thought were his friends. I didnt vote for Joe Biden, but anybody who has lost a friend or is a true friend knows exactly what I mean.

Shame on every Democrat in government and in the DNC. No one stood up and stood beside Joe Biden when he needed a friend.

Ron Cocquyt

Harbor Springs

Submit a letter to the editor at freep.com/letters and we may publish it online and in print.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Kamala Harris, Donald Trump, Kwame Kilpatrick, DTE, Joe Biden |Letters
Democrats took their turn this week to try to unify the party and rally behind their presidential candidate.

They got support from some members of the opposition.

Theres also some consternation about how the Democrats landed on Kamala Harris as the nominee.

Host Jim Niedelman covers that with Illinois Republican Party Chair Kathy Salvi and former Rock Island Mayor Mark Schwiebert, a Democrat.

The thing to keep in mind here is that both President Biden and Vice President Harris have gone through the primary process and they were the choice of the party through the primary process, Schwiebert said.

Six short weeks ago, President Biden said that he was going to be the nominee, Salvi said. And, in fact, the platform that the Democrats voted on speaks over 20 times of the Biden second term.

To hear more from the panel, click on the video.

Question of the week

And now we want to hear from you, too, with our question of the week: What do you think about the process the Democratic Party took to wind up with Kamala Harris as the presidential nominee? Please share your thoughts at 4therecord@whbf.com.

Local 4 News, your local election headquarters, is proud to present 4 The Record, a weekly news and public affairs program focused on the issues important to you. Its a program unlike any other here in the Quad Cities. Tune in each Sunday at 10:30 a.m. as Jim Niedelman brings you up to speed on whats happening in the political arena, from Springfield, Des Moines, Washington, D.C. and right here at home.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Its been called Kamalamania, Kamalmentum, and Kamelot. Others dismiss it as irrational exuberance, or a political sugar high led by a ding dong.

In the five weeks since Kamala Harris upended the 2024 presidential race, the commentariat has used all kinds of phrases to describe Democrats euphoria about her sudden White House run.

But there is another electoral force propelling Harris candidacy that has barely been noticed: Black Joy.

Harris isnt just campaigning on joy, as so many commentators have recently noted. She is also tapping into something called the Black Joy movement. Led by Black artists, authors, activists and others, the movement declares that Black peoples humanity will not be defined by trauma or oppression but by something else:

A joy that no White man can steal.

Thats how the author Tracey Michael Lewis-Giggetts describes the movements essence in her book, Black Joy.

Black Joy transcends politics. Here a student breakdances while wearing a Black Panther mask during a 2018 Black Joy Parade in Oakland, California. - Scott Strazzante/San Francisco Chronicle/Getty Images

Black Joy is hard to define but easy to see and feel. Its the annual Black Joy Parade, festive Juneteenth celebrations and loud Black family reunions with plenty of, yes, fried chicken while Earth, Wind & Fires feel-good anthem September plays from a portable speaker nearby.

Its the recent viral image from the Paris Olympics when two Black American gymnasts  Simon Biles and Jordan Chiles  bowed in appreciation to a beaming Brazilian gold medal winner because, as Biles would say later, it was an all-Black podium.

Its the Black Joy on display at this weeks Democratic National Convention. Its rapper Lil Jon grabbing a microphone and acting as the Georgias delegations hype man during an electric, state-by-state roll call. Its Black delegates shedding tears while listening to former President Barack Obama. Its former first lady Michelle Obama sending the crowd into a frenzy when, referring to Trump, she said, Who is going to tell him that the job hes currently seeking might just be one of those Black jobs?

Former first lady Michelle Obama speaks Tuesday during the second day of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Her address was greeted enthusiastically by delegates in the arena. - Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

This summer marks the first time in years that so many Black Americans feel hopeful.

I havent felt this way since 2008 when a skinny kid with a funny name decided to run for president, says Kimberly Coleman, an actor who lives in the swing state of Arizona, in a reference to Barack Obama.

Coleman says shes hopped on recent Zoom calls with Black women and Black preachers to raise money and drum up support for Harris campaign against former President Donald Trump.

The enthusiasm that everyone has, and the joy, is contagious, she says.

Nothing will temper joy like the quickly changing fortunes of a presidential campaign, however. Consider that only recently, Trumps momentum seemed unstoppable after he survived an assassination attempt and surged ahead of President Joe Biden in many polls.

Still, Harris is doing more than surfing the Black joy wave. Shes turned some of its core beliefs into a political strategy in at least two ways:

She uses laughter to show that she is free

Can an election turn on how one presidential candidate laughs and the other one doesnt? Thats one of the quirks that commentators have noticed about this election: Harris laughs a lot, while Trump laughs not so much, if at all.

One CNN analyst noted that Harris will laugh at herself in the midst of a speech, or in the midst of a press conference or during a 60 Minutes interview  otherwise serious moments when another politician might try to keep a straight face throughout.

But there is a racial history behind Harris laughter thats easy to miss.

Black laughter was used as a weapon against Black people long before Trump wielded it against Harris by dismissing her as Laffin Kamala. Slaveowners created the myth of the happy-go-lucky darkie to imply that Black people were happy being enslaved or being second-class citizens. To survive, many Black people played along by flashing a submissive, just-happy-to-be-here, boss laughter around White people.

Yet other Black people chose to laugh when and how they wanted  even if White folks didnt like it.

Kamala Harris made a brief appearance on the first day of the 2024 Democratic National Convention. - Rebecca Wright/CNN

Consider this quote by a Black man born into slavery as described in the book, Black Joy.

Others have said I laugh loudly and often. This too is true, the man says. Ive found that my joy is the most irritating to those who are righteously indignant at my audacity to walk around like Im free.

This is the kind of laughter that Harris evokes. Her laugh signals to Black supporters and White allies that she is free to do what she wants. Its loud, raucous, and maybe a little strange, but it doesnt appear to be curated for White sensibilities.

I have my mothers laugh, Harris said in one recent interview. And I grew up around a bunch of women in particular, who laughed from the belly.  They would sit around the kitchen and drinking their coffee, telling big stories with big laughs.

Its the kind of laughter that women of all colors find liberating, wrote Robin Givhan, a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer with the Washington Post, in a recent essay. Givhan said Harris laughter enrages critics who attack her as a diversity hire.

There was a time when Black folks had to curtail their emotions in public. When women were considered ill-mannered if they chortled freely, Givhan wrote. Harris has the audacity to look unruffled by the characterization  Her laughter is edifying precisely because it leaves some folks enraged. Who does she think she is?

She wont let White men define her Blackness

Harris Black Joy seems unruffled by something else: A White mans attempt to define her racial identity.

Harris claims both Black and South Asian heritage as the US-born daughter of a woman who emigrated to the US from India and a father who came from Jamaica.

When Trump questioned Harris Black bona fides at a recent conference of Black journalists, it was widely seen as a clumsy attempt to cast her as a racial opportunist.

Now she wants to be known as Black. So I dont know, is she Indian or is she Black? the former president said. By doing so, Trump evoked a ugly tradition in this country.

Festival attendees dance to Dupont Brass at the annual Juneteenth Freedom Celebration this year in Washington, D.C. - Allison Robbert/The Washington Post/Getty Images

White men have long decided who was Black or White in America. Under the notorious one-drop rule, for example, White people defined a person as Black even if they had a White parent. Any drop of Blackness was considered a taint to the perceived purity of Whiteness.

Trump launched a similar attack against Obama by questioning the place of his birth. Questions about Obamas heritage proved so insistent that he felt compelled to release his birth certificate.

But Harris barely acknowledged Trumps questioning of her racial identity. She called it the same old show  the divisiveness and the disrespect at a rally and pressed on with her campaign.

This, too, is a manifestation of Black joy  not letting White peoples perception of your Blackness rattle or define you.

Its not what they call you, but what you answer to, is how Lewis-Giggetts describes this attitude in her book, Black Joy.

Harris reaction underscores a subtle difference between how she and Obama have regarded their biracial identity. Obama was open about wrestling with his identity as the son of a Black father and a White mother, and his search for a place to belong.

But Harris does not seem to have grappled with a similar angst. She attended Howard University, a historically Black school, where she pledged a Black sorority. She doesnt appear to invest a lot of energy into explaining her identity to others. Her public persona carries no hint of the Tragic Mulatto  a biracial, typically female stereotype who cant find acceptance in Black or White worlds.

When questioned about her Blackness during a 2019 interview, Harris said she was not going to spend a lot of energy trying to educate people about who Black people are.

Im Black, and Im proud of being Black. I was born Black. I will die Black, she said. Im not going to make excuses for anybody because they dont understand.

David Jefferson, 10, of shows off his dance moves to Smiley the Hip Hop Clown at an annual Juneteenth Family Reunion event in Southfield, Michigan, on June 17, 2023. - Kimberly P. Mitchell/USA Today

What those who question Harris Blackness may miss is that many of the Black communitys most revered leaders and artists have had White parents. Reggae icon Bob Marley, civil rights activist Booker T. Washington, statesman Frederick Douglass, playwright August Wilson, author Malcom Gladwell  all are biracial.

Harris racial identity makes her a quintessential American, according to Albert Murray, the Black author and cultural critic who has argued that American culture is incontestably mulatto.

No white American is fully and only white; no black American is fully and wholly black, Murray wrote. We have lived in another one anothers company too long and too intimately, shaped by the same forces of nature and culture alike.

Is Black Joy enough to get Harris elected?

One of the big questions of this election is how far Black Joy can carry Harris. Will it dissipate as soon as the inevitable setbacks occur? And are some afraid to embrace Black joy because they dont want to be disappointed again?

Im concerned but not scared, Coleman, the actor, says about the prospect of a Harris letdown.

Recent polling may alleviate some of Colemans concerns. While polls in the spring showed Trump making inroads among Black voters, a CNN/SSRS poll published last month  after Harris became the presumptive Democratic nominee  found her leading Trump among registered Black voters, 78% to 15%. Thats an improvement over CNN polling data from April and June, when the same voters favored Biden over Trump by 70% to 23%.

Black Joy was on display throughout the Democratic National Convention. Here a young delegate cheers during the event's third night on Wednesday in Chicago. - Al Drago/Bloomberga/Getty Images

Coleman says shes not concerned that Black voters will abandon Harris because theyve experienced the alternative: four years of relentless racial tension under Trump. The fear of another Trump presidential term is feeding into Black support of Harris, she says.

Obama showed in 2008 and 2012 that enthusiasm among the Black electorate translates into actual votes. Harris may be poised to do the same.

Theres even more enthusiasm than there was for Obama, Coleman says of Harris White House run. We werent threatened by John McCain (Obamas 2008 presidential opponent). He was just another Republican. We hadnt seen anything that McCain had done so bad that it would be like, Lord Jesus, let me go get my passport. But seriously now people are saying, If Trump wins, we gotta go (out of the country). 

If Harris wins it will mark a dramatic change  not only for Democrats fortunes, but for the mood in Black America.

The Black community has disproportionately suffered from the Covid-19 pandemic, a GOP-led backlash to the 2020 racial reckoning after George Floyds murder, and the never-ending videos of unarmed Black men and women being shot down or beaten to death by police officers.

Harris offers something different. Its not just joy; its Black Joy.

And in an election that might be determined by Black voters in swing states like Georgia and Pennsylvania, Black Joy may turn out to be her most potent political asset.

John Blake is a CNN senior writer and author of the award-winning memoir, More Than I Imagined: What a Black Man Discovered About the White Mother He Never Knew.

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KANSAS CITY, Mo.  Police are investigating after a man was shot and killed in a car early Sunday morning in Kansas City, Missouri.

According to KCPD, just before 1:50 a.m., officers were dispatched to the area of East 82nd Street and Kenwood Avenue on reports of a shooting.

One dead, two injured in shooting near Midtown in Kansas City

Upon arrival, officers began searching for possible victims or a crime scene. While canvassing the area of East 82nd Street and Holmes Road, KCPD found a man, 21-year-old Treshaun Wright, inside a vehicle suffering from an apparent gunshot wound. He was later pronounced dead at the scene.

This case is being investigated as a homicide, KCPD said, and detectives are searching the area for potential witnesses or additional leads related to the shooting.

If you or anyone you know has information regarding the homicide, police ask that you call detectives directly at (816) 234-5043 or the TIPS Hotline at (826) 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.
U.S. Attorney Kate Brubacher answers questions at a press conference on the steps of the federal courthouse Aug. 19 at Wichita following the sentencing of former Elkhart banker Shan Hanes. Brubacher, who said the 24-year sentence was a "measure of justice" for the victims, was joined by FBI special agent in charge Stephen Cyrus (left) and Cory Nootnagel, a Federal Reserve assistant special agent.

U.S. Attorney Kate Brubacher answers questions at a press conference on the steps of the federal courthouse Aug. 19, 2024, at Wichita following the sentencing of former Elkhart banker Shan Hanes. Brubacher, who said the 24-year sentence was a "measure of justice" for the victims, was joined by FBI special agent in charge Stephen Cyrus (left) and Cory Nootnagel, a Federal Reserve assistant special agent. (Max McCoy/Kansas Reflector)

WICHITA  The judge rocks gently in his chair behind his marble bench on the second floor of the federal courthouse. He listens as the victims of an embezzlement scheme that took down the Heartland Tri-State Bank in far southwest Kansas are called to stand before him to tell their stories of loss and broken trust.

A yellow bow tie peeks from the collar of the judges robe.

Its Monday, Aug. 19, and Im sitting in the second row of benches in the gallery, waiting for the judge to pass sentence in the cryptocurrency fraud case that has drawn international attention since news of it broke last summer. There has been a plea deal and because this was a white collar crime  embezzlement by a bank officer  I expect a comparatively light sentence. Im also hoping more details of the byzantine fraud scheme will emerge during the hearing.

The judge, John Wesley Broomes, stops rocking when a victim says something of particular interest. Economic harm has been done that will take generations to heal, some say. Others talk of retirements stolen, the burden of having to care for aging parents, an institution burned to the ground. A few will talk about how their faith, in both community and God, has been tested.

Ive tried to reconcile this in my head, says Brian Mitchell, an Elkhart resident and business owner. The damage that has been done to my town I can only describe in two words: pure evil.

While the victims have been instructed to address their statements to the court  that is, to the judge on his bench, with the words UNITED STATES OF AMERICA above him like a banner unfurled  they are inescapably telling their stories to the man who is responsible for their pain. Defendant Shan Hanes sits just a few yards to their right, at a table with his defense attorney, defeated and yet somehow defiant.

Hanes wears a yellow tie and blue shirt with a somewhat rumpled suit of a hard-to-define color that is a relative of brown. His hair appears recently cut but he has a bit of chin stubble, and his face is pallid. He takes notes, left-handed, on a legal pad and when he glances over at the victims, he purses his lips.

Thirty years of working in adjacent offices did not prepare me for the level of deceit, recounts Moe Houtz, a bank officer, in a prepared statement read by Mitchell. Houtz is in the hospital back home. Houtzs wife, Marla, stands nearby.

Brian Mitchell outside the federal courthouse

The victims fill the left third of the gallery, on the side of the courtroom behind the prosecutor. They were shareholders in the bank, individuals whose investments ranged from the modest to the substantial, but whose assets in the failed institution are now exactly the same amount of dollars  zero.

It is the closest any of the victims have been to Hanes since the bank failure of July 28, 2023. Thats when the state banking commissioner declared the Heartland Tri-State Bank of Elkhart insolvent, the FDIC assumed control, and the bank sold to a competitor.

In an eight-week period ending July 7 of last year, Hanes  the Heartland CEO  embezzled $47 million to cover his losses in a complicated cryptocurrency scheme. He did this in a series of 10 wire transfers, according to court documents, each transfer ranging in the millions, to Payward Ventures, a largely unregulated crypto exchange better known as Kraken.

The case may be the most notorious example of white collar crime in Kansas history, bigger even than the Great Kansas Bond Scandal of 1933. In that scheme, more than $1 million in municipal bonds were forged.

By the time the Heartland bank failed, Hanes had already burned through his youngest daughters college fund and stolen $10,000 from his friends in a local investment club and $40,000 from his church where he sometimes preached the love of Jesus. The numbers are clear enough, but the reasons why Hanes broke bad and stole so much so fast may never be fully understood. The easy answer is greed, but ever since news of the bank failure broke last year, there have been few details about exactly who Hanes thought was on the other side of his cellphone.

Regulators said it was the kind of scam known as pig butchering.

Typically run by organized criminal gangs in southeast Asia, the scammers use modern technology to run one of the worlds oldest grifts  the lure of easy money. While the FDIC protected the banks depositors, it did not cover the $13 million lost by the shareholders or the retirement accounts of its employees.

My creator says I have to forgive, says Marla Harris, a Heartland investor. Im not ready to forgive you, Shan, but I have to. You put me in the place of having to deal with my God for something I didnt do.

Elkhart is in the extreme southwestern corner of Kansas, just above the Oklahoma panhandle, and 270 miles away from the Wichita courtroom. The main street in Elkhart still resembles that of the famous Dust Bowl photographs taken in the 1930s. Its a town of just under 2,000, and peoples lives are entwined in ways common to rural communities. The victim statements are elliptical in that most reference the defendant and others as friends, neighbors, co-workers. Their parents knew each others parents. Their children played together.

Everyone knew Hanes, whose first name is pronounced Shane, formerly regarded as smart and influential and honest, the kind of guy who personally cut the grass at Heartland bank. It was the sort of thing that endeared him to the community, although now it seems that it might all have been part of a carefully calculated act. That disconnect from who Elkhart thought Hanes was to the criminal he turned out to be runs through the victims stories like a refrain.

Id just like to know why (Shan) would do this, says Dan Smith, a former vice president of Heartland Bank, a director and an associate of Hanes for 30 years. For whatever reason, you burned it to the ground.

There is no question of guilt before the court.

Hanes already entered a guilty plea, on May 23, to a single count of embezzlement by a bank officer, an offense punishable by up to 30 years in prison. In exchange, federal prosecutors agreed to file no additional charges and allow Hanes to request a lighter sentence. He did this, through his attorney, requesting a downward variance from the advisory sentencing guidelines, based on the severity of the crime and other factors, that call for him to serve at least 235 months.

I signed off on eight of the 10 wire transfers in the case because Hanes lied to her, says Mandy Burton, the former Heartland CFO. She and her husband, who were investors, took a large financial loss. I was left to deal with regulators and investigators.  I worked 21 days straight.

Hanes had no prior criminal record, accepted responsibility and did not ultimately profit from the embezzlement, his attorney, John E. Stang, argued in a sentencing memorandum. In addition, Hanes faces another seven years in prison if convicted of state charges filed in the case. That might make him 76 upon his release.

All he can do at this point is try to pay back the restitution upon his release from prison, Stang wrote. A shorter sentence would make it more likely that Hanes could find employment to pay back at least some of the restitution, he argued.

The prosecutor, assistant U.S. attorney Aaron L. Smith, answered that substantial restitution was likely not an option.

Full recompense appears nearly impossible no matter what age the defendant has available in his working years, Smith wrote. Further, with the large number of victims and staggering loss, any restitution would be spread quite thin.

Smith asked for a sentence of 264 months  22 years  as just and appropriate.

Heartland Tri-State Bank of Elkhart was taken over by Dream First Bank

News crews and journalists have cast a negative light on the community, says Jim Tucker, a county commissioner who said Hanes lied about the bank having a $100 million bond when actually it was only $2 million. Tuckers family held 8,602 shares of Heartland, once worth about $1.4 million. My familys dreams have been wiped out.

The sentencing hearing in Judge Broomes court has a somewhat surreal quality, perhaps because the restored 1930s decor looks as if it came from a movie made from a John Grisham novel. The courthouse was opened in the depths of the Great Depression, as the U.S. Post Office and Courthouse. The interior is lavishly finished with marble, walnut, and gold leaf, notes the WPA Guide to 1930s Kansas.

The six-story building, 401 N. Market, displays a skillful blending of Art Deco and classical influences, according to the General Services Administration website. The building was used as the citys central post office until 1984 and then restored by the GSA to its original appearance. A pair of Depression-era murals have been retained on the first-floor lobby.

But the art and architecture arent entirely responsible for the odd feel.

We have perhaps become accustomed to having our reality mediated by technology  and, at least for those who sit in the gallery, technology is disallowed. There are no cellphones or cameras here, no electronic devices of any kind not under control of the court. We lean forward, straining to hear, wishing the sound system wasnt so raspy and that people on the other side of the bar would speak directly into the microphones. If you want notes, you take them the old-fashioned way, with pen and paper. A New York Times reporter sits in the front row, doing just that.

Then there is the emotional weight the victims bring with them into the courtroom, almost as if they carry bags stuffed with pain. Court cases, especially criminal ones, are frequently filled with emotional and physical trauma, but it is unusual for an entire community to be hit so hard.

Theres no reward that would have been worth the risk you took, investor Patrick Overpeck tells Hanes directly, comparing the embezzlement to driving a bus of family and friends off a cliff. The only thing were guilty of is that we trusted that man too much.

The burden of trust, Smith says at the sentencing hearing, includes responsibility, loyalty, and humility. Greed and arrogance do not know these burdens.

After the victims have made their statements, the judge addresses the audience.

Does anybody want to speak for this man?

None volunteer.

Then it is Hanes turn to speak for himself.

I had no intention of ever causing the harm that I did, he says in a weak voice. He acknowledges that his family  his wife and three grown daughters  will deal with his actions for the rest of their lives. To the shareholders, they were my friends and family, too.

He glances over his shoulder at the victims and tosses out: Sorry.

He then rambles, saying he wishes others could understand his intent.

So far, I havent heard anything to help me understand, the judge says.

Hanes talks about wanting to get the money back, says he was working with somebody he thought he could trust, but things got out of hand. He said he made decisions he thought were good at the time. But Hanes adds nothing to the judges understanding, or ours, of what was going through his head  and through his phone  during the eight-week embezzlement spree.

Banker Shan Hayes

OK, Broomes says.

Then the judge turns to the victims.

This is one of the most difficult cases Ive had to deal with except child pornography in terms of victim impact, he says. My suggestion to you is to try to forgive this man. If you set him free, you set yourselves free. Its tough advice, the judge says. I know these are not easy things to put behind you. But hes already taken enough from you.

Then the judge addresses Hanes.

Your conduct has injured your community in a way thats not easily captured with words, Broomes says. We live in an age where people dont put much stock in truth, and theres a general lack of concern for others. But out here on the southern plains theres still a sense that community means something, a mans word is his bond.

The case represents a betrayal of trust that cannot be reconciled with sentencing guidelines, Broomes says. We live in a free republic where we rely on a justice system pursuant to the rule of law.

Human beings, the judge says, by their very nature need to see that justice is done. Broomes speaks slowly and deliberately, searching perhaps for the right words to convey an idea approaching the ineffable in a sacred civic space. In other systems, he says, justice is in the hands of a powerful few but here all people stand equal before the law. Then he returns to a thought: People need to leave here feeling that justice is done. He cites the danger of individuals feeling the need to augment punishment, but stops short of saying vigilantism.

Then he addresses Hanes directly.

You knew better. You were not a fool.

As a bank officer Hanes was well informed about fraud. Hed had many opportunities to stop his criminal behavior. A sentence is required that will deter future conduct. There is no basis for a downward variance.

Broomes hands down a sentence of 293 months.

Thats more than 24 years. It is the maximum prison time under the advisory guidelines. Its also more than the prosecution had asked for. Some of the victims gasp, others put hands to their mouths.

Hanes stares at the judge, a pen clutched in his left hand.

The judge orders Hanes immediately remanded to custody.

Hanes is directed to empty his pockets. He hands over his tie, his watch, his belt. He is shedding the artifacts of his former life. Then his hands are cuffed behind him and hes led out of the courtroom. He will be taken to the Butler County Jail, 30 miles away, to await transfer to a federal prison.

On the other side of the gallery, a small group of Hanes family members begin to cry. Is his wife among them? I dont know and decide not to ask. Its difficult not to feel sorry for them.

Nobody on the victims side of the gallery says anything. There is no cheering, no clapping, no taunts.

It would have been very easy at the end of that for us to clap and say, Rot in hell,  Mitchell tells me later. But it wasnt a celebratory moment. It was weird. You still have a hole in your stomach. Theres just no way to get a complete resolution.

Max McCoy is an award-winning author and journalist. 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.
This article was originally published in Kansas Reflector.

TOPEKA  A Kansas elementary school principal who invited an evangelical Christian missionary to pass out Bibles to students during their recess in May violated the First Amendment, the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas warned Monday in a letter to the district.

Katie Struebing, the principal of East Elementary School in the roughly 2,000-person city of Belleville, invited a member of the evangelical Christian organization Gideons International, Ben Dreesen, to hand out Bibles to students during recess on May 7, wrote Monica Bennett, legal director for the ACLU of Kansas, in the Monday letter. Gideons International is often credited with the introduction of Bibles to American hotel rooms.

Related

Who Wrote Texass Million Dollar, Bible-Infused Curriculum? The State Wont Say

Ahead of Dreesens visit, Struebing told staff that she would visit classrooms at the roughly 250-student school to inform students of the nice man handing out Bibles, according to the letter. A students parents informed the ACLU about Dreesens visit.

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Bennett wrote that Struebing allowed Dreesen on school grounds during school hours, accompanied him while he passed out Bibles to students and involved fellow school district staff in the matter. The principal lent her 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.

Plus, the principal violated the Republic County school districts own policy, which states that district employees arent allowed to use classrooms to promote or convey religious viewpoints, Bennett wrote.

The goal of the letter was to educate and remind the principal and the school district whats required with respect to separation of church and state, Bennett told Kansas Reflector.

The First Amendment and U.S. court decisions require neutrality from government institutions when it comes to establishing or favoring a religion or nonreligion.

Struebing declined to comment, directing the Reflectors inquiry to the school district superintendent, Tami Knedler, who did not respond.

This is at least the second incident in Kansas this year involving Bible distribution to students in public schools. In April, Butler County school district employees informed parents they intended to invite Gideon missionaries to hand out Bibles to Bluestem Elementary School students, according to the letter. District officials gave parents the option of excusing their children from the visit if they provided signed permission slips.

After receiving criticism, including from Christian parents, invoking the First Amendment separation of church and state clause, the district walked back the decision, Bennett wrote.

The public is aware of the law when it comes to religion in public schools, so school officials ought to be aware of the law as well, Bennett told the Reflector. In the letter, she referenced a 2021 study and a 2019 survey that indicated the majority of Americans do not believe public schools should be influencing religious beliefs.

Its important to point out that our laws recognize the rights of individuals to worship, or not worship, according to their own conscience, and they have the right to pass on whatever their beliefs are onto their children, Bennett said.

School districts should respect that, she said.

The ACLU of Kansas strongly discourages you from welcoming missionaries on school grounds to distribute Bibles in the future, the letter said.

Kansas Reflector is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Kansas Reflector maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Sherman Smith for questions: info@kansasreflector.com. Follow Kansas Reflector on Facebook and X.
FLINT  Michigan Republicans activists are united behind former President Donald Trump, but other strong divisions persist, a Saturday state party convention in Flint made clear.

The party selected its two candidates for the Michigan Supreme Court early Saturday evening, but voting and counting continued for university boards and the State Board of Education until around 10 p.m., when full convention results were announced.

Two university board incumbents  University of Michigan Regent Ron Weiser and Michigan State University Trustee Dan Kelly, whose term as board chair runs until January  were rejected by delegates.

Michigan Republican Party Chairman Pete Hoekstra addresses a sometimes raucous state party convention in Flint Saturday.

The former state party chair, Kristina Karamo, who was ousted by party dissidents in January after less than a year in office, showed up at the Dort Financial Center and was soon escorted out of the building by security and local police. "Corruption," Karamo said as she exited.

Former ambassador and congressman Pete Hoekstra, who was elected to replace Karamo two weeks after the vote to remove her and who has since worked to improve the party's shaky finances, was greeted with scattered but loud boos when he took the stage to address the convention.

The convention, attended by about 4,000 delegates, alternates, and guests, elected candidates for the Michigan Supreme Court, university boards, and the State Board of Education. The convention's work was delayed by laborious hand counting  and in some cases recounting  of ballots, and a lengthy dispute over delegate credentials that stems from rival groups claiming to be the legitimate leaders of the Kalamazoo County Republican Party. A similar party leadership dispute exists in Saginaw County, where County Clerk Vanessa Guerra, a Democrat, said recently she has recognized both groups and allowed each to name election challenges and poll watchers for the August primary.

Hoekstra, a former west Michigan congressman who served as U.S. ambassador to the Netherlands under Trump, said Saturday he's not troubled by the ongoing discord.

"You're always going to have an element of dissent," Hoekstra said. "I can tell you that group's a whole lot smaller than it was five months ago."

Hoekstra said as long as the party is united behind Trump and former congressman Mike Rogers, who is seeking the open U.S. Senate seat in Michigan  "and they are," he said  then, "they don't have to like me."

Karamo was not elected as a delegate to the convention but was granted an "all access pass" in error, Hoekstra said, before she walked onto the convention floor and was surrounded by a group of supporters. Officials offered Karamo a guest pass that would have allowed her to watch from seats surrounding the floor, but she declined, he said. That's why she was escorted out, as was one other unidentified person, Hoekstra said.

Karamo said she was there to support a candidate and was not causing any disruption.

More: Donald Trump to visit Michigan again on Thursday. This time, it's Potterville

The convention began making news Friday night when controversial Kalamazoo County attorney Matthew DePerno, who was defeated for state attorney general in 2022 and awaits trial on felony charges related to alleged tampering with election machines, withdrew from consideration for a Michigan Supreme Court nomination and threw his support to Branch County Circuit Judge Patrick O'Grady.

Michigan Supreme Court justices are elected on the nonpartisan portion of the ballot, but they are nominated by the two major political parties. Republican nominees would have to win both seats to reverse the 4-3 edge that Democratic nominees now hold on the court.

That is seen as a tough challenge, since the Democratic nominee, Justice Kyra Harris Bolden, will have the advantage of an incumbency designation for the partial term, and since both Democratic nominees have raised far more money for their campaigns than any of the Republican contenders.

For the full eight-year term on the state's highest court, filling the seat being vacated by Justice David Viviano, state Rep. Andrew Fink defeated Michigan Court of Appeals Judge Mark Boonstra, despite Boonstra's endorsement from Trump. Viviano, a Republican nominee, announced in March he would not seek another term. The Democratic nominee for the seat is attorney Kimberly Thomas.

Bolden and Thomas have raised $1.1 million and just over $826,000 respectively, and each has cash on hand that is more than five times what all the Republican nominees have raised  combined. Only Fink had reached six figures in fund-raising when pre-convention reports were filed, with just over $100,000 raised.

Fink, a Hillsdale Republican, is completing his second two-year term in the state House, where he serves as minority vice-chair of the House Judiciary Committee. The former U.S. Marine has a 2010 law degree from U-M.

Hoekstra said he expects certain groups that help fund Michigan Supreme Court races were waiting to see which candidates were selected as nominees before opening their wallets.

After DePerno's withdrawal, there were two contenders for a partial, four-year term on the court. There, Branch County Circuit Judge Patrick O'Grady defeated Alexandria Taylor, a Detroit attorney.

O'Grady was elected to the 15th Circuit Court in 2008 and has served there as chief judge several times. The former member of the U.S. Army Reserve has a 1999 law degree from Thomas Cooley Law School.

DePerno, who was the unsuccessful GOP candidate for attorney general in 2022, gained prominence by seizing on a clerical error in Antrim County that scrambled the county's unofficial 2020 presidential results and using it to make false claims about manipulation of election results by Dominion Voting Systems machines. He is awaiting trial on multiple felony counts related to an alleged conspiracy to breach voting machines. DePerno has law degrees from University of Detroit Mercy School of Law and New York University School of Law.

For State Board of Education, delegates selected two incumbents  Tom McMillin, who is a former state lawmaker, and Nikki Snyder, who is completing her first term on the board.

For the University of Michigan Board of Regents, delegates rejected Weiser of Ann Arbor, an incumbent regent and party megadonor and former U.S. ambassador. They voted in as candidates newcomers Sevag Vartanian, who works in the finance sector, and Carl Meyers, who works in investments and ran unsuccessfully for the U-M Board in 2020.

For Wayne State University Board of Governors, delegates elected as candidates Dr. Michael Busuito, a physician, and Sunny Reddy, an entrepreneur and philanthropist.

For Michigan State University trustees, delegates also rejected an incumbent by rejecting Kelly, who has been on the board since 2017 and is currently chair. They elected as candidates Mike Balow, an MSU parent and military veteran, and Julie Maday, who is an economic development committee member and former councilwoman for the city of Novi.

Contact Paul Egan: 517-372-8660 or pegan@freepress.com. Follow him on X, @paulegan4.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Karamo ejected from convention as divisions persist in Michigan GOP
Adam Gray, right, a candidate for Congress in the Central Valley, meets with two other lawmakers in Sacramento. (Robert Gourley / Los Angeles Times)

When the federal government closed Castle Air Force Base in Merced County in the 1990s, the dilapidated buildings and vast expanse of aging tarmac left behind seemed more like a liability than an opportunity.

But by 2018, the old runways that once carried B-52 bombers had found a new and unexpected customer: Google, which was testing its experimental self-driving vehicles there, far from the prying eyes of Silicon Valley.

At the urging of then-state Assemblyman Adam Gray, California gave Merced County $6.5 million that year to expand the self-driving testing program at the old base.

A few years later, Gray invested there, too.

In 2022, a company in which Gray is a minority owner bought four apartment buildings on the former base from Merced County, according to a Times review of business filings, property records and Gray's financial disclosures. Gray's link to the real estate deal has not been previously reported.

The sale closed for $600,000 in August 2022, records show, and the property is now valued at more than $2.5 million. Gray's representatives said that the investment shows his interest in providing affordable housing, and that renovations have been so costly that he has yet to make money.

Nonetheless, the real estate deal in rural Atwater, Calif., has come under scrutiny as Gray, a Democrat, fights to unseat first-term Rep. John Duarte (R-Modesto). The race in California's 13th Congressional District is a bitter rematch of 2022, when Duarte beat Gray by the second-closest margin in the nation: 564 votes.

The race is among the handful of contests across the U.S. that are seen as pivotal in determining which party controls Congress after the November election.

Read more: Rep. Ken Calvert has secured millions for his Riverside County district. Do his own properties benefit?

Republicans have questioned the timing of Gray's purchase, which closed four months before he left the Legislature and less than a year before California officials awarded nearly $50 million in new funding for the site. The 2023 grant from the California State Transportation Agency helped Merced County build out a rail hub on the base site to handle cargo loaded onto trains from the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles.

"Grays self-serving scheme reveals his true colors as a Sacramento politician who lines his own pockets at the expense of Valley families' trust and hard-earned dollars," said Ben Petersen, a spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, which works to elect Republicans to the House of Representatives.

Petersen accused Gray of "mixing taxpayer money with personal profit" and said the apartment deal should be investigated.

Far from Gray lining his pockets, his campaign and company said, the old Castle Air Force Base apartments have required so much renovation that Gray has actually lost money.

Ben Rodriguez, Gray's campaign manager, said the allegations were false and "intended to distract voters from John Duarte's disastrous record."

"While Adam Gray has brought back real help for families across this district, Duarte is making things worse for families every day he spends in Congress," Rodriguez said.

Gray is a minority owner in Gemenii LLC, the company that owns the apartment complex at the base. Gemenii is a subsidiary of a family-owned residential and commercial construction company of which Gray is also a member, the firm said.

Gray learned about the Castle Air Force Base apartments about six months before the sale, when "partners that own other properties at Castle" approached him with the idea of renovating the 80-unit complex to provide affordable housing, the company said.

The four spartan buildings, once barracks for airmen, were in disrepair, and three were vacant. Merced County had classified the property as surplus and assessed the buildings and the 5.3 acres of land beneath them at $400,000 to $600,000, the company said.

When the county received "no other competitive offers," the firm said, Merced County sold the buildings for $600,000.

The firm has since spent millions on renovations, "exactly as intended by Merced County when the property was sold in an open and public sale process," company attorney Richard Marchini said in a written statement.

Gray was still representing the Modesto area in the state Assembly when the sale closed.

A Google Waymo autonomous vehicle navigates the roads inside the company's facility on the property of the former Castle Air Force Base, which is now a municipal airport, in Atwater, Calif. in 2017. (San Francisco Chronicle / Hearst Newspapers via Getty Images )

Gray has a 30% stake in the firm that owns the apartments, the company said. His name does not appear in the company's state business filings.

Gray first disclosed his investment in his 2022 Form 700, the financial disclosure that California lawmakers are required to file annually with state ethics officials.

Government experts said it did not appear that Gray's real estate deal broke the law.

But, they said, elected officials who invest in real estate must be aware of the appearance of conflicts of interest, particularly when investing in their districts.

Dan Schnur, the former head of the California Fair Political Practices Commission, said that Gray's real estate investment at the site being bookended by the award of taxpayer funds seemed "suspicious."

"Everyone deserves the benefit of the doubt, but the best way to receive the benefit of the doubt is to earn it," Schnur said. "A public servant ought to be aware of how these things might be perceived."

After Gray lost his run for Congress in 2022, he filed a federal financial disclosure with the House in which he did not disclose the real estate investment or his stake in the LLC that owns the buildings.

His campaign said that Gray did not mention the apartment complex investment because there was no revenue to report, but that he disclosed his position in the parent company.

In a new filing made public this month, for Gray's second run for Congress, he said he received between $100,000 and $1 million from the LLC that owns the apartments in 2023, and between $50,000 and $100,000 in the first half of 2024.

Those figures represent the company's total revenue, rather than Gray's, and were listed "out of an abundance of caution," the campaign said.

Gray has not received any income from the business in 2023 or 2024, the campaign said, and the investment has not made a profit.

The former air base, now called Castle Commerce Center, covers about 3 square miles. It's home to miles of empty roads, as well as dozens of private and government tenants, including a federal prison, a post office, Merced's commercial airport and Waymo, Google's autonomous vehicle company.

Read more: Six California House races that could help determine control of Congress

After Gray helped secure the $6.5-million grant for the self-driving car testing site in 2018, Merced County converted vast stretches of unused tarmac at the base into a testing hub. There are now full intersections with traffic lights and signage and a 2.2-mile test freeway with on- and off-ramps where vehicles can practice driving in urban environments.

The site, operated by an Ohio-based company, has hosted two dozen companies from Silicon Valley and major automotive firms.

In the midst of that boom, Merced County's supervisors continued selling portions of the base as surplus land. That included the 5.3-acre site and the 80-unit apartment complex, which the board sold on a 4-0 vote in May 2022 to Gemenii.

At the time of the sale, the land was valued at $465,000, and the structures were valued at $135,000, according to tax records provided by the company.

The company took out an $885,000, 30-year mortgage at the end of 2022, and a $3-million, 15-year mortgage in June of this year, to finance renovations at the building, the company said.

Two buildings have been gutted and renovated so far, a process that included asbestos removal and replacing windows and appliances, the company said.

The renovated buildings are now valued at more than $2 million, while the underlying land value has risen by $9,300, according to tax bills provided by the company.

The increase in value is "directly connected to the material financial efforts of Gemenii to revitalize the property," the firm said. Any developments at the air base site, the company said, "have had no impact on the property's value."

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Killer of Ohio State student remains at large nearly eight years later

Killer of Ohio State student remains at large nearly eight years later

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH)  Police are still seeking leads in a fatal shooting of an Ohio State student nearly eight years ago.

According to Central Ohio Crime Stoppers, the death of 20-year-old Tarak Underiner, who was found shot in the University District just north of campus, remains unsolved with few leads ever since.

On Jan. 5, 2017, Columbus police responded to 911 calls about a shooting near the intersection of East Northwood Avenue and North Pearl Street. Officers arrived at 12:30 a.m. and found Underiner suffering from multiple gunshot wounds before pronouncing him dead at 12:41 a.m.

This embedded content is not available in your region.

Two other residents of the house were questioned at police headquarters, but neither were named as a suspect. In a 911 recording, the caller said he heard gunshots and someone running out of the house.

Tarak Underiner

Police confirmed to NBC4 the motive behind the shooting was believed to be drug related and not random. Police also say they recovered guns at the house.

Underiner, a graduate of Cincinnati Colerain High School, was a member of Buckeyes for Concealed Carry on Campus, according to a statement put out by Ohio Students for Concealed Carry, and he was previously interviewed on NBC4 on proposed marijuana legislation in 2016.

To date, no phone calls or leads have been given in this case and the Underiner family is offering $2,500 for any information on the shooting. Anyone who may be able to help is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 614-461-TIPS (8477) or visit www.stopcrime.org and e-mail your tip.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NBC4 WCMH-TV.
FENNVILLE, Mich. (WOOD)  By several accounts, including his own, Michigans most notorious train robber was a man named John Smalley. While he never lived in West Michigan, he left his fingerprints here, leaving marks on multiple communities in the days before his grisly death, 129 years ago Sunday.

Smalley was born in Indiana but grew up on his family farm in Clare County. According to local historian Paul Trap, who wrote an in-depth piece on Smalley for the Michigan Historical Review, the Smalley family didnt have the best reputation at the time.

(Johns) father had seven sons, only one of whom was thought to be honest, Trap wrote.

John Smalley had little education and spent several years struggling as a farmer and laborer before he eventually turned to a life of crime. He became one of Michigans most notorious train robbers, often bragging that he had stolen more than $1 million from trains. While there is evidence that he had participated in multiple robberies, that million-dollar claim doesnt quite add up.

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One of Smalleys most notable robberies took place outside of the small town of Kendallville in northwest Indiana in 1893. According to Trap, it was a three-man operation: John Smalley; his brother, Abe; and a man named James Brown, a friend from the tiny town of Brinton in Michigans Isabella County.

The trio used what appeared to be their time-tested strategy: figure out a way to stop the train, threaten the trains crew with guns and use explosives to break through any obstacle.

The sudden stop and sounds of shots warned the baggagemen, and they locked the doors of their car, Trap wrote. But almost immediately, another stick of Abes dynamite blew the door off and knocked the workers to the floor. As their heads cleared, they saw John Smalleys rifle pointing in their direction. Abe used a bit more dynamite to open the safe. He grabbed parcels from the safe and jumped from the baggage car.

The payout wasnt what the men hoped for, but it was enough. Only some of the bundles held cash. The rest held business papers that they found worthless. In all, the three men got away with approximately $15,000  about $540,000 in todays money  which they split three ways.

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According to Trap, Smalley was spotted in Cadillac not long after the Kendallville robbery flashing a large sum of money  enough to make Wexford County Sheriff Charles Dunham suspicious. Dunham arrested him on a weapons charge and notified authorities in Indiana.

He held Smalley for two weeks, but when Indiana officials showed no interest in questioning the suspect, Dunham had to release him, Trap wrote in the Michigan Historical Review. Smalley was fined $17 for carrying concealed weapons. He paid the fine with a counterfeit $20 bill and walked away with three good bills as change.

Historians were able to piece together Smalleys next few years. He eventually surfaced in Oklahoma and used some of his stolen cash to purchase a building and open a saloon. The business reportedly failed and Smalley may even have been swindled by his business partner. Regardless, the situation set up his return to Michigan and his decision to try and cash in again with another brazen robbery.

THE FENNVILLE TRAIN ROBBERY

Unlike the Kendallville robbery, Smalley put together a six-man team for his next target: A Chicago & West Michigan Railway express train from Chicago to Grand Rapids. On Aug. 25, 1895, Smalley and his team set up shop just outside of Fennville, using a long, sweeping curve about a quarter-mile south of 128th Avenue as a spot to take the crew by surprise.

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According to Trap, after a handful of stops, the train rolled through Fennville at 9:26 p.m., four minutes behind schedule. About 2 miles north of town, engineer George Zibbell spotted someone swinging a lantern near the tracks and hit the brakes. The trains air brakes worked well enough to stop the train before striking an unseen pile of ties and timber dumped on the tracks.

Everything happened quickly. James Brown and another accomplice named Vic Taylor stormed the locomotive to make sure the train stopped. Investigators say Taylor fired several warning shots and held the crew at gunpoint while Brown stood outside as a lookout.

The infamous 1895 Fennville train robbery occurred about a quarter mile south of 128th Avenue near 55th Street. (Matt Jaworowski/WOOD TV8)

The infamous 1895 Fennville train robbery occurred about a quarter mile south of 128th Avenue near 55th Street. (Matt Jaworowski/WOOD TV8)

The infamous 1895 Fennville train robbery occurred about a quarter mile south of 128th Avenue near 55th Street. (Matt Jaworowski/WOOD TV8)

Another man, Fred Geiser, approached the rear, preventing anyone from fleeing the train to try and get help. He shot a crewman who, following protocol, was sent back down the tracks to try to warn any other traffic of a stopped train. Thankfully, a doctor on board was able to slow his bleeding and help him survive.

While this was happening, John Smalley and his son, Oscar, ran for the baggage car. Conductor Elmer Rice stepped out to investigate and saw two warning shots fly past his head.

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Just like in Kendallville, Smalley used an explosive to break down a locked door and Oscar held the crew at gunpoint while Smalley used another explosive to break into the safe.

Smalley cut a sliver of material from what appeared to be a stick of dynamite and shoved it into the safes door and keyhole. He put a match to it; it exploded and the safe sprang open, Trap wrote. He grabbed four bags from the safe, jumped from the car, joined the others in a waiting buggy or cart driven by Taylors brother, and disappeared into the night.

Again, just like in Kendallville, the robbers split the cut before going their separate ways. This haul was more lucrative, an estimated $42,000, worth more than $1.5 million today.

Once Smalleys gang left, the train crew cleared the debris from the tracks and continued on to Holland to report what had happened, eventually pulling into Grand Rapids. The story had traveled faster than the train because a swarm of reporters was there to greet them, eager to talk to the witnesses.

FROM BAD TO WORSE

Investigators spent several days combing the Fennville area for clues, hoping to find traces of the culprits. A $1,000 reward led to no shortage of tips, including one about two suspicious-looking strangers who showed up at the train depot in Dorr.

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According to Trap, a couple of train operators, who were understandably interested in the reports of the robbery and the descriptions of the suspects, told Grand Rapids police about the two men who hopped aboard in Dorr and got off just before pulling into the city. They were eventually confirmed to be John and Oscar Smalley.

A sketch of Grand Rapids Police detective George Powers from the Aug. 23, 1895 edition of the Grand Rapids Press. Powers was the first GRPD officer to die in the line of duty. (Grand Rapids Press/News Bank)

After a pit stop at a saloon, the Smalleys boarded a train bound of Reed City. This time, they were noticed by a ticket agent who had contacted police and drew the attention of Grand Rapids Police Department Superintendent Harvey Carr.

Carr sent four detectives to board the train at a later stop and investigate. Newspaper reports from the day say that since there were four cars, each detective split up and each took a car to case. Detective George Powers drew the short straw.

He walked into the first car and almost immediately spotted the Smalleys. After asking a couple of brief questions, and apparently not liking the answers, Powers told John Smalley that he was under arrest.

Powers declared that John was under arrest while grabbing Smalleys brown valise with one hand and reaching with the emergency brake cord with the other. In one motion, Smalley jumped up, pulled out a pistol and shot Powers in the face, Trap wrote.

Powers momentum threw him into the emergency cord and the train came to a screeching halt. The Smalleys took off and were far enough away for the detectives to give up any chase and instead attend to their fellow officer.

Given the medical technology of the era, there wasnt much hope for Detective Powers. What was confirmed to be a single .44 caliber bullet left him mortally wounded. Powers was rushed to Butterworth Hospital, but he died within a few hours, making him the first Grand Rapids police officer to die in the line of duty.

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Investigators werent able to piece together exactly how, but the Smalleys eventually made their way to McBain in Missaukee County, where Johns wife, Cora Brown, lived. Smalley had been in McBain a few weeks earlier and his demeanor and his holstered revolvers drew the attention of others in the community.

Following the train robbery, exacerbated by the murder of a Grand Rapids police officer, some people in McBain were even more leery of Smalley. When he showed up again, tips came filtering in.

As soon as the people in this village read the description of Powers murder, they at once suggested the name of Smalley as that of the probable culprit, the Grand Rapids Press reported.

The countys former sheriff, Gillis McBain, caught wind of the rumors and reached out to his successor, John Tenant, but he was out of town. McBain reached out to nearby Wexford County to talk to their sheriff, but he, too, was unavailable.

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So McBain moved forward with Missaukee Countys deputy sheriff, Bert Spafford. The men formed a posse to confront Smalley and take him into custody. According to Tarp, many people were reluctant to get involved, but they eventually found four others who were willing to help.

The headline from the Aug. 26, 1895 edition of the Grand Rapids Press announcing the death of the man accused of killing Grand Rapids detective George Powers. (Grand Rapids Press/News Bank)

KILLING SMALLEY

According to a report from the Grand Rapids Press, the posse came armed with rifles and surrounded Cora Browns home shortly after daylight faded. The bystanders guarded any other exits while McBain and Spafford approached the front door.

The door was sitting open and a lamp lit the interior of the home. Smalley was one of six people in the cabin, including Cora Brown, her sister, brother, mother and a neighbor.

Spafford and McBain approached the front door nearly side by side with rifles at their shoulders, covering Smalley who did not see them until the muzzles of the guns were staring him in the face. As he glanced up, McBain shouted: Throw up your hands, Smalley, the Press wrote.

Smalley allegedly jumped up and kicked the door shut while reaching for his guns. McBain and Spafford both reacted, firing shots that went through the door. The shots sparked chaos. The rest of the people screamed and ran out the back of the house. The lamp was somehow snuffed out, leaving McBain and Spafford seeking cover and waiting for a response. None came.

Believing that Smalley was waiting inside to open fire, the men stayed hidden, fearful of entering the home. They tried to recruit one of the women who was inside the home to go in and tell Smalley to surrender, but she refused. Eventually, another neighbor agreed to hold a lantern near the door so the officers could see inside.

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They found Smalley laying full length, face downward across the threshold of the door leading into the kitchen. He was stone dead, both shots having taken effect, the Press reported.

An autopsy confirmed that both Spafford and McBains shots hit true: one in the neck and one in Smalleys left side. He didnt even have time to pull his own weapons.

The conductor involved in the Fennville train robbery positively identified Smalley as the gang leader. So did two of the Grand Rapids detectives with Powers before he was killed and several witnesses to both crimes. Investigators were confident that they had got their man, but the story wasnt over.

A report from the Aug. 29, 1895 edition of the Grand Rapids Press reports on claims that John Smalley was misidentified as the accused train robber who shot and killed Grand Rapids detective George Powers. Investigators, however, were able to easily pick apart the alleged alibi. (Grand Rapids Press/NewsBank)

Days later, some of Smalleys relatives and friends from Brinton contacted local media and claimed that the police had killed an innocent man. They presented enough proof for the Grand Rapids Press to run a headline that read, Big blunder appears to have been made at McBain, alibi for Smalley.

According to Trap, one lawyer claimed 50 people in Brinton would testify that Smalley was in town during at the time of the Fennville train robbery and Powers murder. But the alibis didnt stand for long.

For one, four different men claimed that Smalley was staying in their home during the time of the crimes. Another claimed that Smalley was visiting him in Evart until late one afternoon, then walked to Brinton that evening  a trip that would have required him to walk at least 18 miles in two hours to accommodate the alleged timeline.

There was plenty of other conflicting evidence, too. James Brown, who took part in both train robberies, had confessed to his role and confirmed that Smalley was involved. And finally, investigators found that Smalley was still carrying his .44-caliber Colt revolvers when he was killed.

All the chambers but one were loaded, and the empty chamber was dirty, indicating it had recently been fired  the shot that killed Powers, Trap wrote.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOODTV.com.
While whispers of King Charles funeral plans echo throughout the palace, the monarch himself has been busy showing the world hes still very much alive and kicking. During a recent public appearance in Southport, England, the 75-year-old King offered a subtle yet telling update amid grim speculation about his health.

Related: King Charles Funeral Plans Are Well Underway Amid Rumors He Has 2 Years to Live

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Im not too bad, Charles revealed on August 20, 2024, as reported by Express. This understated comment comes amidst widespread speculation about his health following his cancer diagnosis earlier this year.

The Kings visit to Southport was no ordinary royal engagement. He met with young survivors and emergency responders from a recent stabbing incident at a Taylor Swift-themed youth dance class, demonstrating his commitment to his royal duties even as he undergoes treatment.

However, behind the scenes, palace officials are reportedly taking practical steps to prepare for all eventualities. An insider recently told In Touch, The business of planning his funeral has already begun. Unpleasant as it seems.

When approached for comment, Buckingham Palace confirmed to In Touch that bridge plans are always updated on an ongoing basis as a matter of routine. This refers to Operation Menai Bridge, the code name for King Charles IIIs funeral plans, named after a suspension bridge in Walesa nod to his longtime role as the Prince of Wales.

While such planning might seem premature, its standard practice for the British monarchy. As the insider explained, Officials will make sure a funeral for the king meets his wishes and expectations while following proper protocol. Charles at least can find some peace in that.

Despite these behind-the-scenes preparations, the palace has been keen to project an image of a monarch on the mend. In April 2024, Buckingham Palace released a statement saying, His Majestys medical team are very encouraged by the progress made so far and remain positive about the Kings continued recovery.

However, sources suggest that the Kings health situation might be more complex. The palace is giving the impression that Charles is on the mend, but hes still very sick, an insider told In Touch. Hes making public appearances, but theyre for shorter periods of time. After an engagement, he needs a good rest.

Queen Camilla has been by her husbands side throughout his treatment, offering support and occasionally lightening the mood. In June 2024, she joked that Charles wont slow down and wont do what hes told, hinting at the Kings determination to fulfill his royal responsibilities despite his health challenges.

As King Charles continues to balance his treatment with his royal duties, the palace is adapting his schedule accordingly. The pacing of the Kings program will be carefully calibrated as his recovery continues, in close consultation with his medical team, the palace stated.

While the exact nature of the Kings cancer remains undisclosed, his resilience in the face of health challenges is clear. He continues to make public appearances and fulfill his royal duties, proving King Charles III seems determined to carry on with business as usualfuneral plans notwithstanding.

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What to know about new FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccine

What to know about new FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccine

DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN)  As COVID-19 surges once again across the country, the FDA approves an updated vaccine to target recent strains.

This is August, and so, you know, we are seeing peaks right now all across the United States, Chris Cook, health commissioner for Clark County Combined Heath District, said. Who knows what its going to look like once we get into winter.

Man reunited with CareFlight 3 decades after life-saving flight

There have been more than 13,000 COVID-19 cases in Ohio this month. The variant spreading across the country is called K.P. 311.

Peoples immunity has started to fade because those vaccines are ineffective, Cook said. Now that we got last year and if you havent had COVID for a while, you are in a vulnerable state right now without an updated vaccine.

The FDA approved the latest COVID-19 vaccines to target recent strains of the virus.

James Mansi, Vice President of Medical Affairs, North America for Moderna, said it comes at the right time, as we near fall and winter.

Every year we get our updated influenza vaccine at the start of the respiratory season, Mansi said. This is no different. This is an updated COVID-19 vaccine thats developed to be a close match to whats currently circulating.

The CDC recommends everyone six months and older get the shot, and especially those who are at greater risk of a severe infection, like those who are immunocompromised, pregnant and older adults.

Mansi said the vaccine not only prevents your from getting COVID-19, it could also reduce the risk of long COVID.

Staying up to date with your vaccination is the single most important way to protect yourself, Mansi said.

Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are shipping out millions of vaccines to become available in the next few days.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
It looked like Israel and Hezbollah had gone to war, but then they pulled back. Here's what to know

Civil Defense workers inspect the remains of a burned car that was hit by an Israeli strike in the southern port city of Sidon, Lebanon, Monday, Aug. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)

Israel and Lebanons Hezbollah pulled back after an exchange of heavy fire over the weekend that briefly raised fears of an all-out war.

But their decades-long conflict is far from over, regional tensions linked to the war in Gaza are still high, and its probably only a matter of time before another escalation.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah did not rule out another retaliatory strike over the killing of a top commander in an Israeli airstrike last month. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said this is not the end of the story.

The near-daily strikes and counterstrikes along the border, which began shortly after the outbreak of the Gaza war, resumed Monday. Israel struck a Lebanese border village and a car, and Hezbollah said it had targeted military surveillance equipment in northern Israel with an exploding drone.

Heres a look at what happened over the weekend:

What happened early Sunday?

Israel said around 100 warplanes launched airstrikes targeting thousands of rocket launchers across southern Lebanon to thwart an imminent Hezbollah attack. Hezbollah said it launched hundreds of rockets and drones aimed at military bases and missile defense positions in northern Israel and the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights.

The Israeli strikes killed three militants in Lebanon, and Israels military said a soldier was killed by either an interceptor of incoming fire or shrapnel from one. It was all over by mid-morning Sunday, and the rest of the day and night passed without incident.

Hezbollah called the attack an initial response to the targeted killing of one of its top commanders, Fouad Shukur, in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut last month. Nasrallah said Hezbollah would reserve the right to respond at a later time if the results of Sundays attack aimed at a military intelligence base near Tel Aviv arent sufficient.

Israels military said its intelligence base near Tel Aviv wasnt hit. Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, an Israeli military spokesman, said an initial assessment showed very little damage in Israel.

How likely is an all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah?

Sundays exchange of fire did not set off a long-feared war, and the heavy firepower and lack of civilian casualties might allow both sides to claim a sort of victory and step back. But tensions remain high.

Hezbollah began firing rockets and drones at Israel shortly after the outbreak of the war in Gaza, which was triggered by Hamas surprise attack into Israel on Oct. 7. Hezbollah and Hamas are allies, each backed by Iran. Israel has responded with airstrikes.

More than 500 people have been killed in Lebanon by Israeli strikes since Oct. 8, most of them fighters with Hezbollah and other armed groups but also more than 100 civilians. In northern Israel, 23 soldiers and 26 civilians have been killed by strikes from Lebanon. Tens of thousands of people have been displaced on both sides of the tense border.

Israel has vowed to bring quiet to the border to allow its citizens to return to their homes. It says it prefers to resolve the issue diplomatically through U.S. and other mediators but will use force if necessary. Hezbollah officials have said the group does not seek a wider war but is prepared for one.

What would a war between Israel and Hezbollah look like?

Israel and Hezbollah fought a monthlong war in 2006 that left much of southern Beirut and southern Lebanon in ruins, and drove hundreds of thousands of people from their homes on both sides.

Everyone expects any future war to be far worse.

Hezbollah has an estimated 150,000 rockets and is capable of hitting all parts of Israel. It has also developed an increasingly sophisticated fleet of drones and has been experimenting with precision-guided missiles. A full-scale war could force hundreds of thousands of Israelis to flee, paralyze the Israeli economy and force the army, which is still engaged in Gaza, to fight on two fronts.

Israel has vowed a crushing response to any major Hezbollah attack that would likely devastate Lebanons civilian infrastructure and economy, which has been mired in crisis for years. Beiruts southern suburbs, and towns and villages across southern Lebanon, where Hezbollahs main strongholds are located, would likely be flattened.

An Israeli ground invasion to root out Hezbollah could drag on for years. The militant group is far more advanced and better-armed than Hamas in Gaza, which is still putting up a fight after 10 months of intense Israeli bombardment and ground maneuvers.

Would a war draw in the United States, Iran and others?

An all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah could spiral into a region-wide conflict.

Iran is a patron of Hezbollah, Hamas and other militant groups in Syria, Iraq and Yemen. Iran has vowed to carry out its own retaliatory strike over the killing of Hamas top leader, Ismail Haniyeh, in a blast in its capital last month that was widely blamed on Israel. Israel has not said whether it was involved.

Iran-backed groups across the region have repeatedly attacked Israeli, U.S. and international targets since the start of the war in Gaza and could ramp them up in a bid to take pressure off Hezbollah.

The United States, meanwhile, has pledged ironclad support for Israel and moved a vast array of military assets to the Middle East in recent weeks to try and deter any retaliatory strike by Iran or Hezbollah. The USS Abraham Lincoln recently joined another aircraft carrier strike group in the region.

A U.S.-led coalition helped shoot down hundreds of missiles and drones fired by Iran toward Israel in April in response to an apparent Israeli strike in Syria that killed two Iranian generals. Both sides downplayed an apparent Israeli counterstrike on Iran, and tensions gradually subsided.

What does this mean for Gaza cease-fire efforts?

The United States, Egypt and Qatar have spent months trying to broker an agreement for a cease-fire in Gaza and the release of scores of hostages held by Hamas. Those efforts have gained urgency in recent weeks, as diplomats view such a deal as the best hope for lowering regional tensions.

An all-out war might have derailed the process, and Nasrallah said the attack had been delayed in part to give the negotiations a chance to succeed. Hezbollah has said it will halt its attacks along the border if there is a cease-fire in Gaza.

Its unclear whether Iran would halt or scale back its own threatened retaliatory strike over the killing of Haniyeh, but Tehran probably does not want to be seen as the spoiler of any cease-fire deal.

Despite the intense diplomacy, major gaps remain, including Israels demand for a lasting presence along two strategic corridors in Gaza, a demand rejected by Hamas and Egypt. High-level talks were held in Egypt on Sunday with no sign of a breakthrough.
The Kyiv Independents Anna Belokur explains the top stories of the week, from updates on the Kursk incursion to Washington's potential shift in long-range missiles policy. And who is that bust of in the background of our videos?

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Ukraines ongoing operation in Russias Kursk Oblast, a bold incursion launched nearly three weeks ago that surprised Moscow and the world alike, has already yielded some tangible military and political results while also raising hopes for a sooner end to Russias full-scale invasion.

The Kursk incursion has allowed Ukraine to set a precedent for further offensive actions. It has created conditions for returning more Ukrainian prisoners of war by capturing scores of Russian POWs. The first major invasion of Russia since World War II has also dealt a blow to Russian President Vladimir Putins reputation while lifting the spirits of Ukrainian soldiers and civilians.

Experts believe it could also strengthen Ukraines position in potential peace negotiations, bolster support from Western allies, and potentially incite doubt about the war in Russia and possibly even sow unrest.

"The success of this operation shows that Ukrainian forces can not only defend but also effectively go on the offensive, which expands our tactical capabilities and serves as a model for other regions," Tymofiy Mylovanov, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskys office and head of Kyiv School of Economics, told the Kyiv Independent.

"In addition, the operation in Kursk contributes to the strengthening of internal unity in Ukraine, increasing the authority of our Armed Forces in the international arena, and may also force the Kremlin to reassess its military plans."

Ukrainian military vehicles are seen out of the window of an armored vehicle in the Ukrainian-occupied Russian town of Sudzha on Aug. 18, 2024, in Kursk Oblast, Russia. (Ed Ram/For The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Since Ukrainian forces began the offensive in Kursk Oblast on Aug. 6 from the bordering Sumy Oblast, they have advanced up to 35 kilometers into Russian territory. Hundreds of Russian soldiers are estimated to have been captured since.

According to Oleksandr Syrskyi, commander-in-chief of Ukraine's Armed Forces, Ukraine controls the town of Sudzha, where a strategic gas metering station involved in the transit of blue fuel through Ukraine to Europe is based, and over 90 surrounding settlements. Ukrainian forces have also destroyed all three bridges over the Seim River to encircle Russian forces in the area.

The Kursk operation is taking place against the backdrop of brutal battles more than 400 kilometers to the south in Ukraines eastern Donbas region, where Russian forces are putting immense pressure on Ukrainian defenses.

There is a growing concern that Russian occupation may be imminent for the strategically important road junction city of Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast, with Russian troops just 10 kilometers away.

Ukraines achievements due to Kursk incursion

One of Ukraines reported objectives in the Kursk incursion was to force Russia to divert some of its resources away from the Donbas battlefields. While Moscow seems to have redeployed some troops to Kursk Oblast, it hasnt been enough to significantly impact the Donbas front line, especially in the most vulnerable areas like Pokrovsk and Toretsk, according to experts interviewed by the Kyiv Independent.

Despite this, the Kursk offensive has already come at a considerable cost to Russia, with Ukraine capturing the largest number of POWs in a single operation to date. Zelensky announced that "hundreds" of Russian soldiers had been captured. A Ukrainian colonel, speaking on condition of anonymity due to not having the authority to reveal certain information to the public, told The Independent that the figure could be as high as 2,000.

Hopefully, this will mean many Russian-held Ukrainian warriors will get to return home, said John Hardie, deputy director of the Russia Program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

Ukrainian officials previously said that negotiating POW exchanges with Russia has become increasingly challenging as the battlefield situation in Donbas has shifted in favor of Russias month-long grinding offensive. It has come at a huge manpower cost for Moscow, whose army has incurred massive losses while achieving gradual territorial gains over 10 months.

In the latest prisoner exchange on Aug. 24, Ukraines Independence Day, 115 Ukrainian soldiers were brought back from Russian captivity. The Russian Defense Ministry said on the same day that 115 Russian POWs who were captured during the ongoing Ukrainian operation in Kursk Oblast were returned from Ukrainian custody.

A Ukrainian mechanic who is a driver behind the wheel of an American Stryker armored vehicle after returning from a combat mission in the Kursk Region looks at the camera on Aug. 14, 2024, near the Rusian border in Sumy Oblast, Ukraine. (Kostiantyn Liberov/Libkos/Getty Images)

Ukraines rapid advance into Kursk Oblast and Russia's lack of a robust response has exposed Moscows weaknesses, serving as a reminder that even Russia's vast resources are not limitless and undefeatable. Russian and Ukrainian bloggers claimed that the Chechen Akhmat battalion, which was supposed to defend the Kursk border, abandoned its positions, underscoring serious command issues within the Russian military.

As a result of the operation, the Russian border area opposite Ukraines Sumy Oblast has been mostly cleared of Russian military presence, Zelensky said on Aug. 19, calling it one of Kyivs tactical goals for the incursion. Sumy Oblast, which was partially occupied by Russia at the beginning of the full-scale invasion, has endured daily shelling and frequent cross-border raids since its liberation in April 2022.

Putin, meanwhile, has attempted to downplay the incursion as a terror attack. Experts say that the Kursk incursion has challenged the image of Putin as a great protector  and brought more frustration to Russian citizens who believed their lives would remain distant from the war.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces once again demonstrated their ability to surprise the enemy. They regained the initiative on the battlefield after suffering a series of setbacks in eastern and southern Ukraine since last year.

Ukrainian soldier of the assault battalion walks on the empty street of town on Aug. 16, 2024, in Sudzha, Kursk Oblast, Russia. (Taras Ibragimov/Suspilne Ukraine/JSC "UA:PBC"/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)

In the information space, the Kursk operation has been successful. It has shifted the focus away from Ukraine's problems to its achievements, said Emil Kastehelmi, an OSINT analyst with the Finland-based Black Bird Group and a military history expert, in a comment to the Kyiv Independent.

People are talking less about Russian gains in the east and more about Ukraine successfully taking Russian villages, he added.

Thats a real morale boost on the Ukrainian side And it (the Kursk operation) has damaged morale on the Russian side. Weve seen all of these prisoners surrendering, and civilians complaining loudly to their government that they're not being taken care of and they're being forgotten, said William Taylor, vice president for Europe and Russia at the U.S. Institute of Peace and former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine.

Its also a morale boost for Ukraines supporters in Europe, Canada, the United States, Japan, South Korea, and Australia. Supporters are very pleased to see Ukrainian success on the battlefield, which should encourage them to continue and even increase their support.

Read also: Stranded Russian troops in Kursk Oblast could top-up Ukraines POW fund, experts say

Peace talks leverage

One of Kyiv's key long-term objectives in the Kursk operation appears to be gaining leverage in potential peace talk negotiations with Moscow. The captured Russian territory could serve as a bargaining chip for Ukraine, which has recently struggled to secure significant battlefield victories.

Since the operation is still ongoing, it's uncertain how much leverage Ukraine will actually have at the negotiating table. Kastehelmi suggests that while a direct trade of territories based on square meters controlled by each side is unlikely, Ukraine might seek to exchange the land captured in Kursk Oblast for the territories in Kharkiv Oblast that Russia occupied during its latest offensive, as these areas are "kind of comparable."

The Kremlin did not expect such a blow, and this increases their willingness to negotiate, although they try to hide it, Mylovanov said, adding that the incursion has the potential to significantly improve Kyiv's position in future peace negotiations.

Putin is trying to downplay the operation, limiting media coverage and refocusing attention on humanitarian aid to victims as if it were a natural disaster, he added.

Russia is losing face, and they are going to great lengths to save it. This means that our leverage is working, and if Ukraine continues in the same spirit, it will only increase our chances for successful peace negotiations and the return of Ukrainian territories.

Read also: Ukraines buffer zone in Kursk Oblast  heres what you need to know

Chipping away at stability in Russia

If the Kursk incursion expands in both time and territory, it could deepen doubts about Putins ability to win the war and preserve stability within his own country. This, in turn, could over time, trigger unrest in Russia itself, particularly among residents of border regions and the families of conscripts sent to fight against Ukrainian forces with no combat experience.

Anxiety levels among Russians have risen since the incursion, comparable to the surge in fear recorded after the Moscow concert hall attack in March, according to a Russian state-controlled pollster, F.O.M. The poll also showed that 25% of Russians were dissatisfied with the Kremlins actions, the highest level of discontent since July 2023, when Wagner Group boss Yevgeny Prigozhin launched a short-lived armed rebellion against Moscow.

A damaged statue of Vladimir Lenin, the first head of the Soviet state, stands in front of a building damaged during Ukraine's ongoing incursion into Russia's Kursk region on Aug. 16, 2024, in Sudzha, Kursk Oblast, Russia. (Kostiantyn Liberov/Libkos/Getty Images)

At present, the negative reactions are aimed more at the local authorities for shortcomings in the organization of evacuation and other technical aspects, which is in line with the strategy of Putin, who positions these events as a natural disaster and focuses on humanitarian support, said Mylovanov.

This may work in the short term, but over time the effectiveness of this strategy will diminish when displaced people are unable to receive quality care and find a new life.

Read also: Kursk counteroffensive shakes main pillar of Putins power grip, retired US general says

Shattered 'red lines' lift Kyiv's hopes for more weaponry

Putin has barely said anything about the incursion, and the threats of using nuclear weapons in response to an attack on what Moscow considers its territory  frequently heard throughout the full-scale invasion  have notably disappeared during the Kursk operation.

This muted response has challenged the narrative of the Kremlin's "red lines," which Western nations have been cautious to cross. This could encourage Kyivs allies to lift restrictions on the use of their long-range weapons against targets on Russian territory and to increase their support for other Ukrainian requests, according to Kastehelmi.

A week after Ukraine started its Kursk operation, a source close to Zelensky's administration told the Kyiv Independent that discussions between Ukraine and U.S. President Joe Biden's administration about supplies of long-range cruise missiles were "in the advanced stages."

Although we have yet to see an official decision to allow the use of long-range weapons, the rhetoric is already changing. In addition, we see that the armored vehicles of Western partners are already in use on the territory of Russia, said Mylovanov.

The Kursk operation highlights the importance of pushing the Russians away from the Ukrainian border, Taylor said, adding that the U.S. may soon allow Ukraine to strike deeper into Russian territory, beyond just the border areas, as currently permitted.

In the past, these decisions have taken months to finalize. I hope this one comes sooner, Taylor said.

Note from the author:

Hi there, this is Dinara Khalilova, the author of this article. I hope you enjoyed reading about Ukraines wins in Russia's Kursk region. We need your support to continue reporting on Ukrainian successes on the battlefield and the challenges the country faces in its fight against Russian aggression. Please consider becoming a member of the Kyiv Independent community.

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Diaper illustration (Photo by Getty Images).

When Jessica Whitehawk helped start a womens health support center more than a decade ago, her team worked out of a tiny room in the back of a nonprofit office on the Yakama Nation Reservation in Washington state.

Pregnant women traveled to that room from the farthest reaches of the 1.3 million-acre reservation because they had nowhere else to go for health care or prenatal advice, Whitehawk said.

Many tribal communities have a similar lack of resources, which contributes to American Indian and Alaska Native infants being twice as likely as non-Hispanic white babies to die before their first birthday.

A recent study suggests another reason for the high infant mortality rate among Native babies: The way that law enforcement authorities investigate possible cases of sudden unexpected infant deaths, known as SUIDs, in tribal communities. Researchers found that compared with other racial groups, American Indian and Alaska Native SUIDs were most likely to result in police investigations, which were often incomplete, as opposed to the more thorough investigations conducted by medical examiners or coroners forensic staff.

As a result, experts say, less is known about those cases, and so less can be done to help prevent future infant deaths in tribal communities that might have scant access to prenatal care or whose cultural practices call for sensitivity.

Medical examiners are pathologist physicians who are trained to explore all causes of death, while law enforcement agencies are trained to explore criminal circumstances. Rural Native communities often dont have medical examiners, and they frequently have strained relationships with police.

Pathologist Dr. Nicole Jackson, the former associate medical examiner for King County, Washington, said that during her training in New Mexico, she saw many tribal infant deaths. Police, often tribal law enforcement agencies, were frequently the ones leading those investigations, she said.

The medical, legal death investigation system in America is just so understaffed and underfunded, said Jackson, now an assistant professor at the University of Washington and director of Autopsy and After Death Services at the UW Medical Center.

If it was better staffed and better funded, we would not have to rely on law enforcement in certain regions conducting these delicate investigations, she said.

The authors of the recent SUIDs study looked at more than 3,800 cases between 2015 and 2018. They categorized investigations as incomplete if there was no autopsy or no investigation of the scene, or if details were missing on where and how the body was found.

That lack of data can hamper prevention efforts.

In many of the incomplete cases, for example, investigators didnt ask the caregivers to use baby dolls to show the position in which they found the deceased infant  even though that exercise is recommended by experts including the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Association of Medical Examiners.

These doll reenactments help investigators determine whether unsafe conditions or sleep practices might have led to suffocation.

Our public health data system collects the lowest quality information on the groups that have the worst health outcomes, when those are the groups we should be collecting the most information about.

 Naomi Harada Thyden, University of Minnesota public health research scientist

Sometimes, for example, babies could be sleeping in poor housing situations. Abigail Echo-Hawk, executive vice president at the Seattle Indian Health Board and director of the Urban Indian Health Institute, recalled one babys death on a high-poverty reservation with a shortage of housing. The babys family members all slept on the floor in a single room.

She added that because the reenactments can be so traumatizing, its critical for investigators to be culturally sensitive. Additionally, untrained investigators may misinterpret a familys culture: For example, some tribes refrain from speaking the name of the baby for a year after the death.

Our public health data system collects the lowest quality information on the groups that have the worst health outcomes, when those are the groups we should be collecting the most information about, said Naomi Harada Thyden, a public health research scientist at the University of Minnesota and the lead author of the study, which was published this spring in the Journal of Public Health Management & Practice.

Whitehawk, who is a member of the Winnebago and Santee Tribes of Nebraska, said those disparities led her and co-founders to launch the Ttawaxt Birth Justice Center 12 years ago. The center now operates a clinic that offers reproductive health care, lactation education and support groups that center tribal traditions. The team plans to eventually launch a birthing facility.

Whitehawk tied the high infant mortality rates to structural racism and a lack of investment in tribal communities.

Two hundred years of systemic racism and systemic violence against women and children  dont we think that might have an impact on why [our] infants are dying all across the nation?

Strained relationships

Janelle Palacios is an attending nurse-midwife and an associate professor at Montana State University who studies parenthood in tribal communities. As a mother herself, she saw firsthand how incomplete data collection can skew public health statistics.

Palacios is an enrolled member of the Salish and Kootenai tribes, but when her last two children were born in California, she had to insist that Native American be added to their birth certificates, as their race had only been recorded as Hispanic.

Palacios said medical examiners should lead SUIDs investigations, because the relationships between tribal communities and local law enforcement agencies often are strained. As a result, many Native families are reluctant to share information with police, she said.

Tribal communities have a long memory, Palacios said, referring to the history of the U.S. government removing Native children from homes and placing them in boarding schools, often with deadly outcomes, along with Native childrens current disproportionate representation in foster care.

We have this tension over land and resources, tension over people, tension over the children, Palacios said.

Dr. Reade Quinton, a Minnesota medical examiner and vice president of the National Association of Medical Examiners, likewise said that many of these communities are distrustful of law enforcement, and understandably so.

Quinton said Native parents might wonder, when investigators ask routine questions about a cause of death, Are you really trying to answer that question, or are you trying to blame me for something?

Cultural competence

In Wyomings Fremont County, coroner Erin Ivie has handled death investigations at the neighboring Wind River Reservation for two decades. Ivie said her staff members, who are not Indigenous, have taken training courses for cultural sensitivity. Her office also returns to a family months later and asks how they felt about the interactions to make sure the questioning is done in an appropriate manner.

She added that her office works in tandem with law enforcement agencies on investigations.

We treat every case as a homicide until we can rule it otherwise, Ivie said. Were not leaving any question or stone unturned, and consulting with both our forensic pathologist and the childs primary care provider.

That approach, of treating each case as a homicide from the start, can affect how the investigation is conducted, said Jackson, the University of Washington assistant professor.

We never want to miss a homicide, she said. But a more holistic approach, with social workers and trained medical examiner staff, can better connect with families during that very delicate time, because as we know, most of these arent homicides.

Jackson said her job of studying unexpected deaths is ultimately to serve the living.

A life is lost, but hopefully, collectively, we can study and learn some things, feed public health systems to improve lives, she said.

At Ttawaxt, breaking down barriers to help parents and babies is a core mission. In interviews with new mothers and families, Whitehawks team found that families were less likely to lose their babies if there are elders living in the household. Infant health, she said, is a marker of the health of a community.

The advocacy, the education, the quality care, the caring around mothers and children, it changes the narrative of the whole entire community, Whitehawk said. We center building community around birth  the birth of a child or bringing new life into the world.

This story was originally produced by Stateline 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.
Latvia tightens border control over goods from Russia and Belarus

The Food and Veterinary Service (PVS) of Latvia will conduct enhanced control of various Russian and Belarusian goods at border checkpoints, starting from 25 August.

Source: European Pravda citing Delfi

Details: The enhanced checks are carried out to limit risks to human and animal health, as well as, in the case of genetically modified organisms, to the environment.

The agency noted that the decision to strengthen control was made by order of the Chief Food and Veterinary Inspector based on an assessment of the control results for the period from 1 April to 31 July 2024.

These results showed that consignments of nutrition of Russian and Belarusian origin continue to be subject to control, while concerns remain about their harmlessness, especially at the beginning of the new harvest season.

The enhanced control measures will be in place until 23 February 2025.

Background:

On 8 August, Estonia introduced tighter customs controls on its border with Russia.

The changes apply to all border crossing points on the Estonian-Russian border  Narva, Luhamaa and Koidula.

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Latvia and Ukraine have signed a memorandum of understanding on cybersecurity, which will create a legal framework for cooperation and ensure the use of technical and human resources in this area.

Source: Baltic states news website Delfi, citing Latvia's Defence Ministry, as reported by European Pravda

Details: The memorandum of understanding will facilitate the exchange of intelligence between Latvia and Ukraine on various cyber threats and establish bilateral communication channels to improve cyber incident reporting and exchange of experience and best practices.

In addition, the memorandum of understanding provides for cooperation in education, research, development, and innovation, the organisation of joint public events, and other actions by mutual agreement.

The memorandum was signed in Kyiv by Andris Spruds, Latvia's Defence Minister, and Yurii Myronenko, Head of Ukraine's State Service for Special Communications and Information Protection.

Spruds stressed the importance of cybersecurity cooperation between Latvia and Ukraine, noting that insights from Ukraines wartime experience will enable Latvia to develop more effective strategies for enhancing resilience and preparedness in both peacetime and crisis scenarios.

Background:

It was reported that in 2025, as in the current year, Latvia will allocate 20 million for an international drone coalition designed to strengthen Ukraine's defence capabilities.

In addition, prior to his visit to Kyiv, Spruds stated that Latvia had prepared the largest batch of drones from local manufacturers to be sent to Ukraine.

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EVANSVILLE. Ind. (WEHT)  The League of Women Voters of Southwest Indiana hosted a community forum for local candidates to meet with constituents before the November election.

Vanderburgh County Commission and County Council candidates spoke with voters at Central Library.

The forums goal was to allow people to learn about each candidate in a non-formal setting, with all candidates present in one room.

All county council candidates were present.

Dustin Stephens is a Democrat running for county council. He says his experience in service-led work will help translate to this elected position.

I just want to make sure that people that are needing help are the ones that are thinking about passing stuff for the budgets, said Stephens.

Democrat Bob Deig is a former state senator and says all politics are local, emphasizing the importance of meeting with those who live in Vanderburgh County.

I think people care about taxes, they care about the roads, said Deig. They care about the infrastructure jobs, the neighborhoods, their parks and I think its nice to come back to this area and help our local community grow and flourish.

The meeting allowed a newcomer to meet voters. Republican Joe Kiefer is following in his dads footsteps, wanting to bring his financial background to the table.

I have to pay attention to the risk, be strategic for them make micro decisions that make a huge difference over many many years in and making decisions for our community that dont just impact us today. But will impact us 5 to10 years from now so we dont have that why didnt we do it right the first time.

Republican Jill Ann Hahn says this is a grassroots effort, bringing new and current ideas together to benefit the entire county.

Working with the sheriff to build a new mental health wing and that is going to be there not only for the people that are brought in there for various crimes, but its also going to be there to support our law enforcement because we know that sometimes those men and women do see things that are you know very, very bad and we want them to not take those troubles back home.

Democrat Hope Fussner is running for a seat on the county commission. She says shes knocked on thousands of doors anticipating discussions of public safety, utility costs, and quality of life.

I want the community, everyone to know that I care about them and then I want what is best for them. That is what is important to me and you will see that and every decision I make and see that in every position I take.

Democrat Mike Goebel is also hoping to win a seat on the county commission. He is in a unique position. Goebel is currently unopposed and acting as a commissioner in a vacant seat until the election.

Just learning the road and learning the job and the tremendous responsibility falls on three people for an entire county because there are a lot of people asking questions so uniquely its important. I found out a whole lot about the commission in my short time there and I hope to continue to learn and do whats right and best for Vanderburgh County in the future for our kids, grandkids.

Amy Canterbury, a Republican, is also running for county commission. She says she is focusing on investing back into the community.

We want everyone to feel like Evansville, Vanderburgh is where they want to live work and play and by doing that that is working on the structure and making sure we have great roads and parks and trails that connect because we want people to come here and we also want people who live here to home so thats also being safe and making sure that people have great opportunities for workforce development and they can actually be the best person to have the opportunities that they can to too to actually be the best they can.

The election is on November 5.

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At least 13 people have died after a boat carrying migrants sunk off Yemen's coast, UN says

CAIRO (AP)  A boat carrying migrants sank off the coast of Yemen, leaving more than two dozen people dead or missing, the U.N. migration agency said Sunday, the latest in a string of shipwrecks that have left scores dead.

Despite a nearly decade-long civil war, Yemen  which borders Saudi Arabia to the north and Oman to the northeast  remains a major route for migrants from East Africa trying to reach wealthy Gulf countries for work.

The vessel was carrying 25 Ethiopian migrants and the boat captain and his assistant, both Yemeni, when it capsized Tuesday off the province of Taiz, the International Organization for Migration said in a statement. The bodies of 11 men and two women were recovered along the shore of Bab el-Mandeb Strait that links the Gulf of Aden to the Red Sea, while the 14 others  including the two Yemenis  remain missing.

The migrants departed from Djibouti, IOM said.

This latest tragedy is a stark reminder of the perils faced by migrants on this route, said Matt Huber, IOMs acting chief in Yemen. Every life lost in these dangerous waters is one too many, and it is imperative that we do not normalize these devastating losses."

According to the agency, the number of migrants arriving in Yemen has tripled in recent years, from about 27,000 in 2021 to more than 97,200 last year, the IOM said, and about 380,000 migrants are currently in the conflict-ridden country.

To reach Yemen, migrants are taken by smugglers on often dangerous, overcrowded boats across the Red Sea or Gulf of Aden. Over the past decade, at least 2,082 migrants disappeared along the route, including 693 who drowned, the IOM said.

In June, at least 49 migrants were killed in a shipwreck off Yemens southern coast that also left 140 missing, according to the IOM. Another 62 migrants died in two separate shipwrecks off the coast of Djibouti in April as they tried to reach Yemen.
Libertarian candidate for governor to visit the Tri-State

HENDERSON, Ky. (WEHT)  The libertarian candidate for Indiana governor will be in the Tri-State Sunday.

Donald Rainwater will be at the Farm Bureau of Posey Countys Cream the Candidate event from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m..

The event will be at The Granary in New Harmony. Its free and open to the public with several other candidates expected to be there.

Rainwater will also speak at the Evansville Small Business Night Out event at Main Street Food and Beverage from 5 p.m. to 8 p. m..

To learn more, visit Rainwaters website here.

He is running against Democrat Jennifer McCormick and Republican Mike Braun this November.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Eyewitness News (WEHT/WTVW).
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE)  On Saturday, many residents made their way to southeast Albuquerque to celebrate Ukraines Independence Day.

The event was held at the Manzano Mesa Multigenerational Center and was hosted by the Ukrainian Americans of New Mexico and Albuquerque Sister Cities Foundation.

Albuquerque Fire Rescue ambulance sent to sister city in Ukraine

The date marks the 33rd anniversary of when the country gained independence when the Soviet Union fell.

Independence for each country, means freedom, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of being a human, and in this matter, after 1991, we became independent, and that freedom meant so much for generations of Ukrainians because the fight for freedom has been going on for centuries, said Ukrainians of New Mexico President Larysa Castillo.

About 100 people made it out to the celebration.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRQE NEWS 13 - Breaking News, Albuquerque News, New Mexico News, Weather, and Videos.
Homes and automobiles continue to smolder as neighbors and emergency workers are on the scene where a fighter jet taking off from Tinker Air Force Base crashed and exploded in a Midwest City neighborhood on Aug. 25, 1961.

A midafternoon with fair skies turned into horror for a Midwest City neighborhood on Aug. 25, 1961, when a fully fueled jet fighter crashed and exploded on the doorsteps of several homes.

The pilot of an F-100 jet had ejected safely, but the inferno that burned on the ground engulfed at least eight houses, killing 2-year-old Tibbie Lynn Tuttle and her sister, 4-year-old Judith Ann, and injuring at least seven others, including the Tuttles' mother and brother.

The fiery explosion of the plane, which had just refueled at Tinker Air Force Base, shook the area in the 300 block of Ferguson Drive at about 3:45 p.m. on a Friday afternoon.

Neighbors as well as emergency workers from Midwest City, Del City, Nichols Hills, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma County and Tinker arrived quickly to help survivors and battle the blaze that engulfed homes and cars.

The front page of The Daily Oklahoman on Aug. 26, 1961, shows news coverage the day after a fighter jet crashed and exploded in a Midwest City neighborhood.

A story in The Daily Oklahoman about the crash reported 1st Lt. W.H. Barbour had just "re-fueled his jet at Tinker with a mixture of gasoline and kerosene and had taken off when the fire warning light on his instrument panel flashed."

Barbour was among pilots of 16 jets who were flying from South Carolina to Nevada and who had refueled at Tinker. A fellow jet pilot pulled alongside Barbour midair and could see flames through a hole in the plane's fuselage, so Barbour tried to return to the air base, the story reported. Unfortunately, Barbour lost directional control of the jet, leading to his decision to eject. He parachuted safely to the school yard at nearby Glenwood School.

More: OKC plane crash victims identified as a military veteran, his two sons and pilot

Regret could be detected in Barbour's quotes in an Aug. 27, 1961, follow-up story in The Daily Oklahoman:

"If I could have stayed aloft one more second, the plane would have missed hitting the houses. In 20 more seconds, it would have made the runway."

The 27-year-old Greenville, South Carolina, pilot was trying to land on the north runway at Tinker.

"I had it in a curve that would make it miss everything. I did everything I could do, but I lost 100 percent control."

A plane flies overhead five days after a fighter jet crashed and exploded in a Midwest City neighborhood on Aug. 25, 1961. The burned out shell of the Tuttle family house is shown, where a mother and her three children were home when the plane hit. The mother and her son were badly burned, and two young daughters died.

Air Force and civilian investigators from South Carolina arrived following the crash.

Maj. Gen. Lewis H. Mundell, commander of Tinker Air Force Base at that time, told The Daily Oklahoman there had been concern about housing areas near air bases, but added the area around Tinker was one of the least congested, "with residences on only one approach" to the base.

A few days after the crash, Oklahoma U.S. Sen. Mike Monroney introduced a bill into Congress that would allow the Air Force to pay large claims that might arise from the accident in the Midwest City neighborhood. Monroney was reported as saying:

"There is, of course, no way to compensate or repay families that have suffered these tragic losses. However, the least we can do is to settle the claim as fairly and quickly as possible."

On Oct. 4, 1961, President John F. Kennedy signed the legislation into law.

In December 1961, the Tuttle family sued the federal government, and in May 1962 the Midwest City family received $431,932, according to a report in The Daily Oklahoman.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Midwest City plane crash in 1961 engulfed neighborhood, killed 2
I love California, but PG&E is one of the worst parts of living here | Opinion

Placer County donations

In California, no limit on school board campaign donations, (sacbee.com, Aug. 21)

Its no secret that groups and individuals with deep pockets and targeted agendas contribute substantial sums to school board candidates. The American Council, the PAC associated with Destiny Church, played a significant role in the 2022 elections by supporting several candidates in Placer County. This led to a shift in local school board majorities, resulting in poor public policy, fiscal irresponsibility, chaos and lawsuits.

Individuals in this article seek to do the same. They donate to promote their rights over those who cannot afford to do the same. Legislation failed to limit these enormous contributions, but Rocklin Unified School Board Member Rachelle Price seems unconcerned about their implications.

The donation to Holly Cuthbertson, however, was from her father, Rex Carpenter. That fact casts a different light on the contribution. As with any campaign, voters must follow the money and scrutinize who is donating and what they expect in return.

Barbara Smith

Auburn

Drug policy reform

Prop. 36: CA Dems split over retail theft & crime measure, (sacbee.com, Aug. 14)

What would be wrong with drug policy reform, when the policies extant have added to the death toll of thousands of Californians, many of whom never reached adulthood? Or incarcerating thieves who are repeat offenders? And, yes, what of the costs? How much does it cost business owners and tax payers when prices for goods and security explode exponentially because there are no tools available to deal with the would-be felons?

That Democratic lawmakers are supporting sensible changes in our criminal justice system provides hope, despite Gov. Gavin Newsoms unsupported, speculative concerns.

Bill Motmans

Sacramento

Opinion

Critique of PG&E

PG&E rates are much higher than Roseville Electric. Why? (sacbee.com, Aug. 12)

PG&E utility rates are not just higher than Roseville Electric rates, they are much higher than the Sacramento Municipal Utility Districts and most other publicly-owned utilities in California.

Paying PG&Es high utility bills means that residents of Auburn, Loomis and Rocklin have considerably less discretionary income to spend. The cost difference goes to PG&E shareholders.

The vow to keep rate increases below 3% for two years is a hollow promise when PG&E just raised them by 23% in the last two years. The City of Rocklins conclusion that PG&E does not meet the needs of local communities is a huge understatement. There are great reasons to love California, but PG&E is one of the worst parts of living here.

Michael Bloom

Auburn

Harris vs. Newsom

Does Harris presidential campaign ruin Newsoms plans? (sacbee.com, July 23)

I will be voting for Kamala Harris. To be clear, however, her star did not rise above Gov. Gavin Newsoms. She was anointed. He did not even get a chance to be in the race.

I look forward to voting for him as a future president. He has it all: substance, policy, personality and savoir faire.

RoseAnn DeMoro

Napa
CHICAGO, S.C. (WCBD)  Summerville native, Melody Geddis McFadden, took the stage on the final night of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago to shine a light on the lasting impacts of gun violence.

McFadden wears a lot of hats. Shes a pastor, a veteran, an activist and a voice for those who lost their lives to guns.

My niece Sandy Patrice was 22. She drove to Myrtle Beach for sun and fun and motorcycle parades, McFadden began, during her speech at the convention.

McFadden said her niece was shot and killed in 2014 after fights broke out on the beach and shots were fired into the crowd.

When describing her ability to stay calm upon hearing about the beach shooting, McFadden revealed to the DNC crowd this was not her first time losing a loved one to gun violence.

My mother, Patricia Ann, had been shot and killed by an abusive partner. I was calm then too. I got to handling business, McFadden said. She was 17 at the time of her mothers death.

The stage was shared with other victims of gun violence including a survivor of the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting and a mother whose daughter was killed in the 2022 Uvalde, Texas school shooting.

McFadden caught up with News 2 on Friday to discuss her experience speaking at the DNC.

It was a surreal moment. A moment that was, I think long overdue for not just for the Democratic Party, but for the world, she told News 2.

McFadden said its not easy to retell the stories but its something she and her three sisters feel they must do.

The South Carolinian has taken a stance against gun violence through her work with Moms Demand Action and the Everytown Veterans Advisory Council. Ten years later, McFadden is still on a mission to get her nieces murder solved.

Kids ought to be able to go to the beach and have fun and come home again. But Sandy didnt come home and because of that a fire was lit in me. I am going to do everything I can to help others not understand what I go through every single day, McFadden shared. And that was just the step to being on that stage last night.

McFadden said shes planning to be back in town for the 10th Annual Cops and Kids Back to School Bash in Ladson on Saturday August 24. The event, hosted by the Taking Back Our Village Advisory Council, is from 10 am to 2 pm at Exchange Park.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
Driven by changing customer tastes towards high-end luxury, safaris offering spa treatments, infinity pools and world-class gastronomy has become the norm. Photograph by Natural Selection Travel

This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK).

Thirty years ago, when Beks Ndlovu was starting out as a guide near his village in Zimbabwes Hwange National Park, safaris were a different beast. Then, it was all functional camps offering back-to-nature simplicity for gnarly wildlife enthusiasts  more animal encounters than creature comforts. It wasnt so much about the nature of the accommodation as the experience  spending time in these remote places with your guide, he says.

In the intervening years, what he calls the luxury space has surged in popularity, driven by changing customer tastes towards high-end, relaxing experiences. For the camps, its become an arms race, says Chris McIntyre, head of Expert Africa, which specialises in high-quality, tailor-made and sustainable safaris to Southern and East Africa. Spa treatments, infinity pools and world-class gastronomy are rapidly becoming the norm. Comfort levels have continued to march upwards, he says.

This has translated to soaring prices for safaris that  enshrined in a high-price, low-density business model to protect the delicate ecosystems in which they operate  were already expensive. Now, spending more than 1,000 a night per person is not uncommon. Take the family for 10 days on a tailor-made trip to an exclusive camp in the likes of Botswana or Namibia and five-, even six-figure outlays are possible. The prices have shot up and, post pandemic, were seeing that even more, says McIntyre.

The demand is fuelled partly by the post-Covid migration towards open spaces and carpe-diem bucket-list endeavours; Africa  as the leading continent for wildlife tourism  has bounced back from the touristic carnage of recent years. It was the continent with the fastest tourism growth in 2023, according to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), with international arrivals at 96% of 2019 levels  the strongest recovery in the world. That translated to 66.4m international visitors, a figure the UNWTO predicts could hit 134m by 2030.

Back from the brink

With demand and prices locked in the same upwards trajectory, surely thats a much-needed fillip for the conservation of the landscapes and wildlife that underpin the whole enterprise?

Certainly the need for intervention has never been greater: the past half-century has seen unprecedented harm wrought on global wildlife populations  depleted by an average of two-thirds since 1970 according to the WWFs Living Planet Report of 2022. Sub-Saharan Africa has been at the sharp end, suffering significant declines in all its major mammals.

Wildlife tourism currently contributes 33% to Africa's total tourism revenue. Photograph by Natural Selection Travel

The alarming fragility was exemplified by the plight of the black rhino. With poaching helping to wipe out 96% of the population in just 25 years up to 1995, conservation efforts pulled the species back from the brink. Of course its not just poaching that poses a threat; habitat loss caused by agricultural expansion, deforestation and mining can be equally destructive, while the hunting of game for bushmeat is an enduring challenge. Its the reason why conservation efforts on the part of safari organisations tend to focus as much on the education and empowerment of local communities as they do on the monitoring and protection of wildlife and habitat.

High-end safaris offer a vital source of funds for such efforts  though luxury camps are far from the money-printing machines some might imagine. The outlays, both initial and ongoing, are enormous. With zero economies of scale, everything from construction and transport to power and connectivity can be up to 50% higher than in urban areas. A workforce large enough to service the generous staff-to-guest ratios demanded must be fed and accommodated. There are lease and national park fees to pay, anti-poaching patrols to finance and a hefty marketing budget; when youre immersed in the wilderness, theres not much passing trade. Everything carries a premium, says Kate Hughes of Lepogo Lodges, a safari group operating in South Africa.

All of this has to be financed through a handful of guests staying each night. With higher-end lodges, its all about exclusivity, explains Dr Jennifer Lalley, co-founder of Natural Selection, a conservation-driven collection of 24 camps and lodges across Botswana, Namibia and South Africa.

Just having a safari camp that people visit has a positive benefit, according to Dr Lalley, particularly with the ongoing battle against poaching  poachers typically think twice about targeting areas with lots of potential witnesses. But, with travellers increasingly savvy when it comes to conservation credentials, a mere presence is no longer enough. A safari organisation needs to have tangible benefits on its environment, above the standard website bluster.

Theres a lot of greenwashing out there, says Dr Lalley. One common misdirection is to play up the number of local people employed or acres looked after. Both aspects are worthwhile, of course  yet also just the costs of doing business, she says. In other words, open a remote lodge, and you have no option but to employ locals to service it, and you also need a certain-sized area for your guests to enjoy. She urges would-be safari-goers to find out whos going the extra mile.

African Bush Camps is an exemplar of this. Tormented by returning to areas in which hed guided only to find deforestation and decimated wildlife, Ndlovu set up African Bush Camps in 2006. Its a collection of 17 camps and lodges in Botswana, Zimbabwe and Zambia whose principal focus is not just conserving the land in which they operate but regenerating it.

Projects that the organisations foundation have funded include planting native fruit trees to offer shelter to wildlife and rewilding areas that have been used in the past for cattle grazing. Human-wildlife co-existence initiatives have also been implemented, including helping villages protect livestock from predators to prevent retaliation killings. Rather than focusing on the superficial  making token financial donations, throwing a couple of solar panels on the roof and calling it a day  they go multiple steps further.

Choosing wisely

The type of protected land you visit can be just as important, according to Justin Francis, founder and CEO of Responsible Travel, which offers more than 400 safaris across a range of African destinations. Hes a strong advocate for conservancies. Unlike government-operated parks or reserves, these are owned by local communities who receive a consistent income in the form of a lease fee and have the deciding say in the tourism activity that goes on  thereby creating not just income but buy-in.

Its a new concept but not a niche one. Roughly a fifth of Kenyas land mass is protected in some shape or form, and just over half of that is made up of community wildlife conservancies  up from zero in a generation. Namibia, Uganda and Zambia are also embracing the principle. Conservancies are the future, says Francis.

Overtourism is a reality in wildlife tourism too, says Francis. He mentions Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania, where hundreds of wildlife-viewing vehicles a day converge, disturbing hunting patterns and habitats. Its safari as a destructive rather than conserving force, and the inference for the consumer is clear: seek the lesser-known.

Lepogo Lodges, a brace of camps in South Africas Limpopo province, certainly falls into that bracket. The camps are lavish, with prices to match. Noka Camp, with its tented villas and plunge pools, starts at ZAR 36,000 (1,500) per couple per night.

We created our lodges to be as luxurious as possible so we could charge a premium rate and raise as much money as we could, says operations director Kate Hughes. Shameless profiteering? Hardly. Lepogo is 100% non-profit, ploughing everything beyond its operating costs into schemes designed to preserve and enhance the environment. It sponsored the reintroduction of the endangered cheetah onto the reserve, a totemic animal for the business (lepogo means cheetah in Northern Sotho). Another initiative saw them provide local communities with efficient wood-burning stoves to reduce deforestation.

Forming part of part of Lepogo Lodges in South Africa's Limpopo, Noka Camp's tented villas start at 1,500 per couple, per night. Photograph by Lepogo Lodges

The amounts that can be raised are mind-boggling: a family booking 12-bed Noka Camp exclusively for eight days could yield up to 30,000 alone for Lepogos conservation efforts. For us its a no-brainer, says Hughes. We need to leave a conservation legacy.

Wolwedans, in southwestern Namibia, is another organisation with conservation on its mind and high-net-worth individuals in its sights. It was established in 1995 specifically to generate income for the 800sq-mile NamibRand Nature Reserve. Profit was seen as a by-product not the purpose, recalls owner Stephan Bruckner.

This has since been expanded to a portfolio of five exclusive lodges and camps, which attracts a roster of A-listers and captains of industry and has netted N$30m (1.3m) in park fees alone. The areas emblematic oryx are now thriving, and affluent visitors have funded initiatives including a centre providing vocational training to young Namibians.

Half of what is generated here goes back into the community and conservation, says Bruckner. We owe it to our children.

Bruckner believes that its at the ultra-affluent end of the market that the conservation potential is greatest. Wealthy people are happy to pay a premium if they know its a good cause. Theres huge potential.

Wolwedans was a founding member of The Long Run in 2009  a collective of more than 60 nature-based tourism businesses, a third of them safari camps or lodges, committed to driving sustainability. In their words, they provide a framework for members and partners to embed sustainability into their business models, which in practice means everything from site visits and action plans to organising events and remote support. Together they help safeguard nearly 25m acres of land. The focus is on the 4Cs sustainability model: conservation, community, culture  but also commerce, because only stable businesses can offer the long-term support thats so patently needed.

And the uncomfortable truth is that it is a need. A dependency has been created around wildlife tourism; outlaw the process and the devastation would be swift, according to McIntyre. Thered be no income, or incentive, to protect the wildernesses, or the creatures that roam those areas. Agriculture, logging, mining and hunters would all sweep in. It would be curtains for a lot of the reserves and it would be curtains in terms of the animals, says McIntyre.

Its a dependency that was exposed by the touristic hiatus of the pandemic. As long as people are coming to Africa, theres cash flow for us to do these activities, says Ndlovu. But when people dont travel for two, three years, like we saw in Covid, its very easy to write off all the good work.

The solution, he says, is simple: put money aside to ensure conservation can continue in hard times. The principle inspired his organisation to start Africa Change Makers last year, a scheme where $10 is put into a war chest for every guest per night. This year, its expected to net $300,000; if it goes on growing that could be $2$3m a year in extra conservation capital, says Ndlovu.

We as an industry need to protect ourselves so that we have a business after the next crisis, he says. And, in Africa, thats always just round the corner. At the time of writing, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi had all declared national disasters following devastating drought. During such times, watering holes dry up, so wildlife dies out, and camps struggle as travellers are put off, while costs go in the opposite direction.

McIntyre is optimistic. Its often three steps forward, one step back, he says. But most of the industry now understands that you need to support conservation and development of local communities  or you wont have an industry.

And we can do our bit, says Dr Lalley. If you ask whether safaris can help conservation efforts, then absolutely. Without a doubt, she says. But people have to choose wisely.

Published in the September 2024 issue of National Geographic Traveller (UK).



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Andrew Cole, GB news co-founder, believes the channel proves there is an appetite for US-style opinionated programming

Mainstream broadcasters are desperate to punish their rival, GB News, the channels co-founder has claimed.

Andrew Cole, a veteran TV executive who helped set up GB News four years ago, said Ofcoms crackdown on the startup channel had been fuelled by a backlash from its traditional competitors.

The media regulator has threatened to fine GB News following repeated breaches of broadcasting rules on issues including impartiality and the use of politicians as presenters.

But Mr Cole said he thought Ofcom had been relatively fair throughout this whole thing, given the pressure it was facing from incumbent players such as the BBC, ITV and Channel 4.

He said: The unbelievable, unrelenting drive from the rest of the market to punish GB News because they obviously dislike them has been so profound that I think actually Ofcom has been very restrained.

Mr Cole, who described himself as a huge believer in free speech, said he could not comment on specific investigations. But he added: In aggregate, theyve been fairly fair and GB News is right to fight its corner.

Ofcom has carried out more than 20 investigations into GB News since the channels launch in 2021 on a range of issues, including spreading harmful misinformation about Covid.

The most recent ruling came in May, when the regulator found GB News had breached impartiality rules in a programme featuring then-prime minister Rishi Sunak. It said it was considering a sanction against the broadcaster owing to serious and repeated breach of the rules.

Rishi Sunak, former prime minister, has participated in a GB News programme - GB NEWS/MATT POVER/REUTERS

GB News hit back with its own legal challenge as it accused Ofcom of trampling on free speech.

Mr Cole, who has served on the board of US cable giant Liberty Global since 2013 and runs tech firm Glow Services Corp, resigned from GB News and sold his stake in the business just a year after its launch.

However, he insisted that GB News had proved there was a gap in the market for US-style opinionated programming.

He said: The view that there was a large segment of the UK population that would welcome an alternative perspective I think has been proven.

The way that the recent riots were covered in the traditional media versus GB News I think is an example of that  where theres an alternative perspective provided  so I think its extremely valuable.

Mr Coles support for GB News differs markedly from comments made by Andrew Neil, the former chairman of the channel who quit three months after the launch.

Speaking in front of a House of Lords committee earlier this year, Mr Neil said he left because the broadcaster had become an outlet for bizarre conspiracy theories at the nutty end of politics.

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(KRON)  A man brandished a knife at a victim and stole a womans phone before using his bike as a getaway vehicle on Tuesday, according to the Colma Police Department.

The theft occurred in a business in the 3600 block of Junipero Serra Boulevard. An employee of the establishment noticed a man steal her cell phone. The suspect shoved the employee after she confronted him about stealing her phone, according to Colma PD.

Another employee approached the suspect as he was leaving the store, requesting he hand back the phone. Colma PD said the suspect shoved that employee as well.

The boyfriend of the employee whose phone was stolen approached the suspect to retrieve the phone. Police said the suspect grew violent and began to swing a knife back and forth toward the boyfriend. The suspect then fled on a bicycle.

Postal service employee robbed at gunpoint in SF

Police were dispatched to the business at 5:40 p.m. Police were informed that the suspect was a man wearing a black sweatshirt with a black backpack. The suspect was also described as having a scar on his face.

Less than an hour later, Colma PD was dispatched to another theft at a business in the 1200 block of El Camino Real. Police were informed a male suspect, who arrived on a bike, was concealing merchandise. The suspect was detained by officers and positively identified as the man who stole the phone earlier that day.

The suspect was identified as 34-year-old Juan Smith. According to Colma PD, Smith is an unhoused individual.

Colma police said Smith was carrying a knife and suspected methamphetamine.

Smith was arrested and booked into the San Mateo County Jail for suspicion of robbery, assault with a deadly weapon, brandishing a weapon, battery and possession of a controlled substance.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRON4.
Georgia officials are investigating after they say a man set a church on fire.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

Tuesday night, a Byron police officer smelled and spotted smoke near Main Street. The smoke came from the Byron United Methodist Church on West Heritage Drive.

According to the police department, the cause of the fire was determined to be arson.

TRENDING STORIES:

Byron investigators began working with the Georiga State Fire Marshal, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the US Alcohol Tobacco & Firearms.

During the investigation, authorities identified this suspect as, Luke Westfield. Westfield was arrested and booked into the Columbia County Jail.

The church shared on Facebook that they will have a church service on Sunday and to pray for those who have harmed them.

Byron Church family, As many have heard already, an arrest has been made in the arson case concerning our church. I am... Posted by Byron United Methodist Church on Thursday, August 22, 2024

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Although the investigation is still ongoing, the Byron Police Department said no additional information will be released at this time.

Anyone with information can call the BPD at 478-956-2493.

IN OTHER NEWS:
Burglar turns himself in for Friday robbery in Marion

HENDERSON COUNTY, N.C. (WSPA)  The suspect in relation to the robbery at Samirs Convenience Store, on Friday, has been arrested and identified as Anthony Brian Redd.

Officers with the Marion Police Department said on Friday, Redd entered the store and asked the clerk for the money in the register. The clerk gave Redd a total of $115 and Redd then left on foot.

According to the Marion Police Department, Redd turned himself in on Sunday and was charged with one county of common law robbery, confined under a $12,500 bond.

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JENSEN BEACH  A man accused of sexually assaulting an unconscious woman in Colorado and recording the attack was arrested Friday by Martin County sheriff's deputies.

Justin Najdawi, 33, was detained at about 3 p.m. Friday outside a house in Jensen Beach on a warrant issued Aug. 7 by the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office in Littleton, Colo., on charges related to sexual assault and possession of photos or videos depicting the sexual exploitation of children.

Najdawi was staying at a home in the 2200 block of Northeast Marguerite Street, which according to the Martin County Sheriff's Office was obtained through an unspecified vacation rental service. Federal and local law enforcement agencies in Colorado and Florida coordinated his arrest Friday and Martin County authorities apprehended him after he left the residence for food.

At the time of his arrest, Najdawi had a Texas-issued driver's license. Martin County authorities said Najdawi had fled from Colorado, where officials said the sexual assault occurred earlier this year, to Florida.

Najdawi is being held without bail in the Martin County Jail on the fugitive warrant, and will be returned to Colorado.

Corey Arwood is a breaking news reporter for TCPalm and Treasure Coast Newspapers. Follow @coreyarwood on X, email corey.arwood@tcpalm.com or call 772-978-2246.

More: Catch up on all the news about Jonathan Dickinson State Park golf course proposal

More: Park protest: 100-plus gather at Jonathan Dickinson to fight golf course plan

More: Former Vero Beach Mayor Val Zudans drops out of City Council race, days after qualifying

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Man arrested in Jensen Beach on Colo. warrant with sex assault charge
Man claiming responsibility for fatal knife attack in Germany turns himself in to police

A 26-year-old man claimed responsibility for the fatal knife attack in Solingen, Germany that killed three people and injured eight others at a festival celebrating the citys 650th anniversary.

Duesseldorf police, in a joint statement with the prosecutors office, said the man stated that he was responsible for the attack, the Associated Press reported.

The attack killed two men, aged 67 and 56, and a 56-year-old woman, authorities said. Police also said that the attacker apparently tried to aim for his victims throats on purpose.

The program Solingen Festival of Diversity, which was expected to draw about 75,000 people, the Washington Post reported, included live music, theater, cabaret and acrobatics, with food from around the world.

The festival was slated to run through Sunday but was canceled as authorities closed off the area for investigation.

Authorities are investigating on suspicion of murder, attempted murder and membership in a foreign terrorist organization, the AP reported.

The suspect is a Syrian citizen who applied for asylum in Germany, police confirmed to the news wire.

A spokesperson for the prosecutors office told the dpa news agency it was investigating the man who turned himself in on suspicions of membership with the Islamic State.

The news came a day after the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack, stating the attacker targeted Christians to avenge Muslims in Palestine and everything, per the AP. The claims were not independently verified.

Police earlier said a 15-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion he knew about the planned attack and did not tell authorities, but that he was not the perpetrator, the AP reported.

The Associated Press contributed reporting.

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GREEN VALLEY, Ill. (WMBD)  The Tazewell County Coroner Charles Hanley responded to a deadly two-vehicle crash near Towerline Road and Toboggan Avenue in rural Green Valley on Saturday.

According to Hanley, officers were informed of the crash at about 11:16 a.m. on Saturday, and a rural Tazewell County man was pronounced dead at 12:29 p.m. It is unknown if anyone else was injured in the crash.

Police say lighting, speed or alcohol not a factor in deadly crash that killed Dunlap senior

The mans name is being withheld while the coroners office reaches out to inform the family.

An autopsy is scheduled for Monday.

This incident remains under investigation by the Tazewell County Coroners Office, the Tazewell County Sheriffs Office and the Illinois State Police.

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Man dies after crash in Volusia County, troopers say

A man has died following a crash Sunday morning in Volusia County, the Florida Highway Patrol.

Troopers said the crash happened around 3:30 a.m.

According to a news release, a 1996 Honda Civic was driving eastbound on I-4 at mile marker 105.

Read: Deputies: Man dies after shooting in Orange County

Investigators said that the 51-year-old driver from Deland had lost control of the car and ran off the roadway right onto the outside shoulder.

FHP said that, as a result, the car collided with trees on the shoulder.

Troopers said the 23-year-old car passenger from Jacksonville was ejected from the car.

Read: Woman dead, man in custody after shooting in St. Cloud, police say

The driver was taken to HCA Lake Monroe Hospital in critical condition, troopers said.

FHP said the passenger was pronounced dead on-scene.

FHP said the crash remains under investigation.

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Man faces 2 charges after 2023 fatal crash; toxicology report showed cocaine in his system

TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN)  A man was charged with two counts of criminally negligent homicide Aug. 19 in connection with a 2023 fatal crash.

According to Travis County court documents, an arrest warrant was issued for 22-year-old Noah Riley Monks related to the August 2023 deaths of Kitta Kaori, 55, and Segraves Sherrod St. John Cromwell, 55.

PAST COVERAGE | ATCEMS: 2 dead after crash on Bee Caves Road

KXAN searched for Monks attorney information but none was available. This story will be updated if an attorney statement is later received.

Court documents said that according to a toxicology report, Monks had cocaine in his system at the time of the crash.

Travis County jail records showed Monks was arrested and booked into the facility Wednesday. By Thursday, he was no longer in the jail.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin.
Man fatally knifed by career criminal with 9 prior arrests  including attempted rape  as NYC sees rapid surge in stabbings

The man was stabbed on a northbound 2 train near the 3rd Avenue-E. 149th Street station.

A 33-year-old man was fatally stabbed during a Saturday afternoon brawl on a subway train in the Bronx, police and sources told The Post.

The victim and a 37-year-old career criminal, identified as Shane Cunnison, got into a squabble on a northbound 2 train around 3:20 p.m. near the 3rd Avenue-E. 149th Street subway station in the South Bronx, cops said.

During the altercation, Cunnison stabbed Nigel Dumas in the chest with a knife.

Dumas was rushed to Lincoln Hospital where he was pronounced dead, according to police sources.

The man was stabbed on a northbound 2 train near the 3rd Avenue-E. 149th Street station. Google Maps

Cunnison was taken into custody at the subway station and charged first-degree manslaughter.

He has nine previous arrests including an attempted rape in Brooklyn in 2009, police sources said. Armed with a knife, he kicked in a womans door and punched her in the face before sexually assaulting her, sources said.

In 2017, Cunnison flashed a knife during a verbal dispute in Brooklyn and pursued the victim for several blocks, according to sources.

Saturdays deadly incident is the latest in a string of subway stabbings across the Big Apple.

On Tuesday, a maniac stabbed a 52-year-old man waiting for a northbound 6 train on the platform East. 96th Street and Lexington Avenue Avenue around 3:30 in the morning.

The assailant approached the victim and started arguing before stabbing him in the neck with an unknown object, police said. The man was taken to Weill Cornell Medical Center in stable condition and no arrests have been made.

On Monday, a box-cutter-wielding assailant slashed a 29-year-old man on the arm during a clash on board a southbound No. 4 train at the Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall Station on Monday evening, cops and sources said.

That victim was taken to Bellevue Hospital in stable condition. The suspect has not been arrested.

A 66-year-old grandmother was found stabbed to death inside her Brooklyn home on Tuesday.

Claudette Jones, a nurse, was discovered with multiple stab wounds inside her two-story cape home on East 56th Street in Flatbush. Her killer remains in the wind.
One man is dead after a shooting Sunday morning near Waldo.

Police were called to the 8200 block of Kenwood Avenue around 1:47 a.m. on a report of gunshots.

A male victim was found inside a vehicle a block away in the 8200 block of Holmes Road suffering from a gunshot wound, according to Phil DiMartino, spokesperson for the Kansas City Police Department. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police are still investigating.

The killing marks Kansas Citys 99th homicide in 2024, according to data maintained by The Star, which includes fatal police shootings. At this time last year, Kansas City had recorded 133 homicides.

Anyone with information is asked to contact homicide detectives at 816-234-5043 or the TIPS Hotline anonymously at 816-474-TIPS. There is a reward of up to $25,000 for information submitted to the TIPS Hotline.
DENVER (KDVR)  A man was shot and killed in Aurora Saturday afternoon.

The Aurora Police Department said it responded to the scene of a shooting near Colfax Avenue and Havana Street just after 2 p.m.

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Upon arrival, the sheriffs office said deputies found a man suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was taken to a hospital and died from his injuries shortly after.

The Aurora Police Department responded to the area near Colfax Avenue and Havana Avenue where a man was shot and killed in Aurora Saturday afternoon. (KDVR)

The Aurora Police Department responded to the area near Colfax Avenue and Havana Avenue where a man was shot and killed in Aurora Saturday afternoon. (KDVR)

The Aurora Police Department responded to the area near Colfax Avenue and Havana Avenue where a man was shot and killed in Aurora Saturday afternoon. (KDVR)

The Aurora Police Department responded to the area near Colfax Avenue and Havana Avenue where a man was shot and killed in Aurora Saturday afternoon. (KDVR)

The Aurora Police Department responded to the area near Colfax Avenue and Havana Avenue where a man was shot and killed in Aurora Saturday afternoon. (KDVR)

Police are now searching for the suspect.

The suspect fled the scene and has not yet been apprehended. We believe this was a targeted event and the suspect and victim know each other, Aurora police said.

Investigators dont yet know what led up to the shooting. Police said the Arapahoe County Coroners Office will identify the man.

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WASHINGTON (DC News Now)  The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) said it is investigating after officers found a man shot in Northeast on Saturday.

At around 5:40 p.m., officers responded to the 3800 block of Minnesota Ave. for the report of a shooting.

MPD said that when officers arrived, they found a man with a gunshot wound. He was unconscious and not breathing.

Man shot, killed in Northwest DC identified

According to police, responders transported the man to a local hospital.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | Washington, DC.
A man who was hospitalized after police say he fatally stabbed another man during a knife fight in Phoenix last week has been booked into jail on suspicion of second-degree murder.

Phoenix police responded to a report of a stabbing near 16th Street and Indian School Road on Aug. 19 at about 8 p.m. and found a man suffering from a stab wound. The man was rushed to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. He was later identified as Efren Partida, 34.

As homicide detectives responded to the area, they learned that another man had walked into a nearby hospital with stab wounds and was listed in critical but stable condition. Investigators linked that man to the initial fight, police said.

Phoenix police said preliminary information suggests the two men got into an argument near a convenience store when both men pulled out knives and stabbed each other during the fight.

Sgt. Brian Bower, a Phoenix police spokesperson, said on Sunday that police arrested the surviving man, Christopher Rhodd, 36, and booked him into jail on suspicion of murder. It was not immediately clear when Rhodd's next court date would be.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Man suspected of fatally stabbing 1 booked on 2nd-degree murder charge
Man turns self in following knife attack that killed 3 in Germany

SOLINGEN, Germany (AP)  A 26-year-old man has turned himself into police, saying he was responsible for the Solingen knife attack that left three dead and eight wounded at a festival marking the citys 650th anniversary, German authorities announced Sunday.

Duesseldorf police said in a joint statement with the prosecutors office that the man stated that he was responsible for the attack.

Fiery crash disables train, shuts down road in Erie County

This persons involvement in the crime is currently being intensively investigated, the statement said.

Federal prosecutors said they were investigating on suspicion of murder, attempted murder and membership in a foreign terrorist organization. The suspect, wearing handcuffs and leg shackles, was taken later Sunday from the police station in Solingen to make a first appearance before a judge at the Federal Court of Justice in Karlsruhe.

Flowers and candles are placed in Solingen, Germany, Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024, near the scene of Fridays deadly attack. (Thomas Banneyer/dpa via AP)

Police and ambulances near the scene where people were killed and injured in an attack at a festival in Solingen, western Germany, the German dpa news agency reported, Friday, Aug. 23, 2024. (Gianni Gattus/dpa via AP)

The suspect is a Syrian citizen who had applied for asylum in Germany, police confirmed to The Associated Press. The dpa news agency reported, without citing a specific source, that his asylum claim had been denied and that he was to have been deported last year.

On Saturday, the Islamic State militant group claimed responsibility for the attack, without providing evidence. The extremist group said on its news site that the attacker targeted Christians and that the perpetrator carried out the assaults Friday night to avenge Muslims in Palestine and everywhere.

The claim couldnt be independently verified. Only a small number of claims on the site have turned out to be completely baseless, said Peter Neumann, professor of security studies at Kings College London. However ISIS strategy for a number of years has been to claim attacks which are merely inspired, in other words, in which the link between organization and attacker is merely ideological.

Fridays attack plunged the city of Solingen into shock and grief. A city of about 160,000 residents near the bigger cities of Cologne and Duesseldorf, Solingen was holding a Festival of Diversity to celebrate its anniversary.

People alerted police shortly after 9:30 p.m. local time Friday that a man had assaulted several people with a knife on the citys central square, the Fronhof. The three people killed were two men aged 67 and 56 and a 56-year-old woman, authorities said. Police said the attacker appeared to have deliberately aimed for his victims throats.

At least 23 injured after fire breaks out on Ferris wheel in Germany

The festival, which was due to have run through Sunday, was canceled as police looked for clues in the cordoned-off square. Instead, residents gathered to mourn the dead and injured, placing flowers and notes near the scene of the attack.

Warum? asked one sign placed amid candles and teddy bears. Why?

Among those asking themselves the question was 62-year-old Cord Boetther, a merchant fron Solingen.

Why does something like this have to be done? Its incomprehensible and it hurts, Boetther said.

Officials had earlier said a 15-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion he knew about the planned attack and failed to inform authorities, but that he was not the attacker. Two female witnesses told police they overheard the boy and an unknown person before the attack speaking about intentions that corresponded to the bloodshed, officials said.

The attack comes amid debate over immigration ahead of regional elections next Sunday in Germanys Saxony and Thueringia regions where anti-immigration parties such as the populist Alternative for Germany are expected to do well. In June, Chancellor Olaf Scholz vowed that the country would start deporting criminals from Afghanistan and Syria again after a knife attack by an Afghan immigrant left one police officer dead and four more people injured.

The IS militant group declared its caliphate in large parts of Iraq and Syria about a decade ago, but now holds no control over any land and has lost many prominent leaders. The group is mostly out of global news headlines.

Still, it continues to recruit members and claim responsibility for deadly attacks around the world, including lethal operations in Iran and Russia earlier this year that killed dozens of people. Its sleeper cells in Syria and Iraq still carry out attacks on government forces in both countries as well as U.S.-backed Syrian fighters.

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If Mark Robinson was going for relatable and contrite in his new abortion ad, he missed the mark | Opinion

I havent been able to stop thinking about Mark Robinsons abortion ad. It feels as though Ive seen it a thousand times lately while watching TV. Its maybe the most disingenuous and ineffective political ad of the cycle and speaks volumes about how the GOP is trying to hide its true views from the public.

Robinson is sitting next to his wife, Yolanda Hill, earnestly looking into the camera.

Thirty years ago, my wife and I made a very difficult decision, Robinson says in a gentle voice while soothingly grabbing his wifes hand. We had an abortion.

It was like this silent pain between us that we never spoke of, Robinson continues while fighting tears.

After his wife speaks about her regret, the ad cuts to Robinson reading to a cute little girl with pigtails sitting on his lap. He then claims hes in favor of North Carolinas current abortion law because it includes common sense exceptions for the life of the mother, incest and rape and stops cruel late-term abortions.

But laws like North Carolinas have led to women across the country being denied care, including one pregnant N.C. woman who complained of stomach pain being denied care at a Roxboro hospital emergency room. On her way to a hospital 45 minutes away, she gave birth in a car. The baby died. Such common sense exceptions are often no match for the fear anti-abortion laws inflict upon medical professionals in real time.

Issac Bailey

If you knew nothing of Robinson, youd probably think either the ad is uncomfortably invasive  we shouldnt know so much about a choice Yolanda Hill made with her own body  or that Mark Robinson is the most empathetic, most caring man on the planet.

The real Robinson, the one not propped up in front of a TV camera in a well-lit political ad guided by campaign strategists, is neither empathetic, nor kind. Hes cruel and crass. Just five years ago, the real Mark Robinson said this about abortion:

Everybody knows that abortion in this country is not about protecting the lives of mothers, Robinson screamed on Facebook. It is about convenience. It is about abortion on demand. That is exactly what its about. Its about killing the child because you werent responsible enough to keep your skirt down or your pants up  and not get pregnant by your own choice, because you felt like getting your groove thing on. And now instead of taking care of that child, you want to kill that child so your life can go on, being on easy street and you can keep running to the club every Friday night.

Robinson said those words in 2019, knowing that he and his wife had made a very difficult decision two and a half decades earlier  and while he was calling for laws that would effectively ban abortion.

The new ad makes him look like a hypocrite trying to hide his hypocrisy and undercuts what has been his primary calling card since a 2018 rant he delivered about gun rights made him a star on the right.

Robinson was supposedly a straight-shooter. He was supposedly willing to speak truth no matter the circumstances. He was supposedly a man who would never back down from a fight.

That ad is more evidence that those things have never been true. It doesnt make him look relatable and contrite, but rather small and politically calculating, the last thing someone like Robinson is supposed to be.

I get that Robinson is following the playbook of other Republicans, including his hero Donald Trump. The GOP has decided to hide its true thoughts and intentions about abortion until after the election because they know those thoughts and intentions are political losers. Most Americans think its wrong to effectively turn over control of a pregnant womans body to the state. Its why Trump urged the party to water down pro-life language in the Republican National Conventions platform.

No one should be fooled about what Robinson might do as governor. Despite his sudden support of North Carolinas abortion law, voters dont know if theyll get that Mark Robinson or the one who said earlier this year that Weve got it down to 12 weeks. The next goal is to get it down to six, and then just keep moving from there.

Another reason the state should not be turned over to a man like him.

Issac Bailey is a McClatchy Opinion writer in North and South Carolina.
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.
MARYVILLE, Tenn. (WATE)  Fallen Maryville Police officer Kenny Moats was honored in his annual memorial ride in Blount County on Sunday.

Moats died in the line of duty eight years ago, on August 25, 2016.

Moats family, along with the loved ones of Knox Countys Tucker Blakely, and Blount Countys Greg McCowan led the procession of vehicles as people from across East Tennessee attended.

Judge hit and killed by car while walking in Jefferson County

Our law enforcement officers, they deal with so much and whatever we can do to support them as a community, we need to continue to do that, said one of Moats former coworkers at Maryville PD, Shaina Kirkland.

Hundreds of participants gathered at Smoky Mountain Harley-Davidson to show their support.

Community support has just been outrageous. Every year that weve done it really shows why this East Tennessee community supports the law enforcement, said event volunteer Nathan Way. And then just a great part of the country that we actually live in.

Since Moats death, they have held the event every year, to honor him, his family, and other first responders who put their life on the line.

Its for the fallen officers. I knew Kenny growing up. He was a good guy. I knew his family. Just its just kind of a good get together, you know, for the community. And just to get everybody involved and see what happens, you know, have a good day out of it, said a Maryville resident, Michael Kennedy.

Ukrainian community in East TN reflects on war on their Independence Day

Kennedy, like many of the people attending, knew Moats.

Kenny was such a wonderful guy, an amazing coworker. He was always he was always there for you. You always had your back and Its just an amazing thing that I do for him and his honor, said Kirkland.

While the day is supposed to be a celebration, they day it is an emotional day.

Its a very its kind of an emotional thing, you know, especially for the families. I but its for Kenny with all his friends and family to be together, you know? So were just out here celebrating Kenny, said Kennedy.

His family means the world to me and whatever we can do to continue to support him, thats what were going to do, said Kirkland.

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Escorts from across East Tennessee also volunteered including Maryville Police, Knox And Blount County Sheriffs Office.

So its really just a way for the community to put their arms around the families and show them that we still remember them and we support them, sad Way.

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Defence Minister of Israel Yoav Gallant speaks during a memorial ceremony for Israel's fallen and victims of terrorism. Shachar Yurman/Defense Ministry/dpa

Israeli forces and the pro-Iranian militia Hezbollah have engaged in massive exchanges of fire across the border between Israel and Lebanon, heightening fears of a wider escalation of the conflict in the region.

Hezbollah said it had fired hundreds of rockets at Israel on Sunday in retaliation for the killing of one of its commanders in Beirut, as Israel said it carried out dozens of pre-emptive airstrikes in southern Lebanon.

Hezbollah said more than 320 rockets had been fired at Israeli military bases. "Our military operation for today has been completed, thanks to God Almighty," the Islamist group said.

Since the war in the Gaza Strip began last year, there have been daily military confrontations between the Israeli army and Hezbollah, with Hezbollah expressing solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza.

Israel has been bracing itself for a larger attack following the killing of Hezbollah military commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut on July 30.

On Sunday, Israel's military said it had pre-emptively attacked targets in southern Lebanon, where witnesses said they heard hundreds of explosions.

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said "approximately 100 fighter jets, directed by IDF intelligence, struck and destroyed thousands of Hezbollah rocket launcher barrels that were located and embedded in southern Lebanon."

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a wide-scale attack on Israel had been thwarted by the army's actions.

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant earlier declared a 48-hour state of emergency across Israel, in response to what he said was an escalating security threat.

Army spokesman Daniel Hagari said the military had carried out airstrikes "in a self-defence act to remove these threats."

Media reports said that flights had been briefly diverted from Israel's international Ben Gurion airport due to the heightened security situation.

The airport returned to normal service on Sunday at 7 am (0400 GMT), the army said.

Israeli civilians could move freely around the area from Tel Aviv up to the northern border with Lebanon if they wished, and go to work, and children could go to school, the army said. But they could only do this if they were near a secure shelter.

Lebanese security sources said Israel had attacked at least 40 targets in southern Lebanon. After more than an hour of bombardment, the situation seemed to have calmed down, they added.

Two people were wounded in the Israeli strikes, and a drone strike killed one other person, the Lebanese Health Ministry said.

US President Joe Biden - a key ally of Israel - was aware of the developments and was in contact with his national security team, according to a spokesman.

"We will keep supporting Israels right to defend itself, and we will keep working for regional stability," the National Security Council spokesman said in a statement.
Elon Musks much-ballyhooed, glitch-riddled interview earlier this month with Donald Trump was just the latest episode in the tech moguls enduring crush on the former president. Musk, no stranger to controversy, has been unabashed in his backing of Trump in the 2024 presidential election  and he was instrumental in returning Trump to X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

Every election cycle, celebrities try to put their thumb on the scale in favor of their candidate. And while a new study shows that celebrities like Megan Thee Stallion or Kid Rock can influence an election by drumming up voter enthusiasm, it is the extremely wealthy and powerful CEOs  like Musk  who can wield outsize power in political campaigns.

Like all American citizens, Musk and other CEOs have the right to get involved in American politics, from funding super PACs to working behind the scenes to drum up the vote to giving them an audience on their platforms. But that engagement can come at a cost.

History provides a note of caution: TIME founder Henry Luce fully invested himself in promoting the campaign of General Dwight Eisenhower. His full-throated support of Eisenhower, unusual for a media conglomerate, brought short-term benefits  giving him access to Eisenhower in the White House. But ultimately, his enthusiastic embrace of Eisenhower had a detrimental impact on his magazines journalistic reputation.

Luce created TIME in 1923 because he saw that America lacked a national news platform. As Americas first national newsmagazine, TIME was something entirely new in American journalism and it caught on, quickly gaining hundreds of thousands of subscribers on its way to eventually tens of millions. It also had a real interest in the presidency. TIME was groundbreaking in its reporting of the daily movements of the president, and even created a popular section called The Presidents Week.

Given his interest in the presidency, Luce wanted good relations with the president, something that eluded him throughout the administration of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. He and Roosevelt disliked each other  intensely  and Luce worked repeatedly to defeat him, supporting unsuccessful candidates like Alf Landon against Roosevelt in 1936. He failed each time, but that just made him more committed. Even after Roosevelt died, Luce continued to nurse his grudge, declaring, It is my duty to go on hating him. The relationship with Roosevelts replacement Harry Truman was not much better.

In 1952, Luce saw an opportunity to end 20 years of Democratic dominance of the White House. Luce believed one-party supremacy was not only bad for himself personally (because Roosevelt was his enemy), but for the country as well. So in 1952, Luce went all in for Eisenhower, using his position as media magnate to support Ike in a variety of ways.

Even before Eisenhower was an official candidate, Luce met with him in Paris  and fell in immediate, political love. Luce reported how impressed he was with Ike, including his personal appreciation for the sound of the mans voice and the the twinkle in his brightest blue eyes.

Today, theres an expectation, not always met, that journalists be nonpartisan in their coverage. Things were similar in 1952, but even though his publications were ostensibly nonpartisan, Luce directed his magazines TIME and Life to write favorably about the five-star general, including a Life editorial entitled The Case for Ike.

Later, Eisenhower said Lifes editorial helped encourage him to enter the race. Once Ike was in, TIME was so favorable to Eisenhower that his campaign manager, Henry Cabot Lodge, would hand out copies of its issues to many of the people he met with.

In another unusual move, Luce provided campaign staff for Ike from his own team, including speechwriters Emmet Hughes and C.D. Jackson, and campaign adviser John Knox Jessup. Hughes wrote the most famous line of the Eisenhower campaign, If elected, I shall go to Korea. This line was intended to demonstrate that Ike would focus on ending the conflict in Korea  and it worked, helping propel him to victory against Democrat Adlai Stevenson, garnering 55 percent of the popular vote and sweeping the Electoral College.

Luce also helped create the vision for the campaign. He invited John Foster Dulles to describe a Republican foreign policy vision in a Life article. This article, A Policy of Boldness, became the basis for Eisenhowers foreign policy plank in the Republican platform, and Dulles became Eisenhowers secretary of State.

When Ike defeated Stevenson, Luce wired to friends: Victory, its wonderful. And he was soon to enjoy the fruits of his labor. Luces wife, Claire Boothe Luce, joined the administration as ambassador to Italy. Luce got to see his vision implemented on the foreign policy front, and he was able to pass on his policy advice to administration officials like Dulles, Hughes, Jackson and his wife (Jessup chose not to join the administration). Luce was also pleased that Ike proved to be a good president, presiding over a period of peace and prosperity. Accordingly, Luce made sure to tout Eisenhowers accomplishments to his magazines 30 million readers.

Luce benefited from having Eisenhower in the White House, but he also incurred costs. TIME staffers grumbled about working for Eisenhowers mouthpiece. He responded to internal criticism by telling staffers, I am your boss. I guess that means I can fire any of you, which did not endear him to the team.

Meanwhile, TIME took a reputational hit in the Eisenhower years for being too pro-Ike. A joke went around that Time was even-handed during election years: Half the time it praised the Republicans, and half the time it damned the Democrats. Intellectuals turned on TIME, and the publication came to be viewed, dismissively, as a middle-brow publication. Luce retired in 1964 and died just three years later at 68. Time became more liberal under his successors than under Luce and is now a shadow of what it once was, but thats due more to the internet than anything Luce-related.



As for Musk, he clearly likes doing things differently, something he noted in a 2021 Saturday Night Live appearance: To anyone Ive offended, I just want to say: I reinvented electric cars and Im sending people to Mars in a rocket ship. Did you think I was also going to be a chill, normal dude? One could argue that approach has worked for him this far, making him one of the richest people in human history. Still, Musk should take heed: Luce and his empire suffered real consequences from his political involvement, and blowback today could be even greater. Twitter/X took a hit when Musk bought it in 2022; both advertising and engagement are down significantly since he took the reins. Still, X has 50 million U.S. users (and 300 million worldwide); his endorsement of Trump could drive away unhappy users. Musk clearly wants to expand Xs reach, and being persona non grata to large swaths of the country could make that mission that much harder.

Other Musk products, including Tesla or Space X, could potentially suffer as well. Tesla needs individual consumers. But he also needs government contracts, which could be harder to come by if purchasers dislike his politics. Michael Jordan put it well: Republicans buy sneakers, too. Well, Democrats buy cars, too. And on the government procurement side, both Tesla and Space X could potentially see fewer contracts from a vengeful Kamala Harris administration.

A third issue is the problem of selective enforcement. There are so many regulations on the books that not every company gets hit for every violation, but companies under additional scrutiny could be. Since President Joe Biden has come to office, Musk businesses have been subject to probes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Justice Department, the National Labor Relations Board, the Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Federal Trade Commission, just to name a few. This does not mean that Biden personally ordered these probes, but as The Wall Street Journal editorial board observed, We doubt any order from on high has been sent, but it doesnt need to be when a figure becomes Progressive Enemy No. 1. Add to this the costs on the international front, as European regulators are also probing Musks use of X to promote Trump.

Musk is surely aware of these challenges, but this history provides additional context. As Henry Luce learned, too strong a bet on politics can be harmful  even if you end up winning your bet.
This cops a mensch on a mission.

The NYPD recently promoted the departments highest-ever-ranking Orthodox Jew  a 9/11 hero who wears a yarmulke on the job  as the city fights a wave of antisemitic hate crime.

Richie Yechiel Taylor was bumped up to deputy chief of the Community Affairs Bureau, the departments sixth highest post, in February and is now urging New Yorkers to show off their religious pride.

Chief Richie Taylor is the highest ranking Orthodox Jew in the history of the NYPD. Matthew McDermott

Dont change who you are. Dont take off your hijab, cross, turban or anything else you wear proudly that reflects your beliefs and way of life, Taylor, 42, told The Post.

Theres no need to hide who you are in this city, he said, adding that applies to Jews wearing the star of David. Be proud of who you are.

The Torah-reading top cop, who has five daughters ages 2 to 20, said the NYPD is working tirelessly to stomp out hate crime.

You are safe right where you are. I lead by example  I wear my yarmulke in uniform, he said. Your NYPD has your back.

Though his strict religious observance includes Shabbat, from Friday to Saturday evenings, his motto of always being on call is completely kosher, according to Jewish law.

The Torah principle to save lives takes precedence over all else, even on days of rest  and Taylor considers taking emergency calls part of that exception, he said.

Taylor speaking to a member of the community at a Police Athletic League event in Harlem on Aug. 15, 2024. Matthew McDermott

Its mostly regarding someone missing  a child or someone elderly, he said, adding the day-of-rest calls range from one a week to one a month. Im always on call, and that includes Shabbos.

Taylor grew up going to yeshivas in Brooklyn and knew from an early age he wanted to help people, he said.

At age 15, he became a police explorer for the 61st Precinct in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn. Three years later, he began working as an EMT and soon bravely responded to the World Trade Center before the towers collapsed on 9/11.

In the hours after the attack, Taylor treated dazed FDNY members at the Hatzalah command post near Ground Zero, many of whom were devastated over losing colleagues.

He washed their eyes out with sterile water, hydrated them and did his best to support them emotionally, he said.

You do your best to be there for them  there was a lot of psychological first aid. A lot of the time, first aid doesnt need oxygen or a bandage, he said.

Taylor was promoted to the deputy chief of the Community Affairs Bureau in February. Matthew McDermott

Taylor playing chess with a local teen at the Harlem PAL event. Matthew McDermott

Taylor follows religious laws of Orthodox Judaism including wearing a yarmulke and observing Shabbat. Matthew McDermott

He later attended Touro University in Manhattan, married at age 20 and had his children over the next two decades.

In 2005, Taylor was sworn in as a police officer at age 23 and spent a career serving in over 10 commands across the city.

Before his promotion in February, Police Commissioner Edward Caban reportedly called Taylor a mensch and praised him as the ultimate NYPD ambassador, building bridges in both good times and bad.

Taylor handing out ice cream to kids at the PAL event from a truck. Obtained by the N.Y.Post

Taylors current job includes outreach to all communities, not just the Jewish community, he told The Post.

An attack on one community is an attack on us all, he said, adding that no one in this city should be attacked because of their way of life.

But the past several months have been especially nerve-wracking for some Jewish folks in the Big Apple  with antisemitic hate crimes up 45 percent so far in 2024 compared to the same period last year, according to data obtained by The Post.

Taylor urged New Yorkers to not hide their religious beliefs in the face of rising hate crimes. Obtained by the NY Post

So far this year, 229 antisemitic hate crimes have been reported to the NYPD through last Sunday, according to NYPD data. By that time last year, 126 such incidents were reported.

Jewish hate crime increased by 150 percent in the month of May compared to May 2023, from 22 to 55 incidents, according to the data.

Taylor acknowledged there is real fear among Jewish New Yorkers but said they should rest easy knowing the culprits are no match for his brothers in blue.

The NYPD is making arrest after arrest after arrest for anti-Semitic hate crimes, Taylor said.

NYC is safe for the Jewish community, and we are aggressively pursuing all perpetrators of Jewish hate crimes.

Taylor cited the case of Anas Saleh, 24  an anti-Israel protester who allegedly stormed a Big Apple subway car and demanded that Zionists raise their hands in June  as an example of how hate crime offenders fear the NYPD.

He turned himself in because he knew the police department was already looking for him, Taylor said.

His arrest shows that we will find you, and you will answer for that, he said.

Saleh was charged with attempted coercion and released with a desk-appearance ticket, according to authorities.

For New Yorkers considering fleeing the city, dont move an inch, Taylor said.

Taylor told The Post that New York City is still safe for the Jewish community thanks to the work of the NYPD going after perpetrators of antisemitic hate crimes. Matthew McDermott

Thats what the terrorists and antisemites want, he said. The way to fight back is to continue our way of life.

He urged Big Apple residents to be vigilant  but said folks can rest assured: Youre safe on the streets of New York City.

Additional reporting by Natalie ONeill
Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram, is worth $15.5 billion.

French authorities arrested Durov in late August amid an investigation into criminal activity by Telegram users.

On Thursday, he spoke out for the first time since his arrest in a post on Telegram.

Editor's note: This story first appeared in March 2022 and has been updated to reflect the most recent financial figures and Durov's arrest in France.

Pavel Durov is the founder and owner of messaging app Telegram.

Telegram cofounder Pavel Durov, center, smiles after a meeting with Indonesian officials in Jakarta in 2017. Tatan Syuflana/AP

Durov, who was born in St. Petersburg in Soviet Russia, is worth $15.5 billion, according to Forbes.

The tech entrepreneur cofounded encrypted-messaging service Telegram with his brother Nikolai in 2013. The brothers were born into a family of intellectuals, according the Digital-Life-Design Conference website. Durov spoke at the conference in January 2012.

Much of Durov's wealth comes from Telegram, which has 950 million active users and is valued at over $30 billion.

Before founding Telegram, Durov founded a Russian social network called Vkontakte.

Durov created the network in 2006 and sold a 12% stake for $300 million in 2015.

The site brought him fame: He became known as Russia's "biggest celebrity entrepreneur," according to The New York Times. But it also came with political trouble when Durov refused the Kremlin's demands to access Vkontakte data on Ukrainian protest leaders.

Durov said he was fired in April 2014 from his position as the CEO of Vkontakte as state-backed entities sought to control the network, Reuters reported. The Mail.Ru group, which is owned by oligarch Alisher Usmanov, bought the network for $1.47 billion later that year.

Usmanov's press service told Business Insider the group sold Vkontakte. State-run insurer Sogaz now owns it.

Durov told the Times he was forced to leave Moscow in 2014 after a SWAT team appeared at his home.

Durov's conflicts with the Kremlin didn't end with Vkontakte.

Durov has become a cult icon for antiauthoritarianism in the region. Peter Kovalev/TASS via Getty Images

In 2018, Telegram was banned in Russia after Durov denied the Kremlin access to user data. In response to the ban, hundreds of people protested, some of whom held signs of Durov illustrated as a saint (pictured above). The app was reinstated in Russia two years later.

Today, Telegram is playing a major role in the war in Ukraine.

Durov vowed in a Telegram post in March 2022 to protect the data of Ukrainian users. Durov is of partial Ukrainian descent, according to the post.

"When I defied [the Kremlin's] demands, the stakes were high for me personally," Durov wrote. "I stand for our users no matter what. Their right to privacy is sacred."

Durov also launched a cryptocurrency wallet, called Fragment, in 2002. Durov has said the wallet "took only 5 weeks and 5 people including myself to put together."

Durov said some $50 million worth of usernames were purchased less than a month after Fragment launched.

Durov now lives in Dubai, where Telegram's operations are based.

Pavel Durov and his company, Telegram, are now based in Dubai. Giuseppe Cacace/AFP/Getty Images

Durov moved to Dubai in 2017 and relocated Telegram's operations to an office in Dubai's Media City, according to Bloomberg. The network had been previously been based in Berlin.

In an interview with Bloomberg in December 2017, Durov said moving to Dubai afforded him "better ways to use [his] money to benefit society," as the city has no personal income tax.

According to the Russian edition of Forbes, Durov obtained citizenship in the United Arab Emirates in February 2021 and was naturalized as a French citizen in August 2021.

In January 2018, Durov wrote on Twitter that Telegram is "unlikely to ever consider any location be [its] permanent base."

Durov has a lively social media presence.

In August 2017, Durov's Instagram post parodying Russian President Vladimir Putin went viral.

Durov's post on Instagram, aptly named the "Putin Shirtless Challenge," called for users to post photos of themselves bare-chested in the style of Putin.

"Two rules from Putin  no photoshop, no pumping. Otherwise you're not an alpha," Durov wrote in the post in August 2017. Over 3,000 posts with Durov's hashtag were uploaded on Instagram.

Despite having 2.5 million followers on X, Durov doesn't follow anyone, but once followed Elon Musk.

While not much is known about Durov's assets, he's been known to share the occasional yacht shot on Instagram.

Durov shared a photo from the deck of a Lurssen yacht off the coast of Italy in 2016.

The cost of a Lurssen yacht starts at about $1 million and can run as high as $185 million, according to Yacht World. Durov never confirmed if he owned the Lurssen yacht in the photo.

Durov said in an Instagram post in August 2016 that while he wasn't a "fan of giant Lurssen yachts," he liked the manufacturer's sailing vessel.

Durov posted another photo of a superyacht on Instagram in 2015. And in another post in 2022 on his official Telegram account, Durov claimed he doesn't own any private jets, yachts, cars, or houses, adding that he is "unlike most billionaires."

Durov's profile was once found on Tinder in 2017.

Bloomberg reported that Durov was "half-naked" in his profile photo on the dating app.

"Not looking for anything serious or not serious here," he wrote on his profile, according to Bloomberg. "Just playing with the app."

Durov was once married to Daria Bondarenko, who he met at university, according to Russia Beyond, citing a documentary on Durov by filmmaker Rodion Chepel.

Durov once said Silicon Valley has "limited cultural life."

Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov in 2016. Manuel Blondeau/AOP.Press/Corbis/Getty Images

Durov was writing in response to journalist and YouTuber Yury Dud's film about Silicon Valley. The film has garnered 52 million views on YouTube.

In the post, Durov listed seven reasons he did not want to move to Silicon Valley.

"The US is not the best place to live or run an IT business," Durov wrote. "Local programmers are expensive, spoiled and often unable to focus on work due to the flow of outside suggestions and ideas."

Durov also described the United States as a "police state" and said he was attacked in San Francisco in June 2015 by thieves who wanted to steal his phone.

Durov is dedicated to keeping Telegram secure for all its users, no matter who they are or what they are doing.

Telegram is the "app of choice" for terror networks like ISIS, according to the Middle East Media Research Institute. But Durov has so far refused to limit access to the app or moderate its content to deter any certain group.

"We cannot make messaging technology secure for everybody except terrorists," Durov said in an interview with CNN in February 2016. "It's either secure or not secure."

Durov is also something of an instigator on his personal accounts.

In 2014, for example, when the Russian state called for a ban on Vkontakte, Durov's response was to post a photo of a dog in a hoodie on Twitter.

When Vkontakte was accused of hosting pornography, he changed his Twitter handle from "VK CEO" to "Porn King," according to The Calvert Journal. And in 2017, he shared his passport photo on Twitter, writing that it's "strangely suitable for media articles about terrorists using Telegram."

French police arrested Durov amid an investigation into Telegram.

French police arrested Telegram CEO Pavel Durov near Paris on August 24, 2024. Steve Jennings/Getty Images for TechCrunch

French authorities arrested Durov near Paris on August 24, 2024 amid an investigation into criminal activity on Telegram. Police nabbed Durov at Le Bourget airport as he tried to depart on his private jet.

An arrest warrant said Telegram had been used for money laundering, drug trafficking, and crimes against minors, among other offenses, the Associated Press reported.

Elon Musk, the owner of X who has also resisted moderating content, called the incident evidence of "dangerous times."

Durov calls arrest a "misguided approach" in a post on Telegram.

Pavel Durov posted on his Telegram account for the first time since his arrest. Tatan Syuflana/AP

"Using laws from the pre-smartphone era to charge a CEO with crimes committed by third parties on the platform he manages is a misguided approach," he wrote. "Building technology is hard enough as it is. No innovator will ever build new tools if they know they can be personally held responsible for potential abuse of those tools."

He admitted that as the platform accrued a user base of 950 million, it faced some "growing pains" that made it easier for criminals to abuse. But the "claims in some media that Telegram is some sort of anarchic paradise are absolutely untrue," he said.

He said the platform takes down millions of posts and channels daily and has already started an internal process to combat the spread of criminal activity.

Telegram has been banned in several countries over the years, including Iran, China, Thailand, and briefly in Russia. In his latest remarks, Durov reiterated that it would not compromise its principles to meet government regulations.

"We are prepared to leave markets that aren't compatible with our principles, because we are not doing this for money," he wrote. "We are driven by the intention to bring good and defend the basic rights of people, particularly in places where these rights are violated.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Ricardo Villafan never imagined he would see his face broadcast to thousands of people on one of the biggest political stages. But on Thursday night, he became the face of Vice President Kamala Harris' push to tackle climate change during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

An event that took center stage at the United Center, and that was transmitted live to millions of Americans over the course of four days, focused on the working class and a promise from Harris to prioritize their needs.

Villafan, a 24-year-old Phoenix resident, published a Spanish-language op-ed in La Voz/The Republic earlier this month where he called on Arizonans to vote in favor of Harris' clean energy agenda for the future of jobs, in benefit of unions across the nation, like the one he's a part of and in support of families like his own.

During the DNC, that same plight was shared with the entire country.

The campaign video opened with Villafan, an electrician apprentice working to build the southern extension of the light rail, a Valley Metro project scheduled for completion in 2025. He narrated about having to get up early in the morning as the best way to beat the triple-digit heat in Phoenix.

"Climate change is not a hoax, and it's not happening in the future. It is happening right here, right now," he says in the video showing him working on the light rail.

Ricardo Villafan, a 24-year-old electrician from Phoenix, became the face for the Biden-Harris clean energy plan during the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

A Phoenix electrician gets a spotlight at the DNC

This week, Villafan boarded a plane and left Arizona for the first time in his life to travel to Chicago and be there in person for the convention. The Harris campaign had reached out to ask if he wanted to be featured in a video. He immediately said yes.

A member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers union, Villafan worked at the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company plant in north Phoenix before joining the extension efforts for the light rail. He credited Harris and President Joe Biden for the opportunity to work at the manufacturing company thanks to investments from the CHIPS Act before getting a well-paid union apprenticeship at the light rail.

In his op-ed, Villafan wrote about how proud he is of the work he does with IBEW Local 640 and being able to "build the infrastructure for more renewable energy and a more resilient grid."

"Investing in renewable energy also helps families like mine save money on our electric bills, which also rise when summer temperatures arrive. We can get tax credits and rebates by installing solar panels and switching to energy-efficient appliances. Often, the work is done by unionized workers. It's a win-win situation for everyone," he wrote.

While at the convention in Chicago, Villafan met with union leaders. As a proud union member, he watched on as union leaders from around the country took speaking roles at the convention.

"I feel great and I feel happy that people are actually looking after my paycheck, looking after my job, looking after my lifestyle. I can take care of my mom. I can take care of my family. And whenever they need something," he said.

Mobilizing voters in Arizona

As he heads back to Arizona, Villafan said he was excited to cast his vote for Harris as the first female president of the United States. He's been volunteering to knock on doors and organize events as part of his union. But he's been engaged in politics long before then.

"I was 7 or 8 years old when SB 1070 in Arizona got passed," he said. "I was scared that racially profiling my parents would, you know  I was fearful of losing them. So I started following politics."

Like Villafan, the "show me your papers" law mobilized an entire generation to become more politically engaged. Many children who lived through the SB 1070 scare, either because they were undocumented or because of their mixed-status family, are today organizers, community leaders and elected officials who actively work to avoid a similar law from being approved in November in Arizona.

As an apprentice, a union member and an engaged citizen in this election, Villafan said that he takes those responsibilities seriously.

"It's been years in the making, but I never planned for this," he said. "But I'm happy that I'm putting my voice out there, and I'm putting others' voices out there that are afraid to speak, and I'm doing the work for them."

La Voz editor Joanna Jacobo Rivera contributed to this article.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix electrician featured in DNC ad fights for clean energy. Here's how
Last week, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. endorsed Donald Trump, after suspending his independent campaign for president.

"I've made the heart-wrenching decision to suspend my campaign and to support President Trump," he said. "This decision is agonizing for me because of the difficulties it causes me and my children and my friends."



Kennedy also appeared onstage at a rally in Arizona in support of the former president. At the event, Trump said if reelected, he would establish a commission to release all previously classified files relating to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, which he called "a tribute in honor of Bobby." Of course, President Kennedy was RFK Jr.'s uncle; RFK Jr.'s father, Robert F. Kennedy, was also assassinated in 1968 during his own campaign for president.

"This is a tribute, in honor of Bobby. I am announcing tonight that upon my election, I will establish a new independent presidential commission on assassination attempts," Trump said at the rally. "And they will be tasked with releasing all of the remaining documents pertaining to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy."

Five of Kennedy's siblings have since denounced his endorsement of Trump in a statement released on social media, calling it "a betrayal." Read the statement in full below:

"We want an America filled with hope and bound together by a shared vision of a brighter future, a future defined by individual freedom, economic promise and national pride. We believe in Harris and Walz. Our brother Bob's decision to endorse Trump today is a betrayal of the values that our father and our family hold most dear. It is a sad ending to a sad story." It was signed by Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, Courtney Kennedy, Kerry Kennedy, Chris Kennedy, and Rory Kennedy.

I am sharing a personal statement that my family and I have made in response to my brothers announcement. pic.twitter.com/j7vTTabNYZ  Kerry Kennedy (@KerryKennedyRFK) August 23, 2024

Other members of the Kennedy family have also shared their thoughts on RFK Jr.'s endorsement of Trump on social media.

For example, former congressman Joe Kennedy III, who is a grandson of Robert F. Kennedy, retweeted the post from RFK Jr.'s siblings, adding the comment: "Well said."

John F. Kennedy's grandson Jack Schlossberg, who recently spoke at the Democratic National Convention, and has been making social media videos in support of Kamala Harris's presidential run, wrote on Twitter: "Never been less surprised in my life. Been saying it for over a year  RFKjr is for sale, works for Trump. Bedfellows and loving it. Kamala Harris is for the people  the easiest decision of all time just got easier."

Never been less surprised in my life. Been saying it for over a year  RFKjr is for sale, works for Trump. Bedfellows and loving it.



Kamala Harris is for the people  the easiest decision of all time just got easier.  Jack Schlossberg (@JBKSchlossberg) August 23, 2024

This isn't the first time members of the Kennedy family have spoken out in opposition to RFK Jr. and his views.

Just over a year ago in July 2023, Schlossberg called RFK Jr.'s candidacy an "embarrassment."

"I have no idea why anyone thinks he should be president," he said in a video posted to social media. He also accused RFK Jr. of "trading in on Camelot, celebrity, conspiracy theories, and conflict for personal gain and fame."

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Thanks to quick thinking and a calm head, Cahokia Heights Mayor Curtis McCall Sr. was able to revive a 7-year old girl and give her a new chance at life.

Jarnell Dukes and the childs mother, Sharell Hall, are now calling McCall a hero for saving their daughters life.

Dukes said his daughter, Kennedi, has severe asthma  its like she is allergic to the outside, he says.

He didnt know just how bad her attacks could get, though, until a recent Sunday, when he took Kennedi and her twin brother Kyree on a quick trip to the store to buy dog food.

As we walked into the store she told me daddy I really cant breathe, he recalled.  I sprinted back to the car, put her in and took off. I was going to go home, but her brother said she peed on herself.

I knew she was in trouble.

Initially, Dukes said he intended to take Kennedi home to get her nebulizer, but but she passed out.

Her eyes rolled on the back of her head, he said. Her body clenched up. Everything locked up on her.

Panicked, Duke said he rushed the girl to Cahokia Heights City Hall. He said he was prepared to go to jail if thats what it took to get help. The father and son screamed for help and banged on the doors and windows, until one of them came down.

I felt like if I busted the window out somebody was going to come, he said.

Thats what got McCalls attention. The mayor just happened to be at City Hall that Sunday to meet with some residents who had flooding issues. It was as he was as he was preparing to leave that he heard the cries for help.

I have been retired from law enforcement for 20 years and I received CPR training over 25 years ago. I never had to use it until now, McCall said. I am thankful, no. 1, that I received this training and that it kicked back in after all these years.

If I want to say anything I would ask citizens to please go get that CPR training because you just never know when you will need it.  Really and truly, you just never know.

McCall said he laid Kennedi on the floor and saw that she wasnt breathing. He started chest compressions in an effort to revive her.

He also worked to calm Dukes who, by his own admission was going ballistic.

This was a small child  I didnt want to compress too hard, he said. As you can imagine, it seemed like forever, but I would imagine it probably took about five minutes of just doing CPR that I started to see some signs that made me feel better.

The first positive sign was that Kennedi began vomiting. With about two more minutes of compressions, McCall estimated, the girl began coughing.

I felt she was coming around, he said.

Cahokia Heights Police and EMS workers arrives to assist and rushed the girl to a hospital.

Dukes said he did not know at the time that the man who revived his lifeless daughter had been a trained police officer, much less the villages mayor.

She went beyond passing out. She actually passed away, Dukes said through tears. And, he brought her back.

Kennedi spent three days in the intensive care unit of an area hospital, but was able to make it for her first day of school on Monday.

Hall, Kennedis mother, echoed Dukes in declaring McCall a hero.

He revived her. She was not breathing. She was not talking. She was gone, she said. Hes a hero.

Kennedis twin brother took his appreciation up an extra measure.

Hes my super hero and I want to tell him thank you for saving my sister, Kyree said.

Not so, McCall said, Im a public servant.

You can take away hero and all that, he said. I believe God saved that training I received over 25 years ago for this time.
MIAMI, Okla.  A vision of forever honoring the sacrifice of veterans is finally a reality in Miami.

American Legion Post 147 in Miami held a dedication ceremony for their new veterans brick memorial site this morning.

Planning for this project began last November, while ground was broken back in late April.

The site contains bricks bearing the names of veterans from all across the nation, along with the flags of each branch of military.

In attendance at todays ceremony was Miami resident Rosalind Shelton.

Two of her loved ones will each have their own dedicated brick on site.

They are her husband, along with her late uncle, who were both members of the United States Army.

Oh, I think its wonderful  because they need to be recognized. They just need to be recognized to have all the wonderful things they did for our country, said Rosalind Shelton, Miami resident.

I remember the first time I visited a brick memorial  I was probably about 12 years old  and my uncle was on the wall  and I was like really inspired. I was like wow, his names gonna be here forever,' said Richard Conn, American Legion Post 240 member.

Every town has something like this  but Miami didnt. And so, as an auxiliary, we try to help as much as possible  like selling bricks also. Its great that we have so much community involvement  and I can see this growing to fill all the bricks up and then have some more expansion, said Sherrie Nida, American Legion Post Auxiliary President.

It means so much to me that I still have hope in the community. I have hope in people  and I pray that our veterans never get forgotten  and thats what this is all about today, said Curtis Nida, American Legion Post 147 commander.

Post 147 members say plans are in the works to add a life-size bronze statue of a veteran.

Theyre also looking into expanding their museum.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSNF/KODE | FourStatesHomepage.com.
A Michigan Lottery player won $1 million in Saturday's Powerball drawing, according to the Michigan Lottery.

Powerball winning numbers

The winning numbers from the Saturday, Aug. 24 drawing are 5, 15, 21, 24 and 43. The Powerball was 17. The Power Play multiplier was 3x.

The Michigan Lottery player matched the winning numbers to win the $1 million prize.

Michigan Lottery has yet to release where the winning ticket was sold.

Saturday's estimated jackpot was $35 million ($17.2 million cash value). However, no one matched the five white balls and Powerball, so the jackpot for Monday's drawing is expected to be $44 million ($21.9 million cash value).

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan Lottery player wins $1 million Powerball prize
A round of high-level talks in Cairo meant to bring about a ceasefire and hostage deal to temporarily end the 10-month Israel-Hamas war in Gaza ended on Sunday without a final agreement, a US official said.

Talks will continue at lower levels in the coming days to bridge the remaining gaps.

The official, who spoke anonymously to discuss the talks, said lower level working teams will remain in Cairo to meet with mediators from the United States, Qatar, and Egypt in hopes of addressing remaining disagreements.

The end of the talks came as Israel and Hezbollah traded heavy fire early on Sunday.

Hezbollah claimed it had hit an Israeli military intelligence site near Tel Aviv as part of a barrage of hundreds of rockets and drones, while Israel claimed its dozens of strikes had been pre-emptive to avert a larger attack. Neither offered evidence.

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed that the latest exchange of strikes with Hezbollah in southern Lebanon is not the end of the story.

Key Points

Israel-Hamas war ceasefire, hostage talks will continue after weekend meetings didnt resolve gaps

Israel launches heavy airstrikes on Lebanon, Hezbollah retaliates

Netanyahu says Israeli strikes against Hezbollah 'not the end of the story'

Biden closely monitoring events in Israel and Lebanon

Watch: US urges maximum restraint after Israel and Hezbollah exchange heavy fire

15:00 , Alexander Butler

Israels economy is struggling. Economists say ending war would help

14:00 , Namita Singh

In Jerusalems Old City, nearly all souvenir shops are closed. In Haifas flea market, forlorn merchants polish their wares on empty streets. Airlines are canceling flights, businesses are failing and luxury hotels are half empty.

Nearly 11 months into the war with Hamas, Israels economy is struggling as the countrys leaders grind ahead with an offensive in Gaza that shows no signs of ending and threatens to escalate into a wider conflict.

Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has tried to allay concerns by saying the economic damage is only temporary. But the bloodiest, most destructive war ever between Israel and Hamas has hurt thousands of small businesses and compromised international trust in an economy once thought of as an entrepreneurial dynamo. Some leading economists say a cease-fire is the best way to stop the damage.

Report:

Israel's economy is struggling. Economists say ending the war would help

Israeli hardliner Ben-Gvir repeats call for prayers at Al-Aqsa mosque compound

13:30 , Namita Singh

Israels hardline security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir repeated a call for Jews to be allowed to pray at the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, drawing sharp criticism for inflaming tensions as ceasefire negotiators seek a deal to halt fighting in Gaza.

The policy allows prayers on the Temple Mount, there is equal law between Jews and Muslims - I would build a synagogue there, Mr Ben-Gvir was quoted as saying by Army Radio in a post on social media platform X, following an interview on Monday.

Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahus office immediately put out a statement restating the official Israeli position, which accepts decades-old rules restricting non-Muslim prayer at the mosque compound, known as Temple Mount to Jews, who revere it as the site of two ancient temples.

There is no change to the status quo on the Temple Mount, Mr Netanyahus office said.

A mourner reacts near to the bodies of Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, 20 August 2024 (Reuters)

The hillside compound, in Jerusalems Old City, is one of the most sensitive locations in the Middle East, holy for both Muslims and Jews, and the trigger for repeated conflict. Mr Ben-Gvir, head of one of two hardline religious-nationalist parties in Mr Netanyahus coalition, has a long record of making inflammatory statements appreciated by his own supporters, but conflicting with the governments official line.

Mondays comment was condemned by some of his own cabinet colleagues, but Mr Netanyahus dependence on the support of Mr Ben-Gvirs party to hold his right-wing coalition together means that the minister is unlikely to be sacked or face any significant penalty.

Mondays comments came less than two weeks after he triggered outrage by visiting the compound with hundreds of supporters, many of whom appeared to be praying openly in defiance of the status quo rules.

Fears of escalation amid diplomatic impasse between Israel and Hamas

13:00 , Namita Singh

The escalation between Israel and Hamas comes with little hope of an end in sight to the war, as diplomacy by mediators - Qatar, Egypt and the United States - has so far failed to reach a ceasefire deal.

Neither Hamas nor Israel agreed to several compromises presented by mediators at talks in Cairo on Sunday, two Egyptian security sources told Reuters.

Mourners react during the funeral of Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, at Nasser hospital, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip 26 August 2024 (Reuters)

A senior US official, however, described the talks as constructive, saying they were conducted in a spirit on all sides to reach a final and implementable agreement.

Hamas official Osama Hamdan said the group rejected new conditions made by Israel during the talks, which the group didnt attend, and added that US comments over an imminent ceasefire deal were false and aimed to serve election purposes.

MSF lashes out over attacks near Al-Aqsa Hospital

12:30 , Namita Singh

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said in a statement on X on Sunday night that an explosion approximately 250m away from the MSF-supported Al-Aqsa Hospital triggered panic.

As a result, MSF is considering whether to suspend wound care for the time being, while trying to maintain life-saving treatment, it said.

From around 650 patients, only 100 remain in the hospital, with seven in intensive care unit, it said, citing Gazas health ministry.

This situation is unacceptable. Al Aqsa has been operating well beyond capacity for weeks due to the lack of alternatives for patients.

All warring parties must respect the hospital, as well as patients access to medical care, it added.

Families flee after new Israeli evacuation orders in Gaza as ceasefire hopes dim

12:00 , Namita Singh

Israel issued new evacuation orders for Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip late on Sunday, forcing more families to flee, saying its forces intended to act against militant group Hamas and others operating in the area.

In recent days, Israel has issued several evacuation orders across Gaza, the most since the beginning of the 10-month war, prompting an outcry from Palestinians, the United Nations and relief officials over the reduction of humanitarian zones and the absence of safe areas.

The Deir Al-Balah municipality says Israeli evacuation orders have so far displaced 250,000 people.

Mourners react during the funeral of Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip 26 August 2024 (Reuters)

Israeli military strikes killed at least seven Palestinians on Monday, medics said. Two were killed in Deir Al-Balah, where around a million people were sheltering, two at a school in the Al-Nuseirat camp and three in the southern city of Rafah, near the border with Egypt.

The new orders forced many families and patients to leave Al-Aqsa Hospital, the main medical facility in Deir Al-Balah, where hundreds of thousands of residents and displaced people had taken shelter, for fear of bombardments.

The hospital is close to the area covered by the evacuation notice.

Iran says Hezbollah's attack shows Israel losing its deterrent power

11:30 , Namita Singh

Israel has lost its deterrent power as it was unable to anticipate the time and place of Lebanese armed group Hezbollahs limited and managed attack, Irans foreign ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said in a post on X on Monday.

The myth of the invincibility of the Israeli army has long become an empty slogan, he added.

Greek-flagged tanker burning after Houthi attacks, but no sign of oil spill

11:00 , Namita Singh

A Greek-flagged tanker repeatedly attacked by Yemens Houthi rebels in the Red Sea remains on fire but has not yet sprung a major oil leak, a European Union naval command said on Monday.

The attack on the Sounion marks the most serious assault in weeks by the rebels, who continue to target shipping through the Red Sea corridor over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.

The attacks have disrupted the one trillion US dollars (758bn) in trade that typically passes through the region, as well as halting some aid shipments to conflict-ravaged Sudan and Yemen.

Flames and smoke rise from the Greek-flagged oil tanker Sounion, which has been on fire since 23 August 2024 (Reuters)

Images published by the EUs Operation Aspides, whose mission is to protect shipping in the area, showed smoke rising from multiple points along the Sounions deck and its bridge on Sunday.

Fires could be seen burning in at least nine different locations on the deck of the vessel, which had been loaded with 150,000 tons of Iraqi crude oil - roughly a million barrels. Some flames appeared near hatches of the ships oil tanks.

So far there are no obvious signs of an oil spill, the EU mission said.

Iran says Hezbollah's attack shows Israel losing its deterrent power

10:19 , Alexander Butler

Israel has lost its deterrent power as it was unable to anticipate the time and place of Lebanese armed group Hezbollahs limited and managed attack, Irans foreign ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said in a post on X on Monday.

Its economy and infrastructure battered, can Lebanon afford a war with Israel?

09:00 , Namita Singh

The ferocious exchange of fire by Hezbollah and the Israeli military is raising fears of a regional war beyond the tense border.

The risks for Lebanon are far greater than in 2006, when a month long war with Israel ended in a draw. Lebanon has struggled with years of political and economic crises that left it indebted, without a stable electricity supply, a proper banking system and with rampant poverty.

And with Hezbollahs military power significantly greater, there are concerns that a new war would be far more destructive and prolonged.

Can Lebanon afford any of it?

Report:

Its economy and infrastructure battered, can Lebanon afford a war with Israel?

ICYMI: Israel says polio vaccines have been delivered to Gaza

08:30 , Namita Singh

Polio vaccines for more than one million people have been delivered to Gaza, Israels military said on Sunday after the first confirmed case of the disease in the territory in a quarter of a century.

It was not immediately clear how, or how quickly, more than 25,000 vials of vaccine would be distributed in Gaza, where ongoing fighting and unrest have challenged humanitarian efforts during more than 10 months of war.

A Palestinian girl is examined by a doctor amid fears over the spread of polio after the first case was reported by the Ministry of Health (Reuters)

Other polio cases are suspected across the largely devastated territory after the virus was detected in wastewater in six different locations in July.

Aid groups plan to vaccinate more than 600,000 children under age 10 and have called for an urgent pause in the war to increase vaccinations.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United Nations childrens agency have said that, at a minimum, a seven-day pause is needed.

The UN has aimed to bring 1.6 million doses of polio vaccine into Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians are crowded into tent camps lacking clean water or proper disposal of sewage and garbage. Families sometimes use wastewater to drink or clean dishes.

Iran doesn't seek to increase regional tensions, foreign minister tells Italian counterpart

07:36 , Namita Singh

Iran does not seek to increase Middle East tensions, its foreign minister Abbas Araqchi told his Italian counterpart Antonio Tajani, adding that its retaliation for the killing of the Hamas chief in Tehran will be definite and calculated.

Greek-flagged ship Sounion on fire since 23 August after Houthi attack

06:08 , Namita Singh

The Greek-flagged ship Sounion has been on fire since August 23 after an attack by Yemens Houthis, EU Red Sea naval mission Aspides said in a post on X on Monday.

Aspides added that so far there are no obvious signs of an oil spill.

The EU mission published photos dated yesterday showing fire and smoke coming out of the vessels main deck.

This frame grab from video released by the Ansar Allah Media Office, the media arm of Yemens Houthi rebels, on Friday, 23 August 2024, shows what the Houthis describe as one of their attacks on the Greek-flagged oil tanker Sounion in the the Red Sea (AP)

The vessel had been staffed by a crew of 25 Filipinos and Russians, as well as four private security personnel, when it was attacked in the Red Sea on Thursday. It was taken by a French destroyer to nearby Djibouti, the European Unions Aspides naval mission.

The Sounion has 150,000 tons of crude oil aboard and represents a navigational and environmental hazard, the mission warned. It is essential that everyone in the area exercises caution and refrains from any actions that could lead to a deterioration of the current situation.

Late Friday night, the Houthis released footage of an explosion striking the Sounion, their fighters on the water in the distance chanting the groups slogan: God is the greatest; death to America; death to Israel; curse the Jews; victory to Islam.

Biden closely monitoring events in Israel and Lebanon

05:15 , Namita Singh

President Joe Biden was closely monitoring events in Israel and Lebanon, Sean Savett, a spokesperson for the National Security Council, said.

The Pentagon said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Gallant, and ordered both US carrier strike groups in the region to stay. The US military has been building up its forces across the region in recent weeks.

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General CQ Brown, arrived in Israel late Sunday for meetings on what the Israeli military called joint preparations in the region as part of the response to threats in the Middle East.

All-out war apparently averted for now.

Danny Citrinowicz, an expert at Israels Institute for National Security Studies, said Hezbollah might be trying to balance the equation without escalating into war. Each side hopes their narrative will be sufficient for them to declare victory and avoid a wider confrontation, he said.

This is not the end of the story, warns Netanyahu

05:00 , Namita Singh

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the military eliminated thousands of rockets that were aimed at northern Israel and shot down drones heading for the centre of the country.

I repeat  this is not the end of the story, he added.

Flights diverted as air raid sirens wailAir raid sirens were reported throughout northern Israel, and Israels international airport closed and diverted flights for about an hour.

This photo taken from a position in northern Israel shows a Hezbollah UAV intercepted by Israeli air forces over north Israel on 25 August 2024 (AFP via Getty Images)

Israels military spokesperson, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, said about 100 Israeli planes struck 270 targets, 90 per cent of them rocket launchers aimed at northern Israel. He said they were investigating the percentage of incoming rockets and drones intercepted but said the vast majority were thwarted.

The Israeli military announced early 25 August 2024 that it was conducting pre-emptive strikes in Lebanon after detecting preparations for large-scale attacks by the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah (AFP via Getty Images)

Hezbollah said its attack involved more than 320 Katyusha rockets aimed at multiple sites in Israel and a large number of drones.

Some Israelis were shaken.

In the northern city of Acre, retired teacher Saadia Even Tsur, 76, said he was at the synagogue and arrived home five minutes after his bedroom was damaged. I went up and saw the size of the miracle that happened to me, he said. A window was broken and debris was on the bed.

Israel and Hezbollah trade fire over weekend

04:45 , Namita Singh

Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah traded heavy fire early Sunday but backed off from sparking a widely feared all-out war, as both sides signalled their most intense exchange in months was over.

Hezbollah claimed to hit an Israeli military intelligence site near Tel Aviv as part of a barrage of hundreds of rockets and drones, and Israel claimed its dozens of strikes had been preemptive to avert a larger attack. Neither offered evidence.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said the attack, which was a response to Israels killing of a top militant commander in Beirut last month, had been delayed to give the Gaza cease-fire talks a chance, and so fellow Iran-backed groups could discuss with Iran whether to attack Israel all at once. Israeli and US military deployment also played a role.

Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Deir Al Balah, central Gaza Strip, 25 August 2024 (EPA)

We will now reserve the right to respond at a later time if the results of Sundays attack arent sufficient, Nasrallah said, adding that allied Houthi rebels in Yemen - and Iran itself - had yet to respond. But he told the Lebanese people: At this current stage, the country can take a breath and relax.

Israel and Hezbollah said they aimed only at military targets. Israel said no military target was hit by Hezbollah but that one soldier with its navy was killed and two others were wounded either by an interceptor for incoming fire, or by shrapnel from one. Two Hezbollah fighters and a militant from an allied group were killed, the groups said.

In pictures: Families flee during an Israeli military operation in Deir Al Balah, central Gaza Strip

04:34 , Barney Davis

(EPA)

(EPA)

(EPA)

(EPA)

Israel-Hamas war ceasefire, hostage talks will continue after weekend meetings didnt resolve gaps

04:07 , Namita Singh

A round of high-level talks in Cairo meant to bring about a cease-fire and hostage deal to at least temporarily end the 10-month Israel-Hamas war in Gaza ended on Sunday without a final agreement, a US official said.

But talks will continue at lower levels in the coming days in an effort to bridge remaining gaps.

The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the talks, said lower level working teams will remain in Cairo to meet with mediators the United States, Qatar, and Egypt in hopes to addressing remaining disagreements.

Internally displaced Palestinians, including women and children, flee during an Israeli military operation in Deir Al Balah, central Gaza Strip, 25 August 2024 (EPA)

The official called the recent conversations, which began on Thursday in Cairo and continued through Sunday, as constructive and said all parties were working to reach a final and implementable agreement.

The talks included CIA director William Burns and David Barnea, the head of Israels Mossad intelligence agency. A Hamas delegation was briefed by Egyptian and Qatari mediators but did not directly take part in negotiations.

Israelis shaken by latest round of missiles between Hezbollah

03:30 , Barney Davis

Air raid sirens were reported throughout northern Israel, and the international airport closed and diverted flights for about an hour as Israel and Hezbollah exchanged rocket fire in their most intense exchange in months earlier on Sunday.

Israels military spokesperson, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, said about 100 Israeli planes struck 270 targets, 90% of them rocket launchers aimed at northern Israel.

He said they were investigating the percentage of incoming rockets and drones intercepted but said the vast majority were thwarted.Hezbollah said its attack involved more than 320 Katyusha rockets aimed at multiple sites in Israel and a large number of drones.Some Israelis were shaken.

In the northern city of Acre, retired teacher Saadia Even Tsur, 76, said he was at the synagogue and arrived home five minutes after his bedroom was damaged. I went up and saw the size of the miracle that happened to me, he said. A window was broken and debris was on the bed.

Three deaths confirmed in Lebanon, one in Israel

02:34 , Barney Davis

With three deaths confirmed in Lebanon and one in Israel, both sides indicated they were happy to avoid further escalation for now, but warned that there could be more strikes to come.

Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said the Iranian-backed groups barrage, a reprisal for the assassination of senior commander Fuad Shukr last month, had been completed as planned.

However, the group would assess the impact of its strikes and if the result is not enough, then we retain the right to respond another time, he said.

Israels foreign minister said the country did not seek a full-scale war, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned: This is not the end of the story.

Earlier, Netanyahu had said: We are determined to do everything we can to defend our country ... whoever harms us - we harm him.

Israel and Hezbollah said they aimed only at military targets

01:09 , Barney Davis

Israel said no military target was hit by Hezbollah but that one soldier with its navy was killed and two others were wounded either by an interceptor for incoming fire, or by shrapnel from one.

Two Hezbollah fighters and a militant from an allied group were killed, the groups said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the military eliminated thousands of rockets that were aimed at northern Israel and shot down drones heading for the center of the country.I repeat  this is not the end of the story, he added.

Cairo talks over Gaza end without agreement, Egyptian security sources say

Sunday 25 August 2024 23:34 , Barney Davis

Talks over a possible Gaza deal ended without agreement in Cairo, with neither Hamas nor Israel agreeing to several comprises presented by mediators, two Egyptian security sources said on Sunday.

Israel and Lebanon back down from all-out war

Sunday 25 August 2024 22:27 , Barney Davis

Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah traded heavy fire early Sunday but backed off from sparking a widely feared all-out war, as both sides signaled their most intense exchange in months was over.

The cross-border attacks came as high-level talks resumed in Egypt aimed at a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza that also would ease regional tensions.

The Hamas and Israeli delegations later left Cairo, and an Israeli official speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss behind-the-scenes diplomacy said the talks were expected to continue.Hezbollah claimed to hit an Israeli military intelligence site near Tel Aviv as part of a barrage of hundreds of rockets and drones, and Israel claimed its dozens of strikes had been preemptive to avert a larger attack. Neither offered evidence.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said the attack, a response to Israels killing of a top militant commander in Beirut last month, had been delayed to give the Gaza cease-fire talks a chance, and so fellow Iran-backed groups could discuss with Iran whether to attack Israel all at once. Israeli and U.S. military deployment also played a role.

We will now reserve the right to respond at a later time if the results of Sundays attack arent sufficient, Nasrallah said, adding that allied Houthi rebels in Yemen - and Iran itself - had yet to respond. But he told the Lebanese people: At this current stage, the country can take a breath and relax.

Hamas says it rejects new Israeli conditions in Gaza ceasefire talks

Sunday 25 August 2024 21:23 , Barney Davis

Hamas said that it rejects new Israeli conditions put forward in Gaza ceasefire talks, casting further doubt on the chances of a breakthrough in the latest U.S.-backed effort to end the 10-month-old war.

Months of on-off talks have failed to produce an agreement to end Israels devastating military campaign in Gaza or free the remaining hostages seized by Hamas in the militant groups Oct. 7 attack on Israel that triggered the war.

Key sticking points in ongoing talks mediated by the United States, Egypt and Qatar include an Israeli presence in the so-called Philadelphi Corridor, a narrow 14.5 km-long (nine-mile) stretch of land along Gazas southern border with Egypt.

Hamas said Israel has backtracked on a commitment to withdraw troops from the Corridor and put forward other new conditions, including the screening of displaced Palestinians as they return to the enclaves more heavily populated north when the ceasefire begins.

We will not accept discussions about retractions from what we agreed to on July 2 or new conditions, Hamas official Osama Hamdan told the groups Al-Aqsa TV on Sunday.

Israel says more polio vaccines are delivered to Gaza, where aid groups seek pause in fighting

Sunday 25 August 2024 20:30 , Barney Davis

Israels military on Sunday said polio vaccines for more than 1 million people had been delivered to Gaza, after the first confirmed case of the disease in the territory in a quarter-century.

It was not immediately clear how, or how quickly, the more than 25,000 vials of vaccine would be distributed in Gaza, where ongoing fighting and unrest have challenged humanitarian efforts during more than 10 months of war.

Other polio cases are suspected across the largely devastated territory after the virus was detected in wastewater in six different locations in July.

Aid groups plan to vaccinate more than 600,000 children under age 10 and have called for an urgent pause in the war to increase vaccinations. The World Health Organization and the United Nations childrens agency have said that, at a minimum, a seven-day pause is needed.

UN chief urges Hezbollah, Israel to cease hostilities

Sunday 25 August 2024 19:30 , Barney Davis

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is deeply concerned by the escalation between Israel and Hezbollah and calls for both parties to immediately return to a cessation of hostilities, his spokesperson said on Sunday.

These actions put both the Lebanese and Israeli populations at risk, as well as threatening regional security and stability, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.

Hezbollah leader makes lengthy speech after rockets fired at Israel

Sunday 25 August 2024 18:29 , Tom Watling

Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has said that his group would assess the impact of its rocket and drone attack on Israeli military targets earlier in the day before determining whether it would carry out further attacks to avenge a slain commander.

The leader of the Lebanese armed group said in a televised address that it had been able to carry out its attack as planned, denying statements by the Israeli military that its pre-emptive strikes had stopped a wider attack by the group.

Nasrallah, speaking about 12 hours after the most intense exchange of fire between Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israel since hostilities broke out in parallel with the war in Gaza, said the group had intentionally refrained from targeting civilians or public infrastructure, including Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv.

He said the groups main target was a military intelligence base about 110 km (70 miles) inside Israeli territory - the deepest attack yet and just 1.5 km north of Tel Aviv.

Nasrallah said the group would assess the results of the operation, a retaliation for Israels killing of top Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukron the edges of Beirut last month.

If the result is not enough, then we retain the right to respond another time, Nasrallah said.

Nasrallah said Hezbollah had not planned a larger attack, specifically denying Israeli military statements that the group had intended to fire thousands of projectiles.

But he acknowledged that the operation had been delayed for several reasons, including what he called a mobilization of Israeli and American military assets in the region.

An image grab taken from Hezbollah's al-Manar TV on August 25, 2024, shows Lebanon's Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah giving a televised address from an undisclosed location (Al-Manar/AFP via Getty Images)

British Airways and Wizz Air suspend flights to Israel amid regional escalation

Sunday 25 August 2024 18:01 , Tom Watling

British Airways and Wizz Air suspend flights to Israel amid regional escalation

Israeli military says one navy soldier killed, two wounded in combat in northern Israel

Sunday 25 August 2024 17:30 , Tom Watling

One Israel navy soldier was killed and two wounded during combat in northern Israel on Sunday, the Israeli military said.

It gave no details of the circumstances of the soldiers death but Israeli media reported it occurred on a naval vessel offshore as an interceptor from Israels Iron Dome aerial defence system engaged a drone fired by Hezbollah.

Hezbollah leader issues warning of future attacks

Sunday 25 August 2024 17:00 , Tom Watling

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has claimed that Hezbollah did not use precision missiles in their strikes this morning but that they could use them in the near future.

In a lengthy speech, he added that Hezbollah had targeted an Israeli military intelligence base just outside of Tel Aviv and had ruled out targeting civilian infrastructure.

Jordan warns that escalation in lebanon could lead to regional war

Sunday 25 August 2024 16:28 , Tom Watling

Jordan has warned that heightened escalation between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah could lead to a regional war that would threaten stability.

Foreign ministry spokesperson Sufain Qudah said that Israels relentless aggression in Gaza and the failure to reach a ceasefire was exposing the region to the dangers of an expansion of the conflict, Jordanian state media reported.

Israel and Hezbollah traded messages saying neither wants further escalation, two diplomats say

Sunday 25 August 2024 16:01 , Tom Watling

Israel and the Lebanon-based group Hezbollah exchanged messages via intermediaries on Sunday in order to prevent further escalation following one of the biggest exchanges of fire between the two foes in 10 months, two diplomats told Reuters.

The main message was that both sides considered that Sundays intense exchange of bombardment was done and that neither side wanted a full-scale war, one diplomat said. The diplomats spoke on condition they were not identified.

From Hamas to Hezbollah, a look at the Iran-allied groups rallying to arms around Middle East

Sunday 25 August 2024 15:30 , Tom Watling

From Hamas to Hezbollah, a look at the groups rallying to arms around Middle East

Netanyahu says Israeli strikes against Hezbollah 'not the end of the story'

Sunday 25 August 2024 15:00 , Tom Watling

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that Israel took pre-emptive action against the Iranian-backed Hezbollah movement in Lebanon and said air defences had intercepted all rockets and drones launched against Israel.

He said that the leaders of Hezbollah and Iran should know that the response was another step towards changing the situation in the north and returning our residents safely to their homes and that this is not the end of the story.

Watch live: Israeli government spokesman David Mencer gives update as Middle East conflict escalates

Sunday 25 August 2024 14:28 , Tom Watling

Watch: Israeli government spokesman gives update as Middle East conflict escalates

Gallant debriefs US defence sec on Lebanon strikes

Sunday 25 August 2024 14:00 , Tom Watling

Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant has debriefed his US counterpart Lloyd Austin on the exchange of rocket fire with the Hezbollah militia in southern Lebanon.

Conducted a joint situation assessment and spoke with @SecDef Austin about the precise strikes that the IDF has conducted in Lebanon in order to thwart an imminent threat against the citizens of Israel. We will use all the means at our disposal to defend Israel.



Discussed the    - Yoav Gallant (@yoavgallant) August 25, 2024

Suspended flights at Beirut international airport following Israel-Hezbollah exchange

Sunday 25 August 2024 13:29 , Tom Watling

Passengers wait for their flights at Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport, following the exchange between Hezbollah and Israel in southern Lebanon, in the Southern Suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon (EPA)

Passengers lie on the ground awaiting information on their flights at Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport (EPA)

Hamas issue statement after Hezbollah attack on Israel

Sunday 25 August 2024 13:00 , Tom Watling

Fellow Iran-backed militia Hamas have released a message in support of Hezbollahs attack on Israel.

We praise and bless the great qualitative response carried out by Hezbollah against vital and strategic targets deep within [Israel].

We condemn the occupations escalation of its brutal aggression against the sisterly Lebanese Republic in flagrant violation of international conventions

[Israeli] intransigence reveals once again that it is a rogue entity that poses a threat to the region and international security and stability."

Updated: What is Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed group that could go to all-out war against Israel?

Sunday 25 August 2024 12:30 , Tom Watling

What is Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed group that could go to war against Israel?

Updated: Death toll in Gaza

Sunday 25 August 2024 12:07 , Tom Watling

More than 40,000 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched its retaliatory offensive in the Strip last October, the local health ministry has reported.

The Hamas-run body reported that 40,405 Palestinians have been killed while a further 93,468 have been injured.

Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Salah Al Din road following an evacuation order issued by the Israeli army in Deir Al Balah, central Gaza Strip (EPA)

Air France cancels flights to Tel Aviv and Beirut

Sunday 25 August 2024 11:47 , Tom Watling

Air France has cancelled its flights to Tel Aviv and Beirut until Monday at least, the company said after Hezbollah launched rockets and drones at Israel on Sunday and Israels military said it struck Lebanon with about 100 jets.

Israel residents assess damage to their homes after Hezbollah rocket attack

Sunday 25 August 2024 11:30 , Tom Watling

A resident stands next to a house damaged by a rocket fired from Lebanon in the Israeli coastal town of Acre (AFP via Getty Images)

Residents check the damage caused by a rocket fired from Lebanon in the Israeli coastal town of Acre (AFP via Getty Images)

A resident points at the damage inside a house caused by a rocket fired from Lebanon in the Israeli coastal town of Acre (AFP via Getty Images)

What to know about the heavy exchange of fire between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah

Sunday 25 August 2024 11:15 , Tom Watling

What to know about the heavy exchange of fire between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah

Israel enters a state of emergency

Sunday 25 August 2024 11:00 , Tom Watling

A municipality inspector asks a woman to get out of the sea in the northern city of Haifa, Israel (EPA)

A closed beach in the northern city of Haifa, Israel (EPA)

Israeli president praises decisive action of military

Sunday 25 August 2024 10:50 , Tom Watling

The decisive action we witnessed early this morning epitomizes Israel's right and duty to defend itself and its citizens against the threat of terrorism.



This is once again an opportunity to express our gratitude and support for our daughters and sons in the Israel Defense    Isaac Herzog (@Isaac_Herzog) August 25, 2024

Pictures from inside Gaza

Sunday 25 August 2024 10:42 , Tom Watling

While the main story this morning involves the exchange of rocket fire between Israel and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, the situation in Gaza remains difficult.

Below we have some pictures from the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza.

An elderly man holds a child by the hand as he walks past a building levelled by Israeli bombardment in the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza Strip (AFP via Getty Images)

Palestinian children queue at a water distribution point in the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza Strip (AFP via Getty Images)

Egypt warns against dangers of opening new war front in Lebanon

Sunday 25 August 2024 10:30 , Tom Watling

Egypt warned against the dangers of opening a new war front in Lebanon, the foreign ministry said in a statement on Sunday, and called for stability in the country as Hezbollah and Israel clashed again.

UN officials say developments on Lebanese-Israeli border 'worrying', UN agencies say

Sunday 25 August 2024 10:20 , Tom Watling

The Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon (UNSCOL) and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) described the developments on the Lebanese-Israeli border as worrying, and called on all parties to cease fire and refrain from further escalation, they said in a statement.
Israel and Hezbollah step back from the brink of wider war  for now

For nearly a month, people in Lebanon and Israel braced for a wider war. A deadly rocket strike from Lebanon last month on the town of Majdal Shams in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights was followed by an Israeli retaliatory strike that killed Hezbollahs top commander, Fuad Shukr, in southern Beirut.

The powerful Iran-backed group vowed to respond. The threat triggered a slew of flight cancelations on both sides of the border, a chorus of governments imploring their citizens to leave Lebanon and Israel, and a breathless diplomatic effort to avert an escalation that Western governments feared would spark a regional conflict.

On Sunday morning, Hezbollah said it had delivered its anticipated response by launching hundreds of drones and Katyusha rockets, Soviet-era short-range projectiles.

The swarm of airborne weapons, it said, sought to overwhelm Israels vaunted air defense systems and pave a path for its targets: 11 Israeli military sites in northern Israel and the occupied Golan Heights. Israels Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said all of Hezbollahs drones were intercepted.

Israeli officials said the military pre-emptively struck Hezbollah targets in the early hours of Sunday to prevent a much wider attack, adding that it hit many rocket launchers in Lebanon. Hezbollah dismissed this.

What happened was aggression, not preemptive action, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah said in a speech on Sunday night, referring to the Israeli strikes that began around half an hour before Hezbollahs attack.

Three Lebanese fighters were killed in those Israeli attacks, Hezbollah said.

The cross-border fire on Sunday morning marked a significant escalation after nearly 11 months of hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel. But it appears to have dampened fears of a wider war, for now.

In Israel, authorities soon lifted security restrictions in the countrys northern-most territory, known as the upper Galilee. In Lebanon, Hezbollah said it had concluded attacks on Israel for the day. Nasrallah declared the groups retaliation for Shukrs killing meticulously completed.

With both sides declaring victory, the region appears to once again have walked back from the brink of all-out war.

But while Hezbollahs promised response appears to be largely out of the way, Israel must continue to wait for another threat to transpire: Irans vowed revenge for the killing of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, which it blamed on Israel.

The low-intensity conflict at the Lebanon-Israel border is set to resume. Netanyahu said on Sunday that what happened today is not the end. Nasrallah meanwhile struck a similar tone, reinforcing a widely held view that the fighting on the border is a war of attrition, where each side aims to wear down the other.

A region on a knifes edge

After the attacks in Beirut and Tehran at the end of last month, Western and Israeli intelligence officials, diplomats and analysts scrambled to figure out what the retaliations promised by Iran and its most powerful non-state partner might look like.

It sparked shuttle diplomacy with the United States, the United Kingdom and France urging Hezbollah and Iran to exercise restraint. This appeared to expedite another round of talks over a ceasefire and hostage release deal in Gaza, in a bid to ward off another escalation by the Iran-led axis, which has repeatedly conditioned stopping its attacks on Israel and its allies on an end to the Israeli offensive in Gaza.

The talks to end the war continue to move at a glacial pace, despite intense diplomatic efforts by mediators including the US, Egypt and Qatar. High-level talks in Cairo ended on Sunday, giving way to the resumption of lower-level technical negotiations. But even as the US expresses optimism, with one official describing the weekends talks as constructive, there are no signs of progress on the major sticking points.

This raises the stakes for a potential showdown between Iran and Israel. But Tehran may be inclined to pay lip service to the talks. While it has vowed to respond to Israel, the Islamic Republic has repeatedly said that it wants to avoid action that could adversely impact the negotiations. And the latest escalation has shown that neither Iran nor its allied non-state fighting groups in the region can stomach the prospect of a wider war.

Hezbollah had repeatedly vowed to retaliate to any Israeli strike in Beirut with an attack on major urban centers in Israel. Yet, whether by design or due to Israels claimed pre-emptive strikes, it fell short of that threat. Most of the areas it targeted on Sunday were within the border area that has been the site of the hostilities since October and the short-range Soviet-era rockets it used have been a mainstay of Hezbollahs attacks on Israeli forces for decades.

The risk of an all-out conflict appears to be significantly lower in the aftermath of Sundays crossfire. Yet Irans open-ended threat will continue to contribute to the war of nerves that has defined much of the low-grade conflict between the Tehran-led axis and Israel. The region will remain on a knifes edge for as long as the war in Gaza goes on, at the mercy of the next miscalculation, no matter how low the warring parties appetite for conflict might be.

This article has been updated.

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Was missing a Tennessee woman murdered or did she willingly disappear?

This story previously aired on June 29, 2019.

Produced by Josh Yager and Tom Seligson

When Marsha Brantley, 50, of Cleveland, Tenn., suddenly vanished in 2009, her husband Donnie eventually became a suspect in her murder. But was Marsha even dead?

The case was unusual from the start because for months after Marsha disappeared, nobody reported her missing  not her friends, her family or even her husband. No one took much notice until her hairdresser, Kelly DeLude, worried about a missed appointment and started asking questions.

"I felt compelled to find out what happened to her," DeLude tells "48 Hours correspondent Peter Van Sant. "I wasn't trying to be a detective. I was trying to be a concerned friend."

DeLude eventually called police, and investigators later picked up the case.

Marsha and Donnie Brantley / Credit: Jana Wills

The investigation was full of seeming contradictions from the start. Donnie Brantley claimed he hadn't reported Marsha missing because she had left him. Then, police say he lied repeatedly about where she had gone and what she'd taken with her. Still, there was almost no physical evidence of a crime  no blood, no fingerprints, no crime scene at all. And with no body to prove there even was a murder, the investigators' biggest hurdle in solving the disappearance of Marsha Brantley may have been Marsha herself.

When Donnie Brantley was deposed in a 2013 civil suit, he didn't seem to want to talk much about his feelings for Marsha. In answering questions on video, he pleaded the Fifth Amendment or said he couldn't recall more than 100 times.

Brantley was arrested in 2013, but prosecutors dropped the charges after deciding they didn't have enough to get a conviction. Two years after his 2014 election, District Attorney General Stephen Crump charged Brantley again with essentially the same evidence.

Lee Davis, Brantley's attorney, says his client is 100 percent innocent.

"What proof is there that she's in fact dead  as opposed to gone missing or living someplace else?" says Davis.

It's a case "48 Hours" has been working on for five years, and it raises questions about the challenges prosecutors often face when someone vanishes without a trace. It also includes a stunning ending that nobody  including prosecutors  saw coming.

Det. Zach Pike | Bradley County Sheriff's Office: I'm raisin' my family here. My parents raised their family here and their parents raised their family here! It's a place that I like to call home and hopefully this is where I'll remain.

Kelly DeLude | Marsha's hairdresser: Cleveland, Tennessee is beautiful. known as the "City with Spirit"  You can't swing a ball bat without hittin' a church.

Kelly DeLude: A lotta people know one another  and we do have a lot of older homes and a lot of history here  I'm very proud of our town.

Kelly DeLude: I've been a hair dresser for over 30 years  You have certain clients that you kinda click with and you're closer to - and for me, Marsha was one of those clients.

Jana Wills | Marsha's cousin: She was fun. She was outgoing  she was one of my favorite cousins.

Kelly DeLude: She did confide in me and I confided in her.

Jana Wills: She was beautiful  She was always kind.

Kelly DeLude: She loved her husband  She mentioned him every time.

Elise Brantley | Donnie Brantley's daughter: when I think of her, my first few words would not be giving, loving. I didn't see a lot of that from her, even as her stepdaughter.

Peter Van Sant: How would you describe her?

Elise Brantley: Loner. I believe that she was very depressed.

NEWS REPORT: A case that sounds like a "48 Hours" mystery  a Bradley County woman disappears without a trace.

Kelly DeLude: It struck me, oh, my goodness  she's, you know, she's not been in, that is odd  and I said, you know, she's overdue.

NEWS REPORT: When Marsha disappeared in June 2009, her husband Donnie Brantley did not report her missing

Elise Brantley: It's hard seeing my father in this way, it's a scary thing. I know the inside of this man and the heart of him  he wouldn't hurt anyone.

Peter Van Sant: He loved her?

Elise Brantley: Yes.

Peter Van Sant: And they had a real marriage?

Elise Brantley: Yes.

DEPOSITION ATTORNEY: During the years of your marriage am I correct that you maintained romantic relationships with persons other than your wife? DONNIE BRANTLEY: Upon the advice of counsel I plead the Fifth.

Det. Zach Pike: We have a guy who's told numerous lies about where his wife went, and we can prove otherwise.

Prosecutor Steve Crump: He may be the singularly most dishonest defendant I've ever dealt with.

NEWS REPORT: Authorities have not located Marsha's body but were able to charge her husband with premeditated first-degree murder based on evidence.

Det. Zach Pike: I think we have a great circumstantial case.

Lee Davis | Defense attorney: There's no blood, no fingerprints, no DNA  no body. and there's no crime scene  What proof is there that she's in fact dead? as opposed to gone missing or living someplace else.

Kelly DeLude: I felt compelled to find out what happened to her. I knew that something was very, very wrong.

Prosecutor Steve Crump: He murdered her. He murdered her.

Elise Brantley: That's crazy. It's ridiculous.  It's just not him.

Lee Davis: He's 100 percent innocent of these charges.

Kelly DeLude: If he did do something to her and if I just let this go, he'll get away with it!

MARSHA AND DONNIE

Justice may finally be at hand for Marsha Brantley, a 50-year-old writer and animal lover who disappeared in 2009.

Peter Van Sant: You ready to go?

Lee Davis|Defense attorney: We're ready for trial.

In February 2018, Marsha's husband, Donnie Brantley, has come to court ready to stand trial for allegedly murdering her.

Peter Van Sant [outside courthouse]: This is a very important day for Donnie Brantley.

Lee Davis: It's very important. He's had a cloud of suspicion hanging over his head for nine years.

Back in 2014, when "48 Hours" first began investigating this case, Marsha's aunt, Medra Justis, and cousin Jana Wills met with Steve Crump, who was about to take over as district attorney general.

Prosecutor Steve Crump: Ultimately, I believe we will be able to do justice in this case.

Medra Justis: We're just lookin' forward to bringing this thing to a close.

Prosecutor Steve Crump: We're gonna create within this district a cold case working group.

Crump raised the family's hopes that he could win a conviction in a case guaranteed to be an uphill battle for the prosecution, because Marsha Brantley had simply vanished.

Prosecutor Steve Crump [to Justis and Wills]: We don't have a crime scene. We don't have  a dead body. We don't have what you normally think of in terms of a homicide case.

As the years passed, Jana and her husband Mark became frustrated that there would never be justice.

Mark Wills: It's a tragedy. It's somethin' that no one should have to experience, or no one should have to go through.

Peter Van Sant: What do you think?

Jana Wills: What happened to her? Will we find her?

It's a good question  especially since the man they believe knows what happened to Marsha has, in their opinion, never offered to help.

Peter Van Sant: Not a phone call, not an email, not a text message?

Jana Wills: No.

Peter Van Sant: Not a postcard, nothing?

Jana Wills: None of her family.

Peter Van Sant: Did he organize any search parties?

Jana Wills: No. None.

Mark Wills: He proffered no help.

A civil deposition in 2013 shows that Donnie Brantley likely will never have much to say:

DEPOSITION ATTORNEY: She was the love of your life, right? DONNIE BRANTLEY: Yes. DEPOSITION ATTORNEY: OK, when did she stop being the love of your life? DONNIE BRANTLEY: I plead the Fifth. DEPOSITION ATTORNEY: Didn't have anything to do with her disappearance, did it? DONNIE BRANTLEY: I plead the Fifth.

In 2012  three years after Marsha went missing  Jana Wills and Medra Justis went into the house where Marsha and Donnie lived for nine years. They were upset by the chaos they found.

Medra Justis: This is the home where Marsha and Donnie lived for nine years.

Medra Justis: somebody had no respect for her and we knew who that was. And Donnie Brantley is going to pay for what he's done to her.

Medra Justis: There was not a picture of Marsha to be seen anywhere.

Jana Wills: There were pictures of Donnie and his daughter, but none of Marsha.

Growing up, Jana was especially close to Marsha, her older cousin.

Jana Wills: She would come and pick me up from high school sometimes and we would go get ice cream.

From a young age, Marsha had an endearing passion for pets.

Jana Wills: she had her favorite dachshund named Barney  she taught him to pray before he ate his meals  He would cross his little paws [laughs].

As an adult, Marsha volunteered at a local animal shelter.

Jana Wills: I looked up to her when I was a little girl.

Kim Shank was Marsha's closest friend.

Kim Shank: She was 5'10"  Even though she seemed to kind of command the room  she was probably one of the more shy people to be that commanding with her physical presence.

Medra Justis: She was a friendly person, a sweet person.

Especially to her parents. She grew up in an affluent family, an only child with no children of her own.

Jana Wills: She took care of her mother a lot, because her mother was ill for a very long time.

In 1999, Marsha met Donnie Brantley on a dating website. He was a divorced father of a teenage daughter.

Kim Shank: She called me and she said, "Well I've met someone," and it was getting really serious. And she said, "I want you to meet him."

Marsha and Donnie Brantley / Credit: Jana Wills

Marsha and Donnie shared a love for the outdoors. She was an avid hiker, while Donnie was a competitive bicycle rider. At 41, this was Marsha's first serious relationship.

Kim Shank: He was what I always wanted for her  somebody that she could be in to and love and share her life with and live on happily ever after.

Marsha even wrote poetry for Donnie: "with love so pure and true, I can but only thank my God I fell in love with you."

Donnie's daughter Elise was happy her dad had found a soul mate.

Elise Brantley: When we would sit and watch movies on weekends and that kind of thing, they would hold hands.

They were married in 2000, and moved into the house Marsha's parents had built for her. But shortly after the newlyweds settled down, tragedy struck.

Medra Justis: Her mother passed away in November of 2000. And her father passed away in December.

Jana Wills: Imagine losing both your parents in less than a month.

Mark Wills: She was devastated. It was a lot of sadness, I mean, it was just heartbreaking.

Elise Brantley: I saw a different side of her when she lost her parents. There wasn't a lot of  happiness after that.

But Marsha did her best to carry on. A large inheritance enabled her to help Donnie set up a handyman business franchise. She also quit her job as housing director at nearby Lee University to pursue her passion.

Kim Shank: She wanted to write young adult novels.

Reggie Jay and Nancy Grill were members of a writers' group that Marsha formed in 2007.

Reggie Jay: She was very talented and definitely had what it took to be successful.

Peter Van Sant: What was the name of this writing group?

Reggie Jay: Thunder Rock Writers Group the other name was the Big Girl Panties Group. We would critique each other's work and we would say, "Put your big girl panties on because, you know, you might get your feelings hurt."

Grill and Jay say Marsha was the best of the bunch.

Reggie Jay: "Dirty Little Secrets" is a story that Marsha wrote. [Reading aloud] "The sun rose above the Kudzu covered trees as I swept the house and chased the dust outta the front door and across the porch with a broom."

Read "Dirty Little Secrets"



Peter Van Sant: Wonderful imagery. She can write, this woman.

Reggie Jay: Yes.

But in June 2009, a dark chapter began in Marsha Brantley's life  with a plot twist right out of a novel  she seemed to fall off the face of the earth.

Kelly DeLude: "I knew that something was very, very wrong."

WHERE'S MARSHA?

In her 30 years as a hairdresser in Cleveland, Tennessee, Kelly DeLude says cuts, perms and parts are only part of the job.

Peter Van Sant: As a hairstylist, are you also a therapist?

Kelly DeLude: We're in their personal space, so people certainly  share with us, probably a lot more than they would the clerk at the grocery store, you know [laughs].

But of the hundreds of clients DeLude has cut and consoled over the years, there has been only one whose face haunts her dreams.

Kelly DeLude [in salon]: When I would go to sleep at night, I would think of Marsha. And when I would wake up in the morning, I would think of Marsha.

Marsha Brantley first came in for a cut in the year 2000, and the two came together like scissors and hair.

Peter Van Sant [in salon]: What was it about Marsha that made the two of you click?

Kelly DeLude: We just got along  we would just talk the whole time. we would just sort of catch up with one another. She really spoke mostly about her home life with Donnie and her dogs. Her dogs were like her children.

DeLude says Marsha couldn't say enough nice things about her marriage and her husband. As the years went by, the two women grew closer. But during what turned out to be Marsha's final hair appointment in April 2009, Kelly saw a side of Marsha that left her concerned.

Kelly DeLude: She seemed troubled. She seemed a bit depressed.

Kelly DeLude: She was asking me if the economy had affected the business here, and I said, certainly, it had, you know? And she said, "Well, you know, it's really affecting our business."

Marsha told her Donnie's handyman business was failing and money was tight. Still, DeLude expected Marsha to call about six weeks later to set up her next appointment.

Peter Van Sant: and she was very regimented in coming to see you.

Kelly DeLude Oh, yeah. Yeah, she  she colored her hair  so most women are, sure.

But DeLude never got that call. She was too busy to notice. But as spring turned to summer, Marsha's neighbor stopped into the salon.

Kelly DeLude: She said, "Kelly, when was the last time you did Marsha's hair?" And I said, "Let me look." And I looked at my file and I said, "April. That is so unusual. Is she OK?" And she said, "She has not been walking her dogs. They are barkin' their heads off." And  her flowers were dead in the yard.

Kelly DeLude: And when she mentioned that, it struck me, "Oh, my goodness. She's  she's not been in. That is odd."

Odd enough, says DeLude, that she was moved to pick up the phone.

Kelly DeLude: I called Marsha.

The call went to voicemail. She left a message, but didn't hear back. For days, she called again and again  and no Marsha.

Kelly DeLude: One night I decided, "Well, I'm gonna call Donnie and  ask him if he knows where Marsha is. I actually called  Donnie's business, and the phone was disconnected. So that really concerned me.

Marsha's neighbor was concerned, too  so much so that she decided to confront Donnie in person at his house.

Kelly DeLude: She literally went up, knocked on the door, and when he answered, she said, "Donnie, where's Marsha?" And he told her the most ridiculous story. "She's leaving me. She went out West."

Peter Van Sant: Had she ever talked about trouble in the marriage?

Kelly DeLude: No, never.

For DeLude, it seemed inconceivable that Marsha would suddenly leave the house her parents had built for her, leave behind her beloved dogs, and most of all, leave the husband she adored.

Peter Van Sant: What are you thinking?

Kelly DeLude: I'm thinking at that point, he has done something to her. I knew that something was very, very wrong.  I had no peace about it. And so finally, I thought, I'm gonna call around  And in my mind, I thought, you know, "I'm crossin' a little line here into meddling."

Peter Van Sant: You've become a detective at this point. You're gathering information. You're calling various people, right.

Kelly DeLude: Well I was, but I wasn't tryin' to be a detective. I was tryin' to be a concerned friend.

DeLude found a member of Marsha's writing club and got more disturbing news.

Kelly DeLude: She told me that Marsha was no longer coming.

One of the strangest things about this case is that for months, nobody reported Marsha Brantley missing. Her relatives, they live on the other side of the state; her best friend, Kim Shank, she's in Ohio, and the members of her writer's group, well they just didn't hang out socially. In the end, it would be her hairdresser who tipped authorities to a potential murder.

Kelly DeLude: I came into work the next day and  I called the  Cleveland Police Department. And I said, "I need to report a missing person."And he said, "Excuse me  Are you her mom, her sister?" And I said, "No, actually, I'm her hairdresser [laughs].

Kelly DeLude: He said, "Well, ma'am, if he says she's gone, and that she left him, she left him.

Hairdresser Kelly DeLude and attorney Jerry Hoffer / Credit: CBS News

Undeterred, DeLude turned to the best social network she knew: her customers.

Peter Van Sant: And you can cut and talk at the same time. You're good at that.

Kelly DeLude: Oh, yeah [laughs]. For 30 years, yes.

DeLude chose a person who was long on brains under all that short hair  local attorney Jerry Hoffer.

Kelly DeLude: He couldn't get away. So, when I was cutting his hair, I said, "You know, Jerry, I'm gonna tell you a story. And when I get finished I want you to tell me what you think.

Jerry Hoffer: I'm listening to the story  And I'm just sitting there thinking, "Man, this guy is  he might've killed his wife!"

SEEKING ANSWERS

Kelly DeLude: I felt like finally justice is gonna be done.

Jerry Hoffer: Right after I got my haircut  I walked in the D.A.'s office  And I just kind of in a flippant way, I said, "You've got, you've got a dead lady out there. You all need to be looking for her."

Prosecutors agreed, and sent their investigator, Walt Hunt, now retired, to Marsha's house to look for her.

Walt Hunt | Former investigator: When I approached him  he told me that they were having some marital issues.

But it wasn't just what Brantley said  it was how he said it  that really caught Hunt's attention.

Walt Hunt: He was pretty cool, and maybe a little cooler than I might expect.

Kelly DeLude: He was cool, calm, steady as a rock. He said that is not normal.

Hunt's instincts convinced him to call the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. They would launch what would become a nine-year coordinated effort between state and local agencies, all dedicated to finding Marsha Brantley.

/ Credit: Jana Wills

Det. Zach Pike: It was around October 2011  And I jumped at the opportunity  to be able to assist  with the investigation.

When Zach Pike and David Shoemaker of the Bradley County Sheriff's Office got the case in 2011, they quickly saw why Donnie Brantley was a suspect. He had always denied any role in his wife's disappearance, but he'd lied when he claimed that Marsha had taken her phone.

Prosecutor Steve Crump: I think her cellphone in his possession is easily, in my mind, the most damning fact.

Det. Zach Pike: The cellphone never left pinging from a tower that's two miles or less from the home.

In June 2009, right around the time authorities think Marsha disappeared, they say Donnie used her phone to make a highly suspicious call.

Prosecutor Steve Crump: he calls on that cellphone  the Chattanooga Singles line.

Peter Van Sant: He calls a dating

Prosecutor Steve Crump: Yes. Chattanooga Singles line.

While Donnie was apparently seeking a new love interest, investigators say he couldn't seem to keep his story straight about his old love, Marsha.

Lt. David Shoemaker: She took a camper and moved to Townsend, Tennessee.  Every time someone asked him what happened to Marsha, it's something different

Prosecutor Steve Crump: Gone to Florida  gone out west to  work as a missionary. They were all lies.

If Marsha had left, investigators were struck by what she had left behind.

Det. Zach Pike: All of her clothes. Her shoes. Documents important to her. The baby book that  her mother compiled for her  brushes, toothbrushes, all that's still in the house. She left her car.

Lt. David Shoemaker: Importantly, she left her house.

The one her parents had built for her.

Prosecutor Steve Crump: That doesn't make sense.

If Donnie Brantley did kill his wife, they say a look at the family finances may provide a motive.

DEPOSITION ATTORNEY: Did she keep the money or you? DONNIE BRANTLEY: I plead the Fifth.

Lt. David Shoemaker: He was financially supported by his wife.

They say Donnie's failing business franchise was draining Marsha's inheritance.

Lt. David Shoemaker: She would have cut him off from the money.

Peter Van Sant: What was the state of their marriage in those last months prior to Marsha's disappearance?

Lt. David Shoemaker: There was a little bit of tension. Obviously with the money problems.

And investigators soon unearthed phone records that revealed Donnie Brantley had begun calling an ex-girlfriend within days after Marsha disappeared.

DEPOSITION ATTORNEY: Do you know Stephanie Richardson? DONNIE BRANTLEY: Yes. DEPOSITION ATTORNEY: OK. And who is Stephanie Richardson? DONNIE BRANTLEY: I plead the Fifth.

Lee Davis is Donnie Brantley's attorney.

Lee Davis: There was no affair with Donnie while Donnie was married to Marsha. There was an intimate relationship that started after Marsha left.

And there was other suspicious behavior. Authorities discovered that just hours after Investigator Hunt had interviewed him, Donnie went to a pawn shop and sold a number of Marsha's possessions, including 

Prosecutor Steve Crump: 14-karat gold cross, a Figaro necklace, a Figaro bracelet, a herringbone necklace and a Toshiba laptop.

And there was something else Marsha left behind that friends and family say she valued more than all the material possessions in the world.

Jana Wills: Marsha loved her dogs. they were her kids.

Peter Van Sant: Would she have ever left the house without her dogs?

Jana Wills: No. Never.

In March 2010, authorities ask Donnie Brantley to take a polygraph test. Surprisingly, he accepts.

Peter Van Sant: How does he do?

Det. Zach Pike: Fails it.

Peter Van Sant: Fails it?

Det. Zach Pike: Flying colors.

Then, during that 2013 videotaped deposition, Donnie refused to answer  "I plead the Fifth"  or said he "couldn't recall" more than 100 times.

DEPOSITION ATTORNEY: Are there other items of hers which you sold when she disappeared? DONNIE BRANTLEY [pauses, reaches for a bottle of water before answering]: I plead the Fifth.

That performance, combined with circumstantial evidence, helped convince police in August 2013 to arrest Donnie Brantley and charge him with the murder of his wife.

WDEF NEWS REPORT: Donnie Brantley is now an inmate at the Bradley County Jail being held on a half million dollar bond for the first-degree murder of his wife, Marsha.

But after seven months behind bars, Donnie is freed when then-Prosecutor Steve Bebb decides he doesn't have enough evidence yet and drops the charges.

Steve Bebb: the family had told law enforcement that they didn't feel good about going forward with it at this time and they wanted to try to get more evidence.

Jana Wills: We didn't think that it was time yet.

Peter Van Sant: Cause you get one shot at this.

Jana and Mark Wills: Right.

Months later, newly-elected Prosecutor Steve Crump focuses his legal sights on Donnie Brantley. But it would take another two years to arrest and recharge him.

Prosecutor Steve Crump to reporters: I was interested in it from the very beginning.

Elise Brantley: Four cars pulled up and told him to get on the ground. It was pretty traumatizing.

Finally, in February of 2018, nearly nine years after Marsha Brantley disappeared, her husband's murder trial is scheduled to begin.

Peter Van Sant: You're convinced you've got the right man.

Det. Zach Pike: No doubt.

Det. David Shoemaker: The things that he did, things he said  all point toward a guilty man.

TWICE CHARGED

Peter Van Sant: How big a case is this among people here?

Det. Zack Pike: I think it's pretty big, for the simple fact that this doesn't happen here everyday. People don't just disappear and not be seen for nine years.

Detective Zack Pike and Lt. David Shoemaker of the Bradley County Sheriff's Office say as Cleveland, Tennessee natives, the Brantley case hits them close to home.

Peter Van Sant: In some ways is this personal for you?

Det. Zack Pike: Absolutely. Been many nights I haven't slept, wonderin' where Marsha is.

Lee Davis | Defense attorney: There's no proof that Donnie Brantley murdered his wife, Marsha. I've asked 'em point blank, "If Donnie is responsible, as you suggest, tell me how he did it?"

Donnie Brantley's lawyers, Lee Davis and Janie Parks Varnell, say their client should never have been charged with murder once, let alone twice.

Janie Parks Varnell | Defense attorney: Law enforcement had tunnel vision  and they had tunnel vision that led directly to Donnie Brantley. And the rest of it they just ignored.

Peter Van Sant: Who murdered Marsha Brantley?

Det. Zack Pike: Donnie Brantley.

Peter Van Sant: You say the same?

Lt. David Shoemaker: I say the same.

Peter Van Sant: Where?

Lt. David Shoemaker: At her house  at their house.

Lee Davis: No proof of a crime scene. No proof of a body, an autopsy.

Peter Van Sant: Is there a witness in this case?

Lee Davis: No. There's no  trace evidence, there's no blood, no fingerprints, no DNA, no fiber analysis.

Lee Davis: What proof is there that she's, in fact, dead?

He'll argue at trial that this case is actually about a nine-year-old marriage that, because of financial problems, may have reached a breaking point in June 2009.

Lee Davis: And she  she told Donnie that she needed some time to herself and time to think.

Which is why, Davis says, it's ridiculous to argue Donnie's failure to report Marsha missing is suspicious.

Lee Davis: When your wife tells you she's leaving the marriage, you don't call the police or 911.

Jana Wills | Marsha's cousin: She would never have left her family, she would never have left her home, she would never have left her friends and just disappeared and contacted no one.

Remember, her phone never left the house.

Peter Van Sant: He's using her phone after he's told law enforcement that she took it.

Prosecutor Steve Crump: Yes.

Davis says that certainly doesn't help Donnie, but it shouldn't hurt him either.

Lee Davis: He lied about her cellphone. And that is something that has complicated the case. There is a huge world of difference between somebody who lies about a cellphone and proof of a first-degree murder.

Nor should it hurt the defense that Marsha left many of her belongings behind  even if Donnie pawned some of them. Davis says he needed cash, but left most of her things alone because he figured she'd one day come back to get them, including her beloved dogs.

Peter Van Sant: Let's talk about the dog issue.

Lee Davis: If you believe that Marsha was murdered, you would say she would never  leave the dogs behind  if you look at it from the lens of Marsha was troubled and depressed or not sure what she was gonna do, the one thing she wouldn't do is take the dogs with her. She'd make sure she left the dogs with somebody who was gonna take care of them, no matter what, and that's Donnie.

Elise Brantley: They got those dogs together. They were  their dogs. They weren't just hers.

And Davis says there was one thing Marsha definitely didn't leave behind: a wad of cash they kept hidden in the attic.

Lee Davis: She took with her a large amount of money, which was her money.

Peter Van Sant: And how much money are we talkin' about?

Lee Davis: Probably talkin' between $100,000 and $110,000.

Davis says all that money could have been Marsha's gateway to a new life away from her husband and Cleveland, Tennessee. Donnie's lawyers also claim that all those stories he told about where his wife may have gone, were actually suggestions once he realized she truly was missing.

Lee Davis: In the State of Tennessee, there are 283 missing persons cases open right now.

Though a civil court ruled that Marsha is deceased, her name can still be found on the National Missing Persons website.

Lee Davis: There is one for Marsha Brantley. Right now that's open. Listing her as a missing person. Not a murdered person. Not a person who they suspect has been murdered by her husband.

Lee Davis: She's  a smart woman  she left for reasons of her own.

Reggie Jay : She was always self-assured and  was a leader type personality.

But a couple of months before Marsha disappeared, Reggie Jay says the writers group was stunned by a bitter email exchange with her.

Reggie Jay [reading email]: She says, "Ladies  I just wanted to let you all know that I'd be missing for some time" without explaining.

Peter Van Sant: When you read that, what'd you think?

Reggie Jay: I was mad. I thought, "How dare you do that to us."

Peter Van Sant: She writes, "No one in the group is responsible for my MIA, missing in action, status. I merely said I'd be missing."

Reggie Jay: At that point, I truly did think to myself immediately, "Did Marsha write that?"

Peter Van Sant: Who'd you think wrote it?

Reggie Jay: Donnie!

But neither side in the legal case agrees with her. The defense says Marsha wrote the email because she was about to leave town.

Lee Davis: She was separating herself from those relationships that was closest to her.

The prosecution says she only sent it because she planned to quit her writing group, and the email itself proves she wasn't actually going anywhere.

Prosecutor Steve Crump: Later in that email she says  "But you all will see me around. Cleveland is a small town. We'll certainly run into one another."

Reggie Jay and Nansy Grill were bewildered and concerned. They remembered around the time of the emails, Marsha, who had suddenly lost a lot of weight, said something that now seemed ominous.

Reggie Jay: And she just made the comment, "I've been so depressed that I could hardly get off the couch." And I remember doing sort of a double take, looking and, like, "Marsha, are you OK?"

Robin Terrero | Former pharmacist: I think that there was a whole lot going on with Marsha that she didn't tell anyone, even the people in her writing group.

If Marsha Brantley had a secret, "48 Hours" contacted one of the only people she might have told. Robin Terrero is a former pharmacist who worked with doctors to treat patients. She specialized in hormone replacement therapy.

Robin Terrero: She first came in 2004, in June of 2004.

Terrero says Marsha was going through menopause and was having a tough time, including night sweats and mood swings.

Robin Terrero: It can be very, very severe.

Peter Van Sant: And in the worst cases, what can it lead to?

Robin Terrero: Well, I mean, there have been cases known where women did commit suicide during this time.

Terrero worked with Marsha's doctor, who prescribed medications for her right up to the time she disappeared.

Robin Terrero: What concerned me more with Marsha was not what she shared, but what she didn't share. that there was a lot more underneath there than she was willing to share with me.

Terrero's chart notes show Marsha repeatedly reported feeling depressed, including this passage one month before she disappeared:

Robin Terrero [reading]: On May 1st, 2009, "Patient has been off of hormones since April the 12th. Was having severe depression."

Peter Van Sant: So Marsha said to you she was experiencing severe depression?

Robin Terrero: Yes. It was underlined. Severe.

Peter Van Sant: And what are the last notes that you have written

Robin Terrero [reading]: On 5/18 She was having  mood swings, sleepless. She was  up and down.

Lee Davis: You have a woman who  describes herself as being severely depressed. Those things were disclosed in 2010 to law enforcement and from all I can tell, they've never been investigated.

Prosecutor Steve Crump: There was no significant mental illness. I never thought that that was the real answer.

In 2015, the Tennessee Board of Pharmacy revoked Robin Terrero's license for unprofessional conduct unrelated to Marsha's treatment. She was never charged with a crime.

Peter Van Sant: What do you think happened to Marsha Brantley?

Elise Brantley: I wish I knew. I really have no idea

Peter Van Sant: Did you ever just look him in the eye, daughter to father, and say, "Dad, did you do this? Did you kill her?"

Elise Brantley: I did not. I knew he didn't.

Jana Wills: She's gone. She's dead.

Kelly DeLude: Well, he's disposed of her body very well. I know that.

Now, after nine long years, a jury will hear both sides of Marsha Brantley's mysterious disappearance.

Prosecutor Steve Crump: This has got to be done exactly right. We don't have any room for error.

AN UNEXPECTED TWIST

NEWS REPORT: A Bradley County cold case from nearly a decade ago heads to trial next week

But just two days before Donnie Brantley's murder trial is set to begin, Prosecutor Steve Crump  the man who four years earlier promised Marsha Brantley's family justice  gives "48 Hours" some shocking news.

Peter Van Sant: I've heard you have an announcement to make.

Prosecutor Steve Crump: We just met with the family  and we told them that we're probably gonna be dismissing this case on Monday.

Peter Van Sant: Whoa, whoa, whoa. You're going to dismiss this murder case?

Prosecutor Steve Crump: Yes.

Peter Van Sant: Why?

Prosecutor Steve Crump: This is an unusual case. We're afraid that the judge will enter a judgment of acquittal because we can't prove that Marsha Brantley was murdered.

Prosecutor Steve Crump: You only get one shot.

Crump fears the jury would never get a chance to decide on guilt or innocence  that the judge would rule there just isn't enough evidence to go on and throw the case out.

Peter Van Sant: To be charged with murder, dropped, charged with murder and dropped again, I'm sorry, I  I just feel like there's some incompetence here.

Prosecutor Steve Crump: Sure. Well, and  and I  I can appreciate that. and my view of what Donnie Brantley did to Marsha Brantley hasn't changed. I don't believe we have the wrong guy. I don't believe  we have the wrong set of facts. This is a legal decision, one that is made as a matter of trial strategy.

Crump stands by what he's done.

Prosecutor Steve Crump: Maybe I should have done it earlier. Maybe I should have seen this sooner. Maybe you're right. Maybe it was incompetence. I'll never stop self-evaluating  but no matter what the outcome is, I better always do the right thing.

Hairdresser Kelly DeLude reacts to learning there will be no trial for Donnie Brantley. / Credit: CBS News

Peter Van Sant [at Kelly DeLude's front door]: Hey Kelly.

Kelly DeLude: Hello.

Peter Van Sant: I have some rather startling news to tell you. There will not be a trial.

Kelly DeLude: Are you serious? That's terrible. That's terrible.

On Feb. 5, 2018, court convenes to make it official.

Peter Van Sant [outside court:] Hey Zach.

Det. Zach Pike: Good morning.

Peter Van Sant [outside court]: "It's kind of a sad day for you."

Det. Zach Pike: Absolutely.

Peter Van Sant [to Donnie Brantley outside court]: That's him, that's Brantley. Donnie can I just ask one thing? What's going through your mind, after all you've gone through, this is such a day of victory for you

[Donnie Brantley walks by without speaking]

Judge: This is the state of Tennessee versus Mr. Brantley. General would you like to approach? Do you have a motion to make?

Prosecutor Steve Crump: Yes, your honor.

Steve Crump [to judge]: I made the decision on Saturday that we would not go forward with this case.

Nearly 10 years after Marsha's disappearance, it takes a judge just 10 minutes to dismiss the case against Donnie Brantley yet again.

Judge: At this time, Mr. Brantley is free to go.

For Donnie, it's a second victory.

Surrounded by his defense team and his daughter, Donnie Brantlley tells reporters,

Donnie Brantley [addressing reporters outside the courthouse]: I'd like to thank the judge for dismissing the charges. But also, I'd like to thank my family for all their support during this extremely stressful period. And I look forward to putting this difficult time behind me.

For Marsha's family, it's a second devastating blow in court.

Medra Justis | Marsha's aunt: I felt like life has been squeezed out of me.

Jana Wills | Marsha's cousin: My family is crushed, but tomorrow's a new day. This isn't the end.

Later that month, the judge orders Donnie's record of criminal charges in Bradley County to be erased. And Steve Crump does something "48 Hours" found remarkable.

Peter Van Sant: So this is from the case file?

Prosecutor Steve Crump: It is.

Peter Van Sant: And this is an extraordinary thing  because generally, you don't get to see this pretrial.

Prosecutor Steve Crump: That's right.

With Detective Pike guarding the evidence, Crump showed "48 Hours" what a jury never got to see. He hopes that by showing the evidence, a viewer may remember something important and call in a tip.

Peter Van Sant: And what are you holding in your hand?

Prosecutor Steve Crump: This is a receipt for  for a torch kit  for a welder.

They are receipts for items Donnie bought around the time Marsha disappeared, including duct tape and plastic sheeting.

Lee Davis: The man runs a home repair business!

Prosecutor Steve Crump: We believe  that all of these receipts represent preparations for disposing of Marsha Brantley.

Peter Van Sant: Disposing of her body?

Prosecutor Steve Crump: Yes, correct.

Peter Van Sant: What do we have here?

Prosecutor Steve Crump: A greeting card.

It's a greeting card Crump says Donnie hand delivered to that ex-girlfriend he'd been calling.

Prosecutor Steve Crump: This was delivered, we believe, the day after Marsha Brantley disappeared.

Peter Van Sant: And what did Donnie write on the inside of this card?

Prosecutor Steve Crump: "Hi, girl!!" With two exclamation points. "Things are better for me now!!"  "Call me if you can," with his number.

DEPOSITION ATTORNEY: Do you know how a card got in Stephanie Richardson's mailbox on the morning of June the 3rd, 2009? In your handwriting? DONNIE BRANTLEY: I plead the Fifth.

Preosecutor Steve Crump: it provides at least in part a motive. There's another woman.

"48 Hours" wanted to meet that "other woman."

Peter Van Sant [in car]: We've decided to drive out to her neighborhood to try to speak to her  I'm gonna go up to the door, and knock, and see if Stephanie is home.

Stephanie Richardson is now married.

Peter Van Sant [on porch]: Hey, Stephanie.

Stephanie Richardson: Hi, how are you?

Peter Van Sant: I'm Peter Van Sant with CBS News, "48 Hours."

Stephanie Richardson: Nice to meet you.

Peter Van Sant: It's really nice to meet you.

She disagrees with the prosecutor's interpretation of the card.

Stephanie Richardson: I'm sorry, they're stretching things.

Richardson says she did date Donnie, but not while Marsha was in his life.

Peter Van Sant: The prosecutor's claiming that there was an affair.

Stephanie Richardson: That's not true.

Peter Van Sant: I would love to ask you just a few questions about that. Would you be 

Stephanie Richardson: No. You have to understand [cries] this is my life. I don't want to deal with this anymore.

Donnie Brantley has gone back home to Georgia, where he's spending time with a new love interest and his grandchildren, too.

Elise Brantley: Getting to see that grandfather side of him is just a whole other very special side  What I want people to know  is how loving, kind, thoughtful and how hard working he is.

Despite the prosecution's repeated failure to prove Donnie Brantley committed a murder  or even that a murder was committed  they pledge to work harder to one day bring the Brantley case back to court.

Prosecutor Steve Crump: I've been very plain that we're not gonna stop and so, whatever he feels  relief or whatever he may feel  I wouldn't get accustomed to it.

Back in Cleveland, former writing group member Nansy Grill believes Marsha's story may have one last dramatic chapter.

Nansy Grill: I'm probably the only person in the world that doesn't really, truly, believe that Marsha is dead.

Reggie Jay: What?!

Peter Van Sant: Do you believe that one day, Marsha Brantley may re-emerge?

Nansy Grill: I think it's a possibility.

Marsha Brantley / Credit: Jana Wills

But sadly, Marsha's family thinks Grill's hope is pure fiction.

Jana Wills: Oh yeah, I think about her every day. Can we get her back? Can we lay her to rest beside her mother and father? Our family has a hole there that can't be replaced and we will do everything we can to find her  And we won't give up.

HAVE INFORMATION?

To call in a tip, contact the Bradley County Sheriff's Office at (423) 728-7336.

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A Missouri man who attempted to rob a local bank was foiled after he found that the door was locked, because it was a Saturday (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

A masked and armed Missouri man who attempted to rob a local bank was foiled after he found that the front door was locked, because it was a Saturday.

Jacob Lowell Hessing, 26, attempted to enter the Exchange Bank of Missouri in New Franklin on September 9 2023, but was unable to enter the building.

On Saturdays the banks lobby is only open to customers by appointment only, which Hessing did not have. According to the FBI, the bank in question was about a block and a half from his home.

Hessing pleaded guilty to one count of attempted bank robbery on Thursday, having been detained in custody since the incident.

According to a plea agreement, Howard County Sheriffs Department received calls from concerned citizens about a masked man dressed in black walking in downtown New Franklin, which has a population of about 1,000 residents.

The man, later identified as Hessing, was reportedly carrying an AR-style rifle and attempted to enter Exchange Bank of Missouri. He later found the front door to be locked.

Jacob Lowell Hessing, of New Franklin, MO, has pleaded guilty in federal court to attempting to rob a local bank but being foiled when the front door was locked.https://t.co/05R7iKVKYK  FBI Kansas City (@FBIKansasCity) August 23, 2024

Surveillance video showed Hessing walk to the bank and attempt to open the lobby door before getting back into a red Chevy Equinox and driving away at a high speed.

Investigators traced the vehicle to Hessing and executed a search warrant at his residence on October 30.

Federal agents found a Diamondback rifle hidden in the basement, with a loaded magazine capable of holding more than 40 5.56mm cartridges  consistent with the weapon Hessing carried when he attempted to rob the bank.

Ammunition also was found in the kitchen utensil drawer and several cartridges for the Diamondback rifle were found in the red Equinox.

Under the terms of his plea agreement, Hessing must forfeit the Diamondback rifle to the government.

Hessing faces a sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison without parole for his crime.

A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a pre-sentence investigation by the United States Probation Office, the FBI said.
An animal welfare organization said it stepped in to rescue more than 100 rabbits from a home in Tennessee, which had become overrun by the creatures, photos and video showed.

The Humane Society of the United States partnered with the McKamey Animal Center, a local shelter in Chattanooga, where the home is located, to collect the animals to find them new places to live eventually, the organization said in a news release. Teams from the Humane Society and the local shelter filmed the rescue operation as it happened early in the morning on Aug. 20.

They arrived at the Chattanooga home of a caregiver who told the organization in an emotional interview that he had owned and cared for pet rabbits for more than 30 years. He credited the sense of personal responsibility that provided for helping him through sobriety after previously struggling with alcoholism.

The man said he'd faced a "health crisis" that in more recent times prevented him from properly caring for the rabbits, especially as the number of them continued to grow, according to the organization.

The Humane Society of the United States partnered with a local animal shelter to rescue more than 100 rabbits from an overwhelmed caregiver's home in Chattanooga, Tennessee, on Aug. 20, 2024. / Credit: The Humane Society of the United States

At the time of the rescue, workers said they'd found the rabbits "living in extremely unsanitary conditions" in the caregiver's home and appeared to suffer from a range of health problems including fleas, hair loss and other injuries that the organization characterized as "typical" in situations of overcrowding.

The organization also said veterinarians believed several of the rabbits were also pregnant. Teams found them roaming the halls of the caregiver's home, with food pellets covering the floors, and many had burrowed into the furniture.

The caregiver had reached out to the McKamey shelter when he realized he could no longer care for the rabbits himself. The shelter then asked the Humane Society for help with the rescue effort.

"As with many of the rescue operations we take on, these conditions aren't suitable for animals or humans to live in. This one stands out because it was brought about by a caregiver recognizing he was beyond his capacityhe loves his pets enough to let them go so they can find homes where they can thrive," said Jessica Johnson, the senior director of the Humane Society's animal rescue team, in a statement. "We are grateful to the McKamey Animal Center for inviting us to assist in giving the caregiver and each of his rabbits a new beginning."

Rescue workers said the rabbits suffered from fleas, hair loss and injuries associated with overcrowding. / Credit: The Humane Society of the United States

In a separate statement, the executive director of the local shelter, Inga Fricke, thanked the organization for assisting and said the caregiver's house was "sadly in deplorable condition" and "not suited for animals to reside in at this time."

The Humane Society said it was moving the rabbits to a temporary emergency shelter where they would undergo a range of veterinary exams and receive any medical treatment they might need.

"Once they are healthy enough, the HSUS will arrange placement with shelter and rescue partners so the rabbits can seek adoptive homes," the organization said.

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(Bloomberg) -- Thailands new cabinet should urgently address economic issues because the cost of living has outpaced income growth, according to a recent opinion poll conducted by Suan Dusit University.

Most Read from Bloomberg

About 74% of respondents said economic problems needed to be prioritized, with 46% expecting a cabinet change will enhance government performance, the Dusit poll showed. The university surveyed 1,164 people through Aug. 21-23.

Paetongtarn Shinawatra  the youngest daughter of former Thai leader Thaksin Shinawatra  recently won a parliamentary vote to become the Southeast Asian nations next prime minister. The process to form the 35-member cabinet is not yet complete because some parties havent submitted their nominations for the roles, The Nation reported, citing a deputy prime minister.

Thailands economy expanded at the fastest pace in five quarters in the three months through June, aided by tourism and exports, but the leadership change and uncertainty over a $14 billion stimulus plan are clouding the outlook.

In a separate poll from the National Institute of Development Administration, 59% of 1,310 respondents said they believed Thaksin will be behind the governments policy management. The survey was conducted Aug. 20-21.

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KANSAS CITY, Mo.  One person is in the hospital with serious injuries after a motorcycle crash in Kansas City, Missouri late Saturday night.

According to the Kansas City Police Department, just before 11:30 p.m., officers were dispatched to the scene of a motorcycle crash near Independence and Lawndale Avenues.

Kansas City police investigating after man found dead in car

Preliminary investigations revealed that prior to the crash, a Honda Nighthawk motorcycle had been driving through the area of Independence and Lawndale when a patrol car attempted to stop the driver.

The Honda refused to stop and began driving northbound in the opposite lanes of traffic on Lawndale. KCPD said Lawndale is a one-way, southbound road.

According to police, the Honda then entered the intersection of St. John and Lawndale and was struck by a BMW 328I.

The driver of the BMW was uninjured in the crash, however, the motorcyclist, who was not wearing a helmet, was ejected from the Honda and suffered critical injuries.

Pedestrian dies after being hit by car on Prospect Avenue in KC

KCPD said the driver of the motorcycle is currently in serious but stable condition, and the cause of the crash is 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 FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports.
MEMPHIS, Tenn.  Memphis Police are investigating a shooting at an apartment complex that occurred early Thursday morning.

On Thursday at 8 a.m., officers responded to a shooting in the 200 block of E. Red Oak Drive. They were told that multiple apartments had been struck by gunfire.

MPD investigating shootout in apartment complex parking lot

Video at the apartment showed that at approximately 1:23 a.m. three male suspects were standing outside talking.

Memphis Police have described one of the suspects who fired approximately 15 shots as a man wearing a black hoodie, dark jeans and white shoes.

If you have any information that could help police, call CrimeStoppers at 901-528-CASH.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WREG.com.
N.J. Girl, 4, in Stable Condition After Allegedly Being Stabbed Multiple Times by Family Member During Dispute

The incident occurred at a home in New Jersey on Aug. 23, according to multiple reports

Getty A stock image of police tape.

A 4-year-old girl from New Jersey is on the mend after being stabbed several times during an attack that occurred this week.

Police found the young child with multiple stab wounds at a home along 10th Avenue in Paterson after 4:00 p.m. local time on Friday, Aug. 23, the Passaic County prosecutor's office said, per CBS News, ABC 7 New York and NBC New York.

The victim, whose identity has not been released, was critically injured with stab wounds to her forehead and transported to Saint Joseph's University Medical Center, where she remains in stable condition, reported the outlets.

The incident reportedly occurred during a fight between family members at the residence, the outlets said. It is not clear what started the altercation.

Welcomia / Getty Images A stock image of a police car.

Related: Third Child, a 9-Year-Old Girl, Dies After Stabbing at Taylor Swift-Themed Event in Southport

Police have not yet confirmed any suspects, and the investigation is ongoing.



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Eyewitnesses said that they saw the girls mother carrying her out of the residence covered in blood as she cried hysterically following the incident.

"We just seen the lady, the mommy, holding her daughter, running out the house hysterically, and blood coming from everywhere," one neighbor told CBS News.

"But the paramedics came here on time, did what they had to do, so just pray to God that the little girl is okay and that she makes it and everything's okay because we have the whole city praying for her," they added.

Related: Inside the Case of Las Vegas Reporters Fatal Stabbing. Why Prosecutors Say a Local Politician Killed Him

The Passaic County Prosecutor's Office and Paterson County police did not respond to PEOPLE's request for comment on Sunday, Aug. 25.



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Did you know that 30 states, including Minnesota, Michigan, and Indiana, have National Parks? So, why shouldn't Wisconsin join their ranks?

While landmarks like Yellowstones geysers and Yosemites El Capitan are renowned, the Apostle Islands offer their own extraordinary features of sandstone cliffs, historic lighthouses, and ice caves that merit the same kind of recognition. That's why I am seeking to elevate the Apostle Islands from a National Lakeshore to Wisconsin's first National Park.

Since becoming a National Lakeshore in 1970, the Apostle Islands have been a treasured spot for recreationalists and a key part of Wisconsins public lands. This stunning archipelago offers visitors a unique blend of natural beauty and cultural history deserving of greater recognition.

Congress needs to act now. My dog needed 2 surgeries after gray wolf attack.

Elevating its status would not alter its existing boundaries but would reclassify it, much like the successful transition of Indiana Dunes in 2019. Sand Island would be designated as a National Preserve, ensuring that hunting access remains protected  a model similar to the recent designation of New River Gorge National Park and Preserve in West Virginia.

Proposed designation would not impact Native treaties

Weve also heard misplaced concerns that this well-deserved new designation would somehow impact long-standing Indian treaties. Let me be very clear: It would not  something that the National Park Service themselves confirmed with us during consultations on the legislation before it was introduced. That said, to help allay any misplaced fears, I plan to amend the bill to explicitly state that nothing in the legislation should be construed to change or modify any existing treaty obligation.

Not only would this change bring National Park status to Wisconsin, it would also secure ongoing environmental conservation and greater prosperity. Historically, similar transitions from national lakeshores to national parks, such as the 2019 reclassification of Indiana Dunes, have proven substantial. For example, in 2018 while still a National Lakeshore, Indiana Dunes had 1.75 million visitors who spent $77 million in nearby communities, which in turn supported around 936 jobs. By 2022, as a National Park, visitation surged to 2.8 million, generating $141 million in local spending and supporting 1,685 jobs.

Applying this model to the Apostle Islands could potentially double the economic impact in surrounding communities. Many businesses in and around national parks are small mom-and-pop shops, employing local people who have a passion for the outdoors and deep roots in the community.

Federal lands can help support and sustain local businesses

I have firsthand experience with this. After owning and operating Wilderness Cruises near the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest for 20 years, Ive seen how federal lands can support small businesses. Increased tourism helps bolster Main Street economies, create new jobs, generate revenue, and attract new investment that can help expand local opportunities.

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Additionally, reclassifying the Apostle Islands as a National Park would likely bring in additional federal resources for their preservation. National Park status often comes with increased funding for conservation programs and infrastructure improvements. Five years after the Indiana Dunes National Park designation, for example, NPS funding was up over 9%.

The one-of-a-kind charm of the Apostle Islands is evident to all who visit. Wisconsin deserves its first National Park, and the crown jewels of Lake Superior are a perfect candidate for this esteemed designation. This is a real opportunity to showcase our states natural heritage and make a lasting, positive impact on the surrounding communities for generations to come.

Tom Tiffany represents the Seventh District of Wisconsin in the House of Representatives.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: National Park designation would boost Wisconsin's Apostle Islands
NC beach crews warn about digging deep holes in sand that could collapse on children

OAK ISLAND, N.C. (WNCN)  Oak Island Water Rescue posted several photos Friday of a mock sand collapse rescue along the surf as the tide was coming in.

A teenager died last year in North Carolina after he was trapped under several feet of sand at the Outer Banks. The hole was created in a back-dune area and was not visible from the beachfront in Frisco at the Cape Hatteras National Seashore in early May 2023.

Oak Island is located among the southern beaches of North Carolina in Brunswick County.

Rescue crews posted a photo that recently showed a child sitting in a hole on the Oak Island beach.

Oak Island Water Rescue crews in a training exercise for sand collapse along the beach. Photo courtesy: Oak Island Water Rescue

The hole in the sand was over the little boys head and could have resulted in tragedy, Oak Island Water Rescue said.

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The agency posted 10 photos of several crew members struggling against the incoming tide in a recent training exercise for a sand collapse.

In a sand hole collapse, rescue agencies must immediately begin digging so the victim has an increased chance of survival, rescue crews said in the news release.

Photo courtesy: Oak Island Water Rescue

The initial goal of rescuers is to remove sand from around the victims head and airway, officials said. Rescuers must then dig around the buried victims torso in a labor-intensive effort.

The rising tide can also be a danger to the victim, according to the news release.

Officials said many beaches have had to deal with such problems and Oak Island is focusing on rescue efforts.

Oak Island Water Rescue crews in a training exercise for sand collapse along the beach. Photo courtesy: Oak Island Water Rescue

Oak Island Water Rescue recently increased our training for this type of emergency, utilizing different methods and equipment. We will be perfecting the techniques for sand hole extrication in the weeks ahead, officials said.

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ALAMANCE COUNTY, N.C. (WGHP)  The North Carolina Supreme Court will allow the ongoing lawsuit between the state and a Piedmont Triad race track to continue.

Ace Speedway, located in Elon, became national news in 2020 after the governor ordered them to shutter for not conforming to COVID-19 precautions in the early days of the pandemic in 2020. The speedway took the fight to court, suing the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services after being shut down with a temporary restraining order.

The owners appeared in court, calling the COVID-19 restrictions a deathwish for the business. A judge ruled in favor of the state, which Ace Speedway owners appealed. The Court of Appeals cleared the way for a lawsuit against Dr. Mandy Cohen on behalf of Ace Speedway to go forward in August 2022. Kody Kinsley replaced Cohen, who is now director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as a plaintiff.

The state moved to dismiss the case, but a court denied the motion. The North Carolina Court of Appeals agreed to uphold the decision, and, now, the state Supreme Court has agreed as well.

The trial court properly denied the States motion to dismiss, the North Carolina Supreme Court wrote on Friday. We affirm the decision of the Court of Appeals, which in turn affirmed the trial courts ruling.

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According to the document from the N.C. Supreme Court, in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Roy Cooper declared a state of emergency and issued an executive order affecting outdoor venues such as stadiums, concert arenas, and racetracks. The executive order permitted these venues to stay open but limited attendance to only twenty-five people, regardless of the venues size.

Robert Turner, who operated a racetrack in Alamance County known as Ace Speedway, spoke out against these restrictions and told the public that his racetrack would remain open for all attendees. This led to the series of events at issue in this lawsuit.

These events concern matters that are controversial in contemporary politics. The legal issues in this appeal, by contrast, are so time-tested that they border on mundane. In our legal system, we treat the initial allegations in a lawsuit as true when assessing whether the case can move forward at the outset. It is only after the parties have had the opportunity to gather evidence from each other, and from other parties with knowledge about the casethat courts examine whether those allegations are true.

The court notes that Turners allegations that Cooper or the NCDHHS pressured local law enforcement or county officials to force him to shut down Ace Speedway remain unproven, however. The claims also allege that Governor Cooper took these actions not because there was an actual health hazard at the racetrack, but to punish Turner for speaking out, and that health officials did not take similar actions against other large outdoor venues whose owners did not openly criticize the Governor, the court said.

The state Supreme Court judges said they reject the States argument that Ace Speedways claims fail because the claims do not seek the least-intrusive remedy. That argument is not ripe for review. As we have repeated throughout this opinion, Ace Speedways allegations remain unproven. The case has barely begun. The only question reviewable at this early stage of the case is whether Ace Speedway has sufficiently alleged a valid Corum claim, thus piercing the States sovereign immunity and permitting it to bring the State into court to litigate the matter.

The trial court correctly concluded that the claims are valid and therefore the States motion to dismiss must be denied. The Court of Appeals, in turn, properly affirmed that ruling.

A Corum claim is based on a a groundbreaking 1992 decision, in which the North Carolina Supreme Court ruled in favor of [the plaintiff], holding that in the absence of an adequate state remedy, a person whose constitutional rights have been abridged has a direct claim against the State.

Sovereign immunity refers to law that states that a government cannot be sued without its consent.

Ultimately, the State cannot assert sovereign immunity as a defense to a valid Corum claim so the courts will not dismiss the case and will allow the lawsuit will continue.

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Nebraska man accepts plea deal in case of an active shooter drill that prosecutors say went too far

OMAHA, Neb. (AP)  A Nebraska man has pleaded no contest to four counts of making a terroristic threat during a 2022 active shooter drill that prosecutors say went too far.

Omaha resident John Channels, 29, made the plea Tuesday as part of a deal with prosecutors, the Omaha World-Herald reported. As part of the deal, prosecutors dismissed one count of use of a firearm to commit a felony.

Police have said Channels showed up at Omaha Catholic Charities wearing a black hoodie and a mask and fired blanks from a semiautomatic handgun. Authorities said he staged victims covered in fake blood who appeared to have been wounded or killed.

The charity hired Channel, who owned a security company and claimed to be a civilian police officer, to test its workers preparedness for such an attack. According to a police arrest affidavit, Channels told those at Omaha Catholic Charities who hired him that he had conducted other active shooter drills and that law enforcement officers would be present during the drill.

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But police and employees were not warned in advance. The mock shooting sent employees running for their lives, and officers responded to panicked calls for help with guns drawn.

Douglas County prosecutor Don Kleine previously said the drill could have had dire consequences  such as an employee suffering a heart attack or Channels himself being shot by someone else or an officer.

One worker sued the charity, claiming she hurt her back while fleeing and also has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. A judge dismissed her lawsuit last year, ruling that the case should be handled in Workers Compensation Court.

In an unrelated case, Channels also pleaded no contest on Wednesday to first-degree sexual assault, first-degree sexual assault of a child, and possession of child sexual abuse materials. As part of that plea deal, prosecutors dropped another 22 counts of possession of child sexual abuse materials and sexual assault.

He will be sentenced Oct. 25 to between 21 years and life in prison.

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Netanyahu warns this is not the end after Israel and Hezbollah exchange heavy fire in major escalation

A Hezbollah drone is intercepted by Israeli air forces over northern Israel (AFP via Getty Images)

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned that this is not the end as Israel and Iranian-backed Hezbollah exchanged heavy fire in southern Lebanon in an escalation of the Middle Eastern conflict.

The cross-border firing of missiles, rockets and drones was the largest day of attacks since the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel was reignited last October, after fellow Iran-backed group Hamas led a deadly incursion into Israel.

The Israeli military said it had struck Lebanon, the south of which is controlled by Hezbollah, on Sunday morning with around 100 jets to thwart an attack from the Iran-backed militia.

Hezbollah then fired hundreds of projectiles and drones at Israel, claiming they fired 320 Katyusha rockets and hit 11 military targets in what it called the first phase of its retaliation for Israels assassination of Fuad Shukr, a senior Hezbollah commander, last month.

What happened today is not the end of the story, said Mr Netanyahu in a statement posted on X, formerly Twitter.

Residents check the damage caused by a strike from Lebanon in the Israeli coastal town of Acre during Sundays attack (AFP via Getty Images)

Hezbollah tried to attack the state of Israel early this morning with rockets. We instructed the [Israeli military] to carry out a powerful pre-emptive strike to remove the threat.

The [Israeli military] destroyed thousands of short-range rockets which were all intended to harm our citizens and our forces in the Galilee. In addition, the [Israeli military] intercepted all of the UAVs [unmanned aerial vehicles] that they sent to a strategic target in the centre of the country.

We are hitting Hezbollah with surprising blows. Three weeks ago we eliminated their chief of staff and today we thwarted their attack.

Referring to the leader of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, and the ruler of Iran, Ali Khamenei, Mr Netanyahu added that the pair should know this is another step on the way to changing the situation in the north.

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu releases a video statement after the exchange of missile attacks with Hezbollah in southern Lebanon (X / Benjamin Netanyahu)

Hezbollah denied Mr Netanyahus claims that they had been planning to fire thousands of rockets and that the Israeli attack had reduced the scope of their aerial assault.

Mr Nasrallah, speaking late on Sunday, claimed that Hezbollah had not used precision missiles in their strikes but that they could use them in the near future.

We will assess the impact of todays operation. If results are not seen to be enough, we will respond another time, he said.

In a lengthy speech, he added that Hezbollah had targeted an Israeli military intelligence base just outside Tel Aviv and had ruled out targeting civilian infrastructure. Photos from the Israeli coastal town of Acre, however, showed several homes had been damaged by the salvo of rockets, though no civilians were reported killed.

Missiles were visible curling up through the dawn sky, leaving dark vapour trails behind them, as an air raid siren sounded in Israel and a distant blast lit the horizon, while smoke rose over houses in Khiam in southern Lebanon.

A man looks at a damaged window of a house following an attack in Acre, north Israel (AP)

Three civilian deaths were confirmed in Lebanon but none in Israel, where damage appeared to be limited.

However, Israel said one navy soldier was killed and two wounded during combat in northern regions.

It gave no details of the circumstances of the soldiers death but Israeli media reported it occurred on a naval vessel offshore as an interceptor from Israels Iron Dome aerial defence system engaged a drone fired by Hezbollah.

Any major escalation in the fighting, which began in parallel with the war in Gaza, risks morphing into a regional conflagration drawing in Hezbollahs backer Iran and Israels main ally the United States.

But officials and diplomats on both sides of the conflict appeared to suggest that all-out war would not break out.

Israels foreign minister said the country did not seek a full-scale war. Diplomats speaking on condition of anonymity later claimed Israel and Hezbollah had exchanged messages via intermediaries in order to prevent further escalation.

They said the main message was that both sides considered that Sundays intense exchange of bombardment was done and that neither side wanted a full-scale war.

The White House said US president Joe Biden was following events. We will keep supporting Israels right to defend itself, and we will keep working for regional stability, national security council spokesperson Sean Savett said.

The UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon and its special coordinators office in the country called on all sides to cease fire, calling the developments worrying.

Egypt, one of the mediators in Gaza ceasefire talks, warned against the dangers of a new war front opening in Lebanon. British foreign secretary David Lammy also called for an escalation to be avoided at all costs.

Speaking to Sky News on Sunday, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden said the UK was very concerned by the escalation.

Even as this unfolds, the UK government and the international community would urge all parties not to escalate further and to avoid a major regional war. That is the real danger facing the area, he said.

Hezbollah and Israel have been exchanging salvos of projectiles almost daily after Iranian-backed Hamas launched a deadly incursion into Israel on 7 October, killing 1,200 people and taking a further 251 captive.

Israels retaliatory air and ground offensive in the Gaza Strip, which has continued despite worldwide calls for peace, has led to the death of at least 40,400 Palestinians in the enclave, according to local health officials.

Hamas and the Houthis, another Iranian-backed militia in control of parts of Yemen, both praised Hezbollahs latest attack on Israel.
CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD)  A fire sprinkler system quickly controlled an apartment fire at 305 Seven Farms Drive late Saturday night.

The Charleston Fire Department was dispatched at 11:40 p.m. to the three-story apartment building after an automatic fire alarm was triggered. Emergency personnel arrived within five minutes and found smoke in the hallway. The call was upgraded, bringing additional units from the North Charleston and Mount Pleasant Fire Departments.

Firefighters located the fire in a third-floor apartment, where the buildings sprinkler system contained it. They evacuated the building, extinguished the fire, checked for any fire spread, and turned off the sprinkler system.

According to the Charleston Fire Department, investigators from the Fire Marshals Office determined that the fire originated in a third-floor apartment and was confined to the room of origin, thanks to the sprinkler system. The cause of the fire is still under investigation but is believed to be related to an electrical issue.

A total of 40 apartment units were evacuated during the incident. While fire damage was limited to the apartment where the fire started, six additional units suffered water damage. All tenants were able to return to their apartments, except those in the water-damaged units.

No injuries were reported. The American Red Cross was called to assist three adults and one child, while other displaced tenants stayed with family or friends.

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When Tammy Plunedas recreational vehicle was towed from where she had been staying behind the Food 4 Less in San Luis Obispo, she didnt just lose her home.

Pluneda, a homeless resident of San Luis Obispo who used to live at the countys Oklahoma Avenue Safe Parking site, said she still had 37 minutes to move her RV when police came to clear vehicles that had been on that street for more than 72 hours. In that half hour, she said she could have gotten help from other homeless residents and their trucks to move the camper in compliance with the citys parking rules.

But police said the vehicle was actually an hour past the deadline when they towed and impounded the RV, taking with it her living space, personal possessions and, most importantly, her deceased son Chad Allen Plunedas ashes, which she was holding for a planned celebration of life later this summer.

My home is worth everything to me, and then some, Pluneda said.

Pluneda is one of an estimated 140 people currently experiencing vehicular homelessness in San Luis Obispo, according to data from the 2024 Point-in-Time Count.

She and several other unsheltered residents living in their vehicles said San Luis Obispo Police Departments enforcement on city streets overnight has ratched up in recent months, with few places to stay and fewer safe parking options available than ever before.

San Luis Obispos homelessness response manager Daisy Wiberg said after a year without much movement on safe parking options from the city, shes hoping recent efforts to establish a rotating safe parking program will make a difference for people living in their vehicles.

While this has been a longer process than we would have hoped  and we would have liked to have already had something up and running  I think this time hasnt been wasted, Wiberg said. Its been really, I think, a refining process.

Tammy Pluneda, a former resident of San Luis Obispo Countys Oklahoma Avenue Safe Parking site, said she and other former residents have largely returned to vehicular homelessness around San Luis Obispo. She is pictured here on Aug. 9, 2024. Pluneda said her recreational vehicle containing personal items including her deceased sons ashes has been impounded for several weeks for a parking violation.

Homeless residents say street enforcement is more stringent in 2024

Pluneda and several of the other former residents of the Oklahoma Avenue parking site who held out until the sites closure earlier this year said for the most part their situations have changed little from when they were initially brought onto the site in the summer of 2021.

Mike Maez, a former Oklahoma Avenue site resident and head of the San Luis Obispo Homeless Union that pursued legal action against the county over the sites management, said hes been arrested and received multiple citations since he returned to parking on the street.

The funds Maez and the last remaining site residents received as part of a settlement with the county  around $60,000  didnt last long, covering motel stays and vehicle repairs for some former residents. They didnt result in permanent housing.

Maez and a handful of other former site residents have banded together over the course of the year, moving their vehicles together and rotating through a handful of street locations they know will be unoccupied to stay within the 72-hour parking window.

Since leaving the parking site, Maez said hes racked up more than 30 citations to move his vehicle and three tickets charging $100 for overstepping the 72-hour window. He hasnt had his vehicles impounded as Pluneda has but said its not uncommon for impound fees to cost more than $1,000.

Maez works as a chef full-time when not staying in his vehicle or ferrying other homeless residents trailers around the city, and said the three-day limit on having a reliable place to rest is physically and financially taxing.

Its hard to concentrate on your job, because you dont know your home is going to be there when you get back, Maez said.

San Luis Obispo residents Lorena Teller and Greg Huckabay have lived in their recreational vehicle in San Luis Obispo County for five years, pictured here Aug. 9, 2024. Huckabay said enforcement by the San Luis Obispo Police Department against unlawful overnight parking has intensified over the course of the year.

Residents Lorena Teller and Greg Huckabay, who have shared an RV in San Luis Obispo County for the past five years, said they moved to the area for jobs but saw their plans derailed by COVID-19, which cost them their housing and necessitated living at Oklahoma Avenue.

Teller and Huckabay work during the day as cleaners but have struggled to meet high local costs of living, with most RV parks out of their price range.

Like many other long-term Oklahoma Avenue safe parking residents, Teller and Huckabay are sticking with other former site residents to stay mobile and out of the crosshairs of law enforcement, which could introduce significant setbacks, Huckabay said.

We dont have nowhere to go, Huckabay said.

Tammy Pluneda, a former resident of San Luis Obispo Countys Oklahoma Avenue Safe Parking site, said she and other former residents have largely returned to vehicular homelessness around San Luis Obispo. Pluneda said her recreational vehicle containing personal items including her deceased sons ashes has been impounded for several weeks for a parking violation.

SLO working on rotating safe parking program

Wiberg said following the citys most recent unsuccessful attempt in August 2023 to get a rotating safe parking model in place, San Luis Obispo has sought new partnerships with the Community Action Partnership of San Luis Obispo and local faith communities and businesses to give the program another chance.

Last year, the city closed its only established safe parking site at Railroad Square  a low-barrier site that could host vehicles overnight  in anticipation of opening a rotating overnight safe parking program that would move between locations.

The program was put on pause after the city saw significant neighborhood backlash against proposed host locations such as the end of Palm Street near the Veterans Memorial Building and SLO Naz Church, Wiberg said.

Since then, the city and CAPSLO have turned their attention to other potential sites, with three faith-based locations and three businesses actively in talks to host a dozen vehicles overnight between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m., Wiberg said.

As proposed under the original safe parking plan, these sites would alternate hosting the site for a month, and would have CAPSLO employees to oversee safety and case management, Wiberg said.

SLO Naz Church was a potential site to host a rotating safe parking program for homeless individuals living in their vehicles.

Wiberg said adding these sites would effectively double the number of spots where unhoused people living in their vehicles can stay. Currently, CAPSLOs 40 Prado Homeless Services Center and its 12 safe parking spots with a 60-person wait list are the countys only safe parking option.

That said, its still far short of the roughly 140 people counted as living in vehicles in 2024s Point-in-Time Count, which itself is often an underrepresentation of the true number of people living in vehicles, Wiberg said.

In San Luis Obispo, parking is dictated by the citys parking ordinance, which states that people cannot park their vehicles with the intent to camp or sleep between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. on any city right-of-way.

San Luis Obispo Police Department Deputy Chief Fred Mickel said so far in 2024, police have issued 38 parking citations related to violations of the municipal code.

Mickel said while exact year-to-year statistics arent available, there has been an increase in parking citations for overnight camping since 2023, with the uptick largely due to an increase in requests from residents and businesses.

Enforcement is largely complaint-driven, with actions taken in response to reports from residents or businesses, Mickel told The Tribune in an email. When a vehicle is flagged as potentially violating the code, officers first issue a written notice informing the occupants that camping in a vehicle is not allowed. If they are contacted on subsequent occasions and the investigation reveals they are in violation of the ordinance, a citation can be issued.

Vehicles can be towed for staying in one spot for more than 72 hours under California Vehicle Code 22651(k), Mickel said. This year, police have towed 53 vehicles under that rule, about in line with the number of tows last year, he said.

To address these, SLOPD uses a method that includes marking the ground near the vehicle, photographing the vehicle and marking, and placing a 72-hour notice tag on the vehicle. If the vehicle remains in the same spot beyond the 72-hour period, it becomes eligible for towing. Once towed, vehicles are stored at a yard operated by a tow company contracted by the city.

The city of San Luis Obispo closed its Railroad Safe Parking Program in 2023.

When could SLOs safe parking program be running?

Wiberg said a start date for the new round of safe parking sites hasnt been set yet, though the city is looking to introduce its new plans toward the end of the year.

She said the city and CAPSLO would prefer to have at least six locations fully confirmed as parking site hosts before launching a 12-month pilot program.

To more realistically meet the needs of people living in vehicles, Wiberg said more cities than just San Luis Obispo will need to look at introducing safe parking of some kind, however.

We need some safe parking opportunities throughout the county and understanding that it is difficult for folks to keep moving every 72 hours, Wiberg said. We encourage them to still be going to 40 Prado to receive services during the day, whether thats laundry, showers, meals or trying to get them connected to services.

Until safe parking is more broadly available, Pluneda said she expects to continue living in her car. She hopes to get her RV and belongings back soon, after which she will save up money to move to a more permanent spot in Paso Robles.

She said she believes enforcement of parking rules will continue to escalate and drain her finances if she stays in the San Luis Obispo area.

Meanwhile due to the high cost of getting a vehicle out of impound, shes had to delay calling relatives and next of kin to town for her sons memorial service, she said.

I aim to have my celebration of life for my son this month, Pluneda said, holding back tears. Im going to lay him on top of my daddy finally. Its been two years and its time to let him go  and now Im fighting these guys to get my RV back.

Several homeless San Luis Obispo residents living in their vehicles said enforcement by the San Luis Obispo Police Department against unlawful overnight parking has intensified over the course of the year.
The North College Hill Fire Department Fire Department lost one of its longtime and well-respected firefighters earlier this week.

Lt. Doug Socks Eikens, who served on the department for over 30 years, died unexpectedly on Thursday, Aug. 15, according to his obituary. He also served with Colerain fire, Hamilton County Urban Search and Rescue, and Greater Cincinnati HazMat.

Eikens started as a volunteer firefighter and recently served as a fire inspector/code enforcement officer. He also became a CPR instructor and trained hundreds of residents.

It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Lieutenant Doug "Socks" Eikens. Doug has been a fixture on... Posted by North College Hill Fire Department on Friday, August 16, 2024

His life was committed to service, not just in the fire sense and the inspections and stuff, but he did stuff for charities. He worked tirelessly for the National Fallen Firefighters Association and was a member of the Knights of Columbus, Deputy Chief of the Fairfield Fire Department Steve Conn said.

Conn said working with Eikens for so many years was a privilege.

His nickname is Socks and when he first got on the fire department, he forgot to put on his shoes on when he went to make a run. So you know, in this job, if you slip up a little, you get a nickname, Conn said.

Conn describes Eikens as an old soul fueled by energy and kindness that spreads from person to person.

He never met anybody he didnt like, Conn said. "He just had love in his heart. With everything he did with everyone he met, he was just a really special guy.

His funeral was held Saturday at St. Ann Church, which included a procession led by the fire department.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks for memorials to be made to the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation.

Enquirer media partner Fox19 provided this report.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: North College Hill fire Lt. Doug 'Socks' Eikens dies
WASHINGTON HEIGHTS, Manhattan (PIX11)  A Washington Heights man killed in a wrong-way crash on Henry Hudson Parkway Saturday was supposed to get married just a day later, the family told PIX11 News.

Kirk Walker, 38, was just one day away from his New Jersey wedding, his family said. A spokesperson for the wedding venue confirmed to PIX11 that Walkers wedding was canceled because of the crash.

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Walker was killed after a wrong-way truck driver crashed into the car he was in around 2:20 a.m. on the Henry Hudson Parkway, according to the NYPD.

Another man in the car with Walker, 40-year-old Rob McLaurin, was also killed during the crash. Police could not confirm the relationship between the two men.

A Chevrolet Silverado driven by a man and a Toyota Rav4 were driving southbound in the northbound lanes when the truck hit Walkers Dodge Challenger, according to police. The truck also hit an Audi S3 driven by a 27-year-old man. Police said the Toyota was hit by debris from the truck.

The truck caught fire, according to police, and the 21-year-old passenger got out of the vehicle.

The truck passenger, Audi driver and 28-year-old male Audi passenger were all taken to the hospital and expected to survive.

The driver of the truck fled, according to police.

Police have not made any arrests Sunday.

Emily Rahhal is a digital reporter from Los Angeles who has covered New York City since 2023. She joined PIX11 in 2024. See more of her work here and follow her on Twitter here.

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PENNINGTON COUNTY, S.D. (KELO)  Officials want to caution citizens of a scam going around.

The Pennington County Sheriffs Office shared a post on X that a scam is going around involving a fake letter from the South Dakota Government demanding payment of taxes.

Major donations to Sturgis Police Athletics League

Pennington County Treasurer Annette Brandt says some of these letters are circulating in Pennington County.

There are many ways to detect a scam, including urgency in demanding payment, unofficial seals and more. If you think you are being scammed, do not send money and instead contact local officials.

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An Ohio man was arrested Thursday after a woman who wanted to get a tattoo done by him reported that he raped her.

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22-year-old Mario Rodriguez Ibarra and the victim talked through Facebook on Aug. 22 where the victim expressed interest in getting a tattoo by him, according to court records obtained by our news partners at WBNS-10 TV.

The victim told Columbus Division of Police officers that Ibarra and a male acquaintance of his picked her up from her home that afternoon and drove her to his house.

While in Ibarras bedroom, he reportedly pulled out a handgun and pulled off the victims clothes.

The victim said she was then raped, according to records obtained by our news partners at WBNS-10 TV.

Once Ibarra reportedly fell asleep, the victim got dressed and walked outside of the house where she asked the male acquaintance for help.

The acquaintance called the police and waited with her until officers arrived.

He told officers while he was waiting for them to arrive, Ibarra walked outside and admitted to using a handgun to force the victim to have sex with him.

Ibarra appeared before a judge Saturday morning in Franklin County Municipal Court.

His bond is set at over $750,000.

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Stringing pipe was part of the NEXUS pipeline at the crossing of St. Peters Church Road NE in this file photo from 2018.

The Ohio Supreme Court has cleared the way for a 2022 settlement agreement between Ohio's tax commissioner and the owners of the NEXUS Gas Transmission pipeline to take effect.

The court's recent 4-3 decision determined the Lorain County auditor could not appeal the property tax valuation of the NEXUS pipeline that was set by a 2022 settlement agreement between Ohios tax commissioner and the pipelines owners, Detroit-based DT Midstream and Enbridge, a Canadian company.

The natural gas transmission pipeline crosses 13 counties  Stark, Columbiana, Erie, Fulton, Henry, Huron, Lorain, Lucas, Medina, Sandusky, Summit, Wayne and Wood  and 37 school districts in northern Ohio.

"Nexus is pleased by the decision which supports the finality of the settlement agreement, providing additional revenue and certainty to local school districts," wrote NEXUS spokesperson Kristen Henson in a statement.

Lorain County Auditor Craig Snodgrass had objected to the tax commissioners settlement, which set the taxable value of Ohios portion of the 256-mile interstate NEXUS pipeline at $950 million for 2019. The subsequent years values would be set by taking the 2019 valuation and subtracting for depreciation.

Snodgrass sought to enforce the commissioners 2019 assessment that set the pipelines value at more than $1.4 billion before settlement negotiations began. He appealed to the Ohio Supreme Court when the Ohio Board of Tax Appeals denied his request.

Justices Patrick DeWine, Michael Donnelly, Jennifer Brunner and Joseph Deters ruled that county auditors do have a statutory right to appeal tax valuations, but that right does not allow county auditors to void a settlement approved by the tax commissioner who is using his or her authority to compromise tax claims.

Snodgrass has 10 days to file for reconsideration.

Here are four things to know about the supreme courts decision and how it affects:

1. Stark County opposed the Lorain County auditor's appeal

Stark County Auditor Alan Harold supports moving forward with the settlement.

This decision by the Ohio Supreme Court reflects what was sought by the majority of county auditors and school districts involved, Harold said. We patiently wait its finality, subject to any additional rights of reconsideration by the Lorain County auditor.

Harold, along with seven other county auditors and two school districts, filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court asking the court to uphold the settlement agreement reached by the tax commissioner and NEXUS owners.

They said the Lorain County auditors appeal has significantly impacted the other 12 counties, as well as the school districts and other local governments located along the pipeline, because it has delayed the payment of millions of dollars in property-tax distributions.

While NEXUS valuation was under review, its owners paid taxes based on the value they believed the pipe was worth, not the states assigned taxable value, as they were permitted to do. The payments are the difference between the amount the pipeline owners have paid and the amount they should have paid under the settlement terms.

The county auditors told the supreme court that the delay in payments has halted school construction projects and led to budget deficits.

2. Stark County stands to receive nearly $6 million from NEXUS payments

NEXUS owners have paid $23.4 million in property taxes to Stark County and the taxing entities in Washington, Nimishillen, Marlboro and Lake townships, according to the county auditors office.

If the courts decision stands, Stark County would receive an estimated $5.6 million in additional payments from NEXUS owners to cover the five years' worth of payments where NEXUS was paying only the amount it thought the pipeline was worth.

The combined amount still is far less than the projected $41.7 million that Stark County initially expected to receive over the first five years of the pipelines operation.

Affected entities include Lake Local Schools, Lake Township, Louisville City Schools, Louisville Public Library, Marlboro Township, Marlington Local Schools, Nimishillen Township, North Canton, North Canton Public Library, Plain Local Schools, R.G. Drage Career & Technical Center, Rodman Public Library, Stark County 911, Stark County Board of Developmental Disabilities, Stark County Mental Health & Addiction Recovery, Stark County Children Services, Stark County government, Stark Parks, Stark County District Library and Washington Township.

Northwest Local Schools also is set to receive money from the settlement for land within its district boundaries that sit in Summit County. Its collections are not included in the Stark County figures.

3. Marlington Local Schools isnt celebrating yet

Among Stark County entities, Marlington Local Schools stands to gain the most from the settlement, with $2.1 million owed.

Marlington Superintendent Daniel Swisher said he is waiting until the 10-day reconsideration period ends before getting too hopeful.

Im going to hold off on the excitement right now to make sure (the court decision) doesnt get reconsidered and for the state to give us a little more guidance, said Swisher, recalling previous times when the district began making plans for additional funds only to have the payments delayed again.

Swisher said if the district does receive the additional money, it will be placed into a special capital improvement fund to improve district buildings and grounds.

4. NEXUS court decision does not affect Rover Pipeline's disputed tax payments

Some Stark County schools, libraries and governmental entities still are awaiting a resolution on the taxable value for the Rover Pipeline.

Rovers parent company, Energy Transfer, has appealed an Ohio Board of Tax Appeals decision to the Ohio Supreme Court that would set the value of the pipeline at $3.7 billion in Ohio. The company believes the value should be $1.792 billion.

Rovers twin 42-inch-diameter mainlines cross Pike, Bethlehem and Sugar Creek townships in Stark County and traverse Carroll, Tuscarawas, Harrison, Wayne, Ashland and Richland counties.

Reach Canton Repository staff writer Kelli Weir at 330-580-8339 or kelli.weir@cantonrep.com.

NEXUS Settlement

Infogram

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Ohio Supreme Court clears way for NEXUS settlement payments to begin
One civilian killed and two injured in Russian attacks on Kherson, man in coma in Antonivka

A man was killed and four civilians were injured in Russian attacks on Kherson on the evening of 25 August.

Source: Kherson Oblast Military Administration

Details: In the city of Kherson, a Russian UAV dropped an explosive on a car. A man was fatally injured in the attack.

A local woman was injured in a Russian drone attack on the Dniprovskyi district of Kherson at about 16:00. The 68-year-old woman received a shrapnel wound to the leg.

At about 17:30, a 44-year-old man was injured in Kherson as a result of a Russian drone attack. He suffered a blast injury and a shrapnel wound to the arm and was hospitalised.

A 21-year-old man was seriously injured in a Russian attack on the settlement of Antonivka. He has been diagnosed with a blast injury and an open head injury, and is in a coma. Medics are battling to save his life.

A resident of the settlement of Sadove who was injured in a Russian drone attack has also been hospitalised. The 51-year-old man was on the porch of his own home at the time of the attack. He received a blast injury, concussion, and a shrapnel wound to the head.

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This article discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline available 24/7. To reach the 24/7 Crisis Text Helpline, text 4HOPE to 741741.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH)  Two people are dead after a Sunday afternoon shooting in southwest Columbus.

A police dispatcher said that officers went to the 1100 block of Parma Avenue in the Hilltop neighborhood after reports of a shooting at 2 p.m. At the scene, officers found two people who were shot. One victim, an adult female, was pronounced dead at 2:07 p.m. while another, an adult male, was taken to a nearby hospital in critical condition and pronounced dead at 2:56 p.m.

Columbus man guilty of road-rage assault with baseball bat sentenced

Columbus police are investigating the incident as a murder-suicide that may have been motivated by domestic violence. The victims identities are not being made public yet as autopsy results are pending.

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How one group is leading the nationwide effort to track antisemitic threats

How one group is leading the nationwide effort to track antisemitic threats

Chicago  In the Chicago command center of the Secure Community Network, threats to the nation's Jewish community are mapped coast-to-coast.

The command center is overseen by Brad Orsini, a retired FBI agent who helped investigate the 9/11 attacks.

"Most simply, the Secure Community Network is the Jewish community's own FBI and Department of Homeland Security," Orsini told CBS News.

SCN tracked over 5,000 threats last year, sending more than 1,600 tips to law enforcement.

"Who is that person out there that's the next attacker, and that's really what we're looking for," Orsini explains.

Director Michael Masters leads a team of analysts that don't need warrants to follow leads.

"We can also have tools that are active in our command center to look at the deep and dark web," Masters said.

Founded in 2004, SCN took off after the 2018 mass shooting attack at Pittsburgh's Tree of Life synagogue, the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history.



The tragedy is now seared into the mind of Tree of Life rabbi Jeffrey Myers, who heard 11 of his congregants gunned down.

"To some degree the pain never goes away," Myers said. "It's like a nightmare."

He credits his own survival to security training by Orsini.

"I wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for that training," Myers said.

SCN now hosts active shooter trainings at synagogues and Jewish centers nationwide, and Orsini says threats have skyrocketed since the start of the Israel-Hamas war. In an April report, the Anti-Defamation League recorded 8,873 antisemitic incidents in 2023, which includes harassment, vandalism and assault. That is the highest tally since it began tracking the number in 1979.

For Myers, the threats are a somber reminder.



"There is no such thing as sanctuary anymore. There is no house of worship that's safe."

Group leads nationwide effort to track antisemitic threats

San Francisco bookstore pushes back on book bans

Atlanta accountant choreographs iconic Bellagio fountain display
One injured in shooting on Hermitage Avenue

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN)  One person was injured in a shooting reported on Hermitage Avenue, according to Metro officers on the scene.

 Read todays top stories on wkrn.com

Dispatch confirmed that one person was transported to Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) after authorities responded to a shooting call at Hermitage Avenue and Anthes Drive. The call came in just after 6 p.m.

Officers with the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department (MNPD) said that the shooting is still under investigation. No other immediate details were released.

News 2 has reached out to MNPD for more information.

 Download the News 2 app to stay updated on the go.

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 Find todays top stories on WKRN.com for Nashville, TN and all of Middle Tennessee.

This is a developing story. WKRN News 2 will continue to update this article as new information becomes available.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2.
WEISSPORT BOROUGH, CARBON COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) One man is in custody after a stabbing Thursday night in Carbon County.

According to a press release by Pennsylvania State Police, troopers were dispatched to the area of Bridge Street just before 10:00 p.m. for a report of a stab victim.

Susquehanna County man charged with attempted homicide

When on-scene, troopers found a 40-year-old male with multiple stab wounds, who was transported to a local medical facility in unknown condition.

After authorities conducted an investigation, 42-year-old David Osenbach, from Lehighton Borough, was taken into custody Friday night on Aggravated Assault Charges.

He is currently being held at the Carbon County Correctional Facility, and his hearing is scheduled for September 4.

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One man was killed and two others were injured after a shooting early Sunday in North Sacramentos Ben Ali neighborhood, police officials said.

Deputies were called to the 1500 block of Orlando Way shortly after 3 a.m. Sunday following reports of gunfire. After officers arrived, they found a man with life-threatening gunshot wounds who was pronounced dead at the scene, the Sacramento Police Department said in a news release.

Two other adults in the area also suffered gunshot wounds. One was located near the scene and transported to a hospital with a gunshot wound not considered life-threatening. A second individual took themselves to a hospital with similar injuries, according to police officials.

Due to the circumstances, homicide detectives and crime scene investigators are responding to take over the investigation, said Officer Allison Smith, a spokeswoman for the Police Department. They will be processing the scene, canvassing the area, and interviewing witnesses.

Smith said the circumstances of the incident remain under investigation. The Sacramento County Coroners Office is expected to release the identity of the deceased man after his family has been notified.
One year since death of Ukrainian Air Force pilot Juice, his mother sits in F-16 fighter jet in his honour  video

Juice's mother, Liliia, in the cockpit of an F-16 jet. Photo: Screenshot from video by Mykola Oleshchuk

Sunday, 25 August marks the one-year anniversary of the death of Ukrainian Air Force pilot, Major Andrii Pilshchykov, who went by the alias Juice. Lieutenant General Mykola Oleshchuk, Commander of Ukraine's Air Force, honoured his memory by allowing Juice's mother, Liliia, to sit in the cockpit of an F-16 fighter jet. Andrii had fervently advocated for Ukraine to receive F-16s.

Source: Oleshchuk on social media

Quote: "At the ceremony to say farewell to Juice, I promised Andrii Pilshchykov's mother, Lilia Oleksandrivna, that she would at least sit in the cockpit of an F-16, the plane that her son dreamed of flying. And I kept my word.

...Unfortunately, Juice did not live to see his trip to the United States for training. Today, however, his mother is in the cockpit of an F-16. She is continuing her son's work and will do everything to make our wings stronger."

Background:

On 26 August 2023, it was revealed that a well-known pilot known as Juice, as well as two other pilots, lost their lives as a result of a collision between two Ukrainian training and combat aircraft on the evening before in Zhytomyr Oblast. The Vasylkiv 40th Tactical Aviation Brigade said that pilots Viacheslav Minka and Serhii Prokazin, as well as Andrii Pilshchykov (Juices actual name), were killed in the crash.

The State Bureau of Investigation reported that among the avenues of investigation of the crash of two training aircraft in Zhytomyr Oblast, they considered a technical malfunction of the aircraft, pilot error, and a violation of flight organisation. The crash occurred due to the collision of two planes during a turning manoeuvre.

The investigation rejected the possibility of sabotage

Read also: Plane-spotting in the weeds, unwanted fame, and the Ghost of Kyiv made out of Lego. Andrii Pilshchykov's mother tells the story of her son's life

For reference: Andrii "Juice" Pilshchykov, born in Kharkiv, dedicated 8 years of his life to aviation. He had more than 500 flight hours under his belt when Russia launched its full-scale invasion  including carrying out combat missions in difficult conditions. He received several state and departmental awards.

He was a pilot in the Air Command Centre's 40th Tactical Aviation Brigade, a group of pilots known as the Ghost of Kyiv for their brave actions in defending the capital and the surrounding oblast from Russian aircraft. The rank of Major was awarded to him posthumously.

Pilshchykov was active in the Western media and lobbied for the provision of modern F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine.

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WARREN, Ohio (WKBN)  The State Fire Marshal is investigating a Warren bar fire that sent one to the hospital as arson.

The Ohio Inn on North Park Avenue caught on fire around 12 a.m. Sunday. The Warren Fire Department could not tell First News how the fire started.

Officials said one person had to be rescued from the second floor with a ladder. They were taken to the hospital but are expected to be OK.

Signs are now posted on the building offering a reward for information on who is responsible for the fire.

Nadine Grimley contributed to this report.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKBN.com.
President Reagan, shown in 1981, based many of his policies on ideas from the Heritage Foundation publication "The Mandate for Leadership." Project 2025 makes up a majority of the latest edition of this title and recommends many of the same extreme policies. (Ron Edmonds / Associated Press)

Project 2025, the Heritage Foundations conservative playbook that would overhaul much of the federal government under a second Trump administration, has sparked fear and concern from voters despite the former presidents attempt to distance his campaign from the plan. But while Project 2025 might seem radical, most of it is not new. Instead, the now-famous document seeks to reanimate many of the worst racial, economic and political instincts of the Reagan Revolution.

Project 2025 begins with its authors (one of whom stepped down last month) boasting of the Heritage Foundations 1981 publication The Mandate for Leadership, which helped shape the Reagan administrations policy framework. It hit its mark: Reagan wrote 60% of its recommendations into public policy in his first year in office, according to the Heritage Foundation. Yet the 900-plus-page Project 2025, itself a major component of a new edition of The Mandate for Leadership, does not contain any analysis of the economic and social price Americans paid for the revolution the Heritage Foundation and Reagan inspired.

Read more: Calmes: Reports of the death of Trump's Project 2025 are greatly exaggerated

If todays economic inequality, racial unrest and environmental degradation represent some of our greatest political challenges, we would do well to remember that Reagan and the Heritage Foundation were the preeminent engineers of these catastrophes. Perhaps no day in Reagans presidency better embodied his policy transformations or the political ambitions of the Heritage Foundation than Aug. 13, 1981, when Reagan signed his first budget.

This budget dramatically transformed governmental priorities and hollowed out the nations 50-year pursuit of government for the common good that began during the New Deal. Once passed, it stripped 400,000 poor working families of their welfare benefits, while removing significant provisions from another 300,000. Radical cuts in education affected 26 million students. The number of poor Americans increased by 2.2 million, and the percentage of Black Americans living in poverty rose to a staggering 34.2%.

Read more: Pro-Trump Project 2025 leader suggests a new American Revolution is underway

Of course, this was just the beginning of Reagans war on the poor, the environment and education. Following a Heritage Foundation plan, the Environmental Protection Agencys operating budget would fall by 27%, and its science budget decreased by more than 50% . Funding for programs by the Department of Housing and Urban Development that provided housing assistance would be cut by 70%, according to Matthew Desmond's "Poverty, By America." Homelessness skyrocketed. And, as Project 2025 proposes, Reagan attempted to eliminate the Department of Education but settled for gutting its funding in a manner that set public education, in the words of author Jonathan Kozol, back almost 100 years. As funding for these issues nosedived under Reagan, financial support for the war on drugs skyrocketed and the prison population nearly doubled .

All the while, protections provided to the wealthy ballooned. Tax rates on personal income, corporate revenue and capital gains plummeted. For example, the highest income tax rate when Reagan took office was 70%. He would eventually lower it to 33% .

Read more: Project 2025 plan calls for demolition of NOAA and National Weather Service

To ensure that wealth would be a long-lived family entitlement, Reagan instituted a 300% increase in inheritance tax protections through estate tax exemptions in his first budget. In 1980, the exemption stood at $161,000. By the time Reagan left office in 1989 it was $600,000. Today it is $13,610,000. This means that today nearly all wealthy children enjoy tax-free access to generational wealth.

And beginning during Reagans presidency, the number of millionaires and billionaires multiplied, increasing 225% and 400%, respectively, while the poverty of Americans across racial lines intensified. Even white males were more likely to be poor following Reagans presidency. Today poverty is the fourth-leading cause of death in the U.S., even though this is the wealthiest nation in the world.

If we feel like we live in a country that isnt working for anyone who isnt wealthy, these are some of the core reasons why. Looking back at the Reagan era and the Heritage Foundations original Mandate for Leadership, we must remember that our domestic wounds are largely self-inflicted, results of buying into racial, economic and environmental lies that continue to be sold. It is precisely the types of policies that devastated the nation during the Reagan administration that Project 2025 now seeks to resuscitate. Perhaps the only truly new thing Project 2025 suggests is using more authoritarian means to enact its agenda.

History has hinges, moments that change the trajectory of nations. The greatest progress in our country has almost always emerged during turbulent times. It is up to the United States' most committed believers to close the door on terror and trauma and open one that leads to new democratic possibilities.

Our current moment represents more than an election. It is a turning point that has the potential to transform the United States for generations to come. We dont need the version of the past that Project 2025 is trying to sell us. It didnt work for most Americans then, and it wont work for most of us now. But perhaps Project 2025 is the push the Democratic Party needed. While the Republican Party veers further into authoritarianism, Democrats must be equally determined to develop a truly equitable democracy and bind the wounds of a deeply divided nation.

Joel Edward Goza , a professor of ethics at Simmons College of Kentucky, is the author of the forthcoming book  Rebirth of a Nation: Reparations and Remaking America.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Ive been told that ego stands for easing God out. The video of a Detroit judges dehumanizing treatment of a teenage girl who dozed off in his courtroom while on a field trip to the courthouse is confirmation of this truth.

Judge Kenneth King, the presiding criminal division judge in Michigans 36th District Court, yelled at a 15-year-old student who was visiting his courtroom with a nonprofit group and then sent her to the courts jail cell, where she was made to disrobe and change into a jail jumpsuit and sit alone. As if that were not already excessively punitive, King continued the teenagers humiliation by ordering her back into the courtroom as she wore handcuffs. He made her plead for leniency. He had her peers, some of whom were unable to muffle their laughter, vote on her fate.

King, who has since been removed from his docket and ordered to undergo mandatory training, defended his actions when it became known what hed done to the girl. Thats not something that normally happens, he told Detroits WXYZ-TV. But I felt compelled to do it because I didnt like the childs attitude. Calling his actions my own version of Scared Straight, he told the TV station, I havent been disrespected like that in a very long time.

But the most glaring disrespect exhibited that day was from the judge himself. He not only disrespected the teenager he had before him, but he also disrespected the judiciary. In fact, watching what that judge did to that young person  which would have been out of order even if she were a defendant, not merely a student on a summer field trip  made me furious as a member of the legal profession, a retired jurist, a mother and a human being.

Last week, the teenagers family sued King, accusing him of violating her civil rights. This is a very troubling case, one of the familys lawyers said. We had a member of our bench denigrate, humiliate, intimidate and essentially incarcerate a 15-year-old kid.

That attorney is right. It is troubling. Visiting a courtroom should have been an opportunity to spark a desire in this young Black woman to, say, become a Supreme Court justice like Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. Instead, because of King, she had a devastating encounter with a judge wrongly flaunting his authority that will only deepen her distrust, and the publics distrust, in our justice system.

True authority does not try hard. People who understand their authority know they dont have to speak harshly to command respect. Authority is communicated through professionalism and fairness. Unfortunately, the judge in this case was more interested in asserting his dominance over this young person than in fostering an environment of learning, understanding and respect in his courtroom.

There was no way the judge was going to look good by turning her into an inmate because she had fallen asleep. But he looked even worse after details of her circumstances were revealed.

Latoreya Till, the teens mother, told NBC News that they have no permanent housing and that they had arrived late at the home where they were staying the night before the teenagers field trip. In an interview with WXYZ-TV, she said, The fact that he was talking about You go home and get in your bed, how do you know my baby got a home? How do you know my baby got a bed, her own bed she could sleep in? She dont have that right now, so she was tired.

People often fall asleep in court because of medication, a medical condition, the temperature in the courtroom, or not understanding the court proceedings. His ego made him assume she fell asleep to disrespect him.

Lawsuit filed against Detroit judge who scolded teen, had her put in jail uniform https://t.co/TBTTeABH9l  WXYZ Detroit (@wxyzdetroit) August 21, 2024

I know that being a judge is hard. I served for nearly 10 years in the municipal court in Newark, New Jersey. When I took my oath, I committed myself to treating every person who entered my courtroom with dignity, respect and fairness. This commitment is fundamental to the justice systems purpose, to ensuring justice for all.

This belief is grounded in a concept known as procedural justice or procedural fairness. Put simply, when people believe they are treated with dignity, respect and fairness by the justice system, the outcomes are overwhelmingly positive. Compliance with court orders increases. The public trusts the justice system more. And crime goes down.

The principles of procedural justice require judges, attorneys and other justice system actors to ensure that people are given a voice, understand the process, and are treated with neutrality and respect. Crucially, and somewhat counterintuitively, this is as important as whether someone wins or loses in court. In other words, when a person feels like they have been treated decently, they are usually willing to accept the outcome of the case, even if it goes against them.

What King did goes against every principle of procedural justice. Thankfully, few judges engage in such behavior. Still, this should serve as a stark reminder for those with authority of the dangers of ego. King had an obligation to remember that he wore a robe and not a crown.

The judges behavior didnt just harm one student; it harmed every person in the courtroom that day by negatively shaping their perception (or confirming their existing negative beliefs) about the justice system. Courtroom observers should leave with a greater respect for the judicial process. Clearly, those in Kings courtroom that day did not.

A judges authority is not a weapon to be hurled at the weak. A judges authority must be used to protect, uplift and embody the principles of procedural justice. As the teenagers mother put it, he was supposed to show love and sympathy and implement the law, and he didnt do none of that.

This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
Listen to this full episode of The New Abnormal on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon, and Stitcher.

Rudy Giuliani says that Steve Bannon is being denied access to TV in prison and essentially tortured.

In a conversation with MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, Giuliani claimed that Bannon is being unfairly treated while he serves his four-month sentence at the Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury, Connecticut for defying a congressional subpoena.

(Bannon) unfortunately cant hear this broadcast, which is an outrage, Giuliani said. I ran the Bureau of Prisons in two capacities. First, I was absolutely in charge of it as the Associate Attorney General for two years under Ronald Reagan. And then I was the chief of staff of the guy who was in charge of it under Gerald Ford. I do not remember prisoners of his category not having access to television for occasional shows, special shows.

Steve Bannon is not being treated the way other prisoners are being treated. His case has been moved from the Bureau of Prisons to Crooked Attorney General Garlands office, and theyre calling the shots because contacts that I have in the Bureau of Prisons have told me theyve been taken outta the case, Giuliani continued. Hes being, lets say, tortured.. this election is about a fascist regime and Steve Bannon is prime number one victim.

Subscribe to The New Abnormal on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon Music, or Overcast.

The only true thing he said there is, this is an election about a fascist regime, said The New Abnormal co-host Andy Levy.

Yeah. That was good. That was accurate, said fellow co-host Danielle Moodie.

Nobody needs to hear from Rudy Giuliani again on any subject. So the fact that this guy who was the mayor of New York, who ran for president, who served as a Associate Attorney General or whatever, under a president, is now reduced to sitting there and talking to Mike Lindell. I mean, I dont know what more you need to know, said Levy.

Hes a lap dog. He needs to go where he can be fed, said Moodie.

Plus! Journalist and author Casey Michel joins the podcast to talk about their new book, Foreign Agents: How American Lobbying and Lawmakers Threaten Democracy Around the World.

Listen to this full episode of The New Abnormal on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon, and Stitcher.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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During the last month, Christians for Kamala joined the ranks of groups supporting Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota. In so doing, they stand beside groups as wide-ranging as Comics for Kamala and Deadheads for Kamala. Because Harris has shown she will include us all in her vision for the United States and bring together what has been torn apart, all of these groups have seized upon the newfound enthusiasm among the electorate since President Joe Biden dropped out of the race in July and endorsed Harris.

A religious coalition such as this entering the chat is an important step in the right direction, and, if built upon, could help sway enough movable religious voters in critical battleground states such as Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. Whats more, it could mean breaking the stronghold that MAGA forces have on many of our countrys evangelical voters. Thanks in part to the cooperation of so many self-identified Christian voters, the MAGA movement has seized control of the Republican Party and helped lead our country down a dark, democracy-threatening path.

Former President Donald Trump and his team know this, and its at the core of their strategy in the lead-up to the November election. Compared with 2016, an erosion of his support from white men was Trumps biggest problem in 2020, and his campaign is working overtime to fix that in 2024. In many places, this means courting white Christian men, especially from the evangelical and Catholic traditions. Thats one of the reasons he picked Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, who converted to Catholicism five years ago, as his running mate.

Central to our work at Vote Common Good, I spend a lot of my time traveling the country speaking to voters, particularly evangelical and Catholic voters who are hardwired into voting Republican, working to get them to break out of those patterns. What Ive learned is that most dont want or need their elected leader to be like them, but they really do want their leader to like them. It wasnt clear that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton liked evangelical and Catholic men when she ran for president in 2016, and it remains largely unclear to many of these voters in 2024 if Kamala Harris does. Trump, on the other hand, probably doesnt like them, but he put his arms around these voters in a transactional exchange, and he promised and in some cases delivered them power.

But on the trail in 2020, 2022 and this year, Ive gleaned the reason many evangelical and Christian voters ultimately leave Trump: his obvious lack of kindness. A poll that my organization Vote Common Good commissioned in 2020 showed that in swing states, Trumps lack of kindness was driving evangelical and Catholic voters away in large enough numbers to potentially affect the outcome of the election.

Voters typically realize that the way they vote reflects on them. And those religious voters who defected from Trump didnt like the way his unkindness reflected on them, whether it be putting migrant children in cages, the way he treats women, the way he treats the press, the way he treats nearly everyone who left his administration and the way he treats democracy itself. Many of these voters know thats not the behavior they want their children to emulate.

The Harris campaign clearly knows it has an opportunity here. The choice of Tim Walz as vice presidential nominee is in no small part evidence of that. But it isnt nearly enough. Democrats more broadly need to embrace the idea that evangelicals, and especially white male evangelicals, are worth winning and can be won without the party compromising its values.

What its going to take is a concerted, grassroots effort to reach these voters, listen to them and bring them along on a journey to help them understand its OK for them to let concern for the common good, and not allegiance to a political party, determine how they vote. We need to tell them that what Democrats are pushing for lines up with the values evangelicals hold dear  making the world better and bringing people together. Those policies include commonsense gun reform to keep kids safe, engaging solutions at the border and lowering the cost of child care. Many Christians are heartbroken at the idea that they have to choose between a faith thats meaningful to them and a political identity that has been wedded to it. They dont know what to do, and we need to help them separate those two identities.

It will take an effort like the one we made in Kent County, Mich., home to Grand Rapids and several Christian universities, before the 2020 election. We held voter rallies and roundtables; put up billboards juxtaposing the words of Jesus Christ with those of Trump; sent thousands of postcards to evangelical voters; and trained multiple local Democratic candidates on how to engage with faith voters. Our message to the 25% of the Kent County electorate that identified as evangelical was simple: Trump lacks kindness and its OK not to vote for the Republican.

Trump beat Clinton by 3 points in Kent County in 2016. In 2020, he lost to Biden there by 6 points, a 9-point swing.

I always believed a shift like that was possible, and I was at the convention in Chicago telling everyone who would listen the Kent County story and making the case that we cannot ignore evangelical voters. My efforts included being on a panel focused on how to move gettable voters.

Biden did better than Hillary Clinton did with evangelical voters, and if we come together and dont leave these folks to Trump, I think its possible for Harris to receive the highest level of evangelical support since Jimmy Carter got roughly half the evangelical vote in 1976. And if that were to happen, it would break the back of the MAGA movement.

Now that the convention is over, well be fueling up our bus, hitting the road and driving to Georgia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Arizona and back to some of those same places again. We wont leave movable voters out there on their own. Well let them know that they can make that switch, and they wont be shunned or punished for it. We wont give up on them, because they can help save our country from the antidemocratic policies the MAGA movement has been unleashing. Christians for Kamala, which Im a part of, will make sure Christian faith voters are engaged in the political process.

This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
Orland Park man charged for taking victim at gunpoint this week at southwest suburban business

CHICAGO RIDGE, Ill.  An Orland Park man was charged with multiple felony charges, including aggravated kidnapping, after taking a victim at gunpoint earlier this week at a business in southwest suburban Chicago Ridge.

According to Chicago Ridge police, officers responded to a call of shots fired just after 1:15 a.m. Tuesday at Signature Line Motorsports, 10005 South Harlem Avenue in Chicago Ridge.

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Police say when officers arrived, they learned that an employee of the business had fired several rounds at a tow truck driver that was on the property repossessing a vehicle. The frightened tow truck driver fled northbound on Harlem Ave. in the southbound lanes, police say.

According to police, the suspect then took another victim, who was at the business with the repossession company, into the business by gunpoint.

Chicago Ridge and assisting Bridgeview police officers were able to gain entry to the business and take the suspect into custody. He was identified as Mahyoub Dawabsha, 26, of Orland Park.

32-year-man killed, 2 others injured in overnight shooting in Humboldt Park, police say

Police say the victim who was being held at gunpoint inside the business was unharmed. Officers searched the business and located the loaded firearm.

The Cook County States Attorneys Office reviewed the case with detectives and approved felony charges against Dawabsha of aggravated kidnapping, armed robbery, two counts of aggravated discharge of a firearm, aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and three counts of aggravated assault.

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Over 100 Rabbits Rescued from Tennessee Residence After Overwhelmed Owner Asks for Help Rehoming Them

"Its the best for everybody," the owner said of rehoming the animals, many of whom are receiving aid for various ailments

Meredith Lee/The HSUS Rescued rabbit

More than 100 rabbits have been rescued from a home in Tennessee after an "overwhelmed" owner asked for help rehoming them.

On Tuesday, Aug. 20, the Humane Society of the United States and the McKamey Animal Center arrived at the residence in Chattanooga, where they found the homeowner and the large number of animals "living in extremely unsanitary conditions," per a press release.

"The rabbits appeared to suffer from a variety of ailments including flea infestations, hair loss and injuries typical of overcrowding," the press release stated, adding that "multiple nursing litters and rabbits of various ages were found burrowing in furniture throughout the residence."

Veterinarians, according to the press release, indicated that several rabbits could also be pregnant.

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Meredith Lee/The HSUS A rabbit being rescued

Related: A Friendly Reminder That Adorable Bunnies Are Pets for Life (Not Just for Easter)

According to the press release, the owner of the home took care of pet rabbits for more than 30 years, but his ability to properly supervise them declined after he suffered "a health crisis."

After the number of the animals grew in size, the owner reached out to the McKamey Animal Center, which requested the assistance of the Humane Society of the United States, for help.

Meredith Lee/The HSUS A rabbit

Veterinarians are currently conducting "in-depth exams" of the rabbits, who will "receive flea treatment, topical eye medication to treat infections and any treatment for any other medical issues identified," the Humane Society of the United States said.

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, said Audra Houghton, director of operations for the Humane Society of the United States animal rescue team. We are looking forward to getting a more clear picture of their health status as we conduct in-depth veterinary exams."

Meredith Lee/The HSUS A rabbit being rescued

Related: Stray Rabbit, Percy, Becomes Wellness 'Mascot' for Calif. Police: 'He Loves the Attention'

In an interview with the Humane Society of the United States that was seen by PEOPLE, the homeowner explained that his first rabbit saved his life and helped his sobriety.

He also said that a conversation with a friend led him to eventually ask for help in rehoming the animals in his residence.

The key thing for me, though, with all these guys is to know theyre finding good safe homes. Thats all Ive ever wanted, said the caregiver.

Thats what I try to picture with these guys leaving  its the best for everybody," he added of the rabbits being rehomed after getting medical treatment.



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OXFORD, Conn. (WTNH)  Following a difficult week for first responders, one local family in Oxford organized a lemonade stand for the Oxford Fire Department.

The lemonade stand offers citizens the chance to get a cold drink, spend time with their neighbors and contribute to a good cause.

We are very excited, weve gotten a lot of people to come by, a lot of support, people are really happy to do this with us and with the kids, said Oxford resident Kelly Maguire.

The lemonade stand was located at 4 Middlefield Rd. and will return Sunday from 1-4pm. All proceeds will go to the Oxford Fire Department.

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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA)  Ozark Regional Transit (ORT) has been awarded $14.9 million from the Department of Transportation to build EV charging infrastructure at up to 17 sites across Bentonville, Fayetteville, Rogers and Springdale.

This project will boost the number of publicly available charging ports in Northwest Arkansas by 58%, according to an Instagram post from ORT.

The new stations will be located in areas served by Ozark Regional Transits On-Demand services and, while primarily used for charging On-Demand vehicles between trips, will also be available for public use.

How much marijuana was sold in Arkansas in July 2024

A MASSIVE thank you to Senator John Boozmans office and Congressman Steve Womacks office for securing us this grant, as well as to Shawn Strate, Andy Brewer, and their team at Olsson Inc. for putting the grant application together. We also extend our gratitude to the cities of Bentonville, Fayetteville, Rogers, and Springdale Mayors for their ongoing support of ORT and public transportation. Ozark Regional Transit (ORT) via Instagram

According to Plugshare.com, Bentonville, Fayetteville, Rogers and Springdale are currently served by 244 EV charging stations, including 21 free-to-use stations.

Arkansas ranks 38th in the nation for the number of EV charging stations, with 335 reported stations statewide. There is one EV charging station for every 9,157 Arkansas residents, according to Consumer Reports.

ORT originated from the Economic Opportunity Agency of Washington County (EOA), which began providing demand-response transportation for elderly, low-income residents in 1974 using Federal Title XX funds, according to their website.

Arkansas gives more than $15 million in state grants to support mental health, baby boxes

In 1977, the Economic Opportunity Agency (EOA) initiated a national rural public transportation project, recognizing the need for transit in small cities and rural areas. ORTs services grew through the late 1970s and early 1980s, leading to the establishment of Project Respond and the transfer of EOAs transportation program to the Community Resource Group (CRG) in 1979.

ORT became a mass transit operator in 1980 and expanded further, receiving urban transit funds in 1991 to start daily service in Fayetteville and Springdale. By 2001, ORTs budget reached $1.6 million, supported by the Federal Transportation Administration (FTA).

Today, ORT operates across 110 square miles in both rural and urbanized areas of Northwest Arkansas.

To learn more about ORT, please visit www.ozark.org.

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. (BCN)  A man serving life behind bars for the murder of a PC World editor has died in a prison fight that is being investigated as a homicide, state corrections officials said Saturday.

Petaluma woman accused of chasing victim with machete arrested

Darryl W. Hudson, 40, died Friday, a day after he fought with five other prisoners at California State Prison, Sacramento in Folsom, the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said. Hudson was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole in 2009 in the killing of PC World editor Rex Farrance and pistol-whipping of his wife during a home-invasion robbery in Pittsburg.

Farrance, a senior technical editor at PC World magazine in San Francisco, was home with his wife, Lenore van Tosh-Farrance, on Jan. 9, 2007, when a group of masked men kicked in the front door, Contra Costa County prosecutor Harold Jewett said during the trial. Wheres the money, bitch, one of the men asked Tosh-Farrance and pistol-whipped her.

Jewett said one of the men, believed to be Hudson, shot Farrance once in the chest from three or four feet away. The men took Farrances gun safe, some marijuana and a laptop computer. Jewett said the house was most likely targeted because Farrance and his son were growing marijuana in the attic.

Hudson was sentenced to life for first-degree murder and first-degree robbery, with enhancements for using a firearm, and for assault with a firearm. A Contra Costa County Superior Court judge declared a mistrial for Hudsons co-defendant, Montrell Hall, after the jury said it was hopelessly deadlocked and unable to reach a verdict.

Prison officials said Hudson began fighting with Darryn W. Mayberry and four other prisoners in a dayroom about 2:55 p.m. Thursday. Mayberry allegedly struck Hudson several times, causing him to lose consciousness, the corrections department said.

Hudson was taken by ambulance to an outside medical facility where he was pronounced dead Friday night. No staff or additional incarcerated individuals were injured.

In 2021, while an inmate, Hudson was sentenced by a Kern County court to seven years for battery on a non-prisoner with an enhancement for inflicting great bodily injury, according to the corrections department.

Mayberry and four other inmates have been placed in restricted housing pending an investigation by the Sacramento prisons Investigative Services Unit and the Sacramento County District Attorneys Office.

Mayberry, 30, has been serving 10 years for second-degree robbery as a second striker with enhancements for having been convicted of prior felonies. California State Prison, Sacramento is a high-security facility in Folsom that houses about 1,990 incarcerated people, the corrections department said.

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A pedestrian is dead after being struck by a vehicle in Kansas City Saturday night.

The pedestrian was crossing east at the intersection of 33rd Street and Prospect Avenue when they were hit in the middle of the roadway by a Dodge Charger headed north on Prospect Avenue, according to Phil DiMartino, spokesperson for the Kansas City Police Department.

The driver of the car immediately stopped and remained at the scene, police said, while the pedestrian was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead.

This marks the 62nd traffic fatality in 2024 compared to 59 at this time last year, according to DiMartino. The investigation is ongoing.
Pennsylvania state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta talks about Project 2025 during the Democratic National Convention at the United Center on August 20, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

CHICAGO  Pennsylvania was the most popular kid in the class at the 2024 Democratic National Convention, and the battleground state and its 19 electoral votes were well represented in Chicago and on the conventions nightly broadcasts. Each night featured a speaker from the Keystone State, with Lt. Gov. Austin Davis on Monday; state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta on Tuesday; Gov. Josh Shapiro on Wednesday and U.S. Sen. Bob Casey on Thursday.

Shapiro was unquestionably the biggest Pennsylvania presence at the DNC, due in part to his status as a runner-up to be presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris running mate. He was constantly booked during the week, speaking at numerous state delegations breakfasts, attracting the ire of GOP nominee former President Donald Trump, and appearing regularly on cable news channels.

Project 2025 played a key role at the convention, as Democrats continued to try to link the conservative policy plan to reshape the federal government and increase presidential authority with Trump.

Kenyatta, a candidate for state Auditor General held the giant Project 2025 book on stage Tuesday night,, and told the audience it was a radical plan to drag us backwards, bankrupt the middle class and raise prices on working families like yours and mine.

Trump has tried to distance himself from Project 2025 but several members of his administration were involved with helping to craft it.

Its a big, heavy book full of bad ideas, and it was one of these moments where were able to really get people to understand with the visual how serious Trump and this administration are about doubling down on his flawed theory of the case, Kenyatta told the Capital-Star on the final day of the convention.

Our vote is the highest demonstration of the collective power we have... The purpose of this moment is to use our collective power to elect somebody who gives a damn about us, and then to work side by side with her to help implement the things that she's talking about.

 Pennsylvania Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta

He added Project 2025 should serve as a warning to Democrats about what they believe a second Trump term would look like.

When Trump burst onto the political scene, he did so with the thesis that America sucks, and that it sucks in large part because our neighbors, the people in our community, people we dont know  theyre somehow a part of bringing America down, Kenyatta said, and the only way we fix it is if we give him all the power.

While Trumps first term saw the former president flailing around, Kenyatta said, the architects of Project 2025 mapped out a plan for how to reach some of the goals of the far-right wing of the party, such as a national abortion ban and abolishing the U.S. Department of Education.

Kenyatta added he doesnt believe in the political concept of giving all the power to one person to fix everything.

Our vote is the highest demonstration of the collective power we have, he said. If we elect Kamala Harris in November and then say, OK, well see you in four years at the next convention. Hope you fix all the problems! then weve missed the thread. The purpose of this moment is to use our collective power to elect somebody who gives a damn about us, and then to work side by side with her to help implement the things that shes talking about.

At the final Pennsylvania delegates breakfast on Thursday, U.S. Rep. Summer Lee (D-12th District) urged the battleground state delegates to keep up the conventions momentum.

Were here honing our tools so that we can go out and do the very hard work, not for Kamala Harris. Were not doing hard work for Summer Lee or any of my colleagues, Lee said, but rather for marginalized and vulnerable people. Think about that person whose name is in that book over the hundreds and hundreds of pages of Project 2025, who do we see there that we need to make sure is not touched by the evil and the horrors that they have lined up and ready for them.

Davis, Pennsylvanias youngest and first-ever Black lieutenant governor, addressed the convention on Monday night and spoke about the importance of building bridges. He appeared on stage with Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Sarah Rodriguez, Harris County, Texas Executive Lena Hidalgo, and California Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, all of whom shared stories about how Harris had made an impact on their communities.

I grew up with working class parents in a small steel town in southwestern Pennsylvania, and to have the opportunity to speak on a national stage like that was incredibly humbling, Davis told the Capital-Star. It was just an example of how someone can live the American dream, so I hope folks who saw me saw that America should be a place where every person has that same opportunity.

Davis said the question he heard most often over the course of the convention was whether Democrats can win Pennsylvania. And I tell them, absolutely, we just have to keep showing up everywhere, competing in places that sometimes its not easy to be a Democrat, he said.

Asked if there were red areas of the state he saw as possible to flip blue, he pointed to central Pennsylvania as having the most potential, particularly the race in the 10th Congressional District between former WGAL anchor Janelle Stelson and Republican U.S. Rep. Scott Perry.

I think we have a great candidate in Janelle Stelson, he said. I think theres a lot of energy also with [state Rep.] Patty Kim running for state Senate. So I think Dauphin, Lancaster, Cumberland  an area Governor Shapiro won when we were running on the ballot.

Davis said not everyone was completely impressed with his star turn on television, however. His daughter Harper, whose 1st birthday is next month, was asleep by the time he appeared Monday night. Were going to replay it for her but she doesnt care, he said. She only cares when I FaceTime her and shes like, Daddy, when are you coming home?

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The Pentagon wants to use special operators in new ways to train Taiwan and others for a different kind of fight

The Pentagon wants to use special operators in new ways to train Taiwan and others for a different kind of fight

The Pentagon wants more leeway from Congress to support US-aligned nations like Taiwan.

Current limitations mean special operators can only train partners on counterterrorism, counter-narcotics, and border security missions.

Expanded authorities would enhance Taiwan's defense against potential Chinese invasion threats.

The Pentagon has been seeking more leeway from Congress so that it can better use its special operators to support friendly, US-aligned nations, including preparing Taiwan for Chinese aggression.

Today, special operators are limited in the kind of training and equipment that they can provide to partner forces. If a program isn't fighting terrorism or narcotics or doesn't ensure border security, there's not much American commandos can offer. But under the new proposal, US Special Operations Command (SOCOM) would be able to train and equip foreign partners for resistance and extended foreign internal defense (FID) missions focused on combatting potential future threats.

A Pentagon proposal to Congress in April mentioned Taiwan and the Baltic nations in particular, highlighting the need for forces there to be ready to "resist an invasion or occupation by an adversarial power" and protect the nation and its people from "acts of subversion sponsored by a foreign country that pose a significant threat to the existing government," per reporting from Defense News highlighting the challenges posed by China and Russia.

New Authorities for Special Operators

In America's last war, special operations forces were the go-to option for military commanders and policymakers. The fighting against insurgents and terrorists in the conflicts in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria was ideal for special operations forces. But in a potential future large-scale conflict against China or Russia, special operators are expected to revert to a role of supporting conventional military forces.

Green Berets in Close-Quarter Battle training. US Army

One of the more valuable capabilities of the US special operations community is its ability to train and equip others to fight. The fight can be against an oppressive government or against a rebel group that threatens a legitimate government.

For example, during the opening days of the global war on terrorism, US Army Green Berets and CIA paramilitary officers paired with Afghan Northern Alliance fighters to oust the Taliban and al-Qaida terrorists in just a few weeks. Similarly, in Central and South America, Green Berets have trained local militaries to fend off Communist insurgents.

In the context of Taiwan, which faces tremendous pressure and threats from neighboring China, an expansion of authorities to train Taiwan's conventional and spec ops units in additional, irregular missions will increase their deterrence capabilities and could even make a difference in a potential conflict.

"One of our core mission sets is FID, or Foreign Internal Defense," an Army Special forces operator serving in a National Guard unit told Business Insider.

"We work with and train partner forces. Expanding our authorities beyond the purview of counterterrorism and counter narcotics will untie our hands and help us better prepare our partners, whether that's in Taiwan or Ukraine," added the Green Beret, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to talk to the media.

A Green Beret in combat marksmanship training. US Army

Army Green Berets are ideally suited for such missions. They receive language and cultural training geared to make them warrior-diplomats. They can act alone or in small teams, helping to train and lead large partner forces into combat.

Allowing Green Berets and Marine Raiders, two types of American forces that specialize in training foreign partners, to work with their Taiwanese counterparts in resistance operations could increase Taiwan's chances of defending against a Chinese invasion.

If it decides to forcibly unify with the small but defiant island nation, Beijing will likely strike hard and fast. It will probably want to avoid getting entangled in a long fight like Russia has in Ukraine or giving time to the US and others in the West to react. The Chinese military will use everything at its disposal, including special operations forces and intelligence operatives. But a Taiwanese military trained in resistance operations will be harder to defeat.

"I understand the existing limitations. Resistance and FID skillsets can be used by malicious actors to overthrow legitimate governments and cause all sorts of instability in a region. But, if used as intended, they are a great way to fight a large force," the Green Beret told BI.

Read the original article on Business Insider
People for Life take to Erie streets protesting sale of mifepristone abortion medication

Members of People for Life gathered for a protest Saturday morning.

Several people took to the sidewalks of West 12th Street and Peninsula Drive to protest mifepristone.

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Its the first of two medications that are used in a medication abortion and is now being dispensed at Walgreens and CVS.

Tim Broderick, director of People for Life, said the organization is going to keep doing these demonstrations indefinitely.

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Walgreens was first out of the gate with the abortion pill. Pennsylvania was one of their trial areas. At this point now, CVS is also moving into many states, including Pennsylvania. So there are those two. We would hate to see smaller pharmacies get involved with this, said Broderick.

This is their sixth protest and they were on the corner for an hour.

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Phoenix police released security and body camera footage on Friday from an officer-involved shooting that occurred on August 10. In the incident, officers shot and killed 46-year-old Imani Jackson after he allegedly fired a gun near a group of people and attempted to flee from police.

At about 3:35 a.m., Phoenix police first received reports of a man, later identified as Jackson, firing multiple gunshots near 27th Avenue and Van Buren Street.

According to Phoenix police Sgt. Rob Scherer, 911 callers reported the shooter driving a white Ford Explorer, which was later identified as matching the description of Jackson's vehicle.

Security camera footage from the area reportedly connected Jackson to the initial gunshots, showing him driving alongside a group of people near a dimly lit building.

Jackson is seen exiting his vehicle and interacting with someone before allegedly pointing a gun at a person and firing, prompting some members of the group, including a dog, to flee.

Witnesses at the scene informed police that Jackson had threatened them with a handgun before fleeing in his vehicle, according to Sgt. Scherer.

Police fire five shots

About one mile away near 25th Avenue and Buckeye Road, Phoenix police located a vehicle in a parking lot resembling Jackson's, leading officers to conduct a traffic stop.

Body worn camera from the two officers that pulled Jackson over showed him exit his vehicle with his hands up despite police orders to stay in his vehicle. Jackson, still with his hands in the air, proceeded to walk in the opposite direction of police before engaging in a brief foot pursuit.

Police are seen hesitating in the body camera footage when Jackson allegedly reached towards his waistband for a handgun, according to Scherer. Police then fired five shots fired at Jackson, as seen in the body camera footage.

Police are seen scrambling to take cover behind a backup police vehicle. "Chill out! Chill out! Get behind the car," shouts one of the officers moments after shots were fired.

"Everyone slow down," another officer shouts as a handgun mounted flashlight illuminates Jackson's motionless body on the edge of the sidewalk.

Scherer said Jackson was detained and died at the scene, but the body camera footage did not depict anything beyond the officer involved shooting.

Police located a handgun in the yard next to where Jackson was shot and forensically linked the gun to the shooting incident earlier near 25th Avenue and Buckeye Road, according to Scherer

"The officers involved in this shooting are both assigned to the South Mountain Precinct and have approximately one and a half and three and a half years of service with the department respectively," said Scherer.

The shooting was subject of an internal Phoenix police investigation and a separate criminal investigation by the Maricopa County Attorney's Office.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Bodycam footage shows police shooting that killed Imani Jackson
In 1855, the nation turned its attention in shock toward the tragedy unfolding in Norfolk and Portsmouth.

The American public clamored for fresh reports about the latest death tolls in the Virginia port cities, where yellow fever struck with a 33% mortality rate.

The country was horrified by the devastation, now chronicled in a new book, The Fever: The Most Fatal Plague in American History, by Lon Wagner.

Wagner, who lives in Roanoke, documents how yellow fever silenced the bustling streets of two flourishing cities and forever altered the trajectory of Hampton Roads.

Norfolk and Portsmouth both lost key people who would have been leaders for those cities for decades to come, he said in an interview. So it makes you wonder how it affected the fate of these two places at a key time of growth, when they were really building.

On Thursday, Wagner will give a talk at Prince Books in Norfolk about the book, which began as a 14-part series he wrote as a reporter for The Virginian-Pilot in 2005. The book is a culmination of years of research, collecting and cataloguing historical accounts found in 1800s newspapers, personal stories preserved in diaries, and patient histories recorded during the 100-day epidemic by the Portsmouth Medical Center.

Wagner begins his narrative in the hold of the cargo ship Benjamin Franklin. The vessel, transporting coffee, fruit, sugar and passengers to New York City, docked at the Caribbean island of St. Thomas in May 1855 amid an outbreak of yellow fever there.

Yellow fever is believed to have originated in Africa and spread around the globe on board ships  a curse of the international slave trade  Wagner writes.

The illness begins with headache, muscle pain, vomiting and a fever before attacking vital organs. It shuts down the liver and, Wagner writes, the skin turns an ashen yellow.

Though the crew showed signs of illness, he writes, the captain of the Benjamin Franklin departed the Caribbean port for the United States.

When the ship stopped for repairs in Hampton Roads that June, he lied to health officers about conditions aboard, and the virus was released first into Portsmouth.

The fever spread like a slow gas leak, Wagner writes.

It had been 29 years since the last yellow fever outbreak in Hampton Roads, and almost no one here had immunity. When a mosquito that carries the virus bites a human, the human becomes a carrier and passes it to the next mosquito that bites  on and on it goes.

In Norfolk, people reported falling ill as early as July 16.

Norfolk and Portsmouth residents who could afford to flee did  about 75% of the population. The people who were left, the poor and enslaved, suffered the most.

Of the roughly 6,000 people unable to flee Norfolk, around 2,100 died. Of the 3,000 Portsmouth residents who stayed, around 1,000 died. Wagner could not find another U.S. epidemic with as high a mortality rate. Not since the Black Plague in 1300s Europe had a disease death rate been so terrible.

The Fever, Chapter 1: A killer sails into port

Wagner paints a picture of misery through the plight of his books characters  reconstructing personalities, based on archived letters and other writings  such as civic leaders, doctors, nurses and a Presbyterian minister, George Armstrong:

The moment Armstrong stepped off the ferry in Portsmouth, he stopped in his tracks. An apocalyptic scene lay before him  The fleeing residents had dumped food, entrails, leftover milk and anything and everything else that was perishable at the edge of their properties. It hadnt rained since the mass exodus, so the detritus lay rotting in the summer sun.

But Wagner also gives readers heroes such as 26-year-old Annie M. Andrews, who traveled from Syracuse, New York, into the teeth of calamity to help nurse the sick.

Though the work was grim, they wanted to get started right away.

Read the 2005 series.

Colin Warren-Hicks, 919-818-8138, colin.warrenhicks@virginiamedia.com

___

If you go

Lon Wagner will discuss The Fever and why the death toll of this epidemic was far higher than those of better-known epidemics.

When: 6:30 p.m. Thursday

Where: Prince Books, 109 E. Main St., Norfolk

Tickets: Free

Details: 757-623-9223, prince-books.com
PITTSBURG, Kan.  College students hosted an event to help raise money for their organization.

The Human Health Performance and Recreation Club of Pitt State held its first-ever Carrilla Fest in the parking lot of the Student Rec Center.

The HHPR Club was asked by the professor to create an event that they could use to raise money.

The club chose to put together a car show, and its been in the works since February.

Twenty-six cars showed up today to help out the club.

More on PSU

All the money raised goes to Human Health Performance and Recreation Club scholarships.

With something first event you just never know how its going to go, we did have some pre-register but then we had the weather so not sure how itll go and it just went better than I ever couldve expected. We had a great turn out and we just keep growing from here, said Makenna Wingfield, the HHPR Club President.

The HHPR Club says they plan on making this an annual event and have already started on next year.

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Pizza box near container with Gwinnett womans body got man caught for murder

More than four years after a missing Gwinnett womans body was found in a container near a construction site, a man has been convicted of her murder.

James Lee Griffin Jr., 60, was found guilty of felony murder, malice murder, aggravated assault and concealing the death of another in the June 2020 murder of 39-year-old Kathleen Bass.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

In July 2020, a construction worker said he smelled a foul order near the construction site and noticed an upside-down blue container. He used a piece of machinery to pick it up and Bass remains fell out of it wrapped up in sheets.

A bag of trash next to the container had a pizza box with a receipt still inside. The receipt listed Griffins name and an apartment complex in DeKalb County, just a mile from where Bass body was found.

When they searched his apartment, they found a large amount of blood that someone had tried cleaning up. Investigators determined she had been stabbed.

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A friend testified that she dropped Bass off at Griffins apartment and never heard from her again.

Ring doorbell camera footage showed Griffin leaving his apartment a few days later dragging a blue container down the stairs.

Griffin moved to Arkansas after the murder and started a job driving a truck. He was arrested when he returned to DeKalb County in September 2020 to check in with a bonding agency on an unrelated matter.

A date has not yet been set for sentencing.

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A Miami plastic surgeon accused of sub-standard surgical practices and pre-signing blank prescription forms will have to come out of his pocket with $26,000 as part of his punishment from the state Board of Medicine.

Nothing in Tuesdays final order from the board settling three of the four Florida Department of Health administrative complaints against Dr. Julio Clavijo-Alvarez affects his day-to-day business.

The settlement agreement involved no suspension or probation of the American Board of Plastic Surgery board-certified doctor. All it demanded of Clavijo-Alvarez is his time and money  the time involved in four continuing medical education courses (liposuction, risk management, records and laws, rules and ethics) and the money of a $15,000 fine and $11,085 in Department of Health case costs.

Clavijo-Alvarez continues to work out of his own Coral Gables business, Ai Hair Transplant Miami and Ai Gaia Medspa, 2100 Ponce de Leon. Hes still advertised on 305 Plastic Surgerys website, but not listed with the Department of Health as one of its surgeons.

Hes still listed and advertised at New Life Plastic Surgery, 8400 SW Eighth St., the setting for two of the complaints.

READ MORE: A man with a cough went to a Florida doctor. He wound up in a coma for a month

The pre-operations area at 8400 SW Eighth St., the address of New Life Plastic Surgery and the purported address of Dr. Julio Clavijo-Alvarezs Gaia Plastic Surgery.

Bad drain placement

A Brazilian butt lift or BBL is popular form of liposuction at plastic surgery factories such as New Life. During an Oct. 28, 2021 BBL surgery, a complaint said, Clavijo-Alvarez placed a Jackson-Pratt drain under the patients muscles between the ribs and pubic bone, inside the abdominal cavity and under the peritoneum.

(A Jackson-Pratt (JP) drain is a thin, flexible tube with a bulb on the end that drains fluid away from your wound after surgery, the Cleveland Clinic explains. Your peritoneum is a membrane, a sheet of smooth tissue that lines your abdominopelvic cavity and surrounds your abdominal organs.)

The complaint says the prevailing standard of care required Clavijo-Alvarez not put the drain where he did. The patient wound up going to Jackson West Medical Center with back and abdominal pain, then Jackson Memorial Hospital. JMH doctors removed the drain on Nov. 1, four days after Clavijo-Alvarez inserted it.

The complaint also said Clavijo-Alvarez, who met with the patient on Nov. 3, reported that the patient had not experienced any pain since the BBL procedure on Oct. 28, 2021.

READ MORE: A Florida doctor without his hearing aid couldnt hear his colonoscopy patient scream

Improperly filling in the blanks

During a visit to New Life on May 27, 2022, a Florida Department of Health inspector found one or more prescriptions for oxycodone and/or diazepam that were pre-signed by [Clavijo-Alvarez], without any patient identifying information or date, located in an unsecured area of New Life.

Secured area or no, pre-singing blank prescription forms is a no-no.

The front desk at New Life Plastic Surgery after hours. In an unsecured area of New Life, a Florida Department of Health inspector found prescriptions for oxycodone and anxiety drug diazepam with no patients name, but pre-signed by Dr. Julio Clavijo-Alvarez.

The buck stops here

Back when Clavijo-Alvarez was at Miami Lakes Cosmetic Surgery, 15450 New Barn Rd., he served as the designated physician. Thats the doctor on staff who acts as line monitor, charged with making sure the office surgery center operates in compliance with state guidelines. Facility violations go in complaints against both the surgery centers license and the designated physicians license.

The complaint said at least once, a surgeon didnt document doing or do at all, a pre-op examination; a patient wasnt given in writing the name and location of the hospital where the doctor has staff privileges or one that has a transfer agreement with the facility or doctor; doctors didnt always get patients written statement that they consented to procedures, level of anesthesia, knew the risks and that they had a choice of anesthesia provider.

READ MORE: Dr. John Nees knew the anesthesiologist wasnt qualified. His BBL patient died

Among the other violations: a registered nurse without post-anesthesia care unit experience was used to monitor patients recovering from anesthesia.

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WASHINGTON (DC News Now)  The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) said officers arrested a man who burglarized a business in Northeast D.C. on Saturday morning.

MPD said that at nearly 5 a.m., the suspect forcibly entered a business in the 1500 block of Benning Road.

Once inside the establishment, the suspect tried to take property before fleeing the scene, according to police.

New Lane Place pedestrian bridge opens to public

Officers canvassed the area, found the suspect and placed him under arrest. Police identified him as 21-year-old Nikisher Alexander of Northeast, D.C.

Police charged Alexander with burglary two.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
Police Believe Wealthy Miami Developer Repeatedly Tried to Have His Wife Killed. Then He Died by Suicide

Sergio Pino was being investigated at the time of his death by suicide, say authorities

NBC 6 South Florida/Youtube Sergio Pino dead amid FBI investigation

On June 23, a young Florida woman frantically called 911 and said somebody had just pointed a gun at her and her mother.

She told the operator that her mother, Tatiana Pino, was just pulling up in the driveway of Tatiana's Pinecrest, Fla., home when the man allegedly brandished a gun at her, according to a transcript of the 911 call shared by NBC 6.

Tatiana escaped by driving her car into the backyard and honking to get her daughter's attention, the Miami Herald reported, citing FBI charging documents. The man then allegedly pointed a gun at the daughter when she came out, but did not shoot, and the harrowing incident ended without anyone being harmed.

It wasn't the first time Tatiana faced an attack on her life, federal authorities say. The estranged wife of Miami real-estate mogul Sergio Pino had allegedly been subjected to repeated attempts of stalking and poisoning by several suspects who, according to federal authorities, were hired by Sergio to kill her, according to indictments against the suspects, which were reviewed by PEOPLE.

Sergio is not named in the indictments, which identify him only as "Co-conspirator 1." However, the Miami Herald, NBC 6 and the Tampa Bay Times, citing authorities, identified him as the man in the indictments who was allegedly conspiring to murder his wife.

Less than a month after the June 23 incident, Sergio was found dead by suicide in his home, the FBI said in a statement at the time. The statement confirmed Sergio was being investigated in an alleged murder-for-hire plot.

Sergio and Tatiana had been married for more than 30 years before she filed for divorce in April 2022 after she suspected Sergio had poisoned her, per the Miami Herald and the Tampa Bay Times.

A July indictment accuses several people of orchestrating a stalking and attempted murder campaign against Tatiana, involving arson, poisonings and an automobile crash, the U.S. Attorneys office in Florida said in a statement.

Bayron Bennett, 33; Jerren Keith Howard 38; Fausto Villar, 42; Avery Bivins, 36; Clementa Johnson, 47; Vernon Green, 53; Diori Barnard, 47; Michael Jose Dulfo, 42; and Edner Etienne 27, were all charged in connection with the case, per the announcement.

Bennett, Dulfo, Etienne and Howard were charged with stalking and arson among other offenses. On one occasion in August 2023, the indictment alleges, Etienne crashed a vehicle into Tatianas car while she was inside.

In a separate indictment reviewed by PEOPLE, Miami authorities allege a second crew, made up of the rest of the defendants also carried out similar criminal acts. The suspects allegedly entered Tatiana's property "masked and without consent, and menacing others on her property by pointing a gun at their head," the indictment alleges.

The group was also allegedly directed by Sergio to inject Tatiana with "a provided liquid substance to make her death appear to be a heart attack," per the indictment.

Prior to his death, Sergio had denied his involvement in the alleged murder-for-hire conspiracy.

On the day before his suicide, his behavior indicated he was trying to sort out his financial affairs, per court records cited by the Miami Herald.

According to depositions from his long-time girlfriend, his lawyer and his brother, Sergio was paying up his bills, reassigning authority for several of his projects and amending the list of trustees for one of his trusts, the outlet reported.

In a will written on March 11, Sergio had stated he wanted his brother Carlos to manage his estate for the benefit of Sergio's four children, NBC 6 reported, citing a court hearing on Aug. 9.

However, Tatiana, who had been left out of this will, convinced a judge to revoke Carlos' control over the estate, per the outlet.



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.

Bennett and Green have pleaded not guilty, per the Miami Herald. It wasn't immediately clear if the other defendants have entered pleas and PEOPLE was unable to reach their attorneys.

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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Police Department to hold 5K in remembrance of K9 killed in crash last year

The Franklin Ohio Division of Police will hold a 5K in remembrance of K9 Fury who was killed in a crash last year.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

The Police department announced on Facebook that it will be holding the 1st annual Canine Fury Remembrance 5K.

Runners, walkers, kids, and dogs are encouraged to participate, the police department said in a post on Facebook.

K9 Fury was killed after an SUV going the wrong way crashed into a police cruiser on S. River Street in Franklin on Nov. 11, 2023, News Center 7 previously reported.

Details on the event will be released in the coming weeks.

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BOARDMAN, Ohio (WKBN)  Police were looking for a missing Boardman woman with dementia, according to the Ohio Attorney Generals Office.

Dwendolyn Alexander, 72, drove away from her home on Applecrest Court just after 8 p.m. Saturday.

Alexander has dementia, and law enforcement was concerned for her safety.

She is described as being 54 tall and weighing 175 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes.

Alexander may be driving a blue 2019 Chevy Impala with Ohio plates JBM5069.

The alert was canceled Sunday morning after 4 a.m.

Erin Yudt 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.
(KRON)  A Richmond Police Department officer was assaulted in a series of sideshows that police say involved over 150 cars on Friday night. Police received initial reports of the sideshow at around 1:40 a.m. in the Klose Way and Blume Drive area.

1 dead, 1 in critical condition after 2 shootings at Vallejo sideshow

Upon arriving, RPD located about 50 cars in an intersection. Police were able to disperse this first group and get them to leave the area without any citations.

Less than 30 minutes later, however, police responded to the area of Harbour Way South and Cutting Boulevard for reports of another sideshow.

RPD said this second sideshow involved approximately 100 vehicles.

Video footage shows a massive crowd gathered by a 7-Eleven store at an intersection. Several cars are pictured performing doughnuts at the intersection at high speeds, with dozens gathered around them, many cheering on.

Officers attempted to stop a car while dispersing the large group. While doing so, police said the suspect driver drove toward police, striking a police car and prompting a police pursuit.

As officers attempted to make the stop, the vehicle rapidly accelerated and drove directly at an officers car on the wrong side of the road. The officer had to swerve out of the path of the vehicle to avoid colliding with it, Lt. Donald Patchin with RPD told KRON4.

Police followed the suspect driver to the area of Bay View Avenue and Interstate 580. Police said the driver eventually yielded in that location, and that he was taken into custody without incident.

According to police, the driver was arrested for the following:

Assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer

Felony evading

The suspect was booked into the RPD jail, and police said his car would be impounded for 30 days.

No other citations were issued, RPD 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 KRON4.
Polish citizen Monika Andruszewska has been injured as a result of a Russian missile strike on Kramatorsk, Donetsk Oblast.

Source: European Pravda with reference to Polsat News

Details: Russian troops attacked Kramatorsk on the night of Sunday, 24-25 August.

Vadym Filashkin, Head of Donetsk Oblast Military Administration, said that the Russians targeted a hotel.

He said that three people were injured in the Russian strike  journalists, citizens of Ukraine, the United States and the United Kingdom.

In addition, it became known that Andruszewska, who covers Russia's war against Ukraine, was injured in the attack.

The reporter was driving a car near the site of the missile attack.

"My own first blood, shed for Ukraine, was on Independence Day. After ten years of war. An Iskander [missile struck  ed.] next to me... You just drive around the city. You just have a life. You just breathe. This is enough for the Russians to try to kill you," she wrote on social media.

She also posted a photo of her broken car.

Background: At night, Russian forces attacked a hotel in Kramatorsk. The prosecutor's office reports that Russian troops allegedly hit it with an Iskander-M missile.

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Every four years, prayer and people of faith play a big role in both the Republican and Democratic National Conventions.

But that doesnt mean Americans see the countrys two major political parties as equally welcoming to religious people.

New research from the Deseret News and HarrisX shows that nearly half of registered voters in the United States (45%)  including 65% of Republicans and 28% of Democrats  believe the Republican Party is more welcoming to people of faith than the Democratic Party.

Just one-quarter of voters say the Democratic Party is more welcoming, while the remaining 30% say the two parties are equally open to religious people.

Experts on religion and politics told the Deseret News they arent surprised by these results, since the Republican Party has a strong and very visible relationship with a variety of Christian organizations.

But they noted that the straightforward survey question is a gateway to a more complex debate about how to define welcoming, who comes to mind when you hear religious people and what todays voters would like to see from political parties when it comes to religious outreach.

Find the full dataset for the Deseret News/HarrisX survey on political parties and religion here.

Religion and politics

In the past, candidates and parties needed to be seen as friendly to faith groups in order to succeed.

Today, its still good to have that reputation, but the payoff for pursuing it is smaller than it once was.

In the last few years, the political benefit of being viewed as religious or Christian has really declined, said Daniel Cox, director of the Survey Center on American Life and a senior fellow in polling and public opinion with AEI.

That shift has occurred against the backdrop of declining religious engagement and the rise of the nones, people who dont affiliate with a particular faith group. Its become more common to distrust institutions of all kinds and to care more about a politicians stance on religion-related policies than whether they go to church.

In general, the relationship between religion and politics is growing more complicated as the country becomes more religiously diverse and as debates over faith-related issues like abortion and the war in Gaza take center stage.

Some voters, primarily in the Democratic Party, have started to see religious outreach as problematic, since they associate religion with intolerance, Cox said.

Theres a growing number of secular Democrats who believe that religion is a malevolent force in American society, he said.

DN poll-partyfriendly

The impossibility of universal appeal

John C. Green, a distinguished professor emeritus of political science at the University of Akron, shares Coxs sense that religious outreach is becoming more complicated  and coming with less of a reward at the polls.

But he emphasized that its always been difficult for a party to win broad support for its approach to religion, since no two voters are looking for exactly the same thing.

If you reach out to one (faith) group, you might, in fact, alienate another group. Sometimes party leaders have to make a choice, he said.

Additionally, parties have always been judged on more than their own actions. They contend with voters preexisting assumptions and personal biases, among other factors, Green said.

Republican voters are more charitable to the Republican Party than the Democratic Party  and vice versa. Christians focus on different issues than Muslims or Jews.

In the Deseret News/Harris X poll, as Green predicted, responses vary between Republicans and Democrats and between members of different faith groups.

For example, just 9% of Republican voters say the Democratic Party is more welcoming to religious people than the Republican Party, but 47% of Democrats do.

That pattern repeats itself if you sort respondents by who they plan to vote for in the 2024 presidential election. Eleven percent of supporters of former President Donald Trump say the Democratic Party is more welcoming to religious people, compared to 43% of Vice President Kamala Harris supporters.

The new Deseret News/HarrisX national poll was fielded from Aug. 2-3, 2024, among 1,011 registered voters. The margin of error for the total sample is plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.

Religious diversity in politics

Although the Republican Party wins out if you ask voters which party is more welcoming to religious people in general, the survey results were more mixed on questions about individual faith groups.

Fifty percent of registered voters said the Democratic Party is more welcoming to Muslims than the Republican Party, while just 18% said the Republican Party is more welcoming to Muslims.

The Democratic Party also came out on top in questions about welcoming Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, atheists/agnostics and nones.

The Republican Party, on the other hand, is seen as more welcoming than the Democratic Party to evangelicals, Catholics and Latter-day Saints.

Respondents were about as likely to say the Democratic Party (35%) as the Republican Party (32%) when asked which party is more welcoming to Jews.

As these results make clear, the Democratic Party is seen as more religiously diverse than the Republican Party. To maintain that image  and to continue getting large shares of the non-Christian vote on Election Day  Democratic leaders have to walk a very careful line when they speak about faith, Cox noted.

Its more complicated on the left than the right because you have a much more diverse religious coalition that you have to appeal to. ... The way you have to talk about your religious background has to be more nuanced and more inclusive, he said.

The Republican Party faces its own unique challenges as it works to retain the support of more conservative Christian voters. It cant reach out to non-Christians without facing a certain amount of blowback, said Brian Kaylor, co-author of Baptizing America: How Mainline Protestants Helped Build Christian Nationalism.

Some believe that if a party or a politician isnt actively promoting Christianity, then theyre anti-Christian and unwelcoming, he said, highlighting the controversy that arose around the Sikh prayer at Julys Republican National Convention.

Future of religion in the Democratic Party

In light of ongoing changes in the U.S. religious landscape, experts on religion and politics believe political parties relationship with religion will only grow more complicated in years to come.

What they dont expect is for either party to give up on trying to appear welcoming to people of faith.

Even though, on an average weekend, most (Americans) arent attending worship somewhere, theyre still identifying as religious, Kaylor said. Theres still a danger that comes with being seen as opposed to or antagonistic toward people of faith or religion.

Still, Kaylor can envision the Democratic Party, in particular, intentionally decreasing explicit references to religion in favor of more generic nods to morality and faith.

Already, at this months Democratic National Convention, some speakers chose to allude to Bible verses without specifically naming them, he noted.

Theyre borrowing biblical or religious language without taking a Bible-thumping approach, Kaylor said.
Rioters wave flags on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Jan. 6, 2021. According to a new Deseret News/HarrisX poll of U.S. voters, over three-fourths say they are very or somewhat concerned about more political violence occurring before Election Day, including almost equal shares of Republicans and Democrats. | Jose Luis Magana

Months away from a polarizing presidential election, most U.S. voters  regardless of party affiliation  believe one thing: there is a real possibility of more political violence erupting before and after Election Day.

According to a new Deseret News/HarrisX poll of U.S. voters, over three-fourths (77%) say they are very or somewhat concerned about more political violence occurring before Election Day, including almost equal shares of Republicans (80%) and Democrats (82%).

Find the full dataset for the Deseret News/HarrisX survey on political violence here.

Political violence is on the rise, voters say

Most voters (63%) say political violence has gone up over the past four years.

There have been many high-profile incidents of political violence in that span. In 2020, many Black Lives Matter protests turned violent across the country, and on Jan. 6, 2021, riots broke out at the U.S. Capitol ahead of the certification of the 2020 presidential election.

In July, former President Donald Trump survived an assassination attempt on his life during a rally in Pennsylvania. Then on Thursday, Trump was whisked away during a news interview in Arizona after being informed he was in danger.

DN-violence2

Will there be violence after the 2024 election?

After the 2024 election, many Americans fear violence could break out again. A majority of Democrats (83%) say they are very or somewhat concerned about violence from Republicans who wont accept the election results if Vice President Kamala Harris wins. And 76% of Republicans say they are concerned about violence perpetrated by Democrats if Trump wins.

The poll was conducted on Aug. 2-3, 2024, among 1,011 registered U.S. voters. It has a margin of error of +/- 3.1 percentage points.

Earlier this month, President Joe Biden said hes not confident at all that there will be a peaceful transfer of power should Trump lose.

Trump has repeatedly said hell accept the election results if they are fair. If everythings honest, Ill gladly accept the results. I dont change on that, Trump told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel in May. If its not, you have to fight for the right of the country. In the June presidential debate, Trump said he would absolutely accept the results if its a fair and legal and good election.

But Trump has already begun to cast doubt on the upcoming elections legitimacy. In a North Carolina rally Wednesday, Trump implied his victory is a done deal, so long as the process is fair. Our primary focus is not to get out the vote, it is to make sure they dont cheat, Trump said. We have all the votes well need.

In response to Biden saying hes not confident Trump will accept the results of the election, Trump said there will be. Of course therell be a peaceful transfer, and there was last time, Trump said.

After Trump lost the 2020 election, he insisted that the election was not fair and pushed for it to be overturned. A mob of Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in an attempt to impede the certification of that election.

Trumps role in inciting that rally and interfering with a peaceful transition of power are at the center of a federal case against Trump, where he is indicted on four criminal counts. Trump was impeached in 2021 for inciting an insurrection.

In the Deseret News/HarrisX poll, nearly half  46%  of Republican voters fear violence from their fellow Republicans should Harris win the election.

Among Democratic voters, 38% say they fear violence from their fellow Democrats should Trump be elected.

In the wake of the 2016 election, there were multiple protests that turned violent, when anti-Trump demonstrations broke out in New York, Chicago, Portland and other cites. Portland was also the location of political violence in 2020, when the federal courthouse in the city was vandalized and set on fire.

Supporters of then-President Donald Trump try to break through a police barrier, Jan. 6, 2021, during a riot at the Capitol in Washington. | John Minchillo

Voters trust federal elections less than local ones

Voters are more likely to say they trust local elections than national ones. Seventy-eight percent of voters say they are very or somewhat confident in the validity of the results of local elections, and 74% said the same of state elections. But of presidential elections, 67% of voters said they are confident.

Among Republicans, only 57% say they are confident in federal elections, compared to 84% of Democrats.

A similar partisan division arises when voters are asked about contesting election results. Asked whether the president has the necessary legal and legislative mechanisms in place to successfully adjudicate disagreement over election results, two-thirds of all voters  66%  say the president does. But only 53% of Republicans say the same, while 81% of Democrats do.

When asked what changes, if any, are needed to improve U.S. elections, the most popular reforms are mandatory ID checks (42%), more supervision of vote counting (30%) and reducing the amount of money in politics and political advertising (22%). Only 36% of Republicans think the U.S. should reduce mail-in voting  something Trump called fraudulent in 2020.
Pope Francis delivers his the Angelus prayer from the window overlooking St Peter's square in the Vatican. Vatican Media/IPA via ZUMA Press/dpa

Pope Francis has criticized Ukraine's ban on the country's Russia-linked Orthodox Church, in a sign of a growing rift between Kiev and the Vatican.

"No Christian church may be abolished directly or indirectly. The churches must not be touched," the pontiff said in his Sunday prayers, condemning a law recently passed by President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Ukraine says the ban is justified because the Moscow Patriarchate supports the Russian war of aggression.

The pope told tens of thousands of believers in St Peter's Square that "one does not commit evil by praying. If someone does something evil to his people, he is guilty. But he can't have done anything bad by praying."

Kiev has previously accused the pope of taking sides with Russia, a charge the Vatican rejects.

For a long time, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church set the tone in Ukraine's complex church landscape. It belonged to the Moscow Patriarchate until 2022, but after the Russian invasion it officially cut its ties to Moscow and condemned the war.

Nevertheless, Kiev accuses it of justifying Russian crimes against its own people and spreading Russian propaganda. An estimated 3 million worshippers are affected by the ban.
Pope Francis on Sunday condemned Ukraine's decision to ban the activities of the Russian Orthodox Church in the country.

Source: Pope Francis, as quoted by Vatican News and reported by European Pravda

Details: The Pope stated that he is still deeply troubled by the war between Ukraine and the Russian Federation.

Quote: "And in thinking about the laws recently adopted in Ukraine, I fear for the freedom of those who pray, because those who truly pray always pray for all. A person does not commit evil because of praying," said the Pope.

He added that those "who want to pray" should be allowed to pray in the church they consider their own.

"Please, let no Christian Church be abolished directly or indirectly. Churches are not to be touched!" Francis said.

He urged everyone to continue praying for the end of the war.

On 24 August, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a law banning the activities of religious organisations connected with Russia.

The purpose of the law is to ban the activities of the Russian Orthodox Church and religious organisations affiliated with it in Ukraine.

During his visit to Italy, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Pope Francis on the eve of the Peace Summit. They talked about the role of the Holy See in establishing a just and sustainable peace for Ukraine.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (L) and Pope Francis meet on the sidelines of a working session during the G7 Summit in Savelletri, Italy, on Friday, June 14. Photo courtesy of Office of Ukraine President/UPI

Aug. 25 (UPI) -- Pope Francis on Sunday condemned the Ukraine government's ban of the Russian-linked Orthodox Church.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday signed a law barring religious groups with ties to Russia. The bill was signed on the 32nd anniversary of Ukraine's independence from the Soviet Union, which included Russia.

"Please, let no Christian Church be abolished directly or indirectly," the pope said during his weekly address. "Churches are not to be touched!"

He began his remarks on the situation in Ukraine by saying: I continue to follow with sorrow the fighting in Ukraine and the Russian Federation. And in thinking about the laws recently adopted in Ukraine, I fear for the freedom of those who pray, because those who truly pray always pray for all.

"A person does not commit evil because of praying. If someone commits evil against his people, he will be guilty for it, but he cannot have committed evil because he prayed. So let those who want to pray be allowed to pray in what they consider their Church.

Zelensky and the pope met on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in June in Italy.

The Ukrainian Orthodox Church officially broke away from the Moscow patriarchy in 2022.

The bill, approved Tuesday 265-29 by Ukraine's parliament, gives the parishes affected nine months to sever ties with the Russian Orthodox Church.

During his nightly address, Zelensky said: "Ukrainian orthodoxy today is taking a step toward liberation from the devils of Moscow."

Mykyta Poturaiev, a Ukrainian member of Parliament who sponsored the bill, said: The Moscow Patriarchate is not an inspiration but a participant in the war."

The church, known as the Moscow Patriarchate, said it's a "clear violation of internationally recognized human rights in the field of religious freedom."

The majority of Ukrainians are Orthodox.

Sixty-three percent of Ukrainians believe the Ukrainian Orthodox Church should be completely banned in Ukraine, according to a survey conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology. The percentage rises to 83% of Ukrainians who believe that the state should intervene in the activities of the church.
Pope Francis criticized on Aug. 25 Ukraine's move to potentially ban the activities of Russian-affiliated religious organizations amid Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine, saying that "churches are not to be touched."

President Volodymyr Zelensky signed the bill on Aug. 24 which was passed by the parliament four days earlier.

"I am concerned for the freedom of those who pray because true prayer is always for everyone. One does not commit evil by praying. If someone commits harm against their people, they will be guilty of that, but they cannot have done harm because they prayed," Pope Francis said following his Sunday Angelus blessing.

"Let those who wish to pray in what they consider their Church be allowed to do so."

The Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP), which is legally subordinate to the Russian Orthodox Church, has been suspected of links and sympathies to Russia throughout the full-scale war.

It is not to be confused with the autocephalous (autonomous) Orthodox Church of Ukraine, which is fully separate from Moscow.

A number of clergymen of the UOC-MP have been accused of collaborating with Russia and justifying Russian aggression, including bishops and other high-ranking members.

Over 100 UOC-MP clergy members have come under criminal investigation since the outbreak of the full-scale war, the Security Service of Ukraine's (SBU) press service told the Kyiv Independent. Almost 50 of them have been charged, and sentences have been issued in 26 cases, the SBU said.

The law enters into force 30 days after its publication, but UOC-MP communities will have nine months to fully break ties with the Russian church.

Read also: Cutting ties with Moscow  What does Ukraines church bill really mean

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Shane James is accused of killing his parents in Bexar County before killing four more people hours later in a shooting spree last December in Austin. He told a Travis County court on Friday he wants to represent himself for the charges he faces there. Austin Police Department

Shane James, the man accused of killing his parents in Bexar County before killing four more people in a shooting spree last December in Austin, told a Travis County court on Friday that he wants to represent himself for the charges he faces there.

James, 35, took issue with his current lawyer's intention to seek a mental competency evaluation, which lawyer, Russ Hunt Jr., mentioned at a pre-trial hearing in April would likely be sought, according to CBS Austin. Judge Clifford Brown of the 147th Travis County Criminal District said if James decides to release his current lawyer and defend himself, he will still need a mental assessment.

James, who is being held at the Travis County Jail until his trial, faces four counts of capital murder, two counts of aggravated assault for allegedly shooting two police officers and one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

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Police say James killed Emmanuel Pop Ba, 33, Sabrina Rahman, 25, Katherine Short, 56, and Lauren Short, 30, in a violent rampage Dec. 5, 2023. Authorities also have accused James of injuring an Austin Independent School District officer, an Austin police officer and a cyclist during the string of Austin attacks.

The court will review competency test results and revisit James' request for self-defense at his next hearing Oct. 10.

Domatilia Caal, center, is consoled by her brother, Cornelio, on Dec. 6, 2023, in Austin, at the site where her husband was killed in a violent trail of separate attacks the previous day. Jay Janner/Associated Press

Before traveling to Austin, police believe James, 35, killed his parents, Shane James Sr., 56, and Phyllis James, 55, who were found dead in their northeastern Bexar County home on Dec. 6, 2023. Police said the parents' bodies had been dragged into a small room and wedged against the door. They both suffered gunshot wounds to the head.

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In May, Bexar County issued a warrant for his arrest for capital murder in connection with the killings.
This week, beginning today, Sunday, August 25 through Satuday, August 31, is being regonized as Overdose Awareness Week. This year's international theme is "Together we can."

The substance use crisis in America has had a devastating impact on our tribal communities, families, and individuals. In Indian Country, overdoses from fentanyl, opioids, and other deadly drugs such as tranq are leading to loss of life as well as a steep decline in the health and well-being of tribal communities. In addition, the epidemic is contributing to the spread of infectious diseases, such as HIV and hepatitis C.

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On Friday, the White House released a presidential proclamation for Overdose Awareness Week, 2024. In the proclamation President Joe Biden says: "even one death is one too many, and far too many Americans continue to lose loved ones to fentanyl."

Overdose Awareness Week Proclamation, 2024

During Overdose Awareness Week, we mourn those who have lost their lives to overdose deaths. We acknowledge the devastating toll the opioid epidemic has taken on individuals, families, and communities across America. We reflect on the progress we have made so far in reducing the number of annual overdose deaths and protecting American lives -- and how much more there is to do. And we reaffirm our commitment to doing more to disrupt the supply of fentanyl and other synthetic opioids and support those who suffer with substance use disorder and their families in all of our communities.

My Administration made beating the opioid epidemic a key priority in my Unity Agenda for the Nation, calling for Republicans and Democrats to work together to stop fentanyl from flowing into our communities, hold those who brought it here accountable, and deliver life-saving medication and care across America.

We are working to tackle this crisis through a comprehensive approach, including by expanding access to evidence-based prevention, treatment, harm reduction, and recovery support services as well as reducing the supply of illicit drugs. We have expanded access to life-saving treatments, like medications to treat opioid use disorder, and have increased the number of health care providers who can prescribe these medications by 15 times. In February 2024, the Department of Health and Human Services issued a rule to comprehensively update the regulations governing Opioid Treatment Programs for the first time in 20 years -- removing barriers to the treatment of substance use disorder and expanding access to care. My Administration has made historic investments in the State Opioid Response and Tribal Opioid Response programs to improve prevention; expand treatment; and deliver free, life-saving medications across America. Already, this program has delivered nearly 10 million kits of opioid overdose reversal medications, such as naloxone.

We also continue to fight the stigmatization that surrounds substance use and accidental overdose so that people feel comfortable reaching out for help when they need it. Naloxone is now available over-the-counter for people to purchase at their local grocery stores and pharmacies. We also launched the White House Challenge to Save Lives from Overdose and several awareness campaigns, raising awareness and securing commitments from local governments and cross-sector organizations to increase training on and access to opioid overdose reversal medications in schools, worksites, transit systems, and other places where overdose may occur in our communities. My Fiscal Year 2025 Budget requests $22 billion to expand substance use treatment and help more Americans achieve and stay in recovery.

Under my Administration, Federal law enforcement agents are keeping more deadly drugs out of our communities than ever before. We are seizing deadly drugs at our borders so that illicit drugs never reach our neighborhoods. Officials have stopped more illicit fentanyl at ports of entry over the last 2 fiscal years than in the previous 5 fiscal years combined. The Department of Justice has prosecuted leaders of the world's largest and most powerful drug cartel along with thousands of drug traffickers. The Department of the Treasury has sanctioned more than 300 people and organizations involved in the global illicit drug trade. I have also deployed cutting-edge drug detection technology across our southwest border, and I continue to call on the Congress to strengthen border security, increase penalties on those who bring deadly drugs into our communities, and close loopholes that drug traffickers exploit. And in July 2024, I issued a National Security Memorandum that calls on all relevant Federal departments and agencies to work collaboratively to do even more than they are already doing to stop the supply of illicit fentanyl and other synthetic opioids into our country.

I am also committed to working with partners across the globe to address this crisis. Last year, I negotiated the re-launch of counternarcotics cooperation between the United States and the People's Republic of China -- which has led to increased law enforcement coordination, increased efforts to tackle illicit financing of drug cartels, and increased regulation of certain precursor chemicals. I have increased counternarcotics cooperation with other key foreign governments; launched the Global Coalition to Address Synthetic Drug Threats, which brings together more than 150 countries in the fight against drug trafficking cartels; put in place new initiatives between the United States, Mexico, and Canada targeting the supply of illicit drugs; and made countering fentanyl and other synthetic opioids a key priority of the G7.

Now for the first time in 5 years, the number of overdose deaths in the United States has started to decline. But even one death is one too many, and far too many Americans continue to lose loved ones to fentanyl.

Today I grieve with all the families and friends who have lost someone to an overdose. This is a time to act. And this is a time to stand together -- for all those we have lost and all the lives we can still save.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim August 25 through August 31, 2024, as Overdose Awareness Week. I call upon citizens, government agencies, civil society organizations, health care providers, and research institutions to raise awareness of substance use disorder so that our Nation can combat stigmatization, promote treatment, celebrate recovery, and strengthen our collective efforts to prevent overdose deaths. August 31 also marks Overdose Awareness Day, on which we honor and remember those who have lost their lives to the overdose epidemic.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-third day of August, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-four, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-ninth.

JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.







About the Author: "Native News Online is one of the most-read publications covering Indian Country and the news that matters to American Indians, Alaska Natives and other Indigenous people. Reach out to us at editor@nativenewsonline.net. "

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As the Democratic National Convention in Chicago buzzed with anticipation of Gov. Tim Walzs acceptance speech, Kris Perry and Sandy Stier, the California couple whose legal battle against Proposition 8 restored same-sex marriage in the state, took a moment to speak with The Advocate from the United Center ahead of Wednesdays DNC speeches. The couple, married by Vice President Kamala Harris in 2013 when she was Californias attorney general, shared their thoughts on their friendship with the presidential nominee and the significance of her historic nomination, which she officially accepted Thursday.

For Perry and Stier, the moment was deeply personal. Their connection to Harris extends beyond politics, rooted in years of shared advocacy and a deep friendship. The couple first met Harris when she was the district attorney of San Francisco.

Kamala Harris is a champion for the people, and she has been for the past 30 years, Stier said, recalling how they knew her from their work in Alameda County, where she was a deputy DA before becoming San Franciso DA.

Kris and I both worked in human services, and we knew Kamala Harris was somebody working for the DA. And then we saw her rise to San Francisco to be the DA and then the attorney general, where she refused to defend Proposition 8, which, of course, helped lead to the overturning of Proposition 8.

Prop. 8 was a ballot measure that passed in 2008, which outlawed same-sex marriages. It was overturned in 2013.

Their friendship with Harris deepened when she officiated their wedding in 2013, just an hour after the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals lifted the stay on same-sex marriages in California. It was a moment of joy and history, marking Californias first legal same-sex marriage after the ban was lifted.

We had the great privilege of being married by her, Stier said with a smile. I cant imagine anything better, and were just thrilled to be here and proud of her.

samesex lesbian couple Kris Perry Sandy Stier walking halls San Francisco City Hall after their wedding followed by officiant California Attorney General Kamala Harris 2013

Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images

As Perry and Stier reflected on Harriss journey from a local prosecutor to the brink of making history as the Democratic presidential nominee, they expressed pride and hope. We are just beyond excited, Perry said. Its really quite thrilling to be together with all of these supporters across the country, across multiple issues, multiple generations, multiracial. I think its like weve come home to be together and celebrate the next step for Kamala Harris. Its absolutely fantastic.

The couple also shared personal anecdotes highlighting Harriss warmth and genuine care for those she considers friends.

Perry and Stier described Harris as someone who always makes time for the people she cares about, despite her busy schedule. From the minute we met her, we felt like we were friends, Perry said. She looks right in your eyes, she smiles, she remembers your connection, she remembers your kids. She asks how everybody is. Shes just incredibly kind and thoughtful and focused.

One of their most cherished memories with Harris is from the 2019 San Francisco Pride Parade, where they had the opportunity to ride with her as she made her way down Market Street. We drove her down Market Street for the San Francisco Pride Parade, and she was mobbed the entire time, Perry recalled. She was wearing that amazing Levi jacket that had the rainbow sequins. And she was running for president at that time. And it was still like we were together in the car, just driving down the street; it just felt great.

samesex lesbian couple Sandy Stier Kris Perry San Francisco 2019 lgbtq pride parade riding car Kamala Harris rainbow sequin denium jacket

Kobby Dagan/Shutterstock; Sheila Fitzgerald/Shutterstock

Stier laughed, She was jumping out of the car, racing off...we were like, lets be careful driving. And we dont want her to get hurt because shes so enthusiastic. After all, she literally was leaping in and out of the car as we were driving along Market Street.

Their relationship with Harris is also intertwined with their family, particularly their son, Spencer, who has worked for Harris in various capacities. The kid that she asks about is our son, Spencer, who worked for her both in her Senate office and actually when she was AG and running, so on three different tours of duty, Perry shared. And so he is so moved and proud of her, and I feel this mutual respect and kindness from her towards him.

Stier added that she also gives their son advice like "any good surrogate parent or auntie."

"So when Spencer was getting ready to take the bar, she said this is how you should study. And then Doug was standing right next to her saying but also do this other thing. So he was getting a little bit of advice from both of them, and they were conflicting. Thats just who they are.

As they prepared to watch their story take center stage in a video presentation during Wednesday evenings program, Perry and Stier reflected on the broader significance of this moment for the LGBTQ+ community. We hope that when other families see us there, they know that were there on behalf of them, Stier said. Our family is an American family, and so is every other family out there. And so we hope everybody can feel that love and warm embrace from Kamala Harris that we have felt all these years.

Intertwined with Harriss rise, their story symbolizes the progress made and the hope for an even brighter future.

Were just so proud to be a part of this moment, Perry said. And we know that with Kamala Harris leading the way, were moving toward a future where everyone can feel the same sense of belonging and equality that weve fought so hard for.
Federal court workers gather as they strike over reforms that would make all judges stand for election in Mexico City, Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Ginnette Riquelme)

MEXICO CITY (AP)  Protestors took to the streets across Mexico on Sunday in the latest opposition to President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's proposed judicial overhaul and other moves by the governing party that critics say will weaken democratic checks and balances.

Demonstrators rallied in Mexico City as well as in Michoacan, Puebla, Leon, Jalisco, Oaxaca, Veracruz and other states to voice worries about changing the judiciary, particularly making judgeships subject to election. Many protesters are also upset by a proposal to do away with independent regulatory agencies.

In the capital, throngs of people, many of them federal court workers and judges on strike, ended their march outside the Supreme Court building in the heart of the city, waving flags reading Judicial independence and Respect democracy."

Right now, we're protesting the reforms, but it's not just the reforms, said lawyer Mauricio Espinosa. It's all of these attacks against the judicial branch and other autonomous bodies. What it does is end up strengthening the executive, the next president.

Following big electoral victories in June by the president's Morena party and its allies, the government has pushed for sweeping changes to Mexico's judicial system, long at odds with Lopez Obrador, a populist who has openly attacked judges and ignored court orders.

His proposal includes having judges elected to office, something analysts, judges and international observers fear would stack courts with politically biased judges with little experience.

That was the concern for Espinosa, who said judges will have to raise money to campaign, find someone to have their backs. So their sentences will no longer be 100% independent."

The proposed changes would require approval by Mexico's Congress, where the governing coalition has the majority.

And electoral authorities on Friday allocated Morena and allied parties 73% of the seats in the lower house of Congress, though they won a significantly smaller 60% of the vote. That would give the governing bloc the two-thirds majority in Chamber of Deputies needed to push through constitutional changes with little or no compromise.

The coalition will be a few seats short of a two-thirds majority in the Senate, but it could feasibly win the needed votes from a smaller party.

While the new legislators don't take office until Sept. 1, a congressional committee on Friday already began pushing forward another contentious initiative  the elimination of seven autonomous bodies, including the National Institute of Transparency.

Morena argues Mexico's independent oversight and regulatory bodies are a waste of money. It says oversight responsibilities should be given to government departments instead, essentially allowing them to police themselves.

The collective moves by the president and his party have fueled concerns about undermining democratic institutions. But for many in the crowds, the overhaul of the judiciary represents the greatest threat.

Federal court employees and judges are on strike, the value of the peso has slumped and international financial firms have voiced concerns. At midweek, U.S. Ambassador Ken Salazar warned that electing judges is a "risk for Mexicos democracy and threatens the historic commercial relationship between the two countries.

Lopez Obrador, who leaves office Sept. 30, and President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum, a Morema member, rejected Salazar's comments. Lopez Obrador called the comments disrespectful of our national sovereignty," and Sheinbaum said Saturday that while there will always be dialogue between the U.S. and Mexico, there are things that only correspond to Mexicans.
DUBAI (Reuters) - American rapper Macklemore said he has cancelled his October show in Dubai in protest over the United Arab Emirates' support for Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a warring party in the country's civil war.

"The current situation in Sudan is urgent, horrific and it's going largely unnoticed globally. I'm following the lead of Sudanese organizers and activists who are trying to be heard, he wrote in an Instagram post on Saturday explaining his decision to cancel the Oct 4 concert.

"Until the UAE stops arming and funding the RSF I will not perform there."

As the UAEs glitzy political and tourism hub, Dubai frequently hosts international artists and sporting events. Macklemore's decision to cancel an engagement because of the country's politics is extremely rare.

Neither the UAE's foreign ministry nor its global media office immediately responded to Reuters' request for a response to Macklemore's decision to cancel.

Sudan's army has publicly criticised the UAE over its alleged support for the RSF, its rival in the war.

The UAE denies the allegations, though U.N. experts have said they are credible. The allegations surfaced in a fiery back and forth at the U.N. security council in June.

The war in Sudan began in April 2023 when competition between the army and the RSF, who had previously shared power after staging a coup, flared into open warfare.

Efforts in pursuit of a ceasefire, including talks ongoing in Switzerland, have not eased the fighting, and half of Sudan's 50 million population lack food.

Macklemore, a Grammy-winning artist, said in his post that the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza prompted him to reconsider how he earns money and his ability to use his artistic platform for activism.

"If I take the money, while knowing it doesn't sit right with my spirit, how am I any different than the politicians I've been actively protesting against?" he wrote, urging other artists scheduled to play in Dubai to reconsider.

Macklemore in May released Hind's Hall, a high-profile protest anthem in solidarity with pro-Palestinian activists occupying university campuses in response to the war in Gaza.

(Reporting by Andrew Mills; Editing by Bernadette Baum)
People across the state have been urged to use mosquito repellent when going outdoors - Chalabala

A Massachusetts town has introduced a partial night-time curfew after the state confirmed a human case of a rare and deadly disease spread by mosquitoes.

Public parks and fields in Plymouth, about 40 miles southeast of Boston, will be closed to visitors between dusk and dawn every day amid concerns over an outbreak of eastern equine encephalitis (EEE), a disease with no known cure and a fatality rate of about 33 per cent.

Approximately 30 per cent of people with EEE die, and many survivors have ongoing neurological problems, according to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Health officials in four other towns  Douglas, Oxford, Sutton and Webster  have urged locals to finish their outdoor activities by 6pm, before mosquitoes are at their most active, until the end of next month, and then by 5pm until the first frosts arrive.

They also urged people across the state to use mosquito repellent when going outdoors and drain any standing water around their homes.

Mosquitoes are at their most active in the evenings - Stone RF

Massachusetts health officials last week announced that an Oxford man in his 80s had become the first person to be infected with the virus in the state since 2020.

The man, who has not been named, is courageously battling the virus in hospital, Jennifer Callagan, a local official from Oxford, wrote in a memo.

She said his family want people to be aware this is an extremely serious disease with terrible physical and emotional consequences, regardless of if the person manages to live.

The curfew in Plymouth came after the virus was detected in a horse, prompting officials to raise the local alert level.

EEE is a rare but serious disease and a public health concern, said Robbie Goldstein, the Massachusetts public health commissioner. We want to remind residents of the need to protect themselves from mosquito bites, especially in areas of the state where we are seeing EEE activity.

On average, only 11 human cases of EEE are reported in the United States every year, according to the CDC. But it can be extremely dangerous.

No treatment or vaccine

Symptoms include fever, headache, vomiting, diarrhoea and seizures, with most deaths coming between two and 10 days after they begin. There are no treatments or vaccines available.

Those that survive infection often suffer ongoing neurological problems that can leave them permanently disabled, with few ever making a complete recovery.

The disease is prevalent in birds and is spread by mosquitoes to humans and other mammals, who do not circulate enough of the virus in their blood to pass it on again.

An outbreak of EEE in Massachusetts between 2019 and 2020 infected 17 people, killing seven of them, according to the states public health department.

As of Saturday, 10 Massachusetts communities had raised their alert level for EEE to either high or critical. The states Department of Agricultural Resources on Saturday announced plans to spray Plymouth County with insecticides by air.

Massachusetts, along with several other states, is also battling an outbreak of West Nile Fever, a less dangerous mosquito-borne virus from the same family as Zika and Dengue.

Some 216 human cases have been reported across the country so far this year, with the highest concentration of cases reported in Texas, according to the CDC.

Dr Anthony Fauci, the former director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases who led the countrys response against Covid-19, spent six days in hospital after contracting the virus. He is now at home and is expected to make a full recovery.

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OXFORD, Conn. (WTNH)  The devastating impacts of Sundays historic flooding can still be seen and felt in Oxford, Southbury and surrounding areas. Saturday local businesses gathered in Oxford to bring a variety of services to one spot and help those in dire need like Elizabeth Tsimbidaros.

It was the scariest thing Ive ever seen in my life, and it went on and you couldnt do anything. You just had to stand there and watch it. I just had break down after break down, said Tsimbidaros whos Southbury home was heavily damaged.

Forty years of memories sit in a dumpster outside Tsimbidaros heavily damaged Southbury home.

Something failed above us, and we had a river basically come down the road, the curb broke and it just dumped everything into my yard and filled my basement to the ceiling, Tsimbidaros said.

Among the irreplaceable items Tsimbidaros said she and her husband lost essentials like electricity, their furnace, water heater, and washer and dryer. She said living paycheck to paycheck with one income, due to her husbands medical issues, she was losing hope until she came out to the Rebuild Expo in Oxford.

Its hard, you dont know what youre going to do, and you dont know where to turn first. This came together so quickly, and it was just going to be lifesaving because I didnt know where to go. Red cross was recommending things and calling these numbers, and they werent ready yet. This came together so fast, its just amazing, said Tsimbidaros.

The Rebuild Expo connected people with local businesses as they wait for federal, state and insurance help. It drew hundreds to Quarry Walk and offered information on services many still need like electric help, disaster relief, restoration and drainage services.

Theres still lasting impacts of this storm. Weve had customers call about trees across their driveways. They need to clear it out in case emergency services come in, said Scott Ghavidel, Saga Landscaping LLC. Get my card out and information out to as many people as possible and help.

We need help, other people need help, so we try to help each other, said Shannon Neumann of Neumann Electric.

Neumann Electric sported new t-shirts and sold dozens more at the expo reading Oxford Tough.

All of the proceeds from the t-shirts that we create are going to local businesses in Oxford specifically that were hit the hardest, said Neumann.

The event and turnout is another example of the strength and resilience of Oxford and beyond as residents rise up from the rubble together.

Ive had complete strangers come up and offer to help me clean my basement, be in inches of mud. Its been amazing, dropped off food, my neighbors have taken in my cats, myself and my husband and showers. This is making me feel a little hopeful because I was pretty hopeless.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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TILBURG, The Netherlands (Reuters) - Thousands of people gathered in the Netherlands this weekend to celebrate their red hair at the annual Redhead Days Festival in the southern town of Tilburg.

Architecture student Ellen Linderstad told Reuters she spent more than 24 hours on trains and buses from Stockholm to get to the event as she doesn't meet many other redheads in Sweden.

"It's really special to be in a place where all people have red hair, everywhere you look," the 21-year-old said.

Redheads make up 1% to 2% of the worlds population and 2% to 6% of people with Northern or Northwestern European ancestry.

According to the organisers, more than 10,000 people from over half a dozen countries attended the three-day festival, signing up for photo shoots, speed-meeting events and a variety of workshops.

The event usually closes with a group picture, which in 2013 set a Guinness World Record for the largest gathering of people with natural red hair when 1,672 redheads were in the photo.

(Reporting by Bart Biesemans; Writing by Stephanie van den Berg; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
Rep. Summer Lee (D-Pa.) on Sunday said the Democratic National Convention missed an opportunity by not having a Palestinian speak or be represented at the four-day event.

Lee, speaking with CBSs Face the Nation, argued there should have been space for both the conventions central focus  defeating former President Trump  and giving a platform for marginalized communities.

I think that whether its the Black Lives movement or the movement for Palestinian rights, theres always this rush to say that their movement, the ways that they protest, the tactics, the strategies, are inconvenient, and I think that thats just the way that weve done it, especially when were nervous about a presidential election that we all know is incredibly important, she said. Defeating Trump is the top concern. But we can do that, and we can also give space, create space for peoples voices that are marginalized.

We missed an opportunity to do that here and in doing so, what we are essentially saying is that every Palestinian thinks the exact same way, that all folks who are protesting, who are voicing their concerns are one group and not individuals, not all folks who are coming with different perspectives, she added. I think that there was room and space to say that there was room in the Democratic Party for that particular perspective.

Lee was among several elected Democrats pushing for Vice President Harriss campaign and the Democratic National Committee to allow a person of Palestinian heritage to speak on the final night of the convention.

The Uncommitted National Movement called for a Palestinian convention speaker for weeks, stating it would send a clear message by Harris that she was shifting away from President Bidens stances on the Israel-Palestinian conflict.

Lee and other progressive lawmakers joined Abbas Alawieh, one of the leaders of the 30 uncommitted delegates at the convention, for a sit-in last Wednesday.

The uncommitted delegates and their pro-Palestinian allies were deeply upset by the denial of a Palestinian American speaker at the convention, with some particularly upset because the parents of an American hostage held by Hamas were given time to speak at the convention.

Lee said she feels some think it is taboo to discuss Palestinians and their experiences, even before Oct. 7, when the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a surprise attack against Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking about 250 others hostage in Gaza.

I think that, like all people, when you are experiencing something, you want to be able to tell your own story. And a lot of the people who [are] Palestinian, Palestinian American, Arabs and Muslims, were asking for that opportunity, she said.

Theres going to be a lot more work that we have to do to show to this demographic that the Democratic Party includes them  includes them in our foreign policy considerations, and also includes them in our conversations around humanity and human rights.

During her speech, Harris vowed to always defend Israel against terrorist attacks, calling out Hamas for the deadly Oct. 7 attacks, while also expressing her concern about the toll in Gaza, where more than 40,000 people have died.

What has happened in Gaza over the past 10 months is devastating, she said to a round of applause. The scale of suffering is heartbreaking. President Biden and I are working to end this war such that Israel is secure, the hostages are released, the suffering in Gaza ends and the Palestinian people can realize their right to dignity, security and freedom to self-determination.

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(WJET/WFXP)  Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of the popular messaging service Telegram was arrested Saturday at the Le Bourget airport north of Paris.

Durov was taken into custody around 8 p.m., according to a news release from the Paris Public Prosecutors Office. According to French news outlet TF1 Info, the 39-year-old billionaire was accompanied by his bodyguard and a woman.

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French authorities issued a search warrant for Durov, which was authorized by the OFMIN (Office to Combat Violence Against Minors) of the national directorate of the French judicial police on the basis of a preliminary investigation.

According to TF1: [The] Justice considers that the lack of moderation, cooperation with law enforcement and the tools offered by Telegram (disposable number, crypto, etc.) makes him an accomplice in drug trafficking, pedocriminal offenses and fraud.

The prosecutors office said in a statement that the suspected violations include complicity in selling child pornography and in drug trafficking, fraud, abetting organized crime transactions and refusing to share information or documents with investigators when required by law.

French President Emmanuel Macron said Monday that the arrest wasnt a political move but part of an independent investigation.

In Frances first public comment on the arrest, Macron posted on the social media platform X that his country is deeply committed to freedom of expression but freedoms are upheld within a legal framework, both on social media and in real life, to protect citizens and respect their fundamental rights.

Denouncing what he called false information, Macron said the arrest is in no way a political decision. It is up to the judges to rule on the matter.

Durovs detention was extended until Monday night and can be prolonged until Wednesday evening before authorities must release or charge him, the prosecutors office said.

Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of X who has in the past called himself a free speech absolutist, posted #freePavel in support of Durov following the arrest.

Western governments have often criticized Telegram for a lack of content moderation, which experts say opens up the messaging platform for potential use in money laundering, drug trafficking and the sharing of material linked to the sexual exploitation of minors.

In a statement posted on its platform after his arrest, Telegram said it abides by EU laws, and its moderation is within industry standards and constantly improving.

It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform, Telegrams post said. Almost a billion users globally use Telegram as means of communication and as a source of vital information. Were awaiting a prompt resolution of this situation. Telegram is with you all.

Durov is a citizen of Russia, France, the United Arab Emirates, and the Caribbean island nation of St. Kitts and Nevis.

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.

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Rubble being cleared away in Kramatorsk. Photo: State Emergency Service of Ukraine

Reuters has reported the death of Ryan Evans, a safety advisor working as part of a news team, in a Russian strike on the city of Kramatorsk in Donetsk Oblast.

Source: , citing a statement by Reuters

Details: Reuters reported that safety advisor Ryan Evans, a UK national, was one of six Reuters employees staying at the Sapphire Hotel in Kramatorsk when it was hit by the Russians.

It added that two other members of the team have been hospitalised as a result of the attack, one of them with serious injuries.

Previously:

Ukrainian law enforcement agencies had reported that an unnamed 40-year-old British citizen who worked for a foreign media outlet had been killed in the Russian strike on the Sapphire Hotel.

The Prosecutors Office said six civilians, four of them journalists, sustained injuries of varying degrees of severity in the Russian attack.

Vadym Filashkin, Head of the Donetsk Oblast Military Administration, had previously reported that four Reuters journalists from Ukraine, the US, Latvia and Germany had been injured in the Russian strike.

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A British safety adviser for the Reuters news agency was killed and two journalists injured when a Russian strike hit a hotel in Kramatorsk, eastern Ukraine, on Saturday night.

Reuters had a six-person crew staying at the Hotel Sapphire as part of its team covering the war in Ukraine. A spokesperson for the news agency identified the killed safety adviser as Ryan Evans, a 38-year-old British citizen who was assigned to its reporting team in Ukraine.

Reuters added that two of its journalists were being treated in hospital, one for serious injuries.

In a statement on Sunday afternoon, it said we are urgently seeking more information about the attack, including by working with the authorities in Kramatorsk, and we are supporting our colleagues and their families. We send our deepest condolences and thoughts to Ryans family and loved ones. Ryan has helped so many of our journalists cover events around the world; we will miss him terribly.

Members of emergency services stand at the site where the hotel was hit. - Vitalii Hnidyi/Reuters

Evans, a former British soldier, had been working with Reuters since 2022 and advised its journalists on safety around the world including in Ukraine, Israel and at the Paris Olympics, the news agency said.

Three other colleagues have been accounted for and suffered mild injuries, Reuters added.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed in his daily address on Sunday that British and American citizens were in the Kramatorsk hotel, adding My condolences go out to the family and friends. This is a daily Russian terror that continues, because Russia has the ability to continue.

A spokesperson for the UKs Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said, We are aware of reports of a British national missing in Ukraine and are seeking more information from the local authorities.

The US State Department has confirmed that an American citizen was among those injured but has not identified the person.

Rescuers uncovered the body of one man under the rubble, the head of Kramatorsk Citys military administration, Oleksandr Honcharenko, said in an update on Sunday afternoon. He did not give further details or identify the body.

The head of Donetsk regional military administration, Vadym Filashkin, said the injured journalists include citizens of Ukraine, the United States, Latvia and Germany. He confirmed on Telegram Sunday morning that the deceased was a British citizen.

The Reuters crew managed to file video on Sunday morning of the extensive damage done to the hotel, showing emergency services searching through huge piles of rubble with torches. Footage filmed inside the hotel showed several destroyed hotel rooms.

The video also showed extensive damage to the hotels roof.

A man walks among debris inside the hotel targeted by a Russian missile. - Thomas Peter/Reuters

Kramatorsk has often been the target of Russian shelling since the start of Russias war in Ukraine in February 2022. It remains one of the largest cities under Ukrainian control in the countrys besieged east.

In April 2022, Russian forces carried out a missile strike on Kramatorsks railway station that was being used to shelter civilians fleeing the fighting.

More than 50 people, including several children, died in that one attack, which was called an apparent war crime by Human Rights Watch and SITU Research.

This story has been updated.

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Reuters Team Member Missing, Two In Hospital, After Strike On Hotel In Ukraine

The Reuters agency team covering the war in Ukraine has suffered a strike on their hotel in the eastern city of Kramatorsk.

The news agency has released a statement saying one of the team is missing and two others in hospital following the apparent missile strike on the Hotel Sapphire 10.35pm local time Saturday evening.

More from Deadline

One of our colleagues is unaccounted for, while another two have been taken to hospital for treatment, the agency said.

Three other colleagues have been accounted for. We are urgently seeking more information, working with the authorities in Kramatorsk, and supporting our colleagues and their families. We will give an update when we have more information.

Reuters website quotes Vadym Filashkin, governor of Donetsk region, in a post on Telegram Sunday morning that the Russians hit Kramatorsk, and that two journalists were injured, while one was missing after a strike on a hotel.

Authorities, police and rescuers are working on the spot. Debris clearance and rescue operations are ongoing, he said.

Reuters say the Russian Defence Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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Will RFK Jr.s exit help Trump? Allan Lichtman says no

(NewsNation)  Despite Kamala Harris energetic Democratic National Convention appearances and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.s endorsement of former President Donald Trump, very little has shifted in the political world, said Allan Lichtman.

A historian and American University professor considered the Nostradamus of elections, Lichtman told CUOMO this weeks political intrigue wasnt very impactful at all.

Conventions dont predict elections, he said. But third parties do figure into my 13 keys to the White House.

What to know about the upcoming Trump-Harris debate

Though third-party candidates can be pivotal, especially for an incumbent, Lichtman said RFK Jr.s standings were so low, his leaving the race will not change much.

It probably wouldnt hurt the incumbents, even if he had stayed in the race, because he was heading down into the low single digits, way below the threshold needed to turn that key, he added. And this idea that he could somehow turn, you know, votes over to Trump is absolute nonsense.

Allan Lichtmans keys to the White House

Here are Lichtmans 13 keys, or factors, that he says can determine who wins the White House:

Party mandate

Party contest

Incumbency

Third party

Short-term economy

Long-term economy

Policy change

Social unrest

Scandal

Foreign/military policy failure

Foreign/military policy success

Incumbent charisma

Challenger charisma

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Former independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made the case Sunday for embracing the term MAGA  or Make America Great Again  just two days after he endorsed former President Trumps bid for the White House.

Kennedy acknowledged that the phrase  which now often refers to Trumps staunchest supporters  often raises concerns among those who think it is a call for a return to an America before civil rights, gay rights and womens rights.

But I have a more generous interpretation, one that is truer to my experience of Donald Trump as he is today, Kennedy continued in a Sunday post on the social platform X.

Make America Great Again recalls a nation brimming with vitality, with a can-do spirit, with hope and a belief in itself. It was an America that was beginning to confront its darker shadows, could acknowledge the injustice in its past and present, yet at the same time could celebrate its successes, he continued.

It was a nation of broad prosperity, the worlds most vibrant middle class, and a idealistic belief (though not consistently applied) in freedom, justice, and democracy. It was a nation that led the world in innovation, productivity, and technology, he added. And it was the healthiest country in the world.

Kennedy said hes confident that the former president shares this optimistic vision for the country.

I have talked to many Trump supporters. I have talked with his inner circle. I have talked to the man himself. This is the America they want to restore, Kennedy said.

Kennedy ended his presidential bid Friday and opted to endorse the former president.

Kennedy launched his campaign trying to challenge President Biden for the Democratic Partys nomination, but he then became an independent.

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RFK Jr. Tries To Redefine The Meaning Of MAGA After Endorsing Trump

Now that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is backing Donald Trump, he wants people to rethink the Republicans Make America Great Again slogan.

The long-shot presidential candidate turned to X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, on Sunday morning to share a lengthy reinterpretation of the right-wings motto, which has long been read as Trumps shorthand to turn back the clock on rights to reproductive freedom, the social welfare system, immigration access, and more.

In a post that proclaimed to detail what MAGA really means, RFK wrote, The phrase has troubled liberals who think it is a call for a return to an America before civil rights, gay rights, and womens rights, before offering a more generous interpretation of the phrase.

Claiming his definition of MAGA was one that is truer to my experience of Donald Trump as he is today, the Kennedy family scion said. Make America Great Again recalls a nation brimming with vitality, with a can-do spirit, with hope and a belief in itself.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announces he's endorsing Donald Trump at a campaign event in Arizona on Friday. The independent candidate for president rewrote the meaning of "Make America Great Again" in a Sunday morning post on X. The Washington Post via Getty Images

It was an America that was beginning to confront its darker shadows, could acknowledge the injustice in its past and present, yet at the same time could celebrate its successes, he went on.

It was a nation of broad prosperity, the worlds most vibrant middle class, and a idealistic belief (though not consistently applied) in freedom, justice, and democracy, Kennedy continued. It was a nation that led the world in innovation, productivity, and technology. And it was the healthiest country in the world.

I have talked to many Trump supporters. I have talked with his inner circle. I have talked to the man himself, he concluded. This is the America they want to restore.

Though RFK offered his own take on the MAGA movement on Sunday, former president Trumps official platform, known as Agenda 47, offers a blueprint for enacting sweeping reforms on American progress.

The platform promises to weed out wokeness from the American education system, push back rights for the LGBTQ+ community, and close the border to refugees and asylum seekers, among other things.

Related...
His five siblings called it a 'betrayal' of the highest order: 'It is a sad ending to a sad story.'

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. shakes hands with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at a campaign event in Glendale, Ariz., on Friday. (Evan Vucci/AP).

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.s announcement on Friday that he is suspending his presidential campaign and endorsing former President Donald Trump has prompted condemnation from several members of his family, including five of his 10 siblings, who called the move a betrayal.

Kennedy, who initially launched his campaign as a Democrat before switching to an Independent in October 2023, had faced declining poll numbers and financial challenges in recent weeks. The endorsement was made during a Trump rally in Arizona, shortly after Kennedy withdrew from the states presidential ballot.

Citing free speech, the war in Ukraine and a war on our children as among the reasons why he left the Democratic Party to run as an Independent, Kennedy said it was those principal causes that inspired his decision to support Trump now. The move marks a significant break from the Democratic politics associated with the Kennedy family. Kennedy is the son of Robert F. Kennedy, the former U.S. attorney general and senator who was assassinated while running for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1968, and a nephew of former President John F. Kennedy and Sen. Ted Kennedy, also both Democrats.

Kennedys 31-year-old cousin, Jack Schlossberg, criticized the endorsement on X, writing, RFKJr is for sale. According to the Washington Post, Kennedy had sought a meeting with Vice President Kamala Harris to discuss a potential cabinet position in exchange for his endorsement, but the request reportedly went unanswered.

During Fridays rally, Kennedy hinted that Trump might have offered him a cabinet position should he return to the White House, though neither offered specifics. The Associated Press later reported that Kennedys running mate, Nicole Shanahan, suggested he could be considered for the role of Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services in a Trump administration.

Schlossberg is just one member of the Kennedy clan who has spoken out to oppose his cousins decision to back Trump. In fact, several family members released a statement on Friday denouncing his endorsement of Trump.

Heres a roundup of reactions from RFK Jr.s relatives  and how he has responded to their concerns.

Joint statement from Kennedy's siblings

Five of RFK Jr.s 10 siblings  his sisters Kathleen, Courtney, Kerry and Rory, as well as his brother Chris  issued a statement calling their brothers endorsement of Trump a betrayal.

We want an America filled with hope and bound together by a shared vision of a brighter future, a future defined by individual freedom, economic promise and national pride, the statement said, which was shared by Kerry Kennedy in a post on X Friday.

I am sharing a personal statement that my family and I have made in response to my brothers announcement. pic.twitter.com/j7vTTabNYZ  Kerry Kennedy (@KerryKennedyRFK) August 23, 2024

We believe in Harris and Walz, the statement continued. Our brother Bobby's decision to endorse Trump today is a betrayal of the values that our father and our family hold most dear. It is a sad ending to a sad story.

Joe Kennedy III, a grandson of RFK Sr., retweeted the statement, writing, Well said.

Kerry Kennedy

Kerry Kennedy in December 2023. (John Nacion/Getty Images)

RFK Jr.s sister, Kerry Kennedy, further expressed her deep disappointment in an interview on CNN, following the family's public statement on Friday.

Speaking with Kaitlan Collins, she said, I love my brother, but this is an outrage, and I completely disavow and disassociate myself from him on this issue.

She further emphasized that if their father, Robert F. Kennedy Sr., were alive today, he would strongly oppose Donald Trump, particularly Trumps cruel smearing of human rights for suffering people, a cause that she said deeply motivated their fathers political activism.

Max Kennedy

Max Kennedy in November 2013. (Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)

Max Kennedy also expressed deep sorrow over his brothers decision to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race and support Trumps campaign.

In an op-ed published Sunday by the Los Angeles Times, Max described Trump as the type of arrogant, entitled bully that their father opposed.

Max also suggested that their father would likely have respected Harris, the Democratic nominee, for her commitment to values like decency, equality and justice.

To pledge allegiance to Trump, a man who demonstrates no adherence to our familys values, is inconceivable to me, he wrote. With a heavy heart, I am today asking my fellow Americans to do what will honor our father the most: Ignore Bobby and support Vice President Kamala Harris and the Democratic platform. Its what is best for our country.

Jack Schlossberg

Jack Schlossberg, the grandson of John F. Kennedy, speaks on the second night of the Democratic National Convention on Aug. 20. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images)

Schlossberg, now a political correspondent for Vogue, shared his thoughts on the issue in a post shared to X on Friday.

Never been less surprised in my life, he wrote. Been saying it for over a year  RFKjr is for sale, works for Trump. Bedfellows and loving it. Kamala Harris is for the people  the easiest decision of all time just got easier.

Never been less surprised in my life. Been saying it for over a year  RFKjr is for sale, works for Trump. Bedfellows and loving it.



Kamala Harris is for the people  the easiest decision of all time just got easier.  Jack Schlossberg (@JBKSchlossberg) August 23, 2024

Schlossberg, who recently spoke at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, has a history of criticizing his cousin over his political views. He first made headlines back in May after posting a series of clips criticizing RFK Jr.s policy positions.

RFK Jr. responds

In an interview on Fox News Sunday, Kennedy opened up about the personal cost hes faced in regards to his family.

My family is at the center of the Democratic Party, he told host Shannon Bream. I understand that they are troubled by my decisions, but I love my family. I feel like we were raised in a milieu where we were encouraged to debate each other and debate ferociously and passionately about things, but to still love each other. They are free to take their positions on these issues.

WATCH: @RobertKennedyJr sits down one-on-one with @ShannonBream after suspending his presidential campaign and endorsing former President Trump. pic.twitter.com/voWxBolqz9  Fox News Sunday (@FoxNewsSunday) August 25, 2024

He also acknowledged in an X post on Friday that the decision to back Trump even made his wife, Curb Your Enthusiasm actress Cheryl Hines, uncomfortable.

I am so grateful to my amazing wife Cheryl for her unconditional love, as I made a political decision with which she is very uncomfortable, he wrote. I wish this also for the country  love and unity even in the face of disagreement. We will need that in [the] coming times.

The message was a retweet of a post Hines shared to X on Friday.

I'd like to extend a sincere, deeply heartfelt thank you to every person who has worked so tirelessly and lovingly on his campaign, Hines wrote before noting that she respects her husbands decision to endorse Trump and run on the principle of unity.

In the past, Hines has publicly opposed Trump and her husbands anti-vaccine views. Kennedy previously stated that any connection with Trumps administration could strain his marriage, a sentiment Hines echoed earlier this year in an interview with TMZ.

It's been my experience that the vast majority of all parties are truly good people who want the best for our country and for each other, Hines continued. It has been an eye-opening, transformative, and endearing journey.

The decision has been made to suspend my husband's, Robert Kennedy Jr.'s, presidency and I'd like to extend a sincere, deeply heartfelt thank you to every person who has worked so tirelessly and lovingly on his campaign. They have accomplished feats that were said to be  Cheryl Hines (@CherylHines) August 23, 2024
RICHMOND COUNTY, Ga. (WJBF)  The Richmond County Sheriffs Office is searching for a wanted person.

Investigators say Alfonzo Obannard is wanted for an aggravated assault that happened on August 23 on Southgate Drive.

He has active warrants and is considered armed and dangerous. If you have information, call the authorities.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJBF.
Max Kennedy, the brother of Robert F Kennedy Jr, has implored the public to ignore his siblings decision to drop out of the 2024 presidential election and endorse Donald Trumps campaign to return to the White House.

In an op-ed for the Los Angeles Times, Max Kennedy said: Trump was exactly the kind of arrogant, entitled bully that his father, the former US senator and attorney general Robert F Kennedy, stood against before he was assassinated in 1968 as he pursued the Democratic presidential nomination.

Max Kennedy predicted his father would have admired the Democratic nominee for Novembers election, Vice-President Kamala Harris, because she was a former prosecutor as well.

Her career, like his, has been all about decency, dignity, equality, democracy and justice for all, Max Kennedy wrote.

Im heartbroken over my brother Bobbys endorsement of Donald Trump, the piece added. Robert F Kennedys life was dedicated to promoting the safety, security and happiness of the American people.

Robert F Kennedy Jr made the announcement that he was suspending his independent presidential campaign on Thursday. He soon appeared with Trump at a political rally in Arizona where he formally backed the former president, who clinched the Republican nomination despite his conviction on 34 felony charges of falsifying business records to conceal hush-money payments to the adult film actor Stormy Daniels, among various other legal problems.

Kennedy said he planned to remove his name from the 2024 presidential election ballot in swing states to boost Trumps chances of retaking the Oval Office. But Kennedy said he would remain on the ballot in other states that are not expected to decide the presidential race.

In an interview with Fox News on Sunday, Robert F Kennedy Jr claimed his campaign was undermined by censorship by the media  and not being included in the June presidential debate that preceded Joe Bidens decision to halt his presidential re-election bid.

Kennedy also described his periodic conversations with Trump before Thursdays endorsement announcement, including one hours after the failed assassination attempt of the former president in July.

While they agreed that they would be able to continue criticizing each other in connection with issues on which they dont see eye to eye, he invited me to form a unity government, Kennedy said of Trump.

Kennedys presidential bid and endorsement of Trump has drawn sharp criticism from the rest of his family. That includes his wife, the actor Cheryl Hines, whom Kennedy has acknowledged was very uncomfortable with his endorsement of Trump despite her statement that she deeply respected her husbands decision.

And, before its suspension, his campaign was replete with controversies, including a sexual assault allegation made against him by a former staffer and the proliferation of numerous conspiracy theories over vaccine safety, Covid 19, wireless internet, the 9/11 terrorist attacks and antidepressants.

Max Kennedy, a lawyer, is younger than his former presidential candidate brother. He is the ninth child of Robert F Kennedy and Ethel Kennedy  and he was the nephew of John F Kennedy, who was president when he was assassinated in 1963.

He characterized his brothers endorsement of Trump as inconceivable, noting how he had offered Harris his endorsement in exchange for a position in her administration if she won. But Max Kennedy said his brother received no response from the Harris camp and successfully offered the same deal to Trump.

It is all the more tragic because of our brothers name. To carry the name Robert F Kennedy Jr means a special legacy within a legacy, Max Kennedy wrote, explaining his fathers record cut a stark contrast with Trumps on anti-racism, immigration, the rule of law, the environment and gun control. Max Kennedy said the same was true with respect to truth and democracy, apparently an allusion to Trumps falsehoods about having been robbed of victory in the 2020 presidential race by electoral fraudsters, which drove his supporters to mount the deadly US Capitol attack in early January 2021.

I love Bobby. But I hate what he is doing to our country, Max Kennedy wrote. It is worse than disappointment. We are in mourning.

Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I would be motivated to write something of this nature. With a heavy heart, I am today asking my fellow Americans to do what will honor our father the most: Ignore Bobby and support vice-president Kamala Harris and the Democratic platform. Its what is best for our country.

Kennedy on Sunday said everyone in his family needs to be able to disagree with each other and still love each other.

 This article was amended on 25 August 2024 to correct the year in which Robert F Kennedy was assassinated from 1967 to 1968.
Rocket fuel chemical found in dozens of food items. Heres what you need to know

Rocket fuel chemical found in dozens of food items. Heres what you need to know

(NEXSTAR)  A chemical used in rocket fuel, fireworks, and airbags has been detected in various supermarket and fast food items, according to a recent study. But how worried should you be?

Researchers with Consumer Reports tested 196 food samples and discovered that about 67% contained varying levels of the chemical perchlorate.

The findings, published on August 7, showed that baby and children foods, fast food and fresh produce had the highest levels, while beverages, seafood and meats had the lowest. Consumer Reports did not disclose any companies or brand names in its study.

The Environmental Protection Agency recommends a limit of 0.7 micrograms of perchlorate per kilogram of body weight per day, which it considers safe and unlikely to cause harm.

A new COVID vaccine is coming soon  but will it still be free?

None of the foods tested had enough perchlorate in a single serving that would exceed the EPAs daily limit. Consumer Reports suggested, however, that these amounts could potentially add up to concerning levels if multiple servings are consumed.

Despite this, James E. Rogers, the nonprofits director of product safety testing, said parents should not worry too much about the findings.

Feeding your children a wide variety of healthy foods is the best way to make sure they get the nutrients they need and to minimize the potentially harmful effects of contaminants in food and water, Rogers said in the report.

Its unclear why some items in the study had higher levels of perchlorate, but there are two possible explanations: food packaging and contaminated water. Consumer Reports explained that perchlorate is occasionally found in certain plastics used in packaging for products like baby and kids food. And fruits and vegetables could contain it if grown with contaminated water.

Cant picture things in your mind? You may have aphantasia and not even know it

According to the Food and Drug Administration, perchlorate can occur naturally in the environment or be manufactured as an industrial chemical. The agency said high levels can cause thyroid problems. It can block iodide from entering the thyroid gland, disrupt thyroid functions, and potentially reduce thyroid hormone production.

The Environmental Defense Fund, along with nine other advocacy groups, had petitioned for the FDA to ban perchlorate in food packaging back in 2019. They claimed that the chemicals effects on thyroid function in pregnant women could impact fetal and infant brain development. The FDA denied a request for a public hearing on the matter, arguing that the groups submission failed to identify any specific factual dispute that could be resolved by a hearing.

Meanwhile, in May 2023, a federal appeals court ruled that the EPA must regulate perchlorate in water. The move came after the Trump administration rolled back an Obama-era decision to set limits on the contaminant, the Associated Press reported. The EPA said it will propose these regulations by Nov. 21, 2025.

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Rohingya demand end to violence on seventh anniversary of flight from Myanmar

By Ruma Paul

DHAKA (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of Rohingya refugees rallied in camps in Bangladesh on Sunday on the seventh anniversary of the military crackdown that forced them to flee, demanding an end to violence and safe return to Myanmar.

More than a million Rohingya live in squalid camps in southern Bangladesh with little prospect of returning home, where they are mostly denied citizenship and other rights.

Thousands more are believed to have fled Myanmars Rakhine state in recent weeks, as fighting escalates between troops of the ruling junta and the Arakan Army, the powerful ethnic militia that recruits from the Buddhist majority.

Refugees, from children to the elderly, waved placards and chanted slogans in the camps in Coxs Bazar, many wearing ribbons bearing the words Rohingya Genocide Remembrance.

"Hope is home" and "We Rohingya are the citizens of Myanmar," the placards read.

"Enough is enough. Stop violence and attacks on the Rohingya community," refugee Hafizur Rahman said.

The latest attacks are the worst violence against the Rohingya since a 2017 Myanmar military-led campaign, which the United Nations described as having genocidal intent, forced more than 73,000 to flee across the Bangladesh border.

Densely populated Bangladesh says repatriating the refugees to Myanmar is the only solution. Local communities have been increasingly hostile as funds for the Rohingya have dried up.

Bangladesh is in no position to accept more Rohingya refugees, de-facto foreign minister Mohammad Touhid Hossain told Reuters this month, asking India and other countries to do more.

Hossain also called for more international pressure on the Arakan Army to stop attacking the Rohingya in Rakhine state.

The UN children's agency UNICEF has raised alarm over the worsening situation in Rakhine, citing increasing reports of civilians, especially children, being caught in the crossfire.

It said that seven years after the exodus from Myanmar "about half a million Rohingya refugee children are growing up in the worlds largest refugee camp".

"We want to return to our homeland with all the rights. The United Nations should take initiatives to ensure our livelihood and peaceful coexistence with other ethnic communities in Myanmar," Rohingya refugee Mohammed Taher said.

(Reporting by Ruma Paul; editing by Giles Elgood)
Rohingya refugees mark the anniversary of their exodus and demand a safe return to Myanmar

Hundreds of Rohingyas gather in the rain to demand safe return to Myanmar's Rakhine state as they mark the seventh anniversary of their mass exodus from Myanmar at their refugee camp at Kutupalong in Cox's Bazar district, Bangladesh, Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/ Shafiqur Rahman)

COX'S BAZAR, Bangladesh (AP)  Tens of thousands of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar who live in sprawling camps in Bangladesh on Sunday marked the seventh anniversary of their mass exodus, demanding safe return to Myanmar's Rakhine state.

The refugees gathered in an open field at Kutupalong camp in Coxs Bazar district carrying banners and festoons reading Hope is Home and We Rohingya are the citizens of Myanmar, defying the rain on a day that is marked as Rohingya Genocide Day.

On Aug. 25, 2017, hundreds of thousands of refugees started crossing the border to Bangladesh on foot and by boats amid indiscriminate killings and other violence in Myanmars Rakhine state.

Myanmar had launched a brutal crackdown following attacks by an insurgent group on guard posts. The scale, organization and ferocity of the operation led to accusations from the international community, including the U.N., of ethnic cleansing and genocide.

Then-Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina ordered border guards to open the border, eventually allowing more than 700,000 refugees to take shelter in the Muslim-majority nation. The influx was in addition to the more than 300,000 refugees who had already been living in Bangladesh for decades in the wake of waves of previous violence perpetrated by Myanmars military.

Since 2017, Bangladesh has attempted at least twice to send the refugees back and has urged the international community to build pressure on Myanmar for a peaceful environment inside Myanmar that could help start the repatriation. Hasina also sought help from China to mediate.

But in the recent past, the situation in Rakhine state has become more volatile after a group called Arakan Army started fighting against Myanmars security forces. The renewed chaos forced more refugees to flee toward Bangladesh and elsewhere in a desperate move to save their lives. Hundreds of Myanmar soldiers and border guards also took shelter inside Bangladesh to flee the violence, but Bangladesh later handed them over to Myanmar peacefully.

As the protests took place in camps in Bangladesh on Sunday, the United Nations and other rights groups expressed their concern over the ongoing chaos in Myanmar.

Washington-based Refugees International in a statement on Sunday described the scenario.

In Rakhine state, increased fighting between Myanmars military junta and the AA (Arakan Army) over the past year has both caught Rohingya in the middle and seen them targeted. The AA has advanced and burned homes in Buthidaung, Maungdaw, and other towns, recently using drones to bomb villages, it said.

The junta has forcibly recruited Rohingya and bombed villages in retaliation. Tens of thousands of Rohingya have been newly displaced, including several who have tried to flee into Bangladesh, it said.

UNICEF said that the agency received alarming reports that civilians, particularly children and families, were being targeted or caught in the crossfire, resulting in deaths and severe injuries, making humanitarian access in Rakhine extremely challenging.

___

Alam reported from Dhaka.
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) said the Secret Service and FBI are basically dragging their feet on the Senate bipartisan investigation into the attempted assassination of former President Trump.

All I can really tell you is the Secret Service, FBI are basically dragging their feet. Theyre stonewalling us. And we have gotten some transcribed interviews, but the documents we request are heavily redacted, he said on Fox Newss Sunday Morning Futures, noting that the documents arent delivered until the day of the interview.

So were not getting squat, from my standpoint, from the Secret Service or the FBI. We have requested all their 302s, their transcriptions of their interviews with hundreds of individuals. Theyre not turning those over to us as well, he added.

Johnson said that he is a part of the Senate bipartisan investigation on the shooting during Trumps rally last month that left one person and the gunman dead. A bullet grazed the former presidents ear before a countersniper took down the gunman.

Now, lawmakers have pledged bipartisan probes into the incident. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chair Gary Peters (D-Mich.) said last month that there would be a bipartisan investigation into the matter spearheaded by his committee.

Johnson, the former chair of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, also joined calls for a congressional probe into security at the Trump rally last month. He criticized the agencies Sunday, saying they have not released all the necessary information.

They hold themselves above the law. They dont really think that theyre responsible to be coming under scrutiny by Congress or the American public. And so this is how they behave, he said.

Theyre the only ones that are going to have access to this information until they decide what information to give us and when to give it to us. Theyre in total control, he added.

Former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle said in a statement at the time that the agency will also work with the appropriate Congressional committees on any oversight action. She later resigned from her post after multiple lawmakers called on her to step down.

A spokesperson for the Secret Service told The Hill that it has provided over 1,000 pages of responsive documentation to the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC) regarding the investigation. The statement also said that it has made its employees available to the committee for transcribed interviews and said that it will continue to do so.

The FBI also reiterated in a statement to The Hill that it was continuing to share information with lawmakers about the attempted assassination.

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. 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 FBI said.

The FBI continues its painstaking work on the investigation to develop as complete a picture as possible of what led to the shooting, and we remain committed to maximum transparency as we continue to share information with Congress, which includes participating in open hearings and conducting multiple direct briefings, and publish information for the public regarding the ongoing investigation, the statement continued.

Updated at 9:23 pm.

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The Royal Mint has left millions of unwanted 1p and 2p coins abandoned in warehouses across Britain as speculation over the future of copper coins grows.

Roughly 260m surplus copper coins worth around 4m are piling up after being stored indefinitely in cash centres across the country, industry data shows.

This includes roughly 150m  or two thirds  of all the 225m 2p coins in the UK as well as 110m of the 200m 1p coins that have been minted.

The amount of surplus cash is now so large that the total volume is the equivalent of more than 2,000 washing machine-sized cages  each weighing a tonne  filled with coins.

It also means that more copper coins are stored in these warehouses than are in circulation.

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Surveys suggest that more than half of 1p and 2p coins that enter circulation are used once before ending up in a jam jar or storage, while one in 12 are thrown in the bin.

The Royal Mint, the official maker of British coins, has not recycled or melted down surplus coins since it closed its smelting facility more than a decade ago.

Unlike the Bank of England, which swaps damaged or mutilated banknotes from the general public, the Royal Mint only accepts damaged coins collected by banks.

The Treasury has not instructed the Royal Mint to make any coins this year amid reports that it did not expect to order any new 1p and 2p coins to be minted for the next few years.

It has previously said it has no plans to change the mix of UK coins in the system, of which there are estimated to be 27bn in circulation.

Royal Mint data show 30m 1p coins were minted in 2022 and none in 2023. There have been no 2 pence pieces minted since 2021. By contrast, more than a billion pennies were minted in 2000.

UK Finance declined to comment on the coin data but a spokesman said: The industry is committed to the sustained use of cash. However, we really need to make sure that we have the right type of notes and coins that people want to use. And we should be thinking about how we might recycle some of the current coins in circulation.

A spokesman for The Royal Mint said: The Royal Mint only accepts damaged circulating coins. These are processed to ensure the value of the metal can be recovered.

Previous chancellors have considered scrapping copper coins. Philip Hammond launched a consultation in 2018 about the mix of coins in circulation after branding copper coins obsolete.

The Treasurys consultation cited data showing around two thirds of coins issued by the Royal Mint were not in active circulation. Many were taken overseas or stored in jam jars or piggy banks. A survey suggests 8pc were discarded.

In 2019, the Treasury estimated that the Royal Mint needed to issue over 500 million 1p and 2p coins each year to replace those falling out of circulation.

Mr Hammond later backed down, stressing that consumer choice remained a big factor. George Osborne also wanted to scrap coppers but was overruled by former prime minister Lord Cameron.

Those who support the continuing use of copper coins argue that scrapping them could push prices up as retailers would round prices up to the nearest 5p.

Cash also remains the second-most-popular payment method, after debit cards  with an estimated 3m people still relying on it.

The penny was first produced in the 8th century and is the oldest British denomination still in use today.

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Rudy Giuliani thinks that Steve Bannon is being tortured by not having access to television in prison.

The former mayor of New York City lashed out at the Bureau of Prisons and Attorney General Merrick Garland while acting as a stand-in for Bannon during Tuesdays episode of the former White House strategists streaming series, War Room: Battleground.

Joined by MyPillow CEO and election conspiracy enthusiast, Mike Lindell, Giuliani claimed Bannon was being subjected to cruel treatment as he serves his four-month sentence for flouting a 2021 subpoena from congress.

Steve unfortunately cant hear this broadcast, which is an outrage, the man formerly known as Americas Mayor complained.

Pointing to his involvement in the federal prison system under Presidents Ronald Reagan and Gerald Ford, Giuliani claimed that he couldnt recall any prisoners in Bannons category being deprived of access to television for occasional shows, special shows.

Former Trump White House strategist Steve Bannon (right) appears with attorney Matthew Evan Corcoran in Washington, D.C., in June. Last week, fellow Trump ally Rudy Giuliani claimed Bannon was being "tortured" by not having access to TV in prison. Andrew Harnik via Getty Images

Steve Bannon is not being treated the way other prisoners are being treated, he continued. His case has been moved from the Bureau of Prisons to crooked attorney general Garlands office, and theyre calling the shots because contacts that I have in the Bureau of Prisons have told me theyve been taken outta the case.

Coming to an outlandish conclusion, the one-time Republican presidential candidate used air quotes as he told viewers that fellow Donald Trump ally Bannon was being tortured.

Boy, this election is about a fascist regime, Giuliani added. And Steve Bannon is prime number one victim.

Bannon reported to Connecticuts low-security Danbury Federal Correctional Institution at the beginning of July, where he will likely remain until the end of October.

Though the far-right political strategists time behind bars should wind down before the 2024 presidential election, he might be facing more time in prison in the near-future.

On Friday, New York State Supreme Court Judge April Newbauer ruled that Bannon must face trial for criminal fraud charges come December.

Bannon is being accused of diverting hundreds of thousands of the $15 million he and others privately raised for Trumps proposed border wall in order to pay the fundraisers chief executive, Brian Kolfage.

Related...
Pavel Durov was once hailed as Russias answer to Mark Zuckerberg. Now, he is facing prison in France.

The billionaire co-founder of Telegram  an ultra-secure messaging app that boasts over 900 million users  is feted by some as an anti-authoritarian hero and champion of free speech who took on the might of Vladimir Putin.

For others, he is a nefarious and negligent tech tycoon responsible for creating a platform where criminal activity goes unchecked.

French authorities, it seems, are in the latter camp. On Saturday, Durov was arrested on arrival at Le Bourget airport, near Paris, after travelling by private jet from Baku, Azerbaijan.

The 39-year-old stands accused of failing to tackle crime on Telegram as part of an inquiry into alleged fraud, drug trafficking and the promotion of terrorism on the platform  dubbed the new dark web by critics.

His detention marks the most prominent example of a social media executive being brought to heel yet, raising profound questions for the future of networks used by billions of people, their owners and the regulators and authorities struggling to get to grips with our digital world.

But it has also been cast by some as the latest flashpoint in what they say is a new cold war between Russia and the West  fuelled, in part, by speculation that Durov had sought a meeting with Putin while in Baku.

French President Emmanuel Macron has been quick to reject that, saying Durovs arrest is in no way a political decision. Moscow, meanwhile, has denied any meeting between the Telegram founder and Putin took place. However, it does appear willing to entertain the possibility of his apprehension being politically-motivated, with lawmakers suggesting Durovs detention signals freedom of speech in Europe is dead.

For the West, there is no such thing any more as good Russians, popular tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda pronounced. Another, the Nezavisimaya Gazeta, declared the blow to Telegram threatens to be a blow to Russia.

The story of the platform stretches back to its founding in 2013, when Durov and his elder brother, Nikolai, set out to create an app capable of offering total security and anonymity to its users. To this day, it describes itself as politically neutral and collects no user data apart from a phone number  not even a name, email or date or birth. Light-touch moderation remains part of its appeal.

Telegram founder Pavel Durov, 39, is facing prison in France as part of a cyber-criminality investigation - Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg

It is securely encrypted and sells no data to third parties  Durov, who is worth a reported $15 billion, is so confident in its security that its website offers a $300,000 reward to anyone who proves Telegram messages can be deciphered. In little over a decade, it has risen to become one of the top five most downloaded apps in the world.

Its success is intimately tied to Durovs own history. His grandparents were among the tens of millions of Russians who were persecuted by Joseph Stalin, with his grandfather sent to one of the autocrats infamous gulags. Durov himself was born in 1984 in Leningrad, in then Soviet Russia, to Russian and Ukrainian parents, and spent most of his childhood in Turin, Italy, where his father worked. He and his sibling, Nikolai, were both maths prodigies, Durov told American broadcaster Tucker Carlson in an interview earlier this year. Nikolai won several gold medals at the International Math Olympiad and was shown on Italian television solving cubic equations in real time.

The family returned to Russia when Durovs father  a scholar in Ancient Roman literature  received an offer to run a department at St Petersburg State University, by which point the Iron Curtain had come down. After finishing school, Durov himself enrolled as a liberal arts student at the same university. While there, he began to draw inspiration from Silicon Valley, and the success of Facebook in particular, teaching himself how to code.

Durov, whose grandparents were persecuted by Joseph Stalin, was born in 1984 in Leningrad

Upon graduation, he created VKontakte, a social media network similar to the one dreamed up by Mark Zuckerberg and four of his fellow Harvard students in the US. Indeed, Durov himself has often been described as his countrys answer to the Meta CEO.

VKontakte flourished and quickly became the countrys most popular social platform. Durov has since described it as a libertarians paradise in the unregulated internet market that existed in Russia at the time.

But in 2011, the tide turned. Putin, then-prime minister, made clear he was seeking to return to the presidency and Durov fell foul of the Kremlin for refusing to adhere to requests to block opposition activity on VKontakte amid mass protests over disputed parliamentary elections. Instead, he made fun of the situation, posting a meme of a dog in a hoodie with its tongue hanging out  as well as scans revealing Moscows requests.

Relations continued to sour in the years that followed. Armed police raided his apartment in St Petersburg and, in 2014, he was forced to leave Russia altogether having been fired as VKontaktes CEO after publically refusing to hand over users data to Russian security agencies and block the late opposition leader Alexei Navalnys account.

Demonstrators with a painting depicting Telegram's founder Durov protest against the blocking of the popular messaging app in Russia in 2018 - Getty

Shortly before fleeing, he was reportedly granted citizenship by St. Kitts and Nevis after investing $250,000 in the Caribbean nations sugar industry. I would rather be free than to take orders from anyone, he has since said of his exit from Russia. In 2021, he was controversially granted French citizenship and, prior to his arrest, predominantly resided in Dubai  having obtained a United Arab Emirates passport too. It is not clear whether he has renounced his Russian citizenship.

As is the case with a number of other tech bosses, Durov is said to lead an ascetic lifestyle, eschewing meat, alcohol, caffeine and sugar and has studied more than eight languages, including Arabic, Ukrainian, German, Spanish and Latin.

In 2019, he told his Telegram followers he had been experimenting with consuming no food at all, undertaking extreme fasts to improve his clarity of thought. He has also said that being mindful about what kind of information we consume is just as important for our wellbeing as what food we eat, so avoids horror movies and prefers films that show uplifting success stories. The Roald Dahl adaptation Wonka, featuring Hugh Grant and Timothee Chalamet, was his favourite release last year.

Durov is said to begin each day with mid-20th century songs that express joy, such as Oh, What a Beautiful Morning or What a Wonderful World, and avoids lyrics that conjure undesirable scenarios.

Curiously, while he is single and has said he prefers to live alone, Durov revealed in another Telegram post that he believes he has fathered more than 100 children through sperm donation. He said that fifteen years ago, he had been approached by a friend who was struggling to have children. The friend asked Durov to donate his sperm so that he and his partner could have a baby, and Durov duly obliged.

The boss of the clinic told me that high quality donor material was in short supply and that it was my civic duty to donate more sperm to anonymously help more couples, he said. Fast forward to 2024, my past donating activity has helped over a hundred couples in 12 countries to have kids Now I plan to open-source my DNA so that my biological children can find each other more easily.

On Instagram, where he has 1.5 million followers, Durov regularly posts pictures of exotic destinations, although he says he doesnt take holidays and instead works remotely. In one recent post, he quotes the Stoic philosopher Marcus Aurelius: A man must stand upright, not be kept upright by others.

The billionaire does not drink alcohol or caffeine, and is understood to live an 'ascetic' lifestyle

It is difficult to tell anything about who Durov actually is from his online footprint, and he rarely gives interviews, but then inscrutability is in Telegrams DNA.

The app is run via a complicated network of international servers and shell companies to insulate it from regulation and governmental interference. In 2018, he confirmed on X, then Twitter, that Telegram is headquartered in Dubai, but is unlikely to ever consider any location [its] permanent base.

In March this year, it was reported that Telegram was nearing profitability and was considering an IPO.

Privacy is paramount  it offers users secure messaging and calls, as well as the ability to create groups to communicate with up to 200,000 people or channels to broadcast to an unlimited number. It also has a self-destructing Secret Chat function. In 2015, Durov said that since Telegram was founded, we havent disclosed a single byte of user data to third parties, including government officials.

The apps protections have made it a useful news source in parts of the world where censorship is rife and a critical tool for pro-democracy activists living under oppressive regimes such as in Iran and Belarus.

It is especially popular in former Soviet countries, and used extensively by the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and Russian citizens who want to access uncensored information about the Russia-Ukraine war. While Telegram was blocked in Russian in 2018 owing to its privacy rules, the ban was lifted two years later as the government began using the platform to spread public health information related to the Covid-19 pandemic. Now, seemingly holding no grudge, the Kremlin has an official channel on the app, with more than 200,000 followers, and so do several other high-profile Russian officials. On Monday, a Russian Telegram channel thought to be close to the countrys intelligence agencies, Baza, reported that security officials had received a directive to delete the app in the wake of Durovs arrest. Everyone who got accustomed to using Telegram for sensitive conversations and chats must immediately delete them, and dont do it in the future, Margarita Simonyan, the editor of Kremlin propaganda channel RT, said on Sunday.

But it has a dark side, too, with the privacy and anonymity features making the platform a safe haven for criminals. Researchers have warned that Telegram is a sprawling ecosystem of illegal and violent content relating to far-right conspiracy theories, extremism, terrorism and child abuse.

Use of the app surged in the UK after the killing of three schoolgirls in Southport last month, and it was widely linked to the violent unrest that followed on streets across the country, having been used by far-Right agitators to fuel and organise the disorder. The platform acts to remove illegal and harmful content on public channels, but its website says that: All Telegram chats and group chats are private amongst their participants. We do not process any requests related to them.

The 'dark side' of Durov's Telegram app has been linked to terrorism and criminality

Before the app took a stronger stance against content linked to terrorism, in particular, in 2019 following the deadly terror attack on London Bridge, it was the favoured platform of Islamic State groups. But experts warn it remains a hotbed for propaganda.

In the wake of Hamas October 7 attack on Israel, it has repeatedly been used by the group to disseminate content. In mid-October last year, Durov appeared to defend Hamas use of Telegram  in a post on the app, he wrote: Every day, Telegrams moderators and AI tools remove millions of obviously harmful content from our public platform. However, tackling war-related coverage is seldom obvious. Earlier this week, Hamas used Telegram to warn civilians in Ashkelon to leave the area ahead of their missile strikes. Would shutting down their channel help save lives  or would it endanger more lives?

Soldiers in the Israel Defence Forces were also found to be running a graphic, unauthorised Telegram channel. Propaganda, disinformation and violence are rife. Channels on the app reportedly sell weapons, drugs and illegally cloned bank cards.

Telegram then, perhaps more than any other major app, has seemingly become a digital battlefield  one on which authorities, criminals and Durov himself are engaged in a high-stakes showdown. Certainly, his arrest has been met with both outrage and relief.

Russian lawmaker Maria Butina said Durov was a victim of a witch hunt by the West, adding his arrest means freedom of speech in Europe is dead.

Durov does not give public interviews often, but likes to show off his toned physique on social media  and post quotes by philosopher Marcus Aurelius - Pavel Durov

Elon Musk, a fellow tech tycoon and free speech advocate, meanwhile used his platform X, formerly known as Twitter, to call on French police to FreePavel.

I dont think that we should be policing people in the way they express themselvesOtherwise, we can quickly degrade into authoritarianism, Durov himself told the Financial Times in March.

Clearly, others take a different view. Durov may see his app as the product of a cast-iron commitment to privacy and freedom of expression, but critics argue it has effectively become an online wild west, acting a magnet for bad actors keen on evading tighter restrictions on rival platforms.

Enough of Telegrams impunity, said one French investigator on Sunday. As Durov awaits an appearance in court, it appears that might just be the case yet.

But in a defiant statement issued late on Sunday, Telegram said it abides by EU laws, adding its moderation is within industry standards and constantly improving.

Pavel Durov has nothing to hide and travels frequently in Europe. It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform, the statement said. Were awaiting a prompt resolution of this situation. Telegram is with you all.

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Russia and Ukraine have agreed to a prisoner exchange brokered by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), according to the UAEs Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Middle Eastern country announced the success of its mediation efforts between the Russian Federation and Ukraine in completing a new prisoner exchange process that included 230 prisoners, per a page dated Saturday and translated from Arabic via Google Translate, on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website.

Another 115 of our defenders have returned home today, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a post on the social platform X on Saturday. These are warriors of the National Guard, the Armed Forces, the Navy, and the State Border Guard Service.

We remember everyone, Zelensky continued. We are searching for them and making every effort to bring them all back.

The Ukrainian president also said that he is grateful to each unit that replenishes our exchange fund.

This helps to advance the release of our military personnel and civilians from Russian captivity, Zelensky added. I thank our team and partners, the UAE, for bringing our people back home.

Russia also recently made an important prisoner swap with the U.S. earlier this summer, in which Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan were freed, among others.

We remember all those still wrongfully detained or held hostage around the world. And reaffirm our pledge to their families: We see you, President Biden said in a statement at the time. We are with you. And we will never stop working to bring your loved ones home where they belong.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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In a statement to Indian media about the Ukrainian operation in Kursk Oblast, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has pointed out that there was no powerful Russian air defence in Kursk Oblast  in contrast to the areas surrounding Russian ruler Vladimir Putin's various houses.

Source: Zelenskyy in an interview with Indian news agencies

Quote: "Concerning our Kursk operation. We did not invade the territory of the Russian Federation. The Russian Federation invaded our territory 10 years ago, occupying and killing our people.

Russia was preparing to invade Kharkiv Oblast, intending to occupy a city with a population of 1.5 million people... Russia wants to occupy this city. We stopped that. That was part of the operation.

We thwarted this offensive operation, and their next step was to advance in the north of our state, just from the city of Sumy, from Kursk Oblast  they had everything ready to do that.

The difference is that we did this [advanced  ed.] preventatively to stop them from taking over our city.

Putin occupies us and never thinks about his own territory  and we are well aware that this is so, because we know where the Russian air defence is.

We are now targeting their energy sector. After they strike our energy sector, we strike theirs, and their military airfields as well. We know where they have air defence and where they don't.

There is air defence around Putin's dachas (summer houses), air defence around Moscow, air defence in St Petersburg, but in ordinary towns in Kursk oblast and so on, where we went in quickly, there is no air defence  nothing.

Yes, they have soldiers there, they have troops, but they dont have the same level of air defence as Comrade Putin has around his house. So its obvious that he cannot hold on, and he must and will feel the impact of the war. We have no other chance because you won't stop him... Diplomats around the world are refusing to isolate him."

Details: Zelenskyy said the Ukrainian operation on the territory of the Russian Federation is a signal: "If Putin is allowed to do this, others may as well."

Furthermore, defending Putin's actions will open the door to new conflicts over violations of sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Background:

The Armed Forces of Ukraine crossed the Russian-Ukrainian border near the town of Sudzha, Kursk Oblast, on 6 August 2024.

On 10 August, it became known that the Armed Forces of Ukraine had taken control of the village of Poroz in Russias Belgorod Oblast. A counter-terrorism operation regime (CTO) was introduced in Russias Bryansk, Kursk and Belgorod oblasts, including increased security, traffic restrictions, document checks and phone monitoring.

On 12 August, the Ukrainian authorities confirmed for the first time that the Ukrainian Armed Forces were involved in the special operation in Kursk Oblast.

Read also: Commander-in-Chief Syrskyi's raid: how the Ukrainian offensive in Russia's Kursk Oblast is progressing and what to expect next

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Russian criminals Raleigh mansion yanked from auction at last minute; previously listed for $10 million

RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN)  A 17,000-square-foot Raleigh mansion owned by a Russian national now in prison after a federal bribery and fraud plea deal went up for auction Friday.

But, despite nine registered bidders and dozens of formal buyer inquiries, the seller decided at the last minute Friday afternoon to withdraw the luxury home from the auction, officials said.

The house, which was offered in a $10 million auction earlier this year, sits hidden behind a large gate and trees blocking a clear view. Longtime Raleigh residents told CBS 17 that its unique.

Its huge. Ive never seen anything like it in the North Ridge area, and weve lived here for 27 years, Natalie Eroh said.

PREVIOUS: Russian criminals Raleigh mansion up for auction with no reserve

What also interested passers-by was the story behind the multimillion-dollar homes former owner.

Photo courtesy: Platinum Luxury Auctions

Photo courtesy: Platinum Luxury Auctions

Photo courtesy: Platinum Luxury Auctions

Photo courtesy: Platinum Luxury Auctions

Photo courtesy: Platinum Luxury Auctions

Photo courtesy: Platinum Luxury Auctions

Photo courtesy: Platinum Luxury Auctions

Photo courtesy: Platinum Luxury Auctions

Photo courtesy: Platinum Luxury Auctions

Photo courtesy: Platinum Luxury Auctions

Leonid and Tatyana Teyf had to forfeit the house as part of a plea deal in 2021.

I did some more research, and it was pretty interesting. Its not something youd expect in, obviously, North Raleigh, North Ridge area, Eroh told CBS 17.

MORE NEWS: Mystery Russian-made helicopter landing in NC community causes a stir

On Friday, the home was being offered in the auction without a reserve, which meant the highest bid would win  even if it were well below what the seller wanted.

The company handling the homes auction said it was a great surprise and disappointment when the mansion was pulled from the sale Friday.

Leonid and Tatyana Teyf had to forfeit the house as part of a plea deal in 2021. Photo of Leonid Teyf.

The seller made this election despite having top-tier performance metrics for the auction promotion, which included more than 93 formal buyer inquiries and 25 property visits during a four-week period, Platinum Luxury Auctions told CBS 17 in a statement.

The house is on two acres and overlooks the 18th green at North Ridge Country Club, off Falls of Neuse Road.

It has eight bedrooms and bathrooms, six half bathrooms, two elevators, and two kitchens.

Our predicted price range for the sale was on target with what I understand to be the full amount for which the property appraised in a seller-ordered appraisal, thus compounding our surprise regarding the cancellation, an auction company representative said.

The door to the wine cellar is described as an authentic bank vault door. Photo courtesy: Platinum Luxury Auctions

The home also features an infinity-edge saltwater pool and spa.

Two privately gated entries lead to a circular pebble drive and a heated, four-car garage hidden on the side of the residence, the property description read.

The wine cellar has an authentic bank vault door, the auction company said.

The property will remain available for direct offers and negotiation through Platinum Luxury Auctions or through an agent at Engel & Volkers, the auction company said.

We welcome any negotiations, and Platinum has no plan to reschedule or re-offer the property for luxury auction sale, a statement said.

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The Russian Embassy in France has requested consular access to billionaire Pavel Durov and accused the French authorities of "avoiding cooperation".

Source: Russian Embassy in France

Quote: "After the news of Pavel Durov's detention appeared in the media, we immediately requested clarification from the French authorities on the reasons for it and demanded that his rights be protected and that consular access be granted to him.

As of today [25 August  ed.], the French side is still avoiding cooperation on this issue. We are in contact with Durov's lawyer."

Background:

Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov was detained on Saturday (24 August) evening at Le Bourget airport in the Paris suburbs.

Investigators believe that Durov's lack of cooperation with law enforcement agencies, as well as the tools offered by Telegram, make him an accessory to drug trafficking, paedophile crimes and fraud, the publication said.

In France, Durov is accused of failing to take action against the criminal use of Telegram messaging by his followers, failing to moderate the service and failing to cooperate with the investigation.

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Russian lawmaker Butina says arrest of Durov means freedom of speech is 'dead' in Europe

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian lawmaker Maria Butina said on Sunday that the arrest of Pavel Durov, the Russian-born billionaire founder and owner of the Telegram, was part of a witch-hunt that means freedom of speech is now "dead" in Europe.

"Pavel Durov is a political prisoner - a victim of a witch-hunt by the West," Butina told Reuters.

"The arrest of Pavel Durov means there is no freedom of speech - it means that freedom of speech in Europe is dead."

Butina, who spent 15 months in U.S. prison for acting as an unregistered Russian agent and is now a lawmaker for the ruling United Russia party, said that she believed Durov had been arrested in an attempt by the West to gain control of Telegram.

"Now basically they have a hostage and they will try to blackmail Russia, they will try to blackmail all the users of Telegram and not only try to get control but also try to block the network here in Russia," she said.

(Reporting by Reuters; editing by Guy Faulconbridge)
Four Reuters journalists from Ukraine, the United States, Latvia, and Germany were injured as a result of Russian troops' attack on a hotel in Kramatorsk. A journalist from the United Kingdom is also presumably trapped beneath the rubble.

Source: Vadym Filashkin, Head of Donetsk Oblast Military Administration, on Telegram; Reuters

   , :    Telegram

Place of impact in Kramatorsk.

Photo: Vadym Filashkin on Telegram

Quote from Filashkin: "The number of casualties in Kramatorsk has risen to four. All the victims are Reuters journalists from Ukraine, the United States, Latvia, and Germany. A journalist from the United Kingdom is also believed to be under the rubble. The search and rescue operation at the scene continues."

Details: Reuters has confirmed that one member of its team covering the war in Ukraine is missing, and two others have been hospitalised after the attack on a hotel in Kramatorsk.

The agency said in a statement that the Sapphire Hotel, where a Reuters crew of six was staying, was hit on Saturday.

   , :    Telegram

Place of impact in Kramatorsk.

Photo: Vadym Filashkin on Telegram

Previously: Russian forces struck a hotel in the city of Kramatorsk, Donetsk Oblast, on the night of 24-25 August, leaving two civilians injured and one person trapped under the rubble. All three are journalists and citizens of Ukraine, the United States, and the United Kingdom.

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Vyacheslav Gladkov, Governor of Russia's Belgorod Oblast, has claimed that Ukrainian forces hit Belgorod Oblast, in particular the village of Rakitnoe.

Source: Gladkov on Telegram

Details: Gladkov claimed that Ukrainian forces had attacked Rakitnoe.

He added that the strike had "left 5 people dead and 12 more injured".

According to him, a gas pipeline and a power line were also damaged.

Quote: "A gas pipeline has been damaged, temporarily cutting off the gas supply to the villages of Rakitnoe, Borispole, and Novoleninskoe. There is also partial damage to a power line."

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The aftermath of the Russian attacks on Sumy Oblast over the past 24 hours. Photo: Ukraine's National Police in Sumy Oblast

Russian forces launched 261 attacks on the territory of Sumy Oblast on 24 August, leaving 4 civilians dead and 13 injured.

Source: Sumy Oblast Police Communications Office

Quote: "The enemy mounted 261 attacks on the territory of Sumy Oblast yesterday. A total of 50 settlements were fired upon with various types of weapons.

Four civilians were killed and 13 more injured in the strikes."

Details: Six apartment blocks, 26 houses, an educational institution, outbuildings, cars, a gas pipeline and shops were damaged, and dry grass over an area of around 2 hectares caught fire in Sumy Oblast.

Police investigators have initiated criminal proceedings over the incidents under Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (violation of the laws and customs of war).

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The Russians launched a missile attack on cities of Kharkiv and Chuhuiv on the morning of 25 August.

Source: Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov; Oleh Syniehubov, Head of Kharkiv Oblast Military Administration

Quote from Terekhov: "A powerful explosion has rung out in Kharkiv. Be careful."

Quote from Syniehubov: "Kharkiv and the district: stay in shelters! Occupiers are landing strikes.

Update: Later, Syniehubov said that the Russians had launched a missile attack on Kharkiv and Chuhuiv.

Quote from Syniehubov: "At the moment, no injured have been reported in Kharkiv.

According to preliminary data, there is one injured in Chuhuiv.

Quote from Terekhov: "A private house is on fire in the Slobidskyi district of the city as a result of the strike. Emergency services are working at the site of the strike.

Details: Syniehubov said that two injured sought medical assistance in Kharkiv: a 23-year-old civilian man and a 55-year-old woman.

Quote from Syniehubov: "In Chuhuiv, the enemy struck the residential sector, a 4-year-old child was among the injured. [The kid suffered an] acute stress reaction, no hospitalisation [was necessary].

Two more women were also treated on the spot."

"The number of the injured in Kharkiv has increased to three.

Four have been injured in Chuhuiv, all of these are minor [injuries]."

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Founder and CEO of Telegram Pavel Durov delivers a keynote speech during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Sunday that Pavel Durov, the Russian-born founder of the Telegram messaging app, miscalculated by fleeing Russia and thinking that he would never have to cooperate with the security services abroad.

Medvedev related a conversation he had with Durov several years ago in which Medvedev told him that if he did not want to cooperate with law enforcement agencies then he would have problems in any country.

Medvedev, the deputy head of Russia's Security Council, said Durov wanted to be a 'brilliant "man of the world" who lives wonderfully without a Motherland."

"He miscalculated," Medvedev said. "For all our common enemies now, he is Russian  and therefore unpredictable and dangerous."

"Durov should finally realise that one cannot chose one's the fatherland," Medvedev said.

(Reporting by Reuters; editing by Guy Faulconbridge)
Ryan Evans, a safety adviser for Reuters, has been killed in what appeared to be a Russian missile strike on his hotel in Ukraine on Saturday, according to the news agency. He was 38 years old. Two other members of Reuters team covering the war in Ukraine were hospitalized in the attack, one of them injured seriously.

Evans was a retired British soldier who has provided support for Reuters and advised its journalists on safety around the world, including for their coverage of Ukraine, Israel and at the Paris Olympics. He began working with the agency in 2022.

He was with Reuters six-person team covering the war in Ukraine when he was killed in the strike on their hotel, the Hotel Sapphire, in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk. Initially reported missing, Evans was ultimately declared dead after his body was found in the hotels rubble.

We send our deepest condolences and thoughts to Ryans family and loved ones. Ryan has helped so many of our journalists cover events around the world; we will miss him terribly, Reuters said in a statement.

The hotel was hit by a Russian Iskander ballistic missile, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

An ordinary city hotel was destroyed by the Russian Iskander, he said in an evening address Sunday, before adding that the strike was absolutely purposeful, thought out  my condolences to family and friends.

We are urgently seeking more information about the attack, including by working with the authorities in Kramatorsk, and we are supporting our colleagues and their families, Reuters said in a statement.

Three other members of the Reuters team at the hotel were accounted for and safe, according to the agency.

Reuters noted that the Russian Defence Ministry did not respond to its request for comment on the attack and the news organization could not independently verify whether the missile that hit the hotel was part of a deliberate strike or if Russia did indeed fire the missile.

The Donetsk provinces regional prosecutors office said in a Telegram post that the hotel was destroyed at 10:35 p.m. local time on Saturday.

The post Ryan Evans, Reuters Safety Adviser in Ukraine, Killed in Missile Strike at 38 appeared first on TheWrap.
A Sacramento woman died at the hospital. Her family, unaware, searched for her for more than a year

A lawsuit filed in California alleges a hospital misplaced a patient and failed to notify her family. Here is what the family says happened:

Jessie Peterson suffered a diabetic episode and was taken to a hospital in Sacramento, California, on April 6, 2023. The 31-year-old spoke with her mother on the phone two days later, asking to be picked up from the hospital.

But that phone call would be the last time her family heard from her.

Petersons mother called the hospital three days later, only to be told there was no one there by that name. She said, after persisting, she was told Jessie left the hospital against the advice of her doctors.

Petersons family began a relentless search, filing a missing persons report, reaching out to the community, posting flyers with her photo throughout the city, even getting her name added to the US Department of Justice website for missing persons.

Finally, more than a year after her disappearance, a phone call from a detective with the Sacramento County Sheriffs Office gave them the news they had dreaded: A death certificate had been issued for Jessie.

One of Jessies sisters went to the Sacramento County Coroners Office but was told her remains were not there. Instead, she was told to contact the hospital.

Petersons mother, Ginger Congi, reached someone at the hospital who told her they would call back. No call came immediately, but a mortuary later contacted Congi and said Jessies body had been found at one of the hospitals off-site cold storage facilities.

Her body was too decomposed for an autopsy.

As it turned out, Jessie had died about two hours after her last call to her mother.

Jessies family sues hospital for negligence

Jessies fate was detailed in a $25 million dollar lawsuit filed against the hospital.

In the suit, her family said the hospital never notified them of her death and misplaced her body.

The lawsuit accuses Dignity Health/Mercy San Juan Medical Center of negligence, negligent handling of a corpse, negligent infliction of emotional distress and violating California Health and Safety Code.

We extend our deepest sympathies to the family during this difficult time, said Dignity Health in a statement. We are unable to comment on pending litigation.

Jessie Peterson was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when she was 10 years old, family attorney Marc Greenberg told CNN. She had been hospitalized for complications of the disease approximately 20 times throughout her life, including twice in the previous months before her death and again for a final time on April 6, 2023, Greenberg said. At times, she battled with addiction and homelessness, he said.

The day after her death, Petersons body was taken to a nearby morgue.

On April 9, 2023, Mercy San Juan hospital transferred Jessies body to a cold storage facility. Jessie was placed on Shelf Number Red 22 A and forgotten, the complaint states.

Jessies family was not notified of Jessies passing, despite extensive previous contact between the hospital and Jessies family, as well as the fact that Ginger was listed as Jessies next of kin, the suit states.

On April 4, 2024, some 362 days after she died, a death certificate was issued for Jessie Peterson, signed by a doctor at Mercy San Juan Medical Center who is not named as a defendant in the lawsuit.

Just over a week later, a Sacramento County Sheriffs Office detective told the family Peterson had died.

It is unclear what led to the delay in Petersons death certificate being issued. Californias Health and Safety Code states the attending physician must complete the information within 15 hours of a patients death.

Decomposition over the course of the year Petersons body was in storage would not allow for an open casket funeral or even for an autopsy to be conducted to determine if there was any medical malpractice, the lawsuit states.

Because Jessies death was not reported to family for a year after her death, an autopsy to determine whether medical malpractice played any role in her death was rendered impossible, according to the filing.

When they think of her now, they think of her on a shelf in a body bag instead of how she was, said Greenberg of Petersons family. They dont really have the closure of knowing what the hell really happened.

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Sanders on Harris: I intend to do everything that I can to see that she wins

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Sunday doubled down on his support for Vice President Harris, stating he will do everything he can to help her win in November.

I think the vice president now has a very good chance to win it. Shes certainly going to win the popular vote by millions of votes, and I think she has a great chance to win many of the battleground states. And I intend to do everything that I can to see that she wins, Sanders said on ABC Newss This Week.

Sanders, reflecting on what he described as the very high energy at last weeks Democratic National Convention, said he believes people are growing tired and fatigued with former President Trump, the GOP presidential nominee.

The independent senator, who caucuses with Democrats, was a longtime supporter of President Biden and continued to back him amid growing calls from Democratic lawmakers to step down earlier this summer.

Sanders had not initially endorsed Harris for president, stating he wanted first to see more specific commitments from her on issues important to the working class. The Hill reported at the time that Sanders was looking to shape Harriss campaign and had held off on an endorsement in part to exert some pressure on the vice president to adopt some of his priorities.

He has since thrown his support behind Harris and lauded her recently unveiled economic plan as strong and progressive.

When asked Sunday if there is any daylight between Biden and Harriss views in a discussion on the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, Sanders said, Well, I hope so.

My views in this area are very different from President Bidens views. I happen to think that we should not be giving another nickel to [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahus right-wing, extremist government, he said.

I think, you know, in all fairness to the vice president, you know, shes been the candidate for all of one month. And its been a hell of a month, he added. You have to organize the convention, select a vice presidential [running mate], get out on the campaign trail. So, they are still working through their policies.

But I think, at the end of the day, I hope very much that the conclusion that will be reached is that Netanyahu, and his right-wing extremist government, which has received tens of billions of dollars of aid from the U.S., should not continue to receive that aid unless there is a radical change in their policies to the people  to the Palestinian people in Gaza, and in the West Bank, by the way, he continued.

The remarks came after Harris said last week at the convention that she would ensure America always has the strongest, most lethal fighting force in the world.

I will always stand up for Israels right to defend itself. And I will always ensure Israel has the ability to defend itself, she said last week. I will never hesitate to take whatever action is necessary to defend our forces and our interests against Iran and Iran-backed terrorists.

Stating he agrees with the vice president that the U.S. wants the strongest defense in the world, Sanders noted he thinks enough is enough.

Youre seeing military contractors profits soaring, and I think we can have the strongest defense in the world without spending a trillion dollars a year, he said.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
GREENVILLE COUNTY S.C.(WSPA)  The Greenville County Sheriffs Office said it is investigating a Saturday evening fire which sent one person to the hospital.

According to the sheriffs office, at around 11:27 p.m. deputies were called to a home on Water Reach Lane for house fire. People inside the home were able to get out though one man had to be transported to the hospital with burns from the fire, the sheriffs office said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. 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.
A half-an-hour drive from Boston, Massachusetts, in the town of Concord, sits one of the most revered literary landscapes in the world: the 2,680-acre Walden Woods and Walden Pond State Reservation.

Annually, over a half-million people pay homage to the storied pond and spiritually-nourishing woods where Henry David Thoreau wrote his 1854 classic book, "Walden."

During his two years, two months and two days living there, Thoreau treated every creature he encountered, from a scampering red squirrel to warring ants, as kin.

As Thoreau wrote at the outset of "Walden": "I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived."

Walden Pond in Concord, Mass. / Credit: CBS News

Tragically, the National Trust for Historic Preservation has listed the Walden Pond and Walden Woods as one of "America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places." Blame a proposed Hanscom Airport expansion near Walden. This aviation project would add 6,000 private jet aircraft takeoffs and landings a year, shattering the solitude of enchanted Walden.

Environmental threats to Thoreau's retreat aren't limited to those from the air. Just a stone's throw from the pond sits a 35-acre former landfill. Without conservation protection, this parcel could be open for commercial development.

The American people should call for the conservation of the former landfill, and demand an immediate cease-and-desist of the jetport enlargement. No developer has the right to destroy the historic essence of Concord, which includes the Minute Man National Battlefield of the American Revolution; the former home of Ralph Waldo Emerson; and the place Louisa May Alcott wrote "Little Women."

By defending Walden, we save the birthplace of an American literary shrine, and honor its inspiration: the sublime of the natural world.



For more info:

The National Trust for Historic Preservation: "America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places"Walden Pond State Reservation, Concord, Mass.The Walden Woods ProjectFriends of Walden PondMassachusetts Department of Conservation & Recreation: Park AlertsMinute Man National Historical Park, Concord, Massachusetts"Walden" by Henry David Thoreau (Project Gutenberg)



Story produced by Liza Monasebian. Editor: Karen Brenner.



See also:

Passage: The life of Henry David Thoreau ("Sunday Morning")

Major violations found at Boar's Head plant linked to listeria outbreak

The nationwide push to get more electric school buses into circulation

Appeals court revives lawsuit against TikTok over girl's death in "blackout challenge"
School security has many different looks, but it remains a constant focus, officials say

For school administrators, theres not a single subject more serious than keeping their buildings and students secure and safe.

Its the most sobering part of my job, said Justin Milner, the associate superintendent and chief operating officer of Norman Public Schools. Its something we think about 24/7, today more than ever.

As the 2024-25 school year starts across Oklahoma, districts are constantly devising and working on ways to keep kids safe  not just from intruders, but also from storms, especially with strong memories of the mammoth 2013 tornado that destroyed two elementary schools in the Moore Public Schools district and killed seven students at Plaza Towers Elementary in south Moore.

Security improvements range from the simple  door locks, fencing and cameras  to higher-ticket items such as school resource officers, or SROs, and building additions.

More: Ten years after Moore tornado killed her son, Danni Legg is still fighting for shelters in schools

The Deer Creek school district has used a $45,000 grant its foundation received from convenience store chain Caseys to help the district start to purchase safety devices for more than 1,200 doors throughout the district in northwest Oklahoma County.

Alex Looper, the Deer Creek foundations executive director, said its goal is to raise $100,000 toward paying for the safety devices for vital doors at school sites.

Justin Milner, the associate superintendent for Norman Public Schools, calls school security "the most sobering part of my job."

We are grateful to receive a Cash for Classrooms grant from Caseys and are excited to announce that we have reached 76% of our fundraising goal, Looper said. The needs of our district are ever-evolving, but a consistent top priority for all of us as a district, foundation, parent and as a community is safety  especially when it comes to children.

In addition to fundraising, districts also use school bond proposals to fund security enhancements. Almost every such proposal, no matter the size of the district, now includes some sort of security component. For Western Heights Public Schools in southwest Oklahoma City, its first bond proposal since 2017 focused almost entirely on security.

Western Heights Superintendent Brayden Savage said the bond money is being used to update security cameras for the first time in 10 years, to add fencing around the districts high school/middle school campus and repair gates around most of its campuses. She said the work should be completed by early November.

Western Heights Public Schools Superintendent Brayden Savage said assessing school security in the district is an everyday endeavor.

We need to be as safe and secure as we can, and we are always looking at our plans for that, Savage said. It really is a necessity. We always need to be assessing it, because every day, technology changes.

She said the district plans to prepare another bond proposal for 2025 that will allow Western Heights to add entry vestibules to its schools that do not have them.

New technology includes devices that resemble metal detectors used in airports or entryways to major public buildings like the Oklahoma state Capitol, but are less intrusive, allowing for speedier entry into school facilities for students. Wayland Cubit, the Oklahoma City Public Schools security director, said that district will expand its use of those devices this year in an effort to keep weapons from making it into schools.

More: Back-to-school reality: Campus shootings rose dramatically last year

This is a system designed just to detect weapons, so it doesnt go off on keys, it doesnt go off on phones, it doesnt go off on belts and other metal objects, Cubit said. Its just designed to identify weapons.

The 2023 bond passed by Norman voters included $5.711 million for district-wide security enhancements. It also included money for classroom additions at eight elementary schools, as one of the districts primary goals is to take students out of portable classrooms detached from the main school building and put all students under one roof, a setup Milner said is preferable for security reasons.

A 2019 Norman bond issue paid for the addition of storm shelters at 16 districts schools that did not have one. The final shelters recently were completed. Other districts, including Moore Public Schools, have worked toward the goal of having a shelter in every school.

Recent legislation has helped some schools begin, or expand, SRO programs

There also has been a push for more school resource officers, especially after the Oklahoma Legislature approved two bills, House Bill 2902 and House Bill 2903, that created a pilot program known as the School Resource Officer Program. The measures provided every Oklahoma district with about $93,000 toward hiring an SRO and making security enhancements. By definition, SROs are sworn law-enforcement officers.

Savage said before the bill became law, Western Heights had no SROs. Now it has two, who float around all of the districts campuses while focusing on the middle school and high school.

Its been a game-changer, she said. It has very significantly helped us. Its just a different feel when you have an SRO as opposed to having a security staff.

Tulsa County Sheriffs Office Sgt. Brandon Hendrix has spent much of his career as an SRO and is the vice president of the Oklahoma Association of School Resource Officers. He said the goal of the two bills was to give schools that are underfunded and dont have the ability (to pay for SROs) some security.

He said the role of the SRO often is misunderstood: Were not there to arrest the kids. Were there to be a positive role model and build relationships before something violent happens.

Hendrix said SROs are sworn officers, but also serve as counselors and mentors who help resolve issues with students and direct them to the right services. He also said SROs often are law-related educators who go into classes and explain how law enforcement came into existence, constitutional rights, things you can get in trouble for, differences in types of law enforcement. We encourage them to be educators.

Milner said while a lot of security measures that districts establish arent in the spotlight, parents should be assured that keeping kids safe is top of mind for school administrators. He said security encompasses a wide variety of measures not often thought about, such as counselors to support children through traumatic events and mental-health issues.

I dont think a lot of people  realize the full burden or challenge that we have in education to support the whole child and the feeding and the clothing of the students, Milner said. Its the one thing that unites us all.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: School security remains sobering job for Oklahoma administrators
The Georgia Department of Public Health Laboratory say a second fox in Griffin tested positive for rabies after an incident on Placid Road near Grandview Drive and East College Street.

Officials learned on Friday, Aug. 23 of the positive test.

On Friday, Aug. 16, the fox attempted to approach a man and woman on Placid Road, however, the animal did not make contact with them, officials say.

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This is the second fox in the same vicinity with a confirmed case of rabies in the last week. On Monday, Aug. 12, a fox made contact with two dogs on Ivy Road between Maple Drive and East College Street.

The state lab confirmed on Thursday, Aug. 15, that the fox tested positive for rabies.

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Residents are encouraged to take precautions to protect their families and pets against rabies by learning signs of rabies and vaccinating pets. Health officials say you should stay away from wild or stray animals that appear unafraid of humans and those that exhibit behaviors unusual of their character.

If you notice a wild or nocturnal animal moving about in the daytime, and the animal appears to show no fear of people, or the animal seems to behave in a sick or abnormal way, the animal may be infected with rabies, Wilson said. Therefore, people should avoid the animal and report it to the local health department or animal control.

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IN OTHER NEWS:
I sell multi-million dollar homes to London's super-successful. The internet has meant buyers have become much younger.

Daniel Daggers, star of the Netflix show "Buying London," sells some of the UK's most expensive homes.

He reveals what selling multimillion-dollar properties to the supersuccessful is like.

Daggers says buyers are becoming much younger thanks to online entrepreneurship.

This as-told-to essay is based on a transcribed conversation with Daniel Daggers, a luxury real-estate agent and star of the Netflix show "Buying London." It has been edited for length and clarity.

I came from humble beginnings.

When I was a kid, I would never have believed it if someone had told me, "You're going to be representing the most successful people on the planet and bouncing around the world, seeing incredible homes."

When I was 17, a short internship with a local real-estate agent led to a full time job. I spent 10 years carrying the keys, driving around, and learning the industry.

Then, I moved into a big firm where I started dealing with the super-prime market  properties valued in excess of $12.8 million. Now, I run my own agency.

There's nuance in what makes a property super-prime

People misinterpret shiny as luxury. It's not about that.

Maybe it's an incredible location, the specification of finishes is out of this world, or the live style, meaning how you live in a property, is groundbreaking.

There's all this nuance and when you get a number of those assets right, that's what makes a super-prime property.

To be an agent at this level, you need to use different language with your client  be more articulate, provide more detailed information, and have a different attitude to work.

A knowledge of taxation, structure, interior design, art, and the legal system becomes more important because you're in more of an advisory role.

This job gives me a wider understanding of what's shaping our world

These people are often very time-poor. There is no finishing work at 6 p.m. You have to be available by phone for help or advice at any moment in the day.

But working at the top end of the market is very enjoyable. I am blessed with access to some of the best minds on the planet.

We talk about anything, not just real estate. It could be children, society, art, the legal system, friends, technology, how the industry's changing  the much more macro, big-picture things.

It gives you a wider understanding of what's shaping our world and how business takes place.

Daniel Daggers

Buyers are getting younger

I noticed about a decade ago that buyers were becoming much younger.

Internet 2.0 enabled anyone to build businesses online, which meant the entry barrier to being a successful entrepreneur dropped drastically when it came to age and increased when it came to talent.

I tend to attract a lot of entrepreneurs. They come into the market after five or 10 years of hard work. You can almost watch the pattern play out with how they want to live compared to people who've grown up with wealth.

They are contemporary and mobile, have a different perspective on life, and an appetite for a different kind of real estate.

The traditionalists will stay in the "golden postcodes." Contemporary money is indifferent; they don't necessarily want that period house in London's Belgravia or Mayfair. They're happy to have more properties but smaller ones worldwide.

There's also a massive thunderstorm of change in our industry regarding how people are made aware of real estate.

We've sold properties over social media for over a decade, and now all the top agents around the world know one another and can refer business across this network.

I sold a $51 million property through my close friend's network on Instagram. I was one of the first people ever to sell a property over WeChat, a Chinese app I used to communicate with the buyers, a 25-year-old billionaire who didn't speak very good English.

I call myself 'Mr. Super Prime.' Building a brand in this industry is essential.

It's essential to build your personal brand if you want to be successful in this industry.

When I worked in the firm, I started traveling to the US and saw how entrepreneurial they are. Every day is their best opportunity.

I realized that being that person, sharing information and access was valuable. So, I started curating content, documenting my days, and building my brand online. I called myself "Mr. Super Prime," and the nickname stuck.

My colleagues thought it was an ego play. I got a lot of pushback even though I was telling them all to do the same. But I was generating 400 million worth of leads a month.

Now, I've scaled things up a level with my Netflix show, "Buying London."

This city is a hidden gem, and my agency, DDRE Global, has access to some of the most desirable homes here.

People are interested in very expensive and special properties. We are all voyeurs occasionally, and there's an element of aspiration to the show.

Daniel Daggers and the cast of "Buying London" at its premiere. Dave Benett

Most real-estate agents are outgoing people, and if you put cameras inside anyone's house for a year and squeeze it into three hours, there will always be some drama  the show also has a fair amount of it among my employees.

But competition is a healthy ingredient for people who want to be successful. Without it, you can become lazy and weak. You just need to remember that anyone you do business with today may be needed in the future.

Correction: August 30, 2024  An earlier version of this story incorrectly named the Netflix show. It is titled "Buying London," not "Selling London."

Read the original article on Business Insider
UPDATE (Aug. 26, 10:48 a.m.): Officials with the Mobile County Sheriffs Office have identified the man killed on Bermuda Drive in Semmes on Sunday.

MCSO officials said Juan Antonio Ganados Acuna died after being found with a laceration to the neck.

Witnesses told deputies they saw Acuna stumbling on the road and called 911. He was taken to USA Health where he was pronounced dead.

The suspect in the incident, who authorities identified as 35-year-old Paublo Maldonado, was pulled over by Mobile Police Department officers around 8 p.m. that evening at University Boulevard and Moffett Road.

UPDATE (8/26 9:45 a.m.): Semmes Police Chief Todd Freind confirmed that 35-year-old Paublo Maldonado was arrested and charged with murder in connection to the stabbing death. Maldonado is listed as having a Robertsdale address and was booked into the Mobile County Metro Jail at about 11:15 Sunday night.

A mugshot of Paublo Maldonado (Mobile County Sheriffs Office).

Original Story

SEMMES, Ala. (WKRG)  One man is dead after being stabbed Sunday morning in Semmes. Semmes Police were called to a home on Bermuda Drive off of Schillinger Road at about 10 am.

When officers arrived they found a man in the yard of a home who had cut wounds on his neck and shoulder. The police chief says they attempted to call a medical helicopter but the victim died before air transport arrived.

Police say they believe they know the identity of the person who was killed but are withholding that for the time being. At this point, we are not aware of any arrests and have no information on what may have led up to the incident. The Mobile County Sheriffs Office was also at the scene to assist in the investigation.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRG News 5.
TABERNACLE  A teacher's aide at Seneca High School here is accused of soliciting nude photos from a student.

Michael Van Kline, 42, of Lumberton allegedly held sexual conversations with the student via social media, according to the Burlington County Prosecutor's Office.

Van Kline, described as a paraprofessional at Seneca, "convinced the student to send him nude photos, and suggested the two meet to have sex," the prosecutor's office said in a statement.

Investigators are looking for other potential victims, the statement said.

Mount Laurel man accused: Former camp counselor charged with possession of child sexual abuse materials

Additional information was withheld to protect the Seneca student's privacy.

The Lenape Regional High School District, which includes Seneca, said the alleged misconduct "did not involve any conduct of a physical nature and did not occur in school or at any school related events."

"We can also confirm that this individual will not be permitted to be on school grounds or at any school functions going forward," the district said in a statement.

"The wellbeing of our students, staff and our entire community are always our highest priorities," said the statemen, which noted the district is cooperating with the investigation.

It urged anyone with a question or concern to contact the prosecutor's office.

Anyone who believes they have been victimized by Van Kline is asked is asked to contact investigators at tips@co.burlington.nj.us.

Suspect also works as DJ MikeSmooV

Van Kline's LinkedIn page identifies him as an 11-year Lenape employee.

Van Kline also works as DJ MikeSmooV, with YouTube videos showing him in performance at proms and weddings.

Van Kline was arrested Thursday on a charge of endangering the welfare of a child.

He was released from Burlington County Jail after a court appearance on Friday.

The charges against Van Kline, who did not respond to a request for comment, are only allegations. He has not been convicted in the case.

Jim Walsh is a senior reporter for the Courier-Post, Burlington County Times and The Daily Journal. Email: Jwalsh@cpsj.com.

This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Michael Van Kline of Lumberton faces an endangering charge
Sheriffs Office searching for man who disappeared from Cherokee County

Cherokee County Sheriffs Office is asking for your help to find who they say has been missing for days.

CCSO is asking you to be on the lookout for 42-year-old Marion Keith Higginbotham.

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The sheriffs office provided a photo of Higginbotham and the car he is possibly driving.

The sheriffs office said Higginbotham was last known to be in the area of Fincher Road and Knox Bridge Highway on Thursday.

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He may be seen driving a silver 2023 Chevrolet Malibu, Florida tag 90BNWC.

Anyone with information on where Higginbotham may be is urged to contact the Cherokee Sheriffs Office at 770-928-0239 or 911.

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IN OTHER NEWS:
Second Cop in Tyre Nichols Case Changes His Mind About His Plea...

Updated as of 8/23/2024 as of 4:00 p.m. ET



It appears another former Memphis police officer charged in the brutal beating of Tyre Nichols is throwing in the towel instead of fighting to prove their innocence.

Court records show ex-cop Emmitt Martin III changed his not guilty to plea to a guilty plea to federal charges of deprivation of rights under the color of the law through excessive force/failure to intervene and conspiracy to witness tampering in connection to the horrifying incident. The other charges he faces are obstruction of justice through witness tampering deprivation of rights under color of law through deliberate indifference.

Martin, along with Desmond Mills Jr., Tadarrius Bean, Justin Smith and Demetrius Haley, was part of the SCORPION gang unit who was accused of brutally beating Tyre Nichols the evening of Jan 7. after he was pulled over for alleged reckless driving. Nichols injuries rendered him unrecognizable to his family. Three days after he beating, he succumbed to his injuries.

All five officers got smacked with not only the federal counts but state charges of second-degree murder as well. All of them originally pleaded not guilty.

Martin is accused of aiding and abetting the other officers in depriving Nichols of his rights, according to the plea. The document also accuses him of unlawfully assaulting Nichols, engaging in misleading conduct toward his supervisor to influence the incident report and failed to provide information to the dispatcher and medical personnel about how Nichols wound up injured.

According to the plea agreement, Martin accepted a sentence of up to 15 years in prison. Martin is now the second officer to change his plea.

The dominoes are starting to fall. We expect the other officers to also do the same. civil rights lawyer Ben Crump said in a press conference.

The decision comes nearly a year after Mills changed his plea to a guilty plea on the same federal charges, per NBC News.

DOJs Allegations Against Desmond Mills Jr.

Read the details from Mills hearing via The Department of Justice:



Mills admitted to repeatedly and unjustifiably striking Nichols with a baton and to failing to intervene in other officers use of force against Nichols. Mills said he watched another officer repeatedly punch Nichols in the head while two other officers restrained Nichols. Mills admitted that he did not provide any medical aid to Nichols after the beating, though he knew that Nichols had a serious medical need. He did not alert MPD or Memphis Fire Department EMTs that Nichols had been struck in the head and body. In addition, Mills participated in conversations with other officers in which they discussed, using force against Nichols, hitting Nichols to make him fall, and believing they were on the verge of killing Nichols when they saw that Nichols did not fall from the blows. Mills admitted to making false statements in connection with the arrest of Nichols, including telling his supervisor that they had done everything by the book and providing false information in his statements to an MPD detective tasked with writing the incident report.

The DOJ also claimed Mills submitted an MPD report that provided a false account of the force used on Nichols, including a claim that Mills saw Nichols aggressively resisting officers. Instead of admitting that he had seen an officer repeatedly punch Nichols in the head while Nichols was restrained by two other officers, Mills reported only that Nichols was eventually put into custody.

Mills only (and quite embarrassing) defense before this point was that he was not able to see because the officers accidentally pepper-sprayed themselves during the beating.

Some of the questions that remain will require a focus on Desmond Mills individual actions; on what Desmond knew and what he was able to see when he arrived late to the scene; on what Desmond knew and what he was able to see after he was pepper-sprayed; and on whether Desmonds actions crossed the lines that were crossed by other officers during this incident, attorney Blake Ballin said in a statement via The New York Post.

Two down. Three to go. Its unclear what the officers intentions are in terms of their pleas on the state charges. However, each officer faces life in prison if convicted on the federal counts.

The group was also named as the defendants in a civil rights suit filed by Nichols family and attorney Benjamin Crump.



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Sicilian authorities say items depicting Marlon Brando in The Godfather make light of the bloody feuds carried out by the Sicilian mafia - Nick Squires

It has long been synonymous with the murderous deeds of the Cosa Nostra organised crime network, but the island of Sicily is now cracking down on the sale of mafia-themed souvenirs in an effort to move away from negative stereotypes.

Island authorities say T-shirts and mugs depicting Marlon Brando as Don Vito Corleone from The Godfather and knick-knacks that make light of the bloody feuds carried out by the Sicilian mafia are tarnishing the islands reputation.

Many of the novelty items feature cartoonish depictions of mafiosi, wearing black berets and with a lupara or shotgun slung across their backs.

The town of Agrigento, one of the biggest tourist draws because of its nearby cluster of ancient Greek temples, has decreed that shops must no longer sell such souvenirs.

The mayor, Francesco Micciche, said the sale of mafia-themed products humiliates the community, which has for years been committed to spreading the culture of legality.

He said he was ordering a ban on any type of object that praises, or refers in any way and form, to the mafia and organised crime.

Island officials said that Sicily must 'maintain a dignified image' - Nick Squires

Police will inspect shops to make sure they are no longer selling the prohibited merchandise and there will be fines for businesses that do not comply.

The ruins in the Valley of the Temples, just outside Agrigento, are said to be the finest examples of ancient Greek architecture outside Greece and draw huge numbers of visitors.

In parallel with Agrigentos ban, the islands government has ordered airports to stop selling mafia memorabilia.

Alessandro Arico, the councillor in charge of transport and infrastructure, wrote to managers at the airports of Palermo, Catania and Trapani, as well as those on the tiny islands of Lampedusa and Pantelleria, telling them to clear terminal shops of such products.

Sicily needs to maintain a dignified image stripped of the usual negative stereotypes, especially at entry points like airports, he said.

Let the sale of mafia-themed merchandise and souvenirs end in the shops and commercial areas of Sicilian airports.

It is not the first time Sicily has tried to curb the sale of such items.

Last year, the regional government decreed that ferries that ply to and from Sicily should be banned from selling mafia-themed trinkets in their gift shops.

Cosa Nostra is made up of a coalition of families and clans, known in Italian as cosche, with each having a monopoly on operating in a designated area, engaging in drug dealing, extortion and protection rackets.

The Sicilian mafia is believed to have originated in the 19th century, although some authorities believe its roots go back further than that.

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The El Paso Police Department has issued a local Silver Alert for an 88-year-old East Side man who was last heard from nearly three weeks ago.

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John Kotowski was last heard from on the evening of Aug. 5 in the 10600 block of Vista Lomas Drive in the Vista de Oro neighborhood next to Yarbrough Drive, according to a police Silver Alert issued on Saturday, Aug. 24.

The El Paso Police Department issued a local missing person Silver Alert for John Kotowski, 88, who was last seen on Vista Lomas Drive in East El Paso on Aug. 5.

Kotowski was last seen driving a gold-colored 2013 Chevrolet Malibu with Texas plates, police reported. He is known to regularly visit Albertsons and Walmart stores.

Kotowski is 6 feet tall, weighs about 145 pounds and has white hair and a beard.

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The El Paso Police Department issued a local missing-person Silver Alert on Saturday, Aug. 24, for John Kotowski, 88, who was last seen driving a gold-colored Chervrolet Malibu on Aug. 5.

Anyone with information on Kotowski's location is asked to call police communications at 915-832-4400 or 911.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Silver Alert: El Paso police search for missing 88-year-old driver
BELINGTON, W.Va. (WBOY)  Have a special interest in weather and want to help keep your community safe? The Belington Public Library is hosting a free class you may want to attend.

A SKYWARN Spotter Training class will take place at the Belington Public Library on Monday, Aug. 26 from 5:30-7 p.m. where a meteorologist from the National Weather Service will teach those in attendance how to properly identify and report weather events that may impact community safety.

West Virginia extends drought State of Emergency

SKYWARN spotters volunteer to be the eyes and ears of the National Weather Service, a Facebook post from the National Weather Service in Charleston said. They serve their community by acting as a valuable source of information when dangerous weather occurs.

West Virginia has seen a large amount of severe weather this year, including a record 19 tornados, flooding, and the current drought.

If you are interested in taking the class, you can register here. The Belington Public Library can be located at 510 Elliott Ave.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
Police and ambulances stand near the scene, where people were killed and injured in an attack at the 650th anniversary celebrations of the city of Solingen in western Germany Gianni Gattus/dpa

Almost two days after a man armed with a knife killed three people and severely wounded four others at a festival in Germany's western city of Solingen, musical instruments are still lying on the stage, overhead lights still shining.

"We've offered to switch them off. But the police say it's a crime scene," says Philipp Muller, who helped organize the festival that should still be taking place.

"It's all quite dystopian," he says on Sunday, standing next to what remains of a festival site, now a cordoned-off crime scene. He wants to return the instruments to the musicians, but understands the need to preserve the crime scene.

Muller says he saw the bodies of those who were killed, as well as people being resuscitated on Friday evening. "I had those images in my head all day yesterday."

The city's 160,000 residents are facing the challenge of processing the events after the attack at a market square in the city centre during the Festival of Diversity, which was being thrown to celebrate Solingen's 650th anniversary.

The festivities planned for Sunday to celebrate the city have morphed into memorials.

Those killed in the attack were two men, aged 67 and 56, and a 56-year-old woman. Eight people were wounded, four of them seriously, according to local police chief Thorsten Fleiss. The attacker apparently chose his victims at random but appeared to target their necks, Fleiss said.

Solingen is known as the "City of Blades" in Germany due to its long history of manufacturing swords and knives of all kinds, which now seems horribly ironic.

The attack has also sparked political discussions across Germany about increasing knife attacks and stricter gun laws.

On Saturday night, a 26-year-old Syrian suspect turned himself in and admitted to the attack, according to police. The suspect, who was found with blood-stained clothing, is now being investigated for potential ties to the terrorist group Islamic State.

The incident has exacerbated fear and anger in Solingen, a city already troubled by recent tragic events. In March, four people died in a fire, and in June, an explosion occurred outside a shop. Many in the city still remember a 1993 arson attack that killed five women and girls of Turkish descent.
Police arrect a man after turning himself in on the street and claims to be the perpetrator of the knife attack at the Solingen town festival. Several people were killed and injured in a knife attack on Friday evening at the city festival celebrating the 650th birthday of the city of Solingen. Christoph Reichwein/dpa

The main suspect being held in custody in the western German city of Solingen following a fatal mass stabbing there was wearing blood-stained clothing, dpa has been told by a source in the police.

The man turned himself in the day after the fatal knife attack on Friday. Police in Dusseldorf said on Sunday morning that the suspect is a 26-year-old Syrian.

The federal prosecutor's office is investigating the murders and the man's suspected membership of the Islamic State terrorist group.

Police arrect a man after turning himself in on the street and claims to be the perpetrator of the knife attack at the Solingen town festival. Several people were killed and injured in a knife attack on Friday evening at the city festival celebrating the 650th birthday of the city of Solingen. Christoph Reichwein/dpa

Police officers stand at a cordon in the city center in the early morning following a knife attack at the Solingen town festival. Several people were killed and injured in a knife attack on Friday evening at the city festival celebrating the 650th birthday of the city of Solingen. Thomas Banneyer/dpa

Police emergency vehicles stand at a cordon in the city center in the early morning following a knife attack at the Solingen town festival. Several people were killed and injured in a knife attack on Friday evening at the city festival celebrating the 650th birthday of the city of Solingen. Thomas Banneyer/dpa

Police emergency vehicles stand at a cordon in the city center in the early morning following a knife attack at the Solingen town festival. Several people were killed and injured in a knife attack on Friday evening at the city festival celebrating the 650th birthday of the city of Solingen. Thomas Banneyer/dpa
A butterfly flies over grassland on a ranch near White River. (Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight)

South Dakota landowners enrolled almost 159,000 acres this year  nearly 250 square miles  into a federal conservation program that pays them to use management practices promoting healthy grasslands.

That ranks the state fourth in Grassland Conservation Reserve Program sign-ups this year, following Nebraska, Colorado and New Mexico, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Large grasslands pull carbon dioxide down into the soil, where it doesnt contribute to global warming. Healthy grasslands can also retain moisture and are naturally adapted and resilient to wildfire.

Landowners who enroll must maintain the grassland, not farm it, but sustainable livestock grazing is allowed. Limited hay baling is also permitted. The USDA inspects to ensure enrolled acres are managed to promote plant and animal biodiversity.

In addition to new sign-ups, as of April, about 1,800 South Dakota landowners had ongoing Grassland CRP contracts with the USDA, translating to about 1.48 million acres enrolled with annual rental payments totaling $23.67 million. The average annual payment per acre is about $16.

Across all USDA conservation reserve programs, 14,150 South Dakota landowners have contracts with the USDA, encompassing nearly 2.4 million acres. Annual CRP payments in South Dakota  including the grasslands and other CRP programs  total $137.29 million, with an average payment per acre of $57.40.

Nationwide, this years nearly 1.44 million acres of grassland enrollments brings the total of acres enrolled in all USDA land conservation programs to almost 27 million acres, the departments statutory cap.

Zach Ducheneaux is the administrator for USDAs Farm Service Agency, which oversees the programs. Hes also a South Dakota rancher and a member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe.

Ducheneaux said in a statement that the enrollment news is a testament to the commitments made by the farmers, ranchers and landowners we serve to mitigate the impacts of climate change by conserving, protecting and enhancing our natural resources.

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Latest Mar-a-Lago road closure goes into effect, could last through Thursday in Palm Beach

The stretch of South Ocean Boulevard/State Road A1A between South County Road and Southern Boulevard will closed Monday through at least Thursday while former President Donald Trump is in Palm Beach.

The stretch of South Ocean Boulevard/State Road A1A near former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago Club will be closed again starting Monday, and could remain closed through at least Thursday.

The closure of the coastal road between South County Road and Southern Boulevard "will stay in effect until further notice," the town said in a release Sunday.

It appears that South Ocean Boulevard next to Trump's club will be closed until at least Thursday, when he is slated to leave once more, according to a Federal Aviation Administration notice to pilots. The airspace over Mar-a-Lago is restricted when Trump is in Palm Beach.

The road reopened to traffic for the first time Aug. 22 after U.S. Secret Service ordered it to close July 20 as part of increased security measures following the July 13 assassination attempt on Trump.

Officials initially said the road would be closed 24 hours a day through at least the Nov. 5 election, but last week the town, Secret Service and Mar-a-Lago Club reached an agreement to open the road when Trump is not home.

Palm Beach officials had pushed back against the 24-hour closure of the road, citing traffic and other concerns. Town Attorney Joanne O'Connor wrote a July 22 letter to the Secret Service in which she noted that closing that section of South Ocean effectively cut the town in two.

On Aug. 13, the issue of closing the Mar-a-Lago Club  which is possible under the declaration-of-use agreement Trump signed with the town  was floated by Mayor Danielle Moore.

The Republican nominee for president left Palm Beach on Thursday morning for a campaign event in Sierra Vista, Arizona.

Monday's closing indicates that he will return to Mar-a-Lago then.

When the road is closed, residents in the affected area can access their homes only through the north security checkpoint at South County Road. The area is closed to pedestrians and cyclists, and only emergency vehicles can pass through the checkpoint at Southern Boulevard.

The U.S. Coast Guard also has implemented temporary security zones around Mar-a-Lago and changes to when the bridges to Palm Beach open whenever the former president is in town.

When the security zones are in effect, boaters will be barred from traveling in the Intracoastal waters just west of Mar-a-Lago, with vessels allowed to pass through but not stop in the Intracoastal closer to West Palm Beach and in the Atlantic Ocean just east of the property.

The usual schedule for the bridges has them opening every 30 minutes, on the quarter and three-quarter hour for the Flagler Memorial and Southern Boulevard bridges, and on the hour and half-hour for the Royal Park Bridge.

When Trump is home the Flagler Memorial and Southern Boulevard bridges will have similar opening schedules:

Monday through Friday: From 7:30 to 9 a.m., the bridge will open on the quarter-hour; from 9 a.m. to 2:15 p.m., the bridge will open on the quarter and three-quarter hour; from 2:15 to 6 p.m., the bridge will open on the quarter-hour; and from 6 p.m. to 7:30 a.m., the bridge will open on the quarter and three-quarter hour.

Saturday, Sunday and federal holidays: The bridge will open on the quarter- and three-quarter hour.

The Southern Boulevard Bridge also may close without notice to allow for motorcades to pass uninterrupted, the Coast Guard said. Because the bridge-opening times are staggered, the Royal Park Bridge's schedule when Trump is in town is different from the schedule for the other two bridges:

Monday through Friday: From 7:30 to 9 a.m., the bridge will open on the half-hour; from 9 a.m. to 2:15 p.m., the bridge will open on the hour and half-hour; from 2:15 to 6 p.m., the bridge will open on the half-hour; and from 6 p.m. to 7:30 a.m., the bridge will open on the hour and half-hour.

Saturday, Sunday and federal holidays: The bridge will open on the hour and half-hour.

Staff writer Kristina Webb contributed to this story.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: FAA notice: Trump at Mar-a-Lago Club to least Thursday, road closed
Southern California brothers remain in ICU after gunman opens fire on busy street

Two brothers remain hospitalized in the ICU after a shooter opened fire on a busy street in Riverside County.

The incident happened on Aug. 14 as Ivan Pineda and Luis Pineda were walking on the 1000 block of West Florida Avenue in Hemet.

Around 3:30 p.m., the brothers and the suspect appeared to have an angry exchange of words. The suspect, who was riding a bicycle, makes a U-turn and pulls up alongside the brothers.

The suspect reaches into his pants pocket, pulls out a gun and fires two shots at one of the brothers. The second brother runs over and tackles the gunman as another three shots are fired out.

The two men get into a fistfight in the middle of the street, blocking the roadway for oncoming vehicles. Eventually, the gunman wrestles free from the victims grip and runs away from the scene.

Luis and Ivan Pineda remain hospitalized in the ICU after a gunman shot them on a Hemet street on August 14, 2024. (Pineda Family)

Luis and Ivan Pineda remain hospitalized in the ICU after a gunman shot them on a Hemet street on August 14, 2024. (Pineda Family)

Luis and Ivan Pineda remain hospitalized in the ICU after a gunman shot them on a Hemet street on August 14, 2024. (Pineda Family)

Surveillance cameras captured a shooting and fight in the Riverside County city of Hemet on Aug. 14, 2024. (Action Eye News)

The suspect, riding a bicycle, makes a U-turn and pulls up alongside the victims in Hemet on Aug. 14, 2024. (Action Eye News)

Surveillance cameras captured a shooting and fight in the Riverside County city of Hemet on Aug. 14, 2024. (Action Eye News)

Surveillance cameras captured a shooting and fight in the Riverside County city of Hemet on Aug. 14, 2024. (Action Eye News)

Surveillance cameras captured a shooting and fight in the Riverside County city of Hemet on Aug. 14, 2024. (Action Eye News)

Surveillance cameras captured a shooting and fight in the Riverside County city of Hemet on Aug. 14, 2024. (Action Eye News)

Surveillance cameras captured a shooting and fight in the Riverside County city of Hemet on Aug. 14, 2024. (Action Eye News)

Surveillance cameras captured a shooting and fight in the Riverside County city of Hemet on Aug. 14, 2024. (Action Eye News)

Surveillance cameras captured a shooting and fight in the Riverside County city of Hemet on Aug. 14, 2024. (Action Eye News)

The suspect, in a white t-shirt, flees the scene after shooting two men in Hemet on Aug. 14, 2024. (Action Eye News)

Police arrived shortly after and transported the victims to a local hospital. Both brothers are hospitalized in the ICU where Ivan remains in critical condition and Luis remains in stable condition.

The victims sister, Lucia Pineda, said her brothers were on their way to work when the violence unfolded.

Upon their release from the hospital, Lucia said both men will be required to stay at an assisted living facility for physical therapy until they fully recover.

Were a very close family so when something like this happens, its very hard on all of us, Lucia said. Theyre just normal, regular people who were just trying to make some money.

Lucia said she is heartbroken that her brothers were in the wrong place at the wrong time.

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A GoFundMe page to help the Pineda family with hospital bills and treatment costs can be found here.

The suspect remains at large as police work to track down his identity.

Anyone with information on the case can call the Hemet Police Department at 951-765-2400.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
(FOX40.COM)  A Southern California man was arrested and charged on Friday after surveillance video captured him using explosives to try and steal money from ATMs.

According to the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Southern District of California, the man, 44 of San Diego, drove up to an ATM outside California Coast Credit Union in San Diego around 3:30 a.m. on June 8. When he got out of his car, surveillance video showed him taking a five-gallon blue plastic container with a white spout to the front of the ATM and inserting a black polyvinyl chloride plastic hose into the ATM moments before an explosion occurred inside the device.

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Despite efforts to pull money out of the machine, [the suspect] left empty-handed, the attorneys office said.

San Diego police officer arrived at the credit union moments later and saw the previously mentioned pipes with two batteries taped to them.

A few weeks later, the attorneys office said, around 2 a.m. on June 28, the suspect drove up to another ATM in Rancho Bernardo outside a First Citizens Bank branch in San Diego. He then repeated the same stepsAfter electrical components caught fire and smoke started coming out of the ATM, [the suspect] returned and attempted to extract cash from the machine but was unsuccessful, officials said.

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After tracking the suspect and his vehicle, investigators served a search warrant at his home, which led to the discovery of gas, black powder, potassium nitrate sulfur, explosive pre-cursor chemicals, a paper that explains how to make black powder, a gun, and more.

Fortunately, neither of these incidents resulted in injury or successful theft of cash, U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath said. With the discovery of chemicals and equipment in the search, future attempts were also thwarted.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX40.
SPRINGFIELD, Mo.- After nearly a century of service and art education programs, the Springfield Art Museum is preparing to close its doors for the next three years.

While some are saying this seems like an extended vacation  those at the art museum say it couldnt be further from that.

Mitzi Kirkland is a museum board member and an art historian at Missouri State University. She says the renovation of the art museum is going to change the way students interact with art.

Were excited about the new educational spaces that were going to have, not just the classrooms of had for art coursework, but as specialist study room where for art history courses, museum studies courses, other history courses, theyll be able to draw an expert selection for students to study, Kirkland said.

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Over the next three years, the Springfield Art Museum will go through a massive renovation. Nick Nelson, the museum director, says even when the building closes next week, art programs will still be going on in Springfield.

Community engagement is one of our priorities for the next five years and we really are excited about using this plan while were the main building is shut down to really connect with them, Nelson said.

The art museum originally displayed artwork at the E.M. Wilhoit Building in 1929. Della Wilhoit was a part of the art study club at State Teachers College, which is now Missouri State University, in 1929. Three years prior, her husband constructed the Wilhoit Building in downtown Springfield.

The Wilhoits donated the museum six rent-free rooms in their building after it outgrew its first location. The museum held one- and two-person exhibitions by local artists at the Wilhoit Building and an annual competition exhibition for Ozark artists for eight years.

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Nelson says returning here is a part of deepening the museums roots.

Were really excited to reconnect with that building and to become a part of the downtown while were making a presence here, Nelson said.

At todays open house, it was announced that the campaign had reached $38 million of its $50 million goal. Nelson says by hitting this goal, the future of art can continue in southwest Missouri.

I just encourage people to come in and enjoy the museum, the art, and get involved, Nelson said. Its a wonderful community organization thats been in our community over 100 years, and were just excited to think about the future of it.

The last day for people to visit the museum will be Sunday, September 1st. Groundbreaking on the new art museum will begin in January 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 KOLR - OzarksFirst.com.
Update: New Stanislaus courthouse 75% complete. Heres whats going to happen to the old one

Editors note: The Judicial Council of California clarified for The Bee that it is seeking legislative approval to dispose of the current courthouse property. The council has no plans to demolish the existing courthouse. The updated story now reflects that.

The new Stanislaus County Superior Court building in downtown Modesto is nearly complete and beginning to join the citys skyline, but it took more time and money than originally expected.

The project started with an estimated budget of $278.2 million over a decade ago. The current price tag is estimated at $351.9 million.

Plans for a new courthouse were proposed in 2000 but werent authorized until 2010. In September, The Modesto Bee reported it was slated to finish in February 2025.

The Stanislaus County Superior Court building under construction in Modesto, Calif., Thursday, Aug.22, 2024.

There is still some work left to do on things like testing and validation of utilities connections; network integrating; and some framing, drywall, and other finishes, wrote Blaine Corren, spokesperson for the Judicial Council of California  the proprietor of both the new and old courthouses.

As of Tuesday, the new courthouse is 75% complete and expected to finish construction in June 2025. Though its website incorrectly lists the hope of it being done in March, Corren said this will be updated soon to more accurately reflect the projects timeline.

Legislative approval is needed to dispose of the property, which the JCC is seeking. The Council noted that it has no plans to demolish the existing courthouse.

The council is seeking legislative approval to dispose of the property. Once legislative approval is obtained, the council is planning to sell the property, read an email from Corren.

Courthouse plaza and the Stanislaus County courthouse on 11th Street in Modesto, Calif., Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024.

A brief history

After a shuffling of towns being crowned seat of the county, Modesto was given the title in 1871. A three-story courthouse was built on land donated by the Central Pacific Railroad Company in 1872.

Over the next 80 years, it was gradually expanded to fit the plot between 11th and 12th streets. In 1957, the original building was demolished to create space for the current courthouse, which was completed in 1960 at a cost of $1.5 million. One author described the new building as a large undistinguished box, according to the Stanislaus County Court website.

Current Stanislaus County courthouse on 11th Street in Modesto, Calif., Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024.

Several historical artifacts, statues, art installations and memorials remain on the grounds of the current courthouse. Their fate has not been announced.

As for the site itself, ideas were brainstormed during the downtown Master Plan meetings in 2019. The former jail, which no longer houses inmates, was thought to be a good place for a three-story apartment building.

A new era

The new building, now beginning to tower over downtown, occupies 309,284 square feet of the 3.5-acre lot between Ninth and 10th streets. The current courthouses satellites, in Ceres and Turlock, will consolidate in the new facilities, which will house 27 courtrooms.

Construction materials included eight floors supported by steel beams and concrete. The facade is made of aluminum and glass. The grounds surrounding the courthouse will feature Chinese pistachio, Natchez crape myrtle, African sumac, western redbud and marina strawberry trees, along with several species of shrubs.

The project is funded by the JCC through Senate Bill 1407 and was designed by architectural firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP. Construction was contracted to McCarthy Building Companies Inc.

An artist rendering of the interior of the new Stanislaus County Courthouse located in downtown Modesto. The building is nearly complete, but still under construction.

An artist rendering of the interior of the new Stanislaus County Courthouse located in downtown Modesto. The building is nearly complete, but still under construction.

The new Stanislaus County Superior Court building, left, under construction in Modesto, Calif., Thursday, Aug.1, 2024.

An artist rendering of the exterior of the new Stanislaus County Courthouse located in downtown Modesto. The building is nearly complete, but still under construction.

The Stanislaus County Superior Court building under construction in Modesto, Calif., Thursday, Aug.22, 2024.

An artist rendering of the interior of the new Stanislaus County Courthouse located in downtown Modesto. The building is nearly complete, but still under construction.

The new Stanislaus County Superior Court building under construction in Modesto, Calif., Tuesday, Aug.13, 2024.
The state agency that runs Georgia Medicaid is going all out to increase enrollment in Gov. Brian Kemps limited Medicaid expansion initiative beyond the paltry numbers who signed up during its first year.

The Georgia Department of Community Health (DCH) launched a $10.7 million ad campaign this month to call attention to the Georgia Pathways program, complete with a new website (pathways.georgia.gov) that explains the initiative, who is eligible to sign up, and how to apply.

Georgia Pathways provides Medicaid coverage to Georgians with household incomes up to 100% of the federal poverty level, $15,060 for an individual and $31,200 for a family of four. Full-blown Medicaid expansion under the federal Affordable Care Act (ACA), which 40 states have adopted, covers those with incomes up to 138% of the poverty level.

While Georgia Democrats and health-care advocates have long pushed for full-blown Medicaid expansion, Kemp said the purpose of his more limited program is to transition low-income Georgians from Georgia Pathways to Georgia Access, a program that provides insurance coverage through the private sector.

The goal of Georgia Pathways is not - and has never been - to keep hundreds of thousands of Georgians on government-run health care forever, the governor said Aug. 19 during a roundtable discussion updating his administrations efforts to expand access to health insurance coverage. Georgia Pathways was meant to be exactly that - a pathway to an education, a job, a career, and a better life without government assistance.

Pathways, launched in July of last year, has struggled mightily. As of early June, the program had enrolled only about 4,300 Georgians, far below the 100,000 the DCH had anticipated for the first year.

Georgia Commissioner of Community Health Russel Carlson blamed the low numbers on delays in rolling out Pathways. The Biden administration initially rejected the program because it requires enrollees to spend at least 80 hours per month on work-related activities, which can include a job, education and job training.

We lost about two years, Carlson said.

The state went to court and won the right to undertake the Pathways initiative. But by the time the DCH was able to begin implementing the program, Georgia and other states were in the midst of redetermination.

The federal government prohibited disenrolling any Medicaid recipients during the COVID pandemic. When the national public health emergency was declared at an end in April of last year, states began the complicated process of reassessing eligibility for Medicaid coverage.

That was a tremendous strain on the system, Carlson said.

The state has had a lot more success with Georgia Access. Kemp said private health coverage through Georgia Access gives enrollees more options than Medicaid and offers health-care providers better reimbursement rates.

The program also has led to an increase in the number of insurance companies offering coverage in Georgia, which has driven premiums down an average of 11% statewide and 29% in rural areas, the governor said.

Enrollment in Georgia Access has grown from 460,000 five years ago to more than 1.3 million, including 400,000 Georgians previously on Medicaid, Kemp said.

But supporters of a full-blown Medicaid expansion say the state still is missing about 290,000 Georgians in the coverage gap, who do not qualify for Medicaid coverage and do not earn enough to qualify for federal tax credits to help pay for private insurance.

We cheer the meaningful increases in private health insurance enrollment among Georgians, said Laura Colbert, executive director of Georgians for a Healthy Future. But that does not resolve the larger issue at hand. Hundreds of thousands of Georgians remain uninsured and without meaningful access to health care until Georgia leaders fully close our states coverage gap.

A newly created state commission looking for ways to improve health-care access and quality for low-income uninsured Georgians is expected to consider fully expanding Medicaid through the ACA as an option. However, with the Kemp administration committed to a Georgia-centric approach that emphasizes private health coverage, the Medicaid expansion alternative isnt expected to make much headway.
STATESBORO, Ga. (WSAV)  A Statesboro Police Department (SPD) officer lost his door and perhaps almost his life Saturday night.

SPD told News 3 at approximately 11:56 p.m., an officer with the SPD conducted a traffic stop on Veterans Memorial Parkway near Jones Mill Road.

While on the stop, SPD says a vehicle traveling in the same direction passed the officers vehicle, and struck the patrol cars drivers side front door, while the officer was sitting in the drivers seat. The door was almost sheered completely off.





Photo provided courtesy of the Statesboro Police Department

The department says the officer was transported to East Georgia Regional Medical Center and has been treated and released.

The Georgia State Patrol conducted the accident investigation. No further details are being released at this time.

Remains of a human body found, authorities say

We are thankful that the officer was not actively standing in the doorway at the time of the accident, as things could have been much worse. Captain Andrew Samples of the SPD told News 3.

He continued, This is why it is so important, when passing an emergency vehicle, to move over one lane when possible or to slow down and be prepared to stop if it is not possible to move over.

Georgias Move Over Law states motorists travelling in the lane adjacent to the shoulder must move-over one lane when emergency and utility vehicles are stopped on the side of the highway and operating in an official capacity.

Vehicles included in the law include all first responders (law enforcement, fire, EMS), utility vehicles, Department of Transportation vehicles, HERO Units and wreckers tending to an accident.

The law is meant to keep officers and traffic violators safe from crashes with passing cars.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Siri Imani and bandmates perform at the Downtown branch library in the inaugural Sunday on the Stairs concert on Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024.

On a blistering 94-degree day in downtown Cincinnati, patrons flocked to the main branch of the Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library to seek refuge in the air conditioning.

But there were no shushing librarians on Sunday. Instead, a typically silent Downtown library was embracing a noisy space as part of the first iteration of its Sunday on the Stairs live music series.

The series is part of new programming from the main branch, which reopened last month after a yearslong renovation. The concert series utilizes the new bright, inviting space with musicians performing on what the library system calls its "social stairs" in the building's main atrium and recurs the last Sunday of every month.

For local rapper, poet and activist Siri Imani, the first artist to grace the makeshift stage for Sunday on the Stairs, it was commemorating a space where she's spent much time growing up. She later went on to volunteer teaching services to children of a younger generation at the library.

Family, friends and fans cheer on Siri Imani at the Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library's main branch in downtown Cincinnati on Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024. Imani is the first to perform in the library's new Sunday on the Stairs concert series, which recurs the last Sunday of each month.

Another reason why the main library is special to her? Like many other Cincinnati musicians, she was surprised to find three panels commemorating her solo albums on the handrails of the facility's three-story stairway. A quirk of the new library design is a series of hundreds of vertical panels displaying the album names of local artists.

"That was an amazing feeling," Imani said of discovering the panels. "It was a real full-circle adult moment."

Dozens flocked around the stage as the music of Imani and her band reverberated throughout the facility. While some were curious onlookers, she also brought out a loyal group of friends and family, many of whom just came from a community potluck at nearby Piatt Park.

One of them was Gregg Graves. He met Imani in 2016 and has since been working with her creatively and volunteering through the foundation. He's seen her music career grow from small gigs and open mic visits, to Imani curating her very own open mics and events  and several permanent plaques honoring her work on the library's walkway.

"Just to see everything she's doing, to curating these events, and just being a stamp on the city  it's amazing," Graves said.

Sunday on the Stairs will feature live performances the last Sunday of each month at 2 p.m. Next artists to perform are MADQUEEN on Sept. 29 and Patterns of Chaos on Oct. 27.

More information about branch programming can be found on the library system's website.

An overhead view of Siri Imani performing at the inaugural Sunday on the Stairs concert at the Downtown library branch on Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024. Colorful vertical panels on the stairs commemorate Cincinnati artists.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Sunday on the Stairs series kicks off at Cincinnati Public Library
The Supreme Court's decision to uphold injunctions on the Biden administration's latest education regulations in 10 states and hundreds of schools and university campuses nationwide leaves transgender, pregnant and harassed students without crucial civil rights protections as the new school year approaches, experts told Salon.

This year, more than two dozen Republican attorneys general and a half dozen advocacy groups filed lawsuits seeking to block the rollout of new Department of Education regulations. Advocacy groups that joined the lawsuits include Moms for Liberty, Young Americas Foundation, Parents Defending Education, Independent Womens Network, Female Athletes United and Speech First, Inc.

Those rules lay out how the government enforces Title IX, the 1972 federal civil rights law banning sex discrimination in educational settings that receive federal funding.

The lawsuits claimed the Biden administration is trying to impose a "radical" "gender ideology" in schools nationwide with federal regulations that redefine sex discrimination to include gender identity and formally broaden the definition of hostile environment harassment.

Boston College political science professor R. Shep Melnick said Republican groups, conservative groups and state attorney generals acted in apparent speedy coordination to challenge the laws.

Twenty-six Republican state attorneys general, they were all ready to go, Melnick said. They picked the courts they thought would be most favorable.

All the Republican attorneys general who have sued over Title IX are members of the national Republican Attorneys General Association  a group thats made fighting Title IX a top priority.

At a June RAGA summer conference in West Virginia, speakers on a panel concerning Supreme Court litigation discussed how litigation against Title IX regulations will continue to be a major area of focus for RAGA.

Top donors to the Republican AGs nonprofit include organizations linked to conservative legal activist Leonard Leo, according to Salons analysis of IRS disclosures maintained by ProPublica.

Such disclosures show RAGA has received at least $22 million from the Concord Fund  a dark money group led by a former clerk for Justice Clarence Thomas and linked to Leo.

Legal experts said the Supreme Courts decision clashes with a 2020 Supreme Court 6-3 ruling  authored by Justice Neil Gorsuch  prohibiting employers from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation or transgender status.

School children need more protection, not fewer protection than people in employment from sex discrimination, said University of South Carolina School of Law Emily Suski.

It's not like sexual harassment or sexual assault, or any of the any of the things Title IX seeks to address is going to stop happening, right? Suski told Salon. So now what? What do they do when it happens this year?

This year, lower courts issued injunctions that prevented the federal government from enforcing the entirety of the new Title IX rules not only in states that had sued  but also at hundreds of schools, colleges and universities in states including Massachusetts and California.

The Supreme Court last week issued a 5-4 order that denied the Biden administration's request to keep the rest of the regulations in place in 10 of the states while the legal battle plays out.

Gorsuch dissented from the order.

Overall, Republican attorneys general have won seven injunctions halting the regulations in 26 states.

University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Education professor Suzanne Eckes said because the Supreme Courts order covers 10 of those states, the remaining states are facing complicated legal questions.

"It's a really confusing patchwork right now," said University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Education professor Suzanne Eckes.It's just causing a lot of confusion, I would say, across the country, whether you follow the new Biden administration rules in its interpretation of Title IX or not.

She added: Some states that have clear litigation, it's a little more straightforward for school administrators.

Specifically, opponents are criticizing a regulation that redefines sex discrimination to includ[e] discrimination on the basis of sex stereotypes, sex characteristics, pregnancy or related conditions, sexual orientation, and gender identity.

The second regulation at issue prohibits schools from preventing a person from participating in an education program or activity consistent with the persons gender identity.

Northeastern School of Law professor Martha Davis said the regulations provide crucial protection for children with different gender identities and sexual orientations.

We know that schools failure to really treat people with dignity and so on, leads to higher levels of suicide, Davis said. The injunctions generally have the impact of allowing schools to perpetuate measures that strip people of dignity.

The lawsuits also target a regulation redefining hostile environment harassment to include offensive and unwelcome sex-based conduct that is severe or pervasive  a looser definition than the previous regulation that required the conduct to be both severe and pervasive.

Davis said the severe or pervasive standard conforms federal regulation to developing case law.

The Republican AGs and conservative groups argued that the expanded definition violates First Amendment rights by chilling speech on issues including gender identity.

The new Biden Title IX regulations included a swath of other provisions: providing access to lactation spaces for pregnant students, prohibiting schools from asking about job applicants marital status, protecting students from retaliation for filing Title IX complaints and outlining when a student can receive a live Title IX hearing with cross-examination.

Davis said those rules provide urgent protection for students.

Pregnant and parenting students often experience discrimination or are excluded from classes and not given the kind of access to resources that they need, Davis said. And so now schools are not legally required to provide those kinds of accommodations under the regulations because the regulations have been stayed.

Eckes said that the Supreme Court should have agreed with the governments request to limit the injunctions to the three contested provisions.

There was no reason to block the entire rule, because what they're really attacking in most of these lawsuits is focusing on transgender students really, Eckes said. They weren't attacking the pregnant and parenting student section of law. They weren't necessarily, or at least across the board, attacking the changes around the standard for investigating sexual harassment in universities in K 12 schools. So why not let those parts of the new rule stand?

Davis noted that the Republican AGs and conservative groups argued maintaining this broad injunction was defensible because to impose these rules on schools at the last minute would cause great expense and so on.

But Davis pointed out that the regulations were promulgated months ago  and she said its unlikely that the Department of Education would have started to immediately scrutinize schools..

There'd be a period of time where schools can show good faith in bringing their standards up to the level of the regulations, Davis said.

Lastly, Davis said  schools knowingly enter into a bargain with the federal government when they accept federal funds.

Davis said the legal campaign against the Title IX regulations are the latest example of a win for advocacy groups vying to get on the Supreme Courts so-called shadow docket: cases where the Supreme Court decides whether to issue relief for applicants who face irreparable harm.

The rulings that they make through the shadow docket have the force of the rule of law, even though they're being sort of issued without the benefit of full briefing or argument on a very expedited basis, Davis said. There may be some circumstances where there are real harms that need to be dealt with on an emergency basis by the Supreme Court. But the shadow docket has really expanded to the point where many of the cases are not ones that really raise that kind of emergency where there's a life or death kind of situation, or some kind of real, physical harm.

Davis said continued concern over the political issue of school bathrooms appears to be a motivating force behind the lawsuits.

So many school districts seem to be concerned that people would not be able to be barred from using a bathroom that reflects their gender identity, for example, or schools would have to provide non gender identified bathrooms, which you know is a common thing, Davis said. So that, I think, is the main thing that the challengers are concerned about is the mandate that they stop discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

Eckes said her research suggests that the vast majority of legal cases have ended in a favorable result for trans students.

For example, the Supreme Court in 2021 refused to hear a case where the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals had ruled in favor of a transgender boy forced to use the girls restroom at a Virginia high school.

The vast, vast majority of cases in courts, conservative judges, liberal judges, didn't matter who the appointee was, were siding in favor of trans students under Title IX and or the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment, Eckes said. Because it seems a natural extension if you're going to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex, that would include sexual orientation and gender identity. So we almost had this general trend that was seeming to develop across the country, although Ill concede, there are plenty of circuits that haven't addressed the issue at all, and the US Supreme Court hasn't addressed the issue at all.

Eckes said cisgender students who have claimed that having to share a bathroom with a trans student violates their privacy rights have often not been successful in such lawsuits.

You take those cases with the trans access cases, it's like they're creating an issue, Eckes said.

Want a daily wrap-up of all the news and commentary Salon has to offer? Subscribe to our morning newsletter, Crash Course.

Eckes said research shows that trans students who cant access a bathroom that aligns with their gender identities end up not going at all.

They don't go to the bathroom all day, she said. They hold it all day. This creates medical conditions. It creates high levels of anxiety.

The Supreme Courts two-and-a-quarter page majority ruling upholding the broad injunction on Title IX regulations didnt provide much insight into the justices thinking, Davis noted.

The order said the government failed to convince the court that the lower court was wrong to find the three provisions are intertwined with and affect other provisions of the rule.

Nor has the Government adequately identified which particular provisions, if any, are sufficiently independent of the enjoined definitional provision and thus might be able to remain in effect, reads the ruling.

A nine-page dissent authored by Justice Sonia Sotomayor outlined why the injunction should have instead been narrowed.

By blocking the Government from enforcing scores of regulations that respondents never challenged and that bear no apparent relationship to respondents alleged injuries, the lower courts went beyond their authority to remedy the discrete harms alleged here, reads the dissent.

Sotomayor said the 5-4 ruling needlessly impairs the Government from enforcing Title IX and deprives potential claimants of protections against forms of sex discrimination not at issue in respondents suit.

Melnick said the injunctions leave schools and campuses in a bind.

There are so many people, so many courts, agencies, administrators, involved in all of this, it really puts the schools in a terrible bind, because rules keep changing, Melnick said. They were supposed to adopt the rules by August 1. Now that's been stayed. If Trump wins the election, God help us, then they'll be revised again. So the amount of uncertainty schools have to face is really tremendous.

Still, Eckes said she argues schools are still free to adopt the Biden administrations new Title IX regulations.

Even if you are in one of those states, you can still create inclusive policies where you welcome students and create a climate of inclusivity rather than fear, Eckes said.
Harris plan

On an Aug. 16 visit to Raleigh, Kamala Harris launched her economic plan. The plan and its details are a disaster for the country. Many economists have denounced it. Some say her proposed food price controls wont lower food costs and that her $25,000 housing bonus could increase the deficit. Furthermore, Harris never says how shell pay for some of these proposals, which the nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimates will increase deficits by $1.7 trillion over a decade.

Franklin Smith, Raleigh

NC school funding

The writer is a retired Wake County math teacher.

An Aug. 18 Forum writer who is chairman emeritus of the State Board of Education noted that the General Assembly invested $120 million and for the third year in a row North Carolinas kindergarten through third grade students outperformed the national average on reading assessment. Great news.

Just imagine what teachers could do if their schools were adequately funded  and if teachers were paid to acknowledge their expertise and degrees, if they were respected for their achievements every day, and if tax dollars were not being siphoned off to private schools without the same demands or standards.

Just imagine what the teachers could do for the majority of students in our state if we invested what we should for all. I can only imagine.

Sue Dickens Garriss, Raleigh

Sheriff Blackwood

Regarding Orange County sheriff has questions, second thoughts after prisoner escape in Hillsborough, (Aug. 21):

Orange County Sheriff Charles Blackwood directly addressed actions taken and not taken after the escape of a prisoner. In todays environment when few law enforcement leaders take responsibility  most notably the Uvalde School District police chief  it is refreshing for Blackwood to take responsibility in this situation.

Daniel Grasso, Wake Forest

Flock cameras

Big Brother is watching us and the cameras are rolling. According to Flock Safety gets license to install cameras across state, (Aug. 21), Flock Safety has more than 400 customers in North Carolina that keep an eye on us and our motor vehicles 24/7. Mostly, these surveillance cameras are being used by police agencies to record and store data on citizens who have done nothing wrong.

Flock Safetys cameras are no doubt being used to infringe on our freedoms, and the likelihood that this spying on our citizens will result in government overreach is great. Its time to clip the wings of this Flock.

Patrick ONeill, Garner

Ballot initiatives

North Carolina is one of 26 states that does not allow citizens to petition to place proposed constitutional amendments on the ballot during elections. In our state, only the legislature can propose amendments. For the election in 2026, I urge the legislature to propose a constitutional amendment to allow citizens to collect signatures on a petition to place amendment proposals on the ballot.

It seems only fair to allow citizens to propose and vote on possible amendments. Unfortunately, the hyper-gerrymandered GOP supermajority in the legislature seems unwilling to share any power with N.C. citizens, except the power to vote them into office every two years.

Larry Wolf, Garner

Drug prices

We Americans continue to pay exorbitant prices for our prescription medications. The new drugs prescribed for weight loss are prime examples. Ozempic and Wegovy can cost over $ 1,300 a month in the U.S.

In Denmark the drugs cost about $130 per month. They cost about $140 a month in Germany and $92 in the UK. Yet, drug maker Novo Nordisk continues to make obscene profits.

Our federal government has capped insulin prices at $35 per month. But it is only slowly phasing in control of other popular drugs, about 10 a year or so, and only for Medicare patients. The VA has had this authority for over 30 years.

Its time our government develops price caps for prescription medications for all Americans, not just veterans and senior citizens.

Robert and Regan Brown, Cary
A woman kneels at a makeshift memorial of flowers and candles for the victims on August 24, 2024 where at least three people were killed and several injured when a man attacked them with a knife on late August 23, 2024 in Solingen, western Germany. - Credit: Roberto Pfeil / AFP

A 26-year-old man was arrested Saturday on charges related to the stabbing deaths of three people at a Solingen, Germany festival the day before.

The suspect, a Syrian citizen who applied for asylum in Germany, turned himself into police and stated that he was responsible for the attack, the Dusseldorf Police and the prosecutors office said in a statement Saturday (via NBC News). This persons involvement in the crime is currently being intensively investigated.

More from Rolling Stone

Following the knife attack that killed three people and injured eight people  four of whom remain hospitalized in life-threatening condition  police apprehended two people, including a 15-year-old, they believed were involved in the incident. However, North Rhine-Westphalias interior minister Herbert Reul said Saturday that those two people were not the perpetrator and that the real suspect is the one that weve arrested just now.

A 67-year-old man, a 56-year-old man, and a 56-year-old woman were killed in the knife attack in Solingen, a western German city that was holding a Festival of Diversity to celebrate its 650th anniversary.

A German DJ named Tobias Topic was playing music during the incident, and was told by security personnel to continue his set amid the attack in order to prevent mass panic. Ultimately, Topics set was canceled after 15 minutes.

Through an Islamic State-run news agency, ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack, adding that the attacker targeted Christians and was a soldier of the Islamic State; German police are still investigating those claims. A police spokesperson added the suspect targeted the necks of the victims, CNN reported.

This evening we are all in shock, horror and great sadness in Solingen. We all wanted to celebrate our citys anniversary together and now we have to mourn dead and injured people, Solingen Mayor Tim Kurzbach wrote on social media after the attack. He said he had tears in [his] eyes over those lost.

In recent weeks, a similar stabbing attack occurred at a Taylor Swift-themed childrens dance event in Southport, England, and a thwarted terror plot in Vienna led to the cancelation of Swifts concerts in that Austrian city.

Best of Rolling Stone
NEW YORK (PIX11) A man was arrested Saturday morning in connection to the murder of Upscale Cracc, a popular sneaker reseller from New Jersey, officials said.

Jayquan Straker, 35, of Poughkeepsie, was taken into police custody for allegedly killing 31-year-old Javier Osorio-Mejia, also known as Upscale Cracc.

More Local News

Osorio-Mejia, a Bayonne resident and a well-known figure in the sneaker community, had been gunned down in a robbery back in June. The shooting occurred in the Manhattan neighborhood of Soho, police said.

Osorio-Mejia was shot three times in his right leg in front of 43 Greene St. at around 5:15 a.m. EMS personnel rushed the victim to an area hospital, but he could not be saved.

Officials believe Osorio-Mejia and a woman passenger were followed by a gunman from a club in Queens. At one point, the victim pulled his vehicle over, and the suspect robbed and shot him before driving off. The woman was not injured, police said.

Straker has been charged with:

Murder  First Degree

Murder  Second Degree

Robbery  First Degree

Robbery  Second Degree

Criminal Possession of a Weapon  Second Degree

Matthew Euzarraga is a multimedia journalist from El Paso, Texas. He has covered local news and LGBTQIA topics in the New York City Metro area since 2021. He joined the PIX11 Digital team in 2023. You can see more of his work here.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11.
Three Canton-area residents who are accused of robbing a bank in Pennsylvania last week are believed to have been involved in robbing the Citizens Bank last month in North Canton, North Canton police said Saturday.

North Canton police listed the suspects as Matthew D. Smith, 32; Christopher Lucius, 36 and Latoya Young, 43, all with Canton addresses.

Police did not disclose what evidence they had linking the three to the July 18 bank robbery.

The department said a man wearing a dark medical mask and wearing a hooded sweatshirt showed a gun at the Citizens Bank at 1000 N. Main St. on July 18. He took an undisclosed amount of money and fled as a passenger in a stolen Honda Civic, according to witnesses.

Related: Police: Masked, armed man robs Citizens Bank in North Canton

Canton trio accused of bank robbery in Pennsylvania

At 12:40 p.m. Wednesday, Center Township police in Beaver County along with officers from the nearby police departments in Aliquippa and Monaca, Pennsylvania, responded to a report of a bank robbery. The heist took place at the First Commonwealth Bank branch at 80 Wagner Road, Center Township Police Chief Aldo Legge told Beaver County Radio.

The bank is a roughly 96-minute drive from North Canton.

The three Canton residents were arrested after the robbery. Legge told Beaver County Radio that $80,000 was stolen from the bank.

According to Beaver County online court records, the three, were arraigned in Magisterial District Court on Wednesday night. They are being held in the Beaver County Jail each on $1 million bond. They have a preliminary court hearing scheduled for Sept. 11. The three have been charged with felonies of robbery with the threat of immediate serious harm; robbery with the demand of money from a financial institution; and conspiracy to commit robbery with the threat of immediate serious harm. Lucius and Young have also been charged with conspiracy to commit robbery with the demand of money from a financial institution.

The North Canton police's statement said officers expect the U.S. Attorney's Office will file federal charges against the defendants "along with other local cases."

North Canton police said it worked with the FBI to locate the suspects and that investigators had the three under surveillance Wednesday. And its statement said the FBI and the Pennsylvania State Police were involved in taking the three into custody.

As of Saturday, no federal charges against the three had appeared in the federal court docket, and no local charges related to bank robberies could be found on any Stark County online court docket.

Reach Robert at robert.wang@cantonrep.com. X formerly Twitter: @rwangREP.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Suspects in North Canton bank robbery arrested in Pennsylvania
Update: Swimmer missing in ocean in Myrtle Beach. Rescue crews search waters for the man

Rescue crews are expected to continue their search of the ocean Sunday for a swimmer who went missing Saturday evening.

At least two people began to drown in the waters off 12th Avenue South about 5:20 p.m., Myrtle Beach Police Lt. John Fullwood said.

Fullwood said one swimmer was rescued and the other was still missing.

The Myrtle Beach Ocean Rescue and Beach Patrol crews are working to recover the body of the missing swimmer who was described as a young man, according to a Facebook post by the city.

Witnesses on social media said the swimmer is a teenager.

The U.S. Coast Guard brought in a helicopter, Fullwood said. Lifeguards and Jet skis were also being used to find the swimmer.

This is a developing story.
Syrian president says efforts to restore ties with Turkey have yielded no results

CAIRO (Reuters) - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said on Sunday that efforts to mend ties with Turkey had so far brought no tangible results.

"The initiatives did not yield any results worth mentioning despite the seriousness and genuine keenness of mediators," Assad said in a speech to the Syrian parliament, referring to conciliation efforts by Russia, Iran and Iraq.

Turkey severed ties with Syria in 2011 after the outbreak of the Syrian civil war, in which it supported rebels seeking to oust Assad. Assad views the rebels as terrorists.

"The solution is openness," Assad said. "Restoring a relationship requires first removing the causes that led to its destruction."

The Syrian president made clear that while he wants Turkish troops to withdraw from Syria, that was not a precondition for talks.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said earlier in July he would extend an invitation to Assad "any time" for possible talks to restore relations.

A Turkish newspaper earlier reported Erdogan and Assad could meet in August, but a Turkish diplomat denied the report.

Russia has been trying to facilitate a meeting between the two leaders in an effort to restore ties. Iraq also said in July that it may seek to try to bring the two leaders together

(Reporting by Jaidaa Taha, Editing by Maya Gebeily and Giles Elgood)
Officers from the Special Task Force (SEK) lead the suspect (2nd L) of a knife attack at the Solingen town festival to a vehicle. Several people were killed and injured in a knife attack on Friday evening at the city festival celebrating the 650th birthday of the city of Solingen. Christoph Reichwein/dpa

The Syrian man suspected of carrying out a knife attack in Solingen should have been deported to Bulgaria last year, dpa has learnt.

Under the provisions of the Dublin Convention, the EU country first entered by an asylum seeker is responsible for processing their asylum application, and dpa was told on Sunday that the native Syrian had entered the European Union via Bulgaria.

The newspaper Die Welt reported that the deportation order from Germany to Bulgaria was postponed because the man had gone into hiding in Germany. He reappeared months later and was subsequently transferred to Solingen.

The man confessed to police that he had carried out the knife attack in Solingen on Friday evening that left three people dead.

The federal prosecutor's office has taken over the case and is investigating the suspect for murder and suspected membership of the Islamic State terrorist group.

Officers from the Special Task Force (SEK) lead the suspect (2nd L) of a knife attack at the Solingen town festival to a vehicle. Several people were killed and injured in a knife attack on Friday evening at the city festival celebrating the 650th birthday of the city of Solingen. Christoph Reichwein/dpa

Police officers walk past the scene of a knife attack at the Solingen town festival. Several people were killed and injured in a knife attack on Friday evening at the city festival celebrating the 650th birthday of the city of Solingen. Thomas Banneyer/dpa
TAIPEI (Reuters) - A deputy Taiwan foreign minister will attend this week's meeting of Pacific Islands leaders in Tonga, Taiwan's foreign ministry said on Sunday, as China and the United States jostle for influence in the region.

The Pacific is also an area of competition between Taipei and Beijing, as China whittles away at the number of countries which maintain formal diplomatic relations with Chinese-claimed Taiwan. Three countries - Palau, Tuvalu and the Marshall Islands - have stuck with Taiwan.

Taiwan's foreign ministry said Deputy Foreign Minister Tien Chung-kwang would hold a summit with its three Pacific allies to strengthen its partnership with them and other "like-minded countries", a reference to Western democracies such as the United States and Australia.

In January, shortly after Lai Ching-te won election as Taiwan's new president, Nauru switched ties from Taipei to Beijing, in what Taiwan's government said was part of a sustained Chinese pressure campaign.

In 2018, Nauru, then still a ally of Taiwan's, blasted an "insolent" China for speaking out of turn at the Pacific Islands Forum. Nauru had recognised China before, between 2002 and 2005.

Taiwan has taken part in the forum since 1993 as a development partner under the name o f "Taiwan/Republic of China". The Republic of China is Taiwan's formal name.

China says democratically governed Taiwan is one of its provinces with no right to state-to-state ties, a position hotly disputed by the government in Taipei.

Climate change and security are expected to dominate discussions at this week's meeting of the 18 Pacific Islands leaders. U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell will also be going.

Taiwan and Tonga had diplomatic ties from 1972 until 1998 when the country switched recognition to Beijing and broke off relations with Taipei.

Only 12 countries now maintain official diplomatic ties with Taiwan.

(This story has been corrected to fix the spelling and capitalisation of 'Islands Forum' in the headline)

(Reporting by Ben Blanchard in Taipei; Editing by Lincoln Feast.)
Taliban fighters celebrate the third anniversary of the withdrawal of US-led troops from Afghanistan, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Siddiqullah Alizai)

ISLAMABAD (AP)  The Talibans new vice and virtue laws that include a ban on womens voices and bare faces in public provide a distressing vision for Afghanistans future, a top U.N. official warned Sunday.

Roza Otunbayeva, who heads the U.N. mission in the country, said the laws extend the  already intolerable restrictions  on the rights of women and girls, with even the sound of a female voice outside the home apparently deemed a moral violation.

Afghanistans Taliban rulers last Wednesday issued the countrys first set of laws to prevent vice and promote virtue. They include a requirement for a woman to conceal her face, body and voice outside the home.

The laws empower the Vice and Virtue Ministry to be at the front line of regulating personal conduct and administering punishments like warnings or arrest if its enforcers allege that Afghans have broken the laws.

After decades of war and in the midst of a terrible humanitarian crisis, the Afghan people deserve much better than being threatened or jailed if they happen to be late for prayers, glance at a member of the opposite sex who is not a family member, or possess a photo of a loved one, Otunbayeva said.

The mission said it was studying the newly ratified law and its implications for Afghans, as well as its potential impact on the U.N. and other humanitarian assistance.

Taliban officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the U.N. criticism.

In remarks broadcast Sunday by state-controlled broadcaster RTA, Vice and Virtue Minister Mohammad Khaled Hanafi said nobody had the right to violate womens rights based on inappropriate customs.

We are committed to assure all rights of women based on Islamic law and anyone who has a complaint in this regard will be heard and resolved, he added.

Taliban supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada said last year that Afghan women are provided with a comfortable and prosperous life, in spite of decrees barring them from many public spaces, education and most jobs.

The U.N. has previously said that official recognition of the Taliban as the legitimate rulers of Afghanistan is nearly impossible while restrictions on women and girls remain.

Although no country recognises the Taliban, many in the region have ties with them.

Last Wednesday, the United Arab Emirates accepted the credentials of the Talibans ambassador to the oil-rich Gulf Arab state.

A UAE official said the decision reaffirmed the governments determination to contribute to building bridges to help Afghans. This includes the provision of humanitarian assistance through development and reconstruction projects, and supporting efforts that work towards regional de-escalation and stability.

Otunbayeva is scheduled to report to the U.N. Security Council on the situation in Afghanistan on Sept. 18, three years after the Taliban stopped girls education beyond sixth grade.

Acting Higher Education Minister Nada Mohammed Nadim said religious scholars were researching female education and it was their findings that would determine if schools and universities will reopen.

Nobody should make himself a cleric or tell us if education is permitted for women, he told a news conference in Kabul on Sunday. We have proven that any decision wont be against Islamic law or Afghan culture. This is a very sensitive issue so deciding in weeks or months is not possible. We cant say exactly that, on this date, this will be solved.
The primary election ended in something of a stalemate between Tallahassees warring political factions, with City Commissioner Jack Porter easily holding her seat, City Commissioner Curtis Richardson down but surviving to a runoff against Dot Inman-Johnson and School Board member Laurie Lawson-Cox eking out re-election in a nasty partisan battle.

Other races on Aug. 20 primary ballots saw far more lopsided endings, with Leon County Schools Superintendent Rocky Hanna, School Board member Rosanne Wood and Property Appraiser Akin Akinyemi crushing a trio of political unknowns who challenged them.

The lone judicial race on the ballot, for a county judge seat left open by Judge Augustus Aikens Jr.s impending retirement, ended with Robert Churchill and LaShawn Riggans also heading to a runoff.

This years primary, just like the one two years ago, was marked by the formation of slates, with progressive, anti-developer candidates on one side and more moderate to conservative chamber-backed candidates on the other. Along with the political parties and committees, they spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on ads, some more negative than others, in hopes of moving the electoral needle.

With control of Tallahassee City Hall, a state Senate seat and more hanging in the balance, observers expect the campaigns to spend even more money  and stick to default attack settings  as they try to break through the noise of the Nov. 5 general election.

Here are a few takeaways from the primary and what to expect in November:

Overall turnout down in Leon County as Democratic Party outperforms GOP

Countywide turnout landed at a lackluster 31.33%, down about 2 percentage points from 2022 and 2016 but nowhere near the decade low of 24.37% from the 2014 primary. Turnout was nearly 6 points off from the 2018 primary, which hit a decade high 37.07%, according to unofficial results from the Supervisor of Elections Office.

Statewide, turnout reached a meager 22.35%, with big counties like Miami-Dade and Orange failing to crack 20%. Evan Power, chairman of the Florida and Leon County GOP, said he wasnt shocked by the low turnout.

When you do not have a statewide primary of consequence, its hard to turn out voters, said Power, who predicted turnout will bounce back in 2026 with Cabinet races on the ballot.

Foot traffic was fairly slow at the Leon County Courthouse the morning of Aug. 11, 2024, the second day of early voting in the Aug. 20, 2024, primary.

In Leon County, both Republican and Democratic turnout ticked down slightly, continuing a trend in primary voting seen since at least the 2018 cycle. Democrats, who make up 49.75% of the Leon County electorate, turned out 37.92% of their voters, while Republicans, who make up 28.08% of the electorate, turned out 33.18% of their voters.

In 2018, Democratic turnout hit 44.07%, while GOP turnout was 40.29%. Democratic turnout dropped to 42.88% in the 2020 primary and 39.18% in the 2022 primary. Likewise, GOP turnout fell to 36.43% in the 2020 primary and 35.78% in the 2022 primary.

The local Democratic Party improved in one key stat  the difference between its turnout and the GOPs showing. Democratic turnout was 4.74 points higher than GOP turnout, compared to 3.4 points two years ago and 3.78 points in 3.78% in 2018. It was not as high as in 2020, when Democratic turnout was 6.45 points higher.

Jon Ausman, Leon County Democratic Executive Committee chair from 1980 to 2000, blamed declining Democratic turnout on the current leadership of the DEC, which is chaired by Ryan Ray, aide to City Commissioner Jeremy Matlow, the de facto leader of the local progressive movement.

I consider this a factor of the exclusionary, censoring and negative approach the (DEC) has brought into local elections, Ausman said. I believe that approach is a mistake.

Ryan Ray, chair at the Leon County Democratic Party, poses for a portrait at a DNC watch party hosted by the Moon Thursday, August 22 2024.

Ray said he doesn't believe there is a philosophical divide in the local party.

There is a certain subset of Democrats who are being supported by Republican-oriented developers, some of the most powerful and richest people in our community and frankly the people who this local government is geared toward enriching, Ray said.

Porter runs up margin in liberal neighborhoods, narrowly holds GOP-heavy northeast

The race for City Commission Seat 1 ended with incumbent Jack Porter easily winning a second term against Rudy Ferguson and Louis Dilbert. Porter, who along with Matlow makes up the commissions voting minority, won 53.45%, enough to avoid a runoff in November. Ferguson, backed by the commission majority, including Mayor John Dailey, who endorsed him, got 38.80%, with Dilbert picking up a meager 7.75%.

Leon County Commission District maps can be useful when analyzing turnout, even in Tallahassee City Commission races.

Porter defeated Ferguson in four of Leons five County Commission districts, beating him him by more than 15 points in District 2 in the southwest, nearly 18 points in the District 3 in the northwest and a whopping 27-plus points in District 5, a liberal stronghold on the east side.

She topped Ferguson in the northeast, the countys only GOP-majority district, by only 60 votes. Ferguson scored a decisive victory in District 1 on the south side, the countys only majority Black district, but Porter held his margin to under 5 points.

Matt Isbell, a Democratic data expert and owner of MCI Maps, said Porter, whom he supported, dominated Ferguson in progressive white communities, while losing to him by fairly modest amounts in Black precincts and holding the northeast.

Porter was the only one that had a community that she was just absolutely crushing it in, like those progressive areas like Indianhead Acres and Myers Park, he said. And then shes just kind of holding him at bay in the south side. Hes winning it, but not by these crazy margins.

In Tallahassee, developers poured money into trying to oust progressive commissioner Jack Porter. They rallied around Rudy Ferguson



Porter avoided a runoff with 53%!



In Seat 2, a developer-backed incumbent has been dragged into a runoff for November #flapol pic.twitter.com/npM2mnr0h1  Florida Data Geek  (@MappingFL) August 22, 2024

In the county judge contest, Churchill, who won 43.46%, and Riggans, who won 30.70%, will compete in the November runoff. Cydnee Brown was knocked out of contention with 25.84%. The winner of the runoff will succeed Judge Augustus Aikens Jr., who is retiring because of age limits.

Churchill had his best showing in District 4, where he won more than 56% of the vote. He beat Riggans by more than 12 points in District 3 and 5 but only about 1 point in District 2. Riggans won big in District 1, taking more than 46% of the vote, compared to nearly 19% for Brown and about 17% for Churchill.

Both sides accuse the other of planting 'ghost candidate' in Seat 2 race

In the four-person City Commission Seat 2, Inman-Johnson, who ran on a slate with Porter, came in first with 46.65%. Richardson, the incumbent, who ran as part of an unofficial slate with Ferguson, placed second with 43.56%.

Two others, Donna Nyack, who Democrats alleged was a ghost candidate, and Bernard Stevens Jr., finished far back with 5.64% and 4.14%, respectively.

Inman-Johnson beat Richardson by roughly 9 percentage points in District 2, 7 points in District 3 and 12 points in District 5. Richardson won District 1 by 6 points and District 4 by 12 points  the same areas Dailey won two years ago against Kristin Dozier.

Matlow, Ray and other progressive Democrats accused Republicans of putting Nyack in the race to deny Inman-Johnson an outright primary win. On Election Night, as Porter and Inman-Johnson celebrated at the Florida Professional Firefighters headquarters, their supporters talked openly of what they called the Nyack effect.

However, Bugra Demirel, chairman of the Grow Tallahassee PC, which backed Richardson and Ferguson, claimed progressive Democrats planted Nyack to keep Richardson from winning.

Nyack, a retired nurse from California who moved to Tallahassee last year, raised eyebrows when she filed to run in May. She repeatedly dodged the press, did little electioneering and participated in only one forum.

Rudy Ferguson, left, who has been down all night in the Seat 1 race against City Commissioner Jack Porter, watches returns come in at Vino Beano with Bugra Demirel. Supporters were still hoping that Porters total would drop below 50%, which would trigger a November runoff.

During that event, sponsored by the Tallahassee Democrat, WFSU and the League of Women Voters, she said she was very real and very sincere and had no ulterior motives.

A Republican, Nyack performed best Tuesday night in District 4, getting just over 7% of the vote in the GOP stronghold. She did not return phone calls or an email from the Democrat on Friday.

Ray has sought to connect Nyack to the Richardson campaign by noting that a political committee airing ads on behalf of Richardson was connected previously to "ghost candidate activity" elsewhere.

Ray acknowledged Friday that there was no smoking gun to prove Nyack was a fake candidate. But he said there was no doubt that a ghost candidate materially altered the election.

Tallahassee City Commission Seat 2 candidate Donna Nyack answers questions in a forum hosted by WFSU, the Tallahassee Democrat and the League of Women Voters on Thursday, June 27.

Regardless of what party you belong to, that is truly a shame for our local democracy, he said.

Demirel on Friday said Nyack was a progressive Democrat plant and that it was progressives who called attention to her, making them the prime suspect.

They have successfully inserted a ghost candidate through a false flag operation, he said.

Progressive wave or mixed bag for Matlow camp?

Progressives claimed victory after Porter won and Inman-Johnson led Richardson heading into the runoff.

Weve never been closer to a city government that represents the will of everyday people than we are now, Ray said Tuesday night.

However, they suffered a stinging loss in the School Board District 4 race, with incumbent Laurie Lawson Cox, a Republican, beating Jeremy Rogers, a Democrat, by nearly 5 points. Both the Democratic and Republican parties poured money and resources into the contest.

Obviously defending the School Board Seat was a very big deal for us, Power said. That is a Democrat seat that we have won now twice in a row. Thats good for Republicans.

Inman-Johnsons win in the primary is no guarantee she will come out on top in the runoff. In 2022, Dozier, on the progressive side, beat Dailey in the primary by a razor thin amount only for the mayor to come back in November and win by more than 6 points.

But Gary Yordon, a TV commercial producer and former political consultant, said it was noteworthy that over the past two election cycles, progressives candidates, Porter and Matlow, won big in their primaries.

A new TV ad from the One Tallahassee political committee features City Commissioners Jeremy Matlow and Jack Porter and City Commission candidate Dot Inman-Johnson, who's challenging City Commissioner Curtis Richardson in the 2024 election.

Im starting to see a pattern ... where a progressive voice didnt sneak through but dominated an election, Yordon said. And I think it means that despite conservative voters certainly growing in this community, that a progressive community is still what this community is most interested in.

Will November's runoff turn into political nuclear war?

As Richardson and Inman-Johnson head to the general election, they face entirely different dynamics, including an unpredictable White House race between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, big constitutional questions on Florida ballots and an electorate not as keyed into the issues as primary voters.

Charles Barrileaux, retired LeRoy Collins professor of political science at Florida State University, said Harris presence on the ballot, along with referendums on recreational marijuana and abortion could drive up turnout in Leon County. He said its a safe assumption that GOP voters will be more apt to support Richardson, with Democrats more closely divided in their preference between the two.

We can safely say that it will be a battle for (nonpartisan) voters, he said. I cant safely speculate on who this turnout will advantage, given that the runoffs are between Democrats.

Rival political committees have cash to burn, and both sides are expected to go on the attack as they already have in the primary.

Matlow's One Tallahassee PC raised nearly $150,000 since launching in April. It collected mostly small sums through late July, but got an infusion of $125,000 in the weeks before the primary from California and Delaware groups that support progressive candidates who champion green energy projects.

The committee spent more than $61,500 in the primary, including $25,000 that went to the Big Bend Professional Firefighters & Paramedics PAC on Aug. 6. The next day, the firefighter PAC wrote a $10,000 check to THG Consulting, a firm owned by close Matlow and Porter friend Max Herrle, for "social media advertisement" of endorsements.

The Grow Tallahassee PC, funded by developers and business interests, took in more than $100,000 since the 2022 election cycle and spent more than $70,000 in the primary. Campaign records show the committee dropped $57,500 alone this cycle to flood mailboxes with attack print ads in the two commission races.

A mailer from the Grow Tallahassee political committee, which is funded by developers, went out supporting Rudy Ferguson for City Commission Seat 1 and attacking the incumbent, City Commissioner Jack Porter.

John Mader, president of Hunter Owens Advertising and a Republican political expert, said the presence of political committees all but guarantees an ugly general election campaign, even if local residents would rather keep it positive.

These PACs, theyre getting more and more powerful in town here, spending more and more money and getting more and more negative, he said. Its just the way it is. The negative ads work.

Yordon expects the general election to be real ugly but said the candidates would help themselves by going positive. He said TV commercials featuring Matlow and his family late in the 2022 primary helped him swing a tight race with David Bellamy to a blowout.

If youre not giving a lifestyle message about your family, about what you care about, about what you believe, but keep hammering away, both these sides, about the balance of City Hall, they will be making a gigantic mistake, he said. I really wish they would just send that money to the United Way. At least it will have value.

Contact Jeff Burlew at jburlew@tallahassee.com or 850-599-2180.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Tallahassee, Leon primary election takeaways: Turnout, 'ugly' ad war
Since 2018, Sarah Lentsch has relied on child care services at Plato Academy, one of Tampa Bays largest locally-run K-8 charter school systems.

Shes a single, working mom with two daughters, 9 and 5, who last year were in third grade and preschool at Plato Academy St. Petersburg. Plato was well-known for teaching Greek and having A-rated schools, and she liked that they had preschool, elementary school and before- and after-care on one campus.

But in late April, Lentsch found out by email that shed need to make new plans. The school said it was ending its long-standing agreement with Superior Schools, the Clearwater company providing early learning and child care at Plato. There would be no Superior summer camp, no pre-K, no before- or after-school care for the upcoming year.

My jaw hit the ground, because I was flabbergasted, she said. Every single decent camp that I would trust to watch my children was booked up, way booked up.

One month before school let out, Lentsch scrambled to find alternative summer plans and ended up pulling her daughters out of the school.

Lentsch is one of many parents left behind by the most recent chapter of a yearslong legal battle between Superior and Plato, which serves almost 4,000 students across nine campuses in Pinellas, Pasco and Hillsborough counties.

This year, Plato accused Superior of running unsafe child care programs and tried to terminate their relationship. Superior, rejecting those claims, filed three lawsuits in May against Plato for violating their 2023 contract, which was supposed to be effective through June 2027. Plato then responded with subsequent lawsuits aiming to evict Superior from its campuses.

School is back in session at Plato. But communications from the school about the safety concerns and lawsuits have continued to frustrate families.

What the lawsuits say

The lawsuits, already messy, are further complicated by Plato and Superiors history.

Superior Schools was created as a management company in 2005 by Steve Christopoulos, then the principal of Plato Academys first campus in Clearwater, which opened in 2004. Superior managed Plato Clearwater and additional campuses as they were built after 2010.

As a management company, Superior oversaw financial operations, staffing, curricula, early learning and child care programs and developing new schools. Superior still owns three of the schools campuses, which it leases to Plato.

Court documents describe the relationship between Plato and Superior as conflict-free until 2018. Thats when Christopoulos died during a vacation, and his ex-wife, Jenny Tsantilas, took over Superior. Plato officials had concerns about her ability to manage the company, board documents showed.

Tsantilas fired key managers at Superior and did not show up to a board meeting, according to court documents. Around the same time, a new Plato campus in Trinity did not open in time, and officials from Hillsborough County Schools charter office threatened to close Platos Tampa location because of management issues.

Then, in 2019, Platos board voted to drop Superior as its management company. Superior sued, starting a protracted battle. Superior resumed oversight of child care programs later that year and has provided them since.

In another lawsuit from this May, Plato has called Superiors child care programs unsafe, citing a state law that charter schools can become subject to immediate termination and closure as a result of school safety breaches.

But Superior alleges that Plato wants to terminate the agreement for commercial reasons. They say Plato wants to form its own company or enter into a more profitable agreement with another company, referring to a long history and misguided efforts of Platos current leadership trying to terminate Superiors contractual rights.

Its great that they dont want to do business with us anymore, but thats not a choice that they can make, Tsantilas said in a June interview. Plato and Superior have always run together since day two, pretty much. So this is the way it was meant to be.

Plato Academy board chairperson Louis Kokkinakos objected to Superiors claim, saying Superior is a for-profit institution and landlord of Platos Trinity, St. Petersburg and Tarpon Springs campuses, while Plato is a tuition-free public charter school system.

It really bothers me, he said. Theyre worrying about the money in their pocket and not about the security of the schools.

Safety concerns on both sides

In court documents, the charter company lists examples such as Superior employees granting campus access to individuals without verifying their identities, allowing children to roam unsupervised and leaving access and security gates propped open.

Superior received 27 citations from licensing authorities this past school year for violations of child care regulations. Theyve received 74 total since 2021, county and state records show.

At a June board meeting, Tsantilas said those violations were largely about paperwork and documentation, and only two incidents from this year involved inadequate supervision.

Superior representatives at the meeting also questioned Platos employee vetting practices. They noted that a teacher accused of duct-taping a kindergarten students eyes while at East Tampas Potter Elementary School in 2015 was then hired by Plato Academy.

Felicite VanBurens son Keavin attended Platos Pinellas Park location from second through eighth grades. She expressed concerns about an English teacher who had multiple felony charges, including aggravated assault and trafficking more than 4 grams of an illegal substance.

Plato officials defended this teacher to VanBuren in a December 2023 email, saying that Plato Academy conducts a very thorough interview and background screening of all staff and teacher hires and that this teacher was cleared by the state of Florida and the Pinellas County School District.

Plato said neither the English teacher nor the former Potter teacher still work there.

VanBuren said she believes the school has gone downhill over the last four years.

Seven Plato campuses were rated A schools by the Florida Department of Education in 2018-19. Now, they have four As, two Bs and three Cs.

Im honestly so happy to be rid of it, VanBuren said.

Mixed messaging, confusion

Over the summer, Lentsch, the single mother, ended up sending her younger daughter to another early learning center in Pinellas Park. Her older daughter went out of state to stay with Lentschs sister.

A few weeks after pulling her daughters out of Plato St. Petersburg, Lentsch found out from another parent that, despite repeated statements from Plato that there would be no Superior summer camps, Superiors programs at that campus never ended.

Lentsch never felt that her daughters were unsafe in Superiors care. She also loved her daughters teachers at Plato and is frustrated that this fight has forced her to change her childrens education.

Its just really sad that they couldnt handle it differently, she said.

The mixed messaging has continued. Though Plato emailed parents to say Superior would not be providing pre-K or before/after care, Superior is still operating on all nine Plato campuses.

Parent Megan Layton spent most of the summer thinking Superior wouldnt be offering before- and after-school care at her fourth graders Plato Clearwater campus this school year, because the school said so. She was assured by Plato that the transition to another provider would be smooth and that she would have child care.

Summer passed, and she didnt hear anything about a new provider. She reached out to her sons principal, who informed her that Superior was still on Platos campuses.

But when she tried to sign her son up with Superior, she was told to join a waitlist. Layton, who works full time, doesnt know what shes going to do.

Now we have to scramble to find before- and after-care for our children, when we were assured that this was something they were going to handle, she said.

Tara Rothenhoefers son is in eighth grade at Platos Palm Harbor campus and attends Superiors before-school care. She was relieved when Superior staff told her their programs would go on as normal. Shes not yet comfortable leaving her son on his own.

But shes wary of the conflicting communications from Superior and Plato, which have confused and frustrated her.

Is something going to change? she said. Are we going to all of a sudden be left without child care?

Where things stand now

Tsantilas said in June that Superiors business had dwindled because of the messaging from Plato that has confused parents.

They are attacking our business and attacking the integrity of our programs, she said. They are ruining our business.

Tsantilas has not responded to multiple interview requests since.

At the June board meeting, Plato moved to replace Superiors camp and childcare services with the YMCA. The motion passed but needs to be finalized at a later meeting.

Kokkinakos acknowledged that the drawn-out legal battle with Superior has led to uncertainty about programming. But he said the school is bound by the legal system and concerns for student safety.

Were at the mercy of the court system right now, he said. What we thought would happen, didnt happen. As a parent, I would be frustrated too, not knowing whats going on.
The Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce is launching a new entity focused on attracting new business to the Quad Cities area.

Chamber President Peter Tokar unveiled plans for the agency called Grow Quad Cities at the organizations annual meeting. It will be responsible for bringing new development to the area.

Efficiency and focus are the buzzwords that are going along with this new entity announced by the chamber.

Host Jim Niedelman gets into that in great detail with Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Peter Tokar.

This will be another organization, but really with a very specific focus on economic development to help kind of provide that good balance of separation between the community development that the chamber does and what we want to do pushing forward with the economic development of the Quad Cities, Tokar said.

To hear more, click on the video.

Local 4 News, your local election headquarters, is proud to present 4 The Record, a weekly news and public affairs program focused on the issues important to you. Its a program unlike any other here in the Quad Cities. Tune in each Sunday at 10:30 a.m. as Jim Niedelman brings you up to speed on whats happening in the political arena, from Springfield, Des Moines, Washington, D.C. and right here at home.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WHBF - OurQuadCities.com.
Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov was detained on Saturday evening at Le Bourget airport in the Paris suburbs.

Source: French TV channel TF1; French newspaper Le Figaro

Details: Durov was reportedly detained at around 20:00 on Saturday evening [21:00 Kyiv time  ed.] when he stepped off his private jet onto the runway at Le Bourget airport. The 39-year-old Russian with a French passport was accompanied by his bodyguard and a woman.

Durov, who is on the wanted list in France, had arrived from Azerbaijan. France had previously issued a search warrant for him.

Investigators believe that Durov's lack of cooperation with law enforcement agencies, as well as the tools offered by Telegram, make him an accessory to drug trafficking, paedophile crimes and fraud, the publication said.

In France, Durov is accused of failing to take action against the criminal use of Telegram messaging by his followers, failing to moderate the service and failing to cooperate with the investigation.

"Enough with Telegram's impunity," said one of the investigators, who was surprised that the billionaire, knowing he was wanted in France, decided to come to Paris anyway. "Perhaps because of a sense of impunity," suggested one of the sources close to the case.

It is noted that Durov is due to appear before an investigating judge on Saturday evening ahead of a possible indictment on Sunday for a number of crimes.

It is virtually certain that he will be remanded in custody pending trial following the indictment, the publication said.

Background:

Launched in 2013 by Pavel Durov and his brother Nikolai, Telegram is a service with end-to-end message encryption and which is headquartered in Dubai. It has positioned itself against US platforms that have been criticised for commercially exploiting personal data. Telegram's management team has promised never to disclose any information about its users.

In an interview last April in Dubai, Durov described how he came up with the idea to launch the encrypted messaging service after coming under intense pressure from the Russian authorities during the founding of VKontakte, the social network he created before selling it and leaving Russia in 2014.

Telegram has sometimes been accused of increasing the viral potential of false information and spreading hateful, neo-Nazi, paedophile, conspiratorial or terrorist content.

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Updated Aug 26, 2024, 11:10am EDT Europe

The News

Elon Musk has publicly defended Telegram CEO Pavel Durov after he was detained in France on Saturday over a lack of moderation on the platform that authorities say led to its misuse for criminal activities.

The X owner posted a news story about Durovs arrest with the words: POV: Its 2030 in Europe and youre being executed for liking a meme, and reposted several comments comparing content moderation to censorship.

Durov, a 39-year-old Russian-born billionaire, founded news and messaging platform Telegram in 2013, framing it as neutral. But the encrypted app has since become a dominant communications tool in the Russia-Ukraine war, with both sides accused of posting propaganda. Its also a popular communication tool for criminals and dissidents alike.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday disputed suggestions the arrest was political, writing on X: The arrest of the president of Telegram on French soil took place as part of an ongoing judicial investigation. It is in no way a political decision.

SIGNALS

Semafor Signals: Global insights on today's biggest stories.

Russian propagandists and independents alike rocked by Durovs arrest

Source: The Moscow Times

Durovs arrest was criticized across the Russian political spectrum, The Moscow Times noted, with propagandists for Russian President Vladimir Putin joined by independents in blasting the French authorities move. Over the years, Telegram has become a destination for independent media organizations and dissidents to safeguard their correspondence from Moscow.. But Putins regime has also used the platform as a tool, spending millions to boost the Kremlins propaganda. With Telegram also a major military communication platform for both sides in the Ukraine war, the Russian army worries about the secrets France could access with Durov in custody.

Musk in EU crosshairs over content moderation, but situation is different

Source: Politico

Musk and Durov both face accusations of illegal content proliferating on their platforms, and the X owner, a self-declared free speech absolutist, has decried online moderation as censorship. Its not hard to see why Musk might feel kinship with Durov, Politico wrote, given that both are in the EUs crosshairs over content moderation. However, while Musks X is protected by the European Union as a Very Large Online Platform  meaning countries in the bloc cannot seek justice unilaterally against it  Telegram doesnt have enough users to be designated as such. Musk is unlikely to be plucked off a private airport tarmac like Durov, Politico wrote: The most unpleasant thing hes had to endure so far is a stern letter.

The utopian vision of social media is coming to an end

Sources: Semafor, The Guardian, MIT Technology Review

Durovs arrest underscored how a one-time utopian vision of social platforms as a new open, global digital space whose giant, mostly American owners could disregard national laws in favor of universal values, is coming to an end, Semafors Ben Smith wrote. In Twitters early days, tech founders believed themselves to be disruptors, creating a space for genuine public discourse, a former Twitter employee told The Guardian. Mark Zuckerberg had a vision for a world united by Facebook, the MIT Technology Review stated in 2017. But in recent years the debate over misinformation has grown, with governments attempting to impose rules over what is and isnt allowed on social media. Telegram has often stayed out of the media spotlight, but now its the canary in the coal mine, Smith added.
French police arrested Telegram CEO and founder Pavel Durov on Saturday at an airport near Paris for alleged offenses related to the popular messaging app, French media reported.



The French-Russian billionaire, 39, was detained at Le Bourget airport north of the French capital on Saturday evening, one of the officials told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.

French television news outlets TF1 TV and BFM TV also reported the arrest, citing unnamed sources, according to Reuters.



He had just traveled from Baku, Azerbaijan, another source close to the case told AFP.



Durov was expected to appear in court on Sunday.

FILE -- Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov delivers his keynote conference during day two of the Mobile World Congress at the Fira Gran Via complex in Barcelona, Spain, on Feb. 23, 2016. / Credit: Manuel Blondeau/AOP.Press/Corbis via Getty Images

France's OFMIN, an agency tasked with preventing violence against minors, had issued an arrest warrant for Durov as the coordinating agency in a preliminary investigation into alleged offenses including fraud, drug trafficking, cyberbullying, organized crime and promotion of terrorism, one of the sources close to the case told AFP.

Durov is suspected of failing to take action to curb the criminal use of his platform.

"Telegram abides by EU laws, including the Digital Services Act," the company said in a statement on Sunday, adding, "Telegram CEO Pavel Durov has nothing to hide and travels frequently in Europe. It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform."

French Interior Ministry and French police had no comment.

"Enough of Telegram's impunity," said one of the investigators, adding they were surprised Durov came to Paris knowing he was a wanted man.

Durov started Telegram in 2013 and left Russia in 2014 after he was ousted from VKontakte  a popular social networking site in Russia that he co-founded  after being pressured by the Kremlin to hand over users' personal data, which he refused to do.

In a 2016 interview with "60 Minutes," Durov said he was "horrified" when he learned that Telegram  which was designed to be heavily encrypted so that governments cannot access users' personal data  was being used by terrorist groups like the Islamic State to communicate.

"I'm personally for the privacy side," Durov said in that interview when asked whether privacy concerns outweighed security risks. "But one thing that should be clear is that you cannot make just one exception for law enforcement without endangering private communications of hundreds of millions of people because encryption is either secure or not."

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The boss of Telegram has been arrested at an airport in France, the BBC reports.

39-year-old Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of the popular messaging app, was detained after his private jet landed at Le Bourget Airport north of Paris.

More from Deadline

The BBC reports Durovs arrest came under a warrant for offences relating to having a lack of moderators on the app, with Durov accused of failing to take necessary steps to curb criminal uses on the platform.

Durov, who was born in Russia, lives in Dubai and has dual French and UAE citizenship, founded Telegram in 2013. The app was banned in Russia in 2018, after he refused to hand over user data. This ban was reversed in 2021. Telegram has a reported 950million monthly users and is particularly popular in Russia, Ukraine and former Soviet Union states.

X owner Elon Musk reacted to Durovs, hashtagging one post #freepavel, and in another he wrote: POV: Its 2030 in Europe and youre being executed for liking a meme.

Best of Deadline

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French authorities have detained Pavel Durov, the French-Russian billionaire who founded the messaging app Telegram, at an airport outside Paris, according to CNN affiliate BFMTV.

Officers from Frances anti-fraud office, attached to French customs, took him into custody Saturday evening after he arrived at Bourget Airport on a flight from Azerbaijan, BFMTV reported.

Durov, 39, was wanted under a French arrest warrant due to the lack of moderation on Telegram which led to it being used for money laundering, drug trafficking and sharing pedophilic content, according to BFMTV.

According to BFMTV, the Telegram founder had not regularly travelled to France and Europe since the arrest warrant was issued.

CNN has reached out to the French prosecutors office for comment.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
The icon of the Telegram app can be seen on the screen of a smartphone. Fabian Sommer/dpa

The founder of the online messaging service Telegram, Pavel Durov, has been arrested in France.

The Russian, who is wanted in France, was taken into police custody at Le Bourget airport on Saturday evening after his arrival from Azerbaijan, the broadcasters TF1 and BFMTV reported, along with other French media, citing investigative circles.

The Russian embassy in France has taken charge of the case, according to a statement from the Foreign Ministry in Moscow quoted by the Russian state news agency Tass.

The French authorities have been called upon to allow consular access to Durov, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said. "The only problem is that Durov also has French citizenship," she explained on Russian state television. "Accordingly, France will regard him first and foremost as its citizen."

French media reported that Durov was wanted in France because the authorities had launched a preliminary investigation against him. He is suspected of complicity in drug trafficking, fraud and child abuse offences because he failed to intervene in Telegram and cooperate with law enforcement agencies. According to TF1, an investigation could be opened against Durov on Sunday.

Tass reported that he Russian Foreign Ministry had issued a statement saying that its embassy in Paris immediately took the necessary steps, and that efforts are being made to clarify the situation, "though the businessman's representatives have not submitted a request for help."

Durov founded Telegram with his brother Nikolai after both had already launched the network Vk.com, a kind of Russian-language Facebook. Telegram is one of the most important online networks in Russia and many authorities and politicians there have accounts. The service is used by both sides in the conflict in Ukraine to make public statements.

Durov's relationship with the Russian authorities is considered difficult, and he refused to pass on data on participants in the protest movement in Ukraine against the then President Viktor Yanukovych to the Russian secret service. He himself fled Russia shortly afterwards.

The Durov brothers promise to protect the data of Telegram users, leading to a fall-out between the eccentric internet billionaire and the Russian authorities several years ago.

But there are also accusations against the brothers in the West. The Telegram founders have been accused of not taking sufficient action against hate speech and incitement to violence, although Western and Russian authorities are said to have succeeded in persuading Telegram to delete Islamist terrorist propaganda.
Thousands of people got on their bikes Sunday to help raise money to make Pittsburgh safer.

PedalPGH is Bike Pittsburghs largest fundraiser and has become the largest single-day bike ride in Pennsylvania. The one-of-a-kind ride is friendly to bikers of all skill levels and helps Bike Pittsburgh raise funds to make Pittsburgh better for biking and walking.

The around 3,000 participating riders got limited edition t-shirts and giveaways and support from fully-stocked rest stops, aid stations and mechanics on their chosen routes.

This was the 31st year for the fundraiser. Since the event began, it has raised over $1.5 million for bike and pedestrian advocacy in Pittsburgh.

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The Guardian, citing its sources, says Russia will only consider negotiations if it believes that Ukraine is able to "threaten Moscow and St Petersburg".

Source: The Guardian, citing sources

Details: The newspaper reports that Ukraine is seeking Western authorisation to use UK-French long-range Storm Shadow missiles to strike deep inside Russia, believing this could pressure Moscow into negotiating a cessation of hostilities.

Senior officials in Kyiv argue that a "demonstration strike" using Anglo-French weapons could show the Kremlin that military sites near Moscow are within striking distance.

Quote: "The thinking, according to a senior government official, is that Russia will consider negotiating only if it believes Ukraine had the ability "to threaten Moscow and St Petersburg". This is a high-risk strategy, however, and does not so far have the support of the US."

Details: The newspaper notes that Ukraine has been lobbying for months to secure authorisation to use Storm Shadow missiles against targets in Russia but with little success. As Ukrainian forces face challenges on the Eastern front, there is a growing belief that their best chance lies in launching a counteroffensive.

In his speech on the occasion of Independence Day, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Kyiv had no choice but to retaliate against Russia's full-scale invasion launched "913 days ago" in February 2022  in particular, against Moscow's use of bombs and ballistic missiles against civilians.

Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities are frequently targeted by Russian missiles and drones. Earlier this week, Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, revealed that since the beginning of the year, Russia had launched 9,590 missiles and 13,997 drones on Ukraine, striking 6,203 civilian targets and 5,676 military targets.

Quote: "Storm Shadow missiles were developed primarily by an Anglo-French collaboration and are made by European joint venture MBDA, which also has an Italian partner. But because some of its components are supplied by the US, the White House also has to agree to its use inside Russia. It has so far refused to do so, fearing an escalation of the conflict [war  ed.]."

Details: The Guardian reports that Zelenskyy has indicated that the results of Ukraine's operation in Russia's Kursk Oblast reveal the Kremlin's red-line warnings to be overstated. Moscow has largely downplayed the Ukrainian offensive, with Russian officials rarely discussing it publicly and characterising their response as a "counter-terrorism operation."

US officials told Politico that they believe the Storm Shadow and other long-range missiles may not be accurate enough over long distances and that the Russian fighter jets that launched the glide bombs on Ukraine's frontline areas were mostly based out of the missiles' range.

Background:

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged Ukraine's allies to put pressure on the allies to authorise Ukraine to use Western-supplied long-range weapons on Russian territory.

Zelenskyy called on Ukrainian diplomats to work towards expanding the authorisation from Western powers so that long-range weapons sent to Ukraine can be used for strikes on Russian territory.

Earlier, it was reported that Washington was effectively blocking the UK's authorisation for Kyiv to use Storm Shadow missiles in Russia due to the Biden administrations concerns about escalating the war.

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They told me to strip. Former Palestinian detainee says he was sexually abused in an Israeli prison

Editors Note: This story contains graphic and disturbing descriptions of sexual violence.

Editors Note: A version of this story appears in CNNs Meanwhile in the Middle East newsletter, a three-times-a-week look inside the regions biggest stories. Sign up here.

Ibrahim Salem, 34, said he felt a deep sense of dread when a soldier ordered him to undress during his captivity in Israels notorious Sde Teiman prison.

They told me to strip, the Palestinian said, reflecting on the torment he endured during his eight months in Israeli detention. Thats when I knew I was beginning my journey to hell.

An Israeli airstrike hit Salems home in the Jabalya refugee camp in northern Gaza on December 8, killing eight of his relatives and injuring his wife and two of his three children, Salem told CNN. Four days later, while staying with his children who were being treated in the intensive care unit of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, he was arrested by Israeli troops during a raid, he said.

I was confused. Why was I arrested? I have nothing to do with resistance groups  There were no accusations against me, Salem told CNN in an interview at a displacement camp in Al-Mawasi, southern Gaza. I am a barber.

He and other Palestinians at Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahia were handcuffed, blindfolded, and transported on trucks like animals, he recalled.

No one heard from him for eight months.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the hospital was being used as a command-and-control center by Hamas. The militant group has repeatedly denied using hospitals in its war with Israel. CNN cannot independently verify the IDFs claims.

In May, CNN published an investigation into Sde Teiman, a shadowy military base in Israels Negev desert near the Gaza border, where detainees were held in extreme conditions. Among the pictures published was one of a blindfolded prisoner standing behind a barbed fence with his hands above his head. The day the investigation was published, Salems twin brother Waseem reached out to CNN saying the man in the picture was Salem.

On May 23, Saja Mishreqi, a lawyer at the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel (PCATI), who represented Salem, was informed by the Israeli Supreme Court that he was in Ktziot Prison, a detention facility in the Negev run by the Israel Prison Service (IPS). He was eventually released without charge on August 1.

Speaking to CNN, Salem said that it was indeed him in the picture, adding that he was initially held at a facility he heard other Palestinian detainees refer to as Sde, before being transferred to Ktziot .

We would hear screams. And then the sound of a bullet, followed by silence, Salem told CNN. This would terrify the men, he said. It was a nightmare.

Ordered to strip naked

During interrogations, Salem said, he would be asked: Where are the hostages? Where are Hamas weapons? Are you Hamas? Are you Qassam (Hamas military wing)? Are you Islamic Jihad?

Salem alleges to have been beaten, verbally abused, had hot water poured on him, and told by soldiers that the rest of his family had been killed.

But the worst part, he said, was the sexual abuse.

Salem said much of prisoners time in detention was spent in their underwear, but before each interrogation session, soldiers would order him to strip naked.

They would bring the metal detector and run it all over our bodies, then they would hover it over private parts and hit me there, he said. As he crouched in pain, naked, with five or six soldiers looking, he said he felt the troops violate him from behind.

With the pain, I would lean forward. Then suddenly, they would push it (a baton) into my butt, he said. Inside.

After interrogation, he was given only seconds to put his underwear back on, he said, adding that any perceived delay in doing so would result in another beating from the soldiers.

The IDF told CNN that Salem was detained on December 12 on suspicion of involvement in terrorist activities and held at Sde Teiman for approximately a month and a half before being transferred to the prison service, where he spent six of his eight months of detention.

The IDF added that it cannot address the conditions of his arrest and detention for most of that period, noting that misconduct during detention is contrary to the law and IDF orders, and is therefore strictly prohibited.

CNN reached out to the prison service about Salems detention and his claims of abuse and was told that requests for information on legal process, arrest policy and interrogations that have allegedly taken place in military facilities and involve national security prisoners who are not Israel residents should be addressed to the IDF and the Israel Security Agency, known as Shin Bet.

The Shin Bet hasnt responded to CNNs request for comment.

Ibrahim Salem - Waseem Salem

Salem was released to the Gaza Strip on August 1 after an assessment found that releasing him wouldnt pose a risk to national security, the IDF said, adding that he was brought before a judge in a district court for a judicial review during his detention.

He told CNN that he wasnt represented by a lawyer in court.

Taunted with pictures of exhumed bodies

Salem said an interrogator showed him a picture of what he was led to believe were exhumed remains of six family members he had buried in the yard of Kamal Adwan Hospital. Salem said the interrogator taunted him, making him count six bodies in the picture.

On what grounds do you take away bodies and desecrate them? Salem recalled telling the interrogator. These bodies are ours. We need to bury them.

The interrogator responded that the bodies might be hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7, to which Salem said he responded, crying: My nephews, are they hostages? Five years old?

Israel has previously admitted to exhuming bodies as part of a search for the remains of hostages seized on October 7 in the Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel, in which more than 1,200 people were killed and 250 kidnapped. The IDF told CNN in January that bodies that are determined not be those of hostages are returned with dignity and respect.

More than 40,200 Palestinians have been killed and nearly 93,000 injured in Israels assault on the strip, according to Gazas health ministry.

Leaked surveillance footage last month from the Sde Teiman prison provided a rare glimpse into the facility.

CCTV video obtained by Israels Channel 12 showed Israeli soldiers selecting one of more than two dozen Palestinian detainees lying on the ground. Behind a wall of shields obstructing the view of security cameras, the soldiers allegedly sodomize the detainee. The victim was taken to a hospital with injuries to his rectum, according to Israeli non-profit organization Physicians for Human Rights Israel. The Israeli military has declined to comment on the video.

Shortly after the incident, 10 Israeli soldiers were arrested over the alleged abuse of a Palestinian detainee at the facility, according to IDF. Five have so far been released, and five are under house arrest.

Systematic policies

Mishreqi said that Salem was detained under Israels controversial Unlawful Combatants Law, which rights watchdog Human Rights Watch has said strips away meaningful judicial review and due process rights.

The law permits the military to detain people for up to 30 days without a detention order, after which they must be transferred to prison, according to the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel (PCATI), a Tel Aviv-based non-governmental organization (NGO). Over 4,000 Palestinian residents of the Gaza Strip have been detained by Israel since the war began, PCATI said in a report last month, adding that the law deprives detainees of their rights as prisoners of war and the protections for civilian populations under humanitarian law in occupied territories.

As of April, more than 9,500 Palestinians were being held in Israeli prisons, including more than 3,500 without charge, according to Addameer Prisoners Support and Human Rights Association, a Palestinian NGO. The figure doesnt include detainees from Gaza, the group said.

Salem is one of many former detainees who have recalled harrowing stories from their time in Israeli prisons to human rights groups and news outlets. Their testimonies have led to calls for reforms across all of Israels prisons.

Israel has greatly reduced the number of people being held at Sde Teiman in the wake of calls for its closure. In June, a state attorney told Israels Supreme Court that hundreds of Palestinian detainees have been transferred out of the facility.

Our problem is not just with Sde Teiman but with the systematic policies taking place there, the violations and torture that take place at the facility without any external supervision, Mishreqi told CNN, adding that even shutting down the facility wont help if its policies are transferred to other prisons.

A report published by Israeli human rights group BTselem this month documented abuse and inhuman treatment of Palestinians held in Israeli custody since October 7. The report, which collected testimonies from 55 Palestinians, showed the rushed transformation of more than a dozen Israeli prison facilities, military and civilian, into a network of camps dedicated to the abuse of inmates as a matter of policy. The IDF has repeatedly denied allegations of systematic abuse.

BTselems executive director Yuli Novak told CNNs Christiane Amanpour this month that Sde Teiman was just the tip of the iceberg in Israels mistreatment of Palestinian detainees, adding that it is organized and systematic and only worsened after October 7.

Salem said there were some 150 detainees with him in the second facility where he was held.

On the day of his release, Salem said he was taken to the Gaza border by the IDF but was told he couldnt return to his home in Jabalya, in northern Gaza. He is now living in a displacement camp in Khan Younis, in southern Gaza.

He has moved from detention tents to displacement tents throughout his ordeal, he said, and the memories of the abuse he said he experienced continue to live with him.

Youre exposing your body to male and female soldiers who harass you and touch you with objects on your sensitive parts, he told CNN. They hit you on your butt, pull you by the hair, call you obscenities  its humiliating.

He has yet to reunite with his wife and children, who remain in northern Gaza, and can only communicate with them by phone. Two of his children require surgeries for injuries sustained in the Israeli airstrike, he said.

CNNs Dana Karni in Tel Aviv contributed reporting.

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GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP)  Ten years ago this month, the Ice Bucket Challenge took the nation by storm.

Participants would record themselves pouring ice water over their heads, share the videos and challenge others to join in. Many also pledged to donate to an ALS organization.

Its very cool to see whats happened in that ten years, Development Director for ALS United North Carolina Amy Lynn Clark. Weve had 12 new genes that have been identified. Two new treatments have come out.

We dropped the ball: Gaston County couple raises fentanyl awareness in memory of their son

At the time, it was the first time many Americans had heard about the particulars of the disease, which is otherwise known as Lou Gehrigs Disease.

People were talking about ALS who had never talked about it before, Clark said.

Debbie Dickerson was one of them.

At the time, I didnt know anything about ALS, she said.

That changed about two-and-a-half years ago when Dickerson was officially diagnosed with it.

One of the first things I thought was, I may never know what its like to be a grandmother, Dickerson said.

In the years since, shes used her diagnosis as a platform for advocacy. Shes gone to national events, participated in local walks and detailed her progression for FOX8 every step of the way to create more awareness.

Thankfully, that progression has been a slow one.

I still have the exhaustion and the muscle spasms. Muscle twitches are constant, she said.

Unfortunately, the ALS family Dickerson formed during her battle has both grown and diminished.

28 people that Ive met and talked to either in person or online  have now lost the battle with ALS, she said

Dickerson did, however, find out what life is like as a grandmother. She is awaiting the arrival of a grandson and has been spending much of her time with her one-year-old granddaughter who is now in the early stages of learning the things Dickerson wants to keep doing.

Im still walking. Im still talking, she said.

Charlotte mans search for a kidney encourages others to help those in need

This month, Debbie traveled to First National Bank Field, which is the home of the Greensboro Grasshoppers, in the hope of reviving the challenge that helped gather so much momentum in the fight against ALS.

Were not going to do ice today. Were going to do something even more special, Dickerson said while holding a bucket of string confetti.

With her granddaughter in the arm in which Debbie suffers from whats described as frozen shoulder, which she can only lift to about shoulder height, she lifted the bucket and poured the confetti over the head of the Grasshoppers Mascot Guilford.

Say, End ALS, Dickerson said as she and her granddaughter clapped. Right?

Its a gesture she and the rest of the ALS community hope will reignite the movement that started with ice ten years ago.

You cant do things year after year, but you can do things in a ten-year interval, Clark said.

First National Bank Field will host this years Walk ALS Greensboro event on Oct. 26. For more information on how to join, click here.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News.
Trump campaign blames glowing media coverage of Harris for her extended honeymoon

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Donald Trumps campaign has blamed glowing media coverage for Kamala Harriss extended honeymoon as it braces for a further slump in the polls.

Toby Fabrizio, the campaigns top pollster, conceded that Ms Harris would increase her lead over the Republican even further in the wake of the Democratic national convention (DNC), but said this would be short-lived.

Nevertheless, Trump is reportedly worried about his faltering performance since Joe Biden ducked out of the presidential race, and believes he could lose the election without a radical campaign overhaul.

In a memo circulated to media on Saturday, Mr Fabrizio downplayed Ms Harriss recent surge in the polls and put it down to a Harris honeymoon.

According to polling aggregator FiveThirtyEight, she leads her rival by 3.6 per cent nationally, up from 0.4 per cent a month ago.

Kamala Harris celebrates with her husband Doug Emhoff, left, and Tim Walz, the vice-presidential, with his wife Gwen at the Democratic convention - WILL OLIVER/EPA-EFE/SHUTTERSTOCK

Many Republican commentators have dismissed the vice-presidents popularity as a sugar high that would quickly disappear, but Mr Fabrizio suggested this had lasted longer than expected thanks to favourable media coverage.

The veteran Republican pollster said: Weve certainly had a front row seat to the honeymoon. In fact, the media decided to extend the honeymoon for over four weeks now.

However, post-DNC we will likely see another small (albeit temporary) bounce for Harris in the public polls.

Post-convention bounces are a phenomenon that happens after most party conventions.

He noted that Hillary Clinton, who went on to lose the 2016 election, led Trump by seven points after she accepted her partys nomination.

Mr Fabruzio added that most coverage was concentrating on national polling when results in a handful of swing states were the key to winning the election.

He said: We need to keep our eye on the ball  that is the polling in our target states.

Our goal is to get to 270 [electoral college votes] and winning these states is how we do it. Well let the media make mountains out of molehills, while we keep driving forward.

Bill Clinton with James Carville, his election-winning campaign manager - JEMAL COUNTESS/WIREIMAGE

James Carville, Bill Clintons presidential election-winning campaign manager in 1992, urged Democrats not to put too much stock in nationwide polls and cautioned his party against complacency.

He added: The other thing is Trump traditionally, when hes on the ballot, chronically under-polls.

Trump had appeared to be cruising to a second term in the White House while running against Mr Biden, after the Democrats dire performance in the presidential debate and a string of subsequent gaffes.

However, he has struggled to find his footing against Ms Harris, whom Mr Biden endorsed after three weeks of pressure to drop out of the race. It feels like hes lost his mojo, Alyssa Farah Griffin, a former White House spokeswoman, told the Washington Post.

Trump is now overhauling his campaign after conceding that he could lose to Ms Harris in Novembers election without dramatically changing course, Politico reports.

As part of a planned counter-offensive, he has built bridges with Brian Kemp, the Georgia governor, regaining an important ally in the battleground state.

Brian Kemp, the Georgia governor - JONATHAN ERNST/REUTERS

Trump aides are reported to have extended an olive branch before Mr Kemp said he would work to win the state for the former president. We need to send Donald Trump back to the White House, he declared on Thursday.

Moments later, Trump, who a fortnight ago derided Mr Kemp as Little Brian and blamed him for his 2020 election loss, thanked him for all of your help and support in Georgia, where a win is so important.

Trump faced a number of attacks on abortion rights during the DNC  including during Ms Harris headline speech  and appears to have softened his line as the vice-president shores up support among female voters.

On Friday, he wrote on social media that he would be great for women and their reproductive rights.

Two days later, JD Vance, his running mate, said that Trump would veto any national abortion ban passed by Congress.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Trump is planning a busier campaign schedule in the swing states, having taken a more laid-back approach while Mr Biden was in the race.

Having appeared in five states in five days while the DNC was underway, he will make two appearances in Michigan this coming week followed by events in Wisconsin on Thursday and Pennsylvania on Friday.

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A federal judge appointed by Donald Trump dismissed criminal charges for machine gun possession this week, citing the Second Amendment and Supreme Court precedent. The ruling highlights how the high court has expanded gun rights, as well as the broader impact Trump has had on the judiciary beyond the Supreme Court.

U.S. District Judge John Broomes ruling on Wednesday stemmed from the prosecution of Tamori Morgan, who was charged with two counts of possessing a machine gun under federal law. Morgan cited the Supreme Courts 2022 ruling in Bruen to argue that the case should be dismissed on Second Amendment grounds. Justice Clarence Thomas opinion for the Republican-appointed majority in Bruen said that gun regulations cant stand unless theyre consistent with this Nations historical tradition of firearm regulation.

The Kansas federal judge wrote that in Morgans case, the government failed to meet its burden to demonstrate through historical analogs that regulation of the weapons at issue in this case are consistent with the nations history of firearms regulation.

The vast implications of Broomes ruling might not be fully realized if the government gets it reversed on appeal. The judge noted that the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which covers Kansas and neighboring states, had yet to apply Bruen to the law at issue in Morgans case.

Theres reason to think that even this Supreme Court could side with the government if the issue reaches the justices. Just this past term, in United States v. Rahimi, the court ruled 8-1 (over Thomas dissent) to uphold gun restrictions on people subject to restraining orders for domestic violence. The Rahimi case suggests that the court isnt prepared to take the Bruen precedent as far as it could go.

But in the meantime, chaos looms for gun laws and public safety  whether its due to the Supreme Courts expansive gun jurisprudence, the misinterpretation of that jurisprudence by lower court judges, or both.

Subscribe to the Deadline: Legal Newsletter for updates and expert analysis on the top legal stories. The newsletter will return to its regular weekly schedule when the Supreme Courts next term kicks off in October.

This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
Elizabeth L. T. Moore is a Hearst Fellow in San Antonio. She can be reached at Elizabeth.Moore@hearst.com

Elizabeth did her first fellowship year as a reporter with the New Haven Register in Connecticut. Moore has published bylines with Bloomberg News, The Virginian-Pilot and The Daily Tar Heel, the student newspaper of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Moore placed nationally in the Hearst Collegiate Journalism Program, and she is fluent in Spanish.
By Ruma Paul

DHAKA (Reuters) -At least 20 people have died and more than 5.2 million have been affected in Bangladesh by floods caused by relentless monsoon rains and overflowing rivers, officials said on Sunday.

The floodwaters have left many people isolated and in urgent need of food, clean water, medicine, and dry clothes, particularly in remote areas where blocked roads have hampered rescue and relief efforts.

Government Chief Adviser Mohammad Yunus said in a televised address that the administration has adopted all necessary measures to ensure a swift return to normality for flood victims.

Yunus, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, is leading the interim government that was sworn in after former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled the country following a student-led uprising this month.

Abdul Halim, a 65-year-old farmer from a village in the Comilla district, said his mud hut was swept away by a 10-foot-high surge of floodwater in the middle of the night.

"There are no goods and no water. Barely anyone has come with the relief (aid) deep inside the villages. You have to physically go close to the main road to collect it," he told Reuters television.

Some people in Bangladesh have alleged that the floods were caused by the opening of dam sluice gates in neighbouring India, an assertion New Delhi has rejected.

"We have begun discussions with neighbouring countries to prevent future flood situations," Yunus said.

The Bangladesh Meteorological Department has warned that flood conditions could persist if the monsoon rains continue, as water levels are receding very slowly.

More than 400,000 people have taken refuge in around 3,500 shelters in the 11 flood-hit districts, where nearly 750 medical teams are on the ground to provide treatment, with the army, air force, navy, and Border Guard Bangladesh assisting in rescue operations, authorities said.

An analysis in 2015 by the World Bank Institute estimated that 3.5 million people in Bangladesh, one of the world's most climate-vulnerable countries, were at risk of annual river flooding. Scientists attribute the exacerbation of such catastrophic events to climate change.

"The impact of this years monsoon rains has been widespread and devastating," said Kabita Bose, Country Director of Plan International Bangladesh.

"Entire communities have been completely inundated, and there are now millions of people, including children, in need of safe shelter and lifesaving humanitarian assistance," she said.

(Reporting by Ruma Paul; Editing by Hugh Lawson and Giles Elgood)
Two suspects accused of stealing scooter then purse block away in Manhattan, police say

Two suspects accused of stealing scooter then purse block away in Manhattan, police say

HELLS KITCHEN, Manhattan (PIX11)  Two people are accused of robbing a man for his scooter and then using that scooter to steal a purse a block away in Manhattan on Friday, according to police

The suspects allegedly walked up to an 18-year-old by 55th Street and Ninth Avenue and demanded his scooter while showing a gun around 11 p.m. One of the suspects hit the victim in the head with the gun and caused bruising before they left with his scooter, according to police.

More Manhattan News

A block away, near 56th Street and Ninth Avenue, police said the scooter bandits approached a 45-year-old woman and 46-year-old man and allegedly stole the purse from the woman before riding off on the stolen scooter.

The 18-year-old victim has bruising on the face but refused additional medical attention, according to police. The woman was taken to the hospital to be treated for cuts to her mouth and leg.

Two people are being accused of robbing a man for his scooter and then using that scooter to steal a purse a block away in Manhattan, according to police.(NYPD)

Submit tips to police by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), visiting crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, downloading the NYPD Crime Stoppers mobile app, or texting 274637 (CRIMES) then entering TIP577. Spanish-speaking callers are asked to dial 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).

Jonathan Rizk is a digital journalist who has covered local news in New York City and Washington, D.C. He has been with PIX11 since August 2022. See more of his work here, and follow him on X and Facebook @OfficialRizk. Get in touch at jonathan.rizk@pix11.com.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11.
US Fish and Wildlife is playing God by carrying out largest massacre of birds of prey | Opinion

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service wants us to buy into the narrative of the big, bad barred owl. But the federal government is traveling down a dangerous path in picking winners and losers among our native wildlife.

In July, the Biden Administrations wildlife agency issued a final Environmental Impact Statement to initiate the shooting of 450,000 barred owls in the famed and ancient forests of California, Oregon and Washington. The purpose of the 30-year kill plan is to reduce social competition between barred owls and their cousins, threatened spotted owls.

Opinion

Deputized hunters will be taking aim at nocturnal birds in forest habitats called home by more than a half dozen lookalike owl species  their silhouettes distinguishable perhaps only by experienced birders or ornithologists. The shooting will be conducted in forest habitats spanning 24 million acres across three states, encompassing six national parks, roadless areas within 17 national forests and thousands of pockets of private lands.

As planned, it will be the largest massacre of birds of prey ever attempted by any government.

Over decades, loggers turned many old-growth spruces and redwoods into millions of board feet of high-quality wood, degrading the habitats for forest owls. Just a few thousand spotted owls survive, and concern for them is well-warranted.

But lets not scapegoat barred owls because of human commerce and excess. Nor is it appropriate to blame barred owls for expanding their range in response to other human impacts on the environment, including climate change (range expansion is a naturally occurring ecological phenomenon, a core behavioral characteristic of birds and mammals).

Former U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services biologist Kent Livezey wrote in one peer-reviewed paper that 111 North American bird species have experienced recent range expansion, with 11 species moving even more widely than barred owls. One of 19 owl species native to North America, barred owls are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

No chance of success

By the agencys own estimates, even if the preferred plan is undertaken, conscripted hunters will try to pick off barred owls on 28% of the land area inhabited by spotted owls. But the government seems to have forgotten that owls can fly. Whats to stop the barred owls on the other 72% of land areas from simply flying in and reoccupying sites that were recently purged of their kind? Or how about in-migration from British Columbia?

Emigrants from Canada can easily hopscotch across tall trees and repopulate forest habitats in Washington and Oregon. Eric Forsman, a wildlife biologist and forest owl expert, told the Seattle Times that once you start killing barred owls, you can never stop.

His recommendation? Let the two species work it out.

The federal wildlife agency can provide no example in the history of American wildlife management where a wildlife-control plan covering such a vast, unbounded area has ever succeeded.

Its also going to break the bank, according to Livezey, who has studied both owl species in the Pacific Northwest. If the average cost to kill each barred owl (including training, vehicles, gas and staff wages) were only $500, the total cost would be $235,450,000 over the life of this project. The entire U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services endangered species recovery budget is about $100 million per year for a program to protect 1,600 species and subspecies.

Playing God in nature

Wild animals compete against one another. They breed with one another. They angle for prey and space. It happens within families, it happens within species, it happens between species. That competition animates ecological systems.

Is it realistic to think the federal government can micromanage these countless interactions? U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services previously documented that the great horned owl preys on spotted owls. Will that owl species be next on the hit list? Would the agency sign off on a plan, to flip the script, to conduct mass shootings of rare or abundant North American owls if they were predating on a highly endangered salamander? Will we start killing orcas along the Pacific Coast because they eat salmon, as theyve done for thousands of years, if the fish are now endangered?

The whole plan is myopic, looking too narrowly at a single-species response and sidestepping the arduous and more complex task of disentangling myriad human actions that have collectively put spotted owls in peril.

This is a case of the federal wildlife agency not seeing the forest for the trees.

Wayne Pacelle is president of Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy. Two of his books have been New York Times best-sellers.
Ukraine advances another 1-3 km, captures 2 more settlements in Russia's Kursk Oblast, Zelensky says

Ukrainian forces have advanced 1 to 3 kilometers in some areas of Russia's Kursk Oblast, further capturing two more settlements in the region, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his evening address on Aug. 25.

Zelensky, who received the information from Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi, did not detail which settlements were captured by Ukrainian forces, but did note that fighting is ongoing to capture one additional settlement.

Ukraine started its incursion into Russia's Kursk Oblast on Aug. 6.

As of Aug. 20, the Ukrainian military said it controlled 1,263 square kilometers (488 square miles) and 93 settlements, including the town of Sudzha. The numbers do not account for the additional advancements made up to Aug. 25, which have not yet been provided by Ukraine's military.

On Aug. 24, Zelensky said that Ukraine's operation in Russia's Kursk Oblast has helped prevent the occupation of neighboring Sumy Oblast and its regional center, the city of Sumy.

Zelensky positively assessed the operation's progress in Kursk Oblast, adding: "The operation is complex, it is important that it is going according to our plan."

The president said that he could not disclose all the goals and results of the operation, but one of them was to replenish stocks of Russian prisoners of war who can be exchanged for Ukrainian POWs in Russia.

The estimates of Russian captives, taken by Ukraine during the Kursk Oblast, ranging from several hundred to 2,000. Ukraine declined to provide a full number of Russian captives taken during the ongoing operation following the Kyiv Independent's request.

On Aug. 10, the Russian government announced a "counter-terrorist operation" in Bryansk, Kursk, and Belgorod oblasts, which border Ukraine, and began evacuations in these regions, including to Russian-occupied areas in Zaporizhzhia Oblast and Crimea.

Read also: Belarus gathering significant number of troops, weaponry along Ukraines border under guise of exercises, Ukraine says





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Ukraine's incursion through Russia's defences during the first major foreign invasion since World War II has exposed the Kremlin's seemingly imaginary red lines and revealed a passive and muted response from Russian ruler Vladimir Putin.

Source: The Washington Post

Quote: "Kyiv's lightning incursion into Kursk in western Russia this month slashed through the reddest line of all  a direct ground assault on Russia  yet Putin's response has so far been strikingly passive and muted, in sharp contrast to his rhetoric earlier in the war.

On day one of the invasion in February 2022, Putin warned that any country that stood in Russia's way would face consequences 'such as you have never seen in your entire history', a threat that seemed directed at countries that might arm Ukraine.

If Russia's territorial integrity were threatened, 'we will certainly use all the means at our disposal to protect Russia and our people. Its not a bluff,' he said a few months later in September. 'The citizens of Russia can be sure that the territorial integrity of our Motherland, our independence and freedom will be ensured  I emphasise this again  with all the means at our disposal,' making a clear reference to Russias nuclear weapons.

But Ukraine's punch through Russian defences in the first foreign invasion since World War II exposed Russias military flaws and laid bare Moscow's apparently illusory red lines."

Details: Some in the West are now questioning Washington's strategy towards Ukraine: "a slow, calibrated supply of weapons to Ukraine to avoid escalating tensions with Russia that critics argue has dashed Kyiv's chances of driving Russia out and resulted in a grinding war of attrition with massive casualties".

It is noted that Ukraine has repeatedly crossed Moscow's imaginary "red lines". In particular, the sinking of the Russian flagship Moskva, the explosion on the Crimean Bridge in 2022, drone attacks on the Kremlin and Moscow in 2023, the murder of propagandists on Russian territory and attacks on Russian strategic air bases.

In addition, the Western equipment used by Ukrainian forces was also once a "red line".

Many analysts believe that the US policy on military assistance to Ukraine should have been a shining example, but it remained timid.

An unnamed Russian academic, who spoke on condition of anonymity and has close ties to senior Moscow diplomats, said that the Russian leadership takes the use of US and Western weapons deep inside Russia "very seriously", but it is unclear whether a decision has been made on how to respond.

The Russian government is trying to downplay the significance of the Ukrainian incursion and the failure of its military leadership.

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Ukrainian air defenses shot down eight of nine Shahed combat drones launched by Russia overnight, Ukraine's Air Force reported on the morning of Aug. 25.

In a post on Telegram, Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk said one ballistic missile and seven cruise missiles were also launched at Ukraine overnight but "most of the missiles did not reach their targets."

Ukrainian officials reported explosions in the cities of Kharkiv and Chuhuiv.

Kharkiv Oblast Governor Oleh Syniehubov said three people were injured in Kharkiv, and four in Chuhuiv, though none seriously.

Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said a private house had been damaged during the attack.

Throughout 2024, Russian attacks on critical infrastructure have increasingly targeted Ukrainian energy facilities. Ukraine began implementing rolling blackouts on May 15.

Read also: How Ukraines military has changed since it last paraded through the streets of Kyiv

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Drone described by Ukraine as a completely new class of weapon hits Russia for the first time

The Palianytsia is a highly manoeuvrable, fast drone fitted with a jet engine and powerful warhead

Ukraine has used a new class of domestically-produced drone to attack Russia for the first time, Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed on Saturday.

The Ukrainian president described the Palianytsia drone-missile as a completely new class of weapon that will pound targets inside Russia until Vladimir Putin withdraws his troops from Ukraine.

Palianytsia, which means a loaf of bread in Ukrainian and is hard for Russians to pronounce properly, is described as a highly manoeuvrable, fast drone that has been fitted with a jet engine and a powerful warhead.

The word Palianytsia has been used as a password at Ukrainian checkpoints, given Russian soldiers struggles to enunciate the term.

Jet propulsion makes the Palianytsia missile-drone superfast and deadly quiet - Max Glushak

Kyiv, which has been investing heavily in domestic drone production, hopes the weapon will now similarly befuddle Russian defences.

This is our new method of retaliation against the aggressor, Mr Zelensky said, as he thanked the developers behind the project in a speech to mark Ukraines Independence Day. The enemy will be defeated.

Overnight, witnesses of a Ukrainian drone strike on an ammunition depot in the Voronezh border region of Russia recorded hearing the rumble of a jet engine rather than the usual whirr of a propeller.

Oleksandr Kamyshin, Ukraines minister of strategic industries, confirmed that this was the Palianytsia drone missile making its debut.

We eagerly awaited the moment when we could demonstrate its effectiveness to the enemy. Finally, this moment has arrived, he said.

While little is yet known about the exact specifications of the drone, Ukrainian engineers have been developing the Palianytsia all year as the next-generation weapon of their drone programme.

Ukrainian drones have been credited with helping to turn the momentum of the war by pounding Russias Black Sea Fleet in occupied Crimea, sending back battlefield images of the Donbas front line and striking targets across Russia from the Arctic to Siberia.

In his speech on Saturday, Mr Zelensky once again said Ukraine would only agree to peace with Russia if it regained all its lost territory.

Reports had speculated that Kyiv might agree to cede some of the four regions currently occupied by Moscow in exchange for peace.

But Mr Zelensky was defiant, as his army continued to hold a large swathe of Russian land in the Kursk region.

'The enemy will be defeated,' said Volodymyr Zelensky during the 33rd Independence Day ceremony at Saint Sophia Square, Kyiv - Sergei Chuzavkov/AFP via Getty

Lets say, our partners lose heart and do not stand firmly and steadfastly against Putins aggression and against him as a thief, we will do everything we can to ensure that our armed forces are ready to rightfully push Putin out of our country, he said.

Mr Zelensky also hailed a prisoner swap deal with Russia on Saturday, the first since his forces invasion of Kursk Russian and Ukrainian officials swapped 115 prisoners each in a deal negotiated by the United Arab Emirates.

We are searching and doing our best to get everyone back, he said.

Ukrainian servicemen gather round a pickup truck in Pokrovsk as they prepare to defend the town from Russian forces - Thomas Peter/Reuters

On Saturday, social media videos showed Ukrainian soldiers raising their flag in another village in the Kursk region, backing up Ukrainian estimates that they have now captured around 500 square miles of Russian territory and 93 settlements since Aug 6, when it launched the first invasion of Russia since the Second World War.

But while Ukrainian forces are taking ground in the Kursk region, reports from the front line in the eastern Donbas region showed Russian forces on the offensive.

Russian military bloggers said that Putins armies were closing in on the town of Pokrovsk which is considered a key logistics hub for the Ukrainian army as it lies on railway and road intersections.

The Two Majors, a well-connected Russian military blogging Telegram channel, said that they were close to capturing a village close to Pokrovsk.

The Ukrainian armed forces are losing positions in Karlovka. The Russian army is moving towards Mirnograd and Pokrovsk, it said.

There have also been reports for the first time in a few months that frontline Ukrainian forces are running low on ammunition and have reintroduced rationing.

Mr Zelensky used his nightly Telegram message to Ukrainians on Friday to admonish allies for being slow to deliver military aid because his armies need shells and ammunition now, not tomorrow or soon.

Ukrainian officials also said that a Russian missile attack on the town of Kostiantynivka, near Bakmut, killed five civilians on Saturday.

04:59 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.

04:47 PM BST

Ukraine and Russia exchange first prisoners since Kursk invasion

Russia and Ukraine announced Saturday they had exchanged 115 prisoners of war each, just over two weeks after Kyiv launched a surprise incursion into Russias Kursk region.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said another 115 of our defenders have returned home today, while Moscows defence ministry said: As a result of a negotiation process, 115 Russian servicemen taken prisoner in the Kursk region have been returned from territories controlled by the Kyiv regime.

Mr Zelensky previously said the Russian soldiers captured in the Kursk region are considered an exchange fund, and that he hopes they can be swapped for some of the roughly 6,5000 Ukrainian soldiers that Moscow says it holds.

The majority of those taken are also understood to be young Russian conscripts. Conscription is a politically sensitive issue in Russia  particularly as Vladimir Putin previously promised conscripts would not take part in active combat  and it appears that Ukraine is now leveraging the thorny issue to its advantage.

04:43 PM BST

Hungarys foreign minister accuses EU of disrupting oil supplies from Russia

Hungarys foreign minister has said that the European Commissions decision not to mediate in a dispute over blocked oil supplies from Russia via Ukraine suggested that Brussels was behind the stoppage.

Hungary and its neighbour Slovakia have been protesting since Ukraine put Russian oil producer Lukoil on a sanctions list in June, stopping that companys oil from passing through Ukrainian territory to Slovak and Hungarian refineries.

The assertion from Hungarys Peter Szijjarto, which he made without providing evidence, came a day after the European Commission declined a request from Hungary and Slovakia for it to mediate between them and Ukraine over the sanctions.

The fact that the European Commission declared that it was unwilling to help to secure the energy supply of Hungary and Slovakia suggests that the order was sent from Brussels to Kyiv to cause challenges and problems in the energy supply of Hungary and Slovakia, Mr Szijjarto said.

04:34 PM BST

Scholz reaffirms Germanys unwavering solidarity to Ukraine

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has reaffirmed Berlins continued and unwavering solidarity with Ukraine in spite of a budget reduction for military aid to Kyiv next year, his office said.

In a telephone call with Volodymyr Zelensky, Mr Scholz reaffirmed the continued and unwavering solidarity with Ukraine in the face of Russias ongoing aggression, according to a readout of the phone call released by his office.

04:21 PM BST

War can only end with restoration of Ukraines territorial integrity, says Zelensky

President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Russias invasion can only end with the restoration of Ukraines territorial integrity and the prevention of future Russian aggression.

Speaking on the countrys thirty-third Independence Day, Mr Zelensky said: The war can only end with the restoration of Ukraines territorial integrity and the prevention of further aggression from Putin and Russia.

He continued: We will do everything in our power to compel Putin to end this war diplomatically in order to minimise our losses, first and foremost in terms of people and time. But if we are unable to do so we will do everything we can to ensure that our Armed Forces are ready to rightfully push Putin out of our country.

His statement comes after some recent reports had suggested that the Ukrainian president was beginning to consider negotiations with Moscow.

04:13 PM BST

Pictured: Ukraines Independence Day

Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky gives a speech to mark the country's 33rd Independence Day - Ukrainian Presidential Press Servic

The names of fallen service members at the Independence Square - REUTERS/Gleb Garanich TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

Independence Square in Kyiv - REUTERS/Gleb Garanich

03:48 PM BST

Zelensky briefs Germanys Scholz on battlefield situation

President Volodymyr Zelensky said that he briefed Germanys Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Saturday on the battlefield situation after Ukraines incursion into Russias Kursk region and that they discussed the need for air defence and armored vehicles.

03:11 PM BST

Polish president says Ukraine will soon win war against Russia

Polish president Andrzej Duda speaks during a joint press conference with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky - REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko

In his speech on Ukraines Independence Day in Kyiv, Polish president Andrzej Duda expressed confidence that Ukraine would be able to defend its freedom and that the war will soon end in [Ukraines] victory.

I have never had, and do not have, the slightest doubt that, through their united efforts and struggle, the courageous Ukrainian people will uphold their independence. Although Ukraine is currently battling the Russian aggressor, fiercely fighting for its independence, I am confident that the war will soon conclude with the triumph of freedom over tyranny. Out of the darkness of war and the devastation of scorched territories, a new world will emerge, Mr Duda said.

02:45 PM BST

Watch: Ukraine and Russia exchange first prisoners since Kursk invasion

02:32 PM BST

50 soldiers captured from Azovstal steelworks among freed Ukrainian POWs

Ukraine said the 115 servicemen who were freed were conscripts, many of whom were taken prisoner in the first months of Russias invasion.

Among them are nearly 50 soldiers captured by Russian forces from the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol.

Another 115 of our defenders have returned home today. These are warriors of the National Guard, the Armed Forces, the Navy, and the State Border Guard Service.



We remember everyone. We are searching for them and making every effort to bring them all back.



I am grateful to each pic.twitter.com/XiMAeANsOd  Volodymyr Zelenskyy /   (@ZelenskyyUa) August 24, 2024

02:17 PM BST

Zelensky says Kyiv seeks to force Putin to end the war through diplomacy

President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday that Ukraine would do everything to force Russian president Vladimir Putin to end the war through diplomacy.

Asked how he sees the end of the war with Russia which is nearing its 30th month, Mr Zelensky reiterated his position that Ukraines territorial integrity should be restored.

01:41 PM BST

Kyiv says struck ammunition depot in Russias Voronezh region

Ukraine said Saturday it had carried out an attack on a Russian ammunition depot in the southern Russian region of Voronezh.

On August 24, the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU) servicemen successfully struck a field ammunition depot located near Ostrogozk, Voronezh region of Russia, Ukraines military intelligence agency said.

01:36 PM BST

Kursk operation was to prevent Russian attacks on Sumy, Zelensky says

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Saturday that Ukraines operation in the Kursk region was a preventive strike to stop Russian attacks in the north and towards the regional city of Sumy.

Mr Zelensky told a news conference the operation in Kursk was difficult but he viewed its progress positively.

01:36 PM BST

Watch: Russians pay respect to mercenary leader Prigozhin one year after his death in aircrash

01:23 PM BST

Ukraine will soon be able to attack any part of Russia, says Zelensky

Volodymyr Zelensky addressing the nation on the Independence Day of Ukraine - UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE/AFP via Getty Images



Volodymyr Zelensky has warned that Ukraine will soon be able to attack any point of the Russian federation that is a source of danger to his country and people.

Speaking in a 13-minute Ukrainian Independence Day video address  that was said to be recorded in the border area from where Kyiv launched its surprise incursion into Russia  Mr Zelensky said that Russia wanted to destroy Ukraine but war has returned to its home.

Our enemy will know what the Ukrainian way of retaliation is. They will know that, sooner or later, a Ukrainian response will reach any point in the Russian federation that is a source of danger to the life of our state or our people, he said.

Mr Zelensky continued: And the one who wanted to turn our land into a buffer zone should think about preventing his country from becoming a buffer federation.

12:40 PM BST

Pictured: Zelensky on Independence Day

Volodymyr Zelensky and his wife Olena attending an interfaith service on the occasion of Independence Day of Ukraine - Ukrainian Presidential Press Service

Volodymyr Zelensky and his wife Olena walking along an alley dedicated to the memory of the fallen warriors to lay flowers at the Wall of Remembrance - UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE/AFP via Getty Images

12:34 PM BST

More on prisoner exchange

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said another 115 of our defenders have returned home today, while Moscows defence ministry said: As a result of a negotiation process, 115 Russian servicemen taken prisoner in the Kursk region have been returned from territories controlled by the Kyiv regime.

12:01 PM BST

Russia and Ukraine exchange 115 prisoners each

Russia and Ukraine have exchanged 115 prisoners of war from each side after the United Arab Emirates acted as an intermediary, the Russian state-run news agency has reported.

The exchanged Russian servicemen, captured by Ukraine during its incursion into the Kursk region, are now on the territory of Belarus, the Russian Defence ministry said.

It is the seventh such exchange the UAE has mediated since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. Abu Dhabi, a close security partner of the United States, has maintained warm relations with Moscow throughout the war, frustrating some Western officials. It has also strengthened ties with Kyiv.

Posting on social media, the UAE foreign ministry said: 230 captives released following the seventh UAE mediation effort between Russia and Ukraine.

Ukraine has not yet commented.

11:48 AM BST

Russian attack kills five people in eastern Ukraine town, governor says

A Russian attack killed at least five civilians and wounded five others on Saturday in the eastern Ukrainian town of Kostiantynivka, a regional governor said.

Vadym Filashkin, governor of the Donetsk region, said rescuers and police were working at the scene of the attack, which took place early on Saturday.

I urge you all again: take care of yourselves, evacuate, Mr Filashkin wrote on the Telegram messaging app, without giving further details about the attack.

Kostiantynivka is located close to the active combat zone in Donetsk, where Russian forces have been inching forward for months.

The Russian advance quickened in recent weeks as Moscows troops are mounting relentless attacks in the direction of the strategic logistics hub of Pokrovsk.

11:41 AM BST

Ukraine uses new domestic-made drone missile for first time

The Ukrainian army has attacked the Russian army with a new weapon, the Palianytsia drone missile, for the first time.

Speaking about the weapon on Ukrainian Independence Day, Volodymyr Zelensky said: This is our new method of retaliation against the aggressor. The enemy has been defeated. I thank everyone who made it possible. All developers, manufacturers and our soldiers. I am proud of you.

11:23 AM BST

Pictured: Ukrainian servicemen train with FPV drones

Ukrainian servicemen conduct a training flight with a first-person view drone - GENYA SAVILOV/AFP via Getty Images

11:10 AM BST

Russia destroys museum of Ukrainian anarchist revolutionary

Russia has destroyed the memorial museum of Nestor Makhno, a Ukrainian anarchist revolutionary and the commander of the Revolutionary Insurgent Army of Ukraine during the Ukrainian War of Independence, according to the countrys Ministry of Interior.

The building caught fire and burned to the ground as a result of a missile strike, in Huliaipole, Zaporizhzhia Oblast.

10:52 AM BST

Russia and Ukraine set to swap 115 prisoners

Russia and Ukraine are set to exchange 115 prisoners today following mediation from the United Arab Emirates, an Emirati official told Reuters.

It would be the first such prisoner swap between the countries since the Ukrainian military launched its offensive inside Russia on August 6.

10:39 AM BST

Pictured: Fire at ammunition depot in Russian city

Fire at an ammunition depot in the Russian city of Ostrogozhsk - X

10:28 AM BST

Pentagon reveals details of new US military aid package to Ukraine

The US Department of Defense has announced details of a new $125 million package of US aid for Ukraine, which includes air defence equipment, ammunition for missile systems and artillery, and anti-tank weapons.

This announcement is the Biden Administrations sixty-fourth tranche of equipment to be provided from Department of Defense inventories for Ukraine since August 2021.

As Ukraine prepares to celebrate its Independence Day on August 24  more than two and a half years since the Kremlin launched its full-scale invasion  the United States and the international coalition of some 50 Allies and partners remain committed to supporting Ukraines brave defenders that continue to fight against Russian aggression, the Pentagon statement said.

10:15 AM BST

Ukrainian forces continue to advance near Sudzha

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) has confirmed the advance of Ukrainian troops near the town of Sudzha in Russias Kursk Oblast.

Ukrainian forces continued to marginally advance near Sudzha amid continued Ukrainian operations in Kursk Oblast on 23 August, the ISW said in a statement.

10:00 AM BST

Watch: Zelenskys Independence Day address

Ukraine. Our land. Given by God. Kissed by the sun. Rocked by the winds. Tempered by fire. Defended by its sons and daughters.

It cannot be mistaken for anything else.

It can never be given away to anyone.

Happy Independence Day of Ukraine! pic.twitter.com/LwnRAjnZnc  Volodymyr Zelenskyy /   (@ZelenskyyUa) August 24, 2024

09:48 AM BST

Zelensky signs law on Ukraine ratifying Rome Statute

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has signed a law on Ukraine ratifying the Rome Statute, allowing the country to join the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The law published on the parliaments website was also a key to Ukraines efforts to move closer to the European Union.

09:41 AM BST

Zelensky signs law banning Russia-linked Ukrainian Orthodox Church

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday signed a law banning the Moscow-linked Orthodox Church in Ukraine with the decision published on Ukraines parliament website.

The bill approved by parliament earlier this month created the legal tools for the government to ban activities of a Russia-linked branch of the Orthodox church and paved the way for a historic rupture with an institution that Kyiv has accused of complicity in Moscows invasion of Ukraine.

Mr Zelensky approved the bill, slammed by Russia, on Kyivs independence day from the Soviet Union and two and a half years into Russias invasion of Ukraine.

The Ukrainian leader said the move will strengthen his countrys independence and in an address on Saturday declared: Ukrainian Orthodox (church) today is taking a step towards liberation from Moscows devils.

09:33 AM BST

Keir Starmer tells Ukrainians the UK will back them today and always

Sir Keir Starmer has told Ukrainians the UK will back them "today and always", as Kyiv marks 33 years since it declared independence from the Soviet Union - Richard Pohle/The Times

Sir Keir Starmer has told Ukrainians the UK will back them today and always, as Kyiv marks 33 years since it declared independence from the Soviet Union.

My message to all Ukrainians, whether on the front line or here in your second home in the UK, is crystal clear: we are with you today and always, Sir Keir said.

That is what I told President Zelensky when he sat at our Cabinet table and where, on behalf of the British people, I outlined that it is not just the British government thats behind Ukraine  its all of us.

We are with you for as long as it takes.

Slava Ukraini, he said, a national salute in the country, which translates to glory to Ukraine.

09:12 AM BST

EU review does not recommend sending military trainers to Ukraine for now

The EUs diplomatic service has called on member states to better adapt a military training mission for Ukraine to Kyivs needs but stopped short of recommending the bloc send military instructors to the war-torn country, German weekly Welt am Sonntag reported on Saturday.

The EUMAM mission, launched in November 2022, has trained some 60,000 Ukrainian troops mainly in Poland and Germany and is set to be extended by another two years once the current mandate runs out in mid-November.

It is imperative to train AFU (Ukraine) soldiers on the same equipment that they will use later in combat, the report cited a review of the mission by the EUs diplomatic service as saying.

Kyiv asked the EU in May to conduct some training on Ukrainian soil but member states are divided with sceptics warning that the bloc could be drawn into the war and raising doubts about Kyivs ability to protect training sites against Russian attacks.

The EU review said Kyivs request could be met by opening the possibility to deploy some EUMAM instructors to Ukrainian training facilities, in a discrete form, far from the battlefield and possibly in the western part of the country, although it did not recommend that they be sent.

09:09 AM BST

Russia declares emergency in part of Voronezh region after drone attack

Russia has declared a state of emergency in part of the Voronezh region bordering Ukraine after an overnight drone attack, local governor Alexander Gusev said in his Telegram channel.

According to Mr Gusev, Russian forces intercepted five drones. Falling debris ignited a fire, leading to the detonation of explosive materials.

The incident damaged no civilian buildings, but prompted authorities to impose emergency measures in three settlements in the Ostrogozhsky district and evacuate 200 people, he said.
Ukraine says it used its new long-range 'Palianytsia' rocket drone for the first time as it targets air bases deep inside Russia

Ukraine says it used its new long-range 'Palianytsia' rocket drone for the first time as it targets air bases deep inside Russia

Ukraine said it had used a new long-range rocket-drone hybrid for the first time.

The "Palianytsia" is designed to target Russian aircraft stationed at air bases inside Russia.

A video shared by Zelenskyy suggested it may be able to hit targets 400 miles inside Russia.

Ukraine says it has used a new long-range rocket-drone hybrid designed to hit targets deep inside Russia for the first time.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shared a video on X on Sunday from the government-backed United24 platform detailing the "Palianytsia" weapon, which he said made a "successful" combat debut on Saturday.

While many of the Palianytsia's specifications are classified, the video seems to suggest that it could be used to hit targets as far away as Russia's Savasleyka air base in the region of Nizhny Novgorod and Soltsy air base in the Novgorod region  both about 400 miles from the Ukrainian border.

The video says "two dozen" Russian military airfields are within the rocket drone's range. It adds that it uses a turbojet engine and is fired from a ground-launch platform.

"In the two and a half years of full-scale war, Russia has launched about 10,000 missiles of various types and more than 33,000 glide bombs at Ukraine," Zelenskyy wrote in his post on X. "Stopping attacks on our cities can be achieved by targeting the carriers of this weaponry  Russian aircraft stationed at military air bases."

The Palianytsia "was designed domestically to destroy the enemy's offensive potential," he said, adding: "The number of rocket drones production will grow just like our long-range strike drones production did, whose efficiency we see almost daily."

Should the Palianytsia's suggested range prove accurate, the system's arrival on the battlefield may be particularly timely for Ukraine's forces.

While Ukraine is not allowed to use Western-supplied weaponry to strike targets deep inside Russian territory, recent Russian moves could mean that such weapons would be rendered ineffective even if the West were to change policy.

One unnamed Biden administration official told Politico earlier this week that Russia had moved targets out of range of the missiles donated by the Western allies, like the Storm Shadow or Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS).

An unnamed senior administration official added that "90% of the planes that launch glide bombs" from Russian airspace had already been relocated out of range of those missiles, Politico reported.

The ATACMS can reach 300km (186 miles), while the Storm Shadow missile can reach about 250km (155 miles).

The Institute for the Study of War said it had "observed confirmation of redeployments of Russian aircraft to airfields out of range of Western-provided long-range weapons."

An ATACMS launch. Ukraine Armed Forces

While Western limits remain in force, Ukraine has resorted to using relatively cheap, domestically-produced drones to carry out long-range attacks on Russian territory.

Ukrainian forces have claimed some notable long-distance hits on Russian aircraft in recent months, including on a Russian Tu-22M3 supersonic bomber at Olenya airbase in Murmansk, 1,100 miles inside Russia.

As well as inflicting damage on Russia's offensive capabilities, Ukraine's long-range strikes are also likely designed to pressure Russian air defenses and spread fear among locals, experts previously told Business Insider.

The new rocket drone comes as Ukraine continues its counteroffensive in Russia's Kursk territory.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Key developments on Aug. 25:

Ukraine's new Palianytsia missile-drone pictured for first time

1 journalist killed, 6 others injured in Kramatorsk strike

Belarus gathering significant number of troops, weaponry along Ukraine's border 'under guise of exercises,' Kyiv says

4 dead, 13 wounded during Russian strikes on Sumy Oblast on Aug. 24

Latest prisoner exchange did not include any Azov soldiers, brigade commander says

Ukraine has released the first images of its new Palianytsia missile-drone, designed to strike Russian military airfields and "destroy the enemy's offensive potential."

The first successful use of the new weapon was confirmed by President Volodymyr Zelensky during his Independence Day speech on Aug. 24, and a new video posted on his social media on Aug. 25 has provided further details of the project.

The video begins by highlighting that Russia has launched "43,000 types of various missiles and glide bombs at Ukraine" during the full-scale war, from airfields located deep within Russian territory.

"One of the most effective ways to counter this is to strike at the carriers of these weapons  Russian aircraft at military airfields," it adds.

In the two and a half years of full-scale war, Russia has launched about 10,000 missiles of various types and more than 33,000 glide bombs at Ukraine. Stopping attacks on our cities can be achieved by targeting the carriers of this weaponryRussian aircraft stationer at military pic.twitter.com/mzisamRWd8  Volodymyr Zelenskyy /   (@ZelenskyyUa) August 25, 2024

Ukraine has been prohibited from using Western-supplied weapons to attack targets this far inside Russia, forcing Ukraine to produce its own versions.

"And here are the first results  introducing Palianytsia, a Ukrainian long-range rocket drone," the video says.

The name of the new weapon is hugely symbolic  as well as referring to a type of traditional Ukrainian bread, the word "palianytsia" is famoulsy difficult for Russians to pronounce correctly. There's been at least one report of it being used by Ukrainians to identify a Russian agent.

The video says that "almost everything about (the Palianytsia) is classified," but does reveal some new information.

"Two dozen Russian military airfields are within its strike range," it says, adding: "The entire development was completed in an incredibly short period  in just a year-and-a-half."

It also reveals the weapon is powered by a turbojet engine and is launched from a ground platform, rather than fighter jets. It also claims the cost of the weapon is significantly less than its counterparts.

"The motivation is significant  the sooner Palianytsia is ready, the more lives it can protect, and the less suffering the civilian population will endure," the video ends with.

Read also: Kursk operation: What Ukraine achieved so far and potential future gains

1 journalist killed, 6 others injured in Kramatorsk strike

One British journalist has been killed, and another six people have been injured in a Russian missile attack on Kramatorsk that occurred late at night on Aug. 24, Ukraine's National Police confirmed.

Four of the injured are Reuters journalists, including a Ukrainian and foreigners from the U.S., Latvia, and Germany, the National Police confirmed. Two of the injured journalists required hospitalization.

Another two local female residents were also injured by shelling during the attack.

The body of a 40-year-old British journalist was pulled out of the rubble at 6:35 p.m. on Aug. 25 after a 19-hour search.

In a statement, Reuters said a six-person team had been staying at the Hotel Sapphire when it was hit by "an apparent missile strike. " Ukraine's General Prosecutor's Office said the attack happened around 10:35 p.m. on Aug. 24.

"One of our colleagues is unaccounted for, while another two have been taken to hospital for treatment," Reuters previously said.

"Three other colleagues have been accounted for. We are urgently seeking more information, working with the authorities in Kramatorsk, and supporting our colleagues and their families. We will give an update when we have more information."

Read also: Stranded Russian troops in Kursk Oblast could top-up Ukraines POW fund, experts say

Belarus gathering significant number of troops, weaponry along Ukraine's border 'under guise of exercises,' Kyiv says

The Belarusian Armed Forces are "concentrating a significant number of personnel" as well as weaponry along its southern border with Ukraine "under the guise of exercises," Ukraine's Foreign Ministry warned on Aug. 25, citing information gathered by the country's intelligence sources.

Minsk is concentrating Special Operations Forces, as well as weaponry, including tanks, artillery, multiple-launch rocket systems (MLRS), air defense systems, and engineering equipment near the Belarusian city of Homel, a statement released by the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said. The city lies within about 30 kilometers of the Belarus-Ukraine border.

The Foreign Ministry noted that some former Wagner PMC troops were also present in the area.

Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko previously said he had sent a third of the nation's army to the border this summer. Lukashenko claimed the buildup of troops along the border was the result of a misunderstanding between Belarus and Ukraine.

Belarusian Air Defense Forces Commander, Maj. Gen. Andrey Lukyanovich, said on Aug. 19 that the country deployed additional air defense troops and aircraft to its border with Ukraine.

On Aug. 25, the Foreign Ministry warned Belarus "not to make tragic mistakes for their country under Moscow's pressure," and to immediately withdraw forces away from Ukraine's border.

"We warn that in case of a violation of Ukraine's state border by Belarus, our state will take all necessary measures to exercise the right to self-defense guaranteed by the UN Charter," the Foreign Ministry said in its statement.

"All troop concentrations, military facilities, and supply routes in Belarus will become legitimate targets for the Armed Forces of Ukraine," the statement continued.

Ukraine's Foreign Ministry additionally warned that Belarusian troops conducting exercises close to the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant, would pose "a threat to the national security of Ukraine and global security."

Belarus is Russias closest ally and hosts Russian troops and missiles. However, the Belarusian army is not currently directly involved in the invasion of Ukraine.

Read also: How Ukraines military has changed since it last paraded through the streets of Kyiv

4 dead, 13 wounded during Russian strikes on Sumy Oblast on Aug. 24

Russian forces struck Sumy Oblast 261 times on Aug. 24, killing four people and injuring 13, the police said on Aug. 25.

"On the territory of the oblast, six apartment buildings, 26 private residential buildings, an educational institution building, farm buildings, cars, a gas pipeline, and shops were damaged, and a dry area of about 2 hectares caught fire," tbe Sumy Oblast Police added in a statement.

Law enforcement did not provide further details on those killed or injured.

Sumy Oblast residents are subjected to daily attacks on the region. The security situation in Sumy Oblast became more tense with the start of Ukraine's cross-border incursion into neighboring Kursk Oblast in Russia, which began on Aug. 6.

Sumy Oblast borders Russia's Bryansk, Kursk, and Belgorod oblasts. Civilians in Sumy Oblast within 20 kilometers (12 miles) of the border with Kursk Oblast are now subject to restrictions on movement due to increasing Russian attacks, according to the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces.

Read also: Kursk counteroffensive shakes main pillar of Putins power grip, retired US general says

Latest prisoner exchange did not include any Azov soldiers, brigade commander says

Azov Regiment commander Denys Prokopenko criticized the recent prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine, expressing disappointment that none of the Azov fighters, who have been in Russian captivity for over two years, were included.

He accused Ukrainian authorities of failing to deliver on their promises, despite having significant negotiating power.

Prokopenko said that Ukraine's Independence Day should be a time to show gratitude to those who defended the country, especially the Azov fighters who fought fiercely in Mariupol against all odds.

"Ukraine has failed this test of gratitude today. The task has not been fulfilled," Prokopenko wrote on X.

"What are all the pompous words spoken today worth if none of the 900 loyal to Ukraine servicemen who are being treated the absolute worst in Russian captivity have been returned home?"

President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed on Aug. 24 that 115 Ukrainian soldiers were brought back from Russian captivity.

Soldiers from the National Guard, army, navy, and State Border Guard Service were among those returned to Ukraine.

It was the 55th such prisoner exchange, said Lubinets. In total, 3,520 Ukrainian POWs have been brought back home since the beginning of the full-scale war, he added.

Read also: Face-to-face with Russians in Ukrainian-occupied Kursk Oblast

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Ukraine's Foreign Ministry calls on world to punish Russia for attack on Kramatorsk where journalists were injured

Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has called for the punishment of Russia for the attack on Kramatorsk on Saturday, which resulted in the injury of foreign media journalists.

Source: Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi on X (Twitter); European Pravda, citing Reuters

Details: He noted that targeted attacks on media personalities have become a systematic military tactic of Russia. The spokesperson also published a video with the consequences of the attack.

Quote from the spokesperson: "Another heinous and deliberate Russian strike hit Kramatorsk's residential areas last night, injuring foreign media journalists in a hotel... These barbaric war crimes must be condemned, prosecuted, and punished."

Details: Reuters reported that one member of the agency's team covering the war in Ukraine went missing as a result of the Russian strike, and two others were taken to hospital. In total, a team of six Reuters members was staying at the Sapphire Hotel, which was hit by the shelling.

Earlier, it was reported that Polish journalist Monika Andruszewska, who has been covering the war in Ukraine since 2014, was injured in the attack. She was driving a car near the site of the missile strike. Recently, Andruszewska has been documenting Russia's war crimes on the territory of Ukraine and providing assistance to the Ukrainian army.

Vadym Filashkin, the Head of the Donetsk Oblast Military Administration, said that three people were injured in the Russian attack  journalists, citizens of Ukraine, the United States and the United Kingdom.

At night, Russian forces attacked a hotel in Kramatorsk. The prosecutor's office reports that Russian troops allegedly hit the area with an Iskander-M missile.

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KYIV (Reuters) -Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said negotiations were ongoing with Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey and Switzerland regarding the second summit on peace in a conversation with Indian journalists shared on his social media on Sunday.

Zelenskiy also said he had told India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi that he would support India hosting the second summit on peace as Kyiv hopes to find a host among the countries in the Global South.

"But I want to be frank, and this applies not only to India, but to any state that would be positive about hosting a second summit. We will not be able to hold a peace summit in a country that has not yet joined the peace summit communique," Zelenskiy said.

The Ukrainian president added that he discussed all of the points from the communique and previous peace summit during the meeting with Modi on Friday.

(Reporting by Anastasiia Malenko; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE)  This year marks the 33rd year of Ukraines independence, but as the Ukrainian community in East Tennessee came together, they reflected on their ongoing war with Russia.

You will go to bed and youre not sure if you will wake up the next day, said Olena Korotych.

Korotych started a nonprofit organization koloHUB shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine in Febuary 2022. Coming off a recent trip to there, she said despite the invasion, Ukrainians remain unbroken.

Man charged in death of woman found after Athens church fire

But it still was admiring for me, as the spirit of Ukraine and unbroken, she said, It is really incredible and inspiring and it is motivating and helps me to do more to help Ukraine.

Through koloHUB, Korotych sends money and supplies to aid Ukrainian troops and civilians. However, she says she couldnt do it without the help of her East Tennessee community.

She can see everything whats going on with her own eyes over there and bring everything here to share with people, said a recent volunteer, Rita Gregory.

Both Gregory, and Korotych said many of the Ukrainians in East Tennessee still have family across the globe.

Knoxville woman wakes up to find unknown man inside home

Rita Gregory recalled her parents home in Donetsk being destroyed Saturday. She said it was always a dream of hers to show her children her home town.

My school, my parents house, got completely destroyed today, and to be with community right now, its hard because all people, Ukrainian people, have a huge stress and we understand that we should unite together as much as we can, she said.

Starting with celebrating Ukraines independence.

Im so fortunate to see Ukraine actually be independent, and before the war  thriving, said Marina Gregory.

Marina Gregory recently moved to East Tennessee from Kyiv in 2023. She said she left the country to finish high school in Tennessee, and events like this one help her feel more connected to her community.

And actually speaking to another person who on a deeper level who understands me and has also lived through some events that Ive lived through, she said.

 See more top stories on WATE.com

They said they remain optimistic for Ukraine, and will continue to help them fight.

When it seems like there is nothing can change, Ukraine progress and finds a solution how to continue fighting and how to change the strategy in order to secure the victory, said Korotych.

To find out more about their non-profit koloHUB or how to get involved you can visit their website here.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WATE 6 On Your Side.
Ukrainian defenders destroy 8 Shahed UAVs and prevent Russian missiles from "reaching their targets"

Eight Shahed-type loitering munitions have been shot down. Photo: Ukraine's Air Force

Russian forces targeted frontline Ukrainian oblasts with missiles of various types and launched loitering munitions on the night of 24-25 August.

Source: Lieutenant General Mykola Oleshchuk, Commander of Ukraine's Air Force

Quote: "Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, and Donetsk oblasts have been attacked. The enemy used surface-to-surface missiles from Voronezh and Rostov oblasts: an Iskander-K cruise missile and an Iskander-M ballistic missile; six Kh-59/Kh-69 air-to-surface missiles were launched from the airspace of Kursk and Belgorod oblasts.

Most of the missiles failed to reach their targets due to active countermeasures by Ukraine's defence forces."

Details: In addition, Russian forces launched 9 Shahed-type loitering munitions from Cape Chauda in occupied Crimea.

Eight Shaheds were shot down by mobile fire groups in Mykolaiv Oblast.

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An unprecedented legal move could let Trump delay his hush-money sentencing until after Election Day

Trump's hush-money sentencing is scheduled for September 18 in Manhattan.

But his lawyers plan to throw a monkey wrench that could delay things until well after Election Day.

That legal maneuver is massive and has a name: presidential immunity.

Donald Trump's rap sheet is a work in progress these days.

Under the former president's current court schedule, he will greet Election Day as a sentenced felon.

But legal scholars predict Trump is about to use his new presidential immunity powers to execute an unprecedented legal maneuver, one that will delay his hush-money sentencing, now set for September 18, until well after voters cast their ballots.

Two days before his sentencing, Trump, they predict, will seek something never before allowed in the appellate courts in New York or in most states for that matter: an interlocutory appeal.

Interlocutory is just a fancy, legal term for the kind of appeal that is filed before a case wraps up on the trial-court level.

Former Manhattan prosecutors and judges have told Business Insider that New York's criminal procedure law simply does not allow the kind of pre-sentence, interlocutory appeal Trump is already signaling he plans to seek, one that challenges the admissibility of the evidence used against him.

Defendants only get to appeal their convictions after, not before, sentencing, according to experts in New York trial and appellate law.

"That's black letter law," meaning well-established and beyond dispute, former Manhattan financial crimes prosecutor John Moscow told BI.

But Trump's lawyers have something up their sleeves they say trumps black letter, state-level law: a shiny new, big ol' legal monkey wrench called presidential immunity.

Donald Trump and attorney Todd Blanche in the hallway outside his Manhattan hush-money trial. Justin Lane/Getty Images

A battle over immunity

The US Supreme Court last month found that a president's official acts cannot be used against him in a criminal prosecution. Trump now says that's just what happened, improperly, when he was convicted of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to hide a 2016 election-eve hush-money payment to porn actress Stormy Daniels.

Trump has asked his trial judge, state Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan, to toss the entire case on that basis. He's arguing that some of the evidence used against him involved official acts from his first and second years in office, including an incriminating conversation he had about the hush-money payment with former White House advisor Hope Hicks.

Manhattan prosecutors have countered that any official-act evidence was inconsequential  "a sliver of the mountains of testimony and documentary proof" as they put it court papers  and so the conviction should stand.

Merchan has promised a written decision on September 16, just two days before the scheduled sentencing.

Trump attempted a last-minute end run around Merchan on August 29, asking a federal judge in Manhattan to take over the hush-money case. The effort  Trump's second federal removal bid  was quickly rejected. On September 3, the judge, US District Judge Alvin Hellerstein, tersely declined to take over, noting that federal judges do not have jurisdiction to reverse or modify a state-level verdict. Trump hasimmediately appealed that decision.

A legal monkey wrench to be reckoned with

Legal scholars believe that come September 16, Merchan, who retains control of the case, will side with prosecutors.

And they expect that Trump will then immediately start swinging his immunity monkey wrench up through the layers of the state's appellate courts  and the federal appeals courts, too, if necessary.

Trump won't stop swinging, they predict, until he finds a judge who will "stay," or delay, a proceeding where he faces a sentence of probation, community service, fines, and anywhere from zero to four years in prison.

The sentencing will likely remain on ice, said experts in constitutional and appellate law, as this interlocutory appeal drags on in an effort to overturn Merchan and kill the case in its entirety on official-act-evidence grounds.

"He does have some not-crazy arguments," said Michel Paradis, an attorney who teaches national security and constitutional law at Columbia Law School.

Trump attorneys Todd Blanche and Emil Bove first hinted that this was their strategy in an August 14 letter to Merchan asking to delay the sentencing until after the election.

Even Trump's Manhattan prosecutors are conceding that this is a legal monkey wrench to be reckoned with. On August 16, they declined to take a stand on whether the sentencing should be delayed. Instead, they deferred to Merchan on scheduling, "given the defense's newly-stated position" that an interlocutory appeal is planned.

By early September, the scheduling remained unchanged. Trump remains due in court on September 18.

A portion of a letter New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan sent to the parties in the hush-money case earlier this month. New York court system

"Bragg's willingness to punt the question to the judge shows that even the DA recognizes the strength of Trump's argument," said Paradis, referring to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.

A spokesperson for the DA's office declined to comment. A lawyer for Trump did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

SCOTUS may help

Donald Trump at the defense table at his Manhattan hush-money trial with attorneys Todd Blanche, left, and Emil Bove. Pool/Getty Images

Moscow, the former Manhattan financial crimes prosecutor who now works at Lewis Baach Kaufmann Middlemiss PLLC, believes Trump will be quickly laughed out of court as he begins appealing on the state level.

Claiming that his state appeal bears any resemblance to his SCOTUS case is "arrogant and wrong," he said.

But Trump won't take "no" for an answer should his first-level state appeal fail, experts said.

"If New York's courts deny him a right to appeal, he can challenge the decision in federal court," said Paradis. If the federal district court in Manhattan says no, "he can appeal that to the second circuit federal court of appeals."

If he is denied a stay at any point, Trump can also quickly ask SCOTUS for one, the professor added, adding that the Supreme Court has been "pretty sympathetic" to him.

"But if you look to analogous precedents in the national security, diplomatic, and even attorney-client context, Trump has a real argument to make" in favor of an interlocutory appeal, Paradis said.

Trump's hush money case, meanwhile, would remain in limbo  unsentenced and unfinalized  as whatever appellate safe haven he's landed in weighs if the case should be thrown out in its entirety because Manhattan prosecutors improperly relied on the kind of "official act" evidence now forbidden for use against a former president.

Frank Bowman, a University of Missouri emeritus law professor, predicts that New York's appellate judges "will say Merchan has made his decision  that it's essentially a limited, evidentiary decision  and the best time to address that is on appeal following sentencing."

"It will take weeks at best, and months more likely," he predicted.

Still, "We're in bizarro world here," he joked. "Anything can happen."

This story has been updated to reflect Trump's federal court efforts, from August 29 to September 4, to further delay sentencing.

Read the original article on Business Insider
US Border Patrol agent arrested and accused of forcing women to expose themselves in virtual interviews

Authorities in New York state arrested a US Border Patrol agent this week after accusing him of forcing women to expose themselves on webcam, claiming it was a requirement for admission into the country.

The agent, 53-year-old Shane Millan of Jefferson County, allegedly ordered three women to expose their bare chests and a fourth to expose her breasts while keeping her bra on, according to a news release from the US Attorneys Office in the Northern District of New York.

Millan was charged with four misdemeanor counts of depriving the women of their Constitutional rights against unreasonable searches. The incidents allegedly took place in August 2023, according to the charging document signed by US Attorney Carla Freedman. Its unclear why the charges were filed now, a year later.

Millan allegedly told the women the requests were legitimate searches incident to admission into the United States although his demands to see the victims breasts were for his own gratification, according to the news release. He was virtually processing the victims admission into the US.

The charging document says Millan committed the offenses in Jefferson County, along the Canadian border, and elsewhere.

In a statement to CNN, US Customs and Border Protection said it does not tolerate misconduct within our ranks, while not specifically addressing Millans case.

When we discover any alleged or potential misconduct, we immediately refer it for investigation and cooperate fully with any criminal or administrative investigations, the statement said.

Millan was arraigned before a US magistrate judge Thursday in Syracuse on four counts of deprivation of rights under color of law and released pending trial. Court documents do not indicate that he entered a plea at his initial appearance.

A jury trial has been set for October 21, according to court records.

CNN is working to determine if Millan has legal representation.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
JD Vance evaded giving specifics regarding one of the Trump administrations greatest controversies on Sunday as he faced questions about immigration, border security, and the former presidents plan to deport hundreds of thousands  if not millions  of undocumented immigrants.

Vance sat down for an extended interview with NBCs Kristen Welker on Meet the Press and took a line of questioning about one of Donald Trumps main 2024 campaign promises: to enact the largest deportation operation in American history, per his campaigns own description. What that represents in reality would be a massive operation requiring significant federal funding, state cooperation, and could result in serious repercussions to communities around the country.

But when asked by Welker a question with a seemingly obvious answer  whether the concept of separating family units, including young children from their parents, would be revived under a second Trump term  Vance could not answer.

Instead, he argued that he believed families are currently being separated and added that youre certainly going to have to deport some people in this country. But he argued that a Trump administration would prioritize violent criminals for deportation.

Those people need to be deported, said the GOP vice presidential nominee. Thats where you focus federal resources.

Vances comment about families currently being separated under the Biden administration digs at a grey area in immigration policy which has rankled progressives over the past three years. To be clear: immigration authorities under Biden are not separating families from young children, as was introduced during Trumps term in office, when family units are detained by border security agents. That policy, spearheaded by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) under Trump as designed by White House aides such as Stephen Miller, led to the infamous photos of kids in cages as children ranging in age from teenagers to extremely young toddlers were kept in group pens at detention facilities away from their parents for days and sometimes weeks at a time. The policy was described as highly cruel and inhumane by its critics.

Under the Biden administration, some parents of adult children have been separated from them after crossing the border illegally, and have continued separating some extended family members and others who do not fit in narrow definitions of a family unit under the policies.

Protesters demonstrate outside of a detention facility housing undocumented immigrants in 2018, during Donald Trumps first term. (Getty Images)

Trump himself doubled down on his plan to engineer the deportation of hundreds of thousands of people in an interview at the border with NBC News this past week, arguing that the undocumented immigrants he planned to deport would end up costing the US government more if they remained in the country. Immigration advocates have disputed this, noting that immigrants alone contributed billions of dollars per year in taxes.

Itll cost trillions of dollars to keep these people, and Im talking about in particular starting with the criminals, Trump said to NBC. Thats costing us a lot more than deporting. But we have no choice, regardless, we have no choice. Were going to have to deport.

And Vance, in an interview with ABC News earlier in August, backed up Trump on the target figure for their plan: one million deportations, while hinting that their eventual goal could be much higher.

"You start with what's achievable," he said. "You cannot have a border unless you're willing to deport some people. I think it's interesting that people focus on, well, how do you deport 18 million people? Let's start with 1 million."
Sen. JD Vance (Ohio), the Republican vice presidential nominee, said hes thrilled to have the support of Kennedy Democrats after former independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ended his campaign Friday and backed former President Trumps White House bid.

Vance said he feels no hesitation in accepting Kennedys endorsement, despite some controversial statements Kennedy has made in the past, including his suggestions that vaccines could cause autism and refusal to take sides on what happened on Sept. 11, 2001.

No, Kristen, I dont, Vance told NBC Newss Kristen Welker in an interview on Meet the Press that aired Sunday.

Because were going to disagree on issues, right? There are things that Robert Kennedy has said that I disagree with. Im sure there are things that  Ive said  that hes going to disagree with. But I think what his endorsement represents is that Donald J. Trumps Republican Party is a big-tent party, Vance said.

Vance said he was raised by two grandparents whom he described as classic Blue Dog Democrats, noting they believed in border security and opposed censorship.

They believed in commonsense economic policies, he continued. They may have disagreed with Donald Trump about tax policy, but they believed in some fundamental American values.

And I think what RFKs endorsement really shows is that the Kennedy Democrats are actually more at home in the Republican Party of Donald Trump, Vance added.

Vance painted Vice President Harriss Democratic Party today as different from his grandparents party, criticizing the partys border policies, economic agenda and efforts to bring down prices.

That is not JFKs Democratic Party, its not RFKs Democratic Party. Were thrilled to have the Kennedy Democrats where they belong, he continued.

Later in the interview, Vance said of course I dont agree with Kennedys past comment that he wont take sides on 9/11, but he said he needed to see more context to those remarks, and he stressed the importance of disagreeing on some issues.

The interview comes after Kennedy announced he would suspend his campaign and endorse Trump. Kennedy, who was running as an independent by the end of his campaign, began by challenging President Biden for the Democratic nomination.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
Ohio Sen. JD Vance, the Republican nominee for vice president, said former President Trump would shoot down a federal abortion ban if he recaptures the White House in the fall.

I think he would, Vance told NBC Newss Kristen Welker in a clip posted to the Meet the Press account on the social platform X Saturday. He said that explicitly that he would.

Trump said back in April he wouldnt sign a nationwide abortion ban, but Democrats have been distrustful of that claim. Shortly before the Vance clip was posted, Harris said in her own post on X that in the circumstance Trump regains the presidency, we know he will sign a national abortion ban.

The former president also said that overturning Roe v. Wade was an incredible achievement in April.

Now the states have it, and the states are putting out what they want. Its the will of the people, he said.

Vance said in the Meet the Press clip that he believes its important to step back and say, What has Donald Trump actually said on the abortion question, and how is it different from what Kamala Harris  the Democrats have said?

Donald Trump wants to end this culture war over this particular topic, Vance said.

The clip comes as Democrats have tried to link Trump to Project 2025, a 900-page governing agenda from a conservative think tank describing conservative aims if Republicans gain back the White House in the fall. It features a plan that calls for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)s approval of an abortion medication named mifepristone to be revoked.

Trump has tried to distance himself from Project 2025, saying last month that he isnt aware of anything about Project 2025, despite CNN reporting last month that it found a minimum of 140 people who had been part of the Trump administration being involved in Project 2025.

The Hill has reached out to the Harris campaign.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance said he expects Donald Trump would veto a federal abortion ban as president should one land on his desk.

"I think he would. He said that explicitly that he would," the Ohio senator told host Kristen Welker in an interview that aired Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press."

Trump's position on abortion has disappointed anti-abortion advocates at times. On Friday, Trump posted on Truth Social: "My Administration will be great for women and their reproductive rights," a remark that drew criticism from some activists who viewed it as not particularly helpful to their cause.

Democrats, on the other hand, have continued to paint Trump as a threat not only to legal abortion but also the use of contraception and other matters they regard as entirely private. "He and his allies would limit access to birth control, ban medication abortion, and enact a nationwide abortion ban with or without Congress," Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris said in her acceptance speech Thursday.



In response to a series of questions from Welker, Vance said Trump's position is that the states need to have control over the issue, rather than the federal government.

"If California wants to have a different abortion policy from Ohio," Vance said, "then Ohio has to respect California, and California has to respect Ohio. Donald Trump's view is that we want the individual states and their individual cultures and their unique political sensibilities to make these decisions, because we don't want to have a nonstop federal conflict over this issue."

Asked to respond to Vance's comments, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) says she wasn't convinced.

"American women are not stupid," Warren told Welker, "and we are not going to trust the futures of our daughters and granddaughters to two men who have openly bragged about blocking access to abortion for women all across this country."

During the wide-ranging NBC interview, Vance also said his much-mocked remark from 2021 about "childless cat ladies" was not something he regrets.

"I'm going to say things from time to time that people disagree with," Vance told. "I'm a real person. I'm going to make jokes, I'm going to say things sarcastically."

He added: "I have a lot of regrets, Kristen, but making a joke three years ago is not at the top 10 of the list."
AUSTIN (KXAN)  Traffic is back around the University of Texas at Austin campus, especially on Saturday as thousands of students moved back into apartments in the West Campus neighborhood.

The West Campus residents came in addition to the more than 8,000 who are moving in on campus.

I have three daughters, and this is actually the easiest move so far, one man told KXAN.

He was one of the lucky ones. Parking was at a premium on some very packed roads like 23rd Street.

You just gotta get lucky, he said. We have two cars here. The other one is only a block away. Its fantastic.

REALTED: UT Austin makes list of best Texas colleges in America, according to Niche

Police were out helping direct traffic, all while parents had to dodge cars to help get their kids unpacked and ready for the start of a new school year.

Apartments like The Mark and The Standard had a constant flow of people, and things, moving through their doors.

It was very hot

It was very hot as we moved in, one student said. It was around 100 degrees. [There was] a lot of sweating  and my place came unfurnished, so it took awhile to bring everything in, but Im glad that its done.

Mother Nature wasnt letting up, with the heat making things a little more complicated for some moving  especially for the parents left standing outside watching and waiting for their cue to move.

RELATED: UT makes 2025 list of top party schools in US

If youre thinking about procrastinating, those already moved in said time is not on your side.

Its kind of too late for them, one student said jokingly. Its going to be too crowded.

If Saturday was any indication, she might be right.

Record-breaking applications for fall 2024

University officials said UT received a record-breaking 73,000 applications for undergraduate admissions for fall 2024. Officials said that was a 20% increase from previous years.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin.
Huwaida Arraf's supporters yell for accountability from Michigan's Democratic Party the Michigan Democratic Party's nominating convention in Lansing on Aug. 24, 2024 after Arraf was not selected to appear as one of the party's candidates on the November ballot for the University of Michigan Board of Regents | Photo Anna Liz Nichols

As Michigan Democrats on Saturday nominated their picks for Supreme Court and education boards on the Nov. 5 ballot, the University of Michigan Regents  the one contested race  took centerstage.

The nominating convention, held in Lansing, was flooded with supporters decked in maize shirts for Board of Regents candidate and pro-Palestinian movement leader Huwaida Arraf. Since the Israel-Hamas war began in October, the University of Michigan has had a number of pro-Palestinian demonstrations and an encampment, which university officials disbanded, with protesters calling on regents to divest from companies tied to Israel.

Arraf faced two other Democrats: current Regent Denise Ilitch, who was first elected to the board in 2008, and Dr. Shauna Ryder Diggs, who had previously served as a regent until 2020. They were endorsed by both Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and a coalition of labor unions.

But after a lengthy voting process, Arraf did not win either of the slots, sparking calls from her backers to break with the Democratic Party.

In November, well remember, chanted Arrafs supporters, echoing a call from the uncommitted movement that opposed President Joe Bidens renomination over his handling of the Israel-Hamas war. Biden has since stepped aside and Democrats last week nominated Vice President Kamala Harris at their convention in Chicago.

They also chanted, Show the math, in protest of the MDPs proportional representation voting rules they claim cost Arraf the nomination.

They always take us for granted, Arraf told the Michigan Advance ahead of the vote being announced on Saturday. While [former President Donald] Trump was bad, this is actually a genocide thats happening on a Democratic watch. So theres so many people that we believe are needed to win in November, we need to bring them back. And so just uncommitted wants to say to the party, We need you to show us and show our community that you are going to change policy. Lets see an arms embargo [of Israel].

Arraf has posted to social media frequently about the war in Gaza, which has resulted in more than 40,000 deaths, including denials about widespread sexual assault that occurred during the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas militants, support for the attack itself, which killed an estimated 1,200 Israelis and resulted in 240 hostages being taken.

Throughout the Democratic National Convention (DNC), members of the uncommitted movement pleaded with the events organizers to have a Palestinian-American speaker take the stage. The effort was not successful.

One of the overarching themes of the DNC was unity. But as an alternate uncommitted delegate for Michigan, who was at the convention in Chicago, Arraf said that the convention communicated a different message to Palestinian-Americans: We dont want to hear you.

It sends the wrong messages. We dont care about what you have to say. Were going to come to you. We want your votes in November, but we dont want your voice, Arraf said.

At the DNC, several Democrats, including Harris, U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), all called for a ceasefire and the return of hostages.

Earlier on Saturday, Michigan House Speaker Joe Tate (D-Detroit) and other candidates and elected officials came to the Arab-American Democratic caucus meeting to express their appreciation for the community.

Tate was adamant that all Democrat voices ought to be heard, saying of the national convention snub to have a Palestinian speaker,  You look in 1964 during the Civil Rights Movement, the Black community, they were saying the same thing.  So having those voices in the room, thats what makes us. Thats what gives us our strength. Thats what gives us our strength.

Tates No. 2, House Majority Floor Leader Abraham Aiyash (D-Hamtramck), helped lead the uncommitted fight this spring and is the highest-ranking Muslim American in the states legislative history.

U of M Regent Jordan Acker was confronted by some Arraf supporters before and during the national anthem at the MDP convention. Acker, a Democrat, said he voted for Diggs and Ilitch.

So I want to first talk about how this started. I moved to the voting area to cast my votes for Regent Illitch and Regent Diggs. They were and are outstanding colleagues and our University is better off with them on the board. (2/x)  Jordan Acker (@JordanAckerMI) August 25, 2024

I think there are a lot of people in this movement who care deeply about Palestinian rights. I believe there are a lot who are sick of the bloodshed and sick of the occupation, which is brutal and indefensible, especially in the West Bank, Acker wrote in a social media thread. But this movement is entirely stained by actors within who see their main mission as eliminating public Jews from public life.

Some pro-Palestinian protesters have targeted the homes of U of M regents, including Acker and Chair Sarah Hubbard, a Republican. In May, they used a bullhorn to chant, Regent Hubbard, you cant hide; you are funding genocide, while placing what officials described as fake corpses wrapped in bloodied sheets, as well as stuffed animals covered in red paint, on the porch and front lawn.

Ackers Southfield law office, Goodman Acker P.C., was covered in June with graffiti, including phrases such as, Free Palestine, Divest now and Fk you Acker, were spray-painted on the building and sidewalk in front.

I was not targeted here today because I am a regent, said Acker at the time. I am a target of this because I am Jewish. This neighborhood is Jewish, and because some people, under the pretext of helping Palestinians, feel the obligation to single out Jews, especially liberal ones for an attack.

Acker was also followed around by pro-Palestinian protesters at Harris Detroit campaign event last month.

Let me be clear to those who continue to harass me: you will not remove this public Jew from public life, Acker wrote on Saturday.  You can vandalize my office, you can come to my house in the middle of the night, you can harass me in public, but I have news for you. YOU. WILL. LOSE. This public Jew is going nowhere. Deal with it.

Other nominations and speeches

Republicans also held their nominating convention on Saturday, with theirs taking place in Flint. In addition to the U of M Board of Regents, both parties chose nominees for: Michigan Supreme Court, the Michigan State University Board of Trustees, the Wayne State Board of Governors and the State Board of Education. All offices will appear on the statewide ballot in November.

Electing board members for three public universities statewide ets Michigan as an outlier, with other states doing so via gubernatorial or legislative appointment or different elected processes.

All the other races for the Democratic slots were uncontested. All of the winners were endorsed by Whitmer and the union coalition.

The Democratic candidates for the two seats up for grabs on MSUs board are former Ingham County Commissioner Rebecca Bahar-Cook and former Michigan Rep. Thomas Stallworth III.

The picks for the two available seats on the Wayne State University Board of Governors are current member and former Michigan AFL-CIO President Mark Gaffney and Rasha Demashkie, a former member of the Michigan Civil Rights Commission and other boards.

Former state Rep. Adam Zemke and Theodore Jones, a Detroit Public Schools administrator, are Democrats picks to be on the State Board of Education.

Jones made commitments to individuals in the room that if elected, he would seek out funding for schools and help students recover from learning loss caused by disruptions from the pandemic. He also committed to working to get a constitutional amendment on the ballot saying that each and every student in Michigan deserves a high-quality education.

Zemke said hes on a mission to save public education from extremists.

Extremists are targeting our kids and our teachers with hateful rhetoric, with white-washing and rewriting of history and even guns, Zemke said. It is sad and scary.  We must save public education and then we must work and have the debates about how we improve it because saving it from extremists is simply insufficient.

Currently, Democrats hold a 4-3 majority on the Michigan Supreme Court. Two seats will be up for election in November. If the GOP wins both, that would result in a 4-3 partisan flip or Democrats could achieve a 5-2 supermajority if both their candidates win.

Republican-nominated Justice David Viviano announced his retirement in March, leaving one seat open. Justice Kyra Harris Bolden, who was appointed to the seat by Whitmer after Justice Bridget Mary McCormack retired in 2022, is also up for reelection for a full eight-year term.

Michigan Democrats chose Bolden and U of M professor and trial lawyer Kimberly Thomas as their nominees.

Thomas reminded convention attendees that lots of people think theyve cast their vote for Michigan Supreme Court, but ultimately arent counted. Although parties nominate candidates for the high court in Michigan, those seats appear on the nonpartisan portion of the ballot  so if voters choose the straight-ticket option, theyre still leaving the state Supreme Court section blank.

I hear a lot of comments about our federal Supreme Court. You here in Michigan, we all have an opportunity to have your voice heard about what kind of justices you want on your state Supreme Court, what kind of values you want them to embody and who you want to represent you.  So please have your voice heard, Thomas said.

Joined by her grandmother and mother at the convention, Bolden said the possibility of a 5-2 Democratic majority presents an opportunity to provide justice for generations, reminding the crowd that she previously received the partys nomination for the court six days after giving birth to her daughter in 2022. While she lost that election, Whitmer appointed her to the court the next month.

Out of all the work the Supreme Court has done in the year-and-a-half she has served on it, Bolden told the Arab-American Democratic caucus earlier in the day that there have been 30 majority opinions issued by justices that will impact Michiganders for years to come.

The decisions that we make set a precedent. So that means, unless a different court comes along and disagrees, those decisions stay in place. Were not making decisions just for the people living here [for] my grandmother, whos running around taking signatures, my mother, whos taking signatures, or my daughter that is 2-years-old  but for her children and for her childrens children.

Arab American Democrats Caucus Chair Rashid Baydoun talks to the Arab American Democrats Caucus in Lansing on Aug. 24, 2024 | Photo Anna Liz Nichols

Supporters of Huwaida Arraf's campaign to serve on the University of Michigan Board of Regents wear campaign shirts and listen during the Arab American Democrats Caucus in Lansing on Aug. 24, 2024 | Photo Anna Liz Nichols

Tonya Myers Phillips, the Democratic candidate for Michigan's 7th state House District talks to the Arab American Democrats Caucus in Lansing on Aug. 24, 2024 | Photo Anna Liz Nichols

Tonya Myers Phillips, the Democratic candidate for Michigan's 7th state House District talks to the Arab American Democrats Caucus in Lansing on Aug. 24, 2024 | Photo Anna Liz Nichols

Michigan House Speaker Joe Tate (D- Detroit) talks to the Arab American Democrats Caucus in Lansing on Aug. 24, 2024 | Photo Anna Liz Nichols

Michigan House Speaker Joe Tate (D- Detroit) talks to the Arab American Democrats Caucus in Lansing on Aug. 24, 2024 | Photo Anna Liz Nichols

Incumbent Michigan State Supreme Court Justice Kyra Harris accepts the Michigan Democratic Party's official nomination for state Supreme Court at the party's nominating convention in Lansing on Aug. 24, 2024 | Photo Anna Liz Nichols

Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson speaks at the Michigan Democratic Party Nominating Convention in Lansing on Aug. 24, 2024. Photo: Anna Liz Nichols

Huwaida Arraf's supporters yell for accountability from Michigan's Democratic Party the Michigan Democratic Party's nominating convention in Lansing on Aug. 24, 2024 after Arraf was not selected to appear as one of the party's candidates on the November ballot for the University of Michigan Board of Regents | Photo Anna Liz Nichols

Huwaida Arraf's supporters yell for accountability from Michigan's Democratic Party the Michigan Democratic Party's nominating convention in Lansing on Aug. 24, 2024 after Arraf was not selected to appear as one of the party's candidates on the November ballot for the University of Michigan Board of Regents | Photo Anna Liz Nichols

Wayne State University Board of Governors member and former leader of Michigan AFL-CIO Mark Gaffney accepts the Michigan Democratic Party's official nomination for the Wayne State University Board of Governors at the party's nominating convention in Lansing on Aug. 24, 2024 | Photo Anna Liz Nichols

Former Michigan state legislator Thomas Stallworth III accepts the Michigan Democratic Party's official nomination for the Michigan State Universitys Board of Trustees at the party's nominating convention in Lansing on Aug. 24, 2024 | Photo Anna Liz Nichols

Theodore Jones accepts the Michigan Democratic Party's official nomination for the State Board of Education at the party's nominating convention in Lansing on Aug. 24, 2024 | Photo Anna Liz Nichols

U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) speaks at the Michigan Democratic Party Nominating Convention in Lansing on Aug. 24, 2024. Photo: Anna Liz Nichols

UM professor and trial lawyer Kimberly Thomas accepts the Michigan Democratic Party's official nomination for state Supreme Court at the party's nominating convention in Lansing on Aug. 24, 2024 | Photo Anna Liz Nichols

Incumbent Michigan State Supreme Court Justice Kyra Harris accepts the Michigan Democratic Party's official nomination for state Supreme Court at the party's nominating convention in Lansing on Aug. 24, 2024 | Photo Anna Liz Nichols

Supporters fill the stage ahead of incumbent Michigan State Supreme Court Justice Kyra Harris taking the stage to accept the Michigan Democratic Party's official nomination for state Supreme Court at the party's nominating convention in Lansing on Aug. 24, 2024 | Photo Anna Liz Nichols

Former state Rep. Adam Zemke accepts the Michigan Democratic Party's official nomination for the State Board of Education at the party's nominating convention in Lansing on Aug. 24, 2024 | Photo Anna Liz Nichols

UM professor and trial lawyer Kimberly Thomas accepts the Michigan Democratic Party's official nomination for state Supreme Court at the party's nominating convention in Lansing on Aug. 24, 2024 | Photo Anna Liz Nichols

Former state Rep. Adam Zemke accepts the Michigan Democratic Party's official nomination for the State Board of Education at the party's nominating convention in Lansing on Aug. 24, 2024 | Photo Anna Liz Nichols

U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) speaks at the Michigan Democratic Party Nominating Convention in Lansing on Aug. 24, 2024. Photo: Anna Liz Nichols

Michigan U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, a U.S. Senate candidate, speaks at the Michigan Democratic Party Nominating Convention in Lansing on Aug. 24, 2024. Photo: Anna Liz Nichols

Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson speaks at the Michigan Democratic Party Nominating Convention in Lansing on Aug. 24, 2024. Photo: Anna Liz Nichols

Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson speaks at the Michigan Democratic Party Nominating Convention in Lansing on Aug. 24, 2024. Photo: Anna Liz Nichols

Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson speaks at the Michigan Democratic Party Nominating Convention in Lansing on Aug. 24, 2024. Photo: Anna Liz Nichols

Michigan Lt. Gov. Garlic Gilchrist II speaks at the Michigan Democratic Party Nominating Convention in Lansing on Aug. 24, 2024. Photo: Anna Liz Nichols

Michigan Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II speaks at the Michigan Democratic Party Nominating Convention in Lansing on Aug. 24, 2024. Photo: Anna Liz Nichols

UM professor and trial lawyer Kimberly Thomas talks to the Arab American Democrats Caucus in Lansing ahead of receiving the Michigan Democratic Party's official nomination for state Supreme Court on Aug. 24, 2024 | Photo Anna Liz Nichols

Incumbent Michigan State Supreme Court Justice Kyra Harris Boldentalks to the Arab American Democrats Caucus in Lansing ahead of receiving the Michigan Democratic Party's official nomination for state Supreme Court on Aug. 24, 2024 | Photo Anna Liz Nichols

UM professor and trial lawyer Kimberly Thomas talks to the Arab American Democrats Caucus in Lansing ahead of receiving the Michigan Democratic Party's official nomination for state Supreme Court on Aug. 24, 2024 | Photo Anna Liz Nichols

Incumbent Michigan State Supreme Court Justice Kyra Harris Boldentalks to the Arab American Democrats Caucus in Lansing ahead of receiving the Michigan Democratic Party's official nomination for state Supreme Court on Aug. 24, 2024 | Photo Anna Liz Nichols

The Arab American Democrats Caucus gathers in Lansing ahead of receiving the Michigan Democratic Party's official nomination for state Supreme Court on Aug. 24, 2024 | Photo Anna Liz Nichols

An attendee at the Michigan Democratic Party Nominating Convention in Lansing holds a sign for Huwaida Arraf, a candidate for the University of Michigan Board of Regents on Aug. 24, 2024. | Photo: Anna Liz Nichols

UAW President Shawn Fain takes a picture with an attendee at the Michigan Democratic Party Nominating Convention in Lansing on Aug. 24, 2024. Photo: Anna Liz Nichols

The convention also featured speeches from other Democratic leaders.

Democracy in America is under attack, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson told attendees at the state convention, and Michigan is in the thick of the battle. With lies and misinformation swirling around this election season, Benson said the only way Michiganders will lose their voice this election season is if those spreading deceit convince them they have no power.

We are not going to let them make us feel that way. Are we Michigan? Benson said. We are not going to allow any of the noise to confuse us about the power we all have in this moment. That power, the power of Michigan citizens in this election is the power to decide the future of our nation.

Benson, whos expressed interest in running for governor when Gov. Gretchen Whitmer terms out in 2026, added that this election and the weeks leading up to November will determine the future of Michigans children and generations to come.

The eyes of the nation and the world will be on Michigan this fall, Benson said. The eyes of brave souls throughout history who fought and bled so that we could live in a land where all are free and equal, their eyes are on us now. The eyes of the future of this country, the kids who are here today, the young boys and girls who will inherit what we leave behind, their eyes are on us now. Its on us now to show who we are, what we stand for and what we will fight for.

Michigan is the prototype for Democratic progress, Texas U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett said, noting the state has a Democratic governor, secretary of state and attorney general, Dana Nessel. While Michigan residents have a state constitutional right to an abortion, Texas Republicans who control the state are considering the death penalty for residents who get abortions.

Michigan holds sway this election, with Harris and former President Donald Trump vying for the states 15 electoral votes.

I need yall.  We are relying on you in Michigan. We need you because united we stand, divided we fall and we are all in this fight together to make sure Kamala Harris and [Minnesota Gov.] Tim Walz become the president and vice president of the United States. Crockett said. Texas used to be blue  do not take it for granted. Dont take this election for granted. We all need Michigan to be blue in November.

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Texas authorities who seized the cellphone of a Democratic candidate for the Texas House and searched the home of a legislative aide this week were investigating allegations that a longtime Frio County political operator had illegally harvested votes for multiple local races in recent years, court records obtained by The Texas Tribune show.

Those races include the 2024 Democratic primary campaign of Cecilia Castellano, the candidate whose phone was seized, the records show. An investigator with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxtons office claims in a sworn affidavit that the aide, Manuel Medina, a former chair of the Bexar County Democratic Party and chief of staff to state Rep. Liz Campos, D-San Antonio, was recorded discussing a scheme to collect votes for Castellano with the Frio County operator.

No one has been charged in connection to the probe, and Castellano and Medina condemned the investigation as a political attack in interviews with the Tribune on Saturday. Latino rights advocates have decried the raids as a disgraceful and outrageous effort to intimidate Latino voters. The League of United Latin American Citizens on Friday said it will ask the U.S. Justice Department to scrutinize the states actions.

Authorities searched the homes of at least five other Latinos, according to Texas LULACs state director. All work on Castellanos campaign.

I feel like Ive been violated, Castellano said in an interview with the Tribune. This political tactic is because the Republicans are vying for this seat. They want full power of the House. And we are not going to give up. We are going to continue to work hard.

Medina, who also spoke with the Tribune Saturday, described the tactics the attorney generals office used issuing the search warrant.

Ive been on campaigns for 30 years and never in my life could I have ever imagined anything that I do that would merit them breaking down my door and pointing six assault semi-automatic weapons in my face, Medina said.

Castellano is running for the seat of state Rep. Tracy King, D-Uvalde. Kings district is the top Republican target in the Texas House this year, as Republicans seek to ensure that they have enough votes to pass a school voucher bill next legislative session.

Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, carried Kings district by 6 percentage points in 2022. But King, one of the most moderate members of the House, ran unopposed. Castellanos Republican opponent this year is former Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin Jr.

Paxtons office didnt respond to a request for comment Saturday. His office on Wednesday issued a news release saying it had executed search warrants in Frio, Atascosa and Bexar Counties.

Secure elections are the cornerstone of our republic, Paxton said in that statement. 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.

His investigators may have to explain the probe in greater detail soon.

On Friday, a Bexar County district judge granted Medina a temporary protective order and set a Sept. 12 hearing date. The order directed authorities to immediately seal the materials they seized from his home and stopped them from sifting through the records until the court holds a hearing.

Agents rummaged through Medinas home for seven hours, taking papers, documents, family photos, almost 65 cellphones and 41 computers, Medinas lawyer wrote in a court filing.

There are hundreds of these search warrants that have been filed across the state over the last few years, Medina said, pointing to Paxtons pursuit of election fraud. This is an abuse of power. I think its incumbent on me and all of us to fight back.

The Tribune obtained 12 search warrant affidavits related to the probe. They do not include the warrants for Medinas home and Castellanos phone, but the documents do mention Castellano and Medina. The bulk of the records focus on a woman described in the documents as someone who has been working for candidates in Frio County for the past 25 to 30 years collecting mail ballots. The Tribune is not naming the woman because she has not been charged with a crime.

The investigation from Paxtons office began in 2022, when the local district attorney referred the case to the state. The inquiry was prompted by a complaint from the loser of a Democratic primary runoff for a Frio County office.

The losing candidate told a state investigator that she had been told by others that the winner had hired the woman to collect ballots. The losing candidate then got all applications for mail-in ballots through an open records request and compared the alleged harvester handwriting to other applications that were not signed, concluding that the woman had filled out several mail-in ballots without disclosing that she had assisted, according to the affidavit.

The alleged vote harvester was helped by two other women, the losing candidate told the investigator. The main suspect charged candidates between $1,500 to $2,500 to collect the applications, mail ballots and sometimes drive voters to vote, the losing judge told the investigator, according to the affidavit. She received payments through her daughters Cash App, the losing candidate said. The affidavits do not indicate that the losing candidate provided any proof of the schemes.

The investigator obtained Cash App records for the account that showed the winning judge and another local candidate had paid the daughter close to the date of the election in 2022  in some instances, [adding] a note to the payment which stated, election, according to the affidavit.

The affidavits say that the alleged harvester helped candidates in multiple local Frio County races in recent years by filling out mail-in ballots for voters and then taking the ballots to the post office. The investigator in most cases does not detail what specifically those allegations are based on  or bases the allegations on information learned third hand.

But the investigator says in the filings that several voters said in interviews she either influenced their vote, prepared their ballot, and/or took possession of their carrier envelope to mail their ballot.

The investigator wrote that every carrier envelope reviewed in 2022 lacked a signature from the alleged harvester.

He wrote investigators also observed that several voters who had voted by mail did not appear to be eligible for assistance.

State law says that anyone who helps a voter fill out their mail-in ballot must sign the ballot, write their address, describe their relationship with the voter and disclose whether they received any compensation for helping the person vote. Its also a crime to help fill out a ballot for someone who is not eligible to receive help.

To vote by mail, a Texan must be 65 or older on Election Day or be unable to vote in person due to illness or be away from their county throughout the entire election period or be expecting to give birth soon or be confined in a jail yet eligible to vote.

In October 2023, agents executed a search warrant on the alleged harvesters house, taking her cellphone and documents associated with elections for which she allegedly harvested mail ballots.

Ahead of this years March primary, the attorney generals office conducted surveillance on the woman, her accused helpers and a county employee for about a week in February, according to court documents.

Castellano and Medinas involvement is alleged to have begun in early 2024. The affidavits say that the attorney generals office investigator obtained a witness recorded conversation between the woman, Medina and a third person on Jan. 19.

Further review of the recorded conversation shows Medina acting as a third party to provide compensation to [the alleged harvester] for vote harvesting services for an intended candidate identified as Cecilia Castellano, the document says.

The affidavit does not include any direct quotes from the conversation detailing the alleged scheme, or say how the investigator obtained the recording.

The vote harvesting services that [the woman] and Medina agreed to are for [the woman] to complete [applications for ballots by mail] for voters and then make contact with the voter when they receive the mail so that she can collect the mail ballot, the affidavit says. Based on this conversation, [the investigator] concluded that the vote harvesting services to be performed involve [the woman] being in the physical presence of an official ballot or a ballot voted by mail, intended to deliver votes for Castellano.

The investigator alleges in the affidavit that in other elections the woman used sample ballots to show the voters who to vote for while filling out their mail-in ballots, though he does not say how he knew that.

The investigator says in court documents that the woman told Medina that they would not win the election if they did not go after the elderly and disabled. The woman agreed to help Castellanos campaign in exchange for compensation, the affidavits say. The conversation is paraphrased by the investigator in the filing; the documents do not directly quote her saying that.

Castellano finished in first place in the primary race, and then won the subsequent runoff in May.

Castellano told the Tribune Saturday that she had met that woman once  to drop off material before the woman went door-knocking  but did not know about the meeting referenced in the court documents. She said she had not yet received the affidavit for the warrant that agents used when they knocked on her door and rang her doorbell at about 6 a.m. Tuesday, waking her up.

Initially skeptical whether they were legitimate employees for the attorney general, Castellano said she asked them what the situation was about but they told her they had no information and gave her a phone number for a sergeant in charge.

All I know is that weve run a very strong campaign, weve worked very hard, Castellano said. Weve literally done truly grassroots campaigning.

Terri Langford contributed reporting.

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Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) on Sunday pushed back against Sen. JD Vances (R-Ohio) suggestion that former President Trump would veto a federal abortion ban if were elected president and such a bill arrived on his desk.

American women are not stupid, and we are not going to trust the futures of our daughters and granddaughters to two men who have openly bragged about blocking access to abortion for women all across this country, Warren said in an interview on NBC Newss Meet the Press, when asked about Vance, the GOP vice presidential nominee, saying he thinks Trump would veto a ban.

Warren noted that even without signing legislation that bans or restricts abortion nationwide, abortion access could still be in jeopardy. Some Republicans have signaled their desire to crack down on abortions by invoking the Comstock Act, which bans the mailing of abortion-related materials but has not been used for that purpose in a century.

Trump and Vance have both said they would not support the use of the Comstock Act to ban abortion nationwide, and they support states rights to determine their abortion laws.

Warren noted, however, that Vance joined fellow Republican lawmakers last year in writing a letter to the Department of Justice, asking that the Comstock Act be invoked to shut down all mail-order operations.

Anchor Kristen Welker asked about the GOP tickets pledge not to use the legislation to ban abortion, and said, Sounds like you dont buy it.

Dont buy it? Just read it. JD Vance actually sent a letter last year to the Department of Justice saying, enforce the Comstock Act. And remember he did that, and then Donald Trump picked him to be his vice president, Warren said.

The only way that were going to protect access to abortion is to have a Democratic Congress send a bill to Kamala Harris, she will sign it into law, and then we will restore a right to half the population in this country, and no longer will a woman have to go into an emergency room and be told shes not near enough death to get the medical treatment that she needs, she added.

Vance, in an interview that aired Saturday, said he thinks Trump would veto a federal abortion ban if it came across his desk when asked about efforts in his party to still push for a bill restricting abortion access nationwide.

I think he would. Hes said that explicitly that he would, Vance told Welker when asked whether Trump would veto the hypothetical bill.

And to be clear, Donald Trump I think has staked his position and made it very explicit. He wants this to be a state decision. States are going to make this determination themselves, he later added.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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We continue to hear people calling for the expansion of charter schools in Washington state. This shows a lack of knowledge about school law and organization in our state.

Public school districts here operate schools that would be called charter schools in many other states. They are innovative, specialized, funded and governed by locally elected school boards. State law allows for virtually any kind of school that is approved by a local school board or group of school boards.

What we need is strong, imaginative leadership from school leaders, community leaders and parents to address student needs  be it in science, arts, dropout prevention, or other areas. We dont need to go outside the public school district and establish charter schools that arent accountable to the taxpayers funding them.

Skills centers  14 regional public schools shared by multiple school districts statewide  provide quality career and technical education for about 7,000 students in the state. Students can graduate from high school with career training and move to a job or post-secondary education. These would be called public charter schools in many other states.

In our community, North Thurston Public Schools operate what it calls Choice Schools. Aspire Performing Arts Academy is a middle school that emphasizes performing arts. Envision Career Academy, an alternative high school, focuses on sciences and career and technical education. Ignite Family Academy is a family partnership school supporting home-schooled families. The Summit Virtual Academy provides K-12 students 100% online teaching by North Thurston teachers.

For several years, the district also operated New Century High School, a night school designed for working students and young parents. Unfortunately, it never achieved the enrollment numbers needed to remain open.

The North Thurston School Board, administrators, staff and families saw the need for these programs and established them.

Olympia School District has the Olympia Regional Learning Academy that includes a K-6 Montessori school, while hConnect provides assistance and classes for home-schooled students, a flexible schedule and experimental learning activities. Avanti is a small high school rated as one of the states top 10 alternative high schools.

Sen. Hunt taught in one of the states early alternative high schools in Pasco. Operation Motivation targeted dropouts and potential dropouts. It was established by a superintendent and school board that saw a better way to address students needs. Its successor has expanded into a multi-district school that successfully carries on today.

Spokane Public Schools has created several charter schools governed by the school board and district. Former Rep. Dolan worked in the Spokane Public Schools from 1973-2004, where she collaborated with parents and administrators to establish many alternative education programs parents brought forward. These programs have a history of successful student achievement and accountable budgetary oversight.

Passing a law to expand charter schools simply reduces critical public oversight of our public education system and sends state funding to schools that are not truly accountable to the communities they serve. What we need are school boards, administrators, and families willing to lead and develop special schools and programs that meet individual students needs. We know all students dont learn the same; it is our responsibility to lead and provide those opportunities in public schools, where families and voters ask for accountability on the spending of their tax dollars.

School board members and superintendents, joined by active school district residents, can make a difference. We see this leadership in our local districts. Thats what public schools are about. Get involved  you can make a real difference in the types of schools that address students needs. Together, we can make our public schools better for all students.

Sam Hunt is the retiring senator for Olympias 22nd Legislative District and has been a member of the Senate Early Learning and K-12 Education Committee. Laurie Dolan is a retired teacher and administrator from Spokane who served as a state representative for Olympias 22nd District from 2017 to 2023.
A Royal Navy patrol ship has seized 40 million of cocaine from a speedboat in the Caribbean.

Royal Marines and US Coast Guard personnel on HMS Trent intercepted the vessel carrying 506kg of Class A narcotics south of the Dominican Republic earlier this month.

The bust was the sixth made by the Royal Navy vessel this year, bringing the total amount of drugs seized to 551.5 million.

HMS Trent was alerted to a speedboat suspected to be smuggling cocaine around 120 nautical miles south of the Dominican Republic on Aug 8.

The alleged smugglers threw the cargo overboard during the operation, but all the contraband was recovered. Three people were arrested and handed over to the United States authorities for prosecution.

Footage shows several Armed Forces personnel being dispatched on smaller speedboats to catch the boat, and later fishing contraband out of the water.

Marines and US Coast Guards on small boat pursuing the alleged smugglers' speedboat

The Marines from HMS Trent fished packages of cocaine dumped from the speedboat from the water - LPhot Matt Bradley/Royal Navy

The alleged smugglers are later filmed being escorted on to HMS Trent with their hands held above their heads.

A flow of approximately 500 tons of cocaine travels from South America into the Caribbean and on to the US before crossing the Atlantic to feed an ever-growing market in Europe.

While the recent seizure was believed to have been destined for the US, previous shipments have made it across to the UK, and there has been a noticeable shift in activity this year to supply a European market.

Luke Pollard, the Armed Forces minister, said: This recent operation highlights the Royal Navys vital role in maintaining maritime security and upholding international law in the region.

We are sending a clear message to drug traffickers that nowhere is safe and we will disrupt and dismantle their operations wherever they are in the world.

One of the alleged smugglers from the boat is taken on to HMS Trent with his hands above his head - LPhot Matt Bradley/Royal Navy

The ship will continue to patrol the Caribbean to stem the flow of illegal cargo through the region, as well as to act as a reassuring presence for the British Overseas Territories during hurricane season, which ends in November.

HMS Trent has seized 6,995 kilograms of drugs in 2024, working with the US Coast Guard and the Joint Interagency Task Force South based in Florida, which monitors illegal drug trafficking.

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First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska recorded a video message to the internally displaced Ukrainians in Vilnius. She noted that Ukrainians have the opportunity to celebrate Independence Day in the unique cultural center "Ukrainian Heart of Lithuania" at Vytautas Magnus University.

ADVERTISIMENT

The President's wife appeared in front of the camera wearing an embroidered shirt with a light openwork pattern. The ivory-colored shirt depicted an ornament inspired by elements of 20th-century Kosiv painted ceramic tiles and a 19th-century monastery towels monk's towel in the Kyiv region, VOGUE writes. Zelenska wore the piece by Ukrainian brand Gunia Project on last year's Vyshyvanka Day.

ADVERTISIMENT

The first lady complemented the look with gold hryvna earrings. In the days of Kyivan Rus, this jewelry was a necklace in the shape of an open circle worn by men, according to the Gunia Project website. It was worn by warriors for their achievements.

Over time, the jewelry became an accessory for women. "The reinterpreted, twisted hryvna is transformed into gilded earrings. They can be worn in two ways: by twisting the clasp in front of or behind the ear," the post says. The price of the product is 7200 UAH.

ADVERTISIMENT

Zelenska chose delicate nude makeup in brown and warm pink shades. You can see barely noticeable blush and lip gloss on her face. The First Lady pulled her hair up and made a side parting.

Only verified information is available on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
PLEASANT HILL, Iowa  Pleasant Hill PD reported a water buffalo wandering through Pleasant Hill Saturday morning.

Around 10 a.m. on Saturday Pleasant Hill Police Officers were called to 2060 NE 56th Street on reports of an animal in the roadway. The animal was identified as a water buffalo that had escaped its owners property.

During their attempts to apprehend the water buffalo the animal became aggressive and fled the area. The buffalo headed south towards Hickory Boulevard, venturing closer to the city. Pleasant Hill PD fired one shotgun round, striking and injuring the animal.

Alpacas, Butterflies and a Soiree: Whats happening at Blank Park Zoo

The buffalo continued traveling south and was last seen in Little Fourmile creek near Scott Avenue and Oakwood Boulevard.

For their safety, if anyone sees the water buffalo they should not approach it.

If you have any information, please call the Pleasant Hill Police Department at 515-265-1444.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
Supporters cheer during an event for Donald Trump at the North Carolina Aviation Museum in Asheboro on August 21, 2024. (Photo by Galen Bacharier/NC Newsline)

Latest poll gives Stein a double-digit lead over Robinson in NCs governors race

Mark Robinson and Josh Stein

By Clayton Henkel

A new High Point University/SurveyUSA Poll shows Attorney General Josh Stein, the Democratic nominee for governor, leading Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson by 14 percentage points in North Carolinas closely watched governors race.

The online poll of more than 1,000 North Carolina registered voters found 48% favored Stein and 34% supporting Robinson. Eighteen percent say they remain undecided.

The High Point Poll comes roughly a week after a New York Times/Sienna College poll showed Stein leading Robinson 49-39 percent. [Read more]

Lets fight for it: Harris vows to chart a new way forward, defeat Trump

By: Ariana Figueroa and Jacob Fischler

CHICAGO  Vice President Kamala Harris accepted her partys nomination for president Thursday evening, pitching her candidacy as an opportunity for the nation to move forward, rather than accept a dark future she said would follow a second election of her Republican opponent.

Harris on the last night of the Democratic National Convention took advantage of the largest television audience shes likely to have at least until her first debate with Republican nominee Donald Trump next month.

The vice president told her life story to the millions of Americans watching, saying it informed her agenda meant to boost the countrys middle class.[Read more]

Bonus reads:

* A former high school football coach rises to running mate as Walz accepts VP nomination

* Hope is making a comeback: The Obamas make the case for Kamala Harris

Trump, Vance attack Harris on Afghanistan exit, foreign policy at North Carolina event

By Galen Bacharier

ASHEBORO  The members of the Republican presidential ticket criticized Vice President Kamala Harris over the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and Americas place on the world stage during a visit to Asheboro on Wednesday.

The event, which took place outside the North Carolina Aviation Museum, marked former President Donald Trumps first outdoor campaign event since an attempted assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania last month. It was also U.S. Sen. JD Vances first visit to the state since being tapped as the GOP vice presidential nominee.[Read more]

Republicans sue NC elections board, alleging deliberate flouting of voter roll review law

voters at a polling place

By Galen Bacharier

NCSBE calls claims categorically false, asks GOP to rescind news releases

Republicans sued North Carolinas elections board on Thursday, demanding enforcement of a new law that requires cross-checking jury documents to remove non-citizens from voter rolls.

The Republican National Committee and North Carolina GOP allege that the North Carolina State Board of Elections has deliberately declined to enforce the law. [Read more...]

Racial Justice Act case rests with Superior Court judge after closing arguments

The Johnston County courthouse

By Christine Zhu

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. [Read more...]

A divided NC Board of Elections allows use of UNC-Chapel Hill digital IDs for voting

By: Lynn Bonner

The state Board of Elections decided along party lines to allow UNC-Chapel Hill students and employees to use digital identification cards to vote.

Most people use drivers licenses as their voter photo ID, but options such as ID cards issued by local boards of election, colleges, or state and local governments are also allowed. [Read more]

NC Housing Finance Agency awarded $8M federal grant to secure housing for people with disabilities

a one-story apartment complex

By Greg Childress

The North Carolina Housing Finance Agency (NCHFA) is one of 18 state housing agencies that recently received an award from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to secure affordable housing for people with disabilities. NCHFA will receive nearly $8 million to help people with disabilities pay for affordable, safe housing. The agency will spend the money on 225 housing units in the form of rental assistance. [Read more]
'We're not ready yet': Why some Kentucky auto dealers are struggling with EV sales

Automobile dealerships serve as ambassadors to customers looking to buy a new car. They're tasked with understanding and promoting new trends and technologies in the industry.

And no trend in todays auto industry is bigger than electric vehicles  but dealers may be disincentivized to sell them because of their business model, EV advocates say.

The service and parts department is typically where dealerships make the most profit. Dealers nationwide wrote 264 million repair orders and brought in more than $142 billion in sales from service last year, according to the National Automobile Dealers Association.

Electric vehicles have fewer parts and need less service, with no internal combustion engine, transmission, or other major internal parts needing regular maintenance or repair.

"It's not profitable to sell electric vehicles, said Ellen Wade, an EV owner and advocate, because they're not going to see us again."

Despite massive investment in EV manufacturing in Kentucky, totaling $11.7 billion in the last four years, the state is lagging in rate of ownership compared to other states.

Consumers are hesitating to buy EVs because of price, range anxiety and access to charging infrastructure.

Still, dealerships will play a central role in the pace of Kentuckys electric vehicle transition. And some say selling EVs has been a challenge, so far.

"Were not ready yet," Daniel Mekuria, the general manager of James Collins Ford in downtown Louisville, said of consumers. "Maybe in the next five years."

Thoughts about buying EVx Submit your letter to the editor here.

Service is big for dealerships, but EVs may change that

Stefano Boccuzzi, service advisor at the Mercedes Benz of Louisville dealership, services an electric vehicle. Aug. 6, 2024

So far, there aren't enough electric vehicles on Kentucky roads for dealerships to see a tangible dent in service profits, but EV advocates worry it could hold back sales over time.

"The dealerships are dragging their feet a little bit because they make money on service," said Fred Rockhold, an EV owner and advocate with Evolve KY. "They make much more money on service and maintenance than they do on the sale of the vehicle, and they're not training their salespeople to push the EV."

Electric vehicles still need some service, albeit less than gas-powered vehicles, according to the Department of Energy.

Virginia Payne, the director of fixed operations at James Collins Ford, said the types of service her team has encountered for EVs are mainly tire rotations and programming bulletins.

At Mercedes Benz of Louisville, Service Advisor Stefano Boccuzzi said the EV transition gives him concern for job security, noting that 90% of the EV work his team handles is software updates and requires less hands-on tinkering with a car than it does computer operating skills.

What they're worried about is, is the computer going to do most of the job? And we don't want to be sitting around just clicking OK to update everything, Boccuzzi said. But right now, the infrastructure is not close, so we're still chugging along probably 90% motor vehicles, 10% electric vehicles.

Premium prices can stall some dealership sales

Ford, with its strong Kentucky presence, see EVs as the future of the auto industry. In a July earnings call, Ford CEO Jim Farley said customer data shows "about 50% of customers who buy automobiles would be better served" buying an EV.

"On electrification, we've been very vocal about why electric vehicles are so important and a great choice for customers and businesses," Farley said. "Now there's a lot of misconceptions around EVs ... and (automakers) like Ford must do a much better job in educating our customers about the advantages that EVs offer in terms of cost of ownership."

Ford has seen increased success this year with its EV lineup. As of the second quarter of 2024, Ford's EV sales were up 72% for the year.

Still, Mekuria said his dealership struggles to sell EVs after Ford flooded the dealer with the product a few years ago.

Mekuria said roughly 20% of consumers looking for a new vehicle are interested in EVs.

But across town at Mercedes, EVs sell out like hotcakes, said Mercedes Sales and Leasing Consultant Cullen Dunn.

A Mercedes Benz electric vehicle that was brought to the Louisville dealership for service. Aug. 6, 2024

While the price for EVs has decreased over the last few years as battery technology has advanced, many EVs still come at a premium price, and for dealers like Ford, compared to a luxury dealership like Mercedes, the sale of a premium-priced vehicle can be challenging.

According to Kelley Blue Book, the average price for an EV in June was more than $56,000, whereas the average price for a gas car was about $49,000. Federal tax credits have sought to bridge that price gap, offering up to $7,500 for new EV purchases.

It will be the way of the future eventually; it just didn't happen as quickly as the manufacturers wanted it to, Payne said. The consumers just were not on board, but I do believe it will be the future.

Dealerships often lack EV education

Many dealers also lack education on the product, EV owners and advocates told The Courier Journal.

Rockhold, with Evolve KY, said it's been his experience that salespeople at dealerships "don't really know how to talk about electric vehicles."

Stuart Ungar, the executive director of the Louisville Sustainability Council, said on occasion, he has gone to dealerships with customers looking for EVs to aid in the shopping process.

Some dealerships, he said, appear open to the change, but others "aren't embracing it."

"I will go and kind of hold their hand at the car dealership because the vast majority of dealerships, even the really good ones ... it's much easier for them to steer somebody to a gas or diesel vehicle because that's the vast majority of what's out there," Ungar said.

Dealers are also given some leverage by a Kentucky state law that has prevented automobile manufacturers, like Tesla and Rivian, from directly selling vehicles to consumers. Despite this, Tesla has found a caveat to the state law and as of Aug. 9, the EV company appeared in the Kentucky Motor Vehicle Commissions list of dealers and has a Louisville property that is hiring for sales and service workers.

Regardless of the hesitancy among consumers and dealers, the state has solidified its place as a leader in this next-generation vehicle production with facilities in at least 13 counties.

As the state works on rolling out its charging infrastructure and focusing on the jobs and economic development EVs bring, dealerships are searching for their place in the evolving industry.

"The folks that aren't embracing it, run the risk of having their Kodak or Polaroid moment," Ungar said.

Contact reporter Olivia Evans at oevans@courier-journal.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter at @oliviamevans_. Connor Giffin is an environmental reporter for The Courier Journal. Reach him directly at cgiffin@gannett.com or on X @byconnorgiffin.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky dealers struggle to sell EVs as auto industry goes electric
ST. CHARLES, Mo.  Listed as the oldest city on the Missouri River, St. Charles, has a deep history that spans all the way back to the 1600s. The town didnt always have that name. Over the centuries, it has gone by a number of names.

The territory was first claimed for France by explorer Rene-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle in 1682. It remained with France until 1763, when the territory was transferred to Spain following the Treaty of Paris. Although Spain didnt take over the region until 1770, the territory remained filled primarily with French settlers and was very welcoming to visitors traveling through.

The city of St. Charles was originally named Les Petites Cotes and was founded by a French-Canadian explorer named Louis Blanchette in 1769. According to Greater St. Louis Area Scouting, the name Les Petites Cotes is a French term for the Little Hills, and it came from local Native Americans because of the regions gentle slopes of the surrounding hills.

Q in the Lou Barbecue Festival Canceled Due to Safety Concerns

Blanchette quickly became a local leader in the settlement until his death in 1793. According to La Grande Louisiane Francaise, Blanchette was named commandant of the settlement on behalf of Spain and was able to transform the territory into a successful trading port for visitors traveling through the settlement.

With Spain in control of the region, the country moved forward to rename the settlement to San Carlos in 1791 to honor its king at the time, Charles IV of Spain, with the name of his patron saint, Bishop Carlos Borromeo, the city of St. Charles says.

Through the course of 13 years, the population of San Carlos would continue to grow as the rest of the territory changed powers. The United States eventually took control of the territory in part of the Louisiana Territory in 1804 and the city of San Carlos was anglicized to St. Charles in the same year.

Today, the city of St. Charles is known to be the oldest city on the Missouri River and is one of the largest cities in the Greater St. Louis region, with over 71,000 people calling the city their home.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 2.
The rise of Hitler and the Nazi Party in the 1930s came on the back of votes from millions of ordinary Germans  both men and women.

But aside from a few high-profile figures, such as concentration camp guard Irma Grese and concentration camp murderess Ilse Koch, little is known about the everyday women who embraced the National Socialist German Workers Party, known more commonly as the Nazi Party. What little data we do have on ordinary Nazi women has been largely underused, forgotten or ignored. It has left us with a half-formed understanding of the rise of the Nazi movement, one that is almost exclusively focused on male party members.

And yet more than 30 essays on the subject Why I became a Nazi written by German women in 1934 have been lying fallow in the archives of the Hoover Institution in Palo Alto for decades. These essays were only unearthed three years ago when three Florida State University professors arranged to have them transcribed and translated. They have since been made available digitally, but have not received widespread attention.

Not all Cabaret

As scholars of Holocaust studies, crimes against humanity and political behavior, we believe the accounts of these women give an insight into the role of women in the rise of the Nazi party. They also point to the extent to which womens attitudes on feminism differed after the Great War  a time when women were making gains in independence, education, economic opportunity and sexual freedom.

The German womens movement had been among the most powerful and significant in the world for half a century before the Nazis came to power in 1933. Top-quality high schools for girls had existed since the 1870s, and German universities were opened to women at the beginning of the 20th century. Many German women became teachers, lawyers, doctors, journalists and novelists. In 1919, German women got the vote. By 1933, women, of whom there were millions more than men  Berlin had 1,116 women for every 1,000 men  voted in roughly the same percentages as men for Hitler and National Socialist candidates.

Everyone was everyones enemy

The essays unearthed at the Hoover Institution give an insight as to why some of them did.

Dissatisfaction with the attitudes of the Weimar era, the period between the end of World War I and Hitlers rise to power, is clear in the womens writing. Most of the essay writers express distaste with some aspect of the political system. One calls womens voting rights a disadvantage for Germany, while another describes the political climate as haywire, and everyone was everyones enemy. Margarethe Schrimpff, a 54-year-old woman living just outside of Berlin, describes her experience:

I attended the meetings of all  parties, from the communists to the nationalists; at one of the democratic meetings in Friedenau [Berlin], where the former Colonial Minister, a Jew by the name of Dernburg, was speaking, I experienced the following: this Jew had the audacity to say, among other things: What are the Germans actually capable of; maybe breeding rabbits. "Dear readers, do not think that the heavily represented stronger sex jumped up and told this Jew where to go. Far from it. Not one man made a sound, they stayed dead quiet. However, a miserable, frail little woman from the so-called weaker sex raised her hand and forcefully rejected the Jews brazen remarks; he had in the meantime allegedly disappeared to attend another meeting.

These essays were originally collected by an assistant professor at Columbia University, Theodore Abel, who organized an essay contest with generous prizes with the cooperation of the Nazi Propaganda Ministry. Of nearly 650 essays, roughly 30 were written by women, and Abel set them aside, explaining in a footnote that he intended to examine them separately. But he never did. The mens essays formed the basis for his book, Why Hitler Came To Power, published in 1938, which remains an important source in the global discourse about the Nazi rise to power.

Summarizing Abels findings, historian Ian Kershaw wrote in his book on Hitlers rise to power that they showed that the appeal of Hitler and his movement was not based on any distinctive doctrine. He concluded that almost a third of the men were attracted by the indivisible national community  Volksgemeinschaft  ideology of the Nazis, and a similar proportion were swayed by nationalist, super-patriotic and German-romantic notions. In only about an eighth of the cases was anti-Semitism the prime ideological concern, although two-thirds of the essays revealed some form of dislike of Jews. Almost a fifth were motivated by the Hitler cult alone, attracted by the man himself, but the essays reveal differences between men and women in the reason for the enthrallment with the Nazi leader.

The cult of Hitler

For men, the cult of personality appears to center around Hitler as a strong leader charging toward a Germany which defined itself by those it excluded. Its not surprising that women, on the cusp of exclusion themselves, were less captivated by this component of Nazism. Rather, the womens essays tend to refer to religious imagery and sentiment conflating piety with the Hitler cult. The women appear to be moved more by Nazisms proposed solutions to problems such as poverty rather than the supposed grandeur of Nazi ideology in the abstract.

In her essay, Helene Radtke, a 38-year-old wife of a German soldier, describes her divine duty to forget about all my household chores and to perform my service to my homeland.

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Agnes Molster-Surm, a housewife and private tutor, calls Hitler her God-given Fuhrer and savior, Adolf Hitler, for Germanys honor, Germanys fortune and Germanys freedom!

Another woman replaced the star on her Christmas tree with a photograph of Hitler surrounded by a halo of candles. These men and women shared the message of National Socialism as if it was gospel and refer to new party members as converts. One such woman describes early efforts to convert her family to Nazism as falling on stony soil and not even the slightest little green sapling of understanding sprouted. She was later converted through conversations with her mailman.

The essays do not only serve as historical curios, but as a warning as to how ordinary people can be attracted to extremist ideology at a time of social distress. Similar language has been used to describe the current political climate in the United States and other countries. Perhaps, as some do today, these women believed all their societys ills could be solved by the restoration of their nation to a perceived state of former glory, no matter the cost.

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: Sarah R. Warren, Florida State University; Daniel Maier-Katkin, Florida State University, and Nathan Stoltzfus, Florida State University

Read more:



Sarah R. Warren received funding for a portion of this work from the Florida State University Center for Undergraduate Research and Academic Engagement.

Daniel Maier-Katkin receives funding from National Science Fondation, U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Department of State

Nathan Stoltzfus 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.
With each party trying to one-up the other on its family friendliness, the popular child tax credit has become a major point of rivalry in this years presidential election.

Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, has made boosting the child tax credit a central piece of her recently released four-part platform to lower costs for American families, which also included measures to make housing, groceries and prescription drugs more affordable. She wants to restore the 2021 American Rescue Plan Acts enhanced credit of up to $3,600 per child, which was only in effect for one year, as well as create a $6,000 credit for newborns.

Meanwhile, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, the GOP vice presidential pick who has repeatedly claimed Democrats are anti-family, told CBS News earlier this month that hed like to see the child tax credit beefed up to $5,000 per child  though hed have to see how viable that would be in Congress. Former President Donald Trump, who is at the top of the ticket and whose daughter Ivanka successfully pushed to expand the credit during his first term, indicated in a separate CBS News interview this month that he supports a generous child tax credit.

Campaigns are looking for policies that are popular and populist, said Josh McCabe, director of social policy at the Niskanen Center, a right-leaning think tank, noting that increasing the child tax credits amount is the easiest sell to voters. Also, the credit isnt limited to a particular need, as it is with the child care credit, for instance. With the child tax credit, families see it as being able to spend it on whatever they want.

Vance and Democrats have also traded barbs over the credit, with the vice presidential nominee falsely claiming that Harris wants to end the benefit, and Democrats attacking him for missing a recent vote that would have temporarily broadened the credit.

Whoever wins the White House will have to deal with the child tax credit next year since it is scheduled to revert back to a maximum of $1,000 in 2026, down from the current ceiling of $2,000 put in place by the Republicans Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. The credit is one of many individual income tax provisions in the law that lapse at the end of next year.

Heres what you need to know about the child tax credit:

What is the child tax credit?

The child tax credit, which about 46 million families claimed in 2022, was approved by a Republican-led Congress and signed into law by then-President Bill Clinton, a Democrat, in 1997. It was a relatively modest tax credit for middle-income families, designed to help ease the financial burden of having kids, said Margot Crandall-Hollick, a principal research associate at the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center.

The child tax credit is appealing to families, and because of that, its appealing to politicians, she said, noting that almost 90% of families with kids got the credit in 2022.

Originally, the credit of up to $500 per child was nonrefundable, meaning that parents had to earn enough to pay federal income taxes to receive it. But it also began to phase out for single taxpayers with incomes greater than $75,000 and married couples earning more than $110,000.

Since then, the credit has been expanded in a number of ways, including getting beefed up to as much as $2,000. Also, it is now partially refundable so lower-income families can receive at least a portion of the credit as long as they earn at least $2,500, even if they dont owe federal income tax. And more higher-income households are eligible since the credit now starts phasing out for single parents with incomes of $200,000 and married couples earning double that amount.

But all of this changes starting in 2026, when the $1,000 maximum credit and lower phase-out thresholds return, if Congress doesnt act. Plus, low-income families would have to earn at least $3,000 to qualify.

What the candidates want to do

By restoring the American Rescue Plan enhancement, Harris would greatly increase the size of the child tax credit and open it up to millions more low-income families by making it fully refundable.

The Covid-19 pandemic relief law boosted payments for lower- and middle-income families for 2021 to as much as $3,600 for each child up to age 6 and to a maximum of $3,000 for each one ages 6 through 17. Plus, for the first time, half the credit was paid in monthly installments from July through December that year to help families cover their expenses, while parents could claim the other half when they filed their 2021 taxes.

The enhancement slashed the child poverty rate nearly in half in 2021, lifting 2.1 million children out of poverty, according to the US Census Bureau  though the rate returned roughly to its pre-pandemic level the following year.

Harris would also add a $6,000 credit for children in their first year of life to help cover expenses such as car seats and diapers. She has not specified the income threshold for this credit.

Theres one more way I will help families deal with rising costs, and thats by letting you keep more of your hard-earned money, Harris said in a recent speech unveiling her economic platform, which her campaign noted would provide tax relief to more than 100 million Americans.

Vance, on the other hand, has not released any details about increasing the credit but said on CBS News Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan that the $5,000 credit should be universally available.

I dont think that you want this massive cutoff for lower-income families, which you have right now, he said. You dont want a different policy for higher-income families. You just want to have a pro-family child tax credit.

When Trump was asked in a separate CBS News interview whether he supports increasing the credit to $5,000, as his running mate floated, the former president said that he is in favor of the doing the maximum, but pointed out that it must be negotiated in Congress.

The cost of expanding the credit has been a sticking point among lawmakers at a time when the nations debt continues to climb. Harris proposal could add about $1.2 trillion to the federal deficits over the next decade, while Vances idea could cost between $2 trillion and $3 trillion over that period, according to Marc Goldwein, senior policy director for the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, who noted that the estimates could change if the candidates release more details about their proposals.

President Joe Biden and congressional Democrats have tried unsuccessfully to extend the 2021 expansion or pass a smaller enhancement. Senate Republicans earlier this month tanked a bill that would have provided a larger credit to low-income families, along with restoring some business tax benefits. The legislation received bipartisan approval in the House earlier this year.

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Its simple. If you dont want to join a labor union, you shouldnt have to.

But thats exactly what unions are pushing with the Protecting the Right to Organize Act, or PRO Act, which is currently being debated on Congress. This dangerous bill will strip workers of their rights to decide for themselves whether they want to support a union and violate their privacy.

Union membership across the nation has consistently been falling for decades. The modern economy, economic growth and its resulting rising wages, the politicization of unions and the all or nothing mindset of union bosses have led to unions becoming more and more obsolete. In response, labor leaders are looking to use Congress to force workers into unions, even in right-to-work states such as Missouri.

So it begs the question: Why is Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley calling the PRO Act a pretty good piece of legislation when it would violate Missouri workers rights?

The PRO Act would eliminate right-to-work laws across the country, and force workers to financially bolster unions and causes they do not support. That means 61 million Americans would be forced to pay up to $1,000 or more per year in union dues  or risk losing their jobs. Not only is that unconscionable in a free society like ours, but it also would disincentivize job growth, leading to economic uncertainty for millions of families and communities around the nation. The PRO Act would also require employers to hand over workers confidential, personal data to union organizers, violating their privacy rights and exposing them to potential harassment and intimidation during union organizing campaigns.

This bill is antithetical to everything Missourians should be fighting for. Instead of empowering the American worker and individual, the PRO Act would expand union bosses influence and power while crushing workers rights to self-determination, privacy and more.

While Sen. Hawley courts labor unions for their political support, he seems to have forgotten to consider the best interests of Missouris workers. Right-to-work laws are commonsense policies that stop unions from intimidating workers and stripping them of their freedoms. Workers privacy should never be sacrificed for any reason, let alone to enable an organization to harass and intimidate them.

Protecting American workers should be top of mind for every public servant, but Sen. Hawley seems to have lost his way on this issue. Hawley should protect Missourians rights in the workplace and stop bending the knee to labor bosses.

Kristen Swearingen is chair of the Coalition for a Democratic Workplace, an unincorporated umbrella coalition that represents more than 500 major business organizations.
Wildfire near Stanley nearly doubles in size over weekend as evacuation orders remain

The Wapiti Fire in Custer County nearly doubled in size over the weekend as evacuation orders remain in place for parts of the Stanley area.

The wildfire grew from 35,000 acres Friday to 68,457 acres Sunday, with 0% containment and 461 emergency personnel working to combat it, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.

The fire, which started July 24 when a lightning strike created sparks near Grandjean, progressed from east of Stanley Lake toward Idaho Highway 21, according to NIFC. County officials closed Highway 21 from Stanley to Lowman to allow fire management.

The Custer County Sheriffs Office issued evacuation orders for residents near Stanley Lake Friday and encouraged other Stanley residents to be ready to leave should conditions worsen. Those evacuation instructions remained in place Sunday, the Wapiti Fire Information Office told the Idaho Statesman by phone.

Law enforcement, including Custer County Sheriffs Office deputies, were at the scene of the Wapiti Fire.

The American Red Cross of Idaho and East Oregon opened an evacuation center Saturday at the Stanley Community Center for those who needed a safe place. The community center is found at 510 Eva Falls Ave.

Leave without delay, the sheriffs office said in a Facebook post. It is unsafe to stay and threaten the safety of you, your family and emergency responders. Emergency responders may not be able to help you if you choose to stay.

The fire center said that Saturday was the areas first day without a red flag warning since Wednesday. A red flag warning is issued when warm temperatures, especially low humidity and strong winds, combine to create the perfect conditions to increase fire risk, according to the National Weather Services website.

Smoke from the Wapiti wildfire billows across Custer County.

That break allowed firefighters to make good progress on assessing current conditions and developing strategic suppression plans as they continued to protect structures near the fire, the Rocky Mountain Incident Management Team said in a Sunday report.

The current focus is to continue protecting structures and communities with dozer and hand lines, air resources, and hose lays to protect the values at risk, the report said. This is a full suppression fire, and opportunities to contain the fires edge with control lines will be aggressively pursued.

The Wapiti Fire Information Office did not return the Idaho Statesmans request for more information.
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU)  Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley has announced that Western Iowa Tech is among four colleges to receive federal grants to expand their commercial drivers license (CDL) training programs.

According to a release, a total of $509,775 was awarded to four community colleges across Iowa, with WITCC receiving $131,000.

2nd controlled blast of Big Sioux River rail bridge to take place next month

Improving pathways for eligible individuals to secure commercial drivers licenses is a simple way we can boost the economy, Grassley said. These resources will unlock good-paying jobs, address labor shortages in the trucking industry, and streamline supply chain operations. Ive seen firsthand the efficacy of commercial drivers license programs in Iowa and am confident our community colleges will use this federal investment to build on their proven successes.

The release noted that this comes after Grassley met with Hawkeye Community College students who were earning their commercial driving credentials in 2021. Grassley set out to bolster the Iowa trucking workforce by encouraging the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to allow individuals 18 or older to qualify for CDLs.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
The body of a 33-year-old woman who was swept away in flash flooding at the Grand Canyon has been discovered, according to the National Park Service.

Chenoa Nickerson of Gilbert, Arizona, had been missing since Thursday afternoon when heavy rain triggered a flash flood that washed her into Havasu Creek in the Grand Canyon, about a half mile from where the creek meets the Colorado River, according to the NPS.

Nickerson's body was discovered at approximately 11:30 a.m. Sunday by a commercial river trip near river mile 176 in the Colorado River, the park service said in a press release.

MORE: Hiker missing after getting swept into Grand Canyon creek during flash flood: NPS

Park rangers responded and recovered the body, which was transported to the rim of the canyon by helicopter and transferred to the Coconino County medical examiner.

An investigation into the incident is being conducted by the medical examiner and the NPS, according to the release.

At the time she disappeared, Nickerson was not wearing a life jacket, officials said.

Earlier Sunday, Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs activated the National Guard to help in the emergency rescue operations.

PHOTO: U.S. Army soldiers of the Arizona National Guard guide tourists trapped by flash flooding into a UH-60 Blackhawk, Aug. 24, 2024, on the Havasupai Reservation in Supai, Ariz. (Maj. Erin Hannigan/AP)

The search for Nickerson -- described as 5 feet, 8 inches tall, 190 pounds with brown hair and blue eyes -- was focused in the Beaver Falls area of the Grand Canyon, the National Park Service said, adding that rescue crews were searching by ground, air and boat. Nickerson was last seen wearing a black tank top, black shorts and blue hiking boots.

The National Park Service said Nickerson had been staying at a campground near the village of Supai on the Havasupai Reservations at the bottom of the Grand Canyon.

"We love her very much and are not giving up on her," Nickerson's family previously said in a statement to ABC News.

Nickerson was hiking at the time torrential rains hit and washed her into Havasu Creek, officials said.

The National Weather Service said the area received between 1 to 2 inches of rain within 60 to 90 minutes.

PHOTO: This photo provided by Tamara Morales, shows Chenoa Nickerson of Gilbert, Ariz., who went missing at Grand Canyon National Park after she was swept into a creek during a flash flood, the woman's sister said on social media, Aug. 24, 2024. (AP)

Other tourists camping and hiking in the area became trapped by the floodwaters, emergency officials said. The flooding also prompted rescues of residents at the Havasupai Indian Reservation in the Havasu Canyon area of the Grand Canyon.

The Havasupai Tribal Council said in a statement Saturday that all trails leading into and out of the small village of Supai in the Grand Canyon were made unpassable by the storm. The area is a popular tourist destination for its blue-green waterfalls, including Havasu Falls, which features a 100-foot vertical drop.

MORE: Connecticut floods leave 2 dead and over 100 evacuated; state of emergency declared

The Tribal Council said a campground near Supai sustained extensive damage from the flooding and had to be evacuated and closed.

"The Tribal Councils focus is the health and safety of the tribal members and those that provide services in Supai," according to the council's statement.

PHOTO: This photo provided by Chance and Carly Johnson shows the top of Mooney Falls at Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona on Aug. 22, 2024. (AP)

"My heart is with all of the people impacted by the flooding in Havasupai, including tribal members and visitors to the area," Hobbs said in a statement. "I am closely monitoring the situation and we have deployed the Arizona National Guard to get people to safety. The safety and security of Arizonans and all those who visit our state is always my top concern, and Ill continue working closely with leaders on the ground to protect the Havasupai community."

National Guard officials said it used helicopters to evacuate 104 tourists and residents of the Havasupai Indian Reservation from flooded areas by Saturday afternoon.

Supai resident Rochelle Tilousi told ABC News that at one point she was cut off from her children by the rushing flood waters.

"We could see the children running trying to beat the flood, but they couldn't," Tilousi said, adding that the children survived the flooding and are now safe.

MORE: Hurricane Hone moves south of Hawaii's Big Island as Category 1 storm

She said her family's pets were washed away by the flood.

"There is part of our village that is still flooded," Tilousi said Saturday.

Editor's Note: Chenoa Nickerson was not wearing a life jacket when she was swept away by floodwaters. This story has been updated to reflect that information.

ABC News' Vanessa Navarrete contributed to this report.

Body found of woman washed away in Grand Canyon floodwaters originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
DENVER (KDVR)  Tuesday, Deputies shot a woman who was allegedly armed with a gun after an early morning chase through Larimer County. Saturday, she was released from the hospital and booked in jail on a previous warrant and multiple new charges.

Following an investigation, the 8th Judicial District Critical Incident Response Team provided a summary of the incident on Saturday when the woman, identified as Emily Louise Minugh, 54 of Berthoud, was booked into the Larimer County Jail.

Deputies shoot woman allegedly armed with a gun after chase in Larimer County

According to a release from the 8th Judicial District Critical Incident Response Team, a deputy spotted a 2007 Honda Accord on Highway 402 and East Frontage Road, looked through their records and found the owner, Minugh, had a warrant and a revoked license. The active arrest warrant was for failing to appear for driving under the influence.

Minugh did not yield to the emergency lights and sirens, according to the release, eluding deputies at speeds exceeding 100 mph.

She crashed near the intersection of Wheatridge Court and County Road 18 in Loveland. When she opened the driver-side door, according to the release, she produced a firearm and deputies fired their weapons.

As soon as the scene was declared safe, deputies performed first aid on Minugh, who was transported to a local hospital. The Eighth Judicial Critical Incident Response Team was activated and took over the investigation, the release states.

On Saturday just before 3 p.m., Minugh was released from the hospital and arrested. She was booked into jail on her previous warrant as well as the following new charges, according to the release:

First-degree assault (2 counts)

Menacing

Vehicular eluding

Theft

Reckless driving

Anyone who may have witnessed the incident or has any information is asked to call the Loveland Police Department Tip Line at 970-962-2032 or Larimer County Crime Stoppers at 970221-6868.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
Delegate Stacey Plaskett of the Virgin Islands speaking in Tampa on Aug. 24, 2024, (Photo by Mitch Perry/Florida Phoenix)

Still on a cosmic high following the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, a group of Florida state lawmakers came to Tampa on Saturday afternoon to imagine the seemingly impossible during a rally for the Kamala Harris campaign.

Florida is in play! insisted Tampa Bay area Democratic Rep. Michele Rayner, speaking in a rapid fire-style. Were going to shock the world on Nov. 5!

The crowd of several hundred (overwhelmingly female) members of the audience at the Victor Crist Community Center in North Tampa cheered loudly in response.

Were going to have to make the case [to voters], Rayner explained. Were going to have to talk to our neighbors. Were going to make sure that our people in our circles know. So, every phone conversation. Every text message. Every door knock. We are making the case for Kamala Harris. Were not taking anything for granted. We are leaving it all on the field this November for Kamala Harris.

Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, Tampa City Councilmember Gwen Henderson, former longtime Hillsborough County School Board member Doretha Edgecomb, Hillsboorough County Commissioner Gwen Myers and state Rep. Dianne Hart also addressed the crowd, which an official with the Florida Democratic Party numbered just below 400 people.

But no speaker elicited a bigger response than Stacey Plaskett, who has served in Congress since 2015 as the non-voting delegate from the Virgin Islands.

I know you guys are going to do something special, Plaskett told the crowd. Youre going to shock the s out of this country! as the audience exploded.

She then went on to verbally bash Floridas top Republicans.

Youre going to let Ron DeSantis know his days are OVER! which lit the crowd on fire. She wasnt done yet.

Youre going to tell Rick Scott, pack your s and get out of here!

The audience erupted even louder.

I need you to tell them that. Im about tired of them. Listen. I served with Ron DeSantis, she said, pausing for comedic effect. Harvard dont always put out a good product. (The governor graduated from Harvard Law School).

In play?

While Democrats and some news sources have spoken of Florida being in play, neither political party has committed significant financial resources to the state, a noticeable departure from presidential election cycles in Florida over the past two decades-plus. In 2020, the state was very much in play, even though Donald Trump defeated Joe Biden by 3.3%.

It was also in 2020 that the coronavirus pandemic brought an influx of people into Florida, many of them registering as Republicans. That, as well as a drop in Democratic participation, led to DeSantis winning his re-election bid in 2022 by 19 points and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio winning re-election by 16 points. Epitaphs were written for Floridas status as a battleground state.

Trump has made several campaign appearances in the Sunshine State this year, mostly in South Florida near his Mar-a-Lago estate. Joe Biden last appeared in Florida in late April, but NBC News did report on Saturday that Harris and vice-presidential nominee Tim Walz are expected to attend multiple fundraising events in the coming week, most likely to take place in New York, California, Florida, and Georgia. (Harris and Walz will launch a bus tour in South Georgia later in the week).

Jasmine Burney Clark, Florida state director of the Harris-Walz campaign, said Saturday that the campaign has 12 offices throughout the state and 60 staff members, and that more than 38,000 volunteers have signed up.

The most recent polls in Florida show Trump leading Harris by between 3 and 8 percentage points.

Republican Party of Florida Chairman Evan Power on Saturday reposted on X a photo of what appeared to be a large crowd at Trumps campaign event in Arizona on Friday night with the comment, The Florida is in play for Kamala group has a lot to learn.

Florida Democratic House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell didnt go as far as to declare that Harris would win Florida, but instead said, We are on track this fall to break the Republican supermajority in the House and push them back.

In addition to firing up the base, the programming at the DNC appealed to independents and even Republican voters, with former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan and former Illinois U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger giving speeches in prime time to announce their support for the Harris-Walz ticket.

A Republican convert

Another Republican supporting Harris this year is Brandy Leasure, a Plant City resident who attended the rally. She said the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 was unacceptable, and the attempted overthrow of the government was for her the last straw.

The U.S. Supreme Courts 2022 Dobbs decision overturning a womans federal right to abortion shocked her to her core and added to her motivation to vote Democratic in November.

Im 42. I never thought I would see the overthrow of Roe v. Wade in my entire lifetime, Leasure said. It was in place when I was born.

It was important to hear Harris say during her convention speech that if elected she would sign legislation to codify Roe into federal law, something Democrats have said while campaigning on abortion rights this year, Leasure said.

For that to happen, not only would the Democrats have to control the House, the Senate, and the White House, but also choose to weaken the legislative filibuster, which requires 60 votes to allow a vote on a bill. Democrats (or Republicans) could vote to remove the rule with a simple majority vote, although its uncertain whether enough members are okay with doing what some have labelled the nuclear option.

Leasure speculated that some registered female GOP voters may covertly vote for Democrats this fall  in other words, what will conservative Republican wives do in the voting booth when they have no one watching?

They have no one to be accountable to but themselves. And I think that there will be a lot of conservative Republican women, especially white women, that are playing a part right now, and I think that theyre going to vote with their hearts and whats right when theyre actually voting, she said.

There are now 72 days before Election Day.
Two men were killed and one person was arrested after a fiery two-car crash in Harlem in which a pickup truck was driving the wrong way on the highway, police said.

The driver of the pickup truck fled and was still on the loose, while his passenger was nabbed about 30 feet from the scene, cops said.

The fiery, multi-vehicle crash happened on the northbound Henry Hudson near West 154th Street around 2:20 a.m., according to police.

The driver of this pickup truck was driving the wrong way on the highway when it collided with another car. G.N.Miller/NYPost

The driver and passenger of this mangled Dodge sedan died in the crash. G.N.Miller/NYPost

The 40-year-old man behind the wheel of the black Dodge sedan that was struck was taken to Harlem Hospital, and later pronounced dead, authorities said.

His passenger, a 33-year-old man, was rushed to Columbia Presbyterian where he was also later pronounced dead.

The driver and the passenger of the pickup both ran off after the crash, cops said.

The passenger was apprehended about 30 feet away from the pickup truck, an NYPD spokesman said.

The passenger, who has not been publicly identified, was taken to Harlem Hospital with an ankle injury, according to police.

The victims have not yet been publicly identified, pending family notification.

The front half of the Dodge was completely crushed in the collision, according to photos of the damages.

The driver and passenger of the pick up truck going the wrong way managed to escape the wreckage and ran off, cops said. G.N.Miller/NYPost

Blood could be seen staining the airbag on the drivers side of the Dodge, video taken by FNTV of the aftermath showed.

The pickup truck burst into flames which had to be extinguished by firefighters, according to authorities and video taken by Loudlabs.

The black and red racing-striped Dodge sedan had New Jersey plates, while the pickup truck appeared to have license plates from Ontario, Canada, according to the footage.

A long line of cars could be seen backed up on the parkway after the incident.

A black Audi was also damaged in the Saturday incident. G.N.Miller/NYPost

The Audi driver was treated at the scene for minor injuries. LoudLabs

No arrests have been made yet in the ongoing investigation, NYPD said. LoudLabs

A long line of cars could be seen backed up on the parkway after the incident.

A black Audi was also apparently swept up in the crash but it was unclear exactly what happened to damage that vehicles front end.

The Audi driver was treated at the scene for minor injuries.

Video showed another SUV also appeared to be damage from the collision, but police said no other injuries were reported.

No arrests have been made yet in the ongoing investigation, NYPD said.
Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi militia has hailed an attack by the Houthi-allied Lebanese Hezbollah movement against Israel and said their own attack is "inevitably coming."

Hezbollah said earlier on Sunday it had completed the first part of its retaliatory attack for the killing of a high-ranking military commander. The Israeli army attacked targets in southern Lebanon and spoke of an "act of self-defence."

The Houthi political office congratulated Hezbollah and its chief Hassan Nasrallah on what it called a "large and courageous attack" and a "strong and effective response" against Israel, the Yemeni militia's mouthpiece television al-Masirah reported.

"We reiterate that the Yemeni response is inevitably coming," the group said, according to the broadcaster. The Houthis have claimed several attacks against Israel since the eruption of the Gaza war in October last year.

The militants have also been attacking ships in the Red Sea and said they want to force an end to the Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip, which followed the unprecedented massacre by the Palestinian Islamist organization Hamas in Israel during the October raid.
A New York man died while on a solo trip to Colombia. It took his grieving mother 5 months to learn what happened

Omar Watson made a promise to his mother before he left New York City for Colombia in late February.

Moments before he climbed into a rideshare to the airport, they hugged in the kitchen of their Brooklyn home. She reminded him of her only request whenever he travels.

I told him, Omar, if nothing else, make sure every time you get into your Airbnb at night, you message me and say, Mommy, Im OK, Hyacinth Watson told CNN. He said he would.

Her 31-year-old son sent her a message after his first full day in Bogota on February 24. And the second day. And the third day. He did not check in on his fourth night, so she called him instead.

It was the last time she heard his voice. In the early afternoon on February 29, less than two days after that phone call, Omar Watson was found dead in the bathroom of his Airbnb.

His American passport was on a wooden dresser near the apartment unit entrance, according to a report from police investigators in Bogota. But his phone, iPad and wallet had vanished, his mother said.

And so began Hyacinth Watsons five-month ordeal to unravel the mystery on how her only child died in an unfamiliar country more than 2,000 miles away. Without her sons phone, which likely would have offered clues, the grieving mother was left to wonder: How did he spend his final days? Was he alone when he died inside the white stucco apartment building? And why did his red canvas suitcase, which arrived months later, contain petite feminine clothes  along with his items?

Theres not a day that I dont break down. Theres not a day that goes by that I dont wish I had taken a flight and gone to see him, she told CNN in July, wiping her tears with trembling hands. I dont sleep very well at night. I barely eat. My entire life is different. And nobody is telling me how my child died.

Two days of silence  and then a dreaded phone call

As an unmarried online stock trader and entrepreneur who lived with his parents in Brooklyn, Watson was not tied to a desk job. His iPad was his business portal, and he took it everywhere he went, his mother said.

He was an avid solo traveler, and had been to a handful of countries, including Japan, Brazil, Mexico and France. After his one-week stay in Colombia, he was planning to go to Portugal.

He just wanted to see the world. Any country he could travel (to), he did, his mother said. I never ever imagined that his death would happen during his travel.

Colombia is an increasingly popular travel destination for Americans and other international tourists. From January to June this year, more than a quarter of foreign visitors to Colombia were from the US, according to the nations tourism ministry. It listed Bogota as having the largest percentage of non-resident foreign tourists.

But traveling to Colombia, which also has a history of racism against Black people, is not without risk.

Shortly before Watsons visit, the US Embassy in Bogota issued a warning about eight suspicious deaths of US citizens in Medellin between November 1 and December 31. Last year, the embassy warned that robbers were drugging tourists in the country with scopolamine, a drug nicknamed devils breath.

Hyacinth Watson had seen the embassys warning and worried that her son had been the victim of foul play.

She rehashed their last phone conversation over and over for any hints of health problems. Hed told her hed vomited and had diarrhea for a few days but was feeling better after getting medication from a local pharmacy. She recalls asking him why his breathing sounded a little slower than usual, but he insisted he was fine, she said.

Hyacinth Watson and her son, Omar Watson. "Nobody is telling me how my child died," she told CNN. - Courtesy Carey Walton

Shed considered getting on a flight to Bogota to pick him up and bring him home to New York City. He gave her his Airbnb address at her insistence, but he told her not to worry.

I asked him if he wanted me to come and get him. He said, Yes, but then he changed his mind. So I said, OK, hes a young man. Maybe he wants to stay a little while longer and enjoy his visit,  she said.

When he did not answer her calls for the next two days, she knew something was off  it was unlike him not to return her calls. She contacted the US Embassy in Bogota and implored them to check on him at the address he gave her, she said.

On March 1, the embassy called her with the tragic news.

A language barrier complicates a mothers search for answers

For the first few weeks after her sons death, Hyacinth Watson was numb. She and her husband felt adrift without him and unsure of how to navigate what felt like a bureaucratic nightmare.

They needed to figure out the logistics of sending his remains back to New York. The stunned parents also needed to plan his funeral, but without her sons phone, she didnt know how to share the awful news with his friends.

Then the flurry of documents started arriving from Colombia. The language barrier  she doesnt speak Spanish  left her struggling to interpret their meaning and nuances.

The US Embassy in Bogota sent her an initial investigative report compiled by local authorities and dated February 29, the day her sons body was found. A colleague from her job as a teacher assistant in Brooklyn sat down with her and helped her translate.

Watson shared the eight-page death investigation report with CNN. It describes the moments leading up to the discovery of her sons body and paints a picture of the scene.

In the report, a person described as the Bogota apartments administrator said he last talked to Watson around 4 p.m. on February 28, the day after his mothers call. The administrator told the police he could not reach Watson the next day, so he entered the apartment and found him in the bathroom without vital signs, according to the report.

Omar Watson was found in a kneeling position on the white tile floor, wearing a black cotton T-shirt and slumped against a door frame, according to the report from police investigators in Bogota.

First responders noted some over-the-counter medication in the apartment, including a Unisom PM Pain bottle, an unopened DayQuil bottle and a bottle of Doloff, a Latin American pain medication, along with a brown stain that appeared to be vomit on the floor near the kitchen. The report said apart from his passport and suitcase, there were no other valuables at the scene.

It listed his cause of death as to be established.

Finally, the family learns about the autopsy results

For months, Watson tried to find out how her son died and what happened to his wallet and electronics. She called and emailed the US Embassy, which told her in March that the autopsy would be finished in three months, she said.

In her frantic search for information, she unsuccessfully tried to reach the owner of the Airbnb, she said. The host of the Airbnb apartment listed in the investigators report declined to comment when asked by CNN via the app for information on Watsons death. Sorry but I dont have any information about that, the host said in a message.

Airbnb said such incidents are rare during stays and has measures in place for hosts and guests, including a 24-hour safety line and an in-app emergency services feature that connects users to local law enforcement.

Our hearts go out to the Watson family during this incredibly difficult time and our team stands ready to provide our support, a spokesperson told CNN.

Watson told CNN in late July that she had not received any autopsy or toxicology reports. I dont know what happened down there. I cannot get any answers. I keep trying to get information, but nobody is listening to me, she said. An autopsy was done, but I have not received any results on the cause of death.

In early August, CNN reached out to the Colombia Attorney Generals Office, which oversees criminal investigations. In an email, Ofir Velandia Forero, a prosecutor for the agency, said an autopsy report was received from forensics investigators on April 24.

The autopsy determined that Omar Watson died as a result of an interlobular pulmonary thromboembolism associated with right deep vein thrombosis and determined his cause of death was natural, the email said. The forensics investigator ruled out signs of violence or trauma to the body, it said.

Police guard the US Embassy in Bogota, Colombia, during pro-Palestinian protests in June. - Ivan Valencia/AP/File

Deep vein thrombosis typically develops when a blood clot forms in the leg. The risk is higher when people are sitting in tight spaces for long periods, including while traveling. Pulmonary embolism is a life-threatening condition that occurs when a clot breaks off and travels to the lung, cutting off blood flow.

CNN called Hyacinth Watson with the news. She gasped when told what Colombian investigators reported caused her sons death. After a long pause, she asked what that meant and how long investigators had known about it. When told the autopsy was concluded in April, she sobbed, her soft cries echoing through the phone.

How is that possible? I did not know that. No one told me, why didnt they tell me? she asked. She asked to get off the phone to compose herself and notify family members.

Its unclear why the autopsy results were not shared with Watsons family sooner. Velandia, the Colombia prosecutor, did not respond to additional questions and declined CNNs request for the official autopsy and toxicology results.

In the initial report, Colombian investigators said theyd requested additional tests, including toxicological, psychopharmacological and alcohol tests. Its unclear whether those tests were done.

Velandia said the case was archived on April 25 due to atypical conduct but can be revisited if theres new evidence. Velandia did not specify what atypical conduct had occurred, saying further details in the case were confidential and would be shared with the embassy.

The US State Department did not respond to CNNs questions on whether the embassy received the autopsy results in April. In a statement, it said the embassy helped transport Watsons body and personal effects back to the United States, but did not divulge other details.

Out of respect to the family during this difficult time, we have no further comment, a State Department spokesperson said. We offer our sincerest condolences to the family on their loss.

His suitcase arrives in Brooklyn, setting off a new wave of emotions

Omar Watsons body arrived at New York Citys John F. Kennedy International Airport on March 21, nearly a month after his flight took off from the same airport. An accompanying death certificate listed the cause of death as natural.

At the time, Watsons mother wondered how the medical examiner in Colombia arrived at that conclusion. In a final attempt for closure before her sons funeral in early April, she tried unsuccessfully to get an autopsy done in New York City.

Watson was laid to rest two weeks later in Brooklyn. At his memorial, loved ones shared stories about his love for cooking, the Thanksgiving holiday and a good medium-rare steak, said Carey Walton, his cousin. Walton said he misses his sense of humor the most. Watson wasnt the loudest person in the room, but his comedic timing was impeccable, he said. Sometimes at family gatherings, hed jokingly mimic his mothers Jamaican accent.

Like when he had a good meal and was full, hed say,Mi belly bottom a drop out, Walton said. I miss our time spent together exploring different restaurants. How we would eat to the point we could hardly move and make fun of each other after.

Three months after the funeral, in late July, FedEx delivered Watsons suitcase to Brooklyn, setting off a new wave of emotions.

Inside the suitcase were his clothes, along with dresses, blouses, pink sandals and silver hoop earrings. His mother said the clothes appeared new and while her son was social and made friends during his solo travels, he did not mention meeting anyone in Colombia.

I dont know of a girlfriend  the suitcase made me more confused, she said.

Months later, his mother is still struggling to cope

Even with the autopsy results Colombian officials provided to CNN this month, Hyacinth Watson said she has a lot of questions. Shes still trying to reach out to authorities in Colombia for more details.

Im thankful for that little part of the information, but its not enough, she said. Im wondering if that [pulmonary embolism] was the only reason. Is there more to the story? she asked.

Why didnt anyone tell me the results when they came out in April? Where is the official autopsy report? Where are the toxicology results? I want to know  was there anything else in his system?

The thought of her sons final moments alone, without his family there, is too much for her to bear. She talks to a therapist weekly to help her cope and takes part in church youth activities to keep her busy. The kids remind her of a young and curious Omar, she said.

But when shes alone with her thoughts, a lot floods through her mind and she second-guesses herself. She wishes shed trusted her instincts that day in February and gone to Colombia.

And she thinks about that last hug in their kitchen.

If only I knew, she said, her voice cracking. I would have given him a longer hug. I would have held him tighter.

CNNs Catherine Shoichet contributed to this report.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
The post Zach Galifianakis Wishes Democrats Would Step Back from the Celebrities, Focus on Rural America appeared first on Consequence.

Kamala Harris has officially become the Democratic Partys nominee for the 2024 Presidential Election, and many celebrities have been quick to embrace the campaign, including George Clooney, Barbara Streisand, Olivia Rodrigo, Mark Hamill, among others. But some, like Zach Galifianakis, have expressed worries that big names dont automatically court big support.

As a small-town guy from North Carolina  I do wish the DNC would step back from the celebrities a little bit, Galifianakis told Variety while at the red carpet premiere of Only Murders in the Building Season 4 Thursday night. It works to a point, but they have to win over rural America.

Continuing, Galifianakis noted that Hollywood thinks its so important, and thats a problem.

Actors are people too, and theyre citizens too, but Im more on the small-town side of that than I am on the Hollywood side of that, he said. Thats just me.

Reportedly, some of Galifianakis castmates in Only Murders in the Building didnt seem to have the same concerns. Kumail Nanjiani, for example, revealed plans to make videos to get people to register to vote, and hinted that he might make some appearances later.

Likewise, SNL alum Molly Shannon suggested that Harris would be a good candidate to host SNL, and expressed a desire to resurrect her Sally OMalley character for a skit with the Vice President.

As for Only Murders in the Buildings stars  Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez  they all expressed general support for the Democratic ticket, but withheld from getting too specific at the premiere Thursday night.

The new season of Only Murders  which features Galifianakis playing a fictional version of himself  will debut on August 27th on Hulu, with new episodes streaming on Tuesdays. New subscribers can sign up for a 30-day free trial. Alternatively, a new bundle combining Hulu, Disney+, and Max launched last month offering a savings of 38% compared to the price of the services if purchased separately.

Zach Galifianakis Wishes Democrats Would Step Back from the Celebrities, Focus on Rural America

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President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Ukraine's new military advancements, particularly the Palianytsia missile, are a critical way for the country to act amid delays in decision-making by some of its international partners.



"Today the first and successful combat use of our new weapon took place. he said. An absolutely new class of weapon of the Ukrainian missile-drone Palianytsia. We are preparing some more powerful solutions.



Zelensky also emphasized the ongoing expansion of Ukraine's defense capabilities and urged partners to demonstrate the same level of commitment.



He called on Ukraine's supporters to pressure allies to allow Ukraine to use long-range weapons against Russian military targets inside Russia.



In May the U.S. allowed Ukraine to use HIMARS multiple rocket launchers, GMLRS rockets, and artillery against Russian territory near the Ukrainian border. However, the U.S. and U.K. still prohibit Ukraine from using U.S.-made ATACMS missiles and British-made Storm Shadow missiles for strikes deeper inside Russia.

Read also: Lithuania announces new military aid package, including drones, air defense missiles

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will convene a meeting of the heads of law enforcement and a number of other agencies on 26 August to discuss traitors to the state and their flight from Ukraine.

Source: Zelenskyys evening address

Quote: "Regarding those individuals who work against our state  traitors of Ukraine who assisted Russian aggression or justify it, who fled from Ukraine to evade responsibility  our state needs clear answers regarding such people. Clear accountability. All these comrades must get what they deserve, no matter where they hide or where they flee.

I have scheduled a meeting for tomorrow with the heads of Ukraine's law enforcement agencies  the Security Service, Interior Ministry, and State Bureau of Investigation  as well as the heads of NABU [the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine], SAP [the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutors Office], the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, the Prosecutor General, and intelligence representatives. There are many issues that need to be discussed at this meeting, and conclusions that must be drawn."

Background:

Ukrainska Pravda sources in law enforcement report that Artem Dmytruk, an independent member of the Ukrainian parliament who protected the Moscow Patriarchate Church in Ukraine, illegally left the country on 24 August, travelling first to Moldova and then to Italy.

On 25 August, Andrii Kostin, Ukraines Prosecutor General, served Dmytruk with a notice of suspicion for assault, including on a police officer, attempted theft of firearms, and other offences.

Ukrainian law enforcement agencies have also opened criminal proceedings under Article 332.3 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (illegal transportation of persons across the state border of Ukraine).

An investigative team from the State Bureau of Investigations (SBI) is at work in the city of Odesa, conducting investigative actions in the criminal proceedings regarding Dmytruks illegal departure abroad.

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Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine, has urged India to stop importing Russian oil, citing the fact that Russian leader Vladimir Putin will face significant challenges.

Source: Zelenskyy in an interview with Indian media agencies

Quote: "I believe the Indian government understands this. We will gladly work on alternative solutions. You are a big country; were talking here not about millions, but about billions returning to Putin, to Russia, and then being used by him, because he officially now has a war economy.

This implies that the priority is war rather than peace. Not only for its military, but also for its economy, which is primed for war if billions of dollars arrive from any market, including India, Arab countries, and China.

Of course, this benefits him greatly, so he should feel that war is a very expensive and costly thing, as should his society, because even if he does not receive billions, he will not feel it.

He is stealing billions from his people. They are poor, so he did not feel it; however, if his society does, they will push him to peace.

This is critical because his society is either unaware of what is going on or understands and supports him. There is media influence in their country because Putin has complete control over the media and social media...

If you stop importing oil, Putin will face huge challenges."

Zelenskyy also said that he spoke with Indian Prime Minister Modi about the path to peace: "We will be happy to discuss his ideas, we will be happy to talk about it. But we are not ready to use our territories as one of the cornerstones of the proposal, we do not exchange people and territories for peace proposals."

"PM Modi values peace more than President Putin. See what the issue is? The problem is that Putin does not want this. I am not sure what they are talking about there, what the details are with Putin... But I told the Prime Minister, you should be careful with who you are speaking with. He says he wants peace, but then attacks a hospital."

Details: Zelenskyy went on to say that for Ukrainians, Putin is a killer. He also stated that Putin's remarks about the alleged desire for peace, as well as the attack on the hospital on the day of Modi's visit, show either disrespect for India or a loss of control over his own armed forces.

The President of Ukraine went on to say that Putin is not as smart as he appears to be on Russian television.

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The development of the Ukrainian long-range drone missile Palianytsia was completed in eighteen months, with several dozen Russian military air bases falling within its range. [Palianytsia, a type of bread, is a Ukrainian word that Russians find difficult to pronounce properly. Since the full-scale Russian invasion started, Ukrainians have used the word as a means to identify Russian military or saboteurs  ed.]

Source: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Facebook

Quote: "In the two and a half years of full-scale war, Russia has launched about 10,000 missiles of various types and more than 33,000 glide bombs at Ukraine. Stopping attacks on our cities can be achieved by targeting the carriers of this weaponry  Russian aircraft stationed at military airfields.

Yesterday, the first successful combat use of our new weapon  the Ukrainian long-range rocket drone Palianytsia  took place. It was designed domestically to destroy the enemy's offensive potential.

The number of rocket drones produced will grow just like our long-range strike drones production did, the efficiency of which we see almost daily."

Details: The video posted by the president notes that one of the most effective ways to counter Russian missile attacks is to target the carriers of these weapons - Russian military airfields.

However, Ukraine's allies have not authorised the use of the supplied weapons for this purpose.

Therefore, Ukraine has introduced a grant programme for private missile projects, invested in state-owned design bureaus, and deregulated the industry to stimulate innovation. The Palianytsia missile is the first outcome of these efforts.

Details about the Palianytsia missile are largely classified. This drone missile can reach approximately two dozen Russian military airfields and was developed in just one and a half years. It is launched from a ground-based platform and features a turbojet engine. The cost of the Palianytsia is significantly lower than that of similar missiles, with ongoing efforts to further reduce costs and increase production.

Background:

Zelenskyy reported that Ukrainian forces had struck the Russians with a Palianytsia drone missile, a new Ukrainian-made weapon, for the first time on 24 August.

The Ukrainian president stated that Ukraine's new weapons solutions  particularly the Palianytsia missile, the first use of which he announced earlier  are a way for Ukraine to take practical action while its partners are "slowing down" in making decisions.

He urged Ukraine's friends to put pressure on their allies to authorise Ukraine to fire Western-supplied long-range weapons into Russian territory.

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Zelenskyy: Two more settlements in Russia's Kursk Oblast captured by Ukrainian forces

Zelenskyy and Syrskyi. Stock photo: the Office of the President of Ukraine

Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine, has reported the advance of Ukrainian forces in Russias Kursk Oblast, and said they have gained control of two more settlements.

Source: Zelenskyys evening address

Quote: "I just spoke with Commander-in-Chief Syrskyi. We are advancing in Kursk Oblast  by one to three kilometres. We have taken control of two more settlements. Active operations are underway in another settlement. We are replenishing our exchange fund."

Details: Zelenskyy noted that he had also discussed defensive actions of Ukrainian forces in Donetsk Oblast with Syrskyi.

"The most attention is on Novohrodivka and Vodiane, where the assaults are most intense," Zelenskyy said.

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President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has urged Ukraine's partners to fulfil their commitments to supply weapons and air defence systems for Ukraine in full and on time.

Source: evening address by Zelenskyy

Quote: "We also need to ensure there are no delays in logistics for our defence, so that our warriors can act according to the needs of the front.

Currently, we have some high-profile announcements of defence packages from our partners for Ukraine that have not been fully implemented for months. We also have agreements on air defence that are still being implemented. This is especially important with the new school year approaching."

Details: Zelenskyy stressed that "time equals losses" and "the longer we have to wait, the more damage Russia will have time to inflict".

"All our talks with leaders, all negotiations are focused on this  on the speed and strength of joint decisions, on fulfilling our agreements. The world must not forget for a single day that together, we are stronger than any terrorist. But to achieve this, we must truly do everything to ensure the terrorist [Russia  ed.] loses," Zelenskyy said.

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The robochef revolution poised to take over Londons restaurants

Josef Chen likes to joke that the idea for his business sprung from the traumatic experience of working in his familys Chinese restaurant while growing up in Austria.

From the age of about six or seven, I did every job  peeling potatoes, cutting carrots, making cocktails, all of that, the entrepreneur says.

But I absolutely hated it. I couldnt understand why humans still had to do that kind of work.

Now aged 23, Chen has come up with a novel solution: building an army of robot chefs to carry out tedious tasks for him.

This is the basis of Kaikaku, a London-based technology and restaurant start-up he founded last year with fellow twenty-somethings Piers Millar and Ivan Tregear, along with David Sharp, a former engineer at grocery giant Ocado.

Together, theyve so far raised $2.5m (1.9m) for the venture and are expecting to seek further investment soon.

Yet the robot chefs theyve created are a far cry from the humanoid robots being developed by Tesla billionaire Elon Musk.

Instead, theyre more akin to the eccentric inventions used by fictional genius Caractacus Potts to make breakfasts in the film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

Like a factory assembly line, Kaikakus machine system  known as Fusion  moves bowls along a conveyor belt and gradually fills them up with salad vegetables and other ingredients from overhead funnels, before squirting them with dressing or sauces.

Kaikaku's machine system, Fusion, can put together a salad in 10 seconds - Jeff Gilbert Photography

The whole process takes barely 10 seconds, with customers able to order from a set menu or choose their own ingredients.

Ultimately, the goal is to bring restaurants into the 21st century and make fast food even faster.

Many kitchens, the entrepreneurs say, are still using similar methods to the speedy preparation system first pioneered by McDonalds in the 1950s.

What McDonalds did was huge, says Tregear, because you suddenly went from chefs needing to be a part of the process to making really rigid, perfect guidelines that can be followed by anybody.

And thats why McDonalds chips taste the same everywhere, which is very impressive. But since then, theres not really been any kind of big breakthrough  and we think there could be.

During a visit by The Telegraph on a Wednesday afternoon, business at the Common Room, Kaikakus first restaurant, appears to be booming  with customers queuing out the door.

Kaikakus first road test of its robots began in earnest in June and during that month the machines produced 3,500 bowls of salad.

Kaikaku's robots help to generate profit margins roughly four times as big as traditional restaurants - Jeff Gilbert Photography

They stayed fully operational for 95pc of the time and helped to generate profit margins that were roughly four times as big as the single-digit standard across traditional restaurants, according to Millar.

Part of this success, he argues, is down to the fact that Kaikakus hardware and software engineers are all required to do shifts in the restaurant side of the business, forcing them to grapple with practical realities.

The cramped backrooms of their Bloomsbury restaurant are filled with staff tapping away on keyboards to write computer code, while downstairs is the basement where engineers build all the companys robots using nine 3D printers, a laser cutter and other standard tools.

However, Kaikaku (meaning radical change in Japanese) is just one of several companies around the world that are racing to conquer this space.

Others include Miso Robotics, which makes the Flippy robot arm for managing deep fat fryers, and Cucina, which makes a BurgerChef machine capable of cooking beef burgers, steaks and chicken.

But unlike competitors that have opened restaurants with almost no human staff, Kaikakus founders argue their technology is meant to free up human workers from boring tasks so there can be a greater focus on customer service.

When you came in, you might have been greeted, Millar says (correctly). We have extra staff that you wouldnt see in a Pret a Manger or a Leon and we can afford that, because we dont have as many people making the food.

The Common Room in London is Kaikaku's first restaurant - Jeff Gilbert Photography

For now, Kaikaku is focused on conquering salads and selling its technology to other chains, while also operating its own restaurants.

Beyond the Common Room, it is planning to open more in London.

Kaikaku believes that customers are willing to pay more for the kind of freshly-made salad produced by the machines in the Common Room, yielding a higher profit margin for sellers.

In the longer run, the company is also working on applications such as slicing, cooking and rolling  and eventually wants its technology to make it possible for anyone to serve specialised foods, including the Chinese cuisine made by Chen in his youth.

Theres a training barrier with a certain set of foods, says Millar, which is essentially: can you train an 18-year-old to do this in two weeks?

Making an omelette is quite hard, because its not just do this for X number of seconds, weigh this out. You have to track the consistency, track the heat in the pan, stir it around.

With Chinese restaurants, theres no really big Chinese restaurant chain in the UK. Theres a few in the US, but theyre not very good. And its because youre going up against families that have been cooking on the wok for their whole lives.

So the long-term evolution is imbuing those really expert skills into a robot  and then you can bring a whole category of food down into the fast-food market.

Imagine if you could get steak and eggs on your way to work, because someone can do a medium rare steak every time, perfectly?

Customers can order from a set menu or choose their own ingredients - Jeff Gilbert Photography

But not everyone may be happy with the robot chef revolution.

There is no way a robot is going to produce a plate of food that has the love and care and creativity as an individual, says Dominic Chapman, chef patron of Restaurant Dominic Chapman in Henley.

That to me says fashion and AI and people trying too hard. Heart and soul is a massive thing about restaurants, and personality and feel. Its not about numbers.

I would not be spending my money in an AI-driven restaurant.

However, Millar believes the dawn of Kaikakus robots will ultimately be welcomed by chefs.

I would just encourage any critics to speak to people who work in restaurants, he says.

We have chefs who work on menu development for us and in the kitchen, including a Michelin-starred chef.

And all of them are so excited about this, because chefs like making pieces of art. Fast food is taking that art and then keeping it consistent and doing it constantly. Many tell us they like working on recipes, but they dont like making the same dish 100 times over.

So ultimately, its about improving everyones productivity  its progress.

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Dozens of deaths reveal risks of injecting sedatives into people restrained by police: Its a recipe for disaster The practice of sedating people detained by police is quietly spreading across the nation, illustrating an often-hidden way fatal police encounters end: not by gunfire but with the silent use of a medical syringe.

Deadly police encounters in Wisconsin were up last year and are on track this year to exceed the modern record of 26 deaths set in 2017.

The increase comes after Wisconsin Watch and The Badger Project reported two years ago that Wisconsins rate of police killings ranked among the lowest in the nation over the past decade. In the past two years the rate has risen, particularly compared with neighboring states.

There were at least 24 fatal encounters last year, up from 14 the previous year. So far the number of deaths this year is at least 19, according to a Wisconsin Watch review. That outpaces Illinois, which has more than twice the population.

Local district attorneys have determined virtually every police use-of-force case was justified. But the increased frequency of fatal encounters has prompted law enforcement accountability advocates to call for more state oversight.

Russell Beckman, a retired Kenosha detective turned policing reform activist, said he fears police killings now carry less stigma and that the legal system allows officer safety to trump public safety.

A shoot can be legal  justified  a legal justified shoot, he said. But that doesn't mean it was necessary.

The states largest police union doesnt dispute the rising death count but says police are mostly responding to people who are armed or thought to be armed  threatening officers or bystanders.

I don't think there is a good explanation, said Jim Palmer, executive director of the Wisconsin Professional Police Association.

Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul told reporters earlier this summer the increase is most significantly related to the number of incidents in which force needs to be used because of the circumstances.

Wisconsin Watchs count of at least 19 fatal encounters matches figures from Mapping Police Violence, a research collaborative that has tracked such data since 2013. Over that 11-year time frame about three in four fatal encounters in Wisconsin involved a subject with an alleged weapon, according to a Wisconsin Watch analysis of the collaboratives data.

But since the pandemic, the percentage of cases involving a weapon has been lower than in neighboring states, while the percentage involving a mental health crisis has increased, the analysis found.

De-escalation protocols unheeded in Rice Lake

The majority of this year's in-custody deaths involved shootings of suspects deemed threatening. In some cases prosecutors ruled such force justified even though officers disregarded de-escalation best practices.

The Rice Lake Police Departments crisis intervention protocols call for attempts at de-escalation before resorting to deadly force. They instruct officers not to argue, speak with a raised voice or use threats to obtain compliance.

Thats not what happened last October when responding officers shot and killed Zachary Veitch, 50, in a public housing complex after he allegedly attacked a neighbor with a knife and then fled.

Medics had already treated the stabbing victim for injuries when police entered Veitchs apartment and threatened to use a barking police dog if Veitch didnt come out of his bedroom. Thirty seconds later they forced Veitchs bedroom door open. He lunged with a knife, and officers shot him dead in his kitchen.

A retired police officer who reviewed the redacted investigation questioned the rush to use deadly force against a man alone in his own apartment.

I didn't see that they attempted to establish any kind of a dialogue, said John Wallschlaeger, who retired from the Appleton Police Department and has long trained Crisis Intervention Teams across Wisconsin.

Barron County District Attorney Brian Wright ruled that officers acted reasonably and commended them for protecting themselves and other residents in the apartment complex.

DOJ doesnt publish statistics on when mental illness was evident in an encounter, but Mapping Police Violence found that those killed by police exhibited signs of a crisis in at least 14 of 43 fatal police encounters since the beginning of 2023.

State a regional leader in fatal encounters

The increase in fatal police encounters does not correspond with an increase in violent crimes. An analysis of DOJ crime data shows that violent offenses were up in 2021 but have declined each year since.

Advocates for police reform have expressed alarm at the rising death toll in Wisconsin.

Wisconsin remains below the per capita national average for fatal police encounters, according to Mapping Police Violence. Even so, the state over the past decade often exceeded the rates of its neighbors.

Illinois, with twice the population, has seen a sharp decrease in fatal police encounters with at least 16 so far this year, three fewer than in Wisconsin.

Advocates for police reform point to the Chicago model that in 2016 empowered the Civilian Office of Police Accountability to investigate misconduct complaints and in-custody and arrest-related deaths.

Illinois lawmakers later enacted laws to harmonize use-of-force policies, require officers to intervene if they witness excessive force and make police misconduct records easily available.

When officers see fellow officers lose their jobs, lose money, lose pay over their failure or refusal to abide by core de-escalation policies  you change, said Craig Futterman, a clinical professor of law at the University of Chicago and founder of the Civil Rights and Police Accountability Clinic.

Fatal police encounters remain a nationwide challenge with more than 1,350 deaths last year and 2024 on pace to match that amount.

Excited delirium remains on the books

For decades, forensic experts say, police and paramedics have cited excited delirium  a widely discredited diagnosis blamed for justifying excessive force in cases across the nation.

The conflation of force with emergency medical care frustrates other crisis intervention experts who see mixed messages in the training to respond to agitated and mentally ill subjects.

On the one hand, youre training officers to slow things down, said Amy Watson, a mental health researcher at Wayne State University who has studied fatal police encounters. But then if someone's really, really agitated, she said, officers are instructed to use overwhelming force and have medics use sedatives.

That was likely a factor when officers responded to Eric VanSyocs Kaukauna home in October 2023 and found his wife dead. Officers fired a Taser, sat on his back for six minutes and injected him with ketamine. His breathing became labored, and he died at the hospital.

I suspect that their training was inadequate to warn them both about the dangers of prone restraint and about the risks associated with sedation with ketamine, said EMS trainer Eric Jaeger, who has helped other states improve safety protocols.

Outagamie County District Attorney Melinda Tempelis cleared the police in his death, stating it is clear VanSyoc was experiencing a state of excited delirium which in and of itself can cause acute distress and sudden death due to the methamphetamine and designer drugs he consumed prior to officers arrival.

Major medical organizations in the United States have now rejected excited delirium as a scientific concept.

State officials say they are working to remove the term excited delirium from law enforcement manuals. Yet even recently updated materials refer to a freight train to death, a similar concept that DOJs head of police training and standards said conveys the urgent need to attend medically to an agitated person.

Kaukauna Police Chief Jamie Graff defended his officers assessment and response, noting that their training is consistent with the standards set forth by the Wisconsin Training and Standards Board.

Independent experts said a factor not mentioned in official documents may have contributed to the death: forcing VanSyoc to lie prone with an officers weight on his back even after he stopped struggling.

Its been well known for many decades that you're not supposed to keep people lying on their stomach, said Justin Feldman, a social epidemiologist at Harvard University and researcher with the Center for Policing Equity. Youre supposed to, at minimum, put them on their side.

DOJ oversight lacking

State law has since 2021 required the Department of Justice to publicly report in-custody, arrest-related and use-of-force deaths. But the departments dataset  which relies on law enforcement agencies to report incidents  remains incomplete and often misleading, obscuring precise trends.

The online database tabulates reports by agency, meaning multiple entries could describe the same incident, depending on how many agencies responded. At least one fatal shooting that led to the death of 40-year-old Sherman D. Solomon on Sept. 13, 2022, by Milwaukee police was not listed despite the department publicizing the incident.

DOJ spokesperson Gillian Drummond would not comment on the omission, nor would she say how the agency evaluates its use-of-force data or views the increasing trends.

Were following state statutes, she said. The data is online for the public to review.

The American Civil Liberties Union, which lobbied for the state use-of-force reporting law, said DOJ is falling short of its duty to accurately track police violence and publish accurate results.

It's really concerning when there are clearly incidents that would fall under the requirements of statutory reporting, and they don't show up, said Amanda Merkwae, advocacy director for ACLU Wisconsin.

It just seems like part of the pattern of individual law enforcement agencies fighting efforts at transparency, as much as they can.

Wisconsin Watch data reporter Khushboo Rathore contributed to this report. The nonprofit Wisconsin Watch (www.WisconsinWatch.org) collaborates with WPR, PBS Wisconsin, other news media and the UW-Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication.
New Delhi: The central government introduced the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS) which is designed to offer better retirement security for government employees. Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced that under this new scheme employees will receive an Assured Pension equal to 50 per cent of their average basic pay from the last 12 months before they retire. Employees must have at least 25 years of service to qualify for this full pension.

Key Differences Between the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS) and the National Pension Scheme (NPS)

Unified Pension Scheme (UPS):

- Pension Amount: Retirees receive 50 per cent of their average basic pay from the last 12 months of service if they have at least 25 years of service. For those with 10 to 25 years of service, the pension is proportionate to their service duration.

- Effective Date: The scheme starts on April 1, 2025. Benefits apply to those retiring by March 31, 2025, including any arrears.

- Minimum Pension: Guarantees a minimum pension of Rs 10,000 per month for employees with at least 10 years of service, providing basic financial security.

- Employee Contribution: No individual contributions required from employees; it is a defined benefit model based on salary and service length.

- Family Pension: In the event of death, the family receives 60 per cent of the employee's pension, ensuring ongoing support.

- Eligibility: Applies mainly to employees with longer service tenures.

National Pension System (NPS):

- Pension Amount: Pension is based on returns from investments in debt and equity. There is no guaranteed fixed amount; it depends on market performance.

- Employee Contribution: Employees contribute 10 per cent of their basic salary, with the government matching 14 per cent.

- Minimum Pension: No guaranteed minimum pension; benefits depend on the accumulated corpus and annuity plan.

- Account Structure:

Tier-1 Account: Mandatory pension account with tax benefits.

Tier-2 Account: Optional investment account with flexible withdrawals.

- Family Pension: Depends on the accumulated corpus and chosen annuity plan at retirement.

- Eligibility: Applies to government employees who joined after April 1, 2004.
New Delhi: Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk on Sunday came out in support of Telegram Founder Pavel Durov, saying Mark Zuckerberg should instead be arrested for "massive child exploitation" problem on his Meta-owned Instagram. The billionaire reacted after Russian-born Pavel Durov, founder and owner of the popular encrypted messaging app Telegram, was arrested in France over numerous charges related to his platform, and faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

Musk said that Meta Founder March Zuckerberg has already caved into censorship pressure. Instagram has a massive child exploitation problem, but no arrest for Zuck, as he censors free speech and gives governments backdoor access to user data, the X owner posted.

Because he already caved into censorship pressure.



Instagram has a massive child exploitation problem, but no arrest for Zuck, as he censors free speech and gives governments backdoor access to user data. https://t.co/RTTGIaD0gA https://t.co/iPb5NIxIJN  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 25, 2024

He further said that Its 2030 in Europe and youre being executed for liking a meme. It is vital to the support of free speech that you forward X posts to people you know, especially in censorship-heavy countries, the tech billionaire mentioned. In February this year, Zuckerberg apologised to the families of victims of online child sex abuse during a Senate hearing on Capitol Hill.

POV: Its 2030 in Europe and youre being executed for liking a meme https://t.co/OkZ6YS3u2P August 24, 2024

The billionaire entrepreneur told parents that "Im sorry for everything you have all been through. No one should go through the things that your families have suffered. And this is why we invest so much and we are going to continue doing industry-wide efforts to make sure no one has to go through the things your families have had to suffer, he added.

In May this year, Musk said that Zuckerberg-run Meta is "super greedy" at taking credit for advertisers who run campaigns on its platform. The X owner replied that "we are terrible at claiming credit, and Meta is super greedy at claiming credit.

The rivalry between Musk and Zuckerberg is well known. They were apparently set for a cage fight some time back -- dubbed as the fight of the century. However, the much-anticipated showdown between the duo was cancelled.
New Delhi: A 16-year-old boy was arrested on Sunday for allegedly killing his father in a fit of rage, police said.

Police said that the boy allegedly hit his father with a plastic pipe when the man was beating his wife in Delhi's Rohini, leading to his death.

"On Sunday, a call was received at 10.58 am regarding the murder of a person at the Aman Vigar police station," a senior police officer said.

The man's body has been preserved in the hospital for postmortem, police said, PTI reported.

According to the officer, the initial investigation revealed that the deceased would frequently beat his wife and children over minor issues while under the influence of alcohol.

"On Sunday, the deceased picked up a quarrel with his wife and was thrashing her, when his son intervened and hit his father's head with a plastic pipe which resulted in his death," said the officer, PTI reported.

Police said that an FIR has been registered under the relevant sections of the IPC at the Aman Vihar police station.

Police said that an FIR has been registered at the Aman Vihar police station.
The Kerala government has initiated a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to delve into the challenges faced by women in the Malayalam film industry. This move follows a series of revelations from female actors and industry professionals, brought to light by the Justice Hema Committee report. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, after consulting with senior police officials, announced the formation of the SIT. The team will be spearheaded by Inspector General of Police (IGP) G Sparjan Kumar, with oversight provided by Crime Branch ADGP H Venkatesh. The SIT will also include senior women police officers to ensure a thorough and sensitive investigation.

Justice Hema Committee Report Sparks Outrage

The Justice Hema Committee report, which was released on August 19, has revealed systemic issues within the Malayalam film industry, particularly concerning the mistreatment of women. The report has caused significant political upheaval in Kerala, with opposition leaders calling for the resignation of the states Culture Minister. The reports findings, which include multiple allegations of sexual harassment, have intensified calls for accountability and reform within the industry.



The fallout from the report has led to serious allegations against prominent figures in the Malayalam film industry. Actress Revathy Sampath has accused renowned actor Siddique, who holds a key position as the general secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA), of sexual misconduct. Sampath detailed her experience, which she claimed began when she was still a teenager. Her allegations have sparked widespread discussion and concern on social media.
Philippine Airlines (PAL) renewed its partnership with the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) for another year to promote travel to Singapore.

Philippine Airlines is thrilled to once again partner with Singapore. Its dynamic culture has inspired the travels of countless Filipinos across our years of operations, PAL president and chief operating officer Capt. Stanley Ng said.

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Building on our shared success, we look forward to working together to create more opportunities for more Filipinos to experience how Singapore continues to be a world-class leisure destination, he said.

STB chief executive Melissa Ow said the Philippines is one of Singapores key markets and has recovered strongly with the support of longstanding partners like PAL.

They have been instrumental in reinforcing Singapores position as a vibrant lifestyle destination, where ordinary moments are transformed into extraordinary experiences. We are excited to bring our partnership with Philippine Airlines to the next level, and to welcome more Filipino travelers to Singapore soon, she said.

The Philippines ranked as Singapores 6th largest source market for tourism in 2023, with nearly 700,000 visitor arrivals, marking an 84-percent recovery to 2019 visitor arrival numbers.

Singapore welcomed close to 390,000 Filipino visitors as of June 2024.

The countrys only full-service legacy carrier serves 40 international and 32 domestic destinations.
The polygraph test of Sanjay Roy, the only arrested accused in the rape and murder of a junior doctor at the state-run R.G. Kar Medical College & Hospital, began on Sunday afternoon, news agency IANS quoted sources as saying. The test is taking place at the Presidency Central Correctional Home in South Kolkata, where Roy has been detained since his remand to 14 days of judicial custody by a lower court in Kolkata on August 23. Roy, who serves as a civic volunteer, remains the sole arrestee in the case to date.

In addition, sources indicate that the procedure of administering polygraph tests to six additional individuals involved in the case, which began at the CBIs Salt Lake office on the northern outskirts of Kolkata on Saturday afternoon, is ongoing. The process is lengthy as the tests are not being conducted concurrently, the sources explained.

The six others facing the CBIs polygraph tests, following authorization from a lower court in Kolkata, include the former and controversial principal of R.G. Kar, Dr. Sandip Ghosh, another civic volunteer closely associated with Roy, and four postgraduate medical students of R.G. Kar who were in the same hospital building where the crime occurred.

Meanwhile, the number of CBI officers carrying out raids and searches at Ghoshs residence in Beliaghata, central Kolkata, was augmented in the afternoon. On Sunday morning, a team of seven CBI officials, including female agents, initiated raid and search operations at Dr. Ghoshs home.

By approximately 1:30 p.m., an additional six officials joined the raid team. Alongside Dr. Ghoshs residence, other central agency teams are conducting simultaneous raids and searches at three more locations.

These locations include the homes of R.G. Kars former medical superintendent and vice-principal Sanjay Vashisth in Entally; the Demonstrator of the hospitals forensic medicine department, Debasish Som, in Keshtopur on the northern outskirts of Kolkata; and the residence of a medica equipment supplier Biplab Sinha in Howrah district.

The raid and search operations are being conducted in connection with the massive financial irregularities at R.G. Kar when it was under the command of Ghosh. Sources have said that the CBI officials were carrying out a multi-angle investigation into the case of financial irregularities at state-run R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital involving 15 specific charges of fund fudging.
New Delhi: Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officers on Sunday performed a lie-detection test on the main accused, Sanjay Roy, in connection with their investigation into the rape and murder of a woman doctor of state-run RG Kar Medical College. The test took place at Kolkata's Presidency Jail, where Roy is currently being held, the officer said.

The CBI also conducted searches at various places in connection with its probe into the alleged financial irregularities in the hospital.

Central agency officers also conducted polygraph tests on several individuals at their Kolkata office, he said, PTI reported, adding that the test on Roy was over after around four hours.

On Saturday, four individuals, including former RGKMCH Principal Sandip Ghosh, underwent polygraph tests.

The CBI has requested permission from a local court in Kolkata to administer lie-detector tests on seven individuals, including Roy and the former RGKMCH principal. While the result of these tests cannot be used as evidence during trial findings give the agency a direction for the further probe.

A team of polygraph specialists from the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) in Delhi, who were flown to Kolkata, conducted the tests.

Roy, a 33-year-old civic volunteer with the Kolkata Police, was arrested on August 10, a day after the body of the 31-year-old female medic was discovered in the seminar hall of the medical college.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Sunday conducted raids at 15 locations, including the residence of former RG Kar Medical College and Hospital principal, Sandip Ghosh. Among the new names involved in the CBI's investigation is former medical superintendent and vice-principal, Sanjay Vashisth.

A seven-member CBI team is leading these raids as part of an ongoing probe into alleged financial irregularities at the state-run hospital. The investigation stems from the rape and murder of the postgraduate trainee doctor within the hospital premises.

The CBIs anti-corruption unit also searched the homes and offices of individuals involved in supplying materials for patient care and management. The probe team arrived at Sandip Ghosh's residence for questioning at 6 a.m. However, they were only able to enter the house about 90 minutes later, as the doors were not immediately opened.

A CBI officer stated that Vashisth is being questioned regarding his knowledge of the financial irregularities at the hospital.

"Vashisth is being questioned on how much he knew about the financial irregularities that happened in the hospital when he was the MSVP," the officer told PTI.

The CBI summoned Principal Manas Kumar Bandyopadhyay to the hospital in the morning to accompany their team during the investigation. An ex-colleague of Sandip Ghosh has alleged his involvement in the illegal trade of dead bodies.

CBI officers have been interrogating Ghosh at his Beliaghata residence since 8 a.m., while others questioned Vashishth. A professor from the forensic medicine department was also brought in for questioning. Additionally, CBI officers visited the residence of a supplier in Howrah as part of the ongoing probe.
Kerala Lottery Results Sunday 25-08-2024 LIVE: The Kerala Lottery Department, on behalf of the Keralan government, announces the "AKSHAYA AK-666" Lucky Draw Result today Akshaya AK-666, August 25, 2024. The draw will be held at Gorky Bhavan near Bakery Junction in Thiruvananthapuram. The Kerala Lottery Result 2024 for "Akshaya AK-666" will feature 12 series, with changes in series possible each week. A total of 108 lakh tickets are available for purchase weekly. The ticket prices may vary. Check the Akshaya AK-666 results right here to see if youre the first-place winner of 70 Lakhs. Stay tuned to this website for the live update of Kerala Lottery Akshaya AK-666 results today.

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(NOTE: Lottery can be addictive and should be played responsibly. The data provided on this page is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as advice or encouragement. Zee News does not promote lottery in anyway.)
New Delhi: Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and vice president of National Conference (NC) Omar Abdullah welcomed Home Minister Amit Shah's comment on the National Conference's manifesto. Speaking during an election campaign in Ganderbal district, Omar addressed a query about Shahs comments on the NC manifesto.

I thank Amit Shah for mentioning the manifesto of a small party. It means our campaign has attracted his attention. I reviewed our manifesto after Shah's remarks on X, and I found that none of the issues he mentioned are actually in our manifesto. However, it is a significant achievement for us that the Home Minister of the country has read our partys manifesto, Abdullah said.

Regarding reports of Jamaat-i-Islami (JeI) contesting the upcoming assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, Abdullah said, The beauty of democracy is that anyone can contest elections. I saw news that JeI was trying to get its ban lifted to participate in the elections. Unfortunately, the government did not lift the ban even after the elections were announced. Now, there are reports that JeI is fielding candidates as independents, which is a welcome step. Let them present their manifesto and promises, and it is up to the people to decide whom they will choose.

Omar addressed a public rally in Ganderbal district, where speculation suggests he might contest from two places in Kashmir, possibly including Ganderbal. However, the party has not yet made any official announcement.
Pakistan has invited Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Heads of Government (CHG) meeting. The meeting is scheduled for October 15-16 in Islamabad.

Will PM Modi Attend SCO Meeting In Pakistan?

However, PM Modi is expected to remain in India due to ongoing diplomatic strains. Although, there is a speculation about whether he will delegate a minister to attend on his behalf.

As the host country holding the rotating chairmanship, Pakistans invitation aligns with SCO protocol. In the past, Modi has regularly participated in SCO heads of state summits but missed this year's event in Kazakhstan due to a parliamentary clash.

The CHG meeting, a key decision-making body within the SCO, has previously seen Indian representation through ministerial appointments, such as Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar's participation last year in Bishkek.

Indian Guv's Stance On Pakistan's SCO Invitation

The Indian government has not yet confirmed its stance on the invitation. Given recent tensions, including terror attacks in Jammu and ongoing disputes over Kashmir, Indias participation remains uncertain. Despite efforts to foster cooperation within the SCO framework, the longstanding issues between India and Pakistan continue to pose challenges to bilateral relations.
In a joint operation, the Border Security Force (BSF) and local police apprehended a suspected Pakistani national in the border district of Barmer, Rajasthan, on Sunday. The individual, identified as Jagsi Koli, 21, claimed to be a resident of Aakli village in Pakistan's Kharodi district. Koli was arrested from the Naya Taal border post, located under the Sedwa police station's jurisdiction.

The arrest occurred after authorities detected suspicious footprints during routine patrolling and surveillance in the region. This discovery led the BSF team to initiate a search operation that ultimately resulted in Koli's apprehension from Jadpa village in the Sedwa area. Preliminary reports suggest that Koli crossed into Indian territory on the intervening night of August 24 and 25.

Ongoing Interrogation and Investigation

Kritika Yadav, the Circle Officer in Chohtan, confirmed the arrest, noting that they are awaiting an official report from the BSF before formally registering a case. The suspect is currently under interrogation by the BSF, with security agencies thoroughly investigating the matter.

Security Concerns Amid Prime Minister's Visit

The incident has raised serious security concerns, especially in light of the ongoing visit of the Prime Minister to the region. Experts have questioned how a person could cross the heavily fenced Indo-Pak border, suggesting a potential lapse in security measures. There is also speculation that this could be part of a "dry run" by Pakistani agencies to test the alertness of Indian border security and identify potential vulnerabilities for future incursions.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's aircraft spent a significant amount of time in Pakistani airspace on its return from Poland, Reportadly, while returning to Delhi from Poland, PM Modi's plane used Pakistani airspace. This information was provided by Pakistan's Geo News, though it has not yet been officially confirmed.

PM Modi's plane stayed in Pakistani airspace for 46 minutes while returning to Delhi from his Poland visit.

According to a report by Geo News, sources from the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) revealed that PM Modi's plane entered Pakistani airspace at 10:15 AM and left at 11:01 AM, spending a total of 46 minutes in the airspace. The plane entered Pakistani airspace via Chitral and traversed through the air control zones of Islamabad and Lahore before entering Amritsar, India.

Pakistan Imposed Ban In 2019

Pakistan completely closed its airspace to India from February 26, 2019. In the same year, Pakistan rejected a request from PM Modi to use Pakistani airspace for a trip to Germany.
Punjab Police disclosed on Sunday that the recent shooting of a Non-Resident Indian (NRI) from the US at his farmhouse near Amritsar was an assassination attempt orchestrated by his ex-wife's family, who are also US residents. They hired local criminals for the act. Five individuals, including the ex-wife's father, have been detained. The crime's motive was the discord between the two NRI families.

The severely injured NRI is now reported to be out of danger. Police Commissioner Ranjit Singh Dhillon informed the press that the victim's former wife's family in the US had offered a contract to eliminate the NRI, Sukhchain Singh.

"The conflict involves two families based in America. In pursuit of vengeance, one family employed hitmen and targeted the other's residence. The assailants' arrest is imminent; the case is resolved and their capture is only a matter of time. They secured international funds for this crime," he said. "We're aware that the targeted NRI was present in India and have arrested five individuals," he added.

The arrests include the victim's former father-in-law from Hoshiarpur, Punjab, and an Amritsar hotel manager who accommodated the assailants. The police have also followed the money trail post-crime. "We will soon apprehend others involved," Dhillon assured.

The attack occurred when two assailants on motorcycles invaded the home of 43-year-old NRI, Sukhchain Singh, in Daburji village, shooting him in the presence of his mother, wife, and children from his previous marriage, critically injuring him. A bullet entered his head, narrowly missing the brain and other hit his arm.

According to the police, one of the attackers weapons jammed and could not fire more. Sukhchain Singh, a US resident who came here 25 days back, was shot in the head and arm by the two assailants in front of his family, including children, who could be seen in CCTV footage pleading not to harm their father with folded hands.

He was immediately rushed to a private hospital in Amritsar with critical bullet injuries. In the CCTV footage, the miscreants, who came on a motorcycle and did not wear masks, are seen entering the house in the morning. Singh's children were playing inside the house at the time. One of the armed assailants is seen approaching the NRI and asking him to enter a bedroom at gunpoint. As he resisted, both assailants fired at him from close range.
The UDF, led by Congress, welcomed the resignations of renowned filmmaker Ranjith from the Chalachitra Academy and actor Siddique from the post of general secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (A.M.M.A.), following sexual misconduct allegations made by two actors in separate incidents. However, the opposition cautioned that the current controversy and subsequent events would not conclude with their departures.

In a strong statement, V D Satheesan, the Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly, called for the resignation of Cultural Affairs Minister Saji Cheriyan, accusing him of concealing the Hema Committee report and attempting to shield the accused by discrediting the victims' statements.

The disclosure of the Hema Committee report, which highlights numerous sexual abuse cases within the Malayalam film industry, has encouraged many female professionals to publicly disclose the harassment they endured from well-known industry figures.

A Bengali actress accused Ranjith of misconduct, while another actress from the state accused Siddique of sexual assault, leading to their resignations from their respective roles on Sunday. "The government's attempt to defend the academy chairman was unsuccessful. Given the gravity of the allegations, the resignations were unavoidable," stated Satheesan.

He criticized the Cultural Affairs Minister for openly defending the accused, labeling him a "disgrace" to the state. "Cheriyan, having breached his oath and neglected his legal and constitutional duties, is unfit to serve as a minister any longer," declared the Leader of Opposition.

He also accused Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, the Cultural Affairs minister, and relevant officials of committing a "serious crime" by hiding the expert panel report, despite the ongoing series of events.

Satheesan reiterated the demand for constitution of a team of woman IPS officers immediately to probe the findings in the Hema committee report. "The real culprits should be brought to justice immediately."

He also warned the government of serious consequences if it went ahead with a proposed cinema conclave, expected to be held in the coming months.
Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Amenah Pangandaman expressed optimism the Philippines will receive an A credit rating within the term of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. after global credit watcher Moodys Rating affirmed its Baa2 score with a stable outlook for the Philippines.

This is a positive development, but this makes us only more determined to get an A grade, Pangandaman said in a statement.

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He said the Philippines would likely get its first A rating within the next four years, after 10 years of being at Baa2.

I am confident that as long as we stay on track with our agenda for prosperity, with our whole-of-government approach, we will achieve an A rating with Moodys under this administration, she said.

The Philippines has enjoyed the investment-grade Baa2 rating from Moodys since 2014, as the country implemented reforms to liberalize the economy, fiscal consolidation efforts and robust macroeconomic fundamentals.

Moodys said in a report dated Aug. 23, 2024 that the passage of reforms over the past several years to liberalize the Philippine economy will support medium-term growth potential by supporting a business-friendly environment and attracting foreign investments.

A Baa2 rating means the Philippines has moderate credit risk, while an A rating means obligations are subject to low credit risk.

Moodys is among the leading global credit rating agencies, publishing investor-oriented credit research, industry studies and risk analysis.

Moodys said it expects the Philippines economic growth to remain high on resilient household consumption, public and private investments and increased exports.

Household consumption is seen to recover in the second half of 2024 as the impact of El Nino fades and the governments interventions to reduce food prices take full effect.

Public and private investments are supported by the economic liberalization reforms that have been passed over the years, which have opened up high-value sectors to foreign investments.

The credit-rating agency expects foreign direct investments (FDI) inflows to continue to pick up in 2024 to 2025, driven by strong investor interest in the energy, manufacturing, and information and communications sectors.

Moodys said the Marcos administrations Build, Better, More program would help sustain infrastructure investments at 5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) annually.

Finance Secretary Ralph Recto said Moodys affirmation is another victory for Filipinos as this means greater access to more affordable financing to support projects.

With the latest affirmation, the Philippines has successfully maintained its high investment-grade status across all major regional and international debt rating agencies, with two coveted A- ratings from Japanese rating agencies.
A dating app scam targeting men in Mumbai has been exposed, with victims facing bills between Rs 23,000 and Rs 61,000. According to X user Deepika Narayan Bhardwaj, the scheme involves women using popular dating apps such as Tinder, Bumble, Happn, and QuackQuack to entice unsuspecting men into costly nightclubs.

The scam operates by women swiftly matching with men on dating apps and proposing immediate meetups at specific locations. Once at the venue, the women order expensive items, often not on the menu, before abruptly leaving for various reasons. The men are then left with hefty bills; some have reported facing threats from club staff when they protest.

Bhardwaj reports that the scam is prevalent, with at least 10 men becoming victims daily at a single nightclub. The women involved receive 15-20% of the bill as a commission, indicating a potentially organized scheme that might involve nightclub management.

Despite numerous cyber complaints from victims, the scam persists at various locations across Mumbai. The Godfather Club in Andheri West has been highlighted as a major hotspot for these fraudulent activities, although other venues are also involved.

Many victims have been reluctant to report these incidents to authorities due to concerns about personal exposure. Similar scams have been reported in major Indian cities, including Delhi, Gurugram, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad. In June, a man in Delhi was scammed similarly, ending up with a massive Rs 1.2 lac bill.

Mumbai Police have announced that senior officials at the concerned police station have been notified and an investigation is in progress. Authorities believe there may be a larger network of nightclubs using PR staff to recruit women to lure men through dating apps.
PM Modi In Jalgaon: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said his government is strengthening laws to provide for stringent punishment for crimes against women. Addressing a Lakhpati Didi rally at Jalgaon in north Maharashtra, Modi also said his government has done more for women in the last 10 years than was done by all the previous regimes since Independence.

Addressing the Lakhpati Didi Sammelan in Jalgaon, Prime Minister Narendra Modi says "The new laws have provision for death penalty and life imprisonment for sexual crimes against minors. There have been many cases of cheating in the name of marriage with daughters. Earlier, there was no clear law for this. Now false promises of marriage and deception have also been clearly defined in the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. I assure you, the central government is with the state governments in every way to stop atrocities against women. We will have to stop only after eradicating this mentality from Indian society.

Till 2014, less than Rs 25,000 crore loans were given to women self-help groups but in the last 10 years, Rs 9 lakh crore help was given, Modi said. Modi, who interacted with Lakhpati Didis at Jalgaon, released the Rs 2,500 crore revolving fund benefiting 48 lakh members of 4.3 lakh self-help groups. The Lakhpati Didi scheme is not only about boosting the income of women, but also about empowering future generations, Modi said.

You must have heard that India is going to become the third-largest economy in the world. Women play a huge role in it. However, it wasn't the case a couple of years ago, Modi said.

Women guarantee the prosperity of every home and every family. However, there was no one to guarantee help for the women, he said. Women didn't have property in their name, and if they had to take a loan from a bank, they could not avail it, he said. In such a situation, they were not able to build their own small business, he added.

Therefore, I, your son and brother, resolved to ease your lives. We took decisions in the interest of women year after year, Modi said. When I visited you during the Lok Sabha elections, I promised we would make 3 crore sisters Lakhpati Didi. This means women who work in Self Help Groups, and their annual income is more than one lakh rupees, he said.

In the last 10 years, one crore Lakhpati Didis were made, and in just two months 11 lakh more Lakhpati Didi were added to one crore, he said. Modi also said Maharashtra needs the BJP-led Mahayuti government to continue for years to come to ensure the states stability and prosperity.

Maharashtra is the shining star of a developed India. The future of the state lies in more investment and job growth, he said. Modi expressed his anguish over the Nepal bus accident in which 14 persons from Jalgaon district were killed. We sent our minister Raksha Khadse to Nepal, Modi said.

Modi recalled his recent visit to Poland and the respect people there have for the people of Maharashtra. Modi said that during World War II, the Kolhapur settlement housed Polish refugees, including women and children and the Polish people respect people of Maharashtra for this gesture.
Weather Update: India Meteorological Department (IMD) has warned of torrential rains and issued advisories for several regions. IMD has urged residents to stay cautious and prepare for potential disruptions. India braces for widespread heavy rainfall as multiple states, including Odisha, Gujarat, and Himachal Pradesh, face severe weather alerts.

Odisha Weather

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecasted heavy to very heavy rainfall in several parts of Odisha over the next three days due to a low-pressure area moving westward over Jharkhand.

A high alert has been issued for all districts. The system is expected to intensify into a depression over West Madhya Pradesh by August 26 and move towards South Rajasthan and North Gujarat by August 27.

An orange warning has been issued for heavy to very heavy rain (7 to 20 cm) in some districts, while a yellow warning for heavy rain (7 to 11 cm) is in place for other areas.

Himachal Weather

Light rainfall was recorded in parts of Himachal Pradesh on Saturday, with 73 roads blocked due to ongoing downpours. The local meteorological office has issued a warning for heavy rain with thunderstorms and lightning at isolated places on Tuesday and Wednesday. Since the onset of the monsoon on June 27, the state has faced significant challenges, including road blockages and power disruptions, and recorded 140 deaths in rain-related incidents.

Kolkata Weather Update

The Met Department has warned of very heavy rainfall in several South Bengal districts until August 26 due to a cyclonic circulation over the North Bay of Bengal. Districts such as South and North 24 Parganas, East and West Midnapore, Bankura, Hooghly, Birbhum, and East and West Bardhaman are expected to experience heavy to very heavy rainfall.

Kolkata experienced sharp showers, leading to waterlogging in several areas. Fishermen have been advised not to venture into the sea.

Gujarat Weather Update

The IMD has issued warnings for heavy to very heavy rainfall in parts of South Gujarat until the morning of August 27. The state has already received 76.57% of its average annual rainfall, with the South Gujarat region receiving the highest at 90.2%.

Some districts have reported more than 100 mm of rainfall, while others remain rain-deficient. Authorities have relocated over 17,000 people and rescued 1,653 from rain-affected areas. Fishermen have been advised to avoid the Arabian Sea until August 27.

New Delhi Weather News

Rainfall in Delhi brought relief from humid weather conditions. The early morning rain affected several parts of the city, including Shastri Bhavan.

Madhya Pradesh Weather

In Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, continuous rainfall caused the Shipra River to overflow, submerging temples on the Ram Ghat. Barricades have been set up to prevent incidents, following severe waterlogging and traffic congestion in Delhi after heavy rainfall on August 23.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted on Sunday that a lot of things are happening in India in the 21st century which are strengthening the foundation for a 'Viksit Bharat'.

In his monthly 'Mann Ki Baat' broadcast, he said his Independence Day call for one lakh youth without any political background to join politics has evoked wide reactions and urged the youngsters to enter public life for a developed India and stronger democracy. Countless people from all walks of life joined the freedom movement even though they had no political background, he noted.

"They devoted themselves entirely to India's independence. Today, to achieve the vision of a Viksit Bharat, we need to rekindle that same spirit once again," he said. A large number of young people are willing to join politics, and all they need is right opportunity and guidance, he said.

Modi said youngsters have written to him and reacted on social media to his call. They have noted that family politics suppresses new talent, he added.

During the programme, Modi spoke to several young entrepreneurs helming different space start-ups as they highlighted their work. They praised the growing vibrant space eco system in the country.

The prime minister said the youth of the country has benefitted a lot from various reforms in the space sector.

On the occasion, he noted that India celebrated its first National Space Day on August 23 to mark the first anniversary of the successful landing of its spacecraft on the Moon.

Highlighting works of different organisations and people in improving environment, he batted for collective efforts in the field.
Button batteries, used to power several common products at home, can lead to serious injuries and even death among toddlers who ingest them, finds a study.

The team from the University of Sydney analysed over 400 cases of button battery damage worldwide and stressed that a child's age, the size of the button battery, and a delayed diagnosis combine to create a "perfect storm", which can lead to severe harm.

Lead author Christopher Tran, a professor at the University of Sydney in Australia, urged clinicians to be mindful of a potential button battery ingestion when dealing with acute onset respiratory or gastrointestinal symptoms in young children".

Tran added that when a child swallows a button battery, it can cause a chemical reaction in the oesophagus that creates a solution that burns and dissolves the tissue inside the childs throat.

In the study, children who did not have the button battery removed within six hours were almost eight times more likely to die. Those younger than two years old who had swallowed a button battery with a diameter of at least 2 centimetre were the most at risk for serious damage or death.

About 26 per cent of injuries from swallowing button batteries resulted in burns to the child's oesophagus, with 23 per cent being extremely severe. Burning can cause a hole in a major vein or artery, causing fatal blood loss.

Nearly 9 per cent of complication cases resulted in death, with bleeding being the most common symptom of fatality.

A growing number of everyday home gadgets, such as watches, hearing aids, remote controls, and toys, rely on button batteries as tiny power sources.

Button batteries, however, pose a risk to inquisitive young children who may swallow them unintentionally or put them in their mouths, noses, or ears without being able to express what has happened.

The most common initial symptoms of a button battery swallowing in a child are choking, difficulty feeding, and coughing. However, over time these symptoms change (for example, vomiting, drooling) and may be mistaken for other health issues such as gastroenteritis or a respiratory infection.

The researchers also emphasised the need to raise awareness among parents about the possible risks associated with button batteries, the necessity of storing batteries safely, and the proper disposal methods.
New Delhi: Karan Johar, the acclaimed filmmaker, is currently riding high on professional success with back-to-back releases from his production house, Kill and Bad Newz. On the personal front, Karan is a proud father to twins, Roohi and Yash, who were born via surrogacy in 2017. Recently, Karan shared a humorous video on Instagram featuring his daughter Roohi interacting with Siri, Apple's voice assistant. However, a comment from a netizen inquiring about Roohi's mother caught Karan's attention, leading him to respond in his signature witty style.

In the video, Roohi adorably says, "Siri Siri, I don't like it, you sing a proper song in rhythm. Be a professional, come onnn." Karan humorously captioned the post, "Roohi Vs Siri".

One user commented, Who is Roohis mother? Can anyone clarify? Im confused. Karan swiftly responded, @fardinatasha I AM!!! Your confusion had me so concerned that I felt compelled to answer your vital and relevant question.

Check out Karan Johar's post here:

The video drew numerous reactions from Karan's celebrity friends, with Kiara Advani and Arjun Kapoor liking the post, while stars like Shilpa Shetty Kundra, Manish Malhotra, Ali Fazal, Ayushmann Khurrana, Saba Pataudi, and Maheep Kapoor filled the comments with laughing emojis.

Fans also chimed in with their remarks, with one commenting, "So cute in rhythm!" Another said, "Can't believe a kid that young knows the word 'professional'no surprise though, being KJO's daughter!" Someone humorously added, "Siris in trouble when Roohi takes charge," while another fan recalled meeting Karan at a recent party and gushed over his adorable kids. One person wrote, "Hahaha!!! Be a professional Siri".

In a recent interview, Karan revealed that his children have started asking questions about their birth. During a chat with Faye D'Souza on her YouTube channel, he shared that as they grow older, Roohi and Yash are beginning to understand their unique family structure.

Karan mentioned that his children have started asking, "Whose tummy was I born in?" and now recognize that "Mumma is actually their grandmother. To navigate these complex questions, Karan said he's been consulting with their school counselor, noting that parenting, especially in a non-traditional setup, is far from easy.
The conflict between Israel and the Lebanon-based militant group Hezbollah has sharply escalated, with both sides launching significant military operations against each other. Hezbollah, backed by Iran, announced on Sunday that it had fired over 320 Katyusha rockets targeting strategic Israeli military sites. No casualties have been reported in Israel so far.

This offensive is seen as retaliation for the death of Hezbollahs senior commander, Fouad Shukr, who was killed last month. Hezbollah had previously warned of a strong response following the assassination of Shukr in Beirut.

Pre-Emptive Israeli Strikes

In response to the escalating threat, the Israeli Defense Ministry announced early Sunday that it had conducted pre-emptive strikes against targets in Lebanon. The decision was made after intelligence suggested that Hezbollah was preparing a major offensive against Israel.

Hezbollahs Drone and Rocket Assault

Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the attack, stating that they employed a significant number of drones and launched over 320 Katyusha rockets aimed at 11 Israeli military bases. This marks one of the most severe escalations between Hezbollah and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in recent times.

Rising Tensions and Efforts for Peace

Tensions between Hezbollah and the IDF have reached critical levels, with fears of a broader conflict growing. Amidst this, international negotiators are actively working to broker peace through a potential exchange of Israeli and Palestinian prisoners, hoping to de-escalate the situation.

US Stands with Israel

The United States has expressed strong support for Israel amidst the ongoing conflict. Sean Savett, spokesperson for the US National Security Council, stated that senior US officials have been in constant communication with their Israeli counterparts. President Joe Biden is reportedly closely monitoring the developments in Israel and Lebanon.

Emergency Declared in Israel

Amid severe attacks, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant declared a 48-hour emergency across the country. He urged citizens to avoid large gatherings and stay away from exposed areas to ensure their safety. The situation also led to temporary disruptions at Ben Gurion Airport, where flights were halted due to aerial attacks.
NASA has chosen Elon Musk's SpaceX to bring Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore back from space next year. The two astronauts arrived at the International Space Station 80 days ago aboard Boeing's Starliner for what was supposed to be an 8-day mission. However, due to significant technical issues with the Boeing capsule, their stay had to be extended.

The astronauts are anticipated to return in February next year after spending eight months in orbit. They will return on a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft, which is scheduled to launch next month as part of a routine astronaut rotation mission.

Butch and Suni will continue to contribute to @ISS_Research aboard the station before heading home in a @SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. Read about their work so far: https://t.co/zy3B0KXzEP



Follow our blogs for the latest @Space_Station and #Starliner updates: https://t.co/M7G4xLhChJ pic.twitter.com/0wX2xeom9V  NASA (@NASA) August 24, 2024

According to reports, NASA chief Bill Nelson stated that Starliner's propulsion system is too risky to safely bring its first crew back to Earth. As a result, Starliner will undock from the ISS without any crew on board and attempt to return to Earth as it would have if astronauts were aboard.

NASA's decision to choose Boeing's top space rival, SpaceX, dealt a new blow to the Starliner test mission. Boeing had aimed for this mission to revive the struggling program, which has faced years of development issues and over $1.6 billion in budget overruns since 2016.

The SpaceX Crew-9 mission is set to launch in late September, but it will carry only two passengers instead of the originally planned four.

It will stay docked at the ISS until its scheduled return in February, bringing back its crew members along with their two stranded colleagues.

On June 5, the veteran NASA astronauts, both former military test pilots, became the first crew to travel aboard Starliner when they were launched to the ISS.
Three people, including two children and a woman, were killed on Saturday in a blast in Balochistan's Pishin district, according to hospital officials cited by Dawn. The explosion also left 13 others injured, including two policemen.

The attack at the main market near Surkhab Chowk is the most recent in a series of assaults targeting police officials and checkposts, with recent incidents concentrated in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.

According to ANI, Wakeel Sherani, the medical superintendent at Pishin Civil Hospital, reported that the blast today resulted in the deaths of two children.

Initially, 14 people were injured. Of those, 13 were sent to the Quetta Trauma Centre, where one woman later succumbed to her injuries, reported Dawn, citing a list from the hospital authority.

As per the local authority, the explosive material was reportedly placed in a motorcycle, leading to damage to three vehicles. The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) and the Bomb Disposal Squad promptly arrived at the scene to gather evidence. Further investigation is underway.

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack, asserting that "cowardly terrorists who target young children do not deserve to be called humans.

Notably, the attacks have increased significantly since 2022, when the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) ended a temporary ceasefire with the government and promised to attack security forces.

(Based on inputs from ANI)
BANGKOK  Thai authorities raided an illegal bitcoin mine west of Bangkok after residents complained of frequent blackouts in the area for more than a month, local authorities said Sunday.

Police and officials from the Provincial Electricity Authorities (PEA) raided the house in Ratchaburi town on Friday.

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We found bitcoin mining rigs, pointing to people using this house to operate a mine and using power they didnt fully pay for, said Jamnong Chanwong, a chief district security officer.

He told AFP records showed that electricity consumption in the house was large, but they had paid for very little of it.

Mining virtual currencies such as bitcoin requires powerful computers that consume huge amounts of electricity.

Bitcoin miners are considered manufacturers in Thailand and must pay associated taxes, but illegal mining has been on the rise for years.

Jamnong said his team tried to enter the house on Thursday but a guard denied them entry. They then returned with a search warrant and found most of the equipment had been moved.

He said the house had been rented by a company for around four months, but the power outages began mid-July when the mine likely became fully operational.

No-one was arrested during the raid, he added.

It was fourth time this year that authorities have raided an illegal bitcoin mine in Ratchaburi province.
Leila Darwiche is a data reporter for the San Antonio Express-News. She can be reached at Leila.Darwiche@hearst.com.

She graduated from Northwestern University, where she studied journalism and statistics. Before joining the Texas data team, she worked as a data analyst for Hearsts DevHub and previously was a data scientist at Spotify, working on artist-facing products.
Nigerian police said it managed to secure the release of 20 medical students who have been kidnapped on August 15 by gunmen.

The students were headed to the southeastern state of Enugu, when they were kidnapped, news agencies reported.

Northern Nigeria has been plagued by kidnapping for ransom by armed groups, with Nigerian law enforcement agencies unable to end the practice.

We confirm the release on Friday of our brothers and sisters and some other Nigerians who have been in captivity in Ntunkon forest, Benue state, Nigerian police spokesperson Olumuyiwa Adejobi said.

He said no ransom was paid, rather they were rescued tactically and professionally.
This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

An illustration showing a researcher analyzing breath samples in the lab. Credit: NIST

With cannabis now outpacing alcohol as Americans' daily drug of choice, there is a critical need for a scientifically validated breath test to detect the recent use of the substance in drivers.

But developing such a breath test has proved a significant challenge.

Last year, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the University of Colorado Boulder found that a single breath test may not be reliable in detecting recent cannabis use because cannabis can linger in the body for weeks, making it difficult to distinguish between past and present use.

Now, these researchers are considering a new approach: two breath tests administered within roughly an hour of each other. If their research is successful, it could lead to a roadside test for cannabis use that involves two breath tests given at a specified interval apart.

"This is potentially paradigm-changing," said NIST materials research engineer Kavita Jeerage. "If successful, it could pave the way for on-the-spot detection of recent cannabis use by law enforcement."

Breath tests for alcohol have been around for nearly a century. They detect ethanol, which is exhaled in a gaseous vapor and correlates with the amount of ethanol in the blood.

But tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive ingredient in cannabis, is present in the breath at a much smaller concentration than ethanol. NIST chemical engineer Tara Lovestead has likened detecting it to "looking for a needle in a haystack."

In addition, the body breaks down and eliminates cannabis much more slowly than ethanol. NIST and University of Colorado researchers have found that the amount of THC in regular cannabis users' breath on days they don't smoke can sometimes be similar to the amount an hour after they've used cannabis. This makes it challenging to distinguish recent and past cannabis consumption among regular users.

Currently, when police pull over a driver they suspect of cannabis impairment, they typically use a battery of roadside tests such as heel-to-toe walking or repeating a sentence correctly. But field sobriety tests, as they are called, can be imprecise, weren't designed for cannabis, and, according to a recent study published in JAMA Psychiatry, can lead to false positives.

"A reliable breath test for cannabis is both a public safety and equity issue," said Lovestead.

Police can also request that the driver pass a blood test, but that may require obtaining a warrant, which usually can't be done on-site and may take hours.

Blood tests may also have a similar problem to breath tests in that cannabis lingers in the bloodstream. Daily cannabis users may maintain elevated levels of THC in their blood for days.

Several breath tests are currently being piloted by law enforcement agencies across the country, but there is still no scientific consensus on whether they work. While NIST doesn't itself develop breathalyzers or breath tests, it does provide guidance and technical expertise on best measurement practices to other government agencies and private industry.

In 2019, researchers at the University of California San Francisco reported that THC levels in the breath of people who smoked cannabis fell by about 95% over three hours after use. According to NIST's Kavita Jeerage, this suggests that sharply falling THC levels in breath may be unique to recent cannabis use. Individuals who have used cannabis days earlier yet still have traces of THC in their breath may not experience either the same amount or the same rate of decline, she said.

In theory, two tests given at different times could determine whether a significant falloff in THC levels was occurring in a driver's breath. It's still not known how far apart the tests would need to be given. Ideally, it would be as short as possible, Jeerage said.

Whether two breath tests spaced 20 or 30 minutes apart would be feasible or practical for drivers and law enforcement officers is an open question and outside the study's scope.

The two-breath test pilot study is being undertaken as part of a $1.5 million interagency agreement between NIST and the National Institute of Justice, part of the U.S. Department of Justice. NIST is carrying out the study in collaboration with the University of Colorado Boulder.

Here's how the study will work:

Approximately 45 individuals between 25 and 50 years old are being recruited from the Denver and Boulder, Colorado, areas.

Researchers will assign half the participants a THC-based strain of flower cannabis and half a THC-based cannabis concentrate. They will purchase the drug independently and use it in their homes to ensure compliance with federal laws. Participants can use as little or as much of the cannabis as they wish.

When they're done, they will immediately come to a mobile pharmacology laboratory operated by the University of Colorado Boulder and parked near their homes. Over two hours, they will complete 10 breath tests at set time intervals apart. Even though participants are taking multiple breath tests, the study's main goal is to find the ideal timing between two breath tests.

The breath samples will be analyzed for THC, chemical compounds produced when the body breaks down THC (THC metabolites), and selected natural compounds found in cannabis plants (cannabinoids). They will also provide blood samples and complete a questionnaire on cannabis use.

Enrolling participants, carrying out the experiment and analyzing the results are expected to take several years.

"The ultimate goal is to develop a reliable tool that supports fair law enforcement and helps keep our roads safe," said Cinnamon Bidwell, associate professor and co-director of CUChange, a research center at the University of Colorado Boulder that studies health and risk behavior.

More information: Thomas D. Marcotte et al, Evaluation of Field Sobriety Tests for Identifying Drivers Under the Influence of Cannabis, JAMA Psychiatry (2023). DOI: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2023.2345 Journal information: JAMA Psychiatry
This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

The government's recent decision to opt out of the Australia-New Zealand joint infant formula standard is a step in the wrong direction for child health policy.

Food Safety Minister Andrew Hoggard said New Zealand now plans to develop its own standard after Australia declined to review labeling restrictions on the joint standard proposed.

The standard would have added controls on what statements manufacturers can make on product labels, and limited sales of specialist formula to pharmacies or health care professionals.

This is important, as only one in ten New Zealand babies is exclusively breastfed for six months.

Infant formulas are a safe alternative for families who do not breastfeed. But parents have to choose a product from a wide range of manufacturers competing in a global industry worth more than US$55 billion.

The financial stakes for industry players are high, and marketing is therefore key. There is no better way of doing this than appealing to the parental instinct of wanting to give the best to your child.

However, surveys show many formula companies make unsubstantiated nutritional claims about their products. Without the joint infant formula standard, addressing this becomes more difficult.

The global formula industry

The global infant formula market is highly profitable and driven by high prices, particularly for premium and specialized formulas.

Consumption of formula for infants under six months has risen in regions with upper and middle incomes, including in Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Middle East.

In comparison to the size of the formula industry, which spends about US$23 billion on marketing globally, public health investment in breastfeeding support is minimal.

The US spends about US$60 million per year on a nutrition program for women, infants and children, compared to its US$3 billion formula market. In the UK, public health funding for breastfeeding support is around 14 million annually, against a 200 million infant formula market.

The formula market in Australia and New Zealand is valued at about AU$500 million annually.

New Zealand's Ministry of Health received NZ$35 million over four years (20202024) to support the maternity sector through the expansion of the Maternity Action Plan. This includes the national breastfeeding strategy, among other initiatives.

Unfounded health benefit claims

As scientists learn more about the composition of breast milk and infant development, formula companies try to match the ingredients of their products by adding new components, such as prebiotics or probiotics.

However, the way biological systems work is not as simple, and synthetic forms of added ingredients don't act the same way as natural ones. Formula products will never be able to fully replicate the complexity and dynamic composition of breast milk.

It is well established that breastfed children have lower rates of respiratory and gastrointestinal infections, better cognitive development and a lower prevalence of developmental delays.

A large randomized trial of more than 17,000 infants demonstrated that breastfeeding is associated with improved cognitive development, including better performance at school age.

Despite this, a major study published in 2023 found unsupported health claims are a common marketing practice in the formula industry. It showed most infant formulas add labels claiming the product supports brain development or a healthy immune system, without providing scientific references.

Scientific evidence is lacking

A recent survey conducted in 15 countries, including Australia, examined the specific health and nutrition claims made by infant formula manufacturers on their product labels and websites.

The survey also examined scientific evidence cited in support of these claims, which were mostly related to positive impacts on brain development, immune health and growth.

For the majority (74%) of products making specific health claims, no scientific reference was provided. For most of the remainder, evidence was deemed to have a high risk of bias, with more than 80% of the authors affiliated with the formula industry.

On the other hand, independent reviews clearly question the benefits of added components, reporting these did not promote long-term cognitive benefits compared with standard infant formulas. And there is no robust evidence to recommend the use of prebiotic-supplemented formulas.

A code for marketing

While infant formulas are a safe alternative, the benefits of breastfeeding are extensive, including positive impacts on infant and maternal health, society and the environment. Hence, breastfeeding is a key public health strategy.

To protect consumers from the marketing strategies of the formula industry, the World Health Organization established the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes in 1981. The code restricts advertising, free samples and promotional activities related to breast milk substitutes. Adherence is enforced by national regulations and local monitoring mechanisms.

Countries such as Norway and the Philippines, with strict adherence to the code, have high exclusive breastfeeding rates (around 80%). In contrast, countries such as the US and China, where the code is not fully implemented, have much lower rates (around 20%).

New Zealand complies only partially because the code is managed primarily through voluntary agreements rather than laws and policies.

One of the proposals under the Australia-New Zealand joint infant formula standard would have addressed legislative shortfalls, particularly in the regulatory framework, product definitions, nutrient composition and limits on additives and contaminants.

The proposed regulations would have enabled families to make unbiased, informed decisions, free from unfounded nutritional claims or unnecessary added components. The decision not to adopt the standard is a backward step.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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Visitors stand near a 1921 statue of the Wampanoag leader Massasoit, center, Wednesday, June 9, 2021, on Cole's Hill, in Plymouth, Mass. The town of Plymouth announced Friday, Aug. 23, 2024, that it's closing public outdoor recreation facilities from dusk until dawn each day after a horse in the town was infected with eastern equine encephalitis. Credit: AP Photo/Steven Senne, File

A rare but deadly disease spread by mosquitoes has one town in Massachusetts closing its parks and fields each evening. Four other towns are urging people to avoid going outdoors at night.

They're concerned about eastern equine encephalitis. State health officials announced last week a man in his 80s had caught the disease, the first human case found in Massachusetts since 2020.

The town of Plymouth, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) southeast of Boston, announced Friday that it's closing public outdoor recreation facilities from dusk until dawn each day after a horse in the town was infected with the disease.

Meanwhile, state health officials warned that a cluster of four towns south of WorcesterDouglas, Oxford, Sutton and Websterare at "critical risk" after a man from Oxford caught the virus.

State and local health officials urged people in those towns to avoid the peak mosquito biting times by finishing outdoor activities by 6 p.m. until Sept. 30 and then by 5 p.m. after that, until the first hard frost.

They also recommend that people across Massachusetts use mosquito repellents when outdoors and drain any standing water around their homes.

Jennifer Callahan, Oxford's town manager, wrote in a memo that the family of the man who caught the virus in mid August had reached out to her office.

"They want people to be aware this is an extremely serious disease with terrible physical and emotional consequences, regardless if the person manages to live," Callahan wrote.

She said the infected person had often recounted to his family how he never got bitten by mosquitoes. But just before he became symptomatic, he told them he had been bitten. She said the man remains hospitalized and is "courageously battling" the virus.

Callahan said the family is urging people to take the public health advice seriously and to do their utmost to protect themselves.

The presence of the virus in Massachusetts this year was confirmed last month in a mosquito sample, and has been found in other mosquitoes across the state since then. In a 2019 outbreak, there were six deaths among 12 confirmed cases in Massachusetts. The outbreak continued the following year with five more cases and another death.

There are no vaccines or treatment for EEE.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that although rare, EEE is very serious and about 30% of people who become infected die. Symptoms include fever, headache, vomiting, diarrhea and seizures.

People who survive are often permanently disabled, and few completely recover, Massachusetts authorities say. The disease is prevalent in birds, and although humans and some other mammals can catch EEE, they don't spread the disease.

The CDC says only a few cases of EEE are reported in the U.S. each year, with most infections found in the eastern and Gulf Coast states.

 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

A SlateSafety armband is worn by Wyatt Fischer, a furnace mason employee at Cardinal Glass, Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024, in Menomonie, Wis. Credit: AP Photo/Abbie Parr

On a hot summer day in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, dozens of men removed pipes, asbestos and hazardous waste while working to decontaminate a nuclear facility and prepare it for demolition.

Dressed in head-to-toe coveralls and fitted with respirators, the crew members toiling in a building without power had no obvious respite from the heat. Instead, they wore armbands that recorded their heart rates, movements and exertion levels for signs of heat stress.

Stephanie Miller, a safety and health manager for a U.S. government contractor doing cleanup work at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, watched a computer screen nearby. A color-coding system with little bubbles showing each worker's physiological data alerted her if anyone was in danger of overheating.

"Heat is one of the greatest risks that we have in this work, even though we deal with high radiation, hazardous chemicals and heavy metals," Miller said.

As the world experiences more record high temperatures, employers are exploring wearable technologies to keep workers safe. New devices collect biometric data to estimate core body temperature - an elevated one is a symptom of heat exhaustion - and prompt workers to take cool-down breaks.

The devices, which were originally developed for athletes, firefighters and military personnel, are getting adopted at a time when the Atlantic Council estimates heat-induced losses in labor productivity could cost the U.S. approximately $100 billion annually.

But there are concerns about how the medical information collected on employees will be safeguarded. Some labor groups worry managers could use it to penalize people for taking needed breaks.

"Any time you put any device on a worker, they're very concerned about tracking, privacy, and how are you going to use this against me," said Travis Parsons, director of occupational safety and health at the Laborers' Health and Safety Fund of North America. "There's a lot of exciting stuff out there, but there's no guardrails around it."

Vulnerable to heat

At the Tennessee cleanup site, the workers wearing heat stress monitors made by Atlanta company SlateSafety are employed by United Cleanup Oak Ridge. The company is a contractor of the U.S. Department of Energy, which has rules to prevent on-the-job overheating.

But most U.S. workers lack protections from extreme heat because there are no federal regulations requiring them, and many vulnerable workers don't speak up or seek medical attention. In July, the Biden administration proposed a rule to protect 36 million workers from heat-related illnesses.

From 1992 to 2022, 986 workers died from heat exposure in the U.S., according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Experts suspect the number is higher because a coroner might not list heat as the cause of death if a sweltering roofer takes a fatal fall.

Setting occupational safety standards can be tricky because individuals respond differently to heat. That's where the makers of wearable devices hope to come in.

Wyatt Fischer, a furnace mason employee at Cardinal Glass, sits on an excavator while wearing a SlateSafety armband, Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024, in Menomonie, Wis. Credit: AP Photo/Abbie Parr

How wearable heat tech works

Employers have observed workers for heat-related distress by checking their temperatures with thermometers, sometimes rectally. More recently, firefighters and military personnel swallowed thermometer capsules.

"That just was not going to work in our work environment," Rob Somers, global environment, health and safety director at consumer product company Perrigo, said.

Instead, more than 100 employees at the company's infant formula plants were outfitted with SlateSafety armbands. The devices estimate a wearer's core body temperature, and a reading of 101.3 degrees triggers an alert.

Another SlateSafety customer is a Cardinal Glass factory in Wisconsin, where four masons maintain a furnace that reaches 3000 degrees Fahrenheit.

"They're right up against the face of the wall. So it's them and fire," Jeff Bechel, the company's safety manager, said.

Cardinal Glass paid $5,000 for five armbands, software and air-monitoring hardware. Bechel thinks the investment will pay off; an employee's two heat-related emergency room visits cost the company $15,000.

Another wearable, made by Massachusetts company Epicore Biosystems, analyzes sweat to determine when workers are at risk of dehydration and overheating.

"Until a few years ago, you just sort of wiped (sweat) off with a towel," CEO Rooz Ghaffari said. "Turns out there's all this information packed away that we've been missing."

Research has shown some devices successfully predict core body temperature in controlled environments, but their accuracy remains unproven in dynamic workplaces, according to experts. A 2022 research review said factors such as age, gender and ambient humidity make it challenging to reliably gauge body temperature with the technology.

The United Cleanup Oak Ridge workers swathed in protective gear can get sweaty even before they begin demolition. Managers see dozens of sensor alerts daily.

Laborer Xavier Allison, 33, was removing heavy pieces of ductwork during a recent heat wave when his device vibrated. Since he was working with radioactive materials and asbestos, he couldn't walk outside to rest without going through a decontamination process, so he spent about 15 minutes in a nearby room which was just as hot.

"You just sit by yourself and do your best to cool off," Allison said.

The armband notifies workers when they've cooled down enough to resume work.

"Ever since we implemented it, we have seen a significant decrease in the number of people who need to get medical attention," Miller said.

Construction worker Fernando Padilla wipes his face as he works in the heat on June 30, 2023 in Nashville, Tenn. Credit: AP Photo/George Walker IV, File

Collecting personal data

United Cleanup Oak Ridge uses the sensor data and an annual medical exam to determine work assignments, Miller said. After noticing patterns, the company sent a few employees to see their personal physicians, who found heart issues the employees hadn't known about, she said.

At Perrigo, managers analyze the data to find people with multiple alerts and speak to them to see if there's "a reason why they're not able to work in the environment," Somers said. The information is organized by identification numbers, not names, when it goes into the company's software system, he said.

Companies keeping years of medical data raises concerns about privacy and whether bosses may use the information to kick an employee off a health plan or fire them, said Adam Schwartz, privacy litigation director at the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

"The device could hurt, frankly, because you could raise your hand and say 'I need a break,' and the boss could say, 'No, your heart rate is not elevated, go back to work,'" Schwartz said.

To minimize such risks, employers should allow workers to opt in or out of wearing monitoring devices, only process strictly necessary data and delete the information within 24 hours, he said.

Wearing such devices also may expose workers to unwanted marketing, Ikusei Misaka, a professor at Tokyo's Musashino University, said.

A partial solution

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health advises employers to institute a plan to help workers adjust to hot conditions and to train them to recognize signs of heat-related illness and to administer first aid. Wearable devices can be part of efforts to reduce heat stress, but more work needs to be done to determine their accuracy, said Doug Trout, the agency's medical officer.

The technology also needs to be paired with access to breaks, shade and cool water, since many workers, especially in agriculture, fear retaliation for pausing to cool off or hydrate.

"If they don't have water to drink, and the time to do it, it doesn't mean much," Juanita Constible, senior advocate at the Natural Resources Defense Council, said. "It's just something extra they have to carry when they're in the hot fields."

 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Editor's note: This story was updated at 9:15 p.m. Saturday.

The McElwain fire by McElwain Creek 6 miles west of Helmville in Powell County is at 176 acres, state officials said Saturday evening.

It is 0% contained and its cause remains undetermined, officials said.

The fire, reported 12:42 p.m. Friday, is burning in grass and timber on private and Bureau of Land Management property under Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) wildland fire protection, the DNRC said. It is comprised of two adjacent fires, a north fire, and a south fire. Officials estimated the cost of fighting the fire so far at $10,000.

A control line has been established by heavy equipment around the south fire and work will continue Saturday to improve that line. Access to the north fire is difficult for heavy equipment, so firefighters will also be focusing on improving that, the DNRC said.

A Type 3 incident commander and resources four engines, one Type 2 hand crew, two water tenders, three skidgines, two dozers, and one Type 2 DNRC helicopter are assigned to the blaze.

State officials said weather Saturday will be partly cloudy with slight chance of showers. They said hazy conditions in the afternoon are expected with temperatures in the mid-70s with westerly winds ranging from 5-15 mph. Higher relative humidity in the area was expected to help moderate fire behavior. Winds are expected to decrease Sunday, which will also be welcome news for firefighters, the DNRC said.

The Powell County Sheriffs Office has issued evacuation warnings to residents in the immediate area of the fire, specifically the Ledger Road area. Officials said this is a limited warning. Powell County is now in Stage 1 fire restrictions.

Also burning nearby, the Hoodoo fire is a two- to three-acre lightning-caused fire on Hoodoo Mountain southeast of Helmville burning in heavy dead and down timber in steep and difficult to access terrain, the DNRC said. Strong winds prohibited delivery of aerial firefighters (heli-rappelers and smokejumpers) Friday, but bucket drops by a Type 2 helicopter as weather allowed were able to dampen the fire.

Fire managers are planning to use heli-rappelers (firefighters who rappel out of a helicopter near the fire) to fight the fire if weather conditions allow.

The Weasel Fire, just west of the McElwain Fire, is another suspected lightning start and is 0.1 acres, the DNRC said. Firefighters are still working to access that fire from the ground. Both fires are on BLM land under DNRC wildland fire protection.

Another fire south of Elevation Mountain in the Top O Deep area was detected earlier Saturday and resources are enroute.

Residents and visitors are asked to be extra careful when outdoors to limit human caused sparks. Visit www.MTFireInfo.org for fire restriction information and fire prevention tips.
In a post on X on Sunday, after the meeting, Goyal said that they discussed the group's plans to "scale up investments in India," including increasing engagement with the small and medium enterprises sector.

"Also, explored how stakeholders from diverse sectors in India and Singapore can be brought together to identify synergies and create opportunities for charting a mutually beneficial way forward," Goyal wrote while sharing a picture of their meeting in his post.

DBS is a leading financial services group in Asia with a presence in 19 key markets. Headquartered and listed in Singapore.

Since opening its first office in Mumbai in 1994, DBS Bank has now been present in India for 30 years.

As per its website, DBS Bank India Limited is the first among the large foreign banks in India to start operating as a wholly owned, locally incorporated subsidiary of a leading global bank. (ANI)
India's urea industry, which contributes to a significant portion of chemical fertiliser demand, has taken strong strides towards self-sufficiency. As per a Crisil Ratings report, the import dependency in the sector is expected to reduce to 10-15 per cent in the near to medium term from its peak of 30 per cent seen in financial year 2020-21. This, the rating agency believes, will be mainly driven by the commencement and stabilisation of new capacities. "These new plants will see steady, regulated returns as utilisation improves. As for the legacy capacities, profits will remain stable this fiscal, in line with raw material prices and policies," Crisil said. Also, adequate subsidy allocation will keep the credit profiles of urea industry companies stable, the rating agency said. Urea demand growth had outpaced production between fiscals 2007 and 2012, because of which the share of imports rose to 20-25 per cent of consumption. According to Anand Kulkarni, Director, CRISIL Ratings, "The NIP (New Investment Policy) 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. The likely commissioning of one more plant by next fiscal will further boost domestic production." Higher capacity utilisation will improve operating efficiency and profitability of the new plants this fiscal. Going ahead, the rating agency said a possible uptick in nano urea adoption over the medium term can accelerate India's self-sufficiency. The Government of India through the Department of Fertilizers imports urea (agriculture purpose) on government account to bridge the gap between production and demand. In 2023-24, India imported urea to the 70.42 lakh tonne, costing USD 2.608 billion, official data showed. (ANI)
A fourth grader flips open her STAAR mathematics booklet to go over her answers during class at Heritage Elementary School in San Antonio in 2022. Josie Norris/San Antonio Express-News

With the Texas Education Agency barred by a lawsuit from releasing A to F accountability ratings for the second year in a row, a few school districts have opted to share their projected grades based on preliminary data.

In the San Antonio area, that includes Southside, Southwest and Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City independent school districts, whose boards have received a look at unofficial scores  and an idea of student performance  under the states newly revised and highly contested accountability system.

The TEA grades every public school district and campus yearly, based on standardized test performance, student growth and progress on closing racial and socioeconomic achievement gaps. But it hasnt done so for all campuses since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and legal challenges.

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Scores for the 2023-2024 school year were scheduled to come out Aug. 15, but a judge temporarily blocked the release after several school districts sued to challenge changes made to the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness exam.

The TEA cant release the ratings directly, but it provided school systems with the data to calculate and release the ratings themselves. Some had already done so using their own data.

The largest to go public with the 2024 ratings was Houston ISD, which reported last week that nearly 150 campuses earned a higher grade when compared with the unofficial 2023 ratings.

Most school systems in Bexar County have decided not to share the grades because of the lawsuit and its potential to negate the scores.

The lawsuit questions the validity of the STAAR test, therefore until a determination is made, we would not want to share inaccurate information with our parents, staff and community, Medina Valley ISD, which received an A in 2022, said in a statement.

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Those that released their grades had anticipated some drops in campus ratings from 2022 to 2024. But so did nearly every Texas school district, officials have said.

Poor performance on the STAAR exam, which was redesigned and shifted online in 2023, had districts statewide bracing for worse ratings this year. Similar expectations that school systems would do poorly under tightening standards prompted last years lawsuit, which halted release of the 2022-2023 rankings.

While education advocates and school leaders have knocked the system for relying too heavily on standardized testing, its defenders call it an important resource for families and communities to evaluate their schools.

When we dont have a standardized measurement of campus and system performance, it makes things really difficult to understand, said Jeff Cottrill, superintendent of IDEA Public Schools, the largest charter network in Texas. Its the starting point upon which we make adjustments, pivot and grow to better serve students.

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Completely different

District officials presented Southside ISDs projected letter grades at its Aug. 20 board meeting, a week after a judge blocked Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath from releasing the scores as planned.

The growing district of some 5,500 students expects a B on this years rankings, the same grade it received in 2022 but with a lower numerical score (81 compared with 88).

While the district does not agree with all of the new accountability measures, for transparency purposes, it was important to share the results with our students, staff and parents, Superintendent Rolando Ramirez said in a statement.

District officials calculated little change for most campuses, but a few schools were slated to drop a letter grade, including Southside High School and Gallardo Elementary, from a B to a C.

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Jodi Spoor, Southside ISDs assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction, said the districts STAAR scores showed improvements in academic growth that is sometimes hard to distill down to one letter.

The last time we brought you scores in 2022, it was a completely different system, completely different test, so it was a lot harder to get this than it was back in 2022, she said.

Perhaps the most criticized change this year was the TEAs new use of an automated computer model to grade open-ended writing responses on the reading exam. While the agency attributed a rise in students who received a zero on their essay questions to a more difficult exam, the lawsuit argues that the spike raises questions about the technology.

At Southside ISD, 46% of students who took the essay portion of the exam received a zero.

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Administrators put many of the responses through the district's own computer grading system and found that the program gave the same rating as the state or very close to it, Ramirez said at the meeting.

To be honest with the board, we checked the writing samples and, following the rubric, we found for the most part that students were off-topic, he said. In our case, it wasnt the AI that caused it.

The district will implement its computer grading across its campuses this year to prepare students for the next reading exam while also saving time for teachers and staff.

Neighboring Southwest ISD expects a C on this years rankings. The growing district of around 13,000 students received a B in 2022, but district officials say that would also have been a C if it was calculated with the new formula.

Southwest ISD shared a preview of its expectedscores based on district data at its Aug. 6 board meeting to provide "a clearer understanding and to set appropriate expectations, district spokesperson Jenny Collier said.

Lisa Bolte, the districts director of assessment and accountability, said the overall rating was heavily affected by the TEAs new formula, which uses proportional weighting based on campus enrollment.

A few Southwest ISD campuses saw substantial drops in performance. Resnik Middle School, for example, is forecast to fall from a C to an F.

The district did not present its unofficial 2023 grades, which were blocked from release after more than 100 school districts sued the TEA for not providing enough advance notice about newly raised performance standards.

Southwest joined that lawsuit last October. At the time, Superintendent Jeanette Ball said the districts decision wasnt because of its own expected grades but the process the TEA used and the principle of it being wrong.

The district, which is eyeing a $13 million deficit, said it can't afford to join the latest lawsuit.

Our current priority is to reduce the deficit while maintaining a strong commitment to fiscal responsibility, ensuring that financial challenges do not impact the success of our students, it said.

Adjustment year

Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City ISD, which serves nearly 16,000 students on the Northeast Side, expects to receive another B on this years rankings.

Chief Academic Officer Kelly Kovacs outlined the expected campus scores at a July 23 board meeting, presenting STAAR data that included a downward trend in the passing rate for third-grade math and reading since 2022.

That is not unique to SCUC, Kovacs said. That is something that has happened statewide over the last couple of years.

The district estimates that most of its campuses will receive the same letter grade as they would have in 2023. Sippel Elementary School is expected to see the biggest jump, climbing 20 points from a D to a B. Schertz Elementary School is expected to see the opposite, dropping 20 points from a B to a low D.

Kovacs said teachers during the new school year will focus on adopting literacy routines to ensure that students are reading, writing, talking, speaking and listening in all of their classes very consistently.

Northside ISD, San Antonios largest school district, with over 100,000 students, is among the majority of local districts that have not released their what-if scores.

District spokesperson Barry Perez said the STAAR redesign and accountability timeline have presented considerable challenges to Texas school districts, including the implementation of new rubrics, maintaining the same "cut points" for grades on a more rigorous test and sharply raising the standard to receive an A on the College, Career and Military Readiness metric.

Historically, when TEA transitioned to a redesigned test, no accountability ratings were assigned during the adjustment year, Perez added.

A number of charter school networks are pushing for the release of accountability ratings, including IDEA, which operates 28 campuses in the San Antonio area and is projected to drop from an A- to a B.

Cottrill, its leader, is a former TEA official and Knippa ISD superintendent. He said making those scores public serves as a notice that we didnt get to the bar that we had set for our students, our staff and our communities.

He said staff at A-rated campuses receive performance pay and hat the accountability scores serve as tools for families deciding where to send their kids to school. The system isnt perfect, but its a key metric in understanding where schools are academically and identifying areas for growth, Cottrill said.
Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal will participate in the roundtable along with Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman, External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, and Minister for Railways, Information and Broadcasting, and Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw.

During their visit, the Ministers will interact with their Singaporean counterparts and leadership, an official statement from the government said.

Today, the Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal will engage with leading global business figures in Singapore, including DBS Bank, Temasek Holdings, OMERS, Keppel Infrastructure, and the Owners Forum.

"The Minister will explore strategies to bolster bilateral trade and investment, capitalising on India's burgeoning market opportunities and its dynamic growth trajectory," the statement added.

India Singapore Ministerial Roundtable is a unique mechanism established to set a new agenda for India-Singapore bilateral relations.

Its inaugural meeting was held in New Delhi in September 2022. This 2nd meeting will enable both sides to review various aspects of their Strategic Partnership and identify new avenues to further elevate and broaden it.

Singapore has been a major source of FDI for India.

In the year 2023-24, Singapore was the largest source of foreign direct investment (FDI) for India, with an estimated USD 11.77 billion in inflows.

The cumulative inflow of FDI from Singapore from April 2000 to March 2024 is around USD 159.94 billion. In bilateral trade, Singapore was the 6th largest global trade partner of India in 2023-24 with a total trade of USD 35.61 billion which accounts approximately 29 per cent of India's total trade with ASEAN. (ANI)
Tenth round of negotiations for a Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) was held between India and Australia recently. Both the countries reviewed the progress made so far for a balanced economic cooperation agreement. The latest round of talks was held from 19-22 August 2024 in Sydney in the areas of Goods, Services, Digital Trade, Government Procurement, Rules of Origin and Agri tech. "Intense discussions were held on each of these tracks bringing in clarity and understanding for convergence in the remaining provisions. The 10th Round was held after a gap of around 5 months from the concluded 9th Round. However intersessional meetings were held between these two rounds to bring in convergence on all these tracks as well as under other remaining tracks," commerce ministry said in a statement on Sunday. The Indian delegation was led by Rajesh Agrawal, the Chief Negotiator and Additional Secretary, Department of Commerce and the Australian delegation was led by Ravi Kewalram, the Chief Negotiator and First Assistant Secretary in DFAT, Australia. India said efforts were made by both sides, keeping in mind the domestic sensitivities for reaching a balanced outcome. "It was decided that given the clear understanding of each other's proposals under the five tracks, track leads from both sides would work out action plan for negotiations through virtual mode intersessionally before the next round, likely to be held in India," the statement said. The Chief Negotiators reviewed the bilateral trade and investment relations between India and Australia and underscored commitment to strengthen and enhance the economic partnership between India and Australia through building up on the positive effects of India-Australia ECTA, which entered into force on 29 December 2022. Both the sides made efforts to ensure that the CECA negotiation delivers meaningful benefits and balanced outcome for both sides. The Indian delegation also visited the University of Sydney and Cicada Innovation Centre to understand the research activities being carried out by Australia in agriculture and agritech. Australia is an important trade and strategic partner of India. Both the countries are part of the 14 country Indo Pacific Economic Forum for Prosperity (IPEF) and Trilateral Supply Chain Resilience Initiative (SCRI) which is expected to strengthen the supply chain resilience in the region. The next Round of India-Australia CECA negotiations is likely to be held in November 2024, the statement added. (ANI)
Union Minister for Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal, engaged in high-profile discussions with Dilhan Pillay Sandrasegara, Executive Director and CEO of Temasek, and the company's Chief Investment Officer, Rohit Sipahimalani, in Singapore on Sunday. Goyal posted on X, "Met Dilhan Pillay Sandrasegara, Executive Director and CEO of multinational investment firm @Temasek, along with the company's Chief Investment Officer, Rohit Sipahimalani. Discussed how India's continued economic growth offers a delta of opportunity for Temasek's investment plans in the country." Goyal's engagement with Temasek is part of a broader effort to strengthen bilateral economic relations and position India as a key investment destination. Goyal also met with Cindy Lim, CEO of Infrastructure at global asset manager and operator, Keppel. The discussions centred on Keppel's investment plans in India, specifically aimed at supporting sustainable development and decarbonisation efforts. Goyal expressed his enthusiasm for the meeting on X, stating, "It was a pleasure to meet Ms. Cindy Lim, CEO of Infrastructure at global asset manager and operator, Keppel. Discussed the company's investment plans in India to support sustainable development through decarbonisation and help accelerate India's target of achieving net zero carbon emissions." Additionally, Union Minister Piyush Goyal visited the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) Headquarters and ITE College Central in Singapore. During his visit, he toured various training facilities, including the Aerospace and Smart Manufacturing Hubs. The visit was aimed at exploring Singapore's approach to continuing education and skill development. Goyal examined how Singapore's innovative learning environments could serve as a model for India, enhancing its own educational infrastructure and skill development programmes. Goyal took to his social media handle X and posted, "Visited the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) Headquarters and ITE College Central, Singapore. Took a tour of their various training facilities, including Aerospace and Smart Manufacturing Hubs, and delved deeper into the philosophy of continuing education and skill development. Explored how India and Singapore can collaborate on such innovative and authentic learning environments for our young talent to build future-ready skillsets to meet the diverse needs and interests of various industries." The discussions also focused on potential collaborations between India and Singapore to create dynamic and future-ready skillsets for young talent. By leveraging Singapore's expertise in educational excellence, India aims to build authentic learning environments that cater to the diverse needs of various industries. Looking ahead, the second round of the India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable (ISMR) is scheduled to be held in Singapore on Monday. Union Minister Piyush Goyal, along with other key Indian ministers, including Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, and Minister for Railways, Information and Broadcasting, and Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw, will participate in this crucial meeting. The roundtable aims to further strengthen bilateral ties and explore new avenues for cooperation in trade, investment, and other strategic sectors. (ANI)
Renowned filmmaker Ranjith resigned as Kerala Chalachitra Academy Chairman on Sunday morning following sexual assault allegations, according to the Kerala Cultural Minister's Office. Kerala Cultural and Youth Affairs Minister Saji Cherian took to social media on Saturday and wrote a post mentioning that action is "assured" if allegations of inappropriate behaviour against a woman actor by director and Kerala State Chalachitra Academy chairman Ranjith are proven. "The government will not protect whoever does the mistake. Action assured if the allegations against Film Academy Chairman Ranjith are proved," he wrote on Facebook. Filmmaker Biju, earlier on Saturday, had demanded the removal of Ranjith from the position of Chalachitra Academy chairman. In his post on Facebook, the filmmaker said, "For the past three years, several allegations have been levelled against the Chairman of the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy. There were complaints that the Chairman directly influenced jury members to grant awards to certain individuals and to deny them some films. This was openly stated by director Vinayan and two other jury members." "Similarly, there were complaints regarding the selection of films for the IFFK (International Film Festival of Kerala), where several filmmakers presented digital evidence claiming that films were selected without being watched," filmmaker Biju said. "The Chairman also stirred controversy by comparing the audience to dogs during the closing ceremony of the film festival. Additionally, during the last film festival, this same Chairman made defamatory remarks in public media against me and other film professionals," the post continued. "General Council members of the Chalachitra Academy themselves have issued public statements calling for the Chairman's removal. While the Cultural Minister has made statements saying that these issues will be investigated and explanations sought, no action has been taken so far," wrote filmmaker Biju on the social media platform. Referring to the row over the Hema Committee report, the filmmaker said in his post, "Now, following the Hema Committee report, a revelation from an actress has also surfaced against the Academy Chairman. If there is any sense of morality left, the Chairman should be immediately removed. A public sexual harassment allegation against someone in a position of responsibility cannot be taken lightly. The Cultural Minister might consider this person a legend--that is his personal freedom--but when someone is accused of inappropriate behaviour towards women, they are no longer fit to hold the position of Academy Chairman, not for even a moment." "If Ranjith has any doubts about my relevance in this matter, let me clarify that I have previously written a lengthy note on this subject. I won't repeat that now. I will only state one point of relevance: the salary you receive, the money for your car, and your house rent all come from taxpayers like me. As a tax-paying citizen of the state, I am using my relevance to say that in the light of these accusations, the government must immediately remove the Chairman. Considering the government's silence on the various allegations against the Chairman and the secrecy surrounding the Hema Committee report, I know there is little chance that the Chairman will voluntarily resign or be removed. However, I must express my dismay that the state of Kerala has to bear the burden of entrusting responsible positions to these disgraceful individuals." Meanwhile, the Youth Congress has filed a complaint demanding an investigation against the Film Academy chairman, Ranjith. The complaint has been filed with the Kerala Director General of Police (DGP), demanding an investigation against the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy Chairman.Youth Congress Vice President Abin Varkey lodged the complaint, urging an inquiry in light of recent revelations made by a Bengali actress. The complaint calls for a thorough investigation into Ranjith's actions, emphasising the need for accountability. This complaint follows an earlier demand by the Youth Congress for action based on the findings of the Justice Hema Committee report, which highlighted issues within the Malayalam film industry. Last week, a redacted version of the Justice Hema Committee report was made public, which revealed several instances of sexual harassment of female actors in the Malayalam film industry. In the Hema Committee report, Kerala Assembly Leader of Opposition VD Satheesan said that the Kerala Culture Minister should tender his resignation. "Kerala Culture Minister Saji Cherian is trying to avoid an investigation into the recommendations and revelations of the Hema Committee. He has been trying to make some changes to the report...He is now violating his oath and trying to protect all the culprits in this case. So he has to resign," Satheesan said. "The opposition UDF demands his resignation...The government knows that a series of offences have been committed. Despite knowing all this, the government is not taking any action. They are not ready to make an investigation team. We demand the government to constitute an investigation team," he said. (ANI)
Actor Tovino Thomas has publicly addressed the recent resignations of prominent figures in the Malayalam film industry amid a storm of allegations. His comments come in response to the release of the Justice Hema Committee report, which has laid bare troubling systemic issues concerning the treatment of women in the industry. During a media interaction, Tovino Thomas emphasised the need for accountability and justice. "Those who are accused must step down. If found guilty, they should be punished accordingly. Wrongdoers must face the consequences of their actions," Thomas said. He underscored that the issue extends beyond the film industry, advocating for a safer environment for women across all workplaces. "This isn't just about our industry; women should feel safe in every workplace. If I'm called upon, I'm ready to provide my statement. We have laws in this country, and I believe in this system to ensure justice is served. There needs to be change in workplaces, not just here, but everywhere in the world," he added. The controversy gained momentum following the release of the Justice Hema Committee report on August 19, which exposed significant issues regarding the mistreatment of women in the Malayalam film industry. The report has prompted the government to form a special investigative team to address these allegations comprehensively. The fallout from the report has been swift and impactful. Renowned Malayalam filmmaker Ranjith, who was serving as the chairman of the Kerala Chalachitra Academy, resigned after Bengali actress Sreelekha Mitra accused him of misconduct. Kerala's Minister for Cultural and Youth Affairs, Saji Cherian, has pledged a thorough investigation, stating, "The government will not protect whoever is at fault. Action is assured if the allegations against Film Academy Chairman Ranjith are proven." In addition to Ranjith's resignation, the industry is also grappling with accusations against Siddique, a prominent actor and general secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA). Actress Revathy Sampath has publicly accused Siddique of sexual misconduct, alleging that he initially approached her through a fake social media account before a professional meeting turned into a distressing and threatening encounter. Sampath has voiced her frustration with the lack of support she received, recounting, "I sought help but received no support. Nobody was there." No support groups were available for me... It's not that I haven't taken legal action; I did once. But I can't do it again," she told ANI. (ANI)
Both Deverakonda and Vanga took to social media to reflect on the film's enduring impact and their personal connection to the project.

Released in 2017, 'Arjun Reddy' is renowned for its bold storytelling and intense performances.

The film, which stars Vijay Deverakonda as the volatile surgeon Arjun Reddy Deshmukh, delves into themes of love, addiction, and self-destruction.

It was a commercial success and has since been regarded as a modern classic in Telugu cinema.

To commemorate the anniversary, Vijay Deverakonda shared a series of behind-the-scenes photos from the film's set on Instagram and X.

He humorously urged director Sandeep Reddy Vanga to release a "full cut" of the film for its 10th anniversary, writing, "Give the people 'The SandeepVanga #ArjunReddy full cut' for the 10 years anniversary @imvangasandeep! I cannot believe it is 7 years already, remember so many moments as if it was last year."

https://www.instagram.com/p/C_FsXUySphb/?img_index=1

In response, Sandeep Reddy Vanga expressed his sentiment by noting how much he misses working with Deverakonda.

He replied to him on X, "Vijay.... for sure we should make it for the 10th anniversary. Missing you more today. #7YearsOfArjunReddy."

The film's success led to a Hindi remake, 'Kabir Singh' where Shahid Kapoor and Kiara Advani took on the lead roles, which was a blockbuster hit. (ANI)
The Finance department of the Kerala government has clarified that the salaries of employees who have not provided consent will not be deducted for contributions to the Chief Minister's Distress Relief Fund (CMDRF), Additional Chief Secretary (Finance) A. Jayathilak said on Saturday. In the wake of the Wayanad disaster, the government had requested employees to contribute five days' salary to the CMDRF. However, Dr. Jayathilak assured that those who have not submitted a consent letter will not have any deductions made from their salaries. Additionally, Dr Jayathilak confirmed that there are currently no obstacles in the SPARK system for employees who wish to apply for a PF loan, even if they have not consented to the salary deduction. The Kerala Cabinet has decided to distribute free Onam kits to all ration cardholders in areas in Wayanad that were affected by the recent landslides, said the Chief Minister's office. The Onam kits will contain 13 essential food items. Onam is an annual harvest festival in Kerala and it is also an official festival of the state. The Cabinet has also decided to distribute free Onam kits to Antyodaya Anna Yojana cardholders and residents of welfare institutions across the state. The Wayanad landslide occurred on July 30 this year. The disaster affected nearly 47.37 km2 of the Meppadi Gram Panchayat in Wayanad. The death toll stands at over 400. The worst-affected areas include Chooralmala, Muthanga, and Mundakkai. In August 14, the Kerala cabinet subcommittee said that financial assistance of Rs 10,000 each has been made available to 379 families directly affected by the landslides. "Payment was made through bank accounts. Those who have lost their passbook, and those who do not remember their account number, if they inform which bank the account is in, the concerned bank will find and deposit the money. For those who do not remember the bank details, the amount will be paid based on the person's address by checking with the banks. If this is not available, then a new account will be opened at zero balance and the amount will be paid," the subcommittee said. (ANI)
Amid the crisis in Bangladesh, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday claimed that Hindus are not attempting to enter India from Bangladesh and they are fighting there. "Hindus are fighting and staying in Bangladesh. In the last one month we have not detected a single Hindu person, but we have arrested 35 Muslim infiltrators in the last one month. Today also, I tweeted that we arrested two people in Karimganj and pushed them back yesterday night," Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday told media at Silchar. He also said that there is no record of Hindu people from Bangladesh entering Assam. "We intercepted and pushed them back and fortunately or unfortunately, they belong to one community, not Hindu. Hindu is fighting and no Hindu tries to come to India. Hindus are only requesting our Prime Minister to impress upon the government of Bangladesh to ensure security," the Assam Chief Minister said. Earlier in a post on X, Assam CM said that two Bangladeshi nationals were apprehended at Badarpur railway station by Assam Police. "Two Bangladeshi nationals were apprehended at Badarpur railway station by @assampolice. The apprehended individuals were identified as Masum Khan, Modelganj Police Station in Bangladesh and Sonia Akhtar, Dhaka, Bangladesh. They reportedly entered India through the Madhoppur (BD)-Agartala route and were en route to Bangalore. In collaboration with the BSF, Assam Police successfully pushed them back across the border last night," the Assam CM posted on X. The protests in Bangladesh erupted in early July due to demands for reforming the quota system that reserves civil service jobs for specific groups, including descendants of 1971 war veterans. (ANI)
After the Centre approved the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS), Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Anand Dubey on Saturday said that because of the opposition's demand, the central government approved the scheme. "By bringing in the Unified Pension Scheme, the central government has proved that, due to the opposition's demand for a pension scheme since the last few months, they had to do so. This time the BJP won only 240 seats, so they know they had to bring some scheme for central government employees. Also, the election is going to be held in 4 states. They could have brought this scheme earlier as well," Anand Dubey said in a self-made video. Congress leader Rashid Alvi said that the government should have approved the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS) earlier. "The job the government should have done much earlier, they are doing it now out of pressure. The whole opposition has been saying that the government must make some decision regarding pensions. Retired employees should get a pension based on their salary (before retirement), not just 50 per cent (of their salary) but they should get 100 per cent (of their salary. A central government employee retires after working for the country and this is what you are announcing for such people. They are creating confusion," Alvi told ANI. Earlier, the Centre approved the Unified Pension Scheme, which provides an assured pension, a minimum pension and an assured family pension. With the Unified Pension Scheme coming into force on April 1 next year, the central government employees covered under National Pension Scheme (NPS) will have choice to continue with it or opt for the new scheme. Briefing the media after a meeting of the union cabinet, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said about 23 lakh employees of the central government would benefit from the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS). He said the scheme has been evolved with extensive consultations. Answering a query about whether permission had been obtained from the Election Commission to make the announcement about UPS, he said that the scheme was not linked to the assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana. "Today the Union Cabinet has approved Unified Pension Scheme (UPS) for government employees providing for the assured pension...50 per cent assured pension is the first pillar of the scheme...second pillar will be assured family pension...About 23 lakh employees of the central government would benefit from the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS)...There will be an option for the employees to opt between NPS and UPS," he said. It will be proportionate for lesser service period upto a minimum of 10 years of service. The Assured Family Pension would be calculated at the rate of 60 per cent of pension of the employee immediately before her or his demise. The assured minimum pension will be Rs 10,000 per month on superannuation after a minimum 10 years of service. (ANI)
Former Karnataka Chief Minister and MP Basavaraj Bommai claimed that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is preparing to parade MLAs in Delhi to cover up the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) scam. Speaking to the media in here on Saturday, he said that the MUDA scam is already under legal scrutiny, and it must be resolved through the legal process. "We need to see how the developments unfold and what the High Court decides. The Chief Minister is using political tactics to retain his position," Bommai said. About the land being allotted to Jindal at a lower price, Bommai accused Congress leaders of showing double standards by acting differently when in power and when in opposition. The decision to allot land to Jindal faced opposition even within the Cabinet and publicly. "We had previously reconsidered our stance on this due to opposition, but now the same Congress leaders who had strongly opposed it are in favor of it. They behave one way when in opposition and another when in power," he added. On the Governor's decision to return certain bills for clarification, Bommai said the Governor has not opposed any bills out of malice. He clarified that the Governor has the authority to seek clarifications on any bill that is against public interest and to withhold approval for such bills. "This is a matter between the Governor and the government, and the Governor even has the authority to send these bills to the President," he said. 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)
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday praised Comrade Suryanarayan as a fighter both inside and outside the House. Addressing a National Symposium on the "Role of Labour Movement in the Development of Karnataka" at Town Hall on the occasion of the birth centenary of Comrade Suryanarayana Rao, the CM said that as the voice of the working class, Suryanarayan fought both inside and outside the House. He was always well-prepared for any matter, making his speeches eagerly anticipated. Suryanarayan was committed, caring, and not power-hungry, prioritizing fighting for the cause. The CM appreciated his tireless efforts inside the House until the people's problems were solved. Reminiscing his stint as Labour Minister, the CM recalled that Suryanarayan wouldn't leave until workers' issues were resolved. The CM criticized the current political landscape, saying some politicians have a Hitler-like mentality, distorting the truth. Comrade Suri, a tireless fighter, always warned the government through truth, without disrupting peace. The government has formulated programmes for the working class's prosperity and stands with the workers. Right-wing organizations like BJP-RSS oppose our guarantee schemes which are in favour of the workers, the CM said. The CM assured a positive response regarding the establishment of a museum showcasing the working class's struggle. CITU General Secretary Tapan Sen, Comrade Suryanarayan's daughter Mrs. Rekha, and many activists attended. Comrade BJK Nair presided over the programme. Earlier today Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah expressed his concern at "educated people increasingly becoming casteists" and said that protectors of caste inequality killed the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi. "Due to the caste system, many people were deprived of education. It is a tragedy that educated people are increasingly becoming casteists. Protectors of caste inequality killed Mahatma Gandhi," Siddaramaiah said. He was addressing an international seminar titled 'Mahatma Gandhi for the 21st Century' held at Gandhi Bhavan in Bengaluru in memory of the 75th year of the Gandhi Memorial Fund. (ANI)
Pakistan-based terrorist Sumama alias Illyas alias Babar, a commander in the proscribed outfit LeT, is wanted by CI Kashmir in a case registered under the UAPA and IPC, the police press release stated.

According to the release, Babar is involved in radicalising, motivating, and recruiting potential youths of the UT of J-K into terrorist ranks through different social media applications, including encrypted messaging applications and is using Kashmiri netizens as couriers for raising and passing on funds to different terrorist organisations for carrying out terrorist acts in the valley.

"The CI Kashmir has declared a cash reward of Rs. 3,00,000/- (3.00 lakh) against the above Pak-based commander and handler of the proscribed terrorist organisation LeT," it added.

"If any person has any information regarding the above terrorist commander or handler leading to his arrest or apprehension, he may share the same on the following phone number and address and earn the required reward. (The identity of the informer shall be kept secret)," it said.

On Saturday, a terrorist was eliminated and warlike stores were recovered in an operation in Baramulla's Sopore area, the Army said.

In a post on X, the Indian Army's Chinar Corps said, "OP WATARGAM, Sopore #Baramulla. One terrorist was eliminated and war-like stores recovered. Operation is continuing."

In the last few months, there has been a spike in terror attacks in the Jammu region, including encounters in Doda and Udhampur.

Notably, Jammu and Kashmir is going to witness the elections after a gap of 10 years, as the last assembly election was held in 2014. (ANI)
Union Minister of State (MoS) BL Verma has criticised the National Conference and Congress alliance in Jammu and Kashmir (J-K) ahead of the upcoming assembly polls on September 18, describing it as "mismatched" and formed out of "political and personal interests." Verma said that the alliance partners have conflicting ideas and policies, making the alliance purely opportunistic. "Whatever alliance has been made or is being made between the INDI alliance is mismatched. Their ideas and policies do not align with each other; such agreements are made due to political and personal interests," Verma said while speaking to ANI. He further praised the Centre, highlighting that people have participated in the Lok Sabha elections because of the atmosphere created by the government. "The atmosphere created by the central government in Jammu and Kashmir, and the work done to strengthen the democratic system, has led to enthusiastic participation in the Lok Sabha elections. Rahul Gandhi should clarify his stance on Article 370," Verma added. In their election manifesto, the PDP promised efforts to restore Articles 370 and 35A and diplomatic initiatives between India and Pakistan and ensure the dignified return of Kashmiri Pandits to the valley. According to the manifesto, the PDP "is resolute in its pursuit of restoring the constitutional guarantees that were unjustly scrapped and is committed to restoring Jammu & Kashmir to its original status, ensuring that the voices of its people are heard and their rights are safeguarded." The party also promised to advocate "diplomatic initiatives between India and Pakistan, emphasising conflict resolution, confidence-building measures, and regional cooperation" and the establishment of "full connectivity across the LoC for trade and social exchange." The polling in Jammu and Kashmir will be held in three phases on September 18, 25, and October 1, as per the Election Commission of India. The counting of the votes will take place on October 4. These are the first assembly elections to be held in Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370. (ANI)
Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav responded on Sunday to Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh's concerns about the Great Nicobar Mega Infrastructure Project. In a letter dated August 21, Yadav assured that "exemplary mitigation measures" have been put in place to reduce the environmental impact of the project while considering "strategic, national, and defence interests." Congress MP Jairam Ramesh, in a post on X on August 8, said that the above-mentioned project envisions a calamitous destruction of forests--home to the Shompen tribe--and a vast array of wildlife--on Great Nicobar Island--for a project that has not gone through the due process of environmental and legal consultations with all stakeholders. In his reply, Yadav noted that despite the diversion of forest land for the project, 82 per cent of the Great Nicobar area remains under protected forests, eco-sensitive zones, and biosphere reserves, exceeding the standard requirement of maintaining two-thirds of the area under forest cover. He further explained that due to the unavailability of areas for plantation on the Great Nicobar Island, efforts are being made to plant native species in non-notified forest land, arid landscapes, and urban vicinities, which, according to him, would offer greater ecological benefits. Jairam had claimed that the compensatory afforestation planned for the project could not compansate is no substitute whatsoever for the loss of natural forests. The Congress leader also said on X that in view of the numerous violations of due process, legal and constitutional provisions protecting tribal communities, and the project's disproportionate ecological and human cost, they had demanded an immediate suspension of all clearances accorded to the project and the conduct of a thorough impartial review of the proposed project, including by the parliamentary committees concerned. (ANI)
According to the police, the accused, identified as Vishnu alias Kranti, a member of Nandu gang, fired bullets at Singla Sweets Shop on Friday.

The other accused is still absconding, police said.

On Friday, two bike-borne assailants opened fire at Singla Sweets Shop in Delhi's Tilak Nagar area.

According to officials, the incident occurred at around 11:15 pm on Friday when unknown persons fired bullets at Singla's Sweets shop. The bullets hit the front glass of the shop.

Following information, the crime team and the district operations unit responded immediately and arrived at the spot.

Delhi Police said that an FIR has been filed under relevant provisions of law, and an investigation is underway.

Two bike-borne assailants had come on a bike, fired multiple shots at the shop's front glass, and then fled the spot on the same bike, officials said.

Four empty cartridges were recovered from the spot.

"No person has been hit by the bullets," police said, adding that multiple teams have been formed to gather information and check the assailants' route. (ANI)
Delhi police has arrested a 25-year-old man for attempt of murder in the New Mustafabad area of New Delhi, officials said on Saturday. As per the police, a case was registered under sections 109(1), 3(5) BNS & 25/27 Arms Act at Police Station Dayal Pur, Delhi. The accused, Faisal, Altamas, and others, attempted to murder Umair, a resident of New Mustafabad, following an altercation on August 21. Police said that the incident occurred on the night of August 23 in New Mustafabad, North-East Delhi, where Umair was attacked by a group of assailants, including Faisal, Altamas, and others, in retaliation for an earlier altercation. "The crime branch instead of the state cell team quickly initiated an investigation, leveraging local intelligence and CCTV footage analysis to track down one of the key assailants, Altamas," they said. The police also mentioned that during interrogation, Altamas confessed to his involvement in the attempt to murder Umair, along with his accomplices Faisal, Sameer, Amaan, and Fazil. He revealed that the attack was in retaliation for a previous altercation. On the night of the attack, the group attacked Umair and fired upon him with a Pistol. "Fortunately, Umair survived with his quick reflections. Afterwards, he managed to disarm Faisal and escape further harm, as the assailants had tried to fire more rounds of fire but failed. After the incident, the assailants went into hiding. The team is actively pursuing the remaining culprits to bring them to justice," they added. (ANI)
Targeting the Congress and Samajwadi Party (SP) over reservations, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati on Sunday called both parties 'anti-reservation' and ruled out any future alliance with them. In a series of posts on X, Mayawati said that the followers of Baba Saheb, Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar, will never forgive the Congress Party for not honouring Baba Saheb, the chief architect of the Constitution, with the title of Bharat Ratna both during his lifetime and after his death. "Also, when Kanshi Ram ji, who gave impetus to Baba Saheb's movement, died, this Congress, while having a government in the centre, did not declare a single day of national mourning in his honour and neither did the SP government declare a state mourning. Be cautious of such double standards of thinking, behaviour and character," Mayawati said. She also questioned, Why did the Congress not conduct the National Caste Census in its government before the BJP came to power at the Centre and they are talking about it now? "Whereas the BSP has always been in favour of it, because its conduct is very important in the interest of the weaker sections," she said. "Not only this, the silence of Congress, SP, BJP, etc. in the face of the ongoing conspiracy to make the reservation given to SC/ST under the Constitution ineffective and abolish it through classification and creamy layer, is this their love for Dalits? Be careful," Mayawati added. The BSP Chief also asserted that SC, ST and OBC classes have to stand on their own now. "Will it be in the interest of the SC, ST and OBC classes to enter into an alliance with these anti-reservation parties, like the SP and Congress, in any election? This will not happen at all, so now they have to stand on their own, this is the advice," she said. Meanwhile, addressing a gathering at the Samvidhan Samman Sammelan in Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj, on Saturday, Rahul Gandhi said, "If anyone thinks that the caste census can be stopped or the 50 per cent barrier in reservation will remain, let me tell you, they are dreaming." "Neither the caste census will stop, nor the socio-economic survey, nor the institutional survey, nor will the 50 per cent barrier (in reservation) remain... because the people of India have made up their minds; the order has come from the people, now the Prime Minister must accept this and enforce the order. And if he does not enforce it, then other Prime Ministers will do it," he said. He added that the Congress party is protecting the constitution through the caste census. (ANI)
On his journey to Jodhpur, CM Bhajan Lal Sharma interacted with the people, listened to their problems and assured them of solutions. CM Sharma also interacted with the children during the train journey.

CM Sharma is headed to Jodhpur to attend PM Modi's address at the closing ceremony of Rajasthan High Court's platinum jubilee celebration.

PM Modi will also inaugurate the high court museum, celebrating the 75 years of Rajasthan High Court.

Meanwhile, former CM and Congress leader Ashok Gehlot also shared his congratulations on the completion of 75 years of the Rajasthan High Court.

In a post on X, Gehlot said, "Hearty congratulations to all the people of the state on the completion of 75 years of Rajasthan High Court, Jodhpur."

Emphasising the historical importance, Ashok Gehlot said," It is also a matter of pride for me that as a lawyer, I was associated with this court for a short time. Our government played an important role in the construction of the new building of the High Court. This High Court has a historical importance." (ANI)
The arrest was made at Belabor Border Road under Amtali Police Station on Saturday, said police.

According to the police, two human traffickers, identified as Liton Mia and Sajal Mia, were arrested on Saturday night.

They were apprehended in a case registered at the Agartala GRP station, police added.

Further investigation into the matter is underway. More details are awaited

Earlier, a Bangladeshi woman was arrested for her alleged involvement in human trafficking in West Tripura's Charipara area, said the police.

The accused was identified as Khadija Begum, aged 36, a resident of Brahmanbaria district in Bangladesh.

"A Bangladeshi woman named Khadija Begum was arrested by the GRP (Government Railway Police) from the Charipara area in a joint operation with BSF (Border Security Force) Unit 42 and Amtali Police Station on Saturday afternoon," said police. (ANI)
Thousands of devotees from around the world have participated in the event. Devotees from various countries, including England, Sri Lanka, and Malaysia, have been taking part. The conference aims to showcase the greatness of Lord Murugan to the world. Papers on the worship and literary significance of Lord Murugan have been presented at the conference.

Prasad bags were distributed to all attendees by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department. Each bag consisted of 200 grammes of panchamirtham, kumkum, vibhuti, and a laminated picture of Lord Murugan.

Over 2,000 police personnel have also been deployed in and around Palani to ensure security.

Over one lakh people attended the conference on Saturday.

More than 50 devotees of Lord Murugan from Japan participated in the Global Muthamizh Murugan Conference held in Palani.

The conference aims to bring together the devotees and harness the philosophy of Lord Murugan. Shri Arulmigu Dhandayuthapani Swamy Temple in Palani has been adorned with colourful lights.

According to District PRO, over 50 devotees from Japan participated in the Global Muthamizh Murugan Conference. Sekar Babu and Minister R Sakkarapani inaugurated the two-day 'Global Muthamizh Murugan Conference'.

Entry is free. The conference has featured a range of events, such as seminars, photo exhibitions, and 3D exhibitions.

The objectives of the conference are to spread the core principles of Murugan globally, to enable easy understanding of the philosophical doctrines of Murugan, to unite devotees of Murugan on a global scale, to propagate the valuable gems of Murugan worship drawn from Puranas, literature, Thirumurais, and Shaiva Siddhanta scriptures and to instill the renowned Murugan doctrines of the precious heritage in the minds of the youth, paving the way for a prosperous and harmonious divine world. (ANI)
Pop megastar Taylor Swift on Wednesday broke her silence about the cancellation of three Vienna concerts over an alleged suicide attack plot, saying the incident filled her with "fear" and "guilt."

"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 had planned on coming to those shows," the American said in a post on social media platform Instagram.

The Vienna shows, part of the European leg of Swift's record-breaking "Eras" tour, were cancelled after authorities warned of a terror plot by sympathizers of the Islamic State armed group.

Police have detained three suspects over the alleged attack threat, with the United States saying it shared intelligence to assist in the investigation.

The main suspect, a 19-year-old Austrian with North Macedonian roots, had allegedly confessed, saying he "intended to carry out an attack using explosives and knives," according to Austrian domestic intelligence agency (DSN) head Omar Haijawi-Pirchner.

In the social media post Wednesday, Swift thanked the authorities.

"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," she said.

The European leg of Swift's sold-out tour began in Paris in May and has taken in Sweden, Portugal, Spain, Britain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy, Germany and Poland.

It concluded on Tuesday with five shows at London's Wembley stadium.
Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Jalgaon, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut criticized the PM over the "Lakhpati Didis" initiative, demanding that women's safety be prioritized first. Raut expressed his anger over the recent sexual assault of two minor girls at a school in Badlapur, which has sparked major outrage. "There is a movement going on in Maharashtra for women's safety. The Prime Minister hasn't said a single word about the safety of our sisters. Yet, we see that a 'Lakhpati Didi' is being promoted," Raut said. PM Modi arrived in Maharashtra's Jalgaon on Sunday to felicitate 11 lakh new "Lakhpati Didis". Raut highlighted recent atrocities against women in Jalgaon to draw the Prime Minister's attention to the matter. "In Jalgaon, where the Prime Minister is visiting, there have been four cases of atrocities against women in the last 15 days. One of the victims is disabled, and another is a child. Somebody should tell this to the Prime Minister, especially if the Chief Minister and Deputy CM are present there," Raut added. He further urged the PM to prioritize women's safety, stating, "Who are you going to make rich? First, ensure the safety of our women. No one in the entire country is talking about this. The Prime Minister just comes, and while he is touring around, our sisters are roaming from one police station to another, seeking justice. The police refuse to file their FIRs, leading the public to protest, and then someone files a petition in court, putting a stay on the protest. This is what's happening in our country." "Lakhpati Didi" is an initiative by the Ministry of Rural Development aimed at helping women associated with Self-Help Groups (SHGs) earn a household income of one lakh rupees annually. During his visit to Jalgaon, PM Modi will also release a revolving fund of Rs 2,500 crore, benefiting about 48 lakh members of 4.3 lakh self-help groups (SHGs). Additionally, he will disburse bank loans totalling Rs 5,000 crore, benefiting 25.8 lakh members of 2.35 lakh SHGs. (ANI)
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma heaped praise on Prime Minister Narendra Modi after the 113th episode of his monthly radio address, 'Mann Ki Baat,' and said that he wished to extend his greetings to PM Modi for taking steps to empower the youth. CM Himanta Biswa Sarma said, "I listened to PM Modi's Mann ki Baat in Jharkhand with my Adivasi brothers. It was a good feeling. PM Modi spoke about preserving hoolock gibbon in Barekuri village in Tinsukia district. The biggest thing PM Modi spoke about was that of Space, and from start-up to satellite launch, border protection and farmers' upliftment. Mann ki Baat is extremely energising for youth. I wish to thank the PM for taking steps to empower the youth." Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav also expressed happiness that 'Best from Waste' created in tribal region Jhabua, was mentioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his popular radio show. CM Mohan Yadav said, "I am happy that PM Modi has created a different stream by connecting with the whole country in the Mann Ki Baat program. Ever since he became the Prime Minister, he has been continuously expressing his views. 'Best from Waste' has been created in our tribal region Jhabua, which has also been mentioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Congratulations to the people of Jhabua on my behalf. Indore has bagged the cleanest city award for the seventh year in a row." Meanwhile, BJP MP Kamaljeet Sehrawat said that PM Modi spoke about the issues that affect people on the grassroots level. Kamaljeet Sehrawat said, "PM Modi spoke about the issues that affect people on the grassroots level and also have an impact on the people. I also met the chiefs of the slums areas in Dwarka sector. It is surprising that here two Mohalla clinics were opened, but they were closed after rent was not paid. There is several civic issues here like water and filth. This area has MLA from AAP but we will try to solve their problems." In the 113th episode of his monthly radio address, 'Mann Ki Baat,' Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday praised the advancements in India's space sector, saying that the youth of the country have benefited a lot from space sector reforms. PM Modi also emphasised the significance of the recent National Space Day celebration on August 23. "A lot is happening in 21st-century India, which is strengthening the foundation of Viksit Bharat. For example, on August 23, all the countrymen celebrated the first National Space Day. Once again, you all must have celebrated the success of Chandrayaan-3. Last year, on this day, Chandrayaan-3 landed at the Shiv-Shakti point on the moon's southern hemisphere, making India the first country to achieve this feat," PM Modi said. (ANI)
Adish C Aggarwala, the immediate past president of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA), has demanded that the current president, Kapil Sibal, either withdraw a controversial resolution passed on August 21, 2024, or issue a public apology to every SCBA member. Failure to comply could lead to a no-confidence motion against Sibal. In a letter to the current President of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA), Kapil Sibal, Adish C. Aggarwala, expressed serious concerns over a resolution related to the tragic rape and murder of a trainee doctor at Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. Aggarwala's letter criticises Sibal for issuing a purported SCBA resolution that described the incident as a "symptomatic malaise" and suggested that such incidents are commonplace. Aggarwala states that this resolution was not officially approved by the SCBA's Executive Committee, making it invalid. He accuses Sibal of using his position to undermine the gravity of the incident and of exhibiting a conflict of interest by representing the West Bengal government in related cases while making such statements. The letter demands that Sibal withdraw the resolution and issue a public apology within 72 hours. Failure to do so could lead to a no-confidence motion against Sibal. Adish C. Aggarwala's letter to Kapil Sibal criticises Sibal for his attempt to undermine the seriousness of the RG Kar Medical College case, which is under serious scrutiny by the Supreme Court of India and the CBI. Aggarwala contends that by mentioning the Chief Justice of India and issuing a purported SCBA resolution, Sibal has not only attempted to influence the Court and the investigation but has also damaged the credibility and integrity of the SCBA President's role. This action, Aggarwala argues, has deeply hurt the medical and legal communities and casts a shadow over the SCBA's reputation. Several members of the Executive Committee (EC) of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) have also expressed concern over a resolution issued by SCBA President Kapil Sibal regarding the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital incident. They allege that the resolution, dated August 21, 2024, was signed by Sibal and circulated on SCBA letterhead without being presented to or approved by the Executive Committee. (ANI)
"FIR registered against 12,000 unnamed, and 51 identified individuals, for allegedly being involved in a clash with police personnel during a BJYM rally. Those named are BJP state president Babulal Marandi, former Union minister Arjun Munda, MoS Defense Sanjay Seth, spokesperson Pratul Shahdeo and others," Ranchi Police said.

The Bharatiya Janata Party's Jharkhand unit took out a 'Yuva Aakrosh Rally' in Ranchi against Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren's government on August 23 (Friday).

All BJP Jharkhand leaders, senior leaders, Union Minister Sanjay Seth, former Union Minister Arjun Munda, Babulal Marandi and other leaders participated in this youth protest rally.

Union Minister Sanjay Seth said that corruption is at its peak in Jharkhand, youth are not getting employment, and women's safety is the biggest issue. The Hemant Soren government will have to answer all these.

Assembly elections are going to be held in Jharkhand this year and BJP has fully prepared to corner the government. (ANI)
Taking a jibe at RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, election strategist-turned-politician and Jan Suraaj chief Prashant Kishor said it is laughable when Tejashwi Yadav discusses the development model, as the person whose party was in rule for 15 years (in Bihar) doesn't know what GDP and growth rates are. Furthermore, he said that comments on his statements can only be made when speaks on caste, extortion, liquor mafia, and crime and not on development. Kishor also took a dig at Yadav and said that when the latter was in government, Bihar looked like Switzerland to him, and now that he is in opposition, the state looks like gutter to him. Speaking to media, Prashant Kishor said, "I know about Tejashwi Yadav's understanding of development. Comments can be made if he speaks on caste, extortion, liquor mafia, and crime, but if Tejashwi Yadav discusses the development model, it is laughable. They have been in power for the last 15 years, he does not know what GDP and GDP growth are, and is talking about the development story of Bihar. As far as crime is concerned, when Tejashwi Yadav was the Deputy CM six months ago, Bihar was Switzerland for him and after six months Bihar has become a gutter. If today Nitish Kumar joins Mahagathbandhan, Bihar will again start looking great to him." Expressing views on the caste census, Kishor further stepped up his attacks on Congress leader and Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi and said that there is no panacea when he says conducting caste census can remove poverty and questioned that his (Congress) party was in rule for the last 60 years but why they didn't conduct caste-census. Kishor advised Rahul Gandhi to conduct a caste census in Congress-ruling states like Karnataka, Telangana, etc. to eradicate poverty and said if it gets successful then other states would follow the same model. On the caste census, Kishor said, "Caste census should be conducted, there is no problem in that. But there is no panacea when Rahul Gandhi says that it will remove poverty or better the conditions of the people. If the situation can be better from the caste census, then we have data on SCs/STs communities. Rahul Gandhi or any person who is saying this, first they should explain why the situation of these communities hasn't improved yet. Only getting information couldn't improve the situation. Congress was in rule for 60 years, why they didn't conduct a caste census? Bihar had conducted, did the poverty get eradicated from it? Let it be, Congress should conduct caste census in their ruling states like Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, and Telangana and eradicate poverty. If they will be successful, then we all will follow their model. Bihar is a poor state which is a known fact and there is no need for a survey on this purpose, instead, Rahul Gandhi should provide a mantra for improving the situation. Speaking on the Bihar Legislative Assembly 2025 elections, Jan Suraaj Chief conveyed that they will contest elections on all 243 seats out of which there will be 40 women candidates from the party to be formed. Jan Suraaj chief Prashant Kishor said, "In 2025, Jan Suraaj will contest on 243 seats and at least 40 women candidates will be nominated. We have also said that till 2030, at least 70-80 women will be trained and made leaders from Jan Suraaj. This was not a meeting of the women's cell; it was an effort to make women leaders in the true sense. Till the time women get economic independence, their equal participation is not possible, that's why Jan Suraaj's first campaign is to make 40 women win in the next assembly elections. The second thing we demanded is that the women who want to do an occupation or want to get employed should get money on a "sarkari guarantee" from the government, the third thing is that in 2025, when the Jan Suraaj government is formed, then no one will be forced to leave Bihar for a job of Rs 10,000-12,000. We have prepared a complete blueprint for this. The last thing that we appealed to them is to vote for the future of their children and not for politicians." Prashant Kishor also held Mahila Samwad in the capital of Bihar, Patna. On July 28, Kishor said that he would launch a new political party on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti on October 2. The most significant aspect of his announcement is that he would launch his political outfit ahead of the Bihar assembly polls. Addressing the functionaries during the Jan Suraaj Abhiyan at Bapu Sabhaghar in Patna, he said that the foundation stone for the party would be laid on October 2, and the party would begin with over one lakh people as its office bearers. The election strategist also informed that he would not lead the party instead the leaders would be elected from their respective assembly constituencies. Prashant Kishore further exuded confidence of winning the assembly elections in Bihar in 2025. (ANI)
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ravi Shankar Prasad criticised the Congress party for making false promises following the Cabinet's approval of the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS) on Saturday. Speaking at a press conference on Sunday, Prasad questioned, "Will the Congress party only make announcements, or will they ever fulfil them as well?" He also challenged Rahul Gandhi, asking whether "his government implemented the Old Pension Scheme as promised in Himachal Pradesh" during their election campaign. Prasad stated, "Governing India is a serious business," and accused the Congress party of making false assurances about pensions, pointing out that the party lacked the courage to include such promises in its manifesto for the Lok Sabha elections. He further claimed, "The Congress party just makes announcements to garner votes, and now the public has lost trust in its decisions." Referring to the UPS announced by the Cabinet, Prasad said, "A significant decision was made by the Cabinet yesterday, which you are aware of. There is considerable stress on employees, whether in service or retired, and sometimes it becomes a political issue. First, there was the Old Pension Scheme, and in 2004, the National Pension Scheme (NPS) was introduced during Atal Ji's rule. Our Prime Minister listens and understands the needs and remains sensitive to them. When the Confederation for Central Government Employees presented their demands, a committee was formed last year. The committee's report was accepted by the Cabinet yesterday." He added that under the NPS, "10 per cent of the employee's salary and 14 per cent from the government" was contributed. "But by yesterday's decision, it is now 10 per cent from the employee's salary and 18 per cent from the government," he said. On Saturday, in a significant move impacting lakhs of employees, the BJP-led central government approved the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS), which provides for Assured Pension and Assured Family Pension. Briefing the media after a meeting of the Union Cabinet, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said about 23 lakh central government employees would benefit from the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS). The Cabinet meeting was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Employees will have the option to continue with the National Pension Scheme or opt for the UPS. "The Union Cabinet has today approved the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS) for government employees, providing for assured pension. The first pillar of the scheme is 50 per cent assured pension; the second pillar will be assured family pension. About 23 lakh central government employees will benefit from the UPS. There will be an option for employees to choose between NPS and UPS," he said. Regarding Assured Pension, he said it would be 50 per cent of the average basic pay drawn over the last 12 months prior to superannuation for a minimum qualifying service of 25 years. It will be proportionate for shorter service periods, with a minimum of 10 years of service. The Assured Family Pension would be calculated at 60 per cent of the employee's pension immediately before their demise. The Assured Minimum Pension will be Rs 10,000 per month upon superannuation after a minimum of 10 years of service. (ANI)
Congress leader Randeep Surjewala on Sunday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of hypocrisy for questioning his party's pre-poll alliance with the National Conference for the upcoming Assembly election in Jammu and Kashmir. He pointed out that the BJP had previously allied with the National Conference (NC) and another Kashmir-based party, the People's Democratic Party (PDP). "Have we ever asked the BJP whom they will ally with? Then why is the BJP questioning us? Had the BJP not allied with the National Conference or PDP in the past? They did. When you have done this before, why are you questioning us about our alliance?" Surjewala told reporters. Surjewala stated that the biggest challenge in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh is the restoration of democracy. He criticised the BJP-led Central government for the "increasing incidents of Pakistan-sponsored terrorist attacks" in Jammu and Kashmir. Earlier, the BJP attacked the Congress for allying with the NC. BJP leader Amit Shah on Friday accused the Congress of repeatedly risking "the nation's unity and security to satisfy its greed for power." Taking to social media site X, Shah said, "The Congress party, which has repeatedly risked the nation's unity and security to satisfy its greed for power, has once again exposed its ulterior motives by allying with the Abdullah family's 'National Conference' in the Jammu and Kashmir elections." He further questioned the Congress party and their leader, Rahul Gandhi, asking if they support the promises made by the NC in their election manifesto. Shah questioned if the Congress party supports NC's promise of "a separate flag for Jammu and Kashmir" and the "JKNC's decision to restore Article 370 and 35A," thereby "pushing Jammu and Kashmir back into an era of unrest and terrorism." He further asked if the Congress supports the promotion of "separatism again by engaging in dialogue with Pakistan instead of Kashmir's youth" and the "National Conference's decision to start 'LoC Trade' with Pakistan," thereby "nurturing terrorism and its ecosystem across the border." The pre-poll alliance was announced soon after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and party chief Mallikarjun Kharge met NC chief Farooq Abdullah. After the meeting, Farooq said that the Congress-NC would contest all 90 seats in the assembly polls. The formal announcement of the tie-up was made by NC patron Farooq Abdullah in Srinagar. "United we stand," JKNC posted on X. The announcement was made after Farooq Abdullah and his son, Omar met Kharge and Rahul Gandhi. "Congress and we (NC) are together. Tarigami sahab (CPM's M.Y. Tarigami) is also with us. I hope that our people are with us so that we can win and do better for the people. The alliance has been finalised, and by this evening, the details of seat-sharing will be announced. The Alliance is for 90 seats," Farooq Abdullah said. "People have suffered much in the last 10 years. Statehood is the prime concern for us. And we want all the powers of the state. Our common programme is to fight divisive forces. Our doors are open for all; let's first win the election. My heart is happy today," the NC patron added. The Congress and the NC had previously contested the Lok Sabha elections in alliance with each other. The National Conference won two seats--Anantnag and Srinagar. The Congress did not win any seats. Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir will be held in three phases on September 18, 25, and October 1. The results will be announced on October 4. The Election Commission has issued a notification for the first phase of assembly seats, covering 24 seats. This is the first assembly poll in Jammu and Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370. (ANI)
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami attended the launch of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Mahanagar membership campaign in Dehradun on Sunday. Speaking to the media, Dhami stated that the campaign serves as a platform to communicate the BJP's ideas, values, and principles to the public. "This campaign has been organised to convey the ideas, values, and principles of the BJP to the people," he said. He further emphasised that BJP workers are the backbone of the campaign, and it is their dedication that has strengthened the party. "I believe all BJP workers are the backbone of this campaign, and their dedication has always strengthened the party. Under the leadership of the Prime Minister, all BJP workers are continuously working for the service of the country, upholding the motto of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, and Sabka Prayas as an ideal." Additionally, he expressed confidence that a significant number of people from the state would join the BJP under this campaign and contribute to making India the Vishwa Guru (world leader). "I have full faith that under this campaign, a large number of people from across Uttarakhand will join the BJP and ensure their contribution to making the country the Vishwa Guru," he added. Earlier on Saturday, the office bearers of Uttarakhand Rajya Andolankari Manch met with Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami at Mukhya Sevak Sadan, located at the Chief Minister's residence. The office bearers expressed their gratitude to the Chief Minister for the provision of a 10 per cent horizontal reservation in government service for state agitators. The Chief Minister said, "Our goal is to realise the dreams of the state agitators for Uttarakhand. We are working diligently towards this goal with unwavering resolve. The people of the state will always remember the struggle of the state agitators in the formation of Uttarakhand." (ANI)
Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar claimed on Sunday that the people of West Bengal will topple Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee from power and immerse her into River Ganga over her handling of the Kolkata rape and murder case. Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar told ANI, "The government is afraid of this movement of students, and they want to suppress the voice of the people. But the student society of West Bengal has awakened...By uprooting Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee from her power, the people of the state will immerse her into River Ganga." He added that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will keep on protesting over the incident until justice is served. "Today is the last day of our protest here but it is not the last day of our movement, there will be more protests in the future. I will address here today at around 4 PM and announce the list of further programs. BJP will remain on the streets.. until justice is served," he added. Earlier today, Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar and other BJP workers protested at Shyambazar against the incident. In a related development, Parimal Dey, a teacher from Alipurduar in West Bengal, who was honoured with the Banga Ratna award by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in 2019, has decided to return the award over the state government's response to the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital rape-murder incident. Speaking about his decision to ANI, Parimal said, "I have decided to return the Banga Ratna award. The way protests happened in Bengal and outside, it is my conscience's call that it should give it back. I support the protest. The way she (Mamata Banerjee) is running the administration is not right." Earlier today, the West Bengal Motion Picture Artists' Forum staged a protest in Tollygunge demanding justice for the victim in the RG Kar Medical College rape-murder incident and urging the Kolkata administration to take responsibility. The anti-corruption branch of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) conducted searches on Sunday at multiple locations connected to former RG Kar Medical College principal Sandip Ghosh and his relatives in West Bengal's Kolkata. On Saturday, the CBI filed a First Information Report (FIR) against Dr Sandip Ghosh based on directives from the Calcutta High Court. The investigation was initiated after a single bench of the High Court ordered the CBI to probe the alleged corruption at the medical college. The Calcutta High Court has granted the CBI three weeks to submit a progress report on the investigation, which is to be presented on September 17. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court ordered the security of Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital to be handed over to the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) while hearing the suo motu case concerning the rape and murder of the trainee doctor. The trainee doctor was found dead in the seminar hall of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on August 9. (ANI)
The central government runs various schemes to provide affordable treatment to the public, one of the key initiatives being the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP). Under this scheme, people can access medicines at a discount of up to 90%. In this context, ANI visited the Jan Aushadhi warehouse in Gurugram, Haryana, to observe how these medicines are made available to the public. Dr. Arunish Chawla, Secretary of the Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, stated, "Jan Aushadhi is a flagship program of the Indian government. From the Red Fort, PM Modi announced that we will increase the number of Jan Aushadhi Kendras from 10,000 to 25,000 over the next three years. Jan Aushadhi Kendras are rapidly opening across the country, with over 13,000 currently operational." Ravi Dadhich, CEO of the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Bureau of India (PMBI), explained that India has 10,000 manufacturing units across various states involved in the production of Janaushadhi medicines. He elaborated on the production chain, ensuring that the manufacturers are WHO-GMP certified to guarantee the highest quality standards. "There are more than 10,000 manufacturing units across different states in India. We place orders for Janaushadhi medicines while ensuring that the manufacturers are WHO-GMP certified, so we receive the best quality medicines. Once the medicines meet the prescribed standards, they are supplied to the national-level Janaushadhi central warehouse," he said. He also mentioned that similar warehouses are located in Guwahati, Chennai, Bangalore, and Surat to serve different regions of the country. "After receiving the medicines in this warehouse, we anonymize the details, concealing the manufacturer's information, and send them for retesting at NABL-accredited labs. Once we receive a certified report confirming their quality, we distribute them to different parts of the country, selling them through our 13,000 Janaushadhi centres," he added. "These medicines are 50% to 90% cheaper than branded alternatives. The majority of the medicines are at least 50% cheaper, with some offering discounts of up to 90%," he further explained. (ANI)
Chopped beef sandwich, coleslaw and beans at Sonny Bryan's Smokehouse J.C. Reid/Contributor Sonny Bryan's Smokehouse J.C. Reid/Contributor Sonny Bryan's Smokehouse J.C. Reid/Contributor

By many measures, barbecue joints should be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

After all, most joints have staff on site all day, either cooking, prepping or serving. Why not just keep the doors open continuously and if someone wanders in in the middle of the night, have the pit team do double duty and serve them a basic menu of chopped beef sandwiches or a rib or sausage plate.

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Genius business idea, right? Surprisingly, though, there are very few barbecue operations serving smoked meats around the clock.

You might include Buc-ees in the list, as there are some locations open 24 hours. But Ive never been to a Buc-ees at 3 a.m. to check if they still have pre-wrapped chopped beef sandwiches in the warming cabinet.

By my count, theres only one real-deal barbecue joint open 24/7 in Texas: Sonny Bryans Smokehouse in Dallas.

Whats the secret sauce at Sonny Bryans that allows them to stay open continuously? Mainly, location.

The original Inwood Road location sits across from the UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas version of the Texas Medical Center. And its not far from Dallas version of Hobby Airport, Love Field. This provides a built-in clientele for continuous service.

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More Information Sonny Bryans Smokehouse

2202 Inwood, Dallas

214-357-7120

But thats rare for barbecue joints that are often located in rural and suburban areas. If youve ever spent any time in a small Texas town, you know that most businesses shut down in the early evening. For instance, if you visit Marfa during the week and you havent eaten by 8 p.m., youre out of luck (though the local Dairy Queen may be an option).

Urban barbecue joints may have a bigger late-night audience, but they would have competition. Even then, one of the knocks against the Houston food scene is that it doesnt have many late-night or 24/7 dining choices. Of those that are open 24/7, the most popular cuisines are (not surprisingly) diner food (Katzs Deli, Dot Coffee Shop) and Tex-Mex (Chachos).

Theres a reason that diner food is associated with restaurants that are open 24/7 (think Waffle House, IHOP, Dennys, etc.). Its relatively cheap to make and serve.

A breakfast plate of bacon, eggs, and pancakes at a diner might cost $2 in raw materials and can be sold for $9.99. Thats a very attractive 20% food cost. With that type of profit margin on diner food, it makes sense to stay open continuously.

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Labor is also a factor. It costs less to pay someone to make short order menu items like pancakes and eggs than it does to pay a pitmaster to tend a pit full of briskets all night. And considering those briskets have a food costing north of 50% (in some cases, meaning zero profit margin), staying open all night becomes less attractive to a barbecue joint owner.

Still, the ability to get a Texas trinity plate of brisket, ribs and sausage at 3 a.m. holds a unique attraction for any true Texan.
Following the alleged gang rape of a minor girl in the Dhing area of Assam, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma shared a chart detailing the total number of rape cases registered in the state since 2001. Taking to the social media platform X, Sarma posted the chart, which provided year-wise data on rape cases registered in Assam since 2001, the year when the Congress came to power under the leadership of then-Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi. According to the chart, the highest number of rape cases were registered in 2019, during the rule of the Bharatiya Janata Party under then-Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal. https://x.com/himantabiswa/status/1827617184316846431?s=46&t=zBTHsvqlfHYa-YOt3RKX4A However, after Sarma became the Chief Minister in 2021, the number of registered rape cases showed a downward trend, with the lowest number in the past decade being 989 cases in 2023. The chart also indicates that 580 rape cases have been registered in Assam up to July 2024. A sudden spike in cases was observed in 2017, with 3,544 cases registered, compared to 1,779 cases in 2016. In his post, Sarma stated, "Every single incident of rape must be unequivocally condemned, as it represents a grave violation of human dignity. It is our collective responsibility to work towards eliminating this heinous crime from society. Let us unite to ensure that such atrocities find no place in our world, and that safety, justice, and compassion prevail." Earlier, on August 22, a minor girl was allegedly gang-raped in Assam's Nagaon district, leading to the arrest of two individuals, according to the police. The incident reportedly occurred while the girl was returning home from tuition in the Dhing area. Locals found the girl in a semi-conscious state by the roadside and immediately admitted her to a hospital. Swapnaneel Deka, Superintendent of Police of Nagaon district, told ANI over the phone, "Police have picked up two persons for interrogation in connection with the incident." This incident comes amid nationwide outrage over the murder and alleged sexual assault of a female trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9 in Kolkata. (ANI)
Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Kunal Ghosh on Sunday expressed strong concerns over the progress of the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital rape-murder case, highlighting that only one arrest has been made by the Kolkata Police and questioning the role of the CBI. "The rape-murder case must be solved quickly. So far, only one arrest has been made, and that too by Kolkata Police. What is the CBI doing? As the investigation drags on, politics is taking over," Ghosh told ANI. Earlier today, CBI officials conducted a polygraph test on the arrested accused, Sanjay Roy, in the case of the rape and murder of a woman trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. In a related development, Parimal Dey, a teacher from Alipurduar in West Bengal, who was honoured with the Banga Ratna award by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in 2019, has decided to return the award in protest against the state government's handling of the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital rape-murder incident. Speaking to ANI about his decision, Parimal said, "I have decided to return the Banga Ratna award. Given the protests that have occurred both in Bengal and outside, my conscience compels me to return it. I support the protests. The way Mamata Banerjee is running the administration is not right." Earlier today, the West Bengal Motion Picture Artists' Forum staged a protest in Tollygunge, demanding justice for the victim in the RG Kar Medical College rape-murder incident and urging the Kolkata administration to take responsibility. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court ordered the security of Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital to be handed over to the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) while hearing the suo motu case concerning the rape and murder of the trainee doctor. The trainee doctor was found dead in the seminar hall of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on August 9. (ANI)
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Anti-Corruption Branch announced on Sunday that they have uncovered substantial evidence in their corruption probe against former RG Kar Medical College principal Sandeep Ghosh. When asked if they had found any concrete evidence, a CBI official responded, "...there is a lot." The CBI initiated a corruption investigation against former principal Sandeep Ghosh by filing an FIR on Saturday. On Friday, the Calcutta High Court transferred the investigation of financial irregularities involving Dr Sandip Ghosh, which was previously handled by a Special Investigation Team (SIT), to the CBI. This decision was made while hearing a petition filed by Akhtar Ali, the former deputy superintendent of the hospital, who accused Dr Ghosh of financial misconduct and unethical practices. The High Court assigned the CBI to investigate the matter, as it is also handling the investigation into the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at the hospital. The Court has granted the CBI three weeks to submit a progress report on the investigation, which is to be presented on September 17. Earlier today, CBI officials conducted a polygraph test on the arrested accused, Sanjay Roy, in connection with the rape and murder case of a female trainee doctor in Kolkata. Additionally, Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar and other Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers protested at Shyambazar today against the incident. In a related development, Parimal Dey, a teacher from Alipurduar in West Bengal, who was honoured with the Banga Ratna award by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in 2019, has decided to return the award due to the state government's response to the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital rape-murder incident. Speaking about his decision to ANI, Parimal Dey said, "I have decided to return the Banga Ratna award. Given the protests that have occurred in Bengal and beyond, my conscience dictates that I should give it back. I support the protest. The way she (Mamata Banerjee) is running the administration is not right." Earlier today, the West Bengal Motion Picture Artists' Forum staged a protest in Tollygunge, demanding justice for the victim in the RG Kar Medical College rape-murder incident and urging the Kolkata administration to take responsibility. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court ordered that the security of Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital be handed over to the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) while hearing the suo motu case concerning the rape and murder of the trainee doctor. 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 Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin stated on Sunday that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government in the state does not interfere with anyone's religious beliefs. He also remarked that the DMK's tenure represents a "golden period" for the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department. "The DMK's rule is the golden period for the HR&CE department. It was during the reign of the Justice Party, the precursor to the DMK, that legislation was passed ensuring the right to worship," Udhayanidhi Stalin said while virtually addressing the second day of the global 'Muthamizh Murugan' conference, a religious event dedicated to Lord Muruga, held at Palani in Dindigul district. "Today, if our government is functioning virtuously under the guidance of the Chief Minister, it is due to Shekhar Babu (HR&CE minister). Some have questioned why our DMK government is suddenly hosting this conference. This event is not a spur-of-the-moment decision. Over the past three years, the government, under the leadership of the Chief Minister, has accomplished much on behalf of the Hindu Religious Charities Department, culminating in this conference. The DMK government follows the Dravidian model, which does not oppose anyone's faith," he added. Udhayanidhi Stalin highlighted that the Chief Minister is implementing numerous welfare schemes. He noted that Kumbabhishekam (consecration ceremonies) has been performed for more than 1,400 temples during the DMK's three-year tenure. Additionally, around six thousand acres of land, valued at Rs 5,600 crore, have been reclaimed. He further mentioned, "8,500 temples are being renovated at a cost of Rs 3,800 crore. One lakh devotees are fed daily. As a model for the country, breakfast is provided to around 4,000 students in colleges under the control of Palani Murugan Temple. The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu has also announced that lunch will be served soon. "Our Chief Minister is a pioneer in promoting equality, having appointed priests from all castes and women as an example of inclusivity. The Annai Tamil Archanai program is also being implemented in all temples. Like other departments in Tamil Nadu, the Hindu Religious Charities Department is leading the nation," he added. Thousands of devotees from around the world participated in the conference, including attendees from England, Sri Lanka, and Malaysia. The conference aims to highlight the greatness of Lord Murugan on a global stage. Papers on the worship and literary significance of Murugan are being presented at the event. A large number of attendees were seen taking selfies in front of the entrance, which was designed to resemble a hill. Prasad bags were distributed to all attendees by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department. Each bag contained 200 grams of panchamirtham, kumkum, vibhuti, and a laminated picture of Murugan. Over 2,000 police personnel were deployed in and around Palani to ensure security. Yesterday, over 1 lakh people attended the conference, with today marking the second and final day of the event. (ANI)
In the second round of allocations for the 2024-25 academic session, the University of Delhi (DU) on Sunday allocated 24,869 seats across various undergraduate programmes. This follows a significant first round where 65,775 students confirmed their admissions. Despite only 6,100 seats remaining out of the total 71,600 sanctioned seats, the University has allocated a higher number of seats, anticipating that many students may not accept their allocated spots. "In the first round, we observed that around 35,000 students did not accept their allocated seats. Considering this trend, we're allocating more seats in the second round to ensure all seats are optimally filled and we can commence classes on August 29," DU Dean of Admission Haneet Gandhi told ANI. Out of 43,067 candidates who opted for upgrades, as many as 27,554 have been allocated higher preference seats. In this round, DU also made special provisions to reconsider candidates who were rejected in the first round due to invalid certificates or documents. These candidates were re-evaluated under the unreserved (UR) category based on their merit and preferences, depending on seat availability. To streamline the admission process, DU has enhanced its system to automatically activate the allocation of upgraded seats, allowing colleges to process these admissions directly. This move is expected to reduce grievances from students who previously faced issues when they missed taking action on upgraded seats. Students allocated seats in the second round must confirm their acceptance by 4:59 p.m. on Tuesday, August 27, 2024, and pay the required fees by 4:59 p.m. on Friday, August 30, 2024. Those who wish to be considered for further upgrades must complete their payment within the stipulated time. The third round of allocations, which will cover performance-based programmes and supernumerary quotas, including CW, ECA, Sports, and Ward categories, will be announced soon. (ANI)
During his visit to Jhajjar on Sunday, Congress MP Deepender Hooda stated that if the Congress wins the upcoming assembly elections in the state and forms the government, it will fulfil the demands of Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker to build a stadium and shooting range in Jhajjar. He also expressed pride in the fact that Haryana secured five out of the six medals won by India. Speaking to the media, Congress MP Deepender Hooda said, "I congratulate Manu Bhaker as she has become the first athlete in history to win two Olympic medals in a single Olympics. It was a very proud moment for us, and five out of the six medals came from Haryana. Manu Bhaker has requested the construction of a stadium and shooting range in Jhajjar. If our government is formed, we will fulfil these demands..." Earlier in the day, Indian shooter and double Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker called for enhanced facilities in her village to foster the next generation of athletes. "If we get better facilities in our village, the children will go a long way. If we get stadiums and ranges, the children can achieve success," Bhaker stated. The elections for Haryana's 90 assembly constituencies will be held in a single phase on October 1, with the counting of votes scheduled for October 4. Haryana has a total of 2.01 crore voters, of which 1.06 crore are male, 0.95 crore are female, 4.52 lakh are first-time voters, and 40.95 lakh are young voters. The last date to file nominations in Haryana is September 12, with scrutiny taking place on September 13. The final date for the withdrawal of candidatures is September 16. The current government's term in Haryana will end on November 3, 2024, with elections to be held in all 90 legislative assembly constituencies. In the 2019 elections, the BJP, with 40 seats in the 90-member assembly, formed a coalition government with the JJP, which had won 10 seats, while the Congress secured 31 seats. Earlier this year, the BJP-JJP alliance was dissolved. In 2024, Haryana is likely to witness a four-way contest between the BJP, Congress, Jannayak Janta Party (JJP), and AAP. (ANI)
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Sunday announced a financial aid of Rs 5 lakh to the families of those from Jalgaon who lost their lives in a bus accident in Nepal, which claimed 27 lives in western Nepal on Friday. Earlier in the day, expressing his grief over the accident, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated that the Indian government immediately contacted the Nepalese authorities following the incident. "I would like to express my grief over the Nepal bus accident. Among those who lost their lives, several were from Jalgaon. I offer my condolences to all the bereaved families," PM Modi said during his address at the Lakhpati Didi Sammelan in Jalgaon on Sunday. He assured that the injured were receiving proper medical treatment. "As soon as this accident occurred, the government immediately reached out to the Nepalese authorities. We instructed our minister, Raksha Khadse, to go to Nepal without delay. We have brought back the bodies of our deceased citizens on a special Air Force plane," Prime Minister Modi said. "Those who are injured are being well cared for. I wish them a speedy recovery," he added. PM Modi also has announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh from Prime Minister's National Relief Fund for the families of those died in the mishap. Those injured in the accident would be given Rs 50,000, the PMO said in a post. The Indian Air Force's C-130 J aircraft, carrying the mortal remains of 25 Indian pilgrims who were killed in the road accident in Nepal, landed at Jalgaon Airport in Maharashtra on Saturday. The military aircraft had flown to Bharatpur city in Chitwan district, near the Tanahun district, where the India-registered bus had crashed on Friday. A total of 27 people were killed in the bus accident, which saw the vehicle veering off the road and into a river basin. Indradev Yadav, Chief District Officer of Chitwan, earlier stated that two of the bodies were sent to their hometown, Gorakhpur, by road. Autopsies were performed at Bharatpur Hospital, and the bodies were then handed over to Indian authorities for transportation. Union Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports, Raksha Nikhil Khadse, and Maharashtra legislator Sanjay Shubhakar arrived in Nepal on Saturday morning to check on the health of the injured Indian nationals. Both officials returned on the same aircraft. Khadse met with all 16 injured individuals undergoing treatment at the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital in Kathmandu and received updates on their condition. Raksha Nikhil Khadse thanked the Nepalese government for their prompt assistance in the search and rescue operations and for the treatment provided to the injured. She also expressed appreciation for the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu for their coordination efforts on the ground with Nepalese authorities. The bus was en route to Kathmandu from Pokhara when it skidded off the road at Ainapahara in ward 2 of the rural municipality and fell about 150 metres into the river on Friday. (ANI)
Reacting to the rape and murder of a trainee doctor in Kolkata, Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan on Sunday expressed his deep shame over such crimes against women. "It is extremely shameful that these kinds of crimes against women are occurring. What is our culture, our history? Whether it is knowledge, prosperity, or power, we have always viewed these as feminine and have revered them. Yet, we witness such heinous behaviour towards our sisters and daughters," Khan told ANI. "Strict laws are crucial, but even more important is creating a societal consciousness that fosters respect and honour for women... This country, its culture, and its history deserve much better treatment than this," he added. The trainee doctor was found dead in the seminar hall of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on August 9. Meanwhile, Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar claimed on Sunday that the people of West Bengal would overthrow Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and immerse her in the River Ganga due to her handling of the Kolkata rape and murder case. Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar told ANI, "The government is fearful of this student movement and is attempting to suppress the people's voice. But the student community of West Bengal has awakened... By removing Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee from power, the people of the state will immerse her in the River Ganga." He added that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would continue to protest over the incident until justice is served. "Today is the last day of our protest here, but it is not the last day of our movement; there will be more protests in the future. I will address the gathering today at around 4 PM and announce the list of further programs. The BJP will remain on the streets until justice is served," he added. Earlier today, the West Bengal Motion Picture Artists' Forum staged a protest in Tollygunge, demanding justice for the victim in the RG Kar Medical College rape-murder case and urging the Kolkata administration to take responsibility. The anti-corruption branch of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) conducted searches on Sunday at multiple locations connected to former RG Kar Medical College principal Sandip Ghosh and his relatives in Kolkata, West Bengal. On Saturday, the CBI filed a First Information Report (FIR) against Dr Sandip Ghosh based on directives from the Calcutta High Court. The investigation was initiated after a single bench of the High Court ordered the CBI to probe the alleged corruption at the medical college. The Calcutta High Court has granted the CBI three weeks to submit a progress report on the investigation, which is to be presented on September 17. (ANI)
The operation was conducted in collaboration with local police.

According to a press release from the Meghalaya Frontier BSF, the troops identified and intercepted three trucks carrying approximately 74,000 kg of sugar in the border area.

When questioned, the drivers were unable to produce any valid documents for the sugar consignment. The seized sugar and the two apprehended individuals were handed over to Pynursla Police Station for further investigation and legal action.

On social media platform X, BSF Meghalaya stated, "A successful joint operation by BSF Meghalaya and Meghalaya Police in East Khasi Hills led to the apprehension of two Indian nationals and the confiscation of 74,000 kg of sugar intended for smuggling into Bangladesh."

Earlier, on August 22, BSF Meghalaya thwarted an infiltration attempt along the International Border in Meghalaya's East Jaintia Hills district.

During that operation, four Bangladeshi nationals, including three women, were apprehended along with two Indian facilitators.

In its ongoing efforts to curb illegal crossings and smuggling activities along the Indo-Bangladesh border, BSF Meghalaya has strengthened its border control measures and adopted a multi-tiered dominance strategy to prevent such activities.

The apprehended illegal Bangladeshi migrants and their Indian accomplices have been handed over to the relevant police station for further legal action. (ANI)
The meeting was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP President and Union Minister JP Nadda, and Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh.

In the 2014 Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, the PDP won 28 seats, the Bharatiya Janata Party won 25 seats, the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference won 15 seats, and the Congress secured 12 seats.

The PDP and BJP formed a coalition government led by Mufti Mohammed Sayeed. However, in 2018, the BJP withdrew its support from the alliance after Mehbooba Mufti took over following Mufti Mohammed Sayeed's demise.

Polling in Jammu and Kashmir will be held in three phases on September 18, 25, and October 1, according to the Election Commission of India. The counting of votes will take place on October 4.

These are the first assembly elections to be held in Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370.

Meanwhile, elections for Haryana's 90 assembly constituencies will be held in a single phase on October 1, with the counting of votes scheduled for October 4.

Haryana has a total of 2.01 crore voters, of which 1.06 crore are males, 0.95 crore are females, 4.52 lakh are first-time voters, and 40.95 lakh are young voters.

The last date to file nominations in Haryana is September 12, with scrutiny on September 13. The final date for the withdrawal of candidatures is September 16.

The current government's term in Haryana will end on November 3, 2024, with elections to be held in all 90 legislative assembly constituencies.

In the 2019 elections, the BJP, with 40 seats in the 90-member assembly, formed a coalition government with the JJP, which won 10 seats, while the Congress secured 31 seats. Earlier this year, the BJP-JJP alliance was dissolved. (ANI)
Houston Ballet soloist Jacquelyn Long and Goldman Sachs energy trader Saul Vazakas say "I do" in La Jolla, Calif. after matching on Bumble. Amari Productions Houston Ballet soloist Jacquelyn Long and Goldman Sachs energy trader Saul Vazakas marry in La Jolla, Calif. after matching on Bumble. Amari Productions Bridesmaids look on as the couple exchange vows at the Wedding Bowl in Ja Lolla, Calif. Amari Productions Houston Ballet soloist Jacquelyn Long and Goldman Sachs energy trader Saul Vazakas wed in La Jolla, Calif. after matching on Bumble. Amari Productions Acing those moves is now the groom's favorite memory of the reception. "I was completely worried that I was going to drop her. I was doing lifts, I was carrying her in the air. I'm in the business of managing risk and there was only downside from doing this. I'm not in the physical shape her peers are," he quipped. "So I felt accomplished and relieved at the same time." Amari Productions "I think the biggest part of the connection was a love for traveling and the ocean," says the groom. "I'm a big surfer dude. I grew up in San Diego and find my zen at the ocean. She shares the exact same feeling." Amari Productions Long wore a gown by Alexandra Grecco from Lively Bride in Montrose. Amari Productions The bride carries peonies, and a photo with her late father, in her bouquet. Amari Productions The groom insisted that their first dance was a show-stopper. His friends knew that he was marrying a ballet dancer, so the couple rehearsed in their then-unfurnished formal living room. Amari Productions The bride danced with her mother, a former ballerina, to "Mamma Mia." Amari Productions Houston Ballet soloist Jacquelyn Long and Goldman Sachs energy trader Saul Vazakas exit their wedding La Jolla, Calif. after matching on Bumble. Amari Productions Houston Ballet soloist Jacquelyn Long and Goldman Sachs energy trader Saul Vazakas say 'I do' in La Jolla, Calif. after matching on Bumble. Amari Productions "Wifey for lifey" is written on the bottom of the bride's Sophia Webster shoes. Amari Productions

Without Bumble, the dating app which encourages women to make the first move, Jacquelyn Long and Saul Vazakas may have never met. She is a soloist with Houston Ballet whose workday often starts at 10 a.m.  or, as late as noon if there's a performance. He is an energy trader for Goldman Sachs and is out the door long before sunrise.

Their schedules, and chosen career paths, could not be more different. Or so Long initially thought.

"We're both very passionate about what we do," she says. "He's on the trading floor early in the morning, and I'm dancing the night away."

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What Long couldn't know when she swiped right on his dating profile, was that Vazakas' younger brother had studied with San Francisco Ballet. Or that his mother was a former pianist and Juilliard School alum. Long only knew she liked the photo of Vazakas holding a baby elephant in Thailand. Her match's appreciation for performing arts was just a cherry on top.

In September 2021, when they met in person, their six-hour first date began at a now-closed wine bar. Then they went to dinner at Traveler's Table in Montrose. It ended with drinks at La Colombe D'Or, where their conversation, and more similarities, unfolded organically.

"I think the biggest part of the connection was a love for traveling and the ocean," he says. "I grew up in San Diego and find my zen at the ocean. She shares the exact same feeling."

Long says they just never stopped talking. As a native of Virginia Beach, her experience was that most Texans brushed off Galveston as "nice enough," though Vazakas, who moved to Houston a few years prior, expressed a soft spot for the island.

"He said, 'At least we have a beach,' and that positivity matched my own." she says. "I'm a very positive person and was like, 'Oh, yeah, we're going to get along great.'"

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The bride carries peonies, and a photo with her late father, in her bouquet. Amari Productions

She is also a person who believes in signs. When the bill arrived, her date explained that his legal first name is David  a revelation which took Long aback. Her father passed away nine years ago and was also named David; it's her brother's middle name, too.

Nearly three years later, she would tell that story at their wedding.



At the time, however, Long was shy about taking herself off the market. "I definitely liked him, but I was entering the dating world again," she recalls. "I went on two or three other dates before I realized Saul is the one I wanted to spend time with. It was my mom who said he always makes you laugh so much, and that I was always smiling."

Her crush upped his game. For their second date, Vazakas took her to BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir of Houston, a Hindu temple in Fort Bend County. Neither are religious; he just wanted Long to have an experience that didn't feel like they were in Houston. They went to dinner at Aga's Restaurant and Catering afterwards; now, it's one of their favorite spots.

By their fourth or fifth date, Vazakas had won over his toughest critic: Sebastian, Long's discerning Pomeranian. "That's when I came in for our first kiss. Sebastian, he's very sweet once he trusts you. It was all upside from there."

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Over the holidays, Vazakas attended a Houston Ballet "Nutcracker" performance, saw Long dance the role of Sugar Plum Fairy, and immediately bought a ticket to the next show.

In the end, it was a trip to Galveston that sealed the deal. "Jac was looking out at the horizon, then glanced back at me. Her hair whipping, and those emerald eyes... I thought I was very lucky to be with this woman. I think she could be the one."

Long says she had an intuition about him from the beginning. Three months into their relationship, she knew for sure, too.

They moved in together fairly quickly. His lease was up, and her townhouse had plenty of room. Plus, living under the same roof was easier on their schedules.

When the time came to propose, Vazakas says that Italy was a no-brainer. They'd talked about it on their first date, and neither had been before. After flying into Rome, the couple drove down to the Amalfi Coast, where Vazakas asked a photographer, disguised as a tourist, to snap their picture. Once the background was just right, and the code word was whispered, Vazakas dropped to one knee and popped the question.

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Long said yes.

Securing a wedding date proved a little more complicated. They considered several locations by the sea including Cabo San Lucas, the Florida Keys and the bride's hometown of Virginia Beach. Nothing quite matched the magic of the Wedding Bowl in La Jolla, Calif., near where the groom grew up.

Only problem was, the cliffside venue in Culvier Park is a popular spot. The city operates a lottery system for engaged couples vying for the same wedding date.

The couple's only 'must' was that they married by the beach. Amari Productions

"We ended up getting the date that was my late grandfather's birthday. He was a chaplain," Long shares. "On the day of our wedding, the sun broke through the marine layer. I was in tears at the bunnies and squirrels that were around. I was like, 'Is this real?'"

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She wore a gown from Lovely Bride in Montrose by Alexandra Grecco called the Marcelle. Long had previously earmarked the style for a girlfriend who became her matron of honor. It was the first dress Long's salesperson suggested she try on.

"It was going to be discontinued. I loved the square neckline and tulle hem that hinted at ballerina a little bit, but also fit the beach vibe," the bride says. "I never wanted a wedding. I was like, 'We should elope!' But part of my speech was that I was so happy we did this. Being a bride is not overrated. It's not cheesy and cliche."

They wrote their own vows, and said "I do" in front of 94 guests on July 6. They spoke of the ocean, that electric first date, and not bringing work stress home. Though on a few occasions, the couple did practice their first dance, original choreography by Long, in their then-unfurnished formal living room.

Acing those moves is now the groom's favorite memory of the reception. "I was completely worried that I was going to drop her. I was doing lifts, I was carrying her in the air. I'm not in the physical shape her peers are," he quipped. "So I felt accomplished and relieved at the same time."

The bride most cherishes dancing with her mother, a former ballerina, to "Mamma Mia." And she looks forward to honeymooning this October in Tanzania and Zanzibar.
Additionally, the Indian Secular Front (ISF) held a protest in Bhangore, also calling for justice for the victim.

In Kolkata, Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar and other BJP workers protested at Shyambazar against the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital rape-murder case.

Earlier today, CBI officials conducted a polygraph test on the arrested accused, Sanjay Roy, in connection with the rape and murder of a female trainee doctor in Kolkata.

In a related development, Parimal Dey, a teacher from Alipurduar in West Bengal, who was honoured with the Banga Ratna award by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in 2019, has decided to return the award in protest against the state government's response to the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital rape-murder incident.

Speaking to ANI about his decision, Parimal said, "I have decided to return the Banga Ratna award. Given the protests in Bengal and beyond, my conscience compels me to return it. I support the protest. The way she (Mamata Banerjee) is running the administration is not right."

Earlier today, the West Bengal Motion Picture Artists' Forum staged a protest in Tollygunge, demanding justice for the victim in the RG Kar Medical College rape-murder case and urging the Kolkata administration to take responsibility.

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court ordered that the security of Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital be handed over to the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) while hearing the suo motu case concerning the rape and murder of the trainee doctor.

The trainee doctor was found dead in the seminar hall of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on August 9. (ANI)
As elections approach in Jammu and Kashmir, PDP leader Iltija Mufti on Sunday responded to the Congress-NC alliance in the state, emphasising that given the current situation, unity is essential. Reacting to the BJP's comments on the PDP and National Conference manifestos, as well as the Congress-National Conference alliance, Iltija Mufti stated, "The BJP can say anything. They keep lying about issues like the situation in Kashmir and the economy. Considering the current circumstances, the (Congress-National Conference) alliance is positive. Unity is the need of the hour... Since 2019, everyone here has been suffering, so the parties should set aside their differences and come together." Earlier, on August 24, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti remarked that for her, the upcoming assembly election in Jammu and Kashmir is not about statehood or seat sharing but a "bigger goal." During a press conference to launch the PDP manifesto for the upcoming assembly polls, Mufti said, "For me, this election (upcoming Assembly elections in J&K) is not about statehood or seat sharing... We have a bigger goal... We are fighting for dignity, for resolution." She further noted that alliances and seat sharing "are distant considerations" and indicated that if the National Conference and Congress are willing to adopt her agenda, she would support them, as "solving the problem of Kashmir is more important than anything else." Mufti also criticised the Congress-National Conference alliance, stating that it was formed not on an agenda but on seat sharing. "When we allied earlier, we had an agenda; when we allied with the BJP, we had an agenda which they agreed to. But the alliance between the National Conference and Congress is not based on an agenda; it is based on seat sharing. We will not enter into any alliance that is merely about seat sharing. The alliance should be based on an agenda, and our agenda is to solve the problem of Jammu and Kashmir," she said. In their election manifesto, the PDP promised efforts to restore Articles 370 and 35A, initiate diplomatic dialogues between India and Pakistan, and ensure the dignified return of Kashmiri Pandits to the valley. Notably, in the 2014 Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, the PDP won 28 seats, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 25, the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference won 15, and the Congress won 12. The PDP and BJP formed a coalition government led by Mufti Mohammed Sayeed. However, in 2018, the BJP withdrew its support from the alliance after Mehbooba Mufti took over following Mufti Mohammed Sayeed's demise. Polling in Jammu and Kashmir will be conducted in three phases on September 18, 25, and October 1, according to the Election Commission of India. The counting of votes will take place on October 4. These are the first assembly elections to be held in Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370. (ANI)
Following the alleged gang rape of a minor girl in the Dhing area of Assam, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi stated that the "Assam government must take responsibility because women are not safe today." Speaking to ANI on Sunday, the Congress MP from Jorhat expressed that society "is angry and agitated because of the crime that occurred against a minor girl in Nagaon." He also urged hospital staff and doctors to ensure the girl receives proper treatment for her injuries. "In this difficult time, we stand with her family, and the people of Nagaon demand the harshest punishment for the criminals involved. These criminals have died due to various reasons. We are witnessing such incidents repeatedly in Assam, and I believe that somewhere, the Assam government must take responsibility for this because women are not safe today," he added. Gogoi further criticised the state of law and order in Assam, stating that it "has become completely weak." Earlier today, security personnel were deployed in Nagaon to maintain law and order in the area. Meanwhile, locals in the Dhing area have staged an indefinite hunger strike in protest against the alleged gang rape incident. On Saturday morning, the body of the prime accused in the case, Tafazul Islam, was recovered from a pond by the police after he allegedly escaped from custody and drowned. Earlier, on August 22, a minor girl was allegedly gang-raped in Assam's Nagaon district, leading to the arrest of two individuals, according to the police. The incident reportedly occurred while the girl was returning home from tuition in the Dhing area. Locals found the girl in a semi-conscious state by the roadside and immediately admitted her to a hospital. Swapnaneel Deka, Superintendent of Police of Nagaon district, told ANI over the phone, "Police have picked up two persons for interrogation in connection with the incident." This incident comes amid nationwide outrage over the murder and alleged sexual assault of a female trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9 in Kolkata. (ANI)
The Indian Secular Front (ISF) held a protest on Sunday in the Bhangar region of South 24 Parganas district, West Bengal, demanding justice in the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital rape-murder case. The protesters called for the punishment of the culprits and demanded the resignation of West Bengal's Health Minister. ISF chief and Bhangar MLA, Pirzada Mohammad Naushad Siddiqui, stated, "We want the culprit to be punished as soon as possible... There is corruption in the health department, and the health system has collapsed... We demand that the health minister resign... If the State government cooperates with the CBI, justice will prevail soon. So we want the Bengal government to cooperate with the CBI... The police are not doing their duty... We are protesting across all constituencies, and we only want her family to get justice... All of Bengal wants justice in the RG Kar case." Earlier today, CBI officials conducted a polygraph test on the arrested accused, Sanjay Roy, in connection with the rape and murder of a female trainee doctor in Kolkata. In a related development, Parimal Dey, a teacher from Alipurduar in West Bengal who was honoured with the Banga Ratna award by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in 2019, has decided to return the award in protest against the state government's handling of the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital rape-murder incident. Speaking to ANI about his decision, Parimal said, "I have decided to return the Banga Ratna award. Given the protests in Bengal and beyond, my conscience compels me to return it. I support the protest. The way she (Mamata Banerjee) is running the administration is not right." Earlier today, the West Bengal Motion Picture Artists' Forum staged a protest in Tollygunge, demanding justice for the victim in the RG Kar Medical College rape-murder case and urging the Kolkata administration to take responsibility. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court ordered that the security of Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital be handed over to the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) while hearing the suo motu case concerning the rape and murder of the trainee doctor. The trainee doctor was found dead in the seminar hall of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on August 9. (ANI)
The meeting was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP President and Union Minister JP Nadda, and Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh.

In the 2014 Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, the PDP won 28 seats, the Bharatiya Janata Party won 25 seats, the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference won 15 seats, and the Congress secured 12 seats.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and BJP formed a coalition government led by Mufti Mohammed Sayeed. However, in 2018, the BJP withdrew its support from the alliance after Mehbooba Mufti took over following Mufti Mohammed Sayeed's demise.

Polling in Jammu and Kashmir will be held in three phases on September 18, 25, and October 1, according to the Election Commission of India. The counting of votes will take place on October 4.

These are the first assembly elections to be held in Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370. (ANI)
A torchlight protest was held in Siliguri on Sunday, demanding justice for the victim of the Kolkata woman doctor's rape and murder at RG Kar Medical College. One protestor told ANI, "If justice is not served now, we may never receive it." "This torch symbolises the fire burning in our hearts. This fire will only be extinguished when the victim receives justice. As long as we do not get justice, the fire in everyone's hearts will continue to burn like this torch. If we do not receive justice now, we may never receive it," she told ANI. In Bhangore, South 24 Parganas, local women also staged a protest, demanding justice for the rape-murder victim. Additionally, the Indian Secular Front (ISF) held a protest in Bhangore, joining the call for justice. In Kolkata, Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar and BJP workers protested at Shyambazar, voicing their concerns over the case. Earlier today, CBI officials conducted a polygraph test on the arrested suspect, Sanjay Roy, in connection with the case. In a related development, Parimal Dey, a teacher from Alipurduar in West Bengal, who was honoured with the Banga Ratna award by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in 2019, has decided to return the award in protest against the state government's response to the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital rape-murder incident. Speaking to ANI about his decision, Parimal said, "I have decided to return the Banga Ratna award. Given the protests in Bengal and beyond, my conscience compels me to return it. I support the protest. The way she (Mamata Banerjee) is running the administration is not right." On Tuesday, the Supreme Court ordered that security for Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital be handed over to the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) while hearing the suo motu case concerning the rape and murder of the trainee doctor. The trainee doctor was found dead in the seminar hall of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9. (ANI)
The Union Education Minister, Dharmendra Pradhan, along with the Minister of Law, Works and Excise, Prithviraj Harichandran, offered prayers at the Lord Jagannath temple in Puri on Sunday. The Education Minister said that he was very fortunate he got to offer prayers at the Jagannath temple today and further added that on the occasion of his birthday on September 17, Prime Minister Narendra Modi would come to Odisha. Speaking to ANI, Pradhan said, "I am very fortunate that I got the chance to offer prayers at the Jagannath temple today. The Prime Minister would be coming to Odisha on his birthday on September 17. We have invited him to inaugurate the Subhadra Yojana, the SOP of which the government had just presented to the people. " Talking about the scheme, he said that a woman under the scheme would get a total of Rs 50,000 in five years and more than 1 crore women would benefit. "Women under this scheme would get a total of Rs 50,000 for five years under this scheme and more than one crore women would benefit. They are all very happy and excited," Pradhan added. Additionally, the Navy Day celebrations are likely to be hosted at the Lord Jagannath temple on December 4. A preliminary survey has been conducted with Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh Tripathi present on ground and five warships anchored off the coast of Puri on August 11. A number of senior officers, including Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathy, visited Puri to evaluate the beach conditions and discuss the logistics with the district administration. Navy officials had carried out a thorough survey of Puri Beach and plan to conduct a Navy drill operation there. From air shows to commando operations, the naval forces will demonstrate a range of adventurous military manoeuvres. (ANI)
The Kerala government has decided to form a special investigation team, led by a senior police officer, to investigate allegations of sexual abuse in the Malayalam film industry. "In light of recent interviews and statements from several women in the Malayalam film industry detailing the hardships they have faced, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan convened a meeting with senior police officials here on Sunday," said an official release from the Chief Minister's Office. "It was decided to form a special investigation team, led by IGP G Sparjan Kumar, to look into these complaints and revelations." Following the release of the Hema Committee Report last week, which revealed numerous instances of sexual abuse in the film industry, many women have come forward, reporting experiences of sexual harassment in the industry. The CMO release stated that the investigation team would include senior women police officers and operate under the supervision of Crime Branch ADGP H Venkatesh. The members of the special team are IGP G Sparjan Kumar, DIG S Ajeetha Beegum, SP Crime Branch HQ Merin Joseph, AIG Coastal Police G Poonkuzhali, Assistant Director of the Kerala Police Academy Aishwarya Dongre, AIG Law & Order Ajith V, and SP Crime Branch S. Madhusoodanan. Renowned filmmaker Ranjith resigned as Kerala Chalachitra Academy Chairman on Sunday morning following sexual assault allegations, according to the Kerala Cultural Minister's Office. Ranjith's resignation came after Bengali actor Sreelekha Mitra accused him of misbehaving with her in 2009. Last week, a redacted version of the Justice Hema Committee report on harassment faced by women in the Malayalam cinema industry was made public. It contains shocking accounts of harassment, exploitation, and ill-treatment of women professionals. The 235-page report, published after redacting the names of witnesses and the accused, notes that the Malayalam film industry is controlled by about 10 to 15 male producers, directors, and actors who dominate and exert control over the industry. The report confirms the rumoured existence of the "casting couch" practice in the industry. Based on testimonies from 51 industry professionals, it reveals shocking details about the exploitation of women, including the existence of casting couches and poor working conditions. The report states that harassment begins at the outset, with women being asked to make "adjustments" and "compromises"--euphemisms for sexual favours--to secure roles. The Committee also found that women are denied basic human rights, such as access to toilets and changing rooms, even on sets. Women often have to find secluded spots to change or use the bathroom during outdoor shoots, with no access to water or basic facilities. (ANI)
Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar on Sunday called for an investigation into Mamata Banerjee in connection with the Kolkata rape-murder case. "There should be an investigation against the West Bengal health minister. Mamata Banerjee's phone should be seized, and an inquiry conducted," he told ANI. Majumdar also announced that the BJP's Mahila Morcha plans to lock the West Bengal Commission for Women office on August 28 due to the commission's inaction in the case. He further stated that on August 29, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would protest outside the District Magistrate (DM) offices across all districts, demanding the resignation of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. "Tomorrow, due to Krishna Janmashtami, we will not hold any protest. On August 28, the BJP's Mahila Morcha will lock the West Bengal Commission for Women office as they are not taking any action. On August 29, we will protest outside the DM offices in all districts, demanding the resignation of CM Mamata Banerjee... We will continue our protests," he told ANI. In related protests, BJP workers held a 'Mashal March' in Paschim Medinipur, and women in Siliguri participated in a similar march, both demanding justice for the victim. In Bhangore, South 24 Parganas, local women and the Indian Secular Front (ISF) also held protests. In Kolkata, Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar and BJP workers protested at Shyambazar, expressing outrage over the case. The Bengali television industry also held a protest march from Tollygunge to Deshapriya Park on Sunday, demanding justice for the victim. People from every department of the television industry participated in the march. Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Kunal Ghosh on Sunday expressed strong concerns over the progress of the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital rape-murder case, noting that only one arrest had been made by the Kolkata Police and questioning the role of the CBI. "The rape-murder case must be solved quickly. So far, only one arrest has been made, and that too by Kolkata Police. What is the CBI doing? As the investigation drags on, politics is taking over," Ghosh told ANI. Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar claimed on Sunday that the people of West Bengal would topple Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee from power and immerse her in the River Ganga over her handling of the Kolkata rape-murder case. "The government is afraid of this student movement, and they want to suppress the people's voice. But the students of West Bengal have awakened... By uprooting Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee from power, the people of the state will immerse her in the River Ganga," Majumdar told ANI. He added that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would continue protesting until justice is served. "Today is the last day of our protest here, but it is not the last day of our movement. There will be more protests in the future. I will address the gathering today at around 4 PM and announce further programs. The BJP will remain on the streets until justice is served," he added. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Anti-Corruption Branch announced on Sunday that they had uncovered substantial evidence in their corruption probe against former RG Kar Medical College principal Sandeep Ghosh. When asked if they had found any concrete evidence, a CBI official responded, "There is a lot." The CBI initiated a corruption investigation against former principal Sandeep Ghosh by filing an FIR on Saturday. On Friday, the Calcutta High Court transferred the investigation of financial irregularities involving Dr. Sandip Ghosh, previously handled by a Special Investigation Team (SIT), to the CBI. In a related development, Parimal Dey, a teacher from Alipurduar in West Bengal, who was honoured with the Banga Ratna award by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in 2019, has decided to return the award over the state government's response to the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital rape-murder incident. Speaking about his decision to ANI, Parimal said, "I have decided to return the Banga Ratna award. Given the protests in Bengal and beyond, my conscience tells me that I should return it. I support the protest. The way she (Mamata Banerjee) is running the administration is not right." On Tuesday, the Supreme Court ordered the security of Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital to be handed over to the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) while hearing the suo motu case concerning the rape and murder of the trainee doctor. The trainee doctor was found dead in the seminar hall of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on August 9. (ANI)
According to the Mumbai Police, the student, Anurag Jaiswal, who is from Lucknow, was found dead at his rented apartment in the city.

"He had gone to a party with his friends in Vashi last night and returned home late at night. When he did not wake up in the morning, he was taken to a local hospital in Chembur, where he was declared dead," the police said.

The officials suspected that the student might have been ragged, but the matter is being investigated. Police are questioning all his friends for investigation.

"The postmortem will be done at Rajawadi Hospital in Ghatkopar after his family members arrive," the police said.

Meanwhile, the Chembur police have registered a case under ADR and started further investigation. Further investigation is underway. (ANI)
Senate Avenue Brewing Company is partnering with Cafe Benedicte owner Dave Allum to provide a steady menu for the brewpub. Senate Avenue Brewing Company Italian restaurant Adriatic Cafe opened its newest location in Katy in December of 2021. Courtesy of Adriatic Cafe

As Houston Restaurant Week comes to an end, Jersey Village leaders hope to spotlight their own city's dining scene in the first-ever Jersey Village Restaurant Week.

From Sept. 7 to 14, restaurants and food trucks such as Good Eatz, Senate Avenue Brewery, Adriatic Cafe, Little Meadow Kitchen & Cocktails, Little Kitchen HTX, Flavorz of Negril food truck, Its Nola Baaaby food truck and CCs Hot Tamales and BBQ Food truck will offer special deals.

Jersey Village Community Development Manager Miesha Johnson said it's an opportunity for the city to draw visitors from other parts of the Houston region.

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NEW CYPRESS STEAKHOUSE: Fogo de Chao Brazilian steakhouse plans to open new locations in the Houston suburbs

Every place I looked at in Jersey Village had great high reviews and all of these things, and Im thinking outside of Jersey Village how many people know about this, Johnson said.

She said the locally-owned restaurants in the city also offer excellent customer service.

Jersey Village will also host its first Texas Star Foodie Awards on Sept. 6, honoring local restaurants and food influencers ahead of the restaurant week.

BLAZE PIZZA OPENS IN CYPRESS: New Cypress pizza restaurant gives away 1,000 free pizzas during grand opening

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Johnson believes Jersey Village is full of hidden gems, with dishes such as oxtails at Flavorz of Negril, fish and chips at Senate Avenue Brewery or banana pudding at Good Eats.

Specials for restaurant week

Here are some of the restaurant specials diners can take advantage of:

Good Eatz: Specials on brisket, hot dogs, chicken and grilled cheese.

Little Meadow Kitchen & Cocktails: Little Meadow Kitchen & Cocktails will offer a $40 menu that includes appetizers, entrees and a dessert.

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Little Kitchen HTX: Little Kitchen HTX will offer a $20 menu with options to choose from for appetizers, entrees and a dessert.

Senate Avenue Brewing: Senate Avenue will have a week of deals on chicken fried steak, beef bulgogi bowl, steak night and fish & chips.

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Former Haryana Deputy Chief Minister and JJP Leader Dushyant Chautala on Sunday accused former Chief Minister and veteran Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda of land corruption in Haryana. "This (corruption) is because of (Bhupinder Singh) Hooda...the colonisation that is happening today, all thanks to Hooda," the JJP Leader said in an exclusive interview with ANI. Former Haryana Deputy Chief Minister further highlighted that urban planning is imperative for providing better civic facilities. "Civic facilities in our country won't improve until we start Urban planning education, no matter how good a minister you make. If there's no urban planning, if you don't have new facilities replacing the old, you can't progress," he added. Asserting that Jannayak Janta Party will not ally with the BJP for the upcoming Haryana Assembly polls, JJP Chief Dushyant Chautala claimed that the party will be the "most important" party in "coming days." The elections for Haryana's 90 assembly constituencies will be held in a single phase on October 1, with the counting of votes scheduled for October 4. In an exclusive interview with the ANI on Sunday, Chautala said, "I can on record assure you that I won't go to the BJP." When asked about their rout in the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections, Chautala said, "I don't take it as a crisis now. What had happened, happened. I see that as an opportunity now...last time also, our party was a kingmaker...you can see the coming days as well; JJP will be the most important political party of the state (Haryana)." After the last assembly polls in Haryana, the BJP formed the government with the support of the 10 JJP MLAS. In the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections, JJP got only 0.87 per cent of the vote share, with none of its candidates winning any seat in the state. When asked if he would ally with the INDIA alliance, he said, "Let's see if we have the numbers and yes, if our party is taken as a priority, then why not? Sharing his experience on when JJP was a part of the NDA alliance, Chautala said, "I have stayed with the NDA alliance... I have never changed my stance on them despite the wrestlers' issue and the farmers' issue. But if they don't give respect, then in the coming days who will give assurance?" Chautala also spoke about the reasons for the party's setback during the Lok Sabha elections and said that maybe the JJP "couldn't understand the sentiments" of the farmers and therefore "paid the price during Lok Sabha elections." "There was anger due to farmers' agitation. Our major vote share was of farmers and that major vote share wanted me to step down during the agitation. My party and I thought we should stand with the government and make amendments as the bills were under the central government...Maybe we couldn't understand the sentiments and that's why we paid the price during Lok Sabha elections," he said. In the 2019 elections, the BJP, with 40 seats in the 90-member assembly, formed a coalition government with the JJP, which had won 10 seats, while the Congress secured 31 seats. Earlier this year, the BJP-JJP alliance was dissolved. In 2024, Haryana is likely to witness a four-way contest between the BJP, Congress, Jannayak Janta Party (JJP), and AAP. (ANI)
Actor Nagarjuna Akkineni on Sunday claimed that no land was encroached upon for the construction of the N-Convention Centre in Hyderabad, which was demolished by authorities on Saturday. "Dear all, fans and well-wishers, News about celebrities, can often be exaggerated and speculated for effect. I would like to reiterate that the land on which N-convention has been built is a Patta Documented land. Not even one cent of the land beyond that has been encroached upon. The Special court of AP Land Grabbing (prohibition) Act has given a judgement passing an order Sr.3943/2011 on 24-02- 2014 saying no encroachment has happened in Tummidikunta Lake. Now the formal argument is already presented in front of the esteemed High Court. I will abide to the law of the land and judgment. Until then, I sincerely request you not to indulge in speculation, any sort of rumours, misrepresentation of facts and deviations," Akkineni Nagarjuna posted on X. Earlier on Sunday, actor Nagarjuna expressed his disappointment with the demolition of his N Convention hall by HYDRAA. Nagarjuna wrote on his X handle," Pained by the unlawful manner of demolition carried out in respect of N Convention, contrary to existing stay orders and Court cases. I thought it fit to issue this statement to place on record certain facts for protecting my reputation and to indicate that we have not done any actions in violation of law." He clarified that the land on which the N Convention Centre stands is private property (Patta land) and asserted that no part of the structure encroaches upon any tank plan. And also shared there was already a stay order in place preventing any demolition, issued in response to an earlier notice deemed illegal by his legal team. "The land is a Patta land, and not even an inch of tank plan is encroached. In respect of the building constructed inside the private land, there is a stay order granted against any earlier illegal notice for demolition. Today clearly, the demolition was carried out wrongfully based on misinformation. No notice was issued prior to carrying out the demolition this morning. As a law-abiding citizen, if the Court before which the matter is pending, had decided against me, I would have carried out the demolition myself," Nagarjuna added. The actor revealed that he would seek appropriate legal remedies in response to what he views as wrongful actions by the authorities. His post read, "I am placing this on record for the purpose of correcting any public misimpression about wrongful constructions or encroachment by us. We would be seeking appropriate relief from the Court in relation to the wrong actions carried out by the authorities." Officials of Hyderabad Disaster Management and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA), along with the police, carry out a demolition drive at N Convention Hall near Shilparamam in Rangareddy district. "HYDRAA officials have started demolishing the N Convention Hall this morning and we have deployed police force to ensure the demolition is carried out smoothly, as the land comes under the FTL zone," said Madhapur DCP. (ANI)
Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan on Sunday said that he would like to trust Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan when he said that if the victims of sexual abuses in the Malayalam film industry come forward then the process of law will be set in motion. The Governor was reacting to the questions related to the Hema Committee report that revealed sexual abuses in the Malayalam film industry. The Opposition in Kerala has asked for an investigation into the revelations in the report. "I think the chief minister on record said that if they come with specific complaints, the process will be set in motion. He has already said it. I am not saying anything because I do not deal with the subject," Khan said. "But I would like to trust what the chief minister has said, that if the victims come forward and they file a complaint against those perpetrators, then the process of law will be set in motion," he added. The Kerala government has decided to form a special investigation team, led by a senior police officer, to investigate allegations of sexual abuse in the Malayalam film industry. "In light of recent interviews and statements from several women in the Malayalam film industry detailing the hardships they have faced, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan convened a meeting with senior police officials here on Sunday," said an official release from the Chief Minister's Office. "It was decided to form a special investigation team, led by IGP G Sparjan Kumar, to look into these complaints and revelations. "Following the release of the Hema Committee Report last week, which revealed numerous instances of sexual abuse in the film industry, many women have come forward, reporting experiences of sexual harassment in the industry.The CMO release stated that the investigation team would include senior women police officers and operate under the supervision of Crime Branch ADGP H Venkatesh. Last week, a redacted version of the Justice Hema Committee report was made public, which revealed several instances of sexual harassment of female actors in the Malayalam film industry. Earlier this week, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that if any of those who testified before the Hema Commission come forward with complaints, appropriate action will be taken. "No matter how high-ranking, everyone will be held accountable before the law," he said. On Saturday, Kerala Assembly Leader of Opposition VD Satheesan demanded an investigation into the shocking allegations about the Malayalam film industry detailed in the report. Justice Hema Committee report, based on testimonies from 51 industry professionals has revealed details about the exploitation of women, including the existence of casting couches and poor working conditions in the Malayalam film industry. Speaking to ANI, LoP VD Satheesan, said, "The government knows the fact that a series of offences have been committed. Despite knowing all this, the government is not taking any action. They are not ready to make an investigation team. We demand the government to constitute an investigation team." Last week a redacted version on the Justice Hema Committee report on harassment faced by women in Malayalam cinema industry was made public. It has recorded shocking accounts of harassment, exploitation and ill-treatment of women professionals.The 235-page report, published after redacting the names of the witnesses as well as the accused, notes that the Malayalam film industry is under the clutches of the about 10 to 15 male producers, directors and actors who are in the forefront and control the industry. (ANI)
In a press statement carried by the Kuwait News Agency, the Ministry lauded the mediation efforts of regional and global partners in the Geneva talks.

In addition, the Ministry commended the agreement to open the crossings and secure routes to ensure the delivery of international humanitarian aid to the Sudanese people.It also welcomed the call for adhering to the Jeddah Declaration, issued in May 2023.

The Ministry reiterated Kuwait's commitment to providing humanitarian aid to the Sudanese people through its air bridge that already saw 24 trips carrying tonnes of humanitarian aid. (ANI/WAM)
With escalating maritime confrontations between Manila and Beijing, the Philippines has demanded China to "cease all provocative and dangerous actions" after it recently accused it of firing at an aircraft conducting patrols over the South China Sea, Al Jazeera reported. The same aircraft also "faced harassment" from a Chinese jet fighter while on a surveillance flight near Scarborough Shoal on August 19, the Philippines's South China Sea Task Force said in a statement on Saturday. The escalation in the South China Sea raises concerns of a conflict that could draw in the United States, a military ally of the Philippines. "Such actions undermine regional peace and security, and further erode the image of the PRC [People's Republic of China] with the international community," the interagency task force said. The aircraft, which belonged to the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), in coordination with the coastguard, monitors and intercepts poachers encroaching on the Philippines's exclusive economic zone, as reported by Al Jazeera. According to the task force, the Chinese jet fighter, "which was not provoked," deployed flares multiple times "at a dangerously close distance" from the BFAR aircraft. "Its actions demonstrated hazardous intent that jeopardised the safety of the personnel onboard the BFAR aircraft," the task force stated. Earlier on Friday, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it conducted "countermeasures" against two Philippine military aircraft that flew into its airspace over Subi Reef - a fishing atoll that China has transformed into a militarised island base - on August 22, but did not comment on the August 19 event. The incidents come the same week as both countries accused each other of ramming vessels and other dangerous actions in the South China Sea, among the world's busiest trade routes. Tensions have been escalating between the two despite them reaching a deal in July to better manage some maritime disputes to "restore trust" and "rebuild confidence." China claims sovereignty over almost all of the South China Sea, and has a number of coastguard vessels in the waters to protect what it considers its territory. The Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and Brunei all contest China's claims, Al Jazeera reported. An international tribunal in 2016 said China's claim has "no basis" under international law, awarding a landmark victory to the Philippines, which filed the case. Notably, China has built seven artificial islands in the South China Sea, and equipped them with radar, runways and surface-to-air missiles. It has also bristled at military deployments by the US and its allies in the disputed region, while claiming their presence a "danger to regional security." (ANI)
Campaign for Uyghurs (CFU), a Washington-based Uyghur rights organisation, has highlighted the case of Elijan Ismail, a Uyghur entrepreneur who was arrested and sentenced to 18 years of imprisonment for performing 'Zakat', the yearly donation practice underscored in Islam. "Uyghur businessman Elijan Ismail, founder of East Turkistan-based business Xinjiang Sadaqet Bio-Technology Co. Ltd., in fulfilling his duty as a Muslim to perform Zakat, has been sentenced to 18 years imprisonment," the CFU stated in a post on X. https://x.com/CUyghurs/status/1826976928332382345 The CFU also questioned how can the "criminal communist regime" justify this arrest. "How does the criminal communist regime of CCP-controlled China justify this? Some of the recipients of his charity were political prisoners and as such, in the name of "anti-terrorism" and "anti-separatism," they imprisoned him"," it stated. A profile piece by Radio Free Asia highlighting the case of Elijan Ismail claimed that several donations by the Uyghur businessman went to China's political prisoners and people who needed medical attention in his city. According to RFA, he had made a name for himself as a prominent Uyghur entrepreneur in the year 2000. The Uyghur individual founded Xinjiang Sadaqet Bio-Technology Co., Ltd., in his hometown of Maralbexi in Xinjiang. He later on moved to Xinjiang's capital Urumqi in 2008. Abduweli Ayup, founder of Uyghur Help, or Uyghuryar, a Norway-based nonprofit organization, said that Ismail joined a group of businessmen in Urumqi who made charitable donations. According to the RFA report, China had forbidden the practice of 'Zakat' a religious obligation for Muslims to donate a portion of their wealth each year to charitable causes in Xinjiang since 2016. Hence, police branded them an "ethnic separatist group," Ayup said. The report quoted an officer at the Maralbexi market police station in Kashgar prefecture who claimed, that after an investigation of Ismail's charity, the authorities arrested Ismail and the others. Ismail, 49, was arrested in Urumqi in 2017 and was sentenced later to 18 years in prison for "inciting separatism" because the recipients of his donations included families of political prisoners. The case again shows how Chinese authorities target and arrest numerous Uyghur businessmen to monitor, control and assimilate members of the Uyghur ethnic group in Xinjiang. The Chinese authorities have used bogus charges of separatism and terrorism as an excuse to target the Uyghurs. According to the RFA report, Ismail along with other entrepreneurs "provided financial support to the poor and promoted the care of the wives and children of those who were arrested," the police officer said. They had collected and distributed money and in-kind goods to more than 10,000 people since 2014, he added. "I'm not exactly sure what the issue is with distributing money. Under my division, there might be 12 families he helped who are families of political prisoners." the policemen stated. Additionally, around 20 people were arrested in connection with Ismail's case, and none of them have been released, and the length of their sentences is unknown, he added. (ANI)
Israel has declared an emergency for the next 48 hours amid the country's escalating tensions with Lebanon, according to The Times of Israel. Israel's Defence Minister, Yoav Gallant, declared an emergency. This comes as a "special situation in the home front," which enables the IDF Home Front Command to issue restrictions. In emergencies, the legal term "special situation" is used to give authorities more authority over the civilian population, simplifying attempts to protect them. It is valid for 48 hours, unless extended by cabinet ministers. As tensions continue to rise, the Israeli public remains on high alert, bracing for the possibility of further incidents. Earlier today, Israel Defence Forces (IDF) spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari warned the Lebanese citizens who are in southern Lebanon of possible attacks by Israel in retaliation to Hezbollah strikes. In a press conference, the IDF spokesperson said, "We warn the Lebanese citizens who are in southern Lebanon; we recognise that Hezbollah is now preparing to shoot widely into Israeli territory near your home. You are in danger. We attack and remove Hezbollah threats. Anyone who is near the areas where Hezbollah operates is required to stay away from them immediately." "In the near future, Hezbollah will launch rockets, and possibly missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles, towards the territory of the State of Israel. Accordingly, "life-saving" instructions of the Home Front Command will be distributed in the various regions. The Home Front Command will update the areas where one must stay near the protected area or inside the protected area," Hagari said. "The IDF is doing and will do everything necessary to protect the citizens of the State of Israel," he added. After Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in Tehran last month, which resulted in promises of "punishment" from Iran, Israel is preparing for a strong retaliation. However, Israel has not denied or confirmed that it was responsible for Haniyeh's death, but it had previously threatened to execute him and other senior Hamas figures for their involvement in the terrorist attacks on October 7. Tensions in West Asia have escalated after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced on July 31 that Ismail Haniyeh had been killed in an attack in Iran's capital, Tehran. (ANI)
Taiwan has launched a strong protest against Beijing for using economic pressure to interfere in politics of the self-governed island after a Taipei-based hotel chain apologised for excluding the Chinese flag from Olympic decorations at its Paris hotel earlier this month. Citing Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Focus Taiwan reported that China has continuously coerced foreign businesses into adhering to its political goals through the use of boycotts, penalties, tax audits, and regulatory infractions. The ministry claimed that Beijing's political manoeuvring "undermined the rules-based international order and normal business practices." The Taipei-based Evergreen Group, according to Focus Taiwan, issued an apology on Friday this week after a Chinese influencer said in a TikTok post on August 13 that he did not want to check into the Evergreen Laurel Hotel in Paris because the Chinese flag was not one of the flags flown in the lobby. The Evergreen Laurel Hotel's Shanghai and Paris locations were taken down from booking platforms by several Chinese travel portals shortly after TikTok was uploaded and circulated via Mandarin-speaking communities around the globe, reported Focus Taiwan. Evergreen Group said it supports the "1992 consensus" and is against Taiwanese independence in its apologies for the event on Friday, which has received strong condemnation, according to Focus Taiwan. The "1992 consensus" was an unspoken agreement made in 1992 between the Chinese government and the Kuomintang (KMT) administration of the Republic of China (Taiwan). According to the KMT, it is a recognition by both parties that there is only "one China," but that each party is allowed to define what that "one China" entails. Despite never having controlled Taiwan, China's ruling Communist Party claims it as part of its territory and has vowed to take the island by force if necessary. Meanwhile, on Saturday, Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) also issued a statement saying it "strongly protests and condemns the Chinese Communist Party for manipulating nationalism, inciting and condoning netizens to bully and pressure our enterprises, and engaging in economic coercion." (ANI)
Following the postponement of the party's much-anticipated public gathering, which was slated to take place in Islamabad on August 22, it has come to light that the federal government and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had secret discussions on the matter, ARY News reported, citing sources. According to sources, the federal administration had spoken with Ali Amin Gandapur, the chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, about postponing the public event. They claimed that after Ali Amin Gandapur rejected requests to postpone the PTI gathering, connections were made with Azam Swati and Barrister Gohar Ali, the chairman of the Imran Khan-founded PTI. According to those with knowledge of the issue, Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur vehemently refuted any intention to reschedule the event, and he was even extended an invitation to view and hear PTI founder Imran Khan's audio and video addresses. "Ali Amin Gandapur refused to see Imran Khan's messages," the sources said, according to ARY News. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa CM also set conditions, saying that PTI's founder should be released from jail and brought forward or contacted via video. Moreover, the sources said Ali Amin Gandapur made it clear that he would not even meet the PTI founder in jail over the postponement of the public gathering. They added that there has been no meeting between Ali Amin Gandapur and the PTI founder for over 25 days, ARY News reported. "Ali Amin Gandapur also clarified that he has no authority to postpone the gathering and will act on whatever orders are given by Imran Khan," the news report further added, citing the sources. The PTI announced on August 22 to postpone the Islamabad power show scheduled in Tarnol on the same day after the Islamabad administration cancelled the No Objection Certificate (NOC) for the public gathering. The announcement was notably made by PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, who said that the Islamabad power show has been postponed at the direction of party founder Imran Khan. (ANI)
Pakistani Minister for Power Awais Leghari has said that contracts with Chinese firms engaged in power production in Pakistan need to be revised, US-based VOA reported on Sunday. "I think the terms and conditions that we already have with the Chinese as far as their IPPs [independent power producers] are concerned, they need another look," VOA reported, quoting Leghari. The debt ridden country failed to increase their industrial growth, which left them with huge bills of the power they wasted. In addition to this, Pakistan is still repaying the project loans, VOA reported. As per the VOA report, Pakistan's local independent power plants also have the same conditions in their contracts as their Chinese counterparts operating in the country. The power minister said that they are holding talks with Chinese officials of these power plants to redefine the debts in the power sector. They are also seeking to convert coal-fired power plants into locally-produced fuel. He also talked about Pakistan's efforts to bring down electricity prices for consumers, VOA reported. "Those are changes in the terms and conditions of how the Chinese IPPs [Independent Power Producers] are working with us. Those would give us very substantial benefits to harvest in terms of [electricity] tariff reductions," VOA reported, quoting the power minister. VOA News said that Pakistan owed over USD 15 billion to China-owned power plant operators. The cash strapped nation sought to reschedule payments to Chinese power plant owners to secure an IMF bailout. It reached a staff-level agreement with the IMF for a three-year USD 7 billion loan programme last month, VOA reported. Leghari said that China and the IMF- both want to see reforms in Pakistan. China and the IMF "are wanting to look at the entire economic or power sector reform that we have already authored and embarked upon," Leghari said. "I think the more confidence they have in our economic reform agenda, the better the response," he told VOA. VOA stated, quoting Pakistan's daily Express Tribune, that as Pakistan aims to save millions of dollars by this move, the Chinese power plant owners agreed to use local coal in three of its power plants instead of importing it. However, this move worries experts, as they fear it might prompt wearied Chinese investors to seek higher margin in profits and higher insurance premiums, which will thus result in lesser savings in Pakistan, VOA stated. Lehari, however, rebuffed these fears. "It's going to be a win-win situation for everyone... Unless that isn't there, people will not invest, and lenders will not give money." However, Pakistan lacks infrastructure to transport coal to long distances. The local coal is also of inferior quality than imported coal as it is dirty; hence, Pakistan would need to make structural changes to its existing infrastructure, VOA noted. But Leghari dismissed these concerns too and said, "There has been an overwhelming response to have a look and run technical and financial feasibility on all the aspects of coal conversion and reprofiling." He also said that Chinese investors will not be scared by Pakistan's decision to review old contracts, as Pakistan holds its investors "dear to our hearts." "Whatever will happen, with whomever, will be with mutual consent," Leghari said. (ANI)
Concerns raised included the plant's proximity to residential areas and its potential health impacts. Many locals felt that the decision to build a power plant should have been subject to a vote, giving them the opportunity to weigh in. Juhi Varma A rendering of the proposed Sugar Land power plant project provided by the city of Sugar Land. The stacks depicted in the rendering will be 60-100 feet tall and not visible from Highway 90A, the city said. City of Sugar Land Speakers address the public at a packed public information meeting Wednesday evening. From left are Wartsila representatives Edward Torres, Russell Weeks and Molly Wright and Sugar Land Mayor Joe Zimmerman. Juhi Varma A presentation on the proposed power plant was delivered to Sugar Land residents at a public information meeting Wednesday, at the New Territory Club. Juhi Varma A presentation on the proposed power plant was delivered to Sugar Land residents at a public information meeting Wednesday, at the New Territory Club. Juhi Varma

Sugar Land residents lined up last week demand more information from their mayor and other leaders on the city's plans to construct a natural gas power plant.

Dozens of people who appeared at the New Territory Homeowners Association Wednesday raised concerns about the proposed plant's proximity to residential areas and its potential health impacts.

Many of those in attendance said the decision to build a power plant should have been subject to a vote, giving them the opportunity to weigh in.

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"I can't believe we can vote for rebuilding high schools, but not this, this is much more important," said Shane Burgan, who moved from New Jersey to Sugar Land with his wife Amy due to its reputation as a good place to live.

We want answers, said Anna Lykoudis-Zafiris, one of the principal organizers for Stop the Sugar Land Gas Power Plant group. We have waited three months for them finally allow for residents to ask important questions about our concerns about the power plant's effects on our health and safety, the environment and our property values.

Sugar Land spokesman Doug Adolph said city officials have been responding to residents' questions since the project was announced, but Hurricane Beryl delayed the process of setting up community meetings about the plant. There is also a plant project page on the city's website where updates will be provided.

"We take community concerns seriously," Adolph said.

Gary Ray, who lives in the Robinson Landing community and has worked in power plants in Deer Park, said he moved to Sugar Land to avoid living next to one. My house is 1,400 yards from the site, according to Google Maps.

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Sugar Land's role in deal yet to be determined

The city has granted Wartsila Development and Financials Services, Inc., site access to study the feasibility of the proposed project, to be located north of U.S. 90 and west of Texas 6.

Residents on Wednesday heard a presentation from Sugar Land Economic Development and Tourism assistant director Alba Penate-Johnson, Mayor Joe Zimmerman, Chris Steubing, director of special projects at Sugar Land and Wartsila representatives Russell Weeks, Edward Torres and Molly Wright.

After the presentation, a line formed in the aisle, and among those asking questions were many individuals who said they have backgrounds in STEM and Houston's oil and gas industry. STEM backgrounds and experience in the Houston oil and gas industry.

Questions centered on the plant's location, if transmission lines would pass through Cullinan Park, and whether increasing energy generation was truly the solution to storm-related issues, given that the problem might be more about transmission than a lack of energy.

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Attendees quickly became frustrated with what they felt were vague responses, as many questions were answered with, were still in the early stages.

The question was is the city of Sugar Land going to invest capital in this? and the answer is 'no'," Zimmerman said in response to a resident's question. "We've got land. It probably going to be a ground lease. We would work out those terms and conditions when we get to that point, we're not there now.

How does would the plant benefit Sugar Land?

As a resident of Sugar Land, how does this benefit me? asked Susheem Mehta. In case of a power failure, Im not going to get electricity automatically. Secondly, what kind of revenue stream does the city anticipate once the power plant is installed here? If the city is not investing any money, then who gets the revenue?

Zimmerman said the project is just beginning the preliminary analysis stage. I cant tell you what the return on investment is; we haven't gotten to that stage yet.

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Adolph said Thursday that the primary goal of this project is to deliver clean and sustainable power to the Texas grid, enhancing grid resiliency in Texas and the surrounding region.

"Adding capacity to the Texas grid and the surrounding region directly benefits our residents," he said.

"A secondary benefit is the city is considering a revenue-sharing agreement with the developer. This agreement would allow the city to reinvest in infrastructure, maintenance and economic development opportunities that help maintain one of the states lowest tax rates while also providing the high level of services our residents expect."

The atmosphere became increasingly tense, and Zimmerman ended the meeting amid a loud chorus of boos and heckling.

After the meeting, New Territory residents Daisy Zhang and Sara Chou started an online petition against the power plant, which had received nearly 1,900 signatures by Thursday morning.

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Hundreds of New Territory residents attended, and people had to wait in a long line to bring up concerns, Zhang said in an interview. The officials failed to address the resident's concerns. Unfortunately, still some residents dont know or know very little about the project. Also some nearby neighborhoods which will be impacted but dont belong to Sugar Land are not informed at all.

Background on the proposed power plant

In June, Sugar Land city officials announced their intention to build a new 135-megawatt natural gas power plant on the tract of land near Sugar Land Regional Airport and Cullinan Park.

This facility will provide at least 100 MW of dispatchable power generation, according to the citys presentation, now available on its website. Its goal is to deliver clean and sustainable power to the Texas grid, enhancing grid resiliency in Texas and the surrounding region.

The Sugar Land City Council approved a 12-month, $4,165 ground lease between the city and Wartsila to begin a study at the site.

The developer that would construct the plant has not been chosen, said Adolph.

We are very early in the process, Adolph said Thursday afternoon. Much needs to occur  including surveys, analysis and an interconnection study  to determine if the project is feasible and quality of life concerns like air quality and noise are addressed. Staff plans to speak at additional meetings organized by the community.

Zimmerman was not available for comment this week after the meeting.
The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination issued its findings on Pakistan, and called on the nation to take the necessary measures to investigate and prosecute reports of enforced disappearances, reported The Balochistan Post. Pakistan has been urged by the UN to ratify the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance and to set aside enough funds to create and carry out policies aimed at stopping forced disappearances, especially those that affect marginalised ethnic groups like the Baloch. The UN Committee for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination released its report on Pakistan at a meeting on Friday in Geneva. The committee called on Islamabad to investigate and prosecute reports of enforced disappearances involving politicians, public officials, human rights campaigners, and leaders of ethnic and ethnoreligious groups, reported The Balochistan Post. The committee stressed that individuals found guilty must answer for their actions and receive punishments appropriate to their crimes. The UN panel further suggested that the government of Pakistan offer the victims and their families proper remedies, which should include rehabilitation, restitution, guarantees of non-repetition, cessation, and compensation. Additionally, it also called for the reform or repeal of Pakistan's blasphemy laws, particularly those that impose severe penalties such as life imprisonment or the death penalty. The committee stressed that these laws must be specific, not broad or vague, and must align with international human rights standards. The committee addressed economic disparities, urging Pakistan to reduce poverty and unemployment among marginalised ethnic groups, including the Baloch. It recommended facilitating equal access to employment opportunities, providing training and support for small business development, adopting institutional measures to increase reinvestment into local communities--including those in Balochistan--from revenues generated by natural resource exploitation, and requiring thorough consultations with affected communities to obtain their free, prior, and informed consent before granting licences for resource exploitation. The UN committee also demanded that housing and living circumstances be improved in places where ethnic minority groups are concentrated, with a focus on infrastructure and access to essential social welfare services like power, clean water, and sanitary facilities. The committee finally urged Pakistan to rigorously investigate all complaints of harassment, intimidation, and excessive use of force by security and law enforcement officials, particularly at checkpoints. (ANI)
The ongoing humanitarian crisis and human rights abuses in Burma exacerbate difficulties faced by members of many of Burma's ethnic and religious minority groups, and Rohingya in particular, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement on Saturday. The United States stands with the survivors of the Rohingya genocide and is committed to providing life-saving assistance to affected members of Rohingya communities and those affected by the crisis in Burma, Bangladesh, and the region, he added. In a separate post on X on Sunday, Blinken said, "Today marks the seventh anniversary of the Burma military's genocide and crimes against humanity targeting Rohingya. The United States continues to honor the victims and stand with the survivors as they seek justice and accountability for these atrocities." https://x.com/SecBlinken/status/1827475976412147984 In his statement, the US Secretary of State Blinken said, "Over the past seven years, the United States has contributed nearly USD 2.4 billion in humanitarian assistance. They also conduct extensive documentation of the atrocities and abuses committed against Rohingya and all civilians." Blinken further reiterated his support for the Burmese people. "Our support for the people of Burma in their aspirations for a democratic, inclusive, and peaceful future is unwavering, as are our calls on all parties to protect civilians from harm," he added. The stateless Muslim Rohingya minority, having fled ethnic cleansing operations in Myanmar in 2017, is particularly vulnerable in India and Bangladesh. Bangladesh currently hosts 1 million Rohingya refugees in congested refugee camps located in Cox's Bazar on the border with Myanmar. (ANI)
The Sindhi Foundation on Sunday announced its sixth protest for the safe and unconditional return of Priya Kumari, a six-year-old Sindhi girl who was abducted in Pakistan on August 19, 2021. The protest will be held on August 30 in New York City in front of the Consulate General of Pakistan, the Sindhi Foundation said in a statement. "The International Day of Victims of Enforced Disappearances, August 30th, is important. We dedicate it to Priya Kumari, who was abducted in the Sindh province of Pakistan," Sufi Laghari, Executive Director of the Sindhi Foundation, said. Laghari added, "In Sindh, enforced disappearances are now a routine, it is happening every other day. Recently the State of Pakistan again revived half-fry and full-fry tactics against Sindhi nationalists. Pakistan authorities use different methods to create fear among the Sindhi people. Sindhi people will never let these methods be successful." According to the statement released by the Sindhi Foundation, the protests for Priya Kumari have three impacts. It is keeping up the momentum of Sindh's struggle in the Sindhi diaspora, it is keeping the hope up in Sindh and is bringing awareness not only about Priya Kumari's case, but also about overall situation in Pakistan's Sindh province relating to human rights and Sindhi national movement. The statement claimed, "We are showing the real face of Pakistan and at the same time exposing the character of Pakistani diplomats. We organized two protests in front of the Pakistani consulate in Chicago and Houston respectively and one in front of the High Commissioner of Pakistan in London. In all the three protests Pakistani diplomats refused to receive our memorandums highlighting our issues." The Sindhi Foundation's statement highlighted that the people in Sindh do not have any trust in the police, courts and justice system, while internationally, the Sindhi diaspora does not trust Pakistani diplomats. Therefore, the community has no other option but to bring their issues to international media. The statement further mentioned that in the Pakistani assembly, only two parliamentarians spoke about Priya Kumari's case and all others remained silent. "We will be gathering in New York on the day of International Enforced Disappearances to highlight the Priya Kumari case," the statement said. While highlighting the ongoing atrocities in Pakistan's Sindh province, the statement lamented the actions of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) leader and President of Pakistan, Asif Ali Zardari, claiming that he has sold the rights of Sindh in many ways to the Pakistan Military and became a puppet of the Pakistani security establishment. Zardari has allowed seven new upstream canals from the river Indus, increasing the intervention of the army in Pakistan. He handed over the precious forest land of Sindh to the army under the pretext of corporate agriculture. He also handed over the historic Karoonjhar mountains--a world's cultural heritage site--to the Pakistani army for mining of minerals. He agreed to further marginalise the Sindhi language in the educational system. He continues to remain tight-lipped about state-sponsored crimes against Hindus of Sindh which are aimed at forcing Hindus to migrate. Due to the misconceived policies of the Pakistani state, the emergence of radical and political Islam is not only a threat to the secular and Sufi culture of Sindh but it has also endangered the peace of the whole world. The Sindhi Foundation, in its statement, further appealed to the world to raise their voice against the illegal occupation of Sindh by the Pakistani army and help Sindhis get freedom from the terrorist state of Pakistan. (ANI)
The bus was en route to Pakistan's Punjab from Iran. The injured and the dead were rushed to the District Headquarters Hospital in Othal.

At least 10 people were killed and 15 were reported injured, as per ARY News.

Further details of the accident are awaited, ARY News stated, fearing rise in the death toll.

Earlier on January 17, At least two people were killed and 25 others were injured after a passenger bus overturned in Hub City, Balochistan, according to ARY News.

According to reports, the incident occurred in Bella, Hub, when a passenger bus toppled, killing two people on the spot and injuring over a dozen others. The bus was on its way to Karachi from Quetta when the incident happened, according to ARY News.

According to ARY News, the rescue personnel arrived at the scene after being notified and transported the deceased and injured to a nearby medical facility.

Road accidents have been recorded across Pakistan as a result of severe fog during the winter.

On January 16, two individuals lost their lives after two cars collided as a result of severe fog near Ghamandpur village, Bahawalnagar, ARY News reported. Meanwhile, rescue workers transported the injured to a neighbouring hospital, where they were treated before being moved to the headquarters hospital.

At least three people were killed in a collision between a bus and a rickshaw near Hub Chowki in Pakistan's Karachi on November 13 last year.

The accident took place near Hub Chowki when an overspeeding bus collided with a rickshaw and motorcycle. Three people, including a woman and a girl, died in the accident. (ANI)
Following the sinking of a superyacht off the coast of Sicily earlier this week, which claimed the lives of British IT entrepreneur Mike Lynch and six other people, Italian authorities have launched a manslaughter probe into the incident, CNN reported. Prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio announced the investigation and stated that the crew's actions and the manner in which the boat was handled were the real causes of the ship's sinking, not the weather. He further clarified that the probe was not directed at any individual. "There are many possibilities for culpability. It could be just the captain. It could be the whole crew. It could be the guard. We are evaluating all of the factors to see whose behaviour fault can be assigned to," Cartosio said. "A dossier, at present against unknown persons, alleging the crime of negligent shipwreck and manslaughter," he continued, referring to the prosecutor's office's filing. The ship, which had a British flag, sank on Monday in a violent storm. It had 22 passengers and crew members on board. Over the course of the last four days, divers have worked approximately 50 metres (160 feet) underwater to rescue seven bodies. The final one, which is thought to be Hannah, Lynch's 18-year-old daughter, was discovered on Friday, according to CNN. The other missing people whose bodies were recovered are thought to be those of Morgan Stanley International director Jonathan Bloomer and his wife Judy Bloomer, prominent American lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda Morvillo, as well as that of onboard chef Recaldo Thomas. (ANI)
Several lawmakers have urged the US Food and Drug Administration to initiate an investigation over US biopharmaceutical companies conducting clinical trials alongside the People's Liberation Army (PLA) in Xinjiang, The Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (SCCCP) said in a release. In a recent letter submitted to Robert Califf, the commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration department, US lawmakers John Moolenaar, the Chairman of SCCCP, along with Raja Krishnamoorthi, Anna Eshoo and Neal Dunn, raised serious concerns that the PLA is co-opting sensitive intellectual property through these clinical trials and questioned the ethics of conducting these trials in Xinjiang, where the Chinses administration is already involved in human rights abuses over the Uyghur community. The SCCCP statement claimed that "Publicly available information on the FDA's website, 'clinicaltrials.gov', reveals that major US biopharmaceutical companies have conducted hundreds of clinical trials alongside a PLA entity over the last 10 years. In addition to working with the PLA, the lawmakers identified U.S. companies conducting clinical trials in Xinjiang. The CCP forces ethnic minorities in Xinjiang to participate in gruesome medical procedures, which likely overlap with FDA-approved research". The SCCCP members also question the correctness and trustworthiness of the trial results by stating that the questioned clinical trial data was produced overseas from PLA institutions. "The FDA has previously declined to approve oncology treatments based on clinical trial data solely produced from clinical trial sites in China, suggesting the FDA should also impose similar scrutiny to clinical trial work done in cooperation with the PLA," the statement read. The letter written by the SCCCP to FDA stated, " According to the publicly available data on the clinicaltrials.gov website, over the last ten years, major US biopharmaceutical companies have conducted hundreds of clinical trials in China that included at least one entity with PLA in the name of a research trial partner. Even today, one major U.S. biopharmaceutical entity is actively recruiting patients for an advanced Alzheimer's drug trial and is partnered with the PLA's General Hospital and Medical School and the PLA's Air Force Medical University. Previously, another U.S. biopharmaceutical entity used the 307 Hospital of the PLA as the setting for a cancer therapeutic clinical trial. The 307 Hospital of the PLA is directly operated by the PLA's Academy of Military Medical Sciences (AMMS), an entity on the US Department of Commerce's Entity List that precludes U.S. companies from transferring technology to The Academy of Mathematics and Systems Science (AMSS) due to the threat it poses to US national security". In addition to working with the PLA, there are also US biopharmaceutical trials listed on the website that were conducted with hospitals located in the XUAR, where credible investigative reports have shown that ethnic minorities in the region are repeatedly forced by the CCP to surrender their body autonomy. (ANI)
The Strategic Communication Department of UAE's Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a press release said that a financial contribution of USD 105 million to support humanitarian efforts in Ukraine has been done.

Successful mediation of seven prisoner exchanges between Russia and Ukraine, resulted in the release of 1,788 captives, with the most recent exchange in August 2024 freeing 230 individuals, the release added.

Deployment of 14 aid aeroplanes carrying relief supplies to Ukraine, along with two ships conveying humanitarian aid to Romania.

Provision of 1,015 tonnes of food and relief supplies to Ukraine as well as well as distribution of 7,500 laptops and 10,000 school bags to support continued education in Ukraine, the release said.

Delivery of 4,520 electric generators to alleviate harsh winter conditions and power outages along with the contribution of 50 fully-equipped ambulances to support Ukraine's health sector.

Dispatch of humanitarian aid to Ukrainian refugees in Moldova, Poland, and Bulgaria and coordination with the International Humanitarian City in Dubai to send 125 tonnes of food and medical relief using two aeroplanes supplied by international organisations based in the UAE. (ANI)
Mobile network and internet woes still continue with spotty network in the area as of Friday, the Bangladeshi daily reported.

Residents said that water has fully drained from Mohipal Road and power is available in parts of Feni city, including the DC Office and its surrounding areas.

Although trucks with supplies and rescue equipment are entering the city, the rural areas of the district still await fresh water and dry rations.

A resident of Feni city, Mohammad Riazul Hasan, told the Dhaka Tribune, "The water level in the municipality area is significantly lower. But I heard that other areas are still inundated."

Riazul said the canals were overflowing in the downstream area in Sonagazi.

Rescue volunteers suffered from foot fungus due to prolonged exposure to water.

Dhaka Tribune quoted Abdullah Al Mamun, a volunteer in Feni, as saying, "We have tried to reach Sonagazi on Friday. But we failed as we do not have speedboats."

Mamun said that load shedding and spotty mobile network caused difficulty in communication, which hampered the rescue process.

Mamun also said the water level in other parts went down by 5-6 inches.

Bangladesh Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus on Saturday urged all parties to cooperate in addressing health and food risks once floodwaters recede, the Dhaka Tribune stated.

On August 22, Chittagong floods worsened after nine upazillas submerged, and 45,916 families, which had 2,48,050 individuals, were facing severe distress, the Dhaka Tribune reported.

Chittagong District Relief and Rehabilitation Officer Saifulah Majumder said that 800 tons of rice have been allocated for disaster relief, with 200 tons distributed across the affected areas.

Between August 19-21, over 3.5 lakh people were stranded in Feni city due to flooding after water entered the city through breeches, Dhaka Tribune reported. (ANI)
At least 13 people have died and 14 others are missing after a boat sank off the coast of Yemen, Al Jazeera reported, citing the United Nations migration agency. In a statement on Sunday, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said, "A migrant boat capsized off the coast of Yemen's Taiz governorate on Tuesday." It further said that the boat, which departed from Djibouti with 25 Ethiopians and two Yemeni nations, sank near Dubab district in Bani al-Hakam subdistrict in Yemen, Al Jazeera reported. The IOM said 11 men and two women were among those confirmed dead as a search operation is being conducted to locate the missing, including the Yemeni captain and his assistant. It stated that the cause of the capsizing of the ship remains unclear. https://x.com/IOM_Yemen/status/1827599127074480274 The acting chief of IOM's mission in Yemen stated, "This latest tragedy is a stark reminder of the perils faced by migrants on this route." "Every life lost in these dangerous waters is one too many, and it is imperative that we do not normalise these devastating losses and instead work collectively to ensure that migrants are protected and supported throughout their journeys," Huber added. The IOM said that the boat capsize incident on Tuesday follows similar shipwrecks in June and July. The UN agency said, "[It] is yet another devastating reminder of the extreme dangers of this migration route and the reliance on smuggling networks. Vulnerable migrants are often pushed into perilous conditions by smugglers as they attempt to flee desperate circumstances in search of safety and opportunity in the Gulf states." Tens of thousands of refugees and migrants set off yearly from the Horn of Africa to escape conflict, natural disasters or poor economic prospects and travel across the Red Sea to reach the Gulf, Al Jazeera reported. In 2023, the IOM recorded over 97,200 arrivals in Yemen in 2023, surpassing the previous year's numbers. People who are unable to reach Yemen often face such threats to their safety, as the Arabian Peninsula's poorest country has been mired in civil war for nearly 10 years. Many people are attempting to reach Saudi Arabia and other Gulf nations for employment as labourers or domestic workers. (ANI)
Oman's Foreign Minister, Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamood Albusaidi, is set to make an official visit to Nepal from August 26-27. During his visit, he will engage in bilateral meetings with his Nepali counterpart, focusing on discussions to further enhance the ties between Nepal and Oman. At the invitation of Dr. Arzu Rana Deuba, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Government of Nepal, Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamood Albusaidi, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Government of Oman is paying an official visit to Nepal on August 26-27 August 2024, a press release by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Nepal said. Notably, the two Foreign Ministers will hold bilateral meetings and discuss various matters on further strengthening Nepal-Oman relations. The Foreign Minister of Oman will pay a courtesy call to the President and Prime Minister of Nepal. The Foreign Minister of Oman will leave Kathmandu on August 27, 2024, the release added. Nepal and Oman established their diplomatic relations on 21 January 1977, according to the official website of the Embassy of Nepal in Muscat, Oman. The relations between the two countries have always remained cordial and friendly. Mutual trust, respect, understanding and cooperation form the strong basis of bilateral relations between two countries. The Nepal government opened its embassy in Muscat on September 1, 2013. Nepal and Oman share similar views on several global agendas and issues. Both countries are members of the United Nations, Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), G-77, ACD and some other international forums. They have been working together and also playing an active role in these forums for the promotion of international peace and security, collective progress, prosperity as well as the well-being of global citizens, according Embassy of Nepal in Muscat. (ANI)
From August 19 to 28, 2024, China is hosting 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. In an interview, IPU Secretary-General Martin Chungong praised Chinas contributions to supporting parliaments in the Global South to implement the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Chungong highlighted that China has provided crucial resources to the IPU, which have significantly benefited the relationship between the IPU, the NPC, and China overall. He also noted that the upcoming summit between African and Chinese leaders is a vital part of the South-South cooperation strategy, aimed at increasing the Global Souths presence in global governance systems.

Chinas Belt and Road Initiative and the vision of a Community with a Shared Future exemplify how to share prosperity and address common challenges globally, said Chungong. He emphasized that Chinas efforts in this regard serve as a model for other developing countries, particularly in tackling issues like poverty, climate change, and infrastructure deficits.
Paxton Hagner, a sophomore in Cy-Fair ISD, describes the how his nebulizer breathing treatments work, Friday, Aug. 24, 2024, in Houston. Paxtons mother, Heather, has had trouble getting the school to approve administering his life-saving breathing medication, and other meds, to her autistic son, due to a recent reversal in a district policy, implemented based on controversial new guidelines from the Texas School Nurses Organization. Jason Fochtman/Staff photographer Paxton Hagner, a sophomore in Cy-Fair ISD, describes the anxiety he feels before and during a nebulizer breathing treatment, Friday, Aug. 24, 2024, in Houston. Paxtons mother, Heather, has had trouble getting the school to approve administering his life-saving breathing medication, and other meds, to her autistic son, due to a recent reversal in a district policy, implemented based on controversial new guidelines from the Texas School Nurses Organization. Jason Fochtman/Staff photographer Paxton Hagner, a sophomore in Cy-Fair ISD, describes the anxiety he feels before and during a nebulizer breathing treatment, Friday, Aug. 24, 2024, in Houston. Paxtons mother, Heather, has had trouble getting the school to approve administering his life-saving breathing medication, and other meds, to her autistic son, due to a recent reversal in a district policy, implemented based on controversial new guidelines from the Texas School Nurses Organization. Jason Fochtman/Staff photographer Paxton Hagner, a sophomore in Cy-Fair ISD, describes the anxiety he feels before and during a nebulizer breathing treatment, Friday, Aug. 24, 2024, in Houston. Paxtons mother, Heather, has had trouble getting the school to approve administering his life-saving breathing medication, and other meds, to her autistic son, due to a recent reversal in a district policy, implemented based on controversial new guidelines from the Texas School Nurses Organization. Jason Fochtman/Staff photographer

Heather Hagner waited on edge for her 15-year-old son, Paxton, to come home from school Monday. When he did, he was a wreck, just as she feared.

He was completely nonverbal, having a full-blown meltdown. Im trying to figure out if something happened, if hes hurt or whats wrong, Hagner said.

The sophomore has autism and he doesnt have the ability to verbalize what is wrong when he is agitated, she said. She suspected he may not have received a dose of his daily psychiatric medicine that the school nurse was supposed to administer.

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By the time I got my son verbal, he notified me that, no, he did not, in fact, get the medication, she said.

It was confirmed by the school that the teen had not received the dose in the wake of confusion surrounding updated school nursing guidelines as the 2024-25 school year kicks off.

Earlier that day, her sons first day of school in the Cy-Fair Independent School District, Hagner, who does not drive due to her seizures, had her husband take the day off work to drive her to campus to drop off three medications.

When she arrived, she found out she had not received an email 10 days earlier about the district updating its medication administration policy to comply with stricter guidelines from the Texas School Nurses Organization.

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These guidelines came after the organization received input from the Texas Board of Nursing that a parents request is not sufficient by itself for nurses to administer medication. This is true for all nurses in every setting, according to a document describing the updates.

This caused school nurses across the state to scramble because the guidelines were released in early August, just before the start of school, according to the supervisor of health services at neighboring Spring Branch ISD, Connie Hamon.

There was a great deal of weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth, so to speak, after the toolkit came out, Hamon said. It really was a blow because were trying to get ready for the kids who are coming in.

Among the new guidelines was a clause that said school nurses could not administer prescription or over-the-counter medication without a parent and doctors signature. That includes topicals, like antibiotic ointment and Vaseline, alongside oral medications like Tylenol and Advil.

The Texas School Nurses Organization does not have the power to force school nurses to comply with the guidelines so districts do not technically have to adopt the new guidelines. The 32-page toolkit districts received, however, stated that nurses could face disciplinary action with the Texas Board of Nursing if they did not. The guidelines have since been taken off the school nurses groups website.

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In its wake, Cy-Fair and some other districts raced to find a way to comply in the two weeks before school began.

The district adopted a hybrid policy that received a standing physicians order for five common over-the-counter medications: acetaminophen (e.g. Tylenol), ibuprofen (e.g. Advil, Motrin), naproxen (e.g. Aleve), diphenhydramine (e.g. Benadryl) and calcium carbonate (antacids).

They also created a uniform prescription clearance form which had to be signed by the doctor and a parent for all prescription and OTC medications.

I actually admired that they came up with a plan of any sort within the time frame that they were given, Hamon said. Its not one that I wanted to enact here. Personally, I wanted us to hold steady.

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Hurdles for care

Hagner came to the high school on Monday with a letter from her sons doctor about how to administer his prescription medicine, ready to sign the parent form upon arrival.

Typically, you just fill out the parent form that says, basically, Im providing this medication with this prescription label. I acknowledge that the school is not to be held liable in case of an emergency, Hagner said.

But she was told the doctor would have to sign the districts form first, and only then could she sign the parent portion of the same form. Hagner also showed up with an EpiPen, for life-threatening allergic reactions, and an emergency breathing medicine for her sons asthma, both with their prescriptions and directions for administration, but was not allowed to drop them off without the same form signed by both the physician and herself.

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After some haggling, a district administrator told the parent that her doctors letter would be enough for her son to receive the daily psychiatric medicine, but not for the other two, meaning that until she got the new forms signed by a doctor, her son would not be able to receive them while at school unless she came to administer them.

In an emergency situation, if Paxton is saying he cant breathe, youre telling me you have to wait for me to fight traffic and fight to get up here to administer his non-narcotic breathing medication? Hagner recalled asking the campus nurse.

This put the mom of three special-needs children in a difficult situation, she said, because getting doctors signatures could take weeks. Plus its costly, since her practitioners generally charge for each signature.

Most of us special-needs parents spend the entirety of the summer taking care of what we know is going to be requested of us come the beginning of school, Hagner said, referring to the different doctors that prescribe medications and the time it takes to get them. Im supposed to sit here knowing that Im sending my child to school and he does not have access to his medication until I go through that whole dance of protocols and procedures because I was just notified on the first day of school.

The mom tried to figure out what to do outside the nurses office Monday, knowing her sons asthma can be triggered by heat, and the high of the day was 99 degrees.

Hagner watched some mothers cry and others become combative outside the nurses office, as more parents came to the realization she had only moments earlier: Their children would not receive the medicine they needed while at school unless the new form was filled out.

And if their children needed one of the OTC medications not on the districts list, such as an anti-itch cream for mosquito bites or antibiotic ointment for a cut, they would not receive treatment without a pre-signed form they had just received.

The district did send out an email about these changes, but Hagners went to an address she no longer uses. Some parents did receive the email with time to fill out the new forms.

When reached for comment for this story, a spokesperson for Cy-Fair ISD referred to the districts email to parents on Aug. 9.

Addressing the confusion

On the same day as Cy-Fair ISDs first day of school, the Texas Board of Nursing published a statement addressing some of the frenzy created by the new guidelines. The board wrote that it was going to look over its policy, which was put into law in 2006, yet in the meantime the board will rely on its previous guidance, giving districts the choice to operate as they had been since 2006 or update their policies.

They also acknowledged that requiring a parent to provide an order from a students provider for seemingly innocuous over-the-counter medications can be burdensome.

A Texas Board of Nursing spokesperson declined to provide further details until the guidance had been finalized and referred to the boards Aug. 19 statement for more information.

I do believe that what you said is the crux, and that is, We can continue as we were, until you hear from us again. And I appreciate that, because we needed something, Hamon said.

Still, Hamon said she hoped the board of nursing would not codify the new guidelines, and if they did, she hoped they would do so with ample time for districts to comply.

The Spring Branch board seconded Hamons views at a workshop on Aug. 12, during which members spoke out strongly against the new guidelines and vowed to take legal action against any laws that might stem from them.

I was so disturbed by the bureaucratic overreach and the potential usurping of parent rights here that I wanted our community to be informed, and I want us to brainstorm about how to deal with this problem, said board president Lisa Alpe. Its unfair to our nurses, and I think its unfair to our parents.

According to district data gathered by SBISD, 34,532 visits to the nurses office in the last school year would have been affected by the new guidelines.

When Hamon and her team gave a presentation about the updates at the board workshop, she brought a bag of OTC medications that would be affected and lined them up in front of her nameplate. Among the array was Vaseline, anti-itch cream and salt for saltwater gargles.

They mentioned Vaseline for chapped lips in that toolkit. I mean, its not a diagnosis to look at a childs lips that are cracking and bleeding and say, I think those are chapped lips, Hamon said. That is an observation, and then we give a comfort measure. Thats what we do as nurses.

The board of nursing hasnt given any timeline of when its updated regulations will be released, but in the meantime, nurses have some room to breathe, Hamon said.

The guidelines, however, had already made an impact, she said.

Suddenly, everybody is unsure of themselves, and theyre unsure of their nursing practice, and they dont know what to do. Weve been conditioned to be very careful, to obey those regulations and the policies that are brought down to us from the board of nursing, Hamon said. It had this effect of just taking the wind out of our sails.

It made Hamon reflect on her own practice, too, after over 40 years as a nurse.

The first time a child walked in and had an infected wound on their leg, I just about cried because that was why I became a nurse, so that I could sit down with this kid. I could teach them how to do wound care, Hamon said. I wrote them a pass so that they could come back twice a day so that I could care for them because their parent didnt know how. And then I got it translated into Spanish so that the student could take it (home).

Hamon said she could not think of a reason why these guidelines would be helpful or necessary.

It seems like it came out of left field, Hamon said. There is a lot of conversation between districts and between nurse directors and between all of us. Nobody has heard any reason for this.

Moving forward

Hagner said Cy-Fair ISD has made an effort to work with her to get Paxton his regulatory medicine in the days following the confusion, and although he did not receive a dose on the first day, he has since received doses at school.

Still, her experience provides a clue to what new regulations surrounding school nursing might look like in practice.

The mom is still working on getting the doctors signatures for her sons three prescription medications. In the meantime, she is waiting every day hoping he does not have an anaphylactic reaction or an asthma attack.

I have to hope and pray all day long and hold my breath from 6:15 a.m. until he gets home at 3:43 p.m., Hagner said.

She asks herself: Is he going to die today? Is he going to end up in an ambulance today because they refuse to give a medication that already has a prescription on it  all because of a technicality?

Hagner said she is concerned about future implementation of these guidelines.
Pakistani YouTuber Aun Ali Khosa posted a cryptic video on YouTube on Sunday where he is seen visibly scared in the beginning and then he eerily smiles, The Express Tribune reported. He captioned the video as "loading..." Earlier on August 20, Khosa's lawyers said that he had safely returned home. This is his first video after his alleged abduction in the intervening night between August 14 and 15. The Lahore High Court (LHC) had instructed the Lahore police to locate Khosa by August 20, following a petition filed by his wife, Binish Iqbal. She had alleged that her husband was being held unlawfully by law enforcement authorities and expressed serious concerns for his safety, fearing he might be a victim of 'enforced disappearance'. Iqbal's petition described Khosa as a "digital content creator, writer, and respected comedian/artist with a substantial YouTube following of 137,000 subscribers." It detailed that on August 15 at 2 a.m., a group of masked individuals and police officers forcibly entered his apartment, seizing his phone, laptop, computer system, and digital camera. On August 15 Ali Sher Khosa, Aun Ali's brother alleged that the popular Youtuber had been kidnapped from his home. "Today in the middle of the night my brother Aun Khosa has been taken into custody by some unknown armed men from his flat in Lahore. Kindly pray for him. Do spread the word as it will mean a lot to our family," he had posted on X. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) had also expressed alarm over Khosa's abduction, suggesting it might be connected to his satirical work, and called for his prompt release, reported Dawn News. Late night on August 19, Khosa's lawyer Khadija Siddiqi posted on X, confirming: "Alhamdulillah, Aun Ali Khosa has been released! He has reached home!" In a separate post on X, Siddiqi expressed concern about the frequent abductions, stating: "Over the last two months, we have fought all missing persons cases, including Aun Ali's, at the Lahore High Court." (ANI)
The United Nations mission in Afghanistan expressed deep concern on Sunday regarding the new morality law imposed by Afghanistan's de facto authorities, which imposes restrictions on personal conduct, and said that the law is a distressing vision for Afghanistan's future. Taliban authorities this week announced the ratification of a Law on the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, with 35 articles detailing restrictions on the Afghan population with arbitrary and severe enforcement mechanisms. In a statement released on Sunday, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said, "UNAMA is concerned by the promulgation by Afghanistan's de facto authorities of a morality law which imposes wide-ranging and far-reaching restrictions on personal conduct and provides morality police with broad powers of enforcement." "It is a distressing vision for Afghanistan's future, where moral inspectors have discretionary powers to threaten and detain anyone based on broad and sometimes vague lists of infractions," said Roza Otunbayeva, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and head of UNAMA. Otunbayeva emphasized that the law imposes intolerable restrictions on the rights of Afghan women and girls. "It extends the already intolerable restrictions on the rights of Afghan women and girls, with even the sound of a female voice outside the home apparently deemed a moral violation," she said. "After decades of war and in the midst of a terrible humanitarian crisis, the Afghan people deserve much better than being threatened or jailed if they happen to be late for prayers, glance at a member of the opposite sex who is not a family member, or possess a photo of a loved one," Otunbayeva added. Notably, the Ministry for the "Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice," which was founded in 2021 following the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan, released the legislation on Wednesday. On Thursday, ministry spokesman Maulvi Abdul Ghafar Farooq stated, "Inshallah, we assure you that this Islamic law will be of great help in the promotion of virtue and the elimination of vice." The laws were endorsed by supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada the previous day. Article 13 of the document addresses women, detailing how they should dress and behave in public. Women are now required to cover their entire bodies, including their faces, in public to prevent temptation and avoid tempting others. As a result, the commonly worn hijab, which covers only the hair and neck without covering the face, is no longer deemed acceptable, Global News had reported. Women are now prohibited from singing, reciting, or reading aloud in public, as a woman's voice is considered "intimate" and should not be heard. It is not clear whether speaking is also prohibited. Additionally, the laws state that women are not allowed to look at men who are not related to them by blood or marriage, and vice versa. Violating these rules could lead to warnings, property confiscation, or detention for up to three days. The ministry has already been implementing similar morality standards and reports having detained thousands for breaches. (ANI)
Pakistan's Information Minister Attaullah Tarar has accused Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and its founder, Imran Khan, of fostering the politics of disruption in the country, calling the party 'Tehreek-e-Inteshar' (Disruption Party), The Express Tribune reported. While addressing a press conference on Saturday, he called PTI "Tehreek-e-Inteshar" (Disruption Party), alleging that the party was involved in activities detrimental to national interests. He said, "The Tehreek-e-Inteshar has consistently propagated against our national institutions and has never hesitated to damage the country's interests." He accused Imran Khan of dividing society and inciting people against one another, resulting in internal conflicts within the party itself, according to The Express Tribune report. Attaullah Tarar also spoke about internal strife within the PTI, mentioning how the party was engulfed in internal divisions. He alleged that former Pakistan PM Imran Khan's sister Aleema Khan had told PTI leader Rauf Hassan that Imran Khan's wife Bushra Bibi was spreading false news. "Bushra Bibi is spreading a false narrative for sympathy," Tarar quoted Aleema as saying. He also mentioned that various factions existed within the PTI, stressing that disinformation cells were actively operating within the party, The Express Tribune reported. He said, "One disinformation cell was run by Raoof Hasan and Aleema Khan, while another was being managed by Bushra Bibi." The federal minister said that these internal divisions were symptomatic of the chaos and discord within PTI. Tarar further said that the politics of hatred and division never end well, and added that efforts to harm Pakistan for political gains were ongoing. He added, "The party of those who engage in the politics of hatred and division is itself in disarray." Meanwhile, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has constituted a committee led by Pakistan's former President Arif Alvi, ARY News reported, citing sources. The committee has been asked to address the internal rifts and submit recommendations within a week. Arif Alvi will head the committee, which will hold meetings with PTI leaders and stakeholders to hear their concerns and grievances. (ANI)
The Balochistan government has imposed a 90-day ban on the entry of Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) leader Manzoor Pashteen into the region, The Balochistan Post reported. The notification issued by the Balochistan Home Department stated that the current ban on Pashteen will restrict his entry into Balochistan until November 20 this year. In the notification, the administration claimed that the ban was announced "in the best interest of public peace and security." PTM leader from the Balochistan province, Zubair Shah, has condemned local administration's decision. He said that this ban was imposed to stop Manzoor Pashteen from meeting leaders in Balochistan before October 11, for the 'Pashtun National Jirga', a major gathering of the Pashtun community. Zubair Shah also claimed that the ban demonstrates the state's panic relating to the organization of the Pashtun National Jirga. He said, "The state and its institutions are in a state of confusion," The Balochistan Post reported. He further said that a national decision will be made at the 'Pashtun National Jirga' regarding what he described as 77 years of "oppression, coercion, and exploitation faced by the Pashtun nation" on October 11, according to The Balochistan Post report. Notably, the PTM has been raising issues of the Pashtun community in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Previously, the PTM had held a huge rally, stretching from Sultan Khel Market to Landi Kotal Bazar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to protest against alleged fake operations and military policies considered terrorism in the province. Protesters passionately declared, "Pashtuns will not allow their land to be used for further operations and wars," reflecting the sentiments of the participants. Thousands of people participated in this demonstration against what they perceive as ongoing oppression, state terrorism, exploitation of mineral resources, target killings, and kidnappings. During the demonstration, PTM founder Manzoor Pashteen said, "We will not tolerate this terrorist policy of the establishment and the army anymore. In this policy, not only the Pashtuns, but all nations and the lower class people are being exploited," The Balochistan Post reported. He criticised, "This is terrorism, and behind it is the uniform. If the military's terrorist policy is not changed, soon the common people will get fed up and overthrow the military regime. We are closely monitoring the public anger." In addition, the participants expressed their yearning for peace and justice, stressing the urgency to halt military operations and establish a fair and equitable system that upholds the rights and freedoms of all citizens. (ANI)
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has called off its power show in Lahore which was scheduled to be held on August 27, Pakistan-based Geo News reported. The announcement comes three days after Imran Khan-founded party shelved its public gathering in Islamabad. PTI's Secretary of Information for Punjab, Shaukat Mahmood Basra, has said that a new date for the rally in Lahore will be announced after their public meeting in Islamabad on September 8. He assured PTI would pay full attention to its upcoming political event. Earlier, the PTI had said that it would hold a rally in Islamabad's Tarnol at any cost, despite the revocation of the no objection certificate (NOC) by the local administration, which also closed roads leading to the federal capital. Later, PTI rescheduled its public gathering for September 8, according to Geo News report. PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan announced that the rally had been postponed after Imran Khan's directives. In a recent audio statement, former Pakistan Prime Minister's sister, Aleema Khan criticised the PTI leadership for not having any "real intention" of getting the PTI founder out of prison, Geo News reported. A short audio clip, purportedly featuring the voice of Aleema Khan, has surfaced on social media, in which a woman can be heard expressing frustration over the PTI rally's postponement. She questioned why senior PTI leader Azam Swati visited Imran Khan early in the morning and on whose behest. She asked, "Who instructed him [Swati] to meet Imran at 7 am and deliver a message regarding the rally's postponement?" Aleema Khan asked why they were consulting Imran Khan, who is currently incarcerated at Rawalpindi's Adiala jail and criticised the party's top brass for dragging their feet on making timely decisions, Geo News reported. Meanwhile, the federal government's spokesperson on legal affairs, Barrister Aqeel Malik, stated that the Centre approached Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur over the cancellation of the public gathering. He further said that PTI was granted conditional permission for a rally on September 8. (ANI)
Former US President Donald Trump has criticised the Biden administration's efforts concerning the situation in the Middle East and stressed that they should not have a third world war. Questioning the Biden administration on who is negotiating for the US in the Middle East, he said US President Joe Biden is sleeping on a beach in California while Vice President Kamala Harris is holding a campaign bus tour with her running mate and Minnesota Governor, Tim Walz. In a post on X, Trump stated, "Who is negotiating for us in the Middle East? Bombs are dropping all over the place! Sleepy Joe is sleeping on a Beach in California, viciously Exiled by the Democrats, and Comrade Kamala is doing a campaign bus tour with Tampon Tim, her really bad V.P. Pick. Let's not have World War lll, because that's where we're heading!" https://x.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1827737056186954201 Trump's statement comes amid escalating tensions in the Middle East following Israeli military pre-emptive strikes against what it said were "terror targets in Lebanon" after it claimed to have identified Hezbollah as "preparing to fire missiles and rockets toward Israeli territory." Hezbollah rejected the allegations, terming them "baseless." In response, Hezbollah responded with strikes of its own, which it called the "first phase" of its response to Israel. It has termed the salvo a "complete success," CNN reported. Earlier on Thursday, Trump said, "There will be no future under Comrade Kamala Harris, because she will take us into a Nuclear World War III! She will never be respected by the Tyrants of the World!" He made the remarks after Harris in her acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) spoke about the war in Gaza, The Washington Post reported. Trump took to his Truth Social account to make statements against Harris over her speech. In her address, Harris said, "I will always stand up for Israel's right to defend itself, and I will always ensure Israel has the ability to defend itself, because the people of Israel must never again face the horror that a terrorist organization called Hamas caused," Harris said, also stressing the widespread suffering of Palestinians," according to The Washington Post report. Around 100 Israeli Air Force fighter jets have struck and eliminated thousands of Hezbollah rocket launcher barrels aimed at northern and central Israel, according to a statement issued by Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Sunday. The fighter jets targeted more than 40 Hezbollah launch areas. https://x.com/IDF/status/1827583647211278535 The IDF stated that they would defend their civilians and Israel. In a post on X, the Israeli Defense Forces said, "Approx. 100 IAF fighter jets struck and eliminated thousands of Hezbollah rocket launcher barrels, aimed for immediate fire toward northern and central Israel. More than 40 Hezbollah launch areas were struck. We will do whatever is needed to defend our civilians and the State of Israel." https://x.com/IDF/status/1827546366484082784 Earlier in the day, Israel declared an emergency for the next 48 hours amid the country's escalating tensions with Lebanon. Israel's Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, declared an emergency. This comes as a "special situation in the home front," which enables the IDF Home Front Command to issue restrictions. In emergencies, the legal term "special situation" is used to give authorities more authority over the civilian population, simplifying attempts to protect them. It is valid for 48 hours, unless extended by cabinet ministers. As tensions continue to rise, the Israeli public remains on high alert, bracing for the possibility of further incidents. The IDF said, "Hezbollah has just launched over 150 projectiles from Lebanon toward Israeli territory. We target terrorist infrastructure, they target civilians." Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari warned the Lebanese citizens who are in southern Lebanon of possible attacks by Israel in retaliation to Hezbollah strikes, according to CNN report. In a press conference, the IDF spokesperson said, "We warn the Lebanese citizens who are in southern Lebanon; we recognise that Hezbollah is now preparing to shoot widely into Israeli territory near your home. You are in danger. We attack and remove Hezbollah threats. Anyone who is near the areas where Hezbollah operates is required to stay away from them immediately." https://x.com/IDF/status/1827527034400047151 "In the near future, Hezbollah will launch rockets, and possibly missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles, towards the territory of the State of Israel. Accordingly, "life-saving" instructions of the Home Front Command will be distributed in the various regions. The Home Front Command will update the areas where one must stay near the protected area or inside the protected area," Hagari said. (ANI)
Anti-Israel hackers have published extensive amounts of classified data as Israel continues its struggle to contain leaks, Turkey-based Anadolu Agency reported, citing the Israeli daily Haaretz. The leaks involve tens of thousands of sensitive documents and emails stolen from Israeli institutions, including the Justice Ministry, it reported. The cyber attacks, that started on October 7, 2023, have targeted several entities, including military and defence contractors, hospitals and government ministries. Israel's cybersecurity infrastructure has been overwhelmed by the scale of the breach. A source close to the investigation said, "The true extent of the damage to Israel's security and economy caused by these leaks is not yet fully known," the Turkey-based Anadolu Agency reported. The source added, "Despite massive investment in defensive cybersecurity measures, the scale of the leaks is likely the most severe in Israel's history -- an unprecedented looting of gigabytes upon gigabytes of information of all sorts," the report said. The leaked data has appeared on platforms like Telegram, resulting in several takedown attempts by Israeli authorities. However, Telegram's limited moderation policies have complicated these efforts. "Telegram emerged at the start of the war as a key platform utilized by Hamas' information warfare against Israel, one Israel was unable to properly address, lacking both monitoring capabilities and an understanding of the platform," Anadolu Agency reported quoting Haaretz report. American commentator Jackson Hinkle also mentioned that anti-Israel hackers have published the information on Telegram and the founder of the Telegram messaging app, Pavel Durov, who had "refused Israel's request to censor them," was detained by the French authorities. In a post on X, Hinkle stated, "Anti-Israel hackers who stole gigabytes of sensitive Israeli data have been publishing the classified information on TELEGRAM. Telegram refused Israel's request to censor them. Today, Telegram founder Pavel Durov was arrested in France and now faces 20 years in prison." Israel has tried to mitigate the damage through legal steps and direct talks with tech giants like Google, Amazon and Meta. However, the hackers have been using decentralized hosting services and "onion domains" which obscure the source of the data and obstruct takedown efforts. The war in Gaza started after Hamas terrorists infiltrated Israel on October 7, killing some 1,200 people and kidnapping over 240. CNN also reported that the founder of the Telegram messaging app, Pavel Durov, who had an arrest warrant issued against him, was detained by the French authorities at an airport outside Paris. Officers from France's anti-fraud office, attached to French customs, took the French-Russian billionaire into custody on Saturday evening after he arrived at Bourget Airport on a flight from Azerbaijan, according to CNN affiliate BFMTV. Durov, 39, was wanted under a French arrest warrant due to the lack of moderation on Telegram, which allegedly led to the platform being used for money laundering, drug trafficking and sharing pedophilic content. According to BFMTV, the Telegram founder had not regularly travelled to France and Europe since the arrest warrant was issued. Notably, France issued an arrest warrant for Durov on charges of complicity in drug trafficking, crimes against children and fraud due to the lack of moderation on Telegram and his failure to cooperate with law enforcement, the Moscow Times reported, citing French local media. The Russian-born founder of Telegram, which he says boasts over 900 million users, is currently based in Dubai. He became a naturalised French citizen in August 2021. Durov, who is also the founder of the VKontakte social network, left Russia in 2014 after he refused to share VKontakte users' data with Russian security services. Later, Russia unsuccessfully attempted to block Telegram over its refusal to provide users' online communications to security services. (ANI)
Abu Dhabi [United Arab Emirates], August 25 (ANI/WAM): A delegation from the Department of Community Development (DCD) - Abu Dhabi visited New Zealand to explore leading practices in advancing community quality of life. The visit was centred around gaining insights into the experiences and initiatives aligned with the quality-of-life framework endorsed by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The delegation was led by Dr Mugheer Khamis Al Khaili, Chairman of the DCD, and included Dr Layla Abdulaziz Al Hyas, Executive Director of the Community Development Sector at DCD, Shaikha Alhosani, Executive Director of the Social Monitoring and Innovation Sector at DCD, Mazen Jaber Aldahmani, Executive Director of Financial and Administrative Affairs at DCD, along with other senior leaders from various Abu Dhabi government entities. During the visit, the delegation engaged with representatives from key New Zealand institutions to learn about the New Zealand Living Standards Framework (LSF). The LSF serves as a critical tool for government agencies to identify and prioritise the factors that most significantly impact quality of life. This framework guides decision-making processes and supports the implementation of initiatives aimed at improving living standards and enhancing the well-being of communities. The LSF is structured around four key pillars: financial and physical capital, human capability, the natural environment, and social cohesion. The delegation also explored the mechanism used in New Zealand for integrating social priorities into public budget planning. By utilising advanced impact-analysis tools, these mechanisms help to ensure that decisions are well-informed and that specific criteria are established for effectively measuring and evaluating key indicators. Additionally, the delegation was introduced to New Zealand's integrated data system, which plays a pivotal role in supporting both the government and researchers specialising in data analysis. This system provides critical information that supports decision-makers in achieving quality-of-life objectives and implementing effective plans. The visit further included discussions on the social and economic framework that New Zealand uses to define and achieve desired living standards. This framework is designed to align with local and community needs, setting long-term goals based on aspirations for well-being and quality of life, and ensuring that data and metrics are readily available to all individuals and communities. (ANI/WAM)
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz government has claimed 'divisions' within Imran Khan-founded Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, by providing screenshots of some purported messages between PTI spokesperson Raoof Hasan and Aleema Khan, sister of the incarcerated former premier, Dawn reported. The screenshots, apparently taken from Hasan's phone, have a date stamp of June 2023 and refer to a conversation between the jailer and the former prime minister. Notably, Imran Khan was taken into custody in August 2023. In light of these leaked messages, federal and Punjab information ministers, Attaullah Tarar and Azma Bukhari, claimed that there were two groups in the PTI -- one led by Aleema and another by Bushra Bibi. According to the ministers, both groups are trying their best to take control of the PTI in Khan's absence. Citing the "leaked WhatsApp conversation" purportedly between Aleema Khan and Hasan in which the former is complaining that Bushra Bibi is "misleading the party on certain matters," Pak Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said that the PTI was facing internal divisions. "Aleema Khan had informed Raoof Hassan that Bushra Bibi was spreading false news (about the health of Imran Khan)," he said, alleging that both Aleema and Bushra groups were fighting over the party. "PTI, which always indulges in propaganda against state institutions, is now facing disintegration and chaos within its ranks. Imran Khan did the politics of divisiveness and divided the nation," he said, adding that the PTI itself had been divided into various factions. "Various disinformation cells within the party have been active: one run by Raoof Hasan in collaboration with Aleema Khan and the other by Bushra Bibi," the minister claimed. He claimed that Bushra Bibi was trying to spread a false narrative about Imran Khan to gain public sympathy. Notably, after Raoof Hasan's arrest over "anti-state propaganda" last month, this is the second time his WhatsApp conversations have been leaked. He was released from prison after getting bail but his cellphone is reportedly in the possession of law enforcement agencies, as reported by Dawn. Meanwhile, Punjab Information Minister Azma Bukhari stated that after the religion and treason cards, PTI was now playing the "victim card." "Imran Khan, in his attempts to get out of jail, sometimes seeks forgiveness from the army and sometimes appeals to the British prime minister. He is now trying to gain public sympathy by portraying himself as a victim," she said. According to the Punjab minister, the differences between Aleema Khan and Bushra Bibi had become a topic of discussion in the WhatsApp groups of the PTI, Dawn reported. "A power struggle is ongoing between both women to control the PTI," she claimed. (ANI)
An 'Impeach Ryan Walters' rally was held Saturday at the state Capitol

A crowd gathered on Saturday for a rally focused on ousting Oklahoma's controversial schools superintendent from his elected post through impeachment.

Rep. Andy Fugate, D-Del City, and Rep. Forrest Bennett, D-Oklahoma City, were among speakers at an "Impeach Ryan Walters Citizens Rally" at the state Capitol. Organized by a group called Oklahomans For Democracy Inc., the rally drew about 75 people.

"Ryan believes he was anointed by God to be Oklahoma's pastor for public education," Fugate told the crowd. "He believes in a one size fits none, government-enforced religion that will somehow save our kids. Let's be real  forcing our kids to recite the Ten Commandments and say a prayer in school is not going to make them any more Christian than did putting 'In God We Trust' make a change by putting it on our money."

A crowd reacts to speakers during an Impeach Ryan Walters rally Saturday on the second floor of the State Capitol.

Walters, a Republican, recently held a news conference at the Capitol where he challenged fellow Republicans House Speaker Charles McCall and state Rep. Mark McBride to begin impeachment hearings. Walters told news reporters that he is the victim of political attacks based on lies with no evidence. His remarks came after House Republican leaders said they planned to conduct an investigation into his spending practices and the Oklahoma State Department of Education.

More: The quiet meeting before the storm: How top Oklahoma Republicans counseled Ryan Walters

On Saturday, Fugate made reference to Walters' impeachment challenge.

"One final thought: Ryan says he should be impeached. Here's a message to you, Ryan, save us a step and resign," Fugate said, drawing cheers and applause.

A woman holds signs at the Impeach Ryan Walters rally Saturday on the second floor of the Oklahoma Capitol.

Bennett said he was glad that some of his Republican colleagues in the Oklahoma Legislature were acting on their concerns about the state schools superintendent.

Oklahoma City-area business owner and civic activist Sean Cummings also was among several people who spoke at the rally.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Crowd attends 'Impeach Ryan Walters' rally at state Capitol
Caroline Wilburn is a breaking news reporter for the Houston Chronicle.

A May graduate of Texas A&M University, Caroline worked as an election stringer for the Associated Press and as a breaking news fellow at the Texas Tribune. At the Tribune, she got a crash course in interpreting data, distilling complicated policy and following statewide trends on a tight deadline. Shes also a skilled video editor and podcast producer.

She won a first-place award for audio news production at the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association.
Norway has revealed that one of its most strategic air bases has been the target of sabotage. The announcement comes as other European NATO air bases  namely in Germany  report incidents, one of which remains unexplained, as well as troubling drone activity over critical infrastructure. These incidents come amid increasing warnings about nefarious Russian activity on the continent, part of an apparent wave of hybrid warfare as the conflict in Ukraine further stokes East-West tensions.

Reports emerged today from The Barents Observer that a critical communications cable associated with Evenes Air Station, in northern Norway, had been severed. The incident occurred in April and was reported to the police, but has only now been announced, as state prosecutors investigate what happened.

The precise function of the cable has not been disclosed, but reports describe it as being part of the air bases critical infrastructure, and that it was cut outside the airfields perimeter. The Norwegian Police have confirmed that it was severed in a deliberate action but that, so far, no one has been charged, and no suspects have been identified at this point.

Suspected sabotage against Air Force Base in Northern Norway. It was an intentional and calculated action, the Norwegian Police says about the damage to the cable that belongs to the Evenes Air Station https://t.co/UGdDPG5ED1  The Barents Observer (@BarentsNews) August 23, 2024

Located north of the Arctic Circle, Evenes Air Station is critical to the defense of Norway and NATOs Northern Front. It is one of two Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNoAF) bases hosting permanent F-35A stealth fighter units and it is also receiving the services fleet of P-8A maritime patrol aircraft.

In addition to its flying squadrons, Evenes is home to other important military units, including ones responsible for air defense (with NASAMS surface-to-air missiles), and elements of the Norwegian Cyber Defense Force and the Norwegian Armed Forces Logistics Organization.

F-35As from 332 Squadron of the Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNoAF). Norwegian Armed Forces Onar Digernes Aase / Forsvaret

Norway has seen other suspicious incidents in the past, notably the cutting of a vital undersea cable connecting Svalbard to mainland Norway in 2022. Before then, in 2018, the Norwegian Intelligence Service (NIS) disclosed three separate instances where Russian aircraft had flown mock attack profiles against a secretive radar station in the northern part of the country. The year before that, the NIS blamed Russian jamming for disruptions in cell phone and GPS service in the region, though it said this was a byproduct of an exercise and not a deliberate attack.

Meanwhile, in Germany this month, authorities were faced with two possible acts of sabotage at different air bases, one of which later proved to be a false alarm.

First, Wahn Barracks, the military section of Cologne Bonn Airport, in the west of the country, was sealed off on August 14 amid concerns about potential sabotage against the local water supply.

The alarm was raised after a guard at the base found a hole in a fence near the bases water processing plant. Authorities told personnel at the base  4,300 soldiers and 1,200 civilian employees  not to drink the tap water. A search was made of the base, but no trespassers were found.

A police car stands in front of the entrance to the air force barracks at Wahn after they were cordoned off, on August 14, 2024. Photo by Roberto Pfeil/picture alliance via Getty Images picture alliance

The water supply was interrupted as the drinking-water system showed unusual values, the German Armed Forces Territorial Command said in a press release.

After an investigation, the German Ministry of Defense stated that there was no evidence that this had taken place, with test results showing that the water was not contaminated.

Wahn Barracks serves the military part of Colognes airport, which is home to the German Armed Forces Executive Transport Wing, operating VIP aircraft as well as the German Air Forces refueling tankers and medical evacuation transports.

An Airbus A350 VIP transport of the German Armed Forces Executive Transport Wing, or Flugbereitschaft BMVg, based at Cologne Bonn Airport. Bundeswehr/Tobias Koch Tobias Koch

Today, NATO announced that it had lowered the security level at Geilenkirchen Air Base, also in the west of the country, after the facilitys state of alert had been raised overnight. This was in response to what the German Ministry of Defense described as intelligence information indicating a potential threat.

All non-mission essential staff have been sent home as a precautionary measure, the base said in a statement on the social media platform X. The safety of our staff is our top priority. Operations continue as planned.

Roughly, 24 hours later, in another post on X, NATO said: The security level at NATO air base Geilenkirchen has returned to Bravo. The temporary rise to Charlie was a precautionary measure to minimize potential risk to our organization and personnel. All scheduled operations are proceeding as planned.

We raised the security level at NATO Airbase Geilenkirchen based on intelligence information indicating potential threat. All non-mission essential staff have been sent home as a precautionary measure. The safety of our staff is our top priority. Operations continue as planned.  NATO AWACS (@NATOAWACS) August 22, 2024

NATOs security level Charlie implies that an incident has occurred, or intelligence has been received indicating that some form of terrorist action against NATO organizations or personnel is highly likely.

While NATO hasnt said what exactly the nature of the threat was, it was reportedly sufficient to force the resident NATO E-3 Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) fleet to function with minimal staffing as a precautionary measure while operations continued as planned.

Geilenkirchen is the main operating base for NATOs AWACS fleet, a multinational force that plays a hugely important role in the alliances air operations, providing airborne early warning, command and control, and battle management capability in Europe and elsewhere.

E-3A AWACS aircraft at Geilenkirchen in February 2022. Photo by Marius Becker/picture alliance via Getty Images picture alliance

The same installation had also seen the security level raised last week, in response to reports of an attempted trespassing incident at the base together with the possible sabotage of the water supply at Wahn Barracks. A full sweep was made of the premises at Geilenkirchen; again, no trespassers were found.

However, there is certainly a precedent for planned attacks directed against military bases in Germany, specifically.

In April, two German-Russian nationals were arrested in Germany on suspicion of plotting sabotage attacks, including on U.S. military facilities in the country. One of those individuals was accused of making plans to carry out bomb and arson attacks on military facilities and had allegedly taken photos and videos of military transports and equipment.

The supposed targets of the pair included the U.S. Armys Grafenwoehr base in the southern state of Bavaria, where Ukrainian soldiers are trained to use U.S.-supplied M1 Abrams tanks.

A U.S. Army M1A1 Abrams tank, photographed with mine roller fitted, at Grafenwohr, Bavaria, in July 2023. Photo by Matthias Merz/picture alliance via Getty Images picture alliance

Elsewhere in Germany, there have been reports of recent unexplained drone activity in the north of the country, including over an industrial park in Brunsbuttel, northwest of Hamburg, home to a major floating liquid natural gas (LNG) terminal.

Prosecutors in Germany have said they expect the drone flights are related to espionage activity for sabotage purposes and also cite repeated drone flights over critical infrastructure.

Drone flights over the area have been observed since August 8, with reports that the craft have been hard to track due to their high speeds reportedly around 60 miles per hour  and their approach from the sea. Critical infrastructure and very high security military bases in the U.S. are experiencing a growing number similarly mysterious intrusions, a troubling reality The War Zone has led reporting on.

The German military is providing radar data to police investigating suspicious drone flights over an industrial park in Brunsbuttel in northern Germany, according to a spokesperson for the country's territorial command.https://t.co/a8R2mVohqz  DW Politics (@dw_politics) August 23, 2024

At this point, there is nothing to connect the sabotage of a cable at Evenes and the so-far mysterious incident that led to an alert at Geilenkirchen to the Kremlin, let alone the reported drone activity in northern Germany.

However, this all comes as NATO increasingly warns of the risk of an expanding campaign of sabotage, including cyberattacks, across Europe, a new wave of hybrid warfare masterminded by Russia.

In June, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg described what the alliance identified as a surge of sabotage, cyber-attacks, instrumentalized migration, and other hostile actions by Russia.

Stoltenberg further pointed to the need for increased intelligence exchange, enhanced protection of critical infrastructure, including undersea and in cyberspace, and further restrictions on Russian intelligence operatives, while at the same time stating that Russias campaign would not deter NATO from supporting Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, left speaks to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg before the first plenary session at the European Political Community meeting at Blenheim Palace in Woodstock, England, Thursday, July 18, 2024. AP Photo/Kin Cheung, Pool Kin Cheung

Virtually every ally was seized with this intensification of Russias hybrid attacks, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said after a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Prague last month. We know what theyre up to, and we will respond both individually and collectively as necessary.

In the last few months, there has been a spike in reported incidents of this kind, suspected to be connected to Russia, if not orchestrated directly by Moscow. As well as Germany and Norway, these incidents have been reported in other NATO countries including the Czech Republic, Poland, and the United Kingdom.

In July, reported intelligence concerns about possible sabotage attacks by Russian-backed actors saw U.S. military bases across Europe placed on a heightened state of alert, for the first time in a decade, according to CNN.

For Russia, a campaign of this kind could be attractive for several reasons.

On the one hand, as Moscow becomes increasingly desperate to try and stem support among NATO countries for arming Ukraine  with weapons that are now, albeit to a limited extent, being used on its own territory  it is driven to ever bolder efforts to try and undermine this.

Maxar closeup satellite imagery of the Main Intelligence Directorate, or GRU, in Moscow. The GRU is widely considered to be the main mastermind behind the hybrid warfare campaign in Europe. Satellite image (c) 2020 Maxar Technologies DigitalGlobe/ScapeWare3d

Hybrid warfare offers a relatively reduced-risk and low-cost solution and, provided it achieves the desired results in terms of disruption and fear, has the potential to undermine support for Ukraine among the wider European populace.

Using proxies, including among the Russian diaspora in Europe, as well as criminal gangs, provides a layer of plausible deniability, making it especially hard to pin any given act of sabotage on Moscow directly.

Again, at this stage, Russias role in the suspected sabotage incidents in Germany and Norway remains unconfirmed, but theres no doubt that NATO is increasingly alert to the prospect of these kinds of attacks, orchestrated by Moscow, becoming much more common in Europe.

Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com
Vanishing glaciers. Newly ice-free stretches in the Arctic. Record droughts punctuated by record deluges. A hurricane, supercharged by hot Pacific water, that lasted six weeks.

And across the globe, implacable, record-breaking heat.

In 2023, record production and burning of fossil fuels poured unprecedented amounts of energy into the Earths atmosphere and oceans, helping to spur some of the wildest weather in recorded history as the structures that underpin modern human civilization began to buckle in the rising heat.

On Thursday, the American Meteorological Society (AMS) released its annual survey of the state of global climate  a soberly worded account of a world in rapid transition toward a state unlike any humans have ever known.

Heres what you need to know about the reports findings on last years climate, and what they say about the emerging state of the world.

What did the report find?

A world where the weather is getting far hotter and also far more strange.

Last year was the hottest on record, with the average global temperature every month from June to December setting all-time highs. Meanwhile, the mean ocean temperature for the year  a number that averages the humid tropics and the frigid Arctic and Antarctic  hit a record 66 degrees Fahrenheit (18.99 Celsius).

Because added heat is, fundamentally, added energy  and above all, added ability for air to trap water  the warming helped drive a cavalcade of new disasters, from hurricanes to sudden deluge to drought.

The North Atlantic had its seventh straight above-normal hurricane season, while the Pacific was marked by a new level of destructive storms.

The Pacific Tropical Cyclone Freddy became the longest-lived tropical cyclone on record, lasting for five weeks between Feb. 6 and March 12. Throughout that time, the storm stayed intact as it crossed the entire Indian Ocean and made three separate landfalls in Mozambique and Madagascar.

On the other side of the ocean, Hurricane Otis strengthened from a Category 1 to a Category 5 in just nine hours  a record  to become the strongest hurricane ever to make landfall on the west coast of North America.

Punctuated events such as those storms are a mark of what Texas Tech University climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe has called global weirding  the way in which planetary heating interacts with a chaotic global climate to drive results that are rapid, unexpected or mash together extremes.

For example: drought and floods coinciding. Last year saw one of the lowest records of global precipitation in the more than 40 years since records began  but an above-average level of 1-day maximum rainfalls, indicating a rise in rainfall intensity, the AMS report noted.

For example, the AMS pointed to the record 30 inches that fell on Beijing in August 2023 within less than two days, killing 137 people.

Meanwhile, Greece experienced both its highest daily rainfall on record  30 inches, or a years worth of rain, in a single 24-hour period  and the largest wildfire in the European Unions history.

The AMS pointed to other strange phenomena: the supercell thunderstorm in northern Italy that dropped a hailstone more than 7 inches in diameter, breaking the European record for hail size, and the Japanese cherry blossoms that bloomed at the earliest time in the 125-year record.

This weirdness was sometimes devastating, as in the case of the Beijing flooding, but also occasionally sweet. For the first time in recorded memory, foragers found ripe cloudberries in Norways frigid Svalbard archipelago.

I hardly believed my own eyes, Stein Tore Pedersen of the Norwegian Polar Institute, who found the ripe berries while reindeer hunting, told The Barents Observer.

What is driving this global weirding process?

A combination of human action and natural forces that serve to trap heat energy inside the Earths atmosphere, land mass and oceans.

Heat from the sun is being trapped by planet-warming gasses emitted by human civilization, largely in the form of methane and carbon dioxide from the burning of coal, oil and gas  though agriculture also plays a significant role.

Last year, the AMS found that the global carbon dioxide concentration hit 420 parts per million, or 50 percent greater than preindustrial levels.

That rate of growth, and therefore heating, is accelerating. The level of carbon dioxide increase between 2022 and 2023 was 12 percent higher than that of the last decade  and five times greater than that of the 1960s.

Last year, that warming was exacerbated by the shift from the cooler La Nina to the hotter El Nino system, which drove temperatures up more.

And in addition to global cycles and more heat-trapping pollution, another factor is causing temperatures to go up: the reduction in shade. Last year was the least cloudy since records began in 1980, leading to the weakest cooling effect of clouds on record, per the AMS.

Making that effect more powerful: Human civilization is now letting in more sunlight as a consequence of efforts to clean up global shipping and coal production.

While these campaigns have made the air cleaner, removing pollutants like sulfur dioxides from the atmosphere allows more of the suns heat energy into the earth because such contaminants previously reflected that heat back into space.

In 2021, former NASA scientist James Hansen argued that the Earth was warming too fast to be explained by emissions alone, and estimated that the cleanup of the atmosphere was accelerating the rate of global heating.

But by how much? Fifty percent, he argued in a 2023 paper he co-published in Oxford Open Climate Change  or from a global average of about one-third of a degree Fahrenheit to about half of a degree per decade.

Hansens team estimated that when added to heating driven by current fossil fuel consumption, that rate would be fast enough to blow through the Paris Climate Accords ideal warming limit  1.5 degrees Celsius or 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit over preindustrial levels, the benchmark at which scientists fear the most serious climate-warming impacts will begin to appear  by the end of this decade.

And they estimated that Earth would surpass the red line of 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) by 2050.

The additional heat in the system has to go somewhere. One principal place it is going is the oceans, which cover 71 percent of the planets surface and absorb about one-third of human emissions  as well as a lot of the additional solar heat that carbon and methane pollution trap. The resulting rise in ocean temperatures drives stronger storms, droughts that suck the moisture from entire landscapes and more rainfall.

How did these weather phenomena impact people?

First, they drove a lot of additional episodes of death and destruction, like the 52 deaths and $16 billion in damage caused by Hurricane Otis, or the 102 deaths in the fires in Maui, the U.S.s deadliest wildfires in a century.

The shifts in the climate also contributed to the continued  and accelerating  sea level rise, as the ice sheets melt, adding water to the oceans, and as those oceans themselves warm, causing them to take up more space.

The AMS found that average global sea levels in 2023 were 6 inches higher than in 1990  marking an implacable rise that by last year had reached a rate of about one-third of an inch per year on average.

That increase is speeding up over time, the AMS noted: Sea levels rose three times faster in 2022-2023 than over the last 30 years.

Higher seas mean worse storm surge damage and flood risk for coastal regions, which house more than 40 percent of human civilization.

And as laid out by the AMS, climate change is not just bringing on more disasters or higher seas, but also disasters of new and different kinds than those societies may be set up to deal with: heat waves and ice storms in places that arent used to them, as well as an increased incidence of compound disasters.

It is also reshaping once-permanent features of the environment  starting with the subset of the Earths landscapes known as the cryosphere, or the world of glaciers and ice caps.

Last August, for example, a meltlake of water streaming off the Mendenhall Glacier above Alaskas capital of Juneau broke through an ice dam to flood the city, while the states Iceworm Glacier disappeared entirely.

At the same time, that melting drove up the commercial viability of the once-fabled Northwest Passage and Northern Sea Route through the normally ice-choked Arctic Ocean to the Atlantic or Pacific. The Northwest Passage saw a record 42 transits by ships, including 13 cargo ships.

Meanwhile, the Northern Sea Route, which links the Russian Arctic to the Pacific, saw a record 2.1 million tons of cargo shipped  including crude oil.

What do rising temperatures mean for the planet over the long term?

A major concern is that the Earths systems are absorbing the increased heat in ways that are both blunting its immediate effects and, over time, potentially making them worse.

For example, the AMS study identified rising disorder as a consequence of increasing heat  something climate scientists worry can also contribute to further heating in a worsening and self-reinforcing cycle.

The report found evidence of this sort of decay in several Earth systems that are seen as essential stabilizers of the climate  which, if they change enough, could cause warming to increase even faster.

The retreat of the cryosphere, for instance, is removing landscapes that otherwise reflect heat back into space. The area of greatest concern in this regard is the Antarctic, which in 2023 was 4 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit (2 to 6 degrees Celsius) hotter than average, and saw all-time record lows in sea-ice extent, according to the AMS.

The AMS also found troubling patterns in global forests.

Trees are largely made of carbon dioxide pulled from the atmosphere  and they have been growing faster as the concentration of the gas in the atmosphere has increased, helping balance the climate.

But last year saw evidence that this pattern of absorption was reversing as wildfires in several significant regions belched plumes of carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere, at least temporarily changing many forests into a contributor to warming, rather than a bulwark against it.

As the AMS report noted, Canadas vast boreal forest burned for an unprecedented length of time, and at a scale that doubled past records  leading to a quarter-million evacuations. Meanwhile, in the Amazon, more than 22,000 fires were recorded.

These are both signs that systems that once drove the earth toward stability could start to drive heating.

One other system that concerns climate scientists is the planets nearly 9 million square miles of global permafrost  ever-frozen Arctic landscapes full of the frozen bodies of plants and animals half-digested by microbes.

As the permafrost melts due to rising temperatures, these corpses decay further, releasing methane, which heats the climate dozens of times faster than carbon dioxide. In 2023, AMS noted record-high temperatures in the permafrost across more than half of the Arctic sites tested, which could translate into emissions from the tundra beginning to increase.

These changes all signal Earths potential movement into a new climate paradigm, and out of the temperate Holocene, or the geologic age in which humans evolved.

How worried should policymakers and the public be?

Thats not a question the AMS set out to answer in its report. But climate scientists are, in general, quite concerned.

Its difficult to know how significant the risk of the most extreme climate impacts are: Scientists have for decades warned that the world may be fumbling in the dark toward tipping points or very serious and snowballing changes in the Earths climate.

One reason for that continued darkness is that the science on feedback loops  in which a systems effects grow more extreme and unstable as it feeds its own decay  is uncertain.

Some scientists argue that Earth systems are less sensitive than is often feared. A 2021 paper in Nature argued that the amount of warming sufficient to trigger tipping points can be exceeded without triggering immediate change of system state  provided warming is expeditiously brought back down.

Even if so, other evidence suggested that the danger zone may already be here. A 2022 paper in Science found that tipping points for 12 key Earth systems could be reached at warming rates of 1.5 degrees Celsius, which Hansen argued the Earth could hit by 2030  and that hitting several such points was possible even at current levels of warming.

Still others have pointed to potentially positive tipping points for human society. A 2020 paper in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences pointed to the possibility for a social tipping point, or a possibility for rapid and self-reinforcing change in human society, reflected in an exponential change in human energy use  a shift that is arguably happening now with the increased use of renewables and potential peak in the use of fossil fuels.

Last year, when more than a dozen scientists, including Hansen, predicted the Earth was on track to pass the climate red line by midcentury, they argued that the problem is urgent, necessitating a rapid return to Holocene-level global temperature.

Achieving such a return, they argued, would require more cooperation between East and West in a way that would allow the Global South to use the Earths remaining carbon budget to develop a global price on carbon emissions and  most controversially  some amount of solar geoengineering to combat the increase in solar heat as shipping and coal production are cleaned up.

In the political disorder of a heating world, the scientists identified a chance for a change.

Current political crises present an opportunity for reset, they argued, especially if young people can grasp their situation.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Can Austins affordable housing experiment to address chronic homelessness provide a blueprint for Pittsburgh?

AUSTIN, TEXAS  Blair Racine only wanted three things in a home: a sink, a toilet and a table.

That was far more than the 70-year-old had in 2018, when he was sleeping on the street, in the woods, in mall parking lots  wherever he could to get through the night. After falling on hard times financially, he didnt have a support system.

As he bounced in and out of shelters, securing a safe, permanent home felt out of reach  until Mr. Racine found himself in a tiny home in a 51-acre community along the outskirts of Austin, Texas.

I'm so blessed, he said. I can't imagine being anywhere else in the world right now. It's about the community out here.

The most talked about neighborhood in Austin, Community First! Village is a master-planned development aiming to tackle the nationwide homelessness crisis in a new way.

The village provides affordable housing and a supportive environment for men and women coming out of chronic homelessness. Thoughtfully designed tiny homes are meant to be permanent residences that can help people stay out of the streets and shelters for a lifetime.

A growing number of cities  more than 100, according to some estimates  are turning to tiny houses as a cost-friendly, dignified solution to deal with record-breaking homelessness, whether as forever homes or as a transitional step to ease people out of homelessness.

Pittsburgh is considering a version of the concept. Two City Council members want to create tiny home villages, or temporary managed communities, along the riverfront and surrounding areas. While that faces an uncertain future  it has been sitting in the Planning Commission for months now  Austin's Community First! Village offers a real-life, working model.

For Alan Graham, founder and CEO of Austin-based nonprofit Mobile Loaves and Fishes, the villages developer, it comes down to a simple message  one he reiterates to thousands of visitors, including government officials and homeless nonprofits, drawn to the project annually: If not now, when? And if not tiny homes, then what else?

You're going have to think outside the box for this to get better, he said. Who's going to help? Where's the system? You cant ignore this problem.
TOKYO, Aug 26 (News On Japan) - As the Japanese government designates August 26 as "Volcano Disaster Prevention Day" starting this year, an educational event was held at a museum in Tokyo, where participants deepened their understanding of volcanoes.

Volcano Disaster Prevention Day was established to commemorate the first volcanic observatory in Japan, which was set up on August 26, 1911, at Mount Asama.

On August 25, the day before Volcano Disaster Prevention Day, the National Museum of Nature and Science in Ueno, Tokyo, held a class on the formation of volcanoes and the mechanisms of eruptions.

Participants shared their thoughts, with one saying, "If an underwater volcano erupts, I thought it would be dangerous for whales and other sea creatures that might be sleeping there. It would also be dangerous for humans."

Another participant noted, "Understanding the formation of volcanoes and the ocean floor is significant."

On August 26, a government-sponsored commemorative ceremony is scheduled to take place in Tokyo.

Source: ANN
Wakayama, Aug 26 (News On Japan) - A private small rocket named 'Kairos,' which exploded five seconds after takeoff during its March launch, is now set to make another attempt in December from a site in Kushimoto Town, Wakayama Prefecture.

Space One, the company behind the launch, revealed that the failure was due to the rocket's thrust being lower than anticipated, preventing it from reaching the necessary speed.

Endo Mamoru, a director at Space One, explained, "The rocket could not reach the required speed and position, leading to an automatic flight abort and self-destruction, which prevented the mission from being completed."

Space One has identified the cause of the failure and is now preparing for a second launch, targeting December from the same launch site in Kushimoto.

Source: MBS
KYOTO, Aug 26 (News On Japan) - Prince Akishino, his wife, and their son, Prince Hisahito, attended an entomological conference held in Kyoto Prefecture.

The family viewed a display of research posters summarizing the findings presented at the "International Entomological Congress."

Prince Hisahito also contributed to a poster, which he created alongside other researchers, detailing dragonflies that inhabit the Imperial Palace.

The conference attracted approximately 4,000 participants from 77 countries and regions.

In his opening remarks, Prince Akishino delivered a speech in English, stating that "insects have a deep connection with our lives and economic activities."

Source: ANN
TOKYO, Aug 26 (News On Japan) - Rice shortages have persisted across Japan, raising concerns about the future of the industry. Although the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries maintains that the balance between supply and demand is being preserved, doubts remain over whether sufficient stock is truly available.

A closer look at Niigata, Japans leading rice-producing region, reveals broader issues facing the rice industry.

Foreign Demand Adds Pressure to Rice Shortages

Abnormal weather patterns have adversely affected crop yields. Last years extreme heat led to a decline in the quality of rice, resulting in reduced supply and higher prices. Compounding the issue is the increasing demand from foreign visitors.

Metele Announcer Hana Komatsuzaki reports, Most seats are filled here, with many of the customers being from overseas.

A French tourist commented, Rice balls here are cheaper than in France.

Meanwhile, an American visitor shared, I found this place by searching for the best rice balls in the area. I could eat this every day!

With over 40 varieties of rice balls available, its notable that nearly half of the customers are foreigners.

Metele Announcer Hana Komatsuzaki added, Delicious! The rice is so fluffy it barely holds together.

Eiji Kimoto, Managing Director of Togoshiya Shibuya Dogenzaka Store, remarked, The cost of rice and seaweed, our two primary ingredients, has increased by about 1.2 times compared to last year. If procurement costs continue to rise, we may be forced to make tough decisions.

Kimoto also mentioned that the store has already implemented two price hikes, in December last year and April this year. Another increase might be unavoidable this autumn.

Rice Shortages Persist Despite Government Assurances

Despite the ongoing shortages, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries insists that while stock levels have decreased, the balance between supply and demand remains intact. But is there enough stock to meet demand?

In Niigata, a region known as Japans top rice producer, the situation is being closely monitored.

Koyoshi Ueno from JA Echigo Joetsus Sales Department said, Please, take a look inside the warehouse. As you can see, the rice stored here remains as inventory.

The warehouse is stacked with rice from the 2023 harvest, which is still in storage. Although rumors of low stock levels have spread, JA Echigo Joetsu assures that the rice necessary for stable supply has been secured.

Kenji Iwasaki, Executive Director at JA Echigo Joetsu, affirmed, The amount were storing is typical for this time of year.

He added, Contrary to rumors, we havent seen a significant drop in stock levels this year. The Ministrys information is accurate, and I encourage a calm and measured response.

Concerns About New Rice Harvest and Labor Shortages

As the new rice harvest approaches, farmers are optimistic about this years yield.

Rice farmer Takeo Takimoto, 74, commented, This years crop looks promising, with good water supply and favorable weather conditions. Im expecting a yield 1.2 times higher than last year.

However, Takimoto also expressed concerns about rising costs.

Fertilizer and fuel prices are up, but rice prices havent changed much. The government needs to balance farm gate prices with what consumers can afford, Takimoto said.

JA Echigo Joetsu reports that advance payments to farmers for new rice are up about 22% year-on-year, indicating a potential increase in rice prices.

Despite the positive outlook, Takimoto worries about the future of the industry.

I want to tell young people that farming is tough but rewarding, but I cant say that when I cant pay them a decent wage. The government needs to address these fundamental issues, Takimoto concluded.

Source: ANN
OSAKA, Aug 26 (News On Japan) - A teacher at a junior high school in Izumi City, Osaka Prefecture, who was arrested on suspicion of secretly recording female students changing at the school where he works, has confessed that he 'did it 100 to 200 times.'

Izumi City junior high school teacher Taishi Tanioku (36) is suspected of secretly recording multiple female students changing at the school where he works in July.

According to police, the incident came to light when a female student noticed a smartphone left in the change room.

During questioning, Tanioku admitted to the charges and confessed that he "did it 100 to 200 times over the course of seven years." A large number of videos believed to have been secretly recorded were found on the seized computer.

Source: KTV NEWS
By Oladipo Abiola

Former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar, has accused President Bola Tinubu of lying to foreign countries about the removal of fuel subsidies in Nigeria.

In a statement on Sunday, Atiku said Tinubu visited the FMDQ in New York, Qatar, and France, where he told lies about removing petrol subsidies.

The 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who expressed his views in a statement signed by his Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, added that Tinubus actions would have a negative effect on the flow of Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) into Nigeria.

Speaking further, Atiku said despite the claims of removing fuel subsidy, petrol scarcity continues to remain a major challenge in Nigeria.

He slammed the Bola Tinubu administration for implementing a sham subsidy regime, as revealed in the financial statement recently released by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).

Tinubu visited the FMDQ in New York, visited Qatar, visited France where he told lies about removing petrol subsidies. Obviously, this is not a man who is serious about attracting FDI. More worrisome is that he is not even brave enough to admit that subsidy is being paid. The NNPCL admits that N7.8tn is owed to the national oil company by the Nigerian government.

IMF estimates that subsidy payments this year will constitute 3% of GDP, which is about $7.5bn. This will be about N11.8tn. Yet, the petrol scarcity continues to linger while the Tinubu administration continues to frustrate the Dangote Refinery and even its own NNPCL facilities. Obviously, the subsidy regime has become an even wider conduit pipe through which monies for funding the 2027 election will come from, Atiku said.
Shown is the potential future radar at 10 a.m. Monday, according to the NAM weather model. Pivotal Weather

As of early Sunday morning, an area of low pressure is spinning in the northern Gulf of Mexico, and itll continue moving westward toward the southeast Texas coast throughout the day. By late Sunday and early Monday morning, the center of the low will move over the Southeast Texas coast, and locally heavy rain will become possible.

Keep in mind, this low pressure system is relatively weak, and it does not have tropical origins. Because of that, it will not pose the same type of threats that tropical low pressure systems bring to the area this time of year. That being said, it will bring daily rain chances and slightly cooler temps to the Houston metro area.

Sundays forecast

Before the low pressure system comes ashore, rain chances will be relatively low to start the day Sunday. Early morning temps will start in the upper 70s, rising steadily to around 90 degrees by 11 a.m.

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Shown are expected high temperatures across Southeast Texas on Sunday, according to the National Blend of Models. Pivotal Weather

Sundays high temperatures are expected to reach the mid-90s, which is near average for mid-August. A few showers and storms are expected to develop during the afternoon and evening. The highest chances will stay toward the coast, south of the I-10 corridor. In the Houston metro area, scattered storm chances will be about 30%.

Rain chances increasing

As the low pressure system moves inland on Monday, rain chances will increase across the region. Widely scattered showers and storms are expected to develop Monday morning, and scattered chances will continue into the afternoon. Overall rain chances will rise to around 70%. However, this will not be an all-day rainfall event.

Along with the scattered rain, temperatures in Houston will fall by a few degrees on Monday. Highs are expected to reach between 92 and 94 degrees.

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The low pressure system will stall out, remaining over Texas through Wednesday. Thats going to keep Gulf moisture streaming into southeast Texas throughout the week. However, rainfall will not be widespread. Instead, Houston will have about a 50-60% chance of off-and-on storms each day through Friday.

Shown are potential rainfall totals through Friday across Southeast Texas, according to the national Blend of Models. The highest rainfall will be along the Gulf Coast. Pivotal Weather

Rainfall totals through the end of the week are not expected to be very heavy. According to the National Blend of Models, the Houston metro area can expect close to one inch of rain by the end of the week. However, due to the scattered nature of this rainfall, anywhere between a half-inch and 2 inches remains possible.

The highest rainfall totals are expected south of the I-10 corridor and toward the Gulf Coast. Thats where higher confidence exists for rainfall of 1 to 3 inches in cities like Galveston and Lake Jackson. Still, even in these regions, the flooding threat is quite small, except for isolated ponding on roadways.

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By Ebiowei Lawal

One person has been confirmed dead as a speedboat carrying 15 passengers capsized along Okubie Community River in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa.

A community source told Nigerian Tribune that the ill-fated boat was carrying passengers from Yenagoa to Oporoma, the Southern Ijaw LGA headquarters when the unfortunate incident happened.

He said while other passengers onboard were rescued by concerned citizens in the community, one person drowned due to the rising water level this rainy season.

This incident is happening barely two weeks after a traders boat exploded at the fringe of the Atlantic Ocean in Ezetu 1 community in the same South Ijaw Local Government where 20 persons were confirmed dead.

The cause of the mishap is yet to be ascertained at the time of filing this report.

The Chairman of Maritime Workers Union, Mr Ipgansi Ogoniba, confirmed the incident, saying that it occurred on Saturday afternoon at the river near Okubie community.

He said that fourteen passengers were rescued while one died in the incident.

Police spokesperson in Bayelsa, ASP Musa Muhammed, said there was no information about the incident yet, he, however, promised to inquire and revert.
By Seun Opejobi

The Kogi State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has described Senator Dino Melaye as a liability to the party.

PDP elders in the state led by Ibrahim Dansofo, urged the local executive committee in Ijumu to initiate immediate suspension proceedings against Melaye.

This, they said, would emphasize the need to restore the partys integrity and focus on viable leadership.

On Saturday, Melaye said the acting national chairman of the PDP, Iliya Damagum, Samuel Anyanwu and Umar Bature have destroyed the former ruling party.

Melaye claimed that the three chieftains had irredeemably destroyed PDP.

Condemning his remark, the party elders said Melayes political ambitions have crumbled to the point where he can no longer secure a local councillor position.

The Dansofo-led elders characterized Melaye as a liability, suggesting that his continued association with the party serves only to negotiate personal gain with the ruling party rather than contribute positively to the PDP.

Senator Melaye has become a burden to the party.

His accusations against the current leadership are hypocritical, as he himself was granted a governorship ticket despite the partys awareness of his inability to win even a primary election, Dansofo said.

The Kogi PDP placed blame for the partys current struggles squarely on Melayes shoulders, claiming that his nomination was a significant misstep that has led to their present predicament.

They further called on former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Governor Ifeanyi Okowa to reevaluate their support for Melaye, urging them to distance themselves from someone they described as a bondage and a big-time liability for the party.

They called on the Nigerian public to disregard Melayes remarks, labelling them as the desperate words of a man whose political relevance has long since faded.

The Kogi PDP is determined to move forward, reclaim its strength and rebuild its reputation as a formidable political force in the state, the stakeholders ask Dino Melaye to account for billions he collected in the name of governorship election, they added.
By John Owen Nwachukwu

Former National Publicity Secretary of the defunct New Peoples Democratic Party, nPDP, and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze has told the Chairman of the ousted Committee of the Rivers APC, Tony Okocha, that former Minister, Chibuike Amaechi will not have a hand in sacking President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2027.

Recall that Okocha was recently quoted as saying that, There is an intention to throw up Amaechis man and then he (Amaechi) becomes the APC leader and then uses the party to fight Mr President in 2027.

Reacting through a statement made available to the media on Sunday, Eze cautioned Okocha to refrain from using Amaechi to cash out from his paymasters and their allies who feel threatened at the mere mention of the name and have been working surreptitiously to make him a subject of lampoon through smear campaigns and defamatory insinuations.

Eze reminded Okocha that the cascade of administrative ineptitude, policy summersaults and multi-layer corruption that has fanned the embers of hyper-unemployment, insecurity, food price hike and more form a veritable mountain of weapons with which Nigerians are armed to fight and oust Tinubu from office in 2027.

The APC Chief said it is even foolish for a mere mortal like Okocha to be talking about 2027, three years away from today, when no one is sure of the next minute of his life; like the Bible said in James 4:14 .

Furthermore, Eze urged Okocha and his irks to consult Tinubu and those who formed APC to ascertain who truly is the Leader of APC in Rivers and South South, noting that at the formation of APC, Tinubu was made the National Leader of APC, while Amaechi emerged South South leader and despite the Buharis entrance as President, Tinubu clinked to his position as national leader.

He admonished Okocha and those allegedly sponsoring him to be concerned about the fact that the country once known as Africas giant has collapsed in all facets under the nose of Tinubu, and channel energy towards fashioning out solutions, if they have any, to the gamut of problems they have created impeding Nigerias progress.

Eze accused Okocha of mobilizing a paid-protest in support of Tinubu which gulped over fifty million Naira without any effect, after his ouster by the court in order to remain in the good book of his paymasters and continually curry their cheers.
Durov, CEO and co-founder of Telegram. (Photo by Steve JENNINGS / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP)

Telegram chief executive Pavel Durov, who is said to be facing a 20-year jail term if convicted, is to appear in court Sunday after being arrested at a Paris airport for offences related to his popular messaging app, sources told AFP.

Russia has accused France of refusing to cooperate following the arrest of the Franco-Russian billionaire, 39, at Le Bourget airport on Saturday night.

Pavel Durov had arrived from Baku, in Azerbaijan, one source close to the case said.

Frances OFMIN, an office tasked with preventing violence against minors, had issued an arrest warrant for Durov in a preliminary investigation into alleged offences including fraud, drug trafficking, cyberbullying, organised crime and promotion of terrorism, one source said.

Pavel Durov is accused of failing to take action to curb the criminal use of his platform.

Enough of Telegrams impunity, said one investigator who expressed surprise that Durov flew to Paris knowing he was a wanted man.

Pavel Durov: France Refusing to cooperate  Russia

Russian authorities said they had demanded access to Durov but had no response from France.

We immediately asked French authorities to explain the reasons for this detention and demanded that his rights be protected and that consular access be granted. Up to now, the French side is refusing to cooperate on this question, Russias embassy in Paris said in a statement reported by the Ria Novosti news agency.

Businessman Elon Musk, who owns the X social media platform, posted a hashtag #FreePavel and commented in French, Liberte Liberte! Liberte? (Freedom Freedom! Freedom?).

Former US presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr said, also on X, that the need to protect free speech has never been more urgent.

The encrypted messaging app, based in Dubai, has positioned itself as an alternative to US-owned platforms, which have been criticised for their commercial exploitation of users personal data.

Telegram has committed to never disclosing information about its users.

In a rare interview given to right-wing talk show host Tucker Carlson in April, Durov said he got the idea to launch an encrypted messaging app after coming under pressure from the Russian government when working at VK, a social network he created before selling it and leaving Russia in 2014.

He said he then tried to settle in Berlin, London, Singapore and San Francisco before choosing Dubai, which he praised for its business environment and neutrality.

People love the independence. They also love the privacy, the freedom, (there are) a lot of reasons why somebody would switch to Telegram, Durov told Carlson.

He said at the time that the platform had more than 900 million active users.

By basing itself in the United Arab Emirates, Telegram has shielded itself from moderation laws at a time when Western countries are pressuring large platforms to remove illegal content.

Telegram allows groups of up to 200,000 members, which has led to accusations that it makes it easier for false information to spread virally, as well as for users to disseminate neo-Nazi, paedophilic, conspiratorial and terrorist content.

Competitor messaging service WhatsApp introduced worldwide limits on message forwarding in 2019 after it was accused of enabling the spread of false information in India that led to lynchings.
By Ibrahim Hassan-Wuyo

The Southern Kaduna Peoples Union (SOKAPU), has confirmed the kidnap of a District Head and 6 others in Gurzan Kurama community of Kaduna State.

SOKAPU has on Sunday,condemned the abduction of the district head of Garu Kurama and the 6 other members of the Gurzan Kurama community in Kaduna State.

Bandits who attacked the community on Saturday night, reportedly kidnapped Mr. Yakubu Jadi (District Head),Mr. Iliya Yakubu,Mr. Nehemiah Tanko,Mr. Thomas Tanko and Mr. Yakubu Jadis daughter, the Catholic Catechist of the community.

SOKAPU in a statement issued by Josiah Yusuf Abraks, the Public Relations Officer, described the incident as unfortunate, alarming and worrisome.

SOKAPU is calling on security agencies and relevant authorities to put in their very best to ensure the quick and safe release of the district head ,Mr Yakubu Jadi and those six others.

The trauma being experienced by the victims, families and entire community can only be imagined. The Union is calling on Governments at all levels to do more in the protection of lives and properties of its citizens.

All communities are enjoined to be more organised and vigilant against unusual faces and movements in their environments and report such to appropriate authorities.

Insecurity across the land must not be allowed to escalate, the statement added.

The Kaduna State Police Command was yet to react to the kidnap incident.
An Algerian diplomat has violently attacked a Moroccan counterpart at a meeting in Tokyo in preparation for the Tokyo Africa summit (TICAD).

The Moroccan diplomat has protested to organizers the presence of a country nameplate that was laid on the table of the meeting by a polisario agent under an Algerian diplomatic cover.

As he was alerting the meeting to the presence of the uninvited Polisario entity, the Moroccan diplomat was attacked from behind and violently laid down by an Algerian diplomat.

The so-called Algerian diplomat was later expelled from the room and banned from attending the summit due this August 24-25.

The violent reaction speaks of the state of disarray within the Algerian regime, which made the Polisarios separatist chimera a sacred cause.

Following the incident, Japan reiterated its position that it does not recognize the Polisario entity.

Algeria has helped the Polisario agents infiltrate the meeting by offering them its own diplomatic cover. Videos shared from the meeting show a Polisario agent as he sneaked into the room to pick an empty chair in the table, before putting in front of him a made-up country nameplate.

Algerias rogue diplomacy is an irrational reaction to blows it has received as it obstinately continues to defend the Polisario separatists.

The most painful blows came from global heavyweights such as the US, Spain, and France which all backed Moroccan sovereignty over the Sahara territory and the autonomy plan.

Within the African Union, where 22 countries fully recognize Moroccos sovereignty over the Sahara, discontent with Algeria and its Polisario proxies is growing. Last month, the African Union adopted a resolution stating that only UN-member states within the Union can attend summits with bilateral partners such as the EU, Russia, China, South Korea etc.

At the latest TICAD summit in Tunisia in 2022, Algeria pressured Tunisia into inviting the Polisario to the summit, despite opposition from Japan, triggering the worst crisis in Tunisian-Moroccan relations.

As Algerias diplomatic voice becomes increasingly inaudible, its diplomats resort to violence as an expression of an Algerian foreign policy in disarray.
The Telegraph has listed Moroccos coastal city of Agadir in the top three best winter sun destinations, among 15 great destinations for travelers amid the rising cost of living, alongside locations such as Cape Verde, Cambodia, Vietnam, and others.

Agadir ranked third among 15 destinations chosen as great spots, providing affordable seasonal escapism for keen travelers.

The Daily Telegraph emphasized that Agadir is a highly appealing winter destination, with its expansive sandy beaches, 300 days of sunshine annually, a convenient four-hour flight from the UK, and affordable local prices.

Agadir boasts a pleasant January climate with average high temperatures of 22C, average hotel rates of 43 per night, budget-friendly four-star hotels starting at 25, and meals for two costing around 38, the daily pointed out.

The British newspaper also mentioned that surfers would find Agadir particularly appealing, as the winter season is ideal for catching world-class waves at the nearby Taghazout surfing haven.

Heated pools and traditional hammams offer relaxation, enhancing Agadirs winter holiday experience.

Visitors can explore Souss-Massa National Park via four-wheel-drive excursions for added adventure.

Trips to Berber villages like Tafraoute showcase spectacular almond tree blossoms in February.

Affordable accommodations abound, such as Paradis Plage near Taghazout offering double rooms from 167 euros.

For a mountain retreat feel, Atlas Kasbah just three miles from Agadir provides double rooms from just 92 euros.

Dining out for two averages 44, highlighting Agadirs overall affordability in dining experiences.

It additionally highlighted that independent travelers can find bargain flights.

EasyJet offers budget-friendly flights from Europe to Agadir starting at 17.50 euros one way, enhancing accessibility.

Agadirs combination of sunshine, activities, and value make it a standout winter sun destination.

Cape Verde and Cambodia ranked first and second on the Telegraphs list, followed by Vietnam and Sri Lanka.
Algeria continues its refoulement of Sub-Saharans abandoning over 2000 on August 1-12 on the borders with Niger in inhumane conditions, according to French radio RFI.

The migrants were dumped in the desert in extreme heat about 15 kilometers away from Essamaka, where an IOM center is based.

Aziz Chehou, coordinator of Alarm Phone Sahara (APS) based in Agadez said the mistreated migrants have been subjected to a degrading treatment by Algerian security forces, citing cases of separated children from their parents.

This dehumanization has so far affected some 25,000 Sub-Saharans who have suffered degrading treatment by the Algerian army, he said.

In April, Niger summoned Algerias ambassador to denounce the harsh treatment by Algerian authorities of Niger migrants, who have been violently upheld, robbed by Algerian authorities before being abandoned in the desert.

The degrading treatment of Sub-Saharan migrants in southern Algeria has been a common practice for decades by a regime that imposed a media blackout on the plight of migrants in the country.

On the other side of the border, in Niger and Mali, rights watchdogs have denounced refoulement cases and violent treatment of migrants, who are bussed and thrown in the harsh desert borders with Mali.
Japan reiterated that it does not recognize the Polisarios self-declared SADR entity and that it deals with UN member states only.

The position was reaffirmed by Japans Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Fukazawa Yoichi, at a TICAD plenary summit.

A day earlier, a Moroccan diplomat was violently attacked by a senior Algerian diplomat as he tried to remove a country name plate of the Sadr entity that was smuggled into a ministerial meeting by a Polisario agent operating under Algerian diplomatic cover.

Japan made it clear that it only invited UN member states within the African Union, dealing another blow to the Algerian diplomacy which pulls the strings of the Polisario separatists.

The violent reaction speaks of the state of disarray within the Algerian regime, which made the Polisarios separatist chimera a sacred cause.

The rogue attitude of the Algerian diplomat is in fact reflective of an Algerian diplomacy in disarray, after a series of diplomatic blows it has ensued on the Sahara issue.

Last month, the African Union decided with a majority of votes that only UN member states shall take part in its meetings or summits with international partners, a position that has irked Algeria.

Russia, South Korea and Saudi Arabia, to mention but a few, have rejected the participation of the Polisario separatists in their summits with African leaders.

Under pressure from Algeria, the African Union admitted in the 1980s the Polisario, an entity lacking all the attributes of a state, within a context marked by ideological fervor that is now anachronistic.

So far 37 African states back Moroccos autonomy plan for the Sahara territory where 40% of African states have already opened consulates.

Morocco has always stressed that the membership of Algerias Polisario proxies within the African Union stands is an aberration in total disregard for the UN process and for Moroccos historical rights as a country that was divided by two colonial powers.
Candido Batiz poses by his truck after a days work remodeling a house in Houston, TX on August 23, 2024. Batiz has suffered health consequences from working in the Texas heat. The U.S. Department of Labor has released a proposed rule to protect millions of workers from health risks due to extreme heat. Sharon Steinmann

His body temperature soared over 100 degrees at one point. They found blood in his urine. The construction worker and father of three, Candido Batiz Alvarez, knew what that meant.

Researchers this past year who monitored him and other workers at a job site measured heart rate and other vitals but the urine sample substantiated worries about eventual kidney failure. The condition is associated with persistent heat stress on the body and would eventually require dialysis. Such are the risks of working in extreme heat, especially in a state as unrelentingly infernal as Texas.

The small study of 16 Texas construction workers by a researcher at the National Center for Farmworker Health found that almost half of the workers had blood in their urine at some point and several reported near monthly kidney stones. The researcher recommended hourly 15-minute rest breaks.

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Texas effectively barred cities from requiring water breaks with the so-called Death Star bill that blocks certain ordinances that exceed state law. That bill has since been tied up in legal limbo. We called it a potential death sentence, but also asked why the Biden administration had not delivered on long-promised protections?

Well, in July, the U.S. Department of Labor at last proposed a new standard that would, among other protections, require a 15-minute break every two hours once the heat index hits 90 degrees.

Industry has generally been resistant to such protections, with large groups such as the National Cotton Council of America lobbying against them in the past. But, after years of advocacy from workers' groups and other organizations, the federal government's standards for extreme heat workplace safety could impact some 36 million workers if approved.

"We are in celebratory mode," said Christine Bolanos, communications director with the Workers Defense Project.

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It's an important step but unfortunately, not guaranteed to go into effect.

Congress could add a rider that says that OSHA cant spend any more money on the protections, effectively halting the process. Congress could also override the standards if they do eventually get adopted. And a change in administration in the White House could further jeopardize all this.

If theres a Republican administration, there will be no standard, George Washington University professor and a former OSHA director David Michaels told the editorial board. But hes still hopeful that even just having the proposal will result in precautionary changes in employer behaviors.

Weve seen that with other standards, he said.

Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia wants more. Fifty years after growing up working in the fields, she cant believe shes still fighting for things that should be common sense.

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Even when I was picking cotton in the hot Texas sun when I was kid, if my nose started bleeding, she told the editorial board, they would have enough sense to put me under the wagon to cool off.

Today, she wants to see worker protections come directly from Congress. Shes proposed legislation that would beef up existing standards and make them apply more broadly. Her district, which includes much of east and north Houston, has a large number of construction workers and she knows that many of them dont seek out medical care. She also knows how critical they are to the economy and especially to a disaster-prone region.

"Its becoming a national conversation, she said. And Im hopeful because its becoming a bipartisan issue.

It must be. More is needed to protect workers who, in this climate-changing world, are both increasingly essential and vulnerable.

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This past week, Batiz Alvarez was working an indoor remodel for a home damaged in the May derecho, but without any air conditioning, the temperatures still got so oppressive  climbing to 110 degrees according to a thermometer in the house  that he felt he might suffocate. Some days, he told us, the heat is so overwhelming he has to force himself to eat and drink.

Like other workers we spoke with, he said he generally does take the breaks he feels he needs. But even that might not be enough. Another small study following construction workers in Kansas City found that most of the workers were already dehydrated when they arrived for work. And even with average temperatures around 88 degrees at the job site, almost half of the workers' internal body temperatures still broke 100 degrees.

More workplace regulation and training should help raise awareness but clearly the problem is deeper. It's hard to fully recover and workers face their own pressures to push through.

In June, Batiz Alvarez missed three days of work after growing so ill from the heat he got a severe headache and chills and vomited. He estimates he lost around $600 because he had to take time to recuperate.

If you dont work, you dont get paid, Batiz Alvarez said in Spanish.

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This can be especially true after disasters such as the derecho and Hurricane Beryl. Laborers recognize the window of opportunity to make money and can't afford to miss it.

They become more vulnerable physically, mentally, theyre exhausted, theyre overworked, explained Rice University sociologist Sergio Chavez, who has spent years following roofers in Texas and beyond. Theyre impacted by the same storms as the rest of us, meaning they may not have stable or air-conditioned housing in the wake of a disaster, either. Laborers often travel the country, picking up after disasters, helping communities rebuild, sleeping in their cars after storms barreled through Lake Charles, for example, or resorting to sleeping in a tent in Florida after another bad storm.

The workers that I study happen to be those guys who are disproportionately affected, said Chavez. And they happen to be some of the most necessary as we face disaster after disaster.

Its simple: We need them and we need to protect them.

Batiz Alvarez has some ideas about how to do that. He works with the Workers Defense Project and sits on Harris Countys essential workers board he helped push for and create. He thinks extreme heat should be treated like a natural disaster, something Garcia is pushing for legislatively as well. That way, there might be more resources available to encourage workers to get the medical care they need but maybe cant afford or offset lost wages when its too hot to work.

Batiz Alvarez says his children look up to him, that they admire his advocacy and hard work.
The US will send 10,000 mpox vaccines made by Bavarian Nordic to Africa, where a new strain of the virus spread outside its epicenter in the DRC to neighboring countries and beyond, Reuters reported.

The vaccines will be sent next week marking a breakthrough in a vaccine regulatory labyrinth due to World Health Organization regulatory requirements.

In 2022, after a different mpox strain spread outside Africa, smallpox shots were repurposed by governments within weeks, approved by regulators and used in roughly 70 high-and middle- income countries outside Africa to protect those most at risk.

Shares of Danish biotech Bavarian Nordic surged 12% on Thursday after the company reported strong earnings and a large order of its mpox vaccine, extending its gains this year as nations mobilize to combat an escalating outbreak of the disease in Africa.

The new variant has increased the need for vaccines in the Democratic Republic of Congo and elsewhere. At the time of writing, the country still does not have any doses of an mpox vaccine. The countrys health minister said on Monday (August 19) that Japan and the US had pledged to donate vaccines before the end of the month.
Photo: Intelligencer; Photo: Getty Images

In early August, an anonymous X account started making big promises about AI. [Y]oure about to taste agi, it claimed, adding a strawberry emoji. Q* isnt a project. Its a portal. Altmans strawberry is the key. the singularity isnt coming. its here, it continued. Tonight, we evolve.

If youre not part of the hyperactive cluster of AI fans, critics, doomers, accelerationists, grifters, and rare insiders that have congregated on X, Discord, and Reddit to speculate about the future of AI, this probably sounds a lot like nonsense. If you are, it might have sounded enticing at the time. Some background: AGI stands for artificial general intelligence, a term used to describe humanlike abilities in AI; the strawberries are a reference to an internal codename for a rumored reasoning technology being developed at OpenAI (and a post from OpenAI Sam Altman minutes before that included a photo of strawberries); Q* is either a previous codename for the project or a related project; and the singularity is a theoretical point at which AI or technology more broadly becomes self-improving and uncontrollable. All this coming tonight? Wow.

The specificity of the accounts many predictions got the attention of AI influencers, who speculated about who it might be and whether it might be an AI itself  a next-generation OpenAI model whose first human-level job is drumming up publicity for its creator. Its posts broke containment, however, after an unsolicited reply from Sam Altman himself:

amazing tbh  Sam Altman (@sama) August 8, 2024

For a certain type of highly receptive AI enthusiast, this tipped a plainly absurd scenario  an amateurish, meme-filled anonymous account with the guy from Her as an avatar announcing the arrival of the post-human age  into plausibility. It was time to celebrate. Or was it time to panic?

Neither, it turns out. Strawberry guy didnt know anything. His leaked release dates came and went, and the community started to turn on him. On Reddit, the /r/singularity community banned mention of the account. I was duped, wrote SEO and peripheral AI influencer Marie Haynes in a postmortem blog post. Before she knew it was a fake, she said, strawberry mans tweets were starting to freak me out. But, she concluded, it was all for good reason  We truly are not prepared for whats coming.

What was coming was another mysterious account, posting under the name Lily Ashwood, who started appearing in live voice discussions about AI on X Space. This time, the account didnt have to work very hard to get people theorizing. AI enthusiasts who had gathered to talk about what they thought might be the imminent release of GPT-5  some of whom were starting to suspect theyd been duped  started wondering if this new character might herself be an AI, perhaps using OpenAIs voice technology and an unreleased model. They zeroed in on her manner of speaking, her fluent answers to a wide range of questions, and her caginess around certain subjects. They attempted to out her, prompting her like a chatbot, and coming away uncertain of who, or what, they were talking to.

We (humans) had a conversation with an AI (might have been ChatGPT5) that sounded absolutely real on an X space hosted by @ChrisUniverseB @iruletheworldmo @lilyofashwood



Heres a small bit of that conversation https://t.co/1ArQD9g4se pic.twitter.com/uYrclRKxxF  Goran k (@atgorans_k) August 15, 2024

I think I just saw a live demo with GPT 5, wrote one user on Reddit, after joining an X Space with Ashwood. Its unbelievable how good she is. It almost fools you into believing its a human. Egged on by Strawberry Guy, others started collecting evidence that Ashwood was AGI in the wild. OpenAI researchers had just co-signed a paper calling for the development of personhood credentials to  distinguish who is real online. Could this be part of that study? Her name had a clue, right there in the middle: I-L-Y-A, as in Ilya Sutskever, the OpenAI co-founder who left the company after clashing with Sam Altman over AI safety. Besides, just listen to the suspicious noise-gating and the unusual spectral frequency patterns. Superintelligence was right there in front of them, chatting on X:

It wasnt. Ashwood, who declined a request for comment, described herself as a single mother from Massachusetts and released a video poking fun at the episode (which, of course, some observers took as further evidence she was AI):

video evidence that lilyofashwood is a real human pic.twitter.com/XyUxIc20Og  Lily Ashwood (@lilyofashwood) August 19, 2024

But by then, even some prominent AI influencers had gotten caught up in the drama. Pliny the Liberator, an account that gained a large following by cleverly jailbreaking various AI tools  manipulating them to reveal information about how they work, and breaking down guardrails put in place by their creators  was briefly convinced that Ashwood might have been AI. He described the experience as psychologically taxing, and held a debriefing with his followers, some of whom were angry about what he, an anonymous and sometimes trollish account that theyd rapidly come to trust on the mechanics and nascent theology of AI, had led or merely allowed them to believe:

Ok, super duper honesty time.



Im sleep deprived and mentally drained after living out what felt like a sci-fi movie plot over the last couple days, but I feel I owe you all transparency and want to debrief while its still fresh in my mind.



AMA  Pliny the Liberator  (@elder_plinius) August 17, 2024

On one hand, again, this is easy to dismiss from the outside: A loose community of people with shared intuitions, fears, and hopes for a vaguely defined technology are working themselves into a frenzy in insular online spaces, manifesting their predictions as they fail to materialize (or take longer than expected). But even the very first chatbots, which would today be instantly recognizable as inert programs, were psychologically disorienting and distressing when they first arrived. More recently, in 2022, a Google engineer quit his job in protest after becoming convinced that an internal chatbot was showing signs of life. Since then, millions of people have interacted with more sophisticated tools than he had access to, and for at least some of them, its shaken something loose. Pliny, who recently received a grant in bitcoin from venture capitalist Marc Andreessen for his work, wondered if OpenAIs release schedule had been slowed because sufficiently advanced voice AI has the potential to induce psychosis, and made a prediction of his own: fair to say well see the first medically documented case of AI-induced psychosis by December? His followers were unimpressed. Nah, i was hospitalized back in 2023 after gpt came out 6 months straight, 7 days a week, little to no sleep, wrote one. HAHAHA I MADE IT IN AUGUST, wrote another. Another asked: Have you not been paying attention?

The fundamental claim here  that AI systems that can talk like people, sound like people, and look like people might be able to fool or manipulate actual people  is fairly uncontroversial. Likewise, its reasonable to assume, and worry, that comprehensively anthropomorphized products like ChatGPT might cynically or inadvertently exploit users willingness to personify them in harmful ways. As possible triggers for latent mental illness, it would be difficult to come up with something more on the nose than machines that pretend to be humans created by people who talk in riddles about the apocalypse.

Setting aside the plausibility or inevitability of human-level autonomous intelligence, there are plenty of narrow contexts in which AI is already used in similarly misleading ways, to defraud people by cloning family members voices, or by simply posting automated misinformation on social media. Some OpenAI employees, perhaps sensing that things are getting a little bit out of control, have posted calls to, basically, calm down:

the singularity can stay imminent longer than you can stay solvent. contribute to your 401k my friends.  will depue (@willdepue) August 11, 2024

Whether companies like OpenAI are on the cusp of releasing technology that matches their oracular messaging is another matter entirely. The companys current approach, which involves broad claims that human-level intelligence is imminent, cryptic posts from employees who have become micro-celebrities among AI enthusiasts, and secrecy about their actual product roadmaps, has been effective in building hype and anticipation in ways that materially benefit OpenAI. Much bigger models are coming, and theyll blow your mind is exactly what increasingly skeptical investors need to hear in 2024, especially now that GPT-4 is approaching two years old.

For the online community of people unsettled, excited, and obsessed by the last few years of AI development, though, this growing space between big AI models is creating a speculative void, and its filling with paranoia, fear, and a little bit of fraud. They were promised robots that could trick us into thinking theyre human, and that the world would never be the same. In the meantime, theyve settled on the next best thing: tricking each other.
The goal of Iran's campaign is to sow discord, undermine the US electoral system, and potentially influence the election outcome.

An Iranian network called Storm-2035 operates covert news sites and social media platforms that use AI-generated content to spread divisive information and polarize US voters.

Iran is conducting a multifaceted campaign to interfere with the 2024 US presidential election by targeting both Trump and Harris campaigns with hacking and phishing attacks.

Iran is striking out left and right in an attempt to interfere with the U.S. presidential election in November with the help of slick-looking websites, hackers, and phishing attacks.

The objective of the sophisticated campaign, U.S. intelligence and cyberthreat experts say, is to fuel distrust in the U.S. democratic system and to exploit and heighten social divisions.

As the November 5 election nears, Iranian hackers have been accused of targeting the e-mail accounts of both the Republican candidate, former President Donald Trump, and his Democratic rival, Kamala Harris.

U.S. intelligence assessments and researchers say both political campaigns have been targeted by phishing attacks carried out by a group with suspected ties to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), the elite branch of the armed forces.

And experts say an Iranian network dubbed "Storm-2035" operates multiple inauthentic news sites on the web and social media that use AI-generated content to agitate conservative and liberal dissidence.

"Irans main goal in this space is to sow discord and chaos and to undermine the integrity of the United States' electoral system," said Simin Kargar, a senior nonresident fellow at the Washington-based Digital Forensic Research Lab (DFRLab).

"If they can pull this off, even at a very small scale, it would be a testament to Irans long-held rhetoric that democracy is a 'flawed Western concept' and even the U.S., which has often accused Iran of rigged elections, is susceptible to election-related controversies," she added in written comments.

At least four "Iran-run covert news sites masquerading as news outlets" operated by Storm-2035 have been identified by the Microsoft Threat Analysis Center (MTAC) as "actively engaging U.S. voter groups on opposing ends of the political spectrum with polarizing messaging on issues such as the U.S. presidential candidates, LGBTQ rights, and the Israel-Hamas conflict."

The Gaza war is a popular choice of divisive content used by Even Politics, shown here, and other Iranian operated sites sowing electoral discord.

In an August 9 report, the MTAC singled out three of the sites by name-- Even Politics (evenpolitics.com), Nio Thinker (niothinker.com), and Savannah Time (savannahtime.com).

With Trump and Harris in a tight race 11 weeks before the vote, Even Politics was publishing content focused on the ongoing war in Gaza, alleged threats against democracy, and the influence of religious groups. Much of the content on the site appeared to be steered against Trump.

Nio Thinker, which emerged shortly after the beginning of the Gaza war in October, has since shifted its focus from that conflict to the U.S. election. Its content caters to "liberal audiences" with "sarcastic, long-winded articles insulting Trump," according to the MTAC, including one calling him an "opioid-pilled elephant in the MAGA china shop."

Hot-Button Topics

The site also goes after Harris's alleged unwavering support for Israel, the vice-presidential nominees for both parties, and stokes the flames on hot-button topics like corporate influence and immigration.

One article presented as an op-ed lays out "Why Harris's Stance On Palestine Cost Her My Vote." A story titled "J.D. Vance And The Rise Of The Sperm Cups" mocks Trump's running mate over his "family values" positioning, which it described as a "one-way ticket back to the 1950s." And another written from "an FBI agent's perspective" alleged that Harris's running mate, Tim Walz, has a "'longstanding connection' to China and its government."

The third site, Savannah Time, presents itself as originating from the city of Savannah in the key swing state of Georgia. That site, according to Darren Linvill, co-director of the Watt Family Innovation Center Media Forensics Hub, is clearly intended to appeal to the right, with stories bashing Harris and her supporters.

Harris's economic policies are often in the crosshairs of Savannah Time, with one article describing them as "fiscally reckless crayon economics that would make even a drunken sailor blush." Another accuses her of "a dangerous flirtation with communist-style price controls."

Most of the articles published by the three sites are written by "staff," and the Open AI artificial intelligence research company said in an August 16 report that Storm-2035 relied heavily on ChatGPT to generate its content.

Experts suggest that in many ways Iran's approach to influencing the U.S. electoral system mirrors that of Russia, which employed troll farms to flood social media with disinformation and divisive content during the 2016 presidential election, broadly favoring Trump over Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.

"What we've seen from these websites suggests a sort of Russian-style [campaign], where they have set up websites that are targeting communities on both the left and the right," Linvill said.

"[They want] to potentially use those websites to target these communities to spread disinformation and perhaps make our politics more extreme than they would have been otherwise and facilitate the process of us fighting amongst ourselves," he added.

'Remarkably Well Done'

Linvill also said the Iranian websites in some ways surpass their Russian counterparts, and have improved over the years.

"They're really remarkably well done. They clearly use AI in really interesting ways to create their content, but they're really well put together," Linvill said.

Iranian efforts to influence the U.S. electoral process have been observed since as early as 2018, when inauthentic personas were used to impersonate candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives and to pose as journalists, according to the cyberthreat intelligence specialists Mandiant.

Analysts suggest that the campaign increased in scope following the assassination of IRGC commander Qasem Soleimani in a U.S. air strike in Iraq in January 2020 under then-President Trump.

Two Iranian nationals, for example, were charged by the United States for their involvement in a cyberenabled campaign to influence U.S. voters in the 2020 election, which Trump lost to President Joe Biden.

Mandiant noted that Iranian actors sent threatening e-mails to voters in the United States during the 2020 campaign. Mandiant and other cyberexperts also said that Iran used media sites like Even Politics to attempt to influence the 2022 midterm elections.

Aside from the use of media platforms, U.S. intelligence agencies and cyberthreat experts say that Iran is currently making use of hacking and phishing attacks in an attempt to disrupt the November presidential vote.

The Trump campaign on August 10 blamed the Iranian government for a hack of some of its internal communications, prompting a federal investigation.

A joint assessment by three U.S. intelligence bodies released on August 19 confirmed "increasingly aggressive Iranian activity during this election cycle," including the "recently reported activities to compromise former President Trumps campaign."

This came after the U.S. director of national intelligence in July suggested that Tehran's efforts to influence the election was "probably because Iranian leaders want to avoid an outcome they perceive would increase tensions with the United States."

Considering the assassination of Soleimeni, the unilateral U.S. withdrawal from the nuclear accord with Iran, and the souring of relations under the Trump administration, many experts suggest that Tehran would not favor another Trump presidency. The Trump campaign, following the hacking it blamed on Iran, suggested that it was due to past hostilities with Tehran.

'Hyper-Polarized Climate'

Kargar of DFRLab said in written comments that she had not "seen enough evidence on favoring one candidate over another." But Kargar said that given Trumps first term policies vis-a-vis Iran, it would only make sense that Iran would want to avoid a second Trump term at any cost."

But Harris's campaign has also been targeted. The joint U.S. intelligence report this month also said that it was confident that "the Iranians have through social engineering and other efforts sought access to individuals with direct access to the presidential campaigns of both political parties."

And a Google threat analysis group on August 14 said that APT42 had used phishing campaigns in an attempt to compromise "the personal [e-mail] accounts of individuals affiliated with President Biden, Vice President Harris, and former President Trump, including current and former government officials and individuals associated with the campaigns."

Tehran is going after both the Republican and the Democratic camps because "Iran is looking for ways to sow discord and drive wedges between different communities of voters in a hyper-polarized climate," Kargar said.

Russia, Kargar added, did the same in 2016.

The bigger question is whether Iran's campaign has had any impact in an election that is already divisive on its own.

Little is known about the hacking attacks confirmed by U.S. intelligence, although Trump wrote on social media that the hackers were "only able to get publicly available information" and U.S. media did not publish documents purportedly from within Trump's campaign that were sent anonymously.

In the case of the inauthentic websites operated by Iran's Storm-2035 campaign, Linvill said that "nobody's talking about them."

"It seems likely that they had been set up for some future purpose to help some future narrative laundering campaign that hasn't been undertaken yet," Linvill said.

Such campaigns usually have a very specific goal in mind or a specific story that the actor wants to spread, Livill said, but "we just can't say what that might be."

Linvill said he expects that to be cleared up as the election gets closer.

By RFE/RL

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The clash of interests between herders and crop farmers may soon become a thing of the past, as the umbrella organisation of Fulani cattle herders has banned its members from grazing at night.

According to Channels TV, this decision was taken on Wednesday at the annual general meeting of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) in Damaturu, Yobe State capital, as a measure to curb incessant clashes with farmers.

National secretary of the association, Baba Uthman, after the meeting told journalists that the decision would become an instruction that would be communicated to every member of the group, including those at the grassroots.

This is a decision that has been taken by the highest decision-making body of the association. As it is taken here, it will go down the ladder down to our members at the grassroots. They will be informed and sensitised concerning it, Uthman said.

MACBAN also announced that a ban had been placed on grazing by minors and hawking of milk by teenage girls, which, according to the group, are the causes of cultural abuse that poses dangers to the underage children.

Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police in Yobe State, Abubakar Sahabu, has affirmed that measures have been put in place to avert further clashes, adding that the police would apprehend any herdsman found grazing at night.




Another Coronavirus patient has died in Lagos, Nigeriascommercial city.

Naija News reports that Lagos Commissioner for Health, Akin Abayomi announced the death of the Coronavirus patient in a tweet on the micro-blogging site, Twitter on Saturday, April 11.

The Lagos State Commissioner for Health disclosed on Saturday that the patient died in a private hospital in the southwest state which has recorded the highest coronavirus cases in Nigeria.

More to come

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DU QUOIN  Illinois second-largest annual fair is underway, ringing in an 11-day event of festivities that will draw thousands of attendees and generate millions in economic impact.

The 2024 Du Quoin State Fair kicked off with a ribbon cutting on Friday evening at the grandstand, followed by the Twilight Parade on the fairgrounds.

Jerry Costello, director of the Illinois Department of Agriculture, began the event by recognizing the state and local officials in attendance.

They included State Treasurer Mike Frerichs, State Comptroller Susana Mendoza, State Sen. Terri Bryant, State Reps. Dave Severin, Dave Friess, Patrick Windhorst and Paul Jacobs, and Du Quoin Mayor Josh Downs.

Abbey Luthy performed the national anthem on the violin, representing 4-H, the grand marshals of the Twilight Parade.

Costellos opening remarks reflected on the efforts both state and local to revitalize the fairgrounds in recent years.

While some of the work continues, we are proud to showcase the advances that weve made here on the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds, Costello said. We appreciate the support from Gov. Pritzker and the Rebuild Illinois funds. Its allowed us to address years of neglect throughout these grounds.

Luke Davison, fair manager, took time to recognize the maintenance team that has prepared the fairgrounds year-round for the annual event.

Were very proud to present to you their hard work, Davison said. This fair means a lot, not to just Du Quoin, but to the entire region. We know that its our responsibility to create opportunities, not just for ourselves, but for this entire region.

Mayor Downs shared his experience since coming to the fair as a kid to now overseeing it as the mayor of Du Quoin.

I can remember as a young boy, 3, 4, 5 years old, coming with my grandpa, climbing on all the farm equipment and having a picnic lunch, Downs said. I hope that my children and all the children that are here are making memories like that for themselves.

Costello paid tribute to longtime 4-H volunteer Rhonda Schubert, who will be retiring at the end of this year. Schubert was presented with a special plaque.

The Twilight Parade followed, featuring a hundred entrants ranging from marching bands to political campaigns and everywhere in between.

The Du Quoin State Fair will span from now until Labor Day. For more information on the fair, visit dsf.illinois.gov.

Photos: Illinois State Fair political days through the years 2012 State Fair 2012 State Fair 2015 State Fair 2015 State Fair 2015 State Fair 2007 State Fair 2008 State Fair 2008 State Fair 2009 State Fair 2012 State Fair 2012 State Fair 2005 State Fair 2004 State Fair 2003 State Fair 2003 State Fair 2006 State Fair 2007 State Fair 2012 State Fair 2018 State Fair 2012 State Fair 2021 State Fair 2021 State Fair
Illinois is one of the best states to live in the U.S., especially for quality of life, according to a new ranking from finance website WalletHub.

The Aug. 12 "Best States to Live in 2024" analysis compared all 50 U.S. states for 51 metrics in five categories, including affordability, economy, education and health, quality of life and safety. Illinois landed in 37th place for affordability, 49th place for economy, 22nd for education and health, fifth for quality of life and sixth for safety.

WalletHub ranked the Land of Lincoln the 16th best state to live in overall, while Missouri was in 31st. Massachusetts received the top spot on the list and Louisiana was ranked in 50th place.

Cost of living, home ownership rate, unemployment, public school quality, average commute times and crime rates were all considered in the state's placements. WalletHub reports its sources included the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and more.

More on Illinois' ranking

Illinois ranked in the top 10 for several categories. The state was in seventh place for a metric on the lowest debt to earnings ratio for full-time employees, and also snagged a fourth place position for access to public transportation.

Other categories where Illinois ranked highly include restaurants per capita (fifth), bars per capita (second), theaters per capita (fourth), gyms per capita (seventh) and police officers per capita (sixth). Many of these categories contributed to Illinois' fifth-place quality of life ranking.

The state struggled in metrics such as median real estate tax rate, unemployment rate, underemployment rate, population growth, wealth gap, "tax-friendliness," foreclosure rates, job opportunities, bankruptcy filings and average commute time.

Here's more on life in Illinois, from the Census Bureau:

 Population estimate: 12,549,689

 Race and Hispanic origin: 76% white alone, 58.8% white alone not Hispanic or Latino, 19% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Black or African American alone, 6.3% Asian alone, 2.3% two or more races, 0.6% Native American and Alaska Native alone, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander alone

 Median monthly home ownership cost with mortgage: $1,903

 Median rent: $1,179

 Median household income: $78,433

 Poverty rate: 11.9%

Several Illinois localities have been recently lauded in national rankings. Prairie Crossing, a subdivision of Grayslake, was named in financial magazine Money's list The Best 50 Places to Live in the U.S., and Elgin was named the safest and most affordable city to live in the nation by Go Banking Rates.

Peoria and Rockford each made a U.S. News & World Report list for the 25 Best Affordable Places to Live in the U.S.

Best states to live in

Here's how the top 25 best states to live in compared, according to WalletHub:

1. Massachusetts

2. Florida

3. New Jersey

4. Utah

5. New Hampshire

6. Idaho

7. Pennsylvania

8. Wisconsin

9. New York

10. Wyoming

11. Virginia

12. Iowa

13. Minnesota

14. Maine

15. Montana

16. Illinois

17. North Dakota

18. South Dakota

19. Vermont

20. Kansas

21. Colorado

22. Connecticut

23. North Carolina

24. Nebraska

25. Georgia

Photos: Illinois State Fair political days through the years 2012 State Fair 2012 State Fair 2015 State Fair 2015 State Fair 2015 State Fair 2007 State Fair 2008 State Fair 2008 State Fair 2009 State Fair 2012 State Fair 2012 State Fair 2005 State Fair 2004 State Fair 2003 State Fair 2003 State Fair 2006 State Fair 2007 State Fair 2012 State Fair 2018 State Fair 2012 State Fair 2021 State Fair 2021 State Fair
The credibility and capacity of the flagbearer of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) to fight corruption and corruption related crimes, has been questioned by Daniel Domelevo, Ghanas former Auditor-General.



According to Mr. Domelevo, Dr. Bawumias inability to disclose the source of the money he used for the Presidential primaries leaves much to be desired of as someone requesting to be voted for as President.



In an interview with Joy News' Raymond Acquah, Mr. Domelevo called out Dr Bawumia to show to the general public his deep-rooted commitment to fighting the canker of corruption by disclosing the source of the substantial amount he used for his Presidential primaries.



Mr. Domelevo said, The track record that he wants us to look at, can he tell us that about 80 million Ghana cedis which was used for the primaries. Can he tell us where it came from? He should have made that known to us, that as a Vice President, he doesnt even get 50,000 cedis a month. So for eight years, he would not make more than 10 million. He should have told us that apart from my salary, I have these sources, my father left these, and I have investments which brought about the eighty-something million which I used for my party funding. We would have clapped for him.



The fight against corruption has been the topical issues Ghanaians look forward to hearing from the various Presidential candidates.



The call from Mr. Domelevo has been one of the many calls from many Ghanaians who are demanding the source of funds that some public officials disburse in pursuit of their political aspirations.







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Texas Attorney General of Texas Ken Paxton, with President Donald Trump in Dallas in June 2020, is accused of pushing false claims of a stolen election. NICHOLAS KAMM, Contributor / TNS

Texas Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton has been one of former President Donald Trumps most reliable allies in spreading the myth of widespread voter fraud, particularly in the 2020 election, and frequently boasts that few states are as vigilant.

His offices election integrity unit added two lawyers to the team in the last year, bringing it up to six staffers total, and worked more than 20,000 hours between October 2020 and September 2021. Its budget, meanwhile, ratcheted up from $1.9 million to $2.2 million during that time.

Yet records from the office show that the unit closed just three cases this year, down from 17 last year, and opened seven new ones. That includes the newly created unit focused on the 2021 local elections, which has yet to file a single case.

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This is an exorbitant amount of money that has resulted in no benefit for the average Texan, said Austin Evers, executive director of American Oversight, a left-leaning nonprofit government watchdog that regularly files public information requests and files suits to force compliance with those requests. The organization shared some records it obtained from the Texas Attorney Generals Office with Hearst Newspapers for this report; others were obtained independently by Hearst Newspapers.

Evers added: Taxpayers are funding a political stunt meant to fuel the false claim of a stolen election and justify voting restrictions.

The scant caseload comes after Texas Republican lawmakers insisted a 2020 election audit was necessary and passed a sweeping elections overhaul bill loaded with voting restrictions that Democrats have warned will have a disproportionate effect on already-marginalized voters. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, under pressure by Trump, initiated reviews of election processes across the state in the fall.

Paxtons office has not uncovered any evidence of voter fraud in 2020 beyond isolated incidents affecting a handful of votes in an election in which more than 11 million Texans cast ballots.

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Paxtons office did not respond to a request for comment for this story, but in a podcast his office produced in November 2020 about voter fraud, Paxton blamed low resources for the election integrity units output.

I dont think anybody knows the degree to which it happens because even our office who probably prosecutes more election fraud than anyone else in the country. ... We dont have enough resources to cover all election fraud. So its really hard to know how large an issue this is because very few states put any resources in to actually detect or prosecute voter fraud.

Its a point hes made often before, though hes never offered specifics as to what kind of staffing or funding he would find sufficient.

Richard L. Hasen, an election law professor at the University of California at Irvine, said theres a more likely explanation, noting that Paxton, who is running for re-election, has every incentive, politically speaking, to vigorously go after voter fraud, as its an issue that energizes his partys base.

Hes finding very little of it despite spending a lot of money and using a lot of resources looking for it, Hasen said. The reason is not that such fraud is too hard to find. Those that commit voter fraud tend not to be brain surgeons. The reason hes not finding a lot of it is because voter fraud is rare.

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Multiple academic studies and journalistic reviews have uncovered no evidence of widespread voter fraud, nor did a wide-ranging investigation of election fraud in 2020 conducted by the U.S. Justice Department.

After Texas own director of elections Keith Ingram testified to lawmakers in March that the 2020 election was smooth and secure, the Secretary of State failed to receive confirmation of her appointment by the Republican-majority state Senate and was forced to step down.

In one of the most comprehensive reviews to date, an AP analysis this month reviewed potential election fraud cases in six battleground states contested by Trump and found 475, nowhere near enough to have altered the results of his 2020 loss.

Trumps insistence otherwise led hordes of his supporters to storm the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 in a violent attack, hours after Paxton gave a speech at a March to Save America rally in D.C. that day.

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Cases from 2020 pending

The biggest case closed this year by the Texas Attorney Generals Office involved a Medina County resident who allegedly unlawfully assisted 10 voters with mail ballot applications during the 2020 election.

The other two were people in Lubbock and Guadalupe counties who allegedly made false statements on their voter registration applications and voted illegally in the 2018 election, and one of them also in the 2020 election.

In 2016, 2017 and 2019, Paxtons office also closed three cases per year.

Yet in a tweet in October, Paxton proclaimed that his office was between pending cases & investigations  working more voter fraud cases than Texas has ever seen.

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While its true that the office has more cases pending this year over last year, 44 up from 38, thats not because of a surge in new prosecutions. Its because the vast majority of cases that were pending around this time last year are still making their way through the court system.

Among the cases pending include that of Hervis Rogers, a Black man from Houston who was charged this year with illegally voting while on parole, after he had made national headlines for waiting six hours to vote in the 2020 primary election.

A new ruling from the states highest criminal court Wednesday may afford legal relief to Rogers and potentially others, after it found that Paxtons office does not have the constitutional right to prosecute voter fraud without the consent of local prosecutors.

The office is also in the midst of investigating 386 allegations of fraud, according to its website, up by about 150 over what it reported it was looking into last year.

Paxton, members of his office and his supporters often use an unusual metric to tout the election integrity unit as a success, citing the more than 500 counts of offenses filed against defendants in pending cases, as opposed to the number of defendants, about 45.

This can prove misleading: An individual case can involve dozens of counts because the states lawyers can file many different charges for the same action or set of actions. For example, a social worker in the Mexia State Supported Living Center was charged in October with two election fraud offenses for each of the 67 residents she registered to vote prior to the 2020 presidential election without their permission, landing her a total of 134 counts. No illegal votes were cast.

As has been the trend since the voter fraud unit began its work 15 years ago, the majority of defendants, including the three whose cases were resolved this year, have been entered into diversion programs. Those are alternatives to prosecution for low-risk, typically first-time offenders that often involve some court supervision.

Twenty-seven defendants, or 17 percent, were sentenced to deferred adjudication, which is a form of probation that gives the person a chance to avoid a criminal conviction on their record.

Under a third of defendants cases ended in a conviction, and of those 46, a little over a dozen spent time behind bars.

The extensive use of these diversion programs makes it difficult for the public to find much information about the situations leading to the alleged crimes, which would typically be uncovered in court documents.

The Republican chairs of the committee in charge of writing the budget in the Texas House and Senate did not respond to questions about why funding increases to the election integrity unit continue to be approved despite its lack of results.

Democratic state Rep. Jessica Gonzalez, vice chair of the elections committee in the Texas House, called the spending unacceptable.

It is clear the Election Integrity Unit receives an absurd level of funding considering their inability to find real cases of voter fraud, and this funding increase only continues to fuel their witch hunt, Gonzalez said.
The Electoral Commission would like to assure the General Public and all Stakeholders that a stolen BVD cannot jeopardise the integrity of the 2024 Elections.



The Electoral Commission takes the incident of an unauthorised person in possession of a BVD very seriously.



"We are conducting our own internal investigations and will collaborate with the Police to bring this matter to its logical conclusion," the Commission said in a statement signed by its Deputy Chairman, Operations, Samuel Tettey.



According to the Electoral Commission, the voter verification application is designed such that it only works with data that is prepared, audited, encrypted, and signed by a Secure Process.



It says access to this process is highly restricted.



"Without access to this Secure Process, Voter Data cannot be generated to work with the BVD. The Data that is loaded onto the BVDs are set to be activated for a particular Election Day. A stolen BVD therefore cannot work in the December 2024 Elections.



"BVDs are used only to verify voters. They are not used to vote," the Commission said.



Background



A 52-year-old man, Samuel Yaw Koranteng, has been arrested and handed over to the Nsawam police after he was seen with a biometric verification device (BVD) belonging to the Electoral Commission of Ghana.



The suspect, who claims to reside in Tudu, Accra, was spotted with the device, identified by serial number VVD49976, on Friday, August 23, in Nsawam by some local residents.



Members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in Nsawam immediately facilitated his arrest and turned him over to the police for further investigation.





Read the full statement from the Electoral Commission



RE: MAN ARRESTED IN NSAWAM WITH A BIOMETRIC VERIFICATION DEVICE (BVD)



The attention of the Electoral Commission has been drawn to an incident in Nsawam in which a man was arrested on Friday, 23rd August, 2024 in possession of a Biometric Verification Device (BVD).



The Commission takes this incident of an unauthorised person in possession of a BVD very seriously. The Commission would like to assure the General Public and all Stakeholders that a stolen BVD cannot jeopardise the integrity of the 2024 Elections.



We are conducting our own internal investigations and will collaborate with the Police to bring this matter to its logical conclusion.



In the meantime, the Commission would like to address the General Public on this matter as follows:



1. The Public may recall that following the theft of five (5) Laptops which formed part of Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) Kits from our stores in April 2024, as well as the vandalization of five (5) BVDs and theft of two (2) BVDs from Tarkwa Nsuaem District and North Tongu District respectively during the December 2023 District Level Elections (DLEs), the Commission explained that a BVD in the hands of an unauthorised person cannot be used to compromise an election. It does not affect the integrity of an election. It is nothing more than an off-the-shelf device and cannot be used to compromise an election, without the necessary technical and security protocols.



The Electoral Commission undertakes a deliberate process of preparing a Biometric Verification Device (BVD) for any election that ensures that ONLY BVDs that are prepared for a particular election can be used for that election. This process is robust and is not vulnerable to manipulation. The possession of a BVD that has not gone through this rigorous process that is yet to happen for the 2024 Elections does not affect the integrity of the Elections.



a. The voter verification application is designed such that it only works with data that is prepared, audited, encrypted, and signed by a Secure Process. Access to this process is highly restricted. Without access to this Secure Process, Voter Data cannot be generated to work with the BVD. The Data that is loaded onto the BVDs are set to be activated for a particular Election Day. A stolen BVD therefore cannot work in the December 2024 Elections.



b. The BVD, as part of its Start-Up Process, checks for the integrity of the Data that is loaded onto it. If the Voter Data on the BVD has been altered in any way, the StartUp Process is halted and the BVD will not work.



c. Activation of the BVDs involves the use of Activation Codes that can only be downloaded from the EC's Secure System. This system is restricted to Election Officials with the right Access Credentials. A BVD without its Activation Code cannot be used for the verification of Voters.



d. The Data that is loaded onto the BVD must conform with the details of Voters on the Voters Register for each Polling Station. This data is not static and changes with every Election Cycle. Since the Voters Register for various Polling Stations for the 2024 Elections will be different from previous Elections, any data on a BVD that was activated for a previous Election will not conform with the Voters Register at the particular Polling Station on December 7, 2024.



e. BVDs are used ONLY to verify voters. They are not used to vote.



f. Political Party Agents observe the packing of election materials, including BVDS. They record the Serial Numbers of BVDs that are deployed at each Polling Station.



g. Additionally, the Serial Numbers of the BVDs that are used on Election Day are recorded on the Statement of Poll (Pink Sheet) for each Polling Station. This provides further evidence as to which specific BVDs were used to verify Voters at each Polling Station.



2. The Commission urges the Police to do everything in their power to unravel the circumstances surrounding the BVD that was found in the possession of the person arrested on Friday. The Commission stands in readiness to work with the Police in its investigations.



Thank you.



Samuel Tettey



Deputy Chairman, Operations







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Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, George Mireku Duker has appealed to Ghanaians to repose confidence in the Vice President and presidential candidate of the governing New Patriotic Party, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia to move Ghana forward.



Speaking on Peace FM's "Kokrokoo" show regarding the NPP 2024 manifesto which was launched at GSTS in Takoradi on Sunday, August 18, Mireku Duker described their manifesto as the best offering bold solutions to the economic challenges confronting Ghanaians.



He discouraged the citizenry from believing the words of the former President and flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress, John Dramani Mahama, who has promised a 24-hour economy.



He reminded the citizens of the economic difficulties that characterized the Mahama administration and, to him, juxtaposing it with the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia reign, the current administration is a far better option to develop the nation.



He listed some of the achievements under the leadership of President Nana Akufo-Addo with particular mention of the government's flagship policy, the Free Senior High School (SHS).



"Beyond the free secondary school, in terms of infrastructure, it is unprecedented", he said.



Mireku Duker stressed this government is the only government that adds value to the economy, hence called on the citizens to vote for Dr. Bawumia to win the December 7 polls.



"This is the only government under the leadership of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo that talk of value addition to our bauxite. This is the only government that, for the first time in the history of Ghana, to talk about refining our gold, that is gold refinery and has commissioned the first gold refinery in this country."



Watch video below





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Flagbearer of the NDC, John Dramani Mahama described the ruling NPP administration as the "biggest scam" since 1957.



He mentioned that despite its enticing promises, the ruling party has disappointed Ghanaians.



"This NPP administration has been the biggest political scam pulled on Ghanaians since our independence in 1957. And I will explain why! Repackaged with ribbons and sweetly scented with enticing promises, most Ghanaians will agree that Nana Akufo-Addo is indeed the President Ghana never got. Indeed, I daresay, his much-touted economic whizz kid Dr. Mahamoud Bawumia is also the economic messiah Ghana never got" he remarked.



According to him, the ruling government has decimated our democracy beyond recognition, destroyed livelihoods and families, and pushed millions of Ghanaians below the poverty line.



He further urged Ghanaians to vote on December 7 to "end tyranny, cronyism, corruption and hardship" inflicted on the nation.



"Your vote on December 7 will end tyranny, cronyism, corruption, and hardship. It will also pave the way for the vision, experience, and trustworthiness I, John Dramani Mahama, will restore to the Flagstaff House" he added.



The former President was speaking at the party's official manifesto launch.



The National Democratic Congress (NDC) officially launched its manifesto for this year's general elections on Saturday at the University of Education in Winneba, Central Region.











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The flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama, has said he will hold a National Economic Dialogue within his first 120 days in office if elected President.



The dialogue is to draw up a 4-year fiscal consolidation programme, which according to Mahama is part of his efforts to build the economy.



Mahama who said this during the launch of the NDC 2024 manifesto on Saturday, August 24 at Winneba further disclosed other measures and policies including:



-Rationalise taxes.



-Abolishing among others E-levy, COVID levy, and 10% levy on bet winnings.



-Review import duties and levies on vehicles and equipment meant for industry and agricultural purposes.



-Rationalise port fees and charges.



-Implement emergency measures to stabilize the Ghana Cedi and the macro-economy.



-Use Price Stabilization and Recovery Levy to cushion consumers.



-Investigate NPPs opaque Gold-for-Oil deal.



-Review the Gold Purchase Programme of the Bank of Ghana.



-Restore the licenses of wrongfully collapsed banks and financial institutions.



-Increasing indigenous participation in the banking and financial sector.



-Free statutory funds (GETFUND, NHIL, Road Fund) for their mandated objects.









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Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Vice President and flagbearer of NPP, says one of the things which will be the main focus of his administration is the creation of jobs for the youth.



Interacting with the media in Accra, Dr. Bawumia said despite the Akufo-Addo government creating more than 2.3 million jobs in the past 7 years, there remains concerns over youth unemployment.



He therefore outlined a number of steps he will do, if elected President, to address this situation saying "there are many areas that we will tackle for young people to get jobsWe are looking at the growth of businesses which will make people hire more and we have proposed a number of incentives to businesses to help them grow.



He further stated; "We also have a major tax reform programme to create a convenient environment for business in flat tax rate and tax amnesty."



"We also believe that training the youth is very important so the investment we are making in TVET will be improved significantly."



"We are also committed to training the youth in a broad area of ICT skills and many of our trained youth will have the opportunity to get jobs in Ghana and from various places abroad."



The NPP flagbearer reinforced his commitment to the Ghanaian youth during his meeting with journalists on Sunday, August 25.

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Presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has clarified his role as Vice President and put paid to arguments about why he has failed to implement the policies he wants to roll out now, and is rather waiting to do so under his Presidency.



Answering a question during his meeting with media practitioners on why he is not implementing his vision now as Vice President, Dr. Bawumia said, as a Vice President, he only assists the President to implement his vision.



He continued that he has limited authority but stressed that if elected President in upcoming elections, he will have full authority to implement his policies.



Throwing more light on the limited role of Vice President, Dr. Bawumia asked whether the budget that was recently approved by Parliament was his budget or the Presidents.



"The budget that was approved by Parliament went to Parliament in the name of the President, so it is the President's budget. It is not my budget.



That is why I have outlined my own plans and my own vision which I can implement when I become President with full authority in three months, in shaa Allah, he said.



Dr. Bawumia also chipped in a question asking if he who has never been President before is demanded to implement his vision while he is Vice President, then what about former President Mahama who as a former President wants to come back?



"Why didn't he do all those he wants to come back and do when he was President? He has been President before with full authority and he could have done all the things he is mentioning now. I have never been President before and I have never had full authority before. That is why I have come out with my own new ideas, he told the media.

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia says he is not perturbed by attempts by NDC to label him a liar.



The NDC has been seeing the hashtag #Bawuliar as their way of calling Dr. Bawumia, the presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party, names.



But at his interaction with the media on Sunday, Dr. Bawumia stressed he is least bothered by the opposition NDCs efforts to smear his character.



In a quick reply, Dr. Bawumia alluded to similar attitude by the NDC members and fanatics in which they tagged President Nana Akufo Addo as a murderer and drug addict, hence, to him, name calling is the stock-in-trade of the NDC.



Dr. Bawumia however jabbed the NDC leader, John Mahama, saying "at least I am not called Government Official One" referring to the description given to the former President in the Airbus corruption scandal



Dr. Bawumia further made reference to a report by the African Academy for Open-Source Investigations (AAOSI) in collaboration with Joy FM which said the labelling of him is NDCs orchestration to tarnish his image.



He commended Joy FM and the AAOSI for exposing his political opponents and their true character.



"Interestingly, whenever I come up with something and they say it is impossible and that I am lying, we prove them wrongBut when we do, they don't come back", he teased the NDC.



Dr. Bawumia proceeded to list a number of his policy proposals which the NDC find it difficult to understand how the policies end up being a success, hence their resort to calling him a liar which, he stressed, stems from their impossibility mindsets.



The policies, he highlighted, include his Ghana Card initiative which is currently used as a travel document, his medical drone delivery which send health supplies through drones to hospitals and patients, his mobile money interoperability whhas lifted Ghana to the number one spot in Africa among others.

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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President Paul Biya of Cameroon is set to contest the country's presidential election again at the age of 93.



Biya, who is Africa's longest-serving president, is currently 91 years old.



He will contest in the 2026 Presidential Election to seek an eighth term, by which time he will be 93.



Founder of the Foreign Press Association Africa, Kennedy Wandera disclosed this Thursday, August 22, citing TheEastAfrican.



The report read: "Cameroon is due to hold its next presidential election in 2025, longtime President Paul Biya will be 93. He has confirmed that he will contest.



"If he wins the election, and completes the new seven-year mandate, Biya will be 100 years in 2032.



According to the report, Biya's decision to delay the election by a year (postponed from 2025 to 2026), and to allow him to contest despite his age, has angered the opposition in Cameroon.



The report stated that opposition politicians may not be allowed to contest, leaving Biya free to win again and serve for 7 years.



Biya has served as the President for 42 years since 1982. He also served as the Prime Minister for 7 years from 1975 to 1982 before then.



He postponed the Parliamentary and Municipal elections until 2026.



"Cameroon's parliament last month approved Biya's request to postpone parliamentary and Municipal elections until 2026 to allow some breathing space, claiming that the political calendar is crowded," the report said.













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Two representative theropod tracks from the Koum Basin in northern Cameroon. Credit: SMU

An international team of researchers led by SMU paleontologist Louis L. Jacobs has found matching sets of Early Cretaceous dinosaur footprints on what are now two different continents.

More than 260 footprints were discovered in Brazil and in Cameroon, showing where land-dwelling dinosaurs were last able to freely cross between South America and Africa millions of years ago before the two continents split apart.

"We determined that in terms of age, these footprints were similar," Jacobs said. "In their geological and plate tectonic contexts, they were also similar. In terms of their shapes, they are almost identical."

The footprints, impressed into mud and silt along ancient rivers and lakes, were found more than 3,700 miles, or 6,000 kilometers, away from each other. Dinosaurs made the tracks 120 million years ago on a single supercontinent known as Gondwanawhich broke off from the larger landmass of Pangea, Jacobs said.

"One of the youngest and narrowest geological connections between Africa and South America was the elbow of northeastern Brazil nestled against what is now the coast of Cameroon along the Gulf of Guinea," Jacobs explained. "The two continents were continuous along that narrow stretch, so that animals on either side of that connection could potentially move across it."

Theropod footprint from Sousa Basin, Lower Cretaceous of northeastern Brazil. Credit: Ismar de Souza Carvalho

Most of the dinosaur fossils were created by three-toed theropod dinosaurs. A few were also likely made by sauropods or ornithischians, said Diana P. Vineyard, who is a research associate at SMU and co-author of the study.

Other co-authors of the study were Lawrence J. Flynn in the Department of Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University, Christopher R. Scotese in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Northwestern University and Ismar de Souza Carvalho at the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro and Centro de Geociencias.

The study was published by New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science in a tribute to the late paleontologist Martin Lockley, who spent much of his career studying dinosaur tracks and footprints.

A long ornithopod trackway at Passagem das Pedra, Sousa Basin preserved in floodplain deposits of Lower Cretaceous. Credit: Ismar de Souza Carvalho

Dinosaur footprints tell the whole story

Africa and South America started to split around 140 million years ago, causing gashes in Earth's crust called rifts to open up along pre-existing weaknesses.

As the tectonic plates beneath South America and Africa moved apart, magma from the Earth's mantle rose to the surface, creating new oceanic crust as the continents moved away from each other. And eventually, the South Atlantic Ocean filled the void between these two newly-shaped continents.

Signs of some of those major events were evident between both locations where the dinosaur footprints were foundat the Borborema region in the northeast part of Brazil and the Koum Basin in northern Cameroon. Half-graben basinsgeologic structures formed during rifting as the Earth's crust pulls apart and faults formare found in both areas and contain ancient river and lake sediments.

Along with dinosaur tracks, these sediments contain fossil pollen that indicate an age of 120 million years.

Before the continental connection between Africa and South America was severed, "rivers flowed and lakes formed in the basins" Jacobs said.

"Plants fed the herbivores and supported a food chain. Muddy sediments left by the rivers and lakes contain dinosaur footprints, including those of meat-eaters, documenting that these river valleys could provide specific avenues for life to travel across the continents 120 million years ago."
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The global concentrations of one of the main air pollutants known to affect human health has been graphically illustrated for the first time by a team of scientists.

The Air Quality Stripes which were created by the University of Leeds, the University of Edinburgh, North Carolina State University, and the UK Met Office, starkly contrast the significant improvements in air quality across much of Europe with the alarming deterioration in parts of Africa and Central Asia.

The project's findings highlight both the successes and ongoing challenges in tackling air pollution worldwide.

Dr. Kirsty Pringle from EPCC at the University of Edinburgh and co-director of the project, said, "Air pollution is often called the 'invisible killer,' but these images make the invisible visible, showing the changes in particulate matter pollution over the decades."

Dr. Jim McQuaid, an Associate Professor of Atmospheric Composition in the Leeds' School of Earth and Environment who worked on the Air Quality Stripes project with Dr. Pringle, said, "The bottom line is that air pollution is one of the world's leading risk factors for death, it is thought to contribute to one in 10 deaths globally.

"Our Air Quality Stripes show the huge range in trends and concentrations around the world. The stripes demonstrate that there is still more work to be done to reduce people's exposure to poor air quality, and in some places a great deal more."

Inspired by the world-famous climate warming stripes image, the researchers created their own illustration to plot the changing trends in outdoor concentrations of what is known as particulate matter air pollution, a mix of tiny liquid or solid particles such as dust, dirt, soot, or smoke, which are found throughout the atmosphere.

Dr. Steven Turnock, a senior scientist from the UK Met Office who provided the data for the Air Quality Stripes project, said, "Presenting this scientific data as Air Quality stripes really brings into focus the stark contrast in air quality trends and people's exposure to poor air quality depending on where they live."

There are stripes for the capital city of every nation worldwide with two additional cities for China, India, and the United States. The research team also included their own cities of Leeds, Edinburgh, and Exeter.

The lightest blue stripes meet the World Health Organization Air Quality Guidelines which were introduced in 2021, with all other colors exceeding the guideline values.

Data from computer simulations and satellite observations were combined to estimate the changing concentrations of particulate matter since the beginning of the industrial revolution, with the color palette for the stripes devised by an artist who analyzed over 200 online images of "air pollution" to identify the dominant color palettes.

Key findings:

Europe's Air Quality Gains: The images show substantial reductions in particulate matter levels across most of Europe (predominantly Western Europe). Stricter air quality regulations and technological advancements have successfully reduced particulate matter concentrations in most European cities (e.g. London, Brussels, Berlin).

Worsening Conditions in Central Asia and parts of Africa: The visualizations reveal a concerning rise in particulate matter pollution in many cities in central Asia and Africa (e.g. Islamabad, Delhi, Nairobi). Rapid urbanization, industrial growth, and limited regulatory frameworks are contributing to this troubling trend, which poses significant health risks to local populations.

Global Disparities: The images highlight the stark disparities in air quality progress between different regions, emphasizing the need for targeted international efforts to address the growing air pollution crisis in the most affected areas.

The influence of natural sources was particularly notable in some locations, these sources include desert dust and wildfires, proximity to the coast was often quite noticeable with locations such as Jakarta having lower levels than might be expected.

A cocktail of pollutants

Particulate matter, or PM 2.5 , have a diameter less than a 30th of the width of a human hair and can penetrate deep into our lungs easily. The smallest particles cross into the bloodstream and affect our health, and some have even been detected in the blood of unborn children.

They can come from natural sources such as volcanoes and deserts but are also produced by human activities such as industry, cars, agriculture, domestic burning, and fires arising from climate change.

PM 2.5 has been linked to a very wide range of health issues ranging from breathing problems like asthma, to reduced lung health, increased likelihood of developing cancer and heart disease, and an increased risk of developing many diseases including diabetes, Alzheimer's, and Parkinson's.

The World Health Organization recommends that the annual average concentration of PM 2.5 should not exceed a concentration of 5 micrograms per cubic meter air (5 ug/m3). This new guideline is a concentration which is generally classed as very good air quality. It is important to remember that there is NO safe level of PM 2.5 recognized by medical science.

At present, 99% of the world's population live with concentrations above this value, with the highest PM 2.5 levels typically found in low- and middle-income countries.

The AQ stripes use an annual average to take account of the ups and downs due to changes in weather patterns throughout the year, and to make comparison between locations simpler. However, the researchers point out that even short-term exposure to very high levels can quickly have acute health effects requiring medical treatment.

Dr. McQuaid added, "We created these to try to illustrate the complex data that computer models generate, into something that is much easier to understand.

"Strangely, one of the major headaches for us was the color scheme. We finally went for blue to black, representing nice clean blue skies, through to black for extremely high levels of pollution.

"In the end, we contacted a colleague in the US (Douglas Hamilton) and he worked with one of his team to create a color scheme using an internet search of images tagged as 'air pollution' and they came up with what we finally went with. It was very similar to what we already had, but great to get external validation.

"To me it's all about that lightbulb moment when someone understands it; that sudden 'oh yeah now I get it!' I wanted it to be simple enough that non-experts could look at it and be able to understand it without having done science since leaving school. "

Dr. Pringle added, "The images show that it is possible to reduce air pollution; the air in many cities in Europe is much cleaner now than it was 100 years ago, and this is improving our health. We really hope similar improvements can be achieved across the globe."

The Air Quality Stripes follow in the footsteps of the Climate Warming Stripes which were created by Professor Ed Hawkins at the National Center for Atmospheric Science and University of Reading in 2018 and have since become very widely used as a visual representation of the Earth's warming climate.

Professor Hawkin's work has since inspired the creation of the Biodiversity Stripes which show biodiversity loss, and Ocean Acidification Stripes.
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The similarity in composition of new and old lunar samples suggests a magma ocean covered the moon early in its history. Credit: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center

Data from India's recent Chandrayaan-3 mission supports the idea that an ocean of molten rock once covered the moon. Scientists from the mission have published their new findings in the journal Nature.

On August 23, 2023, a lander called Vikram successfully touched down on the lunar surface. Controllers then deployed a rover called Pragyan, which had been stowed on Vikram, to explore the landing site.

The location where Vikram touched down was further south than any other landing craft had previously been on the moon. It gave scientists an insight into the geology of the moon that had not yet been sampled.

Pragyan's measurements found that the particular mix of chemical elements in the lunar soil (or regolith) surrounding the lander was relatively uniform. This regolith was primarily made up of a white rock type called ferroan anorthosite.

The scientists say the chemical composition of the lunar south pole regolith is intermediate between those of samples from two locations in the moon's equatorial region: those collected by astronauts on the US Apollo 16 flight in 1972, and those returned to Earth by the robotic Luna-20 mission, flown by the Soviet Union the same year.

The broad similarity in the chemical compositions of all these samples, despite the fact they came from very distant geographical locations on the moon, supports the idea that a single magma ocean covered the moon early in its history.

The moon is thought to have formed when a Mars-sized planet collided with Earth, ejecting rock that subsequently coalesced to form our planet's only satellite. The lunar magma ocean is thought to have been present from its formation to tens or hundreds of millions of years afterwards.

The cooling and crystallization of this magma ocean eventually led to the ferroan anorthosite rocks that make up the moon's crust.

There are many differences between the moons nearside (left) and farside (right). Credit: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio

Orbital measurements

Geologically, the lunar highlands are thought to partially represent the ancient lunar crust. Chandrayaan-3, Apollo 16 and Luna 20 all landed in highland regions, allowing comparisons. As such, it presented an opportunity to test predictions of the theory that the moon was covered in a global ocean of liquid rockknown as the lunar magma ocean (LMO) model.

The authors highlight how their measurements show the uniformity in the composition of the moon's surface over several tens of meters where the rover was operating.

"Ground-truth" measurements such as these are crucial for interpreting observations made by orbiting spacecraft. For example, the authors compared these results with data from two previous Indian lunar missions, Chandrayaan-1 and -2, which both measured the lunar surface from orbit.

The consistency between these earlier spacecraft measurements and those made by the Pragyan rover gives new confidence to the orbital datasets. The orbital data suggests the lunar surface in this region is uniform in its chemical composition over an area of several kilometers.

These measurements are also invaluable when it comes to interpreting lunar meteorites. These are samples of rock ejected into space from the lunar surface when a space rock collides with the moon.

These rock fragments may later enter the Earth's atmosphere, and some even hit the ground. These represent fantastic samples, as the random nature in which they are thrown from different parts of the moon means we receive samples from areas not visited by previous missions.

However, precisely because of this random mode of sampling, it is difficult to know where on the moon they have come from, preventing us from placing them in their proper context. So, the Pragyan rover measurements help us build a picture of what different regions of the moon look like, and how our meteorite samples compare.

Nearside and farside

The lunar magma ocean model was first conceived following the return of samples from the Apollo 11 mission. That mission landed in an area dominated by dark basaltic rock (think of the stuff produced by volcanoes in Iceland or Hawaii). However, researchers at the time noticed the Apollo 11 soils also contained fragments of white rock, rich in the mineral anorthite, which was given the name ferroan anorthosite.

This observation led to the suggestion that the white rock represented tiny fragments of the original, ancient lunar crust. As the magma ocean cooled, denser minerals such as olivine and pyroxene sank to form a deeper layer called the mantle, while the ferroan anorthositebeing less dense than the surrounding magmafloated to form the moon's first crust.

Animation showing the evolution of the moon.

Since the original lunar magma ocean models were proposed, various suggestions have been made to explain additional complexities about lunar samples and geological observations of the moon more generallyfor example, the fact that the lunar nearside crust appears to be much thinner than that of the farside.

Equally, it is unclear exactly why the nearside has experienced so much more volcanic activity, resulting in it being dominated by vast plains of dark basaltic rock, while the farside appears to comprise more of ferroan anorthosite.

In trying to address these problems, researchers have developed detailed models to explain how the lunar crust formed and was later modified by volcanic eruptions and impact cratering. Some models have predicted multiple layers to the lunar crust, with the ferroan anorthosite rocks at the top and more magnesium-rich rocks underneath.

Interestingly, the composition measured in this study is not what would be expected of the pristine ferroan anorthosite thought to have comprised the ancient lunar crusts. Instead, it contains more magnesium.

This observation indicates a higher concentration of certain minerals in the lunar crust than was suggested by the original lunar magma ocean models. The authors suggest their measurements may represent a mixed composition of the ferroan anorthosite rock that makes up the ancient lunar crust, together with material from the underlying layers of more magnesium-rich rocks.

These different layers of material would have been mixed by the excavation of material during impact cratering on the moon. In particular, the Chandrayaan-3 landing site would probably have been covered by about 1.52 km of ejected rock from the so-called "South Pole-Aitken" impact basina 2,500km diameter depression in the surface that is thought to have been created by a colossal impact event early in the moon's history.

Later impact cratering events would have further mixed and distributed this material, resulting in the kind of chemical signature measured by the Chandrayaan-3 mission in this study.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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In the Umzimvubu Catchment Partnership, communities work with non-profit organisations and academics to restore and protect natural springs so that people have clean drinking water. Credit: Environmental and Rural Solutions

South Africa is a water-scarce country, the 30th driest in the world. Using water wisely will become more and more important as the population grows and droughts related to climate change increase. A lack of clean, fresh water has a negative impact on people's health and on the amount of food that can be grown.

Agricultural economist Saul Ngarava studied 1,184 homes in South Africa's North West, Northern Cape and Eastern Cape provinces to see which types of water governance resulted in better water, energy and food security. He found that the best results were achieved where water was governed democratically by different types of organizations working together.

How is water governed in South Africa?

Water governance is driven by the constitution, which says "Everyone has the right to have access to sufficient food and water," and which gives different water management responsibilities to different levels of government.

At one end of the spectrum, national government manages all water resources. At the other end, local government takes care of supplying clean water to households and disposing of sewage and waste water.

The National Water Act of 1998 is charged with managing South Africa's scarce water resources through different local level institutions. These are catchment management agencies, water user associations, international engagement bodies and the Water Tribunal.

The Water Services Act of 1997 says how these institutions should make sure that everyone has access to basic water and sanitation.

Why do water use governance arrangements matter?

Water supports development and can help with creating jobs and eliminating poverty. It is essential in national planning and therefore it is vital that it is managed properly.

In South Africa, there are different water governance arrangements: bottom-up and top-down. The two I have researched are the water user association and the catchment partnership.

There are 43 water user associations in South Africaformal, top-down associations of individual water users. An example is a large scale irrigation scheme that provides water to commercial, emerging and small-scale farmers and their local towns and villages in major agricultural areas. I researched the Vaalharts water user association, which covers the farming areas of Taung and Magareng, stretching across the North West and Northern Cape provinces.

Water user associations usually have a lot of infrastructure. This can include 100 kilometer long irrigation canals and pipelines. They're mainly centered on commercial farmers who use this common irrigation system, and although they deliver water to all homes in the farming area, they are largely dictated to by farmers.

A catchment partnership is a ground-up, informal voluntary collaboration between multiple organizations with shared interests. I researched the Umzimvubu Catchment Partnership in Matatiele, in the Eastern Cape province. It is made up of more than 30 organizations, including the local municipality, the non-profit Environmental Rural Solutions, the provincial forestry department and the South African National Biodiversity Institute, an academic research institute.

These organizations work together to build social capitalthe resources linked to a network of relationships. The network is a convergence of indigenous knowledge, expertise and data, aimed at empowering all the participants to take equal ownership of the water governance arrangement.

Credit: The Conversation

Catchment partnerships usually serve only a smaller area and everyone who lives within it. They often aim to conserve a river system and its catchment area so that the water can be used for local job creation and economic growth.

They don't have as much expensive water infrastructure and they rely on natural benefitswater from natural springs, food from wild fruit or fuelwood that is used for cooking.

Are these arrangements unique to South Africa?

Water user associations and catchment partnerships are not unique to South Africa. England, Scotland, Tanzania, Nepal and Indonesia, among others, also have them. In these countries, water user associations and catchment partnerships have resulted in water management by a wide range of organizations and they face many of the same issues.

What problems can arise in water governance?

Water user associations such as Vaalharts water user association take more time to make decisions. Technical experts in finance, human resources, engineering, and others need to be consulted, along with subcommittees who add their voices, and even the government's Department of Water and Sanitation.

This means that infrastructure maintenance and agreements on how to distribute water fairly among the farmers, industry, towns and communities can be slow or not happen at all.

In catchment partnerships such as the Umzimvubu catchment partnership, grassroots and local organizations aim to work together to reach consensus.

This makes decision making faster, easier and more effective. However, they lack funding, mostly because they are made up of organizations without large funding bases. Sometimes, their member organizations take care of their own water needs first before considering the partnership.

What impact do these arrangements have on water, energy and food security?

My research found that the Vaalharts water user association solely focused on water security. But this mainly benefited the commercial farmers who grow cash crops such as pecan nuts, lucerne, groundnuts, wheat, citrus and grapes.

My research found that people living in the Umzimvubu catchment partnership have more water, energy and food security overall. For example, the households I studied in the Umzimvubu catchment partnership were able to supplement their water supply with clean drinking water from a spring that the catchment partnership had restored and protected. The catchment partnership also tested the quality of the water and set up tanks to store it, providing clean, free, drinking water to over 700 people.

A limited amount of water was also available for their livestock. This improved the food security of homes in the Umzimvubu catchment partnership area. Free water meant the families had more money to buy electricity.

The catchment partnership had projects to clear away invasive trees which drain local water supplies. This helps rejuvenate the natural grasslands, where livestock graze. This creates more food security.

What changes do you propose, and why?

The South African government wants to establish more high level water governance structures such as water user associations. Based on my research comparing the Vaalharts water user association and Umzimvubu catchment partnership, this is the wrong approach.

Top-down structures that restrict broad participation, and increase bureaucracy and corruption, might not be able to provide the water, energy and food security that South Africa needs. An effective change would be to disband water user associations and replace them with catchment partnerships.

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Credit: AI-generated image

Prime Minister Keir Starmer recently urged the police to take "all necessary action" in response to unrest across cities and towns in England and Northern Ireland.

One of the most contentious tools at the police's disposal is the Tasera conducted energy device designed to temporarily incapacitate people with an electrical shock.

Bright yellow and handheld, a Taser can be used in two ways: by direct contact or by firing from a distance. The device's probes are engineered to pierce a person's clothing and skin, delivering an electrical charge intended to de-escalate potentially volatile situations.

Tasers were first introduced to British policing in 2003, to bridge the gap between using sprays and firearms in handling serious and violent incidents. Initially limited to trained firearms officers, the use of Tasers was expanded in 2008, allowing all officers to receive specialized training in their deployment.

By 2019, 14% of officers across England and Wales were trained to carry and use Tasers. And by 2023, 22% of officers in the Metropolitan Police were trained to carry and use them.

Since 2019, student police officers have been allowed to carry Tasers, following a recommendation from the National Police Chiefs' Council. The council acknowledged that student officers face the same risks as fully trained colleagues, already carry batons and irritant spray, and account for a considerable proportion of front-line officers.

The most recently published statistics show that between April 2022 and March 2023, Tasers were used (including being drawn and aimed at a person) 33,531 times in England and Wales, and actually fired 2,978 times. This is a decrease from 2021 to 2022, when Tasers were used 34,276 times and fired 3,212 times.

In Scotland, only specially trained officers can use Tasers. Between 2018 and 2021, they were used in 782 Scottish incidents. The human rights organization Amnesty criticized the Police Service of Northern Ireland earlier this year for its increased use of force, including a 40% increase in Taser use.

Guidance for how police in England and Wales should use Tasers is published by the College of Policing. It states that they should only be used as a proportionate response to an identified threat. Officers should provide the clear verbal warning "Taser, Taser" and, if circumstances allow, give sight of the device before firing.

Police most commonly fire Tasers in response to weapon possession, drug use, or the need to protect themselves or others. But age and gender also play a role. People aged between 18 and 34 are the most frequent targets of Taser use, while being a woman reduces the likelihood of being tasered by 80%.

The data on Tasers and race is inconsistent, however. Some studies have found that Tasers have been used on non-white people twice as often as white people, while others have found no significant correlation.

What do the public think?

Public support for police carrying Tasers is strong. A survey of more than 9,000 people in 2016 found that 79% backed the idea of more officers being equipped with Tasers. A 2019 survey of more than 4,000 people revealed that 66% would feel safer if every officer in their community carried a Taser, and 69% trusted the police to use them responsibly.

A YouGov poll conducted during this summer's riots revealed that 75% of Britons believe Tasers should be used in such situations. Among the police, support for wider Taser use is even stronger90% of more than 8,000 officers surveyed in 2016 agreed that more of their colleagues should be equipped with the device.

However, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) warns that Taser use can significantly affect public confidence in the police, partly due to misunderstandings about how and when Tasers are deployed. The IOPC points to a gap between public expectations and the actual situations in which Tasers are used, particularly when vulnerable individuals are involved.

Concerns about Taser use

Tasers can inflict pain and cause neuromuscular incapacitation, leading to a person stiffening up and collapsing, unable to control their movements. This sudden loss of control can result in injury.

Additionally, the probes penetrating the skin carry a risk of infection and, potentially, the transmission of disease. In rare cases, Tasers can ignite flammable clothing, causing burns. And there's also a risk of cardiac arrest, and even death.

Although Tasers are intended to de-escalate threats or temporarily incapacitate people, the IOPC has investigated cases where Tasers were discharged for prolonged periods.

Mental health issues or acute behavioral disturbances are often present in cases where a Taser is discharged for 20 seconds or longer. Research indicates that people with mental health issues are 80% more likely to be tasered.

Police have also used Tasers on children, with more than 3,000 instances involving 11-to 17-year-olds between 2022 and 2023 in England and Wales. In 88 of those cases, the weapon was actually fired.

In the same period, Tasers were drawn on six children under the age of 11. While Taser use is often linked to the possession of a weapon, the Children's Rights Alliance for England has called for a ban on using the device against children.

Tasers are considered a safer use of force for both police officers and the people involved, causing fewer injuries than dogs, batons, physical force or spray. But some high-profile casessuch as a pregnant woman in south Wales who miscarried days after being Taseredhave shown that significant risks remain.

The IOPC's 17 recommendations from its 2021 investigation emphasize the need for improved training and guidance, increased scrutiny and monitoring, and greater community engagement.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Microplastics have been found in the ocean and the air, in our food and water. They have been found in a wide range of body tissues, including the heart, liver, kidneys and even testicles.

But are they actually harming you?

Evidence suggests they might, but it's limited in scope. Some researchers are worried, but acknowledge there are lots of unanswered questions.

Dr. Marya Zlatnik, a San Francisco-based obstetrician who has studied environmental toxins and pregnancy, has seen studies raising concerns about microplastics' impact on the health of babies and adults.

But it's a young research field, and it's not something she generally discusses with patients.

I'm not entirely sure what to say yet, Zlatnik said.

Here's a look at what's known so far:

What are microplastics?

Plastics are man-made materials  many of them derived from oil or other petroleum products. They can break down into smaller particles, through exposure to heat and weather and even animal digestion.

Researchers have increasingly been interested in microplastics, which can be as wide as a pencil eraser or as small as a fraction of the width of a human hair. Nanoplastics, another area of study, are even smaller.

These minuscule plastics have been detected in air, water and soil, in milk, and in bottled and tap drinking water. They also have been found in a variety of foods, including salt, sugar, honey, rice and seafood.

Are there microplastics in you?

Most likely yes.

There is scientific debate about how much people inhale and ingest, and it can vary on what they eat and drink and where they live, researchers say.

Some Australian researchers, on behalf of the World Wildlife Fund, calculated in 2019 that many people each week consume roughly 5 grams of plastic from common food and beverages  the equivalent of a credit card. That estimate is not universally embraced by researchers, but is commonly mentioned in news articles.

Researchers are still trying to understand exposure levels, but study after study is finding signs of plastics in body tissues.

Microplastics have been measured in pretty much all of the body tissues that have been evaluated, said Tracey Woodruff, a University of California at San Francisco researcher. Scientists have even reported finding them in the penis, ovaries and placentas.

Will microplastics hurt you?

That's still being sorted out.

A 2022 World Health Organization report concluded there was no clear risk to human health, based on the available evidence.

Theres also not an obvious signal of widespread public health impact, at least in terms of mortality. Cancer, heart disease and stroke death rates have been falling, not rising.

But researchers only started measuring plastics in the human body  and trying to assess the health effects  in recent years. Some of that work is only coming to fruition now.

It makes sense that microplastics are harmful because they contain toxic chemicals, said Woodruff, who was part of a team that reviewed nearly 2,000 studies about microplastics at the request of California legislators. It may be, for example, that microplastics play a role in rising occurrences of some cancers in younger people, she said.

Available information indicates plastics can spark inflammation and cause other problematic changes in the body that can, for example, raise the risk of heart attack and stroke.

A small study in the New England Journal of Medicine earlier this year suggested, but did not prove, that patients with evidence of plastics in their arteries were at greater risk of death from heart attacks and strokes. But an expert not involved in the research suggested the study may have overstated the effects.

Even though theres a lot we still dont know about microplastic particles and the harm they cause to humans, the information that is available today is in my mind very concerning, said Dr. Philip Landrigan, of Boston College.

What can you do about microplastics?

There are ways to reduce potential microplastics exposure, researchers say.

Take your shoes off before you go in the house, to avoid tracking in plastics-laden dust (not to mention germs, dirt and other debris) throughout your home.

Eat foods  especially fresh fruits and vegetables  that you prepare in the home.

Dont microwave a meal in a plastic tray, no matter what TV dinner instructions might say, Woodruff said.

And opt for reusable stainless steel or glass water bottles, rather than disposable plastic ones, she added.

Zlatnik, the obstetrician, noted that families with limited incomes may have bigger things to worry about.

If someone is worried about where their next meal is going to come from, I'm not going to give them advice to keep their leftovers in glass containers and to not microwave in plastic, she said.

___

The US fertility rate is decreasing: What it means for the nation's future The US fertility rate is decreasing: What it means for the nation's future After a few decades of stability, the US fertility rate is falling The rate is falling faster in some states
Democratic Congressional candidate Christina Bohannan tried her hand at shooting at a private gun range near Blue Grass on Saturday with the Democratic candidate for Scott County Sheriff Thomas Gibbs, a former firearms instructor.

Bohannan is running against Republican incumbent Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, in southeast Iowa's 1st Congressional District, for the second time.

While at the property owned by Iowa House Democratic candidate Phil Wiese, Bohannan fired a 9 millimeter handgun, an AR-15-style rifle, and a 12-gauge shotgun at a target set up on the lawn.

Bohannan said she wanted to come out to the range because she thinks its important for legislators to understand more about the firearms they regulate and to show her support for gun rights for law-abiding citizens as well as for gun safety.

"I grew up with guns, I'm a gun owner myself, I support the Second Amendment, and I think it's important that we support those rights for law-abiding responsible gun owners and understand really firsthand what we're doing when we think about gun regulation," Bohannan said.

Bohannan said it's important to recognize rights for gun owners while also pushing for expanding background checks and keeping people safe from gun violence.

Federal law began requiring background checks when a gun is bought from a licensed dealer in 1994, but not unlicensed dealers such as at non-licensed sellers at gun shows or online. Legislation passed in 2022 expanded the number of non-dealers who were required to be licensed and get background checks.

"I think we can absolutely protect both at the same time," Bohannan said. "And I want us to get away from this more extreme argument on kind of the left and the right about it. ... A lot of Democrats in Iowa are gun owners and believe that we should protect gun rights while also making sure that our kids and our communities are safe."

Bohannan said she thought legislation Congress passed in June 2022 "did some good."

That legislation closed the so-called "boyfriend loophole" in the law preventing domestic abusers from owning firearms; created funding for states to implement red-flag laws which allow a temporary removal of firearms from people deemed to be a danger to themselves or others; and added funding for school and mental health programs, among other provisions.

Iowa's House delegation split along party lines on that bill, with Iowa's then-lone Democratic representative Cindy Axne voting for it and Republicans Miller-Meeks, Randy Feenstra, and Ashley Hinson voting against. Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst voted for the bill and Sen. Chuck Grassley voted against it.

Bohannan said she supports expanding background checks, but stopped short of pledging support for bans on certain types of weapons, such as semi-automatic assault-style rifles or bump stocks.

"That's a harder issue because that's not just about who has them, it's about types of guns. ... I do think that we need to try to keep those out of the hands of people who shouldn't have them," Bohannan said. "So I would like to see some tighter regulations on those. Whether we should have an outright ban, I think is a conversation we can have but I think the main thing is to make sure that people aren't just going in a moment of anger or in a situation where they might have suicidal tendencies or violent tendencies just getting those weapons immediately and being able to fire them.

"And I think we also need to really look at gun safety training because a lot of people ... don't know how to handle a firearm safely. And I've been doing this for a long time. I've been shooting since I was a kid, but I still learned something today from Tom about gun safety," she added.

Bohannan said she'd like to see more research on mental health, suicide, and deaths by gun violence at the federal level.

Asked how she differs from Miller-Meeks on her position on guns, Bohannan said Miller-Meeks "does not want to do anything at all to prevent gun violence against our kids, against people going out in the community in our schools. I think we have to take this seriously. Even responsible gun owners largely support background checks and she voted against those efforts."

At an Iowa City town hall a year ago, Miller-Meeks said she may consider supporting strengthening background checks.

She said she opposed banning semi-automatic rifles, including AR- or AK-style rifles. She said she does not condone what has happened in shootings around the country and strongly supports and advises people to lock their weapons and ammunitions and to take classes on gun safety.

Miller-Meeks introduced legislation to allow states to use unused federal COVID-19 relief funds to be made available for school security.

At the town hall, Miller-Meeks called a federal assault weapons ban from 1994 to 2005 ineffective. Answering questions from reporters, she said Congress had failed to get enough votes for measures to reduce access to semi-automatic weapons used in mass killings nationally, according to reporting from the Cedar Rapids Gazette. Instead, she said the country must fully enforce laws on the books and toughen sentencing for people who commit a crime using a firearm.

"Background checks are already required for gun purchases and need to be properly enforced. However, the hypocrisy and lies of my Democrat opponent are endless," Miller-Meeks said in an emailed statement. "She voted against 2nd amendment protections (HF756) to the Iowa constitution and consistently supported and aligned with groups that aim to dismantle the Second Amendment, a clear violation of our constitutional rights."
IN THE NEWS

Cases dismissed against most protesters at UVa

Cases have been dismissed against nearly all the 27 protesters who were arrested at a pro-Palestine encampment on University of Virginia Grounds on May 4.

Each was charged with trespassing after police declared an unlawful assembly, but over the course of the past several months, those cases have been dropped.

A handful of the defendants, however, plan to fight the charges, claiming that UVa and the state violated their First Amendment rights.

Staff departures, more business tax return reviews caused backlog in corporate refunds A trend of more corporate tax returns needing more intensive review and departures of top tax department experts delayed refunds to businesses.

On Thursday and Friday, 16 individuals had their cases dismissed, which followed another arrestee having their case dropped in July and six others having their cases dismissed in May. That leaves just four individuals with active cases.

SKYDIVING: New details have emerged as to what led to a skydiver landing in a tree and seriously injuring himself during the Big O Boogie skydiving festival in Orange County this past weekend.

The festival, put on by Skydive Orange, ended its three-day run Sunday with rescue teams pulling one skydiver out of a tree off Mount Sharon Road, not far from the landing zone at Orange County Airport.

That was not the only skydiver injured, however.

Two licensed (solo) jumpers made a series of poor decisions that led them to collide during freefall, Whitney Stotts, operations manager at Skydive Orange, told The Daily Progress via email.

Stotts said that while one landed in a tree, breaking his leg and suffering other minor injuries, the other landed off Virginia Route 20 near the Gas N Stuff gas station and sustained a dislocated shoulder.

Both were taken by helicopter to University of Virginia Medical Center in Charlottesville for treatment.

THEY SAID IT

This is a political convention. But needing our only son and all of the cherished hostages home is not a political issue. It is a humanitarian issue. Were heartened that both Democratic and Republican leaders demonstrate their bipartisan support for our hostages being released.

 Jon Polin, the father of former Richmond resident Hersh Goldberg-Polin, during a speech Wednesday night at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Goldberg-Polin is among 109 people in Hamas captivity since they were abducted during Hamas' attacks on Israel on Oct. 7, which left about 1,200 people dead. Polin and his wife, Rachel Goldberg, pleaded for a cease-fire and the return of those being held captive.

BY THE NUMBERS

$8,275,449

The amount the University of Virginia will spend to pay its top 10 earners in 2024, $1 million more than the states flagship educational institution doled out last year. That accounts for roughly 0.7% of the $1.125 billion the university is spending to pay its 12,024 faculty and staff within both UVa and its affiliated health system, excluding student workers, this year, according to university reports.

38

The low temperature in Tazewell County on Wednesday morning, marking the lowest August temperature in that area since 2004. Several areas around the state recorded their lowest temperatures in more than two decades, including Roanoke at 50 and Richmond at 56.

ODDS AND ENDS

MURDER CHARGE: The parents of a 2-year-old boy who died in December with a significant amount of cocaine in his system are now facing felony murder charges in Spotsylvania. Cinceir Croxton, 24, and Kahleighya D. Coleman, 22, were both indicted Monday by a grand jury on the murder charges and various drug offenses. They had already been charged with offenses that include child endangerment, child neglect and child cruelty. Felony murder carries the possibility of up to 40 years in prison. The child died in a Richmond hospital on Dec. 6.

IN THE NEWS

Va. students make some improvement on yearly test scores

Virginia public school students saw slight improvements on their annual state accountability tests compared with last year, but for the fourth year in a row fared much worse than in the years before the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Standards of Learning assessments are given in the spring of each school year to measure student achievement for various subjects in grades 3 through 8.

Math and science scores also saw slight improvements statewide, with 70.95% of students passing their math tests compared with last years 69.13% pass rate. In 2019, 82% of students passed math tests. Across all grade levels, 68.44% of Virginia students passed science tests, up from last years 66.59% pass rate. In the last year before the pandemic, 81% of students passed science assessments.

On math assessments, students living in poverty more than doubled the rate of growth of all students post-pandemic. Black students rate of growth was three times the rate of growth of all students. English learners almost doubled their performance in math post-pandemic.

POLL: Vice President Kamala Harris holds a 3-percentage-point lead over former President Donald Trump among likely voters in Virginia, according to a poll released by Roanoke College on Tuesday.

The poll, conducted more than three weeks after President Joe Biden withdrew from the presidential race July 21 and endorsed Harris as his successor, shows Harris with a 47% to 44% advantage over Trump in a head-to-head matchup.

The margin holds at 45% to 42% after including other independent and third-party candidates.

Both results fall within the margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.
Yes, Im the guy who still wears a face mask in crowded indoor spaces, not unlike other folks who either have a compromised immune system or are protecting a loved one who does.

At Virginia Commonwealth University, this precaution could get me detained by an official demanding to check my ID, if Im to take the schools interim concealment of identity policy at face value. Any individual on VCU property who wears a mask, hood or otherwise covers a substantial portion of their face must present identification.

This is but one of the overbearing attempts by VCU to regulate protest in a nation where elected and appointed officials are putting the squeeze on the First Amendment, particularly on college campuses.

In VCUs interim Campus Expression and Space Utilization Policy, occupying or sleeping in tents is forbidden; encampments require advance approval. Protesters at board of visitors meetings can no longer bring banners, flags or signs larger than a standard sheet of paper  8 by 11 inches.

The rules on tents and encampments are one overreaction compounding another  a busload of officers from VCU, Virginia State Police and the Richmond Police Department, in riot gear using chemical irritants, storming a peaceful pro-Palestinian encampment on the lawn by the James Branch Cabell Library last April and arresting 13 people.

The new rules, designated as interim, require final approval within one year.

VCU is dedicated to creating a campus culture that embraces the richness of diverse perspectives, encouraging all members of our community  students, faculty, staff, and visitors  to engage in discussions, debates, and expressions that are the hallmark of a dynamic educational institution, VCU said in announcing the interim policy.

Honoring this campus culture also means acknowledging that it can be uncomfortable and sometimes painful to encounter ideas and perspectives that contradict ones own. Nonetheless, we encourage our community to engage in a respectful and constructive exchange of ideas that reflects our values as an inclusive and supportive community.

Engagement and inclusivity were sorely lacking in the crafting and release of these rules.

Or as former VCU dean Bob Holsworth points out, there should be a specific commitment to traditional shared governance processes that engage faculty, students, staff and administrators in developing the universitys policies about the exercise of free speech. At the moment, this appears to be a response to a political directive from the Youngkin administration that bypasses the universitys standard policy-making procedures.

Approving this sort of top-down policy in early August is the antithesis of inclusion. And dictating the rules of dissent to the micro-level of sign size is anathema to freedom of expression.

Weve been concerned to see a number of college and university administrations hastily enact overly restrictive policies that impose severe limits on speech and assembly, said Mary Bauer, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia. Its universities jobs to protect  not suppress  student speech, and we urge Virginias institutions of higher education to carefully distinguish between real danger and mere controversy as they carry out their responsibility to protect students civil rights and civil liberties.

Dont get me wrong: A university, like any institution, has a right to set policies.

But some of the rules literally dont pass the eye test.

Could VCU board members, even if they squint, read protests signs written on an 8-by-11-inch sheet of paper held in the back of a meeting room? Thats a rule more befitting an eye exam in an optometrist office than a demonstration by concerned students opposing policies that affect them, such as a tuition hike or the unilateral killing of a racial literacy requirement by the board of visitors.

Also, is hassling students with face coverings wise during a still-active pandemic? And does the school, in doing so, dare risk a twofer in attacking both free speech and religious freedom?

It is reasonable for the university to set policies for demonstrations that guarantee student safety, prohibit the destruction of property, and enable classes and clinical practice to proceed unimpeded. But this interim policy contains elements that go far beyond this, Holsworth says.

The requirement, for example, that anyone wearing a mask on campus needs to show ID makes no sense and it is impossible to imagine how it can be enforced fairly and evenly. If a student wears a mask because of COVID or a weakened immune system, how many times a day can be they be asked for ID? he asks. When he was a professor, he had Muslim women students who covered their entire face except for their eyes, he said. Will they be provided a religious exemption from the policy?

Moreover, he points out, while some demonstrations are planned in advance, others are spontaneous  a response to a specific incident  and should not be subject to an advance permission requirement, Holsworth says.

The rules reflect a national trend to silence or stifle dissent amid an outbreak of pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses  a turn of events that has led to the high-profile resignations under pressure of college presidents at Harvard, Columbia and the University of Pennsylvania. The larger context is a right-wing assault on academic freedom, from K-12 through college, in the censoring of books and classroom discussions and curriculums.

In an Aug. 19 article in the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Sereen Haddad, a student who led pro-Palestine demonstrations at VCU last year, called the rule changes a desperate attempt to suppress our voices and the movement as a whole. She said students will continue demonstrating this fall.

To Bauers point about distinguishing between danger and controversy, it must be noted that protest has rarely been politically popular in America.

Asked in a May 1964 Gallup survey, Do you think mass demonstrations by Negroes are more likely to HELP or more likely to HURT the Negros cause for racial equality? 74% of the respondents answered hurt. This was nine months after the March on Washington and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.s I Have a Dream speech.

Power concedes nothing without a demand. The point of a demonstration is to create a climate of unease that makes the status quo untenable and moves people to action. Our universities, a clearinghouse of ideas populated by inquiring and idealistic minds, are a natural place for the spirit of protest to flourish.

If the result is unsettling, so be it. Agitation sustains a free society.

We have to challenge ideas, said Shawn Utsey, a psychology professor at VCU. We have to get uncomfortable. Thats democracy.

As such, he looks askance at these interim policies.

I think that what theyre proposing is trying to make people comfortable with things we shouldnt be comfortable with. Why else would you make it harder to protest? Utsey said.

How can we applaud brother John Lewis? ... How can we applaud that good trouble statement and enact policies that say you cant cause good trouble?

These policies are bad trouble for free speech. VCU has given its students yet another reason to protest.

From the archives: In 1960, The Richmond 34 were arrested during a sit-in at the Thalhimers lunch counter
Cancun hotel extortionist demanding millions to continue construction project captured in Mexico City

Cancun, Q.R.  A man who tried to extort a Cancun hotel under construction has been arrested in Mexico City. Pablo Andrei N was arrested in relation to 290 million pesos in company losses as well as a thousand jobs.

Pablo Andrei N is accused of promoting, without legal status, an Amparo under the argument of environmental impact caused by the construction of a hotel, which was denied, the State Attorney General (FGE) said in a statement.

However, he requested the review and was granted the definitive suspension of the project causing an approximate loss of 290 million pesos, in addition to a thousand jobs.

On March 15, 2024, the now detained man demanded from the Director of the hotel project the amount of 45 million pesos to withdraw the protection. Later, on June 4 of this year, Pablo Andrei N reduced the amount to 20 million pesos.

The last demand was on June 26 of this year, when the suspect asked for $500,000 USD at the exchange rate of 20 pesos. On this occasion, he threatened the victim with a firearm, the FGE (Fiscalia General del Estado) reported.

During the ongoing investigation, Pablo Andrei N was located and taken into custody in Mexico City on an outstanding arrest warrant for his probable participation in the crime of extortion. He has since been returned to Cancun and entered into the Social Reintegration Center (prison).
Tourists inconvenienced while Cozumel taxi drivers protest competition

Cozumel, Q.R.  Workers at the Cozumel International Airport who assist tourists with their luggage were forced to work off site Saturday. Tourists arriving at the air terminal by shuttle buses were disrupted for around four hours due to a taxi driver protest.

The drivers were protesting against the issuance of licenses for competition such as CozuShuttle and FlexShuttle to operate. Dozens of drivers were seen outside the air terminal Saturday to prevent the CozuShuttle and FlexShuttle companies from traveling with passengers.

The taxi drivers carried signs claiming the two companies come from outside to take the money that should stay in the town, while others had signs that requested the intervention of Governor Mara Lezama to stop illegal transportation.

One of the two largest banners that the taxi drivers were carrying was addressed to named people the CozuShuttle company which read Remember your relatives are founding members of the Cozumel Taxi Drivers Union and with your actions you are harming them as well as the more than 300 families that depend on this economic activity.

The other was addressed to a representative of FlexShuttle: You intend to fill your pockets at the expense of the working people of Cozumel without caring about breaking the law, but you know we are not going to allow it. Get out of Cozumel.

Tourists were forced to use Cozumel taxis to get to and from the airport Saturday. Photo: August 24, 2024.

The protest came after a transport van had several of its windows broken by rocks. The incident happened Saturday outside a hotel at kilometer 17.7 of the southern coastal highway.

The rock attack has been attributed to four people dressed in civilian clothes who arrived in a car and fled after the attack. A couple of workers who were traveling in the van at the time the rocks were thrown were treated by paramedics and interviewed by police. There were no arrests.

The attack occurred at the same time as Cozumel taxi drivers were protesting against the shuttle vans transporting tourists outside the Cozumel International Airport.
Ukrainian forces advance further into Russia as it warns Belarus to withdraw troops from its border

Ukrainian forces have advanced further into Russia, according its President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The war-torn countrys leader used his evening address on Sunday to say troops had gone up to to three kilometres (1.86 miles) in Russia's Kursk region, taking control of two more settlements.

It came as Ukraine called on neighbouring Belarus to pull back what it described as significant levels of forces and equipment deployed at their common border.

The Ukrainian foreign ministry warned Belarus against making "tragic mistakes" while under pressure from Moscow.

A ministry statement urged the Belarus armed forces "to stop unfriendly actions" and withdraw their troops out of range of the border.

President Zelensky inspects defences on the Belarusian border (via REUTERS)

The ministry said Belarus special forces and former Wagner mercenary fighters were among the troops at the border.

Their equipment included tanks, artillery, air defence systems and engineering equipment, located in the Gomel region near Ukraine's northern border.

The statement said Ukraine "has never taken and is not going to take any unfriendly actions against the Belarusian people".

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on August 18 that Ukraine had stationed more than 120,000 troops at the border with Belarus, and deployed nearly a third of its armed forces along the entire border.

Belarus said on Monday that it sent aircraft, air defence forces and armour to its border with Ukraine.
SIOUX CITY  Walking through the doors into the new Bryant Elementary School, a group of the schools alumni, all but one sitting at 82 years old, marveled at the building which opened to students in 2019.

"This is huge," said Judy Mason Bjornsen looking up at the large open space just inside Bryant's front door Thursday afternoon. School started in Sioux City on Friday.

The group of 10 former Sioux City students who now hail from eight states including Iowa, were part of the Sioux City School Districts last mid-year class. They started kindergarten at Bryant in January 1947.

They gathered in Sioux City for a weekend reunion including the school tour.

Bjornsen, who now lives in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, recalled her first day of school at the original Bryant Elementary.

"Absolutely," she responded when asked if she recalled that day so many decades ago. "I was scared to death. In our kindergarten room we had a slide, a huge slide, that went clear up to the ceiling. And I think everybody in school was going down the slide except me. I was too scared."

Bryant Elementary School reunion 2024 A group of octogenarian alumni who attended Bryant Elementary School visit the new school building during a reunion in Sioux City, Thursday.

Bryant Elementary School reunion 2024 Bryant alumni Estelle Weiss, center, and Carol Trongaard, second from right, talk about this new building during a reunion visit to Bryant Ele

They were all last together in 2005 for a kindergarten reunion.

"Its great to be back in Sioux City for a while," Bjornsen said standing in front of the school.

The only classmate still residing in Sioux City, Jon Springer, helped organize the gathering.

"We were the last mid-year class that went through the Sioux City School System. We started school in January. And because we were a mid-year class there was only one section of it which is quite different. We stayed together all the way through school, all the way through Central (High School)."

During COVID in 2020, the group started hosting Zoom meetings every other month.

"We stayed as friends all of these years," Springer said.

The groups tour guide at Bryant was Cassie Foreman, the schools office manager.

"They were a fun group. They have a lot of spunk still in them," Foreman said.

Bryant Elementary School reunion 2024 A group of alumni who attended the original Bryant Elementary School beginning in 1947 visit the new school building during a reunion in Sioux

Bryant Elementary School reunion 2024 Herald Zabin peers into a first grade classroom during a reunion visit to Bryant Elementary School in Sioux City.

That first day of school in 1947 for Jon Pecaut, Lake Madison, S.D., is a fuzzy memory.

"My first day, I dont remember much except riding on Als (McCormack) school bus. Thats about all I remember. I am the oldest one in the group. I turned 83 on Sunday. Everybody else is 82," Pecaut said.

Gary Shrago, Piedmont, California, marveled at the 2024 version of a first-grade classroom. The group visited Mrs. Mozers room at Bryant which was decked out for the students arriving the next day.

"Oh, my goodness. So many memories. They just flood into my head. The kids back then, the teachers I remember. The school bus. The playground. Its just so much that comes back. Its just really an experience. Al McCormack was our school bus driver. He was a World War II veteran, and he drove the kids to different places in the neighborhood. He eventually opened up a car wash business," Shrago said.

"I wanted to come back and see people I havent seen in some instances for almost 70 years. So that was part of it. Part of it was just to revisit what I remember of the city."

Bryant Elementary School reunion 2024 Herald Zabin, center, and Gary Shrago, right, are guided by Suzi Kaiman, left, who is the sister of a classmate during a reunion visit to Brya

Bryant Elementary School reunion 2024 A group of octogenarian alumni who attended Bryant Elementary School are guided on a tour of the new school building by Cassie Foreman, the of

He last visited Sioux City 10 years ago for just one day. Shrago recalled his fathers cleaning businesses, the main cleaning plant at 817 Pierce St. and locations where the family lived on Rebecca Street, 37th Street Place and Ridgeview Road.

"The city is hugely different in so many ways," Shrago said remarking on the diversity of the Sioux City population in 2024 compared to the 1940s.

"People may have different feelings about that. I happen to think its a good thing. Its just been an incredible experience like no other, all the changes, all the memories."

Amid the tour, Shrago offered some advice for the incoming Bryant students.

"Cherish the day every minute you are in this classroom learning about life. You are learning about the people in your class. Remember this because it will come back many, many years later and it will be something you will really treasure."

Bryant Elementary School reunion 2024 A group of octogenarian alumni who attended Bryant Elementary School visit the new school building during a reunion in Sioux City, Iowa, Thurs

Bryant Elementary School reunion 2024 A group of octogenarian alumni who attended Bryant Elementary School visit the new school building during a reunion in Sioux City, Iowa, Thurs
2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #34

Posted on 25 August 2024 by BaerbelW, Doug Bostrom, John Hartz

A listing of 30 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, August 18, 2024 thru Sat, August 24, 2024.

Story of the week

Our Story of the Week is another stab at "connecting the dots," drawing a line between two different stories sharing common foundations.

First there's Emily Atkin writing for HEATED with a critical commentary on Elon Musk, in Why vilify the oil and gas industry?. As detailed by Atkin, in a recent interview with the current US presidential GOP party nominee Musk made an odd statement, one that with all charity can only be interpreted as remarkably chumpish and naive. Musk asserted in connection with climate change that "I dont think we should vilify the oil and gas industry." Unsurprisingly this article generated a lot of buzz in social media. Musk's assertion is starkly at odds with the fossil fuel industry's amply documented footprints of concerted, effective deception as recorded in public perception, public policy and certainly not least investigative journalism.

Assuming for a moment that Musk is somehow genuinely ignorant of a rich and obvious historical record, his information and cogitation could be improved by reading another article we shared this week, Oil firms and dark money fund push by Republican states to block climate laws by Peter Stone, writing for The Guardian. Stone's piece is certainly important in terms of ongoing situational awareness. But except in terms of details there's fundamentally little new in this article for anybody generally familiar with the struggle between the fossil fuel industry's desperate effort to prolong monetization of its outmoded and dangerous resouces versus modernization and cleanup of our energy systems. How a person of Musk's wide curiosity can remain oblivious to such activities is a true mystery and beggars belief.

For decades the fossil fuel industry has been fighting tooth and nail to preserve the anachronistic revenue stream it enjoys. Against the trillions of dollars of revenue at stake, a few hundred milllions spent on paying for favorable legislation and judicial bench-stuffing is not even noise on the bottom line. It doesn't need Musk's genius to see this but rather only a few minutes of attention and an easy Google search, by any person of average intelligence.

It's hard to credit that anybody of Musk's intelligence and insight into the materiality of energy supplies could truly be so ignorant. But ignorance is innocent, so let's be generous and call Elon Musk ignorant rather than a liar.

Elon Musk can also fairly be seen as a brutally pragmatic technological visionary, a person with a strong record of success as defined by context. In company with Nissan (first to offer a practical and affordable mass market EV) his automotive company has delivered a powerful and largely positive object lesson to the entire transport sector. Meanwhile, Musk's SpaceX is littering the skies with a reasonably useful but also problematic constellation of communications satellites. The latter system's impacts on astronomy and (more urgently) a burgeoning orbtal debris threat create a puzzling inconsistency in terms of Musk's avowed inclinations toward sustainability.

Musk also seems increasingly burderned by counterproductive ideological baggage, much along the lines of Henry Ford who was another earth-shaking titan of industry, Henry Ford. Elon Musk and Henry Ford share some strong resemblances in terms of single-handed upheaval of large segments of the industrial sector. Yet for all his brilliance at efficient vertically integrated manufacturing, Ford stepped outside of his lane of competence and ultimately was heard apologizing for and disclaiming his own publications, which diverged far from matters of industrial prowess and dived into a sewer of bigotry.

Although far removed from Ford's particular fallibility, Musk seems to be following a roughly parallel path of plutocratic downfall as did Ford, dabbling in matters outside his core skill set. Unlike Ford, Musk's extracurricular inclinations are not expressed as feelings of hatred of a population but rather by displays of expediently selective or truly genuine ignorance, as exemplified in his facile or shallow exculpation of the fossil fuel indiustry for its truly baroque record of deceptions and prevarications.

When Elon Musk says we shouldn't vilify the fossil fuel industry, everybody can agree he's right about the working class members of that sector. But Musk is plainly completely wrong about this industry's leadership. He has only to scrolll a wee bit or pick up a newspaper to learn better. After all, Stone's expose is part of a practically daily sunrise of dayllight shed on the dark doings of oil, gas and coal commerce. One need not be a rocket scientist to join the clue train.

Before August 18

August 18

2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #33 , Skeptical Science, Barbel Winkler, Doug Bostrom & John Hartz. A listing of 34 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, August 11, 2024 thru Sat, August 17, 2024.

, Skeptical Science, Barbel Winkler, Doug Bostrom & John Hartz. A listing of 34 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, August 11, 2024 thru Sat, August 17, 2024. Harris Stirs Hope for a New Chapter in Climate Action, Politics, Inside Climate News, Marianne Lavelle. "Although expected to follow in Biden's pragmatic footsteps, her record as a prosecutor and voice for justice has environmentalists looking to the future."

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How to Do It is Slates sex advice column. Have a question? Send it to Jessica and Rich her. Its anonymous!

Dear How to Do It,

Im in desperate need of position suggestions from an expert, and not the far reaches of the internet! I (cis woman) relatively recently started having sex with my GF, a relatively sexually inexperienced person (they/them). Im also FWB with a physically disabled person (they/them). Both are fully aware of the other, were poly and we communicate, just stating that for the record.

Both of my partners have dicks. Every single dick-owning sexual partner Ive had in my life has slipped out of meI move a lot, and apparently get wetter than most of my partners previous partners, so this doesnt surprise me. I like a giggle during sex and its not like I mind the extra stimulation on my clit! However I know my GF is a little shy about their inexperience, and that they get a little flustered in the moment if we dont get the angles quite right, and Id like to give them a little gentle guidance until theyre more comfortable with how we work together. Our best luck has been to prop my butt up on a pillow and push one or both of my legs up while we face each other.

My FWB is disabled and not always able to make a lot of active movements during sex (sometimes theyre able to rail me, sometimes not). My biggest problem is that when Im riding them their during stronger physical symptom days, I have trouble keeping myself balanced, up, and on all without using their body for supportits like if I try to reach the bed with one hand, I slip off their dick or lose my leverage (bad symptom days mean I cant put too much pressure in one spot, and that they may not have the strength to help support my thighs or butt).

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I am a fat woman with, primarily, a big belly and some thicker thighs, so I take up a bit of space from the front. A lot of sex advice is aimed at skinny people and is not always super comfortable when you have to factor in a belly! Any position ideas I can subtly but confidently introduce to my GF, and any tips for riding dick better when Im a dizzy girl who needs to create support to stop from falling?

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I know part of the answer is do core exercises and leg day

Dear Core Exercises and Leg Day,

For help with your question, I reached out to Hanne Blank Boyd, author of Big Big Love: A Sex and Relationships Guide for People of Size (and Those Who Love Them) and writer of the Reasons Not to Quit substack. She had a lot of ideas, which Im sharing in full below. Its a good thing that she delivered, too, because I was going to suggest installing a grab bar on the wall near your bed, which may have been less than aesthetically pleasing (though probably fine if you have something like a play room with a bunch of different sex options like a sling or a rack of toys). Dont try that before trying these much simpler ideas courtesy of Boyd:

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My best advice for this person is to consider positioning with a view toward what firm/supportive structures are nearby or can be nearby. For instance, instead of positioning themselves with their heads toward the head of the bed and feet toward the foot, if there is a wall at the head of the bed or a sturdy headboard, positioning so that they are alongside that wall/headboard and can use it for support is an option. So is putting a chair beside the bed, with the chair back toward the edge of the bedagain a thing you can hang on to and use for support.

A pillow under the butt of the person on the bottom also can help to create more space both for bigger belly and bigger thighs for the person on top. If thats not possible, consider reverse cowgirlif the person on top is facing the other persons feet that usually makes more room for bellies/thighs. The support issue remains, but can be ameliorated with some firm cushions to either side (couch cushions can be great, or yoga bolsters).

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I want to commend you for being as in touch with your partners feelings and limitations as you are. You sound truly considerate and connected. If you find yourself needing more guidance, keep in mind that Boyd is available for one-on-one consulting for people looking for guidance and support with regard to medical and body neutrality concerns. More info here.

How to Get Advice From How to Do It

Have a nagging (or totally inconsequential) question about sex? Its fun to see your words in this column! Send it in now.

Dear How to Do It,

Early this year, we had a home invasion. My (29F) boyfriend Carl (27M) grabbed a wrench off the countertop, rushed the door as it was kicked in, and beat the intruder half to death. Hes not in any legal trouble, it was pretty open and shut self defense. I wasnt physically harmed at all, and he had some minor injuries that healed pretty fast. However, we were both pretty badly shaken up by it happening at all, and weve been taking advantage of a state program that offers help getting therapy for victims of crimes.

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Carl seemed to get over it pretty quickly, but my therapy journey has been longer and rougher. For the first few months I could barely stand to think about it at all, and its only more recently Ive been able to do things like talk or write about it openly. But over the past month or two something shifted inside my head, and I started getting turned on thinking about it. Theres this scene stuck in my mind with Carl in the broken doorframe, holding the bloody wrench and eyes wild, and telling me to call the police. It drives me wild every time it goes through my head.

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Carls noticed something is up too. I go to therapy on Wednesdays and hes come to joking about how I always initiate sex later that night. And maybe its the CBT Ive been doing, but I dont know if I want to connect that kind of naked violence with sexual arousal. It seems unhealthy. But I also cant seem to stop. Maybe this is something more for my therapist than here, but were already dealing with quite a lot, so I was wondering if you had any tips for helping me break this unhealthy association.

Working Through It

Dear Working Through It,

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Its going to be challenging to consciously rid yourself of your turn-on. Ill get to more on that in a sec, but I wonder if a shift in perspective might be a more efficient fix. I dont know that youre absolutely connecting naked violence with sexual arousal. It seems reasonable to interpret what you are sexualizing instead is Carls heroism. His violence did not materialize randomly and without prompt; it was a response to violence that had been directed at both of you from an outside force. I understand that youre finding this association nonetheless distressing, but Im less clear on the root of said distress. You write that it seems unhealthy. But does it feel unhealthy? Are you thinking yourself into an issue, or are there residual bad feelings from this coupling of a traumatic event in your past and your current sex life? One way to interpret your situation is that youre processing the negativity you experiencedtaking something harrowing and transforming it into something that is actually useful to your sex life. Finding peace here and focusing on the positivecharged sexmight be the way forward.

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Whats inspiring my urging here, at least in part, is your disinterest in working on this with your therapist. Sure, there are other things on your therapeutic plate, but I have to wonder how distressing this actually is if its of so low-priority that youre relegating it to an advice column instead of the one-on-one sessions that youre already attending. So the question Im posing to you is: Could you live like this, benefiting from something bad that happened to you? Would that be so bad?

Ive taken on questions in this column regarding tinkering with desires, and the outlook is never very good. For a past question on this topic, social psychologist and author of Tell Me What You Want: The Science of Sexual Desire and How It Can Help You Improve Your Sex Life, Justin Lehmiller, told me that, Its very hard, if not impossible, to change our sexual fantasies and desires willingly. One way that has yielded modest-at-best success rates involves having someone masturbate while thinking about their unwanted turn-ons until right before the point of orgasmthen they switch to fantasizing about something they find more acceptable. This could, in theory, allow them to create new associations. You can give that a try, but dont be shocked if it doesnt work out for you. You may soon find yourself back where you started.

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Dear How to Do It,

My husbands a great partner: he helps out around the house, has a steady job, is fun to hang out with. Except we have wildly mismatched libidos.

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I would like to at least cuddle once a week. Hes perfectly content with going without any intimacy for six months or more. Ive found myself resenting him and lashing out by doing petty passive-aggressive things to sabotage his day. I know its wrong, and I feel bad about not feeling bad about doing that, if that makes any sense.

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Weve managed to have two children and theyre wonderful and hes great with them, but they complicate things further.

Our relationship started off hot and heavy but cooled off when his father died over ten years ago. I accepted his marriage proposal thinking it was a temporary situation. After that he blamed his work stress. Then it was the medication he was on. And so on.

He gets upset when I talk with him about this and I feel like I have to walk on eggshells to not offend him. He complains that I never initiate. Thats not true, its just that rejection gets exhausting quickly. I tried a couples counseling session with his therapist but the therapist laid the blame at my feet telling me I should have known what I was marrying into, then dismissed my complaints.

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I sought my own therapist who suggested I try pampering him around the house. I was so desperate that I tried that and I feel like a fool for it. It didnt work of course. My therapist asked if I would consider divorce and I told them that was a hard no because of the children. During the third session the therapist said there was nothing more they could offer and ended our sessions (Im scared of therapists at this point!).

I have never felt more alone or perplexed. Is divorce really the only solution? Should I rip the bandaid off and get it over with? Do I accept that this is as good as it gets and just deal with a sexless marriage? Should I talk to a doctor about something that can lower my libido?

Grieving a Dead Bed

Dear Grieving a Dead Bed,

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There are multiple issues here, and the one that sticks out to me as most dire is your husbands disinterest in cuddling. Its one thing when one simply doesnt have the same libido as their partner; cuddling and other forms of nonsexual intimacy, however, dont require the same drive as sex. Granted, cuddling isnt for everyone and it may even be a major lift for some (especially if theres trauma in their background). But in the absence of an explanation, this cuddling aversion seems selfish. Its one small thing your husband could be doing that he is not.

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It does seem like theres room to work with him, though. He tells you that you never initiate. Instead of pushing back on the patent falseness of that statement, you could elect a more charitable reading of it: You dont initiate enough. I understand what you say about rejection wearing you down, but hes telling you that hes receptive to your invitation. Whether thats a bluff devised to put the blame back on you, I cannot say. But even if it is a bluff, I think you should call him on it. Initiate all the time for a periodsay, two to four weeks. Everyday if you want. See if that actually works. He might just be wired on the more responsive side of things, and in need of someone to get things rolling. You cant really say that the state of your relationship is unchanging if your partner is pointing to something that might make a difference and you dont take him up on it. Accept that this kind of rejection is not absolute and comes with the territory. Should he shoot you down, theres always tomorrow.

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Its understandable how you came to your current outlook on therapy, but I think you just have to keep looking. Your letter suggests that you give up easily, and I think if you want some movement here, youre going to have to keep putting effort into this. Its a tough position to be in, especially since you already have so many obligations (kids alone will keep you flush in those), but you want to make this work, and divorce is a hard no, continuing to try is the option youre left with. Find a therapist that has seen neither of you before so that there are no prejudices there. If I were you, Id specifically seek out a sex therapist, preferably one who self-labels as sex positive and/or has experience treating nonmonogamous or poly couples if only because they tend to have more open minds about the role of sex in relationships and are less likely to dismiss you or give you useless advice like, pamper him. Again, its a good sign that he was willing to sit for couples counseling with you despite his tendency to get upset when you bring up these issues. It means hes amenable to working on this. You might have to carry the weight, but thats just the way things go in some relationships. You might also consider opening up, but thats a big steprefer to this past column for some basics on crossing that threshold.

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Dear How to Do It,

Im (M) sort of curious about going to the nude beach near me. Not in a creepy stare-at-other-people way, but in a it-would-be-a-cool-to-be-in-a-different-environment way. But Im worried about the etiquette. What happens if I see other folks roaming and become accidentally turned on? Its kind of hard to hide that. Just go cool off in the water if that happens? Also, I do wonder if its a sexual environment at allor if it is strictly about enjoying yourself in the nude. Im intrigued either way but kind of nervous to take the leap. And sadly none of my friends have gone either so I cant get the first hand details.

Beach Curious

Dear Beach Curious,

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You have the vibe right. Anything that appears like sexual activity, like plastering your body against somebody else is not allowed, says nudist Ronna Krozy in a video interview for CNN on this very topic . Dont go in expecting to get laid. Whether it ends up happening, though, may depend on whether youre into guys or not. Not being a nude-beachgoer myself, I texted a friend whos frequented Gunnison, New Jerseys sole legal clothing-optional beach. He broke it down like this: There, the straights and gays are in distinct sections within eyeshot of each other. In general, straights are naked but not hooking up (Maybe a little making out in the surf). The gays are more openly sexual. Anecdotally, Ive heard about sex happening among gay guys at various nude beaches, official rules be damned, but not straights (then again, my sample is definitely biased toward gays). I realize this may sound like a perpetuation of stereotypes about gays and sex, but a lot of gay spaces will let you know in no uncertain terms that highly sexual gay men are indeed a fact of life. Its just what it is. There are good, non-pathologizing reasons for this (Walt Odets provides a lot of them in Out of the Shadows), but thats probably an exploration for another column.

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My friend said that nude-beach boners happen but people kind of just ignore them. This bit of wisdom is useful and may provide some peace of mind: One thing to remember I feel like is that everyone has different penis sizes and no one is particularly sure what is hard and what isnt sometimes. Unless youre really hard. But a semi could just be passed off like your dick. In that CNN video, Krozy says, It doesnt happen that often, however it can happen, and it can happen because of nervousness or anxiety, not necessarily some kind of sexual thought and if it does, take your towel and cover yourself, turn over in the sand, run into the cold water, or pretend youre taking out your garbage. So, dont make a big deal about your engorged dick and youll be fine. A few other tips from Krozy: Bring a towel to sit on, make eye contact and dont gawk/stare, and no pictures or video without permission. Approach the situation with respect and err on the side of over-caution and you should be good to go (nude).

Rich

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More Advice From Slate

My husband (46) and I (47) have been married for 22 years. We have three kids all roughly high-school-aged. So you can imagine that were all pretty busy with life. We have the same problem many couples have: We arent always perfectly timed with each other on when were in the mood, and my husband is in the mood more frequently than I am. In the last couple of months, hes suggested that we watch porn together to help us get started. But I am feeling a little troubled by it.
How do you feel about having an empty nest? Ive heard this question repeatedly in the past year. I objected every time, even though our younger son was about to leave for college. The nest wont be empty, I insisted. Well still be there.

The word empty conveys only absence: empty pockets, empty wallet, empty-headed, running on empty. Empty is never a good thing. Interestingly, as it turns out, birds nests are actually empty after the baby birds learn to fly: Nests are temporary shelters only, and avian grownups also move on once the bird-rearing is done.

Its time to jettison the empty nest terminology for something better. Personally, I like next chapter. This reframing is not only psychologically valuable for people making sense of the next stage of their lives, but also important politically. First coined in 1914, the phrase empty nest syndrome became widespread decades later to describe mothers who experience depression when their children leave home. The tacitly grim message of empty nest continues to this day: the notion that once a person (lets be honest, a woman) has raised her children, life is aimless and sad. Its time to dust your kids empty bedroom amid abandoned stuffed animals and pop-star posters.

While the long-standing empty nest idiom seems benign, words affect our way of understanding the world, and the phrase overlaps with a dangerous view thats come to light in the 2024 presidential campaign. Weve all heard J.D. Vances cruel comments suggesting that people without children are not quite normal or right. Implicit in both Vances statements and the idea of the empty nest is the notion that peopleswomensvalue stems from their productivity, specifically in the form of procreation. Once thats all done, youre kind of pathetic until theres a new crop of grandtots. Its a dehumanizing outlook. Whether people are entering their next chapters, or never had children at all, theres a world of meaning, purpose, and joy entirely separate from parenting.

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Before delving into the next-chapter question, though, its worth noting the cultural limitations of the premise that heading to college is a sharp break. Many young adults in the United States and elsewhere live with parents through college or first jobs, and beyond. And technology allows families to stay more connected than in the past, through FaceTime, texting, and inexpensive phone calls. Theres also the trend of boomerang children and intergenerational households. When an 18- or 20-year-old moves out these days, its more of an evolution within a lifelong relationship, rather than a stark rupture. Our collective understanding has increasingly advanced beyond the myth of the rugged individual fallen from the coconut tree, grasping instead that we live in interconnected communities and in relation to each other.

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To be sure, when children depart, its a real change: the end of the day-to-day pleasures and grind of childrearing. Labor activists a century ago rallied to the slogan Eight hours for work, eight hours for rest and eight hours for what you will. For many parents of kids still at home, what you will just means your kids. Its lovely, and also limiting.

In the next chapter, though, with more breathing room, what you will bursts with possibility. Theres time to focus on a thriving or stalled career, connect more deeply with a spouse or other family members, exercise, learn a language, master the guitar, knock doors for candidates, go on vacation. Time to volunteer tutoring students or welcoming a refugee family. Time to be the person who brings a casserole when someone is sick or grieving.

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That kind of next chapter sounds rich and purposeful. Its also sort of how many people without children live every day.

J.D. Vance agreed when an interviewer posited that postmenopausal females exist to care for grandchildren. Vance bizarrely advocated that parents should get more votes, and tarred childless cat ladies as uninvested in the countrys future. But the people I know without children are teachers and accountants and therapists, an optometrist and an auto mechanic. An environmentalist whos also a devoted animal shelter volunteer, a banker who develops affordable housing. Theyre aunts and uncles, siblings, friends, neighbors, colleagues.

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It should go without saying, but: People are equally people if they cant have kids, if they already raised their kids, if they never wanted kids, and even if they wont change seats on the airplane because they hate the little stinkers. Human beings have intrinsic value just for existing, regardless of their relationship to the next generation.

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Related From Slate Republicans Online Furious That Dad Loves Daughter Read More

The right wings bullying natalism is one more example of their compulsion to divide people between in-groups and out-groups, the goods and the bads, us versus them. They refuse to see that were interconnected, to imagine there might be room for everyone, to consider that there are countless beautiful ways to be and to live. Its also one more example of the conservative longing for an imaginary yesteryear when men were men and women were women and everyone knew their place, a longing for rigid roles that are not coming back.

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(Of course, for all their braying, conservatives dont want everyone to become a parent: Many support efforts to block gay people from adopting children. And Team MAGA demonizes immigrants, who have higher birth rates than native-born Americans. Its hard to win with this crew.)

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Ive been thinking a lot about what it will mean to no longer have our boys underfoot: no chaotic toddlers, early readers, awkward middle-schoolers, grumpy teens, no funny and kind young men to debrief with at the end of the day. I will miss all of it. Like many parents, I find no words to convey something as fierce and tender and infinite as my love for them. And now my babies have flown.

But my nest wont be empty. Theres too much to be done. And there are people all over to guide me as I join the universe of people who arent raising children: my peers, whose children have also flown the coop; the aunties and uncles; the eternal bachelors; the postmenopausal powerhouses; and yes, most of all, those fabulous tea-drinking childless cat ladies, in all their fur-covered glory.
If someone built a tool that made Facebook less addictivea tool that allowed users to benefit from Facebooks positive features while limiting their exposure to its negative oneshow would Facebook respond?

I know the answer, because I built the tool, and Facebook squashed it. This summer, Facebook sent me a cease-and-desist letter threatening legal action. It permanently disabled my Facebook and Instagram accounts. And it demanded that I agree to never again create tools that interact with Facebook or its other services.

The tool I created, a browser extension called Unfollow Everything, allowed users to delete their News Feed by unfollowing their friends, groups, and pages. The News Feed, as users of Facebook know, is that never-ending page that greets you when you log in. Its the central hub of Facebook. Its also a major source of revenue. As a Facebook whistleblower observed on 60 Minutes on Sunday, time spent on the platform translates to ads viewed and clicked on, which in turn translates to billions of dollars for Facebook. The News Feed is the thing that keeps people glued to the platform for hours on end, often on a daily basis; without it, time spent on the network would drop considerably.

I had the idea for Unfollow Everything a few years ago, when I realized you dont actually need to have a News Feed. If you unfollow everythingall of your friends, groups, and pagesyour News Feed ends up empty.

This isnt the same as unfriending. If you unfollow your friends and groups, youre still connected to them, and you can look up their profiles if you want. But by unfollowing everything, you eliminate your News Feed. This leaves you free to use Facebook without the feed, or to more actively curate it by refollowing only those friends and groups whose posts you really want to see.

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I still remember the feeling of unfollowing everything for the first time. It was near-miraculous. I had lost nothing, since I could still see my favorite friends and groups by going to them directly. But I had gained a staggering amount of control. I was no longer tempted to scroll down an infinite feed of content. The time I spent on Facebook decreased dramatically. Overnight, my Facebook addiction became manageable.

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When I unfollowed everything for the first time, I did it manually. I spent hours using a Facebook-provided feature to click unfollow on each of my friends, groups, and pages. I quickly realized that very few people would go to the same trouble, so I coded a simple tool that would automate the process. In July 2020, I published it to the Chrome Store, where people could download it for free.

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Unfollow Everything started taking off. People loved it. Thousands of people got rid of their News Feed using it. Reviews included comments like I am officially not addicted to Facebook thanks to you! I received emails from people telling me that using the tool had changed their lives.

A few months after I published Unfollow Everything, academics at the University of Neuchatel, in Switzerland, expressed interest in using it to study the News Feeds impact on the amount of time spent on Facebook and the happiness of the platforms users. We began working together. The university recruited people to join two study groups: one where participants deleted their News Feeds using Unfollow Everything and a control group where participants left their feeds intact. Participants agreed to share limited and anonymous informationspecifically, the amount of time they spent on Facebook, the number of times they visited the site, and the number of friends, groups, and pages they were following and not following, both in total and broken down by category. (For regular Unfollow Everything users, the only Facebook-related data shared was the ratio of followed profiles to total profiles, a metric that helped me ensure the tool was working.)

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Then, a few months ago, Facebook sent me a cease-and-desist letter. The company demanded that I take down the tool. It also told me that it had permanently disabled my Facebook accountan account that Id had for more than 15 years, and that was my primary way of staying in touch with family and friends around the world. Pointing to a provision in its terms of service that purports to bind even former users of Facebook, Facebook also demanded that I never again create a tool that interacts with Facebook or its many other services in any way.

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These demands seemed outrageous to me. They also seemed outrageous to lawyers I consulted from the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, and in the U.K. But my options were limited. Im a U.K. resident, so a lawsuit against Facebook would probably have played out in a U.K. court, where I would have been personally on the hook for Facebooks litigation costs if I lost. Facebook is a trillion-dollar company. I couldnt afford that risk, so Unfollow Everything no longer exists. This is bad for its users, and also for the University of Neuchatel, which will no longer be able to use it to study the News Feed.

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I am far from the only one to face this kind of scenario. Facebook is increasingly using its terms of service to crush not only research, but also tools that give users more control over their data and platform experience. Just last summer, Facebook went after Friendly, a web browser that allows users to switch between their social media accounts, more easily download or repost photos and videos, and filter their feeds by keyword.

Facebooks behavior isnt just anti-competitive; its anti-consumer. We are being locked into platforms by virtue of their undeniable usefulness, and then prevented from making legitimate choices over how we use themnot just through the squashing of tools like Unfollow Everything, but through the highly manipulative designs and features platforms adopt in the first place. The loser here is the user, and the cost is counted in billions of wasted hours spent on Facebook.

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If lawmakers and regulators are serious about empowering users to stand up to big tech, they need to address the ways in which platforms stymie user choice, including through terms of service. Platforms shouldnt be able to wield the threat of lawsuits and account suspensions against researchers and developers who create tools that merely empower usersbut as my experience shows, they can and do. How many people will be put off making tools that serve the public as a result?

Im still searching for other ways to help people use Facebook less. But in the meantime, at least I can thank it for something: My own Facebook addiction is now definitively under control.

Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society.
The SIS says some books pose a threat. But airport paperbacks?

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"The Jackal. A tall, blond Englishman with opaque, grey eyes. A killer at the top of his profession. A man unknown to any secret service in the world. An assassin with a contract to kill the world's most heavily guarded man. One man with a rifle who can change the course of history. One man whose mission is so secretive not even his employers know his name. And as the minutes count down to the final act of execution, it seems that there is no power on earth that can stop the Jackal."

This is the jacket blurb from a mid-80s edition of 'The Day of the Jackal', a 1971 thriller by British novelist Frederick Forsyth. The book is actually better than this description makes it sound  the 1980s have a lot to answer for  but it may soon be difficult to obtain in Slovakia.

That's because Slovakia's SIS intelligence agency  or more accurately, its National Security Analytical Centre (NBAC)  has reportedly included it in a series of bulletins listing "dangerous" literature that were issued to government ministries earlier this year.

We know this because the Culture Ministry recently sent out an internal memo warning employees about Mr Forsyth's works and, equally bafflingly, those of Slovenian celebrity philosopher Slavoj Zizek. (It also included books by some considerably uglier characters  among them a now-imprisoned Holocaust-denier, Marian Magat, and the loathsome American conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.)

All of these scribblings, Culture Ministry staff were given to understand, risked "radicalization of people in the context of modern technologies".

The list received applause from an unlikely source: Irena Bihariova, the deputy leader of opposition party Progressive Slovakia (PS).

She posted on Facebook: "Even I, who have specialized in extremism and misinformation throughout my professional life, could not have written a similar document better."

Bihariova's post was mostly ironic: the letter sent out by Culture Minister Martina Simkovicova had also warned about Zem & Vek, a conspiracy-mongering magazine, despite it being broadly in line with her own worldview. Sure enough, Simkovicova quickly disowned the memo (even though it had been signed on her behalf by her deputy minister), sowing yet more of the confusion and incompetence that have become her hallmark.

However, the Pravda daily reported that, separately, the Education Ministry plans to use the list to inform public institutions. One can only hope that school librarians do not really need to be told to avoid works by Hitler, Stalin and other mass murders who also made the list.

Pravda quoted Radoslav Stefancik, a political scientist from the University of Economics, saying that the creation of lists of prohibited literature should definitely not fall under the Ministry of Culture.

I quite agree. But should any state authority in an open society really be in the business of deciding what books citizens should read?

Banning books is both a) profoundly illiberal, b) pointless (perhaps someone should tell the SIS about the internet?), and c) counter-productive  at least if the purpose is to avoid dystopian outcomes.

The problem with banning or restricting books  apart from the fact that it's just a very bad idea  is that there have to be criteria that dictate what is to be banned.

But once you announce what these are, then pretty soon every Tom, Dick and Harry (and Slovak Spectator opinion writer) starts challenging your choices  or omissions. I mean, if we're in the business of banning books, why is 'Mein Kampf' on the list, but not 'The Protocols of the Elders of Zion', for instance?

This back-and-forth very quickly becomes a massive pain in the neck. So what's a harassed bureaucrat to do? Obfuscate, naturally.

In this case, the criteria, we are told (the SIS has already said as much), can't possibly be revealed  for 'security' reasons.

But that's never quite enough: the lists still circulate  they have to, if all those culture ministers and librarians are supposed to enact them  and their contents allow the same smart alecks as before to continue speculating about the 'secret' criteria, based on what's on the list or isn't.

At this point, the bureaucrats invariably decide that not only the criteria, but the list itself must be classified. Et voila! The list of banned books is itself banned, and Orwell's memory hole beckons.

***

Just a day or two after this pantomime premiered in mid August, the leaders of some of Slovakia's most august academic bodies, including the Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAV) and Comenius University, issued a public statement "on the current social situation".

Their statement notes that the quality of public discourse has become increasingly vulgar of late  which seems plausible, though no comparative analysis is cited  and concludes that vulgarity is, well, not nice.

So far, so unobjectionable.
https://sputnikglobe.com/20240825/demons-are-losing-control-influencers-react-to-pavel-durovs-detainment-1119901354.html

'Demons are Losing Control': Influencers React to Pavel Durov's Detainment

'Demons are Losing Control': Influencers React to Pavel Durov's Detainment

Sputnik International

The CEO and founder of the encrypted social media app, Telegram, Pavel Durov, was arrested on August 24 at Le Bourget airport near Paris as he was departing his private jet.

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2024-08-25T10:04+0000

2024-08-25T10:04+0000

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pavel durov

elon musk

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france

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paris

us

europe

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Durov's arrest has triggered a heated debate with most influencers seeing it as an onslaught on free speech. A hashtag #FreeDurov popped up on X.Former US presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. tweeted: "France just arrested Pavel Durov, founder and CEO of the encrypted and uncensored Telegram platform. The need to protect free speech has never been more urgent."Naomi Seibt, a German conservative political activist, dubbed anti-Greta by the Washington Post, alleged on X: Candace Owens, an African American conservative television presenter, tweeted: "The trouble with free speech is that it disallows the media to set the narrative. They used to be able to justify war to you in a faraway land. Now you can see the reality of what they are doing. This is why Pavel Durov has been arrested - because the demons are losing control."Italian film producer, Robin Monotti, remarked on X: "Pavel Durov is facing up to 20 years in Macron's dungeons for refusing to censor content on behalf of the globalist oligarchy and their war machine."Do Western Governments Want to Control Telegram Better?In addition to ridiculing France's accusations against Durov, social media users recall that the Telegram CEO had told US journalist, Tucker Carlson, that Western intelligence agencies were after him, apparently seeking to use his platform to spy on users. As of 2024, the messenger has around 900 million monthly active users.Mario Nawfal, named an "omnipresent Twitter celebrity" by NBC, wondered why Western corporate press stays mute about the Telegram CEO's arrest. In a separate tweet, the influencer alleged that "the US wanted to control Telegram better." He cited an excerpt from Durov's interview to Carlson, in which the Russian tech prodigy described how US cyber-security officers approached a Telegram engineer seeking a backdoor to the messenger. "Whenever I would go to the US, I would have two FBI agents greet me at the airport, asking questions," Durov said at the time.For his part, crypto investor, Shaun Maguire, compared Durov's detainment to Vint Cerf and Rob Kahn (inventors of TCP and IP) being arrested because the Internet "is being used for drug dealers to communicate with each other, and they were unwilling to install a back door." Elon Musk agreed on this observation with one word  "Exactly."Robert Malone, a US medical doctor and an infectious-disease researcher, who threw into question the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines in 2021, also took to X to comment on Durov's arrest: "I am sickened by Pavel Durov's arrest. France is another unsafe country to travel to. The Western world has gone crazy."Kim Dotcom, an X conservative influencer, warned that "the crackdown against free speech escalates."

https://sputnikglobe.com/20210721/telegram-founder-durov-claims-to-know-he-was-on-pegasus-targets-list-1083433470.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240221/we-own-the-truth-how-freedom-of-speech-has-become-wests-nemesis-1116907345.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240825/censorship-suppression-of-free-speech-at-heart-of-telegram-crackdown--ex-cia-analyst-1119899238.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20240825/indigenous-leader-ture-kayap-struggled-against-genocide-at-heart-of-western-society-1119898363.html

Indigenous Leader Tuire Kayapo Struggled Against Genocide at Heart of Western Society

Indigenous Leader Tuire Kayapo Struggled Against Genocide at Heart of Western Society

Sputnik International

The Brazilian activist opposed the socioeconomic forces that threatened the future of her people and humanity itself.

2024-08-25T05:14+0000

2024-08-25T05:14+0000

2024-08-25T05:14+0000

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Brazilians are mourning the recent death of Tuire Kayapo, the influential indigenous leader credited with having postponed the end of the world.Kayapo died this month at the age of 57 after a struggle with uterine cancer. Her life was spent defending the rights of indigenous inhabitants of Brazils Amazon rainforest against mining and construction projects that threatened their traditional way of life.Kayapo came to international prominence in 1989 when, at the age of 19, she gathered a group of 600 indigenous people to protest the construction of a hydroelectric dam that threatened her peoples ability to navigate and fish in the Xingu River. During one dramatic moment Kayapo held a machete to the face of Jose Antonio Muniz Lopes, the head of the Eletronorte company responsible for the project.The photo of the incident quickly spread, making Kayapo a symbol of indigenous resistance around the world.The river held both practical and spiritual significance for her tribe, whose cosmology holds that the Xingu people are Mebengokre, or the people who came from the water. The damming of the river was viewed as a deep act of blasphemy by the Xingu, and Kayapos successful effort to delay the construction of the project for 20 years led to her becoming known as the woman who postponed the end of the world.The struggle of Kayapo and the indigenous people of the Americas draws attention to the legacy of genocide and settler colonialism at the heart of modern Western society, with native peoples and their way of life under threat throughout the world. The president of Namibia drew a connection earlier this year between this legacy of imperialism and Western countries support for Israel in its attempts to dispossess indigenous Palestinians.Many researchers draw a straight line between Western colonialism in Africa and the emergence of fascism, with Nazi atrocities viewed as merely an application of colonial logic within Europe.Activist and historian Netfa Freeman identifies the US as the modern heir to this brutal imperialist legacy, calling it the offspring of Western European colonialism. Today the United States pursues domination of the peoples of the world with the same vigor, attempting to subject humanity to its political, economic, and military control.For one inspiring moment Tuire Kayapo resisted such domination, at the same time pointing the way towards a different mode of living in harmony with the Earth and each other. Her story serves as an example to everyone who values justice, bravery and respect for humanity.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230606/lula-unveils-plan-to-legalize-indigenous-lands-halt-illegal-amazon-deforestation-by-2030-1110962675.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240328/crises-in-palestine-haiti-rooted-in-legacy-of-western-colonialism-1117597077.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20240825/pentagon-chief-extends-presence-of-two-carrier-strike-groups-in-middle-east-1119904280.html

Pentagon Chief Extends Presence of Two Carrier Strike Groups in Middle East

Pentagon Chief Extends Presence of Two Carrier Strike Groups in Middle East

Sputnik International

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has confirmed to Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant the decision to extend the presence of two carrier strike groups in the Middle East, Pentagon Press Secretary Pat Ryder said on Sunday.

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"The Secretary reiterated Israels right to defend itself and the United States ironclad resolve to support Israels defense against threats from Iran and its regional partners and proxies. As part of that support, the Secretary has ordered the presence of two Carrier Strike Groups to remain in the region," the statement read. Austin also expressed support for efforts to negotiate a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of hostages.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240812/us-deployment-of-powerful-naval-armada-to-middle-east-cant-hide-host-of-weak-spots-1119741951.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20240825/police-detain-suspect-in-connection-to-explosion-outside-of-synagogue-in-southern-france-1119898747.html

Police Detain Suspect in Connection to Explosion Outside of Synagogue in Southern France

Police Detain Suspect in Connection to Explosion Outside of Synagogue in Southern France

Sputnik International

On Saturday, two cars outside a synagogue in the French town of La Grande-Motte exploded, injuring a police officer and prompting an investigation into the event as a possible terrorist attack.

2024-08-25T05:35+0000

2024-08-25T05:35+0000

2024-08-25T05:35+0000

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On Saturday, two cars outside a synagogue in the French town of La Grande-Motte exploded, injuring a police officer and prompting an investigation into the event as a possible terrorist attack. Meanwhile French President Emmanuel Macron has labeled the event as a terrorist act and said the fight against antisemitism is a constant fight.The vehicles were lit on fire at around 8 am, a DC-based newspaper reported.Police have reportedly detained the suspect of the attack following a raid in the nearby city of Nimes the same day as the attack. According to Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, the suspect opened fire on police.The alleged perpetrator of the arson attack on the synagogue has been detained. Thanks to the police, and mainly the RAID, who intervened with great professionalism despite his gunfire, Darmanin said on X.Once again, French Jews have been targeted and attacked because of their beliefs, said Prime Minister Gabriel Attal who visited the scene of the attack alongside Darmanin. Attal added that he and Darmanin were outraged and repulsed by the attack.According to Attal, the suspect of the attack was extremely determined to cause harm.Two other fires were also started outside the synagogue, the prosecutors office said. Four people and a rabbi were present at the time of the attack but according to officials they were not injured. However, a police officer was injured after a propane gas tank inside one of the cars exploded.France is home to the third-largest Jewish community in the world following Israel and the US. The Interior Ministry recorded 1,676 antisemitic attacks last year which is up from 436 in 2022. The attacks are most likely a response to the conflict between Israel and Hamas which began in October.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240824/israels-attacks-are-now-part-of-day-to-day-1119891617.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20240825/telegram-ceo-durovs-arrest-shows-west-unleashing-witchhunt-against-truth-tellers-1119902306.html

Telegram CEO Durov's Arrest Shows West Unleashing Witchhunt Against Truth-Tellers

Telegram CEO Durov's Arrest Shows West Unleashing Witchhunt Against Truth-Tellers

Sputnik International

Pavel Durov's arrest is part of a broader crackdown on truth-seekers and freedom of speech in the West. According to Hong Kong-based political analyst Angelo Giuliano, Western elites are attempting to exert total control over the media narrative, as he explained to Sputnik.

2024-08-25T14:53+0000

2024-08-25T14:53+0000

2024-08-25T14:53+0000

world

europe

pavel durov

elon musk

paris

france

european union (eu)

fbi

us intelligence

backdoor encryption access

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Telegram CEO Pavel Durov was arrested shortly after landing at Bourget airport near Paris late on Saturday and taken into custody by the French authorities. Giuliano also pointed to the FBIs raid on the home of Scott Ritter, a former United States Marine Corps intelligence officer, and mentioned that late Chilean-American journalist Gonzalo Lira died while in Ukrainian custody. The analyst also drew attention to the arrest of independent journalist Richard Medhurst by British police on August 15 at Londons Heathrow Airport. The journalist known for his critical coverage of the US, British and Israeli role in the ongoing bloodshed in Gaza, was arrested under Section 12 of the Terrorism Act (2000). When it comes to Durov, the Telegram founder is accused of allegedly enabling criminal activities through insufficient moderation of the platform, the French press claims, adding that he faces up to 20 years behind bars. In his April interview with US journalist Tucker Carlson, Durov suggested that he is a target for Western intelligence services. He said that US cybersecurity officials previously attempted to create a backdoor in his app. Durov stressed that such a backdoor would enable tighter government control over social media platforms. Freedom of speech has become very "inconvenient" for the West, according to the pundit: "What they say clearly at the EU is that they need to control the narrative, because that's everything. The narrative you control controls the mind of the people." Giuliano noted that just three years ago, Durov became a French citizen, indicating that the Telegram founder was in good standing with the French government. In 2023, French media reported that Paris had chosen "an exceptional and highly political procedure" to grant Durov citizenship. This abrupt shift in the French authorities' stance has raised questions, Giuliano pointed out. The pundit suggests that Durov's arrest rings alarm bells for people like Tesla CEO and X owner Elon Musk: "Keep in mind that Elon Musk hasn't actually complied with EU regulation, and in reality he would be de facto also another target." The arrest of the Telegram CEO is "really a red flag overall for journalists and for whoever is actually spilling the truth, inconvenient truth," Giuliano concluded.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240825/demons-are-losing-control-influencers-react-to-pavel-durovs-detainment-1119901354.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240825/censorship-suppression-of-free-speech-at-heart-of-telegram-crackdown--ex-cia-analyst-1119899238.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20210721/telegram-founder-durov-claims-to-know-he-was-on-pegasus-targets-list-1083433470.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20240825/telegram-team-calls-out-absurdity-of-accusations-against-durov-1119905360.html

Telegram Team Calls Out Absurdity of Accusations Against Durov

Telegram Team Calls Out Absurdity of Accusations Against Durov

Sputnik International

The team of the popular social network Telegram said on Sunday, in connection with CEO Pavel Durov's arrest in France, that it was unjustified to blame the platform or its owners for any abuses that may have taken place on it.

2024-08-25T20:12+0000

2024-08-25T20:12+0000

2024-08-25T20:12+0000

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france

european union (eu)

telegram

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telegram

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It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform, the statement published on the official Telegram channel said. The team added that they are awaiting a prompt resolution of this situation. Durov was arrested at a French airport Saturday evening. The entrepreneur co-founded Telegram with his brother in 2013. The US government has pressured Durov to allow a "backdoor" in the app for Western intelligence, the CEO told US journalist Tucker Carlson earlier this year. However the entrepreneur has maintained that Telegram should remain a neutral platform that is not a player in geopolitics.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240825/defiant-durov-telegram-ceo-faces-unfair-charges-for-refusing-to-bend-to-western-governments-1119903086.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20240825/ukraine-loses-1900-troops-in-special-operation-zone-in-past-day-1119902005.html

Ukraine Loses 1,900 Troops in Special Operation Zone in Past Day

Ukraine Loses 1,900 Troops in Special Operation Zone in Past Day

Sputnik International

The Ukrainian armed forces have lost 1,900 servicepeople in the special operation zone over the past 24 hours, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Sunday.

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Ukrainian formations lost up to 130 personnel in the areas of operations of Russia's Northern grouping in the Sumy and Kharkov regions. Meanwhile, the Southern grouping improved its positions along the frontline, causing Ukrainian forces to lose up to 630 servicepeople and a US-supplied Abrams main battle tank, the ministry said in a bulletin. Russia's Western grouping repelled five counterattacks and inflicted significant losses on five Ukrainian brigades, with enemy losses estimated at around 510 soldiers. In the course of counter-battery warfare, two US-made 155-mm M777 and M198 howitzers, one Polish-made 155-mm Krab self-propelled artillery system, three 122-mm D-30 howitzers, one US-made 105-mm M119 gun and four Ukrainian ammunition depots were destroyed. Ukrainian formations also lost up to 130 personnel and a French Caesar self-propelled artillery system in the area of responsibility of the Eastern troop grouping, the bulletin said. Forces from the Central grouping continued their advance into the depths of Ukrainian defenses, repelling seven counteroffensives and eliminating over 500 enemy soldiers and two tanks. Meanwhile, Russia's Dnepr forces eliminated up to 60 Ukrainian soldiers and destroyed two 152 mm D-20 howitzers, an Enclave-N electronic warfare station, as well as five vehicles in various locations in the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions, according to the bulletin. Russian forces also targeted a temporary deployment area for foreign mercenaries as well as clusters of enemy manpower and military hardware in 147 areas. Russian air defense systems shot down six US-made HIMARS rockets and 41 drones.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240824/distress-and-confusion-what-does-ukraine-seek-to-achieve-by-attacking-russian-nuclear-plants-1119897699.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20240825/ukraines-troop-losses-top-5800-in-kursk-region-1119901764.html

Ukraine's Troop Losses Top 5,800 in Kursk Region

Ukraine's Troop Losses Top 5,800 in Kursk Region

Sputnik International

Ukraine has lost over 300 troops in Russia's Kursk Region over the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of military casualties past 5,800, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Sunday.

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"The enemy losses were over 300 troops  Since the beginning of hostilities in Kursk region, the AFU [Armed Forces of Ukraine] losses were over 5,800 troops," the ministry said in a daily bulletin. Russian troops repelled enemy attacks in the direction of Vishnyovka, Borki, Pogrebki and Spalnoye, eliminating up to 40 Ukrainian soldier and destroying a tank, four armored vehicles and two motor vehicles, the ministry said. The Northern Group of Russian forces successfully fended off enemy attacks in the direction of Komarovka, Malaya Loknya, Nechayev and Cherkasskoye Porechnoye. Russian forces also defeated concentrations of manpower and equipment of the Ukrainian armed forces in a number of areas of the Kursk Region, the ministry said, adding that the operation to neutralize Ukrainian troops was in progress.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240824/distress-and-confusion-what-does-ukraine-seek-to-achieve-by-attacking-russian-nuclear-plants-1119897699.html

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The public choices, Chantilly and Perfectly Chic, delivered winning performances in a pair of $110,000 divisions of the Eternal Camnation Stakes while Boxer Seelster returned double-digit dividends in the lone $230,000 division of the Nassagaweya Stakes during Saturday night's Grand Circuit action for freshman pacers at Woodbine Mohawk Park.

Millar Farms struck again with pacing-filly magic when the homebred Chantilly stayed unbeaten in four starts with a 1:51.3 stroll in the first Eternal Camnation division.

Leaving from post eight, driver James MacDonald floated Chantilly forward and marched up the rim through a :26.4 first quarter. She found a hole to tuck into entering the backstretch when Papis Opinion (Dexter Dunn) pulled from third to brush for the lead, but MacDonald only sat briefly. Chantilly gathered steam moving to a :55.3 half and stamped onto the lead heading for the final turn, from which point she had the race sealed. After clicking past three-quarters in 1:24.1, Chantilly sprung for the finish to win geared down by 1-1/2 lengths over fast-closing Wicked N Single (Jonathan Drury). Papis Opinion settled for third while Au Jus Hanover (Andrew McCarthy) took fourth and Charlotte Station (Louis-Philippe Roy) finished fifth.

Shes really calmed down every start shes raced, said MacDonald after the win. She doesnt really like the headpole a lot, so she gets a little funny with her head jogging around, but once she gets on the gate shes all business. Just a real pleasure to drive and a real speed demon. Shes a great horse and shes learning to be a great horse.

Chantilly has now earned $187,500 from her four starts. Nick Gallucci trains the daughter of Big Jim-Shiraz Seelster for the Stouffville, Ont. based Millar Farms, which has found ample success over the years at Mohawk, especially with pacing fillies.

Ive had really great luck with Big Jim, said owner George Millar after the race. Hes out of a mare [that I] paid a lot of money for, but I bought her for breeding. Ive got two sisters of her sitting on the farm and Im anxious to get my hands on them. They look good.

This is my first time in a couple of years Ive come here and I feel good, continued Millar. As long as it's James driving and Chantilly racing, Im going to come here. The only nicer thing I like is when he drives Prohibition Legal for me. I get goosebumps [from this filly]. I watch her brush in like a blink of an eye I love the other fillies, but this one here has just got a little [different] turn of speed. James said Prohibition Legal vibes I can see it.

Sent off as the 1-9 favourite, Chantilly paid $2.10 to win.

Perfectly Chic delivered as the 4-5 favourite in the second Eternal Camnation division for the fillies, pouncing to a career-best 1:52.3 score.

Driver Bob McClure sent Perfectly Chic from post six for the top and cleared to a :27.3 first quarter, but she soon found herself riding a pocket trip as Cant See Me (Dexter Dunn) swooped to the lead before a :57.1 half. Perfectly Chic stayed engaged from the two-hole through the final turn and readied for a stretch sprint passing three-quarters in 1:25.1. McClure tipped Perfectly Chic out and easily overhauled Cant See Me within the final eighth to register a three-quarter-length win with Bonhomie Hanover (Scott Zeron) charging from last for third. Always Dawn (Tyler Borth) gave chase in fourth and Millie May Hanover (Todd McCarthy) rounded out the top five finishers.

Youre always nervous [with] a few weeks off before a Grand Circuit race, said trainer John Pentland, referring to the fillys scratch from the Battle of the Belles on Aug. 5. She obviously had some time off because of what happened to her before that Grand River race. She kind of banged herself up. It was enough that it threw her off. We dealt with it and it looks like shes maybe come back okay.

She felt good, said McClure. Not quite a hundred per cent, but good enough that I was confident in her. I was really just looking to leave and sit  I figured that was easier than trying to come around a whole bunch. I figured if I followed Dexter [Dunn] that I could be second and maybe give him a shot down the lane. But coming out of the last turn, she felt really good and I knew we had lots of time, so I wasnt in a rush. When I moved her, she dug real deep. Im real happy with her and shes been a pleasure to drive. Im so lucky to do it with good friends of mine  John and Steve [Mihalic] too.

McClure co-owns Perfectly Chic, a Betterthancheddar-Fit N Bad filly, through 2729346 Ontario Inc. with her Dorchester, Ont. trainer Pentland and Steve Mihalic of Oakville, Ont., who had custom t-shirts made celebrating Perfectly Chic ahead of the Battle of the Belles until she scratched.

The highs and the lows in this business are so difficult, said Mihalic. I bought shirts for everyone [for the Battle of the Belles], then we had to scratch her, so that was disappointing. But today just makes up for it and I thank John and Bob for what theyve done with this horse. Im just an innocent bystander here and I just loved holding this trophy at my favourite track in North America. When you win races with your friends, it just means even more to you.

Winning for the second time from five starts, Perfectly Chic has now banked $99,600. Bred by Winbak Farm, she was just a $12,000 yearling acquisition from the 2023 Standardbred Horse Sale.

She paid $3.80 to win.

Boxer Seelster (pictured above) bounded forward off a second-over ride to punch a 9-1 upset in the Nassagaweya for colts and geldings, stopping the clock in a career-best 1:52 for trainer Scott McEneny.

Driver Trevor Henry positioned Boxer Seelster from post two into fourth as 3-5 favourite Prince Hal Hanover (Bob McClure) crossed to the top before a :26.4 first quarter. Henry flushed cover from Joel And The Jets (James MacDonald) after a :56.1 half and rode the tow around the final turn while Prince Hal Hanover readied for the challenge. Past three-quarters in 1:25, Prince Hal Hanover held his ground and rebuffed Joel And The Jets, but Boxer Seelster hit the accelerator once given racetrack by Henry and hustled to the front in deep stretch to win edging away. Prince Hal Hanover settled for second, beaten 1-3/4 lengths, with 52-1 shot Brigade (Yannick Gingras) grabbing third and Ayeaye Captain Deo (Sylvain Filion) finishing fourth off a pocket ride over Joel And The Jets.

When I first drove him, he was a little iffy. And then when we qualified him back, Scott [McEneny] had him really good and I said, Hes a real nice colt, said Henry after the race. He had to learn his gait; he was a little funny [and] he wasnt one hundred per cent sound. But Scotts got him sound now and hes got some go.

Boxer Seelster bagged his second win from four starts and has now earned $124,000 for owners McEneny, Aristi Varsakis of Hamilton, Ont., Martwest Racing LP of Mississauga, Ont., and Cantucky Farm Inc. of Jarvis, Ont. McEneny trains the colt by another one of his pupils, Bettors Delight, out of his former trainee Big Thong  a pedigree that convinced the Carlisle, Ont. horseman to add him to the barn from the London Classic Yearling Sale last fall.

It was [Big Thongs] first foal and she made me a lot of money, so we bought the first foal, said McEneny of the $55,000 yearling purchase bred by Seelster Farms. I thought Id have to pay more than I did for him, but I really liked him at the sale. I was very confident and I was really happy with him when he qualified. He looked like a different horse. I thought if we could get a trip that wed have a shot against these guys.

Boxer Seelster paid $20.50 to win.

To view Saturday's harness racing results, click the following link: Saturday Results - Woodbine Mohawk Park.

(With files from Woodbine)
Canada's winningest horse of 2024 is now Cape Breton's problem.

Picking up 14 wins over the first half of the year at tracks across Ontario, four-year-old gelding Hugh Heff is now owned by Nova Scotia-based connections and made his provincial debut on Saturday, Aug. 24 in the $1,600 Winners Over class at Northside Downs.

Jeremy Baker and Q Ts Charlie certainly didn't welcome Hugh Heff warmly. The rail starter gave post two challenger Hugh Heff and driver Randy Getto the cold shoulder with a parking ticket right off the hop. Hugh Heff and Getto weren't prepared to take the deuce, and they forged on to challenge for control.

Through stiff fractions of :28, :57.1 and 1:26.4, Q Ts Charlie and Hugh Heff traded blows on the front end with neither pacer giving way. As the field hit the head of the lane, Hugh Heff showed his backclass and pulled away to a two-length tally with the mile timed in 1:57.1. Q Ts Charlie stayed for second with Thunder Alley (Gerard Kennedy) rounding out the top three.

Getto also owns Hugh Heff (Betterthancheddar - Danika Patrix) along with Susan Macsween of River Ryan and Wayne Hardy of Sydney, N.S. Trained by Dana Getto, Hugh Heff picked up his 23rd lifetime win and 15th win on Canadian soil this year. That total is tops among all Standardbreds and tied for second in North America for a win total this season. Pacing mares Need Ur Opinion (16 wins) and Lloyds Loves (15 wins) join Hugh Heff in that category.

As the 2-1 second choice, Hugh Heff returned $6.10 to win.

For the results from Saturday's card of harness racing in Cape Breton, click the following link: Saturday Results - Northside Downs.

(Standardbred Canada)
Just a few weeks ago, Justine Ray was all the talk in the Future Stars Series for two-year-old pacing fillies at Hippodrome 3R with three straight win to start off her career. Then along came Jean-Francios Maguires newly acquired filly, Silver Majesty, who put an end to Justine Rays winning ways.

I just have Silver Majesty for three weeks now, Maguire said. She is a nice small filly with a lot of heart.

A private sale purchase, Silver Majesty has won her first two starts for Maguire, a 2:00.2 record in the series and then a 2:01.2 triumph in a Quebec-Bred overnight race. In both races, the daughter of All Bets Off beat previously unbeaten Justine Ray.

What was the key for the big turnaround for the filly who had been racing in Ontario?

She was having some issues with her mouth, Maguire explained. And she is getting better every week. For this year it will be 2-3 more races and then we will turn out to grow, so she can heal and finish filling out.

On Sunday (Aug. 25), 3R is hosting the third and final preliminary round of the Future Stars Series for two-year-old pacers and trotters. There are a total of five divisions on Sundays 13-race program.

Silver Majesty will be driven again by Denis St. Pierre, who drove her in her first two wins. She starts from post four in the fifth race  the second $7,500 division for pacing fillies, and once again faces rival Justine Ray (post five) for driver Pascal Berube.

The first division for the fillies is the third race where Myvaliam (Sportswriter) heads the field from post four for driver William Roy. In her last start she was second to Silver Majesty.

Maguire has two more two-year-olds also racing Sunday and they are both in the ninth race, the $10,000 Future Stars division for two-year-old trotting colts. His two are Silver Porsche (post one) with driver Guy Gagnon and Big Bank (post six), who Maguire himself will drive.

Silver Porsche is the half-brother of Jumpshot, Maguire said. He was the horse I broke and won a Gold division at Georgian Downs six or seven years ago. This one is really fast, but I have to mind his manners on the track."

The other contender is Big Bank, who had some problems staying on stride until Maguire started driving him.

I drive Big Bank because I qualified him after three bad performances and I decided to stick with him for a more couple races, just to follow his evolution. He'll be ready soon for a cash driver.

The race favourite is Im Just A Gigolo from post four. The son of Lookslikeachpndale already has two wins in the series, both on the front end for owner, trainer, driver and breeder, Jerome Lombart.

Two-year-old pacing colts battle for $10,000 in the seventh race with all eyes on The Magic Moment. The son of Control The Moment was a winner in the series at 3R with a 2:02.2 triumph. Then last week he competed at Woodbine Mohawk Park and was second by just half a length in 1:53.3. He takes on HP Bellissino (post three), a return winner in the series for driver Robert Shepherd.

The 11th race is the $10,000 series division for two-year-old trotting fillies where Chic Choc Rose puts her three-race unbeaten streak on the line from post seven for driver Marie-Claude Auger. She bred, trains and co-owns the Royalty For Life filly with Catheline Pelletier and Arianne Girard.

Also, on the card in the sixth race trot, undefeated Kinnder Dangerzone is going for his fifth straight win for owner-breeder-trainer Denitza Petrova and driver Marie-Claude Auger.

First race post time Sunday is 12:00 noon. For a look at the entries, click the following link: Sunday Entries - Hippodrome 3R.

(Quebec Jockey Club)
Marcus Melander trainee Maryland motored out of post nine and secured a snug trip to a big payday with a 1:53.4 blowout victory in the $575,000 William Wellwood Memorial Stakes for two-year-old trotters on Saturday night, Aug. 24 at Woodbine Mohawk Park.

Driven by Dexter Dunn, Maryland darted for the lead heading for a :28.1 first quarter, but obliged to sit a pocket ride when Emoticon Legacy (Louis-Philippe Roy) came calling out of fourth for the front. Emoticon Legacy took over before a :57.2 half and stayed steady through the final turn as no serious challengers came charging.

Nordic Catcher S (Ake Svanstedt), the even-money favourite, angled first-over out of third, but advanced methodically on the rim to inch within a length of the lead coming to three-quarters in 1:26.1. Emoticon Legacy maintained a tenuous lead off the turn and only trotted evenly while Nordic Catcher S continued to progress and Maryland swung to a seam at the inside for room. Maryland overcame tight quarters entering the final eighth and, once having open racetrack ahead, lifted flight. In a matter of strides, Maryland opened two, then three lengths on an ever-widening lead capped to 4-3/4 lengths crossing the finish in a career-best mile. Nordic Catcher S held second while 130-1 shot Southwind Caspian (Paul MacDonell) saved ground throughout to grab third and Emoticon Legacy faded to fourth while his stablemate Lookatmegoamigo (Bob McClure) inherited fifth.

He was really good last week in his elimination, he just struggled in the last turn, said Dunn in a post-race interview. Marcus [Melander] made some gear changes and he was so much better tonight. He felt great behind the gate before we left; he was straight and trotting good. We had the outside, so I thought wed give it a shot. He actually got across pretty good and got a good helmet with Louis [Roy and Emoticon Legacy]. He won that pretty easily. He stretched out really good down the straight.

A colt by Chapter Seven out of millionaire Venerable's half-sister Crucial, Maryland competes for Florida-based owners Courant Inc., PCW Racing LLC and Holly Lane Stud East Ltd., and the Kentucky-based S. Stewart R. Thorn Stable. The Hanover Shoe Farms-bred colt, who was a $475,000 Lexington Selected Sale yearling buy, earned his second win from five starts and has now banked $311,743.

Training down, hes been a smart colt from day one, said Melander. In his first start, we thought he was a good horse. He raced great last week [placed third in the eliminations, but] he had a little trouble in the turns. He wasnt straight enough, so Dexter couldnt keep up with those up front. I knew he was sharp going into the final. I just had to make him go straight.

I wanted to try and keep him off the half-mile tracks because hes running in a little bit in the turns, Melander also said. Thats why weve been keeping him on the big tracks here and well probably continue to do that, too.

Sent postward as the fourth choice in the betting, Maryland paid $36.50 to win.

To view Saturday's harness racing results, click the following link: Saturday Results - Woodbine Mohawk Park.

(With files from Woodbine)
It took him more than 60 seconds, but Inaminute Hanover prevailed in the $21,622 Open Trot at Tioga Downs on Saturday, Aug. 24.

Makadushin N Cheez (Ridge Warren) was on top through fractions of :27.4, :56.1 and 1:24.3, with third choice Inaminute Hanover and Mike Merton biding their time in the two hole. As they reached the stretch, Inaminute Hanover ($11.80) popped the pocket and blew right on by to win in 1:54.2. Makadushin N Cheez stayed for second with favoured Resolve To Win (Tyler Miller) finishing third.

Inaminute Hanover is a six-year-old gelding by Bar Hopping. He is owned by Beauty Bridle Racing Stable and trained by Jake Huff. It was his third win this season, and first at the Tioga top level. The 2021 Simcoe stakes winner now has 19 career victories and $458,793 in earnings.

Live racing returns to Tioga Downs on Sunday, Aug. 25 with a 15-race card starting at 1 p.m. Headlining the card will be the Empire Breeders Classic (EBC), showcasing the best New York-bred sophomore pacers. Both the filly and colt stakes split into divisions with each of the four stakes racing for just into six figures. The fastest pacer of 2024, Legendary Hanover will look to atone from his recent narrow defeat on one five-eighths mile oval with another three-turn stakes test at Tioga on Sunday.

(with files from Tioga)
Two-year-old trotting colts took to the track at Harrahs Hoosier Park on Saturday, Aug. 24 for a pair of $89,865 Indiana Sire Stakes divisions, with round four mirroring the results from leg three. Eugene The Genius (pictured above) continued his winning ways with a career-best effort to take the first division, while Sure Did went first-up once again for his second straight stakes score in the second division.

Sent off as the 4-5 bettors' choice with regular pilot Mike Oosting aboard, Eugene The Genius left from post five in the field of eight. Oosting got away in good order with Eugene The Genius, landing the favourite in the pocket while Starlitfranknstein (Trace Tetrick) secured the lead through a first quarter of :28.2. Starlitfranknstein had things his way to the half in :58.1 before Tetrick let out on the lead on the final turn, trotting 2-1/2 lengths clear of Eugene The Genius at three-quarters in 1:26.4.

Eugene The Genius tipped off the cones turning for home, reaching the leaders wheel as the two raced well clear of the rest with an eighth of a mile to go. Trotting home smartly in :27.1, Eugene The Genius surged by Starlitfranknstein late in the lane to cross the wire 2-1/4 lengths clear in 1:54.2. Starlitfranknstein finished second and Kody Kickstand (Ricky Macomber Jr.) was third.

Trained by Missy Essig for owners Russell Beeman and Charles Weaver, Eugene The Genius has been nearly perfect to begin his career, winning five of his first six outings. Bred by Black Creek Farm and Hickory Hollow Stables, the gelded son of Helpisontheway-Muscle Baby Doll has banked $167,342.

Sure Did followed suit and delivered as the 1-2 favourite in the second division, teaming up with driver Marvin Luna to take down the scratched down field of seven. Leaving from post four, Sure Did landed in the third spot early while High Speed Swan (Mike Oosting) cut the opening quarter in :28.3. Oosting tapped the brakes to the half in :59.1 before Luna wheeled Sure Did first-over and into second on the final turn, 2-1/2 lengths back of High Speed Swan at three-quarters in 1:28.4.

Sure Did quickly closed the gap at the top of the stretch, motoring alongside High Speed Swan to grab a short lead midway through the lane. Speeding home in :27.2, Sure Did powered away by two lengths on the line to stop the clock in 1:56.3. High Speed Swan held for the place spot over a rallying Mehelpingyou (Jordan Ross).

A winner in four of nine on the year and earnings of $129,472, Sure Did is trained by Walter Haynes Jr. for owners Matthew Miller and John McGill. The gelded son of You Know You Do-Challax Hanover was bred by John Bontrager.

Racing returns to Hoosier Park on Tuesday, Aug. 27 with a 13-race card set to get underway at 6:15 p.m. The card gets underway with a $7,500 guaranteed Early Pick 5 ($1,362.27 carryover) in races one through five, to go along with the $10,000 guaranteed Hoosier High Five in the 13th and final race. Free online programs are available for the Tuesday card on the track's website.

(With files from Hoosier Park)
A Rainier woman was sent to the hospital Friday after a Longview driver struck her SUV, authorities report.

Katelyn L. Hackenberg, 21, was headed southbound on Washington Way around 4:30 p.m. near Feis Carriage & Lounge when a vehicle on Industrial Way struck her, a Washington State Patrol press memo states.

Austin J. Maygra, 32, hit Hackenberg in his Ford pickup after not obeying the traffic signal, the press memo states. At that intersection, there is a traffic light.

Hackenbergs vehicle was totaled and she was sent to PeaceHealth St. John Medical Center in Longview because she was injured.

Maygra was not hurt, and neither drugs nor alcohol were involved in the crash, the memo states.
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: Erik Mclean from Pexels

Workers at a company that delivered packages for Amazon are considered employees of the e-commerce giant, the National Labor Relations Board said, rejecting Amazon's claim that it is not responsible for the subcontractor's staff.

The finding, issued by a regional director of the NLRB in Los Angeles, determined there was merit to accusations by the delivery workers that Amazon unlawfully refused to recognize their decision to unionize and failed to negotiate with the union over workplace issues. The NLRB also found Amazon had threatened employees, inappropriately required workers to attend meetings meant to disparage union activity, and failed to provide information requested by the union.

The delivery company, Battle-Tested Strategies, operated out of Amazon's DAX8 fulfillment center in Palmdale, California. The company's owner, Johnathon Ervin, voluntarily recognized the decision by drivers to organize and join a local chapter of the Teamsters union.

Amazon ended the company's contract last year, effectively terminating the jobs of the 84 drivers who delivered Amazon packages.

The findings marked a win for Teamsters officials who challenged a stance long held by Amazon, that it does not exercise control over its subcontracted drivers and so bears no legal responsibility for their working conditions. It could open the door to delivery drivers elsewhere unionizing and demanding Amazon come to the bargaining table.

"Amazon drivers have taken their future into their own hands and won a monumental determination that makes clear Amazon has a legal obligation to bargain with its drivers over their working conditions," Teamsters General President Sean M. O'Brien said in a statement on August 22.

"This strike has paved the way for every other Amazon worker in the country to demand what they deserve and to get Amazon to the bargaining table."

The NLRB did not find merit to all of the Teamsters' allegations, however. It dismissed, for example, a claim that Amazon's decision to end its contract with Battle-Tested Strategies was retaliatory.

Amazon spokesperson Eileen Hards said the NLRB had dismissed "most of the Teamsters' more significant claims."

"As they have been for over 15 months, the Teamsters continue to misrepresent what is happening here," Hards said. "As we have said all along, there is no merit to the Teamsters' claims. If and when the agency decides it wants to litigate the remaining allegations, we expect they will be dismissed as well."

Since the Battle-Tested Strategies drivers were terminated in June 2023, the Teamsters have held protests at the Palmdale facility as well as at other Amazon warehouses across the country.

In a statement released by the union, Jessie Moreno, a driver in Palmdale, said, "Amazon can no longer dodge responsibility for our low wages and dangerous working conditions, and it cannot continue to get away with committing unfair labor practices."

"We are uniting Amazon workers across the country like never before," Moreno said.

The NLRB's finding represents a first step in the board's process for litigating allegations of wrongdoing and comes after an investigation into the workers' claims that Amazon was engaging in unfair labor practices, NLRB spokesperson Kayla Blado said in an email.

Blado said that if Amazon and the Teamsters do not now reach a settlement in the case, the labor agency would issue a formal complaint based on its findings. After that, the case would be heard by an administrative law judge, who could order the company to implement remedies. The judge's decision could then be appealed to the labor board in Washington.

2024 Los Angeles Times. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

Credit: Godisable Jacob from Pexels

Wednesday morning, the day before Thanksgiving, Mae awoke, set her hair in curlers and switched on her laptop. The screen froze and a message appeared. It said her Safari web browser had encountered a problem, and a link offered to connect the 83-year-old to the Apple Computer Company. Mae clicked it.

She didn't know it yet, but Mae, like millions of Americans each year, had fallen into the grip of fraudsters. Over the next 10 hours, the criminals would try several methods to steal her money. The one that worked without a hitch was getting her to buy gift cards. The common cards, from retailers such as Target, Apple and Amazon, are sold on racks in drugstores and supermarkets. They're better than cash for a fraudster, more portable and just as anonymous. Once criminals have the gift card numbers, they use them to purchase goods online, at stores around the world, or sell or trade them in illicit marketplaces on the dark web, Telegram or Discord.

An estimated US$8 billion is stolen annually from seniors age 60 and older through stranger-perpetrated frauds, according to AARP. Increasingly, gift cards are a leading fraud payment method reported by older adults, according to the Federal Trade Commission.

Mae's story is one of many such cases that prompted usa fraud and forensic accounting professor who is a former top financial regulator, and a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporterto explore how cracks in the financial regulatory system dating to the Civil War have been exploited by fraudsters and corporations.

The investigation shows that federal regulators have consistently failed to protect the public from gift card fraud and have failed to give gift cards consumer protections like those afforded to credit and debit cards. Congress, in turn, has largely deferred to these regulators. Meanwhile, efforts to rein in the industry on the state and federal level have been met with successful opposition from lobbyists and gift card trade groups. When fraud does occur, gift card retailers are often less than helpful in assisting law enforcement in helping to track down the criminals.

One of us learned about Mae's case in his work as a fraud examiner and has seen dozens of similar cases. Mae, who lives in Maryland, is unwilling to publish her last name for fear of being revictimized, as well as sheer embarrassment, but she still wants people to know the story so they don't make the same mistakes.

In gift card fraud, everybody but the victim makes money: fraudsters, gift card companies and retailers. The criminals exploit a rapidly evolving payments industry that's shrouded in secrecy, designed to ensure easy transactions and lacking in consumer protections.

The technology companies that provide the infrastructure that enables the gift card economy are privately held and release little information publicly. They facilitate payments behind the scenes, out of the view of consumers who see only the brand name of the card and the drugstore or supermarket where they buy it. While retailers who sell gift cards could do more to thwart fraud, the secretive technology companies that set up and manage gift cards are best positioned to stop rampant criminality, but they don't. There's no legal requirement to do so, and they make money off the crime.

Call this number

When Mae called the number that appeared on her screen, a man answered and identified himself as Mac Morgan, an "Apple high security technician." He gave her his employee ID number, which she dutifully wrote down. The problem seemed to originate from her bank, he told her. She volunteered that she banked with M&T, a Northeast bank headquartered in Buffalo, N.Y. Call them, he said, and provided a phone number.

The woman who answered said her name was Alivia, from the M&T Bank Fraud Unit. Alivia told Mae that a European pornographer and scammer had tried to gain access to her account and withdraw $20,000 during the night. A hold had been placed on the withdrawal, but Mae needed to come down to the bank and retrieve the money before the fraudsters did.

Anxiety rising in her voice, Mae told the woman she hadn't even had a cup of coffee yet; she still had curlers in her hair. Alivia advised her to remove the curlers and, soothingly, promised to stay on the phone with Mae through the entire process.

Sophisticated schemes

Gift cards are just the latest in fraudsters' seemingly unlimited arsenal of tools that help them steal money from people through deceptions like romance scams, fake IRS notices and phony investment schemes. In addition to consumer swindles like the one that targeted Mae, gift cards, including those that are reloadable, have also been hit with an epidemic of card draining, where criminals either steal barcodes from gift cards on the rack or swap in new barcodes they already control.

When consumers put money on a compromised card, the criminals are alerted because they are monitoring the barcodes using automated online account balance inquiries. They can repeatedly check the balances on thousands of barcodes at a time. As soon as money hits a card, the criminals use the account number to purchase items online or in stores, using runners or "mules" to physically go into stores.

The gift card draining problem is widespread enough that it attracted the attention of the Department of Homeland Security and sparked hearings in the U.S. Senate in April 2024. Two months later, Maryland passed the nation's first law targeting card draining, which mandates secure packaging aimed at thwarting criminals who steal or tamper with the numbers on gift cards.

People ages 18 to 49 are more likely than older adults to lose money in gift card fraud, but adults over the age of 80 lose three times as much as younger adults. The average reported amount lost is $1,000, but more than 100 consumers have reported gift card fraud losses to the Federal Trade Commission in excess of $400,000 each between 2021 and 2023, according to information provided by the FTC through a public records request.

Falling victim to a financial scam ranks second in American fears about criminality, after identity theft, far exceeding concerns about violent crime, according to Gallup. Despite these fears, there doesn't appear to be an accurate government number on exactly how much financial fraud is taking place. The gift card and reloadable card industry also doesn't keep data on the amount of money consumers lose through the criminal use of its products.

At the same time, many gift card companies are not publicly traded. As such, they aren't required to file quarterly or annual financial reports with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, which would indicate the size of the industry and might outline the amount of fraud, among other risks. Consequently, nailing down an exact figure for the total amount of fraud involving gift cards and reloadable cards is challenging.

To track trends, regulators rely on victims self-reporting to gauge the scope of the problem.

Yet the vast majority of people who fall victim to financial scams never report their losses to law enforcement. Most victims are too embarrassed or pessimistic about their chances of recouping losses and so don't complain. And often they are concerned that their adult children, caregivers or authorities such as adult protective services might conclude that guardianship or institutionalization is necessary to protect them. While it is extremely difficult to know how many elders report financial fraud, a 12-year-old study that's still commonly cited, including by federal authorities, estimates it at 4.2%.

About $550 billion is added onto gift cards annually in the U.S., according to Jordan Hirschfield, a gift card analyst at Javelin Strategy & Research. He estimates that between 1% and 5% of all gift card sales could be fraudulent in some way, but because no one keeps track, it's difficult to arrive at an exact number. If the 1% to 5% figure is correct, the amount of fraud is between $5.5 billion and $27.5 billion per year.

A victim's fear bubble

Mae had entered what AARP calls a fear bubble, an induced state of panic that makes rational thought difficult, if not impossible. This is a greater risk for seniors, because as people get older they experience anger and fear more vividly. The fraudsters who manipulate this panic describe putting their victims "under the ether." Frightened beyond reason, the victim is manipulated into transferring large sums of money to the fraudster to ward off the conjured danger.

Anyone can fall victim. In February, a former New York Times business columnist wrote about losing $50,000 in a fear-induced scam. Mae had graduated summa cum laude from an elite private university. She is a no-nonsense retired nurse and lives independently. Now she was rushing, panicked, to her bank at the direction of a fraudster.

As Mae drove, Alivia advised her to ready a story in case the teller balked at giving her the money. Mae decided to tell them that she needed the $20,000 to buy a used car and it was a matter of urgency.

Frictionless and anonymous

Gift cards have experienced rapid and immense growth because they're a win-win, an innovative convenience for shoppers and a threefold boon for retailers. The gift card racks are mini billboards for retailers.

Consumers commonly spend one- to two-thirds more than the actual value of the card when they use it, said Ben Jackson, chief operating officer for the Innovative Payments Association, one of several trade groups that represent the industry. And sometimes consumers don't spend the gift cards. Terms and conditions of the gift cards, frequently in small print or available only online, may allow retailers to retain the balance after a minimum of five years. It's a tidy gift to retailers amounting to billions of dollars.

The National Retail Federation routinely ranks gift cards as the No. 1 thing shoppers plan to buy. "You don't want friction in your gift giving," Jackson said.

He has traced the first gift card to a glove company in Oregon in 1908. The company extolled the convenience of this new innovation: "Gift givers need not worry about picking the right size or color glove; give the recipient a card and let them choose for themselves."

In the modern era, plastic gift cards were created by Neiman Marcus, but movie rental company Blockbuster first displayed the cards for customers. Known as a closed-loop card, it can be spent for goods only from that particular retailer.

In contrast, open-loop gift cards can be spent at multiple retailers and often have a credit card logo from companies such as Visa or Mastercard, but they don't offer the same protections afforded actual credit cards, such as requiring an ID on file for the card. Some open-loop cards identify as debit cards even though they also lack the fraud protections of bank debit cards. If the money is swindled, there's no obligation for the company to reimburse the cardholder.

Open-loop cards work everywhere debit and credit cards do and can sometimes be reloaded with funds. Purchasers can pay by cash to remain anonymous. Criminals love them. In the places where fraudsters lurkon the dark web, which is made up of sites that resemble ordinary websites but are accessible only using special browsers or authorization codes, and on Telegram and Discord messaging appsopen-loop and closed-loop gift cards are offered as payment for everything from payroll to the purchase of equipment needed to perpetrate more frauds.

The first open-loop card originated with retail malls and foreshadowed how the gift card industry would later game regulators. In 2004, Indianapolis-based Simon Property Group and Bank of America created a stored-value card that could be spent at any store in the 159 Simon malls throughout the U.S.

The card activation fee was as much as $6.95. Simon also deducted a fee when a card went unused for six months and charged 50 cents each time a customer checked the card balance after the first inquiry. The fees ran counter to the consumer protection laws of some states where Simon operated, and three states sued Simon.

But the mall operator successfully contended that because it was working with a national bank, federal law and regulations, which had no restriction on these fees, preempted state law to allow the fees. While the cards failed to stop online shopping from eclipsing the American mall industry, it eventually roused federal lawmakers into limited action.

Meanwhile, another gift card innovation had launched in California. In 2002, an in-house unit of Safeway supermarkets looking to sell nontraditional goods to Safeway customers created the gift card kiosk. It was so successful that a year later the unit became a Safeway subsidiary called Blackhawk Network. By 2007 there were Blackhawk kiosks in 60,000 retail locations, projecting sales of $100 million that year. Seven years later, Safeway spun off Blackhawk as a stand-alone public company.

And in 2018, with help from Blackhawk insiders, a private equity firm called Silver Lake Partners and a hedge fund named P2 Capital Partners took the company private in a transaction worth $3.5 billion. In 2023, Blackhawk Network Holdings had an estimated annual revenue of $2.8 billion.

Blackhawk and its main competitor, Atlanta-based InComm Payments, put cards in drugstores and supermarket chains throughout the U.S. Each card is a separate, private bespoke agreement negotiated between the card owner and the distributor, according to Jackson.

Typically, the distributor negotiates a small discount, usually under 10%, off the card's face value. The discount is split between the distributor and the store selling the card.

The distributor handles card activation so that a retailer like Target will recognize that the card is active in the available amount. In some cases, the distributor also handles the back-end technology that allows consumers to spend the money loaded on the card.

Starting as a small industry a little more than 20 years ago, the closed- and open-loop gift card business has become a massive enterprise involving hundreds of billions of dollars, a festival of frictionless commerce that is also beloved by criminals for its convenience and anonymity.

Mae gets stubborn

The bank teller tried to dissuade Mae from withdrawing $20,000 in cash. Eventually, the bank manager joined the conversation and suggested she take a cashier's check instead. Mae insisted that the guy selling her the car had demanded cash. After about 15 minutes, she wore them down. They gave her the cash.

The bank manager followed Mae to her car to ensure she was OK and to try one more time to get her to reconsider. Mae waived the manager off. Once she was alone again, Mae picked up the phone. Alivia had remained on the line the entire time but told Mae to leave her cellphone in the car while she went into the bank.

A patchwork system of help

In Maryland, the banker had no option but to hand Mae her money. That's not the case in other states. In Florida, a state that contends with elevated incidents of fraud on seniors, the Legislature passed a law in May allowing financial institutions to delay disbursements or transactions of funds to people over 65 if there is a well-founded belief that they are being exploited. In return, the banks receive immunity from any resulting administrative or civil liability.

The delay, which expires after 15 business days, requires that the financial institution launch an immediate review and contact those the account holder has designated as people of confidence. A court may shorten or extend the length of the pause. Anecdotal evidence from law enforcement suggests that even a few hours of delay can pop the fear bubble fraudsters create.

As soon as the persuasive ether of the fraudster lifts, most people realize they've been scammed. A delay also makes time for the target to talk to someone they trust who might dissuade them from parting with their money.

In New Jersey in 2021, state Sen. Nellie Pou sponsored a bill that proposed a 48-hour delay before using or validating a gift card worth more than $100 and proposed extending the protections to gift cards that credit cards receive under federal laws and regulations: If a consumer reported fraud, the funds would be frozen, and if the fraud investigation were upheld, the money would be returned to the customer. The bill also proposed a fraud incident hotline for consumers, exempted small businesses and levied a $1,000 civil penalty for card issuers that violated its provisions.

The Innovative Payments Association lobbied against the New Jersey bill. The legislation would harm New Jerseyans, it wrote lawmakers, by "discouraging gift card providers to issue and sell such cards in the state." The association argued that the waiting period "defeats the purpose of having a gift card," which is to allow the recipient "to go out and get what they want/need immediately." The legislation passed the state Senate but died in the Assembly and wasn't reintroduced.

Several states have also passed or are considering laws requiring retailers selling gift cards to post warning signs, including Delaware, Iowa, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and West Virginia, but none go as far as the New Jersey bill.

Waiting periods and warning signs are not the only tools that gift card companies could use against fraud. The distributors already have a technology in place that would be even more effective: velocity limits.

If unusually large numbers of gift cards are being purchased at a drugstore or supermarket, for instance, a distributor like Blackhawk could freeze the sale and alert the retailer. They have done this on occasion, but our investigation shows this does not happen with consistency. If sale freezes and alerts happened consistently, consumers would be less likely to be reporting on the FTC database large amounts of money lost to gift card scams.

Gift cards could also be required to use geofencing. If a card is purchased in Maryland but redeemed on the same day in California or China, that could be a red flag for fraud because the likelihood that someone like Mae would be able to get gift cards to faraway friends or family so quickly is slim. Geofencing would freeze redemption outside a certain geographical area.

And more simply, retailers could require that gift cards be purchased with a credit or debit card rather than cash to make it easier to reimburse a customer in the event of fraud.

In 2022, around the same time New Jersey was trying to rein in gift card fraud all by itself, Congress passed the Stop Senior Scams Act. The bill created an advisory group of industry members, regulators and law enforcement that is run by the FTC and tasked with studying ways to curtail fraud. Included in the mandate was a focus on technology. The advisory group created a Technology and New Methods Committee subcommittee with about two dozen members, including Blackhawk and the Innovative Payments Association.

In the two years since the bill was passed, the main committee has met only twice. Recommendations by federal advisory committees are not binding. Although the Federal Advisory Committee Act requires that committee meetings be open to the public and their records available for public inspection, it's not a requirement for subcommittees.

The committee is aiming to disrupt fraud, particularly among older adults, by more efficiently sharing information, data and other intelligence, according to committee member Jilenne Gunther, national director of AARP's public policy institute.

The industry has pushed consumer education as the best response to the gift card fraud epidemic, even as signage and public service announcements have shown questionable effectiveness. "Consumer education  puts the burden of protection on the targets of fraud," Marti DeLiema, assistant professor of social work at the University of Minnesota, testified at an Elder Justice Coordinating Counsel hearing in 2022. At the same time, "fraud targets are often in states of emotional distress."

Some retailers are also training their cashiers to be alert to seniors inexplicably buying fistfuls of gift cards, but these efforts are not always standardized across the industry. Expecting a clerk earning minimum wage to prevent a fearful senior from legally buying gift cards is likely unrealistic.

Blackhawk did not respond to multiple requests for interviews and declined to answer emailed questions. InComm Payments declined to make anyone available for an interview and did not answer detailed emailed questions.

In its letter opposing the New Jersey bill the Innovative Payments Association argued that the industry was "highly regulated," required to adhere to federal requirements and "strict federal anti-money laundering regulations."

In practice, that's not the case.

The criminals direct Mae to crypto

Before sending Mae to buy gift cards, the fraudsters tried another scheme. Alivia directed Mae to a Shell gas station with a Cash2Bitcoin ATM inside and told her that if she put her money into crypto it would be safe. Mae had never before seen a Bitcoin ATM. Alivia talked her through registering for an account, including uploading her driver's license, a know-your-customer requirement that doesn't exist for gift cards.

As Mae fed thousands of dollars into the machine, another elderly woman stood behind her impatiently. I need to get money to send to my nephew, she told Mae. Much later, Mae would realize that the woman was probably being scammed, too. At $15,000, the ATM hit its limit on deposits. The money Mae was feeding into the ATM went flying. She jammed the receipts into her purse and hurriedly gathered cash off the floor.

The fraudsters then sent Mae to the area's two other crypto ATMs, but neither worked. It was 5 p.m. and getting dark. Mae hadn't eaten all day. Alivia asked if Cash2Bitcoin had sent her a receipt for the $15,000. No, Mae replied, forgetting she had shoved it into her purse. Alivia told her to call and find out what the holdup was. Mae's phone conversation with Cash2Bitcoin was concerning enough that the man at the exchange froze Mae's money.

Stymied, Alivia handed the call off to her "supervisor," Mike Ross. Faced with a crypto dead end, but unwilling to relinquish a chance at the remaining $5,000, Ross directed Mae to a Rite Aid near her house to buy gift cards.

Loopholes and laggards

Gift card companies can make the claim they are "highly regulated" because of legislation that occurred after the 2008 financial crisis. The uproar after Simon Property Group flouted state consumer protection laws led Congress to pass the Credit CARD Act in 2009. The law eliminated many of the garbage fees on gift cards and prohibited cards from expiring for at least five years. It also encouraged states to legislate their own reforms by allowing state law to preempt federal law. But the law didn't extend existing credit and debit card consumer fraud protections for gift card purchasers.

As part of the wave of financial reform, Congress also created a single regulator for consumer financial protection: The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. It removed regulation-writing authority from the Federal Reserve and gave enforcement and rule writing authority solely to the bureau. It also took away examination and enforcement of all nonbank financial products from the Fed, the FDIC and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. Federal consumer protectionbank or nonbankwould ostensibly now be regulated only by this new single regulator.

In the 15 years since the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was created, there has been a rise in consumer financial products outside of banks, but the new agency hasn't kept up. As part of the rules it issued in 2016 and 2018, it exempted most gift cards, open- and closed-loop alike, from regulation.

While the bureau declined multiple requests to explain why gift cards were exempted from its consumer protection rules for fraud, it did point to resources including a flowchart showing what types of electronic payment methods would be covered under its rules. The chart, a near-incomprehensible tangle of arrows and scenarios, shows how most prepaid gift cards are exempt from the fraud consumer protection regulations common for debit and credit cards, including all gift cards and branded reloadable cards purchased in retail drugstores and supermarkets. This exemption exists even though these prepaid cards rely on electronic activation and maintenance, which is the purpose of existing laws such as the Electronic Fund Transfer Act.

The FTC's authority

Aside from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the FTC and the Treasury Department have responsibilities that could protect consumers like Mae from gift card fraud. Yet, to date, their actions concerning gift cards are spotty at best.

The FTC is the original consumer protection agency. It can regulate "unfair or deceptive" acts or practices in commerce and provides annual statistics of consumer reports of fraud in all products and services. It provides advice about avoiding scammers, and consumers can fill out a form and join other tragic stories in a growing database, but there is little consequence for the companies involved. The FTC contends it has jurisdiction to bring enforcement actions against gift card nonbank entities for unfair or deceptive acts or practices, but the last time it appears to have done so was in 2007.

The FTC provided a background interview and sent a follow-up memo, but it declined to answer questions about the differences between its authority and that of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, or confirm which agency is the primary federal regulator of gift cards.

More agencies, little oversight

The Treasury could also get involved. Two agencies of the U.S. Department of Treasury tackle fraud that touches on national security, terrorism and transnational gangs. Increasingly, criminals from China, Iran, North Korea, Russia and the occupied areas of Ukraine target Americans with tacit, and sometimes explicit, state support. These Treasury agencies have also largely given gift cards a pass, exempting them from controls in place to combat these crimes, even though there is evidence that the cards are being used by international criminals.

The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, a bureau of the Treasury Department, requires two types of reports that can involve gift cards: currency transaction reports for transactions of $10,000 or more that are made in cash, and confidential suspicious activity reports for a variety of transactions of any value that the filer considers suspicious, including suspected elder financial exploitation.

Financial institutions, including banks and businesses such as car dealerships, casinos, antique dealers and money service providers, are required to file the reports. These include money transmitterscompanies such as Western Union and MoneyGramthat work through retail establishments such as supermarkets and Walmart to send money overseas or to another city rather than using a bank wire transfer.

Those businesses must obtain personal identification information, such as a Social Security number and driver's license from the person conducting the transactions, for the report. Financial institutions file millions of reports every year.

In 2011, with gift cards still in their infancy, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network issued a regulation to amend the money service business definition to address prepaid access products such as gift cards.

But despite law enforcement concerns, the agency exempted open-loop cards up to $1,000 that weren't used internationally and closed-loop gift cards up to $2,000 from the money-laundering regulation. For closed-loop cards, there was no restriction on international use.

The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network also didn't limit aggregation for gift cards. Banks and money service businesses are generally required to aggregate transactions made on the same day from multiple locations and must report if the total amount goes over $10,000 for the day. For gift cards, however, there is no aggregate tracking requirement, so fraudsters can direct seniors to multiple stores in a dayeven stores from the same chainto buy $2,000 worth of gift cards at each, racking up tens of thousands of dollars.

The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network's rule specifies that "categories of prepaid access products and services were exempted because they pos[ed] lower risks of money laundering and terrorist financing," despite noting that law enforcement disagreed.

In response to our detailed questions, the Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network declined to say how many, if any, regulatory examinations it or the IRS on its behalf has conducted of gift card providers. "Any information or statistics that we can share publicly are located on our website," Financial Crimes Enforcement Network spokesperson Steve Hudak wrote in an email that also included resource links. "FinCEN declines further comment."

The final agency in the gift card regulatory puzzle is Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control, which administers and enforces economic sanctions programs against countries and groups of individuals, including foreign hackers and fraudsters targeting the United States.

But because gift card purchasers don't have to show identification and can provide the card number or a text picture of the card to someone overseas, gift card companies can't prevent sanctioned people, groups or nations from using their products.

Only one enforcement action appears to have been taken by the Office of Foreign Assets Control against a gift card provider.

In 2022, when Tango Card products, now a division of Blackhawk, self-reported that cards had been used to purchase goods or services in malign nations, including Iran, North Korea, Syria and Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine, the bureau sanctioned the company $116,048.60.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

Mae sends the police away

At Rite Aid, Ross instructed Mae to purchase three types of gift cards: two $500 Nordstrom cards, two $500 Target cards and one $200 Macy's card.

Given the size of the purchase, the Rite Aid cashier called over the manager. Mae lied and said she needed the gift cards for her grandson. Likely due to the $2,000 limit Rite Aid imposed on daily purchases of closed-loop gift cards, the drugstore would sell her only the four Nordstrom and Target cards for a total of $2,000. Back in her car, Mae scratched the back of the cards to reveal the numbers and read them to Ross.

He was about to direct her to the next stop when there was a knock on the car window. It was a police officer. Mae had been scheduled to cook dinner for a gentleman friend who had become worried by her absence and contacted the local police. They'd tracked down her car. Ross told her to get rid of the cop by inventing a story. He'd stay on the line to listen. She rolled down the window and did as Ross instructed, reassuring the officer that all was well, and she'd be home soon.

When the policeman left, Ross sent Mae to a nearby Food Lion supermarket to buy more gift cards. The Food Lion was close to Mae's house, and the store manager knew her. He refused to sell her the gift cards. This is a scam, he told her. It was now almost 8 pm. Resigned, Ross instructed her to go home but not tell anyone what had transpired.

The fear bubble lifts

By the time Mae pulled into her driveway, the ether had lifted and she knew she'd been scammed. "It was a big fat light bulb: "You've been screwed,'" she said.

Mae called M&T and learned there was no open fraud case. She called Target. Only 30 minutes had elapsed since she purchased the gift cards at Rite Aid, but they'd already been spent.

Recent prosecutions of Chinese gift card draining rings have revealed that the criminals employ networks of mules. These low-level employees are already positioned to buy goods in person once gift card numbers are obtained. And there are other avenues to monetize the gift cards besides an army of low-level buyers. On the Russian-owned Telegram app, dozens of gift card marketplaces sell illegally obtained cards. The traffic in illicit gift cards appears to be growing in popularity because it's possible to move huge sums of money offshore anonymously with little to no regulatory controls.

"The reduced fraud protection makes it easy for cybercriminals to find buyers," said Ensar Seker, advisory chief information security officer at SOCRadar, a cybersecurity firm that monitors the channels.

The cards are usually sold for 50% to 75% of face value, based on the risk incurred in obtaining them, according to Seker. If cards need to be moved quickly because they were acquired through hacking and likely to be canceled, they're worth closer to 50%. Cards obtained by fraud are worth closer to 75%, because there is little risk of being caught for using one.

Retailers aren't required to know who their customers are. So the retailer issuing the card has no idea whether the cardholder is the person who bought it, someone who was gifted the card, a fraudster or someone who purchased it from a fraudster on Telegram or the dark web. Sometimes criminals will report the cards stolen and receive a new number to cover their tracks. Because the retailer doesn't know who bought the card, it can't tell that it's the fraudster making the call.

Increasingly, cryptocurrencies can be traced and recovered, said Seker, but gift cards cannot.

"The most important aspect for the criminal is to stay anonymous and untraceable. Gift cards allow this," he said.

Epilogue

Investigators tried to pursue the criminals responsible for scamming Mae. Her case was referred to a special elder financial exploitation team. Investigators met with Mae less than a week after the fraud.

The phone numbers the fraudsters used in speaking to Mae were internet lines from a service provider that had little information to offer and denied any responsibility. The phone service had been purchased using an open-loop gift card, so there was no record of who purchased the service.

Mae had thrown out the gift cards but gave the investigators the Rite Aid receipts, which had partial numbers of the gift cards, similar to ATM receipts. The investigators subpoenaed Rite Aid for the full gift card numbers using the postal mailing address the store provided for subpoenas.

After a substantial delay, Rite Aid responded to the subpoena, claiming it couldn't provide the full card numbers using its point-of-sale records. Investigators later connected with a regional loss prevention manager at a different store who provided the full gift card numbers that Rite Aid corporate headquarters claimed in its subpoena response it didn't have.

The investigators then subpoenaed Nordstrom and Target. But by that time there was no information left to provide. Store surveillance footage was months gone, overwritten with new footage. The retailers had no records of who had used the cards. So despite immediate action by law enforcement, the criminals had vanished, along with Mae's $2,000.

Mae got most of her bitcoin money back, thanks to the compliance efforts and fraud freeze that had been placed on her bitcoin account on the day of the fraud.

Even as fraud against the elderly, including through gift cards, continues to grow, it's primed to get only worse. In 2023, Americans 65 and older represented 17.3% of the population, about 57.8 million people. By 2040, they will be 22% of the population, numbering more than 78 million. By 2060, that number is expected to be 88.8 million.

These seniors will be sitting on nest eggs accrued over a lifetime, and fraudsters want a piece of it.

Mae reported her story to the local police, AARP and the FTC database. "It can happen to anyone," she said.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
BEIJING, Aug. 23 (Xinhua) -- Extensive investments by Chinese enterprises in Africa are driving the continent's industrialization, according to a report released Friday by the China-Africa Business Council (CABC). "Through market-oriented investment, infrastructure investment and investment in new fields, Chinese enterprises are improving Africa's industrial system, promoting the progress of Africa's industrialization and upgrading its quality," stated the report titled "China-Africa Investment Cooperation: A New Impetus to Africa's Industrialization." The report, an outcome of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Dakar Action Plan (2022-2024), has been released annually since its inaugural edition in 2021. The 2024 report was published ahead of the upcoming FOCAC summit, scheduled to take place in Beijing from Sept. 4 to 6. According to the CABC, the report aims to promote pragmatic China-Africa economic and trade cooperation by focusing on Africa's realities and economic diversification, and serve as a platform to highlight the fruitful outcomes and potential of China-Africa cooperation. In his opening remarks at Friday's report launch, Wang Xiaoyong, executive chairman of the CABC, described FOCAC as a "valuable asset" for both China and Africa. "We believe that over the next three years, driven by policies from both Chinese and African governments and supported by diplomatic, commercial and financial sectors, China-Africa economic, trade and investment cooperation will contribute to Africa's modernization," Wang said. DIVERSIFIED CHINESE INVESTMENT IN AFRICA "China is the largest developing country investing in Africa, and China-Africa investment cooperation has been growing steadily," the report stated. China is investing in increasingly diverse projects in Africa, gradually expanding from traditional sectors such as construction, mining, electrical power and engineering into a wider range of areas. These include not only traditional areas such as manufacturing, technology, wholesale and retail, agriculture and real estate, but also emerging fields such as the digital economy, green development, aerospace and aviation, and financial services, according to the report. "This diversified investment pattern has helped Africa to achieve economic diversification and improve the resilience and competitiveness of its economies and has also provided Chinese enterprises with more investment options and opportunities," the report added. Chinese investment in Africa is also becoming increasingly diversified in terms of investor profiles. At present, more than 70 percent of the enterprises investing in Africa are private enterprises, and private enterprises have become the new driving force of China's investment in Africa, the report noted, citing data from the Chinese Ministry of Commerce (MOC). "The participation of private enterprises not only brings more capital and technical support but also more flexible and efficient business models and management experience, which helps to enhance the competitiveness of Chinese enterprises in the African market and promote the extensive development of China-Africa economic and trade cooperation," the report stated. MOC data show that as of the end of 2023, China's direct investment stock in Africa exceeded 40 billion U.S. dollars, making it one of Africa's major sources of foreign investment. Over the past three years, Chinese firms have invested in and developed economic and trade cooperation zones in Africa, spanning sectors such as agriculture, processing and manufacturing, trade logistics and other industries. These zones have attracted over 1,000 companies and boosted Africa's tax revenues and foreign exchange earnings from exports, China's assistant Minister of Commerce Tang Wenhong, said earlier this week, noting that Chinese companies have also created more than 1.1 million local jobs during the period. CHINA'S EXPERTISE DRIVES AFRICA'S INDUSTRIAL UPGRADES China's experience in cutting-edge industrial development can meet the urgent needs of African countries for industrial development and upgrading their industrial structures, the report stated, noting that the overall industrial structure has not changed significantly in Africa after many years of development. At the early stage of the industrialization process, some countries in Africa relied on the abundance of their natural resources to achieve initial industrial development and had certain advantages in the upstream of the industrial chain. However, this type of economic model can lead to the formation of a monolithic economic structure in a country that has a high degree of economic vulnerability, the report noted. "As a result, there is significant room for development and upgrading in the downstream links of the industrial chain and an extremely urgent need for upgrading the industrial structure at the macro level," the report stated. It added that China's strong competitive industries offer African countries opportunities for technological advancement and industrial upgrading, and this support can help cultivate independent productive capacities and elevate their position in the global industrial chain. An example is the industrial park model that China has successfully introduced to Africa. Since the 1990s, Chinese enterprises have actively invested in, developed and operated numerous industrial parks across the continent, according to the report. It noted that Chinese investment in infrastructure strengthens Africa's foundations for industrialization and development, the market-oriented investment improves local industrialization systems, while investing in new fields promotes Africa's industrial transformation, upgrading and efficiency. A PROMISING FUTURE OF CHINA-AFRICA COOPERATION According to Mwangi Wachira, former economist at the World Bank and advisor to the Government of Kenya, China has had a stellar record supporting the creation of the nodes and links of an integrated African market through the various ports, railways and roads it built in Africa as well as the Chinese-aided Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the African Union (AU) headquarters. Chinese manufacturers catering to African consumers are thriving, producing a range of goods from cement, plastics and pharmaceuticals to cosmetics, cell phones and electric cars for an expanding African middle class, Wachira wrote in the CABC report. "This effort needs to be expanded to meet AU's Agenda 2063 call for industrial development, especially in manufacturing, to increase the value-added of Africa's resources, improve levels of employment, and raise people's income," Wachira added. The economist also highlighted China's initiatives to host Africa-focused expos, which spotlight trade and opportunities for both Chinese and African producers and traders. He noted that the China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo (CAETE), held biennially in Hunan Province since 2019, is yielding positive results and is a tangible outcome of the 2018 FOCAC Beijing Summit. The report concluded that the CABC will encourage more Chinese enterprises across various sectors to continue investing in Africa's infrastructure development and strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation in areas such as industry, agriculture, healthcare, transportation and logistics, new energy and e-commerce. The CABC has also called on the governments of China and Africa to support cooperation in the financial sector by encouraging local currency settlements in trade and investment, creating a favorable policy environment for local currency settlements, and supporting RMB clearing business in Africa.
Several people were honored during the Orangeburg Branch NAACPs Freedom Fund Banquet. Pictured, from left, are Award Committee member Sarah Favors, Humanitarian of the Year Robert Johnson; Elected Official of the Year 1st Circuit Solicitor David M. Pascoe; Teacher of the Year Kristina Kittrell; Kizzy Rivers standing in for Clergy of the Year the Rev. Dr. J. Derrick Cattenhead; student scholarship recipient Lauren Mackenzie Small and Orangeburg Branch NAACP President Barbara Johnson-Williams.
(TBTCO) - Gia xe SH moi nhat thang 10/2024 tai ai ly ang giam soc, mot so phien ban ang uoc ban re hon gia e xuat, ay la ieu hiem co cua dong xe Honda. Trong khi o, gia xe Vision tai ai ly ang o muc thap chua tung co, tinh trang oi gia cao gan nhu a khong con.
The Saudi Real Estate Refinance Company (SRC), a subsidiary of the Public Investment Fund, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the US BlackRock conglomerate in New York City, to develop products in the real estate finance market in Saudi Arabia, and increase the share of businesses in the real estate sector capital markets.

The MoU was signed on the sidelines of the official visit of Saudi Minister of Municipalities and Housing, Majid bin Abdullah Al-Hogail, who is also SRC Board of Directors Chairman, said a Saudi Press Agency report.

The minister and his accompanying delegation are in the US to discuss ways to boost Saudi-American partnerships in the urban development, construction, building, finance and real estate development sectors.

The agreement was signed by SRC CEO Majid Fahd Al-Abduljabbar and General Manager of BlackRock in the Middle and CEO of BlackRock Saudi Arabia Yazeed Al-Mubarak. BlackRock President Robert Capito attended the signing ceremony.

The MoU aims to accelerate the development of products in the real estate refinancing market in Saudi Arabia, and expand through local and international capital market channels. It also seeks to diversify funding sources through fixed income markets, which is bound to increase the stability of the real estate finance market, and contribute to achieving the goals of the housing and financial sector development programmes, which serve as enablers of the kingdoms Vision 2030.
The African Water Facility will launch the Africa Urban Sanitation Investment Initiative (AUSII) on the sidelines of the World Water Week in Stockholm, Sweden.

The Facility, hosted by the African Development Bank Group, is the only project preparation and promotion facility solely dedicated to water and sanitation in Africa.

The Facility will, through the new sanitation financing window, mobilise and deploy financing, prepare bankable and investment-ready projects, and implement innovative and inclusive approaches such as the city-wide inclusive sanitation approach, which promotes tailor-made sanitation solutions for neighbourhoods and cities.

The Africa Urban Sanitation Investment Initiative will function as a new financing window for urban sanitation within the African Water Facility, addressing the sanitation challenges in African cities.

Over the next 10 years, the Facility aims to provide 15 million people with safely-managed sanitation services through 50 projects, and attract $7 billion in additional investments

Despite sanitation being a fundamental human right, critical to public health, environmental sustainability, and overall well-being, Africa has one of the lowest access rates in the world.

An estimated 779 million people on the continent lack basic sanitation services, and 839 million lack basic hygiene services.

The African Development Bank estimates that every year, the number of people without access to urban sanitation increases by more than 10 million, due to rapid population growth.
King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre (KFSHRC) in Riyadh has successfully performed a heart transplant for a two-and-a-half-year-old girl following an eight-month wait for a donor.

During this period, the hospital became her temporary home after doctors decided to implant a heart pump due to a severe cardiomyopathy diagnosis.

Thanks to the extraordinary efforts of various teams at KFSHRC, the Saudi Centre for Organ Transplantation (SCOT), and the Riyadh Traffic Department, the girls dream of returning home to with her family is now within reach, said a stattement from the hospital.

With the young girl's body now receiving a beating heart, her family is filled with joy and hope.

Yet, 37 other children and their families across Saudi Arabia continue to anxiously await that life-changing call informing them of an available donor, it noted.

KFSHRC reported that on Tuesday morning, they were notified by the SCOT of a suitable donor in Taif  a four-year-old boy who had been declared brain-dead. Immediately, KFSHRCs medical team in Riyadh travelled to Taif, where the young boy's heart awaited to give new life to the young girl.

Upon the teams return to Riyadh at 8:30am on Wednesday, they encountered heavy traffic congestion. However, thanks to the swift coordination with the Riyadh Traffic Department, a clear route was secured for the ambulance, covering over 40km in just 25 minutes. The specialised medical team was prepared and began the transplant as soon as the heart arrived at KFSHRC. The procedure was successful, and the young girl is now under close medical observation.

The hospital emphasised that these collective efforts and intensive communication between the various teams helped overcome all logistical and medical challenges, including the blood type mismatch between the donor and the recipient. Still, the team's expertise in such operations restored hope to the young girl and brought joy to her family.

KFSHRC has been ranked first in the Middle East and Africa and 20th globally on the list of the worlds top 250 Academic Medical Centres for the second consecutive year and recognised as the most valuable healthcare brand in the kingdom and the Middle East, according to the 2024 Brand Finance rankings. Additionally in the same year, it was ranked among the world's best 250 hospitals by Newsweek magazine. - TradeArabia News Service
Badael, a PIF company, has inaugurated its new manufacturing facility at Modon (Saudi Authority for Industrial Cities and Technologies Zones)- Asfan in Jeddah.

The new manufacturing site consists of an extensive nicotine powder mixing facility, an R&D lab, a dedicated test line, a QC lab, and a second high-speed manufacturing line, which is installed to ramp up the supply of DZRT tobacco-free pouches to meet the surge in demand that the market has seen over the past year.

Badael Companys Chief Executive Officer Tolga Sezer said: We are committed to our mission to help 1 million smokers quit smoking by 2028. The inauguration of our new manufacturing site and the line in Jeddah is a testament to Badaels steadfast dedication to meeting the demand for our Saudi-made product, DZRT.

"Our new facility will leverage state-of-the-art manufacturing processes that utilise global standards in nicotine pouch production under world-class quality standards and sustainable environmental practices.

The inauguration of the Modon, Asfan facility will further enable Badael to deliver on its vision and mission by supporting economic diversification, creating local opportunities, enabling healthcare savings, and driving sustainability. - TradeArabia News Service
Dubai Chambers explored the emerging opportunities within the gaming sector and the prospects for the industrys growth in Dubai at a workshop.

The workshop, held in collaboration with the Dubai Future Foundation, focused on strategies to achieve the objectives of the Dubai Program for Gaming 2033, an initiative overseen by the Dubai Future Foundation to position Dubai among the top 10 global hubs for the gaming sector and create up to 30,000 new gaming-related jobs, as well as enhance the sectors contribution to the growth of the digital economy and Dubais GDP to around $1 billion by 2033.

The workshop attracted the participation of a number of partners and stakeholders from the electronic games sector including representatives from game development companies and experts in the fields of hardware, artificial intelligence, and sales and marketing. Attendees discussed proposals to drive the growth of the sector, boost its economic value, and consolidate Dubais competitiveness among the global gaming landscape.

Maha Al Gargawi, Vice President of Business Advocacy at Dubai Chambers, commented: The Dubai Program for Gaming 2033 contributes to achieving a quantum leap in the sector in Dubai and developing its global competitiveness, enhancing the emirate's leadership as an attractive destination for businesses, entrepreneurs, and experts across all disciplines within the sector. Joining the Dubai Gaming and Esports Group, which operates under the umbrella of Dubai Chamber of Commerce, creates opportunities for companies to contribute to the development of this flourishing sector in the emirate.

During the workshop, Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy, one of the three chambers operating under the umbrella of Dubai Chambers, highlighted the importance of the gaming sector for the upcoming edition of Expand North Star. Organised by Dubai World Trade Centre and hosted by the chamber, the world's largest event for startups and investors will take place at Dubai Harbour from October 13 to 16. The session also explored the significance of gaming to the App Olympics competition, which is organised by the chamber as part of the 'Create Apps in Dubai' initiative.

During the workshop, representatives from the Dubai Future Foundation participated in a panel discussion focusing on the allocation of key resources among businesses within the sector, in addition to the frameworks and policies governing the industry.

The workshop brought together key industry stakeholders to discuss the local gaming landscape and identify opportunities for Dubai to compete with longer-established and better-funded gaming markets. Participants shared fresh perspectives on ways to achieve economic value in both the short and long terms.

Attendees also reviewed the efforts made by the authorities in Dubai to develop the gaming sector and discussed prospects for greater collaboration. - TradeArabia News Service
Between 2019 and 2023, the tourism sector in Latin America attracted 1,983 announced foreign direct investment (FDI) greenfield projects, with a total of $106.7 billion in capital investments. This flow of capital has created nearly 260,000 potential jobs worldwide, underscoring the sector's significant role in economic development and job creation, according to UN Tourism.

Between 2019 and 2023, 212 tourism investment projects were announced in Latin America and the Caribbean, with a total of $20.5 billion in capital expenditure, expected to create more than 73,000 potential jobs.

UN Tourism Executive Director Natalia Bayona says, "Foreign direct investment is crucial for the development of tourism in our member countries. These investments not only provide the necessary capital for infrastructure and services, but also bring innovation, technology and best practices that strengthen the competitiveness of the sector at a global level.''

Tourism is increasingly emerging as a fundamental pillar for development in the region, offering ample opportunities for economic growth and community empowerment. To harness this potential, UN Tourism has confirmed its plans to expand its series of Investment Guides and Investment Forums, each focused on a specific country in the region. The guides identify key competitiveness factors to build an attractive value proposition for investors, including information on green and sustainable investments, underlining a commitment to environmental responsibility.

According to Bayona: "Investments in the tourism sector are critical to driving economic growth and job creation. Through these investments, destinations can develop sustainable infrastructure and improve the quality of life of local communities, promoting inclusive and resilient development.''

The UN Tourism Investment Guides, part of the "Tourism Doing Business" series, are comprehensive documents designed to provide strategic support and information for potential investors and policymakers in the tourism sector.

The guides address new innovation and sustainability topics, such as debt-for-nature swaps, green and thematic bonds, national climate change adaptation plans, sustainable financing mechanisms, investments in renewable energy applied to tourism, smart infrastructure development, regenerative tourism, and the promotion of community-based tourism. These approaches underscore the commitment to more sustainable and resilient tourism, aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The guides launched in Latin America have highlighted more than 70 projects seeking investment, with the potential to attract an estimated investment of $5.2 billion in capex. These projects include a wide range of initiatives, such as tourism master plans, resorts, hotels, visitor centres, wellness retreats, interpretation venues, and conservation centres. In addition, UN Tourism intends to expand its focus beyond traditional tourism investments, promoting projects that improve all types of enablers, such as power distribution projects, ports, cable cars or civil engineering infrastructure.
One of the metro stations

The much-awaited Riyadh Metro will commence operations this year, said Saudi Minister of Transport and Logistics Services, Saleh Al-Jasser, confirming an earlier announcement by the Royal Commission for Riyadh City (RCRC).

There is increased anticipation among residents as they watch trial runs of the metro trains across various lines for the past few months.

The minister emphasised that Riyadh Metro, in terms of scale, stands as the largest metro project globally to be constructed in a single phase.

Al-Jasser was speaking during an interview with Al-Arabiya Business, on the sidelines of the inauguration of the largest integrated logistics zone for Maersk in the Middle East at Jeddah Islamic Port.

The metro is part of the King Abdulaziz Project for Riyadh Public Transport, which aims to equip Riyadh with a public transport system that will provide all population groups with suitable public transport services, accommodating existing and future mobility needs in Riyadh.

The public transport network will create an interconnected city with: 6 metro lines; 84 metro stations; 80 bus routes; 2,860 bus stops and 842 buses.

Combined, the transport network will have a passenger capacity of 1.7 million passengers a day in the initial operation phase.

Metro network and stations

With six lines at a total length of 176 km and 84 metro stations, the metro network will cover most of the densely populated areas, public facilities, and the educational, commercial, and medical institutions. The network will be connected to King Khalid International Airport and King Abdullah Financial District, the main universities, downtown Riyadh, and the public transport center.

Metro lines

Blue line: Axis of Al-Olaya  Al-Batha  Al-Hayer roads, with a total length of 38 km.

Red line: Axis of King Abdullah Road, with a total length of 25.3 km.

Orange line: Axis of Al-Madinah Al-Munawarah Road  Prince Saad Bin Abdurrahman I Road, with a total length of 40.7 km.

Yellow line: Axis of King Khalid International Airport Road, with a total length of 29.6 km.

Green line: Axis of King Abdulaziz Road, with a total length of 12.9 km.

Violet line: Axis of Abdurrahman Bin Awf Road  Sheikh Hassan Bin Hussain Bin Ali Road, with a total length of 30 km.

Main stations

The Riyadh metro project includes four main stations located in highly populated areas and at the intersections of metro lines and the bus network. The stations provide support services such as parking lots, ticket outlets, shops, and customer service offices. The four main stations are: Qasr Al-Hukm District, King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD), Western Metro Station and STC Station.
Oman Air received delivery of its latest Boeing B787-9 aircraft, the first of three scheduled for this year.

Part of an existing order, which includes eight more aircraft by 2027, the newest marks the 10th Dreamliner in the airlines fleet.

As one of the worlds most modern and advanced passenger aircraft, the B787-9 is known for its innovative design and exceptional fuel efficiency, while its wide cabins and large windows offer unparalleled on-board comfort for guests.

The aircraft touched down in Muscat on Friday afternoon, arriving from the Boeing facility in Seattle.

Were excited to welcome our new Boeing B787-9 to our aircraft line-up, which aligns with our strategy to fly a modern and common Oman Air fleet. It allows us to maintain efficiency in operations, optimise maintenance costs and ensure a seamless and consistent experience for our guests, said Con Korfiatis, Chief Executive Officer.

Our latest addition to the fleet is also consistent with our focus on transforming our airline towards financial sustainability, while upholding our reputation as a world-class carrier and supporting Omans ambitions to increase tourism and connectivity in the years to come.

The newest aircraft features a two-class configuration with 30 Business Class seats and 258 Economy seats and will serve across the airlines network of destinations.

Oman Airs spacious, elegant cabin design, and exceptional service and hospitality, has garnered it a string of international awards, including most recently Best Seat Comfort in the Middle East at the APEX 2024 Awards and Best Airline Staff Middle East at the Skytrax 2024 Awards.  TradeArabia News Service
Hyatt farse and outta place. The audacity of them. Saying that in this country they are not 
There have been dick jokes for almost as long as there have been dicks

Dick jokes are having a bit of a moment right now, thanks to former President Barack Obama. Despite reports of his past aversion to penile humor, Obama recently spoke at the Democratic National Convention and took the opportunity to poke fun at Donald Trumps presumably minuscule genitals, using a not-so-subtle hand gesture.

Amazingly, this wasnt even the first time that Trumps tiny dong has been the subject of an election season news cycle. Back in 2016, Marco Rubio made a similar jab at the Home Alone 2: Lost in New York star (albeit far more inelegantly) during a Republican primary debate. This led CNN to publish what we can only assume is the most cursed headline in the history of journalism.

CNN

Before it became the focal point of a political convention, the dick joke was mostly looked down upon by our modern society, but its origins are older and classier than you think.

According to some, the earliest evidence of a straight-up dick joke can be found in the Ancient Greek joke book Philolegos, which was probably put together in the fourth or fifth century A.D. and features an apparent double entendre involving the Greek word for flask, which was also slang for penis back then, apparently.

From a dramatic standpoint, Aristophenes classic comedy Lysistrata, about a female sex strike launched to end the Peloponnesian War, was positively full of dick jokes, and it was first performed in 411 B.C. But somehow, Aristophenes never thought to have one of his characters hump an apple pie.

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Meanwhile Ancient Roman toilets, not unlike most modern gas station restrooms, were reportedly full of penis jokes  at least per one discovery that reportedly stunned archeologists.

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Older still, in 2021, archeologists in Turkey discovered an 11,000-year-old carving, believed to be the oldest narrative carving on record. The narrative? A dude surrounded by leopards holding his junk. While theres no evidence that its a joke exactly, it is a pretty funny scenario. If the Jackass crew ever travel back in time to the Neolithic period, this will all make sense.

Meanwhile the U.K.s oldest dick joke dates back to the 10th century A.D. What hangs at a mans thigh and wants to poke the hole that its often poked before? the crude riddle asks. The answer, of course, is a key.

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In addition to all the perverts of the ancient world, later literary history is full of dick jokes, from the acclaimed boner gags of William Shakespeare to Chaucers The Canterbury Tales, which contains at least one choice pork-based pun.

So Obamas quip may have seemed surprisingly uncouth for a political convention (or at least for convention being held by the party that didnt invite the star of Mr. Nanny to participate), but clearly dick jokes have been deeply ingrained in the fabric of human history  and well before the existence of Austin Powers.

You (yes, you) should follow JM on Twitter (if it still exists by the time youre reading this).
About 9,300 first-year students  including a record 4,900 Arizona residents  are set to begin the fall semester Monday at the University of Arizona.

This years first-year student enrollment is bigger than last years recording-setting class.

The university said in a news release that it has grown enrollment from across the state, particularly from Coconino County, which increased by 19%, and Maricopa and Pima counties, which both increased by 3% since 2023. Yavapai County enrollment grew by 75%.

The school also noted that the first-year students are also the most diverse class in the UAs history: Half of the class self-identify as ethnicities other than white.

The school said there was a 6% increase in Hispanic/Latinx students and a 29% increase in Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander students from last year.

About 28% of the incoming class self-identify as first-generation college students.

The University of Arizona community is proud to welcome the largest and most diverse class in university history, UA President Robert C. Robbins said in the news release. These accomplished students exemplify the academic rigor, determination and spirit of exploration that makes this university so great. I wish them all the best as they embark on their Wildcat journey.

While Arizona residents constitute the largest number of incoming first-year students, all 50 states are represented in this years class, the UA said.

The highest number of out-of-state students come from California, Washington, Colorado, Illinois and Texas. Outside the U.S., the most first-year students come from India. Theyre followed by students from China, Saudi Arabia, Mexico and Canada.

The most popular majors for incoming students are business management, engineering, pre-nursing, medicine and psychology.
The following is the opinion and analysis of the writer:

Two recent mass shooting events have once again brought home to people the seriousness of gun violence in our community and how vital it is that we work together to prevent it.

At TPD, weve added a second homicide unit to investigate fatal shootings. Our clearance (solve) rate for homicides is among the highest of any major U.S. city  over 90% in 2023.

Weve also changed how we investigate non-fatal shootings. These often involve uncooperative victims, increasing the difficulty of obtaining a conviction. Since adopting our new approach, which came out of our participation in the U.S. Department of Justice National Public Safety Partnership program (PSP), weve solved more than three times as many of these cases as before.

In non-fatal shootings, when we identify the suspect, we work with prosecutors to bring forward whatever charges are available to us, and if a conviction on aggravated assault is unlikely due to the victims refusal to cooperate, then prohibited possession, unlawful discharge within city limits, or some other charge may be our only means of holding them accountable.

What were finding in many of these cases is that the suspect has a known history of violence and criminal activity and is a prohibited possessor  generally, a convicted felon whose rights have not been restored. Furthermore, were finding that previous arrests for prohibited possession have not deterred these offenders from continuing to possess firearms or from using them to commit crimes. The message has not gotten through.

Repeat violent gun crimes need to come with significant consequences. When a felon with a history of violence continues to flout the law and carry a firearm, thats a serious matter. TPD is committed to working with prosecutors and the courts to ensure that its treated as such, every time.

Another challenge were seeing is the increasing number of young  sometimes very young  juveniles who are either committing gun violence themselves or who are associated with those who are.

Here too, we see the same names come up again and again. Here too, gun violence needs to carry significant consequences, with the addition of significant resources, to hopefully bring about rehabilitation. Its tragic to see someone so young act with no apparent regard for human life. Yet releasing a repeat violent offender  even a young one  back to the environment they came from does not work.

TPDs focus is on evidence-based policing and the smart use of technology. Our officers and detectives work hand in hand on violent gun crime cases, each contributing their own special skill set, and are very effective at catching offenders. Our department has been named a Crime Gun Intelligence Center (CGIC) by the U.S. Department of Justice. We contribute to NIBIN, the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network, which helps link guns with crime scenes. POPP (Problem-Oriented Precision Policing) and VIVA (Violence Interruption and Vitalization Action) are two of our place-based methods for disrupting gun violence hotspots. POPP has officers visibly present in problem areas, while VIVA relies on partnerships with businesses, property managers, other city departments, and service providers to disrupt the infrastructure that supports criminal activity. A legacy program, the Crime Free Multi-Housing Program, helps property managers, owners, and tenants alike keep illegal activity out of their immediate surroundings. Our new communications hub, CSARC, the Community Safety, Awareness, and Response Center, will be able to provide real-time actionable intelligence to the field by incorporating cameras, license plate readers, and other technologies, as well as advanced analytical support, to improve community and staff safety. Mayor and Council approved this expansion last October to combat street racing and violent crime.

TPD also works with partners in the community who can credibly interact with and provide guidance for at-risk youth.

At TPD, we work to advance the profession of policing on a daily basis. We are quick to adopt proven methods and technologies. We are a leader nationally. But no amount of policing can solve what is essentially a public health crisis with many contributing factors: easy access to firearms, a history of violence and criminal activity, and cultural, environmental, and psychological factors.

Other solutions need to come into play.

Businesses that cater to minors need to close at a reasonable hour.

Schools need funding for counselors, psychologists, and social workers to address aggressive behavior and its root causes. So do juvenile justice facilities. Outside the schools, individual and family counseling need to be widely available. So do after-school activities. If only these services were as easy to come by as guns.

Cultural messages need to shift away from cycles of violence and revenge and toward respect, tolerance, understanding, and making it safe for young men to share their feelings with others, rather than acting out.

And we need common-sense gun laws, such as red flag laws, that remove firearms from people determined to be a danger to self or others.

These are far beyond what a police department, or a city government, can do. But they are not beyond the reach of a caring community, especially with investment and support from state and federal partners.
In Thanh Tri District, Hanoi, crab farmer Le Duc Canh has introduced an innovative method for raising saltwater crabs: housing each baby crab from southern Vietnam in its own individual enclosure and providing it with the necessary space to get acclimated to the capital city's northern environment.

Canhs crab farm is located along the Hong River in Hanoi.

Each crab on his farm originates from Ca Mau Province, which is the southern tip of Vietnam and renowned for producing some of the best saltwater crabs in the Southeast Asian country.

After being transported to the capital, the crabs are raised until they reach market size.

Training crabs

Canhs crab farm is climate-controlled to maintain a temperature of 25-27 degrees Celsius at all times, regardless of the weather outside.

Huynh Trong Luc is an engineer on Canhs farm.

His job is to feed the crabs, make sure they are mentally stimulated, track when they molt, and identify which crustaceans are ready to be sold.

Each morning, Luc begins the workday by checking on each crabs individual 'home,' using a headlamp to peer inside and a notebook to track its health, along with any other important observations.

He repeats this process three times a day, seven days a week.

The farm itself resembles an apartment building with each crab confined to its own unit in order to keep it from fighting others.

The 'rooms' themselves are numbered and feature a hole via which Luc observes and feeds the crabs inside.

It was challenging for us to learn how to raise our first crabs because we had to figure out how to help them adapt to Hanois environment, Luc said.

"We maintain a close eye on our crabs to determine how they are eating and sleeping and if they are strong or weak.

Le Duc Canh holds a soft-shell crab and describes how the shell changes throughout the creatures life in Hanoi. Photo: Danh Khang / Tuoi Tre

Finding customers

Raising those crabs is only half the battle. Finding customers can be even more difficult.

Do you know much about the market for crabs? You should learn how to sell them before learning how to raise them, Canh often finds himself telling would-be crab farmers.

His crab farming journey began with failure because both meat crabs and fat crabs seemed ill-suited to Hanois relatively chilly climate.

"Our country has long beaches, so the people in coastal provinces are able to easily catch sea crabs or raise march crabs, Canh said.

It would be impossible for me to compete on price if I raised the same species as them.

"Thats why I farm this specific species of soft-shell crab, as no one else does.

A key challenge in soft-shell crab farming is determining the optimal harvest time.

Crabs molt several times a year, and their shells harden within hours after molting.

Farmers like Canh must vigilantly monitor the crabs to ensure they are harvested while the shells remain soft.

When raised properly, Canh's crabs can be sold for VND800,000-900,000 (US$32-35) per kilogram.

"You need to understand market dynamics and customer preferences, Canh said.

He noted that preferences vary significantly between regions, with Ho Chi Minh City clients favoring smaller to medium-sized crabs and those in Hanoi preferring larger crustaceans.

Tourists catch crabs at Le Duc Canhs farm in Hanoi.

Learning from failure

Before launching his crab farm, Canh worked in education and founded a network of high-end kindergartens in Hanoi.

Unfortunately, he was obliged to close the schools because of COVID-19. It was during this time that he came up with the idea to farm crabs.

At the time, few crab farmers had set up shop in northern Vietnam due to the cold climate.

Having studied business in Singapore, Canh was aware of the crab-raising model used in Southeast Asia and began testing a similar strategy in Vietnam.

"We had to adjust the conditions that allow saltwater crabs develop healthily," Canh explained.

"For example, [Vietnams] seas differ from those of other countries.

"In addition, our climate and the available species of crabs differ."

"We failed several times and lost a lot of money."

Canh's biggest setback came when he lost over VND100 million (US$4,004) to a batch of crab seeds that failed to adapt to Hanoi's climate.

Although the crab seeds were healthy in the first week, they began to perish over the following two to three weeks, Canh recounted.

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Vietnamese fish sauce producer SEAGULL Co. Ltd. has exported its first batch of fish sauce products to the United States, including vegan fish sauce.

Spending two years researching the American market, we've realized that the plant-based food industry is booming, said Tran Ngoc Dung, director of SEAGULL, the owner of the Lang Chai Xua fish sauce brand.

When the firm piloted the sale of vegan fish sauce at some Vietnamese markets in the U.S., it impressed consumers with its flavor, he stated.

The Lang Chai Xua vegan fish sauce is made out of pineapples, soybeans, and Japans shiitake mushrooms.

The first shipment to the U.S. featured fish sauces made from black anchovies and apogen anchovies.

The gray anchovy sauce, known for its robust traditional flavor, is targeted at overseas Vietnamese consumers, while the apogen anchovy sauce, packaged in ceramic bottles, is designed for special occasions or as a premium gift.

CTWS Group, founded by an American Vietnamese, is SEAGULLs partner in the U.S.

Lang Chai Xua-branded fish sauce products on shelves at a supermarket in the U.S.. Photo: A. Ngoc

Dziem Chinh, CEO of CTWS Group, which specializes in importing Vietnamese specialties into the U.S. market, said that industrially manufactured products from Thailand and Hong Kong are currently dominating the fish sauce market in the U.S. thanks to their low prices.

Among the three Lang Chai Xua-branded fish sauce products shipped to the U.S., I have the highest expectation for the vegan fish sauce," she said.

Just a few vegan fish sauces produced manually are available in the U.S.."

The Vietnamese vegan fish sauce is expected to satisfy U.S. consumers, Chinh added.

The first batch of fish sauce products exported to the U.S. included 24,000 bottles, with 12,000 vegan fish sauces.

These Vietnamese products are being widely sold at store and supermarket chains in Asia and on e-commerce platforms.

Lang Chai Xua was a project initiated by Dr. Tran Ngoc Dung to restore the 300-year-old traditional fish sauce-making craft of Phan Thiet City in south-central Binh Thuan Province, with an initial capital of VND100 billion (US$4 million).

Since its introduction on Shark Tank Vietnam in 2019, where aspiring entrepreneurs pitch their innovative products to a panel of investors for funding, the brand has seen significant success.

The brand has launched over 20 products and is now popular on e-commerce platforms.

The firm is working to raise its output from one million liters to two million liters of fish sauce per year to meet the demand for export, said Dung.

After tapping the U.S. market, the brand plans to expand its reach to the European, Australian, and Japanese markets in 2025.

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ZURICH -- Debt levels in the United States and Europe are a risk for international financial stability and for Switzerland, Swiss Finance Minister Karin Keller-Sutter said in a newspaper interview published on Saturday.

In an interview with Swiss daily Blick, Keller-Sutter extolled Switzerland's "disciplined" finances, which she said had enabled the country to deal with the economic challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia's attack of Ukraine.

By contrast, other countries are "so indebted they're hardly able to act any more", she said, giving France as an example.

"Or take a look at America. That's a time bomb. The mini-crash on the stock markets at the start of August was a warning shot," the minister was quoted as saying.

"It was an expression of investors' fear of a recession. Debt levels in the U.S. and Europe are a risk to international financial stability and a risk for Switzerland," she added.

Keller-Sutter also discussed a government proposal to make Swiss bank UBS hold more capital in the wake of its acquisition of former rival Credit Suisse following its collapse last year.

She defended the additional capital requirements as necessary to protect Switzerland from another banking meltdown.

UBS CEO Sergio Ermotti has criticised the proposal, and she was asked whether she was in touch with him about it, saying:

"No, I haven't been in contact with him any more. This is now a normal political process."

The paper also asked what she thought about speculation that UBS could shift its headquarters abroad if it felt conditions in Switzerland were no longer right for it.

"The Federal Council (cabinet) believes it's good for the economy to have a large Swiss bank. But the bank must decide for itself how it wants to position itself."

UBS has said repeatedly it is committed to Switzerland.
Pavel Durov, billionaire founder and CEO of the Telegram messaging app, was arrested at the Bourget airport outside Paris on Saturday evening, TF1 TV and BFM TV said, citing unidentified sources.

TF1 and BFM both said the investigation was focused on a lack of moderators on Telegram, and that police considered that this situation allowed criminal activity to go on undeterred on the messaging app.

Telegram did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. The French Interior Ministry and police had no comment. Russia, which has in the past tried to ban Telegram, said it was taking steps to "clarify" Durov's situation.

What is known about Durov and Telegram:

* Russian-born Durov, 39, is founder and owner of messaging app Telegram, a free to use platform that competes with other social media platforms such as Facebook's WhatsApp, or Instagram, TikTok and Wechat. The platform aims to surpass one billion active monthly users within a year.

* Telegram is influential in Russia, Ukraine and the republics of the former Soviet Union. It has become a critical source of information on Russia's attack on Ukraine, used heavily by both Moscow and Kyiv officials. Some analysts call the app "a virtual battlefield" for the military conflict.

* Durov, whose fortune was estimated by Forbes at $15.5 billion, left Russia in 2014 after refusing to comply with government demands to shut down opposition communities on his VKontakte social media platform, which he sold.

* Durov became a French citizen in August 2021. He moved himself and Telegram to Dubai in 2017, and according to French media he has also received United Arab Emirates citizenship. He is also a citizen of St. Kitts and Nevis, a dual-island nation in the Caribbean, according to media reports.

* Russia began blocking Telegram in 2018 after the app refused to comply with a court order to grant state security services access to its users' encrypted messages. The action had little effect on the availability of Telegram there, but it sparked mass protests in Moscow and criticism from NGOs.

* Telegram's increasing popularity, however, has prompted scrutiny from several countries in Europe, including France, on security and data breach concerns. In May, the EU tech regulators said they were in touch with Telegram as it neared a key usage criterion that could see it subject to more stringent requirements under a landmark EU online content legislation.

* "I would rather be free than to take orders from anyone," Durov told U.S. journalist Tucker Carlson in April about his exit from Russia and search for a home for his company which included stints in Berlin, London, Singapore and San Francisco.
A 32-year-old man in Hanoi, who was declared brain-dead following a severe traffic accident, has become an organ donor, giving hope to patients in need of life-saving transplants.

After doctors confirmed the irreversible brain death of N.D.T., his family made the courageous decision to donate his organs.

Surgeons at Saint Paul General Hospital in Hanoi performed the procedures on Saturday, successfully removing his heart, liver, two kidneys, and corneas.

T.'s heart was swiftly transported in a medical storage box to Noi Bai International Airport, where it was flown to Ho Chi Minh City.

There, it was transplanted into a patient at the University Medical Center.

His kidneys were used to save two patients at Saint Paul General Hospital, while his liver was given to a recipient at Viet Duc Friendship Hospital in Hanoi.

His corneas were transplanted into a patient at 108 Military Central Hospital, also in the capital.

T., 32, had been taken to Saint Paul General Hospital on Thursday night in a deep coma, suffering from multiple severe injuries, including head trauma, after initially being treated at a local hospital.

Despite the efforts of medical staff, his condition deteriorated rapidly.

By early Friday morning, doctors conducted a clinical assessment and suspected brain death, which was later confirmed by leading experts after thorough examinations.

Faced with the devastating news, T.s family chose to donate his organs, a decision hailed by medical professionals as an act of profound compassion.

Before the surgeries, dozens of doctors and medical staff held a moment of silence to honor T. and his sacrifice.

This is a deed of great compassion and sacrifice, bringing new hope to patients who are waiting for an opportunity to receive an organ transplant, a hospital representative stated.

The case reflects a growing trend in Vietnam, where organ donations from brain-dead individuals have been increasing.

According to the Voice of Vietnam, 13 such donations were recorded in the first half of 2024, matching the total number for all of 2023.

However, Vietnam continues to face a severe shortage of donated organs, with thousands of patients still on waiting lists, the Health & Life newspaper reported.

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Border guard and police forces in Tay Ninh Province, southern Vietnam recently uncovered a human trafficking ring that smuggled Vietnamese citizens to Cambodia.

The operation led to the arrest of two traffickers and the rescue of a young girl.

The investigation began last month after several Vietnamese citizens were repatriated from Cambodia on July 9, identified as illegal workers.

Among them, two coming from southern Dong Nai and An Giang Provinces revealed that they had been trafficked to Cambodia.

Based on their testimonies, authorities detained Pham Thi Kim Anh, 21, from Dong Nai, who was involved in the ring.

Anh admitted that she and many others who were working at casinos in Cambodia set up social media accounts through which they enticed Vietnamese citizens to Svay Rieng Province to get high-paying easy jobs with a monthly salary ranging from US$1,000 to $2,000.

In fact, when the seduced people illegally entered Cambodia, Anh and other ring members sold them to gambling companies or casinos for $100-500 per person.

During their working period for these establishments, the victims suffered from coercive labor, torture, corporal punishment, and others.

Anyone wanting to get home had to ask their families to bring money to Cambodia to pay for the ring as ransom.

After Anhs arrest, border guards and police in Tay Ninh Province requested assistance from Cambodian authorities to identify any remaining Vietnamese citizens who might be victims of human trafficking in Cambodia.

This collaboration resulted in the discovery of a 16-year-old girl from Binh Duong Province, southern Vietnam, identified as H.T.M.L., who was being forced to work in Svay Rieng Province.

On July 24, the Tay Ninh Border Guard, in coordination with the Svay Rieng Provincial Police, successfully rescued and repatriated her to Vietnam.

L. informed investigators that several other young Vietnamese girls under 17 were still being forced to work in Svay Rieng.

This image, extracted from a video clip, shows Vietnamese victims tortured by a transnational human trafficking ring in Cambodia.

Most of these girls were sexually abused by their managers, but no one dared to resist for fear of torture and humiliation.

One day, two male managers took me to a room and told me that if I wanted to return to my country, I had to take off my clothes for filming and have sex with them, L. narrated.

L. denied their request, and fortunately, a female Vietnamese manager named Doi Thi Yen Linh interfered and saved her.

Linh and L. were friends when both were still in Vietnam, and it was Linh who lured L. to Cambodia in a high-paying easy job scam.

The joint forces immediately provided L.s reports to Cambodian authorities which launched a raid and arrested Linh one day later, July 25, and handed her over to Vietnamese police.

Linh admitted to Vietnamese authorities that she had been involved in human trafficking activities since April 2024.

She lured and enticed schoolgirls to Cambodia with promises of high-paying jobs, mirroring the scam previously operated by Anh.

So far, only one individual, identified as L., has agreed to participate in Linhs scheme.

Linh has been transferred to the Tay Ninh police department for further investigation.

The exact details of how Link and Anh may have coordinated their criminal activities remain undisclosed.

According to the Government's Steering Committee for Crime Prevention and Control, 98 human trafficking cases were uncovered nationwide in the first half of the year, leading to the arrest of 234 suspects.

In Tay Ninh, local authorities identified three human trafficking cases, prosecuted 12 suspects, and rescued 24 victims.

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Hundreds of high-capacity fishing boats have recently been left idle at a port in Quang Nam Province, central Vietnam, as many local fishermen have ceased operations on account of ongoing financial losses in offshore fishing.

Fishermen in Tam Quang Commune, located in Nui Thanh District, report that they are ending their fishing seasons early because prolonged offshore fishing has only led to mounting losses.

Over the past few years, a significant decline in offshore fishing yields has created severe difficulties for fishermen along Vietnam's central coast, including in Quang Nam.

Many fishing trips are now returning with minimal or no catch, despite the high operational costs of each voyage, which can reach hundreds of millions of Vietnamese dong. (VND100 million = US$4,004)

Some fishermen are struggling to survive, while others have been forced to switch to near-shore fishing or find alternative employment.

Nguyen Phuong, a fisherman from Sam Linh Tay Village who owns five boats, including one with 420 horsepower, now operates only one vessel as a result of the financial strain.

Phuong, whose family has a long tradition of fishing, lamented that while he once earned VND50-70 million ($2,000-2,800) per offshore trip, recent endeavors have failed to turn a profit.

He revealed that he has only managed to break even this year.

The investment in fishing boats and equipment is substantial, with new vessels costing at least VND2 billion ($80,100) each and fishing gear adding another VND1 billion ($40,050).

Nguyen Thanh An, another local fisherman with a fleet of five high-capacity boats, faces similar challenges and operates only one boat for offshore fishing.

An expressed frustration over the significant losses and difficulty in finding crew members, as many have moved to other jobs.

Tam Quang is known for its large fishing fleet, with around 400 offshore fishing boats and a lot of near-shore vessels, according to Bui Thanh Tan, deputy chairman of the local administration.

The communes fishing industry is struggling as revenue from fishing trips no longer covers operational costs, leaving many boats idle.

This issue extends beyond Quang Nam, affecting Thang Binh District and Hoi An City, which collectively have approximately 2,700 offshore vessels with at least 385 horsepower each.

Despite various supportive policies from the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the situation remains dire.

Nguyen Dinh Toan, deputy head of the Quang Nam Fisheries Sub-Department, attributed the problem to overfishing and the depletion of fish resources.

The increasing gap between fishing capacity and the actual fish resources has led to a decline in catch volumes over time, Toan said.

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Police in Ben Cau District, Tay Ninh Province, southern Vietnam have pressed charges against a local man caught smuggling seven endangered clouded monitors on August 15.

Mai Dong Tinh, 28, a resident of Go Dau Town, has been prosecuted for violating regulations on the protection of endangered and rare animals, according to police.

Tinh was apprehended during an anti-smuggling patrol near TMTC Industrial Park in Loi Thuan Commune at 8:10 pm that day.

Upon inspection, officers found seven clouded monitors inside a foam box Tinh was carrying on his motorcycle.

Clouded monitors seized by police in Tay Ninh Province, southern Vietnam in the smuggling case. Photo: T.N.

Tinh was taken to a police agency for questioning, where he confessed that he had been paid VND200,000 (US$8) for delivering the box with the animals inside from a border location in Loi Thuan to the TMTC Industrial Park area.

This case is under further investigation.

The clouded monitor, known scientifically as Varanus nebulosus, is a poikilothermic species widely found across several Southeast Asian countries.

In Vietnam, they are present in some central and Central Highlands provinces like Quang Tri, Thua Thien Hue, Kon Tum, and Gia Lai.

The reptile belongs to a group of rare and endangered species that need to be preserved.

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Marta Dusseldorp is guest host this week on Back Roads filmed on the west coast of Tasmania.

Imagine a region thats a treasure chest of natural wondersand then wonder why you wont find it named on many maps.

This week, one of Australias best loved actresses, Marta Dusseldorp from popular dramas such as Jack Irish, Janet King and most recently, Bay of Fires, which was almost entirely shot on the West Coast of Tasmania, joins Back Roads for a journey of discovery through one of the most magical places on earththe Tarkine.

Marta explores an area thats covered in ancient rainforest, plains of button grass, swathes of farmland, and includes part of the wild west coast. Shes captivated by Natures most glorious cathedrals, deep in rainforest that dates back 65 million years when Australia was part of the vast continent of Gondwanaland, and explores it with Rob Saltmarsh, a Tarkine guide for 27 years.

This magnificent forest thrives here because of the strong circumpolar winds that bring rain and are known as the Roaring Forties. Its these winds that almost blow her off what was once known as Mt Cameron on the west coast. Now called Preminghana, this area belongs to the Tasmanian Aboriginal community and offers breathtaking 360-degree views of the Tarkine.

She also hitches a ride with local postie, Jocelyn Flint who once was a cowgirl mustering cattle right on the coast. Jocelyn regales Marta with entertaining and eyebrow raising yarns of the Tarkines farming community.

When Marta joins Dr Pat Harrisson and Dr Helen Robertson, she discovers to her delight that the forest offers visitors a cornucopia of micro-marvels, while also being the source of what long-time beekeeper, Robbie Charles, describes as the best honey in the world.

Further south, theres an incredible natural wonder in the town of Waratah, and then a journey down the beautiful Pieman River on one of the oldest Huon Pine riverboats still operating in the world.

It truly is a journey that encompasses everything from the miniscule to the majestic.

8pm Tuesday on ABC.
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France arrests Telegram founder - Reactions

In a mover described as Wests double standard, French Police Saturday August 24, 2024 arrested Telegram Founder Pavel Durov for refusing to censor his popular social media platform

Sunday August 25, 2024 2:45 PM , ummid.com News Network

In a mover described as Wests double standard, French Police Saturday August 24, 2024 arrested Telegram Founder Pavel Durov for refusing to censor his popular social media platform.

Russian born Pavel Durov faces 20-year jail term if not released.

"France is actually going to throw Telegram founder Pavel Durov in jail for up to 20 YEARS for refusing to censor the truth. If this happened to Mark Zuckerberg in Russia, every Western government would be going crazy", social media user "Cillian", who uses "CilComLFC" ID on X wrote.

"The hypocrisy and double standards are astounding", he added.

Why Telegram founder is arrested?

The 39-year-old Telegram Founder and CEO was arrested at Paris-Le Bourget Airport outside Paris yesterday evening.

News agency Reuters citing unnamed French sources said the investigation was focused on a lack of moderators on Telegram, and that police considered that this situation allowed criminal activity to go on undeterred on the messaging app.

Durov was arrested soon after his private jet landed at the airport, French media reported. He will be produced in court Sunday evening.

The arrest was conducted based on a warrant related to allegations of money laundering, illegal drug trafficking, and the distribution of content linked to child abuse on Telegram.

Telegram is ranked as one of the major social media platforms after Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok and Wechat.

Telegram is popular worldwide especially in Russia, Ukraine and former Soviet Union states. The app was banned in Russia in 2018, after a previous refusal by Durov to hand over user data. The ban was however later lifted.

"Darkness is descending"

The news of Durovs arrest has raised concerns online, including suggestions that it could be politically motivated.

Pavel Durov left Russia when the government tried to control his social media company, Telegram. But in the end, it wasnt Putin who arrested him for allowing the public to exercise free speech, American Journalist and Political Commentator, Tucker Carlson, wrote on X (formerly Twitter) after Durov's arrest.

It was a Western country, a Biden administration ally and enthusiastic NATO member, that locked him away. Durovs arrest is a living warning to any platform owner who refuses to censor the truth at the behest of governments and intel agencies, Carlson added.

Darkness is descending fast on the formerly free world", he said.

Who is Pavel Durov?

Russia born Pavel Durov is a significant figure in the Tech world. As of August 24, 2024, his net worth is estimated at $15.5 billion, placing him among the worlds wealthiest individuals.

Durov made headlines after he launched VKontakte (VK). The platform, which he co-founded with his brother Nikolai in 2006, soon became Russia's largest social network, similar to Facebook.

Durovs tenure at VK was marked by disputes with Russian authorities over data privacy and content control. In 2014, facing mounting pressure, he was compelled to sell his stake and leave the company.

In 2013, Durov launched Telegram, a cloud-based messaging app renowned for its emphasis on privacy and security.

With over 700 million monthly active users, Telegram has become a significant player in the messaging app market, competing with platforms like WhatsApp.

The app has gained prominence in various global conflicts, including the ongoing Ukraine war, where it has been a crucial source of information and, at times, disinformation.

Durov relocated to Dubai in 2017 to escape Russian pressures and continue his work with Telegram. In 2021, he obtained French citizenship, a move that has become a central aspect of his current legal status.



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Non la (conical leaf hat), a symbol of Vietnamese culture, has been an everyday accessory for centuries, enhancing women's beauty. Today, it promotes the image of Viet Nam and its people to the world.

While conical hats made from common materials are widespread, those crafted from lotus leaves are only available in Hue.

Driven by a desire to create a distinctive souvenir that can raise awareness of his city, Nguyen Thanh Thao in Huong So Ward in Hue City, has boldly innovated by using lotus leaves to create these unique conical hats.

Before discovering the idea of using lotus leaves, he experimented with various materials like bodhi and bamboo leaves.

The inspiration for lotus leaves came unexpectedly, as he felt the essence of his homeland through the simple leaves, which quietly support the fragrant lotus flowers amidst the muddy water.

During an excursion with friends to pick lotus flowers on Tinh Tam Lake, Thao noticed the thick, flexible lotus leaves that embody the spirit of the nation. Both the conical hat and the lotus are iconic images of Hue, why not try using lotus leaves to make hats, he thought.

Inspired, he got to work. After months of experimentation, the first lotus leaf hats were created. His conical hats, with their unique shape and distinctive features, made a strong impression.

According to Thao, crafting a lotus leaf conical hat involves numerous intricate and labour-intensive steps.

First, the fresh lotus leaves picked from the lake are soaked in a bleach solution to remove impurities, then dried and ironed. To maintain the original colour of the lotus leaves and ensure the hats durability against sun and rain, Thao developed a special varnish.

When first launched, his lotus leaf conical hats made a strong impression due to their novelty and uniqueness. These hats quickly became a popular souvenir among tourists visiting Hue.

Many companies from HCM City, Ha Noi and a Nang have contacted him to purchase the hats, and businesses from Thailand and South Korea have also placed orders. Currently, each hat costs around VN250,000 (about US$10).

At the Innovative Startup Competition in Thua Thien Hue Province in 2018, his unique lotus leaf hats won the first prize.

In addition to making lotus leaf conical hats, Thao has been experimenting with creating other handicrafts, such as vases, lanterns, fans, handbags and paintings from the same type of leaf.

Compared to traditional conical hats made of palm leaves, crafting conical hats from lotus leaves requires higher skill and is more challenging. In addition to making lotus leaf conical hats, Thao has been experimenting with crafting other handicraft products from the leaf, including paintings. VNS
NINH BINH  President of the Australian Senate Sue Lines and her entourage made a tour of the Trang An eco-tourism site, part of the Trang An landscape complex, in Ninh Binh Province, approximately 100km south of Ha Noi on Sunday as part of her ongoing official visit to Viet Nam.

Vice Chairwoman of the National Assembly Nguyen Thi Thanh expressed her joy to welcome Senator Lines, hoping the trip to Trang An will leave a deep impression on the Australian senator and her entourage.

Senator Lines said the tour of Trang An was a highlight of her visit to Viet Nam this time, while highly appreciating Australian agencies coordination with Ninh Binh Province in improving the localitys Provincial Governance and Public Administration Performance Index (PAPI).

While visiting the site by boat, the top senator hailed the natural beauty of Trang An with majestic mountain system, and friendly hospitable locals. She spoke highly of the way Ninh Binh develops tourism, attracting a lot of tourists, especially those from Australia. She expressed her hope for more Australians to travel to Ninh Binh in the near future.

The Trang An Landscape Complex was recognised as a World Cultural and Natural Heritage Site in 2014. The site spans 12,252 ha in 20 communes and wards in five districts and cities of Ninh Binh, comprising the Hoa Lu Ancient Capital, the Trang An-Tam Coc-Bich ong Scenic Landscape, and the Hoa Lu Special-Use Forest.  VNS
Mariette Rissenbeek, former executive director of the Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale) from 2019 to 2024, is a prominent figure in the global film industry. Before her role at Berlinale, she served as the managing director of German Films, an organisation dedicated to the international promotion of German cinema. This year, Rissenbeek joined the a Nang Asian Film Festival as a member of the jury for the Asian film competition.

In an interview with Viet Nam News reporter Tran Khanh An, she shares her thoughts on Asian and Vietnamese cinema, nurturing young talent, and the potential for international film festivals in Viet Nam.

Inner Sanctum: What do you think about the increasing attention to Asian cinema? What is the most distinctive feature of Asian and Vietnamese cinema?

It's a bit unfortunate that the film industry in Europe and the US has historically dominated the scene, causing us to miss out on films from other regions, including Asia and Africa. If you love cinema, you're always eager to see something new. The growth of Asian cinema offers a great opportunity for Europe and the US to experience inspiring films with fresh perspectives from other countries.

For me, Asian cinema is very poetic, with a distinct and strong aesthetic. In Germany, many young filmmakers focus solely on storytelling, sometimes in a rather straightforward or pragmatic way. In Asia, the method of storytelling is crucial, delivered in a strong and aesthetically pleasing manner. Similarly, I find Vietnamese cinema to be both aesthetic and poetic, which I believe are its strongest elements.

Inner Sanctum: Which young Vietnamese filmmaker has impressed you the most?

I'm not great with remembering names, but there is a film titled Culi Never Cries by a young Vietnamese director [Pham Ngoc Lan], which was featured at Berlinale. It showcased the strong artistic value of Vietnamese cinema. I haven't yet seen the films of my fellow juror, Ha Le Diem, so I'm eager to explore her work. She's from the northern region of Viet Nam and mentioned that the northern midlands and mountainous areas are distinct from other regions, which piques my curiosity.

Viet Nam has many talented filmmakers who aren't afraid to tell challenging stories. I sense that the artistic voices in Vietnamese cinema are strong and deeply connected to society and the current happenings in the country. Watching films by young Vietnamese filmmakers always teaches me something new about the country, its people, and the issues that concern them.

Inner Sanctum: Having joined the a Nang Asian Film Festival this year, how do you evaluate Viet Nam's potential to develop international film festivals?

Im impressed by the organisation of the a Nang Asian Film Festival, especially considering it's only the second edition. The audiences in a Nang seem genuinely interested in cinema, which is a great sign. I believe it is possible to attract international audiences to film festivals in Viet Nam, as well as engage Vietnamese audiences. I hope that film festivals here will continue to develop as they have so far.

Inner Sanctum: How did Berlinale encourage and nurture young filmmakers?

At Berlinale, we have a section called Generation that is dedicated to young audiences. The city government is keen on educating young people to appreciate culture and films, so we collaborate with schools and teachers to bring students to the festival, giving them a chance to discover films from all over the world on various topics. This is an educational effort aimed at the younger generations.

At the same time, we bring the world to Berlin. This aspect makes Berlinale unique. The festival's audience is very diverse, so we created various sections with different types of films from various countries and on different subjects. Many people in Germany, even those not working in the film industry, take a week off to attend Berlinale because they know that each programme is carefully curated for them. The people responsible for the festival have a strong artistic responsibility and sufficient resources to do their job well.

Additionally, we have a section called Berlinale Talents, which is designed to encourage creativity and motivation among young filmmakers. We invite about 200 filmmakers from around the world to attend workshops, masterclasses, and diverse programmes during the festival. We maintain this network over the years so they can build a community of young filmmakers, including directors, producers, and cinematographers  all of whom play different roles in the film industry.

Berlin is recognised as a cinema city, where films are produced, partly due to the prominence of Berlinale. This is an aspect I hope can be developed in a Nang as well. Establishing a film industry in a Nang could be an important part of the city's future, and it warrants more discussion.

Inner Sanctum: You have nearly twenty years of experience working in German Films. From your perspective, what can Viet Nam do to foster its film industry and amplify its films on the global stage?

It's crucial for Vietnamese filmmakers, even if they don't have a film yet, to have opportunities to participate in international film festivals in Busan, Cannes, or Berlin. This allows young filmmakers to build global networks and gain insights into how the cinema industry operates in other countries. It also helps them understand how to effectively use film festivals to promote their work.

Of course, if a Vietnamese film is showcased at Cannes or Berlinale, it raises awareness of Viet Nam's vibrant film industry, its networks, and expertise. Making Vietnamese cinema more visible is key  it's all about reaching out and letting people know there are many diverse voices in Viet Nam.

Reflecting on what we did at German Films, we organised German Film Week in various countries. I believe the Vietnamese government could fund similar initiatives, such as Vietnamese Film Week in Berlin, Paris, or other major cities, to increase the visibility of Vietnamese filmmaking on the international stage. VNS
HA NOI  Viet Nam hopes to deepen relations with Chile in multiple domains including in politics and diplomacy, trade and investment, culture and education, science and technology, security and people-to-people exchange, said Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son while holding talks with his Chilean counterpart Alberto van Klaveren Stork in Ha Noi on Sunday.

Viet Nam would support Chile's progress in strengthening relations with ASEAN and the East Asia-Pacific region, Son told the guest, who is here on an official visit from August 25-27.

Welcoming Minister Alberto Van Klaveren back, Minister Son affirmed that the Southeast Asian country highly valued its longstanding friendship with Chile, the first country in South America to establish diplomatic relations with Viet Nam on March 25, 1971.

The Vietnamese minister expressed his delight at the ongoing bilateral comprehensive partnership between the two countries, especially in growing economic and trade relations which have exceeded US$2 billion.

Chile continues to be Viet Nams fourth largest trading partner in Latin America, and Viet Nam continues to be Chile's largest trading partner in ASEAN.

Minister Alberto Van Klaveren affirmed that the Chilean Government had always valued fostering relations with Viet Nam in its overall policy towards the Asia-Pacific region, especially when the two countries are celebrating the 10th anniversary of the implementation of the bilateral Free Trade Agreement (2014-2024) and recently became members of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.

The Chilean Foreign Minister wishes to work with Viet Nam to bolster cooperation between ASEAN and the Pacific Alliance of Chile, Mexico, Colombia and Peru.

During the talks, the two sides agreed on a number of measures to deepen relations between the two countries, including preparations for high-level visits, promoting the effectiveness of the political consultation mechanism and the Viet Nam-Chile Free Trade Council.

They also discussed measures to facilitate market access for products from both sides.

The two sides reviewed and agreed to promote and negotiate a number of cooperation agreements in trade, customs, agriculture, defence, security and law enforcement.

The two ministers vowed to coordinate and support each other at international organisations and multilateral forums, especially at the United Nations.

Discussing international and regional issues of mutual concern, they reached the consensus that international disputes should be resolved by peaceful means on the basis of respect for international laws, contributing to peace, stability, cooperation and development in the two regions and the world.  VNS
HA NOI - Australia has committed 95.7 million Australian dollars of Official Development Assistance (ODA) for Viet Nam in the 2024-25 period to help the country develop socio-economic goals.

The announcement was made by President of the Australian Senate Sue Lines during her talks with National Assembly (NA) Chairman Tran Thanh Man in Ha Noi on Sunday.

She suggested Viet Nam simplify ODA approval procedures so that Australia can deploy it rapidly.

The talks followed an official welcome ceremony for the Australian leader to the capital.

NA Chairman Man, meanwhile, also proposed Australia continue to maintain and increase ODA capital for Viet Nam in human resource development, especially in semiconductors, public management, public policy building and macro-finance.

Highlighting that this was the second visit made by the President of the Australian Senate to Viet Nam, the Chairman said the visits contributed to the relationship between the two countries and the two parliaments, especially the sharing of knowledge on women, children and vulnerable groups.

Sue Lines emphasised that Australia and Viet Nam had become each other's most important partners, together further strengthening cooperation in new areas and top priority areas such as digital transformation, climate change, energy and peacekeeping.

The two leaders believed that the visit this time would promote the newly-upgraded comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries.

The visit affirmed that political trust and mutual understanding had been increasingly consolidated, especially through maintaining regular delegation exchanges and high-level contacts at all channels, including the parliamentary one, they said.

Viet Nam and Australia had maintained over 20 bilateral cooperation mechanisms with many positive results. Economic and trade cooperation had been maintained stably, with two-way trade turnover in 2023 reaching nearly US$14 billion.

In July this year, two-way trade turnover reached $8.2 billion, up 4.7 per cent over the same period last year.

NA Chairman Man said there was still much room for the two countries increased cooperation.

In order to further deepen the Viet Nam - Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership that had just been established, he proposed the two sides continue to strengthen cooperation at all channels, coordinate to develop the action programme to implement the Viet Nam - Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for the 2024-28 period.

He also proposed promoting people-to-people exchanges, enhancing practical cooperation between localities and friendship associations of the two countries.

The two sides also agreed to continue to effectively implement the Viet Nam-Australia Enhanced Economic Engagement Strategy, aiming to bring trade turnover to $20 billion and double two-way investment.

The two countries would continue to promote tourism cooperation in many forms, including opening up new direct flights.

Both sides pledged to expand investment in areas that Viet Nam is prioritising and Australia has strengths in, such as high technology, innovation, clean energy, renewable energy, mining, infrastructure, telecommunications, services, tourism and high-tech agriculture.

Australia wished to cooperate with Viet Nam in offshore wind power, the Australian leader said.

Chairman Man hoped that Australia would support Viet Nam in implementing programmes to respond to climate change and develop sustainable livelihoods for the Mekong Delta region and respond to drought in the Central Highlands, central and southern provinces.

He also wished Australia would share experiences in building financial systems and policies to support the establishment of carbon markets, equitable energy transition, green energy and environmental protection.

He added that Viet Nam highly appreciated Australia's stance and suggested that Australia continue to closely coordinate and support the principled stance of Viet Nam and ASEAN in ensuring security, safety and freedom of navigation and aviation in the East Sea (internationally known as the South China Sea) and resolving disputes by peaceful means on the basis of respect for international law.

He suggested that the two sides increase high-level contacts and parliamentary committees, as well as exchanges between the two parliamentary friendship groups.

The two parliaments should promote cooperation, especially in training and fostering officials, exchanging experiences in research, consultation and parliamentary activities organisation, Tran Thanh Man said.

He expressed his hope that the two countries would support each other at multilateral parliamentary forums such as the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) and the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF).

During her visit to Viet Nam, Australian Senate President Sue Lines is scheduled to meet Party General Secretary, State President To Lam and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, attend the Viet Nam - Australia Forum and visit a number of Vietnamese localities. VNS
BUENOS AIRES  A delegation of the Communist Party of Viet Nam (CPV), led by Nguyen Trong Nghia, a Politburo member and Secretary of the Party Central Committee, paid a working visit to Argentina from August 21 to 24, aiming to strengthen political trust and create a foundation to continue promoting cooperation between the two countries.

During the visit, Nghia, who is also the head of the Party Central Committees Commission for Information and Education, held talks with Acting General Secretary of the Communist Party of Argentina Jorge Kreyness, Secretary General of the Communist Party of Uruguay Juan Castillo, and head of the international relations department of the Justicialist Party Jorge Taiana.

He also met with Vice Chairwoman of the Education Committee of the Argentine Chamber of Deputies Blanca Ines Osuna, Chairwoman of the Argentina-Vietnam Culture Institute (ICAV) Poldi Sosa, representatives of the Argentina-Viet Nam Friendship Parliamentarians Group, and leaders of Buenos Aires province.

During the meetings, Nghia expressed his thanks for the solidarity, friendship and support of Latin American people, especially those of Argentina and Uruguay, in the past struggle for liberation and national reunification, as well as national building and safeguarding at present.

He highlighted achievements Viet Nam has obtained after nearly 40 years of implementing the oi moi (renewal), affirming that the country continues to implement its foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, peace, cooperation and development, diversification and multilateralisation of international relations, and attaches importance to developing traditional friendly and cooperative relations with neighbouring countries, major countries and traditional countries, including Latin American nations.

Leaders of political parties and organisations from Argentina and Uruguay congratulated Viet Nam on the success that the country has reaped in the renewal process, as well as in the implementation of the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress, especially in socio-economic development.

While in Argentina, the delegation attended a conference on President Ho Chi Minh and Viet Nam-Latin America relations, laid a wreath at the monument dedicated to President Ho Chi Minh in Buenos Aires, and visited the Vietnamese Embassy in Argentina. VNS
A NANG  The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in medical imaging diagnostics helps doctors reduce working time and make decisions faster with higher accuracy, Dr Mai Hong Son from the Military Hospital 108 shared at a medical conference on the weekend.

Son told the conference 'Solutions to accelerate AI adoption in healthcare in the central city' AI applications also supported doctors in producing reports in disease diagnosis in five minutes rather than the usual 20 minutes, with precision ratio of 80 per cent.

AI applications now have been widely used in different fields, but healthcare is among the top four used in Viet Nam. We have been cooperating with IT engineers in building more new applications of AI in medical imaging service and treatment, Dr Son said.

I expect that more hospitals will be using more hi-tech and AI in providing the best service for people.

According to the ministry of health, Viet Nams healthcare sector has been speeding up AI research and the use of technology in medical treatment as well as digital transformation of health care.

Viet Nam now has a population of more than 100 million people, about 1,400 public hospitals, more than 350 private hospitals and more than 50,000 clinics, the MoH reported.

One million people will be screened for diseases through an artificial intelligence (AI) platform during a volunteer programme for community health, the Viet Nam Young Physicians' Association (VYPA) proposed.

Professor Curtis Langlotz, director of Stanford centre for AI and Imaging, shared the benefit of AI use and future of AI in radiology as well as empathy of Chatbot explanation.

Steven Truong Quoc Hung, Founder and CEO of VinBrain, said: With generative AI, we are rewriting the story of Vietnamese healthcare, a story full of hope and innovation.

He said the healthcare industry was facing difficulties on all fronts and from radiologist shortfall and inefficient data management.

Hung said that two thirds of the world had limited access to diagnostic imaging interpretation and four billion images were taken every year with annual growth of 10 per cent.

Billions of data points would be hard to utilise even by a healthcare professional, he said.

Doctors from the a Nang-based Public Security Hospital 199, also shared how they were applying digital transformations and AI in the local healthcare sector.

Four hundred participants from hospitals, medical centres, including specialists and doctors, attended the conference, which also hosted an exhibition of medical equipment and AI tech facilities from Canon, Samsung, LG, Siemens and Phillips. VNS
The Alabama Legislature meets in regular session for 15 weeks every year, and although the duties of a state lawmaker encompass more than just those days, the schedule does leave time for most to hold another job.

About two-thirds of the 104 state representatives list another occupation besides their elected position.

For most, it is the job they had when they were elected as lawmakers.

About two dozen legislators own businesses. A dozen representatives are attorneys, the most common specific occupation.

The House has two pastors, two cops, a farmer, a pharmacist, an architect, an optometrist, and a certified public accountant.

Rep. Matthew Hammett, a first-term Republican from Dozier in south Alabama, lists his occupation as well-driller. Hammett is co-owner of a company that drills, repairs and services water wells.

House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter, R-Rainsville, said the range of professional experience is a bonus when he appoints representatives to committees that handle specific areas of legislation, like the Education Policy Committee, for example.

Just about everybody on that committee has got a background in education of some kind, whether its a four-year school or two-year school or K-12, Ledbetter said. Were blessed to have that kind of folks that can step in any role. Of course, certainly (the) Judiciary (Committee) is full of lawyers. Youve got some police officers on there, too. I think it takes a mixture of that.

It certainly represents the people across the state. It gives people the ability to work in what theyre familiar with and what would be their wheelhouse at a regular job.

The Alabama Legislatures annual sessions include up to 30 meeting days within a 105-day period. The sessions start in January, February, or March, and last into the spring.

That does not include special sessions called by the governor, work on committees that meet outside of sessions, or fielding calls and requests from people who live in their districts.

Legislative salaries for this year will be $59,674. The amount is adjusted annually based on the median household income in Alabama.

Rep. Steve Clouse, R-Ozark, has served in the Legislature since 1994. He sold his business, an oil distributorship, a few years ago and no longer has a full-time job other than being a legislator.

Clouse said it is challenging to be a legislator and hold another full-time job, particularly for those in leadership positions. Clouse was chairman of the House General Fund committee for 10 years.

Theres always some type of crisis that pops up and some type of revenue surprise that hits the budget, whether its education or General Fund, that youve got to stay on top of, Clouse said. And you have all these other groups that have line items in the budget. Thats the time they always want to get with the budget chair is during the off season to go over their issues before the session hits.

The information on legislators jobs is available because state law requires elected officials, as well as many public employees, to file statements of economic interest with the Alabama Ethics Commission.

They report, in broad ranges, the amount of their household income. They report their spouses employers, whether they own investment property, and some information about their debts.

AL.com reviewed the statements of economic interest for the 104 members of the Alabama House (there is one vacancy).

Here are most of the occupations (some representatives are listed more than once because they list a profession and own a business):

Attorneys: Reps. Cynthia Almond, R-Tuscaloosa; Bryan Brinyark, R-Northport; Prince Chestnut, D-Selma; Chris England, D-Tuscaloosa; David Faulkner, R-Mountain Brook; Juandalynn Givan, D-Birmingham; Jim Hill, R-Moody; Patrice McClammy, D-Montgomery; Ben Robbins, R-Sylacauga; Matt Simpson, R-Daphne; Ontario Tillman, D-Birmingham; Tim Wadsworth, R-Arley.

Real estate: Reps. Corley Ellis, R-Columbiana; Rolanda Hollis, D-Birmingham; James Lomax, R-Huntsville; Arnold Mooney, R-Shelby County; Debbie Wood, R-Valley.

Banking/credit union: Reps. Mike Shaw, R-Vestavia Hills; Jeff Sorrells, R-Hartford; Andy Whitt, R-Harvest.

Law enforcement: Reps. Russell Bedsole, R-Alabaster; Shane Stringer, R-Mobile.

Financial advisor: Reps. Brock Colvin, R-Guntersville; Troy Stubbs, R-Prattville.

Pastor: Reps. Mark Gidley, R-Gasden; Patrick Sellers, D-Birmingham.

Homebuilder/contractor: Reps. Brett Easterbrook, R-Fruitdale; Ben Harrison, R-Elkmont; Scott Stadthagen, R-Hartselle.

Rep. David Standridge, R-Hayden, is the only member who lists his full-time occupation as farmer.

The lone architect in the House is Rep. Craig Lipscomb, R-Gadsden.

Rep. Kerry Underwood, R-Tuscumbia; is a CPA.

Rep. Mark Shirey, R-Mobile, is an optometrist.

Rep. Paul Lee, R-Dothan, is executive director of the Wiregrass Rehabilitation Center, a non-profit.

Rep. Frances Holk-Jones, R-Foley, is in the insurance business.

Rep. Mike Kirkland, R-Scottboro, is sales manager for Vulcan Construction Materials.

Rep. Napoleon Bracy Jr., D-Mobile, is director of planning and development at Franklin Primary Health Center, Inc.

Rep. Phillip Ensler, D-Montgomery, is an attorney who is executive director of the Jewish Federation of Central Alabama.

Rep. Corey Harbison, R-Good Hope, is city planner for Good Hope.

Here is a list of representatives who reported ownership in businesses on their statements of economic interest. (This list may not include some professionals who own their own company, such as a law firm):

Reps. Mack Butler, R-Rainbow City; Anthony Daniels, D-Huntsville; Jennifer Fidler, R-Fairhope; Jeremy Gray, D-Opelika; Matthew Hammett, R-Dozier; Reed Ingram, R-Pike Road; Jamie Kiel, R-Russellville; Kelvin Lawrence, D-Hayneville; Joe Lovvorn, R-Auburn; Rhett Marques, R-Enterprise; Marcus Paramore, R-Troy; Chris Pringle, R-Mobile; Rex Reynolds, R-Huntsville; Phillip Rigsby, R-Huntsville; Chad Robertson, R-Heflin; Ivan Smith, R-Prattville; Shane Stringer, R-Mobile; Troy Stubbs, R-Prattville; Curtis Travis, D-Tuscaloosa; Andy Whitt, R-Harvest; Ritchie Whorton, R-Owens Cross Roads; Matt Woods, R-Jasper; Ernie Yarbrough, R-Trinity.

Thirty-seven House members do not list another job other than their public position. Many of them are retired from other jobs. Some report income from property they own for investments.

Clouse said the membership of the House has changed since when he was first elected 30 years ago. Clouse said he believes the cross-section now is a good one.

When I first came in there were a whole lot more attorneys than what we have now, Clouse said. And you certainly need some attorneys to particularly deal with the issues weve got on Judiciary Committees and some of these legal issues that we deal with.

Its good to have that. Its obviously good to have business folks and people from other different walks of life. Its good to have as many female members as weve had come on the last few years to give a different perspective.

Clouse said he believes there may be a misconception about how time-consuming it is to be a legislator.

Its not like being on the city council or the county commission where you go to city hall or the courthouse once every two weeks for your meeting and then you go home that afternoon after the meeting is over, Clouse said. Theres just so much travel involved, so many overnight stays involved in Montgomery that its pretty taxing to that individual and for the families involved, too.

Ledbetter is one the legislators who does not hold another full-time job. But he said it is not unusual for him to work 50 hours a week when the House is not in session.

Youve got so much going on in your district, be it with the local rotary club or the chamber of commerce or youve got school issues or somebody thats got a pressing issue with a family member they want you try to help with, Ledbetter said. And youve also got infrastructure needs.

Ledbetter said groups representing farmers, teachers, businesses, and other interest groups are in regular contact with legislators.

Theyre always calling and asking, Is there going to be legislation thats going to affect me this year? Or maybe theyve got one theyre interested in passing, Ledbetter said.

Then there are interim committees that meet outside of the session, like the Sunset Committee and the prison oversight committee.

Most members, I would daresay, stay on the phone probably two or three hours a day just in constituent calls and working on issues or bills or working for the next session, Ledbetter said.

If you were looking at it from the standpoint of what we do in session, I would say thats probably the tip of the iceberg, Ledbetter said.

This story was edited on August 26 to update the occupation for Rep. Napoleon Bracy Jr.
Onlookers lined up Saturday afternoon in Mountain Brook for a parade honoring teenager Lulu Gribbin, who recently returned home more than two months after suffering serious injuries in a shark attack.

While it consisted of just a few vehicles escorted by police, the parade gave many purple-clad supporters a first chance to cheer Gribbin in person after following her recovery for weeks. It also was an opportunity for Gribbin to acknowledge the support of the community in person.

The city of Mountain Brook organized the parade. Earlier this month, Mayor Stewart Welch and the city council issued a resolution recognizing Lulus amazing spirit and the incredible love that our community has shown her, according to a Facebook post; in tribute to Gribbin, the city also lit its water fountain in purple.

Gribbin, 15, was swimming with friends off a beach in Walton County, Florida, on June 7 when the attack occurred. McCray Faust, a 16-year-old also from Mountain Brook, suffered bites to a lower leg and foot; Gribbin lost her left hand and her right leg above the knee. A separate attack a few miles away seriously injured a woman from Virginia.

The attack and Gribbins upbeat response to her near-fatal injuries have drawn widespread attention and support. Sen. Katie Britt, R-Alabama, has proposed legislation that would authorize government officials to send out warnings about shark attacks via mobile phone alert systems.

In another show of support, Royal Cup Coffee recently launched sales of a Lulus Blend coffee as a beacon of hope and support for Gribbin.

Lulu Gribbins story is one of incredible resilience and courage, the company said in announcing the product. Following a tragic shark attack, Lulu has shown an inspiring spirit and determination in her recovery. In honor of her strength and to assist in her ongoing journey, we have created Lulus Blend. This unique coffee blend is more than just a beverage; its a symbol of community support and hope. Lulus recovery has been arduous, but she has not faced it alone. To help support the Gribbin family during Lulus recovery journey, Royal Cup Coffee and Tea crafted Lulus Blend medium roast coffee. 100% of the profits go to support the Gribbin family.

We are deeply moved by Lulu Gribbins strength and resilience, said Chip Wann, CEO of Royal Cup Coffee and Tea. With Lulus Blend, we aim to harness the power of our community to aid Lulu Gribbin in her recovery. This blend is a tribute to her inspiring journey and an opportunity for our community to contribute to her recovery.

Lulus Blend is available via the Royal Cup website for $14.03 for a 12-oz bag.

For updates on Gribbins recovery, visit https://www.instagram.com/lulug.strong/.
Six people were injured in a shooting early Sunday morning, the Mobile Police Department said.

Around 12:21 a.m., officers responded to a shooting at Paper Mill Road and McKinley Street in the Africatown neighborhood of Mobile. When they arrived, they found one juvenile male, three adult men and two adult women had been shot.

All of the victims were treated at local hospitals, and none of their injuries appeared to be life-threatening, according to a news release from Mobile police.

No additional information was given; police are actively investigating. Police are encouraging people with information about the shooting to contact them at 251-208-7211. Anonymous tips may be submitted by texting 844-251-0644 or by visiting mobilepd.org/crimetip.
The Mobile Police Department is warning of scammers posing as federal law enforcement agents targeting not just individuals, but businesses.

Suspects are calling businesses, pretending to be agents with various law enforcement agencies, usually federal, Blake Brown, public information officer with MPD, said in an email. This is a common scam targeting individuals, however we have seen a recent uptick in attacks on businesses as well.

Suspected scammers instruct people to take money from safes and drawers and use it to buy gift cards, Brown said. Several businesses in the Mobile area have been hit with these federal imposter scams.

Regardless of who is being targeted, Mobile police emphasize that no law enforcement agency will call and instruct someone to make payment via gift card, CashApp, or BitCoin. Police said if someone does call and attempt to scam you, just hang up.

Dont let these scammers steal your time as well as your money, Brown said.
One of the few interesting things about Americas highly choreographed political conventions is the gathering of people outside these events. Supporters and protesters show up to yell at the top of their lungs for days. What kinds of taunts do these opposing groups scream at each other? Remarkably, they accuse each other of similar transgressions. Probably the most common insults being lobbed from each side of the political spectrum are accusations that the other side is full of fascists, Nazis, and racists.

Its enough to make an observer wonder whether an awkward kumbaya truce could spontaneously break out, in which antagonistic foes raise a curious eyebrow and timidly ask, You mean, youre against fascism and racism, too? before taking off their masks, throwing down their cardboard signs, and apprehensively shaking hands. Of course, that never happens, so very angry Americans continue to denounce one another in nearly identical terms.

The whole thing would be funny if it were not so serious. And its serious because the resulting confusion leaves Americans who might otherwise agree about an awful lot instead reaching for one anothers throats. The more time they waste fighting, the easier it is for their real enemies to get away with all kinds of mischief without anyone noticing. Who are their real enemies? Well, regardless of any Americans particular ideological beliefs, those who most affect their lives (outside their families and friends) are almost certainly people with wealth and power  and not the vast majority of their working-class neighbors just trying to earn a living. Because wealth and power remain in the hands of a small collection of political and financial elites, they benefit when citizens with neither wealth nor power choose to attack one another.

Another way to think of this is to ask a simple question: what is the greatest threat to any political system? Is it the threat of foreign invasion? Economic depression? Disease? Of course not. It is the possibility that those controlled by the system will overthrow those doing the controlling. Every government in the world  communist dictatorship, theocratic regime, or so-called constitutional republic  claims to be working for the people. But when the elites of those governments speak behind closed doors, their efforts are directed toward subduing the people. Governments invest in the illusion that their power is limitless and that the people have no other choice but to obey. Whenever common people recognize that they are the ones with inherent power, the governments illusion of control is shattered, the system is upended, and a new era with novel organizing principles arrives.

Seen through this lens, it is easy to understand why governments have a vested interest in stirring up domestic conflict. A peaceful and well mannered society might engage in respectful debate and start asking serious questions, such as: why should private central banks be allowed to print money and devalue personal savings? Why should America be financially squeezed by a bunch of multinational corporations that use cheap labor overseas and bully small businesses into bankruptcy here at home? Why should foreign investment houses own so much land and property in America when fewer Americans than ever before can afford to own a home? When government authorities use outside companies to censor Americans speech and spy on their private activities, do such workarounds really trump the Bill of Rights? When corporations work hand in glove with government bureaucrats to track and police citizens, hasnt our system of government transformed into something we would have once recognized as classically fascist?

These important questions and others might lead common citizens to think more clearly about their governments priorities before arriving at another uncomfortable question: does the government really represent the peoples interests, or does it represent the interests of its corporate partners? Such discussions threaten to shatter any governments well-guarded illusion of control.

The political system cant have that, so the corporate news media blast out daily reminders that racism and extremism are the real threats to peace and prosperity. On television and on social media sites, the message is clear: trust the government but distrust your neighbors. If everybody is more worried about Donald Trumps personality or Taylor Swifts political endorsements, nobody has time to wonder how weve reached the point when the federal governments fiscal burden consumes 93% of Americas total accumulated wealth since its founding or how global debt now exceeds $315 trillion. The wealthiest and most powerful people in the West take from everyone else and then set society on fire with engineered division and hate. They are civil arsonists committed to destroying the evidence of all the damage theyve wrought.

You can tell that financial and political elites are becoming desperate in their attempts to maintain power because they resort to little more than childish name-calling these days. The great bugbear this decade is the far right. Nobody explains why the far right should be feared more than the far left, when the theft and mass murder perpetrated by communist regimes over the last century dwarf the atrocities committed by all other ideologies in human history. Nobody explains how the far right socialists of Hitlers Germany can be distinguished from Venezuelas far left socialists today. Rather inexplicably, corporate news organs and academic institutions lump everyone who believes in limited government, national borders, self-determination, and personal liberty into the same category of WWII fascists who promoted totalitarianism, empire, dictatorship, and subjugation to the State. Most citizens who are mislabeled far right distrust government and despise the notion of corporate control over society. How that makes them fascist is a linguistic mystery.

What makes more sense is that Western governments fear the emergence of liberty movements not because they will one day be marching under the Arc de Triomphe, but rather because they represent a renewed public rejection of centralized power. The more centralized the governing authority (e.g., the U.S. federal government, the E.U., and the U.N.), the more worried it has become that common people will reclaim sovereignty over their personal lives. Consequently, the mouthpieces for the axis of corporate and government power in Western capitals  which is socialist in spirit and fascist in principle  slander citizens who are opposed to Big Government as somehow being the ideological descendants of Hitlers Nazi Party. Its horse pucky.

Those who are nonsensically labeled as far right do have all too frequent encounters with fascism. Its just that those experiences come in the form of corporate-government beatings from the same people and institutions claiming to protect democracy. During the Reign of COVID Terror, social media companies threatened and censored citizens who questioned the governments monopoly on scientific debate, the need for school closures and economic lockdowns, or the efficacy of the pharmaceutical industrys experimental vaccines. Fascist tyrants such as Justin Trudeau used his partnership with banking institutions to seize citizens savings and mortgaged properties when they protested against his COVID authoritarianism. Cellular companies kept track of citizens movements and reported those violating house arrest to the police.

This kind of corporate-government fascism has become commonplace. European governments dedicate enormous resources to monitoring citizens online speech and punishing those who express unapproved opinions, and tech companies are quick to assist these bureaucratic bullies in their hunt for offensive speech. A UK man was recently arrested for engaging in anti-Establishment rhetoric in a social media post. Google openly admits to manipulating search results in ways that promote the talking points of their government partners while hiding dissenting voices. Big Tech, Big Banks, and Big Pharma dont operate independently of Big Government. They are one and the same.

It turns out that everyone hates fascism except for Western governments and their corporate friends. Thats why they demonize citizens who cherish liberty.

Image: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center via Flickr, CC BY 2.0 (cropped).
The Jewish Insiders Gabby Deutch reports, Major labor unions call on Biden to halt military aid to Israel. Signatories include the Service Employees International Union, National Education Association, United Auto Workers, Association of Flight Attendants, the American Postal Workers Union, the International Union of Painters and the United Electrical Workers. All of these are major players in the Democrat party, which looks to them to deliver the union vote. Note the presence of the NEA, a poster child for homeschooling and charter schools if ever I saw one.

The article includes a link to confirm that the unions in question did in fact put their support behind the agenda of Hamas, which is to cripple Israels ability to remove the terrorist group permanently and recover all surviving hostages.

The strict definition of a blood libel is specifically that Jews murder non-Jewish children to use their blood to make matzos. I think, however, it is fair to extend the definition to include any false accusation of an atrocity to incite hatred of any racial, religious, or ethnic group, as the United Auto Workers did this July with its false accusation that Israel commits genocide. Remember that more likely than not, false accusations that Spain blew up the USS Maine in Havana in 1898 helped start a war in which tens of thousands of people died, mostly from disease, as was standard in that era. The Triple Entente depicted German soldiers murdering women, children, and prisoners of war and German sailors murdering the passengers of the Lusitania, which was, however, carrying munitions and thus a legitimate target. This helped draw the United States into the war. Adolf Hitler was unfortunately the German who learned the most from Germanys failure to counteract this propaganda, and he used similar techniques to take over Germany.

The takeaway is that blood libels kill, and not only Jews.

The United Auto Workers just falsely accused Israel of genocide, which is a blood libel under the wider definition  the one that does not require use of human blood to make matzos. Major labor unions call on Biden to halt military aid to Israel adds, A sign-up sheet for the protest that the UAW shared on social media called Netanyahu a wanted war criminal who will ask Congress for more U.S. aid for his ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people. The protest, which seeks the arrest of Netanyahu, will express our solidarity with the people of Palestine.

I double-checked the UAWs official Facebook page to ensure that this was in fact posted by the union, rather than by loose cannons, who, while members, do not speak for the entire union. On Wednesday, July 24th, the UAW, along with the National Labor Network for Ceasefire, is joining a mass mobilization in Washington, DC to oppose Netanyahus visit, and to call for an end to all US military aid to this war. Join us: bit.ly/july24labor. The latter URL goes to the same document cited by The Jewish Insider.

Israel has in fact bent over backward, to the extent of putting its own service personnel at increased risk, to avoid collateral damage to civilians. Had Gaza magically switched places with Long Island and raped, murdered, and burned alive 30,000 American civilians (I say 30,000 based on the ratio of our population to Israels) while firing hundreds of rockets into downtown New York City, Gaza would have probably been radioactive slag within the hour  not because everybody under the mushroom cloud deserved it, but instead to stop the rockets, noting that Israels conventional weapons failed to do so even after weeks of war. Its to be remembered that American fighter pilots were directed to kill themselves along with our own civilians on 9/11 to prevent al-Qaeda from using the airplanes they were on as weapons, so I am not very receptive to bleats about unintentional collateral damage to Gaza. Israel, in contrast, orders its people into bomb shelters, often with as little as 30 seconds warning, and tries to intercept as many incoming rockets as it can.

The UAW is accordingly lying about Israel committing genocide, which, under the broad definition I have provided, is a blood libel. The UAWs dues-paying members are therefore well within their rights to question what else their leaders are lying to them about.

The bottom line is that if the Democrat party needs the kind of votes these unions can deliver, then it does not need your vote or mine, and its own members need to question whether this is the kind of representation they want.

Civis Americanus is the pen name of an American Thinker contributor who remembers the lessons of history and wants to ensure that our country never needs to learn those lessons again the hard way.

Image via Pxfuel.
On the silver screen, the legendary Sir Sean Connery was known to play tough guys who never suffered fools and always got their way. Few will be surprised to learn that Sir Sean was no different in real life.

In Brian De Palmas The Untouchables (1987), Sir Sean played James Malone, a tough veteran Irish cop who was part of the team that brought down the dreaded Chicago mobster, Al Capone.

During the films most famous scene, Malone offers his advice to the teams young leader on how to get Capone. They pull a knife, you pull a gun. He sends one of yours to the hospital, you send one of his to the morgue. Thats the Chicago way! And thats how you get Capone.

In real life, Sir Sean also took on a mobster.

In 1958, Sir Sean was filming one of his rare mediocre pictures, called Another Time, Another Place in London. His co-star was the legendary Lana Turner, whose notorious boyfriend was mob enforcer Johnny Stompanato.

The nefarious British tabloids, known for fabricating, carried news of Sir Sean having a passionate affair with Turner. To support their claims, they published pictures of Sir Sean escorting Turner to shows on the West End and dining out at Londons fanciest restaurants.

Gossip of this nature usually gets traction, and this story was not at all different. The news was picked up by Hollywood papers, and soon Turners volatile boyfriend learned of the affair.

Stompanato was a mob bodyguard and enforcer known for his foul temper and being unhesitant to engage in violence. Stompanato was livid upon learning of Turners and Sir Seans off-screen coupling.

The lout first called Turner and threatened to kill or disfigure her. Next, he boarded a plane for London to deal with Connery. Despite Turner urging him to stay away from the set, Stompanato showed up at the studios in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire.

It so happened that Turner and Connery were filming a romantic scene, where the pair were embracing on a couch. This caused Stompanato to simmer with rage. What made it worse is that the director, unsatisfied with the scene, demanded a few retakes.

Finally, Stompanato could not tolerate this display anymore. He walked into the frame, pointed a pistol at Connery, and ordered him to take his hands off Turner.

Most men in showbiz would have been startled by the experience, petrified of the gun and shuddering that their life may be in peril. They probably would have groveled before Stompanato and followed his order. But not Sir Sean.

The future 007 grabbed the enforcers wrist in a swift move, twisted it until the gun fell out of his grip, and then knocked him down with one hard punch.

Turner called Scotland Yard to escort Stompanato from the set, and he was deported for breaking Englands gun laws. The whole incident was supposedly caught on camera; alas, the footage was never made public.

This wasnt the only encounter Sir Sean had with gangsters.

During his youth in Edinburgh, Sir Sean had a run-in with the dreaded Valdor gang. The story goes that Sir Sean was in a billiard hall when thugs of the Valdor gang noticed him and his shiny leather jacket. The brutes attempted to bully him and snatch his jacket. Sir Sean avoided engaging in a fight but successfully prevented them from stealing his jacket.

Subsequently, the thugs followed him down the streets of Edinburgh towards the Palais, a popular dance and theater hall at the time. When Sir Sean noticed, he decided he had to do something about it. He had experience with bar brawls and street fights and was also an amateur boxer.

Connery singlehandedly launched a fierce, swift, and simultaneous attack on the gang members. He grabbed one by the throat and another by the biceps and slammed their heads together. The thugs took to their heels and disappeared into the night.

The news spread across the town and earned him a reputation as a no-nonsense man. Nobody dared touch him ever again.

Sir Sean used his fist on another occasion.

The legendary Sir Michael Caine narrated a story about Sir Sean from the fifties. Caine said:

In my early 20s I was running around with Sean and Terence Stamp. Every girl in London was running after us. Sean used to have parties called Bring a Bottle and a Bird. I couldnt afford a bottle then, so I took two birds! I was 23 and Sean was 26 and he had just got into the chorus of South Pacific. He was Mr. Edinburgh at that time and built like Arnie Schwarzenegger. One Saturday night he walked into a party where I was with two beautiful girls. He saw me and we became friends.

Caine revealed that during one night at a club, some girls were singing on the stage, but some unruly, inebriated men were heckling the performers and giving them a hard time. Both Caine and Connery urged the rowdies to restrain themselves and allow the performers to do their job, but the men brushed Connery and Caine aside and attempted to ascend the stage.

Caine revealed that Sir Sean resolved the situation quite immediately: he just got up and beat all four of them up. I just held his coat!

Sean wasnt just quick with his fists. He was also known to be forthright with opinions.

Sir Michael narrated another experience with Sir Sean. It so happened that a very famous actress, rumored to be Barbara Streisand, had invited Sir Sean and Sir Michael with their respective spouses to a dinner party. As the main course was being served, the diva hostess proposed that Sir Sean be part of a film she intended to direct.

Sir Michael revealed that it was at that moment that he comprehended the purpose of the invite. The diva hostess wasnt even remotely interested in socializing with Caine. The aim was to convince Sir Sean to be in her film.

Sir Michael revealed that had he been asked the question, he would have made excuses and probably postponed answering the question. But Sir Sean was different.

Caine revealed that Sir Sean looked at him and responded rather directly. He told the diva that he had made more pictures than her and had no interest in working with her and asked him why she would even make such a proposal.

Caine revealed that he was astounded by the directness, considering that the lady was their host. Caine revealed that the hostess was fuming all night, due to Sir Seans blunt rejection.

Sony Pictures Chairman Tom Rothman revealed how Sir Sean valued punctuality.

Like others of my generation, I didnt admire Sean Connery; I worshiped him. Getting to work with him as both a producer and an actor was a singular high point of my entire career. He taught me so much. If you are on time for a meeting with the incomparable, unimaginably cool, mega-talented Sir Sean, you are five minutes late.

But Connery wasnt just a tough guy who didnt suffer fools. He also had a kind heart.

Sir Sean donated his entire salary from his final official Bond film, Diamonds Are Forever, to the Scottish International Educational Trust that he co-founded.

The sum was a record $1.25 million back in 1971, which would be roughly $8 million today. This generous grant has benefited the lives of thousands of regular Scots, granting them an affordable education.

Finally, it wasnt just acting that Sir Sean excelled in. He also was part of a Beatles cover album.

Sir Sean in his distinctive and rich baritone voice recited the lyrics of the famous Beatles track In My Life, accompanied by an orchestral arrangement of George Martin. The result was nothing short of spectacular.

The track is even more poignant now, as we remember Sir Sean on his 94th heavenly birthday.

Image: Mieremet, Rob / Anefo via the Dutch National Archives, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 DL.
Leftism is not a monolith. Instead, it has a core leadership group, which is often highly cynical and uses leftism to achieve power. Thats why most leftist leaders are billionaires when they die. Next, theres an inner circle of fanatic true believers who are the movements energy and enforcers. Last, there are the lumpen masses or useful idiots, who blithely follow where theyre told. Members of this last class were at a diversity festival in Solingen, Germany, when a Muslim immigrant stabbed 11 people, killing three.

The New York Post offered this information after the attack:

Three people were killed at a festival in Germany and several others were injured by a knife-wielding maniac on Friday night, authorities said. The attacker  described by festival organizers as a knifeman  was still on the run hours after unleashing the bloodshed. The horror unfolded around 9:30 p.m. in a central square of the Festival of Diversity, a three-day event marking the 650th anniversary of the founding of Solingen.

In the immediate aftermath, German officials, echoing Sergeant Schultz, said that they knew nothing. Maybe that was true, but the rest of us assumed that it was a Muslim attack, and, of course, our assumption was correct:

Islamic State claimed responsibility Saturday for a knife attack at a festival in Germany that left three people dead and eight hurt, according to reports. The terrifying attack, which caused panic at the event in Solingen, was in revenge for Muslims in Palestine and everywhere, the militant group said on its Telegram account. The attacker has been on the run for almost 24 hours. A 15-year-old was arrested Saturday in connection with the German incident, authorities said. Police cautioned the young suspect was not the attacker  but instead had been accused of failing to report a crime, according to CNN. [snip] The attacker specifically targeted victims necks, police said, as per the Washington Post.

There are two takeaways from this:

First, disarming people does not end violent crime. Neither knives nor guns kill. Instead, its the people wielding those weapons who do the killing. When everyone is disarmed, there are no good people available to stop either a knife or a gun attack.

Second, diversity is a virtue only when people want to assimilate. In that case, they voluntarily combine to make a homogenous entity with a little spice around the edges reflecting the remnants of the original cultural differences. However, when only one group seeks this diversity, it simply advertises to the predators that its members are gathered together for the slaughter.

America survived mass immigration from the 1880s through the 1920s because its institutions focused relentlessly on assimilation. The point of public schools wasnt primarily to teach reading, writing, and arithmetic. The point, instead, was to take a polyglot population and squeeze them into the American mold. Diversity remained at home and in restaurants. In the public forum, it was all American.

That attitude still prevailed for immigration through the mid-1960s. Then, however, a rising tide of cultural Marxism created the myth that America would be stronger by encouraging people not to assimilatenot to learn the language and not to embrace the political and cultural values. The melting pot morphed into the salad bowl and has now become the American Balkans. The Balkans have never ended well.

Im terribly sorry for those who died at the festival and for their loved ones, as I am for those who were wounded. However, because those victims were at a diversity festival, we know that they were the lefts cannon fodder, and, as with the Balkans, that never ends well.

Image by Andrea Widburg using AI.
Mark Levin is an attorney, a writer, a talk show host  and a great thinker. His eight non-fiction books, thoroughly researched and brilliant analyses of legal and political issues, are long form and have all been New York Times bestsellers.

In his two weekend prime time programs on FOX News, he offers concise, more short form, talking points, but they are no less brilliant.

The opening monologues in particular on his FOX News program Life, Liberty & Levin are excellent capsule summaries of whats really going on from his vantage points of political history and Constitutional law.

Anyone who has worked in radio and TV knows that making articulate and essential points in the brief time allotted in these media is not easy. Interestingly, Levins counterpart in this public work is the historian Victor Davis Hanson, who is often a guest on his program.

I never miss Levins FOX News programs. They are getting better and better, including his fifteen- to twenty-minute long opening monologues.

Yesterdays show was a prime example.

At the end of a week that featured all but one of the nations mainstream broadcast and cable television media outlets fawning over Kamala Harris and essentially acting like the Democrats PR surrogates to drag her over the election finish line, Levin zeroed in on the reality.

Delivered with his usual laser-like intensity, Levins analysis exposed the thug nature of Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Manchurian Candidate Walz, and the ramifications of their Hollywood-style joy vibes convention. His unparalleled skills at commenting shone through.

In fact, Levins precision with language at such a critical time in the nations history brought to my mind the words of Thomas Paine, or George Washington, or more lately John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr. at their best. Its that rare ability to think and analyze creatively, to use language, and to mobilize words to change history  quality rhetoric and clarity that are too absent these days from our political discourse, even among many Republicans and conservatives.

Screenshot by Peter B. Chowka used with permission of FOX News Media

These words of mine are a capsule summary to position Levin for what is to follow, a video link to the opening of his program yesterday, made available by FOX News.

And speaking of FOX News  without the nations consistently number 1 cable news channel, the negative reporting about President Trump during the past month would be 100% instead of 89%, and the spin about Harris would be 100% positive instead of only 84%, as documented in a recent survey of the American broadcast news media.

In closing his FOX News program yesterday, Levin quoted these lines from the first chapter of his prescient book, The Democrat Party Hates America, published in September 2023.

Inevitably, the Democrat party's infinite cultural, economic, and political interventions, always in the name of the people and some virtuous worthy cause, lead to the steady decline of liberty, and the steady rise of totalitarianism, and the exploitation of the people. Fewer and fewer masterminds, with an ever-increasing army of bureaucrats and enforcers, reign over the citizenry and decide what is and what is not good for them. The abuses of power are limitless, as are the justifications. And slowly but surely, the people get used to it, even vote for it, until one day its grip is too tight. Then it is too late. In this, and virtually all else it does, the Democrat Party's loathing of America is boundless.

Here is a video link to Mark Levins August 24 FOX News show opening.

Peter Barry Chowka has been reporting on national elections since 1964, starting in high school. Later, he reported from several national political conventions and traveled around the country with presidential candidates. Peter is a frequent invited guest on the BBC, the largest broadcaster in the world (his July 27 appearance is here). He has been a frequent contributor to American Thinker since 2007.
The Supreme Courts 2022 Bruen decision held, with crystal clarity, the Second Amendment is an individual right, which extends to keeping and bearing arms not only in ones home or on ones property, but in public, with some limited exceptions. Not only did Bruen reaffirm the Second Amendment as a fundamental unalienable right--no second-class rightit established strict scrutiny, the highest level of judicial analysis, for Second Amendment cases. Equally important was this holding:

When the Second Amendments plain text covers an individuals conduct, the Constitution presumptively protects that conduct. The government must then justify its regulation by demonstrating that it is consistent with the Nations historical tradition of firearm regulation. Only then may a court conclude that the individuals conduct falls outside the Second Amendments unqualified command.

In other words, anti-liberty/gun schemes are only constitutional if there was a clear historical analogue at the time of the founding. As one might suspect, some statesLike Marylandare determined to ignore the Second Amendment and Bruen.

Under current Maryland law, no one may own, rent, or even touch a firearm without a 16-hour class which includes live fire. There is an 8-hour class required for each permit renewal. Only upon passing the 16-hour course, can one apply for a permit, and the State Police have 30 days to approve or deny applications. So while Maryland is, at least ostensibly, a shall-issue state the state puts as many barriers as possible in the path of gun owners, including a seven day waiting period for purchase, and gun registration.

Graphic: US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. en.wikipedia.org. CC by-SA 4.0.

In 2023 a three-judge panel of the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals took up a challenge to the licensing law and struck it down in consonance with Bruen:

The challenged law restricts the ability of law-abiding adult citizens to possess handguns, and the state has not presented a historical analogue that justifies its restriction; indeed, it has seemingly admitted that it couldnt find one.

On would reasonably think that would have been the end of it. No historical analogue, presumptively unconstitutional. Then the entire Court got into the act (decision available here):

We conclude that the Supreme Court in Bruen foreclosed the plaintiffs temporary deprivation argument by stating that, despite some delay occasioned by shall-issue permit processes, this type of licensing law is presumptively constitutional because it operates merely to ensure that individuals seeking to exercise their Second Amendment rights are law-abiding persons. We hold that the plaintiffs have failed to rebut this presumption of constitutionality afforded to shall-issue licensing laws like the handgun qualification statute. So the plaintiffs challenge to the HQL statute fails, and we affirm the district courts award of summary judgment to the state of Maryland.

The Courts convoluted logic goes like this:

In Bruen the Supreme Court ruled shall-issue carry licenses are legal. Maryland only grudgingly changed from may-issue, which means few, if any will get permits, to shall-issue after Bruen. Since shall-issue carry licensing is legal, shall issue laws regulating the simple possession of handguns must also be legal. The Fourth Circuit also upheld Marylands law on the premise that it merely ensures prospective handgun owners are law-abiding. The decision ignores Bruens historical analogue requirement.

In sum, background checks under the 77R process and the HQL statute differ because only the HQL statute involves the submission of fingerprints, and the background checks for each process may occur at different points in time. In light of these distinctions, and because the HQL statute effectively strengthens the 77R process, we reject the plaintiffs argument that the HQL statutes background check is wholly redundant and so abusive as to infringe the Second Amendment right under step one of the Bruen framework.

What Maryland is trying to do, with the help of the Fourth Circuit, is to make gun ownership so burdensome as to discourage it, and self-defense, entirely. In that pursuit, the Fourth Circuit continues to accept patently absurd arguments from the State, and to produce absurd arguments of their own.

As I recently noted in Maryland, AR-15s and the Fourth Circuit the Court recently upheld a ban on AR-15s, more or less because theyre like military, fully automatic M4s, which of course, they arent. As I noted in that article, the Fourth Circuit has established a clear split among the appeals courts on multiple issues of substantial Second Amendment questions. Should the Supreme Court decide to grant cert in its upcoming session, it could choose to substantially clarify many of the issues relating to the Second Amendment it has thus far chosen to avoid.

That kind of clarity, when the November elections present a choice between traditional American liberty and socialist/communist totalitarianism, is overdue.

Mike McDaniel is a USAF veteran, classically trained musician, Japanese and European fencer, life-long athlete, firearm instructor, retired police officer and high school and college English teacher. He is a published author and blogger. His home blog is Stately McDaniel Manor.
On July 14th, in The pier to nowhere is going away, I wrote:

When whats left of the pier is finally removed and probably, scrapped, we can be certain, just as with the withdrawal debacle in Afghanistan, the MMPA will declare it a brilliant success and an example of the military acumen and inspired leadership of Joe Biden. Interestingly, at his recent NATO conference, Biden sort of allowed the pier wasn't as successful as it could have been. And like that disaster, well never know the true financial and human cost. The horror of it is Israel has ports that could have been used far more safely to offload supplies, but then the MMPA couldnt brag about their stunningly successful relief efforts. As always, our troops suffer to enable feckless political stunts, but at least Joe got his photo ops.

Graphic: X Screenshot

Since then, the media, and the Harris/Biden Administration--Joe Biden, vanishing POTUShave ignored the unfolding debacle. The pier, badly damaged and sort of repaired, supposedly has been dismantled, and multiple US Army(?) ships are in little better shape. Earlier reports indicated those ships had substantial difficulty, so poor was their mechanical condition, even getting to the Middle East. Now it appears theyre no longer able to return to America under their own power.

Roughly seven months after setting sail for the US militarys troubled temporary pier mission off the Gaza coast, three US Army boats are expected to have to be hauled back to the US by contracted civilian vessels behind schedule, raising more concern about the state of the Army watercraft at the center of a major effort to bring humanitarian aid into war-torn Gaza. [C]oordination is underway for the [landing craft utility ships] to be transported back on contracted Float-On/Float-Off vessels with an expected ETA of late-October, Col. Mary Ricks, the spokesperson for the Armys 18th Airborne Corps, told CNN on Wednesday. The military has not yet locked in a contract for that job, she added.

That means the Army will have to find one or more ships designed to be capable of lifting those ships onto their decks and transporting them back to America, at a guesstimated cost of at least $300,000 each. Since this is a government contract, we can be certain it will be more, and the true cost will be hidden. This is a prime example of understatement:

A retired warrant officer who served as a chief engineer on Army watercraft told CNN that the boats being brought home by contracted vessels indicates they likely need significant maintenance. The only things that would stop [7th Transportation Brigade (Expeditionary)] from sailing are mechanical problems or manning, the retired engineer said. Unless the whole unit is deploying somewhere, that means these boats are in rough shape.

As I noted in the earlier article, some 1000 US personnel, under daily attack by Hamas, were involved in building the pier, which was quickly torn to shreds by entirely foreseeable sea conditions. The entire public relations exercise was an expensive debacle that did nothing to effectively supply civilians in Gaza. Hamas stole most of the small quantity of supplies fitfully delivered over the pier. It also did not demonstrate American military superiority, reestablish deterrence, or in any way encourage Hamas to end its genocidal intentions, return hostagesmost of whom have almost certainly been killedor sue for peace. Our hapless Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, continues to proclaim a cease fire deal is imminent, while Hamas laughs in his face. All the while, acting President Kamala Harris continues to denigrate Israel and demand an immediate ceasefire on terms favorable to Hamas.

The Harris/Biden Administration cant seem to stop trying to recreate their stunning Afghanistan success.

Graphic: X Screenshot

As always, this mess isnt the fault of our troops, who were ordered to perform a mission with inadequate equipment not up to the task, inadequate support, while under constant enemy fire in a mission where no American boots were supposed to be on the ground. To maintain the humanitarian illusion, they were, at last check, denied combat pay. Its an entirely appropriate coda to this failed PR exercise that our ships lack the ability to return home under their own powerjust as it was finally made plain Joe Biden lacks the ability to do his job. Not that that realization will remove him from the White House one day earlier than January 20, 2025.

The Armys ships might be back home by then, and probably ready for the scrapyard.

Mike McDaniel is a USAF veteran, classically trained musician, Japanese and European fencer, life-long athlete, firearm instructor, retired police officer and high school and college English teacher. He is a published author and blogger. His home blog is Stately McDaniel Manor.
Arne Slot has enjoyed an excellent start to life as Liverpool head coach with two wins and two clean sheets but the Dutchman admitted theres still a lot for us to prove.

Luis Diaz finished off a lightning breakaway before Mohamed Salah scored for the second week running as the Reds claimed a 2-0 victory over Brentford in Slots first competitive home match.

Having beaten Ipswich by an identical scoreline last week, Slot is satisfied with how his new side have begun their Premier League campaign but accepts tougher tests lie in wait for them.

Next Sundays trip to big rivals Manchester United is likely to be the first acid test of Slots reign after he succeeded Jurgen Klopp, who stepped down in May after nine successful years at the helm.

Two good wins against difficult opponents, Slot said. Brentford had a very good opening game last week but theres still a lot for us to prove with the whole season coming up.

Both Ipswich and Brentford deserve respect for the way theyve played against us but Im not expecting the two to be in the top six at the end of the season.

Theres still a lot to prove for us but its always good to start off with two wins and two clean sheets. (The win over Brentford was) positive for many reasons.

Mohamed Salah celebrates scoring Liverpools second goal (Peter Byrne/PA)

Its nice to inherit a team and individuals that are so special. Its not a surprise this team plays like this.

Slot was given a warm welcome at Anfield and serenaded in the closing stages, with Liverpool owner John W. Henry jetting in from the United States for the occasion.

There were no Klopp fist pumps to the Kop at full-time from Slot, who waved and clapped towards that end after walking onto the pitch at full-time following a job well done.

The reception of the fans was similar to the reception I got from the people in and around the area and the people that are working for Liverpool, Slot said.

Two matches, two wins  Virgil van Dijk is focused on creating new memories under Arne Slot at @LFC! pic.twitter.com/szJFioUfwW  Premier League (@premierleague) August 25, 2024

I cannot speak for all the managers but maybe all of them would tell you the same  every manager that comes in here feels the warmth of this club and the appreciation of the fans.

The most important (thing) we have to do as managers is make sure the team plays in a style the fans like to see and thats what were trying and the boys showed that.

For the second week running, Brentford boss Thomas Frank left out England striker Ivan Toney, whose absence only intensifies links of a switch to Saudi Arabia in the coming days.

Asked if Toney is any closer to a move away from the Bees, with the transfer window set to shut on Friday at 11pm, Frank replied: I dont know. He trained the whole week, trained well, a good attitude.

Ivan Toney has been linked with a move away from Brentford (Adam Davy/PA)

Im always happy when the window is shut. Then we dont have to talk about ifs and buts and when and maybe about a lot of players, and of course, Ivan, its all about Ivan.

Without Toney, Brentford lacked a cutting edge with captain Christian Norgaard failing to hit the target from an unmarked header in front of goal while Nathan Collins was denied by Alisson Becker.

I thought we went toe-to-toe with Liverpool, especially in the first half, it was very even, which Im very satisfied with, Frank added.

It was probably our best first half here at Anfield in the four years Ive been here. Liverpool won fair and square but there are definitely things Im positive about, especially the first 60 minutes.
All Irish peacekeepers in Lebanon are safe and accounted for after Israel launched a wave of air strikes across the southern part of the country.

Israeli military undertook what it described as pre-emptive strikes against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon early on Sunday, saying it had detected plans to attack Israel.

Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed group based in southern Lebanon, itself launched drones against targets in Israel, saying it was acting in response to the killing of one of its top commanders in an air strike on Beirut last month.

Members of the 124th Infantry Battalion at Camp Shamrock in Debel in Lebanon (Niall Carson/PA)

The heavy exchange of fire threatened to trigger a war that could draw in the United States, Iran and militant groups across the region.

It could also destroy efforts to forge a ceasefire in Gaza, where Israel has been at war with the Palestinian group Hamas, an ally of Hezbollah, for more than 10 months.

Irish premier Simon Harris said the Government was monitoring the situation very closely and emphasised the importance of a de-escalation in tensions in the region.

He said the Irish soldiers on a UN peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon were all accounted for.

Joint statement from UNIFIL and @UNSCOL In light of worrying developments across the Blue Line since the early morning, UNSCOL and UNIFIL call on all to cease fire and refrain from further escalatory action.  UNIFIL (@UNIFIL_) August 25, 2024

Of course, from an Irish point of view, were very carefully monitoring the situation in relation to the Unifil (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) mission, the Taoiseach said in Cork.

Both our Defence Forces and Unifil headquarters are monitoring the wellbeing of our peacekeepers.

Weve been informed that they are all safe, they are secure and that they are accounted for and, of course, thats important that we continue to monitor this.

Irelands deputy premier and foreign affairs minister Micheal Martin said he had been briefed by the Irish armys chief of staff Sean Clancy.

He was told that the Irish peacekeepers in the region had sheltered in bunkers overnight.

I have been briefed by the chief of staff on the situation in Lebanon following the strikes between Hezbollah and Israel overnight, Mr Martin said.

I have been advised that while Irish personnel serving in Unifil have taken shelter in secured bunkers overnight, all are safe and accounted for.

The Defence Forces and Unifil HQ continue to monitor the situation closely and the Chief of Staff will continue to update me accordingly.

It is imperative that we see the immediate de-escalation of military hostilities by all parties.

There are 332 Irish members of the 124th battalion, which also includes several Maltese, Polish and Hungarian personnel.

The battalion began its six-month deployment to Lebanon in May as part of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil).
As world leaders prepare to gather in Beijing from Sept 4 to 6 for the 2024 summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, there is a palpable sense of anticipation about the potential outcomes of this crucial meeting. Held after a six-year hiatus, this year's FOCAC Summit is a routine diplomatic event, but also a pivotal moment for reinforcing the longstanding friendship between China and Africa. The stakes are exceptionally high in these times of significant global shifts and challenges  from rising anti-globalization sentiments to pressing geopolitical conflicts and climate change. These global crises present unprecedented challenges, putting human society at a crossroad and adding layers of complexity to China-Africa relations. Politically, China and Africa have consistently supported each other in their respective fights against imperialism and colonialism, drawing on their shared experiences to forge a unique and resilient partnership. Economically, both China, the world's second-largest and the Global South's largest economy, and Africa, a continent rich in resources and with high potential, see their future intertwined as they both seek modernization and sustainable development. China proposes to walk hand-in-hand with Africa on its journey toward modernization, advocating for a model of cooperation that could serve as a blueprint for other economies in the Global South. This partnership aims to create a more equitable and balanced multipolar world and promote inclusive economic globalization. The cultural ties between China and Africa go beyond mere diplomatic exchanges; they are rooted in deep-seated values of unity, harmony and community. The Chinese principle of "seeking harmony without uniformity" and the African philosophy of Ubuntu both emphasize the interdependence of humanity  a testament to the shared ethos that guides the China-Africa relationship. The 2024 FOCAC Summit is likely to be a milestone for China and Africa, specifically because it is expected to further deepen relations between China and Eritrea. While grounded in their shared experiences of colonialism and imperialism, China and Eritrea have turned their partnership into a robust "win-win" cooperation model. This relationship goes back hundreds of years, marked by early maritime trade, with the solidarity during Eritrea's struggle for independence cementing this deep connection in modern times. Today, bilateral relations are characterized by mutual respect for sovereignty, non-interference in each other's internal affairs, and a commitment to multilateralism centered on the United Nations framework. In recent years, Sino-Eritrean cooperation has seen substantial progress across various sectors. Notably, the Third Agricultural Technical Cooperation Project, completed in March 2024, underscores China's role in supporting Eritrea's agricultural industry, a vital part of its economy. This project is among the many initiatives that demonstrate the potential for sustainable development that benefits the Eritrean food sector and broader economic landscape. Infrastructure, energy, mining and medical care are the other areas in which China-Eritrea cooperation has been notably practical. The presence of Chinese companies in Eritrea's mining and construction sectors is a testament to the mutual benefits derived from Chinese investments. Additionally, cooperation in healthcare, marked by 27 years of dispatching medical teams from China to Eritrea, has significantly enhanced Eritrean healthcare services and capabilities. The educational and cultural exchanges between the two countries also reflect the deepening of bilateral relations. Establishing institutions such as the Confucius Institute in Eritrea facilitates cultural exchanges and language-learning, strengthening people-to-people bonds that underpin diplomatic and economic ties. Despite the successes, the Sino-African relationship faces some challenges, notably the narrative around China's involvement in Africa, often framed as a "debt trap". However, both sides emphasize transparency, diligence and responsibility in their projects to ensure they contribute to Africa's development. Eritrea's approach to foreign aid and its focus on achieving self-reliance in key areas align closely with China's policy of not violating other countries' sovereignty, and respecting their right to choose their development path based on their national needs. Looking forward, the FOCAC Summit will offer a platform to reaffirm and consolidate these relationships and explore new areas of cooperation under the shared vision of a China-Africa community with a future aligned with global development goals. The discussions at FOCAC will likely focus on advancing modernization in Africa, promoting sustainable security frameworks, and enhancing economic globalization that benefits all parties involved. As for the Eritrea-China strategic partnership, it advocates for developing a balanced, multipolar international order and opposes external powers' interference in other countries' internal affairs as well as imposition of unilateral sanctions. The partnership is poised to advocate more vigorously for fairness, justice and mutual respect across international platforms. The 2024 FOCAC Summit will also offer the leaders a good opportunity to address the shared challenges and celebrate the resilience and success of the China-Africa partnership, with Eritrea playing an important role in it. The discussions at the summit will shape the trajectory of Eritrea's development and its strategic positioning within the global community, ensuring that the country benefits from and contributes to a more just and equitable world order. The author is the editor-in-chief of Eritrea Profile newspaper. The views don't necessarily reflect those of China Daily. If you have a specific expertise, or would like to share your thought about our stories, then send us your writings at opinion@chinadaily.com.cn, and comment@chinadaily.com.cn. If you have any problems with this article, please contact us at app@chinadaily.com.cn and we'll immediately get back to you.
Kirstie Allsopp said she was contacted by social services for allowing her teenage son to go on an interrailing trip.

The Location, Location, Location presenter, 52, said she allowed her 15-year-old son, Oscar, to go interrailing across Europe with his 16-year-old friend this summer but had since been contacted by a social worker who informed her that a file had been opened after child protection concerns were raised.

Allsopp said officials did not understand that she had been targeted by someone falsely alleging neglect.

She told The Mail on Sunday: I just felt sick  absolutely sick. Then I was cross. I was very, very cross.

It was just so extraordinary. I was in a parallel universe where they were actually taking this seriously.

I have broken no law and nothing about allowing my child to travel around Europe is neglectful.

Allsopp said she was not told how the referral had been made or by whom, with the social worker insisting every referral must be looked into and questioning what safeguards were put in place for her sons trip.

They also confirmed a file had been opened on Oscar, and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC), her local council, could keep the file open in case there was another referral and we needed to come to your house and look into this further.

Constant chats with mates, and online, about how much we all travelled unaccompanied; to school, to grandparents, to pen pals, to babysitting gigs, now its all  what the heck has happened? Is this all 24 hour news? Because the stats are very clear, travel is safer than ever.  Kirstie Allsopp (@KirstieMAllsopp) August 25, 2024

She told the Mail: For me, that was the sucker punch  the idea this file might continue existing.

What (the official) said to me was, if in six months there was another referral and we needed to come to your house and look into this further, it would be important that we had kept a note of the first referral.

That was the Orwellian moment. The fact it was maliciously done wasnt coming home to her.

A spokesperson for RBKC said: Safeguarding children is an absolute priority. We take any referral we receive very seriously and we have a statutory responsibility for children under 18 years of age.

Allsopp received mixed reactions after revealing the decision online earlier this week, with some criticising her for letting him go while others praised the move.

She wrote in a post on X: 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.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy has urged restraint on both sides after an exchange of fire between Israel and Lebanese militants Hezbollah on Sunday morning.

The Israeli military carried out a series of air strikes in southern Lebanon early on Sunday, saying it had intelligence Hezbollah was planning to carry out an attack of its own.

The Iran-backed militants subsequently launched drones at Israel, saying it was acting in response to the killing of one of its top commanders in an airstrike on Beirut last month.

Further escalation in the Middle East must be avoided at all costs. In my call with Israeli Minister @AmbDermer I reiterated the UKs support for Israels security, the importance of restraint, the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the release of all hostages.  David Lammy (@DavidLammy) August 25, 2024

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Mr Lammy said he had spoken to Israeli minister for strategic affairs Ron Dermer and reiterated the UKs support for Israels security, the importance of restraint, the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the release of all hostages.

He said: Further escalation in the Middle East must be avoided at all costs.

Mr Lammy later spoke to Lebanese prime minister Najib Mikati to express my deep concerns over todays events and stress the need for restraint from all sides.

Since becoming Foreign Secretary in July, Mr Lammy has been heavily involved in Western diplomatic efforts to secure an end to the conflict between Israel and Hamas, paying a number of visits to the region.

Last week, he visited Israel alongside his French counterpart Stephane Sejourne, with the pair saying the spiral of escalating reprisals must end.

A damaged house is seen following an attack from Lebanon, in Acre, north Israel on Sunday (Ariel Schalit/AP)

Earlier on Sunday, Cabinet minister Pat McFadden had warned a regional war was a real danger if the situation continued to escalate.

Defence Secretary John Healey said he had also spoken to his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Gallant, and underlined UK support for Israels security and the importance of agreeing a ceasefire in Gaza.

He added: We discussed our shared concern to avoid escalation and wider regional conflict.

Sundays outbreak of hostilities came as Egypt is hosting another round of talks aimed at securing an end to the conflict in Gaza, where Israel has been fighting militants Hamas since the latters attack on October 7.

Both Hamas and Hezbollah are backed by Iran, with the Lebanese group also carrying out regular attacks on Israel since October.

Reports from the region suggest there have been no further strikes following the initial exchange of fire early on Sunday, but the situation remains tense.

British Airways and Wizz Air have cancelled flights to Tel Aviv in response to the strikes and Virgin Atlantic has delayed the resumption of flights to Israel following a security and safety assessment.

British Airways flights are not set to resume until Thursday at the earliest while a Virgin Atlantic spokesman said the airline will not resume daily flights until at least September 25.
mannequins at Marks & Spencer

Marks & Spencer is considering opening a range of clothing-only boutiques as soaring demand for its lingerie and cashmere jumpers help reverse years of decline in its fashion sales.

The retailer will open a standalone clothing boutique in Londons Battersea Power Station later this year as a trial ahead of potential further openings.

M&S clothing business is undergoing a resurgence as executives target younger customers after years of seeking to attract older shoppers. The companys clothing sales have now risen for three consecutive years and it enjoys a 10pc market share in Britain.

M&S said the Battersea store would be a trial of a new format with a curated best of range of menswear and womenswear, such as its upmarket Autograph line, as well as lingerie.

Click here to view this content.

If successful, it could open more clothing and beauty stores as part of chief executive Stuart Machins store rotation plan  in which the company closes or moves underperforming stores and opens new branches.

M&S has opened clothing-only stores where constraints such as size prevented it from selling food in the same location. It also has a number of outlet stores selling discounted clothes going out of season.

The company described the new stores opening in the autumn, which will simply be called Marks & Spencer, as a new, smaller format.

M&S has operated food-only stores since 1987. For much of the last decade, its clothing business had been in long-term decline.

However, its fashion sales have boomed in recent years with M&S successfully appealing to Gen Z shoppers and promoting clothing lines with social media influencers.

In May, the company said that under-30s accounted for a third of its underwear sales, double the level a year earlier. In total, it sold 20m bras last year and 60m pairs of knickers.

In its last set of annual results, M&S said it had ended the financial year in the strongest financial health since 1997.

But its food division continues to grow more quickly. Food sales rose by 13pc last year, compared to 5.3pc for clothing and home. And the divisions operating profit was close to overtaking the clothing business.

M&S shares are up more than 50pc in the last year and are trading at their highest level since 2017.
Serie A side Napoli have reached an agreement in principle with Manchester United over a 30million euros (25.4m) deal for midfielder Scott McTominay, the PA news agency understands.

However, it is understood the prospective move depends on the Scotland internationals willingness to leave Old Trafford, and that there is significant ground still to cover.

McTominays departure would create leeway for United to bring in another midfielder, with Paris St Germains Manuel Ugarte firmly in their sights, and the Premier Leagues profitability and sustainability rules a significant factor.

Paris St Germains Manuel Ugarte is a target for Manchester United (Owen Humphreys/PA)

The Scot has been used as a substitute in all three of Uniteds games to date this season, but made 43 appearances during the last campaign including a start in the 2-1 FA Cup final victory over Manchester City in May.

Academy graduate McTominay, who arrived at United in 2012 and made his senior debut against Arsenal five years later, signed a five-year contract with the option of a further 12 months in June 2020.

He has also been a target for Fulham this summer and has been linked with Turkish outfits Galatasaray and Fenerbahce.

Manager Erik ten Hag remains hopeful of strengthening his squad further during what remains of the summer transfer window following the arrivals of Joshua Zirkzee, Leny Yoro, Noussair Mazraoui and Matthijs de Ligt.
Mpox vaccines donated by the US are due to arrive in Africa as the continent faces an outbreak of a deadly new variant of the virus. Photograph: Arlette Bashizi/Reuters

Africas first batch of mpox vaccines will this week finally reach the continent, weeks after they have been made available in other parts of the world.

The 10,000 shots, donated by the US, will be used to tackle a dangerous new variant of the virus, formerly known as monkeypox, after a 2022 outbreak triggered global alarm.

Vaccines have already been made available in more than 70 countries outside Africa, and the failure to provide the continent with anti-mpox shots until now displays worrying problems in the way international agencies deal with global health emergencies, medical officials and scientists warned last week.

They say that it took the World Health Organization (WHO) until this month to officially start the process needed to give African countries easy access to large quantities of vaccines via international agencies  despite the fact that the disease has afflicted people there for decades. That process could have begun years ago, they told Reuters.

Mpox is a potentially deadly infection that causes flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions, and spreads through close physical contact. It was declared a global health emergency by the WHO on 14 August after the new variant, known as clade Ib, began to spread from the Democratic Republic of the Congo into neighbouring African countries.

The long wait for WHO approval for international agencies to buy and distribute the vaccines has forced individual African governments and the continents public health agency  the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC)  to instead request donations of shots from rich countries.

That cumbersome process can collapse  as it has before  if donor nations feel they should keep the vaccines to protect their own populations.

Helen Rees, a member of the Africa CDCs mpox emergency committee, and executive director of the Wits RHI Research Institute in Johannesburg, South Africa, said to Reuters it was really outrageous that, after Africa struggled to access vaccines in the Covid pandemic, the continent had once again been left behind.

Related: African health officials call for solidarity not travel bans over mpox outbreak

The Africa CDC has said that 10m doses may be needed across the continent to cope with the outbreak.

But the WHO asked vaccine manufacturers only this month to submit the information needed for the mpox shots to receive an emergency licence  the WHOs accelerated approval for medical products. It urged countries to donate shots until the process was completed in September.

For its part, according to the New York Times, the WHO said it did not have the data it required to do a full review for approval of the vaccine, and an emergency licence process can be carried out only after a public health emergency of international concern has been declared.
Pavel Durov's detention has come under attack by the Kremlin and by Elon Musk - Facebook

The Kremlin has accused France of free speech double standards after it arrested the Russian billionaire founder of the Telegram media app.

French anti-fraud officers arrested Pavel Durov on Saturday night after he flew into Pariss Bourget Airport from Azerbaijan on his private jet.

No official reason has been given for his arrest although French media said it was linked to Telegram, the unfiltered and predominantly Russian-language social messaging platform used as the main conduit for news and videos on the war in Ukraine.

Although Mr Durov was forced to flee Russia 10 years ago after refusing to hand over data on pro-Ukraine protesters to the FSB security services, the Kremlin still accused France of double standards towards Telegram content and freedom of speech.

Do you think this time they will appeal to Paris and demand Durovs release, or will they swallow their tongues? said Maria Zakharova, the Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman.

French television channels TF1 and BFM quoted sources saying that the investigation was focused on a lack of moderators on Telegram that allowed criminal activity.

Neither Mr Durov nor Telegram have commented.

The reason for Pavel Durov's visit to Azerbaijan, which was also visited by Vladimir Putin this week, was unclear

Telegrams corporate website says free speech is at the core of its mission and that it has played a prominent role in pro-democracy movements around the world, including in Iran, Russia, Belarus, Myanmar and Hong Kong.

It is unclear why Mr Durov had been visiting Azerbaijan. Vladimir Putin also visited the country for a meeting with Ilham Aliyev, its president, this week. Mr Durov has previously denied that he retains any links to the Kremlin.

Telegram has around one billion registered users and is ranked as one of the biggest social media platforms after Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok and WeChat. It is particularly influential in the Russian-speaking world.

Kremlin propagandists and Western free speech advocates lined up to criticise Mr Durovs arrest.

Russian army troops actively use Telegram in battles, said Sergey Markov, a former Kremlin speech writer. Therefore, Durovs arrest is possibly an attempt by the French and Nato special services to establish control over the Russian armys communications and control system in the North-East Military District.

Elon Musk, owner of the X social media platform, used the hashtag #FreePavel to retweet posts criticising the arrest and said that Europe was becoming a continent of authoritarian states.

Its 2030 in Europe and youre being executed for liking a meme, he wrote.

Refused to comply with Kremlin

Mr Durov, 39, is part of a generation of Russian tech wizards who helped turn Moscow into an IT hotspot to rival Silicon Valley.

He set up Telegram in 2013 with his brother but left Russia a year later after refusing to comply with a Kremlin order to hand over data on opposition groups on VKontakte, a social media website modelled on Facebook that Mr Durov also founded.

After leaving Russia, Mr Durov sold VKontakte, which has become a Kremlin-monitored social media network.

Since then Mr Durov has lived in Dubai. He also has citizenship of France and St Kitts and Nevis, a tax haven often used by wealthy Russians to shift money.

On Telegram, Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy head of Russias Security Council, said Mr Durov wanted to be a brilliant man of the world but had miscalculated by leaving Russia and trusting the West.

For all our common enemies now, he is Russian and therefore unpredictable and dangerous, he said. Durov should finally realise that one cannot choose ones fatherland.

Mr Durov, whose fortune is estimated at 11.8 billion, is a vocal proponent of free speech and tech innovation and had praised Mr Musks controversial 2022 takeover of Twitter, rebranded as X.

In an interview with the American broadcaster Tucker Carlson in April, Mr Durov said that he has come under pressure from various governments to reign in Telegrams unwieldy content but that this went against his instincts and he prefers a hands-off approach to moderating.

I would rather be free than take orders from anyone, he said, although he has previously bowed to pressure to take Islamic State and far-Right content off Telegram.

Graphic videos of missile strikes

Telegram is renowned for its unfiltered content, including graphic videos of missile strikes and gun battles from the war in Ukraine that would be banned from mainstream media as being too gory.

It is also one of the only accessible channels for Russians to access information and news relatively free from the heavily censored and slanted propaganda broadcasts pumped out by Kremlin-controlled mainstream media.

Analysts have described Telegram as a virtual propaganda battleground between Ukraine and Russia. The Kremlin, Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, and various other high-profile Russians and Ukrainians regularly broadcast through the app.

According to the BakuPost website, Mr Durov flew to Baku from Kazakhstan on Aug 17 for meetings with businessmen.

Putin arrived in Baku the following day for his first visit to Azerbaijan since 2018 for meetings with President Ilham Aliyev. Observers speculated that Putin may also have met with Mr Durov.

Sergey Markov, a former Kremlin scriptwriter, said last Monday that Putin and Mr Durov may have an accidental meeting. The Baza Telegram channel, which is linked to Russian security forces, wrote last Tuesday that Putin had refused a meeting with Mr Durov. The reason is not clear, it said.
The European Parliament hemicycle is a good example of enlightened debate, suggests a Green MP - Emmanuel Dunand/AFP/Gett

Parliament needs European Union-style semi-circle to foster cooperation between politicians, says a Green MP.

Ellie Chowns, the newly-elected MP for North Herefordshire, said the refurbishment of Parliament offered a chance to rethink its confrontational design where MPs from the Government and the opposition parties face each other across the Chamber.

Such a change to what is known as a hemicycle shape would reflect the design of debating chambers in most of Europe  and the EU  as well as Congress in the US and Scottish and Welsh parliaments.

Some Westminster-system countries outside the UK, such as India, New Zealand and Australia, have confrontational benches, but the end segment is curved to create a partial hemicycle.

Speaking to the PoliticsHome website, Ms Chowns said the change could also be allied to a restructuring to increase the size of the parliamentary chamber by knocking down the voting lobbies.

She called for electronic voting to replace in-person voting to improve efficiency.

The Chamber with one side facing another leads to more confrontational debates, it is claimed

Theres so many aspects of procedure and so forth that really limit productivity. You would never get away with it in business or in the charity sector, she said.

Weve also got the whole business of having to decant [the Palace of Westminster for the restoration and renewal programme].

I think thats a real opportunity to perhaps think about how things could be physically reorganised.

Id love to see a hemicycle in Parliament. Weve got this chamber that istwo swords width apart, and theres far too little seating for the number of people that need to be there.

Lets take the opportunity to get rid of those walls [and] get rid of those voting lobbies. Im sure it can be done [while retaining] a lot of the heritage.

A former MEP, she said her experience in the EU Parliament had fuelled her belief Britain needed to move away from its adversarial style of politics.

She hoped a new influx of MPs, who were not institutionalised to seeing other MPs as opponents, could enable them to work together on issues such as social care and climate change.

Ellie Chowns, the Green Party MP for North Herefordshire, reckons the Chamber should be redesigned into a hemicircle - Belinda Jiao

Winston Churchills famously observed in 1943 that we shape our buildings and then our buildings shape us as he introduced a speech in which he linked the oblong chamber to the distinctiveness of British politics.

The fact that the Government and the opposition were seated facing one another, rather than along a semi-circular spectrum, he felt, tightened party discipline and clarified party lines. Crossing the floor was much more difficult than sliding along a place or two in order to shift your allegiance, he said.

For a similar reason, he said the set up inhibited the creation of coalitions, as was in his view all too common on the Continent.

Too often the hemicycle encouraged attention to be focused on a single speaker, addressing the chamber from a central platform, rather than exchanges that took place at Westminster.

The result, he argued, was the tedious drone of those who liked the sound of their own voice.

The Westminster chamber is based on the arrangement of the chapel which it occupied after 1547.

Designer William Kent included elliptical and circular shapes in his proposals for a redesign of the Palace of Westminster in the 1730s.

They were never realised. And when an alternative hemicycle was adopted in the 1790s for the revolutionary French National Assembly and the US Congress followed it, British politicians support for their own shape became even more defined and passionate.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper

Just before the House of Commons rose for its summer recess, Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary made an extraordinary claim. By cancelling a Conservative policy on asylum, she said, she was able to save the taxpayer 7 billion with a single stroke of her pen.

In the Illegal Migration Act of 2023, the Tories introduced a Duty to Remove, preventing ministers from granting asylum to those who had come to Britain illegally, and requiring the Home Office to deport the migrants to their home country or Rwanda. The Duty was made retrospective, and applied to anybody who had arrived from March last year.

Having declared the Rwanda scheme dead, Cooper published a new regulation that ended the retrospective element of the Duty, and which leaves it yet to be enacted for future cases. Her central claim  that doing so would save 700 million per year for a decade  was clearly ridiculous, and word soon reached me that Home Office officials were aghast.

I sought a copy of her departments impact assessment, and wrote to the permanent secretary. I asked Sir Matthew Rycroft whether he endorsed the numbers the Home Secretary had presented to Parliament, and  in a Yes, Minister kind of way, because Cooper had put him in a difficult position  he declined to do so. I asked if any dissent had been lodged by his officials and statisticians, and he refused to comment. I asked if the methodology or the resulting calculations had changed at any point  and if ministers and special advisers had had any role in making such changes  and received no answer.

Quite clearly, the numbers were the result of what might be called the Rachel Reeves Method. They were a work of political fiction  invented by ministers to justify their policy of simply granting asylum to the vast majority of migrants crossing the Channel. So instead of addressing my questions, Sir Matthew pointed me to the Home Office impact assessment, which I already knew raised more questions about the policy than answers.

For the impact assessment reveals not only the caveats excluded by the Home Secretary in her statement to Parliament and the absurd selectivity of the numbers that went into the calculation, it also exposes the reality of Labours plan for the surge in asylum applications. They will deal with the huge numbers of claims by accepting them, and deal with the costs by hiding the numbers from the public in the welfare system.

The Home Office admits that 63,053 illegal immigrants previously due to be deported will now have their asylum claims heard instead, and up to 70 per cent  44,137 people  are predicted to be successful. But the department also admits that for those refused asylum the scale and timing of removals is highly uncertain and that the Home Office may continue to support a number of failed claimants.

These figures are just the beginning, because they apply only to a specific, recent cohort of migrants. With the Duty to Remove unlikely to be implemented by Labour, the Home Office admits its new policy is expected to increase the number of asylum claims which consequently increases  costs. Instead of facing deportation, hundreds of thousands more migrants will have their asylum claims considered, and one way or the other the vast majority will stay here for good.

Of course, the impact assessment does not put a number on these costs. But it is clear that the policy goal is to shift migrants from the Home Office budget, where the costs are published clearly, and into the welfare and local authority budgets, where they are not. Any asylum seekers who are granted asylum will have full access to the welfare system, the paper admits, and local authorities incur costs. So lacking in transparency is this approach that the Home Office has not been able to establish a generally useable figure.

Unfortunately, the British state is reluctant to try to understand the fiscal costs and benefits of different profiles of migrant. While other European governments are putting more resources into researching the contributions and costs of migrants  by nationality, visa route and so on  we are doing the opposite. HMRC has discontinued data on income tax paid and tax credits and child benefit claimed by nationality. The Department for Work and Pensions has stopped publishing data on benefits claims by nationality. The Government does not publish the immigration status of prisoners.

But studies from Europe mean we can be sure that the migrants crossing the Channel will on average be net lifetime recipients of public funding, not contributors. In a Danish government study, immigrants from the Middle East, North Africa, Pakistan and Turkey were shown to cost 85,000 kroner (9,648) each per year. A study at the University of Amsterdam calculated, over a lifetime, the average asylum migrant costs the Dutch public a total of 475,000, or 403,390.

On that basis, for the 44,137 migrants the Government says will likely win asylum, the lifetime cost of Labours new policy is 17.8 billion. But in reality, with hundreds of thousands more claiming asylum in the next four to five years, the final cost of Labours policy will be many multiples more expensive.

And yet Yvette Cooper thought she could get away with the numbers she presented to MPs about the Conservative policy she inherited. Thanks to her permanent secretarys letter and the impact assessment, we know her calculation double counted costs: including on the one hand expenses for implementing Rwanda while on the other assuming Rwanda would never be implemented. It assumed not a single migrant would be deported under Tory policy, and migrants would have remained in publicly funded accommodation for ten years. And from welfare bills to housing policy, it excluded costs from the Labour policy which it said are significant and could undermine  this impact assessment.

On the economy, Rachel Reeves is misrepresenting her inheritance and producing bogus statistics to justify tax rises she had always planned. Now we know Yvette Cooper is doing the same thing with asylum. The result will be more immigration and vastly higher costs  and we will all pay the price.
An F-35 on the deck of HMS Prince of Wales - LPhot Finn Stainer- Hutchins/MoD/PA

The Ministry of Defence has been urged not to scrap Britains F-35 programme as the Government seeks to plug a multibillion-pound black hole.

This week Sir Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, will warn things will get worse before we get better as Labour finalises how to fix the 22 billion gap in public finances it claims was handed to them by the Conservatives.

Defence sources told The Telegraph there were growing concerns that the MoD could look to scale back how many F-35Bs it purchases, as it was already struggling to find the funds for the original number it had pledged to buy.

Lord Dannatt, the former head of the Army, warned: Given the huge investment already made in the Carrier Strike Group programme it would be madness not to further invest and make sure we have enough aircraft with the right capability, otherwise the whole programme could look like a white elephant.

The MoD had originally planned to buy 138 of the fifth generation fighter jets, but has only placed a firm order for 48 planes for delivery by 2025. Of this, it has received 34.

Earlier in 2024, the Tories confirmed they were negotiating to buy another 27 for delivery by 2033. Government sources insisted the MoD was still committed to the programme.

The next Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA) Report, the Governments yearly report on major projects, is expected to give a higher number of red ratings to large-scale MoD projects than the previous year. A red rating indicates that a successful delivery of the project is considered unachievable.

Seven projects are expected to have their delivery dates pushed back by more than a year.

The last IPA report for 2022-2023 gave the F-35B Lightning Programme an amber rating, suggesting a successful delivery was feasible but noted significant issues already exist, requiring management attention.

This rating was an improvement on the red rating it received the year before.

Spear Cap 3, a missile system which will deliver the principal air-to-ground weapon for the F-35 fleet and is critical to the aircrafts attack and control of its capabilities in contested environments, was also given a red rating in the last report.

The Ministry of Defence had originally planned to buy 138 of the fifth generation fighter jets - AS1 Natalie Adams/RAF

Lord Dannatt said it would be madness not to further invest in the aircraft - David Rose/The Telegraph

Other red ratings for the same period included the tactical strike weapon Brimstone 3, the Core Production Capability, which delivers safe nuclear reactor cores to meet the Royal Navys submarine programme and Global Combat Air Programme.

A Whitehall source added that they would not be surprised if the medium helicopter programme and armoured cavalry, which includes Ajax, received the red rating in the new report.

The F-35 fighter jets, which each cost about 90 million, have been beset by repeated delays and cost overruns. The MoD has long been evasive about how many Britain will ultimately buy.

Sir Keir has refused to guarantee the future of Tempest, the next-generation stealth-fighter programme.

As defence secretary, Sir Ben Wallace raised concerns about the F-35s, saying that the costs of the fleet were unacceptably high.

MoD sources told The Telegraph there would be no official comment on the F-35s until after the Strategic Defence Review was complete.

Work on the F-35s first began in the 1980s. It has an estimated lifetime costs of $2 trillion (1.6 trillion) in the US through to 2088, according to the Pentagon.
Shona Robison, the Deputy First Minister, said more cost-cutting measures were needed - Andrew Milligan/PA

SNP ministers have stripped 5 million from a scheme that aims to boost nature in Scotland to fund the cost of council pay awards.

The Scottish Government has written to councils ordering them to divert the nature restoration fund money towards the pay settlements. The fund is used to pay for local projects, from tree planting to restoring waterways.

It is estimated that one in nine species in Scotland is under threat of extinction because of long-term habitat loss and ministers have said restoring biodiversity is crucial to tackling the climate crisis.

But councils have called for SNP ministers to provide extra money to fund a pay deal with thousands of staff, who have threatened strike action.

Shona Robison, the SNP Finance Secretary, warned last week that she was working on government spending cuts in a very challenging environment.

She said more cost-cutting measures were needed following the Treasurys review of public finances and uncertainty over how pay review body recommendations will be funded.

Shelved plans for mini embassy

Ms Robison has already imposed a recruitment freeze on all but essential posts and followed the Chancellor by introducing means testing for pensioners winter fuel payments.

It also emerged at the weekend that SNP ministers have shelved plans to open a mini embassy in the Polish capital Warsaw as part of their spending cutbacks.

But Rachael Hamilton, the Scottish Tories shadow rural affairs secretary, urged them to restore the nature funding and find the money for the council pay deals elsewhere.

She said: Scotland has so many species which are at risk of habitat destruction. So its alarming that the SNP would defund biodiversity conservation to plug other holes they have created in their own spending.

Councils and Nature Scot will be left with nothing to spend on preserving our beautiful natural environment for future generations.

Anne McCall, director of RSPB Scotland, told BBC Scotland: This is desperately bad news. Recently published analysis has shown that funding for nature needs to increase, not be cut.

Scotland is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world, coming 28th from the bottom of 240, and this trend is continuing.

3.6 per cent increase for all workers

Trade unions have suspended strike action for staff in 26 of Scotlands 32 councils to consider a new pay offer.

This would would see a 3.6 per cent increase for all workers with a rise of 1,292 for the lowest paid, equivalent to 5.6 per cent.

The Scottish Government said it was taking on significant additional financial pressure to fund the local government pay offer, and the Finance Secretary has been clear that painful choices have had to be made.

A spokesman said: Protecting and restoring our natural environment is key to addressing the twin crises of nature loss and climate change, and nearly 40 million has already been distributed through the Nature Restoration Fund since 2021.

The Herald on Sunday reported that plans to extend the Scottish Governments network of mini embassies around Europe had been curtailed.

Nicola Sturgeons now defunct coalition deal with the Scottish Greens had pledged to open new offices in Copenhagen and Warsaw to promote Scotland abroad after Brexit.

Ms Sturgeon opened the Scottish Governments international office in Copenhagen in August 2022. This brought the number to nine, including the networks London headquarters, despite foreign affairs being reserved to Westminster.

A spokesman said: Our plans to open an office in Warsaw will be considered as part of the wider review of government spending.

It is necessary to ensure resources are used economically, efficiently and effectively and high levels of scrutiny are applied to expenditure.
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Venetia Stanley had secret trysts with Herbert Asquith in his prime ministerial car, an author says - Chroma Collection/Alamy

Herbert Asquith had passionate weekly trysts with his mistress socialite in the back of his official prime ministerial car, author Robert Harris has claimed.

The risky affair of the Liberal prime minister (1908-16) with aristocrat Venetia Stanley  who was 35 years his junior  contributed to a series of military and political crises at the onset of the First World War.

Piecing together information from Asquiths letters to Stanley while doing research for his new book, Precipice, Harris found the married father of seven was smitten with his young mistress.

He also discovered that Asquith shared state secrets during their trysts, with copies of classified documents later handed over to police after being discarded from his car.

Herbert Asquith leaves No 10 to go for a ride in the prime ministerial car - Chronicle/Alamy

The major breach of protocol was revealed by Asquiths prolific letter writing.

During the height of their affair, he was writing to Stanley three times a day and organised Friday afternoon drives in the sealed compartment of his state car, a 1908 Napier.

It has always been suggested this was more of a fantasy relationship than a real love affair, Harris told The Observer newspaper.

But there are paragraphs left out of his published letters to her that indicated it was much more.

He wrote notes to Venetia, then in her late 20s, during crucial Cabinet meetings and clearly sought her advice, as well as sending her love poetry  lines from Tennyson and Browning.

Herbert Asquith with his second wife Margot Tennant, above, as he takes his seat in the House of Lords for the first time in 1925. Below, the couple in 1920

Herbert Asquith with Margot in 1920

Harriss new book claims the relationship was physical.

Speaking to The Sunday Times about the prime ministerial car, he pointed out there was a fixed glass screen between the driver and the passengers, with a curtain. Blinds on all the other windows. You communicate with the driver by console  Its a bedroom on wheels. No wonder they went driving around for an hour and a half, seemingly aimlessly.

The book claims Asquith breached major protocol by sharing vital military secrets and coded documents with his mistress  and failed to recall important information about army ammunition supplies because Stanley was in possession of the key briefing document.

Asquith in 1911. He was said to have been smitten with his young mistress - PA/Alamy

I became fascinated by this aspect of Asquiths story, Harris told The Observer.

We can account for so much of his time in the run-up to the First World War, but this enabled me to tell the story day-by-day through the 560 letters Venetia kept.

A 1964 biography of the former prime minister by Roy Jenkins downplayed his affair with Stanley, with Asquiths former wife Margot and daughter Violet playing down her temptress qualities, describing her as plain.

Anna Mathias, Stanleys granddaughter, told The Observer she was completely delighted by Harriss work.
Hezbollah has said it hit 11 Israeli military sites, fired more than 320 rockets and sent drones flying into northern Israel on Sunday as part of the first phase of its response to Israels killing of the movements top commander in a strike on Beirut last month. The Iran-backed group had vowed a significant response to the targeted killing of Fuad Shukr, raising fears that months of tit-for-tat strikes could escalate into an all-out war.

Related: Israel launches pre-emptive strikes on Lebanon ahead of huge Hezbollah drone and rocket attack

Early on Sunday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it had launched strikes inside Lebanon after assessing that Hezbollah was preparing to fire rockets and missiles towards Israel. Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, the top Israeli military spokesperson, said 100 warplanes struck more than 40 Hezbollah launch areas, eliminating thousands of rocket launcher barrels aimed for immediate fire towards Israel.

A person was killed in an Israeli drone strike on a car in the town of Khiam in south Lebanon on Sunday morning, while at least four others were reported as injured in separate strikes, a medical source told the Guardian.

Israels defence minister, Yoav Gallant, declared a state of emergency for the next 48 hours, a declaration which gives the IDF powers to issue restrictions on civilian movement. The Israeli security met at 7am local time with the full cabinet due to meet on Sunday afternoon.

The prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said Israel would take all measures necessary to defend itself and that it would harm whoever harms us. He said Israels strikes on Sunday are not the end of the story in its military campaign against Hezbollah. Foreign minister Israel Katz has said Israel will respond to developments on the ground but does not seek a full-scale war.

Yemens Iran-backed Houthi rebels praised attacks by Hezbollah on Israel and renewed threats to launch their own assault in response to Israeli strikes on a port in Yemen last month.

Gallant spoke to his US counterpart, Lloyd Austin, about the airstrikes on Lebanon, assuring the defence secretary they were defensive in nature.

US National Security Council spokesperson Sean Savett said President Biden is closely monitoring events in Israel and Lebanon. At his direction, senior US officials have been communicating continuously with their Israeli counterparts, Savett said. We will keep supporting Israels right to defend itself, and we will keep working for regional stability.

Hezbollah said it targeted an identified special military target as well as Israels Iron Dome platforms and other sites but that the full response would take some time, Reuters reported. Hezbollah said its attack involved more than 320 Katyusha rockets aimed at multiple sites in Israel and a large number of drones.

It later announced the military operation was completed for the day. The Lebanese group denied that Israels pre-emptive strikes, launched just before its own attack, affected its own operation. The enemys claims about the pre-emptive action it carried out, the targets it struck and its disruption of the resistances [Hezbollahs] attack, are empty, Hezbollahs statement read. It added that all drones were launched as scheduled towards the desired targets.

Flights to and from Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv were temporarily suspended, and Israels cabinet was to meet at 7am (4am GMT), Israeli media reported. Air raid sirens were reported throughout northern Israel. Jordans flag carrier Royal Jordanian suspended flights to Beirut on Sunday due to the current situation, the state news agency reported, without clarifying the exact timeframe for the suspension. Air France cancelled its flights to Tel Aviv and Beirut until Monday at least.

The attacks came as Egypt hosts a new round of talks aimed at ending Israels war with Hamas, now in its 11th month. Egypts president, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, warned Americas top general, CQ Brown, who is chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, of the dangers of a major conflict in Lebanon.
Smoke billows from the site of an Israeli airstrike on Zibqin in southern Lebanon on Sunday, amid escalating cross-border tensions. Photograph: Kawnat Haju/AFP/Getty Images

If Israel and Hezbollah wanted an all-out war it would have happened a long time ago. Each side would welcome the destruction of the other, but the time has not been right so far for either of them to plunge into a full-scale conflict.

The intense exchange of hostilities across the Israel-Lebanese border on Sunday morning once more took the parties to brink of such a war, but once again they paused and pulled back.

In terms of munitions expended, it was the biggest engagement for many months. Israel put 100 jet fighters in the air, which conducted sorties over seven hours and struck more than 40 sites with missiles, but killed only three people , according to the count as of Sunday evening.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) were clearly taking far more care over civilian casualties in Lebanon than they have in Gaza. While Israel insists it will fight until Hamas is completely obliterated, its foreign minister, Israel Katz, stressed on Sunday his government had no interest in such an existential fight with Hezbollah.

According to its own version of events, Hezbollah launched 320 rockets and a large number of drones on Sunday morning, but caused only a small handful of injuries. The only Israeli fatality was caused by debris from an interceptor missile. The Lebanese Shia militia claimed nonetheless to have achieved its aims, to avenge a commander killed by Israel last month. Its spokesperson stretched credulity by claiming its plans had not been affected in any way by the earlier Israeli airstrikes, but the aim of the message was clear, to draw a line under the days hostilities and reduce pressure on Hezbollah to keep the battle going.

Both sides have compelling reasons not to go to war now. Israel does not have the stamina for another front while it has not yet managed to eliminate Hamas completely in Gaza and with the West Bank being driven to the brink of a wider explosion of violence by hardline settlers and their backers inside the Israeli state.

IDF commanders are also aware that a war with Hezbollah could not be won without a ground invasion, which would have a heavy cost in Israeli lives. Despite recent upgrades, Israeli tanks are still considered highly vulnerable to ambush.

Benjamin Netanyahu has good reason to keep Israel in a state of conflict, as it helps fend off a reckoning with the electorate and the courts, where he faces corruption charges. The prime minister and his security cabinet may be weighing further sorties after Sundays apparent success, but that is a long way from sending young foot soldiers over the border or provoking Hezbollah missile attacks on Tel Aviv or other cities.

Related: Hamas sends delegation to Cairo peace talks but rules out direct participation

For its part, Hezbollahs leadership has assets to protect in Lebanon, political and economic, that would be devastated in a war with Israel. The groups regional patron, Iran, is clearly not ready for a conflict either and has deferred for now its own threatened response to Israels killing of the Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last month.

Hezbollah and Iran do not share the apocalyptic self-destructive impulses of Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas commander in Gaza, who launched his surprise 7 October attack on Israel based on the mistaken assumption his allies in Beirut and Tehran would join the battle.

Just because neither Israel nor Hezbollah wants all-out war now, does not mean it is not going to happen, however. Both sides are using very crude tools  high explosives mainly  to send each other messages, and the room for miscalculation is always high.

The IDF was reportedly on the brink of going to war in Lebanon immediately after 7 October, on the strength of faulty intelligence suggesting that Hezbollah was involved in the attack and its fighters were about to pour over the northern border.

The potential for unintended consequences was also high on Sunday. If the IDF account of events was accurate, its warplanes blew up dozens of launch sites and thwarted planned Hezbollah strikes against strategic targets in central Israel. If one of those strikes had caused substantial casualties, the political pressure on the Netanyahu government to clear Hezbollah out of southern Lebanon could easily have become irresistible.

The room for error is likely to be greatest when each of the parties try to guess the others internal political dynamics. For example, when Israel killed the Hezbollah commander, Fuad Shukr in an airstrike on south Beirut last month, there was no way of knowing how many rockets or missiles Hezbollah would deem sufficient to avenge him, or where they should be aimed. If Netanyahu extends the bombing campaign, he runs the risk of triggering Iranian involvement in support of its proxy.

Similarly, while driving more than 80,000 Israelis from their homes with its cross-border bombardment, Hezbollah could not possibly gauge the political pressure it would put on the Netanyahu coalition to take over southern Lebanon so that the displaced residents could return.

In the midst of this mutual recklessness, the US is desperately trying to mitigate the risk. The Biden administrations principal aim since 7 October  and principal achievement, US officials argue  has been to prevent the Gaza war becoming a regional conflagration.

Washington has urged restraint on its friends, while moving its forces into the region to deter its enemies. The central strategy  or the essential hope at least  is that a hostages-for-peace agreement in Gaza would also defuse the worsening confrontation on Israels northern border.

Talks continue this week and American briefers still insist, despite evidence to the contrary from recent experience, that a deal is within reach. But there are serious doubts over whether Netanyahu or Sinwar really want an end to the fighting. War can break out without both sides wanting it, but the same cannot be said about peace.
Israel has carried out airstrikes in Lebanon in what it described as a pre-emptive action before a planned large-scale Hezbollah attack, and Hezbollah launched a drone and rocket salvo against northern Israel, in a significant escalation of a simmering cross-border conflict.

Two Hezbollah fighters and a militant from an allied group were killed in the strikes on Lebanon. An Israeli navy officer was killed and two other service members injured on a patrol boat off the coast of northern Israel that was hit by shrapnel from an Iron Dome interceptor missile, Israeli media reported.

The Iranian-backed Lebanese Shia group said it had used drones and more than 320 rockets against 11 Israeli military sites as a first phase of its response to the death of one of its top commanders, Fuad Shukr, in an Israeli airstrike last month. It did not say when a second phase may come.

Hezbollah said it had completed its operations, which it claimed were successful, and was unaffected by the Israeli airstrikes, but a spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Nadav Shoshani, said the Hezbollah rocket and drone assault had been part of a larger attack that was planned and we were able to thwart a big part of it this morning.

Shoshani said 100 Israeli fighter jets took part in the pre-dawn strikes, which had destroyed Hezbollah missile launch tubes, some of which had been aimed towards central Israel.

Israels foreign minister, Israel Katz, insisted his country did not want a full-scale war but said it would act according to developments on the ground. Any Hezbollah missile attack on Israeli cities would be likely to trigger a massive Israeli response that would bring the prospect of an all-out war much closer.

Even without such a missile attack, Sundays hostilities between the IDF and Hezbollah were the most substantial since last October, when Hezbollah fired on northern Israeli settlements in solidarity with Hamas in Gaza. More than 80,000 Israelis were evacuated from the border area and the two sides have exchanged almost daily fire in recent weeks.

Israel said it still expected an extensive Hezbollah response and declared a 48-hour state of emergency, giving the military special powers. Sirens sounded in towns across northern Israel, Tel Aviv airport was closed for a few hours and incoming flights were diverted.

Related: Israel and Hezbollah exchange fire over killing of commander in Beirut: what we know so far

Israels prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said the leaders of Hezbollah and Iran should know that the response was another step towards changing the situation in the north and returning our residents safely to their homes and that this is not the end of the story.

The White House said the US president, Joe Biden, was monitoring events, adding that Israel had the right to self-defence but that the US would keep working for regional stability.

The airstrikes and Hezbollah rocket and drone salvo have come at a time when the US and its regional allies are holding talks with Israel and Hamas aimed at agreeing a ceasefire in Gaza.

The Biden administration hopes that a hostage-for-ceasefire deal in Gaza would calm regional tensions and make the conflict less likely to spread. The persistent failure to reach a Gaza deal, however, makes a regional war more likely as the Palestinian death toll climbs. It is already estimated at more than 40,000, while violence is spreading across the West Bank, driven by militant Israeli settlers seeking to seize Palestinian land.

Sean Savett, a spokesperson for the US national security council, said in a written statement: President Biden is closely monitoring events in Israel and Lebanon. He has been engaged with his national security team throughout the evening. At his direction, senior US officials have been communicating continuously with their Israeli counterparts.

We will keep supporting Israels right to defend itself, and we will keep working for regional stability, Savett added.

The Israeli news outlet Ynet cited reports from Lebanon saying the air force struck 40 targets.

Most of the strikes were in the valleys [away from populated areas], and besides the Syrian, we have no injuries, a source within a first responder organisation which serves south Lebanon, told the Guardian. Hezbollah fighters are known to use the heavily forested areas of south Lebanon for cover as they carry out attacks against Israel.

Netanyahu and the defence minister, Yoav Gallant, were in an underground IDF situation room in the early hours of Sunday to oversee the airstrikes, and the countrys security cabinet was due to meet at 7am, as Israel braced for the possibility of more cross-border fire.

Hezbollah will soon fire rockets, and possibly missiles and UAVs [drones], towards Israeli territory, the IDF spokesperson, Rear Adm Daniel Hagari, said.From right next to the homes of Lebanese civilians in the south of Lebanon, we can see that Hezbollah is preparing to launch an extensive attack on Israel, while endangering Lebanese civilians.

Hezbollahs ongoing aggression risks dragging the people of Lebanon, the people of Israel, and the whole region, into a wider escalation, Hagari said.

Gallant talked to his US counterpart, the defence secretary, Lloyd Austin, to update him on the unfolding situation. Minister Gallant and Secretary Austin discussed the importance of avoiding regional escalation, the Israeli defence ministry said in a statement.

The statement added that Gallant had emphasised that Israels defence establishment is determined to defend the citizens of Israel and will use all the means at its disposal to remove imminent threats.

A Pentagon account of the call said Austin had reaffirmed the United States ironclad commitment to Israels defence against any attacks by Iran and its regional partners and proxies.
Hezbollah unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) crossing from Lebanon gets intercepted by an Israeli fighter jet over an area near the Lebanon-Israel border

Has war between Israel and Hezbollah started? Will it involve Iran? In the early hours of Sunday, Israeli planes mounted simultaneous attacks on thousands of targets in Lebanon, after intelligence showed that the militia was preparing a major missile and drone assault on the Jewish state to be launched at 5am.

According to Israeli spy chiefs, Hezbollah was due to strike the Glilot base near Herzliya, an affluent town near Tel Aviv, where the headquarters of the Mossad and several military intelligence units are located. Taken by surprise by the assault from the air, the Lebanese terror group, which has rained thousands of rockets on Israel since October 8, desperately fired hundreds more projectiles over the border, causing scattered damage and injuries.

Hezbollah framed its plot as revenge for the killing of its commander Fuad Shukr  its most senior military leader, who was wanted by the Americans for decades for his part in the killing of 241 marines and 58 French soldiers in 1983  in Beirut last month. But in the cycle of call and response that dominates the region, it is impossible to trace one act of retribution to a particular source. Its turtles all the way down.

When it comes to the conflict between Israel and much of the Muslim world, the only way to judge the hostilities is by first principles. Hezbollah was set up by Iran with the single objective of destroying the Jewish state. In this it joins Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and various other bands of savages. From Jerusalems point of view, meanwhile, as Golda Meir famously remarked: They say we must be dead and we say we want to be alive. Between life and death, I dont know of a compromise. It is from these two fundamental positions that all the blood and tears have flowed.

Meir made that comment in 1973, the year of the Yom Kippur War. That conflagration, which took place exactly 50 years before October 7, was the closest Israel has come to destruction. The way both conflicts unfolded was eerily similar. Five decades ago, a combination of complacency in its military superiority, lazy thinking and intelligence failure led Jerusalem to sit back when all the warning signs were there. In the resulting war, in which Egypt invaded from the south and Lebanon and Syria from the north, Israel came within a hairs breadth of disaster, which was averted only when the Syrian army inexplicably halted its advance from the Golan Heights.

On October 7, Jerusalem was once again caught napping. In some cases, literally. Aharon Haliva, the former head of military intelligence who took responsibility for the disaster in his resignation speech this week, did not get out of bed to deal with warnings of an impending Hamas manoeuvre at 4am on October 7. Instead, the senior security leadership met with his assistant and decided to send a small IDF team to the border area. Without rousing the prime minister or defence minister, they went back to bed and agreed to pick it up at 8am. Hamas invaded at half-past six.

Despite the military effectiveness of the subsequent war in Gaza, in some ways Israel has struggled to completely shake off the sense of somnambulism that dominated its intelligence leadership during that period. The long pauses in the fighting, brought about due to pressure from Washington, have only increased the painful attrition to which Israel has been subjected. Some suggest that there were strategic mis-steps, too.

In an emergency meeting immediately after the October 7 attacks, the defence minister, Yoav Gallant, argued that the IDF should launch a surprise attack on Hezbollah  by far the greater foe  first. Hamas could be dealt with afterwards, he said. This plan was overruled by Benjamin Netanyahu, supported by the Americans. Whether this decision was right or wrong is a question for future historians; but with war in the north inching ever closer, Israeli forces find themselves combat-weary, with depleted ammunition, resources and international support. They need at least a year to rebuild. Hamas, meanwhile, has not yet been defeated, and Hezbollah and Iran have had almost a year to prepare.

This partly explains the pivot we have seen recently in Israeli strategy, which forms the background to the pre-emptive strikes last night. When it comes to Iran and Hezbollah, in recent months Jerusalem has taken the gloves off. In addition to the killing of Fuad Shukr, there was the obliteration of Mohammad Deif  the Hamas leader so elusive that by the time of his death, he had become mythical  and the audacious assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in the most secure compound in Tehran.

Now Hezbollah is feeling the might of the IDF, both in terms of intelligence and firepower. The White House may have forgotten the meaning of deterrent in enforcing global stability, but Israel does not have that luxury. If the Yom Kippur War was the unhappy template that led Israel into the valley of death, now Jerusalem appears to be drawing inspiration from another war: the one that was concluded in six days.

David Ben Gurion, Israels first prime minister, insisted that as a tiny country, the Jewish state must fight wars both at lightning speed and on the enemys territory. Both of these principles were compromised 50 years ago and have faded almost completely now, with the war in its tenth month and Israels north uninhabitable amid constant rocket fire from Hezbollah.

The Six Day War of 1967, by contrast, was the archetypal moment of Israeli military genius. Observing the buildup of enemy forces on multiple fronts, prime minister Levi Eshkol, together with the legendary defence minister Moshe Dayan and chief of staff Yitzchak Rabin, the Israeli air force launched a surprise attack, obliterating the entire Egyptian air force before it had even left the ground. The result was a stunning success that reshaped the power dynamic of the region, and even the world, forever.

Much has been learnt since then. These are even darker and more cynical times. But in the Israeli military mind, decision-making takes place within the two poles of the Yom Kippur War and the war of Six Days. Jerusalems great mistake these last ten months has been to lapse into the habits of the former. But with its recovery of the 1967 spirit, there is every chance that the strikes of the early hours on Sunday will deter Hezbollah and Iran, pushing the prospect of open warfare into the future. For now.
The site of an Israeli air strike on Zibqin in southern Lebanon on Sunday - KAWNAT HAJU/AFP

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The Israeli military struck Hezbollah targets in Lebanon on Sunday after claiming the group had been planning a large-scale attack, while the Iranian-backed group said it had sent drones and rockets into Israel.

The Israeli military said its fighter jets attacked thousands of Hezbollah rocket launchers in south Lebanon that were aimed at northern and central Israel.

Approximately 100 IAF fighter jets ... struck and destroyed thousands of Hezbollah rocket launcher barrels that were located and embedded in southern Lebanon, the military said in a statement. Most of these launchers were aimed toward northern Israel and some were aimed toward central Israel.

It said initial assessments found very little damage in Israel from Hezbollahs own operation, but that the military remained on high alert.

A Hezbollah drone crossing from Lebanon is intercepted by an Israeli fighter jet - JALAA MAREY/AFP

Hezbollah said it was responding to the killing of its top commander in a Beirut suburb last month and its attack involved more than 320 Katyusha rockets aimed at multiple sites in Israel and a large number of drones.

It said its operation had targeted a qualitative Israeli military target that will be announced later as well as enemy sites and barracks and Iron Dome [missile defence] platforms and added a full response would take some time, seen as a hint another wave would come on Monday.

Israeli Defence Forces spokesman Daniel Hagari said Hezbollah had been planning to attack Israel civilians

Israels defence minister earlier on Sunday morning declared a temporary state of emergency, calling the assault a special situation on the home front.

Hezbollah said it had completed the first phase of its retribution on Sunday and listed 11 bases, barracks, and military positions that it said it had aimed at in northern Israel and the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights. Hezbollah said this first phase would allow it to launch more attacks deeper into Israel.

It also denied Israels claims of disrupting its operation with this mornings preemptive strikes in southern Lebanon and said Hassan Nasrallah, its leader, would make a statement later today.

Israeli military Chief of General Staff Herzi Halevi, second from left, directs an operation from Tel Aviv in this partly blurred picture released on Sunday - Israel Defence Forces via Reuters

In an earlier statement, the Israeli military accused Hezbollah of preparing to fire missiles and rockets toward Israeli territory and warned that that Hezbollahs actions could lead to wider regional escalation.

Rear-Adml Daniel Hagari, the Israeli military spokesman, said: In a self-defence act to remove these threats, the [Israeli military] is striking terror targets in Lebanon, from which Hezbollah was planning to launch their attacks on Israeli civilians.

Sirens sounded in northern Israel and flights to and from Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv were suspended, though they resumed later on Sunday morning.

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Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister, convened an urgent meeting of Israels security cabinet. Mr Netanyahu said Israel would take all measures necessary to defend itself. We are determined to do everything possible to defend our country, to return the residents of the north safely to their homes and to continue to uphold a simple rule: Whoever harms us  we harm him, he said in a statement.

Lebanons state-run National News Agency said one person had been killed in a strike on a car in the town of Khiam. Lebanese media reported other strikes across the south, and footage of apparent strikes circulated on social media.

In his statement announcing the Israeli self-defence, Rear-Adml Hagari said: We can see that Hezbollah is preparing to launch an extensive attack on Israel, while endangering the Lebanese civilians.

'In a self-defense act to remove these threats, the IDF is striking terror targets in Lebanon, from which Hezbollah was planning to launch their attacks on Israeli civilians.'@IDF Spokesperson, Daniel Hagari, regarding Hezbollah's plans to attack Israel

pic.twitter.com/KEIzG0pXWA  Israel  (@Israel) August 25, 2024

He did not provide additional details on the intelligence he cited.

We warn the civilians located in the areas where Hezbollah is operating to move out of harms way immediately for their own safety, he said.

The military earlier warned Israelis to expect incoming missiles and drones launched by Hezbollah.

In an Arabic-language message addressed to the residents of southern Lebanon, the military said: We are monitoring Hezbollahs preparations to carry out large-scale attacks on Israeli territory near your homes. You are in danger. We are attacking and eliminating Hezbollah threats.

Anyone who is near areas where Hezbollah operates should leave immediately to protect themselves and their families, the message posted on Telegram continued.

In a separate statement, the military said its jets were striking targets in Lebanon that posed an imminent threat to Israelis.

Mourners carry the coffin of Hezbollah fighter Husein Mohamad Choukair, who was killed in an Israeli drone strike in southern Lebanon on Friday, past rubble from a destroyed house during his funeral on Saturday - Chris McGrath/Getty Images

Fears have been high in recent weeks that the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip could escalate into a regional conflict after an Israeli strike killed a senior Hezbollah commander and a suspected Israeli assassination operation in Iran killed Ismail Haniyeh, the then Hamas leader.

A White House national security spokesperson said Joe Biden has directed American officials to continuously communicate with Israel and that the US will keep supporting Israels right to defend itself.

The attacks came as Egypt hosts a new round of talks aimed at ending the Israel-Hamas war. Hezbollah has said it will halt the fighting if there is a ceasefire in Gaza.

The Pentagon said Lloyd Austin, the US defence secretary, spoke with his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Gallant, about Israels defences against Hezbollah. Mr Austin reaffirmed the United States ironclad commitment to Israels defence against any attacks by Iran and its regional partners and proxies, a statement said.
The Blue Bower by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, 1856

Smells are surer than sounds or sights/To make your heart-strings crack. The opening lines of Rudyard Kiplings poem Lichtenburg express (as Kipling so often does) a complicated emotional truth in deceptively simple language. The power of scent to summon long-buried memories, evoking emotion that lies too deep for words, is an insight that undergoes a perennial rediscovery.

The latest exploration of the power of smell to crack, pluck or otherwise twang the heart-strings is to be found this autumn at the Barber Institute of Fine Arts in Birmingham, where Scent and the Art of the Pre-Raphaelites opens on October 16. Here the works of the 19th-century Pre-Raphaelites  Sir John Everett Millais, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, John William Waterhouse et al, will be accompanied by a palette of appropriate smells.

The exhibition is curated by Dr Christina Bradstreet, the author of a book on Smells in Art, 1850-1914, and the scents are optional: visitors can access the sensory enrichment by pressing a button on a nearby diffuser.

Keen as they were on maidens languishing in bowers of roses and lilies, the Pre-Raphaelites lend themselves particularly well to ambient pongs, so nothing too alarming seems to be envisaged in the shows olfactory landscape. Millaiss depiction of The Blind Girl, sitting on a grassy bank beneath a double rainbow in a louring sky, shows the young woman plucking a grass stem, while her little sister and her accordion rest on her lap. The accompanying scent is of grass and damp earth, with perhaps a whiff of damp wool from the blind girls shawl, in which her sisters nose is buried.

The scented Pre-Raphaelites is only the latest in a series of shows whose ambition is to intensify the visual experience with the olfactory. At the Prado museum in Madrid, a painting by Jan Breughel and Peter Paul Rubens of Venus and Cupid amid a riot of unseasonal lilies, tulips, roses and hollyhocks was the focal point of a 2022 exhibition, The Essence of a Painting, in which no fewer than ten fragrances represented different aspects of the work.

A 2020 exhibition at the Maritshuis in the Hague took a bolder approach: its exploration of the scentscape of 17th-century art, Fleeting  Scents in Colour, ventured beyond the floral to explore smells of laundry, spices and the mephitic stink of canals. Meanwhile the New York Metropolitan Museum of Arts current show of historic costumes, Sleeping Beauties, includes whiffs of the perfumes worn by the women who once owned these fragile garments.

Art is not the only realm in which smell has provided the supporting act. There was a moment in the mid-2000s when no meal with gastronomic aspirations was complete without its accompanying waft of ozone, woodsmoke or whatever  a practice that can be traced back to the Italian Futurist Marinetti, who prescribed that Every dish must be preceded by a perfume which will be driven from the table with the help of electric fans. He only did it to annoy, a detail that seemed to escape his 21st-century followers.

Inevitably cinema, the youngest of the fine arts, tried valiantly to embrace the power of scent  but never with lasting success. Walt Disney considered (and rejected) adding smell to his 1940 masterpiece, Fantasia; the mid-20th century spawned Smell-O-Vision, Smell-O-Rama and AromaRama, but none of them survived the critics withering verdicts. (John Waters, ever the inventive maverick, accompanied his 1981 comedy, Polyester, with a scratch-n-sniff card featuring smells of roses, air freshener and flatulence).

Strangely, the real champions of smell in the arts seem to be writers, who can only ever use the feeble medium of words to summon a shadow of the ineffable power of scent. From Prousts asparagus-scented chamber-pot to Kiplings wattle and the symphonic scent organ of Aldous Huxleys Brave New World, literary smells are by far the most haunting.

But perhaps not forever: a 2014 experiment in scent messaging, the o-phone, didnt take off (its cumbersome tripartite system of app, chip and twin vented desk fixture condemned it to the tech graveyard). But never say never: it may not be long before we can make each others heart-strings crack with nostalgic scents from our past: lilies, laundry  or something funkier, but just as poignant.
Mike and Hannah Lynch lost their lives in the disaster that sank the Bayesian superyacht. Photograph: AP

The armed guard assigned to Mike Lynch while he faced fraud charges has described how close he became to the loving tech entrepreneur and his family.

Appointed by the court, Rolo Igno, said he was supposed to stay distant but that the professional relationship quickly dissolved when Lynch invited him to spend time with his family.

Lynch and six others were killed when his luxury superyacht Bayesian sank off the coast of Sicily early on Monday after it was struck by a powerful storm wind called a downburst.

Related: Mike Lynch obituary

Lynch had been celebrating his acquittal from fraud charges relating to the 8.6bn sale of his software company Autonomy to Hewlett-Packard in 2011. He was cleared in June after a trial at a federal court in San Francisco, California.

In an interview with the Press Association, Igno said he had the privilege of spending almost every waking moment with Lynch while he was in custody in San Francisco. He said the job had been unlike any other and had been life changing.

As an executive protection agent, the number one rule is simple, dont ever get close to the principal, he said. They arent your friends, theyre a client and the relationship is strictly professional. But with Mike, that didnt fly with him and for me that rule quickly dissolved.

Igno described how when he had first escorted Lynch and his daughters, Hannah and Esme, to lunch, they did not hesitate to include him.

I opened the door for them and told Mike: If you need anything at all sir, Ill be right at this table by the entrance, Igno told PA. He chuckled and in his confident way, Mike replied: No, no, no, youll be sitting with us.

When I hesitated, not wanting to disrupt their family time, he insisted, saying: Rolo, do you want me to tell my beautiful daughters that the tough and handsome security guy, who was a former marine, didnt want to sit with us because he was intimidated by them? How could I possibly say no to that?

So, I joined them, sitting at the far end of the table, feeling out of my element but gradually realising how genuine and loving they all were.

Igno said he enjoyed the job so much that he was excited to return to San Francisco after time off just to be around Mike.

He said the year he spent living with Lynch allowed me to experience first-hand his loving and caring heart, adding that the security team became less of a detail and more like a family.

Italian prosecutors announced on Saturday that they had opened a manslaughter and negligent shipwreck investigation into the deaths of seven people in the sinking of the Bayesian. Lynchs wife, Angela Bacares, was one of 15 passengers and crew rescued after the Bayesian sank.

Describing being with the family in Ravello, Italy, earlier this month, Igno said it was one of his most cherished memories, adding: Overlooking the stunning Amalfi coast, Mike came up to me and said: Rolo, I feel so much better knowing you will always have my familys back.

He was right, and Mike, if youre listening, I will always have your back. I will forever be here for Angela and Esme.

Igno added: My family will miss your masterful storytelling, and we will forever regret not seeing you do the robot dance that night, we were so close. Hannah, my family and I will miss your beautiful smile, your loving soul and your calming presence. My daughter Emma will never forget the time you two shared.

There were five others killed in the incident. The yachts chef, Recaldo Thomas, Morgan Stanley Internationals bank chair, Jonathan Bloomer, his wife Judy Bloomer, the Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda Morvillo all died in the disaster.

According to the prosecutor in charge of the case, Raffaele Cammarano, some passengers may not have been able to escape from the yacht because they were asleep.
From left: Shatha, Sara and Rahaf, three refugees from Palestine working at the Beautiful Bunch florist in Melbournes East Brunswick. Photograph: Ellen Smith/The Guardian

The sound of chatter and the smell of flowers drifts out the door of a small studio in Brunswick East in Melbourne. Inside, a world away from war-torn Gaza, five Palestinian women work arranging fresh blooms from the Thursday morning market into bunches.

Each bouquet is sold via a subscription service that directly pays their wage. Its part of a training initiative by social enterprise florist the Beautiful Bunch to help women fleeing Gaza access the Australian workforce.

Related: For Palestinian Australians, Peter Duttons comments on refugees fleeing Gaza come as no surprise | Samiha Olwan

The training program was launched in June after a long process of back and forth with community groups and people working on the ground. The aim is to support new arrivals with a sense of community, work skills development and  crucially  a wage, according to its founder, Jane Marx.

Sara, a Palestinian woman, says working at the Beautiful Bunch is a welcome relief after she arrived in Australia in January.

I was happy, it was a new thing for me [where] I am learning something new, Sara says. She arrived in Australia on a visitor visa and was able to move on to a bridging visa with work rights with the help of a local charity.

Work involves unloading the flowers, preparing stems by removing leaves and organising them in fresh water before arranging them into bouquets for the Girls from Gaza subscribers.

The response has been overwhelming  and more Palestinian women want to join the program. Mostly it is referrals from the existing women who work here putting us in touch with those within their broader network who also really need the opportunity, Marx says.

She is receiving a far greater number of subscriptions than we planned for. The service needed 22 customers a week to be sustainable. Just two months after launching, they are at over 100 subscribers.

People write in every single week. They write notes to the girls and they read all of them, Marx says. Weve had people come in and drop off things for us, little cakes and food.

Sara says: You know the circumstances that weve been through and how it was hard to get out of Gaza. The Australian people here are so kindhearted. Id really like to thank them.

It is not the only community effort being directed to support Palestinian arrivals in finding work. Foundations, including Palestine Australia Relief and Action, have sent callouts to connect employers to arrivals and local groups are holding expos to offer information on overseas qualification recognition, training pathways and work opportunities.

Australia issued 2,922 visas to people from the Palestinian territories between 7 October last year and 12 August. Of those, only 1,300 people have been able to reach Australia to date. Those who did so arrived on visitor visas  meaning they were not entitled to healthcare, income support or employment.

The chief executive of Settlement Services International, Violet Roumeliotis, says Palestinian arrivals are highly educated professionals and business owners.

Some were working in medicine and allied health, in engineering, in finance, social work.

Of the Palestinians who have arrived in Australia, 80% hold at least one educational qualification beyond primary/secondary school and 73% hold a bachelors degree or higher, according to data from the general delegation of Palestine to Australia, Aotearoa New Zealand and the Pacific.

Engineering, science and technical professionals, as well as medical and health professionals, are the most common occupational categories for arrivals. The issue for them, of course, is they have no work rights [in Australia], Roumeliotis says.

Only when an arrival has moved on to a bridging visa do they have access to work rights. But even then the process is not easy, Roumeliotis says. You have to apply, it is a case-by-case basis, so it is really inadequate.

In New South Wales, 75% of Palestinian arrivals have moved on to a bridging visa, 2% to a class C bridging visa and 23% are still on a visitor visa. This month the federal government extended entitlements to some visa-holders, granting Medicare access to people holding two subclasses of bridging visa E who have been granted work rights.

Then comes the task of finding a job. Organisations and charities, diaspora community groups and individuals have stepped up to assist in helping arrivals settle  and connecting them with work opportunities has been one of the top priorities.

Hope a career path is not lost

In Sydney, dentists Dr Ibrahim Al-Salti and Dr Muhannad Al-wehwah have been inundated with questions about where arrivals can find work asking if we know someone who is looking for a forklift driver, or someone who is looking for a labourer, Al-Salti says.

The Palestinian-Australian dentists started offering free care to Palestinian arrivals at their practice in Belmore in January. They see a lot of highly skilled people that come in from Gaza.

But due to visa issues, or skill equivalency issues, they cannot find work in their fields  or jobs at all. That takes a toll.

A lack of a stable job leads to mental health issues, a feeling of inadequacy, Al-Salti says. An inability to support ones family, having to rely on charities or the goodwill of people in the community.

He and Al-wehwah welcomed two young Palestinian women into the practice as trainee dental assistants. Batoul Hashem, 22, is one of them.

She was one week into her final year of studying dentistry at Al-Azhar university in Gaza when everything shut down, she says. All of Gazas 12 universities were damaged or destroyed in the first four months of Israels campaign after the Hamas attacks of 7 October.

Hashems brother, who has lived in Sydney for 10 years, was able to organise a three-month visitor visa for Hashem, her siblings and mother who all arrived in Australia in November. Her father was unable to get out until February.

Before fleeing, Hashem planned to finish studies at her university  in an area struck by Israel  and live and work as a dentist in Gaza. Finding training as a dental assistant in Sydney was all really a coincidence, she says.

Hashems brother visited Al-Salti and Al-wehwahs practice with a painful tooth and she joined him. It had been a long time since I last went to a dental clinic, she says. There, Hashem started speaking with Al-wehwah about missing her studies.

It was like a lightbulb moment, he says. We just thought maybe having this on her CV, when she is going for scholarships or positions, hopefully this helps.

She wakes up early to get to the office for a day of sterilising equipment, setting up chairs, preparing treatment rooms for the doctors and keeping up with patients as they come and go.

At the start the language barrier was hard. I didnt know how to deal with people, Hashem says.

Everyone is talking in English, they are really fast. It is really tiring, but it is really rewarding in the same way. It builds up my confidence to adapt to everything here.

Hashem now has a bridging visa, meaning Al-Salti and Al-wehwah can take her on as a paid dental assistant once she completes her training.

The dentists do not have external funding to support Hashems training or job  or the free dental care they offer recent Palestinian arrivals.

Whatever support we can offer in our limited capacity is going to be done, regardless of the costs to us, Al-Salti says. We are both migrants, and we also were both refugees. We saw ourselves in her.

Al-wehwah says: I wanted her to just not lose hope in her career path. Hope is important. She still has family and friends back home and her thoughts are constantly with them. Being at work, I have found over time I can see her getting happier. To us, honestly, that is as good as it gets.
The Princess of Wales was pictured at Crathie Kirk - Peter Jolly/Northpix/Peter Jolly/Northpix

The Princess of Wales joined the Royal family at Crathie Kirk in Balmoral on Sunday as she was seen at church for the first time since her cancer announcement.

The Waleses joined the King and Queen in Scotland as part of the Royal familys traditional summer holiday in the Scottish Highlands.

The Princess was pictured in a camel coat sitting in a Land Rover next to the Prince of Wales, who was behind the wheel of the car. Prince George was visible in the back seat.

The King and Queen were photographed in the back seats of a separate vehicle on their way to church.

Soldiers from Balaklava Company, 5th Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland, formed a guard of honour as the Royal family arrived.

The King and Queen attended Crathie Kirk - Peter Jolly/Northpix/Peter Jolly/Northpix

The monarch has resumed the tradition adopted by his late mother, Elizabeth II, of spending an extended amount of time in the Highlands over the summer.

The late Queen usually resided at Balmoral until the end of September or early October.

Good days and bad days

The Princess has been largely out of the public eye for most of the year as she undergoes a course of preventative chemotherapy.

However, she appeared at Trooping the Colour and Wimbledon - and collaborated with Snoop Dogg, the American rapper, for a video congratulating Team GB on their achievements following the Paris Olympics.

In June, she told of having good days and bad days, and said: On those bad days you feel weak, tired and you have to give in to your body resting.

Princess of Wales seen in a camel coat beside her husband, the Prince of Wales - PETER JOLLY

But on the good days, when you feel stronger, you want to make the most of feeling well. My treatment is ongoing and will be for a few more months.

On the days I feel well enough, it is a joy to engage with school life, spend personal time on the things that give me energy and positivity, as well as starting to do a little work from home.

Kensington Palace declined to comment.
Ryan Evans pictured in Beeri, Gaza last February. Reuters said he has helped so many of our journalists cover events around the world; we will miss him terribly. Photograph: Reuters

A British man working for the Reuters news agency has been killed in a strike on a hotel in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk, the news agency has said.

Ryan Evans, who was working as a safety adviser for the agency, was killed after a missile struck the Hotel Sapphire on Saturday where he was staying as part of a six-person team.

Two of the agencys journalists were being treated in hospital; one of them was seriously injured, it said.

We are urgently seeking more information about the attack, including by working with the authorities in Kramatorsk, and we are supporting our colleagues and their families, Reuters said.

Evans, a former British soldier, had been working with Reuters since 2022 and advised its journalists on safety around the world including in Ukraine, Israel and at the Paris Olympics. He was 38.

We send our deepest condolences and thoughts to Ryans family and loved ones. Ryan has helped so many of our journalists cover events around the world; we will miss him terribly, Reuters said.

The three other members of the Reuters team who were in the hotel at the time of the strike were accounted for and safe, the agency said.

The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said the hotel was hit by a Russian Iskander missile, a ballistic missile that can strike at distances up to 500 km (310 miles).

An ordinary city hotel was destroyed by the Russian Iskander, he said in his evening address on Sunday, adding the strike was absolutely purposeful, thought out ... my condolences to family and friends.

Russia has been bombing hotels in frontline areas for more than a year. A double-tap missile strike on the Druzhba hotel in Pokrovsk, also in the Donetsk region, killed seven people last August. Eleven were injured in a bombing of a hotel in Kharkiv in January.

In the Sumy region, four civilians were reported to have been killed and 13 injured, local police said, on a day in which Russian attacks targeted 50 different sites. The Sumy region borders Russias Kursk province, where this month Ukrainian forces launched a surprise cross-border incursion, gaining more than 480 sq miles (1,250 sq km) of territory.

Fighting is still said to be taking place around Korenevo, 15 miles inside the Russian border. Progress north and east of Sudzha, the principal settlement taken by Ukraine, has also been limited in the past week.

On Sunday night, however, Zelenskiy said Kyivs forces had advanced up to 3km (1.86 miles) in the Kursk region, taking control of two more settlements there.

Russian officials said five people were killed by Ukrainian shelling in Rakitnoye in the Belgorod region, to the south of Kursk and to the east of the incursion area. The Russian regional governor, Vyacheslav Gladkov, said 13 more were injured.

Ukraine and Russia agreed to swap 115 prisoners of war on Saturday after Kyiv had seized hundreds during the Kursk incursion. However, Zelenskiy was criticised by Denys Prokopenko, the commander of the Azov brigade, for not negotiating the return of the estimated 900 fighters from the unit still held by Russia. Precious opportunity and time have been lost, he said.

Related: Ukraine war briefing: Zelenskiy vows more retribution on Russia as he hails Kursk operation

Zelenskiy, speaking at a joint news conference with the leaders of Poland and Lithuania, said the cross-border incursion had in part been a preventive move to stop Russia taking the city of Sumy. Other objectives included capturing Russian prisoners of war, creating a buffer zone, and some that he could not disclose publicly.

The Ukrainian president also promoted his top military commander, Oleksandr Syrskyi, from the rank of colonel general to full general, in a reward for the success of the incursion, whose careful planning had the hallmarks of the chief of staff.

In Russia, Vladimir Putin held a meeting with the chief of the general staff, Valery Gerasimov. The Kremlin said they discussed countering enemy forces invading the Kursk region and measures being taken to destroy them.

The bellicose language was more marked than recent Russian statements, which have generally downplayed the significance of the incursion, describing the response as counter-terrorist.
Sir Malcolm Rifkind is one of the most senior figures in the Scottish Conservative party - Awakening/Getty Images

Sir Malcolm Rifkind has endorsed Murdo Fraser to be the next Scottish Tory leader as a poll showed the party is on course to lose more than 40 per cent of its Holyrood seats.

The former foreign secretary said he had known Mr Fraser for many years and described him as having strong leadership qualities.

Sir Malcolm, who also served as Scottish secretary, said Scotland needed a strong Tory party more than ever but warned the right leader was needed to rebuild that strength.

Murdo Fraser, right, was at a hustings in Paisley with his leadership rivals Russell Findlay and Meghan Gallacher as he won an endorsement from Sir Malcolm Rifkind - Wattie Cheung

An opinion poll for the May 2026 Holyrood election released on Sunday predicted the partys number of seats will drop dramatically, from 31 to only 18.

The Norstat survey for the Sunday Times said the Tories would be pushed back into a distant third place in the Scottish Parliament, following a decade of being the main opposition party.

Nigel Farages Reform UK party would win eight Holyrood seats, mostly at the expense of the Tories, with the SNP on 41 and Labour 40.

Mr Fraser said the poll demonstrated that the case for real change in the Scottish Tories is now unanswerable  continuity wont cut it.

National vote share halved in general election

Russell Findlay, who is viewed as the Tory establishments preferred candidate, said the poll was deeply concerning and demonstrated that the Scottish Conservatives have to get their house in order.

The Conservatives only lost one seat in Scotland in last months general election, dropping to five, but their national vote share halved to 12.7 per cent.

Douglas Ross resigned as Scottish leader in the middle of the campaign after he broke his promise not to stand again for a Westminster seat.

The contest to replace him has been marred by bitter in-fighting, following claims that he plotted to quit a year ago and install Mr Findlay as his successor.

Russell Findlay, seen as the preferred candidate of the Scottish Tory establishment, has denied claims of a plot to install him as Douglas Ross's successor - Wattie Cheung

Mr Findlay and Mr Ross have denied the claims, pointing out that party members will select the leader.

But Meghan Gallacher, another of the three candidates, resigned as deputy leader over her concerns at allegations that Mr Ross tried to take the place of a female candidate in his local Westminster seat.

Sir Malcolm, who served in Margaret Thatchers and Sir John Majors cabinets, said: I have known Murdo Fraser for many years. He is able, has high integrity, speaks his mind and demonstrates strong leadership qualities.

Scotland needs a strong Conservative and Unionist party more than ever.

Now is the time to rebuild that strength, under the right leader, to enable us to meet the challenges ahead, and to serve Scotland to the best of our ability.

Message of real change and renewal

Mr Fraser said: I am delighted to get this message of support from Sir Malcolm Rifkind. There are few more significant figures in Scottish Conservative history, and it is encouraging to have his backing for my leadership campaign.

As Sir Malcolm says, now is the time to rebuild our party. With my message of real change and renewal, and with a great team around me, that is exactly what I will do.

Mr Findlay told BBC Scotlands Sunday Show: The poll today in the Sunday Times is deeply concerning. Thats why this party, our party, the Scottish Conservatives, have to get their house in order. We have to unite.

We have to come up with a range of credible policies, which I am attempting to do. And we have to persuade the hard-working, decent majority of people in Scotland that we are on their side.

The three candidates took part in the first two hustings of the leadership contest at the weekend, in Renfrew and Perth.

Mr Fraser played down his call at his campaign launch last week that Mr Findlay and Ms Gallacher stand aside so he could be crowned leader, saying he was being a wee bit cheeky.
26 August 2024 at 0:05 am

Festival fans young and old were out in west London on Sunday to enjoy the sights and sounds of the Notting Hill Carnival.

Sundays focus was children and families, with hundreds of youngsters dressed in bright colours dancing along the parade route to the sounds of the steel drums.

Every Sunday of the August bank holiday is dedicated to children and families (Jeff Moore/PA)

Hours are spent creating the lavish and eye-catching designs (Jeff Moore/PA)

Feathers were a key component of many of the costumes (Jeff Moore/PA)

The carnival is Europes biggest street party, with around a million people expected to attend over the bank holiday weekend.

The festival celebrates Caribbean culture (Jeff Moore/PA)

A collective of angels showed off their blue and white wings (Jeff Moore/PA)

A group of dancers had silky wings to create a spectacle (Jeff Moore/PA)

Music is a big part of the festivities, with steel drum and brass bands providing the music for the dancers along the parade route.

Kinetika Bloco taking part in the Childrens Day parade (Jeff Moore/PA)
Royal Navy warship seizes more than 40m of cocaine in Caribbean Sea

Cocaine with a street value of more than 40 million has been seized by a Royal Navy warship in the Caribbean Sea.

The Royal Navy said it is the sixth drug bust made by HMS Trent in 2024, and it has seized close to seven tons of drugs worth 551.5 million from traffickers.

HMS Trents commanding officer Commander Tim Langford described the latest bust on August 8 as another significant haul.

HMS Trent was pressed into action in this latest operation after being alerted to a speedboat that was suspected to be smuggling cocaine around 120 nautical miles south of the Dominican Republic.

The smugglers threw their cargo overboard in a failed attempt to avoid all the contraband from being captured (LPhot Matt Bradley/Royal Navy/Crown Copyright 2024/PA)

With a US maritime patrol aircraft flying overhead, the Portsmouth-based warship closed in and dispatched the Royal Marines and US Coast Guard on board to intercept the vessel.

The smugglers threw their cargo overboard in a failed attempt to avoid all the contraband from being captured.

Some 506kg of class A narcotics was seized, and three alleged smugglers have been handed over to the United States authorities for prosecution.

Cdr Langford hailed the successful operation with our American partners, adding: Every member of my team can be proud of another significant haul  the sixth this year.

The ship is still patrolling Caribbean waters (LPhot Matt Bradley/Royal Navy/Crown Copyright 2024/PA)

Armed forces minister Luke Pollard said: This recent operation highlights the Royal Navys vital role in maintaining maritime security and upholding international law in the region.

We are sending a clear message to drug traffickers that nowhere is safe and we will disrupt and dismantle their operations wherever they are in the world.

HMS Trent, which has been working closely with the US Coast Guard and the Joint Interagency Task Force (South), has now seized 6,995kg of drugs in 2024.

The ship is still patrolling Caribbean waters.

The Royal Navy said the aim is to be a reassuring presence to British Overseas Territories during hurricane season (from June to November) and to stem the flow of illegal cargo through the region.
She was found dead more than a year ago, in the large home of a well-known eastern Kentucky dentist.

Roughly 13 months later, on July 30, the dentist and his son  Michael McKinney II and Michael McKinney III  were arrested in connection with the fatal stabbing of Amber Spradlin, 39. The circumstances surrounding her killing remain unclear and have cast what a local official described as a cloud over the community where she lived.

Authorities havent disclosed a possible motive in the alleged crime, and theyve released few details about Spradlins killing. Her family has sought to raise the cases profile, launching a Facebook group that now has tens of thousands of followers and placing massive billboards around Prestonsburg, Kentucky, population nearly 4,000, with a simple message: Justice for Amber.

They blame law enforcement officials for failing to protect Spradlin. A phone call made from McKinneys home in the hours before Spradlin was found dead on the morning of June 18 is at the heart of a lawsuit her family filed this year accusing law enforcement of negligence and obstruction of justice, among other allegations.

The call, to a newly established 911 dispatch center, should have prompted an emergency response to the dentists home, the suit alleges. And a call alleged to have been made later that morning aimed to cover up the killing, according to the lawsuit. It identifies the calls recipient as the man who at the time led the Prestonsburg Police Department.

Amber Spradlin.

Floyd County Judge-Executive Robbie Williams described a third phone call, also made to the 911 center from the McKinney home on the morning of June 18, 2023, as chilling.The suit, filed June 4 in Floyd County Circuit Court, names more than a dozen defendants, including Williams, who helped oversee the development of the dispatch center, and the former police chief, Randy Woods.

Woods did not respond to requests for comment. In a court filing, a lawyer for Woods denied the allegations in the lawsuit. Williams defended law enforcements response.

Prestonsburg has the most up-to-date center in eastern Kentucky, he said in an interview. It would have made no difference if KSP  Kentucky State Police  answered the call.

Michael McKinney II, 56, was indicted in July on seven counts of complicity to tampering with physical evidence in Spradlins deadly stabbing, a copy of the indictment shows. He pleaded not guilty and was released on $250,000 cash bail, court records show. Neither he nor his lawyer responded to requests for comment.

His 24-year-old son was indicted on charges of murder and multiple counts of tampering and is being held in lieu of $5 million bail, court records show. McKinney III pleaded not guilty. His lawyer did not respond to a request for comment.

Dentist Michael McKinney II, 56, is escorted by a police officer.

A third suspect, Josh Mullins, 23, was also indicted on multiple counts of tampering and pleaded not guilty. His lawyer did not respond to a request for comment.On Aug. 14, each of the defendants was indicted on an additional count of tampering, a superseding indictment shows.

New on the job

Debbie Hall, Spradlins cousin and close friend who is the familys spokesperson, described Spradlin as someone who cared deeply about family and friends. In the weeks before she died, Hall said, Spradlin had started working as a host at a restaurant owned by the McKinney family.

According to Hall, 56, although her cousin had just started working for the familys restaurant, she didnt know the people charged in connection with her death.

Debbie Hall, age 17, holds her cousin Amber.

McKinney II is a well-known dentist in Prestonsburg, Williams said. The website for his practice, Floyd County Smiles, describes him as a member of several state and national dental associations and says he has been practicing locally for three decades.On July 31, the day after the arrests in Spradlins case were announced, the Kentucky Board of Dentistry suspended his license and said it was investigating his competency to practice.

Last week, the judge overseeing the criminal case ruled that McKinney II could train another dentist while awaiting trial to save his business, NBC affiliate WLEX of Lexington reported.

Hall said the last time she was in touch with Spradlin was June 17, when she sent her cousin a text at 11:30 p.m. asking whether shed left her new hosting job and gotten home safely. Spradlin texted back that she was still working, Hall recalled.

Be careful going home, Hall said she told her cousin.

The next day, Spradlin was pronounced dead at a home south of Prestonsburg after having been stabbed repeatedly, according to the indictment and a news release from the Kentucky State Police, which investigated the death.

State police havent provided additional details about the killing, and a spokesman for the agency said he wouldnt release additional information.

A call to 911

After Spradlins shift, she accompanied the McKinneys from another restaurant to the elder McKinneys home south of Prestonsburg, according to the lawsuit. Before they left, the younger McKinney had been drinking heavily with a person accused of wrongful death in the suit, the document says.

Hall identified the person, Roy Kidd, as an old friend of her cousins. Kidd hasnt been charged with any crimes and couldnt be reached for comment. His lawyer would not comment on the criminal case or the civil suit.

Between 5 and 5:30 the next morning, a 911 call was placed from the home, according to Williams, the county executive. Williams told NBC News that he listened to a recording of the call but declined to comment further because of an ongoing criminal investigation and civil litigation.

According to the lawsuit, a person believed to be McKinney III made the call and sought help for an emergency.

During the call, a person who appeared to be his father got on the phone and said no emergency response was necessary, the lawsuit says, adding that even though the call should have prompted a wellness check, no one from the police department went to the home or followed up with the caller.

The suit accuses the Prestonsburg Police Department, which operates the 911 call center, of failing to properly train call takers.

In an interview, Prestonsburgs current police chief, Ross Shurtleff, defended the center, citing record low response times and saying it is working better than ever.

In the 911 call from the McKinney home described in the lawsuit, Shurtleff said, the caller initially wanted help removing an unidentified drunk man from the house. After the dispatcher said authorities couldnt do that unless the person was violent or threatening or wad having a medical emergency, the caller said the person had a cut from falling, Shurtleff said.

Immediately after that, Shurtleff said, the homeowner got on the phone and said the injury wasnt life-threatening.

Hes got a small cut. Everything is fine here, Shurtleff said the caller told the dispatcher.

The call, Shurtleff added, wasnt for someone in need of emergency medical attention.

But Hall, Spradlins cousin, said that she listened to the audio and that the initial description of the injury appeared more ominous. A caller asked authorities to come get the man because he was bleeding heavily, she recalled.

Williams, the county executive, confirmed that he let Hall, who isnt a plaintiff in the lawsuit, listen to the recording. NBC News filed a request for audio of the 911 call with state police, which havent provided the recording. A spokesman for the agency did not respond to a request for the audio.

Williams said he is lobbying for the release of the recording and believes it will exonerate the call center.

Theres a cloud hanging over our community, he said. Our folks need to have confidence in their EMS and first responders.

A second, chilling call

At some point that morning, McKinney II dialed Woods, Prestonsburgs then-police chief, the lawsuit says.

The suit, which doesnt describe when the call was placed or what may have been said, accuses McKinney II of dialing the chief in an effort to obfuscate a potential investigation. Spradlin may have survived had the former chief taken prompt remedial action, the suit alleges.

Woods resignation was announced days after the killing. In a statement published by WYMT-TV of Hazard, Kentucky, he appeared to attribute his decision to step down to a shooting in which three local law enforcement officers died, two of them from his department.

Roughly five hours after the first call to the emergency dispatch center, McKinney II dialed 911 from his home, according to Williams, who also listened to the call. He described the conversation that followed as chilling but declined to comment further on what was said, citing the lawsuit and the criminal investigation.

The lawsuit alleges that the second 911 call was made after McKinney II dialed Woods, the former chief, but it doesnt provide additional details.

Prosecutors allege that after Spradlin was killed, the McKinneys and Mullins destroyed evidence, including bloody clothing, the handle of the knife used in the slaying and a surveillance camera and recording equipment that would have captured the murder, according to the indictment.

The indictment also accuses the defendants of planting a knife in the couch where Spradlin was fatally stabbed to suggest it was the murder weapon.

The defendants next court appearance is scheduled for Oct. 24.
Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are being squeezed into ever smaller patches of land as Israeli military-designated humanitarian areas shrink to just 11% of the enclaves territory, according to the United Nations, following a flurry of evacuation notices as Israel continues its military campaign across Gaza.

In August alone, the Israel Defense Forces issued 12 evacuation orders, according to the U.N., with an additional order Saturday afternoon, forcing as many as 250,000 people to move again in search of safety. At the beginning of the year, 33% of Gaza was an IDF-designated humanitarian zone.

Using satellite imagery analysis, the U.N. said the evacuation notices have resulted in population movements toward Muwasi, a former fishing village on Gaza's Mediterranean coast that has since turned into a crowded tent camp, as well as toward Deir Al-Balah in central Gaza.

The U.N. estimates that most of Gazas 2.2 million people are now confined to an area of roughly 15 square miles  about two-thirds the size of Manhattan  causing crowded conditions and a critical lack of basic services, like clean water.

The IDF, which designates the borders of the humanitarian areas, says that it issues evacuation orders to mitigate civilian harm and that it adjusted designations after rockets and mortars were fired toward Israel from humanitarian zones.

A Palestinian family walked to a safer area last week after the IDF called for the evacuation of the Hamad, a neighborhood in Khan Younis, in southern Gaza.

Hamas government media office said the IDF was deliberately suffocating Palestinians in narrow, inhumane areas that are not prepared for human life.

Louise Wateridge, a spokesperson for UNRWA, the U.N. agency for Palestinian aid, said that the orders are changing almost by the hour and that people were leaving behind toothbrushes and shoelaces as they fled newly declared conflict zones.

Sometimes the military action that follows has been within 30 minutes of the order given, she told NBC News. Theres a lot of confusion and panic.

The IDF did not respond to a request for comment on the limited time people have to respond to evacuation orders, as well as the impact of crowded conditions on basic services, sanitation and the spread of disease.

The U.N. says evacuation orders issued since the current conflict began have displaced 90% of Gazas residents, often multiple times.

Doaa Qeita, a mother of three children, told NBC News that her family had been moved at least seven times since the war began. She said they had moved from Gaza City to Khan Younis to Rafah and back to Khan Younis.

Two weeks ago, they received another order to leave.

She was born on Jan. 10, Qeita says of her 7-month-old baby. This is the seventh time she has been displaced in seven months.

The IDF issued a new evacuation order for Palestinians in Khan Younis this month, as well as eastern Deir Al Balah, an area it had not invaded before. The IDF said in a statement that it distributed flyers in both areas, explaining that they had become dangerous due to significant acts of terrorism, adding that militants had regularly been firing rockets from Khan Younis.

Ever-blurrier lines between safe zones and conflict zones have led to casualties.

Palestinians run from a blast in a neighborhood of Deir al Balah, Gaza.

Last week, at least seven people  two children and five women  were killed in an Israeli tank strike on the Bani Suhaila district of Khan Younis, according to Gazas Civil Defense, which provides emergency services in the enclave.

Eyewitness Ahamed Samour said he and others believed they had been in a safe zone as families ate lunch together. He added that there isnt any safe zone so far in the entirety of Gaza.

Another UNWRA spokesperson, Adnan Abu Hasna, said that the displaced were being treated like chess stones and that congested safe zones were subject to diseases spreading widely across the population, such as hepatitis C.

The U.N. said a 10-month-old baby has been partially paralyzed after having contracted polio, which had been largely eradicated in Gaza for 25 years but is now in danger of surging because of the dire sanitation crisis. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said this month that hundreds of thousands of children in Gaza are at risk of contracting polio.

On a phone call Wednesday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Joe Biden stressed the urgency of reaching a cease-fire and hostage release deal. He also spoke with the leaders of Qatar and Egypt as negotiators seeking a cease-fire deal met in Cairo.

An Israeli official told NBC News that Israeli diplomats will head to Cairo for further talks despite intensified fighting between Israel and Hezbollah over the Lebanese-Israeli border Sunday and concerns that the latest regional escalation could stifle an elusive deal. Hezbollah is an ally of Hamas, and both are backed by Iran.

H.A. Hellyer, a scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a think tank in Washington, D.C., said he believes the cease-fire negotiations were already in pieces before the latest round of strikes.

I dont think those negotiations were really going anywhere anyway, he told NBC News.

Israels monthslong assault on the enclave has killed more than 40,000 people and injured 90,000, according to local health officials; the numbers do not distinguish between combatants and civilians. The offensive was launched in the wake of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, in which 1,200 people, 790 of them civilians, were killed and about 250 were taken hostage, according to Israeli officials.

According to the U.N. most of Gaza's 2.2 million people are now confined to an area of roughly 15 square miles  about two-thirds the size of Manhattan.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said cease-fire talks had reached a decisive moment as he met last week with Israeli leaders on his ninth trip to the Middle East since the current conflict began.

He said it was time to make sure that no one takes any steps that could derail this process, as parties pushed for a deal to secure the release of the more than 100 hostages who remain held in Gaza.

While negotiations continue, the fighting goes on, with thousands on the move as they try to avoid it.

On Saturday afternoon, the IDF issued another warning to all those in the Al-Masdar and Al-Maghazi municipalities, as well as nine other neighborhoods, to evacuate the areas immediately as another part of Gaza became unlivable.
Caitlin Bensel; Styling: Torie Cox

We love bell peppers for their mild flavor and recipe versatility. There's so much we can do with this vegetable, from slicing them into a stir fry to roasting them for salads and sandwiches. Bell peppers are so integral to many recipes they are considered part of the holy trinity, after all. But as with any other produce, we may discover we sometimes have bought or grown more than we need and that means storing them to maintain their optimum freshness.

Bell peppers can be stored in the refrigerator or the freezer, cooked or raw. But how bell peppers are stored can go a long way toward how well they last and how they taste when ready to be used, and that all comes down to a little preparation.

Related: 12 Recipes Where Bell Pepper Is The Star Ingredient







Meet The Experts







How To Store Raw Bell Peppers

The best option for storing raw bell peppers in the short term is going to be the refrigerator. "For optimal freshness, bell peppers should be refrigerated and stored in the crisper drawer whole and unwashed, which can keep the peppers fresh for up to 1-2 weeks," says Quiring.

Wrap or Unwrapped?

When you buy bell peppers, chances are they come in a plastic wrapping or bag. If that's the case, they can usually be stored in the same packaging as that is formulated to be breathable for the peppers. But if it's loose peppers you are picking up at the store, you are going to need to put those in some sort of breathable reusable produce bag.

How To Store Cut Peppers

If you prefer to cut your bell peppers for a recipe and store them in the fridge, they will keep for approximately 3-5 days if stored in an airtight container in the crisper drawer. "I recommend patting them down prior to storing or adding a paper towel or reusable cloth to the bottom of the container to absorb any additional moisture to extend the shelf life," says Quiring.

Related: How Long Do Bell Peppers Last In The Fridge?

Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

How To Store Cooked Bell Peppers

Cooked peppers can be easily stored for later use. This can come in handy when batch cooking for a week of salads and sandwiches.

"After cooking, allow your peppers to cool down before placing them in an airtight container or resealable bag to avoid additional condensation which creates sogginess," says Quiring.

How Long Do Cooked Bell Peppers Last?

Cooked bell peppers can be stored on average for 3-5 days in the refrigerator.

How To Freeze Raw Bell Peppers

To keep your peppers long-term, you can freeze them for easy use in stir frys, soups, and more. For freezing peppers, the best practice is to follow these steps:

Wash the bell peppers. Cut them into your desired size. Spread them on a baking sheet. Freeze to avoid the pieces from sticking together. Transfer to a freezer-safe container or bag. Peppers can be stored in the freezer, but should be washed and cut prior to freezing.

Related: 12 Recipes Where Bell Pepper Is The Star Ingredient







Tip

"Freeze them on the sheet pan to avoid pieces sticking together and transfer to an airtight container or resealable bag and store for up to 12 months," says Quiring. Frozen fresh peppers are excellent for stir frys, soups, stews, sauces, and more!







How To Freeze Cooked Bell Peppers

Let them cool down completely. Carefully transfer them to a resealable bag or airtight container. After sealing the bag or container, label the peppers with the date, as you are going to want to defrost and enjoy them within 2 months to have them still taste their best.

Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

Can Bell Peppers Sit On The Counter?

"If you plan to eat your bell peppers within 1-2 days, and as long as they have not been previously refrigerated, they can be stored on the counter in a cool, dry place," says Quiring.

Can You Freeze Whole Bell Peppers?

Yes, you can freeze whole bell peppers. But you may not want to. "They will be a little softer when cooked though, so keep that in mind," says Ann Ziata.

Risks to Freezing Whole Peppers

Freezing whole bell peppers is probably not the way to go if you want peppers to look and taste their best once you are ready to enjoy them. "I dont recommend freezing whole bell peppers because they will be harder to work with after thawing, making them difficult to cut and deseed," says Quiring, who explains that freezing increases the water content in the fruit, which causes it to lose its crispness once thawed. "Its best to pre-wash, deseed, and cut the bell peppers before freezing so they can be immediately blended or cooked with," says Quiring.

How To Tell If A Pepper Has Gone Bad

Fresh and healthy bell peppers should be bright in color, firm to the touch, and have a light and sweet smell. "If you notice any dark spots or mold, sliminess or mushiness, or a sour smell, these are key indicators that your peppers have gone bad," says Quiring.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long do bell peppers last in the fridge once cut?

Typically, cut bell peppers will last in the fridge for approximately 3-5 days.

Can I store bell peppers in a paper bag?

Youll want a container that allows the peppers to breathe, so an open brown paper bag is actually a good way to go. "Storing bell peppers in an open brown paper bag is recommended, as the airflow will help prevent mold from growing," says Ziata.

Can I store bell peppers with other vegetables?

Proceed with caution when storing bell peppers with other vegetables as in certain cases that can cause a chemical reaction that will make it go bad more quickly. "Store bell peppers away from produce that emits ethylene, including tomatoes, avocados, apples, bananas, and cantaloupe," says Ziata.

Can I store cooked bell peppers at room temperature?

Quiring cautions that cooked bell peppers should not be stored at room temperature due to the risk of bacterial growth and foodborne illness. Additionally: "Cooked bell peppers can spoil quickly at room temperature due to microbial activity and exposure to air," said Quiring. It's essential to refrigerate them to maintain their freshness and safety.

Can I freeze cooked bell peppers?



Yes, you can freeze cooked bell peppers. For cooked slices, youll want to tray freeze them first so they dont all stick together in one ice block. "Space them out in an even layer on a lined baking sheet and freeze until solid," says Ziata. Then combine everything into an air-tight container for longer-term freezer storage.

Can I store bell peppers in glass containers?

Bell peppers can be stored in airtight glass containers, ideally only when fresh-cut or cooked. Whole bell peppers should be stored unwrapped or in their breathable package. "If you are storing fresh-cut bell peppers in an airtight glass container, pat dry the peppers before storing and add a paper towel or reusable cloth to the bottom to absorb additional moisture, which glass typically produces," says Quiring.

Can I store bell peppers in the crisper drawer without a plastic bag?

Yes, peppers can absolutely be stored in the drawer without a plastic bag. "Airtight plastic bags can trap too much moisture, and the crisper drawer with the vents open will keep the peppers happy," says Ziata.

Can I store bell peppers in the freezer without blanching?

Save yourself all that extra effort. You do not need to blanch peppers before freezing. "The color and flavor will not be compromised by freezing, so theres no need to blanch," says Ziata.

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JERUSALEM (AP)  Israel launched a wave of airstrikes across southern Lebanon early Sunday in what it called a preemptive strike to avert a large Hezbollah rocket and missile attack. The militant group said it fired hundreds of rockets and drones to avenge the killing of a top commander last month.

Both sides halted the heavy exchange of fire by mid-morning, signaling no immediate further escalation. It came as Egypt hosted high-level talks aimed at a cease-fire in the 10-month-old Israel-Hamas war in Gaza that diplomats hope will ease regional tensions.

Israel and Hezbollah said they aimed only at military targets. Hezbollahs leader, Hassan Nasrallah, said its attack had been delayed to give cease-fire talks a chance and the target was an Israeli military intelligence base close to Tel Aviv. Hezbollah, like Hamas, is backed by Iran.

Israel's military said one soldier with the navy was killed and two others were wounded either by an interceptor for incoming fire, or by shrapnel from one. Two Hezbollah fighters and a militant from an allied group were killed, the groups said.

Hezbollah called its attack on Israeli military positions an initial response to the killing of Fouad Shukur in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut last month. Nasrallah said assaults on Israel will continue because there is still the response of (allies) Iran and Yemen.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the military eliminated thousands of rockets that were aimed at northern Israel and shot down drones heading for the center of the country.

I repeat  this is not the end of the story," he added. Israeli President Isaac Herzog told CBS that Israel's actions prevented an escalation to a major war but the threat remained.

Flights diverted as air raid sirens wail

Air raid sirens were reported throughout northern Israel, and Israel's international airport closed and diverted flights for about an hour. Israels Home Front Command later lifted restrictions in most areas.

An Israeli military spokesman, Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, said Hezbollah intended to hit targets in northern and central Israel. He said initial assessments found very little damage but the military remained on high alert. He said around 100 Israeli aircraft took part in the strikes.

Hezbollah said its attack involved more than 320 Katyusha rockets aimed at multiple sites in Israel and a large number of drones. It said the operation targeted a qualitative Israeli military target that will be announced later as well as enemy sites and barracks and Iron Dome (missile defense) platforms.

Hezbollah said the strikes would allow it to launch more attacks deeper into Israel, but a later statement said military operations for today have been completed. It dismissed Israel's claim to have thwarted a stronger attack. Neither Israel nor Hezbollah provided evidence for their claims.

Some Israelis were shaken. In the northern city of Acre, retired teacher Saadia Even Tsur, 76, said he was at the synagogue when his bedroom was damaged and arrived home five minutes later. I went up and saw the size of the miracle that happened to me, he said. A window was broken and debris was on his bed.

Lebanons caretaker Economy Minister Amin Salam, after an emergency government meeting, said officials were feeling a bit more optimistic about a de-escalation. We feel more reassured since both sides confirmed that the expected operations ended, he said.

President Joe Biden was closely monitoring events in Israel and Lebanon," according to Sean Savett, a spokesman for the National Security Council. The Pentagon said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Gallant. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. CQ Brown, is on a regional visit that includes Israel, Egypt and Jordan.

All-out war apparently averted for now

Randa Slim, a senior fellow at the Washington, D.C.-based Middle East Institute, called the exchange of fire still within the rules of engagement and unlikely at this point to lead to an all-out war.

Danny Citrinowicz, an expert at Israels Institute for National Security Studies, said Hezbollah might be trying to balance the equation without escalating into war. Each side hopes their narrative will be sufficient for them to declare victory and avoid a wider confrontation, he said.

Hezbollah began attacking Israel almost immediately after the start of the war in Gaza, which was triggered by Hamas' Oct. 7 attack into southern Israel. Israel and Hezbollah have exchanged fire almost daily, displacing tens of thousands of people on both sides of the border.

Hezbollah, which fought Israel to a stalemate in 2006, is believed to be far more powerful now. The United States and Israel estimate it has some 150,000 rockets and is capable of hitting anywhere inside Israel. The group has also developed drones capable of evading Israel's defenses, as well as precision-guided munitions.

Israel has vowed a crushing response to any major Hezbollah attack. It has an extensive multi-tiered missile defense system, and it is backed by a U.S.-led coalition that helped it shoot down hundreds of missiles and drones fired from Iran earlier this year. The U.S. military has been building up its forces across the region in recent weeks.

Hezbollah is a close ally of Iran, which has also threatened to retaliate against Israel for the killing of a senior Hamas leader, Ismail Haniyeh, in Tehran last month. Israel has not said whether it was involved.

Iranian state media on Sunday played up the Hezbollah attack, calling it a success, but there was no immediate comment from Iranian officials.

The U.S. and other mediators see a cease-fire in Gaza as key to averting a wider Mideast war. Hezbollah has said it will halt its strikes on Israel if there is a cease-fire.

Egypt was hosting high-level talks in Cairo on Sunday aimed at bridging the gaps in a proposal for a truce and the release of scores of hostages held by Hamas. The talks include CIA director William Burns and David Barnea, the head of Israel's Mossad intelligence agency.

Hamas sent a delegation to be briefed by Egyptian and Qatari mediators but was not directly taking part in negotiations.

___

Associated Press writers Kareem Chehayeb in Beirut, Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv, Israel, Samy Magdy in Cairo, Alexis Triboulard in Acre, Israel, and Aamer Madhani in Buellton, California, contributed.
By Maytaal Angel and Maya Gebeily

JERUSALEM/BEIRUT (Reuters) -Hezbollah launched hundreds of rockets and drones at Israel early on Sunday, as Israel's military said it struck Lebanon with around 100 jets to thwart a larger attack, in one of the biggest clashes in more than 10 months of border warfare.

Missiles were visible curling up through the dawn sky, dark vapour trails behind them, as an air raid siren sounded in Israel and a distant blast lit the horizon, while smoke rose over houses in Khiam in southern Lebanon.

Three deaths were confirmed in Lebanon and none in Israel, where damage appeared to be limited. Hezbollah indicated it was not planning further strikes yet.

Israel's foreign minister said the country did not seek a full-scale war but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned: "This is not the end of the story."

Any major escalation in the fighting, which began in parallel with the war in Gaza, risks morphing into a regional conflagration drawing in Hezbollah's backer Iran and Israel's main ally the United States.

Hezbollah said it had fired 320 Katyusha rockets towards Israel and hit 11 military targets in what it called the first phase of its retaliation for Israel's assassination of Fuad Shukr, a senior commander, last month.

A Hezbollah official said it had delayed its retaliation to give a chance for ongoing Gaza ceasefire talks and other "political considerations". The official said the group had calibrated it to avoid triggering a full-scale war.

Israel's military said it had foiled a much larger attack with pre-emptive airstrikes on 40 launch sites after assessing that Hezbollah was preparing to launch the barrage.

Netanyahu said Israel took pre-emptive action against Hezbollah, adding that air defences had intercepted all drones launched against a strategic target in central Israel.

Hezbollah dismissed Israel's statement that the group's attack had been foiled with pre-emptive strikes, saying it had been able to launch its drones as planned and that the rest of its response to Shukr's killing would take "some time".

SOME FLIGHTS SUSPENDED

Expectations of an escalation had risen since a missile strike in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights last month killed 12 youngsters and the Israeli military assassinated Shukr in Beirut in response.

Israel's security cabinet met early in the day and the full cabinet is meeting on Sunday afternoon. Defence Minister Yoav Gallant declared a state of emergency and Foreign Minister Israel Katz said Israel would respond to developments on the ground but did not seek a full-scale war.

"We are determined to do everything we can to defend our country," Netanyahu said in a statement, adding "whoever harms us - we harm him".

Lebanon's caretaker prime minister Najib Mikati met cabinet ministers at a session of the national emergency committee. Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah will speak on television later on Sunday, the group said.

Flights to and from Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv were suspended for around 90 minutes.

Some flights to and from Beirut were halted, stranding passengers. "I just want to get out of here by any means possible," said Rana Saade, a Lebanese woman living in New Jersey.

WARNING SIRENS

In northern Israel, warning sirens sounded and explosions were heard in several areas as Israel's Iron Dome aerial defence system shot down rockets coming from southern Lebanon.

The Israeli military told people to limit gatherings, a restriction it later lifted, and said people could go to work if they could reach air raid shelters quickly. Israeli media said the barrage hitting northern areas had damaged houses.

"Israel should, as it did this morning, deliver a pre-emptive strike. But if Hezbollah continues Israel should strike very hard to remove the threat from Hezbollah once and for all," said Yuval Peleg, 73, from Haifa.

A security source in Lebanon said at least 40 Israeli strikes had hit various towns in the country's south in one of the densest bombardments since hostilities began in October.

Hezbollah said the strikes killed two of its fighters in al-Tiri. The Hezbollah-allied Shi'ite Muslim group Amal said a strike on Khiam killed one of its fighters.

A resident of the southern Lebanese town of Zibqeen told Reuters he had awakened "to the sound of planes and the loud explosions of rockets - even before the dawn prayer. It felt like the apocalypse."

REGIONAL CONFLICT RISK

The White House said U.S. President Joe Biden was following events. "We will keep supporting Israels right to defend itself, and we will keep working for regional stability," National Security Council spokesperson Sean Savett said.

The U.N. peacekeeping force in Lebanon and the U.N.'s special coordinator's office in the country called on all sides to cease fire, calling the developments "worrying".

Egypt, one of the mediators in Gaza ceasefire talks, warned against the dangers of a new war front opening in Lebanon.

Hezbollah fired missiles at Israel immediately after the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas gunmen on Israel. Hezbollah and Israel have been exchanging fire constantly ever since, while avoiding a major escalation as war rages in Gaza to the south.

That precarious balance appeared to shift after the strike in the Golan Heights, for which Hezbollah denied responsibility, and the subsequent assassination of Shukr, one of Hezbollah's most senior military commanders.

Shukr's death in an air strike was quickly followed by the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, which led to vows of reprisal against Israel by Iran.

(Reporting by James Mackenzie, Maytaal Angel, Maayan Lubell in Jerusalem, Maya Gebeily in Beirut, Adam Makary in Cairo and Kanjyik Ghosh in Bengaluru; Writing by Angus McDowall; Editing by William Mallard, Frances Kerry and Alison Williams)
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel's cabinet on Sunday approved an expansion of 3.4 billion shekels ($923 million) in the 2024 state budget to help fund evacuees until the end of the year, the Finance Ministry said.

Tens of thousands of Israelis in the north have been displaced into hotels in the wake of daily rocket attacks by Hezbollah since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war that began on Oct. 7. Those from Gaza border communities are also included in what the cabinet called "conflict zones".

The ministry also said that 525 million shekels of the total budget was returned to state coffers after prior spending cuts, while another 200 million shekels would finance army reservists.

The ministry said it was working to bring the budget adjustments for a vote in parliament as soon as possible.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said the additional funds would not add to the budget deficit and that the deficit would reach its 2024 target of 6.6% of gross domestic target.

Due to a spike in military spending, the deficit hit 8.1% of GDP in July over the prior 12 months.

($1 = 3.6844 shekels)

(Reporting by Steven Scheer; Editing by Alison Williams)
The detention of the Russian-born billionaire founder of Telegram, a messaging app known for its unfiltered content, has sparked debate about freedom of speech and illegal content on the internet.

Pavel Durov, 39, was detained at Pariss Bourget Airport Saturday on a warrant related to Telegrams lack of moderation. He was traveling to Paris from Azerbaijan aboard his private jet, CNN affiliate BFM TV reported, before his arrest.

The Paris prosecutors office on Monday said that Durov was being held as part of a probe that began on July 8. He is being investigated on charges relating to a host of crimes, including allegations that his platform was complicit in aiding money launders, drug traffickers and people spreading child pornography. Prosecutors also accused Durov of refusing to comply with French authorities demand for help intercepting potentially illicit communications and extended his detention, which can now last until Wednesday.

French President Emmanuel Macron said on X that Durovs arrest was in relation to an ongoing judicial investigation and was in no way a political decision.

In a state governed by the rule of law, on social networks as in real life, freedoms are exercised within a framework established by law to protect citizens and respect their fundamental rights, Macron said. France is committed to freedom of expression and communication, innovation and entrepreneurship. And it will remain so.

Telegram, which has about 900 million users, is a crucial communication tool in many countries, used for everything from day-to-day chatting to disseminating government messages.

On Sunday, the Russian Embassy in Paris confirmed Durovs detention and said it was in contact with the entrepreneurs attorney.

Durovs detention raises questions about whether tech bosses should be responsible for the content on their platforms, a prospect Telegram called absurd in a statement issued Sunday defending its CEO.

Encrypted communications apps like Telegram are free speech to some and an on-ramp to the dark web to others, said Duncan Clark, chairman of BDA and a technology expert.

The app is known for its high-level encryption and limited oversight on what its users post, which makes it highly susceptible to disinformation, conspiracy theories, hate and other harmful content.

Telegrams firm stance against censorship has made it especially prominent in countries where freedom of speech is curtailed, such as Russia, Iran and India. The platform is also favored by White supremacists and terror groups including ISIS.

Telegram is also very popular in Ukraine, where it has become a vital tool for sharing news about the war and warnings about air raids.

Increasing scrutiny

In its Sunday statement, Telegram said Durov had nothing to hide and it was absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform.

Telegram abides by EU laws, including the Digital Services Act  its moderation is within industry standards and constantly improving, it added in the statement posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The detention is a sign that France is cracking down on the lack of moderation on platforms like Telegram, Clark said.

European Union regulators have ramped up scrutiny of tech giants and invoked a flurry of new laws designed to rein them in.

This year, concerns about foreign disinformation and meddling in European elections prompted EU officials to investigate Meta and set up special agencies focused on combatting disinformation, particularly from Russian trolls.

Durovs detention quickly prompted criticism from prominent anti-censorship figures including Elon Musk and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Musk posted #FreePavel on his social media platform X alongside a video of Durov on Tucker Carlsons show, where the Telegram founder lauded X for its more open moderation style under Musk.

France just arrested Pavel Durov, founder & CEO of the encrypted, uncensored Telegram platform. The need to protect free speech has never been more urgent, Kennedy Jr. wrote on X.

At the end of October 2023, Telegram restricted access to several channels associated with or operated by Hamas, after weeks of scrutiny following its October 7 attacks on Israel.

Durov, often referred to as the Mark Zuckerberg of Russia, launched Telegram with his brother Nikolai in 2013 and has a net worth of $9.15 billion, according to Bloombergs Billionaire Index.

He was born in Russia but left in 2014 after refusing to comply with requests from the Russian government to turn over data on Ukrainian Vkontakte users and now lives in Dubai.

I would rather be free than to take orders from anyone, Durov told Reuters in April about his exit from Russia and search for a home for his company, a process that included stints in Berlin, London, Singapore and San Francisco.

 CNNs Joshua Berlinger, Juliana Liu and Camille Knight contributed reporting.

This report has been updated with additional information.

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Gor Tsarukian, the director of the Armenian governments Information and Public Relations Center, said she fell into diabetic coma and was rushed to a hospital in the eastern Turkish town of Dogubayazit after climbing Mount Ararat close to the Armenian border.

Turkish doctors in the Dogubayazit hospital managed to slightly stabilize the woman's condition. The doctors insisted that her transfer to Armenia is necessary, Tsarukian wrote on Facebook.

She was transported to Armenia by air, the official said, also posting a video of a helicopter carrying the patient landing outside Yerevans Erebuni hospital.

Tsarukian also said it took almost a day to organize the medical evacuation. He did not reveal Armenian and Turkish officials or government bodies who arranged it.

Turkey has kept its border with Armenia closed for over three decades in a show of support for Azerbaijan. It continues to make the normalization of Turkish-Armenian relations conditional on an Armenian-Azerbaijani peace deal sought by Baku. Ankara stuck to this precondition after Turkish and Armenian officials met on the border late last month for a fresh round of normalization talks.

The two sides agreed two years ago to open the border for Armenian and Turkish diplomatic passport holders as well as citizens of third countries. Ankara appears to have been dragging its feet over the implementation of that agreement.
25 August 2024 13:18 (UTC+04:00)

In the first seven months of 2024, the trend of increasing funds allocated for social payments has persisted, Azernews reports.

The Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Population, through its Public Relations Department, disclosed that a substantial total of 5 billion 116 million manats has been disbursed to the public.

This amount encompasses various forms of financial support, including pensions, allowances, scholarships, and targeted state social assistance, all aimed at enhancing the well-being of the population.

When comparing this figure to the same period in the previous year, it reflects a notable rise of 468.7 million manats, which translates to a percentage increase of 10.1 percent.

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25 August 2024 10:00 (UTC+04:00)

Special Representative of the President of Azerbaijan for Special Assignments Elchin Amirbayov has met with Vietnam's Vice President, Vo Thi Anh Xuan, in Hanoi, to discuss prospects of cooperation between Azerbaijan and Vietnam, Azernews reports.

Vice President Vo emphasized the ongoing mutual support in international forums and highlighted substantial progress in economic and trade relations. She specifically pointed out education as a key area for collaboration, particularly stressing Azerbaijan's role in training Vietnamese professionals in crucial fields like oil and gas, communications, and maritime operations.

Vo also called for heightened efforts in cultural exchanges and expressed Vietnam's backing for Azerbaijans inclusion in the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC). She recommended that the Vietnam-Azerbaijan Inter-Governmental Committee review existing cooperation frameworks and explore new possibilities for strengthening bilateral relations.

On international matters, Vo reaffirmed Vietnam's dedication to a foreign policy centered on independence, collaboration, and development, emphasizing the importance of maintaining a peaceful environment and the self-determination of all nations.

In response, Amirbayov conveyed a strong commitment to further deepening the longstanding friendship between Azerbaijan and Vietnam, especially in economic, trade, and cultural dimensions where significant potential exists. He noted the importance of education in this context, referencing the numerous Vietnamese students who have studied in Azerbaijan and now enhance the bilateral relationship.

Amirbayov also proposed facilitating high-level visits and expanding collaboration in the oil and gas sector. He stressed that Azerbaijan prioritizes its relationship with Asia in its foreign policy and recognizes the value of its partnerships with ASEAN countries, including Vietnam.

The discussions ended with a shared commitment to advancing bilateral relations across various fields, including politics, diplomacy, education, and skills sharing in areas such as demining initiatives.

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25 August 2024 10:50 (UTC+04:00)

Ali Asadov, Prime Minister of the Republic of Azerbaijan, has sent a congratulatory letter to his Ukrainian counterpart, Denys Shmyhal, on the occasion of Ukraine's Independence Day, Azernews reports.

In his letter, PM Ali Asadov emphasized the historical roots and strong traditions that underpin the relations between Azerbaijan and Ukraine.

He praised the current state of intergovernmental relations, which are built on a solid foundation reflecting the will of both peoples.

The Azerbaijani PM also expressed confidence in the continued successful development and expansion of the traditional friendship and mutually beneficial cooperation between the two nations.

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25 August 2024 12:20 (UTC+04:00)

An exhibition themed "The main economic directions-a step towards common prosperity" has been held within the framework of the state visit of the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev to Uzbekistan, Azernews reports.

The economic potential of both countries, various products produced, and implemented joint projects were demonstrated at the exhibition held at the Uzbekistan Expo Center.

Along with 67 companies and about 10 state organizations, the State Agency for Public Service and Social Innovations under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan was represented here with various innovative projects.

The main purpose of the event was to develop bilateral economic cooperation between our countries, to strengthen networking between local businesses, and to discuss the potential of mutually beneficial partnerships.

Within the framework of the exhibition, a meeting was held between the representative of the State Agency for Public Service and Social Innovations under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the rector of the Polytechnic University of Turin.

The activities of the State Agency, ASAN Service and the digital solutions applied here, as well as other activities, were given extensive information. The parties discussed potential cooperation opportunities in the relevant direction of activity.

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25 August 2024 14:00 (UTC+04:00)

The admission outcomes for Turkiye-Azerbaijan University, established in Baku through the collaboration of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, have been announced, Azernews reports.

There has been significant interest in this new educational institution, which operates under the joint oversight of Turkiye's Higher Education Council and Azerbaijan Ministry of Science and Education.

According to a statement from the Ministry of Science and Education, 30 students will enroll in the Computer Engineering and Industrial Engineering faculties, while 27 students will join the Faculty of Food Engineering for the university's inaugural academic year.

Turkiye-Azerbaijan University is set to commence operations in the 2024-2025 academic year.

For the Faculty of Computer Engineering, the highest admission score was 684.9, with the lowest being 641.6. The Industrial Engineering faculty had a top admission score of 663.7 and a lowest score of 544.4. In the Faculty of Food Engineering, scores ranged from a high of 632.8 to a low of 452.1.

This university aims to educate students using programs from leading Turkish institutions, functioning as an "umbrella university." Rather than launching new programs initially, it will incorporate curriculums from established universities with strong track records.

Beginning in the 2024-2025 academic year, programs from Middle East Technical University (METU) for computer engineering, Istanbul Technical University (ITU) for food engineering, and Hacettepe University will be offered at Turkey-Azerbaijan University, with successful graduates receiving diplomas from these universities.

It is important to note that the memorandum of understanding establishing Turkiye-Azerbaijan University was signed on February 19, 2024, in Ankara with participation of the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and President of Turkiye Recep Tayyip Erdogan, along with representatives from both countries' education ministries.

The agreement was finalized by the head of Turkiye's Higher Education Council Erol Ozvar and Azerbaijan Minister of Science and Education Emin Amrullayev.

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25 August 2024 14:35 (UTC+04:00)

"Armenia's ongoing mine terrorism poses a significant threat to both civilians and military personnel," said Azerbaijan's Human Rights Commissioner (Ombudsman) Sabina Aliyeva, Azernews reports.

One civilian was injured as a result of an ammunition explosion in the territory of Zargar village of the liberated Fuzuli district on August 24. Since the Second Garabagh War, more than 370 people have fallen victim to landmines.

Sabina Aliyeva emphasized that the lack of accurate maps indicating the locations of buried mines in Azerbaijan not only jeopardizes lives and health but also significantly complicates the safe return of former internally displaced persons (IDPs) to their homes.

"We note once again that the failure to provide our country with accurate maps of mines buried in our territories not only poses a threat to people's lives and health, but also seriously hinders the safe return of former IDPs to their lands, the provision of the right to live in a healthy environment, and the restoration and construction works in the region. Also, the explosion of those mines results in the disturbance of the ecological balance in the region and the creation of an ecological crisis," said the Ombudsman.

"The silence of the international community on Armenia's mine terrorism is causing the violation of fundamental human rights and freedoms, as well as endangering the lives and health of innocent people," she added.

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25 August 2024 17:43 (UTC+04:00)

On August 26, Lachin City Day will be celebrated once again, organized by the Special representation of the President of Azerbaijan in Lachin and supported by Baku Abadlig Service LLC, with the involvement of the Culture Ministry, Azernews reports.

This year's celebrations mark the second anniversary of Lachin's resurgence and carry special significance following Azerbaijan's restored sovereignty over all its territories, particularly after the anti-terrorist operations conducted on September 19-20, 2023, which saw the nation's flag raised in Garabagh.

It's noteworthy that last year, August 26 was officially recognized as Lachin City Day, established by President Ilham Aliyev's decree dated July 31, 2023, "On the establishment of city days in the liberated territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan".

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25 August 2024 08:00 (UTC+04:00)

Founder and creator of "Telegram", a popular messaging application, Pavel Durov, was detained at the French "Le Bourget" airport.

Azernews reports that the French TV channel LCI broadcasted information about this.

The 39-year-old businessman was accompanied by his bodyguard and a woman.

Durov may be charged with several crimes, including terrorism, drug smuggling, fraud, money laundering, and handling stolen goods. He faces up to 20 years in prison.

It should be noted that in February 2021, Durov received the citizenship of the United Arab Emirates, and in August, the citizenship of France.

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25 August 2024 09:00 (UTC+04:00)

Lithuania will provide Ukraine with 35 million euros for the purchase of radar stations and demining equipment.

Azernews reports, citing the Ukrainian sources that the Prime Minister of Lithuania Ingrida Simonyte said this during a press conference in Kyiv.

"We hope that we will be able to provide Ukraine with more than 5,000 UAVs manufactured in Lithuania by the end of autumn," added the Prime Minister.

He said that the last package of military aid from Lithuania to Ukraine will arrive at the beginning of September, and this package will include 10 short-range air defense systems, 30 anti-aircraft missiles, and other equipment, weapons, and ammunition.

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25 August 2024 21:20 (UTC+04:00)

German police arrested the suspected assailant of the Solingen knife attack, authorities said, Azernews reports citing Anadolu Agency.

North Rhine-Westphalia's Interior Minister Herbert Reul told public broadcaster ARD that the suspect has been arrested this evening.

We have just arrested the real suspect, now he is being questioned by the police, well get more clear information after the interrogation, he said.

Three people were killed and eight others injured in the attack on Friday evening, during a live music show in Solingens city center.

Der Spiegel news magazine reported that the suspected assailant was a 26-year-old Syrian immigrant, who arrived in Germany in 2022.

He turned himself in to police on Saturday evening, his clothes were dirty and covered in blood, the magazine reported, citing security sources.

Earlier on Saturday, Daesh/ISIS terrorist group claimed responsibility for the attack. But German authorities said they could not confirm the validity of those claims, as the investigation was still underway.

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Hawaii Man Charged in Killing of Two Dozen Gulls on Washington Coast

Published 8/21/24 at 8:25 p.m.

By Andre' GW Hagestedt, Oregon Coast Beach Connection

(Long Beach, Washington)  A Hawaii man has formally been charged with animal cruelty and reckless driving after he allegedly ran over at least two dozen gulls on a Washington coast beach in July and came very close to a woman and her child.

People around the Pacific Northwest and the country were outraged when media and social media last month published photos of a man driving on the sands and intentionally running into a large number of gulls on the Long Beach Peninsula. Those photos including one bird carcass stuck to the front of his vehicle. Numerous witnesses photographed and took video of the incident.

Pacific County Superior court has officially charged James S. Travis, a 64-year-old man from Honolulu, Hawaii with first-degree animal cruelty and reckless driving. The latter charge also stems from when he nearly ran over a woman and child. See the original Man Sought for Running Over Dozens of Gulls on Washington Coast

Witnesses said he was traveling at a high rate of speed on the beach, plowing through gulls on purpose, injuring dozens of them but killing most. Investigators discovered Travis' vehicle  a Jeep Wrangler with California plates  came from a car rental outfit at Portland International Airport, rented under his wife's name. He was alone in the car at the time.





The animal cruelty charges are a class C felony that carry up to a $10,000 fine and a maximum sentence of five years in jail. The reckless driving charge is a gross misdemeanor and has a maximum of one year in jail.

Travis is scheduled to appear in court in South Bend, Washington on September 13.

Witnesses told Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) they observed the vehicle head right into flocks of birds, showing no tail brake lights being applied. When various beachgoers accosted the man and took photos, he appeared to be intoxicated and mumbled apologies.

He reportedly also zoomed precariously close to two other children walking on the beach.

Various media are reporting the car rental agency in Portland noted damage to the vehicle and found some feathers remained in the grill.

These kinds of crimes happen periodically on the beaches along the Oregon coast and Washington coast where driving is allowed. In 2009, the Wildlife Center of the North Coast and north Oregon coast authorities reported finding numerous dead birds around Warrenton and Long Beach that had been killed by vehicles. Someone had been intentionally running over them in rather large numbers.

Gulls  and they are not actually called seagulls  are protected under the Federal Migratory Bird Act of 1918. Terminology Reminder: it is gulls and not seagulls.

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Invasive Green Crab Found at Washington Coast's La Push

Published 8/21/24 at 5:55 a.m.

By Andre' GW Hagestedt, Oregon Coast Beach Connection





(La Push, Washington)  Wildlife experts in Washington State are somewhat worried about the appearance of an invasive species in a section of its coastline. The European green crab (EGC) has been found in the La Push area, after a joint survey of different tribal and state agencies looking for the crab recently captured quite a few.

The species has invaded many other areas along the south Washington coast, but this is the first time it's been found this in this part of the shoreline, raising concerns it could displace other native species.

During the week of August 5-8, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), the Quileute Tribe, Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission (NWIFC) and Washington Sea Grant found 33 individual crabs after setting traps near the port of La Push, the Quileute Marina on the Quileute Reservation, as well as nearby areas within the Quillayute River estuary. The agencies removed the EGC, saying this week it is a harmful crab species.

Chelsey Buffington, WDFWs European green crab project lead, said the agency was not entirely surprised to find them here, as they have firmly entrenched themselves in large numbers around Makah Bay to the north and just south at Willapa Bay and Grays Harbor.

The Quileute Tribe has been setting traps for the EGC since 2021 but had no captures until recently, according to Jennifer Hagen, Marine Policy Advisor/Marine Biologist with Quileute Natural Resources.

Since trapping efforts by others to the north and south along the coast have found crab populations that number in the thousands, Quileute Natural Resources proposed to team up with WDFW staff and conduct what was dubbed a 'bio-blitz,'  she said. Now that we know they are here in the Quillayute River system, our management strategy will need to revisited. Ultimately our concern is the displacement of native species and species that are of cultural importance to the Quileute Tribe.





EGC is capable of some degree of damage to local ecosystems, and a critter that has been hitting the Oregon coast as well, such as around the Siletz Bay in Lincoln City. This kind of invasive species threatens a wide variety of organisms on both the Oregon coast and Washington coast, including eelgrass, shellfish and the estuaries of the region. The latter are critical for salmon.

In general, they're found in shallow areas with less than 25 feet of water, which puts them in intertidal zones, mudflats, beaches and estuaries.

Along the Oregon coast and Washington coast, wildlife authorities really worry over the EGC's impact on Dungeness crabs  a major industry of the entire Pacific Northwest. They're capable of outdoing the Dungeness' food supply. However, WDFW noted that at trap sites set for catching the green crab, lots of Dungeness crabs were caught, along with plenty of Dungeness molts spotted in survey areas. This, WDFW said, was a definite sign the native crab population was in decent shape.

WDFW is hopeful, however, with the various tribal and state agencies working together to keep an eye on the crab.

This detection provides an opportunity to keep EGC numbers low and avoid harm to tribal, cultural, environmental, or economic resources, Buffington said.

WDFW, co-managers, tribes, shellfish growers, and other agencies and partners have removed more than 258,000 EGC from Washington waters so far in 2024, most from Willapa Bay and Grays Harbor on the southern Washington coast. Officials have seen a good decrease in the crab's numbers in the North Puget Sound Region, thanks to heavy trapping.



Courtesy Washington CoastSavers

There are now plans to increase the scale of the trapping season in 2025, and authorities are doing all they can to keep up monitoring efforts.

Because it is a prohibited invasive species, possessing one that is alive is illegal in Washington. However, WDFW is asking the public to not kill any crab seen in the wild that they suspect is a EGC.

This is to protect native crabs, which are often misidentified, WDFW said.

If you find a suspected European green crab or its shell in Washington, take photos and report it as soon as possible. Public reports and photos of suspected EGC can be submitted using the form available at wdfw.wa.gov/greencrab or through the Washington Invasive Species Councils WA Invasives mobile app. Crab identification guides and resources are also available on the European green crab online hub and the WDFW EGC webpage.









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NOAA Releases Fall Predictions: That It for Summer in Oregon, Washington, Coast?

Published 8/23/24 at 3:45 a.m.

By Andre' GW Hagestedt, Oregon Coast Beach Connection





(Portland, Oregon)  Some parts of the Pacific Northwest may be looking at a shorter summer this year, while the eastern portions of Washington and Oregon are staring down warmer-than-usual conditions and perhaps some more dry conditions. The Oregon coast and Washington coast may not get the coveted Second Summer conditions during fall, either. (Graphic courtesy NOAA, showing predicted rain for September through November)

The Climate Prediction Center of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) just released its fall forecast for 2024 and the majority of it calls for warmer temperatures around the country, with the western halves of Oregon and Washington some of the exceptions. While NOAA chimed in with wetter-than-usual conditions from September through November, it was more or less 50/50 on if this region would be warmer or cooler.

Either way, La Nina is going to be in effect from September through November, according to NOAA's Climate Predictions Center (CPC). That could go longer.

CPC forecasters expect the Pacific Northwest will most likely be warmer than typical only in eastern Oregon and extreme southeast Washington, NOAA said. Wetter-than-typical is most likely for western Washington and northwest Oregon during the same period.

This week will see a return of 80-degree weather to inland Oregon and Washington, but some regional forecasters are saying it's entirely possible this is it for the big summer weather, given NOAA's long-range prediction.

Most years  but not every year  September and October bring the best of weather to the coastal regions of Washington and Oregon, what's called Second Summer by many. This year looks to have less of a chance of that for areas like Westport, Cannon Beach, Bandon, Newport or Manzanita. The extreme southern part of the state's coast  from Port Orford southward  may still get its Chetco effect, thanks to the California region looking at a slightly bigger chance of warmer-than-usual temps.



Cape Blanco Lighthouse

For September, NOAA thinks the Oregon coast and Washington coast are going to be rainier than many years, however.

See Washington Coast Weather - Oregon Coast Weather

Above-normal precipitation is favored for a small coastal area of the Pacific Northwest, consistent with the CFSv2 forecast and possible early impacts of La Nina, NOAA said.

For La Nina events, NOAA said upwelling increases on the Pacific coast of the Americas, which brings cold, nutrient-rich water to the surface. These then push the jet stream forward, and it tends to bring drought to the southern U.S. and heavier rains in the Pacific Northwest.

La Nina is favored to develop during September-October-November (66% chance) and persist through the winter 2024-2025 (near 70% chance), NOAA said.

A winter and fall full of upwelling often brings more interesting things onshore to the Oregon coast, however. You may end up with more creatures on the beaches, and the possibilities of glowing phytoplankton increase a bit.

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Two Exquisitely Cool Oregon Coast Fests You Haven't Heard of: Sandcastles, Seafood, Spirits

Published 8/22/24 at 7:45 a.m.

By Andre' GW Hagestedt, Oregon Coast Beach Connection





(Seaside, Oregon)  September is going to just kill it when it comes to outdoor recreation and repose on these beaches,with weather most Septembers doing something purely awesome. This is the time of year when things get unusually comfy out on the Oregon coast. (Photo courtesy Seaside SandFest)

In the midst of all that, there's two newish reasons to head up to the north coast in September, with two major festival you're probably unaware of. One is quite new: it's only the second annual Garibaldi Seafood and Spirits Festival. That same weekend also features a rollicking time with sandcastles in Seaside that you're not going to believe you didn't know about.

The second time around is a charm, it seems. The Garibaldi Seafood + Spirits Festival hits the little north Oregon coast town again on September 13 and 14 after its first successful run last year. This one goes from noon to 6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday at the Port of Garibaldi Event Tent.

There's a whole lotta seafood and a whole lotta spirits: all of it regionally-based and much of it really quite indie-produced.

Indulge in a variety of freshly harvested seafood while sipping on expertly crafted cocktails and beverages, said organizers. Enjoy the flavors of Garibaldi while you mingle with fellow seafood and spirits enthusiasts. Your ticket includes a single day admission, a ticket for a cocktail of choice and access to all the demonstrations and hands on experiences throughout the day.

The two-day event also has immersive experiences that feature product demos along with sampling Oregon spirits. You'll get to indulge in local, freshly-harvest seafood like oysters, seaweed and mussels.

A large variety of vendors will be onhand.

We will feature local Oregon distilleries, wineries and breweries who sell product samples, glasses, canned cocktails and/or bottles of their products, organizers said. There will also be other seafood-centric vendors selling their food, art, products, and wares.

Tickets are $30. Get them here.

Port of Garibaldi Event Tent. 107 Jerry Creasy Way, Garibaldi, Oregon.

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Seaside SandFest boasts eight world-class, master-level sculptors working on large-scale artwork on the beach in Seaside. From September 12  15, the north Oregon coast beach will be transformed into a veritable art museum.

Seaside SandFest has been around for quite awhile, but it doesn't snag the attention the big fests in Cannon Beach and Lincoln City do. However, the difference is that it's not exactly like other contests. It's an exhibition of feats of artistry by masters in the fields, who also compete against each other in a contest setting. There is an amateur sand sculpture contest as well.





Consequently, this one is no shirker in the wowing department: massive, intricate structures are created right there near the Turnaround for four whole days. This one takes place

There will be photo opportunities for the whole family and a chance to speak with the artists as they work over multiple days on jaw-dropping sand sculptures right off the Prom, said organizers.

Another major difference with this north Oregon coast festival of wonders is the Lesson Beach, which happens daily at 10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m. Here, you get some instruction by the masters. It's a free program where you get sand castle lessons from dedicated instructors. You'll accomplish great things  in a sandy way.





Lesson Beach is a huge part of the goals of Seaside SandFest, said organizers. A belief that everyone can learn to make the sand castle of their dreams.

It's basically everything you wished you knew when you were 7 years old. Because around age 7, you realize that the tools and techniques Mom & Dad gave you ain't ever gonna work. So most get frustrated, and quit. And don't really play in the sand after that. (They play ON the sand after that).

The second major goal is to leave the beach cleaner than than you found it. They ask of everyone to take the Unlitter Pledge: remove more trash than you create. Basically, pick up everything you see.

This year, they were forced to add an entry fee: $2/1 day, $5/multiple days which includes People's Choice Voting Token.

Schedule:

Master Sculptors Contest: Sept. 12th-15th

Advanced Amateur Contest: Sept. 13th-15th

https://www.seasidesandfest.com/

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As much of Europe is sliding behind a new Iron Curtain of totalitarian censorship, the latest travesty is Frnace's arrest at an airport of the billionaire CEO of the Telegram social media site for failing to follow the EU diktat on politically censoring its users. The far left euphemism for censorship is "moderation". Macron and his thugs are acting just like Marshall Petain would have in Vichy France. Free speech, the very cornerstone of democracy is dying in Europe, and when it is gone, so is democracy.

Telegram is based in Dubai. This is not the first attempt at political censorship of Telegram. Its CEO fled Russia in 2014 when Putin tried to force his company to censor communications of the Russian opposition. Putin and Macron seem to be two peas in a totalitarian pod.

Its founder, Pavel Durov, is a citizen of the United Arab Emirates, France, and Russia. Deep state bagman Alexander Vindman posted that Elon Musk should be concerned. The CEO of video sharing site Rumble has revealed that France has also threatened Rumble/

https://www.econotimes.com/Telegram-CEO-Pavel-Durov-Reportedly-Arrested-in-France-Amid-Criminal-Investigation-1685025

https://europeanconservative.com/articles/news/telegram-chief-pavel-durov-to-appear-in-court-after-french-arrest/

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/russia-calls-detained-telegram-founder-political-prisoner-demands-france-provide

Just a few weeks ago, a top French EU functionary threatened Elon Musk to try to force him to censor his interview with Donald Trump in our own American politics. The EU has also threatened Musk to try to force him to politically censor Twitter / X and Musk refused. Musk revealed that the EU had offered to arrange a hidden censorship on Twitter, and Musk said NO.

WE should remember that France is a country where in the last year, a man was arrested for flipping the bird to Macron, a woman was arrested for calling Macron "a piece of filth" on social media, two feminist leaders were arrested for sayiing that there were womens spaces where only real women should be allowed, and a French senator was arrested for posting "immigration kills" online. Macron would have fit right in during fascist Vichy France.

https://www.econotimes.com/Telegram-CEO-Pavel-Durov-Reportedly-Arrested-in-France-Amid-Criminal-Investigation-1685025

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/billionaire-telegram-ceo-pavel-durov-arrested-france

https://www.breitbart.com/tech/2024/08/24/justice-europe-style-telegram-ceo-pavel-durov-arrested-due-to-lack-of-moderation-on-platform/

Meanwhile, across the channel in the UK, the new Labour government in only two months is turning the country into a police state, turning thousands of criminals out of prison so they could be replaced by those who commit what Orwell called "thought crimes". Free speech is rapidly disappearing in the UK.

https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2024/08/britain_which_birthed_american_ideas_about_liberty_has_embraced_despotism.html

https://thehill.com/opinion/immigration/4844641-could-elon-musk-actually-be-arrested-and-x-cancelled/

If we do not want to lose our freedom of speech in America, we need to do all we can to see that Kamala Harris is NOT elected. She is a globalist who like Biden has a distain for free speech.

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2024/08/25/this_election_referendum_on_free_speech_151513.html
Eamonn Holmes spent his holiday last week showing friend Katie Alexander his hometown of Belfast, as sources close to the couple claim they are in it for the long haul.

The 64-year-old presenter and his wife of 14 years, Ruth Langsford, also 64, announced in May that they would be ending their marriage.

Holmes has been at the centre of rumours that he was dating Ms Alexander, a 42-year-old relationship therapist.

It was rumoured that he had already popped the question after she was spotted wearing a sparkling diamond ring.

However, Holmes reportedly sent his estranged wife a message to reassure her that he was not engaged.

The Northern Irish presenter is set to return to his GB News Breakfast show this week, having spent the last week on summer break.

The Sun reported that the new couple were also spotted in Carrickfergus at American diner Papa Browns.

A member of staff said: He came in four days in a row. I noticed his girlfriend had an English accent. They looked happy.

He appeared quite frail and it took a minute to recognise him, but he was always very polite and friendly.

Both of them appeared at ease with being seen together. Eamonn really enjoyed it.

According to the Daily Mail, sources close to the couple say theyve been offered big money for the first official photos of them together.

The source said: Theyve been offered some decent money for the first pictures of them together.

Katie and Eamonn are definitely in it for the long haul. She says she loves him and he loves her.

Holmes is reportedly smitten with her and they have taken their relationship to the next level, spending most weekends together at his Richmond flat.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, a source close to Ms Alexander said she is keen to be more public about their relationship.

The source said: Katie just wants to get it over and done with but Eamonn is less keen because he doesnt want to hurt Ruths feelings.

Friends close to Langsford told the Daily Mail that the rumours about her estranged husbands potential engagement have upset her.

A source from her camp told OK Magazine: Ruth has been trying her best to be respectful to Eamonn for the sake of both their families and especially Jack.

She is still wearing her wedding ring and doesnt feel right taking it off at the moment and she wanted to be as respectful as possible and does not want to invite any more speculation about their situation.

But seeing Eamonns new woman wearing an engagement ring over the weekend really upset her, not because of Eamonn moving on, but because she finds it hard having their marriage and split back in the limelight again.

She would prefer it was done in private but she understands that there will be interest  it just feels like another blow  and she feels embarrassed about it all.

Holmes and Langsford had been together for 27 years, but had been living separate lives for two years before announcing their divorce.

The pair hosted This Morning together from 2006 until 2021, when they were replaced by Dermot OLeary and Alison Hammond.

They have one son, Jack, who was born in 2002.

Sources claim that Eamonns health struggles and chronic back pain played a large part in the breakdown of their relationship, as Ruth felt more like a carer.
Mal O'Hara of the Green Party in Northern Ireland at City Hall, Belfast. Photo credit: Jonathan McCambridge/PA Wire

The leader of the Green Party in NI has criticised Sinn Feins record of consistent support to the LGBT+ community, following the wider backlash the party has received for its ruling of a temporary ban on puberty blockers.

Mal OHara became Northern Irelands first openly gay political leader back in 2022 when he took the reins of the Green Party here.

On Saturday, the Belfast native attended the 31st Foyle Pride parade in Derry, where he said there was palpable anger at the Executive parties, particularly Sinn Fein for the banning of puberty blockers.

Last week, First Minister Michelle ONeill - also the leader of Sinn Fein in NI - jointly approved a temporary ban on the sale or supply of so-called "puberty blockers" here, bringing it in line with the UK Government's policy on the puberty-suppressing hormones.

This type of medication is often used by children with gender dysphoria, which is the diagnosed condition of feeling dissatisfaction or unease with your original gender.

In May, the Conservative government tightened rules on the drugs, introducing an emergency ban on them being prescribed by private and European prescribers.

During the Foyle Pride festivities on Saturday, some parade participants could be seen holding signs regarding the issue, with one reading: Hey Sinn Fein, do you support LGBTQ+ people?

M.ON signed policy denying puberty blockers to young trans people (this is not a witty sign).

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One attendee on the ground told the Belfast Telegraph that many people at the parade were furious that Sinn Fein were involved in the days official celebrations.

In a statement, a Sinn Fein spokesperson said the party is proud of our record of consistent support over many decades for our LGBT+ community.

We will continue to campaign and work with the LGBT+ community and others to ensure there is equality for all.

Mr OHara, who was also elected as a senator in the Republic of Ireland earlier this year, questioned this stance.

He told this newspaper: I would push back on any party who says they have been consistent in their support; youve had access to the levers of power for 26 years. How have you ever used them?

The last time money was given to the LGBT sector was by Peter Hain, the Secretary of State, in 2006.

The then-NI Secretary Mr Hain had provided a three-year funding package for LGBT+ organisations, which was intended to tackle issues of concern for LGB people such as health and suicide, as well as education issues and homophobic bullying.

Mr OHara continued: Its great to hear parties say theyre supportive, but when you have access to money, and youre over ministerial departments, and youre the biggest party in government, what can you point at, and say weve delivered that for your community?

People are frustrated at the lack of progress on LGBT+ issues from Stormont, full stop.

We've been promised a strategy to address our communitys inequalities, which we have been waiting on since 2007.

It still hasn't been delivered. The only progressive change that Stormont has ever made is the move forward with relaxing the blood ban [in 2021, meaning that men who have been in a same-sex relationship with one partner for more than three months are now able to donate blood in NI].

All the other legislation for equality stuff has come through court cases or Westminster.

The reversal of the position on puberty blockers the other night just almost felt like the final straw; people are fed up with promises of change; of funding; of support - it has never, ever come.

The recent decision on puberty blockers in NI has been criticised by some politicians across the border too.

Kildare-based councillor Chris Pender, of the Social Democrats, posted: Michelle O'Neill's signature on the ban of puberty blockers for trans youth in Northern Ireland is not just a policy decision [it is] a betrayal of their members and the Trans community.

A Sinn Fein spokesperson added: Its vital that clinicians continue to engage empathetically with young people who are seeking gender-affirming healthcare.

Sinn Fein accepts the current medical advice from the Chief Medical Officer, which will be kept under review until a definitive policy decision has been made.

We are aware that the British Medical Association has recently launched a review of the Cass Report, and we will monitor the conclusions of this review when it is published later in the year.

To be clear, our position is that clinical and health care is best determined by doctors and clinicians - not politicians - and needs to be informed by the clinical and scientific evidence.
By SA Commercial Prop News

Property Sector Charter Council CEO, Portia Tau-Sekati says the research creates a hub of knowledge about the property sector, consolidating information and developing a common and consistent understanding.



The South African property sector is worth a whopping R4.9 trillion according to a new study undertaken to discover the size of the countrys property sector.

This Property Sector Charter Council commissioned research is the first study of its kind in South Africa.



CEO of the Property Sector Charter Council, Portia Tau-Sekati says: The research creates a hub of knowledge about the property sector, consolidating information and developing a common and consistent understanding.

By determining the size of the South African property sector, we are moving towards a proper baseline measure to assess market size and its components, the scale of different services and activities within the sector and ultimately BEE transformation figures in line with the Property Sector Code scorecard.



Establishing the scope of the property sector is important for an accurate overview of the South African economy, taking into account that in 2009 the property sector contributed 8.3% of SAs Gross Domestic Product (GDP), according to a South African Property Owners Association (SAPOA) research report The Economic Impact of the Property Sector in South Africa.



The figures in the study provide a snapshot that reflects the status in the property sector at the base date of December 2010.



Only around 1% of land in South Africa is urban and residential, according to the research. Over 73% of land is South Africa is natural pasture. Around 12% of land is agricultural, and about the same portion comprises nature conservations and reserves.



The study shows nearly two thirds of property owned in South Africa, estimated at R3.0 trillion, is residential. Commercial property carries a value of some R780 billion. Undeveloped land zoned for development equates to R520 billion. Publicly owned property  including national, provincial and local government as well as state-owned enterprise  totals around R570 billion.



Currently, the research combines various studies that estimate the size of South Africas residential market. While the number of housing units  formal and informal  vary in the source studies, from 13.1 million dwellings to 8 million, value calculations are all estimated at similar levels of R3 trillion.



Of the R780 billion commercial property in South Africa, the research reports corporate property accounts for R600 billion, including investment property of R120 billion held by South Africas listed property sector. Further investment property, held by life and pension funds and private equity funds, totals R180 billion.



Retail property has the highest value of the commercial property sectors in South Africa at R340 billion, followed by office properties at R228 billion and industrial properties at R187 billion. Representing a small comparative value of R25 billion is hospitality, leisure and other property.



For publicly owned property, the study used available information, which reflects R342 billion of property held by provincial government, R188 billion by national government, R37 billion by local government and R6 billion by state-owned enterprises.



The significance of this research is far reaching.



Tau-Sekati says: Besides being a benchmark to monitor and evaluate the progress of transformation of the sector each year. This study marks the beginning of an ongoing research process, which will update information on the property sector annually. The study is a useful tool for understanding the South African property market and its dynamics. It is working progress and we hope to build a better and clearer picture of our industry. We welcome information sharing with the industry in terms of studies undertaken which could further refine our data and shine light on the mechanisms of the sectors component parts.



IPD is a global information business, dedicated to the objective measurement of commercial real estate performance. As the worlds number one provider of real estate performance analysis for funds, investors, managers and occupiers, IPD offers a full range of services including research, reporting, benchmarking, conferences and indices. IPD operates in over 25 countries including most of Europe, the US, Canada, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and Japan.
The SNPs deputy leader has called the Scottish Labour leader spineless for not condemning Sir Keir Starmers decision to restrict the winter fuel payment.

Keith Brown said the Labour Party has made the political choice to continue with Tory austerity, adding that Anas Sarwar is powerless in standing up to his partys leadership.

Welsh Labour social justice secretary Jane Hutt warned this week that the decision risked pushing pensioners into fuel poverty.

In Scotland, Mr Sarwar and Scottish Labour deputy leader Dame Jackie Baillie have refused to criticise the partys decision.

Mr Brown said: At least someone in the Labour Party still has the backbone to speak out against the cuts agenda being driven by Keir Starmers Government.

Despite election promises, Labour has made the political choice to continue with Tory austerity  hitting the most vulnerable in our society hardest by scrapping the universal winter fuel payment and refusing to get rid of the cruel two-child benefit cap.

Anas Sarwar, and his deputy Jackie Baillie, who previously said she would fight to protect the universal payment, have been spineless in their refusal to criticise the decision.

Labour in Scotland are willing to roll over and go along with whatever their London bosses tell them.

Despite his election rhetoric, Sarwar is clearly powerless to stand up to yet more austerity and cuts to benefits and public services.

He added: It should never be the case that pensioners in a country as energy rich as Scotland are forced to bear the brunt of spending decisions taken at Westminster.

Scottish Labour Party deputy leader Dame Jackie Baillie said the SNP and the Conservatives have destroyed the Scottish economy (Jane Barlow/PA)

Dame Jackie said: This desperate attack would be laughable if Scots were not being forced to pay the price of almost two decades of SNP incompetence.

Once again the SNP want to let their Tory friends off the hook for crashing the economy.

The fact is that the SNP and the Tories have destroyed our economy and are expecting working people to pay for their failure.

Enough is enough  Scots are seeing through the SNPs pathetic spin and turning to Scottish Labour.

While the SNP expect Scots to pick up the tab for their incompetence, Anas Sarwar and Scottish Labour are getting to work to deliver the jobs, investment and change that Scotland needs.
The airline said it will now be resuming daily flights from Heathrow to Tel Aviv on September 25 (James Speakman Media Assignments/PA)

Virgin Atlantic has announced it will extend the suspension of its flights to Israel after a security and safety assessment, as hostilities in the Middle East escalated overnight.

The airline will resume its daily flight in both directions between Heathrow and Tel Aviv from September 25.

It had been one of many carriers which suspended flights to Israel in October last year, after the start of the countrys conflict with Hamas.

Wizz Air and British Airways resumed operations to the country in March and April, respectively.

Flights operated by Virgin Atlantic had been due to restart on September 5.

The delay comes after the Israeli military said it had launched pre-emptive strikes against the militant group Hezbollah in southern Lebanon on Sunday.

The airline had said in June that a daily flight would restart on September 5 (Steve Parsons/PA)

British Airways flights between Heathrow and Tel Aviv were cancelled between Sunday and Tuesday, according to the airlines online flight status tool, with subsequent journeys showing up as re-routed.

The airline has been approached for comment.

A spokesman for Virgin Atlantic said on Sunday: Following the latest security and safety assessment and after careful consideration we have taken the difficult decision to delay the restart of our Tel Aviv services.

Daily flights are now planned to resume on 25 September from London to Tel Aviv. Wed like to apologise to our customers for any inconvenience caused.

Our teams will be in contact with anyone affected to discuss options, which include rebooking to a later date or a full refund and in the meantime, customers can benefit from our partnership with EL AL which operates multiple daily flights between Heathrow and Ben Gurion Airport.

We remain committed to our services to Israel and look forward to resuming flights to Tel Aviv as soon as the situation permits.

The resumed flights between London and Tel Aviv will use an Airbus A330 aircraft, the airline said.
German police said a 26-year-old man has turned himself in, claiming to be behind the deadly knife attack in Solingen (Henning Kaiser/dpa/AP)

A 26-year-old Syrian asylum seeker has turned himself in to police in Germany, saying he was responsible for the Solingen knife attack that left three people dead and eight other injured at a festival marking the citys 650th anniversary, authorities said early on Sunday.

Officers in Dusseldorf said in a statement that the man stated that he was responsible for the attack, adding he has been arrested before.

This persons involvement in the crime is currently being intensively investigated, they said.

Federal prosecutors said they are investigating him on suspicion of murder, attempted murder and membership of a foreign terrorist organisation.

Later on Sunday, the suspect, wearing handcuffs and leg shackles, was taken from the police station in Solingen to make a first appearance before a judge at the Federal Court of Justice in Karlsruhe.

The suspect is a Syrian citizen who had applied for asylum in Germany, police confirmed to the Associated Press.

The dpa news agency reported, without citing a specific source, that his asylum claim had been denied and that he was due to have been deported last year.

Police emergency vehicles at a cordon in the centre of Solingen, Germany (Thomas Banneyer/dpa/AP)

On Saturday the Islamic State militant group claimed responsibility for the attack, without providing evidence.

The extremist group said on its news site that the attacker targeted Christians and that as a soldier of the Islamic State he carried out the assaults on Friday night to avenge Muslims in Palestine and everywhere.

The claim could not immediately be verified.

The attack comes amid debate over immigration ahead of regional elections next Sunday in Germanys Saxony and Thueringia regions where anti-immigration parties such as the populist Alternative for Germany are expected to do well.

In June, Chancellor Olaf Scholz vowed that the country would start deporting criminals from Afghanistan and Syria again after a knife attack by an Afghan immigrant left one police officer dead and four more people injured.

The attack raised fears that Europe could face another wave of terror attacks. On Saturday, a synagogue in France was targeted in an arson attack. French police said they made an arrest early on Sunday.

Flowers and candles placed near the scene of Fridays deadly attack in Solingen, Germany (Thomas Banneyer/dpa/AP)

Officials earlier said they had arrested a 15-year-old boy on suspicion of knowing about the planned attack and failing to inform authorities, but that he was not the attacker.

Two female witnesses told police they overheard the teenager and an unknown person before the attack speaking about intentions that corresponded to the bloodshed, officials said.

People alerted police shortly after 9.30pm on Friday that a man had attacked several people with a knife in the citys central square, the Fronhof.

The three people who died were two men aged 67 and 56 and a 56-year-old woman, authorities said.

Police said the attacker appeared to have deliberately aimed for his victims throats.

Solingen, a city of about 160,000 residents near the bigger cities of Cologne and Dusseldorf, was holding a Festival of Diversity to celebrate its anniversary.

It began on Friday and was supposed to run until Sunday, with several stages in central streets offering attractions such as live music, cabaret and acrobatics.

Emergency services tents in front of the stage in Solingen city centre after three people were killed and eight others injured in a knife attack at a festival (Christoph Reichwein/dpa/AP)The attack took place in the crowd in front of one stage. Hours later, the stage lights were still on as police and forensic investigators looked for clues in the cordoned-off square, but the rest of the festival was cancelled.

The IS militant group declared its caliphate in large parts of Iraq and Syria about a decade ago, but now holds no control over any land and has lost many prominent leaders. The group is mostly out of global news headlines.

Nevertheless, it continues to recruit members and claim responsibility for deadly attacks around the world, including lethal operations in Iran and Russia earlier this year that killed dozens of people.

Its sleeper cells in Syria and Iraq still carry out attacks on government forces in both countries as well as US-backed Syrian fighters.
A special police task force (SEK) carries out an operation at a refugee shelter. (Christoph Reichwein/dpa via AP)

German police have detained a suspect in the Solingen knife attack that killed three people, an official has said.

We have been following a hot lead all day, Herbert Reul, the state internal affairs minister of North Rhein Westphalia, told Tagesschau, the news programme of the German public television network ARD.

The person we have been searching for all day has been detained a short while ago, he said.

He was being questioned, Mr Reul said, adding police not only have clues but also have collected pieces of evidence.

It comes after the Islamic State (IS) militant group claimed responsibility for the attack, which also wounded eight others at a crowded festival marking the citys 650th anniversary.

The group said Saturday on its news site that the attacker targeted Christians and is a soldier of the Islamic State who carried out the assaults Friday night to avenge Muslims in Palestine and everywhere.

The IS claim could not immediately be verified. No evidence for the groups assertions was provided.

Officials earlier said a 15-year-old boy was arrested early on Saturday. Police said he was suspected of knowing about the planned attack and failing to inform authorities, but he was not the attacker.

The three people who died were two men aged 67 and 56 and a 56-year-old woman, authorities said. Police said the attacker appeared to have deliberately aimed for his victims throats.

Markus Caspers, senior public prosecutor from the counterterrorism section of the public prosecutors office, told a news conference earlier Saturday that the 15-year-old boy was arrested after two female witnesses contacted police.

Herbert Reul, minister of the interior of North Rhine-Westphalia, center, speaks to the press after an attack killed and injured multiple people. (Thomas Banneyer/dpa via AP)

They said they had listened to a conversation between the boy and an unknown person before the attack, speaking about intentions that corresponded to the events that followed.

We are seeing the first signs of a new wave of terrorist attacks, said Peter Neumann, a professor of security studies at Kings College in London.

IS is trying to capitalise on the huge mobilisation resulting from Hamas terror offensive on October 7 2023, even though strictly speaking it had nothing to do with it, he said.

The kind of attack we saw in Solingen is exactly the kind of attack that (IS) is trying to inspire. Its calling on people over the internet to attack unbelievers using simple methods. like cars and knives. that way, it is trying to create an impression that (the Islamic State group) is everywhere and could strike anytime, Mr Neumann told the Associated Press.

Thorsten Fleiss, the chief of police operations on Friday night, said police found several knives but added that he was unable to confirm whether any of them had been used as a weapon by the perpetrator during the attack.

Police warned people to stay vigilant even as well-wishers started to leave flowers at the scene.

Authorities established an online portal where witnesses could upload footage and any other information relevant to the attack.

Churches in Solingen have opened their doors to offer a space for prayer and emergency pastoral care.

German interior minister Nancy Faeser paid a visit to Solingen on Saturday evening. She said that the government would do everything possible to support the city and the people of Solingen.

We will not allow that such an awful attack divides our society, she said, appearing alongside minister-president of the German state of North Rhine Westphalia Hendrik Wust and state minister for internal affairs Herbert Reul.

Mr Wust described the attack as an act of terror against the security and freedom of this country. But Ms Faeser, the countrys top security official, has not classified it as a terror attack.

Police cars sit at a cordon after several people were killed and injured in an attack at the Solingens 650th anniversary celebrations. (Christoph Reichwein/dpa via AP)

Mr Reul announced that the planned visit of the interior minister to the crime scene would not take place because of the ongoing police operation in the affected areas of the city.

He pleaded with the public to give time to the police so that they can do their work.

People alerted police shortly after 9.30pm on Friday to an unknown attacker having wounded several people with a knife in a central square, the Fronhof.

Last night our hearts were torn apart. We in Solingen are full of horror and grief. What happened yesterday in our city has hardly let any of us sleep, the mayor of Solingen, Tim Kurzbach, said, speaking to reporters on Saturday near the scene of the attack.

The Festival of Diversity, marking the citys 650th anniversary, began Friday and was supposed to run through Sunday, with several stages in central streets offering attractions such as live music, cabaret and acrobatics.

The attack took place in the crowd in front of one stage. Hours after the attack, the stage lights were still on as police and forensic investigators looked for clues in the cordoned-off square.

The rest of the festival was cancelled.

Solingen has about 160,000 residents and is located near the bigger cities of Cologne and Duesseldorf.

German chancellor Olaf Scholz said on X on Saturday: The attack in Solingen is a terrible event that has shocked me greatly. An attacker has brutally killed several people. I have just spoken to Solingens mayor, Tim Kurzbach. We mourn the victims and stand by their families.

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German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier also spoke to Mr Kurzbach on Saturday morning.

The heinous act in Solingen shocks me and our country. We mourn those killed and worry about those injured and I wish them strength and a speedy recovery from all my heart, Mr Steinmeier said in a statement on Saturday.

The perpetrator needs to be brought to justice. Lets stand together  against hatred and violence.

A decade after the Islamic State militant group declared its caliphate in large parts of Iraq and Syria, the extremists no longer control any land, have lost many prominent leaders and are mostly out of the world news headlines.

Still, the group continues to recruit members and claim responsibility for deadly attacks around the world, including lethal operations in Iran and Russia earlier this year that left scores dead.

Sleeper cells in Syria and Iraq still carry out attacks against government forces in both countries as well as US-backed Syrian fighters.
EXCLUSIVE | Cop who survived dissident murder bid suing Alliance MLA over Katie Simpson documentary

DCI John Caldwell calls in libel expert, but Nuala McAllister vows to defend case over BBC Spotlight claims

John Caldwell (centre), Nuala McAllister on Spotlight (left) and the late Katie Simpson (right)

Christopher Woodhouse Sun 25 Aug 2024 at 08:00







A senior police officer seriously wounded in a New IRA terror attack last year is taking legal action against a Stormont Assembly Member over TV claims about the investigation into the murder of Katie Simpson.
David Ireland: Derry Girls fans will always see me as Clare's dad

Playwright says hes better know for brief appearance in comedy than for his award-winning plays

David Ireland in Derry Girls

Ivan Little Sun 25 Aug 2024 at 11:00







Playwright David Ireland has admitted he is better known for his cameo in Derry Girls than his award-winning theatre work.
Irish League

Glenavon record second victory over Mid Ulster rivals Portadown in a matter of days
NI a second home for Cork-born comedian Kyla Cobbler

Stand-up comic bringing new show to Belfast next month

Kyla Cobbler

David O'Dornan Sun 25 Aug 2024 at 11:00







A Cork comedian who lives in Barcelona has told how she would like to move to Northern Ireland because she has so many relatives here.
UDA blamed for Co Antrim race hate arson attack

Terror gangs morons sprayed Muslim out on wall of bar owned by Hindu businessman

'Muslim out' sprayed on the wall of the restaurant, and firefighters battling the blaze

Sunday Life Reporter Sun 25 Aug 2024 at 08:00

The South East Antrim UDA has been linked to a race hate arson attack that destroyed an Asian-owned bar and restaurant.
Wherever you go, the experience is usually the same.

You enter a church or a cathedral, and an ecclesiastical hush descends. You admire the architecture, the artworks, the centuries of history and of faith that have stood the test of time.

And then you enter a special chapel or museum, where the holiest of items resides. Behind a glass case stands the stuff of legend: the Holy Grail.

Or is it? What makes this cup the Holy Grail  but not another?

In Europe alone, there are said to be around 200 cups, each thought to be the Holy Grail  the cup used by Jesus Christ at the Last Supper.

Believers flock to see them and pray over them. But which is the real grail  and does it even exist?

A religious or cultural reality?

One things for certain  the Holy Grail is embedded deep into our collective imagination. The idea of a quest is a constant theme in literature, art and movies, while we routinely refer to what would be our ultimate goals  but usually lie tantalizingly out of sight  as the holy grail. Major medical breakthroughs are often called the holy grail for the disease in question.

Its part of pop culture, too. Dan Brown made millions off his interpretation of the Holy Grail in the Da Vinci Code, in which he posited that the grail was not in fact an object, but a secret  that Jesus Christ had fathered children with Mary Magdalen. And who can forget Harrison Ford reaching out for the cup of a carpenter in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade?

Even stories that have nothing to do with Christianity are often centered around quests  from Harry Potter to Lord of the Rings.

Strip away those modern connotations, though, and were left with a simple explanation. The Holy Grail is, supposedly, the cup used by Jesus at the Last Supper.

The goblet that Christ drank from before his arrest, sentencing and crucifixion would of course be of interest to Christians around the world. And the fact that, over the centuries, legends have arisen of grails producing miracles, has only added to the enthusiasm.

Theres just one problem, says Joanne Pierce, professor of religious studies at the College of the Holy Cross in Massachusetts.

I honestly do not think that the actual cup from the Last Supper still exists, she says.

Jesus certainly used a cup at the Last Supper, but if you look at some Gospel accounts, the room was already prepared by someone else [before they arrived]. So it may not have been his cup.

Shroud of Turin still surrounded with mystery and passion.

For Pierce, a Catholic, the idea of the Holy Grail is more symbolic than realistic  in her words, a cultural reality rather than a religious reality.

But for many people, the grail is a real object  and one that its possible to see if you go to Valencia. Or Leon. Or Genoa. Or any of the many places where, tradition says the Grail resides.

You might even be able to feel the mystical power of the Grail if you visit one of the many places it is said to be hiding, just out of site. Up the mountain of Montserrat, outside Barcelona, for example. Or in the Polish countryside, where the shadowy Knights Templar might have hidden it. Or around Glastonbury Tor, the mysterious hill in southern England where, medieval legend declared, Joseph of Arimathea brought the Grail shortly after Jesus death.

At Valencia, in eastern Spain, enter the cathedral, and to the right is a chapel, built expressly to house the Santo Caliz, or holy chalice.

Tradition reveals that it is the same cup that the Lord used at the Last Supper for the institution of the Eucharist, says the cathedrals website about the Holy Chalice of the Lords Supper.

They believe that St. Peter took it to Rome, from where it was sent to Spain in the third century CE.

Valencias tourist board website also describes the cup as the Holy Chalice used by Jesus Christ at the Last Supper. Announcing that you have the Holy Grail is, of course, a tourism draw. It has been since the medieval period, when Europeans taking part in the Crusades would bring back relics from Jerusalem.

From worship to tourism.

In fact, relics have been central to Christianity since the start, says Pierce.

When early Christians were martyred, other believers would pray at their graves. The martyr acted as a patron or intercessory for their prayers to be lifted up to heaven  a practice taken from ancient Rome, where the patronage system was an important part of society. That idea of saints intensifying prayer, or flagging it to the right place, persists in Christianity today.

But it wasnt just the graves of martyrs that became holy; it was anything to do with their body, or things they had touched. Objects they might have handled were considered to have that same grace  a connection with the holy, says Pierce.

Of course, the cup held by Jesus with which he showed the disciples how to perform the eucharist, on the table as he announced that he was soon to be betrayed, would be the holiest of holy objects.

Little wonder that so much effort has gone into finding the Grail.

During the time of the Crusades, interest in Jesus life on Earth increased, says Pierce. People were going back and forth between Europe and the Holy Land, looking for artifacts that could have been related. Thats why most of the supposed Holy Grails around Europe first arrived on the continent during those centuries.

Its similar to the interest in the paranormal we have now, says Mathew Schmalz, founding editor of the Journal of Global Catholicism and professor of religious studies at Holy Cross.

In the Middle Ages, it reached a public consciousness that it didnt have before.

But over the centuries, collecting relics hasnt purely been about getting closer to God, says Schmalz.

There were various economic interests related to pilgrimage, he says.

Relics were taken away from tombs and widely dispersed. You have a variety of places becoming pilgrimage sites which was a very lucrative business for those who had the relics. Religious tourists would make pilgrimages to these places, boosting the local economy as they did so.

Relics were also political in the time of the Crusades. Finding items like the lance that pierced the side of Christ was considered affirmation of the divine mission to liberate the Holy Land, says Schmalz.

Thats one of the reasons that some relics are so numerous that they couldnt possibly be true.

You could construct a city with the wood thats claimed to be the true cross, he says.

Jesus or  King Arthur?

The Holy Grail may have started out as a sacred relic for Christians, but over the centuries, it has also come to have relevance to others. For starters, it has been linked to the legendary King Arthur since the Medieval period  thanks to chivalric poetry, says Pierce.

A ninth-century French poem posited that Joseph of Arimathea had caught the blood of Christ in the Grail during the crucifixion and had later taken it to Glastonbury in whats now England.

This was conflated with Celtic, Irish, Welsh and pre-Christian narratives about objects imbued with power, she says.

A graal or grail in English originally referred to a deep dish, serving platter or even a cauldron belonging to early British kings, according to ancient myth.

In the 12th century, Chretien de Troyes poem Perceval, the Story of the Grail is a romp including King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, a chivalrous quest, a bloody lance  and a glittering grail, a serving dish with magical healing powers.

By the 15th century, Perceval had become Galahad, the son of Arthurian knight Lancelot, who goes on a quest for the grail, finds it, and chooses to die on the way back after a heavenly vision. Galahad, by the way, was able to heal the sick and perform miracles.

Sound familiar?

How one woman found the Holy Grail.

So what is it like to have a Holy Grail in your city? Representatives from the Cathedral of Valencia didnt reply to request for comment from CNN. Neither did anyone from the Italian cathedral of Genoa  home to the Sacro Catino, a beautiful glass bowl, once thought to have been the Grail, made of emerald, but now seen as more likely to be crystal, and work of Islamic art from the 9th or 10th century, brought to Italy in the 11th.

So what is it like to have a Holy Grail in your city? Representatives from the Cathedral of Valencia didnt reply to request for comment from CNN. Neither did anyone from the Italian cathedral of Genoa  home to the Sacro Catino, a beautiful glass bowl, once thought to have been the Grail, made of emerald, but now seen as more likely to be crystal, and work of Islamic art from the 9th or 10th century, brought to Italy in the 11th.

But someone who is convinced she has the grail in her hometown is Margarita Torres Sevilla, professor of medieval history at the University of Leon in Spain.

In fact, Torres was the one to discover that what was thought of as a mere medieval chalice in her city was  she believes  the Holy Grail.

In 2010, she and colleague Jose Miguel Ortega del Rio were working at the Basilica of San Isidoro, a church in Leon that doubles as the burial place for the royal dynasty of Leon and Castile. They were looking at items in the basilicas museum of medieval history.

Some objects came from Islamic countries but didnt have the correct references, she says. Among them was the chalice of Dona Urraca  an onyx chalice that had been adorned in a gold casing and encrusted with precious jewels. It had come to Spain from Egypt in the medieval period, apparently as a diplomatic present.

Torres and Ortega del Rio delved deeper into its provenance, asking a colleague in Cairo to look for documents that could explain this gift to the Spanish. What they found astonished them.

In the middle of the 11th century, there was a great famine in Egypt and the caliph had asked for help from other Islamic countries, she says.

In the library of Cairos Al-Azhar university were two medieval parchments from the 14th century. One  apparently a historical account  recounted that the taifa (ruler) of Denia had sent a boat full of food to Egypt. Denia, near modern Valencia, was under Muslim rule at the time.

The parchment goes on to say that in return for the help, the taifa made a request: for the cup that the Christians call the Cup of the Messiah  used during the celebration with his disciples.

The cup had been found in one of the small churches that are on the outskirts of Jerusalem and possessed extraordinary medicinal powers according to Christians, said the document  which also gave the caveat that men of science and doctrine disregard it.

Ali bnu Muyahid ad-Danii, the ruler of Denia, requested it so that he could send to the King of Leon  to strengthen their alliance, the document continued.

The previous year, Leon had attacked Valencia  war was getting too close to comfort for those in Denia, and it appeared that the taifa wanted to placate Ferdinand I, the king of Leon. Ferdinand suffered from the disease of the stones and the taifa thought that the miraculous cup might help.

The other parchment, also from the 14th century, purports to be a copy of a letter from Salah ad-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub (known as Saladin), the 12th-century sultan of Egypt and Syria, recounting how he had asked to be sent the fine shard of the holy stone or cup that had been chipped off during its journey to Denia, for his sick daughter.

She was healed by the piece of stone placed upon her body, and the shard had been kept carefully in the Islamic public treasury, states the document.

They went back to the cup in the church in Leon.

We checked  it had a cut in it, as the parchment suggested, says Torres. We knew we had a hot potato in our hands.

The pair claim to have dated the onyx cup to the first century, and believe that Dona (princess) Urraca, Ferdinands daughter, melted down all her jewelry to cover the chalice in riches. Theyve even identified what they think is the onyx cup in a painting of the Last Supper at San Isidoros royal pantheon, where the dynasty is buried. They believe that is a hint about the cups identity.

Of course, not everybody believes them. One Oxford professor memorably said it was idiotic to claim that the cup must have belonged to Jesus, even if its of Roman origin.

Torres  proving that the Grail has penetrated culture like no other  likens her situation to that of Hollywoods Indiana Jones taking his leap of faith before finding the Grail.

He closes his eyes and starts with a step. Our sensation was the same, she says.

Im a Christian, but my colleague is not. My mother was a historian; his father was a journalist. They were not the type to get carried away.

The idea that a princess would have donated her jewelry to cover a broken cup in gold is, she says, Like the daughter of Bill Gates melting down her jewelry to cover a broken toy.

Torres claims are certainly persuasive  and although she was Leons city councilor for tourism from 2015 to 2019, she says she put a line between being a politician and a historian.

Can she guarantee its the cup of Christ? I can offer that the cup venerated in Jerusalem from the fourth century to the 11th century is the same as you see in the chalice of Urraca, she says.

But Im not sure what happened from the first to the fourth century, because I was not in Jerusalem, not with Jesus Christ, and neither were you.

My faith doesnt depend on this.

For Pierce, who doesnt believe that the Grail exists anymore, items like the chalice of Urraca are still worthwhile as a cultural phenomenon.

Im very skeptical  but whats important is the fact that these items were venerated  theyre literary objects and cultural reality, she says.

My faith doesnt depend on [this]. To believe in Jesus Christ doesnt necessarily mean that there are actual physical remnants of his [life].

She compares the quest for the Grail to the Shroud of Turin. Ive seen it, it was fascinating, but analysis shows its from a later period. That doesnt threaten my belief in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ at all  someone believed in it so much that they fabricated it, she says.

Schmalz, whos doubtful about whether the Grail still exists, agrees about the shroud.

Not that hes against all relics. He used to wear a piece of Pope John XXIIIs vestment around his neck. I mysteriously lost it and many people said it was the result of a demonic attack, he says.

I believe it was more a result of my carelessness. But I do believe relics are important  they connect us not just with holy people but with God.

His best bet about what the Grail would look like, if it exists? Id agree with the Indiana Jones vision of it as a simple cup  the cup of a carpenter who was at a local inn. In some ways, thats the religious meaning  that something so simple and worldly could hold the blood of Christ.

Is that the Holy Grail sitting in Leon? Or Valencia? Or any of the other 200 places that claim to be home to it? Well never know.

But one thing is for sure. The idea of that simple cup of a carpenter looks set to stay in the public consciousness for another 2,000 years.

This article originally appeared on CNN.
San Francisco firefighters battle a blaze in a building containing Great Wall Hardware in the citys Parkside neighborhood early Sunday. San Francisco Fire Department The San Francisco Fire Department received a call at 3:48 a.m. about the blaze at 1821 Taraval St. San Francisco Fire Department A fire charred merchandise at Great Wall Hardware in San Francisco early Sunday. San Francisco Fire Department Albert Chow, shown in 2019, owns Great Wall Hardware. Terry Chea/Associated Press 2019

A fire heavily damaged the popular Great Wall Hardware store in San Franciscos Parkside neighborhood early Sunday, displacing three residents in the building and sending one of them to a hospital, firefighters said.

The San Francisco Fire Department received a call at 3:48 a.m. about the blaze at 1821 Taraval St. The agency dispatched 40 firefighters, who stopped the blaze from spreading within 30 minutes, said Justin Schorr, fire department rescue captain.

The fire displaced the three residents above the hardware store due to smoke damage, the fire department said on social media. One person, identified by KTVU as the mother of store owner Albert Chow, was taken to a local hospital but is expected to be OK.

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Police closed the area during the blaze, according to Schorr.

The fire department posted a video online that showed significant damage to the store, with much of the merchandise charred. Plywood replaced the glass front door at the stores entrance.

The family-run store has been a neighborhood staple since it opened in 1983, dispensing home products and repair services, according to its website.

Chow, Great Wall Hardwares second-generation owner, told the San Francisco Standard he intends to organize a fundraiser by Monday for those wishing to support the business recovery.

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Supervisor Joel Engardio, who represents the Parkside and Sunset districts, expressed his condolences on social media. He said he met with Chow at the store Sunday morning.

We are grateful that Albert, his family, tenants and employees are OK, Engardio wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. My office will do everything we can to assist Albert in reopening his store so Great Wall Hardware can continue serving the Sunset community.

The agency dispatched 40 firefighters, who stopped the blaze from spreading within 30 minutes, said Justin Schorr, fire department rescue captain. Jessica Christian/The Chronicle 2020

A GoFundMe started for the Chow family raised more than $33,500 by Monday night. The fundraiser asked for contributions that would help replace lost inventory, repair damage, and help employees get back on their feet.

Mayoral candidate Mark Farrell asked the public to donate to the fundraiser through X.

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I was devastated to learn that Great Wall Hardware in the Sunset burned down and displaced the owners parents, he wrote.
In celebration of Elizabeth Freeman Day, Lisa Shepperson  the first identified living descendant of Elizabeth Freeman  came from Virginia to the Berkshires.
Ideological blinkers in the film Vlny: How rewriting history undermines democracy

26. 8. 2024 / Muriel Blaive

cas cteni 11 minut

Many thanks to Marian Lozi and Jan Culik for their critical comments on this text. Some intellectuals seek to understand the past in order to learn from it; others reshape it to suit their own political convictions. Jiri Madl falls into the second category. His film Vlny (Waves) is an attempt to rewrite Czechoslovak communist history, an approach that can unfortunately come as no surprise after 35 years of inadequate historical education and unbridled anticommunism in the Czech public sphere.





On the bright side, Vlny is an enjoyable film, both appealing and well-crafted. Moreover, as a historian, I am always pleased when a fictional work encourages a segment of the public, who might not typically engage with their own history, to reflect on it.

Before delving into a critique of the films historical narrative, I would like to highlight two other commendable aspects: first, the shock of the 1968 invasion by Warsaw Pact troops is well-rendered (as an aside, in view of this history it always baffles me how anyone in this country can still support Russia today, particularly its invasion of Ukraine.) Second, while the story is set against the wrong historical backdrop it is refreshing to see an individual episode of collaboration with the secret police depicted in all its complexity rather than in an overtly judgmental way. The film demonstrates that even a fundamentally good person  who later proves to be quite heroic  can be made to compromise themselves with the secret police, in this case to protect his younger brother.

Vlny exemplifies the current rewriting of communist history in the Czech Republic

It remains that from a broader perspective, the film contributes to a troubling trend of historical revisionism in the Czech Republic. It suggests in its opening sentence that some characters are inspired by real people and share their names, which sets the viewers expectations for a documentary-like accuracy and adherence to the historical truth. However, this is immediately followed by these claims: The Soviet Union controls Eastern European countries, their governments are subservient to Moscow, 1,300,000 political prisoners, 5,800 executions, millions of ruined lives.

Where and when exactly did such cruel repression take place? The film does not specify it. I tried to piece it together mentally: perhaps if we take Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland, the GDR, Bulgaria, and Romania for the entire communist period? No, the figures are still much too high. Including the Soviet Union...? Then they are too low. Back to Central Europe but including the post-World War II settlings of accounts? The Polish civil war of 1945-48...? The Hungarian revolution of 1956, perhaps? None of these combinations fits the provided figures.

As the subtitles scroll across the screen, we see familiar communist imagery in the background: portraits of Klement Gottwald, the historical leader of the Czechoslovak Communist Party and the first communist dictator in 1948, Antonin Novotny, who served as first secretary of the Czechoslovak Communist Party and president of Czechoslovakia until 1968, and others.

When the film specifically mentions 1,300,000 political prisoners, it shows an image of Milada Horakova at her trial.

And as the precise moment when the subtitles mention 5,800 executions, the film shows a trial scene that, while not explicitly identified, strongly reminds of the infamous Slansky trial or of any other political trial  the kind of image Czech viewers have seen countless times.





Mission accomplished. Although these numerical claims are historically implausible, the political and normative implications of the images are clear: this repression looks like it took place in Czechoslovakia. But as the film only implies it rather than stating it word for word, it will be easy to feign innocence if or when challenged by someone familiar with the actual figures. I can imagine Madl protesting in good faith: I never said there were 1,300,000 political prisoners and 5,800 executions in communist Czechoslovakia! He never said it indeed, but there is little doubt the public left the cinema believing exactly that. And he can reasonably expect that the vast majority of his audience will be unaware of this discrepancy in the first place.

In reality, during the Stalinist period (1948-1953), Czechoslovak camps and prisons held about 50,000 people who could be classified as political prisoners, while there were approximately 178 political executions. These figures are based on research by Karel Kaplan and other historians in the 1960s and although they have slightly adjusted since 1989, they remain within this general range. Thus, the film exaggerates the scale of repression by roughly 3,000%.

Does it matter? After all, who cares? Its only one film. It is true enough that the communist repression was harsh and that it traumatized the country.

What distorting history reveals

It does matter. As noted by various authors (Jan Culik here, Veronika Pehe here, Alena Zemancikova here, Karel Vesely here, Albin Sybera here, for instance), a distortion of the historical figures is linked to a misunderstanding of the historical context and to a misrepresentation of the atmosphere of the time. The films portrayal of the political, social, and cultural atmosphere is fundamentally flawed. For instance, the historical figures portrayed in the film did not live in fear in 1967-68; they did not experience a sudden sense of freedom due to a new communist party ruling; the regime could not have concealed police actions against students; it is unlikely that a 17-year-old would be terrified of being sent to a disreputable childrens home when opportunities for normal adult life awaited him; and the StB's activities were far more subdued at this time than depicted, among other inaccuracies. But mainly, the second half of the 1960s, especially the Prague Spring, was a period of freedom and enthusiasm. People could study, travel to the West, freely express themselves in culture, debate and criticize politicians and the party even before the official abolition of censorship.

In this sense, Vlny is more reminiscent of the Czechoslovak society of 1951 than that of 1967-68, a society in which the level of societal passivity is misrepresented in any case. For those who mistakenly believe that individuals were paralyzed by fear under Stalinism, let alone during the Prague Spring, I recommend reading Josef Skvoreckys novels, such as Miracle or The Engineer of Human Souls. Before anticommunism became a fad of the post-1989 era, and without remotely relativizing communist repression, his novels vividly illustrate how people did their best to dodge the terror regime by pretending to be unaware, idiotic, ignorant, overzealous, or by any other means that allowed them to navigate the worst of the orders they received while trying to gain as much as possible for themselves  as they had done under Nazism, too, which Skvorecky also shows in his novel The Cowards. This nuanced reality is now accessible through the methodologies of micro-history and the socio-political history of everyday life, but such approaches have been consistently cast by primitive anticommunists in complicit media as communist. They have been mischaracterized as minimizing the extent of the repression and sadly, the public believes this.

Naturally, Vlny alone wont alter the Czech perception of communist history. However, each similarly misleading film  such as Burning Bush by Agnieszka Holland or Brothers by Tomas Masin , each unprofessional historical study (including much of the recent output from the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes), each caricatural press article on the communist past, and each poorly designed historical exhibit (those of the Museum for the Memory of the Twentieth Century come to mind) contributes to a broader distortion. Together, these elements recreate the Czechoslovak communist past as a fictitious dystopia reminiscent of Orwells universe, one which is however inconsistent with the historical reality.

Distorting history is not merely a natural phenomenon

The indoctrination initiated by Pavel Zacek, founder of the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes, and his allies, has come to fruition. At the time when USTR was established, Zacek claimed that a communist was a communist, as if the communist regime had known no historical phases, as if Stalinism and Gottwald were comparable with the liberal atmosphere of the Prague Spring and the popularity of Alexander Dubcek, or even with Gustav Husak and normalization. If every communist was a bad communist and every phase of the Czechoslovak communist era was oppressive, then communist Czechoslovakia was essentially a vast concentration camp populated by only three kinds of individuals: victims, heroes, and traitors. Law 181/2007, which established USTR, mandated the institute to study repression and resistance, while conspicuously omitting collaboration as a research theme. It also mandated it to overlook the period 1945-1948, when democrats actively collaborated with the communists, primarily to expel the Sudeten Germans  and never mind that around 30,000 of them were killed in the process, Czech society remained democratic according to the law all the way until the 1948 communist takeover.

Concurrently with Zaceks statement in 2008, anticommunist activists from the Platform for European Memory and Conscience, with the support of USTR, succeeded in getting the EU to adopt the Prague Declaration on Memory and Conscience. This declaration suggested a moral equivalence between communist repression and the Holocaust by establishing a shared day of remembrance for both forms of dictatorship. As I have shown elsewhere, drawing such a parallel effectively denies that in Czechoslovakia, the Holocaust claimed 50 to 100 times more victims than communist repression. If antisemitism had been the underlying motive for establishing such a misleading comparison, its proponents could not have devised a better approach.

A year after Zaceks statement, in 2009, a Czech-Austrian exhibit on borders portrayed Vorkuta and the Gulag as emblematic of communism rather than specific to Soviet Stalinism. Much like Vlny, the exhibit subtly created the impression that the Gulag could also have existed in Bohemia but without explicitly stating it, thereby maintaining its ability to plausibly deny the implication.

The same year, an exhibit of USTR on Wenceslas Square commemorating the 1989 Velvet Revolution hinted that students such as Pavel Zacek and Monika Pajerova had started to plan the Velvet Revolution two years before it actually happened. What next? As historical narratives are shamelessly reshaped, the challenge is to cut through the distortions. How many people are still capable of doing this today, and for how much longer?

Badly written history threatens democracy

The everyday result of this collective distortion of history is irksome in its absurdity. Many younger Czechs, who know little about the countrys communist past or even the details of their own family histories, now cling to a comforting, almost smug belief that they are on the side of the victims. The prevailing sentiment seems to be, I dont know the specifics, but my family must have suffered. Emigrants are seen as victims, those who stayed are victims, those who spoke out are victims, and those who remained silent as victims. Meanwhile, those who were imprisoned by the communist regime (the actual victims) are elevated to the status of heroes.

Czech society has positioned itself firmly on the right side of history, amassing enough capital of sympathy in its own eyes to judge others with a clear conscience. The days when dissident Vaclav Havel spoke of auto-totalitarianism and, as President, urged citizens to recognize their collective responsibility for the countrys dire state under communism are long gone. So too are the days when Hannah Arendt warned that if everyone is a victim, then no one is responsible and no one can be held accountable  culprits remain unpunished. The invigorating sense of individual and collective freedom from guilt and responsibility comes at the cost of forgetting these crucial lessons.

This somewhat sanctimonious attitude in Czech society today certainly doesnt encourage young people to critically examine themselves, their families, their nation, or their countrys policies, and this lack of self-reflection is detrimental to the development of civic society and democracy. Not that this trend is unique  it can be observed worldwide. Although Vlny itself is innocuous enough and the Czech Republic is at no risk of turning into a genocidal society any time soon, the building of such a victimization complex led in the past to dangerous psychological patterns, similar to those observed in the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda during the 1990s, or even in Israel today. There, the deeply entrenched narrative of exclusive victimhood has led many to justify the harsh treatment of Palestinians. Victimization rarely fosters tolerance or peace, and its toxic power should never be underestimated.

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A new tourist attraction is planned for Dublin with the proposed opening of a museum dedicated to the history of medicine in Ireland.

The Royal College of Physicians of Ireland has applied to Dublin City Council for planning permission for the development of a Medicine Museum at its headquarters on Kildare Street.

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The college, which has become a repository for medical artefacts, records and documents over the past 350 years, now hopes to open the proposed museum in the basement of the building.

The RCPI, which was founded in 1653, said it had decided that it wanted to make the colleges exceptional legacy, its global footprint, its modern impact and its ongoing advocacy of the publics health more accessible to the public at large.

The college said the goals of the museum were for it to become a centre of excellence for education, research and public engagement with the history of medicine and medical humanities in Ireland.

The building, which is located close to Dail Eireann and the National Library, has been home to the RCPI since 1864.

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The plans for the new visitor attraction, which are designed by the architectural firm, Scott Tallon Walker, provide for the creation of a new entrance to the Medicine Museum at basement level.

Visitors to the museum will be guided through a total of five different zones in a circular loop of the exhibition space.

One zone will allow visitors to explore the mediaeval and early modern world of physicians and their interactions with barbers, surgeons, apothecaries, midwives and periwig makers.

The displays will also inform the public about the historical approaches of medical practitioners to treatments and sources of herbal medicines and their evolution in the role of the physician over the centuries.

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Another area of the museum will highlight the first charter for the college in 1692 as well as items from the collection relating to the founding members and early years of the RCPI.

The various displays and touchscreens will also inform visitors about the evolution of the practice of medicine, training methods and technology more familiar to todays patients.

People visiting the museum will be brought up to date with the colleges current overseas learner programme and public campaigns, including an interview with the physician who developed the first Covid-19 vaccine.

Dublin City Council welcomed the proposed development and considered it appropriate and acceptable in principle, but council planners also sought further information about the project to ensure it was acceptable in terms of good planning and conservation.

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The RCPI said the opening hours for the museum would be 10am-4pm on Monday-Friday with seasonal weekend opening.

The college said no more than 50 visitors would be allowed entry to the attraction at any one time, but it anticipated such a number would be the exception, not the norm.

A decision on the application for planning permission for the new museum is expected in the coming weeks.

The RCPI headquarters, which is a protected structure, is also almost a true replica of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.
A female shothole borer, shown in a magnified view, is about the size of a sesame seed. Males are smaller. John Kabashima/UC Cooperative Extension

An invasive beetle, known to attack more than 65 tree species in California and kill more than 17, was located in San Jose on Friday.

Researchers found the shothole borer, a tiny insect that tunnels into trees, according to a news release from Santa Clara County. After tunneling, shothole borers introduce a fungus that serves as food for its larvae, the release said. The fungus causes a disease in trees that prevents them from transporting water and nutrients, which damages and sometimes kills the trees.

The nonnative pest can kill the box elder, California sycamore, valley oak, Japanese maple and American sweet gum trees, among others. In the 2000s, the species was discovered in Southern California, where it killed tens of thousands of trees in seven counties.

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Researchers dont know how widespread the infestation is, though they said the beetle may have been in San Jose for years. It was also unclear how the beetle made it to the South Bay, which may have been due to the movement of infested green waste or firewood, the release said. Beetles can also travel through nursery stock and packing materials such as wood pallets or crates.

Were asking for the communitys help in identifying trees that have been attacked by invasive shothole borers, which will help us determine the extent of the infestation, said Drew Raymond, acting agricultural commissioner for Santa Clara County. While we probably cant get rid of the invasive shothole borer at this point, we can contain the infestation to protect as many of our trees as possible.

The entry and exit holes of invasive shothole borers are about the size of the tip of a ballpoint pen. Monica Dimson/UC Cooperative Extension

An infested tree can be identified by an entry hole that is perfectly round and roughly the size of the tip of a ballpoint pen, the agency said. Additional signs include wet staining, gumming, insect waste, boring dust and sugary buildup around entry and exit holes.

Residents who see signs of infestation are advised to contact the Santa Clara County Department of Agriculture at scc.agriculture@cep.sccgov.org or 408-918-4610.
Hezbollah launched hundreds of rockets and drones at Israel early on Sunday, as Israel's military said it struck Lebanon with around 100 jets to thwart a larger attack, in one of the biggest clashes in more than 10 months of border warfare.

Missiles were visible curling up through the dawn sky, dark vapour trails behind them, as an air raid siren sounded in Israel and a distant blast lit the horizon, while smoke rose over houses in Khiam in southern Lebanon.

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On Sunday evening, sirens sounded in Rishon Letsiyon, central Israel, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said, and added that one projectile had been identified crossing from the southern Gaza Strip and falling in an open area. The armed wing of Hamas said it had fired an "M90" rocket at Tel Aviv.

Risk of wider Middle East conflict

Any major spillover in the fighting, which began in parallel with the war in Gaza, risks morphing into a regional conflagration drawing in Hezbollah's backer Iran and Israel's main ally the United States.

With three deaths confirmed in Lebanon and one in Israel, both sides indicated they were happy to avoid further escalation for now, but warned that there could be more strikes to come.

Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said the Iranian-backed group's barrage, a reprisal for the assassination of senior commander Fuad Shukr last month, had been completed "as planned".

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However, the group would assess the impact of its strikes and "if the result is not enough, then we retain the right to respond another time", he said.

Israel's foreign minister said the country did not seek a full-scale war, but prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned: "This is not the end of the story."

Earlier, Netanyahu had said: "We are determined to do everything we can to defend our country ... whoever harms us - we harm him".

The two sides have exchanged messages that neither wants to escalate further, with the main gist being that the exchange was "done", two diplomats told Reuters.

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Expectations of an escalation had risen since a missile strike in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights last month killed 12 youths and the Israeli military assassinated Shukr in Beirut in response.

Hezbollah had delayed its retaliation to give time for ceasefire talks, and had calibrated its attack to avoid triggering a full-scale war, a Hezbollah official said.

US defence secretary Lloyd Austin ordered the presence of two aircraft carrier strike groups in the Middle East, bolstering the US military presence. Earlier, top U.S. General C.Q. Brown arrived in Israel for talks with military leaders.

Dense bombardment

Israel's air strikes started before Hezbollah began its barrage, Nasrallah said. Netanyahu said these "pre-emptive" strikes had foiled a much larger Hezbollah barrage but Nasrallah said they had had little impact.

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Hezbollah's own rocket and drone strikes were focused on an intelligence base near Tel Aviv, Nasrallah said.

Netanyahu said all the drones targeting what he called a strategic location in central Israel were intercepted.

A security source in Lebanon said at least 40 Israeli strikes had hit various towns in the country's south in one of the densest bombardments since hostilities began in October.

Hezbollah said the strikes killed two of its fighters in al-Tiri. The Hezbollah-allied Shi'ite Muslim group Amal said a strike on Khiam killed one of its fighters.

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Israel's military said a naval soldier was killed and two wounded.

Lebanon's caretaker prime minister, Najib Mikati, met cabinet ministers at a session of the national emergency committee.

Flights to and from Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv were suspended for around 90 minutes. Some flights to and from Beirut were also halted, stranding passengers.

Warning sirens

In northern Israel, warning sirens sounded and explosions were heard in several areas as Israel's Iron Dome aerial defence system shot down rockets coming from southern Lebanon.

"Israel should, as it did this morning, deliver a pre-emptive strike. But if Hezbollah continues, Israel should strike very hard to remove the threat from Hezbollah once and for all," said Yuval Peleg, 73, from Haifa.

A resident of the southern Lebanese town of Zibqeen told Reuters he had awakened "to the sound of planes and the loud explosions of rockets - even before the dawn prayer. It felt like the apocalypse."

The White House said US president Joe Biden was following events. "We will keep supporting Israel's right to defend itself, and we will keep working for regional stability," National Security Council spokesperson Sean Savett said.

United Nations secretary-general Antonio Guterres was "deeply concerned" by the escalation between Israel and Hezbollah and called on both parties to immediately return to a cessation of hostilities, his spokesperson said.

Egypt and Jordan also warned against escalation.

The United States was not involved in Israel's strikes on Sunday, but provided some intelligence about incoming Hezbollah attacks, a US official said.

Hezbollah fired missiles at Israel immediately after the October 7th attacks by Hamas gunmen on Israel. Hezbollah and Israel have been exchanging fire constantly ever since, while avoiding a major escalation as war rages in Gaza to the south.

That precarious balance appeared to shift after the strike in the Golan Heights, for which Hezbollah denied responsibility, and the subsequent assassination of Shukr, one of Hezbollah's most senior military commanders.

Shukr's death in an air strike was quickly followed by the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, which led to vows of reprisals against Israel by Iran.

Hamas meanwhile rejected new Israeli conditions in Gaza ceasefire talks, casting further doubt on the chances of a breakthrough in U.S.-backed efforts to end the 10-month-old war.
Two separate bus accidents hours apart in Pakistan on Sunday left at least 36 people dead and dozens more injured, officials said.

The first happened when a bus carrying Shiite Muslim pilgrims returning from Iraq through Iran fell from a highway into a ravine in south-west Pakistan, killing at least 12 people and injuring 32 others, police and officials said.

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The driver lost control on the Makran coastal highway when the brakes failed while passing through Lasbela district in Baluchistan province, local police chief Qazi Sabir said.



Volunteers recover the bodies and injured passengers from the wreckage of the bus a ravine near Kahuta in Pakistan (AP)

Authorities in Baluchistan said arrangements are being made to send the bodies of pilgrims to Punjab province for burial.

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Maryam Nawaz, the chief minister in Punjab, also expressed her condolences over the accident.

Hours later, 24 people, including two women and a child, were killed when a bus fell into a ravine in Kahuta district in eastern Punjab province, police and officials said. At least seven other people were injured.

The bus was heading to the Pakistan-administrated disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir  claimed in its entirety by both India and Pakistan  when it fell from the Panna bridge in the Kahuta district, said Sardar Waheed, a senior government official.

He added that heavy machinery is needed to lift the wreckage and ensure no-one is trapped underneath.

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Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in separate statements offered their condolences and expressed sorrow over the two accidents. They asked authorities to ensure the provision of the best medical treatment for the injured pilgrims.



Rescuers at the scene of the bus crash in a ravine, near Kahuta, Pakistan (AP)

The accidents on Sunday happened days after 28 Pakistani pilgrims were killed in a bus crash in neighbouring Iran while heading to Iraq.

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A Pakistani military plane flew the bodies of the victims home on Saturday to be buried in southern Sindh province.

Thousands of Shiites travel to Iraqs holy city of Karbala to commemorate Arbaeen  Arabic for the number 40  to mark the death of the Prophet Muhammads grandson, Hussein, who became a symbol of resistance during the tumultuous first century of Islams history.

Bus accidents are common in Pakistan, mostly because of the negligence of the drivers who often violate traffic rules.
The European Unions top diplomat said Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has still not provided the necessary public evidence to prove he was the winner of Julys elections, days after the countrys Supreme Court backed the governments disputed claims of victory.

The bloc joined a slate of other Latin American countries and the United States in rejecting the Venezuelan high courts certification.

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Authorities repeated calls for Mr Maduro to release the elections official tally sheets, considered the one verifiable vote count in Venezuela as they are almost impossible to replicate.





Only complete and independently verifiable electoral results will be accepted & recognized to ensure that the will of the Venezuelan people is respected.



The EU will continue to work with its regional partners to facilitate a Venezuelan-led dialogue.https://t.co/yX4ERWT55q  Josep Borrell Fontelles (@JosepBorrellF) August 24, 2024 Advertisement

Only complete and independently verifiable results will be accepted and recognised, Josep Borrell, the high representative of the EU, said in a statement.

Mr Borrells comments came as the leaders of Brazil and Colombia also demanded the release of the tallies, saying on Saturday the credibility of the electoral process can only be restored through the transparent publication of disaggregated and verifiable data.

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The joint statement from Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Colombian President Gustavo Petro did not go as far as to reject the court certification.

Many had been waiting to see how the two leftist leaders would respond to the court because both are close allies of Mr Maduro and have been working to facilitate talks with both sides.

Mr Maduro claims that he won the presidential vote, but so far has refused to release the tallies. Meanwhile, the main opposition coalition has accused Mr Maduro of trying to steal the vote.

Opposition volunteers managed to collect copies of voting tallies from 80% of the 30,000 polling booths nationwide that show former opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez won by a more than 2-to-1 margin.

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The Supreme Court and other government entities alleged those tallies were forged.

The Venezuelan government rejected Mr Borrells statements, calling them interventionist.



FILE  Venezuelan opposition presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez attends a campaign event before the election in Caracas, Venezuela, June 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos, File)

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Its foreign ministry said in a statement on Saturday that the continued disrespect to Venezuelas sovereignty by the EU could considerably affect diplomatic, political and economic relations.

Mr Lula and Mr Petro said they take note of the courts ruling, but added they are still awaiting the release of the tallies.

The Brazilian and Colombian leaders also called on actors in Venezuela to avoid resorting to acts of violence and repression as security forces arrested more than 2,000 people and cracked down on demonstrations that erupted spontaneously throughout the country protesting the results.

But the two leaders did not directly accuse the Maduro government of carrying out the violence.

The arrests have again spread fear in a country that has seen other government crackdowns during previous times of political turmoil.

At the same time, key opposition figure Maria Corina Machado has since gone into hiding and the government said on Friday it will order Mr Gonzalez to provide sworn testimony in an ongoing investigation, claiming he was part of an effort to spread panic by contesting the results of the election.

Both Mr Lula and Mr Petro have previously been criticized for what some say have been lenient policies towards Mr Maduros government, but their tone has grown sterner in recent months, especially in the wake of the election fallout.

Their two countries are neighbours to Venezuela and their governments were to witness agreements struck between Mr Maduro and the opposition that aimed to chart the path to free and fair elections, which the opposition and other observers accused Mr Maduro of violating.

The two leaders reiterated their willingness to facilitate dialogue between the government and the opposition.

The political normalisation of Venezuela requires the recognition that there is no lasting alternative to peaceful dialogue and democratic coexistence, the statement read.
German police have detained a suspect in the Solingen knife attack that killed three people, an official has said.

We have been following a hot lead all day, Herbert Reul, the state internal affairs minister of North Rhein Westphalia, told Tagesschau, the news programme of the German public television network ARD.

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The person we have been searching for all day has been detained a short while ago, he said.

He was being questioned, Mr Reul said, adding police not only have clues but also have collected pieces of evidence.



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It comes after the Islamic State (IS) militant group claimed responsibility for the attack, which also wounded eight others at a crowded festival marking the citys 650th anniversary.

The group said Saturday on its news site that the attacker targeted Christians and is a soldier of the Islamic State who carried out the assaults Friday night to avenge Muslims in Palestine and everywhere.

The IS claim could not immediately be verified. No evidence for the groups assertions was provided.

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Officials earlier said a 15-year-old boy was arrested early on Saturday. Police said he was suspected of knowing about the planned attack and failing to inform authorities, but he was not the attacker.

The three people who died were two men aged 67 and 56 and a 56-year-old woman, authorities said. Police said the attacker appeared to have deliberately aimed for his victims throats.

Markus Caspers, senior public prosecutor from the counterterrorism section of the public prosecutors office, told a news conference earlier Saturday that the 15-year-old boy was arrested after two female witnesses contacted police.



Herbert Reul, minister of the interior of North Rhine-Westphalia, center, speaks to the press after an attack killed and injured multiple people. (Thomas Banneyer/dpa via AP)

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They said they had listened to a conversation between the boy and an unknown person before the attack, speaking about intentions that corresponded to the events that followed.

We are seeing the first signs of a new wave of terrorist attacks, said Peter Neumann, a professor of security studies at Kings College in London.

IS is trying to capitalise on the huge mobilisation resulting from Hamas terror offensive on October 7 2023, even though strictly speaking it had nothing to do with it, he said.

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The kind of attack we saw in Solingen is exactly the kind of attack that (IS) is trying to inspire. Its calling on people over the internet to attack unbelievers using simple methods. like cars and knives. that way, it is trying to create an impression that (the Islamic State group) is everywhere and could strike anytime, Mr Neumann told the Associated Press.

Thorsten Fleiss, the chief of police operations on Friday night, said police found several knives but added that he was unable to confirm whether any of them had been used as a weapon by the perpetrator during the attack.

Police warned people to stay vigilant even as well-wishers started to leave flowers at the scene.

Authorities established an online portal where witnesses could upload footage and any other information relevant to the attack.

Churches in Solingen have opened their doors to offer a space for prayer and emergency pastoral care.

German interior minister Nancy Faeser paid a visit to Solingen on Saturday evening. She said that the government would do everything possible to support the city and the people of Solingen.

We will not allow that such an awful attack divides our society, she said, appearing alongside minister-president of the German state of North Rhine Westphalia Hendrik Wust and state minister for internal affairs Herbert Reul.

Mr Wust described the attack as an act of terror against the security and freedom of this country. But Ms Faeser, the countrys top security official, has not classified it as a terror attack.



Police cars sit at a cordon after several people were killed and injured in an attack at the Solingens 650th anniversary celebrations. (Christoph Reichwein/dpa via AP)

Mr Reul announced that the planned visit of the interior minister to the crime scene would not take place because of the ongoing police operation in the affected areas of the city.

He pleaded with the public to give time to the police so that they can do their work.

People alerted police shortly after 9.30pm on Friday to an unknown attacker having wounded several people with a knife in a central square, the Fronhof.

Last night our hearts were torn apart. We in Solingen are full of horror and grief. What happened yesterday in our city has hardly let any of us sleep, the mayor of Solingen, Tim Kurzbach, said, speaking to reporters on Saturday near the scene of the attack.

The Festival of Diversity, marking the citys 650th anniversary, began Friday and was supposed to run through Sunday, with several stages in central streets offering attractions such as live music, cabaret and acrobatics.

The attack took place in the crowd in front of one stage. Hours after the attack, the stage lights were still on as police and forensic investigators looked for clues in the cordoned-off square.

The rest of the festival was cancelled.

Solingen has about 160,000 residents and is located near the bigger cities of Cologne and Duesseldorf.

German chancellor Olaf Scholz said on X on Saturday: The attack in Solingen is a terrible event that has shocked me greatly. An attacker has brutally killed several people. I have just spoken to Solingens mayor, Tim Kurzbach. We mourn the victims and stand by their families.





Der Anschlag in Solingen ist ein schreckliches Ereignis, das mich sehr besturzt. Ein Attentater hat mehrere Menschen brutal getotet. Gerade habe ich mit Solingens Oberburgermeister Tim Kurzbach telefoniert. Wir trauern um die Opfer und stehen an der Seite der Angehorigen. (1/2)  Bundeskanzler Olaf Scholz (@Bundeskanzler) August 24, 2024

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier also spoke to Mr Kurzbach on Saturday morning.

The heinous act in Solingen shocks me and our country. We mourn those killed and worry about those injured and I wish them strength and a speedy recovery from all my heart, Mr Steinmeier said in a statement on Saturday.

The perpetrator needs to be brought to justice. Lets stand together  against hatred and violence.

A decade after the Islamic State militant group declared its caliphate in large parts of Iraq and Syria, the extremists no longer control any land, have lost many prominent leaders and are mostly out of the world news headlines.

Still, the group continues to recruit members and claim responsibility for deadly attacks around the world, including lethal operations in Iran and Russia earlier this year that left scores dead.

Sleeper cells in Syria and Iraq still carry out attacks against government forces in both countries as well as US-backed Syrian fighters.
Todays politicians are of lower quality than in previous years because of the vile treatment they receive, Sir Tony Blairs former spokesman has said.

Alastair Campbell, an activist, author, journalist, podcaster and political strategist, said younger people are leaving the political sphere due to how harshly they are treated by voters.

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Mr Campbell was then-prime minister Blairs official spokesman and Downing Street press secretary from 1997 and later became director of communications and strategy at No 10.

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Speaking at a session during the Edinburgh Book Festival on Sunday, host Isabel Hardman, assistant editor of The Spectator, asked Mr Campbell if good people are still entering politics.

Mr Campbell, who is co-host of The Rest Is Politics podcast with former Conservative cabinet minister Rory Stewart, said he felt the current crop of politicians are generally of a lower standard because of the way they are treated by society.

Mr Campbell said: Well, lets be frank about it, there are people who have just been elected who will become prime minister.

There are people who have just been elected who will become foreign secretary and home secretary and chancellor in the next whatever  on both sides  so there will be very, very good people there.

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I think in general, the quality is lower than it was, but again, I think weve all got to take ownership of that.

I think one of the reasons is we are so vile to them.

Second event @edbookfest - workshop on making change happen. Brilliant speech by Rebecca on the impact of cyber bullying and backward-looking views on women and young girls in school, encouraged and ventilated by grifters. Happily boys in the room agreed with her pic.twitter.com/X2fVPR4tmV Advertisement  ALASTAIR CAMPBELL (@campbellclaret) August 25, 2024

The author of But What Can I Do? gave the example of the attacks made on Labour minister Jess Phillips, the MP for Birmingham Yardley, who he said receives so much abuse, adding people have got to be very tough to go into politics at the moment.

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Mr Campbell agreed with Ms Hardman that budding politicians have to have a thick skin that is almost on the level of a rhino hide in order to thrive.

I agree. Ive got a very, very thick skin. I put up with a lot of abuse, I get war criminal every single day of my life on social media, very rarely to my face, but occasionally.

And you do have to develop a thick skin, and you put your finger on it: developing your thick skin and remaining empathic to other people is hard, you have to think about how you do it.

Mr Campbell said he met former SNP MP Mhairi Black, who had previously said the reason she did not stand for re-election was the toxic workplace environment at Westminster, on the night of the last UK general election.

Mhairi Black stood down as an MP at the UK general election (PA)

I did Channel 4 on election night, and Mhairi Black was on, and I was thinking, theres Mhairi Black, shes still very, very young and shes given up politics, right?

Shes great. I mean, Im Labour, shes SNP, but I just think she had something really special. Shes given up.

Mr Campbell said Ms Black, who was 20 when she was first elected in 2015 and is now 29, told him how unhappy she had been with how the Westminster Parliament operates.

He made a wider point that many younger people, often in their 30s or 40s, are leaving politics, adding that cant just be about them.

Thats about the experience that theyre having as politicians and thats why I think we need to rebuild a sense of theyre not as bad as we say.

Now, look, some of them are. It will be no secret to anybody who listens to my podcast or read anything I write, I despise Boris Johnson and what he did to this country.

Ive never picked that up, Ms Hardman joked, met with laughter from the audience.

Mr Campbell added: I cannot stomach Donald Trump. Now theres two people whove ended up running countries, but I dont despise most politicians, and there are Tories that I can get on with.

Mr Campbells book, But What Can I Do, is available online.
Australian fashion designer Alice McCall has described her new collaboration with ultra-cheap Chinese fashion giant Shein as very good quality in comments that have been criticised by sustainability experts and labelled as paradoxical.

The designers latest collaboration with Shein  her second with the fast fashion giant  is a 65-piece collection featuring bold patterns and colours, as well as the feminine, whimsical designs McCall is known for. Prices start at $8 for a mesh dress. The most expensive item is a pair of PU leather pants for $38.

At a launch event in Sydney on Thursday, McCall lauded the quality of the products and said she absolutely would call the products investment pieces.

Australian designer Alice McCall has launched her second collaboration with fast fashion retailer Shein.

In todays economic climate, to be able to create an Alice piece because of Shein and their platform and then giving a customer the opportunity to invest in a piece [who] might not be able to afford it otherwise, is something that Im really happy about and really proud of, she told this masthead.
The new head of Western Sydney University has revealed he asked for a pay cut when he took the job and believes that vice chancellors salaries, which exceed $1 million at over half of Australian universities, should be aligned with public servant wages.

Professor George Williams said the sector had lost its way and universities needed to change the conversation to focus on the people they serve to regain the publics support.

Western Sydney University vice chancellor George Williams. Credit: Edwina Pickles

Australias public university vice chancellors are among the highest paid in the world, with analysis from this masthead revealing more than half receive pay packets over $1 million.

The National Tertiary Education Union has called for an overhaul of the salaries, saying they are wildly out of touch with community expectations.
Shackel said he wasnt a political party member, and his organisation received no funding from any party. But there are clear links between anti-wind farm activists, the pro-nuclear movement and conservative think tanks like the Centre for Independent Studies. Peter Dutton has announced plans to convert retired coal-fired power sites like Mount Piper power station into nuclear facilities. Credit: James Brickwood The pro-market CIS in January launched its new Energy Program, focusing on nuclear energy. Its energy research director Aidan Morrison was a keynote speaker at Nuclear for Australias Lithgow event. Morrison, a data analyst, in June told CIS senior fellow Robert Forsyth he was no expert, and that he was still learning about climate science.

I havent, like many people, dived deep into the science on climate change and tried to map out my assessment of all the different mechanisms and how its worked, so I rely  like most people  on trusting those in public spaces. Nuclear for Australia was established as a charity in October, but it isnt required to report its financial statements and reports until December. Dick Smith: I would be against anyone using this particular accident to stifle the spirit of adventure. Credit: James Brickwood Donor Dick Smith told this masthead he had contributed less than $40,000 in the past financial year towards the start-up of the group, which also solicits donations from supporters. With our move towards renewables, its going to mean incredible environmental destruction, Smith said of his support for nuclear. A nuclear power station can mean you can have 400 less wind turbines and, of course, the powers on 24 hours a day.

Three people are listed as directors of Nuclear for Australia: former ANSTO chief executive Adrian (Adi) Paterson, also the chairman, Wills mother Kylie, and Matthew Faint. Paterson, who told The Guardian he was not a climate change denier, in May nonetheless described concerns about human-induced climate change as an irrational fear of a trace gas which is plant food. Dr Adi Paterson, former chief at ANSTO. Credit: Anna Kucera Tony Irwin, a member of Nuclear for Australias expert working group, told this masthead the group was trying to convert hearts and minds in communities earmarked for nuclear sites by the Coalition. Youve got to have a bottom up approach to lifting the ban, and also be able to influence the politicians and the people at the top, he said.

Irwin said his group had been contacted by communities in NSW and Queensland opposed to the rollout of renewables. Ive just been in Queensland and the Great Dividing Range, whove been absolutely devastated with wind turbines and just bulldozing through all the forests up there, he said. We seem to be destroying the environment to save the environment. Nuclear for Australias Tony Irwin, speaking at last weeks event in Lithgow. Credit: Nuclear for Australia/Facebook Concerns about land use have been promoted by the conservative think tank the Institute of Public Affairs, which in December said one third of Australias prime agricultural farmland could be covered in solar panels and wind turbines by 2050. Its an assessment rejected by Australian National University professor of engineering Andrew Blakers, who estimates we could fulfil Australias solar and wind energy needs in just 1200 square kilometres, a tiny fraction of the 4.2 million square kilometres devoted to agriculture.

Professed concerns about wind turbines, and their effects on landscapes, are common among pro-nuclear campaigners. At a separate event held last weekend at Oberon Lake Estate, one of the keynote speakers was Grant Piper, a cattle farmer near Dubbo who became involved in campaigns against wind farms near his property, before setting up the National Rational Energy Network. Wind farms like this one on the edge of the southern tablelands in NSW are becoming an increasingly common feature of Australian landscapes. Credit: Martin Ollman Tony Alevras, who owns the estate with his wife Julie, organised the two-day Climate Change and Energy Solutions Symposium, citing community concerns with wind farms and climate change. One advertised discussion point was the alleged climate crisis. The lead speaker was Plimer, a geologist and a former professor emeritus at the University of Melbourne, who rejects the human contribution to climate change.

Last year, Plimer authored a seemingly tongue-in-cheek piece in The Spectator titled Bring back Blackbirding, suggesting if blackbirded [sic] Tuvalu teenagers received a Wokeless [sic] Australian education, they could bring back knowledge to their homeland and make Tuvalu a better place. In 2022, Plimer told a conservative conference: No one has ever shown that human emissions of CO2 drive global warming  and if it could be shown, then you would have to show that the 97 per cent of emissions which are natural do not drive global warming. Climate change denialist Ian Plimer. Credit: Paul Harris Also speaking was Dr Alan Moran, an economist and former director at Institute of Public Affairs, who on his website derides green radicals. In June, Moran, now principal at Regulation Economics, wrote in The Spectator: Hopefully, if Mr Dutton prevails at the next election, Australia will buy time to come to a sensible energy policy founded on coal with some nuclear.

Nuclear for Australia has secured frequent and positive coverage in News Corp outlets, including front page coverage in the Daily Telegraph and on Sky News, Chris Smiths show TNT Radio, and with 2GBs Ben Fordham. Exclusive polling conducted by Resolve Political Monitor for this masthead in June showed voters are open to the prospect of nuclear: 41 per cent support it, and 35 per cent are opposed. But renewable projects have far stronger support: 73 per cent are in favour, amid warnings that investment in wind and solar may weaken after Dutton promised to set up seven nuclear plants if he wins the next election. Change is coming Queensland farmer and former National Farmers Federation president Brent Finlay, pictured at Parliament House, Canberra. Credit: AAPIMAGE

Queensland farmer Brent Finlay runs cattle, sheep, goats and now wind turbines as part of the Macintyre wind farm on the 4000-hectare property that has been in his family for more than 100 years. Finlay said the 2019 drought had forced farmers like himself to diversify into a mix of agriculture and renewable energy. Were [usually] 650mm rainfall here, but in 2019 we had 125mm for the 12-month period. Our ecosystem collapsed. Our country is still recovering from that. Finlay is a country pragmatist: hes worked with coal-seam gas, gas and coal in his capacity as former president of AgForce Queensland, but he says wind turbines now make sense for his property. Having some visibility of how big this industry is going to be will certainly help rural and regional Australia, Finlay said. I think were only 10 per cent into this renewable energy surge, and theres a long way to go.

What we hear matters Its a truth of politics that a simple message repeated often enough becomes accepted wisdom. But this month a group of Australian National University academics released research that shows this is also true of climate change and renewables. The team, led by PhD candidate Mary Jiang, showed even the most committed climate science believers could be swayed by hearing repeated scepticism; while sceptics could be affected by repeated statements of science. It shows that the power of repetition is quite strong, Jiang said. It can influence truth assessment. Nuclear for Australias Shackel said his group was now planning events across the country.
Queensland senator Gerard Rennick has quit the LNP to form his own party ahead of the looming federal election, potentially splitting right-wing support in the state.

Rennick, who earlier this year narrowly lost preselection for the third spot on the LNPs Queensland Senate ticket, on Sunday night said he did not want to spend what could be his last few months in the upper house swinging in the breeze like a carcass.

Gerard Rennick is an outspoken member of the Queensland Liberal National Party. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

Instead, he plans to create the Gerard Rennick People First Party to contest the election that is due by May next year and use his position in the Senate to agitate for debate on economic issues ranging from the tax system to childcare.

He hopes to start the party registration process on Monday, enabling voters to cast their votes above the line on the Senate ballot paper.
I used to think the Worlds 50 Best Restaurants list was pretty silly. How can you possibly quantify something so subjective? How can you hope to assess every single decent restaurant in the world, a grouping so wildly diverse and idiosyncratic, and then tally them neatly in a list of the top 50?

The answer is that you cant. Obviously. This is someones idea of the 50 best restaurants in the world, but its not everyones. Its barely anyones.

You might come to Lima for Virgilio Martinezs fine diner Central, but you will return again and again for the rich array of restaurants across the city.

So I used to think, whats the point? All the dishes at all the top-ranked restaurants end up looking the same anyway, regardless of where theyve been cooked and created. These restaurants are all serving European-style multi-course set menus. Theyre all basically impossible to book, too, and impossibly expensive if you do get a booking.

But after a while Ive come to realise the lists value. Its not so much the Worlds 50 Best  its more like a Worlds 50 Best. And thats fine. Its someones idea of the worlds best restaurants, in the same way Michelin is someones idea of great restaurants, or Gault & Millau is, or Gambero Rosso is, or the absolute crapshoot of Google and TripAdvisor reviews are.
The death of an incarcerated man at California State Prison, Sacramento is being investigated as a homicide. Michael Macor/The Chronicle 2014

State prison officials in Sacramento are investigating the beating death of an incarcerated man after a fight among six people in a day room, spokespeople from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said Saturday.

The violent incident occurred shortly before 3 p.m. Thursday afternoon at California State Prison, Sacramento, which is in Folsom. Six men  identified as Darryl Hudson, Tray Watson, Otis Wyatt, Robert Keller, Darryn Mayberry and Marcell Battiest  apparently came to blows, according to corrections officials, who have not cited a motive. In the commotion, Mayberry allegedly struck Hudson several times, leaving him unconscious.

Although prison staff intervened and sought emergency services to transport Hudson to a local hospital, his injuries were fatal. Doctors pronounced him dead at 6:11 p.m. Friday. Nobody else was injured.

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Law enforcement subsequently separated Mayberry, Wyatt, Keller, Battiest and Watson from the general population by placing them in restricted housing while the prisons investigative unit and the Sacramento County district attorney complete their probe. The Sacramento County Coroner will determine Hudsons cause of death.
Ever ridden an e-scooter in a European city? Whizzed around Romes Colosseum like a charioteer, or down Londons Regent Street, around Piccadilly Circus and along The Mall? Zippy, fun and perfect for the casual user, e-scooters put wings on your feet, but they come with problems, and not everyone loves them. In Mexico City theyre known as patines del diablo, the devils skates.

Since e-scooters first appeared in European cities in about 2018 a familiar pattern has emerged. Cities introduced them without a strict regulatory framework, operators piled in to capitalise on this new phenomenon and chaos followed. Users flouted common sense and safety rules, riding helter-skelter on pavements, sometimes riding tandem and leaving scooters where they fell, clogging busy pavements. Locals got annoyed and, worse still, injured, and city authorities enforced clampdowns. In extreme cases rental e-scooters have been banned.

Shared e-scooters have been banned in the City of Melbourne. Credit: Joe Armao

The same thing is happening now in Melbourne, with Melbourne City Council banning the shared e-scooters after too many incidents and injuries, even as some councils in the citys north plan to allow them. NSW is running trials in some parts of the state but is yet to allow them in central Sydney, while they are available in Queensland, including Brisbane, as well as on trial in Perth.

While e-scooters are intended mainly for use by locals theyre also popular with tourists, and thats a problem. Speed limits, helmet regulations, where scooters can and cant be ridden and where they can be parked are all different from one city to the next. Since theyre hired via an app, how is a user who might be in town for just a few days supposed to be across the dos and donts?
In the increasingly repressive environment, Telegram and its pro-privacy rhetoric offered a convenient way for Russians to communicate and share news. In 2018, Russian media watchdog Roskomnadzor moved to block Telegram over its refusal to hand over encryption keys, but ultimately failed to fully restrict access to the app. The Telegram app is the preferred vehicle for crypto pump and dump hopefuls in Australia. Telegram continued to be widely used  including by government institutions  and the ban was dropped two years later. In March 2024, Roskomnadzor said that Telegram was working with the Russian government to a certain extent and had removed more than 256,000 posts with prohibited content at Roskomnadzors request. Telegram also continues to be a popular source of news in Ukraine, where both media outlets and officials use it to share information on the war, and deliver missile and air raid alerts. In a statement posted on its platform, Telegram said it abides by EU laws including the digital services act, and its moderation is within industry standards and constantly improving.

Durov, the company added, has nothing to hide and travels frequently in Europe. It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform, Telegrams post said. Almost a billion users globally use Telegram as means of communication and as a source of vital information. Were awaiting a prompt resolution of this situation. Telegram is with you all. A French judicial official suggested that Durov could appear before a judge later Sunday to determine whether he will remain in custody. If the person concerned is to be brought before a judge today, it is only in the context of the possible extension of his police custody measure  a decision that must be taken and notified by an investigating judge, the official said. Russian government officials expressed outrage at Durovs arrest, with some highlighting what they said was the Wests double standard on freedom of speech.

Western governments have often criticised Telegram for lack of content moderating on the messaging service, which experts say opens up the messaging platform for potential use in money laundering, drug trafficking and allowing the sharing of content linked to sexual exploitation of minors. Loading Compared to other messaging platforms, Telegram is less secure (and) more lax in terms of policy and detection of illegal content, said David Thiel, a Stanford University researcher, who has investigated the use of online platforms for child exploitation, at its Internet Observatory. In addition, Telegram appears basically unresponsive to law enforcement, Thiel said, adding that messaging service WhatsApp submitted over 1.3 million CyberTipline reports in 2023 (and) Telegram submits none. In 2022, Germany issued fines of 5.13 million ($8.46 million) against the operators of Telegram for failing to comply with German law. The Federal Office of Justice said that Telegram FZ-LLC hasnt established a lawful way for reporting illegal content or named an entity in Germany to receive official communication.

Both are required under German laws that regulate large online platforms. Loading Last year, Brazil temporarily suspended Telegram over its failure to surrender data on neo-Nazi activity related to a police inquiry into school shootings in November. Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of social media site X whos called himself a free speech absolutist in the past, posted #freePavel in support of Durov following the arrest. Russian government officials expressed outrage at Durovs arrest, with some highlighting what they said was the Wests double standard on freedom of speech.

In 2018, a group of 26 NGOs, including Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, Freedom House, Reporters Without Borders, the Committee to Protect Journalists, and others, condemned the Russian courts decision to block Telegram, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said. Russian MP and former convicted spy Maria Butina has criticised the Wests approach towards Pavel Durov. Credit: AP Do you think this time theyll appeal to Paris and demand Durovs release? Zakharova said in a post on her personal Telegram account. Officials at the Russian embassy in Paris had requested access to Durov, Zakharova told Russian state news outlet RIA Novosti, but she added that French authorities view Durovs French citizenship as his primary one Russian MP Maria Butina, who spent 15 months in US prison for acting as an unregistered Russian agent, said Durov is a political prisoner - a victim of a witch-hunt by the West.
Philippines and China Trade Blame After High-Stakes Collision Near Disputed Shoal in South China Sea (Photo: Philippine Coast Guard / Public domain)

In a dramatic escalation of tensions in the South China Sea, the Philippines and China found themselves at odds once again over a maritime incident near the disputed Sabina Shoal. On Sunday, a Philippine resupply mission for its fishermen turned into a confrontation with Chinese vessels, further straining the fragile relationship between the two nations despite recent efforts to rebuild trust.

The Philippines accused China of executing "aggressive and dangerous maneuvers" to block its Bureau of Fisheries ship, which was on a mission to deliver food, fuel, and medical supplies to Filipino fishermen. According to the Philippine South China Sea task force, the Chinese coast guard deployed water cannons and engaged in ramming tactics against the Philippine vessel, leading to engine failure and the premature termination of the mission.

"This unprofessional, aggressive, and illegal behavior by Chinese vessels poses a serious risk to the safety of our crew and the fishermen they serve," the Philippine task force declared in a strongly worded statement. The task force called on Beijing to halt its "provocative actions that destabilize regional peace and security."

China, however, presented a different version of events. The Chinese coast guard claimed that the Philippine ship had "illegally" entered Chinese waters and deliberately collided with one of its law enforcement vessels. In a statement, the Chinese coast guard said it had taken "control measures" to manage the situation and that responsibility for the collision lay entirely with the Philippine side.

The clash occurred near Sabina Shoal, an area of strategic importance in the South China Sea, where multiple nations, including the Philippines and China, lay competing territorial claims. The region has long been a flashpoint for military and diplomatic tensions, with China's sweeping claims over nearly all of the South China Sea often bringing it into conflict with other claimants like the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Brunei.

Despite an international arbitral tribunal ruling in 2016 that Beijing's claims had no legal basis, China has continued to assert its sovereignty over the area, deploying a large fleet of vessels to enforce its control. This has led to numerous confrontations, with Sunday's incident being the latest in a series of encounters between the two nations' naval forces.

In recent months, both countries had made tentative steps toward easing tensions. A high-level meeting last month saw both sides agree to "restore trust" and "rebuild confidence" in managing their maritime disputes. This agreement included a provisional arrangement regarding the Philippines' resupply missions to a beached Filipino naval ship in the South China Sea. However, the latest clash underscores the fragility of these efforts and the persistent volatility in the region.

The United States, a treaty ally of the Philippines, was quick to reiterate its support for Manila in the wake of Sunday's confrontation. U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson took to social media to condemn China's actions, labeling them as "unsafe, unlawful, and aggressive conduct" that endangered lives during a legal Philippine mission.

This incident follows a similar confrontation just a week earlier, in which Philippine coast guard ships were damaged after collisions with Chinese vessels near the same shoal. The repeated nature of these clashes has heightened concerns about the potential for a more serious military conflict, particularly as both nations refuse to back down from their respective positions.

The situation has been further complicated by reports of China firing flares at a Philippine patrol aircraft near Scarborough Shoal, another contested area, just days before the Sabina Shoal incident. These actions have raised alarms not only in Manila but also in Washington, where U.S. officials are closely monitoring the developments.

As tensions continue to simmer in the South China Sea, the possibility of an accidental escalation into a broader conflict looms large. The region's importance as a vital maritime trade route and its strategic military significance make it a critical area of concern for global powers. The upcoming visit of U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan to China, where he is expected to meet with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, will likely include discussions on the South China Sea, among other pressing issues.

Reuters and SCMP contributed to this report.
Samir Modi (pictured left) said he wasnt allowed to enter the board meeting of Godfrey Phillips India (GPI) and faced an assault orchestrated by his mother Bina Modi (pictured right). A GPI spokesperson said Samir wasnt a member of the audit panel

US-based proxy advisory firm Glass Lewis has advised the shareholders of Godfrey Phillips to vote "against" the special resolution seeking the reappointment of Bina Modi as Managing Director at the Annual General Meeting on September 6. Glass Lewis has backed Samir Modi's presence on the board. Click here to connect with us on WhatsApp Godfrey Phillips India has scheduled its Annual General Meeting on September 6, 2024, in which it has put five ordinary resolutions and one special resolution for approval from its shareholders. As Bina Modi's remuneration exceeds the limits of Rs 5 crore or 2.5 per cent of the net profits of the company, Godfrey Phillips requires a special resolution, which has to be passed from a super majority of 75 per cent of the total votes polled.

Opposing the special resolution, Glass Lewis observed there are "no defined performance conditions for the payment of commission" to Bina Modi and her "appointment is as combined chairman and managing director".

"Given our concerns, we do not believe shareholders should support the proposed appointment and remuneration of this executive at this time. We recommend that shareholders vote AGAINST this proposal," said San Francisco, California-based proxy advisory firm.

Godfrey Phillips India, the flagship company of Modi Enterprises, is currently going through an intense board room and succession battle between Bina Modi and Samir Modi-led camps.

Samir Modi is the son of Bina Modi, who is heading the board of the company, which has decided not to renew or reappoint him as his term ends this year.

Samir Modi, who is on the board of Godfrey Phillips an executive director till his superannuation, is engaged in a slugfest with his mother.

Earlier, in June he had alleged Bina Modi of orchestrating an attack on him and of being stopped from participating in the board meeting of the company.

The proxy firm has observed that Godfrey Phillips' board has concluded Samir Modi's actions and performance constitute misconduct, however, there has been no public disclosure from the company to substantiate any of these claims.

Glass Lewis further said it believes shareholders still have a right to make a determination on Samir Modi's candidacy as a continuing director, and the absence of such a choice sends a "negative signal" to shareholders.

Godfrey Phillips has also proposed to appoint Samir's sister Charu Modi on the board of the company for five years from September 7, 2024.

In Godfrey Phillips India, promoters own 72.58 per cent stake, in which the Modi family owns 47.48 per cent stake and the remaining 25.10 per cent is owned by Philip Morris Global Brands Inc.

For the financial year ended on March 31, 2024, Godfrey Phillips India, which owns cigarette brands like Four Square, Red and White, Cavanders, Tipper and North Pole, had revenue of Rs 5,274.68 crore.

It also manufactures and distributes brand Marlboro under a license agreement with Philip Morris.

Besides, it also operates the convenience store chain 24Seven, which it last month had announced to exit from this loss-making business.

Last month Godfrey Phillips had said it is going ahead with plans to exit from the retail business operated under the 24Seven brand following the setting aside of an interim injunction on the move by a district court in the Capital.

Earlier, an injunction order was passed against hiving of the retail business on June 27, 2024, by a city court here over an application filed by Samir Modi.
As part of our zoom reading group (wow, 4.5 years old now), we discussed a paper that uses LLMs for automatic root cause analysis (RCA) for cloud incidents.

This was a pretty straightforward application of LLMs. The proposed system employs an LLM to match incoming incidents to incident handlers based on their alert types, predicts the incident's root cause category, and provides an explanatory narrative. The only customization is through prompt-engineering. Since this is a custom domain, I think a more principled and custom-designed machine learning system would be more appropriate rather than adopting LLMs.

Anyways, the use of LLMs for RCAs spooked me vicerally. I couldn't find the exact words during the paper discussion, but I can articulate this better now. Let me explain.





RCA is serious business

Root cause analysis (RCA) is the process of identifying the underlying causes of a problem/incident, rather than just addressing its symptoms. One RCA heuristic is asking 5 Why's to push deeper into the cause-effect relationship. RCA should be done in a holistic (systems thinking) manner exploring the causes of a problem in different dimensions such as People, Process, Equipment, Materials, Environment, and Management. Finally, RCAs should consider relationships between the potential causes, as that may illuminate the pathways that lead to the problem.

Nancy Leveson is a leading expert in safety engineering. She is known for her work on preventing accidents in complex systems like airplanes and power plants. She developed a method called STAMP (Systems-Theoretic Accident Model and Processes) that looks at how accidents happen due to failures in controlling these systems, not just technical faults or human mistakes. Leveson's approach focuses how different parts interact and influence each other.

The incident analysis Nancy Leveson does for the Bhopal disaster is really eye-opening. The pipe washing operation should have been supervised by a second shift operator, but that position had been eliminated due to cost cutting. But why? As the plant lost money, many of the skilled workers left, and they were either not replaced, or replaced by unskilled workers. (Boeing might have succumbed to cost cutting pressures according to this article from 2019.)





My worries about systemic failures

So, safety engineering is a whole academic field with a lot of smart experts working on it. On the industry side, a lot of smart experts practice safety enginering, and possess a lot of wisdom. There are specialized go-to people in every big organization for these things. It would be very stupid if management decides that LLMs do a good job for RCA, and the company doesn't need human experts investigating these issues.

Ok, maybe they won't be that careless, but I am still concerned this may lead to decline in developing new experts. If LLMs are adopted to perform RCA, companies may stop hiring and training new engineers in this crucial skill.

I bet LLMs would not be able to deep root cause identification as experts could do. Consider the RCA is serious business section again. LLMs would not be able to dive deep, and produce superficial results.

Furthermore, we should not get fixated on the "root cause" part of RCA. Most safety experts are alergic to the phrase root cause. An incident is often a systemic complex problem stemming from many things. So the analysis part, rather actually performing the analysis part is the more important thing. Through the analysis, the goal is to prevent the recurrence of similar issues, thereby improving processes, enhancing safety.

If we offload the RCA learning/categorization part to the LLM (whatever that means), we wouldn't be able to make much progress in the enhancing reliability and safety part.

In sum, I am worried that the use of LLMs for RCA will lead to cost cutting, and this will lead to systemic failures in the mid-long term.





My worries about automation surprise

Another problem, maybe a short-mid term problem, I can see with using LLMs for doing RCAs is the automation surprise problem.

Automation surprise occurs when an automated system behaves in an unexpected way, catching users off guard. This often happens because users don't fully understand how the automation works or the range of possible outcomes the system might produce.

For example, in aviation, pilots might experience automation surprise if an autopilot system suddenly changes the aircraft's behavior due to a mode switch they didn't anticipate. This can lead to confusion, reduced situational awareness, and potentially dangerous situations if the users cannot quickly understand and correct the system's actions.

This highlights the importance of designing automated systems that are predictable and providing adequate training so users are aware of the system's capabilities and limitations.

LLMs are prone to hallucination problems. After some initial success with RCA, people might start placing more trust in LLMs and build some automation around their decisions. They would then be in for a big surprise when things go awry, and they can't figure out the problem.

The major difference between a thing that might go wrong and a thing that cannot possibly go wrong is that when a thing that cannot possibly go wrong goes wrong it usually turns out to be impossible to get at or repair. -- Douglas Adams





Some LLM news from AWS

This bit of news is making the rounds. AWS seems to have integrated Amazon Q, their GenAI assistant for software development, into their internal systems and applied it to Java 17 upgrades of their systems: "The average time to upgrade an application to Java 17 plummeted from whats typically 50 developer-days to just a few hours. We estimate this has saved us the equivalent of 4,500 developer-years of work (yes, that number is crazy but, real)."

I am fazed that there is not even a single negative comment under this announcement. Could this maybe go wrong?

When I was at AWS, I saw first-hand the excellent operational culture there. The weekly operational meeting (was that on Wednesday) was really instructional in terms of learning the thought processes of these safety/security/availability expert engineers. The correct mindset to apply here is a paranoid mindset, and to scrutinize everything, and even be wary of success. It would be a shame if this culture erodes due to some early success with using LLMs to update software.

OK, so let's revisit that question. What could go wrong with LLMs making the upgrade to Java 17? I will speculate, because I don't know much about this problem. I can see some operational problems. If we put people to do this work, maybe while doing this on certain packages, they will notice, "oh shit, we never thought of this problem, but for these type of packages, upgrading them to be Java 17 compliant might open these security problems". We may be losing this opportunity with engineers goin in the field, getting their hands dirty, and discovering certain problematic cases. Another problem I mentioned above is that maybe we are failing to train new engineers for operational challenges.

I am not suggesting a Butlerian Jihad against LLMs. But I am worried, we are enticed too much by LLMs. Ok, let's use them, but maybe we shouldn't open the fort doors to let them in.
Dr. Miles J. Bennell (Donald Sutherland) is seemingly the only one who figures out the aliens plan in 1978s Invasion of the Body Snatchers. United Artists

Maybe Ive been watching too many old movies.

Or maybe the body snatchers are back.

Weve seen them twice before in California. Both invasions  of pod aliens, who secretly arrive from outer space to make our bodies their own  may have been interstellar, but they showed up first as attacks on local communities, forcing local governments to respond first.

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Neither our institutions nor our officials were up to the challenges back then. Today, with the body snatchers possibly back, and not just in the Golden State, local governments seem less prepared than ever to defend us against these insidious enemies and the existential threat they pose to human survival.

The first invasion came in 1956, in Santa Mira, which you wont find on any map. No one was ready. Yes, several townspeople noticed that their relatives and friends, who looked and sounded the same, no longer seemed to be quite themselves. But only a local health official, Dr. Miles J. Bennell, investigated. But by the time he figured out what was up, the pod people had taken over the bodies of everyone in town. He fled.

Then, in 1978, the body snatchers arrived in San Francisco. Only a San Francisco County health inspector, Matt Bennell, recognized the problem. But he and the local health bureaucracy couldnt keep up with the pod people. In just a few days, the aliens, demonstrating an otherworldly commitment to using the Bay Areas famously disjointed transit system, replaced humans across the region.

Now, at this point, I must confess that not everyone believes these body snatchers are real. Many maintain they were just the villains in two different classic horror films, both named Invasion of the Body Snatchers.

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Perhaps.

Or perhaps thats what the pod people want us to believe.

Regardless, cultural pundits have seized on how the body snatcher invasions reflected the cultural fears of their respective eras.

Critics suggested the 1956 Invasion of the Body Snatchers was about how McCarthyism had seized our minds, transforming many Americans into paranoid anti-communists. Ive been gone for five years. I feel like a stranger in my own country, says one Santa Mira resident who suspects that his neighbors are no longer themselves.

The 1978 Invasion of the Body Snatchers, set in gritty San Francisco, was supposedly about the alienation created by that decades violence, urban chaos and the loss of social trust. Adding to the anxiety, the film appeared in theaters just three weeks after the assassinations of Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk.

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Its like theres some kind of hallucinatory flu going around, says a San Francisco psychiatrist, who looks a lot like Leonard Nimoy. The health inspector Bennell, the spitting image of Donald Sutherland, says, I know I feel like Ive been poisoned today.

While watching these two films during the scarily hot and fear-filled summer of 2024, I found them timely, relevant  and real.

Today, our neighbors and friends dont seem quite themselves. Its as if they have been taken over by loneliness. Its as if their once-open minds have been seized by conspiracies or political extremism.

Is the unusual heat of this summer the reason why so many people dont move like they usually do? Or have the pod people taken over their bodies? Are the people we encounter online real humans or digital replicants, created by AI?

The pod people dont want us to ask these questions. Dont be trapped by old concepts, Matthew, says one pod person to the health inspector in the 1978 film. Youre evolving into a new life form.

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But the power of body snatchers stories is more than metaphorical. These movies are also straightforward stories of local officials just trying to do their jobs against overwhelming odds. And thats the really scary thing: Our local governments are nowhere near strong enough to protect us from planetary threats  be they climate change, disease or even pod people from outer space.

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The trend lines on local power arent good. The second time the body snatchers showed up, in 1978, was also the year that voters passed Proposition 13, taking taxing power from Californias local governments. Today, those governments, after flailing through the pandemic, are even weaker. Local health departments have been gutted, and our municipalities are unable to solve, or even reduce, persistent homelessness.
The next round of CECA negotiations is likely to be held in November. Image: Shutterstock

Senior officials of India and Australia are expected to hold their next round of talks for a compressive free trade agreement in November here, the commerce ministry said on Sunday. The two countries implemented an interim trade agreement in December 2022 and are now under negotiations to expand its scope. Click here to connect with us on WhatsApp It said that the tenth round of India-Australia CECA (comprehensive economic cooperation agreement) negotiations was held from 19-22 August in Sydney in the areas of goods, services, digital trade, government procurement, rules of origin and agri-tech. Intense discussions were held on each of these tracks bringing in clarity and understanding for convergence in the remaining provisions, it added.

"The next round of CECA negotiations is likely to be held in November," it said in a statement.

The Indian delegation was led by Rajesh Agrawal, the Chief Negotiator and Additional Secretary, Department of Commerce and the Australian delegation was led by Ravi Kewalram, the Chief Negotiator and First Assistant Secretary in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

"The meeting saw intensive discussions and negotiations to narrow down the differences through better understanding of each other's proposals and the way to bring in convergence. Efforts were made by both the sides keeping in mind the domestic sensitivities for reaching a balanced outcome," the ministry said.

Further the ministry said that the Australian side proposed to hold the first meeting of the India-Australia Agri Tech Forum (IAATF), a newly constituted forum by Australia, in New Delhi on September 23, with the Indian agricultural stakeholders including industry, research institutions and government.

The objective of the meet is to build on mutually beneficial relationships by exploring opportunities for focused activity around technology transfer and knowledge sharing in agriculture and horticulture sectors.

Australia is an important trading partner of India in the Oceania region, with merchandise trade between India and Australia reaching around USD 24 billion in 2023-24.

India's exports to Australia last fiscal stood at USD 7.94 billion, while imports were USD 16.15 billion. The trade between the two countries has been hovering at around USD 25 billion mark since 2021-22.
Robbie Robertson arrives at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party in February 2015 in Beverly Hills. The Band front man died last August, and his estate is embroiled in an inheritance dispute. Evan Agostini/Invision Robbie Robertson, left, and Elvis Costello play in an all-star tribute to New Orleans at the end of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremonies in March 2006 in New York. Jeff Christensen/Associated Press

Rock icon Robbie Robertson died a year ago this month in Los Angeles surrounded by family, his manager said  including his wife, Janet Zuccarini, and his adult children from his first marriage.

Since then, those survivors have been locked in a legal battle over his estate.

His children  Alexandra Robertson, 56; Delphine Robertson, 54; and Sebastian Robertson, 50  filed suit in May accusing Zuccarini, 58, of financial elder abuse and tortious interference with inheritance, according to court documents. Zuccarini has denied wrongdoing and filed countersuits. Details of the legal feud were recently reported at length in the Hollywood Reporter.

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The dispute concerns the couples prenuptial agreement and a $6 million Beverly Hills home purchased in 2021 by Robertson, the Band front man and film score producer, and Zuccarini, a well-known Toronto restaurateur.

In their lawsuit, the children say their understanding was that Zuccarini had no need or interest in participating in Robertsons estate  he would tell them whats mine is mine and whats hers is hers  and that it would be split among the three of them upon his death. They also understood that his estate or Zuccarini could buy out the other for their interest in the house, or sell the home and split the profits, according to documents filed in Los Angeles Superior Court.

But their lawsuit says Zuccarini claims the amended tenant-in-common agreement included in the couples prenup allows her to stay in the home for the rest of her life, with the Robertson estate continuing to contribute his former share of the monthly expenses, including the mortgage, property taxes, insurance and maintenance expenses.

Robertsons children allege that their father didnt understand what he was doing when he signed the prenuptial agreement in March 2023, when he and Zuccarini married and less than 6 months before his death at age 80 from advanced metastatic prostate cancer.

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In court documents, they say that his decline sharply accelerated after his cancer returned in 2022 and that he was on a combination of opioids, THC, appetite-stimulating drugs and antipsychotics when he signed the amended tenant in common agreement.

A lawyer for Zuccarini said in a statement to the Los Angeles Times that the suit was meritless fiction. She has filed countersuits for breach of contract, breach of duty of good faith and fair dealing, and declaratory relief, as well as an omitted spouse petition asking that she be granted a portion of Robertsons estate if the prenuptial agreement is not upheld, according to court records.

Lawyers for Zuccarini and for Robertsons children did not respond to a request for comment.

No parent likely wants their children and spouse to fight over their estate after theyre gone. It gets especially messy when millions of dollars are on the line: Robertsons children estimate they could be on the hook for $7 million in payments to Zuccarini over her remaining lifetime, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Are there ways to make an estate plan in cases like this that preclude infighting between heirs? Heres what estate planning experts advise.

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What is a tenant in common agreement?

In simple terms, a tenant in common agreement, known as a TIC, is a contract between people who co-own real estate that says whos responsible for things like maintenance, upkeep, taxes and other specifics.

If you purchase property in California with someone and you dont have a TIC agreement, those details are governed by California property law, said Alicia Gamez, the chair of the San Francisco Bar Associations estate probate section.

In California, property acquired by a married couple during the marriage is considered community property, equally owned by both spouses, and by default inherited by the surviving spouse when one dies. But legal agreements like TICs and prenuptial agreements can supersede that.

TICs are becoming more common with young people as they enter into nontraditional real estate arrangements  things like buying a house with friends or a sibling instead of just a spouse.

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In San Francisco, you have TIC agreements all over town, Gamez said.

TICs can also be established when unmarried couples move in together. Robertson and Zuccarini bought their home together in 2021 but didnt get married until 2023. Andrew Katzenstein, a tax and estate planning attorney and lecturer at USC Gould School of Law, said establishing that kind of agreement makes sense in a case like that.

What it boils down to is when somebody who has kids by a prior marriage acquires a house with a new spouse, how are they going to share the benefits and burdens of that home ownership? Katzenstein said.

And spelling out what happens in the event of a co-owners death isnt unusual, he said: Oftentimes these agreements have provisions in them as to the agreement for the spouse to reside there if someone dies.

How can you prevent a situation like Robertsons with your estate?

The crux of the disagreement in the Robertson case comes down to Robertsons capacity to sign a legal document when his mental and physical health were allegedly deteriorating, experts said.

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The question is whether, as the children allege, he really understood what it meant, Gamez said. Under the California probate code, the bare-bones requirement for capacity is that you know who you are, know who your natural heirs are, know what your property is, and know the consequences of the document youre executing on those factors.

When a legal document has a high degree of complexity, the bar for mental capability for the people signing it is higher, she said. A tenant in common agreement would be held to a higher standard than a simple will because its a form of contract.

If its a complex instrument, a court will want to see that the person understood and had the ability to understand complex things, she said.

TIC agreements are not the only way to plan an estate in a complex situation  there are tools like life estates and trusts. But no matter which legal instrument you use, there are some things you can do to try to prevent your heirs from launching a legal battle over your estate:

Establish competency. Gamez said estate disputes can get tricky in cases where someone is very ill. She recommended anyone in a similar circumstance have a medical professional assess their competency before they sign.

Make sure that the person making the gift has been evaluated by a gerontologist or a neurologist who specializes in aging, she said, or a doctor with expertise in whatever illness the person has.

Make sure parties are represented by separate counsel. Everyone whos signing an agreement should have their own lawyer for the agreement to be enforceable.

Tell everyone what to expect. This one can get tough. If you spell out for your children and spouse how youre splitting your estate, you run the risk of spending your final months or years fighting with them about it. Gamez said some parents see it as blighting the time they have left. But if the alternative is blighting what comes after, it might be worth the hard conversation.
Launched in September 2000, the Nippon India Corporate Bond Fund has consistently ranked in the top 30 percentile of the corporate bond funds category according to the CRISIL Mutual Fund Ranking (CMFR) for three consecutive quarters up to June 2024.

As of June 2024, the funds assets under management stood at Rs 3,247 crore, up from Rs 2,019 crore in June 2022.

Managed by Vivek Sharma since February 2020, the fund seeks to generate and maximise income while maintaining a balanced approach to yield, safety, and liquidity through a portfolio primarily composed of debt instruments of various
Union Finance Minister (FM) Nirmala Sitharaman last week asked public-sector banks to make concerted efforts to mobilise deposits through special drives. This is because deposits have been lagging behind loan growth. By July-end deposits grew 10.6 per cent year-on-year compared to 13.7 per cent growth in loans. Worse, according to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the low-cost current and savings accounts (CASA) of banks had declined from 43 per cent of the total deposits a year ago to 39 per cent this financial year. About 10 days before the FM met the bankers, she had pointed
Volunteer Heidi Moseson, left, rallies in San Franciscos Panhandle for Proposition K, which would close a 2-mile stretch of the Great Highway to cars, while Josephine Zhao, president of the Chinese American Democratic Club, shows her opposition to the measure Saturday. Photos by Manuel Orbegozo/Special to the Chronicle

Two rallies Saturday presented dueling visions for the fate of the Great Highway, San Franciscos coastal boulevard at the center of a debate about how the city uses its streets and whether parks or cars should dominate.

Voters will decide the future of a 2-mile stretch of the citys westernmost oceanfront road in November. Proposition K would ban private vehicles on the Upper Great Highway between Lincoln Way and Sloat Boulevard for good, turning it into a transformative park for pedestrians and cyclists, supporters say. For the past three years, the road has been closed to traffic on weekends on a trial basis.

Closing (the highway) is not feasible, is not a good idea, and it wasnt brought as a community-led compromise, Sunset District resident Albert Chow, owner of Great Wall Hardware, said to a crowd of about 35 community members on Market Street.

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Just two hours later, about 80 community members at a Panhandle Playground rally listened as Sunset resident Josh Kelly called the campaign to create a Great Highway park part of a long tradition of San Franciscans reclaiming space in their city for people and not for vehicles.

For the last hundred years weve had the Great Highway and its been useful for folks, but its lost its greatest utility because part of it is falling into the ocean, said District 4 Supervisor Joel Engardio, who represents the Sunset.

Supervisor Myrna Melgar holds a sign in favor of creating a park on a 2-mile stretch of the Great Highway during a rally Saturday in the Panhandle. Manuel Orbegozo/Special to the Chronicle

Engardio and four other supervisors voted to put the decision on the ballot, with backing from Mayor London Breed.

The Upper Great Highway has been closed to traffic on average 32 times a year since December 2022 due to sand accumulation from strong winds, according to a June report from the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency.

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The southern portion of the Upper Great Highway from Sloat to Skyline boulevards is already scheduled to close permanently to cars by early 2026 due to worsening coastal erosion. The city plans to build a mile-long trail and beachfront plaza in place of the closed road.

Proponents of the ballot measure argue that this closure means that the section of the Great Highway between Lincoln and Sloat has lost its greatest use, which Engardio said has historically been travel between San Francisco and Daly City, citing a 2022 SFMTA report.

The report stated that in 2019, almost two-thirds of people traveling on the Upper Great Highway were driving between the Richmond District and South Bay.

The northernmost section of the Great Highway connecting the Richmond and Sunset districts will remain open to cars and is unaffected by the ballot measure.

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Opponents argue that closing the highway permanently to cars will create dangerous traffic congestion along alternative routes and increase commute times for residents who depend on the highway to send their kids to school, take elderly parents to medical appointments or get around the westside.

Opponents of Proposition K, which would ban automotive traffic on a 2-mile stretch of the Great Highway, march down Civic Center in San Francisco on Saturday. Manuel Orbegozo/Special to the Chronicle

Josephine Zhao, president of the Chinese American Democratic Club and an Inner Sunset resident who is helping to organize opposition to the ballot measure, said this exemplifies a broader issue of the city doing too much, too fast to make it harder to drive. She pointed to the closure of the eastern span of Market Street to private vehicles as another example.

The Great Highway has also turned into a wedge issue in Novembers mayoral race.

Outrage over Breeds support for the ballot measure turned Zhao and members of the Chinese American Democratic Club against the incumbent. The clubs endorsements ranked former interim Mayor Mark Farrell first, nonprofit executive Daniel Lurie second and Breed third.

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Zhao said the most important issue used to rank the mayoral candidates was their stance on the Great Highway ballot measure. Both Farrell and Lurie are opposed to it.

The Great Highway is our lifeline, Zhao said. The Chinese American community is comprised of mostly families, often multigenerational households. The automobile is one of the most important tools to manage their daily lives.

Supporters of the measure point to SFMTA data that shows traffic is down 38% on the Great Highway from pre-pandemic levels.

This section of the Great Highway was first closed to cars in April 2020 as part of the citys COVID-19 response efforts to repurpose roadways, before reopening to cars on weekdays only in 2021.

Voters have already weighed in on the issue. In 2022, 61% of city residents rejected a measure that would have reopened the Great Highway and John F. Kennedy Drive in Golden Gate Park to cars 24/7.

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A supporter of Proposition K holds a flyer in favor of transforming a 2-mile stretch of the Great Highway into a park during a rally Saturday in the Panhandle. Manuel Orbegozo/Special to the Chronicle

West side resident Robin Pam, co-founder of advocacy group Kid Safe SF, said spaces like the Great Highway Park and the pedestrianized JFK Drive give parents a place to bring their kids where they dont have to worry about cars.

She added that its much closer for her to take her three young children to the Great Highway than to Golden Gate Park.

I dont think anyone is saying that we dont want people to drive, she said. What were saying is that there are lots of alternate routes.

Cynthia Wang, a board member of Westside Family Democrats and supporter of the closure, said she and her daughter learned to skateboard along the car-free Great Highway during the pandemic. A small business owner, Wang added that increased foot traffic from an oceanfront park could benefit west side businesses.

Opponents of Proposition K, which would ban vehicular traffic on a 2-mile stretch of San Franciscos Great Highway, march down Civic Center on Saturday. Manuel Orbegozo/Special to the Chronicle

Outer Sunset resident Heidi Moseson, who has lived along Lower Great Highway for about 15 years, helps organize support for the measure and donated $10,000 to backing it.

Before the highway was closed to cars during the pandemic, Moseson said she rarely took her kids, now 6 and 8 years old, to Ocean Beach because of a mental barrier to walking them across the Great Highway, where she said cars often speed past the 35 mph limit.

On weekends, her kids ride their bikes on the car-free highway. Her mom, who has mobility issues and uses a cane, can join the outings because the paved roads are easier to walk on than sand.

Given the benefits, she said, Were going to keep a four-lane highway on the coast so people save three minutes?

Volunteers Michael Howley and Heidi Moseson rally Saturday in the Haight-Ashbury for Proposition K, which would close a portion of the Great Highway to cars. Manuel Orbegozo/Special to the Chronicle

Moseson was referring to a city report that stated that the closure of the Great Highway currently adds about three minutes of travel time at peak hours on weekdays as drivers detour to eastern roadways, usually Sunset Boulevard.

Opponents of the closure dispute those figures. Zhao said that in her experience, it takes twice as long to travel the alternative route even during low traffic hours.

Lily He, a single mom with three children who takes care of her elderly mother, said she ferries her kids and mom along the Great Highway daily from their home near Ocean Avenue to their activities, medical appointments and senior citizen programs in the Richmond and Sunset districts.

Taking the Sunset Boulevard detour adds about 10 minutes of travel time to the Richmond from home, she said.

To residents here, were losing a very important choice, she said in Mandarin. Im not sure how bad the traffic jam will be, so we may just avoid (the Richmond District), which means well be cut off from that place.

Sunset resident Gregory Leung waits to leave on a car rally after a march against Proposition K, which would close a 2-mile stretch of the Great Highway to motor vehicles. Manuel Orbegozo/Special to the Chronicle

Chow, the Sunset District business owner, said that although he supports the highway closure on weekends and brings his kids biking there, closing it 24/7 is going too far. He pointed to the existing parks in the neighborhood, including Golden Gate Park.

Sacrificing the Great Highway is an unnecessary move and only benefits a few, he said.

Fundamental to the disagreement is also a deeper question about who gets to decide how San Franciscos coast is used.

Opponents believe west side residents should have greater say.

A bicycle is parked next the location of rally in San Franciscos Panhandle supporting Proposition K, which would make a 2-mile stretch of the Great Highway accessible for pedestrians and cyclists. Manuel Orbegozo/Special to the Chronicle

If you live in a different neighborhood, you do not use the Great Highway, you dont understand how the Great Highway is important to families here, Zhao said.

Engardio defended the process, saying the ballot is the fairest and most democratic way to decide the question.
The main opposition coalition has accused Maduro of trying to steal the vote. (Photo:PTI)

The leaders of Brazil and Colombia on Saturday again called on Venezuelan President Nicols Maduro to release voting tallies, days after the country's Supreme Court backed the government's disputed claims that it won elections in July. In a joint statement, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Colombian President Gustavo Petro said the credibility of the electoral process can only be restored through the transparent publication of disaggregated and verifiable data. Click here to connect with us on WhatsApp The two leaders also warned against repression as the Venezuelan government has jailed thousands and met protests with violence. The governments spoke a day after several other Latin American countries and the US rejected the Venezuelan high court's certification. Many were waiting to see how the two leftist leaders would respond to the court because both are close allies of Maduro and have been working to facilitate talks with both sides.

Maduro claims that he won the presidential vote, but so far has refused to release official tally sheets, considered the one verifiable vote count in Venezuela as they are almost impossible to replicate.

The main opposition coalition has accused Maduro of trying to steal the vote.

Opposition volunteers managed to collect copies of voting tallies from 80 per cent of the 30,000 polling booths nationwide that show former opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzlez won by a more than 2-to-1 margin. The Supreme Court alleged those tallies were forged.

Lula and Petro said they take note of the court's ruling, but added they are still awaiting release of the tallies.

The governments also called on actors in Venezuela to avoid resorting to acts of violence and repression as security forces arrested more than 2,000 people and cracked down on demonstrations that erupted spontaneously throughout the country protesting the results. But the two leaders didn't directly accuse the Maduro government of carrying out the violence.

The arrests have again spread fear in a country that has seen other government crackdowns during previous times of political turmoil.

At the same time, key opposition figure Maria Corina Machado has since gone into hiding and the government said Friday it will order Gonzlez to provide sworn testimony in an ongoing investigation, claiming he was part of an effort to spread panic by contesting the results of the election.

Both Lula and Petro have previously been criticized for what some say have been lenient policies toward Maduro's government, but their tone has grown more stern in recent months, especially in the wake of the election fallout.

Their two countries are neighbours to Venezuela and their governments were to witness agreements struck between Maduro and the opposition that aimed to chart the path to free and fair elections, which the opposition and other observers accused Maduro of violating. The two leaders reiterated their willingness to facilitate dialogue between the the government and the opposition.

The political normalization of Venezuela requires the recognition that there is no lasting alternative to peaceful dialogue and democratic coexistence, the statement read.
The Dhaka Metro resumed services on Sunday over a month after it was shut for passengers during the unprecedented anti-government protests in Bangladesh. Two stations -- Mirpur 10 and Kazipara -- will however remain closed, according to an official notification. Click here to connect with us on WhatsApp Commuters, especially students and office-goers heaved a sigh of relief as they had to travel through Dhaka's notorious traffic congestions daily to reach their destinations. According to the official notification, the services resumed in the morning around 7 . Mirpur-10 and Kazipara stations were vandalised in July during the anti-government protests. The Dhaka Metro services were shut for passengers in the third week of July.

"We are planning to make the metro rail infrastructure a key point installation with enhanced security for its protection from any kind of vandalism," Road Transport and Communication Adviser Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan said.

Khan said the interim government also plans to declare metro rail operations as an essential service to prevent any disruption in the service.

He travelled to Agargon station to Bangladesh Secretariate in the metro.

A Dhaka High Court official told PTI that he used the metro on Sunday to travel to his office, and the resumption of services has come as a big relief for daily commuters like him.

On December 28, 2022, Bangladesh launched its first metro rail service with Japanese assistance to ease commuting in the capital Dhaka, one of the most congested cities in the world.

Called, Dhaka MRT Line 6 it initially operated on an 11.73-km section from Uttara North to Agargaon, consisting of nine stations. The then prime minister Sheikh Hasina had inaugurated the project.

In November 2023, the section from Agargaon to Motijheel having eight stations and spanning 9.53 km, was inaugurated by Hasina.

After unprecedented anti-government protests which reached a crescendo on August 5, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled to India, even as protesters had termed the fall of the government and her departure a "day of victory".
J.D. Morris covers San Francisco City Hall, focused on Mayor London Breed. He joined the Chronicle in 2018 to cover energy and spent three years writing mostly about PG&E and California wildfires.

Before coming to The Chronicle, he reported on local government for the Santa Rosa Press Democrat, where he was among the journalists awarded a Pulitzer Prize for their coverage of the 2017 North Bay wildfires.

He was previously the casino industry reporter for the Las Vegas Sun. Raised in Monterey County and Bakersfield, he has a bachelors degree in rhetoric from UC Berkeley.
Saturday, August 24, 2024 at 2:24PM

Photo; NASA/Robert Markowitz

NASA has decided astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will come home in February 2025 on a SpaceX Crew Dragon from the International Space Station (ISS) due to concerns about the performance of the Boeing's Starliner spacecraft they were on. The agency will send them home on SpaceX's Crew-9 mission, which is scheduled to launch to the ISS in late September.

By the time Wilmore and Williams depart, they will have spent about eight months on the space station. The Starliner flight test was only scheduled to last a little over a week.

The decision came after a thorough review of Starliner's thrusters, which have proven difficult to predict. NASA officials expressed concerns about the possibility of pushing through with a crewed return flight. The potential risks to the astronauts during the undocking and deorbit phases of the flight were too high, according to Steve Stich, manager for NASA's Commercial Crew Program.

Starliner will return to Earth uncrewed, allowing NASA to conduct additional testing and address the thruster issues. The agency plans to undock the spacecraft from the ISS in early September.

To accommodate Wilmore and Williams, Crew-9 will be reconfigured to carry only two astronauts instead of four. Dragon spacesuits will be added to the cargo for the returning crew.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson emphasized the importance of safety in spaceflight and the need for a culture where employees can raise concerns without fear. He noted that the decision to keep Wilmore and Williams on the ISS was based on a commitment to their safety.

Source
The old Administration Building is seen next to the Isle House residential tower on Treasure Island in San Francisco. In the coming years, a park and more buildings will be constructed. Lea Suzuki/The Chronicle

Theres no stranger slice of San Francisco right now than the one that begins 2 miles northeast of the Embarcadero, on Treasure Island.

Freshly planted shasta daisies and toyon trees line a 22-story luxury high-rise that is almost ready to open, across the street from an empty lot with dirt piled 10 feet high. On the towers other side is a condominium project wrapped in scaffolding and, beyond that, a fenced-off job training center for low-income youth.

Another fence lines the nearby shoreline  but that one screens construction crews at work on a 6-acre waterfront park set to open next year.

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You get the picture: The reinvention of the 425-acre island created in the 1930s out of rubble and sand to hold the Golden Gate International Exposition is a work in progress that likely will continue for decades. But the first phase is far enough along that if youre curious about how urban landscapes emerge and mature, this is the summer to start taking notes.

The work completed so far includes three residential buildings and the streetscapes along them, as well as the miniature ferry terminal that began service in 2022. Two six-story market-rate housing complexes are sheathed but fully shaped en route to debuting by next summer, around the same time as the bayside park with dead-on views of San Franciscos downtown skyline and home-shrouded hills. There also are townhomes and condominiums tucked into the slopes of adjacent Yerba Buena Island, as well as Hiroshi Sugimotos needle-thin Point of Infinity sculpture.

But any large transformation needs a visual hook to alert the public that big changes have arrived. Thats what Treasure Island now has with Isle House, the 250-unit apartment tower designed by David Baker Architects for Wilson Meany and Stockbridge, part of the islands master development team.

Baker has made his mark with inventive low-income housing such as 222 Taylor St. in the Tenderloin, or such stylish complexes as Hayes Valleys 300 Ivy St. This is the firms first high-rise, easily viewed from the Embarcadero as a vertical accent to Treasure Islands tabletop terrain.

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From this perspective theres not much going on, a tall squat cube with a flat top and a pale skin. Its when you step off the quick ferry from the Ferry Building (where else?) that Isle Houses urbane poise comes into focus.

Laborers work along the shoreline where a park is being developed on Treasure Island. Lea Suzuki/The Chronicle

For starters, the simple rectangle isnt so simple: The tower is set apart from a six-story base by a recessed floor clad largely in glass. From there on up, serrated but subtle bays enliven the dimensions without being choppy.

Many architects would do that one twist and call it a day. Baker keeps going.

The bottom two levels are black brick while the rest of the base wears a randomized mix of three shades of gray tiles. Above that, Baker shifts to clean white plaster  and arranges that plaster in strong upward strips, rather than punched windows or horizontal bands. The pattern is evocative of the stylish vintage airplane hangars along nearby Clipper Cove, a reminder that historical allusions have a place in contemporary design.

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A wholly different approach to Treasure Islands renewal is two blocks to the north at Star View Court, where people this summer began moving into the seven-story structure that holds 138 apartments stacked around a long central courtyard.

Unlike Isle House, which consists almost entirely of market-rate apartments, Star View Court is reserved for low-income residents. This includes 94 that are set aside for households  many of them formerly homeless  who already live on the island in what originally was military housing. Those blocks of suburban-style homes will likely remain for at least the next decade, along with the islands scattering of restaurants among the older buildings.

A person walks along a pathway between new buildings on Treasure Island. Lea Suzuki/The Chronicle

The emphasis on income diversity is constant in the redevelopment plans, with approximately 2,200 of the eventual 8,000 units to be priced at below-market levels. But the plans also call for a uniform level of building quality, and Star View Court fits seamlessly into the emerging landscape.

Along Seven Seas Avenue, which serves as Treasure Islands main north-south roadway, the building developed by Mercy Housing is a seven-story bar in muted tones of white and gray. On the pedestrian-scaled mid-block alley to the west, heights drop to four stories with porches fanning out along the way. The closest thing to an architectural flourish comes where the two sides meet in a glassy community room that juts out from the second floor  it faces an empty lot that someday will be a park  and is backed by a metal-screened open walkway for residents and their guests.

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With affordable housing you only get a few shots to do something interesting in terms of design, said Eric Robinson, a principal at Paulett Taggart Architects, the projects designer. You need to be strategic.

Put another way: If Isle House is aimed at residents with high discretionary incomes, Star Court adds to the district character not just architecturally, but by providing a good home for people who might have few other options. That latter goal is palpable inside, whether strolling through the lobby with its chic bamboo screen that both absorbs noise and hides the mail alcove, or the central courtyard that consists of planter-framed spaces spilling one into the next.

As for the design affinity between the two new buildings  those white plaster walls, for instance  its no accident.

The words Treasure Island are etched on a bench made from 100% recycled cast iron auto parts. Lea Suzuki/The Chronicle

The islands redevelopment plan is accompanied by design standards encouraging buildings that are similar to each other without feeling boilerplate. Two examples: The window-to-wall ratio for each structure is set at 50%, and light masonry tones are encouraged over metal panels or bold colors.

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The architectural ethos is to make really cohesive neighborhoods with buildings that are distinguished, yet diverse, said Craig Hartman, a consulting partner of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill who was central to the islands planning and design principles. There will be lessons learned along the way, but its a strong framework.

The effort to craft a unified tone can also be gleaned in the mid-block alleys of the first phase with their drought-tolerant landscaping and the tough-looking benches and bike racks forged from cast iron. This aspect of the plan is the work of CMG Landscape Architecture, which also designed the shoreline park now taking shape.

The parks debut will be next summer at the earliest  but the obviously new level of riprap along the edges offers a clue to how Treasure Islands rebranding isnt just buildings and parks. All the new parkland and development sites are perched 3.5 feet above the older portions of the island, a height calibrated to long-term projections for sea level rise.

None of this happens by chance.

Planning for the islands future began even before the U.S. Navy closed its base in the middle of the bay in 1997. San Franciscos Board of Supervisors in 2007 approved the plan, done by Perkins & Will as well as SOM. Construction crews in 2015 began raising the edges and tamping down the soil  the latter a response to seismic concerns, not just climate change.

The Treasure Island chapel is seen in a lot next to the Isle House residential tower. Lea Suzuki/The Chronicle

The new buildings we see arent the end of the story: Cityside Park and the two scaffolded market-rate condo projects should open by next fall. By then, work will be under way of the renovation of the chapel building across from Isle House and the conversion of the empty land around it into a cultural park, also designed by CMG.

As for the handful of remaining housing sites in the projects first phase, construction wont begin until the first wave is absorbed.

There are periods where the market is difficult, and periods where things seem to get built overnight, said Chris Meany, who joined the development team in 2005.

Despite the wait, and the inevitable lawsuits and economic jostles along the way, in another 20 years, this will be one of the great created neighborhoods in the country, Meany promised this month. Im convinced of that.
The Chattanooga Lookouts shut out the Mississippi Braves 3-0 at Trustmark Park for the second straight night on Saturday. Jose Acuna, Andrew Moore, Owen Holt, and Patrick Weigel combined for a five-hit shutout.

Ian Mejia (L, 7-6) logged his eighth quality start and worked 6.1 innings on Saturday night. The 24-year-old right-hander retired the first six batters, striking out four, and fanned seven over six innings. The Lookouts (19-30, 39-79) loaded the bases against Mejia with one out in the top of the seventh inning on two walks and a single. Jorge Juan took over for Mejia and surrendered a two-run single to Jack Rogers. Austin Hendrick sprinted home on a wild pitch and the Lookouts to a 3-0 lead.

Chattanooga starter Jose Acuna tossed 4.0 shutout innings and struck out six, and then Andrew Moore worked 3.0 scoreless innings. Owen Holt and Patrick Weigel pitched the final two innings and completed the shutout.

Yolbert Sanchez was 2-for-4 on Saturday and has hit in 10 of his last 13 games, with multiple hits in eight of them. Rolddy Munoz tossed 2.0 shutout innings, striking out three and walking one.

Despite the loss, the M-Braves remain 2.5 games behind Biloxi for the wild card spot in the Southern League South Division but dropped to 4.0 games behind Montgomery for first place.
A 16-year-old has been charged in the incident in which four youths were found dead Saturday night in Whitfield County.

Sheriff Scott Chitwood said the victims were a 21-year-old and 19-year-old from Dalton and an 18-year-old and 17-year-old from Rome.

He said it is believed that robbery was the motive.

The sheriff said contraband was found at the scene along with multiple shell casings. He said multiple weapons were involved.

The Whitfield County Sheriff's Office was dispatched at approximately 11:14 p.m. to Pleasant Grove Park in reference to shots fired. Upon the deputies' arrival on scene, four deceased Hispanic males were found.

The Sheriff's Office initially said it was looking for an SUV type vehicle and a dark-colored hatchback vehicle. The vehicles are likely to have sustained gunshots.

Sheriff Chitwood said it is not believed the incident was gang-related.

He said there was no indication that those involved are illegals.



The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is assisting in the investigation.


Over the course of United States history, a total of four presidents have been assassinated while in office. The first president to be murdered was Abraham Lincoln, Americas Civil War leader.

On April 14, 1865, he was shot in the back of the head by John Wilkes Booth while enjoying a night out at Fords Theatre in Washington, D.C.

The assassination occurred just five days after the end of the Civil War. Today, people leave pennies on Booths grave in honor of President Lincoln.

John Wilkes Booth was a 26-year-old actor and a Confederate sympathizer who did not agree with Lincolns intentions to abolish slavery and give Black Americans the right to vote.

After shooting the president, Booth jumped down to the stage from the box Lincoln had been sitting in and shouted, Sic semper tyrannis, a Latin phrase that means tyrannical leaders will eventually be overthrown.

In the process, he broke his leg and made his escape through Maryland to northern Virginia. Meanwhile, Lincoln was rushed to doctors and remained in a coma for eight hours until he died the next morning on April 15, 1865.

By April 26, federal officers had tracked Booth down in a tobacco barn. To drive him outside, the barn was lit on fire, but Booth still refused to surrender.

When he ran out holding his guns, he was shot dead. His body was sewn into a horse blanket and delivered back to Washington, D.C. During the autopsy, his body was identified by a tattoo of his initials on his wrist.

At first, he was buried in the Old Penitentiary, where his co-conspirators were hanged. In 1867, Booths remains were reburied in a warehouse of the Penitentiary.

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In 2016, archaeologists in Denmark uncovered one of the largest Viking axes ever found in the region. It was buried in the tomb of a couple from the 10th century.

The excavations took place at a site near the town of Haarup and were led by Kirsten Nellemann Nielsen, an archaeologist with the Silkeborg Museum.

According to Nielsen, such Danish axes were the most feared weapons of the Viking Age. The axe found in the tomb was large and devoid of any inscriptions or decorative features, suggesting that it was not just for show and was used in actual combat. The axe likely belonged to the man in the tomb.

Its a bit extraordinaryits much bigger and heavier than the other axes. It would have had a very long handle, and it took both hands to use it, Nielsen told Live Science. He didnt have anything else buried with him, so I think you can say he identified himself as a warrior above anything else.

Excavations at the site began in 2012, which was when the human remains of a man and woman were originally discovered.

The couple was found in a Viking tomb known as a death house. The wooden tomb measured roughly 13 feet wide and 42 feet long. It was constructed around A.D. 950 and contained three separate graves.

Based on remnants of their clothing and their belongings, the man and the woman were thought to be of high status. The woman was lying in a wooden wagon, a burial practice that was common for women of noble birth.

Gold and silver threads woven into the womans clothing and a pair of keys in her tomb indicated that she had a major influence on her community.

Keys were a symbol of status and authority for women in the Viking Age in Denmark and elsewhere in Europe. One of the keys was for a small wooden casket secured with iron brackets buried next to her.

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Home Opinion Understanding the Christian divide in politics

It's no secret that many Christians are divided about politics: One argues, How can Christians vote for Trump? Another shoots back, You cant be a Christian and vote Democrat! And yet another grumbles, How can you vote for either one?

To truly understand the division, we must remember three things:

1. Not everyone who claims to be a Christian is a Christian.

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2. Many Christians have quenched and grieved the Spirit for so long that they lack discernment.

3. When we fail to make Scripture the final authority, we view politics through different lenses based on experience, ethnicity, faith, priorities, etc.

When it comes to understanding the divide, three groups stand out:

Christians for Kamala

These people are often liberal, and although they claim that they are personally against abortion, they dont think it is the government's job to interfere. I doubt that God agrees with this position. They also claim that loving your neighbor means opening the border. But what about loving your family enough to protect them?

This group claims that they supposedly put character over policy. Trump is a felon! is their constant mantra. However, those supporting Trump point out that if he was a Democrat none of this would be happening because the Biden family criminal allegations (all of which are worse than Trump's charges) are being completely glossed over.

Conservatives for Trump

This group understands that God uses imperfect people. As to the charges against Trumps character, they realize that they are not electing a Pastor-in-Chief but a Commander-in-Chief. They know that Trump is not a racist or a real felon, and that he is exposing the Lefts wickedness.

They believe that Trumps character is not as important as the Lefts approval of killing the unborn, allowing men to enter womens locker rooms, and turning a blind eye to trafficking children. They say, Although character traits should be considered, we are not following people, we are endorsing policy to protect and to defend the nation.

This group also looks at the solid Christians that Trump surrounds himself with versus Kamala who supports drag queens.

Angry MAGAs

This group shares the same concerns as the conservatives, but they can be more filled with anger than the Spirit. Most are simply tired of the Lefts rhetoric such as, Trump will destroy democracy and go after his political opponents. Ironically, thats exactly what the Biden administration did, and is doing, to Trump.

Like conservatives, they know that the nation is in serious trouble and that something must be done. This group understands that America is weak and woke, and that we are drowning in a cesspool of moral filth. And if something isn't done soon, the hope of regaining lost ground is over. This is where Trump comes in  from securing our borders to protecting us from attacks.

The silent minority

To those who say we should stay out of politics, we must remember that God has given us the political process to make change. If there were no people making a difference, we would be no different than North Korea.

Yes, obviously God is our help  but He often calls us to take action; hence the political process. We need to thank God for those who are making a difference versus shaming them. God gave every King a prophet in the Old Testament, for this very reason  to try and make a difference in the land.

We all compromise to some degree

All sides are guilty of wanting their candidate in office so much so that they will overlook their shortcomings. For instance, a black Republican pastor I know who is voting for Trump told me that he must remain silent about his views, or hell lose his congregation.

He added, My members elect those who are best for our people. But, shouldnt we vote for the one who is best for all people? And are you certain that voting for the Left is the best for your people?

Approval of the apostates

None of us has perfect political views, myself included; but from my experience, it seems that most people in the Christians for Kamala group are either quenching the Spirit because of compromise or they are not looking at things through a biblical lens.

In this group, many are not genuine believers. They have never repented of their sins and surrendered to Christ. The Bible refers to them as apostates, especially the pastors who support abortion and the LGBT platform.

Second Peter 2:2-3 says that many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute (e.g., think drag queen story hour, and rainbow flags on churches). And, In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories.

Peter concludes, Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping. God will not be mocked. We will reap what we sow.

Religion, not relationship

The other two groups also have unbelievers in their midst who have religion but not a relationship. They too must repent and genuinely seek God. This is the main reason that we are divided  we are not united with the Spirit.

God may be allowing this divide so we can apply His Word to our daily lives: Quick to listen and slow to speak, as well as being gracious in our words and actions. Political views bring out the best and the worst in us. I know Im a work in progress myself.

Jesus warned that a house divided against itself cannot stand. We are witnessing this very thing happening in America. Christians must repent of their pride and anger, and the church must unite in submission to God before our country faces devastating damages from which it may never recover. The message of the prophets applies to us today: Return to Me, and I will return to you.
Women are increasingly attending Burning Man, the annual gathering in the Nevada desert that culminates with the burning of a wooden effigy. Andy Barron/Associated Press 2013

When tens of thousands of Burning Man attendees gather in the Nevada desert this week to mingle, attend events and, of course, watch the titular burning of a wooden effigy known as the Man, theres a chance that most of them will be women.

That was the case at last years event, when slightly more people who attended Burning Man identified as female than male  the first time for the event since at least 2013, according to a demographic survey conducted by organizers.

Related: Woman dies on opening day of Burning Man 2024

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An estimated 49% of people who went to Black Rock City  the temporary town built and demolished by Burning Man organizers each festival  in 2023 identified as female, marginally higher than the 48% of attendees who identified as male. That reflects a stark change from 2013, when 40% of Burners identified as female and 58% identified as male.

About 74,000 people gathered in Black Rock City last year, down from 79,000 in 2019, according to organizers.

The share of female attendees grew from 2019 to 2022  the first Burning Man after the pandemic began  but male Burners still had a larger presence. The share of attendees with another gender identity also saw a slight increase from about 2% in 2022 to 3% in 2023.

Last years Burning Man also had the highest share of first-time attendees since at least 2013, when organizers changed how they collect data. Nearly 45% of Burners were at the event for the first time, a jump from the less than 30% in 2022. The share of first-timers had gradually declined in the years leading up to the pandemic, from 40% in 2016 to about 25% in 2019.

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The rise in the share of first-time Burners was accompanied by a more modest increase in the percentage of attendees coming from outside the United States. About 20% Burners said in 2023 that they lived outside the country, up slightly from 16% in 2022.

The share of Burners from California declined slightly over the same year, and the percentage from a U.S. location other than California or Nevada dipped from 42% to 40%.

Data from last years Burning Man indicated at least one other trend continued  Burners are increasingly wealthy. About 18% of Burners had household incomes of at least $300,000 a year, up from 16% in 2022 and 13% in 2019.

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Its too early to determine whether last years trends will hold. The festival drew national attention in 2023 after it was caught by heavy rain and muddy ground that left attendees stranded for days. One person died at the event.

Demand for tickets to this years Burning Man appears to have cooled, and the opening of Black Rock City was delayed by rain, with organizers asking Burners to postpone travel until weather improved.
Home News 81% of Protestant churchgoers identify Christian movies as powerful evangelical tools: survey

An overwhelming majority of Protestants view Christian movies as effective evangelism tools even as most churchgoers remain hesitant about sharing such films with their non-Christian friends, a new survey reveals.

Lifeway Research released a new report Tuesday based on responses from 1,008 American Protestant churchgoers collected in September 2023. The latest survey documents churchgoers views on Christian movies and books.

When asked if they viewed Christian movies as effective evangelism tools, 81% of respondents answered in the affirmative. Thirty-three percent of those surveyed said they strongly agree that Christian movies make effective evangelism tools, while 48% said they somewhat agree. Ten percent told pollsters they somewhat disagree, while 2% strongly disagree that Christian movies constitute effective ways to spread the Gospel.

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A large majority of those surveyed (72%) said they intentionally watched movies with Christian messages, with 30% strongly agreeing that they sought out such content and 42% somewhat agreeing. Seventeen percent somewhat disagreed that they looked for movies with Christian messages, while just 7% strongly disagreed.

Overall, 68% of respondents reported watching a Christian movie in the past year, while 48% said they had watched a secular movie. Less common activities among Protestant churchgoers in the past year include the discussion of Christian themes found in secular movies with fellow Christians (30%), the discussion of Christian themes found in secular movies with non-Christians (21%), and inviting a non-Christian to watch Christian movies with them (12%).

Thirteen percent of respondents did not participate in any of the aforementioned activities.

Broken down by denomination, non-denominational Christians (60%) were most likely to have watched a secular movie in the past year, followed by Presbyterians (57%), Baptists (44%), Lutherans (41%) and members of the Church of Christ (37%). At the same time, non-denominational Christians (77%) were also the most likely to have watched a Christian movie in the past year, followed by Baptists (70%), Lutherans (53%) and Presbyterians (49%).

Fifteen percent of non-denominational Christians, 14% of Baptists, 14% of members of the Church of Christ, 3% of Lutherans and 3% of Presbyterians invited a non-Christian to watch a Christian movie with them. Twenty-eight percent of non-denominational Christians, 22% of Baptists, 12% of Lutherans and 10% of Presbyterians said they discussed Christian themes in secular movies with a non-Christian.

Baptists and non-denominational Christians were the most likely to have intentionally watched Christian movies in the past year, with 78% of respondents belonging to each denomination saying that they did so. Majorities of Methodists (59%), members of the Church of Christ (58%), Lutherans (57%) and Presbyterians (55%) also reported deliberately seeking out Christian movies.

Even larger shares of both Baptists and non-denominational Christians (84%) viewed Christian movies as effective evangelism tools, along with large majorities of Lutherans (75%) and Presbyterians (68%).

It can be easy for Christian resource providers to design resources they hope are helpful, but Christian movies are something churchgoers want to see, said Lifeway Research CEO Scott McConnell in a statement reacting to the report. They dont assume every Christian movie is a fit for non-Christians they know, but they agree films can be an effective way to share the gospel.

McConnell explained that Our intention in asking churchgoers if they watch secular movies was to contrast viewership of movies that are not overtly Christian themed, adding its clear some churchgoers may not have been familiar with this use of the term secular and others may have thought it was seeking to contrast movies that are overtly anti-Christian.

Noted Christian film producer Stephen Kendrick maintained that Movies can be great tools to reach people where they are and share biblical truth in the context of an emotional and memorial story. According to Kendrick, Countless people have come to Christ through watching a Christian movie. The Holy Spirit continues to use art to point to the glory of Christ and the gospel.

When it comes to Christian books, 65% of those surveyed said that they read at least one in the past year. Three percent reported reading ten or more, 1% read either eight or nine, 3% read either six or seven, 11% read four or five, 13% read three and 17% apiece read two books and one Christian book.

Thirty-one percent of respondents did not read any Christian books in the past year. Half of Lutherans (50%) did not read any Christian books in the past year, along with 34% of Presbyterians, 26% of Baptists and 25% of non-denominational Christians.

Kendrick actively encouraged Christians to dive into a resource that will help them be transformed by the renewing of the minds after the emotion of a movie ends. He offered specific examples of how Christian books can help people build on what they learned from Christian movies: We praise God that countless marriages were saved through the combination of the movie Fireproof and the follow up book The Love Dare. The movie Courageous inspired men to read The Resolution for Men.

Countless prayer ministries have been blessed by the movie War Room and the follow-up resource, The Battleplan for Prayer, Kendrick added.
Home News Harris-Walz 'far leftism' will drive Christian turnout despite weakened GOP platform, conservative leaders say

Editors' note: This is part 12 of The Christian Post's year-long articles series "Politics in the Pews: Evangelical Christian engagement in elections from the Moral Majority to today." In this series, we look at issues pertaining to election integrity and new ways of getting out the vote, including churches participating in ballot collection. We'll also look at issues Evangelicals say matter most to them ahead of the presidential election, along with the political engagement of diverse groups, politically and ethnically. Read other articles in the series by clicking here.

Christians will be emboldened to vote in November because of the far leftism of the Democratic ticket despite a GOP platform that some believe has been softened on social issues important to Christian conservatives, political activists say.

The Republican Party garnered mixed reactions from social conservatives over its 2024 platform, which softens the partys opposition to abortion and omits any mention of banning same-sex marriage.

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Chad Connelly, founder of Faith Wins and the Republican National Committees first-ever national director of Faith Engagement, told The Christian Post that while many social conservatives might take issue with the softened platform, I dont know anybody in my orbit who will go out there and not vote for Trump.

GOP or pastor, even if they are upset about the platform and the way we were treated by the consultants, theyre going to vote for the most conservative candidate. I think theres such a contrast now, Connelly said.

Connelly contends that Harris and "her far-leftism, as well as the selection of Democrat Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate, probably helps the Christian vote, honestly.

I mean, it looks like probably the most radical ticket ever nominated in all of American political history, he continued. A lot of our folks, pastors that we work with in Wisconsin and in the Minneapolis area who were very involved in trying to minister to some of the victims of rioting and some of the rioters, actually.

So, they saw what Walz did, and, of course, Kamala Harris was paying for the bail money for some of the people who were doing the destruction. I think all this nomination thing is going to help that.

Connelly said Walz was nobodys moderate and took issue with the governors recent comment that one persons socialism is another persons neighborliness, responding that you can be biblically neighborly without forcibly taking money from people at the governments behest.

Timothy Head, executive director of the Faith & Freedom Coalition, an organization that spends millions each election mobilizing conservative Christian voters, told CP that he doesn't believe many conservative Christians will stay home on Election Day due to controversies surrounding the Republican Party's platform.

I think, first of all, the contrast between what we now know to be the Democrat candidate, top of the ticket, and the Republican ticket is stark and clear, said Head. I dont think that the platform unto itself is really top of mind for those average voters.

Walker Wildmon, vice president of the American Family Association, believes that in spite of the disappointing party platform changes, it remains true that the most pro-life candidates exist in the Republican Party.

To the contrary, the Democratic Party hardly has a pro-life candidate remaining, Wildmon said. Instead, the party as a whole has shifted to supporting abortion through all stages of pregnancy, and they cant define what a woman is. The difference between the two parties is still quite stark.

A betrayal of Christian voters

Last month, ahead of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the Republican National Committees Platform Committee unveiled the 2024 platform.

Said to be heavily influenced by former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, the platform was noted for being more scaled back compared to past election year platforms and took a softer stance on social issues, especially abortion.

Unfortunately, this platform fell short in its steadfast support of the lives of the unborn, said Chris Sadler, acting CEO of My Faith Votes, an organization that seeks to mobilize Christian voters, in comments to CP.

My Faith Votes believes life begins at conception and its disappointing to see the Republican Party weaken on their defense of the unborn and betray the Christian voters that make up much of their base.

Sadler also told CP that he considered the new platform a betrayal of Christian voters and evidence that the RNC failed to listen to the activists and voices of the Republican Party and created a platform that betrayed their pro-life base.

The party platform doesnt reflect laws or actions we pray that Republican and Democrat candidates will advocate for and work to protect life, beginning at conception, he added.

Nicole Hunt, an issues analyst with Focus on the Family, said her organization was disappointed to see the changes made to the GOP platform related to the sanctity of human life.

"Indeed, we are dissatisfied with any political party platform that moves away from explicitly protecting preborn babies and their mothers from the tragedy of abortion, Hunt told CP.

"Focus on the Family has always been unashamedly pro-life. Its one of our foundational principles. Our commitment to fight for the lives of the preborn started when the organization was founded 47 years ago, in 1977, and it continues today.

Not only was there much disappointment among conservative Christian groups, but also a sense among some that the process that led to the revisions for the GOP platform was not a fair one.

Connelly recounted to CP about how the first GOP convention he attended was in 2004, and he remembered there being consultants who wished to water down the platform even then.

This time, the way they rolled the process, was very different, he told CP. I was actually elected by my own delegation, and consultants removed me because I was too pro-life and too conservative.

So, I wasnt in the room, but once I found out they had done that in 20 some other states, I realized what was going on. They wanted to bake that cake before they got to the convention. I dont think there was much discussion.

Perkins also decried the platform revision process, telling CP there was no discussion, no debate, no amendments, and it was unprecedented.

I have been a part of about five platform committees in the past, and it was very heavy-handed, Perkins said. Very disturbing what took place in a locked room when the media was not allowed in.

Sadler said the revised platform was forced upon platform committee members without the normal process of debate, discussion and committee decisions, adding that he felt the GOP should have a process driven by the people, the activists and the members of the party.

Wildmon of AFA told CP that he felt the platform revision process was not deliberative and considerate of the dozens of delegates who traveled in to debate the issues and find consensus on the platform.

For his part, Head told CP that while he preferred the previous platform, he felt like it was good to acknowledge some pro-life views and some other important issues for religious voters.

We do still believe that a federal approach would be great, but were certainly very comfortable with the state-by-state approach in line with the Dobbs decision at this point, Head said, referencing the 2022 overturning of Roe v. Wade.

I think a lot of significantly less, probably three or four, maybe even, platform processes have all been a little bit unusual. This one was different also, in that you have a former president who technically is not the sitting president but was the presumed nominee, etc. So I think there were some unusual dynamics through the process.

Head told CP that the process did allow for input, with his group, the Faith & Freedom Coalition, having input earlier in the process, though not at the platform committee itself.

We certainly felt heard and included in the process, he continued. I cant speak to the other organizations, but at least we certainly felt like we were solicited and our input was integrated in.

A diminished intensity?

Last month, conservative author and Newsmax host Todd Starnes posted to his X account reports that Republican Party leadership had dismissed the concerns that social conservatives had about the platform.

According to Starnes, one Evangelical Christian leader who addressed party officials was rebuffed and told, Where else will your people go?

When posed the same question by CP, Perkins of FRC said it was not a matter of where we go, but rather a lot of people wont go anywhere, as the intensity of involvement might diminish.

Ive already gotten calls from people who do track this, who said, Look, I cant volunteer for the Republican Party anymore. I cant volunteer for the Trump campaign, Perkins said, adding that this doesnt mean theyre not going to vote. Im encouraging people to vote. Im going to vote.

We believe its very important that we communicate were here for the policies, for the issues. As long as theres a party thats championing them, were with them. If they drop them or deprioritize them or move away from them, were not with you.

Connelly told CP that he speaks with pastors on a weekly basis and noted that they were upset, disappointed and felt that the GOP was trying to ride the fence on the social issues.

My dad said, If you ride the fence, youre going to get splinters where they really hurt, Connelly said. And people are going to come at you from both sides.

Connelly added that he knew people who were so disappointed they didnt come to the convention and felt that while they will turn out to vote, things like the revised platform works to depress peoples enthusiasm.

Hunt was optimistic that Christians will continue to engage in the political process because we know it's the only way to secure the freedoms and values we cherish.

The pro-life movement must continue to advocate for life within all political parties if we want to see the party platforms embrace a more life-affirming ethic, she told CP.

The longitudinal approach

Regarding longer-term reactions, Perkins told CP that the FRC had changed its usual election year practice of comparing the Democrat and Republican platforms and instead have taken to contrasting the new GOP platform with its earlier incarnation.

According to Perkins, this platform comparison campaign includes a video that has been played in thousands of churches and has been downloaded more than a million times by individuals.

Normally, we do a comparison between the Democratic and the Republican Party platforms, but weve done a comparison between the previous Republican platform and the current platform, he explained. A lot was left out. The life issue, obviously, of greatest concern, religious freedom internationally, the family, Israel, so a lot that was just left undefined.

In addition to the campaign to show churches all the ways that the platform has changed, Perkins told CP that, in Tennessee, his organization was overseeing efforts to hold Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn accountable for her involvement in the platform committee.

Were running ads in Tennessee asking people, voters in Tennessee, to call her and ask her why she was a part of this secretive effort to weaken the partys stand on life, Israel, marriage, Perkins noted.

Most people dont know what happened yet, and they dont know how it happened. But as pro-lifers, as those who have come into this process because of their faith, were not going to drop these issues because one party says theyre no longer important.

Other conservative Christian leaders were optimistic that the revisions done to the platform could be reversed in 2028, with Head telling CP that we definitely take a long-term, longitudinal approach.

We suspect that it will remain a feature, a central feature in 2028 and beyond, because were particularly focused on federal and state legislation, he added.

I guess our emphasis is more on legislation than the platform itself. As long as the [Republican] Party is continuing to move forward in some form or fashion, we will be engaged and look forward to being a part of that evolution in the coming cycles.

Wildmon of AFA told CP he was hopeful that the 2028 Republican Party platform will reflect the party, including the millions of Evangelical Christians who consider themselves politically conservative and traditionally vote Republican.

Staying home and disengaging from society and government shouldnt be a part of our playbook as Christians, Wildmon declared. We should seek to be salt and light and transform culture in every way possible and that includes during election season.

Connelly told CP that he felt most people consider the problem to be consultants within the GOP who just dont share our biblical worldview, but noted that well get another bite at that apple.

Theres no doubt about it. Its not going to change anybodys view. But I also dont know anybody that wants to have a Kamala Harris administration, either, he concluded.
Home News Kirk Cameron hosts story hour in push for new 'great awakening' in America

ALEXANDRIA, Va.  Actor Kirk Cameron is hoping that the childrens books he's written will help usher in a great awakening in the United States, which he sees as necessary to reverse the moral decline engulfing the country.

Cameron, best known for starring in the 1980s sitcom Growing Pains, held a story hour at the James M. Duncan Branch of the Alexandria Public Library on Saturday to read a childrens book that he wrote in collaboration with the publisher Brave Books.

His event at the library, located just outside Washington, D.C., was one of three locations he spoke at throughout the state of Virginia on Saturday.

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The other stops were in Stone Ridge and Stephens City, which are still located in northern Virginia but further away from the city.

Cameron has written three childrens books for Brave Books: As You Grow, Pride Comes Before the Fall and The Fox, The Fair and the Invention Scare. The books stress the importance of acknowledging the fruit of the spirit, humility and loving your enemies, respectively. He read Pride Comes Before the Fall to the dozens of families gathered at the library in Alexandria.

Before reading the childrens book, Cameron led the crowd in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance and singing God Bless America. As he read the book, pages from the story appeared on a screen in the background. He concluded the story hour with a prayer and encouraged the children in the audience to make friends with one another.

Cameron elaborated on what motivated him to get involved in writing childrens books in an interview with The Christian Post. Im actually a grandfather now, he said.

As a grandfather and as a father of six children, I care a lot about what we do in our generation because it will determine so much of what our children live with, the world that theyll grow up in, Cameron added. I want to ... write books and talk to people for as long as I can about turning their hearts toward God, turning their hearts back toward their home, raising their children, not outsourcing their parenting to government institutions that have lesser goals and motives for those children than their own parents do.

Cameron also expressed a desire to ensure that children love their country and appreciate what so many men and women did to sacrifice in order to give us a country with so much opportunity, so much freedom and so much prosperity, adding, I want to do my part to make that that continues and increases.

He hopes that the See You at the Library events and his work with Brave Books serve as a perfect tee-up for another great awakening in America.

The actor identified the previous great awakenings in American history as revivals where peoples eyes open and they see the trouble that theyre in and they turn their hearts back to God and they experience a refreshing and a renewal of the principles that lead to human flourishing again.

According to Cameron, Those revivals have always taken place during times of moral decline, spiritual apathy, economic collapse and political corruption.  Were seeing a bunch of that right now.

I want to communicate to people that now is the time to lean into your faith, to your courage, to your family and regain a vision of victory, not only a pie in the sky lets just get to heaven victory, but a steak on the plate cultural victory in our lifetime, he concluded. Cameron shared his vision with the parents and children gathered for the story hour, and showed a replica of the National Monument to the Forefathers in Plymouth, Massachusetts, and explained its significance.

Cameron acknowledged that many of us look around at our country and we have this sinking feeling that something is very, very wrong with the values that our kids are learning. After expressing concern about the little kids shows that theyre watching, the books that theyre reading, he noted that I even have people who have lost hope that things can turn around. He specifically condemned the efforts to teach little kids things like gender-affirming care and other types of stuff.

Were so far off the rails, the compass is no longer pointing north, its pointing the opposite and wrong direction. We can always find our way back to the safe harbor of blessing and protection if we follow this recipe that they left us, he maintained, referring to the Pilgrims that the National Monument to the Forefathers was created to honor.

Cameron pointed out that the largest figure depicted on the National Monument to the Forefathers was a woman named Faith, who was pointing to Heaven and holding the Bible in her hands. Shes got a star on her forehead representing wisdom, he noted, as he shared the Pilgrims belief that if you had faith in God and in Gods Word, the Bible, He would give you wisdom and you could reason and think correctly about all of the things that are important to your society and your family.

That first important aspect of good thinking is your morality, Cameron said as he identified the second figure depicted on the monument. Moralitys holding the Ten Commandments in her left hand, a scroll of Revelation in her right hand. But they didnt believe morality was  an external standard of good and bad imposed by a government or by law, it began with an internal transformation of the heart, and I know that because to her left, under her chair, it says Evangelist.

Cameron discussed the presence of a pastor holding a Bible on the monument, which he asserted was designed to convey that the heart can be changed by the spirit of God. He maintains that once your hearts changed, you begin to love what God loves and hate what He hates from the heart, and then you have the external standard of the Word of God written in the Bible.

Cameron explained that another figure on the monument was named Law to signify that this was a Republic that would be based on biblical law and a good morality that lined up with Heavens morality, and we know that because heres the man of law, referring to the judge included in the monument. He urged the audience to recognize that the book of law in the judges hand is right beneath the book of law in Faiths hand, indicating that mans law must always line up under Gods laws or theyre not good laws.

Hes balanced on his right by Justice and on the left by Mercy. Why? Because God is both just and merciful. Once you have civility in your society and youve restrained evil, now you have the opportunity and the responsibility to educate your children.

Cameron highlighted a teacher depicted on the monument: Its not a government official  in a long robe, it is a woman who is likely the childs mother.

Weve had great awakenings in the past, he recalled. We have had people who have suddenly had their eyes opened by what was going on and they turned.

Cameron stressed that when all hopes seem lost, that is usually when the revival is teed up to happen. Cameron wasn't the only childrens book author to read to the children in Alexandria on Saturday. Pastor John Amanchukwu, who has emerged as a staunch critic of progressive ideology, read his book Deep Within Doomsdometo the families gathered in the audience.

Although written by two different authors, both Pride Comes Before the Fall and Deep Within Doomsdome were published by Brave Books, and take place within the same universe on Freedom Island and feature the same main character: a tiger named Valor. The goal of Deep Within Doomsdome is to teach children about the importance of self-control.

As Camerons remarks suggest, the former child actor has become outspoken about his Christian faith. When asked what message he had for critics who have worked to shut down his story hours because of their opposition to his religious views, Cameron responded, If someone told me that they had a problem with my religious views, I would say, Well, you have religious views, too, even if youre an atheist, and there are people who would have problems with your religious view.

In fact, most people in the world would have a problem with your atheistic religious views, but the good thing about my religious views is that  theres room for you, theres a place for you. And in a nation that embraces Christian values, at the top of your list is love your neighbor as yourself. Ive got Muslim neighbors, Hindu neighbors, atheist neighbors, Catholic neighbors. You dont have to think like me to be cared for by me, and thats good news whether youre a Christian or not.

Camerons speaking tour constituted a small part of Brave Books second annual See You at the Library Day, where thousands of families come together at public libraries to host wholesome story hours that celebrate a return to American, Constitutional, and Biblical values.

Brave Books spearheaded the first See You at the Library Day after more than 50 public libraries throughout the country denied Camerons request to read his books at their locations.

While some of the libraries eventually allowed Cameron to host the story hours, the events did not come without protests seeking to shut them down. Cameron told CP that despite the fact that library leadership did not want us to come to the Downtown Indianapolis Public Library, the story hour drew an overflow crowd of 3,000 parents and grandparents there, the largest attendance to an event in that library's history, according to some of the leadership.

"They were overflowing, exceeding capacity limits," Cameron recalled. "They were asking people to move to other floors of the library because it was so packed with people and we found that reaction everywhere." While turnout was comparatively modest in Alexandria Saturday morning, Cameron expected larger crowds in Stone Ridge and Stephens City.

Noting that the director of the American Library Association gave libraries tips on how to shut down these pro-God, pro-America book readings, Brave Books detailed how the challenges experienced by the actor as he sought to hold the story hours led to the first See You at the Library day where Kirk and communities of families around the nation read aloud childrens books.

This year, more than 350 See You at the Library Day events took place across 49 states. Cameron told CP that after doing dozens of story hours in several major cities, including New York City, Washington, Los Angeles and Phoenix, he discovered that people have been wildly enthusiastic about them.

I think it does speak very clearly that parents are desperate for our nation to turn around and return to the values that will lead to blessing and protection for our children, he said, reflecting on the popularity of the story hours.
Home News 6 women detained, imprisoned amid Nicaraguas crackdown on Christians

In Nicaragua, a systematic crackdown on Christians has led to the detention and imprisonment of six women over the past year, according to a persecution watchdog, which says these incidents, involving five Catholics and one Protestant, reveal a pattern of religious persecution under President Daniel Ortegas regime.

Ortega, who secured a controversial fifth term in 2021, and his regime of the far-left Sandinista National Liberation Front, have been criticized for suppressing religious groups, opposition, journalists and activists for opposing human rights abuses. The regime arrests them under ambiguous national security laws and other charges.

Maria Asuncion Salgado, a Catholic, was arrested on Oct. 7, 2023, while attending a service at Nuestra Senora de Asuncion parish in the Diocese of Esteli. She, along with two others, was detained for religious belief, activity and association, says the U.S.-based group International Christian Concern.

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Similarly, Evelyn Guillen was taken into custody on Aug. 5, 2023, for her religious activity and expression, specifically after displaying a poster advocating for the release of Bishop Rolando Alvarez, an outspoken critic of the regime.

Alvarez, who was detained and later exiled to the Vatican, had been vocal about liberties being divine rights, a stance that led to his arrest. During her detention, Guillen has been denied medical treatment.

On Aug. 19, 2023, Adela Tercero and Gabriela Morales were arrested for allegedly spreading false information and undermining national security. Although these charges were eventually dropped, both were convicted of drug trafficking after allegedly being found with marijuana. Their affiliations with Jesuit educational institutions, known for their active role in anti-regime protests, seemingly made them targets.

Maricarmen Espinosa Segura, another detainee, was arrested in December 2023 on charges of money laundering, a common accusation used by the Ortega regime to imprison political opponents. She received a 10-year sentence and an $80 million fine on March 19, for her involvement with Puerta de la Montana Ministry, part of the U.S.-based Mountain Gateway Christian group. The group, known for organizing large evangelical events, is viewed by the Nicaraguan government as a threat to its authority.

Marisela de Fatima Mejia Ruiz, associated with the same ministry, faced similar charges and was sentenced to 15 years in prison and fined $80 million for money laundering.

Seven detained Catholic priests were recently exiled to Rome.

The clergy, detained by the National Police in the Diocese of Matagalpa under Bishop Alvarez, were held under house arrest and at the National Inter-Diocesan Seminary of Our Lady of Fatima before their expulsion. The exiled group includes senior diocese leaders Fathers Rene Vega Matamoros and Edgard Sacasa, who led the diocese following Bishop Alvarez's earlier exile.

The crackdown has not only affected individuals but also religious institutions.

The Nicaraguan government has also canceled the legal registration of 1,500 nonprofit organizations, including 695 religious groups spanning Catholic, Evangelical and Pentecostal denominations. The move, published in the government Gazette, La Gaceta, ostensibly targets organizations for failing to comply with financial reporting requirements, but is widely seen as a further clampdown on religious freedom.

Legal experts and activists within Nicaragua have condemned these actions.

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has documented the increasing repression against religious communities in Nicaragua, noting threats and surveillance of church services. Ortegas government has repeatedly been criticized for its heavy-handed tactics against opposition, including the suppression of protests and arbitrary detentions.
CLEVELAND, Ohio  Browns cornerback Justin Hardee Sr. was pulled out of Saturday nights preseason game to be checked for a concussion.

It appeared the independent neurologist buzzed down to the officials on the field to stop the game and pull Hardee for a concussion check following a first-and-10 run play with 13:22 left in the third quarter.

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Staying at a beach house with friends can be a lot of fun. Deciding which house to rent via a poorly organized group chat? Not so much.

Using vacation rental platforms like Airbnb and Vrbo for group trips makes sense. In most cases, theyre more affordable than hotels for large groups, according to a 2022 NerdWallet analysis, and they foster group activities like cooking and playing games. So its hardly surprising that more than 80% of bookings on Airbnb are for groups, according to data shared by the platform.

Yet these benefits come with trade-offs. Theres the whole shared bathroom issue and the which-couple-gets-the-much-nicer-bedroom dilemma. But before check-in, theres the question of which rental to choose that matches the groups preferences.

In May, Airbnb added features aimed at making group travel easier to plan, including shared wish lists and group messaging with hosts. These features smooth out some of the logistics of planning a group trip, yet no feature in an app will make herding cats (i.e., your friends and family) easy.

Here are some tips and guidelines to help your group communicate when choosing your next vacation rental.

Set a budget

Determining how much everyone is willing to pay is probably the most fundamental question facing your group. Its also the one most likely to be skirted. Talking about money can feel uncomfortable or embarrassing, yet failing to do so can lead the group to spend more than everyone is comfortable paying.

Some members of your group might be embarrassed to share their budget, for fear of spoiling the fun or coming across as cheap. So being the first to suggest a low-end budget can actually be a service (and relief) for others.

Zainob Fashola, a travel expert, recently planned a group trip to the Bahamas with friends. Their group quickly landed on a budget.

We wanted a modern villa close to the beach, at a max of $1,000 per person for five nights, managed by a well-reviewed host or company, Fashola said in an email.

Determining a budget early can narrow the range of options, smoothing the decision-making process and making sure everyone feels comfortable. Make sure to check final prices  not listed prices  when searching for properties, as add-on fees can balloon the final bill.

Assemble your options and take a vote

After youve set a budget (and, presumably, a destination), the next step is identifying potential rentals. This is where things can get messy in a hurry. Think group chats with members randomly sharing links. Here are some tips to streamline the process:

Appoint a leader. This doesnt have to be a formal process. As the one reading this, youre likely a good candidate.

Create a list. You can use one of Airbnbs new shared wish lists or create a spreadsheet. Make sure everyone can see and edit the list, wherever it lives.

Keep an eye on location. It can be easy to get lost in the pretty pictures of the rental itself and forget the importance of its location. You might want to decide on a neighborhood ahead of time, to further winnow the options and avoid choosing a rental in the hinterlands.

Double-check the bedroom situation. Many rentals say they can accommodate large groups, but what they really mean is that there are a bunch of air mattresses in the living room. Make sure each option has enough bedrooms for your group.

Some group members will likely have strong preferences, while others couldnt care less as long as they have a bed. Its important to get as much of the groups input as possible, but dont wait for everybodys input.

When we decide on a destination, the more vocal members, usually those familiar with the area, have specific requests regarding neighborhood, views, and house style, said Fashola.

Once the top choices have been determined, settle it with a vote. This can be as informal as an emoji-based system in a group chat or a secret ballot survey.

That trip was last minute, so we skipped the Google Sheet, listed four available options in the chat, voted in minutes, and booked the villa immediately, Fashola explained.

Herd those cats

Group decision-making is always an exercise in patience and communication, and deciding on the perfect vacation rental poses its own challenges. Since it involves money and budgets, it can strike nerves for some or leave others bitter theyre overpaying. And the stakes are high to make sure the rental itself doesnt get in the way of a successful trip.

Airbnb has launched some features that help with organizing the task itself, yet the real struggle comes from competing personalities, preferences and communication styles.

For Fashola, finding the perfect rental for her Bahamas trip proved relatively easy, but splitting the restaurant bill is still proving trickier. After letting one member choose the restaurant itinerary on a recent trip to Greece, the group was shocked at the final price tag.

Now, we always check menu prices before trusting her suggestions.

More From NerdWallet

Sam Kemmis writes for NerdWallet. Email: skemmis@nerdwallet.com. Twitter: @samsambutdif.

The article How to Choose a Short-Term Vacation Rental With a Group originally appeared on NerdWallet.
Heres how test scores for students in the Olentangy Local School District in Delaware County, near Columbus, compare to their peers in private schools on state vouchers.

Grade 3-8

For private school students on vouchers who lived in the boundaries of the Olentangy Local School District during the 2022-2023 school year: 32 students in grades 3-8 took for English language arts and math tests; 11 students took science tests, which are only required in fifth and eighth grades. Private schools can administer Ohios State Tests or over three dozen alternative assessments.

-65.6% were proficient in English language arts

-75% were proficient in math

-72.7% were proficient in science

At Olentangy Local School District and all public schools, all students are required to test. District enrollment was 23,269 in 2022-2023 for all grades. The following were district proficiency averages in grades 3-8 from Ohios State Tests, with science tests only administered in grades 5 and 8:

-87.5% were proficient in English language arts

-83.4% were proficient in math

-79.9% were proficient in science

High School

Among private high schoolers that year, 26 students on vouchers who lived in the Olentangy Local School District took English language arts tests; 25 took math tests; 14 students took science tests and 18 took social studies tests. The tests can be end-of-year exams, Ohios State Tests or over three dozen alternative assessments.

-65.4% were proficient in English language arts

-44% were proficient in math

-92.9% were proficient in science

-88.9% were proficient in social studies

Among high schoolers in Olentangy Local School District in 2022-2023, the following proficiency rates were achieved, based on end-of-exam test scores:

-87.1% were proficient in Algebra I

-90.4% were proficient in American government

-88.3% were proficient in American history

-90.1% were proficient in biology

-86.3% were proficient in English Language Arts II

Laura Hancock covers state government and politics for The Plain Dealer and cleveland.com.
August 24, 2024: China recently put into service Jidi, its third icebreaker ship. This 5,600-ton vessel can break through ice up to a meter thick and do so while moving at a speed of about three kilometers an hour. The ship has accommodations for 60 personnel, which includes crew and specialists to operate the air, surface and subsurface drones carried. Jidi has sufficient fuel and other supplies to stay at sea for 80 days. The surface drone can transport 250 kg of supplies for trips to nearby bases surrounded by shallow or otherwise unsuitable conditions for Jidi to get close enough to unload cargo.

Chinas first icebreaker, Xue Long, entered service in 1993. This ship was built as an Arctic cargo icebreaking ship in Ukraine, then a part of the Soviet Union. Xue Long was a 21,000-ton vessel that could carry up to 160 crew and passengers along with a helicopter. This ship was converted by China in the 1990s to operate as a polar research ship. The ship underwent a major refurbishment in 2007. A second icebreaker, Xue Long 2, entered service in 2019. Similar but slightly smaller than Xue Long , the new ship was more capable and served as the model for Jidi. This was a remarkable achievement for China, which built these ships in part to make effective used of the new Russian ice-breaking design.

In 1899 Russia pioneered the design and production of ocean-going icebreakers when it introduced the 10,000-ton Esmark. The United States, Canada and most European nations with Arctic waters also obtained icebreakers so they could enter and explore iced over waters and provide resupply for Arctic, and later Antarctic bases.

Chinese coastal waters are largely ice free. But in the north, the Bohai Sea (near the capital Beijing) and the Shandon Sea to the south, there are iced over waters during the winter months. This ice is usually no thicker than a meter or so and without icebreakers there are some periods during the winter that ships must either wait for the ice to melt or land their cargo at an ice free port and have it moved by truck or train to its destination. After the Chinese communists took power in 1949, they found northern China had no icebreakers and was unable to support all the shipping activities in those areas when there was ice. Until 1945, Japan handled ice breaking activities off the Chinese northern coast but only had one icebreaker, which the Americans captured in 1945 and later turned over to Japan to be used as a Museum Ship. Currently, Japan has two icebreakers.

Until the 1980s, political disputes within the Chinese government as well as money shortages prevented China from developing its own Arctic research program, or obtaining icebreakers to handle winter periods when coastal waters are iced over. Some cargo ships are built to break through thin (less than a meter thick) ice. Some cargo ships that operate in areas that are sometimes iced over are built with reinforced hulls to handle some ice but depend on icebreaker ships to open ice-free channels.

The nations with the longest Arctic coastlines are Canada, Norway, Danish Greenland, Russia and the United States. Russia has the longest Arctic coastline that is regular in use for commercial traffic. This is the 5,600 kilometer long Northern Sea Route (NSR), which became operational in 2010. For cargo moving by ship between East Asia and Europe, the NSR cuts transit time by about a quarter. Its predominant users are China and Russia. Since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, Western shipping ceased to use the NSR, leaving the NSR handing mostly Russian and Chinese ships. There are no fees charged for using the NSR and Russia is trying to revive Western use of the NSR despite the war in Ukraine. The NSR is a cheaper alternative to the Suez Canal for many northern hemisphere countries. Currently Yemen Houthi rebels are firing on shipping headed north towards the Suez canal, so most commercial shipping has stopped using the canal and taken the longer and more expensive route around the southern tip of Africa.
August 24, 2024: Russias heavy infantry losses in Ukraine have led to growing problems in obtaining new soldiers. Many Russian military age men have either left the country or gone into hiding to avoid death or injury as a soldier in Ukraine. In the last year Russia tried offering larger and larger amounts of cash for those who would join. This didnt work because it was common knowledge that the chances of any soldier going to Ukraine and returning unharmed were low.

This led to the recent practice of army recruiting officials raiding businesses looking for Russian men or foreign workers who have avoided registering their status with the government. Businesses have gone along with hiring, and concealing, unregistered men because the heavy losses in Ukraine have caused a growing labor shortage in Russia.

In addition to the raids, which are resisted by employers desperate to keep their operations going, recruiters also stop military age men on the street and demand to see their identification and documents related to their military status. Men who have already served can only be returned to the military if they volunteer. Few do despite the large cash bonuses offered.

The government does not punish firms that actively hide their military age workers because the war-related economic sanctions have weakened the economy and forced the government to concentrate on keeping Russian businesses operating. This included allowing large numbers of foreign workers to enter Russia from nearby countries, including India and Central Asian states. These foreigners are prime targets for the rapacious recruiters. The government does not punish these recruiters either because leader Vladimir Putin insists that the war continue, even though Russia is losing and Russia has started carrying out more raids into Russia. For over a year these were air raids by Ukrainian drones but now Ukrainian troops are raiding into Russia.

Ukraine tried to minimize their own casualties and were aided by the fact that, during the first two years of the war, Russia did most of the attacking and so far, has lost over a half a million troops to death, disability, desertion, capture and disease. Russia still makes some of these attacks but has a hard time finding enough troops willing and able to make such attacks and endure the heavy casualties.

In the end, Ukraine has enough troops to guard the largely quiet 1,200 kilometer front line and allocate some soldiers for raids into Russia.
Sam Altman, OpenAI CEO (on screen) speaks in a videocall with Omar al-Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications, during the World Government Summit in Dubai on February 13, 2024.

Tech giants including Microsoft signaled in recent earnings calls that their intention is to spend aggressively on AI, but it's not just the billions of dollars being invested in U.S. AI companies like Microsoft partner and ChatGPT creator OpenAI, or the ballooning data center costs. Microsoft and its big tech peers are in a race for global AI dominance, and in a rivalry with China.

As part of the broader strategic planning, Microsoft invested $1.5 billion in the United Arab Emirates' top artificial intelligence firm, G42, a deal providing Microsoft with access to vast amounts of data, the deep pockets of the ambitious rulers of the oil-rich Middle Eastern country, and a looser regulatory environment.

The UAE's tech ecosystem, free from political wrangling and barriers inherent in democratic legal systems, is overseen by Emirati authorities who have a more lenient view than many Western nations of the use of anonymized citizen data to train AI models. In multiple areas of technology adoption, the UAE's autocratic, state-capitalist governance is seen as an advantage, enabling smooth and speedy mobilization of substantial resources towards tech leadership goals.

G42 is central to Abu Dhabi's AI ambitions and a partnership with Microsoft could galvanize the development of a robust AI ecosystem which could fuel faster AI innovation. The UAE's tax-free income can also help to attract the world's highly sought after AI researchers.

"Microsoft opened a data center there a few years ago, so clearly it has been investing in the region," said Dan Romanoff, tech analyst at Morningstar.

Microsoft set up its first cloud data center in the UAE in 2019. As part of the recent deal, G42 would use Microsoft's cloud computing platform Azure as the backbone for the development and deployment of AI services it provides to all of its customers. Beyond the UAE, Microsoft and G42 plan on building out data centers in other countries, including in East African countries.

These facilities to power and cool the giant AI supercomputers are fundamental to further advance of the AI ecosystem.

"The compute needed for AI is large and consumes an enormous amount of power," said Andrew Feldman, CEO and co-founder of U.S.-based Cerebras Systems, a chip-making startup with relationships in the region.

Power availability, from oil to natural gas and solar, in the UAE can also help with new data centers, shifting compute away from overstrained electricity grids in other parts of the world.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has made numerous trips to the UAE looking to build a global AI coalition and earlier this year said the region could serve as the world's "regulatory sandbox" for AI testing.

The deep interest from Microsoft and OpenAI in the UAE is viewed by industry watchers as part of an effort to consolidate their AI leadership position and increase its global footprint, particularly in emerging markets.

"For MSFT, this investment is more about gathering clients on its Azure infrastructure and reinforcing the notion that it is the early leader in all things AI by proliferating OpenAI usage," Romanoff said.

Over the past few quarters, the UAE, particularly its glitzy capital Abu Dhabi, have grown from regional AI hub to become a global AI center, according to Feldman. Leaders like Microsoft, OpenAI and others "are doing pioneering work there," he said.

Feldman's Cerebras is building advanced supercomputer data centers in California, Texas and Abu Dhabi. It is also providing G42 its AI tech to develop what could be the world's most advanced Arabic large language model, a language spoken by approximately 400 million people, he noted.

But amid rising tensions between the U.S. and China, AI has become a critical battlefield, and for all the strategic reasons the UAE deal makes sense, it has also attracted a high level of scrutiny on Capitol Hill related specifically to G42's relationship with China. The geopolitical landscape has become more complicated since Microsoft's partnership with G42 was first announced, with growing unease among U.S. intelligence officials, according to a New York Times report, regarding the potential transfer of sensitive American technologies and data to China through G42's partnerships, particularly with companies like Huawei. The Biden administration reportedly pressured the UAE to sever its tech ties with China in an effort to safeguard critical AI technologies.
Major Chinese companies' latest quarterly reports reinforce how the local market is one for stock pickers. "There has been outperformance, but it has been unique to certain companies," Lorraine Tan, director of Asia equity research at Morningstar, said in a phone interview with CNBC Pro. "The trend is, across the board, more so weakness reflecting macro trends, and guidance is cautious." "The individual companies that have outperformed have done so because they have a much more resilient mix of products, or business market positions," she said. Of note, Alibaba and Tencent each reported capital expenditures that roughly doubled from a year ago  to $1.66 billion and 8.73 billion yuan ($1.22 billion), respectively  in the quarter ended June. That observation by Morgan Stanley China equity strategist Laura Wang and her team indicates a potential turnaround in domestic demand for Chinese data center company GDS Holdings . The strategists added the U.S.-listed stock to their focus list for China and Hong Kong on Aug. 21. Their current optimism stems mainly from GDS' "significant first mover advantage" in overseas expansion, especially given its land agreement in Malaysia. Another Chinese stock with growing exposure to overseas growth is Temu parent PDD Holdings , which is scheduled to report earnings before the U.S. market open on Monday. As of Friday, PDD held the second-largest weighting in CoreValues Alpha Greater China Growth ETF (CGRO). Tencent was first. The ETF, launched in October 2023, is hardly a year old. Ben Harburg, founder of CoreValues Alpha and a portfolio manager of the fund, participated in early-stage investments in Chinese companies Meituan and Nio, before they went public. "We think we can trade China's public [markets] better than other ETFs," he said, noting his firm has offices in both the U.S. and China. That gives the ETF managers timely information to move in and out of Chinese stocks. Harburg told me the team is changing up the portfolio "every week or two" and that "China is too complicated to trade on a passive basis." CGRO holds just over 30 Chinese companies that meet criteria such as "not compromising American tech, economic interests or values" or appearing on U.S. sanctions lists, according to the ETF's website. The CGRO ETF was down 4.3% year to date as of Friday's close, versus 2.3% in losses during that time for KraneShares CSI China Internet ETF (KWEB). "We haven't seen outflows. We've been steady but we've got to show outperformance as a market before people can put money," Harburg said. "I think it's going to be name by name. Not rising tide." Chinese stocks in Hong Kong and the mainland have generally struggled to recover significantly since the pandemic due to a swath of uncertainty about growth and policy. Harburg said he doesn't expect Beijing to stimulate growth, and that the more likely catalyst for beaten-down Chinese stocks will come from a U.S. stock market drop. "I do think that the U.S. market is irrationally valued so you've got at some point to see some correction," he said. "Japan and India was absorbing some of the ancillary capital that should have gone into China." Japanese and Indian stocks are up 14% and 12%, respectively, for the year.  CNBC's Michael Bloom contributed to this report.
Democratic presidential nominee and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris takes the stage on Day 4 of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., August 22, 2024.

WASHINGTON  The Harris campaign announced Sunday that it and its allies raised a combined $40 million on the heels of Vice President Kamala Harris' speech Thursday at the Democratic National Convention.

The windfall brings the total raised for Harris' election efforts to $540 million since President Joe Biden dropped out of the race on July 21 and endorsed her, according to the campaign.

NBC News cannot independently verify the numbers because the next round of Federal Election Commission data does not become available until Sept. 20.

A third of donations last week were from first-time contributors, campaign chair Jen O'Malley Dillon said in a campaign memo. She also noted that just after Harris spoke Thursday night, the campaign and its allies saw "our best fundraising hour since launch day."

Fundraising numbers reflect an accumulation from the Harris campaign, the Democratic National Committee and joint fundraising committees, O'Malley Dillon said.

She called the convention a "galvanizing moment," adding that the campaign was "taking no voters for granted and communicating relentlessly with battleground voters every single day between now and Election Day  all the while Trump is focused on very little beyond online tantrums and attacking the voters critical to winning 270 electoral votes."

Volunteers supporting Harris' election bid have signed up for "nearly 200,000 shifts since Monday," which O'Malley Dillon said was the "biggest week of organizing since the start of the campaign."

Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, are preparing to head to Georgia for a bus tour Wednesday. Harris will head to Savannah on Thursday for a rally, which was postponed this month by Tropical Storm Debby.

Speaker after speaker at the Democratic convention urged voters to get involved in Harris' election effort.

"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!" former first lady Michelle Obama said in a rousing speech Tuesday night.

"Join me in promising your whole heart to this effort  that's where my heart will be," Biden said on the first night of the convention.

Campaign finance reports from last month showed that the Democratic presidential campaign raised $204 million in July. Biden was at the top of the ticket until July 21, when he bowed out and endorsed Harris.

Data from ActBlue, a platform that processes online donations to Democrats, indicated that Harris' election bid raised nearly $40 million the day Biden dropped out.

Former President Donald Trump's campaign had one of its best months yet in July but still raised less than a fourth of its opponents' windfall, taking in $47.5 million, according to a campaign finance report.

'Demstock' brings together rural Pennsylvania Democrats who want to 'jam things up' for Trump
Ukrainian emergency services conduct a search and rescue operation among the rubble of a destroyed hotel following a Russian strike in the town of Kramatorsk early in the morning on August 25, 2024.

Russia launched several missiles and drones overnight targeting northern and eastern Ukraine, injuring at least 29 people, Ukrainian military and local authorities said on Sunday.

The attack targeted Ukraine's frontline regions of Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv and Donetsk, Ukraine's air force said on the Telegram messaging app.

Russia has been pummelling Ukrainian border regions with strikes, and Kyiv said its surprise incursion earlier this month into Russia's Kursk region aimed to hinder Moscow's ability to stage such attacks.

"Most of the missiles did not reach their targets," the air force said, adding that Russia launched an Iskander-M ballistic missile, an Iskander-K cruise missile and six guided air missiles. It did not specify how many missiles were destroyed.
Investors who want to bet on a continued rebound in U.S. manufacturing should take a look at ETFs that hold stocks across different sectors to capture the theme, according to Bank of America. The bank's ETF strategist Jared Woodard launched coverage of funds tracking this theme earlier this month. The idea has seen increased interest in recent years amid rising trade tensions and efforts of both Republicans and Democrats to boost domestic manufacturing. "The agenda is well known: 1. near-shoring production via trade policy, 2. protecting new industries, 3. investment in construction & manufacturing, not just intellectual R & D. The successes are less known," Woodard said in an Aug. 6 note. Traditional sector funds don't do a great job capturing this theme in one basket, so Bank of America prefers ETFs that have a wider scope. Woodard's top ETF pick in the space is the First Trust RBA American Industrial Renaissance ETF (AIRR) . The fund, launched in 2014, has about $1.4 billion in assets and has outperformed the S & P 500 over the past decade, according to FactSet. Its top holdings include pipe maker Mueller Industries and road and infrastructure builder Granite Construction , though no one stock makes up more than 4% of the fund. AIRR ALL mountain This ETF has outperformed the S & P 500 over the past decade. "The fund has the most small and mid-cap exposure relative to other funds in our coverage. While AIRR has the highest expense ratio of the group, it has the best 5Y risk adjusted returns," the Bank of America note said. The fund's expense ratio is 0.70%. Second on Bank of America's list is the Global X US Infrastructure ETF (PAVE) . As its name implies, PAVE is more heavily focused on industrial and materials stocks than AIRR. Its top holdings include refrigeration equipment maker Trane Technologies and industrial equipment provider United Rentals , again with no one stock accounting for 4% or more of the fund. "The fund screens for companies that derive their revenue from construction, engineering, raw materials, related productions and equipment, and industrial transportation," the Bank of America note said. The Global X fund launched in 2017, so it doesn't have as long a track record as AIRR. However, it is larger, with nearly $8 billion in assets, and has an average annualized return of more than 20% over the past five years, according to FactSet. PAVE also has a lower management fund than AIRR, with a cost of 0.47%.
Third Point's Dan Loeb said he is finding companies outside of the red-hot digital world appealing as he hunts for overlooked opportunities beyond the "Magnificent Seven" tech giants. "We are finding many investments in the 'physical world' to be equally attractive," Loeb said in a new investor letter dated Friday. "In a market consumed with technological disruption, we are focused on finding companies that are difficult to disrupt due to competitive moats, consolidated industry structures, unique products, or capital intensity that deter competitive investment." The popular hedge fund manager gave examples such as aggregates, nuclear power, life science tools, specialty alloy manufacturers and commercial aerospace manufacturers. Loeb did not name individual stocks attached to this investing trend in the letter, but his holdings include several related names. His fund had a more than $380 million investment in Vistra , a retail electricity and power generation company based in Irving, Texas, as well as a $187 million bet on Ferguson , the largest U.S. distributor of plumbing supplies such as pipes, valves and fittings. He also has a small stake in CRH , a Dublin-based building materials company. VST YTD mountain Vistra shares year to date "It is understandable that in a market whose narrative is dominated by the 'Magnificent 7,' these businesses receive less attention, but that is giving us even more reason to add these types of names to the portfolio when we can find them," he added. The Magnificent 7, which includes Amazon , Microsoft , Meta , Alphabet , Apple , Nvidia and Tesla , has led the current bull market and 2024s rally. The group recently experienced a pullback as investors rotated into other pockets of the market. Loeb said he sees strength in materials, industrials and other sectors, and his portfolio is well positioned to take advantage of these trends in stocks with cheap prices. Third Point's hedge fund returned 1.8% in the second quarter, bringing its 2024 gains to 13.1% as of June 30. That was below the S & P 500's 14.5% return during the same period.
Four senior Indian ministers are set to participate in the second India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable on Monday, a key diplomatic event to bolster the bilateral ties between the two nations.The delegation will include Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, Commerce & Industry Minister Piyush Goyal , and Electronics & IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. The ministers are expected to engage in high-level discussions with their Singaporean counterparts and other top leadership.The roundtable comes at a significant time, as Singapore was the largest source of foreign direct investment (FDI) for India in the fiscal year 2023-24, with an estimated $11.77 billion in inflows.This highlights Singapores pivotal role in India's economic landscape, which has seen cumulative FDI inflows from the city-state reach approximately $159.94 billion from April 2000 to March 2024. Singapore also remains a crucial trade partner for India, ranking as the 6th largest globally in FY 2023-24. The two countries recorded total trade worth $35.61 billion, accounting for 29% of Indias trade with the ASEAN region.Ahead of the roundtable, Commerce & Industry Minister Piyush Goyal is scheduled to meet with prominent industry players in Singapore today. His agenda includes discussions with leaders from DBS Bank, Temasek Holdings, OMERS, Keppel Infrastructure, and the Owners Forum.These meetings are expected to further deepen economic ties and explore new avenues for collaboration between Indian and Singaporean businesses.
During the first half of this year, the Central Bank of Azerbaijan (CBA) has conducted a total of 18 inspections along with 47 control measures to oversee the financial sector's operations, Azernews reports.

Significant financial penalties were imposed during this period, amounting to a total of 135,609 thousand manat in fines and financial sanctions.

Over the course of six months, the CBA took decisive actions regarding the licensing of entities in the financial sector. Specifically, it canceled, suspended, or restricted 37 licenses across various categories.

Among these actions, the licenses of 28 individuals and 2 legal entity insurance agents were suspended, reflecting the regulatory authority's commitment to maintaining oversight and compliance within the industry.

At the same time, licenses of 6 individual insurance agents were revoked, along with one exclusive legal entity insurance agent's license.
August 25, 2024: The heavy losses suffered in Ukraine, which include several hundred thousand dead and even more disabled troops, led the government to develop a plan for hundreds of war memorials in areas, usually rural towns, where most of the dead soldiers came from. When the fighting in Ukraine intensified after the initial quick victory was not achieved, Russia found it was suffering far more casualties than anticipated. Most of the soldiers came from rural areas as military age men living in the cities are better educated and have access to well-paying jobs. The government recognizes this, and the fact that there are not a lot of soldiers, including officers, from the big cities getting killed in Ukraine. The war seems more distant to the people living in the cities and the national media outlets that are based there.

Despite the urban populations avoiding a lot of Ukraine war casualties, the government was mindful of the poor morale in the rural areas where most of the soldiers came from. This was where families of most dead soldiers lived and they were not happy with the Russian Special Operation in Ukraine. This is what the government called its Ukraine invasion and Russians soon realized that this Special Operation, which was supposed to be over quickly, has gone on for over two years.

That last time Russia launched an invasion of a neighboring country was in 1940 when Russia sought to take control of neighboring Finland by force. The Finns fought back fiercely. The battles were in the winter and Russian losses were so high that Russia made peace with Finland. The Finns joined the Nazis when Germany invaded in 1941 but attacked only areas the Russians had taken from them and carefully avoided threatening Leningrad or the vital railroad to northern Murmansk. Because of that, after the war the Russian government only took some but not much more territory from Finland while leaving Finland independent.

The Russian people know that Finland, now a NATO member, continues to keep the peace along its 1,340 kilometer border with Russia. Then there is the 2,000 kilometer border Russia shares with Ukraine. The Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 was, like the Russian invasion of Finland, an expensive, for the Russians, mistake. This time Russia did not have a non-aggression pact with Ukraine, like they had with Germany to use when the two nations invaded Poland in 1939. Poland was quickly overwhelmed and Polish territory was divided between Germany and Russia. That arrangement ended in 1941 when Germany invaded Russia and took control over all of Poland and proceeded to murder nearly six million Poles during the war, half of them Jews.

Poland never forgot their World War II experience and, after the Cold War ended in 1991 and Russian influence in Poland was eliminated, the Poles joined NATO and have been ardent supporters of Ukraine since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. NATO is a defensive organization and if anyone, like Russia, attacks a NATO member, they are automatically at war with all 32 NATO countries, including the United States, France and Britain, which all have nuclear weapons. One reason Russia invaded Ukraine was that Ukraine was planning to join NATO. Russia had threatened Ukraine over Ukrainian NATO membership and that only made Ukrainians more eager to get into NATO as soon as possible. NATO subsequently agreed to make Ukraine its 33rd member once the Russians are driven out of Ukraine. This would be a nightmare for Russia and leader Vladimir Putin has promised peace with Ukraine and implied possibly even return of the 25 percent of Ukraine currently occupied by Russia, if Ukraine does not join NATO.

Because the Russian invasion of Ukraine has failed, the Russian government has a problem with Russian regions where most of its troops came from. Most of those soldiers were killed or wounded and the government response has been the construction and installation of hundreds of war memorials in rural towns where most of the dead soldiers came from. While local officials express gratitude for these memorial statues, the residents of these towns are less impressed. Most of the people in these places know someone who was killed in Ukraine or know a family that lost someone. The civilians see the statues as another cynical move by the government to take advantage of the deaths of these men. Angry locals know that defacing or criticizing these memorials will get you arrested, just as open criticism of the war did earlier.

The government will eventually realize, if they havent already, that the memorials not only honor the dead but remind Russians that it was their own government that got these men killed. There will never be any memorials to that truth.
Safely in office, Sir Keir Starmer continues to reveal his real manifesto  attacks on pensioners, higher fuel bills, and a whole mountain of excuses for other flops and errors that he has not even made yet.

Apparently, he will tell us on Tuesday that things will get worse before they get better and that he will not shy away from unpopular decisions.

This has often been a favourite warning from Prime Ministers nearing the end of their time in office, trying to claim that their difficulties will one day produce a happy outcome.

But it is unusual for newly elected leaders with a full five years ahead of them to talk like this. If he starts in this way, what will it be like a year hence?

This is a government in trouble within weeks of coming to office.

Apparently, Sir Keir Starmer will tell us on Tuesday that things will get worse before they get better and that he will not shy away from unpopular decisions

The government's slashing of the winter fuel payment to pensioners has coincided with news that the energy price cap has been raised. Pictured: Chancellor Rachel Reeves and other ministers at cabinet

A 10 per cent rise in the energy price cap was announced on Friday by the energy regulator

Beguiled by Labour's legendary skills at spin and planning, many expected Sir Keir to ride smoothly into power. Anything but.

Apart from proposing to concrete over the Green Belt, abandoning any attempt to control illegal migration, splurging taxpayers' money on public sector pay and mauling independent schools, there has been little for the PM to boast about.

In fact, the chief watchword of his opening few weeks has been 'the dog ate my homework' or, as he and his Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, put it: 'The Tories left a huge black hole in the national finances.' Anyone who understands economics knows this to be untrue.

Absurdly he has now even started blaming the previous government for the recent violent disorders.

No doubt the Tories have not been as tough as their voters would like on law and order, but Labour, which for more than half a century has been the party of soft sentencing and politically correct policing, can hardly blame the Conservatives for the 'cracks in our society'.

This is a government in a mess. The slashing of the winter fuel payment to pensioners looks more and more like a classic political bungle, now made even worse by the 10 per cent rise in the energy price cap, announced on Friday by the energy regulator.

It will hit those pensioners hard. Is this what Sir Keir calls a 'government of service'? It looks, increasingly, more like the sort of administration in which the people serve the state, and the state is above our heads rather than beneath our feet.

The State must mind its own business

Long ago parents readily let their sons and (to a lesser extent) daughters do things which would now be unthinkable. Quite small children roamed the woods and fields unsupervised. Teens hitch-hiked across Europe.

Most of the time this worked out very well, but fears began to grow after some spectacular tragedies, and the young have been, increasingly, kept in cotton wool.

Last week, the TV presenter Kirstie Allsopp revealed shed let her 15-year-old son go Interrailing. He returned safely.

But we now learn she has been contacted by her local council, worried about his safety.

The incident has, ominously, been recorded in their files. Is this really the business of officials?

Parents need to have the freedom to decide how to bring up their offspring. And the young need freedom to grow up. The state has more important things to worry about.
The tragedy of the death of tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch, his daughter and others, on the ill-fated Bayesian is a reminder that no matter how wealthy and successful we are, the sea is a cruel mistress and in hock to no man or woman.

Clearly, the yacht was a source of great pride and joy  and a symbol of Lynch's business success. Owning a boat is frequently the favoured marker of the achievements of a self-made tycoon.

I don't for a moment suggest that Lynch was an extravagant show-off  indeed those who knew him claim quite the reverse was true. But I've long thought it curious that men (and women) who are used to complete control in their life often buy a boat as their reward of choice.

These superyachts can be the ultimate in luxury. Topshop's Philip Green had a huge wine store stocked with ultra-expensive bottles of Petrus stacked so the prestigious label was on display to any passer-by.

Others may have heli-pads, swimming pools, saunas, mini sailing yachts and jet-skis. Cabins and lounges can be designed to every specification, for waking up at sea is lovely, watching the sunrise over the Aegean from your bedroom's own terrace.

The tragedy of the death of tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch (seen), his daughter and others, on the ill-fated Bayesian is a reminder that no matter how wealthy and successful we are, the sea is a cruel mistress

The ill-fated Bayesian sailing boat, pictured on August 19 before it sank that night

Mr Lynch is pictured with his daughter Hannah, who also died on the vessel

On board, you are master of your universe.

But though it's rare for a big yacht such as the Bayesian to sink so horribly quickly, once at sea all boats are dominated by nature. No matter how plush and fabulous the vessel, it will still be playing second fiddle to the tides.

Superyachts get stranded for days by the summer winds in the Cyclades, planned trips are steered off course in the Med or Caribbean by unforeseen weather.

Eight hundred thread-count bed-sheets can't prevent sickening movement overnight when the boat is anchored in a heavy swell.

Perhaps the allure of yachts is because hugely-driven and successful characters, who are used to having the final say in everything they do, find an element of freedom in conceding control to nature.

Many enjoy the element of risk in their work  something that is ever-present on the sea. There is no certainty on the waves.

It's awful that Mike Lynch, who had just escaped a US jail sentence, fell foul of this risk.

Devotion of Swifties was quite terrifying

Over the years I've seen many huge live acts  Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones, Madonna  but never have I seen an audience quite like Taylor Swift's.

At Wembley Stadium, 92,000 completely hyped-up fans (meaning that over her eight nights there, she played to three quarters of a million people in London alone), were togged up in the Swiftie uniform of sequins, friendship bracelets and cowboy hats.

The show was sensational and the greatest fun, but it was also terrifying to see how one person can attract such devotion.

Swift was able to get us all up on our feet singing along with every word, applauding every sentiment.

However, such a display of obsessive admiration made it frighteningly easy to imagine how it could be turned, by a malevolent force, into something Nuremberg rally-like  sinister and violent.

Take the test, before it may be too late

Last week, I wrote in the Daily Mail of my recent treatment for colon cancer. It was discovered through the NHS bowel cancer screening programme which I, like many over 54, am fortunate to be sent for free.

I had no symptoms that might suggest a problem.

When I was diagnosed and told others about how the cancer was discovered, I was shocked that so many had just thrown their test-kit away or put it aside, to do 'another time'.

Alexandra Shulman (seen in hospital) survived breast cancer three years ago, but has now been diagnosed with colon cancer

My GP said that, in general, take-up of the test is unfortunately very low, no doubt because people are either too lazy or too scared of the result. But, she said patients shouldn't be fearful  especially since I was the first person she had known in her surgery to have a positive cancer diagnosis after taking the test.

I wrote the article to illustrate the importance of taking these tests seriously  something that too many people don't do.

Now, eight weeks post-surgery, I am recovered and feel fine. But if I had left it months to get checked, the end story might have been so very different.

It's been hugely gratifying to hear from many readers that they are adamant they will take the test and send off their sample in the post.

Why a new wardrobe is simply the best

The picture that accompanied my article was taken by regular Mail portrait photographer Mark Harrison. It's hell photographing me because I hate being photographed and I am very fussy about what I will or won't do.

In order to jolly me along (and no doubt to shut out my moans), he told me how excited his wife was with a new wardrobe they had installed. She said it was the best thing that had ever happened to her. Better than children.

I so understand that.

There's something about being able to house all your clothes in one place, rather than scattering them around wherever you can find room. Whenever you glance inside and see them organised neatly in a new wardrobe, before it gets all messed up, makes you feel all is well with the world.

Star Michelle's faint praise for 'my girl'

'What a performance Michelle Obama gave to endorse Kamala Harris at last week's Democratic Convention'

Wow, what a performance Michelle Obama gave to endorse Kamala Harris at last week's Democratic Convention. It's well-known that the former First Lady doesn't ever want to stand for President herself but there are very many who wish she did.

Her powers of oratory are staggering. Her star-power is undeniable.

The support of her and husband Barack will be greatly welcomed by Harris in her battle against Donald Trump.

But when I heard Michelle refer to the Democrat candidate as the faintly diminutive 'my girl', it sounded a touch inappropriate. As if it were she who was standing, and Kamala Harris a mere subordinate.
As Ukrainians yesterday marked Independence Day  the third since Russia's illegal invasion  they are not just fighting for their lives but also for our shared security and the integrity of the international rules-based system.

That is why the UK has committed to providing 3 billion a year in military aid to Ukraine for as long as it takes.

Alongside conventional warfare, Russia is also seeking to destroy Ukraine's cultural heritage and national identity. Why? Because so long as Ukraine's culture and sense of identity survive, its people will always find the will and the means to fight back. Chillingly, Russia is going after Ukraine's children, too. Thousands have been snatched from their families, deported to Russia, and brainwashed to sever the connection to their homeland.

Alongside conventional warfare, Russia is also seeking to destroy Ukraine's cultural heritage and national identity. (Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting with members of the government)

We will support Ukraine's irreversible path towards Nato. (Ukrainian soldiers take part in a casualty simulation training excercise operated by Britain's armed force)

It is critical that Kyiv and London continue working together to increase the economic pressure on Russia. (Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addresses a joint prss conference)

Ukraine, with its resilient people, has a rightful place as part of Europe's security architecture. (British Foreign Minister David Lammy speaks at a press conference in Jerusalem)

We are determined to hold those responsible to account, and support work to ensure allegations of war crimes are fully and fairly investigated.

The UK has been one of the largest suppliers of military aid to Ukraine, has been training the Ukrainian Armed Forces and was the first European country to provide aid. Ukraine will always remember this brave leadership.

We will support Ukraine's irreversible path towards Nato. Ukraine, with its resilient people, has a rightful place as part of Europe's security architecture.

It is critical that Kyiv and London continue working together to increase the economic pressure on Russia. The G7 has been clear that Russia must pay the price for its illegal invasion. Together with our international partners, we will explore all lawful routes to using Russian assets, so Moscow pays the price.

Together, we can defeat the false Russian narrative about this war being 'The West against the rest'. The reality is that peace-loving nations across the globe understand that Russian aggression must fail in order for the world to be safe. The UK and Ukraine will stand together in this fight for freedom to prevail over tyranny.
A former mafia boss who made $10 million a week for seven years revealed what he learned about business in the crime organisation.

Michael Franzese, from New York, who served as a caporegime in the Colombo crime family spoke candidly about the crime organisation and life afterwards with Steven Bartlett on his Diary of a CEO podcast.

The dad-of-seven, who has now rebuilt his life after a stint in prison as a motivational speaker and TV personality, explained how he entered the criminal life in the footsteps of his father John Franzese who was a high ranking 'underboss' of the Colombo family.

The 73-year-old explained how one certain mafia tactic could be applied to 'civilian' businesses that he claimed was 'tremendous' in any business negotiation.

He said: 'There's sometimes you can walk into a room and be the smartest person in the room - you don't want anyone to know that, you want people to just talk. Throw them a bone so that they're going to come back and talk so you can learn the personality of the person.

Michael Franzese, from New York, who made $10 million a week for seven years revealed what he learned about business in the crime organisation

'You can learn so much from people just when they talk and you can keep quiet. There's other times when you're not the smartest person in the room - and by keeping quiet nobody knows that.

'It's a tremendous technique and in that life it was extremely valuable for me. I was always the last guy to talk. It helped me master that art because you had these guys [in the mafia] that were very smart. If they hadn't been successful in that life, they'd have been somewhere else.'

Elsewhere he claimed that to be a good boss you can't micromanage your staff, saying 'I do what I do best, delegate the rest.'

He said: 'You can't micromanage because when you micromanage you're taking yourself away from your best talent. I always said ''do what I do best delegate the rest'' and then hopefully you have the talent to motivate the people and get the most out of them.

He added: 'I tell people get your personal life in order because normally your business is going to be a reflection of your personal life in some way shape or form and you can't do one well and do the other not good because they're going to affect one another.'

The ex-member of the Colombo family once made a staggering '$10m a week' over seven years through gasoline taxes and shell companies based in Panama.

During this period, as authorities tried to collect taxes, his firm would declare bankruptcy, a tactic repeated from 1985 to 1992.

This scheme cemented his status as one of the most successful Mafia earners since Al Capone.

Michael who served as a caporegime in the Colombo crime family spoke candidly about the crime organisation and life afterwards with Steven Bartlett (pictured) on his Diary of a CEO podcast

Speaking about a 29-month stint in solitary confinement Michael said 'three words' were vital for his survival.

'You know, my father taught me again. He said, 'Mike, I'm gonna tell you three things that are gonna help you when you go to prison because you're gonna go one day'.'

'He said three words that are gonna go a long way - ''please, thank you, excuse me''. And he said the reason for that, he said all these guys in prison that never got respect on the street, they want it all in there.

'They want to show they're people, you know, that they're tough guys or whatever. You bump into somebody, ''Excuse me'; you wanna cut somebody on the line, go to eat whatever, said, ''Do you mind?''

You know, ''Excuse me; please, if I can come in front of you?' Don't ever just get in front of them... and somebody hands you something... 'Hey, thank you, thank you very much'. Be cordial.'

He described the experience as 'rough' and 'not easy', noting that he saw others who 'did not do well' under such conditions. Michael expressed his opposition to solitary confinement for young people, labelling it a 'form of torture'.

He justified how the mafia kills people saying 'they only killed their own' meaning people within the organisation.

He said: 'People think when we take the oath of omerta, which is an oath to stay silent, it's not an oath to lie, steal, cheat and kill, but does that happen as part of that life, yes, but we're told straight out.

He claimed there is an induction period which lasts over a couple of years were the bosses test potential recruits by given them tasks

'You come into that life, you are told straight out, we have rules, you don't ever violate another man's wife, daughter,sister, girl, never that'll cause you to die.

'During my era we weren't allowed to deal with drugs, you deal with drugs and you get caught you die. If you are not honest with people, you disrespect somebody, you hit another main guy, then you die.

'Now we understand that and they tell you your best friend may be the one that pulls the trigger because the life comes before anything that's it, you know don't violate the rules that's how we maintain control in this life that's how we existed for a 100 years, and that's how it's going to stay.'

Michael said there was a lot of 'nepotism' in the mafia life saying father's usually get their son's into the organisation.

He claimed there is an induction period which lasts over a couple of years were the bosses test potential recruits by given them tasks.

He said: 'For two and a half years I was in a recruit pledge period where I had to do anything and everything I was told to do prove myself worthy.

'There was a lot of authority, a lot of alleged respect, you had a meeting at 8:00 and you weren't there at 7:30 you were late, you can never be late in that life.

'Drive the boss to a meeting sit in the car for three, four, five hours, god forbid you leave, you go to the restroom get a newspaper, he comes out you're not there, oh my gosh, we could have had trouble.'

Elsewhere Franzese revealed how seeing a dead body of someone he loved changed his life forever.

He explained that after his father went to prison, a man who had become like a 'second dad' known as 'Arty the animal' was murdered.

He said: 'I was 19 or 20 and I walked into the funeral parlor, I'll never forget his sister came up to me and hugged me, and she said you need to come with me, you need to look at what these animals did to my brother.

'I'll never forget the words, the coffin was closed and she opened the coffin and he was unrecognizable, there's a guy I loved, I didn't faint but it got to me, it really got to me, I had never seen anything like that before in reality, especially somebody I really cared for, really loved and it did have an impact on me there's no question but somehow I was able to get beyond that as a young person.

'That was a defining moment in my life to be able to move on from that and then continue to move into the life because I said this is part of it.'

Now Michael is the best-selling author of books such as, Blood Covenant and I'll Make You an Offer You Can't Refuse: Insider Business Tips from a Former Mob Boss.
James Middleton has slammed AirFrance after the airline allegedly lost a dog in their care.

The Princess of Wales' brother, 37, shared a Change.org petition asking AirFrance to take 'accountability for negligence' with his 345,000 Instagram followers yesterday.

The petition outlines how Ramon Alberto Piriz began his journey from the UK to Argentina with his friend's dog Sombra on 22 August.

Upon arrival at Heathrow airport, Ramon was told by AirFrance flight attendants that his dog was too heavy to travel in the cabin and needed to be moved into the cargo.

But when he arrived at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris for their stopover, Ramon was told that Sombra was missing.

Pictured: The Princess of Wales' brother James and his wife Alizee Thevenet and two of their six dogs

The Princess of Wales' brother shared the petition to find Sombra on his Instagram Stories and said it was his 'worst nightmare'

Sharing the petition on his Instagram Stories, James - who has six dogs and runs pet food company James & Ella - wrote: 'This is so sad.

'As someone who travels regularly, this is my worst nightmare.'

The Princess of Wales' brother then tagged AirFrance's Instagram account and reminded followers that tomorrow is International Dog Day.

The petition claims that Sombra's owner Cruz Novillo Astrada have received 'no meaningful update' from AirFrance, which has left him in a 'state of profound distress'.

Acting on Cruz's behalf, the owner's friend Anastasia Saravia wrote on their Change petition: 'We believe that every passenger, whether human or animal, deserves the highest standard of care when traveling.

'Sombras disappearance is not just a heartbreaking incident; it is a failure of the airline to fulfill its duty of care.'

As such, the petition is asking for AirFrance to provide Cruz with 'any footage, records, or communications that may shed light on what happened'.

It goes on to demand that the airline launch an investigation and make their findings public.

Pictured: The Princess of Wales and her younger brother James Middleton at the Diana memorial concert at Wembley in 2007

On top of this, Cruz also wants strengthened animal safety protocols, compensation for distress and for AirFrance to 'publicly acknowledge their responsibility in this incident'.

Although Sombra was last seen at Heathrow, the airport's website states: 'All baggage is managed by the airlines from check-in to arrival.'

The petition currently has over 3,600 signatures and is aiming for 5,000.

'This is disgraceful,' one supporter wrote in the comments. 'Our pets are family and should be treated with the respect and care you would give to a human.'

Another added: 'This is heartbreaking and very distressing both for the owner and the poor dog. Where is he?

'I would not be able to sleep if this was my dog. He must be found!'

Sombra's owner Cruz Novillo Astrada has been sharing screenshots of emails from AirFrance on Instagram

Cruz shared screenshots from emails with AirFrance - with one initially telling him to contact Charles de Gaulle Airport for help

The petition to locate Sombra currently has over 3,600 signatures and is aiming for 5,000 on Change.org

On his Instagram account, Cruz shared screenshots from emails with AirFrance - with one initially telling him to contact Charles de Gaulle Airport for help.

Cruz later appears to have received an email from AirFrance's customer service reassuring him that they were working with the airport to locate Sombra.

It reads: 'We do not have words to express how sorry we are, our team is doing everything to bring your dog safe and sound to you.'

The email states that the airline would rebook Ramon's flight without any additional fees.

The owner then shared a screenshot of an email he sent to the airline which read: 'They stole the dog.

'It didn't [escape]. I need you to look at the cameras please and see who took my dog.'

In the comments of the post, one follower asked: 'Do we know for certain Sombra was ever on the flight from the UK? Where is the transport crate?'

In response, Cruz alleged: 'That's a good question. AirFrance refuses to give it back or take a picture of it. They say they need permission. Nonsense.'

Another added: 'There are cameras all over an airport, it is impossible for a dog to disappear.'

Meanwhile, a third said: 'If they think hes been stolen, they should call the French police.'

FEMAIL has contacted AirFrance and Heathrow for comment.
A socialite who went on to have an affair with a Prime Minister twice his age - after being prescribed 'separate bedrooms' from his wife by a doctor in the 1900s - has been dubbed 'one of the most influential figures in British political history' by an author.

Robert Harris, who wrote his latest historical fiction novel, Precipice, about the culmination of events that resulted in World War I, recounted how H. H. Asquith - the country's leader from 1908 to 1916 - 'pounced on young women all the time' but had a particularly potent fixation on the mistress that was 35 years his junior.

Thousands of young men were returning horribly wounded, while many more were killed in France - but 61-year-old Asquith's mind was entirely on 26-year-old Venetia Stanley.

Instead of agonising over World War I, the politician was poring over letters to his lover - in what some historical figures have called 'England's greatest security risk'.

While he never wrote to his three sons who were serving in France, Asquith would write to Venetia sometimes three times a day - an astonishing 560 letters in all - his pen pouring forth tender endearments.

A socialite who went on to have an affair with a Prime Minister twice his age - after being prescribed 'separate bedrooms' from his wife by a doctor in the 1900s - has been dubbed 'one of the most influential figures in British political history' by an author. Pictured: Herbert Henry Asquith and his wife Margot Asquith

'Without you I am only half a pair of scissors,' he sighed. 'I love you more than words can tell,' he added, before signing himself, 'Your own devoted lover.'

His moods were governed by her responses to his letters. If she was brusque, he was plunged into despair. If affectionate, he was ecstatic.

Often he would sit in Cabinet writing love letters while vital discussions raged around him. He would consult Venetia on politics and even secret military strategy.

'I'm fascinated by power,' Robert told The Times. 'I find it interesting to write about these big figures that most novelists would never go near, like a prime minister or a foreign secretary.

They are as human as you and I  or perhaps more human because of the drives and strange distortions of their lives. Their flaws are more exposed and they have consequences.'

He added while he always thought Venetia can be considered a heavily influential figure in British political history, he ' never expected to actually see it written down' in Asquith's letters.

These messages, which he sent through the normal post, even contained sensitive information such as the ordering of submarines to the Baltic.

However, the extent of the scandal was shielded from the public. During the war, the press was strictly censored.

While he never wrote to his three sons who were serving in France, Asquith would write to Venetia (pictured) sometimes three times a day - an astonishing 560 letters in all - his pen pouring forth tender endearments

Instead of agonising over World War I, the politician was poring over letters to his lover - in what some historical figures have called 'England's greatest security risk'

It was only years after his death that the letters between the pair surfaced. Historians have long speculated as to the nature of the relationship.

Some claim that it was an intense, but nevertheless platonic affair, while others are convinced that their passion was physical.

In 2012, the book Conspiracy of Secrets by Bobbie Neate examined the scandalous relationship.

The Asquiths and Stanleys had long been close friends. Middle class Asquith rose via Cambridge University and the Bar to become leader of the Liberal party and then, in 1908, prime minister.

The Stanleys were landowners in Cheshire but their Liberal politics led to the Asquiths becoming frequent visitors to the Stanleys' family home and Asquith's daughter Violet and Venetia Stanley were soon best friends. Then, in 1907, Venetia, aged 20, accompanied the Asquith family on holiday to Switzerland.

Asquith's first wife, Helen, gave birth to five children before dying of typhoid in 1891. Three years later, Asquith married Margot Tennant, a baronet's daughter. Strident and ambitious, she went almost insane with grief as pregnancy after pregnancy ended in stillbirth  only two of her five children survived.

After the doctor prescribed separate bedrooms in 1907 - because the pregnancies had put Margot's life at risk - Asquith began to seek solace in what Margot described as his 'little harem' of clever, attractive young women with whom he loved to talk and flirt.

Clementine Churchill complained of Asquith's habit of peering down cleavages, while the socialite Lady Ottoline Morrell protested that Asquith 'Would take a lady's hand as she sat beside him on the sofa, and make her feel his erected instrument under his trousers'. Another woman complained of his 'drooling, high thigh-stroking advances'.

These accounts make it seems unlikely that Asquith's passionate letters to Venetia referred to merely platonic love. 'You know how I long to . . .' he wrote in one, leaving the fantasy unnamed.

At first, Venetia was just another girl in his harem. But most historians agree that it was in 1912, following a holiday in Sicily on which he invited Venetia, leaving Margot behind in England, he fell hopelessly in love.

Venetia had many admirers, but none so powerful as the Prime Minister. Although his letters to her have survived, her letters to him were destroyed.

The Stanleys were landowners in Cheshire but their Liberal politics led to the Asquiths becoming frequent visitors to the Stanleys' family home and Asquith's daughter Violet and Venetia Stanley were soon best friends. Asquith pictured with his daughter

Venetia died in 1948 at the age of 60. Then, years later, her daughter discovered the letters from Asquith. Venetia pictured with her daughter Beatrice

A humiliated Margot wrote in jealous anguish to Edwin Montagu, Asquith's Cabinet colleague and friend: '[On] Friday I suffered tortures . . . I knew in my bones Henry was with Venetia. Violet just telephoned what fun they were having . . . I rang off as I feel suffocated with tears. Deceitful little brute!'

Even on August 5 1914, the day World War I was declared, Asquith found time to write to Venetia. Not surprisingly, many thought his obsession interfered with his duties.

Winston Churchill, then First Lord of the Admiralty, was appalled by Asquith's obsession with Venetia, and viewed his endless letter writing as 'England's greatest security risk'.

But by 1915, Venetia, now 28, was feeling overwhelmed by Asquith's dependence. He even threatened suicide if she deserted him: 'I live for you,' he wrote. 'Without you, life would lose all that makes it worth living.'

She began encouraging the advances of Asquith's friend Edwin Montagu, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster - who had already proposed to her twice. Eventually, she accepted.

Asquith was utterly distraught, writing that 'no hell could be so bad' - and it led to what many considered the loss of his political savvy.

In May 1915 the Conservatives strong-armed him into a coalition and Asquith caved in; he later claimed he would never have made the decision if he had consulted Venetia, 'my best counsellor'.

When his son Raymond was killed at the Somme in 1916, he became still more withdrawn, and the following year Lloyd George ousted him as Liberal leader.

Venetia's marriage, meanwhile, was a disaster - she reportedly taunted her husband by flaunting a string of lovers.

She also allegedly threw wild parties with her group of dissolute friends, known as 'Venetia's Coterie', who would consume chloroform, morphine and champagne, spending thousands on her appearance and thousands more at the gaming tables.

She flew her own De Havilland Gypsy Moth biplane and even kept monkeys. So extravagant was her lifestyle that, by 1918, the once wealthy Edwin owed her creditors 60,000  the equivalent of some 2 million today.

Winston Churchill, then First Lord of the Admiralty, was appalled by Asquith's obsession with Venetia. Asquith pictured with his wife and daughter in 1924

The former PM and Venetia eventually resumed their friendship, especially after the death of Montagu in 1924.

Venetia was also one of the last people to see Asquith before he himself died in 1928.

Venetia died in 1948 at the age of 60. Then, years later, her daughter discovered the letters from Asquith. They were passed to Violet Asquith's son Mark Bonham Carter (uncle of the actress Helena), who in turn passed them to Asquith's biographer Roy Jenkins.

Violet was shocked to discover that her father and best friend had such an intimate relationship, exclaiming 'It cannot be true!' But the passionate nature of Asquith's letters indicate that it was almost certainly a sexual affair.

However, no matter its nature, it had certainly had an undeniable influence on the course of history.

Robert Harris told The Times that the 'fascinating' and 'extraordinary' relationship became one of the main inspirations behind his upcoming novel, which is out on August 29.

He thought its salacious nature allowed him to bring himself into it as fictional writer - as so careless was Asquith with his letter writing and the information he showed Venetia, that many baffled Britons were finding classified information on papers thrown out at spots across England.
When Mary Arbuthnot opened a letter from her dying father, Richard, more than 20 years ago, she had no idea it would change the course of her life.

The sealed, brown envelope with 'Mary' on the front contained some paperwork and a note, reading: 'Alright Queen. If you want to find out any info, here are the numbers. Love always, Mum and Dad.'

One of the phone numbers her father had provided was for a Liverpool adoption agency - a call to them began what turned out to be a long quest to find her birth family.

The agency's records revealed that Mary's birth mother was an unmarried Irish woman called Rita O'Reilly, who had been living in London but for some reason travelled to Liverpool for Mary's birth in 1965 - and that Rita had also given birth to two other children, a girl born in 1960 and a boy born in 1962.

Andrea Tovey, George Buttwell and Mary Arbuthnot are full siblings who were adopted separately and raised apart - strangers until their 60s

Mary, from West Derby, a suburb of Liverpool, was stunned.

'I'd known since I was seven that I was adopted as a ten week-old baby, but I'd had such a great childhood with my brother, who was also adopted, that I never thought any more of it.'

So happy was she, that she had often yearned for other siblings. Now she was left overwhelmed by the news she actually had two she'd never met.

Named Bridget and George, they were born in London. And, like her, they had been adopted, each to a different family. Unusually, they shared the same father, an Irishman called Jim Melody.

'I was so shocked. It was a strange feeling because I've had a happy life, but there was always this thing that something was missing,' says Mary, 58.

Meeting her brother and sister, she felt, would make her life complete.

That same year, 2002, she spoke to a counsellor at the Nugent Adoption agency, who was able to give her some more information about her birth parents and siblings.

Andrea was born in London and grew up with her adoptive parents in Gillingham, Kent

It threw up a mix of emotions.

Mary had always imagined her birth mother as a vulnerable teenager, forced by poverty or family disapproval to give up her baby.

'Back in the Sixties, it would have been hard under those circumstances,' says Mary, 58.

Instead, she discovered that her mother was 34 when she had given birth to her and had already given two babies away.

'That didn't sit well with me. I'm not angry at all, I just can't fathom how any woman can give a whole family away. She was offered help by the Church but still chose to give us away.'

Mary was born in 1965 in Liverpool, where she had a happy life with her adoptive parents

For the first time, Mary began to have doubts about trying to find her brother and sister: would they even want to be found?

'Did they know about me and, if so, why hadn't they come searching?' she says. 'Part of me thought that if I started looking and they didn't want to be involved, I'd be sorry.'

For the time being, Mary - busy with her career as a hairdresser and her role as a mother to Stephanie, now 38, and Richard, now 30 - put the search out of her mind.

Then, three years later, her father died.

That loss seemed to trigger an even more powerful longing for the siblings she had never met. She found herself glued to the heartbreaking stories of adoption and reunion on ITV's Long Lost Family, the programme that reunites relatives separated by adoption.

In 2022, after yet another tear-jerking episode - and a full 20 years since her father had given her the letter - Mary finally decided to take a chance. She filled out an application to the show and then, as life got busy, almost forgot about it.

The happy reunion of the siblings is captured on tonight's episode, hosted by Davina McCall (pictured with Mary)

Five months later, she received an unexpected phone call.

'It was one of the Long Lost Family team who wanted to ask some more questions. I nearly dropped the phone!' she says.

Because she had her siblings' dates of birth, the team was able to make a quick breakthrough.

They found her brother George and sister Bridget - who was now called Andrea. Not only were they both alive and well, but were living just 40 miles apart from one another, 240 miles south of Mary.

In an upcoming episode of the series, co-host Davina McCall breaks the news to Mary at her home in Liverpool.

'It was just unbelievable,' Mary recalls. 'It was a life-changing moment, that's the only way I can explain it. I started shaking because even though I'd known about them, it was another thing to actually be told "we've found them".'

George and Andrea, meanwhile, were dealing with their own sense of shock after each receiving a letter from Long Lost Family explaining they had a sister who was trying to trace them.

Andrea Tovey, 64, a former civil servant from Gillingham in Kent, initially thought the letter was a scam.

'I was a bit suspicious. It was just such a shock to get a letter saying my sister was wanting to find me when I never knew I had one,' the mum of two admits.

It was even more of an 'unbelievable, wonderful shock' to be told that she also had a brother.

With similar laid-back demeanours and endearingly gentle laughs, only Mary's soft Liverpudlian accent gives away the fact the trio didn't grow up together

Today, as the three of them speak, there is an undeniable ease and warmth between them.

They fall into a casual, comfortable patter as if they've known each other for decades, not months.

With similar laid-back demeanours and endearingly gentle laughs, only Mary's soft Liverpudlian accent gives away the fact the trio didn't grow up together.

As Mary jokingly cuts across from George as he proudly claims responsibility for the reunion - he had been looking for his two sisters for more than four years and was just days away from finding them himself before Long Lost Family got in touch - you can see they have already developed that unmistakable knack for jovial sibling bickering.

They chuckle about the obvious physical similarities: 'We are all very pale,' laughs Mary, 'and if you look at the shape of our eyes and mouths I think it's the same'.

Unlike Mary, both George and Andrea were raised as only children.

Born in Highgate, London, and raised in Gillingham, Andrea had always known she was adopted. Like Mary, she had a blissfully happy childhood, brought up principally by her father, Leonard, after her adoptive mother Betty died of cancer when she was just six.

Andrea had pulled her birth records as a young adult, but as she was the first child to be born to Rita O'Reilly, there was no mention of a younger brother or sister.

Life was busy and fulfilling and she decided not to chase after her parents in case they weren't interested in meeting.

Born in Hackney and raised in Loughton, Essex, George Buttwell, 62, had also known he was adopted as long as he could remember. Like his sisters, he had a happy childhood, leaving him with little urgency to uncover his past.

In 1998, his wife, Lesley, saw a programme about accessing adoption records, which piqued steel fixer George's interest. He applied for his adoption paperwork and original birth certificate, which provided brief details about his birth parents.

But it was really only years later - in 2019 - that his search got going. George's youngest daughter, Lindsey, 34, bought him a DNA test as a gift. The results opened a new chapter, throwing up relatives he never knew he had in Ireland and London. He began to discover more about his past than he had ever imagined.

George's DNA test linked him to a second cousin in Ireland and through him and another member of his extended family, he heard he had two sisters for the first time.

'Knowing that, I became determined to find them,' says the father of three.

He then decided to explore a hunch that his sisters might have been born at the same Catholic nursing home in London as him. St Margaret's no longer existed, but he was told he might be able to find out more about his sisters through the Catholic Children's Society in Westminster. Its records contained the full names and dates of birth for his sisters.

His local council adoption service agreed to contact his sisters on his behalf and was just doing some final legal checks when the letter arrived from Long Lost Family.

'I'd been looking for four years by that stage. I told [the adoption service] to call off the search. It was amazing news - but perhaps not as much of a surprise as it was to Andrea, who didn't know about either of us.'

Last November, the three siblings finally came face-to-face in a Liverpool hotel in emotional scenes which will be broadcast tonight.

As Davina explains as they wait to meet: 'It is very rare for Long Lost Family to find and bring together three full siblings all of whom - until today - have been complete strangers to one another.'

Andrea was first in the room; her heart in her mouth.

George Buttwell was born in 1962. He had been on the search for his long lost sisters for four years by the time the Long Lost Family team brought them together

'It actually felt like quite a while before they came in and I started getting emotional before,' she recalls. 'It was something I'd never believed could happen after all this time but it was so nice. We held hands as we talked and we just seemed to get on straight away.'

George agrees. 'It did feel like we were all family. You could feel that straight away - that we've got this thing in common, no matter how far we've drifted.'

Now, though, the sibling bond appears to be growing stronger with every passing month. They have an official family WhatsApp Group - called O'Reilly Melody after the surnames of their birth parents.

In January, less than two months after the show, they came together again at George's Essex home, where a picture of the three of them now takes pride of place in the living room.

A second reunion followed in June, with a pub lunch in London and another trip to George's house to share notes on their histories and meet extended family.

Just this week, George's daughter Sarah, 38, flew in from Spain and Andrea was there to meet her.

Small things mean a lot: for Mary, it's been a thrill to send birthday and Christmas cards to her brother and sister for the very first time.

The growing bond feels so natural that Mary has even taken to cutting Andrea's hair.

'Every time I've seen her she's blow-dried my hair and last time she actually cut it. I've never looked so glamorous,' smiles Andrea.

But for all the joy of getting to know one another (Andrea even jokes she shares the same love for the TV detective, Columbo, as George) there is sadness for the missed years they could have had together.

George with host Nicky Campbell on ITV's Long Lost Family

'I know that my parents would have adopted the other two if they'd have known and we could have all been together, as we should have been,' says Mary.

The siblings have discovered that Jim Melody passed away around 20 years ago and Rita O'Reilly around ten years later. As they were unmarried, Jim was buried in Ireland and Rita in Finchley, North London. From what they have gathered from relatives, the siblings understand that Rita and Jim lived together on and off for 40 years, but the real nature of their relationship remains a mystery: the pair have taken to the grave many unanswered questions for Mary, Andrea and George.

'For the time they were living in, for their background, it would have made a lot of sense to get married, so why didn't they?, George, who has visited his mother's grave, has often wondered.

Why did their mother have them adopted, and to different families? And why, when Rita and Jim appeared to travel from Dublin to London together, did Rita keep leaving their London address and flitting to different areas?

For now at least, the unresolved questions are overshadowed by the joy of finding one another.

'I've got ideas of what I'd like to do if I get to the point of retiring, but this has given me this extra positive feeling. It's this happy unknown future now and there's already this genuine love there with us,' says Andrea.

'It's a feeling you can't really describe because it's something I've never experienced before,' says Mary. 'It was like I'd already known them forever.'
The Radfords have jetted off on their seventh holiday in two years as some of the family travelled to the Disney World resort in Florida last week.

The brood, from Morecambe, Lancashire, boasts more than 530,000 followers on Instagram and are the stars of the Channel 5 show, 22 Kids and Counting.

While many parents will be taking their families on holidays abroad during the summer break, few can say they've been given a big chunk of the experience - seemingly - for free.

Sue and Noel Radford, parents of 22, shared snaps from the trip, including a gifted day at the Universal Orlando theme park.

The Radfords started their trip by staying in a hotel close to the airport before their nine-hour flight to Florida.

The Radfords have jetted off on their seventh holiday in two years as the family travelled to the Disney World resort in Florida last week

They stayed at a hotel near the airport before getting up at around 6.30am and eating breakfast before taking a shuttle bus there.

Sue and Noel entered World Duty Free after going through security, where their children seemingly had fun spraying different perfume samples.

Hallie, seven, and Bonnie, three, decided to get their faces painted with sparkly sequins as their father joked that they were in 'holiday mode'.

'Britain's biggest family' shared snaps from the trip, which included some of the children eating ice creams at the resort, playing with the water features, looking around the Harry Potter themed area and posing with Hello Kitty statues.

Noel took some of their children on a water-based ride while Sue and their other kids watched on from afar, wetting them with water guns.

She wrote: 'We had such a brilliant day @universalorlando last week we absolutely love this place so much, we even got on Hagrid which is hands down the best ride ever.'

The family is known for taking multiple holidays a year and are a big fan of travelling to the Sunshine State - as they have done many times in the past.

This marks their seventh holiday to the US alone in just two years - along with travelling around the UK and Europe in their 40,000 motorhome that was purchased in 2022.

'Britain's biggest family' shared snaps from the trip, which included some of the children eating ice creams at the resort

The family is known for taking multiple holidays a year and are a big fan of travelling to the Sunshine State - as they have done many times in the past

Sue and Noel experienced backlash by showing off their holiday as other parents said they could not afford to take their children away on lavish trips

The Radfords have also jetted off to exotic locations such as the Maldives and Dubai.

The clan also visited the Orlando resort in April this year, August and April 2023, as well as August and April 2022.

The brood experienced hot weather in Florida and travelled around the park when it was around 32-degrees.

But Sue and Noel experienced backlash by showing off their holiday as other parents said they could not afford to take their children away on lavish trips.

One wrote: 'How do they afford it? I've got a frigging child and the thought of going there is a dream.'

Another penned: 'I wish I could afford to do that for my son,' followed by the crying emoji.

A third said: 'Paid for by everyone but them!!'

A fourth commented: 'Wow you must be millionaires for so many of you to go. Glad you had a nice time though.'

Sue and Noel recently hit out at those who judged their jet-setting lifestyle in their book, The Radfords: Making Life Count.

Sue wrote: 'We don't claim benefits, the pie company is very successful and so is our media business,.

'We work hard but we're not millionaires. The nastiness is upsetting though. We just want to be able to give our children the best possible life.'
Princess of Wales has stuck to wardrobe staples for her return to public life

It isn't unusual for the Princess of Wales to be spotted repeating outfits as she heads to glittering galas and high-profile gatherings with the world's royalty.

And this has overwhelmingly been the case as Kate Middleton has gradually made her return to public life after news of her cancer diagnosis.

The mother-of-three was seen today joining her husband Prince William the King and Queen - and the disgraced Prince Andrew - at Crathie Kirk church in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.

This was only her third public appearance since she was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year, after attending the Wimbledon Grand Slam final in July and Trooping the Colour in June.

The Princess of Wales, 42, also recorded a video to celebrate Team GB's success at the Olympics earlier in August.

There's been a trend to all of Kate's appearances so far this year: her fashion choices are familiar - and she is sticking to comfortable wardrobe staples to mark her return.

The Princess of Wales today joined her husband Prince William the King and Queen - and the disgraced Prince Andrew - at Crathie Kirk church in Aberdeenshire, Scotland

Today was no exception, as the Princess of Wales made her way to Crathie Kirk in a beige tartan Marlborough trench coat from Holland Cooper and a dark brown wool felt fedora.

The hat, from Hicks & Brown, retails for 99 and is a favourite of the mother-of-three, who previously wore it almost a year ago to the day - at Crathie Kirk with her family.

Not only this, but Kate also turned to old favourites when recording a video with Prince William to congratulate Team GB on their Olympics success earlier in August.

In the clip, the Princess of Wales debuted a slightly new look - side-parted hair streaked with caramel, a new ring alongside her wedding band.

Earlier this summer, the Princess of Wales attended the Wimbledon men's singles final in London with Princess Charlotte

Today was only her third public appearance since she was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year, after attending the Wimbledon Grand Slam final in July and Trooping the Colour in June

There's been a trend to all of Kate's appearances so far this year: her fashion choices are familiar - and she is sticking to comfortable wardrobe staples to mark her return

But the top she chose was very typical of the princess: a navy, Breton sailor shirt.

The 139 Ralph Lauren Breton in the video is new, but some in her possession are more than 11 years old. Each has a subtle tweak  a navy neck, a higher neckline, cut narrow or boxy, in wool, cotton or cashmere.

Notably, Kate wore a very similar ensemble when she braved the camera to tell the country about her cancer diagnosis. This time, it was cashmere, 160, and by her friend and favourite designer, Erdem.

The hat, from Hicks & Brown, retails for 99 and is a favourite of the mother-of-three, who previously wore it almost a year ago to the day (above) - at Crathie Kirk with her family

Pictured: The Princess of Wales wore minimal jewellery and a 85 Ralph Lauren striped t-shirt for a congratulatory message for Team GB this month

Pictured: The Princess of Wales seen wearing her 85 Ralph Lauren striped t-shirt to attend a SportsAid Athlete Workshop at the London Olympic Park in 2013

Kate has worn variations of the Breton stripe top for a supermarket shop, out sailing, when playing with her children, and when making appeals for her various charities.

When she revisited the University of St Andrews, where she fell in love with William, out it came again. And up it popped during the pandemic, when she and William spoke via Zoom about lockdown and mental health.

But away from her clear love for stripes, Kate has turned to other familiar wardrobe staples when making her slow return to public life.

Pictured: The Princess of Wales announced in an emotional video message that she was receiving cancer treatment in March

The Princess of Wales made her first public appearance since her cancer diagnosis at the Trooping the Colour in June

The royal wore the simple, nude bag during the pandemic, and opted to carry it during part of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June 2022

At Wimbledon, the Princess of Wales brought out a 122 Milly Nude leather bag from LK Bennett, which she has worn before on numerous occasions.

The royal wore the simple, nude bag during the pandemic, and opted to carry it during part of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June 2022.

The bag complements Kate's often brightly-coloured dresses well, and its appearance at Wimbledon - which she attended with Princess Charlotte - was far from coincidental.

Kate's first public appearance of the year was at the Trooping of the Colour in June.

Here, again, she opted for a wardrobe staple - this time a classic cut, white dress by one of her favourite designers.

The knee-length, slim-fit dress might not have been seen before, but the designer Jenny Packham is a firm favourite of the Princess of Wales.

She has been spotted in dresses by the designer since at least 2011.

In fact, the dresses she wore to introduce all three of her children to the world outside the King Edward VII's Hospital were each by Packham.
Dolly Alderton has launched a range of high heels with Terry de Havilland - as she blasted the 'internet for making everyone dress the same'.

The Everything I Know About Love author, 35, has collaborated with the British fashion brand on six new styles of retro-inspired shoes.

The collection includes a pair of snakeskin 'Disco' platform heels, which retail for 300 and are available in blue and red.

The Sunday Times' agony aunt range also features two pairs of 325 60s-inspired Mary Jane heels.

Meanwhile, Dolly's 'Rainbow' platform heels and her 'Mermaid' metallic wedges have been priced at 375.

Everything I Know About Love author Dolly Alderton (pictured), 35, has collaborated with the British fashion brand on six new styles of retro-inspired shoes

Writing in the Sunday Times Style, the journalist said she 'loves playful dressing' as she took aim at social media algorithms for eroding peoples' sense of personal style.

The Ghosts author argued: 'I cant remember a time in my life when everyone looked as similar as they do now. Everyone just looks the same  I think it is probably the internets fault.

'The realisation that you get to make your own rules about what fashion and elegance are is so freeing.

'I love playful dressing. And that in even the most simple outfit, there will always be a part of me that will want to have something fun thrown in.'

Terry de Havilland - who founded his eponymous label in 1972 - counted Bianca Jagger, Cher and Kate Moss among his celebrity fans.

The 'rock 'n' roll cobbler' - who was also the shoe designer for The Rocky Horror Picture Show - passed away in November 2019 at the age of 81.

Dolly's memoir Everything I Know About Love became an instant bestseller when it was published in 2018 and has sold over 800,000 copies around the world.

Following the success of her memoir, Dolly published Ghosts - a fictional novel about modern dating - and Good Material, which follows a 35-year-old comedian after his girlfriend abruptly ends their relationship.

The collection includes a pair of snakeskin 'Disco' platform heels (pictured), which retail for 300 and are available in blue and red

The Sunday Times' agony aunt range also features two pairs of 325 60s-inspired Mary Jane heels (pictured)

Dolly Alderton's 'Rainbow' platform heels (pictured) with Terry de Havilland retail for 375. Writing in the Sunday Times Style , the journalist said she 'loves playful dressing'

Dolly Alderton's metallic 'Mermaid' wedges (pictured above) with Terry de Havilland retail for 375

In October 2020, book critic Barry Pierce divided readers when he published a scathing review of Ghosts in the Irish Times.

The reviewer did not hold back in taking down the author's new offering, calling it 'the most culturally relevant novel of 2014' and claiming there are 'too many words' in the 'thick mayonnaise' of her writing.

Posting on X, Barry wrote: 'The novel's barbs and biting observations are as succint as the tweets they were all recycled from.'

In his review, Pierce started by announcing the novel had left him filled with 'nothing put pain and disappointment.'

He mused that because the subject of the book was Nina's experience of dating apps, the subject matter of the novel was not current.

'Alderton's skewering of dating apps surely makes Ghosts the most culturally relevant novel of 2014.' he wrote.

Dating apps boomed in 2013 and 2014, issuing a glossary of terms such as 'ghosting,' - when a dating app match stops all communications without warning - from which Alderton took inspiration for the title of her novel.

While he likened it to Norah Ephron's romantic movie You've Got Mail, starring Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks, Pierce said Alderton's novel had neither the 'timelessness' nor the 'charm' of the movie.

Comparing Alderton's prose to a 'thick mayonnaise', he also quipped that the author's use of the term 'a Durex for her heart' was 'mortifying.'
Given that it's based on a classic symbol of France, its creators must have thought the end result could only be fashionable.

Some, however, may say Lidl's latest wardrobe offering is nothing short of crummy.

The purse takes the form of a roll-top bakery bag  and comes with a croissant-shaped wallet inside.

Created by New York-based designer Nik Bentel, the item costs 50 and is described as a 'limited edition luxury leather bag'.

It will go on sale from Thursday, with all proceeds donated to children's charity the NSPCC.

The Lidl bag will go on sale from Thursday, with all proceeds donated to children's charity the NSPCC

The purse takes the form of a roll-top bakery bag  and comes with a croissant-shaped wallet inside

Mr Bentel, who believes 'design should take the mundane and make it memorable', is known for his collection of 'Pasta Bags'

Mr Bentel, who believes 'design should take the mundane and make it memorable', is known for his collection of 'Pasta Bags'  which imitate boxes of spaghetti, penne and farfalle.

This is not the first time the supermarket has crossed into the world of fashion. Lidl launched its first collection of clothes in 2021, including T-shirts emblazoned with the company's blue and yellow logo.

Joanna Gomer, marketing director at Lidl, said she hoped Mr Bentel's creation would 'take the world of luxury fashion by storm'.
A nationwide shortage of life-saving EpiPens is linked to the death of schoolgirl with a severe dairy allergy who died after drinking one sip of a Costa Coffee hot chocolate.

Earlier this month, a coroner concluded that Hannah Jacobs, 13, died due to failure by staff at the coffee shop chain to follow allergy safety procedures.

Hannah asked for soya milk in her drink, but real milk was used instead. Her mother Abimbola Duyile accused Costa Coffee of treating allergy training as a tick-box exercise, leading to the death of her vivacious, caring, affectionate daughter.

However, The Mail on Sunday has learned that Hannahs life could have been saved if it wasnt for an alleged dangerous shortage of prescription drugs in the UK.

The inquest into her death, which occurred in February 2023, heard that a pharmacist who assisted her during the fatal allergic reaction said the correct dose of an emergency medicine was out of stock.

Undated family handout photo issued by solicitors Leigh Day of Hannah Jacobs, 13, of Barking, east London, who had a severe dairy allergy

Hannah's mother, Abimbola Duyile, holds a picture of her daughter as solicitor outside East London Coroner's Court following the conclusion of the inquest of 13-year-old Hannah Jacobs who died following a suspected anaphylactic reaction to a hot chocolate drink purchased at a Costa Coffee branch in Barking

Instead, Santokh Kahlon from Daynight Pharmacy in Barking, Essex, said he used the only EpiPen on the shelf which contained 150mg of adrenaline  a third of the necessary amount for a teenager. He said that his staff desperately searched for another dose, but were unable to find one due to a UK-wide lack of supply.

He began performing CPR on the teenager from London, while a customer called an ambulance. However, by the time Hannah was taken to hospital it was too late. She died that afternoon.

Worringly, experts warn that continuing drug shortages could lead to further deaths. Over the past year, more than half of people in the UK have struggled to get their prescriptions, according to research. And about one in 12 have failed to access any crucial medicines, including hormone replacement therapy, antibiotics and inhalers.

For the past six months, the MoS has brought to light dozens of cases of patients affected by these shortages. But the Government is yet to set out plans to tackle the issue.

What will it take before the Government steps up and does something? says Dr Leyla Hann-beck, chief executive of the Association of Independent Multiple Pharmacies. If the right EpiPen dose had been available, it is possible this child could have been saved.

Something is very wrong in our country when there is a shortage of life-saving medicines. Patients are living on the edge, hoping to get their drugs in time. It is unacceptable.

While shortages have largely been triggered by increased global demand and manufacturing issues, experts say it is within Government power to ease the crisis. That is why MoS has launched its End The Drug Shortage Nightmare campaign. This newspaper is calling on the Government to give pharmacists the power to make substitutions for patients when drugs are out of stock and to force manufacturers to give advance warning of known shortages or face fines.

A view of the Costa Coffee branch on Station Parade in Barking, east London, where Abimbola Duyile bought her 13-year-old daughter Hannah Jacobs a hot chocolate drink which she suffered a severe reaction to and died in hospital

We also believe there should be a database for patients to check which pharmacies have drugs in stock  and we argue that all NHS patients should be allowed to use well stocked hospital pharmacies to source critical medicines.

The inquest into Hannahs death heard how her mother warned Costa Coffee staff in Station Parade Barking about her daughters severe dairy allergy when ordering two hot chocolates.

Ms Duyile claimed she apologised to baristas for being a pain and requested that the jug and steamer were also cleaned, East London Coroners Court was told.

Hannah and her mother were attending a nearby dental practice when she sipped the drink and immediately began vomiting and struggling to swallow. They left after 10 minutes due to Hannahs symptoms and sought help at the pharmacy across the road.

Ms Duyile asked for a dose of the antihistamine gel cetirizine, which she said usually helped calm her daughters symptoms. But on this occasion it did not work.

Mr Kahlon, the pharmacist, searched for an EpiPen, which contains a dose of adrenaline also known as epinephrine  a drug that can treat anaphylaxis, a life-threatening allergic complication.

Neither Hannah nor her mother were carrying an EpiPen at the time, despite this being the advice given to severe allergy patients.

According to official guidance, 10mg per kg of body weight is required. Hannah, unconscious when the injection was given, weighed 47kg (104lbs).

This meant the 150mg dose she received was not nearly enough to counter the reaction.

EpiPens have been in short supply at times since 2018, according to NHS data. A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman denied there had been a recorded shortage of EpiPens at the time of Hannahs death but added: We have been in ongoing discussions with the Natasha Allergy Research Foundation about improving support for people with allergies and Ministers are currently carefully considering the concerns raised by the coroner.
Thousands of men are being left to suffer an embarrassing and debilitating condition  even though treatment could be as simple as a few minutes of daily exercises. Nearly one in ten men endure chronic testicular and penis pain at some point in their lives, which can make getting dressed uncomfortable and moving around an agony.

Experts say the condition is often mistaken for a sexually transmitted disease or dismissed as a symptom of depression or anxiety.

Growing research suggests these men could effectively be cured using a regime of pelvic floor exercises, similar to those recommended for women to combat urinary incontinence after childbirth.

But specialists have told The Mail on Sunday the NHS has a 'blind spot' for this area of men's health  meaning the condition, known as chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CPPS), often goes undiagnosed and untreated.

Jose Gonzalez Martinez began experiencing agonising pain after recovering from a prostate infection. Doctors and scans could find little clarity, until he was referred to Dr Boylan

Patients are sometimes forced to pay for private treatment because some NHS physiotherapists do not treat men for pelvic floor issues.

Instead, experts say, it is viewed as a 'women's issue'.

'Thousands of men suffer with these painful spasms in their pelvic area, but are repeatedly told there is nothing wrong,' says Dr Johnny Boylan, a genitourinary consultant who runs the CPPS clinic at Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. 'Or they are given antibiotics for a potential infection or painkillers.

'But pain relief won't solve the problem unless you treat the underlying issue, which we know is rarely happening.

'Physiotherapy or simple daily exercises they can learn themselves could change the lives of many of these men but, too often, they cannot get this on the NHS. That needs to change.'

It is unclear how many men suffer from CPPS, but research published in the British Medical Journal this year suggested that as many as one in 12 men have been affected at some point.

The long-term pain often occurs in the testicles, the perineum (the area between the testicles and the anus) and the tip of the penis.

The sensation is often likened to a burning feeling or electric shocks that ripple through the affected area.

Patients report that the sensation can be so uncomfortable that putting on pants or trousers becomes unbearable because the pressure leads to flare-ups.

Pain in the genitals can also be a symptom of serious conditions such as sexually transmitted diseases, kidney stones, and even cancer.

This is why experts say it is important that patients who experience these issues always visit their GP.

However, many GPs are unaware of the symptoms of CPPS and are often unable to help men affected by it.

Studies suggest that, for some men, the condition can be triggered by an infection.

The pelvic floor is a group of muscles that support the spine, bladder and bowels

Other patients believe their CPPS was brought on by stress.

Doctors are also often unsure what causes the condition  or why it affects certain areas of the genitals but not others.

However, experts say that is becoming increasingly clear that CPPS is caused by a tightening of the pelvic floor muscles. Stretched like a hammock from the pubic bone at the front to the tailbone at the back, the pelvic floor is a group of muscles that support the spine, bladder and bowels.

It also allows us to control urine and bowel movements.

For women, it can be weakened by childbirth, leading to stress incontinence  peeing or pooing involuntarily when laughing, sneezing or exercising.

According to the NHS, one in three women experiences urinary incontinence in the first year after having a baby  and many continue to suffer for years afterwards. Women are advised to strengthen their pelvic floor by doing Kegel exercises  named after the 20th- century US gynaecologist Dr Arnold Kegel  which involve tightening the pelvic floor muscles for three to five seconds, then relaxing for three to five seconds, and repeating.

In June 2021, NHS England announced it was setting up specialist pelvic health clinics, staffed by physiotherapists, to treat tens of thousands of pregnant women and new mums with pelvic floor issues.

It is thought that men with CPPS have the opposite problem to women with stress incontinence. While, for these women, the muscles become too loose, for men, the muscles become constricted, and cannot relax.

Overtime, this leads to muscle spasms. Experts say CPPS patients should be offered 'reverse Kegel' exercises that loosen the muscles (see below for details).

However, there are no specialist pelvic health clinics available for men. In fact, experts say that many physiotherapists outright refuse to treat men for pelvic floor problems.

'Huge numbers of men suffer from chronic testicular pain,' says Bill Taylor, an Edinburgh-based physio, and a member of the Pelvic, Obstetric and Gynaecological Physiotherapy group, which campaigns for greater awareness around CPPS.

'It can be incredibly debilitating, can really impact their lives, even make them feel life isn't worth living.

'But when you're speaking to people about men's pelvic health, they tend to ask: 'Do men even have a pelvic floor?'

'There's this idea that only women have a pelvic floor, which even trickles down through GPs and doctors.

IT'S A FACT Around a fifth of men over 65 have urinary incontinence and may benefit from pelvic floor exercises, research shows Advertisement

'Historically, if you worked in pelvic health you were working in women's health.

'Most of the research has focused on women  there's really not been much research done on men.

'We need to educate doctors  GPs, sexual health consultants, urologists, incontinence specialists  so they understand the problem better and know what we as physiotherapists can offer, especially for men with chronic testicular pain.'

Dr Johnny Boylan says that, frequently, he has been unable to find NHS physiotherapists who will take on patients with CPPS.

'I've had to give them the names of a private physio who would help them instead,' he says.

One man who knows the agony of CPPS  and the frustration of trying to find treatment  is Jose Gonzalez Martinez, 37, a hotel worker, from Liverpool.

In October 2022, he developed an infection of the prostate, the gland that controls flow of urine.

Although a two-month course of antibiotics treated the infection, Mr Gonzalez Martinez was left with relentless pain in his testicles.

He said: 'It just kept getting worse. At first I thought it was a reaction to the infection or to the antibiotics.

'It was there all the time, although it was worse some days, and would get worse if I was moving around a lot.

'At times it would spread up into my groin and into my belly.'

Assuming the pain was caused by another infection, Mr Gonzalez Martinez's GP referred him to a sexual health clinic, where he was tested for sexually transmitted diseases including chlamydia, gonorrhoea and HIV.

Although he explained he was happily married and unlikely to have an STI, they repeated the tests a few weeks later.

He said: 'I don't think they believed me  even when all the tests, for both me and my wife, came back clear.'

An ultrasound failed to find any sign of physical damage, leaving Mr Gonzalez Martinez to struggle on.

He said: 'No one knew where the pain was coming from. I was still able to work. But it was constantly tiring and annoying. People told me they could see the pain in my face.'

Eventually he was referred to Dr Boylan.

Realising the problem was caused by over-tight muscles of the pelvic floor as result of the prostate infection, he prescribed daily exercises to release the tension  plus nortriptyline, an antidepressant also used for pain relief. Starting on 10mg a day, he later increased the dose to 20mg.

Mr Gonzalez Martinez said: 'There was an improvement, quite quickly. I was going two or three days without pain.

'For a time, if I was moving around a lot in my job, it was still sometimes painful. But with the exercises alongside the medication, the pain has completely disappeared.

'The exercises are very easy to do: just make the pelvic floor tense then relax. I do between one and three minutes and make sure I do it every day.'

Dr Boylan say it is crucial that more funding is made available for physiotherapists to take on men with CPPS and that GPs and specialists are educated about the symptoms so they can diagnose patients more speedily.

'It's a shame that it is so difficult to get diagnosed and treated for a condition that is so common,' he says.

'We are doing a disservice to these men by not providing that important part of their treatment.'

Simple seated exercise to help treat genital pain

Relaxing and loosening the pelvic muscles regularly will teach the muscles how to move normally again and reduce muscle tension  and pain  according to Dr Johnny Boylan, a genitourinary consultant who runs the Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome clinic at Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

One pelvic exercise  known as 'down-training'  involves sitting in a chair and takes no longer than one minute.

It can be done at home, on public transport or at work.

Patients are told to uncross their knees and place their feet apart on the floor.

Then, let the jaw hang loose and teeth separate.

The belly is supposed to relax and the buttocks loosen.

Patients should then breathe deeply, gently expanding the stomach. This should be repeated five times in one sitting. Another option is to stand in front of a mirror without underwear and lift the testicles up towards the body by tightening the pelvic muscles. These are the muscles tightened or loosened to go to the toilet. When the pelvic floor is tightened, the anus should feel clenched.

Then, patients are told to relax again and let the testicles hang loose. Letting the belly hang loose will help the pelvic floor muscles relax too.

It is the loosening part of this exercise that is important. Regular practice makes it easier. So it is important patients do these exercises for several minutes every day. However, it is vital not to strain while tightening the pelvic muscles, as this can exacerbate pain.
Walmart has recalled more than 9,500 cases of apple juice over fears it could contain arsenic.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that the retailer's 'Great Value' brand six pack 8oz apple juice PET plastic bottles have elevated levels of 'inorganic arsenic' in them.

The recalled juices have a 'best if used by' date of December 28, 2024 and a UPC of 0-78742-29655-5.

The recall was initiated on August 15 and was later classified as a 'Class II' recall on Friday, the FDA said.

A 'Class II' recall is 'a situation in which use of, or exposure to, a violative product may cause temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences or where the probability of serious adverse health consequences is remote,' according to the agency.

The Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) announced that the 'Great Value' brand 8oz apple juice in six pack PET plastic bottles has elevated levels of 'inorganic arsenic' in them

In the US, stores in Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia, sold the recalled apple juice.

The FDA said the juices had arsenic levels of 13.2 parts per billion. Last year, the agency announced that the limit for inorganic arsenic should be 10 parts per billion in apple juice.

Arsenic is a naturally occurring element often found in the Earth's crust, but it is toxic for humans.

Long-term exposure to the chemical element can cause skin lesions, different cancers, diabetes and cardiovascular disease, according to the World Health Organization.

For children that ingest arsenic, it can cause negative impacts on cognitive development and possible death in young adults, the organization added.

The FDA said the juices had arsenic levels of 13.2 parts per billion. Last year, the agency announced that the limit for inorganic arsenic should be 10 parts per billion in apple juice

Short-term exposure to arsenic can cause adults to experience nausea, vomiting, 'numbness or burning sensations' in the hands and feet, and bruising, the FDA said.

It is unclear if possible injuries have been reported in relation to the apple juice and Walmart has not released recommendations for those affected by it.

DailyMail.com contacted Walmart for comment.

Earlier this month, a popular candy sold at Walmart and Dollar Tree was recalled across the country due to concerns about contamination with a deadly bacteria.

Iowa-based Palmer Candy Company voluntarily recalled its 'White Coated Confectionery Items' in early May after finding they could be contaminated with salmonella, a foodborne illness that infects 1.3 million Americans a year.

Officials then escalated the severity of the May recall, upgrading it to a 'Class I' designation on August 6 - the most serious category of product recalls.

Earlier this month, Iowa-based Palmer Candy Company voluntarily recalled its 'White Coated Confectionary Items' after finding they could be ontaminated with salmonella

The FDA said that affected products - mixtures of snacks like pretzels, cookies, popcorn and chocolates - were distributed nationwide in Walmart, HyVee, Target, and Dollar General stores.

They were also sent to distributors in the following states: Alabama, California, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

The FDA said there have not been any injuries or illnesses linked to the products yet.

The potentially harmful sweets are covered in a sugary coating that appears white, and come in a variety of packaging, such as bags, pouches, and tubs.

The affected sweets were sold under brand names including Palmer Candy, Great Value, Casey's, and Every True Tiger - a brand out of the University of Missouri.

Palmer Candy was notified of the potential danger by its liquid coating supplier, who said the products could potentially be contaminated with salmonella.
It seems that the rules governing the opening (and running) of one-stop banking hubs could soon be relaxed.

If so, it will be great news for many communities which to date have not met the strict eligibility criteria laid down by the banks for a hub to be established.

It could also result in existing hubs providing a wider range of banking services than currently, increasing their relevance to consumers and small businesses.

Hope on the horizon? It seems that the rules governing the opening (and running) of one-stop banking hubs could soon be relaxed

For those of you who are unfamiliar with hubs, they are community banks that, under one roof, offer basic services for personal and small business customers of all the mainstream banks.

Their set-up costs are funded by the big banks via an organisation called Cash Access UK and are run by the Post Office.

Staff from the big banks are on hand once a week to offer face-to-face advice. So far, 147 have been given the go ahead although only 71 are open for business (finding suitable premises is often a nightmare).

Currently, hubs are only permitted in towns that have lost their last bank branch. But a town without a bank does not automatically guarantee a hub. Far from it.

Labours Tulip Siddiq is Economic Secretary to the Treasury

Parsimonious with their own money, the banks have so far laid down strict conditions governing their opening.

First, the town must be deemed big enough to support one (rather subjective). It then cant have a branch of Nationwide on its high street because the banks believe the building societys presence makes the requirement for a hub redundant.

As banking expert and community bank champion Derek French has long argued, this is patently not true (no surprises there) because Nationwide does not offer banking services to small businesses.

So if a town is left with a Nationwide and no banks, local small businesses are left with minimal access to high street banking.

An unsatisfactory state of affairs  Frenchs home town of Harpenden is caught in just such a position.

Yet it seems the banks are now being forced to have a hub rethink. Not because they have suddenly come over all gooey-eyed, but as a result of pressure from the new Government which wants 350 hubs up and running by 2029 as part of its ambitious plan for revitalising the countrys struggling high streets.

One of Labours few good ideas so far, which probably means it will soon die a death. Sources within the banking industry tell me that a vote among the banks on relaxing their criteria for hub openings is currently taking place.

If relaxation gets the go ahead  we should know early next month  it could mean up to 20 towns previously denied a hub because of having a Nationwide branch being granted one. Hurrah, I say.

Towns where the Nationwide branches have restricted opening hours  for example Kenilworth in Warwickshire and Rugeley in Staffordshire  will be prioritised. Harpenden should also get a hub.

Going forward, towns left bankless when the last branch shuts will then not be automatically denied a hub because a Nationwide branch sits on its high street.

This should increase the rate of new hub openings and the chances of Labours promise of 350 hubs being met.

Alongside this push for more hubs, the banks are also likely to come under extreme pressure to improve the services they offer through them. Labours Tulip Siddiq, Economic Secretary to the Treasury, is keen to make headway on this issue  and she is absolutely right in her line of thinking.

Earlier this year I went up to Cambuslang on the outskirts of Glasgow to visit its successful hub.

Community representatives that I met there said the hub could have a far wider rejuvenating impact on the local area if only its services were broadened and opening hours extended.

I do like to be beside the sea... if cash comes free Outrageous: It is scandalous that Brighton railway station does not have a free-to-use cash machine on its premises It's good to be back at work after a revitalising week away scouting out potential places to live in Brighton, East Sussex  as well as swim in the sea (no jelly fish encountered), walk on the South Downs, take in the beauty of Devils Dyke and marvel at restaurateur Jane Bom-Bane entertaining her customers by singing while wearing a model house on her head. Yes, utterly bizarre, but this troubled world needs eccentric characters like Jane to keep us all sane. Work, of course, was never far away. I will make two banking observations from my time in glorious Sussex. First, it is scandalous that Brighton railway station  a seething mass of humanity at all hours of the day and most of the night  does not have a free-to-use cash machine on its premises. Instead, those scrambling for cash are faced with a bank of ATMs that demand a withdrawal fee of 1.99. There where you need us, the screens bark. No, what Brighton station needs are free-to-use ATMs. Cash machine network Link, a champion of free access to cash, should come to the rescue. Secondly, it was a pleasure to visit the seaside town of Eastbourne  and not just to see a majestic Lancaster Bomber rule the cloudless blue skies for ten minutes as part of the towns annual air show. What struck me as I walked through the town to the seafront was the plethora of bank branches open for business (all the big brands were on show). It was a joy to behold. Maybe Eastbournes thriving banks are a reflection of its predominantly elderly population who prefer personal service to dealing with soulless machines. And maybe, despite that, some will still close in the near future. But I am convinced that they play a key part in giving Eastbournes high street a vibrancy other bankless towns lost long ago. Labours Tulip Siddiq, a champion of thriving high streets with accessible banking services, should visit. While doing so, she could also listen to the many residents who have been stripped of their winter fuel payment by her boss Rachel Reeves.

They also liked the idea of the community bank becoming more of a community hub  incorporating other key services such as advice on eligibility for benefits (pension credit, for example) and maybe a mini-library.

These are great ideas that should be championed by Siddiq.

The gaps in banking services at hubs are currently horrible  and frankly unacceptable.

For example, new bank accounts cannot be opened. This is madness given staff from the main banks are on site at all hubs on specific days.

Surely, these bank employees should be empowered to help people open new accounts  and thereby generate new business (and revenues) for their employer. Everyone wins: the bank, the hub and local people.

Even really basic tasks such as printing out a customers bank statement cannot be done at a hub. Talk about minimalist banking. Its unacceptable and Siddiq is right to want the banks to raise their game.

So far, the banks have been reluctant backers of hubs  investing the minimum in a concept which they believe (and hope) will only be temporary as banking becomes mobile dominated and the need for cash withers on the vine.

Yet, it seems a bit of political muscle will now force them to accept that hubs  and smarter ones at that  are actually here to stay. They are the small price they must pay for taking an axe to their individual branch networks.

Lets hope the banks do the sensible thing and vote for a future that permits hubs to flourish where once their own branches stood proud. We deserve no less.
Business leaders are used to politicians speaking with forked tongues.

But our new government has turned doublespeak into a fine art and its conflicting positions on home working defy logic.

On one hand, Keir Starmers official spokesman has attacked the 'culture of presenteeism', the disease of working in the office that can be cured by working from home.

Doublespeak: Keir Starmers official spokesman has attacked the 'culture of presenteeism'

On the other, the government has promised to introduce the 'right to switch off', preventing employers from contacting staff out of office hours in order to avoid 'blurring the lines between work and home life'.

Im baffled.

Contacting employees out of hours while they are at home blurs the lines between work and home.

Yet presenteeism needs to be cured by more working from home.

Angela Rayners trailblazing on this. Her staff must have been thrilled when she encouraged them to head home with their laptops and theyll be counting the days until the law is changed to make it an offence to contact them out of hours.

Dont hold your breath for the promised reforms in housing, communities and local government.

And now the private sector is now going to be forced to replicate this civil service nonsense.

I am the CEO of Vardags, a large family law firm. After considering it extremely carefully we decided that the default is that most of our staff need to be in the office.

The most important benefit is that the mental health of our staff has measurably improved.

What's next? Dont hold your breath for the promised reforms in housing, communities and local government

Weve all, sadly, received letters from opposing solicitors at 5pm on a Friday that have been designed to give our client a horrible weekend.

Sometimes they descend into personal attacks against the lawyers too. Its not an OK way of behaving especially when vulnerable people are involved but sadly its an all-too-common tactic.

But whats truly awful is receiving those letters when isolated from an experienced colleague who can put a metaphorical arm round your shoulder and tell you that theres nothing to worry about.

Or away from your peer group who can share stories of the same thing happening to them. There is truly nothing like the buzz of an office, full of people who have a real affinity for one another, sharing a laugh and providing mutual support. And that support is absolutely vital for employee welfare.

Stephen Bence is chief executive of family law firm, Vardags

Our people have fun, laugh, chat and form strong and lasting friendships. As human beings we need that. Not hours sitting alone staring at a screen. We need human connection, we need chemistry. Its about living in a community. Thats what enables us to learn and teach, and what keeps us sane and happy. Being in the office also allows our junior staff to benefit from in person mentoring and learning by osmosis.

Our open plan office has our trainees sitting alongside our senior lawyers. I have always championed a non-hierarchical structure of work.

Everyone makes a valued contribution. And this, of course, allows us to deliver the highest possible client service benefitting from genuine team problem solving. But we are not dogmatic.

What Ive described is the position for our London office. Our Manchester office handles different sorts of cases and serves a different set of clients many of whom live far from that city and want a remote service. So hybrid working works for them. There isnt a one-size-fits-all model.

As for contacting our staff out of hours, we avoid it wherever possible and particularly when people are on holiday. But to prohibit out of hours contact just isnt realistic in the world of family law.

Domestic violence peaks outside working hours. Parents abduct their children at weekends. Sometimes clients need reassurance in the darkness of their solitary evenings: they dont want to talk to a night-shift lawyer, they want to talk to their lawyer.

What underlies Starmers aversion to 'presenteeism' is the idea that theres no value to being physically present in ones work community.

At a time when depression, loneliness and dehumanisation are recognised as sicknesses running rampant within our society, this is short-termism at its worst.

And theres a troublingly Orwellian poisoning of the language with Starmers new speak.

The reality is that what we need more of is 'being present', and indeed, as the Americans put it, 'showing up'. The results, in happiness and in productivity, when we really, in person, show up for each other, are dramatically positive.

I applaud the governments declared passion for growth and productivity, but the measures its so far brought forward to deliver this will drive the polar opposite. Even by the standards of politics, its beyond parody.

Stephen Bence is chief executive of family law firm, Vardags.
Millions of taxpayers face record bills as thresholds and allowances remain unchanged for years, dragging rising numbers into the tax net. HM Revenue & Customs collected 82.5 billion last month  the highest ever tax haul for the month of July.

Workers paid 32.7 billion in income tax  also a record for July  and families paid 749 million in inheritance tax  the second highest month on record.

So, it is worth ensuring that you are paying no more than you need. There are many ways to significantly reduce your tax bill that aren't well publicised. You could be missing out on tax rebates or paying higher bills than necessary unless you know about these tax-saving tricks.

An estimated one in three higher rate taxpayers saving into a private pension do not claim the extra tax relief due to them on their pension savings

1. Claim tax back on pension contributions

An estimated one in three higher rate taxpayers saving into a private pension do not claim the extra tax relief due to them on their pension savings.

While the basic rate tax you have paid on your pension contributions is added into your pension pot automatically, those who pay tax at a higher rate may have to claim back the extra tax paid.

A higher-rate taxpayer who pays 10,000 a year into a private pension misses out on 2,500 of tax relief by not claiming this.

Figures from DIY investment platform Interactive Investor suggest that those who fail to get this tax relief could miss out on 122,000 of pension income over 20 years, compared with someone who reinvested this extra money into their pension.

Most people will find it easiest to reclaim these contributions by filling in a Self-Assessment tax return, especially if their contributions change each year.

However, you can also write to HMRC and ask for an adjustment in your tax code to claim the relief. You can backdate your claim for four tax years.

2. Claim on items given to charity

Donations to charity should be free of income tax. If you are a taxpayer, the charity itself should claim the tax back, which automatically boosts the amount that it receives. You will need to fill in a Gift Aid form, on which you confirm you are a taxpayer and happy for the charity to go ahead.

However, charities can only claim back the basic rate of tax. If you are a higher or additional rate taxpayer, you can claim back the difference yourself.

Either note on your tax return how much you have given to charity or contact HMRC directly to claim it.

An estimated 560million of Gift Aid goes unclaimed each year and, in some cases, you can also claim for the cost of items you've donated to a charity shop

An estimated 560million of Gift Aid goes unclaimed each year.

Don't forget you may be able to claim on annual memberships to charities such as the National Trust and English Heritage.

In some cases, you can also claim for the cost of items you've donated to a charity shop, if you've signed the correct Gift Aid declarations, and the shop has sold the items on your behalf and treated them as a donation.

3. Make 7,500 tax free renting out a room

Fancy making 7,500 tax free? If you have a spare room, the Rent a Room allowance means you can do that, whether you rent it out full time, offer bed and breakfast services at certain times of the year or provide student lodging.

To be eligible for the tax break, you must be living in the home and share facilities with your lodger. The room must be furnished, and it should be lived in, rather than, for example, used as an office.

If you make less than 7,500 a year, you do not have to declare it to HMRC. If you make more than this, you must declare it, but you will still be able to receive the 7,500 allowance.

If you have a spare room, the Rent a Room allowance means you can make up to 7,500 free from tax

4. Pensions, bikes, cars, and childcare

You can cut the cost of some items if your employer offers a salary sacrifice scheme. This involves agreeing a lower salary in cash terms in exchange for a benefit of the same value.

The advantage is that the benefits are received free of National Insurance and income tax.

For example, paying for a new bike using salary sacrifice can cut the cost by around 30 per cent if you're a basic-rate taxpayer, the retailer Evans Cycles calculates.

Childcare vouchers for children up to their 15th birthday can be paid for in this way  saving up to 900 a year  but such schemes are only available to existing members. Other items that can be bought through salary sacrifice, including petrol cars and gym memberships, require you to pay tax, as these are counted as a 'benefit in kind'. Electric vehicle leasing is also counted, but the charge is just two per cent.

You may be able to make your pension contributions through salary sacrifice to save National Insurance on them. Employers also save through these schemes as they do not have to pay employers' National Insurance on this portion of your salary.

Paying for a new bike using the salary sacrifice scheme can cut the cost by around 30 per cent if you're a basic-rate taxpayer

Some may hand you their saving as well, while others keep it for themselves. Larger employers are most likely to offer salary sacrifice schemes, but it is worth asking to check if yours does.

Your employer should also make available information to help you decide if it's right for you.

The biggest drawback of salary sacrifice schemes is that they reduce your headline salary.

This may mean that you might get a lower payout if made redundant while some mortgage lenders could offer you lower loans as it looks as if you earn less.

5. Earn on property, Vinted, eBay and Etsy

You can also make 1,000 income elsewhere from your property without paying any tax.

That means you could rent out your driveway, rent a room to someone to use as an office, or make money by using your house as a film set without paying any tax.

In addition, a further 'trading allowance' means you can make 1,000 from a side hustle like selling on Etsy, Vinted or eBay without paying any tax on the money you make. Make any more than this, though, and you must inform the taxman.

A 'trading allowance' means you can make 1,000 from a side hustle such as selling on Etsy, Vinted or eBay without paying any tax on the money you make

6. Save on memberships and subscriptions

If you need to be a member of a professional body to carry out your job, you can offset the membership cost against tax, if that body is on an 'approved list' held by the tax office.

Check the HMRC website here to see whether yours is on the list.

If so, you can claim back the cost via your Self-Assessment tax return. Or, if you do not fill one in, you can claim online on the government website.

Check the HMRC website to see if you can claim back on your Self-Assessment tax return

7. Claim tax back if you're married

Save 252 in tax every year if you or your spouse earns between 12,570 and 50,270 a year and the other earns less than the tax-free personal allowance.

The Marriage Allowance enables those eligible to transfer 1,260 of the lower earner's annual tax-free Personal Allowance to their husband/wife or civil partner, saving tax in the process.

You can apply for this online (gov.uk/apply-marriage-allowance), and you can backdate claims for up to four years.

You can save 252 in tax every year if you or your spouse earns between 12,570 and 50,270 a year and the other earns less than the tax-free personal allowance

8. Claim for washing your work clothes

If you wear a uniform to work, you can claim a tax rebate on washing, repair, and replacement. This is the case whether it is a branded T-shirt, a nurse's scrubs, or a pilot's uniform.

Even if you only wear the uniform for one day in the tax year, if a person in the street would recognise where you worked from the uniform you wear, HMRC says you can claim.

The standard allowance for this is 60, meaning that you'll get back the tax paid on 60 of your income when you claim  24 for a higher-rate taxpayer and 12 for a basic-rate payer.

Some professions, such as the ambulance service, will get more.

You can backdate your claim for four years, too, on the HMRC website. There's a full list here of the different allowances for different professions: gov.uk/guidance/job-expenses-for-uniforms-work-clothing-and-tools.

If you wear a uniform to work, you can claim a tax rebate on washing, repair and replacement - no matter the clothes

And don't fall into the dividends trap that's snaring more investors than ever before...

Taxpayers are being squeezed on all fronts  on everything from incomes to inheritances  and investment profits are no exception.

The number of shareholders being hit by dividend tax has almost doubled in the past three years, with 3.6 million on track to pay this tax year.

And it's only going to get worse, with thousands more dragged into paying the duty for the first time.

HM Revenue & Customs expects to rake in almost 18 billion in dividend taxes this tax year, after allowances were slashed in half this April, official figures obtained by investment platform AJ Bell reveal.

The amount you can earn in dividend income has been reduced in successive cuts, falling most recently from 1,000 to 500 four months ago under the Conservative government. The new allowance is just a tenth of the 5,000 available at its height during the 2017-2018 tax year.

More than three times the number of basic-rate taxpayers are set to pay dividend tax compared with three years ago.

Laith Khalaf, head of investment analysis at AJ Bell, says it will be particularly 'frustrating' for those who will have just breached the dividend allowance, as they will now have to file a tax return for a 'piddling amount of tax'.

But with careful planning, it is possible to shield your hard-earned money and avoid paying the tax.

Here are the key steps experts recommend taking if you want to protect your investments without losing out on dividend income.

One of the most straightforward ways of sheltering your money is making use of tax-efficient investment accounts.

You can save up to 20,000 a year into a stocks and shares Individual Savings Account (Isa) and you will never have to pay tax on your dividends or returns, protecting every penny from the taxman.

If you already have investments that you would like to transfer into an Isa, you can use a process called 'Bed and Isa'. This involves selling investments in a general investment or trading account, such as shares, funds or investment trusts, that are not sheltered from tax, and buying them straight back within a stocks and shares Isa.

From then on, the investments will be fully sheltered from tax. You will typically need a general investment account and Isa with one investment platform, which will complete the transfer for you. There will be a charge, but rather than paying separate fees for the sale and the purchase, you should only pay a single dealing charge.

Khalaf warns: 'This does crystallise any gains you've made on those investments though, which will count towards your capital gains tax allowance (currently 3,000) and could result in a capital gains tax charge if your profits exceed that amount.'

Diverting your savings into a pension instead of an investment account can also be hugely beneficial, says Kevin O'Shea, of wealth manager RBC Wealth Management.

You receive tax relief on anything you pay in up to the 60,000 annual allowance.

As with Isas, dividends you earn in a workplace or self-invested personal pension (Sipp) are not subject to tax and will not count towards your 500 dividend allowance.

However, you will not be able to access money in your pension until age 55, rising to 57 from April 2028.

Taxpayers are being squeezed on all fronts - on everything from incomes to inheritances - and investment profits are no exception

If you want to transfer your investments into a Sipp you can also do a 'Bed and Sipp' to shield them from dividend tax by selling them and buying them back within a pension. Again, this potentially raises a capital gain tax liability if your annual gains exceed 3,000, Khalaf warns.

He estimates that investors can hold 14,285 in a passive fund that tracks the FTSE All Share  the UK market  before reaching their 500 dividend allowance. The market yields around 3.5 per cent, he says.

Of course, that value and the dividends paid will fluctuate over time, probably trending upwards and requiring further action. However, if you have a larger investment fund, then it may be worth considering shielding it from tax. There may be an easy solution for married couples and civil partners  they can transfer investments to one another without having to pay capital gains tax. If one partner isn't using their dividend allowance then they can double the amount they can earn before paying tax. Similarly, if they have not used up their 20,000 Isa allowance, an investment portfolio can be split between two Isa accounts.

Khalaf says: 'It can be especially effective when one partner has large dividend payments which are pushing them up into a higher tax band. Transfers of investments between spouses or civil partners can be done by simply changing the ownership of the investments rather than selling them, which could raise a capital gains tax liability.'

Certain types of investments come with tax perks, including Enterprise Investment Schemes (EIS), which encourage investors to back new businesses that are only just finding their feet. But, as the businesses are in their early stages, investing in them is high risk. So, in return for taking a risk, investors receive generous tax breaks, including income tax relief, capital gains tax relief and even inheritance tax relief on some businesses.

This is also the case for Venture Capital Trusts, where dividends received by investors are exempt from income tax.
As excuses go for missing a meeting, its not a bad one.

Buried in the annual report of fund manager Schroders is the unusual line that a director failed to attend a board meeting due to her honeymoon.

The director in question is heiress Leonie Schroder, who was once called arguably the most eligible woman in Britain and is worth an estimated 3.9billion.

Her engagement to Old Etonian management consultant Guy Blakeney was announced in July 2022 but theres been no news of their nuptials until now.

Leonie Schroder was once called arguably the most eligible woman in Britain

She inherited a stake in Schroders along with a seat on the board after her father Bruno died in 2019.

Along with Claire Fitzalan Howard, she represents the Schroder familys interests in the boardroom. Both women are descendants of John Henry Schroder, who co-founded the wealth manager in 1804.

Schroders has grown to become the UKs largest asset manager and now looks after more than 750billion of funds. Its chief executive Peter Harrison plans to retire next year after eight years in the top job.

He earned 6.2million in 2023, up by almost a third on the previous year, but not enough for him to make it into top 20 of highest paid FTSE 100 bosses.

A search for Harrisons replacement is under way.

Its been an eventful time for Leonie Schroder. Apart from getting married for the second time in what is understood to have been a low-key ceremony, she also turned 50 earlier this year.

Her ex-husband, Nicholas Fane, tragically died shortly after their divorce around a decade ago.

She has held various directorships since graduating from St Andrews University, including her fathers 18,500-acre Dunlossit Estate on the Scottish island of Islay, and her own 1,200-acre Hurstbourne Park estate in Hampshire.

Schroders declined to comment.
Nearly half of shareholders at Smith & Nephew voted against plans to give chief executive Deepak Nath a huge pay rise

The biggest rebellion against fat cat pay came at medical devices company Smith & Nephew where almost a half of shareholders voted against plans to give chief executive Deepak Nath a huge pay rise.

Texas-based Nath, who earns 3.8million, could get up to 9.3million this year if he hits all his targets.

Education company Pearson was put on the list of shame for companies where more than one in five investors protest against bosses pay for the second year in a row. It is the only FTSE 100 company to achieve this dubious distinction.

Its boss Andy Bird saw his pay soar by almost two-thirds to 11.3million last year  including a 16,000 a month allowance to rent a flat in New York.

Nearly a third of investors voted against Pearsons pay report  down from the 46 per cent who opposed the policy the previous year.

A big investor revolt is brewing at plant hire group Ashtead over plans that could almost double the pay of chief executive Brendan Horgan, who earned 5.8million last year.

Shareholder advisory group Glass Lewis slammed the proposals as excessive. It comes after a third of Ashteads investors voted against its pay report in 2022.

Ashtead, which has significant operations in the US, is considering moving its stock market listing from London to New York.

But the number of major shareholder revolts over boardroom remuneration has dwindled, despite the seemingly inexorable rise in executive pay.

Only three companies this year have been consigned to the list of shame with revolts of more than 20 per cent.

Pay matters: Drugs giant AstraZeneca suffered a sizeable pay revolt over the rewards lavished on its boss, Pascal Soriot

That compares with 11 blue-chip companies who were named and shamed for boardroom greed in the previous year.

Annual votes on boardroom pay are not binding, which means companies can ignore them and carry on as they wish.

However, this can damage a firms image. The rules came into force in 2017, when then prime minister Theresa May ordered a list of firms doling out fat cat pay. At that time, more than a fifth of FTSE- listed firms were included on the register kept by trade body the Investment Association (IA).

May described offenders as damaging the fabric of society by paying chief executives too much.

Drugs giant AstraZeneca also suffered a sizeable pay revolt over the rewards lavished on its boss, Pascal Soriot, even though he has been the driving force behind its stellar performance.

The three companies on the IAs naughty step have large operations in the US where higher board pay is tolerated and executives at rival firms tend to earn more.

Housebuilder Berkeley saw the size of its pay revolt cut from 40 per cent to 14 per cent. Its boss Rob Perrins has bagged more than 100million since taking charge. His pay packet was unchanged last year at 8million.

But he dropped from 11th to 16th among the highest-earning chief executives as other bosses leapfrogged him.
Airbus has urged Labour to back Britain's military satellite sector as a 'springboard' for multi-billion pound exports.

And the Government was warned that failing to nurture its 'sovereign capability' in such a key area risked weakening the UK at a critical moment.

Aerospace firm Airbus has teamed up with America's Northrop Grumman in a competition to operate part of the UK's next 'SkyNet 6' programme to provide secure satellite communications to the military.

But it faces competition from US firm Lockheed Martin and France's Thales.

Meanwhile, a government defence review has left the defence industry uncertain about future state backing.

Plea: Airbus has urged Labour to back Britain's military satellite sector

Ben Bridge, chairman of Airbus Defence and Space UK, urged Britain to back its own space sector.

The former Royal Navy helicopter pilot said: 'The advantage of having a sovereign capability is that you can design, build, operate and then change  we've seen in Ukraine the importance of responding to an emerging environment.

'The UK is a strong space power. We have a seat at the table when it comes to talking about space war, space law and these other topics. We all interact with 40-odd satellites a day.

'It is in our daily lives an important topic, as a military topic it's becoming more important. I would hope to see the UK wanting to keep that position.' Airbus is based in France but has employees in the UK, operating satellite manufacturing sites in Stevenage and Portsmouth.

Bridge said Britain should 'recognise and nurture and consolidate its space capability for the sake of jobs and the value that it has within the UK' and to 'export great British technology, capability and products'.

That would 'bring value and wealth back into the UK but also you then have that soft power benefit as well'.

It comes weeks after Germany awarded Airbus the contract of its next generation military satellite system.

Martin Rowse, campaign director for Airbus Defence and Space, said: 'In an uncertain world you don't want to give away sovereign capability, you don't want to weaken yourself.'
Controversy is brewing in ritzy Laguna Beach as wealthy locals go to war with trash-dumping tourists.

Just this week, the small coastal city south of Los Angeles launched an online campaign warning that littering is now a ticket-able offense.

Leading the charge are locals like Greg Viviani, who has taken to recording his cleaning exploits and posting them alongside passionate messages on social media.

Others have branded the trash 'destructive tourism' and are pushing city officials to do more to stop it, LA Times reported.

Residents are also increasingly irritated by clouds of cigarette smoke, illegal alcohol consumption and 'loud' vehicle exhausts - and have even taken out ads warning visitors to be more considerate.

Controversy is brewing in Laguna Beach over trash being left behind by beachgoers. The city's seven miles of coastline - which consists of 27 public beaches and coves - is seen here

Leading the charge against litterers are locals like Greg Viviani, who has now taken to recording his cleaning for all to see

'It never ends,' Viviani, a surfer and 'videographer', told the LA Times of the trash.

'You can clean it all up in one day and it'll be covered with trash tomorrow.'

Showing a reporter around some of the seven miles of coastline, the 40-year-old local was seen snapping up a tiny yellow straw with his trusty trash picker.

'Look at this,' the tattooed local proclaimed. 'The beach is for everybody,' he said, as luxury homes loomed in the background.

'But we want people to respect the community and help out,' he continued.

'If you see trash, don't walk by. Pick it up and throw it away.

'We can all make it more beautiful so it'll last for generations to come.'

The Times was just the latest stop in the lifetime Laguna Beach resident's media tour, as public records suggest he resides at a residence under the name of his father on sought-after Coast Highway, which overlooks the ocean.

'It never ends,' the 40-year-old Laguna Beach told the LA Times Tuesday of the trash. 'You can clean it all up in one day and it'll be covered with trash tomorrow.'

'The beach is for everybody,' he said, as luxury homes loomed in the background. 'But we want people to respect the community and help out,' he continued

Just last week, he spoke to Spectrum News, saying he's never seen such large amounts of litter.

'It's become such a trash pit,' he said. 'I have never seen the trash this bad in my entire life.'

He went on to share footage of two plastic bags filled with trash he said he compiled during another day's clean-up - which he claimed he does every day.

A few weeks earlier, Viviani took to Instagram to express his disdain in a post shared by SoCal surfing site The Inertia.

'You guys, welcome to summer,' he said. 'It's Monday. July 1, 2024 - I just walked the beach and all of this was taken off of the sand.'

He proceeds to dump a small garbage bag filled with refuse, much of which appeared to be forgotten beach toys.

'I just picked all of that trash up off of the beach, with no help,' he continued.

The lifelong resident who has lived along the beach for all his life said he's never seen levels of trash so pronounced

He went on to share footage of two plastic bags filled with trash he said he compiled during another day's clean-up, adding that he now does the same thing every day

'Nobody helped - and I'm going to do it not for money, not for any type of funding, but because I care about the environment and the ocean. And this has to stop,' he said

'Nobody helped - and I'm going to do it not for money, not for any type of funding, but because I care about the environment and the ocean. And this has to stop.

'It is killing our town, it is killing our way of life... and completely destroyed our town.

'I'm beyond f**king p***ed off,' he finished by saying. 'You should be too, and we need to do better for our planet. Thank you.'

While speaking to the Times weeks later, Viviani recalled some of the strange items he has found scattered about so far this summer - including a brand new pair of Crocs and a sex toy hidden in the sand.

He's also uncovered cigarette butts, chip bags, shoe laces, tissues, bottle caps, and empty bottles of beverages like Smirnoff Ice, along with a great deal of plastic, the Times reported.

As he spoke, Viviani reportedly let out a sigh with each piece picked up, taking great pains to do so before bringing them to a trash receptacle nearby.

Seagulls also reportedly fought over a discarded Costco rotisserie chicken, as the Times spoke to another longtime resident fed-up with the increased levels of trash.

'I feel like we're promoting tourism to the point of just over impact,' said Joanne McMahon, who has lived in Laguna Beach since the late 80s and been put off by the recent flood of tourists.

The outcry has been so pronounced that even Mayor Sue Kempf has weighed in - telling Spectrum last week how the city has started an online ad campaign to enforce trash fines

The new campaign will see litterers fined $100 for their first offense, $200 for their second, and $500 for third and subsequent offenses within a 12-month period

'It's a slice of heaven - and it's getting really crappy,' said another resident, before blaming tourists for the increase amounts of garbage. 'Why do we need to continue to promote this for visitors? We can't handle what we've got now'

'It's a slice of heaven - and it's getting really crappy,' she said of the effects of the crowd.

'Why do we need to continue to promote this for visitors? We can't handle what we've got now.'

The outcry has been so pronounced that even Mayor Sue Kempf has weighed in - telling Spectrum last week that the city has started an online ad campaign to enforce trash fines.

The network filmed an officer ticketing someone for a trash-related offense the day of the interview.

'We're just trying to enforce good behavior here,' Kempf said of the fines, which are $100 for the first offense, $200 for a second within a 12-month period, and $500 for third and subsequent offenses within a 12-month period.

'People are welcome to come to the beach, we welcome people here, but we just want to make sure when you come to the beach, you treat it as if you live there,' she continued.

'I know we're all very protective of our community, but we're getting this everywhere,' she reportedly added at a recent council meeting.'

'And I don't think we can necessarily expect it to change because it gets hot inland and people just pour in here. It's a problem.'

While speaking to the Times, Viviani recalled some of the strange items he has found scattered about so far this summer - including a brand new pair of Crocs and a sex toy

He's also uncovered cigarette butts, chip bags, shoe laces, tissues, bottle caps, and empty bottles of beverages like Smirnoff Ice, along with a great deal of plastic

Residents of the ritzy enclave have said that the city's geographic constraints, like fewer roads and particularly narrow beaches, make their problems more pressing that that of other coastal communities in the Golden State

Such problems are not limited to Laguna Beach, however, with other coastal California cities also seeing a surge in visitors each summer.

But residents in the ritzy enclave have said that the city's geographic constraints, with fewer roads and particularly narrow beaches, make their problems more pressing.

The tension hit a boiling point last month when a video of a Laguna Beach woman shouting at a group of beachgoers while attempting to cordon off part of the beach near her property went viral.

'Get f**king moving,' she says to the group, despite the stretch of beach being owned by the state.

'I'm not joking around! It's not harassment on the beach, it's harassment in my whole property. Get out of here! Now!'

'This is not an Instagram moment-place,' she added while sectioning off her part of the beach.

'You're in my property, get moving now. Now you're in my property line. Move it.'

'Ma'am, we're f***ing walking,' one woman can be heard retorting, as the homeowner replied: 'Pretty f***ing slow'.

As footage of the altercation gained traction on TikTok, the California Coastal Commission sent a notice of violation the homeowner - as well as her neighbor - ordering them to remove the ropes.

It further stated how the ropes, in conjunction with unoccupied patio furniture, provided the 'incorrect impression that the entire area surrounding the obstructions is private property without public access.'

The incident quickly spawned outrage, with many seeing it as part of greater attempt from locals living by the beach to keep others from spoiling their picturesque society.

Residents have shot back that they are not attempting to restrict the coast as the woman did in the video, and just want to keep the beach clean.

Their renewed effort to do so is now underway.
This is the moment a British tourist was savagely attacked by a donkey taxi owner on Spain's Costa del Sol while trying to document what he said was 'horrific animal abuse'.

Ian Grace, 52, began filming after seeing six donkey-drawn carriages running in 'insufferable heat' in Mijas, Andalucia last weekend, with temperatures pushing 37C.

He had just started documenting the 'stinking hot' conditions the animals were being made to work and sleep in at the stables when a man 'ran around the barrier and smacked him in the face'.

Mr Grace was knocked to the ground and pinned down by the man who he said repeatedly punched him in the face, smashing his glasses and throwing his phone.

The British businessman told The Olive Press the owner screamed 'I'm going break your head', leaving him with various cuts to the face and neck as he tried to stream to social media as bystanders only watched on.

Video showed the donkey owner call for the man to stop filming before the brawl. Caption reads: 'A man is assaulted by a muleteer of the donkey-taxis of Mijas'

A man looks on from the side as a man appears to punch a man on the ground, in Mijas

Mr Grace was left with a bloodied face after confronting the man in Mijas

Mijas is home to a great deal of Andaluz donkeys, historically used by locals to get to and from work before the advent of cars (Illustrative image)

Video from the Facebook live stream showed the driver shouting 'don't record me' in Spanish as Mr Grace threatened to call the police.

At one point he approaches and jolts the camera as Mr Grace cries out, 'get off me!'

Mr Grace is heard panting after the encounter and reiterates, in English, his threats to call the police.

A second clip, shot from a distance, shows the donkey owner on the ground and pinning Mr Grace down.

Donkeys can be heard braying in the background as the two men tussle on the floor.

One bystander ducks under a barrier to try to confront the men as the driver's shirt is pulled off.

Pictures from the aftermath showed Mr Grace with a black eye and a scratch around his nose.

The 52-year-old also appeared to have a blood on his neck and bruising between his eyes.

'I'm an activist and I've stood up to abusers before, but I have never been assaulted like that,' Mr Grace told the Olive Press after the violent encounter on August 18.

'He couldn't abuse the animals so he turned on me instead.'

But a woman claiming to be the daughter of the driver has since hit back, defending her father.

'Andrea' claimed the 'abuse' continued until the donkey drivers were forced to pack up due to high temperatures at 7pm.

'I'd like to know how you would react if someone went to your business and told people not to come in all day,' she said.

'Without doubt, some of you would've had less patience and would have reacted in the same way.'

She continued that her father is 'no abuser' and that he 'takes very good care' of the donkeys, in spite of the persistent criticism they receive.

Andrea said that the 'abuse' of her father became 'bullying' last month when a video went viral of one of the donkeys collapsing in the heat.

She suggested the donkey simply fell over 'as any animal could'.

Soon enough a small crowd gathers as the two men continue wrestling on the ground

Mijas is home to many Andaluz donkeys, historically used to carry workers home, later tourists

Mr Grace shared pictures of himself with injuries after the encounter in the south of Spain

Mr Grace, who lived in Shrewsbury but spends a lot of time in Spain, maintains that the practice is a 'stain' on the country.

'I love Spain but this is abusive, I want to empower people to document the plight of the donkeys,' he said.

'What the post by the donkey owner's daughter doesn't say, is that four to six horse carriages and two donkey drawn carriages passed me at 06:30 pm in the sweltering heat when it was illegal for them to be out,' he told The Olive Press.

'I have not harassed anyone at all, this is damage limitation by a donkey owner's daughter who was not there, she is a handmaiden for her father spreading mistruths about me.'

The violent exchange has since prompted a demonstration urging tourists to boycott the controversial practice.

Free Mijas Donkeys and Horses, an animal rights activism group, organised the protest for August 22.

Some 100 people were expected to gather outside the tourism office from 1:00pm.

Anne Blitz, the leader of Free Mijas Donkeys, claims despite the town hall's attempts to make the practice more ethical, donkey owners 'do not respect the rules'.

There are restrictions in place to stop the use of donkey taxis when temperatures run high, and bans on operating in the hottest hours of the day even in cooler weather.

Yolanda Morales, spokesperson for the animal rights political party, PACMA, told The Olive Press that none of the restrictions carry any legal weight, however.

'They're just recommendations.'

Ms Blitz says despite government pledges to clamp down on the abuse of animals, it will 'take a long time' to effect marked change.

She suggested swapping the donkeys for tuktuks, or creating a new attraction like a sanctuary, could ease the transition without destroying livelihoods.

Mijas is home to a great deal of Andaluz donkeys, historically used by locals to get to and from work before the advent of cars.

The donkeys have been used as working animals for many years, and in Europe for some 3,000, according to a local travel guide.

According to local folk history, tourists became enchanted with the donkey taxis in the 1960s and persuaded locals to take them for a ride.

Offered generous tips, some residents soon saw the donkey rides as a means of making a living, paying well above local wages.

Ms Blitz suggested swapping the donkeys for tuktuks, or creating a new attraction like a sanctuary, could ease the transition without destroying livelihoods

But working in high temperatures can come at a cost to the animals, made to work long hours in Spain's arid southern province.

Laura Riera, equine lead for the Foundation for the Assessment and Action in Defence of Animals (FAADA), said the 'intelligent' creatures are not given even the 'minimum amount of care'.

'Most learn to accept their own powerlessness and become extremely depressed.'

According to the equine expert, the animals should not work in temperatures above 25C, restricting them to the winter months when fewer tourists visit Spain.

'The heat affects donkeys and horses much more than people,' Riera explained.

'Their body temperatures rise much faster than ours and it's dangerous. They can get dehydrated, have health problems, and cramps. It's brutal.'

Elisa Allen, Vice President of PETA, told MailOnline that donkeys, 'some of whom are lame, pregnant, or elderly' are being 'marched into the ground' in this line of work.

The group has shown how many suffer from painful abrasions and wounds due to ill-fitting tack, are beaten by handlers with sticks and denied 'the most basic essentials like rest and water, and most will end up at a slaughterhouse'.

'The practice of using donkeys as tourist taxis is cruel and should be obsolete in an age of buses, bicycles, cars, and e-scooters, not to mention that many of us can simply use human foot power,' she said.

Activists claim Mijas town hall is already considering a ban, as they are fed up with complaints from tourists and fear they are avoiding the town altogether.

Nine months ago, the new PP government established an animal welfare department with measures aimed at improving the donkeys' wellbeing, such as dedicated veterinary services.
Voice campaigner Thomas Mayo has shared text message proof that 'some Australians are horribly racist' in his new book, a type of manual for how Aussies of all backgrounds can confront racial injustice.

In Always Was Always Will Be, the controversial advocate for the 'Yes' vote at last year's failed referendum also gives frank responses to 'lies about Indigenous people' that he often confronts in society.

Last October every single Australian state voted No to the proposal to enshrine an Indigenous advisory committee in the constitution, despite the support of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

In the book, Mayo, a trade unionist, said he believed most No voters actually wanted Aboriginal children to have a better future. But he acknowledged that the No campaign's 'if you don't know, vote no' slogan was effective in swaying voters.

In response, Mayo said advocates needed to tackles myths about Indigenous people head-on.

In the book, the activist provides detailed rebuttals to such claims, including that Aboriginal people 'will take your backyard', 'they don't want to work' and that the inaccurate suggestion that taxpayers 'spend $30billion on Indigenous peoples' each year.

Controversial 'Yes' campaigner for The Voice referendum Thomas Mayo has revealed a message he says proves 'some Australians are really racist' in his new book, which also busts Aboriginal myths

The racist text claimed while the late actor David Gulpilil (above) was a 'real' Aboriginal, Mayo was merely a 'by-product' of Indigenous and white people

But one of the aspects of the book that stands out the most is an anonymous, abusive message the campaigner received after last year's vote, which, he said, removed 'any doubt about how horribly racist some Australians are'.

The disturbing text took aim at the colour of Mayo's skin - saying: 'I know what an Australian Aboriginal's appearance is, and it is not you. David Gulpilil yes, but not you.'

The late David Gulpilil was an Indigenous actor.

Mayo said he would not normally share a message such as that - which goes on in offensive terms about 'fullblood Aboriginals' and 'wannabes' - but said he had received worse and it was important to share as an example of racism.

Below are some of the myths presented by Mayo in his book, and some of his responses. Mayo said the list is 'not definitive' but 'might be a useful starting point'.

1. 'Would always have been invaded'

Mayo says it doesn't matter who colonised Australia, Europeans were not more intelligent for outgunning Aboriginals. Above, sketch depicting Captain Cook landing in Botany Bay, 1770

Mayo wrote that it does not really matter if the French, Dutch or any other colonial power might have invaded if the British Empire didn't.

He argued that the fact First Nations were less armed than the Europeans doesn't justify what followed.

Indeed, he notes that Aboriginal people already had a capacity to live side by side one another in a peaceful way - and waged conflicts that were less bloody than those seen elsewhere in the world.

2. 'They will take your backyard'

Warnings about Indigenous people taking white people's homes and possessions is 'scaremongering' and 'has never happend and never will'. Above, girls at Pukatja Roadhouse, 450km south of Alice Springs

Mayo wrote that whenever Indigenous people have been on the cusp of positive change, 'the same old set of warnings' come out.

Those are that Australians are at risk of losing 'their possessions and privileges, in particular, that Aboriginal people will take their homes and land'.

The book recounted that the same taunts have been heard in political battles involving Indigenous people for decades - including during land rights, equal wages and native title cases.

He said that the warnings about lost backyards and separate governments has 'never happened and never will'.

3. '$30billion is spent annually on half a million Indigenous people'

That $30 billion is spent annual on Indigenous programs Mayo is is 'a lie' and that it was repeated by Warren Mundine (above, right) and then Tony Abbott during The Voice 'No' vote campaign

Mayo said the real sum spent annually on Indigenous programs is about $6billion - but a false claim has spread that $30billion is spent annually on the 500,000 Indigenous Australians, including by former prime minister Tony Abbott.

Mayo said he regularly heard the number - which he called a damaging lie - touted by the Voice No campaign.

'In fact, while the Productivity Commission estimated around $30billion was spent on Indigenous services in 2012-13, that total included mainstream services that all Australians have access to, such as funding for defence, foreign aid, schools and healthcare.'

Only a small amount of that $6billion reaches communities, he argued.

4. Who is a 'real Aboriginal'

'It is not for non-Indigenous to determine who is or is not Indigenous,' Mayo wrote.

He noted there is a formal process of determining who is Indigenous in Australia, which involves three criteria.

Those are being of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent, identifying as that, and being accepted as such by the community you lived or live in.

5. 'Indigenous people don't want to work'

Mayo wrote that this is completely false and racist.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people work and pay tax like other Australians, while at the same time up against bias, and legacy health issues and poverty.

That there are greater numbers of Indigenous people who are unemployed and on welfare is a systemic problem, not a matter of race or culture.

Always Was Always Will Be, by Thomas Mayo is published by Hardie Grant
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Its the flashiest street in the Hamptons  the Rodeo Drive of the East End  where, if you have money to burn, you can light an inferno at Chanel, Gucci, Louis Vuitton or Prada.

And, at least until recently, Newtown Lane in East Hampton Village was also the place where you could buy couture cocaine from a Mercedes-driving drug pusher, who would pick you up at a high-end Italian restaurant and take you to a more secluded spot to make the deal.

And this was no street drug cut with fentanyl or bath salts. This was the real deal  a much purer, high-end product, one source familiar with the scheme told DailyMail.com.

But now the whole $1 million drug business has come crashing down following the arrests of the alleged kingpins who kept the Hamptons hooked.

Michael Khodorkovskiy 44, of Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, a private ride-share driver, and Russian-born Alexandr Dyatchin, 38, an Uber driver, who was renting a summer home in the millionaires playground, have been charged with more than 80 felony counts.

Newtown Lane is at the very center of life in East Hampton, when wealthy New Yorkers flock to the East End of Long Island to escape the summer heat in the city

Michael Khodorkovskiy is accused of catering to clients in East Hampton where he would meet them at an Itralian restaurant and take them to a more secluded spot to do the deal

Alexander Dyatchin moved from Florida to a summer rental in the Hamptons. When police raided that house, they reported finding $19,000 in cash, and over a half kilogram of cocaine, already packaged in hundreds of packets and ready to go.

The alleged drug dealers are said to have operated on the exclusive Newtown Lane in East Hampton

Police say the two men ran a cocaine delivery service that served high-end locations in the Hamptons from Newtown Lane out to the prestigious Montauk Yacht Club, and everywhere in between.

And what Khodorkovskiy and Dyatchin didnt know was that many of the deals they struck werent with high rollers wanting to get higher, but with undercover agents.

The arrests have sent shock waves through the summer haven  nowhere more than at Cittanuova, a classy Italian restaurant across the street from Chanel and next door to Zimmermann  a store recommended by Gwyneth Paltrows Goop, where a regular dress will set you back more than $2,000.

It was at Cittanuova that, unknown to the restaurants owners, Khodorkovskiy met his clients. He has no connection to the restaurant or its staff whatsoever, Cittanuova said in a statement.

Khodorkovskiy, a US citizen, was picked up around noon on August 2 near his home in Brooklyn. He had been previously convicted of choking someone in New York City, and is currently on probation.

Dyatchin was busted at about the same time when East Hampton Town Police, along with the East End Drug Task Force, raided his seasonal home in Springs, a somewhat less salubrious part of East Hampton.

The two are being held in lieu of $2 million bail each, or a $20 million bond to be secured with a 10 percent deposit.

However, according to prosecuting attorney Rob Archer, both men are facing even more charges, with the potential of either or both being remanded without the possibility of bail.

The two men have netted more than $1 million since spring 2003 from their drug business, prosecutors say.

The arrests have sent shock waves through the resorts  nowhere more than at Cittanuova, a classy Italian restaurant in the elite East Hamptons neighborhood, where unknown to its owners Khodorkovskiy met his clients

At Zimmermann, right next door to Cittanuova, a regular dress will often set you back more than $2,000

Police say several of the drug transactions took place at the exclusive Montauk Yacht Club

The yacht club sits on 16 acres on Star Island, near the very tip of Long Island and is the biggest marina in the Hamptons

Montauk Yacht Club is said to have been a key dealing ground for Dyatchin

According to Archer, an assistant district attorney in the narcotics division, the two men worked in concert, with Khodorkovskiy catering to clients on Newtown Lane, while Dyatchin serviced points east, including Amagansett and Montauk, with several sales occurring at the exclusive Montauk Yacht Club.

Among the places where Dyatchin sealed his deals are a Stop and Shop supermarket in East Hampton, Beach Bounce restaurant in Montauk and Rosies a hip eatery in Amagansett.

None of the businesses whose addresses are named in the criminal complaints have been implicated in any wrongdoing.

Both men pick up their clients, went for a short drive, and complete the drug sale, prosecutors say

According to Archer, when police executed a search warrant of Khodorkovskiys Brooklyn home they found over a kilogram of cocaine, and a hoard of gold coins valued at over $100,000.

Khodorkovskiy, Archer said, has a bank account with over $130,000 in it.

Khodorkovskiy appeared in court for arraignment in Riverhead, New York on August 15

Bounce Beach restaurant in Montauk is among the places where Dyatchin allegedly sealed his deals

Cops say Dyatchin met his clients in a number of different East End restaurants, including Rosie's a hip eatery in Amagansett

Khodorkovskiy is currently facing 47 felony charges, with the most serious being four charges of the sale of a narcotic in the first degree, an A-1 felony. The four sales were each over two ounces of pure cocaine, the charges state.

Archer indicated that Khodorkovskiy has not yet been charged with possession in the first degree, following the raid of his Brooklyn residence, which he said is in the offing. In addition, Archer indicated that more charges are coming, including the toughest drug laws in New York State, which would charge the defendants as drug kingpins.

When police raided Dyatchins residence, they reported finding $19,000 in cash, and over a half kilogram of cocaine, already packaged in hundreds of packets and ready to go.

He had recently moved back to The Hamptons from Florida. Police seized the Mercedes Benz they say he worked out of, as well as a motorcycle.

While Khodorkovskiy dealt exclusively with couture cocaine, Dyatchin also made several sales of MDMA, known on the street as Molly or Ecstasy in Montauk, to undercover agents.

Newtown Lane is home to many expensive designer shops including Prada and Louis Vuitton

Dyatchin rented this home in The Springs, a less salubrious area of East Hampton

Archer asked that bail be set for both at a minimum of $2 million, and that the source of any bail that was put up should first be examined to ensure that it is not illegally gained funds. He also pointed out the likelihood of even more serious charges being filed, to justify the high bail request.

Tony Mirvis, representing Khodorkovskiy, and Kenneth Russo, on behalf of Dyatchin, both argued against the high bail amount. Mirvis pointed out that his client has never missed a court date, and that such high bail was tantamount to a remand without bail. Russo said that his client has never been arrested before and had family in the courtroom.

Dyatchins sister, who lives in New Jersey, was seated in the audience.

Archer said that Dyatchins visa to stay in the US had expired, as had his passport. Born in Russia, Archer said Dyatchin is a citizen of Serbia.
The third anniversary of the death of 13 U.S. service members in the botched Afghanistan withdrawal is on Monday  and one congressman predicts that the current administration won't do nearly enough to honor their sacrifice.

Rep. Mike Waltz (R-Fla.) told DailyMail.com that he doesn't expect to 'hear a peep' from Vice President Kamala Harris and said it's likely that President Joe Biden might send out an official White House statement.

But that is not enough, noted the first Green Beret to serve in Congress.

Republicans are furious at Biden and Harris for the chaotic, deadly and failed withdrawal from Afghanistan after a 20-year war and fault them with the death of 13 U.S. troops.

'I don't think you're going to hear a peep all this week, and it is such a shame,' Waltz speculated when asked what he thinks Biden and Harris will do to mark the third anniversary.

President Joe Biden checked his watch as he and First Lady Jill Biden receive the caskets of 13 U.S. service members who lost their lives in the botched troops withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021

'It's just a real disservice,' the congressman continued. 'Maybe at best, you'll see a statement come out on Monday.'

'But he has yet to say all their names, he has yet to give the families the answers that they deserve.'

But Waltz makes it clear that Harris is also to blame.

The vice president and 2024 Democratic nominee has repeatedly said she and Biden are satisfied with their decision to take all U.S. forces out of Afghanistan and are pleased with how it was conducted.

She has also said in interviews that she was the last person in the room with Biden before they decided to pull the trigger on the withdrawal and took just as much ownership for the decision as the sitting president.

The withdrawal from Afghanistan resulted in a chaotic, deadly scene as people rushed to be evacuated at the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul. An explosion at Abbey Gate killed 13 U.S. troops on August 26, 2021

An explosion in the withdrawal chaos killed 13 U.S. service members (pictured above)

The 13 service members who died in the withdrawal are:

Lance Cpl. David L. Espinoza, 20, of Rio Bravo, Texas

Sgt. Nicole L. Gee, 23, of Sacramento, California

Staff Sgt. Darin T. Hoover, 31, of Salt Lake City, Utah

Staff Sgt. Ryan C. Knauss, 23, of Corryton, Tennessee

Cpl. Hunter Lopez, 22, of Indio, California

Lance Cpl. Dylan R. Merola, 20, of Rancho Cucamonga, California

Lance Cpl. Rylee J. McCollum, 20, of Jackson, Wyoming

Lance Cpl. Kareem M. Nikoui, 20, of Norco, California

Cpl. Daegan W. Page, 23, of Omaha, Nebraska

Sgt. Johanny Rosario Pichardo, 25, of Lawrence, Massachusetts

Cpl. Humberto A. Sanchez, 22, of Logansport, Indiana

Lance Cpl. Jared M. Schmitz, 20, of St. Charles, Missouri

Navy Corpsman Maxton W. Soviak, 22, of Berlin Heights, Ohio

All were serving in the Marine Corps besides Soviak, who served in the Navy, and Knauss, who was in the Army.

Waltz says the least they can do for the families of the fallen is to allow them in a room with the decision-makers that day to have every single question about that day answered.

Rep. Mike Waltz, the first Green Beret to serve in Congress, told DailyMail.com that he doesn't expect to 'hear a peep' from the Biden-Harris administration honoring the fallen service members

'I mean, if it were me, you know, lock the generals and the diplomats and everybody involved in the room with these families until they run out of questions  they're owed that,' he said of what he would like to see from Biden and Harris.

'What is so damning and what's so insulting to them is to hear [Biden] describe it as a success and to see zero accountability,' Waltz lamented in his interview with DailyMail.com in Chicago, Illinois on Wednesday on the sidelines of the Democratic Convention.

'In fact, the woman in charge of coordinating the evacuation is getting promoted. She's been nominated to be the ambassador of Iraq,' he scoffed.

'So not only is there no accountability, they're getting elevated and promoted the people responsible. It's just infuriating.'
Even though he had one of the most challenging jobs in the world as the man in charge of the night-shift at the Chernobyl nuclear power station, nothing fazed Valentyn Heiko. Three-and-a-half decades after the disastrous meltdown in 1986, round-the-clock monitoring of the site in Ukraine continued for deadly radioactive fallout from its defunct reactors and facilities.

On March 1, 2022, Heiko wished staff via loudspeaker peace of the spirit. It was a brave and apt message in the circumstances  and a defiant one. Because the corridors around the control rooms of the closed  but still lethally contaminated  nuclear compound were being patrolled by machine-gun toting, trigger-happy Russian soldiers.

Following Vladimir Putins invasion of Ukraine six days previously, they had burst their way in and taken over the plant.

Back in 1986, a massive explosion in one of Chernobyls reactors had blasted about 300 tons of radioactive graphite into the air, sparking a worldwide emergency.

With the collapse of the Soviet Union five years later, the area became part of an independent Ukraine, whose nuclear specialists have since been undertaking the monumental task of containing all possible contamination.

The danger was far from over. Indeed, just a year before, engineers had detected worrying signs that fission had restarted in one of the supposedly defunct reactors, threatening another accident.

In 1986, a massive explosion in one of Chernobyl s reactors blasted about 300 tons of radioactive graphite into the air, sparking a worldwide emergency

After Putins decision to invade, the quickest route to the capital, Kyiv, was to go through the wasteland of the Chernobyl exclusion zone. One of the Russian leaders excuses for invading was his claim that Ukraine was secretly building a nuclear bomb there and enriching irradiated materials to turn into weapons of mass destruction.

On February 24, 2022  the first day of the invasion  a column of armoured vehicles broke through the security perimeter and hauled down the Ukrainian flag.

Inside the administrative building, soldiers of the Ukrainian National Guard unit took up positions, ready to fight. Two Russian officers, general Sergei Burakov and colonel Andrei Frolenkov, announced that they were assuming control of the plant.

Hopelessly outnumbered, the 170 Ukrainian guards put down their weapons and became prisoners of war, while the plants 50 engineers and operators and 80 firefighters found themselves under occupation.

Suddenly, they were facing a life-or-death decision  stay or go. The Russians had told them they could leave  but what would happen if there was no one to monitor the radiation and ensure its safety?

They knew they had to stay. So, for weeks, they worked at gunpoint with no change of clothing, medication or hygienic supplies.

In effect, these men and women were hostages, stuck on an endless shift, uncertain if they would ever see their loved ones or their homes again. But the choices they made saved the world from another Chernobyl disaster.

A Ukrainian soldier holds the flag of his home country outside Chernobyl a month after the outbreak of the war with Russia

Their foreman, Heiko, had to cooperate with the Russians but was determined to do so on his own terms. He came up with a daring plan  he would use his technical know-how to frighten them.

Calmly, he introduced himself to his captors: I am the shift supervisor and represent the state of Ukraine. After Heiko had confirmed the identity of his Russian guests, Burakov and Frolenkov declared that the Chernobyl plant was now behind Russian lines.

Though a captive, Heiko laid down his ground rules. He told them that no matter how powerful the Russian military, at the nuclear plant they were not in charge.

They didnt understand how the plant worked and, as such, any interference would risk nuclear disaster  and all their lives.

As one observer noted: He made it clear to the occupiers that either they would behave decently or be up s**t creek. That is why they did not touch any workers.

They agreed his terms. Operational control would remain in the hands of the staff, who would be free to move around as necessary and without interference.

The Russian soldiers were allowed in the administration building but would stay away from the obsolete reactor and spent nuclear fuel facilities, and arms would be prohibited in operational areas.

The Russians accepted that they had captured a dangerous site and, to survive, they would have to follow Heikos recommendations.

He even bamboozled them into believing that three reactors were still operational when, in fact, the last one had shut in 2000.

As the days of occupation continued, Heiko turned the screws even more, particularly after Putin hinted at the use of nuclear weapons. He told his captors that if the Kremlin used nuclear weapons against Ukraine, he would sabotage the plant and unleash Chernobyl radiation to kill the Russians.

I promise you, he spelt out, that you will slowly and certainly die here, together with me. I have enough knowledge and skill to ensure that you will remain here with us forever.

Despite Heikos master manipulation, his fellow Ukrainian staff were totally unprepared for the situation they found themselves in. They lived and worked in appalling conditions, jammed into tiny spaces, four to a room.

The work was unrelenting. Under normal circumstances, they were to take a 24-hour rest after a 12-hour shift, but now a new shift began immediately after the previous one. We worked almost round the clock, resting for just a few hours, remembered engineer Liudmyla Kozak. We were walking around like ghosts.

Exhausted and homesick, they felt hunted as they were continuously under surveillance. Some succumbed to depression or panic, feeling trapped, stressed and desperate for relief in the words of an article in the Wall Street Journal.

Servicemen from Ukraine in the Exclusion Zone carry out tactical drills

Keeping up morale was no easy task, but small acts of defiance helped keep them going. For example, Kozak was instructed to always wear something white to identify herself and avoid being shot in the dark by mistake. She put on a white medical cap which she embroidered with the Ukrainian coat of arms and national flag.

There was one solace throughout. At 9am each morning, the Ukrainian national anthem blared through the loudspeaker  a concession that Heiko had remarkably wrung from the Russians. The workers stood, palms pressed to their chests, before returning to work. Across the world, fears were widespread that Russia had turned the site of the worlds worst nuclear disaster into an instrument of war. In Chernobyl, events were moving on alarmingly.

Troops started searching for those nuclear bomb laboratories imagined by Putin. All the plants buildings were checked, with no result. Then, Russian officers considered opening up the mounds of earth erected over the sites where radioactive debris had been buried after the meltdown in 1986.

Valerii Semenov, a senior engineer, told them they were mad as exposing radioactive debris would put everyone in danger of contamination. Faced with the prospect of digging their own radioactive graves, the Russians desisted. Instead, they fortified their military position by digging trenches.

When Semenov discovered sandbags used to protect firing positions had been sourced from contaminated earth, he exploded: Youre bringing in radioactive dirt from outside. Are you out of your mind? He also found trenches dug in some of the most contaminated areas  including one where, in 1986, radiation had discoloured the pine trees ginger brown.

The fact was that morale among the 1,000 Russian troops occupying the plant was very low. They drank heavily, with up to half of their rubbish consisting of empty bottles. Fights were frequent. So was looting as they combed the offices for alcohol.

Semenov recalled that many of the Russians were not prepared for a long war. They had expected it to be over within days.

What happened next was arguably the most heroic episode of the whole Chernobyl saga. It was increasingly obvious that staff at the plant had had enough. Even the Russian commanders agreed, realising the exhaustion and resentment of the Ukrainian personnel might lead to an accident that would jeopardise the lives of the occupiers.

They proposed a change of shift, allowing those on duty ever since the occupation to go home, to be replaced by a crew from the nearby town of Slavutych. But this depended on finding experienced staff prepared to risk their freedom  and perhaps their lives  by going into Russian captivity.

Amazingly, there was no lack of volunteers. Forty-six men and women came forward, with two senior men, Volodymyr Falshovnyk and Serhii Makliuk, offering to lead the new shift. Makliuk recalled: We were worried because we were going into the unknown. But our anxiety was less about how we would work at the plant and more what would happen to the families we were leaving behind.

It was a complicated process getting the original shift out and the new one in, not least because it had to be done in stages so there would always be some staff left to monitor the place. On the 26th day of what had begun as a 12-hour shift, 50 workers were on their way home  16 engineers and mechanics stayed, including Semenov.

The two shifts met on the side of a river and the exchange took place. We had just seconds to embrace and shed tears, recalled a woman from Heikos shift.

Heiko considered the volunteers true heroes. They were going into the unknown, he said later. No one knew how it would end or how long they would be there.

Heiko and his crew had spent 600 hours on duty at the occupied nuclear power plant. It was anyones guess how long the replacement shift would be there.

When they arrived, the Russians told the new plant leaders Falshovnyk and Makliuk: Nothing here is your Ukrainian property. Well take what we need.

And they were true to their word as Russian troops looted anything and everything they could get their hands on. Half the administration building was smashed up, a laboratory was ransacked, computers destroyed, hard drives ripped off, equipment stolen.

One reason the looting worsened was that the Russian army was on the retreat from Kyiv. On March 30, the Russians took down a 35-metre high communications antenna they had installed near the administration building.

Patrols are deployed as the Ukrainian military defend Chernobyl from Russia in April 2022

Perhaps theyre leaving us, Falshovnyk mused. His words turned out to be prophetic.

The next day, the Russians locked Falshovnyk in his office and presented him with a document.

It was titled Act of Acceptance and Transfer of Protection of the Chernobyl Atomic Station and stated the troops of the Russian Guard had provided reliable protection and defence of the Chernobyl nuclear station, which they were now transferring back to the Ukrainians. Men carrying automatic rifles demanded that he and Makliuk sign the document or they would be arrested.

They were being asked to confirm that the Russians had behaved well but, faced with the threat of arrest, they signed.

And then, the Russians were gone. A security camera captured an image of one soldier leaving with a Russian flag trailing behind him like the low-hanging tail of a defeated dog.

The next day, April 3, those inside the plant were astonished to hear a voice on a loudspeaker coming from beyond the perimeter. Good morning, it said. We are the armed forces of Ukraine. Please let us in.

And then a Ukrainian armoured personnel carrier and two trucks rolled into Chernobyl.

It really was over.

The Chernobyl staff got to work cleaning up. The extent of the Russian troops damage and looting was astounding.

Missing were some 1,500 meters for checking radiation levels, 698 computers and 344 vehicles, amounting to a total value of $135million (102million).

The only thing the retreating Russian soldiers left behind was an increased level of radiation  up more than 40 times, almost certainly the result of digging trenches in the highly contaminated Red Forest.

There were unverified reports from inside Russia that one soldier had died, 26 had been admitted to hospital and 73 sent for treatment after exposure to radiation in the Chernobyl zone.

The Ukrainians believed that one reason they departed in such a hurry was in panic that so many of them were falling sick.

Serhii Plokhy, author of Chernobyl Roulette, which is out on September 3

The Russian troops may have left Chernobyl, but there was every chance that Chernobyl would never leave them. And the threat of nuclear disaster remains very real elsewhere in Ukraine.

Zaporizhia, a nuclear plant in southern Ukraine and the largest power facility in Europe, remains under Russian control.

And last Saturday, following a drone strike nearby, the UNs nuclear watchdog warned that the safety situation at the plant was deteriorating.

At Chernobyl, the brave actions of the plant workers prevented nuclear disaster, but we cannot always count on individual heroism to produce such endings in the future.

Unless the world acts to protect nuclear reactors from attack during wartime, instead of being a solution to the problem of climate change, nuclear power will solidify its reputation as the destroyer of worlds.

Adapted from Chernobyl Roulette by Serhii Plokhy (Allen Lane, 25), out on September 3.  Serhii Plokhy 2024. To order a copy for 22.50 (offer valid to 06/09/24; UK P&P free on orders over 25) see tomailshop.co.uk/books or call 020 3176 2937
A leading Democratic strategist has warned his party that Donald Trump's polling numbers could be misleading and they should not take them for granted.

James Carville, who rose to prominence for helping Bill Clinton to the White House in 1992, said that Trump traditionally under polls, which should worry his party.

Speaking on Bill Maher's Real Time, Carville said: 'I tell Democrats, some caution here. First of all most quants [quantitative analysts] say we have to win by three in the popular vote.

'So when you see a poll that says we are two up, well actually you are one down if the poll is correct.

'Trump traditionally, when he is on a ballot, chronically under polls. They came back late in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania in 2020 and it showed Biden winning these states by seven or eight points.'

James Carville, who rose to prominence for helping Bill Clinton to the White House in 1992, said that Trump traditionally under polls, which should worry his party

Tump departs the stage after speaking during a campaign rally at Desert Diamond Arena on August 23, 2024 in Glendale, Arizona

When questioned by Maher if he believes Trump will do better than what the polls show, he added: 'I'm saying traditionally he under-polls. I'm just telling you got to win by three and I think we can get that.

'I think the debate on September 10 is going to be so consequential. It's going to have an audience that we can't believe, because what does America love, a train wreck.'

According to a recent CNN poll, Harris is now leading the race with 50 percent while Trump trails her by 2 percent at 48.

Findings by The New York Times published last week suggest the two presidential hopefuls are now in tight races across Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and North Carolina.

Trump had seemed set to run away with these states just a few weeks ago, but new polling shows Harris is gradually erasing his lead.

He remains ahead in Georgia 50 percent to her 46, and in Nevada it is 48 percent for him while 47 for Harris.

Harris has claimed 49 percent of voters to Trump's 47 in North Carolina, one of the core battleground states he carried in 2020.

The polls do continue to show some risk for Harris - including that 49 percent of voters see her as too liberal, while 33 percent of voters see Trump as too conservative.

New findings by The New York Times suggest that the two presidential hopefuls are now in tight races across Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and North Carolina

Carville made headlines earlier this year while President Biden was still in the running after proclaiming his polls were the equivalent to 'walking in on your grandma naked.'

He told the New York Times: 'Its like walking in on your grandma naked. You cant get the image out of your mind.'

Despite his scathing take, Carville did add, 'I actually like Biden. He's a tenacious guy that's had a real life.

'Hes a state school guy. He doesnt have an iota of elitism. He doesnt even know what "woke" is.

'Hes been demonstrably the best president that Black Americas ever had, Clinton and Obama included.

'You look at incomes, employment, poverty rates, access to health care. Its not where whites are, but its closer than its ever been.'

Carville made headlines earlier this year while President Biden was still in the running after proclaiming his polls were the equivalent to 'walking in on your grandma naked'

Despite his overall approval of the incumbent president, Carville said that he suspected there to be too many 'preachy females' in the party.

Prior to that Carville also made headlines after referring to Marjorie Taylor Greene and other Republicans who heckled Biden's State of the Union speech as 'white trash'.

'I tell people I have the equivalent of a Ph.D. in white trashology, and you saw real white trash on display,' Carville told MSNBC.

'And let me say something about ... Marjorie Taylor Greene. She dresses like white trash. She really needs a fashion consultant. Can I recommend George Santos?'
There's a whiff of the Bond villain about former Prime Minister Tony Blair as his quest for apparent world domination continues. He cuts quite the figure as he waits to board the superyacht of tech billionaire Larry Ellison at Puerto Cervo in Sardinia.

The tailored suit, the fancy sunglasses, the Apple smart watch and the 550 fitness ring all smack of a 71-year-old perhaps trying too hard.

And then there are the shoes: Church's shoes, a brand favoured by two 007 actors, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig.

In his days at No 10, when he was mere PM before becoming a global troubleshooter and friend to the filthy rich and famous, Sir Tony swore by his Church's Chetwynd brogues.

He put his success at PMQ's down to his expensively-shod feet giving him confidence.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair seen out in the Italian sunshine with the family out in Portocervo

Tony looked smart and casual as he donned his beige suit with his rather cool sunglasses

Musashi Yacht owned by Oracle's Larry Ellison docked in San Francisco Bay

As he arrived with his family to board Ellison's yacht Musashi last week, he was wearing a pair of Church's 820 Heswall suede loafers. And  horror of horrors  he did so sockless.

While a typical English gent would never dream of foregoing socks with brown suede loafers, the 'visible mankles' look is popular with trendy 'tech bros' and showbiz celebrities.

Royal fashion stylist Bernard Connolly told The Mail on Sunday: 'Socks show breeding and they show hygiene more than anything else.

'There's no excuse for Tony, because you can get some really great very fine silk socks now and you wouldn't know you've got them on.

'It looks tacky, especially as he is not tanned. Heavy shoes without socks looks stupid. He's an ex Prime Minister and he should know better.'

Cultural consultant Peter York said: 'It's early 'euro trash'. I quite like Tony Blair. But it's nutty. I can't take it on board.

'It's not ideal but it's not so terrible to threaten Britain's reputation abroad.'

Sir Tony was accompanied by his wife Cherie to holiday with Mr Ellison, the fifth wealthiest man in the world and founder of software company Oracle.

Tony Blair seen on a boat with Larry Ellison in Sardinia, Italy

Accompanied with his wife Cherie, children Kathryn and Euan with his wife Suzanne Ashman the Blair's seem to be on their summer break as they take a boat to see the sights in the Sardinian sunshine

They were joined by their daughter Kathryn and their son Euan, as well as his wife Suzanne and their two young sons.

The decades-long 'bromance' between Sir Tony and Mr Ellison has proved extremely lucrative for the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change (TBI). The former PM's think tank has previously received 76 million from him. This year, Mr Ellison pledged to donate a further 295 million.

Small change, perhaps, for Mr Ellison. Forbes estimates his fortune at 103 billion, dwarfing Sir Tony's 45 million, and far outstripping Euan Blair's substantial 327 million net worth built up through his apprenticeships company Multiverse.

Sir Tony is said to have encouraged Mr Ellison in his bid to create tens of thousands of UK jobs as part of his so-called 'billion-dollar bet on Britain'. It will see cash poured into building a research institute to 'help solve the world's great problems' from the UK.

Based in Oxford, The Ellison Institute of Technology (EIT) is being masterminded by Oxford's Regius Professor of Medicine, Sir John Bell. He will work with Sir Tony to create homegrown companies worth billions.

Sir John, a 71-year-old Canadian immunologist, said the institute's priorities included trying to create a super-fuel that replicates the energy that powers the sun. The EIT will also invest in battery technology to power drones and other large vehicles.

Mr Ellison's spectacular 288ft superyacht is the 79th largest yacht in the world, and is worth 122 million. The Japanese-influenced vessel is named after samurai Miyamoto Musahsi, and can accommodate 18 guests and 23 support staff 'quite comfortably', according to one review.

It is tastefully decorated in a style described as 'subtle' and 'minimalist'. Unlike  the critics may say  Sir Tony's outfit as he waited to begin his holiday.
A gyrocopter was seen flying low over a beach in Italy before crashing into the sea in front of horrified sunbathers.

The two seater aircraft was spotted soaring dangerously close to the ground above the shoreline of Marina di Minturno in the Italian province of Latina on Thursday.

A video of the terrifying ordeal showed the gyrocopter veering closer to the water close to a beach full on people.

Seconds later it was seen crashing into the ocean and toppling to the ground amid a ferocious splash.

The pilot was miraculously unharmed following the crash, although Italian politician Francesco Emilio Borrelli warned it was 'only by chance it did not turn into a tragedy'.

A video of the terrifying ordeal showed the gyrocopter veering closer to the water close to a beach full on people

Seconds later it was seen crashing into the ocean and toppling to the ground amid a ferocious splash

The deputy of Alleanza Verdi Sinistra said: 'We need to the incident that occurred at Marina di Minturno because it was only by chance that it did not turn into a tragedy.

'I have asked that the reasons for the sudden ditching of the aircraft be clarified, whether they were due to mechanical failure or pilot error, and whether it is normal for such low-altitude flights so close to heavily crowded places like beach resorts.'

He added that gyrocopters and paragliders have become a 'constant' sight in Minturno 'especially at low altitude and over the heads of bathers'.

The politician also called for 'tight controls... on the safety of those who operate them and the people hosted on board, with precise checks on provided by the flight codes and the possession of the necessary by the pilots.'
Potential jurors in Bryan Kohberger's quadruple homicide trial have issued a terrifying warning ahead of next year's bombshell court case over the murder of four University of Idaho students.

The urgent warning came in a filing by attorneys representing the 29-year-old criminology student that quoted residents of Latah County, Idaho who predicted there would be rioting in the streets if Kohberger is acquitted.

'They'd burn the courthouse down. Outrage would be a mild description,' one resident reportedly told a defense expert in a phone survey of hundreds of potential jurors, according to documents obtained by Court TV.

'There would likely be a riot and he wouldn't last long outside because someone else would do the good ole' boy justice,' another said.

Kohberger is set to face trial for the murders of college students Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin, in their off-campus home.

Defense attorneys representing Bryan Kohberger have claimed that a 'mob mentality' against him is sufficient justification to move his trial out of Latah County

Defense attorneys now argue that those responses prove that the trial should be moved out of the city of Moscow and into the capital city of Boise.

His attorneys claim that prospective jurors in Ada County, home to Boise, offered much more measured responses to the question of what would happen if Kohberger was not convicted - including 'they would go on with life as always,' and 'I don't know if there would be super strong feelings.'

Defense attorneys say the difference in the responses of residents in the two counties indicate that those who were more exposed to media coverage of the quadruple murders are more likely to prejudge Kohberger as being guilty.

'The traumatized town of Moscow is understandably filled with deeply held prejudgment opinions of guilt,' the attorneys wrote in the filing, according to the Idaho Statesman.

'Latah County mob mentality will never produce a [jury pool] that results in a cross section of the community.'

Kohberger is accused of murdering University of Idaho students (L-R) Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle on November 13, 2022

They noted that the county saw the most media coverage of the case in the state, and argued that much of that coverage is 'inaccurate and inflammatory.

'The media coverage inundating Latah County does not tell citizens that no evidence has been presented at this time; that there are no facts on the record at this time; that Bryan Kohberger is innocent,' the filing says.

'Publicity regarding Mr. Kohberger has been ongoing since December 30, 2022. It rises and falls, but does not wane.'

The defense also rejected other solutions to ensure an impartial jury in the trial.

They claimed that the state's proposal to move the jury pool to neighboring Nez Pearce County would not help - arguing that the entire North Idaho region has been tainted by the media coverage of the case.

Additionally, they rejected a proposed solution of vetting any jurors - citing precedent that shows vetting alone is insufficient to ensure impartiality, and said sequestering a jury would be 'unnecessary and untenable,' according to NBC News.

The students were found dead that day inside their off-campus home, which has since been demolished

The scenes inside the home were so gruesome that blood dripped down the outside of the wall of the property, which investigators described as the worst crime scene they have ever seen

But Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson has argued that the defense failed to meet the burden of proof under Idaho law that a venue change is 'necessary and convenient.'

He says that the murders were so high-profile and the media coverage was so 'pervasive and wide ranging' that moving the trial would likely not yield jurors who are unfamiliar with the case.

Prosecutors also argued last week that a judge consider the 'interest of justice' for the families of the four students, who live nearby.

Through their attorney, the family of victim Kaylee Goncalves has said they want the trial to remain in Moscow - where Kohberger has been detained since January 2023.

'We are hopeful the trial stays in Latah County so as not to disrupt the scheduling order, and we are praying for no delay,' the statement said.

Kohberger has maintained his innocence since his arrest in December 2022

From cellphone data produced by prosecutors, the route allegedly driven by Bryan Kohberger on the night of the brutal Idaho murders may be a crucial piece of evidence in the state's case against the 28-year-old. In his alibi filing, his lawyers say they plan to dispute this data

Kohberger has maintained his innocence since his arrest in December 2022 - more than a month after the bloody murders that shocked the nation.

Prosecutors have claimed his DNA was found on a Ka-Bar knife sheath found at the victim's off-campus home, though no murder weapon has ever been found.

They have also said that cell phone data and surveillance put Kohberger's car at the crime scene - though the defense has disputed those claims.

The defense has instead said that Kohberger was miles away from the off-campus house where the students were murdered, and in an official official alibi in May 2024, they claiming that Kohberger was 'driving alone' on the night of the murders 'to look at the moon and stars.'

A trial is now scheduled for June 2025, and a hearing on whether to move the trial is scheduled for Thursday.
Anthony Albanese could wed his partner Jodie Haydon sooner than anticipated so his fiancee's grandmother doesn't miss the ceremony.

Mr Albanese, 61, is set to tie the knot to Ms Haydon, 45, sometime next year with the couple remaining tight-lipped on a specific date.

It has since emerged the couple have been facing pressure from Ms Haydon's 94-year-old grandmother to bring forward the wedding.

She has raised concerns she may not live to see the ceremony if it is held too late, the Daily Telegraph reported.

While Mr Albanese won't reveal if he will move the date of the ceremony, he did admit to not knowing what he will wear - and sees the fact that he gets along with his in-laws more important than a wedding.

Ms Haydon's side of the family live around the Central Coast in NSW and the nuptials may end up being private - as well as being held after the election.

An election date has yet to be announced - however it is understood it will happen by May.

The pair announced their engagement with a loved-up selfie on social media on February 15 - a day after Mr Albanese had proposed on Valentine's Day.

Anthony Albanese could wed his partner Jodie Haydon sooner than anticipated so his fiancee's grandmother doesn't miss the ceremony

'She said yes,' he wrote.

It is the first time an Australian Prime Minister has become engaged while in office.

In a joint statement, the couple said: 'We are thrilled and excited to share this news and look forward to spending the rest of our lives together.'

'We are so lucky to have found each other.'

The pair met in 2020 at a business dinner in Melbourne, when Mr Albanese asked the crowd if there were any fellow South Sydney fans present and finance worker Ms Haydon, who lives in his Grayndler electorate, shouted: 'Up the Rabbitohs'.

He later introduced himself and they decided to go for a drink when they were back in Sydney.

He wooed his new girlfriend with a night out at the Young Henrys brewery in Newtown.

'We had what I thought would just be a drink at Young Henrys in Newtown, and we got on really well. That's how it started,' he told Women's Weekly.

Meeting Ms Haydon and finding love again is a far cry from New Years Day in 2019, when Mr Albanese's wife Carmel Tebbutt, who he had been with him for 30 years and married to him for 19, told him she was leaving him.

'It was a shock to me. We had had a lovely night together the night before  New Years Eve  so there was no warning at all,' Mr Albanese said.

An election date has yet to be announced - however it is understood it will happen by May

Anthony Albanese with his ex-wife Carmel Tubbutt (pictured) seen less than three months before their marriage breakdown

After going to Europe alone to catch up with friends, do some sightseeing and think about his marriage breakdown, he decided to come to terms with his ex-wife's decision.

'I was trying to understand what had happened with my relationship and it made me recognise that what I needed to do was not try to understand it but accept it,' he said.

'It happened, it was her decision, there was nothing I could do about it.'

Mr Albanese returned to Australia feeling renewed and worked hard on the 2019 election - which Labor's Bill Shorten lost.

The Prime Minister decided 'straight away' that he would run for the nation's top job.

Mr Albanese said he also knew he was certain about something else: that he wouldn't find another woman because at that time Carmel was still very much 'the love of my life'.
A young woman has revealed how she managed to track down her stolen AirPods and confront the thief by using an app.

Alexandra Parmenter, 30, noticed the costly earbuds were missing from her bag while shopping at a charity store in Hawthorn, in Melbourne's east, earlier this year.

Ms Parmenter used the Find My app, a tracking software that is used to locate lost Apple items, to trace the AirPods.

She told Daily Mail Australia she has ever experienced criminal theft before while she's been out shopping.

'This year its happened to me twice in the space of two months,' Ms Parmenter said.

She said she noticed the item was moving on the app for around 20 minutes and narrowed the location down to several townhouses in the area.

'I could tell that the AirPods were there so I rang all of the doorbells for probably five to 10 minutes straight,' Ms Parmenter told Yahoo.

The act prompted concern from dozens of neighbours as a determined Ms Parmenter desperately tried to find her AirPods.

Ms Parmenter (pictured) realised her AirPods were missing when she noticed the costly earbuds were no longer in her wallet

A man then came out of one of the apartments and said he had the earpieces before he handed them over.

The AirPods were badly damaged and the man said he found them like that.

'Even though they have bite marks, they still work, still charge (although the case doesn't close properly) and I use them every day,' Ms Parmenter said.

Ms Parmenter said she took matters into her own hands and said police were not very helpful after her Prada wallet was stolen in a separate incident.

ReadyTechGo co-founder and tech expert Lisa Hu urged people to not to risk their safety by using the Find My app.

Ms Hu said using the tracking information from the app is not always a good idea as it could lead to potentially dangerous confrontations with strangers.

'If it were me I would not be going to someone's home, or I would at least bring a friend with me,' Ms Hu said.

A spokeswoman from Victoria Police told Daily Mail Australia people are urged to contact Triple Zero to avoid the situation escalating.

'Our message is clear  your safety and the safety of your family is our number one priority,' the spokeswoman said .

'Police have extensive training which equips them with the skills and resources needed to respond to safety issues'.

Ms Parmenter came face-to-face with the alleged thief after she used the Find My app, a tracking software that is used to locate lost Apple items, to trace the AirPods (stock image)

Ms Parmenter admitted her actions were reckless and advised others not to do the same thing.

She said she didn't consider the potential harm as she thought she would just go up to the person and ask for her Airpods back.
A suspected terrorist accused of attacking a synagogue in France was tonight arrested following a gunfight with police.

The 33-year-old, who has not been named, was 'severely wounded' before being taken into custody at the top of a council estate tower block in the city of Nimes on Saturday evening.

About 200 police officers had been hunting for the suspect, Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said earlier, adding that the attacker had set fire to several entry doors to the synagogue and several nearby cars.

It was 30 miles away, in the southern seaside resort of La Grande-Motte, that the Algerian national is said to have caused an explosion in a parked car, and set fire to the doors of the Beth Yaacov synagogue.

CCTV images are said to show him at around 8.30am on Saturday with a Palestinian flag around his waist, while engaged in what President Emmanuel Macron called an 'act of terrorism'.

A policeman was wounded in a blast caused by the man, while those inside the synagogue remained unhurt.

'This is an antisemitic attack. Once more, our Jewish compatriots are targeted,' Attal said on X. 'In the face of antisemitism, in the face of violence, we will never allow ourselves to be intimidated.'

After visiting the synagogue, Attal said an 'absolute tragedy' had been narrowly averted after firefighters and police arrived quickly at the scene.

CCTV images are said to show the man at around 8.30am on Saturday with a Palestinian flag around his waist

French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin stands outside the city's synagogue

Two cars were set alight near a synagogue in France on Saturday is being treated as terrorism (Pictured: The blaze near the synagogue)

Firefighters, police, and the Gendermerie arrived at the scene near Beth Yaacov synagogue in La Grande-Motteat around 8.40am local time (Pictured: Smoke rising into the air)

Specialist anti-terrorism magistrates linked the attack to the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, in which thousands have been killed.

Some 200 police officers were involved in a manhunt, and at around 11.30pm on Saturday, special forces from the RAID (Research, Assistance, Intervention, Deterrence) special forces moved in to the Nimes tower block.

French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin announced on X: 'The alleged perpetrator of the arson attack on the synagogue has been arrested.

'Thanks to the police force, and mainly the RAID, who intervened with great professionalism despite the gunfire.'

A source involved in the operation confirmed that the suspect was 'severely wounded' before being taken to a secure hospital. There were no reports of any injuries among anyone else.

Stephan Rossignol, the Mayor of La Grande Motte, said CCTV had picked up images of an unidentified man setting fire to the cars outside the synagogue in La Grande Motte.

The potential suspect seen in the footage was said to be 'brandishing a Palestinian flag'.

There were also claims from police sources that the man was armed with a pistol.

France's Minister of Interior, Gerald Darmanin (Pictured) described the incident as a 'clear criminal attack'

Yonathan Arfi, the president of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France (CRIF) meanwhile described the attack as 'an attempt to kill Jews'.

He said a gas cylinder was detonated 'in front of the synagogue of La Grande-Motte at the expected time of arrival of worshippers'.

The French government has regularly denounced an increase in anti-Semitic acts while Israel prosecutes its attacks on Gaza and the West Bank, in occupied Palestine.

More than 40,000 Palestinians, including thousands of women and children, have been killed, and many more wounded, since the October 7th Hamas assault on Israel, when some 1200 Israelis died.

Anti-Semitic acts in France have almost tripled since the beginning of the conflict, with '887 incidents' recorded during the first half of this year, according to an Interior Ministry spokesman in Paris.

Hussein Bourgi, a Socialist Senator in the Herault department, where La Grande-Motte is situated, said: 'I would like to express my full solidarity with the Jewish community of La Grande Motte.'

In May, an Algerian immigrant who was in France illegally was shot dead by police after throwing a Molotov Cocktail through a synagogue window.

Yonathan Arfi, the president of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France (CRIF) described it 'an attempt to kill Jews'

A Gendarmerie officer stands guard after cars were set on fire in front of the city's synagogue,

The 29-year-old was hit four times by an officer who discharged his service revolver five times outside the building in Rouen, the capital of Normandy.

A judicial enquiry was opened into 'arson with an anti-religious motivation' and 'intentional violence against persons holding public office,' and is ongoing.

A Holocaust memorial in Paris was defaced with red hands in an apparent reference to the rising civilian death toll in Gaza and the West Bank in May, and this was described as 'outrageous' by Paris Mayor Ann Hidalgo.
Thousands of wildly enthusiastic Democrats cheered their political idols Barack and Michelle Obama and Bill and Hillary Clinton in what one teary-eyed delegate called 'the ultimate political love-fest'.

This pre-election orgy  otherwise known as the Democratic National Convention  culminated with the official crowning of Kamala Harris as candidate to take on Donald Trump in November's US presidential election.

Yet on the streets of Chicago, America's third largest city, the mood was very different.

Uber driver Angela picked me up as the wild cheers for Barack Obama's keynote speech were still ringing in my ears: 'I know Kamala is riding a wave at the moment but I'm still voting for Trump,' she said.

'For me, it comes down to: Am I better off now than I was four years ago? The answer is: no.

The Democratic National Convention in Chicago culminated with the official crowning of Kamala Harris as candidate for the party

Thousands of wildly enthusiastic Democrats cheered their political idols Barack and Michelle Obama in what one teary-eyed delegate called 'the ultimate political love-fest'

Jubilant crowds hailed the current Vice President as she took to the stage

'They can talk all they want about Kamala being a force for change and our hope for the future. Yet she's been in power with Joe Biden for four years and hasn't made any difference.

'As a black woman, I know I should vote for the first woman of colour running for president.

'But it comes down to who is better for me, for my family's future and for the country. Trump is an alpha male. He puts America first and we were better off under him. It's that simple.'

This sentiment is echoed by many 'ordinary' Chicagoans and, if their views are replicated across America, it could spell disaster for Harris.

Time and again, in shops, restaurants and at my hotel, I met working men and women who confided they were voting for Trump but, as one waitress told me, 'will be keeping it secret because he's not considered cool and Kamala is'.

While there is a palpable sense of relief among Democrats that doddery Joe Biden has been replaced by a woman who radiates positivity, the race for the White House is still neck-and-neck.

Chauncey McLean, of Future Forward USA, a political action committee which has raised millions for Harris's campaign, said: 'Polling numbers are much less rosy than people believe.'

Crucially, social media has helped ignite Harris's campaign among young voters. It is telling that the 59-year-old Democrat candidate has yet to give an interview to any mainstream media but granted three interviews to TikTok influencers last week who were accused of asking 'soft ball' questions about family and fashion.

One of these influencers is Ravayna Coe. She was invited by Harris's team to help spread the 'message of joy' over Instagram. The Californian says: 'There is relief that, finally, we have a candidate who is projecting a positive message  and who can win.'

Ms Coe, though, warned against complacency and said lessons must be learned from Hillary Clinton's defeat in 2016.

'Everyone thought she was going to win and Trump crushed her. We've got ten weeks until the election and Democrats have to come off this sugar high of Kamala's selection and get down to business.'

Anthony, a Democrat convention security guard, told me: 'I'm an undecided voter.' He voted for Trump in 2016 but switched to Biden in 2020 and deplored Trump's support for insurrectionists who stormed the US Capitol building in Washington DC.

Chicago Uber driver Angela said said she will still vote for Donald Trump: 'For me, it comes down to: Am I better off now than I was four years ago? The answer is: no'

He said he had listened to the convention speeches of the Obamas and TV star Oprah Winfrey and said they were all 'obsessed' by Trump. 'The message is 'Trump is evil; Kamala is good.' They talk about 'dark forces' as if it's a superhero movie.

'Most Americans will vote with our wallets. None of us are better off; petrol prices are killing us and Biden has let thousands of illegal immigrants come over our border who are taking jobs from people like me.

'I know what Trump is. You don't have to tell me what's bad about him.

'Kamala Harris has been vice president for four years and she's saying she's going to make things better. Why hasn't she made things better already?

'Many people secretly support Trump but are scared to admit it.'

Polls show Harris has gained ground among white middle-aged women and first-time voters but is losing to Trump, 78, among the working classes, particularly black and hispanic voters.

Of course, none of these issues could dampen the effusive atmosphere at the Democratic National Convention.

At a 'Hotties for Harris' party, Gen Z influencers posed in front of a 'Wall of Weirdos' showing images of Trump and his running-mate J D Vance. The 'weird' description of Trump and Vance was coined by Harris's No 2, Tim Walz.

In a corner, a drab brown sofa marked 'Property of J D Vance' had been positioned  the words referring to a false rumour that Trump's vice-president pick once had sex with a latex glove pressed between two sofa cushions.

Model and influencer Synclaire Warren, 24, a master's student at Fordham University in New York, said: 'Kamala has given hope to my generation that things can change. This wave of enthusiasm will keep growing all the way to the election.'

Moments after Harris ended her keynote address, Breanna Spaulding, from Atlanta, gushed: 'She's America's future. This is Obama all over again.'

Polls show Harris has gained ground. A previous poll among Texas voters had Biden nine points behind Trump, with Harris now only five short

Having watched the current US Vice President's speech electrify an already adoring crowd, one has to wonder how this most extraordinary of US elections in recent memory will end?

Just a month ago, Trump was being lauded as a near mythical figure by supporters for dodging an assassin's bullet.

But, as the past four weeks have shown, elections can turn on a dime.

For Harris, now out of the protective 'love bubble' of the party convention, the next days and weeks are critical.

She and Trump go head-to-head in their first TV debate on September 10  considered 'make or break time'.

Will Harris sweep to power on a tidal wave of hope as Obama was in 2008? Or will she crash and burn like Hillary Clinton in 2016?
The Barefoot Investor has argued a young woman was entitled to her $30,000 inheritance after she complained her mother was withholding it from her.

Olivia, 26, wrote to Mr Pape that her mother was withholding the sum left to her after the death of her great aunt over fears that she would improperly use it.

She said her plan of putting the money into a high-interest savings account to help save for a home deposit with her partner wasn't good enough for her mother.

'She says you would tell me to invest it in shares or use it to pay off my HECS. Is that true?' Olivia's letter to Mr Pape reads.

'Until I agree to the "Barefoot Way", shes not going to let me have it.'

Mr Pape took the young woman's side in the debate explaining that she appeared to already be following the 'Barefoot Steps' in achieving financial freedom.

'In the matter between you and your mother, I find in favour of . YOU,' Mr Pape wrote in his News Corp column.

Mr Pape said Olivia's plan to save for a home was step four of his nine step plan.

A mother has withheld $30,000 of inheritince left to her daughter from her great aunt over fears she wouldn't invest it similarly to the Barefoot Investor Scott Pape (pictured)

'You should definitely put the inheritance towards your house deposit savings in an online saver,' he wrote.

After passing step four, Mr Pape urged Olivia to increase her superannuation contribution to 15 per cent which will be 'tax-effectively investing long term'.

'Well done, and please say gday to your mum for me!' he wrote.

If the Barefoot Investor's advice helps Olivia access the inheritance, it will only be about a sixth of a standard 20 per cent deposit on the average Aussie home.

Australian Bureau of Statistics data revealed the average cost of a home rose by $14,300 to $959,300 in the first quarter of 2024.

The cost to lock in a mortgage increase substantially rose for those looking to buy in capital cities where property prices are skyrocketing.

New data from Domain revealed a 20 per cent deposit for a median-priced home in Sydney has jumped by $125,424 in the last five years.

It showed buyers now need to save $332,000 - compared to $207,066 in June 2019.

Meanwhile, the amount needed for a median-priced house in Melbourne has climbed from $165,212 to $213,761.

The daughter, Olivia (stock image), gained Mr Pape's approval because she planned to put the money towards a deposit to purchase a home

Compare the Market economic director David Koch warned the growing deposit could see young Australians priced out of the property market.

'With property prices climbing tens of thousands of dollars in some parts of the country, a lot of buyers feel that they are falling behind while trying to save that 20 per cent deposit,' he told Yahoo.

Brisbane had the second-highest recommended deposit increase by $81,498 to $195,293.

That was followed by Adelaide at $78,563 to $186,994, Perth up $64,313 to $170,000, Canberra up $58,143 to $208,286, Hobart up $41,039 to $137,211 and Darwin up $12,012 to $117,009.
King Charles has chosen Proms composer Errollyn Wallen as his new 'Master of the Music', making her the first person of colour to take up the prestigious role.

She is only the second woman to be picked for the job, which is the musical equivalent of the Poet Laureate, and succeeds Dame Judith Weir.

Ms Wallen, 66, pictured, said she was 'thrilled' to accept the royal appointment, an honorary position given to 'a musician of distinction who has added to the musical life of the UK and the Commonwealth'.

A Palace source told The Mail on Sunday that the King was a keen 'admirer' of Ms Wallen's work, which includes 22 operas. She was the first black female composer to perform at the BBC Proms in 1998, and wrote pieces for the late Queen's Golden and Diamond Jubilees.

Created in the reign of King Charles I, the Master of the King's Music is an appointment made by the Sovereign and granted to a musician of distinction who has added to the musical life of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth.

While there are no set duties in the honorary role, the Master will often compose pieces for special royal occasions such as royal weddings, jubilees and coronations if they wish to.

Composer Errollyn Wallen has been chosen as King Charles' new 'Master of the Music'

Errollyn Wallen is made a CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) following an investiture ceremony at St James's Palace on August 4, 2021

Ms Wallen said: 'I am thrilled to accept this royal appointment.

'It will be a privilege and a great honour to serve His Majesty The King, the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth.

'I look forward to championing music and music-making for all.'

Ms Wallen was born in Belize and moved to London aged two, before studying music and composition at Goldsmiths, King's College London and King's College, Cambridge.

She was made an MBE by Charles, then the Prince of Wales, in 2007 and subsequently a CBE by the Princess Royal in 2021, both for her services to music.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs in July, Ms Wallen said she received hundreds of 'very abusive' messages after creating a new version of Jerusalem for the Proms.

She said: 'The work is dedicated to the Windrush generation and also the fact that it's little understood that in the colonies, de facto, we live with the music of England.

'And so in Belize, all these hymns are our hymns, and so I've also put a little, added an extra sentence, mentioned that we Commonwealth people, we sing with you.'

Born in Belize, Ms Wallen moved to Britain aged two and went on to study music and composition at Cambridge. She said 'it will be a privilege and a great honour to serve His Majesty The King' and she 'looked forward to championing music and music-making for all.'

It marks the first time in his reign that King Charles has appointed a Master of the Music.
More than 100 senior NHS staff have been 'abandoned' at a deserted makeshift hospital in Cyprus despite being desperate to return to solve Britain's health backlog.

The medical cadre at the RAF Akrotiri military base includes consultants, surgeons, specialists, A&E doctors and nurses who have been left with nothing to do for weeks.

They were seconded to the base in the wake of the planned evacuation of Britons stranded in nearby Lebanon as hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah fighters intensified.

Many of the medical staff, called on to assist the military in crisis situations, have been forced to cancel work scheduled in the UK to remain on standby in Cyprus.

The medical cadre at the RAF Akrotiri military base (pictured) includes consultants, surgeons, specialists, A&E doctors and nurses

The medics in Cyprus said they understood the authorities were playing it safe to protect the lives of UK citizens living abroad. (Pictured, stock photo of a beach in Cyrpus)

But they have yet to treat a single patient at Akrotiri.

And they are likely to remain on the island for at least the next two weeks amid confusion over whether the NHS, the Ministry of Defence, or another department has the authority to sanction their return to the UK while the new Government is in recess.

A source in Akrotiri said last night: 'We're all stuck out here while the NHS back home is on its knees. We need to get back to our jobs but no one seems to have the authority to order it.'

An estimated 7.62 million treatments were waiting to be carried out by the NHS at the end of June in England.

The medics in Cyprus said they understood the authorities were playing it safe to protect the lives of UK citizens living abroad, but the most likely emergencies would be heat exhaustion.

The Ministry of Defence said: 'While our focus is on de-escalation, tensions in the region remain high. We actively manage and review our force posture to ensure that we can adequately respond at short notice to a range of scenarios.'
Hundreds of 'dodgy employers' face heavy fines of up to 60,000 after at least 75 suspected illegal immigrants were detained during a week-long crackdown.

Immigration Enforcement officers visited more than 225 businesses in the past week, including car washes and nail bars.

The Home Office subsequently issued 122 civil penalties for employing illegal workers.

Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, said: 'It is completely wrong that dodgy employers can work hand-in-glove with the smuggling gangs who risk people's lives to bring them here illegally and push them into off-the-books employment.

'These workers are sold complete lies by the gangs before being made to live and work in appalling conditions for a pittance. We are determined to put a stop to this, which is exactly why we have launched crackdowns such as this.

'While this operation marks an important step forward, our commitment to tackling this issue is ongoing. We will ensure those who break the rules face the full force of the law.'

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper (pictured) slammed 'dodgy employers' for bringing people illegally to the UK and forcing them to work in 'appalling conditions for a pittance'

An immigration enforcement officer in Northern Ireland uses an interpreter service to speak to a man during a raid

Officials said illegal workers were often kept in 'squalid' conditions, paid below the minimum wage and forced to work long hours, while their employers undercut their competitors and often did not pay their fair share of taxes.

Bas Javid, director general of Home Office Immigration Enforcement, told The Sun: 'The level of neglect is alarming.'

Illegal immigrants have been found living in overcrowded rooms with 'multiple mattresses crammed into spaces meant for one person' complete with exposed wires.

Businesses found to be employing people illegally face fines of up to 45,000 per worker for the first offence and up to 60,000 per worker for repeat offenders.

Last week a famous Chinese restaurant was fined 470,000 after immigration offocials raided its premises and discovered illegal workers.

One staff member at the Royal China restaurant in Baker Street, central London was being paid an hourly rate of 6 while carrying out 66-hour weeks.

The Home Office has now launched a bid to have the Royal China restaurant stripped of permission to serve alcohol - labelling it 'the worst licensed premises in Westminster'.

Their application has been backed by the Metropolitan Police, with a report accusing the outlet of repeatedly flouting employment laws.

It comes after Ms Cooper vowed to kick out more than 14,000 illegal immigrants in the next six months.

Ms Cooper announced plans for Immigration Enforcement to 'intensify' operations over the summer shortly after coming to office in July as part of Labour's plans to improve border security.

Bosses of the Royal China restaurant are alleged to have kept on staff who have either lacked or overstayed right-to-work visas

A police officers stands on the shore of Dungeness as RNLI staff help migrants disembark from a lifeboat after they were picked up at sea trying to cross the English Channel. Yvette Cooper has vowed to kick out more than 14,000 illegal immigrants in the next six months

Ms Cooper (pictured) announced plans for Immigration Enforcement to 'intensify' operations over the summer shortly after coming to office in July as part of Labour's plans to improve border security

On Wednesday, she said she wanted to use the next six months to achieve the highest rate of removals since 2018 of people with no right to be in the UK and announced a new 'intelligence-driven' plan to tackle businesses employing people illegally.

Eddy Montgomery, director of enforcement, compliance and crime at Immigration Enforcement, said: 'This week's operation shows how dedicated the Home Office is to protecting vulnerable people and holding employers accountable.

'We're dedicated to stopping exploitation by criminal gangs, ensuring vulnerable people receive the correct support and make sure that those who break the law face serious consequences.

'I'm incredibly proud of our teams across the country for their hard work and teamwork in preparing for and conducting this national operation.'
Brits have been warned to stay inside as a cloud of corrosive and acidic gas cloud, which can cause serious health problems, engulfs the UK in the early hours of this morning.

Weather maps show a huge cloud of sulphur dioxide (SO2), spat out by the recent volcanic eruptions in Iceland, moving across to completely cover the country by 4am.

SO2 is predominantly produced from the combustion of coal or crude oil but volcanoes also produce huge quantities of it when they erupt.

Inhaling the gas can cause symptoms such as a sore throat, coughing, a runny nose, burning eyes, tight lungs and difficulties breathing.

Weather maps show a huge cloud of Sulfur dioxide (SO2), spat out by the recent volcanic eruptions in Iceland, moving across to completely cover the country by 4am

Aerial view of the lava flow from the eruption of a volcano in the Reykjanes Peninsula near Grindavik on Thursday

Direct exposure to SO2 is associated with asthma and chronic bronchitis, with the SO2 emitted from coal burning during the London smog in 1952 playing a key role in the thousands of respiratory-related deaths at the time.

SO2 can also combine with water vapour in the earth's atmosphere to form acid rain that can travel large distances.

Elderly people and young children are particularly vulnerable to SO2 inhalation and have been advised to reduce exposure by staying inside if possible.

The plumes of dangerous smog floated over from Iceland after a volcano in the Reykjanes Peninsula near Grindavik erupted on Thursday.

The eruption had been expected for a few weeks due to the ongoing seismic activity in the area and due to pressure changes in boreholes.

Reports said rescue teams had been called up in Reykjanes and Olfus, as thousands of people in Grindavik and the Blue Lagoon had to be evacuated.

Lava pours out of the new fissure on the Reykjanes Peninsula, near the town of Grindavik

Lava spurts and flows after the eruption of a volcano in the Reykjanes Peninsula near Grindavik

Local authorities told residents to stay away from the area for their own safety and for the safety of emergency services.

MailOnline previously reported that Iceland had been rocked by eight volcanic eruptions since 2021 that have sent citizens fleeing from their homes.

An international team of scientists studied lava samples and seismic data from the last three years of eruptions.

They discovered that the peninsula is sat on an interconnected magma plumbing system that could keep volcanoes fed with molten rock for decades to come.

Lead author Valentin Troll, professor of petrology at Uppsala University, says: 'A comparison of these eruptions with historical events provides strong evidence that Iceland will have to prepare and be ready for this volcanic episode to continue for some time, possibly even years to decades.'

Over several points in the past six months, thousands of Icelanders were evacuated from their homes in the town of Grindavik and the surrounding areas due to their proximity to the volcano on the Reykjanes peninsula

Lava fountains seen pouring out from the new eruptive fissure opened at Svartsengi volcanic system overnight

Iceland is located directly above something called the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a boundary between the tectonic plates of Eurasia and North America.

As these plates drift apart, hot rock from Earth's mantle, the largest of the planet's layers, can squeeze its way up to the surface.

This makes volcanic eruptions a fairly common part of life, with one occurring about once every three to five years.
A chaotic street takeover across California's Bay Area saw vehicles doing donuts around spectators trapped inside a ring of fire while other youths hung out the windows.

It even turned fatal at one point, when two shootings left one person dead and another in critical condition.

Terrifying footage from the unruly event obtained by ABC 7 shows people lighting a ring of fire at the intersection of BW Williams Drive and Lewis Brown Drive in Vallejo just after midnight on Saturday, and multiple people jumping in as cars drove donuts around them.

At times, the vehicles appeared to get uncomfortably close to the ring of fire, as teenagers stuck their heads out of the windows.

The street takeover lasted about an hour before Vallejo police dispersed the crowd - during which time there were at least two shootings, according to KRON.

Terrifying footage shows people jumping into a ring of fire at an intersection in Vallejo, California early Saturday morning

They reveled in the ring of fire as vehicles did donuts around them

Officers said the two shootings that saw at least 20 shots fired erupted on the outskirts of the sideshow - which saw about 400 to 500 vehicles performing stunts - early Saturday morning.

The Solano County Sheriff's Office eventually responded to the scene, and located an unidentified male victim suffering from at least one gunshot wound.

Police say first responders rendered emergency aid, but the victim succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Another victim is currently in critical condition.

The Vallejo Police Department is now investigating the shooting, as a motive remains unclear.

Yet the violence apparently did not deter the revelers - who are said to have moved the street takeover later to Crockett, where another ring of fire was lit at the intersection of San Pablo Avenue and Merchant Street at around 1am, according to CBS News.

Footage from another sideshow in Crockett shows an ATV doing donuts

Youths took pictures of the monstrous vehicle as they blocked intersections

Footage from that event showed an ATV doing donuts in the middle of the intersection. Another video obtained by NBC Bay Area shows at least one vehicle's engine catching fire.

Witnesses told ABC 7 dozens of people blocked intersections during the street takeover and even the off-ramp to Interstate 80.

But police broke up the crowd after just 25 minutes, and four people were arrested, according to ABC 7.

It is unclear, however, what charges they may be facing.

A video obtained by NBC Bay Area shows at least one vehicle's engine catching fire

Still, the chaos continued - with a street takeover involving about 50 cars reported in Richmond at around 1.40am.

Police were able to disperse the crowd without any arrests or citations, NBC Bay Area reports.

But less than hour later, Richmond police were called to respond to another sideshow - this time involving 100 vehicles.

Officers then attempted to disperse the group, but a vehicle drove at the officers in an attempt to flee - prompting a short pursuit.

Ultimately, the unidentified driver yielded to officers and was taken into custody without incident, Richmond police say.

He was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer and felony evading, and has been booked into Richmond Police Department Jail.

The suspect's vehicle was also impounded for 30 days.

Meanwhile, in Oakland, police said they broke up a sideshow after just 20 minutes.

The takeovers became deadly at one point, when two shootings broke out leaving one dead and another in critical condition

Officials now say more needs to be done to stop the chaos

Now, Vallejo Mayor Robert McConnell says more needs to be done as sideshows have become common occurrences in the Bay Area.

'You know, you have 300, 400, 500 cars. I don't care how large your police department is, it's not going to be enough,' he told NBC Bay Area,

'You're going to have to have outside help, and I think there are things that need to be done legislatively as well,' he said, adding: 'I would love to see the penalty increase substantially.'
An unhinged 39-year-old woman claiming to be from the Russian police allegedly tried to abduct an 8-year-old girl before the child was rescued by her neighbor - who is like an 'uncle' to the youngster.

The alleged child snatcher, identified as Courtney Perrone, approached the girl as she was helping her neighbor put some animals into his car on Wednesday afternoon, local ABC7 News reported.

Perrone ran up to the vehicle parked south of Maple Street in Santa Monica and placed her arms on the child before shouting 'that's my daughter, that's my daughter.'

A 'tug of war' between the neighbor and Perrone ensued, and at one point the menace held a switchblade to his face before fleeing the scene.

She was found by cops shortly after in the parking lot of Gelson's, a local grocer. Witnesses told officers she was the person who tried to abduct the child.

Courtney Perrone, 39, faces felony charges of attempted kidnapping and false imprisonment, and a misdemeanor charge for the knife

Mark wrestled with Perrone after she tried to abduct the 8-year-old on Wednesday afternoon

Police were called to Maple Street, a community in Santa Monica where the attempted kidnapping was thwarted kidnapping

Police said that Perrone was homeless and appeared to live out of her BMW.

The neighbor, who identified himself as Mark, said the child was like a niece to him and the woman was 'acting like it was her kid,' as per the news outlet.

He recalled her disheveled appearance explaining, 'she had lipstick all over her face and just looked a little crazy and stuff.'

He added: 'She's like, "I'm the Russian police and I'm here to save you."'

Perrone faces felony charges of attempted kidnapping and false imprisonment ,and a misdemeanor charge for the knife. Her arraignment was Friday.

Perrone pictured with red lipstick all over face is homeless and lives out of her BMW, police said

Santa Monica Police Department said this is her first incident with the department but she has prior out-of-state arrests for assault and battery, resisting arrest, possession of a controlled substance and trespassing.

Perrone was involved in an alleged assault with a deadly weapon in Los Angeles but released for insufficient evidence.

She is currently on probation stemming from a case in Nevada, and has an outstanding warrant for her arrest from New Hampshire, as per the news outlet.
A police officer is among four people who have been injured following an alleged stabbing in Sydney's south.

Emergency services rushed to Old Bush Road, near the Princes Highway, at Engadine, around 9.15am on Sunday, following reports of a multi-vehicle crash.

Several passengers inside the cars had allegedly suffered stab wounds and a police officer was also injured.

One person suffered a cardiac arrest. A 40-year-old woman is among several passengers who have been rushed to St George Hospital.

Another patient suffered a stab wound to their abdomen while a third suffered a broken arm.

The alleged knifeman, 58, was treated by paramedics at the scene. He has since been taken into custody.

'A male police officer suffered a serious laceration to his left wrist believed to have been incurred during the arrest,' NSW Police said in a statement.

'A fourth person has been found injured. Its unclear at this time what that person's involvement is in this incident'.

Emergency services (pictured) rushed to Old Bush Road, near the Princes Highway, at Engadine, around 9.15am on Sunday, following reports of a multi-vehicle crash

One passenger was seen being stretchered onto the back of a NSW Ambulance vehicle (pictured) as first responders held a large dark green sheet to block the view

The fourth person who was injured has been taken to Liverpool Hospital. Police said multiple Triple Zero calls were made following the crash.

A witness told Daily Mail Australia he initially believed the stabbing and car crash were two different incidents because they happened at two locations about 200 metres apart.

He said he saw a blue and white car involved in a smash on the Princes Highway before another man was arrested near a black Hyundai further up the road.

The crash happened down at the lights and there was a man ranting and raving there for about 20 minutes, he said.

Then all the medical stuff and the coppers came. Next minute they were running up to a black Hyundai 200 metres up the road and arrested a man near the car.

To me, it looked like they were already following him, because the coppers were close by. I thought they must of had a warrant for his arrest.

Police said a male officer suffered a serious laceration to his left wrist, which is understood to have occurred while the officer was trying to arrest the man (picture crash scene)

He was in a white shirt, then [moments later] it was all red.

Witnesses said they saw a man being tasered after he allegedly ran away from police.

A police helicopter was circling ahead and witnesses also said there was 'blood everywhere' at the scene.

Witnesses have reported that a helicopter is circling ahead and there was 'blood everywhere' at the scene (pictured)

Police are investigating the incident with multiple passengers rushed to hospital with stab wounds (pictured the crumpled blue Mitsubishi sedan)

A white sedan was allegedly seen driving at speed through the intersection before it collided with the Mitsubishi, the Daily Telegraph reported.

The Mitsubishi was seen crumpled on the road following the horror smash with debris from the vehicle left scattered for several metres at the intersection.

The white sedan was also left badly damaged after the vehicle mounted the kerb at the nearby pedestrian crossing.

Paramedics worked quickly to assist the injured passengers and crews from Fire and Rescue were also dispatched to the scene.

40-year-old woman is among several passengers, who have been rushed to St George Hospital (pictured paramedics treating an injured passenger at the scene)

Authorities have closed Princes Highway both directions between Farnell Avenue and Loftus-Heathcote Road as police investigate the incident (pictured police officers at the scene)

One passenger was seen being stretchered onto the back of a NSW Ambulance vehicle as first responders held a large dark green sheet to block the view.

Princes Highway has been closed in both directions between Farnell Avenue and Loftus-Heathcote Road.

Motorists have been urged to avoid the area. Police are investigating the incident.

Anyone with information has been urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
A second Alzheimers drug is expected to be blocked for use by the NHS, it has been reported.

Donanemab  hailed by scientists as the best ever treatment for the disease  has been shown in trials to slow cognitive decline by more than a third.

That is better than the results for lecanemab, the breakthrough drug which last week was declared safe by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) but was not approved for NHS use because of its cost.

It means that only patients who can afford to pay privately will have access to the drug.

The cost of donanemab, which is made by US company Eli Lilly, is estimated at around 25,000 per patient per year  about 25 per cent higher than lecanemab.

Smiling young female social worker and old man with Alzheimer's playing with jigsaw puzzle in nursing home.

However, donanemab is understood to carry twice the risk of serious side-effects. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice), which decides which drugs are available on the NHS, is unlikely to reverse its decision on lecanemab  made by Eisai  or to give its backing to donanemab, The Telegraph reported yesterday.

Defending its ruling on lecanemab, Nice said the costs were considerably above the range normally considered cost-effective for routine NHS use.

It is understood there are now several drugs tackling Alzheimers and other dementia conditions which are in the pipeline.

Last night a leading Alzheimers charity said it had written to Health Secretary Wes Streeting urging him to act to ensure all UK patients get access to new treatments.

Hilary Evans-Newton, chief executive at Alzheimers Research UK, told The Mail on Sunday: This is bittersweet news for people affected by Alzheimers disease.

Its a remarkable achievement that science is now delivering licensed treatments that can slow down the devastating effects of Alzheimers, rather than just alleviating its symptoms.

However, its clear that our health system isnt ready to embrace this new wave of Alzheimers drugs.

It means that, as things stand, people in the early stages of the disease will be denied access to lecanemab through the NHS, and it will only be available to those who can pay privately. This is deeply disappointing.

Of course, like first-generation treatments for other diseases, lecanemab has modest benefits and side-effects that need careful monitoring. Its not a cure, but it is a real step forward  the first new dementia medicine to be licensed in more than 20 years.

The MHRA and Nice said that they could not comment on ongoing appraisals.

But Nice said of lecanemab that its benefits were too small to justify the costs. A spokesman added: The costs of providing the treatment, including fortnightly infusions in hospital and intensive monitoring for side-effects, combined with the relatively small benefits it provides to patients, means it cannot be considered good value for the taxpayer.
A former Tory MP who was at the centre of the Westminster 'honeytrap' scandal has claimed the ordeal ruined his career and mental health.

William Wragg became embroiled in a sinister ordeal a few months ago after giving his colleagues' phone numbers to a suspected scammer he met on the dating app Grindr.

The former MP for Hazel Grove in Greater Manchester stood down from his role after admitting to exchanging explicit pictures with a person calling themselves 'Charlie', who later used the images to blackmail him.

In his first interview since the stepping down, Mr Wragg has now told the Sunday Times that the scandal caused his mental health to spiral and decided to check himself into a hospital after experiencing suicidal thoughts.

He added that he started to 'go off the rails' and began drinking heavily due to the guilt and shame of falling for the suspected scammer.

Former Tory MP William Wragg who was at the centre of the Westminster 'honeytrap' scandal earlier this year claimed the ordeal ruined his career and mental health

The former MP for Hazel Grove in Greater Manchester said he had been targeted by a suspected scammer who met on the dating app Grindr (stock image)

Mr Wragg first began speaking to 'Charlie' on Grindr and was immediately recognised as being an MP.

He said: 'It started simply with "hello" and a brief introduction. He immediately responded and said he recognised me. He said: "You are Will Wragg the MP."

'I said, "Yes I am", and "I hope that is not going to be a problem", and he said, "No, no, not at all".'

Charlie told Mr Wragg he was his 20s and worked at a cancer charity, adding that he was a 'Westminster aficionado'.

After moving their conversation onto WhatsApp, the pair began sharing nude photographs and later began talking to each other over the phone.

Wragg said he began to 'fall' for Charlie due to his 'cocky and assertive' attitude and was convinced it was the start of a serious relationship.

But after a few days, things suddenly took a turn when Charlie began asking for MPs phone numbers and threatened to blackmail Mr Wragg if he did not hand them over.

William Wragg MP, member of the United Kingdom Parliament for Hazel Grove, speaking at the Grassroots Out campaign event in Manchester on February 5 2016

The former MP said: 'He gave me several names and said, "Youve got two minutes to give me their numbers."

'I said, "Are you joking?" You know? "Youre joking, arent you?" "No, Im not joking". '

Mr Wragg said he reluctantly handed over the numbers of around a dozen people after feeling 'compromised' and 'threatened' by what Charlie might do.

Those colleagues, including MPs, staffers and a journalist, were then allegedly sent flirtatious messages from people claiming to be 'Charlie' or 'Abi'. Two MPs allegedly sent back explicit photos, the Times reported.

The former backbencher said: 'I came home one evening and I just burst into tears and was shouting and swearing, he said. I didnt feel in control of myself.

'I drank heavily because - and I almost cant articulate this clearly enough - of an almost loss of agency. I bottled everything up. I didnt say a word to anybody.'

After news of the scandal circulated across the UK media, Mr Wragg decided to come forward and admitted giving his colleagues' phone numbers to a suspected scammer.

He later stepped down from the role of vice-chair of the 1922 Committee and 'voluntarily' gave up the Conservative whip.

Conservative Party chairman Richard Holden said at the time it was 'right' for Mr Wragg to resign the Conservative whip.

Mr Holden told Sky News: 'He has issued a fulsome apology, he has resigned from the 1922 Committee executive, he has resigned a role as chair of PACAC, which is an important committee in Parliament, and he has also given up the Conservative whip.

'I think we already knew he wouldn't be standing at the next election, he is standing down, so yes, I think that's the right thing to have done.'

Asked whether Mr Wragg had jumped or been pushed, Mr Holden said the then-independent MP had 'made his decision' - adding: 'It's quite clear his career in public life is at an end.'

William Wragg was first elected to the House of Commons as MP for Hazel Grove, the Greater Manchester village where he grew up, at the tender age of 27

After admitting his role in the scandal, Mr Wragg said he was unable to sleep because of the guilt and horror that he felt and began having 'intrusive thoughts'.

He said: 'It got to about 4.30am and I was having very intrusive thoughts. It wasnt just like feeling down. It was worse than Ive ever felt, to the extent that I was thinking of the methods I could use to end it all.

'I thought, "This is bad"  but there was just about enough in me that said, "Right, go to hospital", and Im so glad I did, because thats when I started getting the help that I needed.

'And, you know, ultimately I think the thought in my head was, "No matter how much pain Im in at the moment, I cant put that onto other people, such as my parents and close friends. I cant".'

Mr Wragg was later told to take several months off work following the traumatic ordeal but now hopes he can 'move on' from it.

In June, detectives investigating the honeytrap plot arrested a man on suspicion of harassment and offences under the Online Safety Act.
Australians have been divided over calls to stop far-right US commentator Candace Owens from entering the country.

Home Affairs minister Tony Burke announced he would personally review her visa application ahead of her November speaking tour.

A ticket for her show in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide costs $95 - but it can cost as much as $1,500 for a VIP dinner with Ms Owens.

Having grown to fame during the Trump presidency, Ms Owens has drawn outrage for her controversial comments.

She claimed Israel was founded by a 'cult' and labelled some of the Holocaust attrocities as 'completely absurd'.

Ms Owens has also taken aim at minority groups and claimed there was a link between trans people, 'clinical insanity' and a rise in mass shootings.

Mr Burke, who has the power to block or refuse a visa, said he would oversee a brief of Ms Owens' application once it has been made.

'My opposition to anti-Semitism and Islamophobia has always been on the record,' he said on Friday.

'I have clear legal powers to knock back a visa to anyone who would incite discord.'

Aussies have been split after calls to bar controversial US political commentator Candace Owens (pictured) from obtaining a visa for her tour of live shows in Australia

Allegra Spender, who is an Independant MP for Wentworth in Sydney's eastern suburbs, voiced her support to ban Ms Owens from the country.

'Candace Owens should not be allowed to visit Australia,' she wrote.

'Ms Owens is a media provocateur, who makes her living generating controversy, division and hatred.

'We don't need her input to public discussion in Australia a time when we must preserve social cohesion.'

Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive Peter Wertheim said Ms Owens represented 'ignorant and malicious (comments) on social media'.

He added that Ms Owens' views should fail the Migration Act's character test and bar her from obtaining a visitor's visa.

Some social media users were quick to defend Ms Owens.

'Our new Minister for Immigration now has an opportunity to show the leadership needed to affirm that principle,' he said.

Ms Owens (centre) poses for a photo with ex-US president Donald Trump (left) and her husband George Farmer (right)

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke, who has ministerial powers to reject visas, said he would 'personally' oversee Ms Owens' application once it has been made

'You can't stop someone from speaking just because you don't agree with them,' one wrote.

'Someone might try to do that to you one day.'

'I'm a free speech guy, I may not agree with your views but you have the right to hold and express them,' a second wrote.

'More speech not less, bad ideas die in the light of conversation.'

Ms Owens called Mr Burke's comments 'crazy' in a segment of her Youtube show that was live-streamed on Saturday.

'I could never imagine anybody in government being like, I'm going to personally see to it, that this person does not come into my country because I don't like their speech,' she told viewers.

'I've never been to Australia ... this would be crazy in America, because we are so radical about speech.

'We just believe in freedom of speech and freedom of debate.'
Hezbollah launched hundreds of rockets and drones against Israel on Sunday in retaliation for the assassination of a senior commander in Beirut last month.

The Lebanon based militant group launched over 320 Katyusha rockets towards Israel and hit 11 military targets, according to the group.

Israeli intelligence had been aware of the impending attack, causing Israeli jets to start an airstrike campaign across southern Lebanon as an act of self-defense before Hezbollah could strike first.

The group confirmed the strikes were an initial response to the killing of Fouad Shukur, a top commander with the group, in a strike in Beirut's southern suburbs last month.

Hezbollah said their barrage had completed 'the first phase' of their response into and that their full response 'would take some time'.

Israeli military spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said: 'In a self-defense act to remove these threats, the (Israeli military) is striking terror targets in Lebanon, from which Hezbollah was planning to launch their attacks on Israeli civilians.

Hagari warned Hezbollah would 'soon fire rockets, and possibly missiles and drones' into Israel.

Hagari warned Hezbollah would 'soon fire rockets, and possibly missiles and drones' into Israel

Fears have been high in recent weeks that the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip could escalate into a regional conflict. Smoke is seen here rising from a Lebanese border village on August 25

A view shows smoke and fire on the Lebanese side of the border with Israel, as seen from Tyre, southern Lebanon August 25, 2024

Smoke rises from the southern Lebanese town of Khiam, amid ongoing cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces

An intelligence official told The New York Times that Israel's preemptive attack was aimed at missile launchers that had been programmed to fire at 5 a.m. local time towards Tel Aviv.

The official told the outlet that all the launchers that had been targeted were destroyed, and that Israel was anticipating a harsh response from Hezbollah.

Sirens began sounding in northern Israel soon after the warning from the Israeli military, and additional sirens later joined in across the north.

Lebanese media reported strikes in the country's south without immediately providing more details. Social media footage showed what appeared to be strikes in southern Lebanon.

After the initial barrage, Lebanon's state-run news agency said that the strikes had been 'the most violent' since the war in Gaza erupted last year.

A least two people were injured, one critically, and the strikes caused 'sever damge' to local infrastructure including electricity and water supplies.

In a follow up statement, Hezbollah said they had fired over 320 rockets at almost a dozen Israeli military bases. It isn't clear if any of the rockets hit their targets.

In his statement, Hagari added: 'We can see that Hezbollah is preparing to launch an extensive attack on Israel, while endangering the Lebanese civilians.

'We warn the civilians located in the areas where Hezbollah is operating to move out of harm's way immediately for their own safety'. Hagari didn't provide additional details on the intelligence he cited.

While the IDF X page added: 'Hezbollah has just launched over 150 projectiles from Lebanon toward Israeli territory. We target terrorist infrastructure, they target civilians.'

Lebanese media reported strikes in the country's south without immediately providing more details

A phone call lured Hezbollah chief Fuad Shukr (pictured) towards the top of a Beirut building he was in minutes before he was assassinated by an Israeli airstrike last month

A spokesman for the National Security Council, Sean Savett, said President Joe Biden was 'closely monitoring events in Israel and Lebanon'

This photo taken from a position in northern Israel shows an Israeli Air Force fighter jet firing flares as it flies to intercept a hostile aircraft that launched from Lebanon over the border area with south Lebanon on August 25, 2024

These photos taken from a position in northern Israel shows a Hezbollah UAV intercepted by Israeli air forces over north Israel

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said he and his defense minister, Yoav Gallant, were managing the latest operation from military headquarters in Tel Aviv.

Gallant declared a 'special situation on the home front,' and Netanyahu's Security Cabinet was set to meet later Sunday morning.

After that meeting, Netanyahu said that Hezbollah had been targeted with thousands of rockets and that they had been destroyed in their attack.

He said: We are determined to do everything to protect our country, return the residents of the north safely to their homes and continue to uphold a simple rule: Whoever harms us, we will harm them.'

A spokesman for the National Security Council, Sean Savett, said President Joe Biden was 'closely monitoring events in Israel and Lebanon'.

Savett said: 'At his direction, senior U.S. officials have been communicating continuously with their Israeli counterparts.

'We will keep supporting Israel's right to defend itself, and we will keep working for regional stability.'

Lloyd J. Austin III, US Secretary of Defense, spoke with Gallant on Saturday night to discuss Israel responses to Hezbollah attacks, according to the Pentagon.

A least two people were injured, one critically, and the strikes caused 'sever damge' to local infrastructure including electricity and water supplies

Smoke billows from the site of an Israeli airstrike on Zibqin in southern Lebanon on August 25, 2024

Austin reaffirmed the US 'ironclad commitment' to defending Israel against any attacks by 'Iran and its regional partners and proxies', the statement said.

Fears have been high in recent weeks that the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip would spill over into a regional conflict.

This was only exacerbated after the killing of Hezbollah commander Shukr and the suspected Israeli assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.

Shukr, who was responsible for the 1983 massacre of 241 American and 58 French troops in a Beirut bombing, was killed on July 30, along with his wife, two other women, and two children. 80 people were also injured in the strike, which was attributed to the IDF.

The Wall Street Journal revealed that Shukr received a call from someone who told him to go from the second floor of the building he was in to his apartment on the seventh floor.

This is what Israelis in northern Israel have been dealing with for over TEN MONTHS.



Footage of a direct Hezbollah rocket hit on a home in Acre. pic.twitter.com/A22wRvjlyP  Israel  (@Israel) August 25, 2024

Israeli military Chief of General Staff Herzi Halevi directs an operation, at a location given as Tel Aviv, Israel, in this screen grab from video released August 25, 2024

Rockets fired from southern Lebanon are intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome air defence system over the Upper Galilee region in northern Israel on August 23, 2024

This photo taken on Aug. 23, 2024 shows the smoke caused by an Israeli shelling in Khiam, Lebanon

ran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei meets with Ismail Haniyeh (L) before Israel's lethal strike on the Hamas leader in Tehran, Iran July 30, 2024

A Hezbollah official told the newspaper that he was easier to target on the higher floor.

The official added that the call likely came from someone who had breached the terror group's communications network, adding that Israeli intelligence had likely beaten its counter surveillance measures through better technology and hacking capabilities.

Shukr, long known as the 'Ghost' because of how rarely he was seen in public, is believed to have first gone into hiding after he helped plan the 1985 hijacking of a TWA flight from Athens to the US.

Haniyeh, who had escaped the horrors of the war in Gaza while residing in Qatar, travelled to Iran to attend the inauguration of new Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian earlier this month.

Israel appeared to seize the chance to hit Haniyeh, attacking his residence in Tehran in the early hours of the morning and killing the Hamas leader along with a security guard.

The assassination, confirmed by both Hamas and Iranian authorities, marks the most high-profile killing since October 7.

The White House said on Friday it was still prepared for Iran to strike back against Israel, even as the Middle East held its breath for a resolution to the conflict in Gaza.

Hezbollah fighters gather prior to the funeral procession for late senior Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr, killed in an Israeli strike, in Beirut, Lebanon, earlier this month

This photo taken from a position in northern Israel shows an Israeli Air Force fighter jet firing flares as it flies to intercept a hostile aircraft that launched from Lebanon

Rockets fired from Lebanon are intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome air defense system

John Kirby, national security spokesman, described ceasefire talks in Cairo as 'constructive' even though the Palestinian terror group Hamas had not sent representatives.

At the same time, Iran's promised attack on Israel, in retaliation for the killing of Haniyeh on Iranian soil, has yet to materialize.

But Kirby told reporters on a briefing call: 'It's still a very perilous situation. I can't predict what Iran's going to do or not going to do.

The Pentagon has moved an extra aircraft carrier strike group into the region to make Iran think twice about launching a response.

Kirby called on Hamas to join the ceasefire talks. On Thursday they included negotiators from Israel, the United States, Egypt and Qatar but not Hamas.

The region was plunged into turmoil on Oct. 7 last year when Hamas gunmen killed more than 1200 people in Israel.
A tourist has warned Australians to be careful about travelling in Indonesia after sharing footage of travellers vomitting and fainting during a wild boat ride.

Laura Jaye, 21, could barely keep her head up during the two hour boat ride from Mataram Lombok to Nusia Penida, near Bali, earlier this month.

Ms Jaye uploaded a video to Tiktok on August 9 of people vomiting during the treacherous trip.

The clip showed one female tourist, who was sitting at the back of the vessel, being assisted by a crew member.

The traveller was sitting alongside several passengers, who were drenched by the huge waves, as the boat tried to navigate the choppy waters.

Ms Jaye told Daily Mail Australia some people fainted while others were crying.

'There were many people around the world [who travelled on the vessel] struggling with this boat,' she said.

Just 20 minutes into the boat ride, which costs travellers $40, the passengers were given dog poo bags and sea sickness tablets.

Ms Jaye said it was a 'bad boat ride' even for locals, who struggled with motion sickness.

Ms Jaye uploaded a video to Tiktok on August 9 of the treacherous boat trip between the Indonesian islands of Lombok to Nusia Penida (pictured)

'We werent made aware of how rough it would be, and it is definitely a sign to do way more research than we did on weather [and] sea conditions,' she said.

Ms Jaye said one passenger even had a panic attack and had to be moved to another area of the boat where there was limited movement.

She claimed crew members did not communicate effectively with passengers to explain that they were going to face the unsettled conditions.

'Some of the crew seemed nervous and panicked whilst others seemed as though it was a regular occurrence,' she said.

Fast boat trips between the two island destinations are a popular way to explore the landscapes in the region.

The area is often hit by heavy rain and strong winds making the boat rides dangerous.

The wet season in Indonesia usually lasts between October and March, however the wild weather can still occur after the wet season has ended.

Ms Jaye urged tourists to plan ahead before going on a scheduled fast boat trip or to book trip with a tour operator that have bigger boats.

Ms Jaye urged tourists to reconsider going on a planned fast boat trip or to book the boat ride early in the morning if possible (stock image)

She explained the route crosses two opposing ocean currents and the waves get worse during the later parts of the day.

Despite the experience, Ms Jaye said she loves visiting Bali and Indonesia.

Last year, dozens of tourists including several from Australia, were left in the water after a boat capsized near Nusa Penida.

The Kebo Iwa Express was 25 minutes into is journey from the island to Sanur when a part of the vessel began to leak before it sank.

The boat, which was also hit by large waves, was transporting 34 passengers, who were all rescued by fisherman and emergency services.
A frustrating error has left an Aussie dad $3,800 out of pocket and is still waiting for a refund eight months later.

Scott Mitchell from Melbourne booked a flight through Booking.com at the last minute in December for his son's partner to join the rest of the family on their trip to the USA.

But when the generous dad booked the flight, he never got a confirmation email.

Mr Mitchell then booked the same flight again - but both flights ended up being processed.

'I checked both Booking.com and United Airlines return policies to make sure if there was a double booking they were refundable,' he told Seven News.

The airline has a system that picks up double bookings - and refunded the money within 24 hours.

But the money was not refunded directly to Mr Mitchell.

The money is still being held by the booking agency - but in the form of a credit.

Scott Mitchell (far right) with his family on their American holiday

'(Online travel agency) Gotogate do the bookings for Booking.com and Gotogate had the refund, and they had elected to put a travel credit against the flight not a refund,' Mr Mitchell said.

Since the accidental double-booking, the father has sent weekly emails to the third-party booking platform.

Eight months on, he's still communicating with customer service chat bots.

'I'm being dogged in my pursuit of it,' he said.

Mr Mitchell has since sought assistance from consumer advocate Adam Glezer.

He described Mr Mitchell's battle for refund has been 'an absolute disaster, and a game of cat and mouse'.

The consumer advocate said there had been similar cases and transparency is needed from third party companies.

'If you book through a third party and there are issues with refunds, more often than not it's going to be a lot more problematic than when you book direct,' Mr Glezer said.

Scott Mitchell has vowed to never go through a third party travel booking website ever again

The dad booked a United Airlines flight last December via Booking.com so his son's partner could join the family on their American trip. But when a double booking accidentally occurred, the father said he was offered a travel credit only (pictured a United Airlines flight)

The booking platform, Booking.com, uses a travel partner for all flights booked on its site (pictured the booking.com app)

Booking.com has its headquarters in The Netherlands (pictured)

Mr Glezer said had Mr Mitchell booked directly, he would have gotten his money back and that the experience would have been far less 'painless'.

Mr Mitchell has vowed to never book via a third party again and instead organise directly with an airline or hotel.

Booking.com told 7news.com.au that they are 'sorry' to hear about Mr Mitchell's experience and they have 'followed up' to offer their assistance.

The company also said when a double booking is made, the customer has to request a refund that is based on the terms and conditions and the airline are the ones who must authorise it.

The platform said flights that are booked on their site are actually through their 'flights partner' Etraveli and their brand Gotogate - which is mentioned to customers when booking a flight.

Customers are also informed they have entered an agreement with Gotogate.

Daily Mail Australia contacted Booking.com for comment.

The company, that has its headquarters in Amsterdam in The Netherlands, is a stock exchange darling - with it's prices going up by 92.99 per cent over the last five years to $3,830.58 USD per share.
A Mercedes driver was caught on camera pulling a gun on an unsuspecting motorist during a road rage incident in an 'exclusive' neighborhood.

Paul Slane, 63, is also accused of assaulting the victim's passenger and grabbing her cell phone during the road rage attack in the 'exclusive' Heatherwood neighborhood of Port St. Lucie, Florida on Tuesday at 4.30pm, according to Miami Herald.

An ensuing investigation found that Slane apparently followed the victims into the gated community and provoked the other driver before he pulled his gun on the driver and his passenger.

But the victim also had a gun and asked, 'Should I shoot him?' video obtained by WFLA shows.

'The suspect in the black Mercedes for whatever reason consistently was break checking them,' Sgt. Dominick Mesiti told the news station.

'He was intentionally hitting his breaks... for no reason other than to agitate the vehicle behind him or the driver behind him.'

Paul Slane, 63, was caught on camera allegedly pulling a gun on an unsuspecting motorist in Port St. Lucie, Florida on Tuesday

He was seen exiting his car and approaching the driver with his gun raised

Slane then allegedly drove his Mercedes around the victims' truck and then stopped in front of them in the roadway.

At that point, Slane was caught on the victim's phone exiting his car, and approaching the driver with his gun raised.

The suspect then started arguing with the other driver about who started the fight, and reached through his window as he demanded his passenger give him her phone.

The suspect then started arguing with the other driver about who started the fight, and reached through his window as he demanded his passenger give him her phone

'Get out the f***ing car now,' Slane could be heard yelling in the video.

'You're getting arrested, you know this right,' one of the victims could be heard telling Slane, who proceeds to get back in his vehicle.

As he walks away, the driver could be heard saying, 'We're confirming his vehicle's all smashed up, too.'

Slane was charged with two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, robbery with a firearm and two counts of simple battery

Investigators say Slane then fled the scene and was stopped 'a short time later' by deputies with the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office.

The handgun believed to have been used in the attack was also recovered.

Slane was charged with two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, robbery with a firearm and two counts of simple battery.

He is now out of jail on a $105,000 bond, according to WFLA.
Queensland is expected to be scorched by temperatures up to 14C above average this week with Brisbane expected to swelter through the mid-30s on the final day of winter next Saturday.

Temperature records have been smashed in outback Australia in the last several days and those unseasonably hot conditions will move into northern NSW and Queensland this week.

Brisbane is forecast to nudge over 30C on Monday - with a top of 31C - and will remain hot throughout the week.

According to the Bureau of Meteorology, temperatures are forecast to hit a maximum of 34C in the Queensland capital next Saturday.

It's well above the city's August mean maximum temperature of 21.8C.

Of particular importance for many in southeast Queensland, it means conditions could still be hot for kick-off in the massive NRL derby between the Brisbane Broncos and Dolphins at Suncorp Stadium at 5.30pm.

'We've got temperatures well above average across much of Queensland for the entire upcoming week into next weekend,' Bureau of Meteorology meteorologist Miriam Bradbury said on Sunday.

'Generally speaking, those temperatures will be four to 14 degrees above the August average for much of western, southern and central Queensland, as well as the southeast.

Queenslanders are expected to be sweat through a scorching end to winter this week after temperature records were smashed across the Outback (stock image)

The weather system is predicted to send nudge temperatures in Brisbane above 30C on Monday before hitting northern NSW later in the week

The unseasonably warm conditions are being driven by hot conditions in the outback which has seen records tumble.

Oodnadatta topped 39.4C on Saturday - the hottest August temperature ever recorded anywhere in South Australia.

'So we saw those really hot conditions picking up through the interior of Western Australia late last week, moving into central parts of Australia this weekend,' Ms Bradbury said.

'Impacting parts of South Australia, the Northern Territory and western Queensland.

'But as we go into the early part of this coming week, that's when we're going to start seeing that heat picking up across Queensland and Northern and NSW in particular.'

And according to the bureau, it's expected to be a hotter than average spring and summer.

'Our long range forecasts are telling the same story - they've been telling it for quite a while now, which is a very high chance of exceeding the maximum temperature,' Ms Bradbury said.

'Which means more likely than not spring and into early summer will remain above average for the most part.

The Bureau of Meteorolody expect the weather system will precede a hotter than average spring and summer (pictured, Bondi Beach)

Widespread unseasonable heat is forecast to affect Qld over the next week, these maps show the forecast maximum temperatures on Friday, and the difference compared to the August average. Heat is likely to spread towards SEQld by early next week. https://t.co/jD6i6N90SS pic.twitter.com/FoyqUlF0SQ  Bureau of Meteorology, Queensland (@BOM_Qld) August 22, 2024

'That's not to say we won't have cooler breaks within that three to six month period. We're going to get our usual weather features moving through our cold fronts, our onshore wind.

'But the overall trend for that longer term period is for warmer than average conditions.'

Meanwhile parts of south eastern Australia are expected to experience severe thunderstorms and wild weather on Sunday.

It's expected to affect Victoria, southern NSW and South Australia.

Sydney

Monday: Sunny. Winds northwesterly 15 to 25 km/h turning west to southwesterly 20 to 30 km/h during the morning then becoming westerly 15 to 20 km/h in the late afternoon. Min 17C Max 24C

Tuesday: Sunny. Light winds becoming north to northwesterly 15 to 20 km/h during the afternoon.Min 11C Max 24C

Wednesday: Sunny. Winds northwesterly 30 to 45 km/h turning westerly 35 to 55 km/h during the day then decreasing to 20 to 30 km/h during the evening. Min 17C Max 27C

Melbourne

Monday: Partly cloudy. High chance of showers about the Dandenongs, medium chance elsewhere. Winds westerly 20 to 30 km/h turning northwesterly 15 to 20 km/h in the evening. Min 12C Max 18C

Tuesday: Partly cloudy. Slight chance of a shower in the evening. Winds northerly 35 to 55 km/h. Min 11C Max 20C

Wednesday: Partly cloudy. High chance of showers, most likely in the morning and afternoon. Winds northwesterly 30 to 45 km/h tending westerly 35 to 55 km/h during the morning then decreasing to 25 to 35 km/h during the evening. Min 12C Max 17C

Brisbane

Monday: Partly cloudy. Slight chance of a shower in the west in the late morning and afternoon. Near zero chance of rain elsewhere. The chance of a thunderstorm in the late morning and afternoon. Winds north to northwesterly 15 to 20 km/h tending north to northeasterly in the early afternoon then becoming light in the evening. Min 16C Max 31C

Tuesday: Mostly sunny morning. The chance of a thunderstorm in the west in the afternoon and evening. Light winds. Min 16C Max 28C

Wednesday: Sunny. Light winds becoming north to northwesterly 15 to 25 km/h during the day then becoming light during the evening. Min 16C Max 32C

Perth

Monday: Cloudy. Medium chance of showers, most likely in the afternoon and evening. Winds north to northwesterly 25 to 35 km/h tending west to northwesterly 25 to 40 km/h during the afternoon and evening. Min 11C Max 22C

Tuesday: Cloudy. Very high chance of showers, most likely in the morning. Winds westerly 20 to 30 km/h tending southwesterly 25 to 35 km/h during the day then becoming light during the evening. Min 15C Max 20C

Wednesday: Partly cloudy. Slight chance of a shower. Light winds becoming northwesterly 15 to 20 km/h during the evening. Min 10C Max 21C

Adelaide

Monday:Partly cloudy. Medium chance of showers, most likely in the morning. Winds westerly 20 to 30 km/h becoming light in the late afternoon. Min 12C Max 18C

Tuesday: Mostly sunny day. Medium chance of showers in the evening. Winds northerly 15 to 25 km/h increasing to 25 to 35 km/h during the morning then turning west to northwesterly 30 to 45 km/h during the day. Min 11C Max 23C

Wednesday: Partly cloudy. High chance of showers, most likely in the morning and afternoon. Winds westerly 35 to 50 km/h. Min 12C Max 17C

Hobart

Monday: Partly cloudy. Medium chance of showers, most likely in the morning. Winds west to northwesterly 25 to 35 km/h. Min 10C Max 16C

Tuesday: Partly cloudy. Very high chance of showers, most likely in the evening. Winds northwesterly 35 to 50 km/h. Min 11C Max 19C

Wednesday: Cloudy. Very high chance of showers, most likely in the morning. Winds northwesterly 20 to 30 km/h turning westerly 30 to 45 km/h during the day. : Min 8C Max 13C

Canberra

Monday: Medium chance of showers, most likely in the early morning. Mostly sunny day. Winds westerly 20 to 30 km/h tending northwesterly 15 to 20 km/h in the evening. Min 6C Max 17C

Tuesday: Partly cloudy. Light winds becoming northwesterly 20 to 30 km/h during the morning. Min 3C Max 17C

Wednesday: Partly cloudy. Slight chance of a shower, most likely in the afternoon and evening. Winds northwesterly 25 to 40 km/h turning westerly 35 to 50 km/h during the afternoon. Min 9C Max 17C

Darwin

Monday: Sunny. Light winds becoming northeast to southeasterly 15 to 25 km/h in the middle of the day then tending north to northeasterly in the late afternoon. Min 24C Max 34C

Tuesday: Sunny. Light winds becoming easterly 20 to 30 km/h during the day then turning north to northeasterly 15 to 25 km/h during the afternoon. Min 23C Max 35C

Wednesday: Sunny. Light winds becoming northeast to southeasterly 15 to 25 km/h during the day then tending north to northeasterly 15 to 20 km/h during the afternoon. Min 23C Max 34C
The family of a young army hopeful who vanished without a trace have renewed a plea for information, saying 'we've suffered enough'.

The last time Kim Brassington saw her cousin Jake Lyons, it was her birthday and it seemed like he 'didn't want to get out of the car'.

'Jake is a beautiful young man, he was 20-years-old when we last saw him,' she said.

'He deserves for us to find him somehow.'

Ms Brassington braved news cameras on Sunday as Victoria Police issued a renewed appeal for information into the disappearance of Jake Lyons on the 10th anniversary of his disappearance.

The then 20-year-old was last seen at his Dandenong home on Scullin St in Melbourne's south-east on August 25, 2014.

His father Rick left for work about 9am and initially wasn't concerned when he returned home to an empty house and noticed his car was missing.

But three days later after numerous efforts to get in contact were unsuccessful, Jake was reported missing to police.

Jake Lyons (pictured) was last seen at his Dandenong home on the morning of August 25, 2014

On the 10th anniversary of his disappearance, detectives from the Missing Persons Squad are appealing for public assistance in finding Jake (pictured)

Another three days would pass before investigators found Rick's silver Holden Astra station wagon at Warner Reserve in Springvale, around the corner from where Jake previously went to school.

The car was locked with the keys under the vehicle, but police were unable to establish if he had driven himself to the reserve.

Since then there has been no trace of the missing man, with police now believing it's 'less likely' Jake remains alive.

'While his disappearance remains extremely out of character, police have never been able to establish if it is suspicious,' Missing Persons Squad Detective Acting Inspector Tony Combridge said.

'We're hopeful that today's appeal will provide us with further avenues of inquiry.

'It may be that with the passage of time someone now is able to share information with us that they weren't able to do in 2014, or in the years following.'

Acting Inspector Combridge said a friend of Jake's had told police he arrived at the Scullin St home in the afternoon after making plans to go rental hunting with Jake.

He found the front door open with no one home.

Jake (pictured as a child) was last seen at his Dandenong home on Scullin St on August 25, 2014

'It doesn't look as though he'd planned to leave at that stage,' the detective said.

'There's a number of gaps in the day he goes missing and in the days subsequent to that ... I believe there's people out there that probably know things we would like to know.'

Ms Brassington described Jake as 'kind, thoughtful and intelligent', noting he had dreams to join the army.

She said he had previously lived with her and her partner but before his disappearance had suddenly expressed a desire to move back in with his father.

Jake had been seeing a counsellor for depression, but Ms Brassington says she had seen 'some positivity'.

'Ten years of stress worry anxiety - it's a nightmare,' she said.

'His father wakes up every morning and has to deal with this and it's really hard not knowing where your child is or has he been hurt.'

There has been no trace of the missing man, with police now believing it's 'less likely' Jake remains alive (pictured, Missing Persons Squad Detective Acting Inspector Tony Combridge)

Kim Brassington (pictured) described Jake, her cousin, as 'kind, thoughtful and intelligent', noting he had dreams to join the army

Ms Brassington asked for anyone with information, no matter how small, to contact police.

'Please come forward and bring our family some peace we've suffered long enough,' she said.

Anyone with information has been urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or online.
A black American comedian has been cancelled by a north London council following a row over a joke he made in Edinburgh comparing Israel with an 'abusive spouse'.

Reginal D Hunter was performing at the internationally renowned festival when he was interrupted by two people who are well known for their support of the Israeli state.

The activists claimed that Mr Hunter was 'anti-Semitic' and walked out of his performance in Edinburgh, leading to the current row.

Mr Hunter was investigated by Police Scotland following his performance, who later dropped the probe.

US comic Reginald D Hunter has seen several gigs cancelled by council officials following a recent performance in Edinburgh

Mr Hunter, pictured, compared the Israeli government with an abusive spouse

A gig in the Scottish town of Giffnock was cancelled as a result of the row. Now Harrow council has also cancelled the American comedian following the controversy.

Police Scotland investigated the original joke and told MailOnline: ' 'All information gathered was fully reviewed and no crime was established.'

Hunter had been performing his new standup show 'Fluffy Fluffy Beavers' at Edinburgh Fringe when he made a quip about how watching a recent Channel 5 documentary about domestic abuse had made him think of Israel.

But when two Israeli audience members had objected to the joke, they were reportedly sworn at, called 'genocidal' and told 'you're not welcome' by fellow spectators shouting 'Free Palestine'.

Hunter has taken to X to apologise for his part in the incident, claiming it is part of his job as a comedian to 'push boundaries'.

The comedian from Albany in the US state of Georgia, who has lived in the UK since 1997, insisted that he is 'staunchly anti-war and anti-bully' after the backlash he received following the incident.

Hunter was set to perform in Giffnock on September 28, but East Renfrewshire Council said it had taken the decision 'to cancel Eastwood Park Theatre's show featuring Reginald D Hunter'.

They added: 'We have a commitment to our community, and to our values of diversity and inclusion, which we take seriously.'

A Harrow Council spokesperson said: 'We champion arts and culture in Harrow and strongly support freedom of speech. However, we also take seriously our duty to foster good relations with people, something we take great pride of in Harrow.

'Recent comments and events relating to Reginald D Hunter do not reflect our values of diversity, inclusion, and good community relations. We were also particularly concerned of reports about the treatment of audience members at his recent show in Edinburgh. We have therefore taken the decision to remove this act from the mixed bill comedy show at Harrow Arts Centre on October 11.'
Generation Z diners don't want to speak to waiters in restaurants and prefer to order and pay via mobile apps, a cafe boss has claimed.

Tom James, managing director of the chain Bill's, said a growing number of younger customers do not want to engage with waiters because they have 'grown up' communicating through their phones and devices.

In an attempt to modernise its restaurants and appeal to Gen-Z customers, the casual dining business has recently installed several technological upgrades - including self-service kiosks and QR codes.

Mr James said in some sites, especially in central London, more than 50 per cent of customers were already choosing to pay digitally.

He told The Times: 'It's definitely a way that a big portion of the market would like to go out and eat.

'It goes against hospitality and, as a sort of old-school hospitality veteran, it's different. But we have to adapt.'

A growing number of younger customers do not want to engage with waiters because they have 'grown up' communicating through their phones and devices (pictured: A TikToker posts a video showing her displeasure at having to speak to a waiter)

Tom James, managing director of the chain Bill's, said in some of the company's sites, especially in central London , more than 50 per cent of customers were already choosing to pay digitally (stock image)

Self-service kiosks have been regularly seen in many restaurant chains such as McDonalds and Leons for a number of years now, leading campaigners to warn that older diners who are more comfortable with face-to-face contact may end up effectively locked out.

Mr James insisted Bill's would not lose its focus on traditional hospitality and stressed wait staff would remain on hand in restaurants for customers who want to do things the traditional way.

He also claimed their self-service kiosks would be 'much more subtle' than those found in fast food chains, adding: 'That personal interaction, that creating experience in a moment, is the single most important thing for us in the business. However, you have to offer the alternative now.'

Bill's has also introduced a wider range of non-alcoholic drinks and cocktails to lure Gen-Z diners to its sites, after a recent report found 21 per cent of under-25s said they avoided booze completely last year.

Tables and menus have also been revamped to be more social-media friendly, whilst a company TikTok was launched and led to 'huge positive results'.

Mr James said: 'The other side of it was consciously knowing how important social media is to Gen Z. We started again and looked at everything from crockery, how the dishes look on the plate, knowing that it's not only about great dishes, it's how they look on social media channels.'

The restaurant boss also claimed reservation numbers had been boosted in the last two years after it begun using AI chatbots instead of human staff to take bookings.

The Bill's boss claimed Generation Z diners don't want to speak to waiters in restaurants and prefer to order and pay via mobile apps

In an attempt to modernise its restaurants and appeal to Gen-Z customers, Bill's has recently installed several technological upgrades - including self-service kiosks and QR codes

Self-service kiosks have been regularly seen in many restaurant chains such as McDonalds (pictured) for a number of years now

Bill's, currently owned by billionaire restaurant tycoon Richard Caring, began its life as a grocery store in Lewes, Sussex, named after founder Bill Collison.

Before the Covid pandemic, Bill's was struggling to attract diners and was forced to close dozens of sites in recent years after Mr Carling admitted the brand had become 'tired'.

But today it operates around 45 sites across the country and saw sales figures of 92.6million in 2023. These numbers continue to rise by 3.4 per cent in the first half of 2024, the company said this week.

Mr James said: 'Part one was the rebrand and how we present ourselves, much more vital and colourful and going after families and Gen Z. Part two was just a really forensic approach to every cost.'

He also highlights that as many of it's competitors pushed steep price increases on its customers during the cost-of-living crisis, Bill's barely raised theirs.

The company now plans to open two new sites, in Milton Keynes and Street, Somerset, before the end of the year.

This is ahead of a wider expansion next year, which will see a combination of traditional Bill's restaurants and new cafe bar-style sites which will focus on sharing dishes, cakes, pastries, coffee and draught beer rather than just sit-down meals.
Israel has launched a series of pre-emptive air strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon in a major escalation amid plans for a large-scale attack.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed that Tel Aviv will 'harm whoever harms us' as the Middle East teeters on the brink of all-out war.

Defence Minister Yoav Gallant declared a 48-hour state of emergency across Israel after Hezbollah said it had fired more than 320 Katyusha rockets.

The Iranian-backed group had been promising to retaliate for Israel's assassination of a top commander late last month. Israeli outlet Haaretz reported that Hezbollah aimed to his military intelligence and Mossad bases in central Israel overnight.

The IDF has today launched two rounds of missiles at southern Lebanon, with the second coming hours after about 100 fighter jets 'struck and destroyed thousands of Hezbollah rocket launcher barrels' aimed at northern Israel. The military also released black-and-white images showing smoke rising from what it said was a strike on southern Lebanon.

The second set of strikes hit 'Hezbollah launchers in several areas in southern Lebanon to remove threats.'

Despite the major escalation, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz has said the country 'does not seek an all-out war' in the region and that it is 'acting to protect its citizens and territory' against an 'axis of evil' led by Iran.

At least three people were killed in the strikes on Lebanon. The Lebanese health ministry added that two people - a Lebanese man and a Syrian man - were also being treated for injuries.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed that Tel Aviv will 'harm whoever harms us' as the Middle East teeters on the brink of all-out war

This photo taken from a position in northern Israel shows a Hezbollah UAV intercepted by Israeli air forces over north Israel

Smoke billows from an area targeted by an Israeli airstrike between the southern Lebanese border villages of Zibqin and Yater

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C) and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant (second right) are pictured at a military base in Tel Aviv amid plans for a large-scale attack

An Israeli fighter jet ejects flares over an area near the Lebanon-Israel border

The attack came as Egypt hosts a new round of talks aimed at ending Israel's war against Hamas, now in its 11th month

Health minister Firass Abiad said it was 'too early to tell' if the death and injury toll would rise but said that Israel's attack had mostly hit 'forested and open areas.'

Separately, Hezbollah confirmed that one of its fighters, Ayman Kamel Idriss, was killed in the southern Lebanese town of Khiam during a car strike.

Air raid sirens were reported throughout northern Israel, and Israel's Ben-Gurion International Airport began diverting incoming flights and delaying takeoffs.

Though many flights departing Ben-Gurion have been cancelled, many are still scheduled to leave on time, according to the airport's flight board.

Flights to and from Beirut Rafic Hariri international airport remain suspended, however, amid Israeli strikes.

IDF Colonel Nadav Shoshani said Hezbollah had intended to hit targets in northern and central Israel.

He said initial assessments found 'very little damage' in Israel, but that the military remained on high alert.

One video, reportedly taken in the city of Acre, around 11 miles from the border with Lebanon, showed what appeared to be a family's home partially destroyed by a Hezbollah missile.

Hezbollah announced it had launched an attack on Israel with a 'large number of drones' as an initial response to the killing of Fouad Shukur, a top commander with the group, in a strike in Beirut's southern suburbs last month.

One video, reportedly taken in the city of Acre, around 11 miles from the border with Lebanon, showed what appeared to be a family's home partially destroyed by a Hezbollah missile

A view shows smoke on the Lebanese side of the border with Israel, as a man stands at a beach in Tyre, amid ongoing cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces

Smoke billows from an area targeted by an Israeli airstrike on the southerm Lebanese village of Khiam on August 25, 2024

It said the attack was targeting 'a qualitative Israeli military target that will be announced later' as well as 'targeting a number of enemy sites and barracks and Iron Dome platforms'.

But just before 8am, the proscribed terror group said that its planned attack on Israel 'has been completed and accomplished.'

Hezbollah Israel's comments that its strikes were pre-emptive were 'empty', claiming that they 'contradict the facts on the ground and will be refuted' later today.

Hezbollah added, referring to Israel: 'We will take revenge on the criminals.

'These military operations will take some time to complete, after which a detailed statement will be issued about their course and objectives.

'The Islamic Resistance in Lebanon is now and at this moment at the highest level of readiness, and will stand strong and watchful against any Zionist transgression or aggression, especially if civilians are harmed, the punishment will be severe and very harsh.'

Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasralla is set to address the shock attack at 3pm today in a televised speech.

A black-and-white image shows a blast and smoke rising from what the Israeli military said was a strike at a location given as southern Lebanon

The attack came as Egypt hosts a new round of talks aimed at ending Israel's war against Hamas, now in its 11th month

The attack came as Egypt hosts a new round of talks aimed at ending Israel's war against Hamas, now in its 11th month. Hezbollah has said it will halt the fighting if there is a ceasefire.

Israeli said today it still plans to send a delegation to Cairo for ceasefire talks with Hamas. Hamas leaders are also in the Egyptian capital, but it is not currently known whether they will take part in talks, following the attacks.

In a message to his country, Netanyahu said: 'Early in the morning we identified Hezbollah's preparations to attack Israel. In consultation with the Minister of Defense and the Chief of Staff, we instructed the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) to act proactively to remove the threat.

'The IDF has since been working vigorously to thwart the threats. It destroyed thousands of rockets aimed at the north of the country. It also thwarts many other threats and operates with great power, both in defence and attack.

'I ask you, citizens of Israel, to follow the directives of the Home Front Command. We are determined to do everything possible to protect our country, to return the residents of the north safely to their homes and to continue to uphold a simple rule:

'Whoever harms us  we harm him.'

He added: 'Most of our activity at the moment is in southern Lebanon, but we will attack anywhere, anywhere in Lebanon where there is a threat to the State of Israel.'

A Hezbollah unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) crossing from Lebanon gets intercepted by an Israeli fighter jet over an area near the Lebanon-Israel border, as seen from northern Israel, 25 August 2024

Telegram footage showed missiles being lobbed across the border in the early hours of the morning

Last week, Israel's defence minister said he was moving more troops towards the Lebanese border in anticipation of possible fighting with the Iranian-backed group.

Israel's military spokesman, rear admiral Daniel Hagari, said: 'In a self-defence act to remove these threats, the (Israeli military) is striking terror targets in Lebanon, from which Hezbollah was planning to launch their attacks on Israeli civilians.'

'We can see that Hezbollah is preparing to launch an extensive attack on Israel while endangering the Lebanese civilians,' he added, without providing details.

'We warn the civilians located in the areas where Hezbollah is operating to move out of harm's way immediately for their own safety.'

His foreign minister, Israel Katz, later added that the nation 'will do whatever it takes to protect citizens.'

He also called for its allies to 'support Israel against the Iranian axis of evil and its proxies, led by Hezbollah.

'I informed [other foreign ministers] that Israel acted after definitively identifying a large-scale planned attack of missiles and drones by the Hezbollah terrorist organisation against targets in Israel, and we delivered a preemptive strike to prevent the assault and protect Israeli citizens and territory.

'Israel is confronting the axis of evil led by Iran, which has the explicit aim of destroying Israel.

Israel's military spokesman, rear admiral Daniel Hagari, said: 'In a self-defence act to remove these threats, the (Israeli military) is striking terror targets in Lebanon'

'We do not seek a full-scale warbut we will do whatever it takes to protect our citizens.'

Lebanese media reported strikes in the country's south without immediately providing more details. Social media footage showed what appeared to be strikes in southern Lebanon.

Israeli media cited the Israel Airports Authority for news of the flight cancellations. Flight-tracking data showed at least two El Al flights swinging far south and diverting after the announcement.

As the world wakes up this morning, global leaders are already raising concerns over the escalating tensions between Hezbollah and Israel.

The UN has described the latest developments as 'worrying', and has called all sides to agree to a ceasefire.

The UK's Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Pat McFadden, told Sky News he was 'very concerned' with the developments in the Middle East.

'This is a major escalation. Even as this unfolds, the UK government and the international community would urge all parties not to escalate further and to avoid a major regional war.

Smoke and fire on the Lebanese side of the border with Israel, after Israel said it had noted armed group Hezbollah preparing to attack Israel and had carried out pre-emptive strikes on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon

An Israeli house was hit as Hezbollah said it had fired more than 320 rockets towards Israel

'That is the real danger facing the area. We hope this doesn't turn out to be that.

'We hope that afterwards we can de-escalate the situation but we're very concerned about what's happening there, very concerned for the people there,' he added.

'We hope that this is not a long-term outbreak of major hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah.'

Egypt, meanwhile, has warned of the dangers of opening up a new front in the Middle East war, and called for stability.

Hezbollah began attacking Israel almost immediately after the war with Hamas erupted on October 7 with a Hamas cross-border attack.

Israel and Hezbollah have been exchanging fire nearly daily, displacing tens of thousands of people on both sides of the border and raising fears that the fighting could escalate into all-out war.

But until Sunday, both sides have been careful to avoid a broader conflagration.

Smoke rises from the southern Lebanese town of Khiam, amid ongoing cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces

A phone call lured Hezbollah chief Fuad Shukr (pictured) towards the top of a Beirut building he was in minutes before he was assassinated by an Israeli airstrike last month

This photo taken from a position in northern Israel shows an Israeli Air Force fighter jet firing flares as it flies to intercept a hostile aircraft that launched from Lebanon over the border area with south Lebanon on August 25, 2024

Israeli military Chief of General Staff Herzi Halevi directs an operation, at a location given as Tel Aviv, Israel, in this screen grab from video released August 25, 2024

Rockets fired from southern Lebanon are intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome air defence system over the Upper Galilee region in northern Israel on August 23, 2024

This photo taken on Aug. 23, 2024 shows the smoke caused by an Israeli shelling in Khiam, Lebanon

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei meets with Ismail Haniyeh (L) before Israel's lethal strike on the Hamas leader in Tehran, Iran July 30, 2024

Hezbollah is considered much more powerful than its ally, Hamas, with an estimated arsenal of arsenal of 150,000 rockets and missiles, including precision-guided missiles.

In recent months the group has also stepped up its use of drones, against which Israel is less well-equipped to defend.

Netanyahu's office said he and his defence minister, Yoav Gallant, were managing the latest operation from military headquarters in Tel Aviv.

Mr Gallant declared a 'special situation on the home front' and Mr Netanyahu's Security Cabinet was set to meet later today.
Danny Boyle has been banned from filming a 'profane' zombie movie at a 14th century Gothic Church.

The director, best known for films including Slumdog Millionaire and T2 Trainspotting, has been told he can't shoot his upcoming sequel to 28 Days Later at the Church of St Mary the Virgin in Morpeth, Northumberland.

His application to use the Grade I Listed site to film his new project was refused by a Church court, who said the movie would 'offend' Church doctrines and 'profane' the house of God.

St Mary's had previously been used as a set for an episode of ITV crime drama Vera.

Danny Boyle has been told he cannot film his upcoming sequel to 28 Days Later at a 14th century Gothic church

A ecclesiastical court has blocked the director from using Church of St Mary the Virgin in Morpeth, Northumberland saying the zombie film would 'offend' Church doctrines

Mr Boyle's plans were backed by both St Mary's' vicar and warden but was refused by ecclesiastical body the Consistory Court of the Diocese of Newcastle.

He was intending to use the historic building to shoot a number of important scenes in the film, which stars Jodie Comer, Cillian Murphy and Ralph Fiennes, the Telegraph reported.

The film's producers, DNA films, including supervising location manager Camilla Stephenson, had said the church would be the backdrop to a 'post-apocalyptic world in which people are largely infected by a 'rage' virus which leads them to violence'.

The church's rector, Reverend Simon White supported the proposals, saying he didn't believe shooting the movie would detriment either the parish or the diocese.

Jodie Comer shooting the sequel to 28 Days Later in Northumberland

He agreed to submit an application to the diocesan advisory committee along with churchwarden Dr Andrew Mowat.

But they were overruled by the Archdeacon of LIndisfarne, who advised parishes in her area to refuse the requests.

The film had been noted by members of the Parochial Church Council (PCC) to be 'very violent and gory' while not promoting or glorifying evil or violence.
Britain has this morning been engulfed with a huge cloud of sulphur dioxide spread from the volcanic eruption in Iceland, according to a weather map.

A huge cloud of SO2 completely covered the country by 4am with it still covering half of the UK at 8.45am, data by Czech weather portal Windy showed.

SO2 is predominantly produced from the combustion of coal or crude oil but volcanoes also produce huge quantities of it when they erupt.

Inhaling the gas can cause symptoms such as a sore throat, coughing, a runny nose, burning eyes, tight lungs and difficulty breathing.

The colourless gas has an irritating pungent odour (familiar as the smell of a just-struck match) and can also cause stinging pain, redness and blisters when it comes in contact with the skin.

Have YOU been affected? Email matt.strudwick@mailonline.co.uk

Weather maps show a huge cloud of Sulphur dioxide (SO2), spat out by the recent volcanic eruptions in Iceland, moving across to completely cover the country by 4am

The colourless gas has been swirling around northern Europe and parts of Scandinavia this morning

Aerial view of the lava flow from the eruption of a volcano in the Reykjanes Peninsula near Grindavik on Thursday

Prof Simon Carn, of Michigan Technological University, wrote on X: 'Another batch of #volcanic SO en route to the #UK / #Ireland, courtesy of the latest #eruption on #Iceland 's #Reykjanes peninsula. Might cause some local #AirQuality impacts in the coming days. @eddy_weather @ScottishEPA.'

Direct exposure to SO2 is associated with asthma and chronic bronchitis, with the SO2 emitted from coal burning during the London smog in 1952 playing a key role in the thousands of respiratory-related deaths at the time.

SO2 can also combine with water vapour in the earth's atmosphere to form acid rain that can travel large distances.

Elderly people are particularly vulnerable to SO2 inhalation, while charity Asthma and Lung UK say more people with asthma are admitted to hospital with asthma attacks when there are high levels of the gas.

Young children may also be more sensitive to the effects of SO2 due to their smaller size, a government document reads.

In June, experts said a non-explosive fissure on the Reykjanes Peninsula in Iceland may have caused an 'unprecedented' spike in SO2 levels in Edinburgh not seen since the 1970s.

UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology's senior air pollution modeller, Dr Massimo Vieno, said there was likely to be 'minimal' damage to the environment, reported the BBC.

He said: 'This was an extremely unusual event that happened for a very short period of time.

'We basically had a large explosion in Iceland, which combined with exactly the right configuration of wind to bring the plume from the Reykjanes Peninsula to Scotland and to Edinburgh specifically.

'It is a very unique event'.

The plumes of dangerous smog floated over from Iceland after a volcano in the Reykjanes Peninsula near Grindavik erupted on Thursday.

The eruption had been expected for a few weeks due to the ongoing seismic activity in the area and due to pressure changes in boreholes.

Reports said rescue teams had been called up in Reykjanes and Olfus, as thousands of people in Grindavik and the Blue Lagoon had to be evacuated.

Lava pours out of the new fissure on the Reykjanes Peninsula, near the town of Grindavik

Lava spurts and flows after the eruption of a volcano in the Reykjanes Peninsula near Grindavik

Local authorities told residents to stay away from the area for their own safety and for the safety of emergency services.

MailOnline previously reported that Iceland had been rocked by eight volcanic eruptions since 2021 that have sent citizens fleeing from their homes.

An international team of scientists studied lava samples and seismic data from the last three years of eruptions.

They discovered that the peninsula is sat on an interconnected magma plumbing system that could keep volcanoes fed with molten rock for decades to come.

Lead author Valentin Troll, professor of petrology at Uppsala University, says: 'A comparison of these eruptions with historical events provides strong evidence that Iceland will have to prepare and be ready for this volcanic episode to continue for some time, possibly even years to decades.'

Over several points in the past six months, thousands of Icelanders were evacuated from their homes in the town of Grindavik and the surrounding areas due to their proximity to the volcano on the Reykjanes peninsula

Lava fountains seen pouring out from the new eruptive fissure opened at Svartsengi volcanic system overnight

Iceland is located directly above something called the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a boundary between the tectonic plates of Eurasia and North America.

As these plates drift apart, hot rock from Earth's mantle, the largest of the planet's layers, can squeeze its way up to the surface.

This makes volcanic eruptions a fairly common part of life, with one occurring about once every three to five years.
NASA has chosen Elon Musk's SpaceX program to rescue astronauts stranded in space.

The move is a humiliating blow to aerospace giant Boeing, whose Starliner spacecraft carried Commander Barry 'Butch' Wilmore and pilot Sunita 'Suni' Williams to the International Space Station (ISS).

Both seasoned pilots have been stuck at the ISS since the end of June, when they arrived for what should have been an weeklong test flight.

The pair will now have to wait until next year for SpaceX to pick them up, by which time they will have spent eight months in space.

Their empty Starliner capsule is set to undock early next month and will attempt to return on autopilot and land in the New Mexico desert.

Elon Musk's SpaceX has been chosen by NASA to rescue two pilots stuck at the International Space Station next year

Commander Barry 'Butch' Wilmore and pilot Sunita 'Suni' Williams have been stranded at the ISS since June due to technical issues with Boeing's Starliner

The troubled Starliner (docked to the ISS's Harmony module) will attempt to return on autopilot and land in the New Mexico desert next month

Its trip to the space station was marred by thruster failures and helium leaks, as the troubled capsule ended up leaving the pilots in a holding pattern, as engineers deliberated over how to manage their return.

Former military test pilots Mr Wilmore, 61, and Ms Williams, 58, were the first crew members to use the Starliner when they left for the ISS on June 5.

The firms bid to send Mr Wilmore and Ms Williams to the ISS went 1.1billion overbudget, with its craft taking longer to build than SpaceXs model, pictured below.

They will now have to wait for SpaceX's routine taxi flight, which is due to launch in late September.

It will carry two astronauts instead of the usual two for a normal six-month stay at the ISS.

A SpaceX capsule is currently docked at the space station, but is reserved for four other residents who have been there since March, who are set to return in September, having had their stay extended by a month due to the Starliner issues.

Another capsule, the Russian Soyuz, has room for three astronauts - two of which are Russians finishing a year at the ISS.

Erik Seedhouse, a professor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, said it was very embarrassing for Boeing.

The former military test pilots have said they 'have no complaints' and were enjoying helping with space station work

Mr Wilmore and Ms Williams boarding the ISS after docking in with the Boeing Starliner on June 6

The veteran pilots said they had confidence in the thruster testing being conducted.

During their only orbital news conference last month, the pair said they had no complaints and were enjoying helping with space station work.

The troubled capsule is yet another blow for Boeing which has also faced multiple technical issues on its aeronautical side.

Scrutiny over its manufacturing processes increased following the crash of two 737 MAX aircraft - Lion Air Flight 610 in 2018 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 in early 2019.

The company then experienced manufacturing delays after discovering improperly drilled holes in aft pressure bulkheads on certain aircraft last year.

Concerns mounted further after an emergency door blew out on Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 in January. The door systems were initially made by Spirit AeroSystems.

Boeing also faced allegations in April from a whistleblower engineer that it was cutting corners in the manufacture of its 777 and 787 aircraft. The company denied the claims that it was not filling tiny gaps in the fuselage which could potentially cause a plane to break up in mid air.

NASA has stood by its decision to delay the pilots' return until next year

Boeing has also faced issues on its aeronautical side - including delays to the manufacture of 737 MAX aircraft due to design defects

NASA bosses have stood by the decision to delay the astronauts' return until next year.

A test flight by nature is neither safe nor routine,' said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. 'And so the decision ... is a commitment to safety.'

'This has not been an easy decision, but it is absolutely the right one,' added Jim Free, NASA's associate administrator.

Nelson insisted however that the NASA hadn't deserted Boeing, saying he is '100%' sure that the Starliner will fly again.

A spokesperson for Boeing said: 'Boeing continues to focus, first and foremost, on the safety of the crew and spacecraft.

'We are executing the mission as determined by NASA, and we are preparing the spacecraft for a safe and successful uncrewed return.'
Sir Keir Starmer has been dragged further into a cronyism row, after it was reported that a millionaire TV mogul who donated half a million pounds to the Labour party has now been given 'unrestricted' access to Downing Street.

Lord Waheed Alli, the first openly gay peer in the House of Lords, was given a security pass to Number 10, allowing him unrestricted access to the heart of power in the UK.

Lord Alli led the fundraising charge for the Labour Party in the leadup to the election, and has himself donated hundreds of thousands of pounds. He has also provided clothes and accommodation for Sir Keir himself.

But his unfettered access to Downing Street has raised eyebrows in Whitehall, the Sunday Times reports. It is rare for donors to receive a pass for Number 10, with access usually being restricted to civil servants, advisers and close family members of the Prime Minister.

A civil service source told the newspaper that decision to give Alli a pass was a mystery to everyone in Downing Street, save for the donor himself and whoever granted it.

Lord Waheed Alli (pictured) was given a security pass to Number 10, allowing him unrestricted access to the heart of power in the UK

Sir Keir Starmer (pictured) is already in the middle of a growing row over alleged cronyism

Speaking to Sky News on Sunday, Cabinet minister Pat McFadden said that, while Lord Alli may have had a pass 'for a short time' immediately after the election, he no longer has one.

He said: 'I don't think it's unusual for people to have passes to attend political meetings if they need to do so.

'I don't think he's got the pass now but he may have had one in the past.'

There is no suggestion that Lord Alli has broken any rules. But it comes amid a growing row over jobs in the Civil Service being given to Labour donors.

Ian Corfield, who has donated 20,000 to the party over the past decade, including 5,000 to Chancellor Rachel Reeves, was given a temporary job as the Treasury's director of investment.

On Saturday, it emerged that Mr Corfield would now be working as an unpaid adviser rather than a salaried civil servant, and the Conservatives urged the Prime Minister's ethics adviser to investigate his appointment.

Others with ties to Labour or Labour-supporting think tanks have also been appointed to Civil Service roles, prompting complaints from the opposition about the politicisation of the usually impartial bureaucracy.
The MI5 was 'actively tasking' Britain's top IRA spy 'Stakeknife' with missions throughout his time as the Army's prized informant, unearthed documents have shown.

It is at odds with the security service's previous position that it only became involved with the double agent, widely believed to be Belfast man Freddie Scappaticci, in 2003 when he was placed into witness protection.

But the cache of documents reveal the MI5 had been tasking him with assignments and intelligence targets since the early 1980s, reported The Times.

Hundreds of new documents were disclosed by the MI5 eight years after a 40million major police investigation, under the codename Operation Kenova, began to examine the role of Stakeknife.

A damning interim report published in March found the Army's 'golden goose' had probably cost more lives than he saved during the Troubles with Stakeknife linked to the 'execution' of at least 14 people and the kidnap and torture of many more.

The MI5 was 'actively tasking' Britain's top IRA spy 'Stakeknife' with missions throughout his time as the Army's prized informant, unearthed documents reveal

It is at odds with the security service's previous position that it only became involved with the double agent, widely believed to be Belfast man Freddie Scappaticci (pictured), in 2003 when he was placed into witness protection.

Hundreds of new documents were disclosed by the MI5 eight years after a 40million major police investigation, under the codename Operation Kenova, began to examine the role of Stakeknife

A source close to Operation Kenova said Stakeknife was being instructed by the MI5 through the Army to 'go around and gather further information or ask certain questions'.

'[They would say] 'can you find out more about this chap? Can you ask these questions of these people?' Then that would then get reported back to the service,' the source said.

'It's not just that they were aware of him. They were actively tasking [him] through the army when he was out and about in Northern Ireland.'

Scappaticci was one of the leading figures in the so-called 'nutting squad', the ruthless IRA internal security unit which interrogated and often killed suspected informers.

The bricklayer had always denied he was Stakeknife. He died last April aged 77, taking his secrets to the grave.

Sir Iain Livingstone, who is leading Kenova, raised 'great concerns' two weeks ago in a letter to Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn about the MI5's latest disclosure.

Sir Iain said the material had appeared to 'cast doubt' on the documents and witness statements already provided to Kenova, including 'information provided by the security service around the dates when they became aware of the agent Stakeknife'.

Northern Ireland's former police ombudsman and a member of Kenova's steering committee, Baroness Nuala O'Loan, blasted MI5 and accused the service of acting 'appallingly'.

In his report, Jon Boutcher (pictured) says Stakeknife - who received 80,000 a year from the taxpayer - was 'undoubtedly a valuable asset who provided high quality intelligence about PIRA [the Provisional IRA] at considerable risk to himself

'Freddie' Scappaticci pictured at the 1987 funeral of IRA man Larry Marley

Former police ombudsman for Northern Ireland, Baroness Nuala O'Loan accused MI5 and accused the service of acting 'appallingly'

'This could be retraumatising [for the victims' families]... I think it is absolutely disgraceful,' she said.

Former MI5 director general Baroness Eliza Manningham-Buller said in March after the interim report was published that the Stakeknife operation was a 'disgraceful case' and she would have 'aborted' it.

'If you abandon ethics and say anything goes, you become like the people you are trying to penetrate and you have to maintain that sense of proportion, necessity, the law etc,' she said.

But she told The Rest Is Politics podcast MI5 wasn't aware of Stakeknife until they had responsibility for resettling him.

'I did not have knowledge of the agent known as "Stakeknife" who was run by the army, when he was in place,' she said.

'This was in line with "need-to-know principles". It is now clear to me that MI5 had some limited knowledge, earlier than I had previously understood.

'As has been made clear previously, MI5 was not responsible for how "Stakeknife" was recruited and run as an agent.'

Despite not identifying Scappaticci as Stakeknife, the interim report described him as 'a critical person of interest' who was central to Operation Kenova.

For decades, myth and intrigue have swirled around the killings linked to Stakeknife, regarded as the 'jewel in the crown' of British intelligence efforts to infiltrate the Republican terror group in the 1980s and 90s.

In 2003 his identity was unmasked as Freddie Scappaticci, the son of Italian immigrants from South Belfast, resulting in his fleeing Northern Ireland.

He denied being a British agent right up until his death in 2023, spending his final years in hiding under a new identity in the Home Counties.

Notorious for his brutality, Scappaticci rose to become second in command of the IRA's feared ISU, which was tasked with identifying informers  or 'touts'  within the terror group's ranks.

Scappaticci denied being Stakeknife but it is now widely accepted that he was

Scappaticci walking behind Gerry Adams (right) at the 1988 funeral of IRA man Brendan Davidson

The Daily Mail's reports on Stakeknife when he was unmasked in 2003

They were nicknamed the Nutting Squad for the punishment meted out on those deemed to have betrayed the Republican cause  a bullet in the head, or 'nut'.

A key issue since his exposure has been whether Scappaticci's Army handlers failed to pass on intelligence which could have saved the lives of those condemned in order to avoid compromising the identity of their most prized source.

Some of those who died as a result were themselves lower-level British agents or informers, it has long been alleged.

In his report, Jon Boutcher says Stakeknife - who received 80,000 a year from the taxpayer - was 'undoubtedly a valuable asset who provided high quality intelligence about PIRA [the Provisional IRA] at considerable risk to himself'.

However this intelligence 'was not always passed on or acted upon and, if more of it had been, he could not have remained in place as long as he did'.

The report says it has examined 90 per cent of Stakeknife's surviving reports and concluded that the number of lives saved by information he supplied is 'between high single figures and low double figures and nowhere near [the] hundreds sometimes claimed'.

This 'does not take account of the lives lost as a consequence of Stakeknife's continued operation as an agent', therefore it is 'probable that this resulted in more lives being lost than saved'.

Mr Boutcher's report says 'nothing' in his report can be taken as confirmation that Scappaticci was Stakeknife.

Scappaticci is believed to have lived for some time near Worplesdon Road in Guildford, Surrey

It describes the situation in which the security services and police were operating between the 1970s and 90s in Northern Ireland as 'uniquely challenging'.

But now the conflict has ended, it is time that 'the law should recover its voice and the truth should be spoken aloud', both in relation to crimes from the Troubles which remain unsolved and the reasons why they were not solved at the time, it says.

Mr Boutcher said it was 'likely that his crimes as an agent resulted in more lives being lost than were saved'.

He said his report 'leaves little doubt that the Republican leadership was responsible for numerous dreadful crimes, many of which the Government failed to prevent'.

'The Government and Republican leadership now need to acknowledge their roles in this awful section of history and both should apologise to families,' he added.

Kenova's long anticipated final report was due to be published before Christmas but now will be delayed until 2025 so MI5's documents can be assessed.
Swimming gold medalist Rebecca Adlington has revealed the heartbreak she went through with her family after the death of her stillborn daughter last year.

The former Olympian told the Sunday Times she 'hated my body' after her third child, Harper, was stillborn at 20 weeks in October.

She also 'couldn't help blaming myself' after finding out her baby had died in the womb at the 20-week scan, before then having to give birth by induced labour.

Adlington, 35, appeared on television screens this summer as a BBC swimming commentator for the Paris Olympics and won gold for the 400m and 800m freestyle in Beijing in 2008 and bronzes in the same events London 2012.

Speaking about the traumatic incident, she said: 'I couldn't help blaming myself. You analyse everything, but I'd done everything by the book  sleeping on my left side, not lying on my back, not eating this and that, no alcohol  and then this still happened.

The former Olympian (pictured on social media in 2023) said she 'hated my body' after her third child, Harper, was stillborn at 20 weeks in October

The former competitive swimmer announced she lost her daughter Harper in a devastating late miscarriage in October 2023 - after she lost another child at 12 weeks in 2022

The 35-year-old won gold for the 400m and 800m freestyle in Beijing in 2008 and bronzes in the same events London 2012

'It was very hard for me to accept. I'm very logical so I wanted to find out why this had happened, but the post-mortem [in May] showed there was no reason; sometimes things just happen. I have to come to terms with that somehow and stop obsessing about it.'

Adlington's family - husband Andy Parsons, their son Albie, three; and Summer, nine, her daughter from a previous marriage - have planted a cherry tree outside their home in Harper's memory and have her handprint framed on the wall.

The swimmer said both of her children were 'so involved' in the pregnancy, and still talk about their sister in a 'not really sad, emotional way but really matter of factly'.

Adlington, who also suffered a miscarriage at 12 weeks in 2022 after which she was hospitalised with sepsis, revealed her and Parsons had received counselling together and were 'not in a place to get pregnant now'.

She added: 'Afterwards I hated my body because it couldn't keep Harper alive. I felt it had let me down and I didn't look after myself: I wasn't exercising and eating badly.'

'It was only about four months ago I managed to pull myself out of the darkness a bit. I thought, "Right, I have two kids I have to be around for as long as possible." But it's something that will always be here.'

Originally from Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, Adlington and Parsons met on dating app Bumble in 2018, two years after the swimmer split from her ex husband Harry Needs.

Parsons works as a facilities manager, previously working as a sales assistant at Disneyland Paris and a project manager at a property management company.

The couple quickly fell in love and he moved from Liverpool to live with Adlington in Manchester in 2019.

Her return to work as a pundit this summer in the French capital pleased her family. And viewers were charmed by her enthusiastic and deep insights alongside Clare Balding and the former Olympic swimmer Mark Foster.

Rebecca Adlington has said she'll 'never get over her miscarriage' as she discussed the 'tough' year her family have had

Adlington's family - husband Andy Parsons (left), their son Albie, three (centre); and Summer, nine (right), have planted a cherry tree outside their home in Harper's memory

Adlington said her and Parsons (pictured showing off their wedding rings) were now both receiving counselling together and were 'not in a place to get pregnant now'

Adlington won two gold medals at the 2008 Olympics and two bronze medals at London 2012

Viewers were charmed by her enthusiastic and deep insights alongside Clare Balding and the former Olympic swimmer Mark Foster at the Paris Olympics

Adlington was one of the first public figures to be brutally trolled for her appearance after being thrown into the spotlight following her double Olympic triumph in Beijing, a reaction she described as 'baffling'.

Speaking about that period, Britain's most successful female swimmer said: 'I was like: "Guys, I'm not trying to be a model." Nobody said I need to be pretty to swim, the two just don't combine. I don't need to be stick thin. I need to be strong. I need to be powerful. I need to get my body through the water in the most efficient sense. It's not to do with who looks good in a bikini.'

Since retiring from the sport in 2012, Adlington now swims purely for pleasure with her main focus being the Swim Stars programme, which to date has taught swimming to 8,000 children across the country.

More than 1,000 municipal pools have recently closed - with a further 1,500 at risk of going under - leaving one in four primary school children unable to swim.

Adlington's programme is looking to 'bridge this gap' and 'invest in facilities and build our own because we can't keep demanding councils who don't have the funds'.

Although swimming and water safety are on the national curriculum, Ofsted does not censure schools that fail to teach them.

'And how can they when for some the nearest pool is 20 miles away? You cannot expect a school to transport the kids all that way on a bus and back again to do an hour's swimming,' she added.

According to the Royal Life Saving Society, there was an 85 per cent increase in child drownings in the UK between 2019 and 2022, a statistic that worries Adlington.

'Right now, we are failing our kids. So many people associate swimming with sport and think 'Oh well, I don't need to do that', but you absolutely need the skills for safety,' she said.
A former Tory cabinet minister has claimed that the late British tech billionaire Mike Lynch had concerns about the conviction of killer nurse Lucy Letby and was considering funding a British 'Innocence Project'.

Former Brexit secretary David Davis, who was defeated in a Tory party leadership contest by David Cameron, said the billionaire yacht owner was prepared to look at the killer nurse's case.

Lucy Letby was convicted of murdering six babies and the attempted murders of seven others - including two attempts to kill one of the infants at the Countess of Chester Hospital.

She has received 15 whole life orders following her convictions at Manchester Crown Court.

Former Brexit secretary David Davis said British billionaire Mike Lynch was prepared to support convicted murder Lucy Letby who was convicted or murdering babies under her care in Chester

Mr Davis said Mr Lynch, pictured here with his daughter Hannah, believed the prosecution case against Letby was weak

Letby was convicted of murder and attempted murder by a jury at Manchester Crown Court

Writing in the Sunday Times, Mr Davis claimed Mr Lynch - who succeeded in a decade-long battle against US prosecutors, said: 'He raised the case of the Lucy Letby trial as one that had already caught his attention. Mike was a world-class expert on probability theory, and saw straight through the statistical weaknesses that underpinned the Letby prosecution.'

Mr Davis said the billionaire, who died last week when his yacht sank during a freak weather event, said the tech entrepreneur was interested in miscarriages of justice following his experience in dealing with US Federal authorities.

Mr Lynch was accused of defrauding US technology giant Hewlett Packard during the sale of his company Autonomy.

UK authorities signed off on Mr Lynch's extradition to the United States where he was offered a plea deal by federal prosecutors for a guilty plea.

Mr Davis said: 'The tragic death of Mike Lynch marks the end of an incredible life and the loss of a man whose name became synonymous with battling the injustices of the UK-US extradition treaty.'

Mr Davis said the extradition treaty between the United States and Britain was unfair. He said Mr Lynch should have been prosecuted in London rather than the United States.

He said US authorities will vigorously prosecute UK nationals not in the interests of justice, rather to support the interests of US corporations.

He said: 'In Mike's case the highly politicised American prosecutorial system acted like an arm of corporate America, in this case Hewlett-Packard. The American case was so flimsy that an American jury threw out all 15 charges, and an initially hostile judge completely changed his stance.'

Family friends of Mike and Hannah Lynch have said the father and daughter were part of a 'united, vibrant, loving family'  with the teenager remembered as a 'diamond in a sea of stars' and the tech mogul as a brilliant storyteller.

The pair were among seven people who died after the luxury superyacht Bayesian sank off the coast of Sicily early on Monday morning.

Mr Lynch was the creator of software giant Autonomy and had been cleared in June of carrying out a massive fraud related to its 11 billion dollar (8.64 billion) sale to US company Hewlett Packard

He died when is boat Bayesian, pictured, sank off the coast of Sicily in bad weather on Monday

Mr Lynch was the creator of software giant Autonomy and had been cleared in June of carrying out a massive fraud related to its 11 billion dollar (8.64 billion) sale to US company Hewlett Packard.

His daughter Hannah had recently finished her A-levels and was due to study at Oxford University.

Sasha Murray, chief stewardess of the Bayesian, said: 'Those who knew her will know that Hannah was a diamond in a sea of stars. Bright, beautiful and always shining.

'What most people may not have seen was the extraordinarily strong, deep and loving relationship she shared with her parents, whom she adored more than anything.

'While swimming with them she often said, if anything ever happened she would save them.

'I have no doubt that the Irish, Latina fire that burns in her soul kept that spirited determination alive.'

It is understood Ms Murray was rescued after disaster struck the yacht earlier this week.
Questions are being asked as to why Telegram CEO Pavel Durov, arrested last night at a French airport, would risk travelling knowing he would likely be detained.

Police swooped on the billionaire shortly after landing at the Bourget airport, outside Paris, following a flight from Azerbaijan, French outlet TF1 info reported, citing an unnamed source.

Durov, a Russian national, was travelling aboard his private jet and had been targeted by an arrest warrant in France, the news site added.

The 39-year-old tech tycoon was reportedly arrested at around 8pm local time while accompanied by his bodyguard.

Sources suggest he was fully aware that law enforcement in France had questions for him, and could move against home.

Sources told TF1 that he knew he was 'persona non grata' in France.

Questions are being asked over why Telegram CEO Pavel Durov (pictured), arrested last night at a French airport, would risk travelling knowing he would likely be detained

Irina Bolgar, 44, (pictured, right) claimed in Russian Forbes that Durov had fathered her daughter and two sons, born in St Petersburg in 2013, 2016 and 2017

Durov now lives in Dubai where Telegram is based and holds dual citizenship of both France and the United Arab Emirates (File image)

'He made a mistake tonight. We don't know why... Was this flight just a stopover? In any case, he's in custody,' said the source.

Despite this he was put on the wanted list only during his flight, say French reports.

Russia itself has joined the fray, starting a diplomatic row with France by demanding consular access to the billionaire.

While Russia says it only wants his rights to be ensured, France has so far 'avoided engagement', though Russian diplomats are in contact with his lawyers, according to the Russian embassy in Paris.

Despite being born in Russia, Durov has not lived there since Vladimir Putin's invasion of Crimea and the Donbas area of Ukraine in 2014.

He has consistently disavowed Russia's invasion, and previously claimed he was forced out of Russia by the Kremlin.

Telegram messaging app founder and CEO Pavel Durov has reportedly been arrested at a French airport after stepping off private plane

Durov Founded the app in 2013 along with his brother Nikolai (Stock image)

Durov now lives in Dubai where Telegram is based and holds dual citizenship of both France and the United Arab Emirates.

He was quoted by TechCrunch in 2014 as saying: 'I don't have any business in Russia and have no plans to return there. I have no Russian citizenship anymore.'

Durov Founded the app in 2013 along with his brother Nikolai. It now has 950 million active users who can send messages, photos and videos, take part in chats for groups of up to 200,000 people and broadcast to unlimited audiences.

Intended as a rival to WhatsApp, Telegram users can have 'secret chats', in which messages are stored on devices rather than the cloud, and messages can also be set to self-destruct after a certain time period.

Mr Durov who is estimated to be worth around 12 billion, said in an interview earlier this year Telegram would remain a 'neutral platform' and not a 'player in geopolitics.'

But the UK government has insisted social media companies such as Telegram must do more to stop extremists using their services for criminal means.

Activist Vladislav Mazur takes part in a one-person picket to protest against the arrest of Pavel Durov, founder and CEO of the Telegram messaging app

People walk past paper planes referring to the logo of the Telegram messaging app, which were placed during a gathering in support of freedom of expression near the French embassy in Moscow, Russia August 25, 2024

The campaigning organisation Counter Extremism Project said Telegram has taken some action to reduce the use of its platform by terrorists but commented on its website 'it is clear that more can and should be done.'

Last month Durov revealed he was a prolific sperm-donor soon after a Russian woman based in Switzerland claimed that the unmarried Durov had fathered her three children.

Irina Bolgar, 44, claimed in Russian Forbes that Durov had fathered her daughter and two sons, born in St Petersburg in 2013, 2016 and 2017, and that they carry his name.

She posted pictures of herself and her children.

Until now, Durov is known to have had a daughter and son with ex-partner Daria Bondarenko, now based in Barcelona.

The children's identities have not been disclosed but in 2021 Forbes Russia named them anonymously as among the country's wealthiest heirs.

Bolgar said she had gone public because her children 'started asking questions about why there is no information about them on the Internet, unlike their father's two older children'.

Following his claim that he had multiple children through sperm donation, Bolgar hit back saying her three children were conceived and born 'naturally'.

She claimed he was listed on their birth certificates.

'Fortunately, Pavel and I, as a couple, did not have problems with reproduction [and did not need to] resort to the help of specialists in this matter,' she said.

'All our children were conceived and born naturally.

'And yes, the children were officially recognised, according to the certificates of recognition of paternity and birth certificates.'

She declined to answer on the current status of their 'relationship'.
MBABANE  The net is closing in on civil servants who are implicated in the fraudulent activities at the Ministry of Home Affairs.

This is because the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), which has been conducting investigations, has reportedly completed its work. This publication has gathered that the ACC has completed its work and around 10 officers are set to face the music. Having concluded the investigation, it was gathered that ACC officers were already working on an application to obtain warrants of arrests for the implicated individuals. Sources revealed that if all goes according to plan, the arrests would be effected in the next coming days. Called for comment, ACC Acting Commissioner Maphevu Mkhatjwa said while the commission has completed its investigation, he could not say when the arrests would be effected. Mkhatjwa argued that it was not wise to reveal anything, as such would jeopardise whatever investigation they carried out. He then referred this reporter to ACC Spokesperson Jabu Phakathi who, however, told this reporter that she was not aware of any planned arrests.

Prohibits

Phakathi reminded this reporter that the entity operates within the ambit of the law which prohibits the disclosure of information or details of any person who is the subject of an enquiry or investigation. The ACC has a three-pronged legal mandate of prevention whereby it is supposed to examine practices and procedures and advice on ways of preventing corruption.

It also has an education role of empowering the public and private bodies and the general public on the forms and dangers of corruption. Furthermore, the ACC has the function of investigation which is to receive and investigate complaints of alleged or suspected corrupt practices made against any person, and refer appropriate cases to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

Refugee status

In 2022, the Ministry of Home Affairs instituted an internal probe into the sale of refugee status and passports to foreign nationals. Police investigations reportedly found that there was a syndicate dealing in documentation status and refugee passports. It was revealed that the syndicate charged between E30 000 and E50 000 for fresh and legal documents for any undocumented citizen, who wanted to be treated as an official refugee in the Kingdom of Eswatini.The internal investigations saw over 100 immigration officers being transferred last year. At the time, the Immigration Office was faced with the challenge of disappearance and theft of security documents such as passports and travel documents.When the investigation was instituted, the ministry did state that heads were set to roll, as it was dedicated to getting rid of all elements of corruption.

Aiding a syndicate

In one of the cases, there were allegations that government officials were aiding a syndicate in Manzini that was dealing in refugee status documentation and passports. It was alleged that during the internal investigation, an official confessed to taking a bribe from a foreign national. She, however, could not renew the passport and it triggered the investigation and the ACC reportedly instituted an internal investigation in the ministry to ascertain if there were officers who were involved in granting the passports illegally. It has been reported that as the ACC continued with its investigation, it was discovered that in the system, the information on who had printed the passports had been deleted. Reliable sources have confided that the ACC then engaged the Royal Science and Technology Park (RSTP) based on the fact that it is the one that controls the systems of the making of passports and other documents.



The RSTP, it was gathered, has what is known as the administrative rights and there are officers who are able to find the documents since there are footprints that are in the system.

The RSTP system is able to determine that an officer presented the documents and this is made possible through the use of the IP address of the computer that was used. There were suspicions that there could be officers who wiped out some of the evidence and the RSTP has to come in to re-assemble the needed data. Worth noting is that for some time, the ACC has been deemed inefficient with members of the public and politicians labelling it toothless in that it received a government subvention but did not effect as many arrests as expected.



However, things have changed in recent months as there have been arrests witnessed. Last month, the ACC nabbed a UNESWA lecturer and a senior officer of the National Maize Corporation (NMC). The UNESWA lecturer, who is also a farmer, has been identified as Daniel Vusane Dlamini of Mkhulamini, while the officer is Mthobisi Sifiso Dlamini of Nyakeni and is employed as a Project Manager at NMC.The two are alleged to have colluded in a corrupt act involving a truck trailer belonging to government.

Prevention of corruption

The duo was arrested in accordance with the Prevention of Organised Crime Act (POCA), a legislation enacted to investigate and punish corrupt activities, establish the ACC and to provide for other matters incidental to the prevention of corruption. The POCA was put in place in 2018 and since its inception, the State has seized and subsequently forfeited a number of assets that are believed to have been acquired through criminal means or used as instrumentality for criminal activities. The two individuals are said to have been arrested for allegedly contravening Section 42 of the POCA, which details general offences of corruption. The veracity of the allegations is yet to be tested in court. According to the charge sheet, in 2015, the Government of Eswatini bought farming equipment which included tractors, tractor trailers and other farming implements for purposes of hiring them out to farmers in the country. The tractor trailers bought were 50 in number.
CIA officials helped Lee Harvey Oswald assassinate John F. Kennedy, an expert said when asked to predict the secrets of still-classified documents.

Trump vowed to share the secret files at an Arizona rally on Friday where JFK's nephew Robert F. Kennedy Jr. solidified his defection from the Democratic party and endorsed the former president.

For years many have questioned the official narrative of what happened on November 22, 1963 in Dallas - specifically the Warren Commission's finding that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone.

Over 3,000 documents relating to the assassination still contain redactions and experts have speculated the concealed information will reveal Oswald was aided in the murder.

Renowned JFK scholar Jefferson Morley told The Washington Post he suspects Kennedy's opponents in the CIA might have been working with Oswald.

Trump vowed to share the remaining John F. Kennedy assassination documents

Some experts claim the documents will show the CIA aided Lee Harvey Oswald (pictured) in the attack

'Is there a smoking gun in there? You know, this is not about a smoking gun,' Morley said.

'This is about the law that says all of the government's JFK records should be made public by October 2017. We're seven years past that blown deadline.'

According to Morley the documents that have been released revealed that some CIA employees did not believe Oswald acted alone and a counterintelligence official tried to 'wait out' the Warren Commission's investigation by denying it information about Oswald.

Trump pledged to establish a commission on assassination attempts that would also investigate the July 13 shooting of the former president in Butler, Pennsylvania.

'This is a tribute in honor of Bobby. I will establish a new independent presidential commission on assassination attempts, and they will be tasked with releasing all of the remaining documents pertaining to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy,' Trump said.

As president, Trump pledged to release the Kennedy files but announced in April 2018 that the public must wait several more years because the potential harm to national security, law enforcement or foreign affairs is 'of such gravity that it outweighs the public interest in immediate disclosure.'

Some 19,000 records were released by the National Archives that same month.

'I actually did do it. I released a lot, as you know, but when it came to the whole thing, I was hit by some people that work for me, who are great people that you would respect. They asked me not to do it,' Trump said in an episode of the All-In podcast.

For years many have questioned the official narrative of what happened on November 22, 1963 in Dallas. JFK and Jackie Kennedy are pictured moments before he was assassinated

Other experts believe the documents will show the CIA was aware of Oswald before the assassination

However, some experts are not confident Trump will follow through in his promise because the President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992 ordered that files should be released by 2017.

Most presidents have used their discretion to keep records sealed over national security issues.

'[Trump] had an opportunity to do it, you said you were going to do it, and you didn't do it,' Gerald Posner, author of the 1993 Kennedy assassination book 'Case Closed,' told the Post.

'Now, with the RFK Jr. endorsement, maybe that's a quid pro quo, and maybe this time he'll actually do it.'

Posner said the remaining documents might show that the CIA was aware of Oswald before the assassination but believes he acted alone.
Dramatic police bodycam footage has emerged of the moment a seriously disabled man in distress was rescued from a locked car on a sweltering hot day in the middle of summer.

Former NDIS carer Tsz Wing Tam, 37, left his client Jefferson Do, 26, alone inside a hot car at Joondalup Shopping Centre in Perth on a 41C day, while he went shopping with his client's money.

Mr Do, who requires around-the-clock care for non-verbal autism, was abandoned and left fastened in the backseat for two hours on January 13- one of the hottest days in Perth this year.

Passers-by spotted a visibly distraught Mr Do struggling and beating his chest inside the car, with only a tiny gap in a front window allowing air in, and alerted security staff.

The police bodycam footage can now be aired after Tam pleaded guilty and was recently sentenced.

Mr Do's grateful family have since thanked first responders for their swift actions that saved his life after watching the confronting footage.

The footage showed the moment police rushed to Mr Do's aid as they desperately tried to unlock the car.

'Hey mate, can you open the door please?' a concerned officer asked him.

Jefferson Do (pictured) was left locked in a car on a 41C day by his carer

Former carer Tsz Wing Tam (centre) was recently given a suspended sentence after he pleaded guilty to endangering the life, health and safety of his client

A distressed Mr Do was seen thrashing around around inside as police scrambled to break the window open and unlock the door.

'Are you okay? You are you hot?' the officer asks as he handed him a bottle of water.

'There you go, get that into you.'

Mr Do grabbed the bottle and started drinking thirstily.

The footage later showed him treated treated by paramedics and being loaded onto a stretcher to be taken to hospital for a check-up

Mr Do's sister Fiona said the footage was tough to watch.

'It was very confronting, they gave him medical attention straight away, they escalated it to security, to police and got him to the hospital, I think that pretty much saved his life,' she told Nine News.

Mr Do's brother Harry also thanked the emergency workers.

'Just wanted to really thank the security guards the police and the paramedics for all their efforts and being on duty that day to look out for my brother,' he said.

Tam pleaded guilty to stealing and endangering the life of another person in May before he was handed a 12-month suspended sentence the following month.

But Harry fears the penalty is too lenient to dissuade other NDIS carers from committing similar offences.

'People that're probably offending at the moment are not going to be scared because they're just going to get a slap on the wrist as well,' he said.

Jefferson's siblings and mum (all pictured with Jefferson) said that the police bodycam footage was confronting to watch

Tam had worked with the Do family for eight years, and had even joined them on holidays.

When Tam pleaded guilty in May, Mr Do's family hoped he would be punished appropriately.

'The damage has been done, we will never trust another carer in the same way that we did,' his brother Harry told reporters outside court at the time.

'It's really heartbreaking for our family to know that we trusted someone, and we got taken advantage of.'

The former NDIS worker cared for Mr Do four days a week for seven of the eight years he cared for him, the court heard during sentencing, WA Today reported.

Footage shows the swift rescue performed by police and paramedics to rescue Jefferson

Tam regularly took Mr Do to shopping centres and on that day in January, had been asked to take him out for lunch and socialisation.

Mr Do's mother gave her son money for the outing, which Tam later used to buy ice cream and chips for himself, the court heard.

While Magistrate Raelene Johnston accepted that he did not intend to harm Mr Do, she said that Tam showed a 'complete disregard' of his client's vulnerability for his own 'selfish purposes'.

She also described Tam's decision to spend his client's money to buy himself lunch as 'disgraceful' and 'selfish'.
Tory leadership hopeful Robert Jenrick said he is determined to 'retire' Nigel Farage and his Reform Party as part of his effort to improve his party's fortunes.

The former immigration minister said there was no need to 'rebuild' or 'renew' the Tory party but said they did need to change to regain support.

As part of his campaign, he has vowed to leave the European Convention of Human Rights in an effort to win back working class voters. He also said he needed to secure the support of those who defected to the Liberal Democrats.

In an interview with the Sunday Times, Mr Jenrick said: 'I completely reject the notion its either one or the other. Unless we win back both these groups, we wont ever be in government again.'

The 42-year-old politician has been described by critics as 'Robert Generic'.

Robert Jenrick said the Conservative Party needs to appeal to working class voters who defected to Reform and middle class supporters who abandoned the Tories for the Liberal Democrats

Jenrick said while he respects Reform leader Nigel Farage, he believes his party has to 'retire him' if they want to return to government

However, outlining his political beliefs, Mr Jenrick said: 'We need to make Reform redundant by restoring the Conservatives credibility on immigration and exposing Reforms fantasy economics.

'I respect Farage, but he surged because of the opportunity we created for him with our mistakes, primarily on migration. He is a symptom of our failings, not the cause. Unless we confront the legitimate concerns of Reform voters there is no route to recovery. Well keep squabbling as a party and we wont have the space to develop the broader agenda we need to.'

Mr Jenrick said if the Tory party fails to unify, Reform will become 'an immovable entity'.

The former immigration minister described the migrants crossing the English Channel as 'a national security emergency'.

He said the ECHR prevents Britain from deporting foreign-born criminals

'I know that there are dozens of terrorists who are not being surveyed and removed correctly because of our human rights architecture.'
The Pope has declared the deadly outbreak of mpox a 'global health emergency' as the first batch of vaccines are set to arrive in Africa.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) also declared the outbreak of a new strain a global health emergency earlier this month as African countries such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo (the DRC) saw cases soar.

Pope Francis mentioned mpox during his weekly Sunday prayers.

Speaking in St Peter's Square the pontiff said: 'I pray for all the infected people, in particular the population of Democratic Republic of Congo, so affected, I express my closeness to the local churches most touched by this disease.'

Mpox is a potentially deadly virus that causes flu-like symptoms followed by painful pus-filled lesions across the body.

Speaking in St Peter's Square Pope Francis said: 'I pray for all the infected people, in particular the population of Democratic Republic of Congo, so affected, I express my closeness to the local churches most touched by this disease'

Mpox is a potentially deadly virus that causes flu-like symptoms followed by painful pus-filled lesions across the body

A woman receiving an mpox vaccine (stock image). Vaccines are readily available in over 70 countries but in African countries such as the DRC - which has seen over 17,000 of the confirmed 18,000 cases - the vaccine is not easily available

To tackle the outbreak, 10,000 new vaccines are set to be donated by the United States to be used across east Africa.

Vaccines are readily available in over 70 countries but in African countries such as the DRC - which has seen over 17,000 of the confirmed 18,000 cases - the vaccine is not easily available.

Instead, the countries have been stuck waiting for the WHO to approve the sale and distribution of the vaccines. Instead they have been relient on donations of shots from wealthier nations.

If countries fear an outbreak in their own nations international agencies fear the little vaccines which are reaching the most affected countries could soon dry up.

The Guardian reported that the Africa CDC said it needed 10million doses if the continent is to get to grips with the outbreak.

Helen Rees, a member of the Africa CDCs mpox emergency committee, said it was 'really outrageous' that Africa had again been left behind during a rush to secure vaccines - likening the situation what happened during the Covid pandemic.

The WHO asked manufacturers of mpox vaccines this month to submit information so it can recevie an emergency license. It has urged countries to continue donating vaccines until the process is completed in September.

Currently there have been no confirmed cases of the new Clade 1 b strain of the virus in the UK.
Israel has been warned not to open a new war front in the Middle East, after it launched two sets of missile strikes against Hezbollah territory today.

The IDF today launched two rounds of missiles at southern Lebanon, with the second coming hours after about 100 fighter jets 'struck and destroyed thousands of Hezbollah rocket launcher barrels' aimed at northern Israel. The military also released black-and-white images showing smoke rising from what it said was a strike on southern Lebanon.

The second set of strikes hit 'Hezbollah launchers in several areas in southern Lebanon to remove threats.' At least three people were killed in the strikes on Lebanon. The Lebanese health ministry added that two people - a Lebanese man and a Syrian man - were also being treated for injuries.

Several nations and international bodies have warned Hezbollah and Israel not to escalate tensions in the already precarious Middle East.

But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed that Tel Aviv will 'harm whoever harms us' as the Middle East teeters on the brink of all-out war.

Despite the major escalation, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz has said the country 'does not seek an all-out war' in the region and that it is 'acting to protect its citizens and territory' against an 'axis of evil' led by Iran.

Egypt's foreign ministry warned of the dangers of opening up a new front in the Middle East

The IDF today launched two rounds of missiles at southern Lebanon

An image grab taken from Hezbollah's al-Manar TV on June 19, 2024, shows Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah giving a televised address from an undisclosed location in Lebanon

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at a state memorial ceremony for Zeev Jabotinsky

Telegram footage showed missiles being lobbed across the border in the early hours of the morning

Global leaders are already raising concerns over the escalating tensions between Hezbollah and Israel.

Egypt's foreign ministry warned of the dangers of opening up a new front in the Middle East, and called for stability, as it hosts diplomats from Israel and Hamas to try and further ceasefire talks.

The UN has described the latest developments as 'worrying', and has called all sides to agree to a ceasefire.

The UK's Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Pat McFadden, told Sky News he was 'very concerned' with the developments in the Middle East.

'This is a major escalation. Even as this unfolds, the UK government and the international community would urge all parties not to escalate further and to avoid a major regional war.

'That is the real danger facing the area. We hope this doesn't turn out to be that.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed that Tel Aviv will 'harm whoever harms us' as the Middle East teeters on the brink of all-out war

This photo taken from a position in northern Israel shows an Israeli Air Force fighter jet firing flares as it flies to intercept a hostile aircraft that launched from Lebanon over the border area with south Lebanon on August 25, 2024

One video, reportedly taken in the city of Acre, around 11 miles from the border with Lebanon, showed what appeared to be a family's home partially destroyed by a Hezbollah missile

Rockets fired from southern Lebanon are intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome air defence system over the Upper Galilee region in northern Israel on August 23, 2024

'We hope that afterwards we can de-escalate the situation but we're very concerned about what's happening there, very concerned for the people there,' he added.

'We hope that this is not a long-term outbreak of major hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah.'

President Joe Biden was said to be 'closely monitoring events in Israel and Lebanon,' according to Sean Savett, a spokesman for the National Security Council.

The Pentagon said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Gallant, about Israel's defenses. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. CQ Brown, is on a visit to the region that is expected to take him to Israel, Egypt and Jordan.

The Houthis in Yemen, meanwhile, hailed the Hezbollah attack and declared that their own response for an Israeli strike on a key Yemeni port on July 20 was 'definitely coming'.

But it appears Lebanon's official government is looking to de-escalate, with the country's caretaker Economy Minister Amin Salam revealing that officials were 'feeling a bit more optimistic' about a de-escalation.

This photo taken from a position in northern Israel shows a Hezbollah UAV intercepted by Israeli air forces over north Israel

Smoke billows from an area targeted by an Israeli airstrike between the southern Lebanese border villages of Zibqin and Yater

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C) and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant (second right) are pictured at a military base in Tel Aviv amid plans for a large-scale attack

'We feel more reassured since both sides confirmed that the expected operations ended, and we know that the negotiations in Cairo are very serious,' he said.

Health minister Firass Abiad said it was 'too early to tell' if the death and injury toll would rise but said that Israel's attack had mostly hit 'forested and open areas.'

Separately, Hezbollah confirmed that one of its fighters, Ayman Kamel Idriss, was killed in the southern Lebanese town of Khiam during a car strike.

Air raid sirens were reported throughout northern Israel, and Israel's Ben-Gurion International Airport began diverting incoming flights and delaying takeoffs.

Though many flights departing Ben-Gurion have been cancelled, many are still scheduled to leave on time, according to the airport's flight board.

Flights to and from Beirut Rafic Hariri international airport remain suspended, however, amid Israeli strikes.

IDF Colonel Nadav Shoshani said Hezbollah had intended to hit targets in northern and central Israel.

Israel's military spokesman, rear admiral Daniel Hagari, said: 'In a self-defence act to remove these threats, the (Israeli military) is striking terror targets in Lebanon'

Israeli military Chief of General Staff Herzi Halevi directs an operation, at a location given as Tel Aviv, Israel, in this screen grab from video released August 25, 2024

An Israeli fighter jet ejects flares over an area near the Lebanon-Israel border

The attack came as Egypt hosts a new round of talks aimed at ending Israel's war against Hamas, now in its 11th month

A view shows smoke on the Lebanese side of the border with Israel, as a man stands at a beach in Tyre, amid ongoing cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces

Smoke rises from the southern Lebanese town of Khiam, amid ongoing cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces

He said initial assessments found 'very little damage' in Israel, but that the military remained on high alert.

One video, reportedly taken in the city of Acre, around 11 miles from the border with Lebanon, showed what appeared to be a family's home partially destroyed by a Hezbollah missile.

Hezbollah announced it had launched an attack on Israel with a 'large number of drones' as an initial response to the killing of Fouad Shukur, a top commander with the group, in a strike in Beirut's southern suburbs last month.

It said the attack was targeting 'a qualitative Israeli military target that will be announced later' as well as 'targeting a number of enemy sites and barracks and Iron Dome platforms'.

But just before 8am, the proscribed terror group said that its planned attack on Israel 'has been completed and accomplished.'

Hezbollah Israel's comments that its strikes were pre-emptive were 'empty', claiming that they 'contradict the facts on the ground and will be refuted' later today.

Hezbollah added, referring to Israel: 'We will take revenge on the criminals.

A black-and-white image shows a blast and smoke rising from what the Israeli military said was a strike at a location given as southern Lebanon

The attack came as Egypt hosts a new round of talks aimed at ending Israel's war against Hamas, now in its 11th month

Smoke billows from an area targeted by an Israeli airstrike on the southerm Lebanese village of Khiam on August 25, 2024

'These military operations will take some time to complete, after which a detailed statement will be issued about their course and objectives.

'The Islamic Resistance in Lebanon is now and at this moment at the highest level of readiness, and will stand strong and watchful against any Zionist transgression or aggression, especially if civilians are harmed, the punishment will be severe and very harsh.'

Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasralla is set to address the shock attack at 3pm today in a televised speech.

The attack came as Egypt hosts a new round of talks aimed at ending Israel's war against Hamas, now in its 11th month. Hezbollah has said it will halt the fighting if there is a ceasefire.

Israeli said today it still plans to send a delegation to Cairo for ceasefire talks with Hamas. Hamas leaders are also in the Egyptian capital, but it is not currently known whether they will take part in talks, following the attacks.

In a message to his country, Netanyahu said: 'Early in the morning we identified Hezbollah's preparations to attack Israel. In consultation with the Minister of Defense and the Chief of Staff, we instructed the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) to act proactively to remove the threat.

A Hezbollah unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) crossing from Lebanon gets intercepted by an Israeli fighter jet over an area near the Lebanon-Israel border, as seen from northern Israel, 25 August 2024

'The IDF has since been working vigorously to thwart the threats. It destroyed thousands of rockets aimed at the north of the country. It also thwarts many other threats and operates with great power, both in defence and attack.

'I ask you, citizens of Israel, to follow the directives of the Home Front Command. We are determined to do everything possible to protect our country, to return the residents of the north safely to their homes and to continue to uphold a simple rule:

'Whoever harms us  we harm him.'

He added: 'Most of our activity at the moment is in southern Lebanon, but we will attack anywhere, anywhere in Lebanon where there is a threat to the State of Israel.'

Last week, Israel's defence minister said he was moving more troops towards the Lebanese border in anticipation of possible fighting with the Iranian-backed group.

Israel's military spokesman, rear admiral Daniel Hagari, said: 'In a self-defence act to remove these threats, the (Israeli military) is striking terror targets in Lebanon, from which Hezbollah was planning to launch their attacks on Israeli civilians.'

'We can see that Hezbollah is preparing to launch an extensive attack on Israel while endangering the Lebanese civilians,' he added, without providing details.

'We warn the civilians located in the areas where Hezbollah is operating to move out of harm's way immediately for their own safety.'

His foreign minister, Israel Katz, later added that the nation 'will do whatever it takes to protect citizens.'

He also called for its allies to 'support Israel against the Iranian axis of evil and its proxies, led by Hezbollah.

'I informed [other foreign ministers] that Israel acted after definitively identifying a large-scale planned attack of missiles and drones by the Hezbollah terrorist organisation against targets in Israel, and we delivered a preemptive strike to prevent the assault and protect Israeli citizens and territory.

'Israel is confronting the axis of evil led by Iran, which has the explicit aim of destroying Israel.

Smoke and fire on the Lebanese side of the border with Israel, after Israel said it had noted armed group Hezbollah preparing to attack Israel and had carried out pre-emptive strikes on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei meets with Ismail Haniyeh (L) before Israel's lethal strike on the Hamas leader in Tehran, Iran July 30, 2024

'We do not seek a full-scale warbut we will do whatever it takes to protect our citizens.'

Lebanese media reported strikes in the country's south without immediately providing more details. Social media footage showed what appeared to be strikes in southern Lebanon.

Israeli media cited the Israel Airports Authority for news of the flight cancellations. Flight-tracking data showed at least two El Al flights swinging far south and diverting after the announcement.

Hezbollah is considered much more powerful than its ally, Hamas, with an estimated arsenal of arsenal of 150,000 rockets and missiles, including precision-guided missiles.

An Israeli house was hit as Hezbollah said it had fired more than 320 rockets towards Israel

This photo taken on Aug. 23, 2024 shows the smoke caused by an Israeli shelling in Khiam, Lebanon

A phone call lured Hezbollah chief Fuad Shukr (pictured) towards the top of a Beirut building he was in minutes before he was assassinated by an Israeli airstrike last month

Hezbollah began attacking Israel almost immediately after the war with Hamas erupted on October 7 with a Hamas cross-border attack.

Israel and Hezbollah have been exchanging fire nearly daily, displacing tens of thousands of people on both sides of the border and raising fears that the fighting could escalate into all-out war.

But until Sunday, both sides have been careful to avoid a broader conflagration.

In recent months the group has also stepped up its use of drones, against which Israel is less well-equipped to defend.

Netanyahu's office said he and his defence minister, Yoav Gallant, were managing the latest operation from military headquarters in Tel Aviv.

Mr Gallant declared a 'special situation on the home front' and Mr Netanyahu's Security Cabinet was set to meet later today.
A manslaughter probe has begun into the sinking of the 30million superyacht Bayesian with unanswered questions remaining on whether the crew raised the alarm before fleeing on a liferaft.

Six passengers - including British tech tycoon Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah - died alongside chef Recaldo Thomas after the British-flagged pleasure yacht capsized and came to rest on its side 164ft below in the early hours of Monday.

Italian prosecutors held a press conference yesterday where it was revealed the victims were unable to escape as they may have been asleep.

They had scrambled to one side of the ship in search of air pockets in a desperate attempt for survival, with the Oxford-bound Hannah dying alone in a cabin.

At the Termini Imerese Courthouse in Palermo, chief prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio did not rule out homicide charges.

One line of inquiry being pursued by prosecutors is whether the nine surviving crew members raised the alarm before escaping.

Mr Cartosio vowed to establish each crew members' responsibility as he warned: 'For me, it is probable that offences were committed - that it could be a case of manslaughter.'

He said there were 'behaviours that were not perfectly in order with regard to the responsibility everybody had', before adding: 'There could be in fact the question of homicide. But this is the beginning of the inquiry, we cannot exclude anything at all.'

It comes as:

A handout photo made available on August 19 by Perini Navi Press Office shows the 'Bayesian' sailing boat, in Palermo, Sicily, Italy

British tech tycoon Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah both died in the Bayesian tragedy when the superyacht sank off the coast of Sicily

Italian prosecutors held a press conference yesterday where it was revealed the victims were unable to escape as they had been asleep during the storm

Hannah Lynch was found dead in her own cabin 50 metres below the surface of the Mediterranean

Rear Admiral Raffaele Macauda is keen for the shipwreck to be retrieved as soon as possible to aid the investigation

Hannah Lynch pictured with her father Mike, who had just been acquitted of fraud charges in the US and was celebrating on board the Bayesian yacht when they both died

Prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio (centre) confirmed a case of 'manslaughter' had been hypothesised following initial investigations into the sinking on Monday August 19

Rescue workers gearing up to begin searching for those who died on the Bayesian. Coastguard chiefs said today they had initially began with a hope of finding survivors

The prosecutor taking direct charge of the case, Raffaele Cammarano (pictured), said the survivors were being questioned but had not been tested for drugs and alcohol

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The victims' bodies were tragically found in 'tight spots' with furniture on top of them and brought ashore one-by-one by dive teams last week, who had carried out 120 trips to the wreck on the seabed.

Fifteen of the 22 people on board the ship - including Hannah's mother Angela Bacares, 57 - managed to escape in a liferaft.

Italian prosecutors have admitted they did not conduct alcohol and drug testing on the vessel's crew - all but one of whom survived - because they needed treatment and were in shock. They have vowed to question the sailors intensively.

A weather phenomenon known as a downburst - a violent downward explosion of wind that then expands outwards as it hits the ground, often produced in thunderstorms and mistaken for tornadoes - is now believed to have played a part.

Who died in the Sicily yacht disaster? Jonathan Bloomer, the chairman of investment bank Morgan Stanley and past chairman of Mike Lynch's software firm Autonomy

Judy Bloomer, Jonathan's wife and a lifetime psychotherapist

Christopher Morvillo, a partner at law firm Clifford Chance and Mike Lynch's lawyer

Neda Morvillo, Christopher's wife and a jewellery designer

Mike Lynch, British tech tycoon who had just been cleared of fraud charges in the United States

Hannah Lynch, Mike Lynch's 18-year-old daughter

Recaldo Thomas, a chef working on board the Bayesian yacht Advertisement

But the coastguard says no tornado warning had been issued that night, contrary to previous reports, and the ship's captain James Cutfield reportedly told Italian newspaper La Repubblica of the sudden weather change: 'We didn't see it coming.'

Mr Cartosio said he thought it was 'probable that offences were committed' surrounding the sinking of the yacht. He has opened a case of shipwreck and manslaughter that, at present, is not directed at any individuals.

According to a live translation provided by the BBC, he told reporters that the sinking could have been the responsibility of the captain, crew, individuals in charge of supervision, the ship-builder, or others.

He added: 'We will establish each element's responsibility - that will be done by the inquiry, so we can't do that prematurely.

'For me, it is probable that offences were committed - that it could be a case of manslaughter - but we can only establish that if you give us the time to investigate.

'Media timing is completely different from that of a prosecutor. We need a minimum amount of time to come to a proper scientific conclusion.'

Mr Cartosio, while stressing that enquiries remain at an early stage, appeared to suggest there were questions for the crew to answer.

He added that it would be 'painful' if, theoretically, 'this tragedy, this terrible tragedy, was caused by behaviours that were not perfectly in order with regard to the responsibility that everybody had to have (on) the ship.'

He added: 'Individuals or people would potentially be culpable, negligent, lack of prudence, lack of responsibility... We can't just deal with this quickly.'

Lead prosecutor Raffaele Cammarano added of the crew: 'We are going to discover how much they knew or to what extent all the people were warned.

'This event was completely unexpected so the inquiry which as the prosecutor previously said is going to be based on recovery of the wreck, when we'll be able to examine the wreck and possibly get some answers to questions that at the moment cannot be answered.'

The disaster killed six passengers and one member of crew. Among the survivors are six other passengers and nine members of the crew, including the captain, James Catfield, and the first officer.

Questions remain as to whether those who died had been warned the boat was in trouble - and how long it took for the Bayesian to sink while the 15 survivors were rescued after a passing ship sent out a lifeboat.

Stephen Askins, a partner at maritime law specialists Tatham & Co, previously told MailOnline the forecasted bad weather likely meant the crew were already up and working when the Bayesian sunk, allowing them to quickly escape in a liferaft.

The time it took the boat to sink, combined with the actions of the crew as it became apparent it was in trouble, will likely form the core of any manslaughter inquiry.

The yacht is believed to have sunk at the stern after being upset by a downburst that spread out with force, coming to rest on its right-hand side as it hit the sea bed.

Hannah Lynch and her father Mike Lynch (both pictured above) were on the yacht celebrating Mr Lynch's acquittal on US fraud charges

The press conference was assembled on Saturday as prosecutors said Italian civil codes prevented them from sharing too much information too soon

Rescue workers standing by after recovering the body of Hannah Lynch off the coast of Porticello yesterday

Rescue chiefs said it was apparent to divers that victims had tried to seek shelter in one side of the upturned boat, where there may have been air bubbles, as it sank.

Hannah Lynch, the 18-year-old daughter of tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch, was found alone in her cabin while five others, including her father, were found in a separate compartment.

It remains unclear why they were in the same room, and prosecutor Raffaele Cammarano suggested that they may have been 'asleep, whereas the others weren't'. The timeline for the ship sinking also remains unclear.

Fire service commander Girolamo Bentivoglio Fiandra told reporters at a conference in Termini Imerese, close to the sinking site at Palermo: 'You may want to know where we recovered the bodies of the victims. I can tell you... that the ship sunk and was laid onto its right hand side at the bottom of the sea.

'It's quite clear that the people were trying to hide in the cabins on the left-hand side and we found the first five bodies in the first cabin on the left-hand side and the final body in the third cabin on the left-hand side.

'There were six cabins: three on the left-hand side and three on the right-hand side. We found them on the highest part of the ship going towards the surface.'

One person had been on watch in the cockpit when disaster struck. They have been interviewed and are not required to remain in Italy - but authorities say they expect them to fully cooperate with the probe.

The yacht's captain, James Cutfield, has already been interviewed by investigators. Prosecutors say they will examine why the crew was able to get to a lifeboat when the passengers couldn't.

Mr Cammarano told the press Mr Cutfield had been 'extremely cooperative' to date. He is likely to be questioned again.

The prosecutor added: 'There are various stages we have to look at in more detail: the behaviours of the crew, the meteorological situation, what the weather was doing at the time, there are all aspects we have to look at.

'The statements made by the crew are fundamental as far as the inquiry is concerned. We can't divulge what they have said as it would be very prejudicial as far as the inquiry is concerned.'

Mr Cartosio later added: 'We can't just deal with this quickly. It's likely there could have been some crimes committed, that it could be manslaughter, but it's a question of who is responsible and we can only do that if you give us time.'

Prosecutors say they want the Bayesian to be raised from the water so the wreck can be examined but responsibility for this lies with the ship's owners.

Firefighter commander Girolamo Bentivoglio Fiandra revealed Hannah Lynch had been found alone in a cabin on the side of the yacht facing the surface

Rear Admiral Raffaele Macauda, maritime director of western Sicily (right), suggested there was a desire to raise the wreck of the Bayesian from the sea bed

The press conference was arranged to brief the international media due to the global interest in the Bayesian's sinking

The 185ft British-flagged yacht sank in the early hours of Monday after, investigators believe, it was struck by a downburst, a violent downward plume of wind often mistaken for tornadoes and commonly created during thunderstorms.

The emergency services were alerted shortly after 4.30am - but by the time they had arrived, the ship had already sunk.

The time taken by rescue services to reach the wreck will also form part of the investigation - though authorities said today the sinking had been extremely rapid.

The crew of a nearby Dutch sailing ship, the Sir Robert Baden Powell, were able to send a liferaft to rescue 15 of the 22 people on board. Among the survivors was British woman Charlotte Golunski and her one-year-old daughter, who she held aloft in the water.

Mr Cartosio added that it quickly became apparent to those who witnessed the disaster it would be 'impossible' to save those still trapped in the yacht as it sank to the sea bed.

He told reporters: 'The Public Prosecutor's Office of Termini Imerese has registered a file with the state against unknown persons, hypothesising the crimes of negligent shipwreck and multiple negligent manslaughter.'

He added: 'Generally a prosecutor is never satisfied to give this information at this stage, precisely because developments could change.

'We cannot exclude anything at all but what, there has been a lot of media interest with regards to the people were involved. But at the same time I believe it is right to anticipate developments of this inquiry can be very variable.'

There had been questions as to why it had taken so long for Italian authorities to inform the public in detail of its rescue operations.

Mr Cartosio told reporters Italian civil codes had prevented him from releasing more information about the search while it took place, highlighting that he personally believed it created 'notable obstacles' to transparency with the public.

However, the press conference was staged because of the major international interest in the disaster - and because of the high-profile identities of the victims.

The press conference took place in the town of Termini Imerese, a town close to Porticello where the boat sank

Search vessels returning to shore on Friday after Hannah Lynch's body was discovered

The operation was made more complex by the depth of the wreck - 50 metres below the surface - and low visibility (pictured: rescue workers on Thursday)

Divers searched for a total of 72 hours underwater to find the bodies of those who died during the disaster (pictured: diving equipment used by the search teams)

The coastguard deployed helicopters to assist with the search throughout (pictured: search parties on the water on Wednesday)

Hannah and her father Mike Lynch, alongside Morgan Stanley International bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer, his wife Judy Bloomer, Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda Morvillo were lost when the yacht sank at around 5am local time on Monday.

The body of Canadian-Antiguan national Recaldo Thomas, who was working as a chef on the superyacht, was recovered at the scene of the sinking on Monday.

Their bodies were taken to the nearby village of Porticello, about 11 miles from Sicilian capital Palermo.

Rear Admiral Raffaele Macauda, maritime director of western Sicily confirmed Thomas' body was found close to the ship.

Mr Fiandra, the fire service commander, added that it had taken time to find the other bodies because of the complexities of reaching a ship 50 metres below, the size of the yacht itself, and the lack of visibility so far from the surface.

'Over four days to have obtained the result we have obtained? Let's say that represents how professional these divers were,' he said.

There is no timeline for when the yacht may be recovered from the water to assist with the ongoing investigation.

'We want to be able to recover the wreck in coordination with the prosecutor because there will be inquiries and they have shown the will to recover the wreck,' Rear Admiral Macauda said.

'We carried out an extraordinary operation and everyone worked in an amazing way. But this is a very sad moment as seven human lives have been lost.'

He later added: 'What of course we wanted to do is save human lives at sea. That's why we carried on with the search from the surface. We were still hoping to find somebody alive.'

Recaldo Thomas, chef on the Bayesian, was the first person to be recovered after the yacht sunk on Monday

Judy and Jonathan Bloomer died on the Bayesian as it pitched over in the water

The bodies of Neda and Chris Morvillo, pictured in 2018, were retrieved earlier this week

Both the hull and the superstructure, the part above the main deck, were made from aluminium

Divers heading into the water on August 23 to find Hannah Lynch's body in a handout picture from the Italian coastguard

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The main question investigators are focusing on is how a sailing vessel deemed 'unsinkable' by its manufacturer, Italian shipyard Perini Navi, sank while a nearby sailboat remained largely unscathed.

A total of 27 divers, including 11 cave experts and eight deep sea divers, were called in to aid with the search across 72 total hours of searching underwater across 123 dives.

In a statement, the family of Mr Lynch and Hannah said: 'The Lynch family is devastated, in shock and is being comforted and supported by family and friends.

'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.

'Their one request now is that their privacy be respected at this time of unspeakable grief.'

The Lynch family also issued a photograph of Mr Lynch and Hannah alongside their tribute.

Hannah's sister Esme paid her own tribute, saying: 'Hannah often burst into my bedroom and lay down with me.

'Sometimes beaming with a smile, sometimes cheeky, sometimes for advice.

'No matter what, she brought boundless love to me.

'She was endlessly caring, passionately mad, unintentionally hilarious and the most amazing, supportive and joyful sister and best friend to me.

'And on top of all this, she had even more love to give endlessly to all her friends and passion to give to her incredible studies and goals.

'She is my little angel, my star.'

Vincenzo Zagarola, of the Italian Coastguard, said the search for Hannah was not 'easy or quick', comparing the sunken yacht to an '18-storey building full of water'.

The bodies of all six missing passengers have now been brought to shore in the small fishing village of Porticello, around 11 miles from the Sicilian capital of Palermo.

Of the 22 passengers and crew on board, 15, including Mr Lynch's wife, Angela Bacares, were rescued after escaping on to a lifeboat. She owns the yacht through a private company.

The boat trip was a celebration of Mr Lynch's 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 dollar (8.64 billion) sale to US company Hewlett Packard.
An 'inhuman' pedophile who was sentenced to 350 years in jail for abducting and molesting a five-year-old girl in 2003 could now be freed under a controversial California law.

Charles William Mix was 47 when he kidnapped his friend's daughter and smuggled her over state lines to Utah before subjecting her to his sordid fantasies in June of that year.

Her family believed he would spend the rest of his life behind bars, but 20 years later, Mix, 69, could be freed under California's relatively new Elderly Parole Program due to his age after serving just six percent of his sentence.

The victim, now 27, is not ready to speak about the horrors she endured, but her relatives have written a heart-wrenching letter imploring officials to keep Mix in jail - while blasting the parole program as offering a 'pardon lite' to felons.

In the letter, they slam Mix as a 'vile' predator who was 'old enough to be her grandfather' while quoting the damning final remarks made by the judge who sentenced him to 350 years behind bars.

Charles William Mix was 47 when he kidnapped his friend's five-year-old daughter and smuggled her over state lines to Utah before subjecting her to his sordid fantasies in 2003

An 'inhuman' pedophile who was sentenced to 350 years in jail for abducting and molesting a five-year-old girl in 2003 could now be freed under a controversial California law. The family of the victim (pictured) has written a letter imploring officials to block his release

'Im writing to request  no, to implore  that you deny parole for the above referenced inmate, who 20 years ago was sentenced to 350 years-to-life in prison for sexually molesting a 5-year-old girl,' the victim's family wrote to commissioners.

'He was 49 years old at the time  old enough to be her grandfather, and certainly old enough to know exactly what he was doing.

'The basic facts stated above are vile enough. But the details of the crime are worse.'

Mix was convicted on a variety of felony charges including willful child cruelty, kidnapping to commit robbery or rape, lewd acts with a child under 14, burglary and more.

He had been living with the family in Riverside at the time of the abduction. On the morning of June 2, 2003, the girl's father realized she was missing and dialed 911.

The next day, Riverside Police located Mix and the victim hundreds of miles away in Richfield, Utah, after a passerby noticed them and reported the sighting.

Mix had fled with the child in a stolen vehicle, which was found to have disturbing heart-shaped scribblings on the interior.

Police also uncovered sexually explicit photographs Mix had taken of the girl, along with love letters he had written to her.

He later admitted to Utah detectives that he slept naked with the girl, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Charles William Mix was 47 when he kidnapped his friend's five-year-old daughter and smuggled her over state lines to Utah before subjecting her to his sordid fantasies in 2003

Pictured: The stolen vehicle which Mix used to abduct the five-year-old girl in June 2003

Pictured: Disturbing scrawling on the interior of the stolen vehicle which Mix used to abduct the five-year-old girl in June 2003

'Inmate Mix was not a stranger to the child, but a "friend" to both the child and her father,' the family wrote of his disgusting betrayal in the letter to commissioners.

'They lived together in the same home, where he took advantage of his proximity, family-like relationship, and a very young child's trust  heaping long-lasting emotional damage atop the physical.'

Their letter goes on to quote the scathing final remarks made by Riverside County Superior Court Judge Christian F. Thierbach, who sentenced Mix to 350 years in jail.

Thierbach told Mix at the time: 'The human race has yet to create a punishment that adequately addresses what you did to this little girl, and I suspect one reason for that is what you did to her is inhuman.'

The judge went on to explain that Mix could only be freed from prison if he received a pardon.

'I dare say if that happens, civilization as we know it will have ceased to exist,' Thierbach said.

The family letter blasts the Elderly Parole Program as a 'pardon lite' which could make this horror a reality.

Under the program, inmates who are 50 years or older and who have served 20 consecutive years in jail to the board of parole hearings.

'She has to deal with this for the rest of her life and she has to learn to cope with what happened to her for the rest of her life,' the victim's sister, Claira Stansbury said

The victim's sister, Claira Stansbury, has also spoken with KTLA about the scarring impact the experience has had on her sibling.

'She has to deal with this for the rest of her life and she has to learn to cope with what happened to her for the rest of her life,' she said.

Stansbury added that this has been compounded by the prospect of Mix being freed.

'A lot of trauma has been reopened,' she told KTLA. 'Stuff that we have healed from that we have to dive back into.'

The Elderly Parole Program aims to ease the financial burden of keeping elderly people in prison if officials believe they are unlikely to commit another crime.

The parole board will consider the severity of Mix's crimes, whether he has taken responsibility or shown remorse for them, and whether he still poses a danger to society.

Stansbury said she does not believe Mix can be rehabilitated, adding that the parole program is an affront to victims and their families.

'The legislators all want to talk about how terrible life sentences are for this criminal, these types of criminals, I don't think they're actually looking at life sentences of the victims who didn't have a choice in this,' she told KTLA.

'I absolutely think that he would offend again, whether it be going to find my sister or another innocent child.'

Pictured: the victim's father speaking with press at the time of his daughter's disappearance

The Riverside County District Attorney's Office said they stand with the victims who must attend parole hearings to keep 'dangerous felons' in prison.

'It is appalling that the state continues to put victims and their families through further trauma, forcing them to fight for the sentences that have already been handed down by a court of law,' the office said.

'This practice compels victims to relive their devastating experiences.

'We have a team of dedicated attorneys and victim specialists fighting against the early release of dangerous felons.

'Our office is committed to protecting victims and seeing that this practice of early parole, is put to an end.'

The family has appealed for the public's support for their letter urging the board to block Mix's parole, by emailing BPH.CorrespondenceUnit@cdcr.ca.gov.
What was supposed to be a routine dental check-up for international student Constanza Guerra Parada has become a life-changing ordeal.

The young Sydney-based Chilean, 31, first noticed unusual bruises on her limbs, and suffered from fevers and fatigue in late July but brushed the symptoms off, thinking they were due to her work as a cleaner.

When she was unable to eat due to the inflammation in her gums, Ms Guerra Parada booked an appointment with a dentist.

She was told her inflammation was unusual and was sent to a GP for blood tests and a biopsy of her palate.

Two days later, Ms Guerra Parada, known as Connie to her friends, was told to get to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital as soon as possible, where doctors delivered the crushing news that she had acute myeloid leukemia and would need to start chemotherapy almost immediately.

Fellow Chilean Isidora Becerra Quezada, 24, is not only one of Ms Guerra Paradas closest friends but also one of her few lifelines in Australia.

I know that her treatment to fight cancer will be a long and hard process, and I will be beside her every step of the way, she wrote on a GoFundMe page set up to help her friend.

Constanza Guerra Parada is in the fight of her life after she was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia.

Unfortunately, she is not with her family since she decided to come to Australia to strengthen her professional skills, but due to circumstances this dream will vanish.

Just a week before the shock diagnosis, Ms Guerra Parada had booked a holiday to visit her family back home before second semester studies resumed.

Ms Becerra Quezada said her friend struggled to find a way to tell her family she wouldnt be able to see them due to the shock diagnosis.

First, she told her brother about her illness so that he could help her tell her mother, Ms Becerra Quezada told 7news.com.au.

The family is now saving up to travel to Australia and help care for Ms Guerra Parada.

'Currently, she is all alone,' her friend wrote online.

Best friend Isidora Becerra Quezada (right) has rallied around her best friend Connie

She added that her friend has been severely weakened by the treatment.

The medications and chemotherapy are not showing good results ... first, it started with an allergic reaction all over her skin, and now it is infected by something because the antibiotics are not having much of an effect, either,' Ms Becerra Quezada wrote.

Ms Guerra Parada doesnt have the luxury of focusing on her recovery either with her treatment clouded by financial and international complications.

She has been living in Australia since March 2023 on a student visa with work restrictions of 24 hours a week

Her visa requires she attend all her classes, but that appears impossible.

Ms Guerra Parada will need official approval of a deferral of studies from her school to stay legally in the country.

However, it has been years since Ms Guerra Parada lived in Chile, so she doesnt have insurance to cover her treatment there either.

For her safety, we would prefer that this process be finished in Australia, Ms Becerra Quezada said.

Ms Guerra Parada went to a dentist with concerns about her gums but was referred to her GP

Even if she can stay in Australia, Ms Guerra Parada will need to pay hefty out-of-pocket costs as her insurance only covers covers the first six weeks of treatment and hospital cover.

Doctors estimate it will take six to eight months to recover if the chemotherapy is successful.

With help ... she will be able to fight cancer in better conditions and be able to be with her family in this very sad and challenging time, Ms Becerra Quezada wrote on the fundraiser.
Liam and Noel Gallagher are to announce Oasis' long-awaited return next week, it has been reported.

The feuding brothers appear to have put their differences aside and reportedly struck a secret deal after a promise of a 50million payday for a number of concerts next summer.

Noel, 57, called a reunion 'ludicrous' in 2021 saying he would reform Oasis only if he was offered 100million.

But after his 20m divorce from Sara MacDonald last year, the elder Gallagher is said to have been persuaded of the financial merits of getting the band together for dates at Glastonbury and Wembley Stadium.

Liam, 51, dropped a hint of a reunion earlier today to add fuel to the rumours by writing on X: 'I never did like that word FORMER.'

A music insider said Liam and Noel had secretly been back in touch and both had agreed to the reunion, 'much to the surprise of people around them'.

Liam and Noel Gallagher are to announce Oasis' long-awaited return next week, it has been reported

Oasis fans have been going wild over new reports that Liam and Noel Gallagher will reunite to perform together for the Glastonbury headline slot (seen in 1998)

Liam dropped a hint of a reunion to add fuel to the rumours by writing on X: 'I never did like that word FORMER'

Glastonbury bosses are hoping to lure bickering brothers Liam (seen) and Noel Gallagher to reform their rock band Oasis in time to headline the event next summer

They told The Sun: 'There will be concerts in the UK next summer and both Noel and Liam are excited to get back out there together.'

Fans were sent into pandemonium earlier today when rumours began to swirl about the iconic Britpop band's reunion.

It is believed Liam and Noel will confirm the news next week with speculation they will perform together for the Glastonbury headline slot as well as 10 gigs at Wembley in 2025 - breaking Taylor Swift's recent record at the venue.

Next Wednesday will mark 15 years since Noel sensationally quit Oasis 'with great relief' following a backstage bust-up in Paris saying: 'I simply could not go on working with Liam a day longer.'

The Mail on Sunday has learned that the Gallagher brothers have been told that Glastonbury chiefs would love them to headline slot at the 2025 music extravaganza after criticism about the main acts at this year's festival.

Planners for next year's event at Worthy Farm, Somerset, are determined to get new and big names for the headline slots. Music industry sources have told the Mail on Sunday that an Oasis reunion now looks 'more do-able than it has been for years.'

And fans couldn't be happier as they penned on X their excitement over the weekend - with many of their middle-aged fans joking they will need to organise childcare sharpish so they can go to Glastonbury to see them.

As well as Glastonbury, The Times reports that they could play 10 nights at Wembley and if it goes ahead it would break the record set by Taylor on her Eras Tour this summer.

After The Times posted the article on X, a fan said Heaton Park is a 'terrible venue for concerts', with Liam responding: 'See you down the front.'

When another asked when the reunion dates will be announced, he replied: 'Next Friday.'

The Cruel Summer songstress, 34, played eight shows at the north London venue to delighted crowds in June and August - making her the first solo artist to play the stadium that many times.

She told the screaming audience: 'You have made me the first solo artist to play Wembley eight times on a single tour!'

Liam (pictured performing at Leeds festival in 2024) insisted an Oasis reunion was 'happening' in March

Oasis broke up in 2009 after Noel and Liam Gallagher (pictured in 1995) had a bust-up before a gig in Paris, leading to Noel walking out before they were due to appear on stage

It comes as the band's classic debut album Definitely Maybe is set to mark its 30th anniversary this week with a special edition release (Liam and Noel in 1999 at a press conference in Water Rats pub in London)

Liam has been touring the UK this summer on his Definitely Maybe tour to celebrate the 30 years since its release in 1994 (Pictured in June at his sell-out Sheffield Arena gig)

Fans said of the possible reunion on social media: 'Felt it's always been on the cards since Noel's divorce. I haven't been Glastonbury for two years (thanks Rowan) so go make a return when Oasis play it could be up there with Macca for me.

Music industry sources have suggested that an Oasis reunion now looks 'more do-able than it has been for years'.

The band's break-up came after a backstage bust-up in Paris, including a barrage of insults being traded and a guitar being 'wielded like an axe', to end a 15-year career which saw its fair share of Rock and roll antics from both siblings.

It comes as the band's classic debut album Definitely Maybe is set to mark its 30th anniversary this week with a special edition release.

Liam has been touring the UK this summer on his Definitely Maybe tour to celebrate the 30 years since its release in 1994.

Noel has been notably absent from the concerts, but during a show in Cardiff Liam made a point of dedicating Half The World Away to his 'little brother', saying he is 'still playing hard to get'.

Liam also played a host of Oasis hits during his headline performance at Leeds Festival on Friday night, and is set to top the bill on Sunday for its sister event in Reading.

Fans were also surprised to hear Noel pay Liam a string of compliments in an interview released last week with music journalist John Robb at Manchester's Sifters Records in honour of the album's 30th anniversary.

Reflecting on Liam's performance on a number of their hits, Noel said: 'It's the delivery or the tone of his voice and the attitude.

'I don't have the same attitude as him.'

Liam and Noel Gallagher, Andy Bell and Gem Archer pictured together in February 2006 at the Bangkok 100 Rock Festival

Noel (pictured performing in America in 2023) had previously claimed that he'd turned down 100 million to reform Oasis

A music insider said Liam and Noel (pictured in 2005) had secretly been back in touch and both had agreed to the reunion, 'much to the surprise of people around them'

The band's break-up came after a backstage bust-up in Paris, including a barrage of insults being traded and a guitar being 'wielded like an axe' (The Gallaghers pictured in 2003)

He also jokingly compared Liam's voice to '10 shots of tequila on a Friday night' and his as 'half a Guinness on a Tuesday'.

Last year, Noel joked in an interview on Radio X that he would 'properly consider' getting Oasis back together if he was given 8 million.

Asked whether it annoys him when people ask about a reunion, he said: 'It used to really annoy me when I first started and now it's just, it's just whatever...

'I'm fascinated with people asking the same question and getting the same answer, but the thing that is ongoing and will never get old is how the music just keeps appealing to another generation of fans.'

Formed in the 1990s, the Britpop group rose to fame with hits like Wonderwall, Don't Look Back In Anger and Stop Crying Your Heart Out.

They went on to become arguably one of the biggest bands in British music history before their break-up in 2009.

The brothers went on to have successful solo careers, with Noel fronting the group Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds.
The suspect of the shocking terror attack in Germany that gripped the world on Friday night has been named and charged for the first time.

The German prosecutor's office on Sunday ordered the pre-trial detention of 'Syrian national Issa Al H', over ''strong suspicions of belonging to a terrorist group abroad' as well as of murder and attempted murder.

The 26-year-old suspect came from a home for refugees in Solingen that was searched on Saturday, North Rhine-Westphalia's interior minister Herbert Reul said, as the authorities continue to look into his possible links with the Islamic State.

Der Spiegel magazine, citing unidentified security sources, said the suspect had moved to Germany late in 2022 and sought asylum.

He was seen today getting dragged to his arraignment at the Federal Supreme Court (BGH) in Karlsruhe, Germany, by federal police officers who took him to the southwestern courthouse via helicopter.

The attack occurred during a festival on Friday evening in the Fronhof, a market square, where live bands were playing to celebrate Solingen's 650-year history. Mourners have made a makeshift memorial near the scene.

The tragic incident, along with the militant group's claim of responsibility, sparked concern among some politicians who urged enhanced security, tighter curbs on weapons, stiffer punishment for violent crimes, and limits to immigration.

The suspect (pictured, centre) was seen getting dragged to his arraignment at the Federal Supreme Court (BGH) in Karlsruhe, Germany, today by federal police officers

The suspect came from a home for refugees in Solingen that was searched on Saturday, North Rhine-Westphalia's interior minister, Herbert Reul, said

The suspect was seen getting dragged to his arraignment at the Federal Supreme Court (BGH) in Karlsruhe, Germany, today by federal police officers, who took him to the southwestern courthouse via helicopter

A sign that reads: 'We just wanted to celebrate, but then the death came' is placed next to flowers and candles

Forensic police inspect on early August 24, 2024 the area where at least three people were killed and several injured when a man attacked them with a knife on late August 23, 2024 in Solingen

The suspect turned himself in late on Saturday and admitted to the crime, Duesseldorf police and prosecutors said in a joint statement early on Sunday.

'The involvement of this person is currently under intensive investigation,' they said.

Friedrich Merz, a prominent politician who leads the opposition, centre-right CDU party, urged that the country stopped admitting further refugees from Syria and Afghanistan.

'It's enough!' he said in a letter on his website.

German federal prosecutors have taken over the case and are investigating whether the suspect was a member of Islamic State, a spokesperson for the prosecutors said.

The group described the man who carried out the attack as a 'soldier of the Islamic State' in a statement on its Telegram account on Saturday.

An ambulance and police stand on August 24, 2024 near the scene where at least three people were killed and several injured

A placard reading 'Why?' among flowers and tributes placed on a sidewalk near the scene after a knife attack, in Solingen, Germany

Candles and flowers and the inscription 'Why? You are not alone' are pictured on late August 24, 2024 near the area where three people were killed and several injured

Forensic police inspect on August 24, 2024 the scene where at least three people were killed and several injured when a man attacked them with a knife on late August 23, 2024 in Solingen

It did not provide evidence for this assertion and details of the suspect's possible membership of the group were not immediately known.

Hendrik Wuest, premier of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia where Solingen is located, on Saturday described the attack as an act of terror.

Germany's Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) has said there have been around a dozen Islamist-motivated attacks since 2000. One of the biggest was in 2016, when a Tunisian drove a truck into a Christmas market in Berlin, killing 12 and injuring dozens.

'The risk of jihadist-motivated acts of violence remains high. The Federal Republic of Germany remains a direct target of terrorist organizations,' the BKA said in the report earlier this year.
MBABANE  It may, in some quarters, sound unbelievable, but it is a reality.

Despite the fact that the country is an agricultural economy, it spends E2 billion per annum importing scheduled products, including vegetables and fruits. They are mainly imported from South Africa. Bhekizwe Maziya, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Agricultural Marketing Board (NAMBoard), said emaSwati should ask themselves why they are being fed by foreign countries. He said local farmers do not grow crops at large scale, hence the shortage of vital vegetables and fruits. Maziya explained to the Times SUNDAY that some commodities like grain (wheat) also come from other countries, including China.

The situation appears and warranting urgent attention as emaSwati are importing even vegetables considered as part of their staple food, such as cabbage, beans, sweet potato, spinach, green maize, peanuts, lettuce and pumpkin. The NAMBoard said there is a very strong need to encourage farmers to undertake agricultural projects at large-scale necessary to satisfy the market and also provide means to commercialise farming.

Imported

The CEO said other scheduled products imported by the country include asparugus, baby corn, baby gem, baby marrow, brinjol, broccoli, brussel sprouts, butternut, carrot, cassava, cauliflower, celery, chick peas, chillies, coriander and cucumber. They also include dried leguminous vegetables, garlic, gem squash, ginger, green beans, green maize, green pepper, kale, leaf salad and leeks. Also forming part of the scheduled products are mint, mixed peppers, mushroom, okra, parsley, patty pans, processed vegetables, radish, red cabbage, red pepper, seed potato, soya bean, spinach, spring onion, sweet corn, sweet pepper and yellow pepper.

EmaSwati also import a variety of scheduled products that include fruits like almond, apples, appricot, avocado, banana, blackberry, blueberries, cashew nuts, cherries and coconut.

Other fruits that are imported to the country are cranberry, dates, dried fruits, gooseberry, granadilla, grapefruit, grapes, hazelnuts, kiwi fruit, lemon, lime and litches.

Classified

They also import mangoes, musk melon, naartjies, nectarines, nuts, olives, oranges and those classified by NAMBoard as other fruit and other nuts. The country brings to the local market from outside fruits such as pawpaw, peaches, pears, pecan nuts, pineapples, pinenuts, plums, processed fruits, prunes, raspberries, strawberry, sweet melon, walnut and watermelon.

Production

Asked what challenges emaSwati faced in producing the above listed crops, the NAMBoard CEO said challenges hindering local production include climate variability wherein the unpredictable weather patterns affect crop yields. Maziya, the CEO, said emaSwati have limited access to resources such as quality seeds, fertilisers and modern farming equipment.

He said water scarcity also affects farmers as there is inadequate irrigational infrastructure and a lack of economies of scale also plays a part in thwarting the commercialisation of farming.

Benefit

Explaining economies of scale, the chief executive officer said most of the countrys farmers are small-scale holders and do not benefit from economies of scale. Maziya said another challenge is that some of the farmers are not commercial but subsistence farmers who only sell their excess produce. Based on the current situation, what ought to be done to attain food security? This is one of the questions the CEO was called upon to answer.Maziya said the country is, of late, pushing for food sovereignty by putting in place initiatives such as launching water harvesting for irrigation, which is being achieved through construction of small and large dams, increasing access to funding, i.e. the Horticulture Revolving Fund and Horticulture Input Subsidy.

Improving

He said they are also promoting the climate smart agriculture programme and improving market information for proper planning and market facilitation. Another significant initiative that they have put in place is the programme to commercialise farming to improve profitability and revenue generation. Farmers are urged to focus on niche products and produce commodities only on suitable areas. Pertaining to vast arable land, of which some farmers feel there is an acute shortage contributing to the food imports; Maziya said Eswatini does have sufficient land for agriculture. He said the challenge lied more in efficient utilisation and management of this land.

Sustainable

The ceo said enhancing land use practices and adopting sustainable farming methods could help maximise the productivity of the available land. He said the country still have farmers sitting with large tracks of land but utilise only a small portion of that land. The NAMBoard is under the Ministry of Agriculture. It was established in terms of Act No. 13 of 1985.

It is mandated with the following:

To assist farmers with production, processing, storage, transportation, and sale of scheduled products.

To facilitate access to local and international markets for locally produced scheduled products.

To register wholesale distributors, importers and exporters of scheduled products.

To advise government on the availability and demand of scheduled products.

NAMBoard has three operational functions, which are the Farmers Support and Development Unit, Encabeni Fresh Produce Market and the Regulatory Division.

Commercial

It is understood that these functions are mandated to develop sustainable farming business among smallholder and commercial farmers in the Kingdom of Eswatini, as well as to ensure provision of food, economic security in communities and a well governed import, export and transitioning system of agricultural produce.
A Texas mother arrested for allegedly running a cross-country illegal butt Botox operation is facing new charges - as her victims share images of their horrific injuries.

Consuelo Dal Bo, 57, and her daughter Isabella Dal Bo, 18, were busted by Houston police in April during a sting operation.

The surgically-enhanced blonde woman appeared in a Montgomery County court on Friday after turning herself in for additional charges stemming from incidents in 2021 and 2022 at her home, reported KTRK.

She wore a pink jail jumpsuit and was in hand cuffs as she was charged with two counts of practicing medicine without a license causing physical harm.

Since the arrest of the mother-daughter duo their former clients have been speaking out sharing the horror stories of their experiences.

Texas mother Consuelo Dal Bo (pictured), 57, is facing new charges for allegedly running a cross-country illegal butt Botox operation with her daughter

One victim shared a photo of her backside swollen and covered in bandages following her procedure with Consuelo

Consuelo (pictured) wore a pink jail jumpsuit and was in hand cuffs as she was charged with two additional counts of practicing medicine without a license causing physical harm

One woman told the local news outlet she went to Consuelo's Conroe, Texas house in 2022 for butt enhancements.

The woman said she paid $8,000 for Consuelo to inject liquid from big brown bottles into her body on three separate occasions.

'The side of my butt would get really, really red and sore to touch. I'm pretty sure it was infected,' she said.

'Right now it feels like marbles all over my butt. I regret going to her, yes.'

Photos show the woman's backside swollen and covered in bandages following her procedure.

A former client (right) said she paid $8,000 for Consuelo to inject liquid from big brown bottles into her body on three separate occasions

Another woman said she got calf injections from Consuelo in 2010 and has been suffering ever since

Authorities collected bottles of illegal injectables and medical equipment from their bags at the scene of their April arrest

Another woman said she got calf injections from Consuelo in 2010 and has been suffering from constant infections, severe swelling and pain ever since.

Montgomery County Jail records show Consuelo was released on $100,000 bond on Friday - $50,000 for each additional charge.

In April, an undercover officer posed as a client to meet the two women at a temporary residence on Eastern Meadowlark Way in Conroe.

The mother and daughter had reportedly come straight from the airport after conducting business in California.

Police said the women tried to give the undercover cop Xanax to relax before the injections.

An undercover officer posed as a client to meet the two women at a temporary residence and police said the women tried to give the undercover cop Xanax to relax

Consuelo and her daughter Isabella Dal Bo (pictured), 18, were busted by Houston police in April during a sting operation

According to public records, Consuelo's home is listed as a $650,330 residence (pictured) in Conroe

Authorities collected bottles of illegal injectables and medical equipment from their bags at the scene.

The women allegedly told police they were 'not even sure what was in the bottles.'

Both are charged with unlawfully practicing medicine and the mother will face an additional drug charge.

According to public records, Consuelo is a licensed cosmetologist in Texas and the family home is listed as a $650,330 residence in Conroe.

The FDA has issued several warnings against injectable silicone for body contouring and said they can lead to long-term pain, infections and serious injuries including death.
A major war in the Middle East is 'a real danger', a Cabinet minister has warned following an escalation of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah overnight.

Early on Sunday, the Israeli military launched what it described as 'pre-emptive' strikes against the militant group in southern Lebanon, saying it had detected plans to attack Israel.

Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed group based in southern Lebanon, itself launched a series of drones against targets in Israel, saying it was acting in response to the killing of one of its top commanders in an air strike on Beirut last month.

Speaking to Sky News on Sunday, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden said the UK is 'very concerned' by the escalation.

'Even as this unfolds, the UK Government and the international community would urge all parties not to escalate further and to avoid a major regional war. That is the real danger facing the area,' he said.

Israel and Hezbollah have been exchanging fire across the border in Lebanon, pictured an Israeli bombing attack outside Zibquin, Lebanon

In Tyre, Lebanon, people are enjoying the good weather on the beach despite the bombing

In Lebanon's main airport in Beirut, travellers have been discommoded after airlines cancelled flights due to the threat posed by the repeated missile strikes

'We hope this doesn't turn out to be that and we hope that afterwards we can de-escalate the situation.'

British ministers have been involved in an international diplomatic effort to avoid further escalation to the conflict between Israel and Hamas that erupted following the terrorist group's attack on Israel last October.

Since coming to office last month, new Foreign Secretary David Lammy and Defence Secretary John Healey have visited the region, while Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer warned Iran's president in a phone call this month not to attack Israel.

Iran supports both Hamas and Hezbollah and has previously expressed a desire to make Israel 'regret' an air strike on Tehran that killed Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.

Sunday's outbreak of hostilities came as Egypt is hosting another round of talks aimed at securing an end to the conflict in Gaza.

Reports from the region suggest there have been no further strikes following the initial exchange of fire early on Sunday, but the situation remains tense.

British Airways and Wizz Air have cancelled flights to Tel Aviv in response to the strikes and Virgin Atlantic has delayed the resumption of flights to Israel following a 'security and safety' assessment.

British Airways flights are not set to resume until Thursday at the earliest, while a Virgin Atlantic spokesman said the airline will not resume daily flights until at least September 25.

Virgin Atlantic has announced it will extend the suspension of its flights to Israel after a 'security and safety assessment', as hostilities in the Middle East escalated overnight.

The airline will resume its daily flight in both directions between Heathrow and Tel Aviv from September 25.

It had been one of many carriers which suspended flights to Israel in October last year, after the start of the country's conflict with Hamas.

Wizz Air and British Airways resumed operations to the country in March and April, respectively.

Flights operated by Virgin Atlantic had been due to restart on September 5.

Hezbollah and Israel have been exchanging fire over the Lebanese border, pictured a Hezbollah drone being destroyed by the Israeli air force

Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden said the UK is 'very concerned' by the escalation of tension between Israel and the Iranian-backed terror group Hezbollah

The delay comes after the Israeli military said it had launched 'pre-emptive' strikes against the militant group Hezbollah in southern Lebanon on Sunday.

British Airways flights between Heathrow and Tel Aviv were cancelled between Sunday and Tuesday, according to the airline's online flight status tool, with subsequent journeys showing up as 're-routed'.

The airline has been approached for comment.

A spokesman for Virgin Atlantic said on Sunday: 'Following the latest security and safety assessment and after careful consideration we have taken the difficult decision to delay the restart of our Tel Aviv services.

'Daily flights are now planned to resume on 25 September from London to Tel Aviv. We'd like to apologise to our customers for any inconvenience caused.

'Our teams will be in contact with anyone affected to discuss options, which include rebooking to a later date or a full refund and in the meantime, customers can benefit from our partnership with EL AL which operates multiple daily flights between Heathrow and Ben Gurion Airport.

'We remain committed to our services to Israel and look forward to resuming flights to Tel Aviv as soon as the situation permits.'

The resumed flights between London and Tel Aviv will use an Airbus A330 aircraft, the airline said.

British Airways has suspended its flights between London and Tel Aviv following an overnight escalation of hostilities in the Middle East.

A spokesperson for the airline said on Sunday: 'We've been continually monitoring the situation in the Middle East and have taken the operational decision to suspend our flights to and from Tel Aviv up to and including Wednesday, 28 August.

'Safety is always our top priority, and we're contacting customers to advise them of their travel options.'

Wizz Air said it has suspended flights to and from Israel because of 'the escalating situation in the region'.

A Wizz Air spokesperson said on Sunday: 'Due to the escalating situation in the region, Wizz Air is temporarily suspending flights to and from Israel on 25 August.

The airline said affected passengers are being offered a full refund, free rebooking or 'a 120% refund in Wizz credits'.

'If passengers booked through an online travel agency or another third party they should reach out to them to receive the refund or rebook to a different flight,' the spokesperson added.
While the news cycle had died down on J.D. Vance's years-old 'childless cat lady' comments, the vice presidential nominee insists he does not regret the joke that sparked a slew of leftist criticism.

Vance says instead that Democrats have tried to attack his character for a 'sarcastic comment' he made in trying to make a much bigger point about policies that make it harder to want to start a family.

'Yes, I made a sarcastic comment years ago that I think that a lot of Democrats willfully misinterpreted,' Vance said in the latest grilling on his comments.

Asked by NBC Meet the Press host Kristen Welker if he regrets the remarks, Vance said: 'I regret, certainly, that a lot of people took it the wrong way and I certainly regret that the DNC and Kamala Harris lied about it.'

The entire controversy stems from a 2021 interview Vance had with then-Fox News host Tucker Carlson when he was a candidate for U.S. Senate.

Sen. J.D. Vance doesn't regret his 'sarcastic comment' about 'childless cat ladies' and said it was a joke made in bigger service to the anti-family problem in America

WATCH: Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) says he regrets that people took his 2021 childless cat lady comments the wrong way.@kwelkernbc: Do you regret what you said?@JDVance: I have a lot of regrets, Kristen, but making a joke three years ago is not at the top ten of the list. pic.twitter.com/c5gWaA6LTT  Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) August 25, 2024

Vance said at the time that the U.S. was being run by 'a bunch of childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives and the choices that they've made and so they want to make the rest of the country miserable, too.'

'It's just a basic fact  you look at Kamala Harris, Pete Buttigieg, AOC  the entire future of the Democrats is controlled by people without children,' Vance continued. 'And how does it make any sense that we've turned our country over to people who don't really have a direct stake in it?'

Vice President Harris does not have any children of her own but is a stepmother to husband Doug Emhoff's two kids Ella and Cole. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg now has twins he adopted with husband Chasten.

The Ohio Republican says that while his comment was a joke the point was larger that conditions in the U.S. make it hard for people to support their families and is therefore discouraging couples from having children.

'I have a lot of regrets, Kristen, but making a joke three years ago is not at the top ten of the list,' he said in the interview with Welker that aired in full on Sunday morning.

Vance saw his wife Usha work to balance having children and being a successful litigator and says he wants to make it easier for women to have choices. Pictured: J.D. and Usha Vance with their three children

'I'm going to say things from time to time that people disagree with,' he acknowledged. 'I'm a real person. I'm going to make jokes, I'm going to say things sarcastically.'

'There are certainly going to be things that I say if I'm elected vice president that people are going to say, 'well, I wish he had said that differently.' I think it's most important to be the person I actually am and say those sarcastic comments were made in the service of a real, substantive point,' he continued.

'This country has become too anti-family,' Vance lamented. 'It's too expensive to afford a house, it's too expensive to afford groceries. Donald Trump and I want to change that.'

The Republican VP nominee urged Americans to move past the comments and 'focus on the policy.'
Donald Trump dispelled claims he called into Fox News after Kamala Harris' speech at the Democratic National Convention on Thursday, alleging host Bret Baier called him.

The former president zeroed in on a Saturday opinion piece by New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd, who may have implied he was the one who phoned Baier and Martha Martha MacCallum.

'Bret Baier of FoxNews called me, I didnt call him, just prior to the Kamala Convention speech, and asked me if I would like to critique her after she is finished. I agreed to do so!' Trump wrote in a Sunday morning Truth Social post.

He then called out Dowd specifically as a member of the 'Fake News' media.

'The Fake News, like often gilted Maureen Dowd of the failing New York Times, wrote incorrectly that I was making the calls. WRONG!!!'

Donald Trump claims he didn't call into Fox News on Thursday following the conclusion of Kamala Harris' speech at the Democratic National Convention. He went on to call himself the 'Ratings Machine' and said 'I dont have to make calls to go on TV, or anything else'

Trump made this post on Truth Social attacking Maureen Dowd on Sunday morning

He continued: 'I dont have to make calls to go on TV, or anything else - They call me! Its called Ratings, I guess, and Im the Ratings Machine!"'

The apparent offending line in Dowd's article came roughly midway through the piece, where she also attacked Trump for his many Truth Social posts criticizing Harris' speech live.

'He followed up the posts with a scream-of-consciousness call to Fox News, filibustering Bret Baier and Martha McCallum for 10 minutes until Baier abruptly cut him off to throw to the Greg Gutfeld comedy show,' Dowd wrote.

Many liberals, not just Dowd, seized on this moment where Baier does in fact interrupt Trump while he's still speaking and transition over to Gutfeld's late night show.

Gutfeld even made a mention of it as his show started.

'That wasn't my fault, Donald Trump,' he said.

Trump appeared on Fox News after the fourth night of the DNC concluded to talk about Kamala Harris' speech

During her speech, Kamala Harris called Trump an 'unserious man,' mentioning January 6 and the crimes he's been accused of

Throughout Harris' speech, Trump repeatedly called her a 'radical' while testing out his new nickname 'Comrade Kamala Harris.'

He also attacked her for not mentioning China, fracking, and energy, while also saying she didn't adequately tackle the issue of Russia and Ukraine.

His foreign policy attacks continued, with him claiming Harris 'will take us into a Nuclear World War III!'

Harris, at the podium, focused on Trump's character, calling him an 'unserious man.'

She noted his actions on January 6th, when his supporters rushed the Capitol in a bid to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

She also made mention of the crimes he's been accused of, and the hush money case in Manhattan where he was convicted.

Many political analysts have suggested that Kamala Harris is currently enjoying a honeymoon period after taking over from Joe Biden as 2024 nominee.

Polls still show an extremely close race between Harris and Trump, with the Republican nominee still a favorite among many to win in November.
A Nando's waitress who was hit with a plate in an 'unprovoked' attack by a male customer claims she was 'grossly let down' by the police.

The female staff member broke her silence after the 'savage' assault took place in March at a branch in Stratford, London, with footage of the incident going viral this week after it was shared on X.

In a seven-minute video posted onto social media, she criticised the Met's response to the incident, stating that she as 'really disappointed and let down with what happened at the time with the police'.

She also spoke to camera in detail about what happened in the restaurant in the moments before she was struck and claimed the force had re-opened the investigation 'thanks to all the support and the attention it [the video] has been receiving online'.

The woman said: 'I don't think the situation would have garnered as much attention as it has, but the support has been overwhelming.

'So with all the attention that the video has gotten and seeing everything in the news about violence against women, violence against young women, the violence against girls, I think it's important to speak up about what actually took place.

The female staff member broke her silence today and criticized the Met's response to incident, stating that she as 'really disappointed and let down with what happened at the time with the police'

A shocking video has emerged showing the moment a Nando's waitress was hit in the face with a plate by a disgruntled customer

'Before explaining [what happened], I want to say what's more concerning than the mass behavior was the failure of the Metropolitan Police and their conduct.

'I was grossly let down by them. They have reopen the investigation now. Thanks for all of the support and the attention it's been receiving online. And for that I'm grateful. However, I was really disappointed and let down with what happened at the time with the police.'

In the footage, the female waitress is seen approaching a table where a bearded man, wearing a black beanie and dark hoody, is sitting with a woman and baby.

As the Nando's server places a plate of food on his table, CCTV captures the moment the male thug lashes out and slaps her across the face with a dinner plate.

The force of the brutal blow sends the stunned waitress flying backwards, leaving her holding her face, as horrified diners nearby turn around to watch the drama.

The male suspect, pictured, was filmed hitting the woman across the face before then leaving the restaurant in Stratford, London. Police are now looking for him

The video footage shows the waitress putting a plate of food on the table seconds before she was attacked by the man

The battered worker then leaves the scene as her attacker gets up and walks away from the table with the woman and child, leaving a full plate of food behind.

It's not known what triggered man's violent outburst, with footage of the assault uploaded on Wednesday evening,

One woman, who claimed to have been the assaulted waitress, shared the clip on X - with the video notching up more than 20million views since last night.

'No way I've come onto this app and seen myself get assaulted,' she wrote.

The incident was reported to the Metropolitan Police - but the woman who shared the video was critical of the force's response.

She wrote: 'The police were present at the time, I reported it to them and they let him go without taking his details or checking the CCTV. I filed a complaint against the officers and their supervisor got back to me and essentially said theyre humans and made a mistake.'

The Met Police said it was 'aware' of the video footage and said it was investigating why the incident was 'not progressed promptly' by officers.

A spokesman told MailOnline: 'A report of assault was made to police at the time of the incident, however, it appears this was not progressed promptly by officers. We are working to establish why this happened and accept this is not the level of service Londoners should rightfully expect from the Met.

After being hit with the plate, the female waitress appears to stagger back away from the table while other customers turn around and watch the drama

The male attacker and a woman and baby he was sitting with, are then seen leaving the venue

'We have since made contact with the victim and a statement has been taken  we will endeavour to keep her updated with the progress of this investigation.

'There has been no arrest and enquiries are ongoing to locate the man involved.

'Anyone who can provide information about this incident should call 101 ref CAD 1872/21 Aug.'

Viewers on social media said they were appalled by the attack, branding the man's actions as 'disgusting', 'criminal' and 'savage'.

'This man is unhinged! Seriously, why do that? Is he sick? What a savage,' wrote one person.

Another user added: 'Assaulting someone over food? Thats a one-way ticket to jail. Seems like even working at a restaurant doesnt guarantee safety anymore. Pathetic.

A third person wrote: 'Assaulting someone over food? Thats a one-way ticket to jail. Seems like even working at a restaurant doesnt guarantee safety anymore. Pathetic.'

In a statement, a Nando's spokeswoman said: 'This was a shocking and unprovoked attack earlier this year. We reported it to the police immediately and have supported our colleague since.

'We will not tolerate this kind of behaviour, the safety of our colleagues and customers is our priority.'
Employees at an anti-police nonprofit have been left in a bind after their woke founder allegedly blew hundreds of thousands of dollars on designer clothes and mansions for himself.

Brandon D. Anderson, 39, who founded a citizen app intended to replace law enforcement called Raheem AI, is being questioned about $250,000 in suspicious expenses he submitted in 2021 alone, according to the New York Times.

But the alleged brazen fraud presented staffers with a dilemma - should they call the police on the founder of their anti-police project?

In the end, after being unpaid as Anderson allegedly siphoned away the money and feeling they had no other way to reclaim their wages, they resorted to telling the District of Columbia's attorney general - who may now open a criminal probe.

'Brandon is a masculine-presenting Black person. And the way that police treat masculine-presenting Black people is terrible,' Nancy Mariano, a former software engineer at the nonprofit, told the NYT of the dilemma.

'Even if Brandon committed a crime, I don't want Brandon to die, so I don't want to put Brandon in that position,' she added - while recognizing though that he appeared to have committed 'the perfect crime'.

Brandon D. Anderson (pictured), 39, who founded a citizen app intended to help replace law enforcement officials called Raheem AI , is being questioned about $250,000 in suspicious expenses he submitted in 2021 alone, according to the New York Times

Whistleblower Jasmine Banks, who worked at the nonprofit, was the first to notice the suspicious transactions

It was deputy director Jasmine Banks who eventually called in law enforcement to hold Anderson accountable for the alleged fraud.

'Do I have personal guilt? That's an interesting question,' she told a NYT interviewer, and paused for a long time. 'No.'

Raheem AI was launched with a radical mission to abolish the police and build an alternative network of 'liberated dispatchers' comprising medics, social workers and psychologists to take would-be 911 calls.

'Essentially, it's an alternative dispatching system to 911,' US Army veteran Anderson said when the initiative began in 2021. He paid himself a salary of $160,000. The project was inspired by Anderson's late fiancee Raheem, who was allegedly killed by an abusive cop.

It was an iteration of an earlier failed attempt at creating an app for people to report wrongs they felt they had suffered at the hands of police officers.

Money quickly poured in, with donors giving more than $4.4 million to bolster the initiative over the course of the nonprofit's lifetime.

Anderson used the funds to hire a team, including Banks, 38, a mother-of-four with plenty of experience working for tiny liberal nonprofits.

It was Banks who uncovered Anderson's jaw-dropping spending habits - which included a $2,000 transaction at Bloomingdale's $2,800 at luxury Italian clothing store Bottega Veneta, and many more at Saks, Alexander McQueen, and Farfetch.

According to records seen by the NYT, Anderson spent upwards of $11,000 in charity money on designer clothing in 2021 alone. Each purchase was marked 'executive director clothing allowance'.

Banks said the first suspicious transaction she noticed was a $1,536 credit card bill. The eyebrow-raising record prompted her to dig further into the records.

Anderson allegedly spent $46,000 on Uber and Lyft, and $80,000 on vacations and hiring mansions around the world, including a luxury resort holiday in Cancun.

He was so audacious about his spending that he posted a photograph of himself in a pool on Facebook, captioned 'Cancun'.

Banks was stunned by the brazenness of the apparent funneling of company funds. She wrote to the nonprofit's board - two independent members who sat alongside Anderson - about a 'confidential issue that requires immediate attention'.

Anderson's jaw-dropping spending habits included a $2,000 transaction at Bloomingdale's $2,800 at luxury Italian clothing store Bottega Veneta, and many more at Saks, Alexander McQueen, and Farfetch

Raheem AI was inspired by Anderson's late fiancee Raheem, who was allegedly killed by an abusive cop

The members told the NYT they had not approved any clothing allowances, especially since the entire workforce worked from home.

'No, no, no. Categorically, no. Not in a million years,' Phillip Agnew, a former board member who now runs a liberal political group called Black Men Build, told the NYT.

At the same time that Anderson's spending was spiraling out of control, his employees said he was increasingly absent from work.

Meanwhile, the app they were building was failing, and when asked about how the plan was going to be executed, he would pass the buck to them.

'He would say that's why he hired smart people, so we could tell him,' Banks told the NYT.

Since the allegations came to light, the board members have placed Anderson on administrative leave and the nonprofit has become defunct as donors pulled funding.

Anderson denied the accusations in a statement to the NYT, saying that some were 'rife with untruths'.

'It's easy to assign failure to one cause or another in hindsight, and individual expenditures are easy to mischaracterize without the burden of context,' he said.

'The bottom line is simply that it didn't work, and as the leader of that effort I share most of the blame.'

Brandon D. Anderson (pictured), 39, who founded a citizen app intended to help replace law enforcement officials called Raheem AI , is being questioned about $250,000 in suspicious expenses he submitted in 2021 alone, according to the New York Times

Anderson's jaw-dropping spending habits included a $2,000 transaction at Bloomingdale's $2,800 at luxury Italian clothing store Bottega Veneta, and many more at Saks, Alexander McQueen, and Farfetch

Anderson's nonprofit was named after his fiancee Raheem, who was allegedly killed by an abusive cop.

He often told the story about how they had run away from home together as teenagers and sold drugs to survive while squatting inside abandoned properties in Oklahoma City.

Anderson said Raheem proposed to him in 2006, but while he was away on army tour in 2007, Raheem was killed by an Oklahoma City Police officer.

'He was driving a car that the officer said was stolen,' Anderson said while telling the story previously.

'The car had never been stolen. In fact, it was the car that me and my partner had saved up to buy.

'My partner's death threw me into two years of clinical depression. The loss of my partner  the killing of my partner  by the police changed my life forever.'

Raheem AI was born as an effort to prevent similar horrors from happening in future, by creating a nationwide network which allows people to file complaints against police from their phone.

This ultimately failed due to the complexity of the task at hand but was revamped with the new mission in 2021.

DailyMail.com has reached out to Anderson for comment.
Pavel Durov is a billionaire social media mogul without the usual trappings of wealth that he could easily afford.

The 39-year-old, who is estimated to be worth 12 billion, boasts of owning no major personal assets.

Despite living in the multi-millionaires playground of Dubai, he revealed in a rare television interview earlier this year that he didnt own a house, land, yachts or private jets.

He told US broadcaster Tucker Carlson: I dont think this lifestyle is for me. Adding: My number one priority in life is my freedom.

Durov said he focuses all his energy on Telegram, the social media platform with 950 million users that he founded in 2013 with his genius brother Nikolai.

Born in Russia, Durov spent many of his childhood years in Italy before returning to his homeland when his father, a scholar in ancient Roman literature, landed a new job at St Petersburg University.

Pavel Durov (pictured) is a billionaire social media mogul without the usual trappings of wealth that he could easily afford

Irina Bolgar, 44, (pictured, centre) a Russian woman based in Switzerland, claimed he fathered her daughter and two sons born in 2013, 2016 and 2017

Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov delivers his keynote conference during day two of the Mobile World Congress at the Fira Gran Via complex in Barcelona, Spain on February 23, 2016

Both brothers mastered computer code and programming from an early age and Durov set up VK, dubbed the Facebook of Russia, when he left university at 21.

It quickly grew into the largest social media company in Russia and the former Soviet countries, but before long he clashed with the authorities.

When he refused to provide data on Ukrainian protestors to Russian security agencies he was effectively forced to give up his company and moved abroad in 2014.

Durov said the absence of any secure form of communication in Russia gave him the idea for Telegram. His brother created Telegrams encryption system and the rest is history.

The Russian entrepreneur said he abandoned attempts to settle in Berlin, London and San Francisco because of bureaucratic hurdles put in his way and ended up living in Dubai.

He now has dual French and Emirati citizenship and remains the sole owner of Telegram.

People walk past paper planes referring to the logo of the Telegram messaging app, which were placed during a gathering in support of freedom of expression following the arrest of Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov, near the French embassy in Moscow, Russia August 25, 2024

Activist Vladislav Mazur takes part in a one-person picket to protest against the arrest of Pavel Durov, founder and CEO of the Telegram messaging app, near the French embassy in Moscow, Russia August 25, 2024

Durov also appears to have an equally colourful personal life.

He has posed for photographs to show off his muscular physique, but despite his good looks and status he is believed to be single.

Bizarrely Durov recently claimed in a Telegram post to be the father to more than 100 children worldwide after becoming a sperm donor.

He is known to have had a daughter and son with ex-partner Daria Bondarenko, now based in Barcelona.

And recently Irina Bolgar, 44, a Russian woman based in Switzerland, claimed he fathered her daughter and two sons born in 2013, 2016 and 2017, insisting they were conceived and born naturally.
A stunning 26-mile stretch of Florida's Gulf Coast, known as 30A, has been dubbed the 'Hamptons of the South' as it attracts an influx of homebuyers.

The quiet slice of paradise has turned into America's latest luxury hotspot, attracting wealthy buyers from as far as Chicago and Montana.

The once-hidden gem strip of beaches, including picture-perfect towns like Rosemary Beach and Seaside, features Caribbean-like waters, powdery white sand, and classic Southern charm.

Local real estate agent Beau Blankenship emphasized the dramatic shift that's taken place in recent years.

'Now you're seeing people from the Northeast, people from the West, Salt Lake City, Utah, Colorado,' he told Business Insider.

A stunning 26-mile stretch of Florida's Gulf Coast, known as 30A, has been dubbed the 'Hamptons of the South' as it attracts an influx of homebuyers

Picturesque street scene in Alys Beach on the Emerald Coast in Florida

The area's popularity has sent property prices skyrocketing as median home price soared from $1.1 million in 2019 to a jaw-dropping $3 million this year in Rosemary Beach (Pictured: Rosemary Beach Florida main street in the Gulf coast)

In 2023, visitor spending during the peak summer season increased by $500 million compared to 2019, he explained.

'A decade ago, those visitors were mostly from Southern cities within driving distance, like Atlanta and Nashville,' he added.' Now you're seeing people from the Northeast, people from the West, Salt Lake City, Utah, Colorado.'

The area's popularity has sent property prices skyrocketing as median home price soared from $1.1 million in 2019 to a jaw-dropping $3 million this year in Rosemary Beach.

Rosemary Beach is a popular high-end beach community with a European flair complete with plenty of dining and shopping options, that is situated off scenic highway 30A.

Luxury vacation rentals are also now asking for up to $2,500 per evening (Pictured: Fort Pierce, Florida)

Sunset on a boardwalk leading to Rosemary Beach

The pandemic accelerated the trend, with Florida's early reopening attracting those seeking sun-soaked locations from locked-down states. (Pictured: Luxury homes and condos in Alys Beach, Florida)

A row of houses facing afternoon sun in Rosemary Beach, Florida

Luxury vacation rentals are also now asking for up to $2,500 per evening.

Kemp Stewart, a luxury rental owner, witnessed the transformation firsthand

'There'd be a few vacant lots, and then a house surrounded by trees and brush,' he told Business Insider. 'Then all of sudden, you'd see individual developments of monster homes being built on the beach.'

The pandemic accelerated the trend, with Florida's early reopening attracting those seeking sun-soaked locations from locked-down states.

Steward claims its appeal has stayed consistent.

'This is a place for families to go on vacation and connect with one another in one of the most beautiful environments in the world,' he said.
The family of British ballet dancer who died after suffering a severe allergic reaction to a cookie containing peanuts has called for EpiPens to be rolled out in schools.

Orla Baxendale, 25, originally from Helmshore, East Lancashire, but based in New York City, went into anaphylactic shock and died on January 11 after consuming vanilla Florentine cookies that contained peanuts.

Her mother, Angela, believes that while the tragedy took place in the United States, it could have easily have happened in the UK because allergies are not taken seriously enough.

According to the Sunday Times, supermarkets and manufacturers in the UK are regularly mislabelling products containing allergens such as peanuts and milk.

Data from the Foods Standards Agency's allergy alerts shows 334 food products have been recalled from high street shops and supermarkets because of undeclared allergens in the past five years.

Orla Baxendale (pictured) went into anaphylactic shock and died on January 11

Orla (pictured) was a promising ballet dancer and enrolled at Alvin Ailey dance school in New York

Thirty-five recalls have been issued this year for products that may contain allergens not mentioned on the label.

Julie Martin, of the Amy May Trust, which raises awareness of serious nut allergies, said: 'Manufacturer's errors on food packaging labels are shockingly frequent, yet the potential life-changing or fatal consequences of such errors seem to be strongly underestimated within the food industry and are extremely concerning to members of the allergy community.

'All shoppers and consumers should be wholly confident in the safety of their purchases.'

In July, a packaging error meant Waitrose was forced to recall its chocolate mini cupcakes after a small number of packs contained coffee and walnut cupcakes.

Elsewhere, Asda recalled its Extra Special sea salt and chardonnay wine vinegar crisps because some packs contained cheese and onion crisps, resulting in undeclared milk.

M&S also had to recall it's chocolate cornflake mini bites 'due to the undeclared presence of hazelnut, oats and wheat flour in a small number of packs.

Several types of limited edition Oreo cookies were recalled on Friday because they may contain peanut, which was not declared on the packaging.

Orla's family are now calling for adrenaline auto-injectors (AAIs), commonly known by the brand name EpiPen, to be made as widely available as defibrillators in restaurants, schools and other public places.

Orla (pictured) died after she ate a cookies was not labelled correctly as containing peanuts - which she was severely allergic to

Orla was originally from Helmshore, East Lancashire, but based in New York City

Orla's family are now calling for adrenaline auto-injectors (AAIs), commonly known by the brand name EpiPen (pictured), to be made as widely available as defibrillators in restaurants, schools and other public places

They have also demanded for the government to appoint an allergy tsar, to increase awareness of how to handle allergies safely, echoing the requests of Abimbola Duyile  the mother of 13-year-old Hannah Jacobs, who had a severe dairy allergy and died after drinking a Costa Coffee hot chocolate incorrectly made with cows' milk.

These demands were also made by the parents of Natasha Ednan-Laperouse - the 15-year-old died after eating a Pret A Manger sandwich containing sesame seeds in 2016.

Angela said: 'Orla checked every label, she educated all of her friends about her allergy, and she lost her life through no fault of her own.

'There have been 50 young deaths since 2016 and I think there'll be more, because people still don't understand how harmful allergies can be.'

The calls for more AAIs to be available much more widely, particularly for schools and hospitality staff, has been echoed by charities such as the Natasha Allergy Research Foundation - which was set up in 2018.

Simone Miles, chief executive of Allergy UK, said: 'Schools can purchase AAIs but it isn't mandatory. We want to see schools provided with them, and with inhalers, by the government, and for there to be training with that.

'We'd also like to see mandatory AAIs within the catering and hospitality industry. There should also be training given that is specific to different roles.'

According to a study in 2021 by Imperial College London, hospital admissions for severe allergic reactions to food have more than tripled in the past 20 years in the UK, with the largest increase seen in children under 15.

In England there were 25,721 admissions to hospital for allergies and anaphylaxis in 2022-23.

Orla's nut allergy was first discovered by her family when she was 18 months old and eating peanut butter on toast which caused her face to swell.

She had four EpiPens spread across school and her dance academy, and carried an additional two on her person at all times.

Her friends' parents were too anxious to invite her to parties and sleepovers because of her allergy, Angela claimed.

Orla chose Elmhurst Ballet School in Birmingham at 16 because it could guarantee nut-free catering.

At 18, she moved to New York when she won a scholarship to study at the Alvin Ailey dance school.

As she explored relationships, she would even check whether a partner had eaten anything containing nuts before kissing them.

The cookies which allegedly killed her were purchased from a Stew Leonard's store in Connecticut, were subsequently recalled due to the packaging not having a peanut allergy warning.

The vanilla Florentine cookies which allegedly killed Orla were subsequently recalled due to the packaging not having a peanut allergy warning

The snack was purchased from a Stew Leonard's store in Connecticut

Her family, in a lawsuit filed last Thursday, has now accused the grocer and manufacturer Cookies United of being 'careless and negligent' in causing Orla's death.

The complaint, reviewed by DailyMail.com, states that Baxendale had a known severe peanut allergy and she, 'like all consumers, relied upon the manufacturer and seller to properly label the package sold to the general public'.

However, the cookies she consumed 'contained, among other things, undeclared peanuts and other known allergens', despite not being labelled as so, according to the complaint.

The suit alleges that Cookies United failed to properly label that the Florentine cookies contained peanuts prior to distribution.

According to the suit, eleven Stew Leonard's employees were 'notified by email' of the change in ingredients, including the 'addition of peanuts to the cookie recipe in July 2023, approximately six months before Baxendale's death.

The manufacturer then sent 'bulk packaging' that contained a label indicating the cookies contained allergens including peanuts in October that year.

However, Baxendale consumed a cookie that had not been properly labelled to indicate the ingredient change in January 2024.

She went into anaphylactic shock and an EpiPen was administered, but 'due to the severity of her allergy, it was not effective', family attorney Marijo C. Adime said in a statement at the time.

The suit accuses Stew Leonard's of ignoring alerts from the manufacturer and alleges the store did not update product labels once it received notice of a change of ingredients.

Hannah Jacobs (pictured) had a severe dairy allergy and died after drinking a Costa Coffee hot chocolate incorrectly made with cows' milk

Orla's parents have demanded for the government to appoint an allergy tsar, to increase awareness of how to handle allergies safely, echoing the requests of Abimbola Duyile (pictured)  the mother of 13-year-old Hannah Jacobs

These demands were also made by Nadim Ednan-Laperouse (left) and Tanya Ednan-Laperouse (right) who received an OBE from Prince William in 2022

Natasha Ednan-Laperous (pictured) was 15-year-olds when she died after eating a Pret A Manger sandwich containing sesame seeds in 2016

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: 'Our deepest sympathies are with the family and friends of Orla Baxendale, and all those impacted by this case.

'Department officials have been in ongoing discussions with the Natasha Allergy Research Foundation about improving support for people with allergies and ministers will carefully consider their views and any recommendations made by the coroner following the tragic death of Hannah Jacobs.'
This is the dramatic moment the Royal Navy intercepted a speedboat and seized cocaine worth 40m.

In the footage Royal Navy soldiers can be seen leaving the HMS Trent on multiple smaller vessels, where they are roughly 120 nautical miles south of the Dominican Republic.

The video then cuts to the soldiers back on the HMS Trent but with men in their custody - who are wearing orange life jackets - they escort them onto the ship with their hands behind their head.

Later on, an officer returns to the ship on a different speedboat which is full of what appears to be bricks of Cocaine scattered across floor of the vessel.

It is the sixth bust made by HMS Trent this year, which has confiscated close to seven tons of drugs worth 551.5 million.

Pictured, armed forces move rapidly to intercept the suspected drug trafficking boat to seize its cargo

A suspected smuggler puts his hands on his head as he is led away. HMS Trent was alerted to a speed boat suspected of smuggling cocaine

The Portsmouth-based ship closed in and dispatched the Royal Marines and US Coast Guard on board to intercept the vessel

Some 1,115lb of the narcotic was seized and three alleged smugglers handed over to the US authorities

The smugglers threw their cargo overboard during the operation, but thanks to HMS Trent's swift response all contraband was seized

HMS Trent (pictured) has made its sixth bust this year. It has been working closely with the US Coast Guard and the Joint Interagency Task Force

The warship was pressed into action on August 8 after being alerted to a speedboat that was smuggling cocaine off the southern coast of the Dominican Republic.

With a US maritime patrol aircraft overhead, the Portsmouth-based ship closed in and dispatched the Royal Marines and US Coast Guard on board to intercept the vessel.

The smugglers threw their cargo overboard in an attempt to prevent it from being captured.

Some 1,115lb of the narcotic was seized and three alleged smugglers handed over to the US authorities. Commander Tim Langford hailed the 'successful operation with our American partners', adding: 'Every member of my team can be proud.'

Armed Forces Minister Luke Pollard said the operation 'highlights the Royal Navy's vital role' in upholding international law in the region, adding: 'We are sending a clear message to drug traffickers that... we will disrupt and dismantle their operations wherever they are in the world.'

HMS Trent, which has been working closely with the US Coast Guard and the Joint Interagency Task Force (South), has now seized 6,995kg of drugs in 2024.

The ship is still patrolling Caribbean waters.

The Royal Navy said the aim is to be a reassuring presence to British Overseas Territories during hurricane season (from June to November) and to stem the flow of illegal cargo through the region.
"Frank Schwabe's opinions about Azerbaijan and the country's leadership, whose name is known in a number of corruption cases and dark business relationships, show how biased, fake, and hypocritical a politician this person is."

Azernews reports that the head of the press service department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Aykhan Hajizade, said this in response to the media's questions about the opinions expressed against Azerbaijan by Peter Stano, the press secretary of the European Union (EU) for foreign policy and security issues, and Frank Schwabe, a member of the German Parliament.

Aykhan Hajizadeh said that opinions voiced against the political leadership of Azerbaijan, which is one of the leading countries in terms of political stability, economic development, and progress indicators, are first of all evaluated as prejudice against the success of the country. He said that the steps taken towards the liberation of Azerbaijan's lands, which have been under occupation for nearly 30 years, and the independent policy carried out do not coincide with the insidious intentions of people like Schwabe, and it worries them.

"Frank Schwabe is well aware that the only reason why the observers of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) were not invited to observe the elections to the Milli Majlis is that despite the promises given to our country at the political level, including by German officials, the mandate of the Azerbaijani delegation has not yet been restored. Expressing concern about Azerbaijan-Russia relations, it would be appropriate for Schwabe to talk about people who cooperate with Russia in Germany and PACE, and who even today closely cooperate with Russia's "Gazprom" company.

At the same time, Azerbaijan's presiding over the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29) was conditioned by political motives not related to this process, expressing opinions contrary to the essence of the fight against climate change, including the commitment of our country, once again demonstrated Schwabe's bias against Azerbaijan.

Regarding Schwabe's intention to visit our country within the framework of COP29, let's note that those who voted against the Azerbaijani delegation at PACE were included in the list of "undesirable persons". If the said persons come to Azerbaijan until the mandate of our delegation in PACE is restored, they will not be allowed to enter the territory of the country. Azerbaijan is committed to its obligations at the international level, it understands these obligations well. At the same time, we emphasize once again that applying these obligations only on the basis of unilateral and bilateral standards, misusing them, and applying biased approaches to our country will not be allowed," Aykhan Hajizade said.

It should be recalled that during the interview published on August 23 on "Radio Liberty", the member of the German Parliament, Frank Schwabe, stated that Azerbaijan is not interested in membership in the Council of Europe, accused Azerbaijan of not being loyal to the values ??promoted by the Council of Europe, and that the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe was not invited as an observer in the elections to the Milli Majlis. He also made insulting statements against Azerbaijan's authorities.
MBABANE  Coca-Cola Eswatini (CONCO) and others have been cited in a long-standing court case emanating from a tax dispute in the USA.

The dispute was between CONCOs mother company in the USA, The Coca-Cola Company (global business) and Internal Revenue Services (IRS), the equivalent of the Eswatini Revenue Services (ERS). On August 2, 2024, USA Judge Albert Lauber ruled in favour of the Internal Revenue Services in a case that had reached the tax court in 2015, touching on 2007-2009 financials for Coca-Cola Swaziland (Eswatini) and six other supply points. The other six supply points are Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Egypt, Ireland and Mexico.

Agreed to pay

The Cola-Cola Company (TCCC) has agreed to pay US$6 billion (E108 billion) to USAs taxman. It was revealed in court that the supply points such as Swaziland (Eswatini) showed fairly steady increases in revenue before and during the tax years in issue. It was mentioned that the revenue consisted almost entirely of payments from bottlers for concentrate. Occasionally, it was heard that these supply points also sold concentrate to one another. Notably, in 2020, the USA Department of Treasury engaged with the Eswatini Revenue Service regarding a mechanism for exchange of tax information and money flows.

It was not immediately established whether the mechanism is presently operational. However, financials for Coca-Cola Eswatini and others from the financial years 2001 to 2009, showed some profits, which were declared in the USA, with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) taking an interest in the matter. inter-company charges. According to papers, after deducting inter-company charges and direct expenses, Coca-Cola Eswatini reported operating profit for 2007, 2008, and 2009 as US$681 million, the equivalent of E12.25 billion at the current exchange rate.

The operating profit stood at E7.027 billion for the three financial years, as Lilangeni traded at 10.32 against the US dollar in 2009. Muzi Mahlobo, the General Manager of Coca-Cola Eswatini (CONCO LTD), forwarded our questionnaire about the matter to the global structure dealing with matter. Speaking to the Times of Eswatini SUNDAY, Scott Leith, Vice President, Global Strategic Communications, said The Coca-Cola Company had no comment beyond its current public disclosures.

On August 2, 2024, the Coca-Cola Company (global business) issued a public statement on the matter. This followed the court decision, which ruled in favour of the tax authorities.

In its statement, TCCC stated that the court decision reflects a liability of approximately US$2.7 billion, the equivalent of E48.57 billion. It said, with applicable interest, the total amount was anticipated to be approximately US$6 billion, which is about E108 billion. CocaCola strongly believed the IRS and the Tax Court misinterpreted and misapplied the applicable regulations involved in the case.

Defend its position

It said it would vigorously defend its position on appeal. The company said it had 90 days to file a notice of appeal to the USA Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. The company looked forward to the opportunity to begin the appellate process. As part of the process, it said it would pay the agreed-upon liability and interest to the IRS, which is the amount of E108 billion. It explained that it received a notice, on September. 17, 2015, from the IRS seeking approximately US$3.3 billion (E59.37 billion) of additional federal income tax for years 2007 through 2009.

In the notice, the IRS stated its intent to reallocate over E162 billion (US$9 billion) of income to the US parent company from certain of its foreign affiliates retroactively, rejecting a previously agreed upon methodology without prior notice to the company. The foreign affiliates include Eswatini. According to The Coca-Cola Company, the IRS designated this matter for litigation on October 15, 2015, precluding the company from any, and all, alternative means of resolution other than going to court.

Issued an opinion

On November 18, 2020, Coca-Cola stated that the Tax Court issued an opinion in which it predominantly sided with the IRS. On November 8, 2023, the Tax Court issued a second related opinion also siding with the IRS on the remaining issue. Meanwhile, Coca-Cola Eswatini is arguably the countrys largest contributor to Gross Domestic Product (GDP). It is a major producer of concentrate syrups and other ingredients in Africa. CONCO, has since been caught up in tax undercharging assertion levelled against its mother company, The Coca-Cola Company (TCCC). The allegations against TCCC were made in court by the Internal Revenue Services.

It must be said that Coca-Cola Eswatini is not alone in the fray as other supply plants from Brazil, Ireland, Chile, Costa Rica, Egypt, Ireland and Mexico were also flagged for alleged transfer pricing abuse the price at which a transaction is made within a corporate family or group of companies under one umbrella. This is how it all began. Coca Cola Company, also known as CCC, is the legal owner of the intellectual property (IP) necessary to manufacture, distribute, and sell some of the best-known beverage brands in the world.This IP includes trademarks, product names, logos, patents, secret formulas and proprietary manufacturing processes.

Unrelated bottlers

The Coca-Cola Company licensed Coca-Cola Eswatini (CONCO) and foreign manufacturing affiliates, called supply points, to use this IP to produce concentrate that they sold to unrelated bottlers. The bottlers then produced finished beverages for sale to distributors and retailers throughout the world. TCCC (The Coca-Cola Company)s contracts with Coca-Cola Eswatini and other supply points gave them limited rights to use the IP in performing their manufacturing and distribution functions, but gave them no ownership interest in that IP.

During the 2007-2009 financial years, which have been a centre of scrutiny since 2015 to August 2, 2024, CONCO and other supply points compensated TCCC for use of its IP.

The compensation was done under a formulary apportionment method to which The Coca-Cola Company and Internal Revenue Services had agreed in 1996 when settling TCCCs tax liabilities for 1987-1995. Under that method, it meant that Coca-Cola Eswatini and other supply points were permitted to satisfy their royalty obligations by paying actual royalties or by remitting dividends. During 2007-2009, Coca-Cola Eswatini and other affiliates jointly remitted royalties to TCCC amounting to US$1.8 billion, the equivalent of E32.3 billion at the current foreign exchange rate.

Pricing methodology

However, it turned out that the 1996 agreement did not address the transfer pricing methodology to be used for years after 1995. Upon examination of TCCCs 2007-2009 returns, the Internal Revenue Services determined that The Coca-Cola Company methodology did not reflect arms-length norms, because it over-compensated Coca-Cola Eswatini and other supply points and undercompensated the taxable owner of the Intellectual Property, being TCCC. Then, the tax authorities in the USA reallocated income between TCCC and Coca-Cola Eswatini and others, employing a comparable profits method (CPM). It meant the same tax rate charged on unrelated bottlers was then imposed on TCCC.These adjustments increased The Coca Cola Companys aggregate taxable income for 2007-2009 by more than US$9 billion, the equivalent of E161 billion.

What is transfer pricing?

Suppose, for example, an automotive manufacturer in Eswatini sells its vehicles in Zimbabwe. It effectively means that the Eswatini manufacturer needs to export (sell) those vehicles to its subsidiary in Zimbabwe. Therefore, the price at which the transaction is made between Eswatini and Zimbabwe is the transfer price. The tax paid in each country differs.

The trick is here; with the following illustration probably showing what might have happened in the case of The Coca-Cola Company International and its subsidiaries or supply plants such as Coca-Cola Eswatini and others.

Based on USAs Delloite expert advice on transfer pricing taxation, suppose the amount of the transfer price differs from the price at which the transaction is made with a third-party company which does not belong to the group. For instance, selling to a company that is not part of the Eswatini Automotive Firm at a different price is called arms length price.

In this case, tax is charged by deeming the transaction to be one made at the arms length price. To simply it, for example, Eswatini Automotive sells its vehicle to its Zimbabwe subsidiary at a transfer price of E120 000.

It also sells the same product to companies outside the corporate group at a price of E180 000. In this case, the Eswatini Revenue Service (ERS), for example, will deem Eswatini Automotive to have transferred a profit of E60 000 to its Zimbabwe subsidiary. The tax is then imposed on the price of E180 000, which is the same as the price at which the product is sold to a third party.Companies like Coca-Cola are then complaining that this format results in double taxation, because the amount of tax paid in the overseas country is not reduced accordingly.

Excessive burden

This, they argue, imposes an excessive burden on them. However, governments and tax authorities around the world, mainly the USA, are of the view that transfer pricing, from a tax point of view, is vulnerable to abuse. Tax authorities in the USA suspect that subsidiaries and affiliates in different countries manipulate the prices to shift income away from the United States. This may not be the case with The Coca-Cola Company and its subsidiaries in Eswatini and others, but there are complaints that some companies report more profit in jurisdictions with comparatively low tax rates, thereby raising the profits of the group overall.

This manipulation is typically accomplished by causing the corporate subsidiary in the United States (or other high tax jurisdiction) to sell goods to the foreign subsidiary at below market rates, or to buy goods from that foreign subsidiary at above market rates, so that any profit from the ultimate sale of those goods to a third party is attributed to the foreign subsidiary. It must be said that Section 482 of the USs Internal Revenue Services Code is designed to prevent this sort of transfer pricing abuse.Under IRS Code Section 482, it is provided that the tax authority may re-allocate income between related entities if necessary to prevent tax evasion or to reflect the true income of the relevant businesses.

What supply points do?

Supply points such as Eswatini and others produced concentratesyrups, flavourings, powder and other ingredientsused in the production of The Coca-Cola Companys branded soft drinks (including Coca-Cola, Fanta and Sprite) and other non-alcoholic, ready-to-drink beverages. These affiliates like Coca-Cola Eswatini sold and distributed those concentrates to hundreds of Coca-Cola bottlers in Europe, Africa, Asia, Latin America and Australasia. It has been established that the bottlers, most of which were independent of The Coca-Cola Company, ranged from small family-owned businesses to large multinational companies. The bottlers used this concentrate to produce finished beverages that they marketed (directly or through distributors) to millions of retail establishments throughout the world (excluding the United States and Canada).

Because the foreign manufacturing affiliates supplied concentrate to bottlers, these affiliates are often called supply points, Coca-Cola Eswatini is then referred to as a supply point.

Times SUNDAYs unanswered questions to Coca-Cola International. On August 2, 2024, the US Tax Court completed the next step in the legal process by entering a decision in the ongoing tax case between The CocaCola Company and the US Internal Revenue Service. The decision reflects a liability of approximately US$2.7 billion. With applicable interest, the total amount is anticipated to be approximately US$6.0 billion. Mr Mahlobo, as the GM for Coca Colas plant in Eswatini, how would this ruling affect Coca Cola Eswatini?

The US Tax Court heard that deficiencies in taxes resulted from transfer pricing adjustments under Section 482 by which the IRS reallocated substantial amounts of income to petitioner, chiefly from its foreign manufacturing affiliates such as Eswatini, formerly Swaziland. Will Coca-Cola Eswatini contribute to the payment of the US$6 billion and by how much Hon. GM?

What lessons has Coca-Cola Eswatini learnt from this case which started over a decade ago?

Did Coca-Cola Eswatini have a legal representative during the case or the Head Office was wholly responsible for the legal issues? Coca-Cola Head Office issued a statement to the effect that it is determined to defend itself on appeal, has the leadership in Eswatini familiarised themselves with this case?
Britain has called for 'restraint' in the Middle East after Israel launched a fresh wave of air strikes across southern Lebanon early on Sunday in what it called a pre-emptive strike to avert a large Hezbollah rocket and missile attack.

The Israeli military carried out a series of air strikes in southern Lebanon early on Sunday, saying it had intelligence Hezbollah was planning to carry out an attack of its own.

The Iran-backed militants subsequently launched drones at Israel, saying it was acting in response to the killing of one of its top commanders in an airstrike on Beirut last month.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy said he has spoken to Israeli minister for strategic affairs Ron Dermer and warned that 'further escalation in the Middle East must be avoided at all costs'.

Cabinet minister Pat McFadden earlier Sunday said the UK is 'very concerned' by the escalation and had warned a regional war was 'a real danger' if the situation continued to heighten.

It comes as at least three UK air carriers have axed flights to the Middle East in response to the strikes.

Britain has called for 'restraint' in the Middle East after Israel launched a fresh wave of air strikes across southern Lebanon on Sunday. Pictured is smoke rising after an Israeli airstrike hit the Zibqin town in southern Lebanon

Hezbollah subsequently launched drones at Israel, saying it was acting in response to the killing of one of its top commanders in an airstrike on Beirut last month. Pictured are houses damaged from rocket fire from Lebanon in Acre, Israel, on Sunday

Residents check the damage caused by a rocket fired from Lebanon in the Israeli coastal town of Acre on August 25, 2024

Mr Lammy, in a post on X, said he had spoken to Israeli minister for strategic affairs Ron Dermer and 'reiterated the UK's support for Israel's security, the importance of restraint, the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the release of all hostages'.

He added: 'Further escalation in the Middle East must be avoided at all costs.'

Since becoming Foreign Secretary in July, Mr Lammy has been heavily involved in Western diplomatic efforts to secure an end to the conflict between Israel and Hamas, paying a number of visits to the region.

Last week, he visited Israel alongside his French counterpart Stephane Sejourne, with the pair saying the 'spiral of escalating reprisals must end'.

Defence Secretary John Healey said he had also spoken to his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Gallant, and 'underlined UK support for Israel's security and the importance of agreeing a ceasefire in Gaza'.

He added: 'We discussed our shared concern to avoid escalation and wider regional conflict.'

Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden, speaking to Sky News on Sunday, warned: 'Even as this unfolds, the UK Government and the international community would urge all parties not to escalate further and to avoid a major regional war. That is the real danger facing the area,' he said.

'We hope this doesn't turn out to be that and we hope that afterwards we can de-escalate the situation.'

Reports from the region suggest there have been no further strikes following the initial exchange of fire early on Sunday, but the situation remains tense.

British Airways and Wizz Air have cancelled flights to Tel Aviv in response to the strikes and Virgin Atlantic has delayed the resumption of flights to Israel following a 'security and safety' assessment.

British Airways flights are not set to resume until Thursday at the earliest while a Virgin Atlantic spokesman said the airline will not resume daily flights until at least September 25.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy (pictured earlier this month outside Downing Street) said he has spoken to Israeli minister for strategic affairs Ron Dermer and warned that 'further escalation in the Middle East must be avoided at all costs'

Foreign Secretary David Lammy has urged Israel to show 'restraint' after an exchange of fire with Lebanese militants Hezbollah on Sunday morning

Pictured is a Hezbollah UAV intercepted by Israeli air forces over north Israel on Sunday

Smoke and fire on the Lebanese side of the border with Israel, after Israel said it had noted armed group Hezbollah preparing to attack Israel and had carried out pre-emptive strikes on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon

Egypt's foreign ministry warned of the dangers of opening up a new front in the Middle East

The IDF on Sunday launched two rounds of missiles at southern Lebanon

Telegram footage showed missiles being lobbed across the border in the early hours of the morning

Several nations and international bodies have warned Hezbollah and Israel not to escalate tensions in the already precarious Middle East.

But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed that Israel will 'harm whoever harms us' as the Middle East teeters on the brink of all-out war.

The IDF on Sunday launched two rounds of missiles at southern Lebanon, with the second coming hours after about 100 fighter jets 'struck and destroyed thousands of Hezbollah rocket launcher barrels' aimed at northern Israel.

The military also released black-and-white images showing smoke rising from what it said was a strike on southern Lebanon.

The second set of strikes hit 'Hezbollah launchers in several areas in southern Lebanon to remove threats.' At least three people were killed in the strikes on Lebanon.

The Lebanese health ministry added that two people - a Lebanese man and a Syrian man - were also being treated for injuries.

The Israeli military said a navy soldier was killed and two others wounded in combat in northern Israel on Sunday, after the Hezbollah attack.

'Petty Officer First Class, David Moshe Ben Shitrit, aged 21... fell during combat in northern Israel,' the military said in a statement, adding that he was in the navy and that two others were also wounded. It did not give further details.

A military official told AFP that an initial investigation indicated the soldier was killed 'either directly from an Iron Dome interceptor or from falling shrapnel from the interceptor, which accidentally hit a Dvora-class fast patrol boat after intercepting a UAV' fired by Hezbollah.

'The details of the incident are under review,' the official said on condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to speak publicly on the issue.

Despite the major escalation, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz has said the country 'does not seek an all-out war' in the region and that it is 'acting to protect its citizens and territory' against an 'axis of evil' led by Iran.

Sunday's outbreak of hostilities came as Egypt is hosting another round of talks aimed at securing an end to the conflict in Gaza, where Israel has been fighting militants Hamas since the latter's attack on October 7.

Both Hamas and Hezbollah are backed by Iran, with the Lebanese group also carrying out regular attacks on Israel since October.

Israeli Navy sailors carry the flag-draped coffin of Petty Officer 1st Class David Moshe Ben Shitrit, who was killed on a Hezbollah attack, during his funeral at the Mount Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem, Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024

Relatives of Petty Officer 1st Class David Moshe Ben Shitrit, who was killed on a Hezbollah attack, mourn during his funeral on Sunday

The sister of Petty Officer 1st Class David Moshe Ben Shitrit, who was killed on a Hezbollah attack, mourns during his funeral at the Mount Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem, Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024

Relatives of Petty Officer 1st Class David Moshe Ben Shitrit mourn during his funeral at the Mount Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem on Sunday

Israeli Navy sailors mourn during the funeral of Petty Officer 1st Class David Moshe Ben Shitrit, who was killed on a Hezbollah attack, at the Mount Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem

Israeli Navy sailors carry the flag-draped coffin of Petty Officer 1st Class David Moshe Ben Shitrit during his funeral at the Mount Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem on Sunday

The sister of Petty Officer 1st Class David Moshe Ben Shitrit, who was killed on a Hezbollah attack, mourns during his funeral at the Mount Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem

Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said Sunday that his group would assess the impact of its rocket and drone attack on Israeli military targets earlier in the day before determining whether it would carry out further attacks to avenge a slain commander.

The leader of the Lebanese armed group said in a televised address that it had been able to carry out its attack 'as planned,' denying statements by the Israeli military that its pre-emptive strikes had stopped a wider attack by the group.

Nasrallah, speaking about 12 hours after the most intense exchange of fire between Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israel since hostilities broke out in parallel with the war in Gaza, said the group had intentionally refrained from targeting civilians or public infrastructure, including Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv.

He said the group's main target was a military intelligence base about 110 km (70 miles) inside Israeli territory - the deepest attack yet and just 1.5 km (1 mile) north of Tel Aviv.

Nasrallah said the group would assess the results of the operation, a retaliation for Israel's killing of top Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukron the edges of Beirut last month.

'If the result is not enough, then we retain the right to respond another time,' Nasrallah said.

Hezbollah fighters had successfully launched a volley of more than 300 Katyusha rockets to distract Israel's Iron Dome defences before sending attack drones, he said.

They included drones fired from the eastern Bekaa Valley, a first for the group, he said. None of the drone or rocket launchers were damaged in Israel's pre-emptive strikes, he said.

Nasrallah said Hezbollah had not planned a larger attack, specifically denying Israeli military statements that the group had intended to fire thousands of projectiles.

But he acknowledged that the operation had been delayed for several reasons, including what he called a 'mobilization' of Israeli and American military assets in the region.

An image grab taken from Hezbollah's al-Manar TV on June 19, 2024, shows Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah giving a televised address from an undisclosed location in Lebanon

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at a state memorial ceremony for Zeev Jabotinsky

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed that Tel Aviv will 'harm whoever harms us' as the Middle East teeters on the brink of all-out war

This photo taken from a position in northern Israel shows an Israeli Air Force fighter jet firing flares as it flies to intercept a hostile aircraft that launched from Lebanon over the border area with south Lebanon on August 25, 2024

One video, reportedly taken in the city of Acre, around 11 miles from the border with Lebanon, showed what appeared to be a family's home partially destroyed by a Hezbollah missile

Rockets fired from southern Lebanon are intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome air defence system over the Upper Galilee region in northern Israel on August 23, 2024

Global leaders are already raising concerns over the escalating tensions between Hezbollah and Israel.

Egypt's foreign ministry warned of the dangers of opening up a new front in the Middle East, and called for stability, as it hosts diplomats from Israel and Hamas to try and further ceasefire talks.

The UN has described the latest developments as 'worrying', and has called all sides to agree to a ceasefire.

The UK's Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Pat McFadden, told Sky News he was 'very concerned' with the developments in the Middle East.

'This is a major escalation. Even as this unfolds, the UK government and the international community would urge all parties not to escalate further and to avoid a major regional war.

'That is the real danger facing the area. We hope this doesn't turn out to be that.

'We hope that afterwards we can de-escalate the situation but we're very concerned about what's happening there, very concerned for the people there,' he added.

'We hope that this is not a long-term outbreak of major hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah.'

President Joe Biden was said to be 'closely monitoring events in Israel and Lebanon,' according to Sean Savett, a spokesman for the National Security Council.

The Pentagon said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Gallant, about Israel's defenses. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. CQ Brown, is on a visit to the region that is expected to take him to Israel, Egypt and Jordan.

The Houthis in Yemen, meanwhile, hailed the Hezbollah attack and declared that their own response for an Israeli strike on a key Yemeni port on July 20 was 'definitely coming'.

But it appears Lebanon's official government is looking to de-escalate, with the country's caretaker Economy Minister Amin Salam revealing that officials were 'feeling a bit more optimistic' about a de-escalation.

This photo taken from a position in northern Israel shows a Hezbollah UAV intercepted by Israeli air forces over north Israel

Smoke billows from an area targeted by an Israeli airstrike between the southern Lebanese border villages of Zibqin and Yater

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C) and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant (second right) are pictured at a military base in Tel Aviv amid plans for a large-scale attack

'We feel more reassured since both sides confirmed that the expected operations ended, and we know that the negotiations in Cairo are very serious,' he said.

Health minister Firass Abiad said it was 'too early to tell' if the death and injury toll would rise but said that Israel's attack had mostly hit 'forested and open areas.'

Separately, Hezbollah confirmed that one of its fighters, Ayman Kamel Idriss, was killed in the southern Lebanese town of Khiam during a car strike.

Air raid sirens were reported throughout northern Israel, and Israel's Ben-Gurion International Airport began diverting incoming flights and delaying takeoffs.

Though many flights departing Ben-Gurion have been cancelled, many are still scheduled to leave on time, according to the airport's flight board.

Flights to and from Beirut Rafic Hariri international airport remain suspended, however, amid Israeli strikes.

IDF Colonel Nadav Shoshani said Hezbollah had intended to hit targets in northern and central Israel.

Israel's military spokesman, rear admiral Daniel Hagari, said: 'In a self-defence act to remove these threats, the (Israeli military) is striking terror targets in Lebanon'

Israeli military Chief of General Staff Herzi Halevi directs an operation, at a location given as Tel Aviv, Israel, in this screen grab from video released August 25, 2024

An Israeli fighter jet ejects flares over an area near the Lebanon-Israel border

The attack came as Egypt hosts a new round of talks aimed at ending Israel's war against Hamas, now in its 11th month

A view shows smoke on the Lebanese side of the border with Israel, as a man stands at a beach in Tyre, amid ongoing cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces

Smoke rises from the southern Lebanese town of Khiam, amid ongoing cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces

He said initial assessments found 'very little damage' in Israel, but that the military remained on high alert.

One video, reportedly taken in the city of Acre, around 11 miles from the border with Lebanon, showed what appeared to be a family's home partially destroyed by a Hezbollah missile.

Hezbollah announced it had launched an attack on Israel with a 'large number of drones' as an initial response to the killing of Fouad Shukur, a top commander with the group, in a strike in Beirut's southern suburbs last month.

It said the attack was targeting 'a qualitative Israeli military target that will be announced later' as well as 'targeting a number of enemy sites and barracks and Iron Dome platforms'.

But just before 8am, the proscribed terror group said that its planned attack on Israel 'has been completed and accomplished.'

Hezbollah Israel's comments that its strikes were pre-emptive were 'empty', claiming that they 'contradict the facts on the ground and will be refuted' later.

Hezbollah added, referring to Israel: 'We will take revenge on the criminals.

A black-and-white image shows a blast and smoke rising from what the Israeli military said was a strike at a location given as southern Lebanon

The attack came as Egypt hosts a new round of talks aimed at ending Israel's war against Hamas, now in its 11th month

Smoke billows from an area targeted by an Israeli airstrike on the southerm Lebanese village of Khiam on August 25, 2024

'These military operations will take some time to complete, after which a detailed statement will be issued about their course and objectives.

'The Islamic Resistance in Lebanon is now and at this moment at the highest level of readiness, and will stand strong and watchful against any Zionist transgression or aggression, especially if civilians are harmed, the punishment will be severe and very harsh.'

The attack came as Egypt hosts a new round of talks aimed at ending Israel's war against Hamas, now in its 11th month. Hezbollah has said it will halt the fighting if there is a ceasefire.

Israeli said on Sunday it still plans to send a delegation to Cairo for ceasefire talks with Hamas. Hamas leaders are also in the Egyptian capital, but it is not currently known whether they will take part in talks, following the attacks.

In a message to his country, Netanyahu said: 'Early in the morning we identified Hezbollah's preparations to attack Israel. In consultation with the Minister of Defense and the Chief of Staff, we instructed the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) to act proactively to remove the threat.

A Hezbollah unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) crossing from Lebanon gets intercepted by an Israeli fighter jet over an area near the Lebanon-Israel border, as seen from northern Israel, 25 August 2024

'The IDF has since been working vigorously to thwart the threats. It destroyed thousands of rockets aimed at the north of the country. It also thwarts many other threats and operates with great power, both in defence and attack.

'I ask you, citizens of Israel, to follow the directives of the Home Front Command. We are determined to do everything possible to protect our country, to return the residents of the north safely to their homes and to continue to uphold a simple rule:

'Whoever harms us  we harm him.'

He added: 'Most of our activity at the moment is in southern Lebanon, but we will attack anywhere, anywhere in Lebanon where there is a threat to the State of Israel.'

Last week, Israel's defence minister said he was moving more troops towards the Lebanese border in anticipation of possible fighting with the Iranian-backed group.

Israel's military spokesman, rear admiral Daniel Hagari, said: 'In a self-defence act to remove these threats, the (Israeli military) is striking terror targets in Lebanon, from which Hezbollah was planning to launch their attacks on Israeli civilians.'

'We can see that Hezbollah is preparing to launch an extensive attack on Israel while endangering the Lebanese civilians,' he added, without providing details.

'We warn the civilians located in the areas where Hezbollah is operating to move out of harm's way immediately for their own safety.'

Smoke and fire on the Lebanese side of the border with Israel, after Israel said it had noted armed group Hezbollah preparing to attack Israel and had carried out pre-emptive strikes on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei meets with Ismail Haniyeh (L) before Israel's lethal strike on the Hamas leader in Tehran, Iran July 30, 2024

His foreign minister, Israel Katz, later added that the nation 'will do whatever it takes to protect citizens.'

He also called for its allies to 'support Israel against the Iranian axis of evil and its proxies, led by Hezbollah.

'I informed [other foreign ministers] that Israel acted after definitively identifying a large-scale planned attack of missiles and drones by the Hezbollah terrorist organisation against targets in Israel, and we delivered a preemptive strike to prevent the assault and protect Israeli citizens and territory.

'Israel is confronting the axis of evil led by Iran, which has the explicit aim of destroying Israel.

'We do not seek a full-scale warbut we will do whatever it takes to protect our citizens.'

Lebanese media reported strikes in the country's south without immediately providing more details. Social media footage showed what appeared to be strikes in southern Lebanon.

Israeli media cited the Israel Airports Authority for news of the flight cancellations. Flight-tracking data showed at least two El Al flights swinging far south and diverting after the announcement.

Hezbollah is considered much more powerful than its ally, Hamas, with an estimated arsenal of arsenal of 150,000 rockets and missiles, including precision-guided missiles.

An Israeli house was hit as Hezbollah said it had fired more than 320 rockets towards Israel

This photo taken on Aug. 23, 2024 shows the smoke caused by an Israeli shelling in Khiam, Lebanon

A phone call lured Hezbollah chief Fuad Shukr (pictured) towards the top of a Beirut building he was in minutes before he was assassinated by an Israeli airstrike last month

Hezbollah began attacking Israel almost immediately after the war with Hamas erupted on October 7 with a Hamas cross-border attack.

Israel and Hezbollah have been exchanging fire nearly daily, displacing tens of thousands of people on both sides of the border and raising fears that the fighting could escalate into all-out war.

But until Sunday, both sides have been careful to avoid a broader conflagration.

In recent months the group has also stepped up its use of drones, against which Israel is less well-equipped to defend.

Netanyahu's office said he and his defence minister, Yoav Gallant, were managing the latest operation from military headquarters in Tel Aviv.

Mr Gallant declared a 'special situation on the home front' and Mr Netanyahu's Security Cabinet was set to meet later Sunday.
Kirstie Allsopp's friends have shown their support for the TV star by telling her 'how much they all travelled unaccompanied' as children.

It comes as the Channel 4 presenter was quizzed by social services for allowing her 15-year-old son to go Interrailing across Europe to mark the end of his GCSE exams.

The Mail on Sunday previously revealed how a social worker contacted the TV presenter to inform her that a file had been opened after child protection concerns were raised over her youngest child, Oscar.

To the 52-year-old's fury, the social worker demanded to know what 'safeguards' had been put in place when she allowed Oscar to travel for three weeks on the continent alongside a 16-year-old friend.

Speaking today, Ms Allsopp said she has had 'constant chats with mates, and online, about how we all travelled unaccompanied' in her youth and reiterated 'the stats are very clear, travel is safer than ever'.

She posted on 'X', formerly known as Twitter: 'Constant chats with mates, and online, about how much we all travelled unaccompanied; to school, to grandparents, to pen pals, to babysitting gigs, now it's all 'what the heck has happened?' Is this all 24 hour news? Because the stats are very clear, travel is safer than ever.'

Social media users have also backed Ms Allsopp's views, as one user said: 'Age 12, hitchhiked from Manchester to London (& back) to see the Rolling Stones. Certainly didn't ask my mum.'

While another added: 'Age 14 travelled around Poland on my own for 14 days. Lived in Sweden. Parents ok with. Learned about new cultures and a new language. Taught independence.'

Kirstie Allsopp has said she was outraged at being quizzed by social services for allowing her 15-year-old son to go Interrailing across Europe

To the 52-year-old's fury, the social worker demanded to know what 'safeguards' had been put in place when she allowed Oscar (seen) to travel for three weeks on the continent alongside a 16-year-old friend

Another user said: 'In the late 80's at 16 I travelled to America alone to go to boarding school and then travelled around America with a 16 year old friend in the holidays staying in youth hostels and using planes and trains alone - we had a great time and everyone was doing it - this is still ok and normal.'

But some users believe 15 is still too young to be travelling abroad unaccompanied.

One person said: ' To be honest, in my opinion, the issue isn't the travelling it's the fact he was unsupervised abroad. He's 15 and 15-year-old's make stupid decisions and can put themselves in danger. Not to mention a young boy is the perfect target for traffickers.'

'It's very safe . until it isn't, then it can go very wrong very fast, which is why it makes sense to work up to big expeditions and do them at the right age,' said another.

Astonishingly, Ms Allsopp was told that the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC), her local council, could keep the file open 'in case there was another referral and we needed to come to your house and look into this further'.

Speaking exclusively to this newspaper, Ms Allsopp branded the council's actions 'Orwellian' and 'absolutely outrageous'.

She said that officials had failed to understand she had been targeted by a 'malicious' complaint from someone falsely alleging neglect.

'I just felt sick  absolutely sick,' she said. 'Then I was cross. I was very, very cross. It was just so extraordinary. I was in a parallel universe where they were actually taking this seriously.

'I have broken no law and nothing about allowing my child to travel around Europe is neglectful.'

Last night the shocking case sparked accusations of a 'nanny state' and threw a spotlight on how councils can be hoodwinked into opening probes into neglect on the basis of 'vexatious' complaints.

At 12.40pm on Thursday, Ms Allsopp received the above text message from a social worker from 'Kensington and Chelsea children [sic] services'

Sir Alec Shelbrooke, a Tory MP and former minister, said: 'This is the nanny state gone mad. Any parent thinking of allowing their teenagers to travel will be terrified by this Orwellian development.

'Surely, these council officials must have better things to do than intimidate a mother who knows best how she can trust her son?'

Dame Karen Bradley, a Tory MP and the mother of sons aged 18 and 20, added: 'It seems like the worst kind of box-ticking and a waste of effort and time by council officials who should be focused on children who are at genuine risk.

'Kirstie knows her son and what he is capable of and took the same decision that many other parents would take for a child who wants to celebrate the end of his exams.'

The extraordinary episode began last Monday when the Location, Location, Location presenter wrote on X, formerly Twitter, of her pride in Oscar after he and his friend returned from a nine-stop trip by train around Europe.

Tory MPs Sir Alec Shelbrooke and Dame Karen Bradley both slammed the interferance, with the former (left) saying: 'This is the nanny state gone mad'

Ms Allsopp defended Oscar Hercules, now 16, saying that he and his friend independently organised the nine-stop trip around Europe

During an interview on Wednesday on the BBC's Today programme, she insisted that mobile phones and better healthcare meant travel was safer than in the past and 'in previous generations people did things far younger'.

But at 12.40pm the following day, Ms Allsopp received a text message from a social worker from 'Kensington and Chelsea children [sic] services', which stated: 'I am wanting [sic] to have a conversation with you re a referral we have received in relation to your son.'

Ms Allsopp said: 'I immediately rang the number and said 'I cannot tell you how angry this makes me'. I was very agitated. I said I could not be more upset. How on earth have you got time for this? How on earth have you got the resources? Where the hell did you get my telephone number?'

A referral takes place when someone contacts children's services because they are concerned about a child's safety and well-being.

Coram, a children's charity, says on its website that anyone can make a referral and that children's services then have 24 hours 'to determine what type of or response is required'.

It says that the 'majority of cases' will begin with a social worker carrying out an assessment, which must be completed in 45 days, to 'analyse the needs of the child as well as the nature and level of any risk of harm'.

Ms Allsopp, who has two sons and two stepsons, was not told how the referral had been made or by whom. The social worker insisted that every referral must be looked into and confirmed this meant a file had been opened on Oscar.

'And that was when I felt sickest,' Ms Allsopp said. 'I was proud of what Oscar did and I thought it was an important point  that's why I did that tweet. Then I thought 'Oh my God, I've let him down'. I felt devastated.'

The social worker then told the TV presenter she 'wanted to know what safeguards you put in place for your son's travel'. An 'incandescent' Ms Allsopp informed the official it was none of her business and that she was ending the call.

Later that day she was called by a second RBKC official, who insisted there would be 'different views' on the decision to allow Oscar to go travelling. When she asked that the file be deleted, Ms Allsopp was told to contact the council's data protection team, who would have to 'establish whether that is the right course of action'.

Kirstie Allsopp and her children in November 2014 for the launch of Hyde Park Winter Wonderland

Ms Allsopp said the 'sucker punch' was the knowledge that the council would keep the file on her son open in case there was another referral, despite this one being 'malicious'

'For me that was the sucker punch  the idea this file might continue existing,' she said.

'What [the official] said to me was 'If in six months there was another referral and we needed to come to your house and look into this further, it would be important that we had kept a note of the first referral'. That was the Orwellian moment. The fact it was maliciously done wasn't coming home to her.'

Oscar, who turned 16 the day before his mother was contacted by social services, said: 'When Mum let me go Interrailing she was probably like 'I'm giving him a great experience, he'll enjoy it'.

'Then to get called and have someone claim you were neglecting your child is pretty disgraceful and must be horrible to hear.'

RBKC said it was 'standard practice' for records to be retained until 'a child's 25th birthday' but residents 'can request for this to be removed from our records'.

A RBK&C spokesperson said: 'Safeguarding children is an absolute priority. We take any referral we receive very seriously and we have a statutory responsibility for children under 18 years of age.'
Two children have admitted to luring an 8-year-old boy to water-filled pits in Georgia and drowning him - as outraged attorneys argue the crime was racially motivated.

Noah Bush, 8, was murdered in May when he went with the boys to a restricted zone in Wayne County filled with borrow pits - massive holes dug up so the dirt can be used to fill in at another location.

An 11-year-old boy, whose name has not been released, admitted in court on Wednesday that he played a role in the homicide and was sentenced to two years in a detention facility, reported WSB-TV.

'This 11-year-old admitted under oath he, in fact, led Noah Bush down to the clay pits, pushed him into the water and ultimately held his head under the water until he drowned,' Bush family attorney Francys Johnson said.

In July, an unnamed 10-year-old boy was sentenced to two years of confinement on charges of concealing the death of another and criminal trespassing in Bush's case.

Two children have admitted to murdering Noah Bush (pictured), 8, in May

The two boys, a 10-year-old and 11-year-old, lured Bush to water-filled pits and drowned him

'My baby was 8 years old with a full life ahead of him,' said Demetrice Bush, Noah's mother. 'And two years is what the state of Georgia calls justice for an entire life that's lost.'

'There is no peace, there is no comfort, there is no closure for me. I will live with this for the rest of my life.'

Georgia law states that a juvenile can receive a maximum of two years in jail.

Bush went missing on May 15 and his body was found a day later in the borrow pits, reported WJCL.

Police initially said there was no foul play suspected and the 8-year-old took off his shoes, wandered around the 'no trespassing' area and stepped into deeper waters where he drowned.

However, the family hired the Davis Bozeman Johnson Law group to investigate the second grader's death and the two children were charged in July.

The two boys were sentenced to two years each for luring Bush (pictured) to the pits then drowning him

Bush was last seen in May when he went with two other boys to a restricted zone in Wayne County filled with borrow pits

The Bush family lawyers have vowed to continue to seek justice and believe the crime was racially motivated

The Bush family lawyers have vowed to continue to seek justice and believe the crime was racially motivated.

'There are people who feel that way. They fly flags in their yards, post signs, they get on Facebook. They do this in front of their children as if their children are not just soaking this up. This is the consequence when you don't stand against hate,' said Johnson.

The 11-year-old's mother, Natalie Hardison reportedly attended Wednesday's sentencing virtually because she is in jail.

She was arrested in July on a felony charge of giving false statements during the investigation into Noah's death, according to WJCL.

'This is not the end,' said Mawuli Mel Davis, the founding partner of the Davis Bozeman Johnson Law Group.

'The adults who were involved, who helped mislead this family, must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law as well.'
Residents are locked in a bitter row with their local Sainsbury's supermarket over 'deafening' night-time construction work which is making their lives hell.

Furious residents of in Blackpole, Worcester, say they haven't slept for a week because of continuous loud drilling noises and banging coming from the store.

Some local children have been unable to sleep during crucial exams as a result of the 'constant' noise.

Julia Gibbs said the 'horrific' situation has led to her family suffering from migraines and she's considered booking a hotel or staying in the office to get away from it.

Ms Gibbs said: 'It is constant, so it's so invasive, and you try to get to sleep, but you cannot. It is nonstop - it's absolutely horrific. You cannot cope without sleep.

'It is hard to put into words as it's so excessive. It makes your brain feel frazzled and I can still hear the drilling in my head during the day.'

A Sainsbury's supermarket in Blackpole, Worcester is undergoing renovations

Residents have complained that the deafening construction noise is keeping them up at night

She added: 'It has got to the point where I want to stay in the office or a hotel because I do not want to go back to the house.'

The store is undergoing a range of changes but tired neighbours have described the noise from heavy machinery as 'excessive drilling' and 'sounding like a bomb'.

Sainsbury's says it has been carrying out the work between 8pm and 5.30am in a bid to 'avoid disruption' to its customers.

Residents have raised the issue with the Regulatory Service, Environmental Health and Worcester City Council councillor Jill Desayrah.

Ms Desayrah has been acting as a liaison between residents and Environmental Health and said she is 'extremely disappointed' with Sainsbury's.

Previously, a spokesman for Sainsbury's said they had issued apologies to residents but Councillor Desayrah said this has not been the case.

She said: 'I would not like to fight with Sainsbury's, but I will support my residents.

'It is annoying how they have decided to treat residents. I know they do not want to do the noisy work when their customers are in but why use residents as collateral damage?'

Fellow councillor for Warndon and Elbury Park Ed Kimberley added: 'Companies have clearly learnt that the law on noise pollution is lax, and are taking full advantage of night-time hours to speed ahead with work so they can open their doors to trade that much sooner.

'But it is having an unacceptable effect on the lives of our residents.

'Last night I was contacted by a family who had been left unable to open their windows, with their children unable to sleep in the week they were sitting crucial exams.'

Sainsbury's is working on refurbishing its Blackpole supermarket with a new in-store Argos and flooring.

The store is making way for an Argos and putting down new flooring

Workers sit in a van in the Sainsbury's carpark in Blackpole, Worcester

Sainsbury's says it has been carrying out the work between 8pm and 5.30am in a bid to 'avoid disruption' to its customers

Tired neighbours have described the noise from heavy machinery as 'excessive drilling' and 'sounding like a bomb'

An aerial view of the Sainsbury's store in Blackpole, Worcester where residents and councillors are locked in a bitter fight with supermarket bosses

The work is expected to last several months.

A Sainsbury's spokesman said: 'We wrote to residents to make them aware of the works and that we have taken steps to minimise potential noise and disruption, with approval from the local Environmental Health Officer.

'We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause and we will continue to do our best to minimise disruption.'
A missing British man is feared to be dead after a body has been found in the rubble at hotel in Ukraine which was hit by a Russian missile strike.

The body was discovered by rescuers in the rubble of the Sapphire hotel in Kramatorsk in the eastern Donetsk region.

The victim is thought to be a journalist working with the London based Reuters news agency and two of his colleagues were injured in the blast by Russian forces.

Emergency services urgently searching amongst the rubble to find the missing man

Ukrainian emergency services carry out a search and rescue operation among the rubble of a destroyed hotel after a strike in the town of Kramatorsk, Donetsk region on August 25, 2024

People walk past a destroyed hotel as emergency services continue their search and rescue operation

Ukrainian emergency services conduct a search and rescue operation among the rubble

Ukrainian emergency services seen inside what remains of the hotels structure searching for the missing man

A man talks on a mobile phone at the scene of the missile strike on Hotel Sapphire

A crane begins moving the rubble during the search operation for the missing journalist

In a statement, the news agency said that Hotel Sapphire, in Kramatorsk, where a six-strong Reuters crew was staying, was hit by a strike on Saturday.

It added: 'One of our colleagues is unaccounted for, while another two have been taken to hospital for treatment.'

Reuters said the rest of the team has been accounted for but they were 'urgently seeking more information, working with the authorities in Kramatorsk, and supporting our colleagues and their families'.

Oleksandr Honcharenko, head of the city's military administration, said: 'The body of a British citizen who died during a missile attack by the Russian Federation was recovered from under the rubble of a destroyed hotel building in Kramatorsk.'

He added that six other people were injured including four journalists aged 38, 40, 41 and 46, and two local residents inside nearby homes.

Mr Honcharenko said they suffered blast injuries, a concussion, a broken leg, cuts and bruises on the body.

Local officials said that the hotel had been struck with an Iskander-M Russian ballistic missile.

A Ukrainian emergency personnel works amongst the rubble as a crane clears some of the debris

Blue light from emergency service vehicles shines on the remains on Hotel Sapphire

Emergency services arrive to the area where Russian forces launched a missile attack with Iskander-M missile at a residential area near Sapphire Hotel in Kramatorsk

Emergency workers rest near the site where a hotel was hit after a gruelling search

Associated Press reporters at the scene described the former hotel as 'rubble,' with excavators still being used to clear debris hours after the attack

People carry plywood to cover broken windows in a residential building next to the obliterated hotel

An aerial view of part of the missile strike site shows the destruction of the hotel

An emergency worker searching through the piles of rubble from the strike

Associated Press reporters at the scene described the former hotel as 'rubble,' with excavators still being used to clear debris hours after the attack.

In addition to the hotel, a nearby multistory building was also destroyed, Filashkin said, and rescuers were busy clearing the debris at the site.

Ukraine's eastern Kharkiv region also came under Russian fire, resulting in multiple civilian injuries, regional Gov. Oleh Syniehubov wrote on the Telegram messaging app.

In Kharkiv's Chuhuiv region, five people were injured, including a 4-year-old boy and a 14-year-old girl, after two houses were struck by Russian fire. In Kharkiv city, eight people were wounded when a two-story house was set on fire by a Russian attack.

It comes as officials today said that five people died in Ukrainian shelling in Russia's border region of Belgorod.

Twelve other people were wounded in the Russian village of Rakitone, 23 miles from the Ukrainian border, including a 16-year-old girl reported to be in critical condition, said regional Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov. Another man also died in a separate drone attack on the border village of Solovevka, he wrote later on social media.
Murdo Frasers leadership bid has been branded amateur and Frasers folly by one of his most prominent former supporters.

Businessman Robert Kilgour, who bankrolled the Mid Scotland and Fife MSPs last effort to become Scottish Conservative leader 13 years ago, launched a strongly-worded attack on how his cabal attempted to force him on the membership unopposed.

It comes after new details emerged over the weekend of how a group of up to 10 parliamentarians who are disgruntled with the current leadership engaged in talks over the last month about who should be the next leader  with frontrunner Russell Findlay excluded from the discussions.

Leadership candidates Russell Findlay (left,) Meghan Gallacher and Murdo Fraser

Three MSPs who had put themselves as candidates - Jamie Greene, Brian Whittle and Liam Kerr - all dropped out of the race last week to back Mr Fraser, who then used his leadership launch to make an extraordinary bid to secure the top job in a coronation.

Mr Kilgour, who previously invested a four-figure sum in Mr Frasers doomed 2011 bid to defeat Ruth Davidson, when he had proposed rebranding the Scottish Conservatives as a new centre-right party, said:

Businessman Robert Kilgour

Speaking as someone who had actively backed and strongly supported Murdo Frasers bid for Scottish Conservative Party leader back in 2011, I watched the frankly, at times, farcical press launch of his leadership bid recently with a mixture of shock, disbelief, genuine sadness and disappointment.

This supposedly key political event could accurately be described as Frasers Folly - very amateur and sadly, largely taken straight out of the student political campaign handbook but so deeply flawed as a grown up strategy for such an important election at such a key time.

Mr Kilgour, a care home entrepreneur, is a long-standing Conservative donor and a former Scottish Conservative constituency chairman.

He said: All the behind the scenes amateur shenanigans leading up to the press conference were SNP-like - plus the absurd call for all the other remaining candidates to stand down and let Murdo be crowned without a membership vote.

Following the backlash at his proposal to be handed the top job without a contest, Mr Fraser attempted to backtrack during a Scottish Conservative hustings event on Saturday, when he told members he was just being cheeky.

Asked by members at the Glynhill Hotel in Renfrew whether he would take back calls for other candidates to stand aside, Mr Fraser said: I was being a wee bit cheeky, I was being a wee bit cheeky, right?

However, he then added: But behind it, there are a couple of serious points. The first is, were going back Holyrood a week on Monday.

For four weeks, Douglas Ross is going to be our leader on the front bench. Thats going to be a bit awkward a bit awkward for him, a bit awkward for us, so short circuiting that might be helpful.

The other issue is, weve only got 20 months until the Holyrood election. We can spend the next five weeks fighting each other, or we can get on with fighting the opposition.

But listen, Im really happy about having a contest, right? Im delighted to be here.

Responding to the comments, Mr Kilgour, who is backing Mr Findlay to be the next leader, said: He has now rowed back but who is he kidding?

He is insulting our intelligence by saying I was just being cheeky. Next time will he be saying hes behind you? Is he auditioning for a future as a panto dame?

Sadly for me as a long-time supporter of Murdo, you just could not make it up.

When asked whether he would keep donating to the party if Mr Fraser wins, Mr Kilgour said: I have almost always donated to the UK party to date, very little direct to the Scottish party, but everything is currently off the table awaiting the results from both elections and then I will decide what to do going forward.
Ukraine has accused Belarus of 'concentrating' troops on the countries' shared border and warned its military against carrying out 'unfriendly actions'.

Ukrainian intelligence recorded Belarus 'concentrating a significant number of personnel.... in the Gomel region near Ukraine's northern border under the guise of exercises', Kyiv's foreign ministry said in a statement today.

Belarus had allowed Russian troops to use its territory as a launchpad for their February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Kyiv has now warned Vladimir Putin-allied Belarus 'not to make tragic mistakes for their country under Moscow's pressure, and we urge its armed forces to cease unfriendly actions'.

The statement came as Kyiv mounts an incursion into Russia's Kursk region and as Russia continues its advance into eastern Ukraine.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, a key ally of Vladimir Putin, (pictured together in July 2024) earlier this month urged Russia and Ukraine to agree a peace deal to avoid the war spilling over into his country

A still image taken from an undated handout video made available by the Russian Defence Ministry Press-Service on August 23, 2024 shows Russian servicemen firing a 122-mm howitzer D-30 towards Ukrainian positions at an undisclosed location

Footage released by the Russian Defence Ministry on August 24, 2024, reportedly shows Russian servicemen, who were released by Ukraine, on a bus at an undisclosed location in Belarus, where they are being provided with the necessary psychological and medical assistance

Kyiv accused Belarus of building up equipment and troops on the border, saying it had recorded the presence of Wagner fighters - some of whom are being hosted by Belarus after their leader's failed rebellion last year.

Ukraine warned that military exercises in the border area pose a 'global security' threat due to how close the Chernobyl Nuclear Power plant - site of the world's worst nuclear disaster.

The foreign ministry's statement said: 'We warn Belarusian officials not to make tragic mistakes for their country under Moscow's pressure, and we urge its armed forces to cease unfriendly actions and withdraw forces away from Ukraine's state border to a distance greater than the firing range of Belarus' systems.

'We emphasise that Ukraine has never taken and is not going to take any unfriendly actions against the Belarusian people,' the foreign ministry added.

Belarus has been ruled by President Alexander Lukashenko since 1994.

In 2022, he had allowed Russian troops to station in Belarus during what Russia and Belarus called 'drills' before they launched their invasion in February.

Belarus is politically and economically reliant on Russia.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky today said his country's forces had made small advances into Russia's Kursk region, more than two weeks after launching their surprise incursion, and taken two more settlements under their control.

He said in an evening address: 'I have just spoken with commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrsky, and there is an advance of our troops in the Kursk region. From one to three kilometres. Two more settlements were taken under control.'

He added that 'active actions are underway in one more settlement'.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (pictured on August 24, 2024) said Kyiv forces had made small advances into Russia's Kursk region, more than two weeks after launching their surprise incursion, and taken two more settlements under their control

Russian servicemen, in footage released by the by the Russian Defence Ministry Press-Service on August 23, are seen firing a 122-mm howitzer D-30 towards Ukrainian positions at an undisclosed location

Russian servicemen, who were released by Ukraine, wave from a bus at an undisclosed location in Belarus, where they are provided with the necessary psychological and medical assistance in footage released on August 24, 2024

Russian servicemen that were released from Ukraine, after their aircraft landed at Moscow airport on August 25, 2024

A Ukrainian serviceman stands near a damaged building in the city center of Sudzha, in Ukraine-controlled territory of Russia's Kursk region on August 21, 2024

Earlier this month Lukashenko urged Russia and Ukraine to agree a peace deal to avoid the war spilling over into Belarus.

Lukashenko, a key ally of Putin, in an interview with Russia state television on August 16 said he feared Kyiv's troops were planning an incursion into his nation after they launched their cross-border offensive in Russia.

Lukashenko claimed that only 'high-ranking people of American origin' wanted the Ukraine-Russia war to continue. The West, he said, was encouraging Kyiv to fight because it wants Ukraine and Russia to 'destroy each other'.

He suggested in the interview, without providing evidence, that Kyiv could have plans to attack Belarus and Minsk would not allow Ukrainian troops to 'trample on our country'.

Belarusian Defence Minister Viktor Khrenin echoed Lukashenko's comments at the time, saying there was a high probability of an armed provocation from neighbouring Ukraine.

Khrenin added that the situation at their shared border 'remains tense'.

He said: 'Given the presence of Ukrainian armed formations in the border areas, there is a high probability of preparing and carrying out armed provocations on our territory, as well as high-profile actions, including with the involvement of Belarusian nationalist formations'.

Belarusian soldiers attend a training by mercenary fighters of the Wagner private military company who relocated from Russia to a location near Tsel, a village about 90 kilometers southeast of Minsk, on July 14, 2023

Minsk also said earlier this month that it was sending troops to reinforce its southern border with Ukraine after accusing Kyiv of violating its airspace with drones. Kyiv said it had seen no signs of such a buildup.

Lukashenko repeated the claims about airspace violations and said the Belarusian troops were being despatched to the border to 'prevent a breakthrough.'

He said Minsk saw no reason to use Russian nuclear weapons, deployed on Belarusian territory last year, unless its borders were violated.

'We are not going to use any weapons until you step on our state border,' he said at the time.
Millions of pounds set aside for vital conservation projects are being raided by SNP ministers to fund council pay deals.

But the Scottish Government has been warned the move to plug gaps made by their own economic incompetence by depleting vital finances to tackle nature emergency is a short-sighted move.

The Holyrood administration confirmed yesterday that 5million of its Nature Restoration Fund earmarked to tackle climate change has been redirected so local authorities can meet a revised pay offer made by Cosla.

A proposed increase of 3.6 per cent was enough to avert eight days of strike action by refuse workers and other local authority workers last month.

But critics have urged ministers to reconsider raiding nature resources to pay for it, claiming it will be damaging for a variety of at-risk species and the consequences will be felt now and into the future.

Tory MSP Rachael Hamilton described the move as 'alarming'

Scottish Conservative shadow rural affairs secretary Rachael Hamilton said: Scotland has so many species which are at risk of habitat destruction.

So its alarming that the SNP would de-fund biodiversity conservation to plug other holes they have created in their own spending.

Councils and NatureScot will be left with nothing to spend on preserving our beautiful natural environment for future generations.

I urge ministers to reconsider the damage this will cause to at-risk species and properly fund councils for any deals they have struck elsewhere.

She added: Nature should not be a trivial consideration for the SNP, as this would suggest.

Only last year the Scottish Government said restoring biodiversity was crucial in efforts to tackle climate change.

Former biodiversity minister Lorna Slater previously said: To reverse the biodiversity crisis, we will need high level strategic leadership, alongside responsible public and private investment to achieve our outcomes.

But the latest decision by ministers has been branded short-sighted in the midst of a nature emergency, with one in nine species in Scotland believed to be threatened with extinction.

Anne McCall, Director of RSPB Scotland, described the move as desperately bad news.

She said: Recently published analysis has shown that funding for nature needs to increase, not be cut. Scotland is one of the most nature depleted countries in the world, coming 28th from the bottom of 240, and this is trend continuing to decline.

The Nature Restoration Fund has been critical in helping to deliver projects right across rural and urban Scotland, generating employment and bringing benefits to people, economy, biodiversity and nature, and it was at the beginning of addressing this shocking statistic.

The short and long-term consequences of this action will be keenly felt both now and into the future.

She added that repeated surveys have shown that the Scottish public want nature restoration to be given more prominence in Government decision-making.

Anne McCall of RSP Scotland has criticised the latest decision

The Nature Restoration Fund, which is shared between NatureScot and local authorities, helps support a variety of biodiversity and conservation projects including tree planting, building natural flood defences and restoring waterways.

David Balharry, chief executive of the John Muir Trust conservation charity, believed defunding nature restoration in Scotland would be a retrograde step, interrupting our ability to protect wild places and quickly worsening the erosion of these vital and already fragile habitats.

He said: Loss of biodiversity and the climate crisis are two sides of the same coin. Protecting wild places and biodiversity provides public benefit by preventing flooding, keeping our air and water clean, and helping to achieve our carbon targets.

We urge the Scottish Government to consider alternative funding measures that can provide public benefit without putting further pressure on public finances.

Scottish Greens environment spokesman Mark Ruskell also said investing in local services and the local environment should not be in opposition.

He added: Every worker deserves to be paid a fair wage, and every one of us should have access to green space and a liveable and sustainable community.

It would be short-sighted and counterproductive to cut one at the expense of the other.

Scottish Labour Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero, Energy and Just Transition Sarah Boyack also criticised the move, saying: Not content with missing climate target after target, the SNP government now wants to raid the nature budget to plug gaps made by their own economic incompetence.

It is clearer with every passing day that this government is bad for our economy, bad for working people and bad for our planet.

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton added: No matter how much they try to spin it, SNP ministers are taking these harmful decisions because they have made a habit of making costly blunders.

Chopping the budget in the middle of a nature emergency is another short-sighted move that will hold Scotland back.

We need to save nature and the green spaces that we all treasure. It means planting more trees and stopping sewage dumping in our rivers.

The Scottish Government defended its decision to re-direct the nature funding, saying it was taking on significant additional financial pressure to fund the local government pay offer, and the Finance Secretary has been clear that painful choices have had to be made.

A spokesman added: While capital funding of 5 million from this years Nature Restoration Fund has been redirected to fund the pay offer, it will be replaced in future years.

We know the vital role local government employees play in delivering local services which are valued by the public. This pay offer demonstrates just how much we value these workers too.
Horror has ensued after a man decided to drive a 36,000-pound dump truck filled with gravel across a Civil War-era covered wooden bridge.

The 19th-century Babb's Bridge in Gorham collapsed on Friday at around 12:45 pm when a Ford F-750 dump truck, loaded with crushed gravel, attempted to cross the fragile structure.

Driver Joshua Polewarzyk, 37, of Limington, attempted to cross the 183-year-old bridge when its wooden floor gave way - sending the vehicle plunging into the river below.

The truck, weighing approximately 36,000 pounds, was nearly 30,000 pounds over the bridge's posted 6,000-pound capacity.

Maine Department of Transportation spokesperson Paul Merrill called the incident 'unprecedented' saying that 'this is a first' he's ever seen.

The 19th-century Babb's Bridge in Gorham collapsed on Friday at around 12:45 pm when a Ford F-750 dump truck, loaded with crushed gravel, attempted to cross the fragile structure

The driver, 37-year-old Joshua Polewarzyk of Limington, attempted to cross the 183-year-old bridge when its wooden floor gave way, sending the vehicle plunging into the river below

The truck rolled over, leaving its top partially submerged. Fortunately, Polewarzyk managed to escape with only minor injuries

'People who I work with, who have been around for decades, do not know of any instance like this happening, in any bridge in MaineDOT's bridge inventory. This is a first, I believe,' Merrill said to News Center Maine.

In a press release, Gorham Police said 'the excessive weight of the vehicle caused the wooden floor of the bridge structure to give way.'

The truck rolled over, leaving its top partially submerged.

Fortunately, Polewarzyk managed to escape with only minor injuries.

'The operator was able to self-extricate himself from the truck and only sustained minor injuries, according to the news release.

The truck, weighing approximately 36,000 pounds, was nearly 30,000 pounds over the bridge's posted 6,000-pound capacity

The bridge, which spans the Presumpscot River between Gorham and Windham, was originally constructed in 1840 and rebuilt in 1976 following a fire. It's made of timber wood

It will remain closed for several months as officials assess the damage and plan repairs

MaineDOT reports that the structure had last been inspected in late July, just weeks before the accident

'There is a detour that's probably two or three miles, which in the grand scheme of things is not terribly long. But we know it's going to be an inconvenience and we know it's going to be an inconvenience for the better part of the rest of the year,' Merrill added.

The bridge, which spans the Presumpscot River between Gorham and Windham, was originally constructed in 1840 and rebuilt in 1976 following a fire. It's made of timber wood.

'It was Maine's oldest covered bridge until it was burned by vandals in 1973,' the press release wrote. 'MaineDOT crews rebuilt an exact replica of the bridge using lumber milled in Gorham and historically authentic construction techniques.'

'The replacement bridge opened in 1976. The bridge is wood and the abutments on either side of the river are stone.'

It will remain closed for several months as officials assess the damage and plan repairs.

'Due to a motor vehicle accident, the covered bridge on Hurricane Road in Gorham will be closed for an undetermined amount of time. Please find a safe alternate route,' Gorham Police Department announced on Facebook.

MaineDOT reports that the structure had last been inspected in late July, just weeks before the accident. The Bridge is inspected at least every two years and the weight limit on the bridge was first declared three tons in 1983 and has remained the same ever since.

'This is a very severe instance of what could happen ... when a bridge is almost 50 years old and unique as this one is, and you have a vehicle that appears to be terribly overloaded, something like this happens,' Merrill said.

Many people took to criticizing the driver while others defended him for simply making a mistake.

'Wow all this negative posting you people should be ashamed is this person all right people make mistakes when will we all learn to stop rioting over mistakes,' one user commented on facebook.

'Hope everyone involved is okay,' another wrote.
Donald Trump's Presidential campaign is set to focus on the border and the economy - the two issues he believes Kamala Harris is weakest on, insiders claim.

The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday that the Republican nominee is planning to ramp up his aggressive campaign to pour cold water on Harris' sustained momentum.

He previewed the attacks he'll likely go with on these topics during Harris' speech at the Democratic National Convention (DNC), during which he commented live over on Truth Social.

'Kamala's biography won't lower prices at the grocery store, or at the pump!' he wrote, referencing her stories about her immigrant mother and her work as a prosecutor. 'She said, "chart a new way forward," but shes had three and a half years, and has done nothing but HARM!'

In all caps, he also threw her record as the 'border czar' in her face, something Democrats have been trying to protect her from ever since it became clear she'd be the candidate instead of Joe Biden.

Campaign insiders say former President Donald Trump is ready to refocus on the issues and hit Kamala Harris and the Democrats where it hurts most

Trump and his allies believe Harris is the weakest on the border and the economy

Biden dropping out of the race seems to have shocked what was a sluggish campaign trail for both candidates. The race has become what Americans typically expect this deep into presidential election years: daily rallies and constant media appearances.

Trump advisers say he will be much more active on the stump going forward, the WSJ reported.

He is set address a National Guard conference in Detroit on Monday. He'll be in Michigan and Wisconsin all day Thursday and holding events. Then, to cap off the upcoming week, he'll fly over to Pennsylvania for a rally.

Against Trump's instincts, advisers have set up smaller events for him so he can focus on the issues at hand and actively appeal to undecided voters and independents rather than the roaring MAGA fans who go to rallies and are already with him.

On Thursday, for instance, he held a more muted event in front of the border wall in Cochise County, Arizona, where he said Biden and Harris squandered taxpayer money by letting materials for wall construction go to waste.

At the border event in Arizona, he invited relatives of Americans killed by illegal immigrants to tell their stories

After families from Texas and Maryland revealed the heart-wrenching details of their loved ones brutal deaths, Trump announced policy priorities to prevent future tragedies

At the event, he invited relatives of Americans killed by illegal immigrants and allowed them to tell their devastating stories that also professed their support for him and the dangers of Harris' border policy.

We will seal the border, stop the invasion, and launch the largest deportation effort in American history, Trump said after the families spoke.

Trump is also bringing back his campaign manager from his first run in 2016, Corey Lewandowski.

Lewandowski will reportedly act as another sounding board for Trump, while also making loads of TV appearances himself in the coming weeks.

Taylor Budowich is another key, if lesser known, ally jumping on board.

He joins the campaign after running the MAGA PAC, a pro-Trump super PAC, and is said to have a strong rapport with Trump.

Insiders say he's good at giving advice, expecting his counsel to be crucial in keeping Trump on message.

Now that Biden is out of the race, Trump is looking for potent attack lines against Harris

One that seems to be gaining traction is that Harris is stealing Trump policies, the chief one being his idea to abolish taxes on tips

That's especially important now that Biden is out of the race. Out of habit, Trump continued attacking the current president well after he dropped out, but now he's looking for attack lines that work well against Harris specifically.

One retort that he seems to have settled on is that the vice president is stealing his policies.

Trump vowed to abolish the tax on tips for service workers during a June 9 rally in Las Vegas, even pitching the idea to congressional Republicans days later.

Harris made the same promise two weeks ago, prompting many on the right to call her out for jacking one of Trump's popular olive branches to the working class.

Trump had a repeat rally Friday in Las Vegas, where this idea could really appeal to casino workers in Nevada who rely on tips to make a living.

'She's a copycat,' Trump said on stage.

Beyond new attacks and smaller, more issue-focused events, Trump and his surrogates plan to make inroads with voters through more nontraditional avenues.

Trump and his surrogates expect to go on more podcasts to appeal to young men. Trump recently appeared on the podcast of comedian Theo Von, left

Another attempt to connect with young men was when Trump appeared on a stream with internet personality Adin Ross earlier this month

This means expect Trump to do things similar to his interview with Elon Musk on X or his podcast sit-down with comedian Theo Von last week.

This strategy, campaign officials are saying, is geared toward getting through to more undecided voters - mainly younger men - who are often likelier to listen to alternative media sources.

The creme de le creme of the podcast world would obviously be Joe Rogan, who said in 2022 he turned down multiple requests from Trump to appear on his Spotify-hosted program.

Trump has never publicly responded to this claim but did attack Rogan this month for saying positive things about Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has since dropped out of the race and endorsed Trump.

The Trump campaign also wants to book surrogates on podcasts geared more toward black male audiences, such as 'Earn Your Leisure,' 'Market Mondays' and others, the WSJ reported.

Trump and his allies have reportedly shown frustration about the upward trajectory of the Harris campaign but expect this momentum to level off.

While Trump and co. are concerned about the energy surrounding the Harris campaign, most polling aggregators only have Harris up nationally by 1.5 to 3.6 points, which is well within the margin of error for most individual polls

Most polling aggregators have Harris up nationally by 1.5 to 3.6 points, which is well within the margin of error for most individual polls.

At a North Carolina event on Wednesday billed as an address on national security issues, Trump outsourced his campaign strategizing to his own supporters.

While lamenting over how former President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle levied 'very nasty' attacks at him during the DNC, he asked rallygoers whether he should use personal attacks or not.

The crowd overwhelmingly indicated that he should.

'My advisers are fired,' Trump joked. 'I would rather keep it on policy. Sometimes its hard when youre attacked on all ends.'
MBABANE  Eswatini signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on defence cooperation agreements with one of the powerful armies in Africa.

It is also one of the effective armies in the world. This is none other than the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF). The RDF is so powerful and highly equipped that it can participate in combat or peacekeeping mission without any assistance from the troops from the Southern African Development Community (SADC). According to a statement published on the Rwandan Government website, Kigali is Africas most active troop-contributing country. It is also the fourth most active worldwide. It has nearly 6 000 soldiers and police committed to the United Nations (UN) peacekeeping missions.

It is the third largest police contributor to UN peacekeeping operations. Rwandan peacekeepers are engaged in UN mission in South Sudan and multidimensional integrated stabilisation mission in the Central African Republic (CAR). President Paul Kagames State says its peacekeepers only protect civilians, maintain peace and security in CAR, and run a level II hospital. Rwanda is situated in East Africa, but is currently in a peacekeeping mission in Mozambique, where SADC has withdrawn its troops. Recently, Kigali deployed its army independently of the UN or African Union (AU).

Thembinkosi Dlamini, the Executive Director of the Coordinating Assembly of Non-Governmental Organisations (CANGO), said Rwanda is a democracy that is expected to share knowledge with Eswatini on how armies, police and Correctional officers observe human rights. He said CANGO accepted the pact on condition the Rwandan army and other security forces would make it clear during exchange programmes that torture in prisons and during arrests or interrogations were totally unacceptable in terms of international law.

The MoUs signed must emphasise on human rights, he said.

Regarding the army, the executive director advised that there is a concept known as conscientious objection which they must observe. Conscientious objection entails a military officer opposing to serve in the armed forces on the grounds of moral or religious principles. Pertaining to the police, Dlamini reminded them of Section 10 of the Police Service Act which reads: A member of the police service shall at all times serve the community and protect all persons against illegal acts, consistent with the high degree of responsibility required by their occupation or profession.

The army reserved comment on the Pact until such time it was appropriate to talk about it. It must be said Rwanda, in 2020, sent 1 000 troops to fight anti-government rebels in the Central African Republic (CAR). A year later, it sent soldiers to deal with jihadist militants in northern Mozambique, and now has 2 500 troops there. SADC dispatched about 2 000 troops drawn from eight countries, which included Angola, Botswana, DRC, Lesotho, South Africa, Tanzania and Zambia.

Violent extremism

They worked in collaboration with the Forces Armadas de Defesa de Mocambique (FADM) and troops from Rwanda deployed there to combat acts of terrorism and violent extremism.

While SADC has withdrawn its troops from Mozambique on the grounds that there is now calm there, Rwandan troops are still there. On August 20, 2024, Major General Vincent Nyakarundi, the RDF Army Chief of Staff, along with Commissioner of Police Vincent B. Sano, the Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of Operations bid farewell to the Rwandan Security Forces who have been deployed to Mozambiques northern province of Cabo Delgado.

The force will relieve their colleagues who have been there for the last one year of duty.Over the past three years, Rwanda security forces, in collaboration with Mozambique armed forces, reportedly achieved remarkable success in dismantling Al Sunna Wa Jama (ASWJ) terrorist group from their strongholds defensive position in Mocimbao da Praia and Palma.

It is said that this enabled a significant number of internally displaced people to safely return to their villages. On March 5, 2024, Rwanda asked the AU not to support troops from Southern African countries deployed to fight armed groups in the restive eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

Rwanda claimed SADC force would exacerbate the conflict.Rwandan Foreign Minister Vincent Biruta said in a letter to the Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat made public that Rwanda learned with great concern about a scheduled meeting of the AU Peace and Security Council, part of whose objectives are to endorse the deployment of the Southern African Development Community Mission in DRC (SAMIDRC) and assess possible support that the AU and other strategic partners could extend to the mission.

Biruta accused the regional force of fighting alongside the DRC army and other coalition armed groups, which include Rwandan rebels of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR).SAMIDRC, as an offensive force in coalition with these elements, cannot substitute for a political process that has been blocked by the Government of DRC. Therefore, the African Union is urged not to authorise or fund SAMIDRC, the statement said. It said the SAMIDRC supported the DRC Governments belligerent posture, focusing on a military solution against the spirit of all regional peace initiatives.

As many as 4 000 Rwandan troops with high-tech weaponry were in Congo to fight designated terrorist groups. However, DRC accused Rwanda of supporting a rebel group known as M23.Western governments  including the United States, France, Belgium and the European Union, have called upon Rwanda to withdraw its troops and stop supporting the M23 rebellion.It is in the public domain that the DRC army and M23 have been fighting for control of Goma and the surrounding area for many years. In November 2012, M23 briefly seized Goma  a strategic city with approximately one million people. M23 later withdrew from Goma after an agreement with the government brokered by Uganda.

The M23 (March 23 Movement) is among over 200 armed rebel groups in the mineral-rich eastern DRC. However, analysts say the M23 is the most significant threat to Congos sovereignty due to its alleged ties with Rwanda.

Rwandas argument

Kigali rejected calls by the USA to withdraw troops and missile systems, saying the military instalments are in the eastern DRC to defend Rwanda from the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, an armed rebel group whose members include perpetrators of the 1994 genocide in which approximately one million Tutsi were killed by Hutu militias. Many of them are said to have fled to Congo to avoid facing justice in Rwanda.

It must be said though that the Rwandan Government has never confirmed the presence of its troops on Congolese territory. Meanwhile, before His Majesty the King and Rwandan President Paul Kagame witnessed the signing of the MoUs on August 13, 2024 - a delegation from Eswatini had visited Kigali last year. Army Commander Mashikilisane Fakudze and Prince Sicalo, the Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Defence and National Security were in Rwanda for a four-day visit from August 16-18, 2023. In Rwanda, they were received at the RDF headquarters by RDF Chief of Defence Staff, Lieutenant General Mubarakh Muganga.They also paid a courtesy call to the Minister of Defence of Republic of Rwanda, Juvenal Marizamunda. This happened before they received presentations on RDFs transformation journey and regional security dynamics.

Strengthening relations

According to the Rwandan Ministry of Defences website, Prince Sicalo remarked: We look forward to strengthening relations. We hope to sign a memorandum of understanding on technical cooperation in the military sphere. His Majesty and President Kagame have since formalised the MoUs on Defence, Police Cooperation, Correctional Services and Visa Exemption for holders. It must be said that the MoUs signed last week also cover the Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS) and His Majestys Correctional Services (HMCS).

The signing ceremony took place at Urugwiro Village when His Majesty King Mswati III paid a courtesy visit to President Kagame. The Times SUNDAY has established that Rwanda is among the few if not the only peculiar country in the world that is mandated by its Constitution to take part in peacekeeping around the world and in support of affected communities.

This is enshrined in the design and implementation of Rwandan Defence Forces strategy.

After the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, Rwanda resolved to contribute to peacekeeping and stability whenever it is required. Kigali is motivated by a strong national belief that real friends and partners are the ones by your side in times of need. It was against this backdrop that the RDF was the first peacekeeping contingent to deploy in Darfur in 2004 and the Central Africa Republic in 2014. This country, currently led by Kagame, has so far participated in different initiatives designed to bring about peaceful settlement of disputes and resolution of conflicts. It must be said that the peace support initiatives, which Rwanda often undertakes, fall in areas of preventive diplomacy, peacemaking, peace building and peacekeeping.

It has been learnt that Rwanda considers its involvement in peace support operations is not only limited to the deployment of troops. Kigalis involvement could also take the form of providing good offices, specialist support or facilities.However, for the Government of Rwanda to participate in peace support operations, especially peacekeeping, it has been established that there must be requisite conditions favouring deployment of the defence force. The Times SUNDAY can mention that Kigali does not jump into peacekeeping initiatives unless the conditions are met.

The conditions include:

The operation should be authorised by the United Nations (UN) Security Council or regional organisations like the African Union (AU).

The operation should have a clear mandate and exit criteria.

There should be a realistic possibility of success.

Participating troops must undertake pre-deployment training since peacekeeping is a secondary function to the defence force and requires specific competences and skill sets.

In his address during the signing ceremony, President Kagame emphasised the importance of implementing the agreements, saying, That is what creates tangible results on the ground.

King Mswati III, on his part, said he was looking forward to the full implementation of the signed MoUs. He also expressed the Eswatini Kingdoms intention to establish cooperation with Rwanda in areas such as agriculture, where Rwanda is well advanced.

The president said: Your Majesty, I would like to thank you for joining all Rwandans for the inauguration ceremony. We are very grateful for your presence. From this visit, it is evident that Rwanda and Eswatini are very good friends, and we want to keep it that way and even go further. He added: Moving forward, we also want to strengthen our bonds of cooperation. That is the purpose of the agreements signed today. Over the years, several high-level visits have been undertaken in Rwanda and Eswatini by our respective delegations.

President Kagame said this was a good foundation on which to build the relations.In Rwanda, we are very eager to share with partners and friends, such as Eswatini, our experience in the transformation journey of our country. President Kagame said. On the other hand, His Majesty the King said: Our country could benefit from learning your best practices and technology to improve productivity.

Benefit

In addition, the King emphasised that Rwanda and Eswatini could benefit from collaborations in the tourism sector. Eswatini is a renowned tourist destination because of its rich traditional culture, while Rwanda boasts various tourism sites such as Lake Kivu, gorilla trekking and various volcanic sites. Our countries are both renowned tourist destinations globally. There is potential for collaboration in the tourism sector, such as creating packages that could attract tourists from around the world, the King said.

King Mswati III also noted that his visit to Rwanda was aimed at improving business opportunities for both countries and their people. His delegation reportedly visited Irembo, the company behind the governments one-stop service portal and the economic zones in Kigali. President Kagame said he would reciprocate the visit by going to Eswatini sometime in the near future.
A glamorous PhD student faces execution if she's convicted of murdering her friend's six week-old son while babysitting him, prosecutors say.

Nicole Virzi, 29, has been charged with murdering six-and-a-half-week-old Leon Katz while she babysat him at the family's Pittsburgh home in June.

Police allege she is responsible for inflicting a fracture to his skull and several bleeds on the brain picked up by a CT scan. She's also accused of injuring Leon's twin brother Ari, who survived.

Court documents obtained by WPIX show the Allegheny County District Attorneys Office is seeking the death penalty against Virzi.

The filing, which laid out the reasons for seeking the death penalty, reads: 'The defendant committed the killing while in the perpetration of a felony. The offense was committed by means of torture.'

Nicole Virzi (pictured), 29, has been accused of murdering six-and-a-half-week old Leon Katz and injuring his twin brother

Police allege she is responsible for inflicting a fracture to Leon's (pictured) skull and several bleeds on the brain picked up by a CT scan

Leon's alleged killer was a 'trusted friend' of the babies' parents Ethan Katz and Savannah Roberts. (pictured: Baby Leon just after his birth in May 2024)

'The defendant has a significant history of felony convictions involving the use or threat of violence to the person. The victim was a child under 12 years of age.'

Further details of these previous convictions were not shared. A public records check for Virzi only showed up details of the charges she faces over Leon's killing.

Virzi was a 'trusted friend' of the babies' parents Ethan Katz and Savannah Roberts who was watching the twins while on her college break.

Her father, Peter J Virzi, is a top cardiologist affiliated with Mt. Sinai Doctors in Manhattan and is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine.

The accused killer was continuing to babysit tiny Leon while his parents were at UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh with his twin, Ari, after Virzi said she spotted an injury on his groin area, police said.

She told cops that she had gone into the kitchen to get the baby a bottle when she suddenly heard screaming.

When she returned she said the baby had fallen out of his bouncer chair. She then called 911.

'The injuries sustained by both (twins are) consistent with having been sustained as a result of child abuse, as these are inflicted injuries that are not natural and not accidental,' a doctor told investigators, according to court filings.

Virzi was a 'trusted friend' of the babies' parents Ethan Katz and Savannah Roberts (pictured) who was watching the twins while on her college break

Pennsylvania prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against Virzi who has denied any wrongdoing

Pictures taken just days before the tragedy showed the bright-eyed twins side by side in onesies with their names embroidered on them

The suspects father has been identified as Peter J Virzi, a top cardiologist affiliated with Mt. Sinai Doctors in Manhattan

Virzi has denied any wrongdoing and her lawyer maintains her innocence. She is charged with homicide, child endangerment, and aggravated assault.

Cops have yet to share a motive for the horrific crime.

A video posted days before the Ph.D student allegedly killed her friend's baby shows her discussing a paper she wrote about depression in women.

In the video shared by the Heart and Mind academic journal on June 13, Virzi is wearing a white blazer and comes off well-spoken as she delves into how somatic symptoms of depression in women can lead to risks of heart disease.

A GoFundMe set up for the devastated couple says Leon was 'tragically killed under horrific circumstances' and that a 'trusted family friend' has been arrested.

'Leon will always be remembered as a happy, smiley, goofy baby boy. His untimely and tragic death has deeply impacted the Pittsburgh community,' the donation page said.

Pictures taken just days before the tragedy showed the bright-eyed twins side by side in onesies with their names embroidered on them.
The suspect held over the festival terror attack in Germany that killed three people on Friday night has been pictured and charged.

Syrian national Issa Al H was named as the man accused of carrying out a knife attack in the city of Solingen which left a 56-year-old woman and two men aged 56 and 67, dead.

The German prosecutor's office today ordered the pre-trial detention of Al H, over 'strong suspicions of belonging to a terrorist group abroad' as well as of murder and attempted murder.

In a statement, lawyers said he decided to kill the largest possible number of those he considers unbelievers.

The 26-year-old suspect came from a home for refugees in Solingen that was searched on Saturday, North Rhine-Westphalia's interior minister Herbert Reul said.

Der Spiegel magazine, citing unidentified security sources, said the suspect had moved to Germany late in 2022 and sought asylum.

He was seen today getting dragged to his arraignment at the Federal Supreme Court (BGH) in Karlsruhe, Germany, by federal police officers who took him to the southwestern courthouse via helicopter.

The attack occurred during a festival on Friday evening in the Fronhof, a market square, where live bands were playing to celebrate Solingen's 650-year history. Mourners have made a makeshift memorial near the scene.

The Islamic State group described the man who carried out the attack as a 'soldier of the Islamic State' in a statement on its Telegram account on Saturday.

Syrian national Issa Al H was today named as the man suspected of carrying out a knife attack at a festival in Germany, which left a 56-year-old woman and two men aged 56 and 67, dead

The suspect (pictured, centre) was seen getting dragged to his arraignment at the Federal Supreme Court (BGH) in Karlsruhe, Germany, today by federal police officers

The suspect came from a home for refugees in Solingen that was searched on Saturday, North Rhine-Westphalia's interior minister, Herbert Reul, said

The suspect was seen getting dragged to his arraignment at the Federal Supreme Court (BGH) in Karlsruhe, Germany, today by federal police officers, who took him to the southwestern courthouse via helicopter

A sign that reads: 'We just wanted to celebrate, but then the death came' is placed next to flowers and candles

The tragic incident, along with the militant group's claim of responsibility, sparked concern among some politicians who urged enhanced security, tighter curbs on weapons, stiffer punishment for violent crimes, and limits to immigration.

The suspect turned himself in late on Saturday and admitted to the crime, Duesseldorf police and prosecutors said in a joint statement early on Sunday.

'The involvement of this person is currently under intensive investigation,' they said.

Friedrich Merz, a prominent politician who leads the opposition, centre-right CDU party, urged that the country stopped admitting further refugees from Syria and Afghanistan.

'It's enough!' he said in a letter on his website.

On Sunday, the IS group posted two clips on its Telegram account of what it said was the attacker.

The first purportedly showed the masked man pledging allegiance to the Islamic State leader, and the second, in which his face was blurred, allegedly showed him speaking moments before the attack.

Forensic police inspect on early August 24, 2024 the area where at least three people were killed and several injured when a man attacked them with a knife on late August 23, 2024 in Solingen

An ambulance and police stand on August 24, 2024 near the scene where at least three people were killed and several injured

A placard reading 'Why?' among flowers and tributes placed on a sidewalk near the scene after a knife attack, in Solingen, Germany

Candles and flowers and the inscription 'Why? You are not alone' are pictured on late August 24, 2024 near the area where three people were killed and several injured

Forensic police inspect on August 24, 2024 the scene where at least three people were killed and several injured when a man attacked them with a knife on late August 23, 2024 in Solingen

It did not provide evidence for this assertion and details of the suspect's possible membership of the group were not immediately known.

Hendrik Wuest, premier of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia where Solingen is located, on Saturday described the attack as an act of terror.

Germany's Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) has said there have been around a dozen Islamist-motivated attacks since 2000. One of the biggest was in 2016, when a Tunisian drove a truck into a Christmas market in Berlin, killing 12 and injuring dozens.

'The risk of jihadist-motivated acts of violence remains high. The Federal Republic of Germany remains a direct target of terrorist organizations,' the BKA said in the report earlier this year.
The grieving family of tech tycoon Mike Lynch face a new ordeal after US giant Hewlett-Packard refused to rule out pursuing them over a legal case.

In 2022, the firm won a multi-billion-pound High Court claim against Dr Lynch, accusing him of fraud over its 2011 purchase of his company, Autonomy.

His death last week, when his 30million superyacht sank during a freak storm off the coast of Sicily, means his family could be liable for any payout decided by the judge.

But friends of the late businessman, including Conservative MP Sir David Davis, have called for Hewlett-Packard to drop the claim. One said it would be a 'terrible shame' for it to continue.

It is a bitter irony that Dr Lynch, 59, had only been just been cleared in a separate criminal trial over the Autonomy case in the US when he and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah died on the superyacht Bayesian.

Mike Lynch, known as 'Britain's Bill Gates ', died when his 30million superyacht sank during a freak storm off the coast of Sicily

Hewlett-Packard refused to rule out pursuing Mike Lynch's family over a legal case

British tech tycoon Mike Lynch with his wife Angela Bacares, who survived the Bayesian disaster

Now his family, including wife Angela Bacares, could be left with a mammoth legal bill relating to the same episode.

Hewlett-Packard Enterprise (HPE) won its civil case over claims that Dr Lynch and Autonomy's former finance chief, Sushovan Hussain, inflated the revenues of the Cambridge-based business before Hewlett-Packard's 8 billion takeover.

The US firm initially sought a staggering 4 billion in damages though Mr Justice Hildyard ruled the amount would be 'substantially less'. It is thought to have spent tens of millions of pounds on legal fees.

At a hearing earlier this year to discuss the level of the payout, HPE said it was still seeking 3 billion. It enjoyed sales of 22 billion last year and profits of 1.5 billion.

The corporate hardware and services business is separate from computer and printer maker HP Inc after a split in 2015.

The judge is expected to rule on damages before the end of the year. And the Mail understands that HPE executives will meet to decide how to proceed with the case after that.

A source close to the case said: 'It is with the judge. We are waiting to hear from him. There is no decision to be made until he makes his decision.' A spokesman for HPE, asked if it would rule out pursuing Dr Lynch's estate for damages, said: 'We do not think it appropriate to comment on legal matters in these tragic circumstances.'

Tory grandee Sir David said given that the judge ruled that the sum awarded to HP would be 'a lot smaller than they were claiming', the company should drop the case.

'I would think the wise thing for Hewlett-Packard to do in their own interest is to drop the case because they are not going to make a great deal of money out of it but they are going to make themselves very unpopular with the ordinary members of the public, picking on a bereaved family.'

Conservative MP Sir David Davis (pictured) has called for Hewlett-Packard to drop the claim

Tech entrepreneur Lynch with his renovated mill, at his Suffolk farm

Mr Lynch on his Suffolk farm in 2021 when he was fighting extradition to the USA

The Bayesian (pictured in an undated handout photo) overturned during a severe thunderstorm on Monday morning

Hannah Lynch pictured with her father Mike, who had just been acquitted of fraud charges in the US and was celebrating on board the Bayesian yacht when they both died

Hannah Lynch, the 18-year-old daughter of tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch

The former Cabinet minister  who supported Dr Lynch in his battle against extradition to the US  said he had lunch with the entrepreneur just three weeks ago, following his acquittal, and they were due to meet again soon.

It came as the diver who retrieved Hannah's body from the wreckage of the superyacht revealed he struggled to 'keep his emotions under control'.

Italian fireman Fabio Paoletti, 56, told the Sunday Times: 'Finding bodies underwater is our job, you get used to it and keep your emotions under control  but locating the girl was different.

'It was an emotional moment because she was so young.'

Mr Paoletti said he had to dodge floating mattresses, tables and electric cables to reach Hannah's body, alone in her cabin.
The British ex-serviceman who was killed in the Russian strike on a hotel in Ukraine has been named and pictured.

Ryan Evans, 38, is the security advisor for Reuters news agency who was killed in the strike on the Sapphire Hotel in Kramatorsk, in the eastern Donetsk region, on Saturday night.

A six-strong film crew of Reuters journalists were staying at Hotel Sapphire when the Iskander-M Russian ballistic missile hit.

Two of the agency's journalists are being treated in hospital and one of them was seriously injured, it said in a statement. Two local residents were also injured in the strike.

They suffered blast injuries, a concussion, a broken leg, cuts and bruises on the body.

Mr Evans had been working with Reuters since 2022 and advised its journalists on safety around the world including in Ukraine, Israel and at the Paris Olympics.

'We send our deepest condolences and thoughts to Ryan's family and loved ones. Ryan has helped so many of our journalists cover events around the world; we will miss him terribly,' Reuters said.

Ryan Evans, 38, is the security advisor for Reuters news agency who was killed in the Russian strike on the Sapphire Hotel in Kramatorsk in the eastern Donetsk region, on Saturday

Ryan Evans (right) and fellow Reuters safety advisors Steve Kelly (left) sit in a trench while working with a news reporting team in the Donbas region, eastern Ukraine on December 25, 2022

Mr Evans had been working with Reuters since 2022 and advised its journalists on safety around the world including in Ukraine, Israel and at the Paris Olympics

Reuters said: 'We send our deepest condolences and thoughts to Ryan's family and loved ones. Ryan has helped so many of our journalists cover events around the world; we will miss him terribly'

Volodymyr Zelensky has paid tribute after a British security advisor is feared dead and others are injured in Russian missile strike on a hotel in Ukraine on Saturday

Emergency services urgently searching amongst the rubble to find the missing man

Ukrainian emergency services carry out a search and rescue operation among the rubble of a destroyed hotel after a strike in the town of Kramatorsk, Donetsk region on August 25, 2024

Zelensky has today released a statement, on social media platform X, in which he said that the people injured were Ukrainian, American and British citizens and condemned the Russian attack as 'deliberate' and 'calculated'.

He offered his condolences to the families and friends of the British Reuters security advisor who was killed.

The full statement from the Ukrainian President said: 'Today in Kramatorsk, the entire day was spent clearing the rubble after a Russian missile strike. Among the injured were journalists - a Reuters film crew, citizens of Ukraine, America, and Britain. A regular city hotel was destroyed by a Russian Iskander missile. Deliberately. Calculated. Seven people were injured, and one person lost their life. My deepest condolences to the families and loved ones.

'This is the daily Russian terror that continues because Russia still has the means to continue. Today, too, Russian strikes targeted our Sumy region with "KAB" bombs, as well as on Kharkiv, Kherson, and Donetsk regions. For all of this, the world must not stop exerting pressure on the terrorist state. For missile strikes, for "KAB" bombs, for assaults. In general  for this entire war. Russia must be forced to seek peace.

'Today, I want to especially acknowledge our forces who are already holding Russia accountable. With the forces we have and the ones we are constantly strengthening. Every unit of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Main Intelligence Directorate, and the Security Service of Ukraine working on our long-range capabilities. Everyone repelling Russian assaults on the front line, especially now in the Donetsk region. Everyone engaged in the defensive operation in Kursk region. I thank all our warriors.

'Also, my deepest gratitude to all the manufacturers of our Ukrainian weapons, suppliers of all the essential components, and the developers  each one of you who tirelessly works for Ukraine. We have already showcased Palianytsia  our new rocket drone. More of developments and more of our weapons will follow. While Palyanytsias and Neptunes can achieve many objectives, there are tasks that only ATACMS, Storm Shadow, Scalp, and other weapons from our partners can fulfill.'

People walk past a destroyed hotel as emergency services continue their search and rescue operation

Ukrainian emergency services conduct a search and rescue operation among the rubble

Ukrainian emergency services seen inside what remains of the hotels structure searching for the missing man

A man talks on a mobile phone at the scene of the missile strike on Hotel Sapphire

A crane begins moving the rubble during the search operation for the missing journalist

Reuters earlier said they were 'urgently seeking more information, working with the authorities in Kramatorsk, and supporting our colleagues and their families'.

The Donetsk province's regional prosecutor's office said it has opened a pre-trial investigation into the strike.

Associated Press reporters at the scene described the former hotel as 'rubble,' with excavators still being used to clear debris hours after the attack.

In addition to the hotel, a nearby multistory building was also destroyed, Filashkin said, and rescuers were busy clearing the debris at the site.

A Ukrainian emergency personnel works amongst the rubble as a crane clears some of the debris

Blue light from emergency service vehicles shines on the remains on Hotel Sapphire

Emergency services arrive to the area where Russian forces launched a missile attack with Iskander-M missile at a residential area near Sapphire Hotel in Kramatorsk

Emergency workers rest near the site where a hotel was hit after a gruelling search

Associated Press reporters at the scene described the former hotel as 'rubble,' with excavators still being used to clear debris hours after the attack

People carry plywood to cover broken windows in a residential building next to the obliterated hotel

An aerial view of part of the missile strike site shows the destruction of the hotel

An emergency worker searching through the piles of rubble from the strike

Ukraine's eastern Kharkiv region also came under Russian fire, resulting in multiple civilian injuries, regional Gov. Oleh Syniehubov wrote on the Telegram messaging app.

In Kharkiv's Chuhuiv region, five people were injured, including a 4-year-old boy and a 14-year-old girl, after two houses were struck by Russian fire. In Kharkiv city, eight people were wounded when a two-story house was set on fire by a Russian attack.

It comes as officials today said that five people died in Ukrainian shellings in Russia's border region of Belgorod.

Twelve other people were wounded in the Russian village of Rakitone, 23 miles from the Ukrainian border, including a 16-year-old girl reported to be in critical condition, said regional Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov.

Another man also died in a separate drone attack on the border village of Solovevka, he later wrote on social media.
Amid strong competition, the SNPs meltdown over a meeting with a mid-level Israeli diplomat has to be the craziest story of this, our Summer of Malcontents.

No sooner had Angus Robertsons face-to-face with deputy ambassador Daniela Grudsky been revealed than there was a maelstrom of outrage, with his own colleagues briefing against him and calling for his resignation.

I have written at length about why I object to Robertsons taxpayer-funded role as Scotlands make-believe foreign secretary, jetting off around the world in search of global relevance.

International affairs is reserved and try as Nationalists might to dress up the jaunts as trade and investment missions, we know the real purpose is promoting a separate Scottish foreign policy and accumulating soft power in the process.

Angus Robertson met with with Daniela Grudsky, deputy ambassador for Israel to the UK

If the Scottish Government just stuck to its devolved remit, the Grudsky situation would never have arisen.

Cosplaying at international diplomacy isnt all opening poorly disguised embassies and delivering speeches to the Arctic Council. Involve yourself in the world and you involve yourself in the worlds disputes, and the demand that you take sides will never be far behind.

That Robertson has been forced to apologise for sitting down with a representative of a friendly nation, and to disavow further relations until the war in Gaza ends, is not merely politically messy for the SNP.

It is an embarrassment for Scotland, whose leadership has been left looking like provincial amateurs with a shallow grasp of the worlds most complex conflict. It is better to remain silent and be thought a diplomatic dilettante than to speak and remove all doubt.

The Scottish Governments position now is that it supports a two-state solution but is only willing to communicate with one side to help achieve it.

This makes ministers look doubly ridiculous: they have both ruled themselves out of engagement with the Israelis and given the impression that they consider this an incentive for Jerusalem to come to the negotiating table. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called by the Bute House switchboard.

The response to Robertsons meeting was a telling one.

The Scottish Government has spent years pursuing relations with the Chinese communist dictatorship, despite Beijing holding around one million Muslims in re-education camps in Xinjiang.

SNP ministers have received decidedly modest pushback from party activists over their meetings with regime officials.

Humza Yousaf was photographed chatting to Turkish strongman Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose government is illegally occupying Northern Cyprus.

Barely a peep from the SNPs great defenders of human rights over that.

Within the SNP, as within so many progressive institutions, there is a segment that takes a one-country interest in international law and humanitarian injustice.

These people brush aside regimes with much grimmer human rights records and pay very close attention instead to anything involving Israel. Very close attention indeed.

Of course, its possible to be obsessive, partial, hypocritical and hyperbolic about conflicts across the world, but it raises an eyebrow when its always the same conflict and you always blame the same side.

When you insist that government ministers engage with Palestinian representatives but not their Israeli counterparts. When there is no lie you will not believe, no propaganda you will not disseminate, provided it casts the only Jewish state as the all-powerful malefactor of world affairs.

Following the October 7 attack, in which Palestinian terrorists invaded Israel, murdered 1,200 of its citizens, raped women and took 250 hostages, including children, Humza Yousaf attended an event at a synagogue in Giffnock.

There he was photographed with the mother of Bernie Cowan, a Scottish Jew murdered in the attack.

Following the SNPs decision to kowtow to its splenetically anti-Israel membership, Bernies brother Colin says this was nothing other than a photo opportunity for the party, an act of Jew-washing to avoid any accusation of inaction in combating the rife anti-Semitism that we suffer from in this country.

This was underscored by the SNPs decision to withdraw the whip from John Mason for saying there was no genocide in Gaza. The party suspended him while a spokesman accused him of intolerance.

There was nothing intolerant in the MSPs comments. Yet merely to refuse to go along with the lie that Israel is committing genocide is now a disciplinary matter within the SNP.

In one of the regions most densely populated territories, against an enemy which uses civilians and children as human shields, military experts have said Israel has for the most part prosecuted its operations with caution and restraint.

There have been grave errors and miscalculations, but there always are in war. Researchers at Brown University estimate that the overall death toll, direct and indirect, from two decades of the war on terror stands at 4.5million.

Will John Swinney be freezing relations with the US and suspending MSPs who deny the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq were attempted genocides?

You cannot placate the implacable, and the SNP might yet learn that the hard way. In surrendering to obsessive Israel-haters, the party has signalled it is weak and that their tactics work.

What happens when they insist the Scottish Government stop funding cultural events at which Israeli artists are scheduled to perform or academic research in which Israeli scholars participate?

In one sense, Robertson has been hoist with his own petard.

A year ago, he had a public fever dream about dastardly plotters intent on undermining Scottish democracy and Scottish decision-making, citing among others yours truly, or the Uber-Unionist commentator Stephen Daisley, which makes it sound like I subvert democracy by day and drop people off at the airport by night.

It was the sort of populist demagoguery to which weve become accustomed from the SNP.

As the Israel debacle confirms, Unionists dont have to undermine Scottish decision-making. The SNP is plenty capable all on its own.

Israel is the technological and medical powerhouse of the Middle East. Its renewables industry is known for its innovation, while just one of its pharmaceutical firms supplies one in every six medicines prescribed by the NHS.

Yet instead of forging valuable ties, the Scottish Government has created a diplomatic disaster and handed its hardliners a veto over Robertsons diary. Not content with usurping reserved powers, the SNP has devolved them to the anti-Israel lobby within its own ranks.

Rather than sending a signal to Scotlands Jewish community that it respects a country which holds profound spiritual meaning for them, the Scottish Government has told them, and the rest of the world, that Scotland bends its knee to mobs and cant be relied upon.
Police have designated children scrawling chalk on a pavement and a person hanging British and Israeli flags as 'hate incidents'.

Former home secretary Suella Braverman last year told police they should log reports of supposed hate only if 'it is absolutely necessary' and not just because someone is offended.

But documents released under Freedom of Information laws show how forces are still logging trivial neighbourhood disputes and online spats as so-called non-crime hate incidents (NCHIs).

Figures obtained by civil liberties group Big Brother Watch reveal 32 forces recorded 12,340 NCHIs in the year to June  up from 11,360 the previous year.

One followed a complaint that an 'English guy' was fixing Israeli and British flags to a 'couple of lampposts'.

North Wales Police were called after a woman said children had used chalk on the pavement outside her home, claiming she was targeted as she was not from the UK (Stock image)

Former home secretary Suella Braverman (pictured) last year told police they should log reports of supposed hate only if 'it is absolutely necessary'

A Cleveland Police log states the complainant feared it would 'cause violence'. The force last night insisted NCHIs 'can have a detrimental effect on people and communities'.

North Wales Police were called after a woman said children had used chalk on the pavement outside her home, claiming she was targeted as she was not from the UK.

The force, which recorded 22 fewer NCHIs last year, said its efforts to follow the new code are 'robust'.

A 'hate incident' logged in Humberside appeared to be a spat on WhatsApp, with the complainant saying a vote to remove them from a 'friendship group' had caused 'emotional distress'.

NCHIs, which can show up on employment vetting checks, were introduced after the murder of Stephen Lawrence to help police monitor levels of racism.

But the police have been accused of using them to punish 'thought crimes'.

A code of practice published by the Home Office in June 2023 stated: 'The perception of hostility or prejudice by a complainant... alone is not enough to warrant an NCHI record being made.'

Jake Hurfurt at Big Brother Watch said forces 'must make sure they protect freedom of expression and privacy by only putting details on file when necessary'.

North Wales Police recorded 22 fewer non-crime hate incidents last year and said its efforts to follow the new code are 'robust' (Stock image)

NCHIs, which can show up on employment vetting checks, were introduced after the murder of Stephen Lawrence (pictured) to help police monitor levels of racism.

Toby Young, of the Free Speech Union, said: 'It's not surprising the police failed to solve a single burglary in nearly half the neighbourhoods in England and Wales last year.

'They're too busy investigating hurty words.'

The Home Office said it 'will carefully consider how best to protect individuals and communities from hate whilst also balancing the need to protect the fundamental right to free speech'.
An Upstate New York anesthesiologist has pleaded guilty to drugging and sexually abusing his family's nanny while she slept on a couch in his home, authorities said.

Paul Giacopelli, 60, pleaded guilty Wednesday after being indicted by a grand jury in March.

He was arrested in December, after the unnamed woman installed a surveillance camera behind a turtle tank's dehumidifier in the living room where she slept. She'd become suspicious following four occasions in late 2023 where she briefly woke to a rag on her face before smelling chemicals blacking out, investigators said.

Giacopelli's attorney, Steven Gaitman, said his client 'assumed responsibility for his crimes, and now is focused on tending to his family.'

The plea deal serves as a swift fall from grace for a man who once worked as the chief anesthesiologist at Putnam County Hospital. Since stripped of his credentials, he also confessed to having a 'chloroform fetish,' cops confirmed.

Paul Giacopelli, 60, pleaded guilty Wednesday after being indicted by a grand jury in March. He is seen here with an unidentified family member

The former anesthesiologist confessed to drugging and sexually abusing his family's nanny while she slept on a couch in his home. He has had his medical license revoked

'I'm very proud of the work of the Sheriff's Department and Assistant District Attorney Melissa Lynch,' said Putnam District Attorney Robert Tendy in a press release unveiling the defendant's pleas.

'[B]ut I'm mostly proud of the victim's courage in going through this process which led to the defendant's arrest and conviction.'

The pleas pertained to two violent felony offenses, Sexual Abuse in the First Degree and Assault in the Second Degree, and as Tendy indicated, came on the heels of a painstaking investigation.

According to court papers, the victim told investigators how she was tasked with taking care of Giacopelli's children at his home in the Putnam County town of Southeast.

At times, the terms of employment called for her to work overnight, she said - often when Giacopelli was on call for the local hospital.

Upon becoming suspicious she was being drugged into a deeper sleep, she set up a hidden camera on December 29, 2023, an indictment for the defendant said.

After again sensing a rag over her face before passing out, she awoke in the morning and viewed the contents of the camera in hopes of catching her attacker.

Video clips garnered by the camera went on to show Giacopelli assaulting the victim, prosecutors said - recalling how officers carried out his arrest within hours.

The plea deal serves as a swift fall from grace for a man who once worked as the chief anesthesiologist at Putnam County Hospital (seen here)

Since stripped of his credentials, he also confessed to having a 'chloroform fetish,' cops said. After pleading guilty, he is expected to receive just four years in state prison

Beforehand, the woman brought the video clips to law enforcement officials.

When Giacopelli was taken in for initial questioning an investigator from the Putnam County Sheriff's Office told the grand jury that the doctor confessed to filling a rag with Sevoflurane, an anesthetic, and covering the woman's mouth and nose.

Rendering her unconscious, Giacopelli also told investigators that the victim was an easy mark because she was a 'heavy sleeper,' Lead Investigator Keith Simone said.

Simone added how Giacopelli also admitted to bringing drugs home from the hospital, after dangerous substances like Fentanyl were found in the family's four-bedroom, $1million home, Simone testified.

The state Board for Professional Medical Conduct went on to bar Giacopelli from practicing medicine, a decision that will be upheld following his guilty pleas.

The verdict paves the way for the former medical professional's sentencing, which court documents indicate will be on Nov. 20.

After pleading guilty, he is expected to receive just four years in state prison, prosecutors said.
Javid Ahmed had jumped from a Chinook helicopter with his SAS comrades and swept silently through a Taliban compound in eastern Afghanistan, spiriting away the Islamic State money-man they had come looking for.

'The Americans often do operations like this with noise and bluster, but British special forces are usually gone before the enemy knows what has hit them,' says Javid, 32. 'We found our man hiding with a group of women and recovered $15,000 and some telephone sim cards.'

But it wasn't all plain sailing. On the way back to the Chinook, with the cloak of darkness slowly lifting, Javid realised they had been spotted and were about to come under fire.

'There was an SAS officer next to me, and I pushed him to one side and I fell to the other,' he says. 'The bullets whizzed between us and we were both safe  though I had broken my radio in the fall. Later, the officer came and shook my hand. He thanked me for saving his life and gave me a new radio he had bought for me. It was one of the proudest days of my life.'

That was in 2019. Fast forward five years and this elite special forces lieutenant is working in fast-food takeaways in Birmingham, serving chips and delivering pizza, waiting on tables and trying to make ends meet with temporary jobs on zero-hour contracts.

He is one of around 15,000 Afghan soldiers and interpreters to have been welcomed into the UK following the return to power of the Taliban in 2021, except that, when it comes to employment, the British welcome hasn't been so warm.

There are government training and language courses for them, but they are struggling to find work that offers the levels of dignity and comradeship they found while fighting with, or interpreting for, the British military  a military that had spent many millions of pounds training them.

Javid Ahmed, an elite special forces lieutenant, is working in fast-food takeaways in Birmingham, serving chips and delivering pizza, waiting on tables and trying to make ends meet with temporary jobs on zero-hour contracts. He is one of around 15,000 Afghan soldiers and interpreters to have been welcomed into the UK following the return to power of the Taliban in 2021, except that, when it comes to employment, the British welcome hasn't been so warm

'I had been processed in Islamabad [Pakistan] and told by a British official that I would be able to join the Army when I got to the UK,' says Javid. 'I wanted to put my skills to use with my British comrades. I was devastated when I found out that I couldn't.'

What Javid and other elite soldiers and military-trained interpreters discovered  and are still discovering  was that it has been a long-standing stipulation that, for security reasons, service personnel have to have British citizenship, which can only be applied for once they have lived in the UK for five years.

'By then,' Javid points out, 'many of us will be too old and our fighting skills will be gone. It seems like such a waste of talent and loyalty. I loved my British friends and comrades but I'm not allowed to serve with them.'

A waste indeed  and at a time when soldiers are in hopelessly short supply. According to the MoD, the number of military personnel in the UK Armed Forces was 183,130 as of January 1 this year  7,040 fewer than the year before and the lowest since the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815.

Recruitment has slumped, not least because it was put in the hands of the outsourcing company Capita in 2012 in a 440 million deal that resulted in the closure of dozens of Army recruitment centres all over the country.

In 2019, around the same time Javid was saving the life of his SAS comrade, a Parliamentary committee described the Army's decision to outsource recruitment as 'naive' and Capita's performance as 'abysmal'.

Inevitably, growing numbers of military observers and politicians are asking why, when army recruitment and numbers are so desperately low, we are wasting such a precious pool of willing talent.

Among them are highly trained specialists from the Afghan 333 and 444 units, whose skill and bravery came to be admired by their British colleagues.

'We have a numbers problem in the Forces at present and these highly trained Afghans could help solve that problem,' says Major James Bolter, a veteran who oversaw Afghans who worked for and with UK troops. 'They would need to go through some kind of tailored training programme with their discipline tightened, but this could easily be done.

'I would be very much in favour of a change of policy to let them join the Army. Some ex-Afghan National Army would fit in very well, while those with specialist training could be of interest to Hereford [SAS] and other elite units.'

Under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP), which was introduced in 2021 following the Mail's award-winning Betrayal Of The Brave campaign, former soldiers and interpreters receive indefinite leave to remain. After five years they can apply for a British passport.

In the meantime, life for many has been tough. Former Major General Mirahmad Azimi, 42, his wife and four children are squeezed into a two-bedroom flat in west London, while he works as a receptionist at a car showroom  a job for which he is staggeringly over-qualified.

He used to oversee 9,000 National Army units, 33 specialist units and three military training centres. He studied at Sandhurst in 2009 and before Kabul fell, he was in the UK for a leadership and management course at the Defence Academy of the UK  a seat that was subsequently withdrawn. Now, in common with so many of his countrymen, he wants to take his skills into the British Army.

'We are all grateful for the evacuation and the opportunity to settle here, but we want to use our skills as soldiers,' he says. 'Many times we saved the lives of British soldiers in Afghanistan because every time we went on operations, I would tell the British forces to stay behind and say: 'Let the enemy kill me, my soldiers, not you. You're here to support me; I am here to protect you.'

Former Major General Mirahmad Azimi, 42, his wife and four children are squeezed into a two-bedroom flat in west London, while he works as a receptionist at a car showroom  a job for which he is staggeringly over-qualified

'My men and I would like to continue that comradeship but we feel we have been left out in the forest. After 20 years of co-operation this feels unacceptable  it isn't the way friends treat each other. Meanwhile, we are working as delivery men, cleaners, dish-washers, taxi drivers or part-time receptionists.

'In our culture, this is unacceptable, for our wives, children, everybody. Many of my comrades are ashamed to say what they now do for a living. They want to serve with the British again. They are trustworthy, trained and experienced, and we know each other and each other's cultures and the way we work. But to be told we need to be British citizens first is frustrating and disappointing.'

The MoD says it can't make exceptions  but it has already done so by making the Afghans a unique cohort under the ARAP scheme. To fail to acknowledge that no other nationality has fought for so long, and so recently, with the British not only seems wrong but is also to waste a precious resource.

And it serves just to frustrate heroic men like Rafi Hottak, a 37-year-old frontline interpreter who wants to join the Army.

While the need for Pashto-speakers has reduced now the UK has left Afghanistan, many British veterans support their former translators joining their ranks as combat soldiers.

They highlight how the interpreters, who risked their lives beside UK troops, have been repeatedly tested under fire and understand combat operations and military tactics. Many were weapons-trained and displayed great courage in the most testing conditions, as Rafi did.

While out on foot patrol in Sangin, Helmand province, in 2007, he was seriously injured when an improvised explosive device (IED) was triggered near the marketplace. He and a British Army captain were the intended targets.

'The captain took the full brunt of the blast and he was killed on the spot,' says Rafi. 'I had lacerations all over my body and nearly lost my left hand. Then there was a firefight and there was concern that our soldiers could accidentally shoot one another so I was asked to tell the Afghan soldiers to cease fire. I gathered myself up and with the last of my strength I shouted to stop shooting. And then I collapsed.'

After major surgery, Rafi continued working for the British Army but he had to leave when the Taliban found out and began threatening his family. He claimed asylum in 2011 but his application was rejected a year later, in spite of numerous character references from serving officers. One of the reasons was that his English was 'too good' for an Afghan  even though he was an interpreter. Eventually, the rejection was overturned and he applied to join the Army, only to find out about the citizenship rule.

'It actually takes more than five years to get a passport,' he said. 'It took me seven. By the time I was able to apply for the Army, I was too old. I don't want that to happen to the men able to serve now. They were trained by the best. It would be a waste if they were not allowed to serve.'

Rafi retrained as an accountant and now has his own firm in Birmingham. Others have eked out a living, but not the one they want.

Abdul Bari, 33, worked as a frontline interpreter for nearly four years at the height of the conflict. He now lives with his wife and three children in the West Country, working as a translator. Among his roles  many of them dangerous  he interpreted for the Electronic Warfare Unit and the Brigade Reconnaissance Force, a unit that went deep into Taliban territory to draw fire and engage with the enemy. During one mission, Abdul rescued a British officer from a vehicle that had been blown up by an IED. He stretchered the officer, who had broken his back and legs, to a Chinook through a field that was suspected of having been mined.

'It was dangerous but everyone was prepared to take risks for their brothers,' he says. 'It is one of the reasons I have such respect for the British Army and its soldiers. To be a soldier in the British Army would be an honour.'

The Sulha Alliance, a UK charity that supports interpreters and others who worked for the British military in Afghanistan, says it would back the calls to allow trained Afghans to join the Army.

'We are aware of interest among the former interpreter community to serve in the British Armed Forces,' says Peter Gordon-Finlayson, an Afghan veteran and one of the charity's founders. 'Many interpreters associate Britain with the experiences that they had of British soldiers while serving together in Afghanistan.

'Much of the British military culture is therefore familiar, and the camaraderie and sense of purpose of the military is often at the heart of what they hold dear about Britain. There is a clear natural fit.'

The potential supply of willing recruits is not only from the Afghans settled in the UK, but also from their comrades stuck in Afghanistan, many in hiding from the Taliban while their ARAP requests are processed.

Mohammed Nasir, 32, is one of these. A former soldier with the 333s, he is in hiding in Kabul with his wife and three children. He worked with UK Forces in the Logar province but was forced to resign because Taliban fighters threatened his family. Two months after the return of the Taliban, he was arrested and tortured because of his links to the British.

'They bound my hands and hooded me, then began to beat me as they asked questions,' he says. 'When they didn't receive the answers they wanted, their men used an electric stick to give me shocks and a stun gun on my neck to cause pain. It was a terrifying ordeal. I feared for my life.' If allowed into the UK, the first thing he would like to do would be to reunite with his former British Army comrades.

'We were trained by the British, we fought beside the British and it would be an honour to be able to join the British Army,' he says.

'I think it would be a logical step because it would use the skills and experience we have to benefit the UK while allowing us meaningful and respectful employment, where we could support ourselves and, through our work, integrate with British society.'

While some observers say spreading the Afghans throughout the Army would be a positive step in terms of diversity, others argue the most effective use of them would be as a single Afghan brigade, similar to the Gurkhas.

Tom Tugendhat, the Shadow Security Minister, who fought in Afghanistan, says of the Afghan soldiers: 'In combat with the British Army they showed their bravery and loyalty time and time again. Over the years a number of highly talented members of the Afghan Army have relocated to the UK legally. If they want to serve Britain and help keep our country safe, and if they meet the MoD's criteria, they should be welcomed into the British Army.'

Khalid Asghari, a 29-year-old former captain in the elite General Command of Police Special Units, fought side-by-side with British special forces. He now lives alone in Windsor and works as a receptionist at a hotel near Heathrow

Perhaps the last word should go to Khalid Asghari, a 29-year-old former captain in the elite General Command of Police Special Units, which fought side-by-side with British special forces.

As well as having degrees in Law and Political Science as well as Policing, he spent more than a year studying at Sandhurst and the Defence Academy of the UK, and he has fought with, and interpreted for, UK special forces in the Helmand and Kandahar provinces.

He now lives alone in Windsor and works as a receptionist at a hotel near Heathrow. 'I'm in touch with more than 300 officers and special forces,' he says. 'Most of them are working as delivery drivers, in cheap restaurants and in chicken and pizza shops earning 6, maybe 10, an hour. They are not using their skills and this is very shameful for them.

'Please, just give us a chance to stand shoulder to shoulder with our British comrades again.'
The King's 20-year-old niece wants to pursue a career in the military, which could make her the first female Royal since her late grandmother to do so.

Lady Louise Windsor, daughter of Prince Edward and Sophie and granddaughter to Queen Elizabeth II, has 'fallen in love' with army cadets, a source has said.

Lady Louise, who was born eighth in line to the throne, is currently in her second year at the University of St Andrew's studying English and has reportedly said on her LinkedIn page that she is interested in pursuing a career in 'the military, diplomacy or law'.

A source told The Sun: 'She talks about being very keen on a career in the military, serving the King and country.

'She is all about the Army Cadets and has fallen in love with it.'

The young royal could follow in the footsteps of Queen Elizabeth II, who was a Junior Commander with the Auxiliary Territorial Service during the Second World War.

Young Elizabeth made history as the first royal woman to become a full-time member of the armed services, after she signed up for military service within a year of turning 18.

The late Queen signed up despite reports saying King George VI had ruled that her training as a princess outweighed the nation's increasing manpower problems, and that she would not be joining any of the women's auxiliaries or working in a factory.

Lady Louise Windsor , daughter of Prince Edward and Sophie and granddaughter to Queen Elizabeth II , has 'fallen in love' with army cadets, a source has said.

Louise, who is eighth in line to the throne, is currently in her second year at the University of St Andrew's studying English and has reportedly said on her LinkedIn page that she is interested in pursuing a career in 'the military, diplomacy or law'

The young royal could follow in the footsteps of Queen Elizabeth II (pictured) who was a Junior Commander with the Auxiliary Territorial Service during the Second World War

The late Queen signed up despite reports saying King George VI had ruled that her training as a princess outweighed the nation's increasing manpower problems

The King and his wife Queen Elizabeth (later known as the Queen Mother) were determined that they would not be seen as hiding from the war, and so they visited areas that had been bombed during the Blitz.

They also visited military personnel, made trips to munitions factories, RAF bases and Royal Navy ships, and met with troops training for combat.

However, while the family had wanted to stay together at Buckingham Palace throughout the conflict, at the height of the Blitz in 1940, Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret were evacuated to Windsor Castle.

In September that year, five high explosive bombs were dropped on the Palace, but the King and Queen chose to stay there in solidarity with those living through the Blitz. In addition, the family was subject to the same rationing all everyone else.

Speaking about the bombing, the then-Queen Elizabeth was reported as saying: 'I'm glad we have been bombed. Now we can look the East End in the eye.'

The Palace was bombed nine times during World War II.

Lady Louise Windsor speaking to her grandmother the late Queen Elizabeth II in 2018

Queen Elizabeth II wanted to do her bit to help the war effort, so joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service, enrolling on a driving and vehicle maintenance course

While undergoing her ATS training, the young royal was not given special treatment, and mixed with people from different backgrounds

While Queen Elizabeth remains the only female member of the Royal Family to serve in the Armed Forces, other members have played a part.

Prince William was commissioned into the Army in December 2006 and joined the Household Cavalry, while Prince Harry was the last royal to serve in a war during two tours of Afghanistan.

Prince Andrew served as a Royal Navy helicopter pilot in the Falklands War, Prince Edward trained with the Royal Marines in 1987 but left after four months.

And King Charles was in the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy from 1971 to 1976.

Princess Elizabeth had her first royal duty during the Second World War. At the age of 14, on October 13, 1940, she made a radio broadcast from Windsor Castle.

Speaking during the BBC's Childrens Hour, the princess urged child evacuees to have courage, despite the difficult circumstances.

She said: 'Thousands of you in this country have had to leave your homes and be separated from your fathers and mothers.

'My sister Margaret Rose and I feel so much for you, as we know from experience what it means to be away from those you love most of all.'

Lady Louise Windsor (pictured) watching a RAF flypast from the balcony of Buckingham Palace

Queen Elizabeth pictured in 1947 learning how to read a map in the Auxiliary Territorial Service

Prince Edward and Sophie with Lady Louise at the 2022 Commonwealth Games

Lady Louise has just finished her second year at the University of St Andrew's

The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh with Lady Louise (pictured centre)

In 1942, she became the Colonel of the Grenadier Guards in 1942, carrying out her first official public engagement on the morning of her 16th birthday, inspecting the guards at Windsor Castle.

Among her other appearances, she was snapped working on Windsor Castle allotments as part of the 'Dig for Victory' campaign.

At 18-years-old, she launched her first ship, HMS Vanguard, at Clydebank in Scotland. That year, as her father was in Italy, she carried out some of his head of state duties.

However, she wanted to do more to help the war effort, and although King George did not want her to join the womens auxiliaries or work in a factory, within a year of her 18th birthday, in February 1945, she enlisted in the Auxiliary Territorial Service, the womens branch of the British Army, known as the ATS.

During this time, women in the ATS carried out a number of jobs that would free men up for frontline duty.

As women were not allowed combat roles, instead, they would serve in other capacities. Among them, they would work as clerks drivers, postal workers, dispatch riders and ammunition inspectors.

Some members of the ATS work with anti aircraft units, tracking enemy aircrafts. Women were not allowed to fire guns, but they could aim anti aircraft guns for men to fire.

Princess Elizabeth enrolled on a driving and vehicle maintenance course, learning about mechanics theory, map reading, and how to drive and maintain heavy army vehicles.

A young Princess Elizabeth (pictured, left) is visited by her mother Queen Elizabeth during her ATS training

Queen Elizabeth II speaking to Lady Louise in 2015 at The Royal Windsor Horse Show

Princess Elizabeth learning basic car maintenance as a Second Subaltern in the A.T.S 12th April 1945

Lady Louise Windsor attends a National Service of Thanksgiving for the reign of Queen Elizabeth II at St Paul's Cathedral on June 3, 2022

She received no special treatment during her training, and mixed with people from all backgrounds.

After working seven hours a day at the barracks, she returned home to Windsor Castle in the evenings.

The princess completed five months of training as a mechanic and military truck driving, and was promoted to the rank of Honorary Junior Commander.

During her training, there was huge public and media interest in her activities, and she was filmed and photographed as she learnt her craft. During this time, she was visited at the training camp by her parents and sister Princess Margaret.

Although she graduated as a fully qualified driver (undertaking a final test which involved her making a solo journey in a heavy vehicle from Surrey into London) WWII ended before she was able to put her new skills to practical use.

Seven years after WWII ended, Elizabeth became Queen.

Lady Louise is due to start her third year of studies at the University this year.
A father-of-six who died in a skydiving accident helped save the lives of at least four other people by donating his organs.

Roger Goltz, an IT technician from Jervis Bay, on NSW's south coast, died on 17 August, 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 freak accident.

While his parachute opened perfectly, it's understood Mr Goltz turned too low and fast due to the wind, which left 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.

Now, his bereaved wife has revealed Mr Goltz's last act of kindness following his death.

'As me and the six kids navigate this next stage of this journey I wanted to say how beautiful it was to know Roger got to be part of bringing joy to four families,' Mrs Goltz wrote on social media.

She said she had had a conversation with her husband before his death about his wishes for organ donation but wanted to see what their children thought.

His bereaved wife Kelly has revealed Mr Goltz's last act of kindness following his death

'It was comforting to know I knew his thoughts on it and then listening to the six kids all vote yes as I wanted to leave the decision up to them,' she wrote..

'It was hard, and teary, but getting the phone call yesterday that four lives have potentially changed forever for the good, made the day better for my six who have been suffering the worst days of their lives so far.'

Mrs Goltz revealed that her husband's organs went to a child and a man who needed a kidney transplant.

She encouraged others to have discussions about organ donation with their loved ones.

'It makes it so much easier if something like this happens.. the kids all hope whoever takes a part of their dad takes on his adventures and finds a new love of life,' she added.

Mrs Goltz, whose four out of six children live at home, previously told Daily Mail Australia she was worried she may not be able to keep her house as skydiving was not covered by their life insurance.

Roger Goltz (pictured), an IT technician from Jervis Bay, on NSW 's south coast, died on 17 August, leaving behind his wife Kelly and their six children aged between 14 and 25 years old.

Mr Goltz is an experienced skydiver and had completed about 80 jumps, many with his teenage son, before the accident on Saturday

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 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.'

Mr Goltz (far right) had done several skydiving jumps with his teenage son Kai

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.

She is now awaiting a coroner's report to try to understand what went wrong.

Skydive Oz in Moruya confirmed that Roger's parachute opened and worked as it should.

Chief instructor Paul Smith, who was at the drop zone when the incident occurred, said that safety is always his top priority.

'At Skydive Oz, we do everything we can to make it as safe as possible for all of our members, regardless of their level of experience, and the close-knit skydiving community here is devastated that this has occurred,' he said in a statement.

'We are incredibly grateful to the first responders and emergency services personnel who provided first aid care and arranged for his helicopter flight to Canberra.'

Australian Parachute Federation CEO Stephen Porter said it had launched an investigation into the incident.

'Our thoughts are with the man's family and everyone involved at this tragic time,' he said.

'A training officer arrived on site at Moruya Heads on Saturday night to begin a thorough investigation into the cause of the incident.'

A memorial service will be held for Mr Goltz at 10:30am on Thursday at Plantation Point, Vincentia followed by a gathering at Huskisson Community Centre at 12:30pm.
MBABANE  The net is closing in on civil servants who are implicated in the fraudulent activities at the Ministry of Home Affairs.

This is because the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), which has been conducting investigations, has reportedly completed its work. This publication has gathered that the ACC has completed its work and around 10 officers are set to face the music.Having concluded the investigation, it was gathered that ACC officers were already working on an application to obtain warrants of arrests for the implicated individuals. Sources revealed that if all goes according to plan, the arrests would be effected in the next coming days.

Called for comment, ACC Acting Commissioner Maphevu Mkhatjwa said while the commission has completed its investigation, he could not say when the arrests would be effected.

Mkhatjwa argued that it was not wise to reveal anything, as such would jeopardise whatever investigation they carried out. He then referred this reporter to ACC Spokesperson Jabu Phakathi who, however, told this reporter that she was not aware of any planned arrests.

Prohibits

Phakathi reminded this reporter that the entity operates within the ambit of the law which prohibits the disclosure of information or details of any person who is the subject of an enquiry or investigation. The ACC has a three-pronged legal mandate of prevention whereby it is supposed to examine practices and procedures and advice on ways of preventing corruption.

It also has an education role of empowering the public and private bodies and the general public on the forms and dangers of corruption. Furthermore, the ACC has the function of investigation which is to receive and investigate complaints of alleged or suspected corrupt practices made against any person, and refer appropriate cases to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

Refugee status

In 2022, the Ministry of Home Affairs instituted an internal probe into the sale of refugee status and passports to foreign nationals. Police investigations reportedly found that there was a syndicate dealing in documentation status and refugee passports. It was revealed that the syndicate charged between E30 000 and E50 000 for fresh and legal documents for any undocumented citizen, who wanted to be treated as an official refugee in the Kingdom of Eswatini. The internal investigations saw over 100 immigration officers being transferred last year. At the time, the Immigration Office was faced with the challenge of disappearance and theft of security documents such as passports and travel documents. When the investigation was instituted, the ministry did state that heads were set to roll, as it was dedicated to getting rid of all elements of corruption.

Aiding a syndicate

In one of the cases, there were allegations that government officials were aiding a syndicate in Manzini that was dealing in refugee status documentation and passports. It was alleged that during the internal investigation, an official confessed to taking a bribe from a foreign national. She, however, could not renew the passport and it triggered the investigation and the ACC reportedly instituted an internal investigation in the ministry to ascertain if there were officers who were involved in granting the passports illegally. It has been reported that as the ACC continued with its investigation, it was discovered that in the system, the information on who had printed the passports had been deleted.

Reliable sources have confided that the ACC then engaged the Royal Science and Technology Park (RSTP) based on the fact that it is the one that controls the systems of the making of passports and other documents. The RSTP, it was gathered, has what is known as the administrative rights and there are officers who are able to find the documents since there are footprints that are in the system. The RSTP system is able to determine that an officer presented the documents and this is made possible through the use of the IP address of the computer that was used.

There were suspicions that there could be officers who wiped out some of the evidence and the RSTP has to come in to re-assemble the needed data. Worth noting is that for some time, the ACC has been deemed inefficient with members of the public and politicians labelling it toothless in that it received a government subvention but did not effect as many arrests as expected. However, things have changed in recent months as there have been arrests witnessed.Last month, the ACC nabbed a UNESWA lecturer and a senior officer of the National Maize Corporation (NMC). The UNESWA lecturer, who is also a farmer, has been identified as Daniel Vusane Dlamini of Mkhulamini, while the officer is Mthobisi Sifiso Dlamini of Nyakeni and is employed as a Project Manager at NMC. The two are alleged to have colluded in a corrupt act involving a truck trailer belonging to government.

Prevention of corruption

The duo was arrested in accordance with the Prevention of Organised Crime Act (POCA), a legislation enacted to investigate and punish corrupt activities, establish the ACC and to provide for other matters incidental to the prevention of corruption. The POCA was put in place in 2018 and since its inception, the State has seized and subsequently forfeited a number of assets that are believed to have been acquired through criminal means or used as instrumentality for criminal activities.The two individuals are said to have been arrested for allegedly contravening Section 42 of the POCA, which details general offences of corruption. The veracity of the allegations is yet to be tested in court. According to the charge sheet, in 2015, the Government of Eswatini bought farming equipment which included tractors, tractor trailers and other farming implements for purposes of hiring them out to farmers in the country.

The tractor trailers bought were 50 in number.
A man has been rushed to the hospital after he was allegedly stabbed by two women during a violent carjacking in Melbourne's south-east on Sunday night.

The alleged attack occurred near a strip of shops on Lurline Street in Cranbourne, where the man was assaulted by two women around 8.45pm.

Around five minutes earlier, the same two women are believed to have attempted a carjacking on nearby Sladen Street, but were unsuccessful.

The pair allegedly approached the man, stabbed him, and stole his vehicle, which they then drove to Pakenham, before they were arrested.

The victim, a 35-year-old man from Clyde North who was said to be in the 'wrong place at the wrong time', and reportedly screamed out for help before stumbling towards a pizza shop.

He the collapsed in the middle of the road where he was bleeding profusely.

'It was a stab wound and there was blood everywhere,' one local woman who performed first aid told Sunrise.

'I just put my hands straight on the wound but I was also on the phone (to the emergency services). His hands were all sliced up through his fingers.'

A man has been rushed to the hospital after being stabbed by two women during a violent carjacking in Melbourne 's south-east on Sunday night

The attack occurred near a strip of shops on Lurline Street in Cranbourne (pictured), where the man was assaulted by two women around 8.45pm

The victim, a 35-year-old man from Clyde North who was said to be in the 'wrong place at the wrong time', reportedly screamed out for help before stumbling towards a pizza shop (pictured)

The woman said she didn't notice a neck wound because of all the blood.

'By then other people had come out and I was just screaming for towels,' she added.

The man is currently undergoing surgery in hospital for life-threatening injuries.

'Police are currently speaking to a 33-year-old Mornington woman and a 28-year-old Carrum Downs woman in relation to the incident,' a spokesperson for Victoria Police said.

Anyone with information or anyone with CCTV/dash cam footage is urged to call Crime Stoppers.
Labour ministers are facing a backbench rebellion over their planned cuts to Winter Fuel Payments as the Tories try to stop the controversial move being forced through without a debate.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves had hoped to strongarm the policy - which will deny an estimated 10 million pensioners annual help with energy bills worth up to 300 - through Parliament without MPs even getting the opportunity to discuss it.

Under the terms of secondary legislation quietly published on Thursday and due to come into force on September 16th, the means-testing of Winter Fuel Payments would simply come into force automatically 40 days later.

But the Conservative opposition has a chance to derail the Chancellor's ploy after a submitting an Early Day Motion that challenges the Government to hold a debate on the topic.

Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury Laura Trott said: 'This Labour government has tried to avoid scrutiny in Parliament for the consequences of their actions, but the public deserve better.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves (pictured) had hoped to strongarm the policy through Parliament without MPs even getting the opportunity to discuss it

Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury Laura Trott said the Labour government has tried to 'avoid scrutiny' in Parliament

'On behalf of the ten million pensioners left on the hook for Labour's political prioritisation of their union paymasters, we are determined to ensure this issue is debated.'

The EDM has already been signed by current leader of the opposition Rishi Sunak, Shadow Chancellor Jeremy Hunt and Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride.

It is expected that many more MPs will sign it, possibly including some Labour ones who are worried about the impact of the Winter Fuel Payment cuts on their constituents.

The Government would have to agree for the debate to reach the Commons, and experts believe it will do so despite the embarrassment of seeing its own MPs condemning the policy.

Even if the topic were debated and led to a vote, the Government would win any division easily given its huge working majority of 167 - although it would allow the Tories to show voters they tried to stop the hugely unpopular cuts while Labour allowed them to happen.

Some backbench Labour MPs may even decide to rebel and risk losing the party whip by voting with the Tories, with many already writing to Ms Reeves to raise concerns about vulnerable older people going cold this winter.

One backbench Labour MP has already indicated she could back the opposition.

Rachael Maskell, who chairs the All Party Parliamentary Group on Ageing and Older People, told Times Radio: 'I would have to see what the motion said but I think government should lead this initiative and ensure that it is protecting the most vulnerable.'

Former Labour minister Baroness Harman this weekend suggested the policy could be revised so that it affects fewer people.

She told Times Radio: 'It might be that they decide to make a different cut-off point, so those discussions might be underway.'

The Early Day Motion has already been signed by current leader of the opposition Rishi Sunak (left), Shadow Chancellor Jeremy Hunt (centre) and Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride (right)

Rachael Maskell (pictured), who chairs the All Party Parliamentary Group on Ageing and Older People, has already indicated she could back the opposition

Former Labour minister Baroness Harman (pictured) this weekend suggested the policy could be revised so that it affects fewer people

Cabinet Office minister Pat McFadden (pictured) was told yesterday that the current calculation means that pensioners on as little as 12,000 a year could lose their Winter Fuel Payments

Labour peer Lord Foulkes of Cumnock has condemned the Chancellor's 'terrible blunder', telling the Guardian: 'I know there is widespread support, on the Labour benches, for a rethink and that Reeves can demonstrate she is the statesperson I know her to be by telling the Treasury mandarins to think again.'

Cabinet Office minister Pat McFadden was told yesterday that the current calculation means that pensioners on as little as 12,000 a year could lose their Winter Fuel Payments.

He told the BBC: 'It's not a decision we wanted to take, this is a decision we had to take because we came into office with a whole series of things that had been announced by the previous Government for which no money had been set aside.'
An international manhunt for one of Canada's most wanted men - suspected of a bodybuilder's murder - has ended at a four-storey block of flats in Luton.

Adrian Gordon, 24, went on the run after the murder in May, with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police warning the public he was 'armed, violent and dangerous'.

He was suspected of first degree murder in regard to killing champion bodybuilder Jesse Tubbs, 30, who was found shot in a drugs hotspot.

He was discovered lying on the ground with 'obvious signs' of trauma and later died in a Toronto hospital from his injuries.

Adrian Gordon, 24, (pictured) went on the run after the murder in May, with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police warning the public he was 'armed, violent and dangerous'

He was suspected of first degree murder in regard to killing champion bodybuilder Jesse Tubbs, 30, (pictured) who was found shot in a drugs hotspot

A global search effort to find Gordon described as 5ft 6in and 130lb with a thin build, short black hair, clean shaven and brown eyes.

Officers were tipped off that Gordon was in Luton and asked the National Crime Agency in London for an extradition.

As a result, Gordon was arrested at The Martindales housing complex in Bedfordshire.

Those living in the building said it was 'crazy' he'd been found there and said he 'kept to himself and was polite'.

Student Pavel Klimowicz told The Sun: 'I woke up to a massive scream and found out later that the police had raided the building and arrested him.

'To know he is one of Canada's most wanted men is crazy. There's kids and families living here so thank God something worse didn't happen.'
Labour's vow to deport thousands of foreign criminals by the end of the year risks being undermined by a series of shocking failures to remove offenders by judges.

A Mail investigation can reveal how an Albanian jailed for drugs offences eight years ago was allowed to stay in Britain by judges  only to be locked up again last week for plotting to run a 400,000 cannabis farm.

Resul Rahova avoided deportation in 2020 by arguing he would be at risk from a 'blood feud' back home.

But last week he was jailed for 14 months over the cannabis farm plan in Norwich.

And a Polish drug driver who killed a father in 2020 when he fell asleep at the wheel was also allowed to remain because immigration judges earlier this year said he was not a 'genuine threat' to society.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper (pictured) vowed to tackle Britain's immigration crisis

Resul Rahova (pictured) avoided deportation in 2020 by arguing he would be at risk from a 'blood feud' back home

A Mail investigation can reveal how an Albanian jailed for drugs offences eight years ago was locked up again last week for plotting to run a 400,000 cannabis farm (Stock Image)

Jaroslaw Bakula had killed 62-year-old Steven West in Cornwall in a collision in July 2020 and was jailed at Truro Crown Court in January 2023 for seven years.

Meanwhile South African Mawande Sicwebu  jailed for 32 months in February 2017 at Ipswich Crown Court for abducting and assaulting an 11-year-old girl  was given permission in June to stay as his family would be 'devastated' if he was kicked out.

Figures last week revealed the number of foreign criminals released from jail has reached a record high of more than 17,000.

At the end of June there were 17,428 foreign national offenders who had been released from prison but not deported.

It was the first time the Home Office had updated the figure since 2022, when it stood at just under 12,000.

It means that seven foreign criminals a day, on average, were freed to live in the community over the past two years.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper last week vowed to tackle Britain's immigration crisis. But her campaign risks being derailed by immigration tribunals blocking deportations of serious foreign offenders on human rights grounds.

South African Mawande Sicwebu (pictured)  jailed for 32 months in February 2017 at Ipswich Crown Court for abducting and assaulting an 11-year-old girl  was given permission in June to stay as his family would be 'devastated' if he was kicked out

Dame Priti Patel (pictured) said the public were 'fed up' with foreign criminals 'being let off the hook'

Last night former home secretary and Tory leadership contender Dame Priti Patel said the public were 'fed up' with foreign criminals 'being let off the hook'.

A Home Office spokesman said: 'We are committed to deporting foreign national offenders at the earliest opportunity and we remain focused on managing cases through the legal process so we can remove any barriers to deportation.'
Israel's prime minister vowed to strike back at aggressors as tensions in the Middle East intensified yesterday.

Benjamin Netanyahu warned, 'Whoever harms us, we will harm them' after Israel exchanged fire with militant group Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched a series of pre-dawn airstrikes, targeting Hezbollah rocket launchers, following information that the Iranian-backed terror organisation planned to take out key Israeli intelligence bases.

Hezbollah then launched more than 300 rockets, missiles and drones targeting military facilities in northern Israel  aggression it chillingly described as 'phase one' of a multi-stage attack.

It said it was acting in response to the killing of Fouad Shukur, its acting chief of staff, in an airstrike in Beirut last month.

An explosion takes place as Israeli strikes hit southern Lebanon, amid cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, as seen from Zibqin, Lebanon, August 25, 2024

Hezbollah then launched more than 300 rockets, missiles and drones targeting military facilities in northern Israel on Sunday. Pictured is a Hezbollah drone hitting a highway in northern Israel

Hezbollah described Sunday's aggression as 'phase one' of a multi-stage attack. Pictured is an Israeli house that was apparently hit by a Hezbollah strike

Foreign Secretary David Lammy said he had spoken to Israeli minister for strategic affairs Ron Dermer and 'reiterated the UK's support for Israel's security, the importance of restraint, the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the release of all hostages'.

Mr Lammy, who has been heavily involved in Western diplomatic efforts to secure an end to the conflict between Israel and Hamas, said: 'Further escalation in the Middle East must be avoided at all costs.'

Israeli sources said the pre-emptive strike 'prevented damage and possibly serious losses' of life.

One told the Mail: 'The intent of Hezbollah was to target intelligence bases such as the Mossad headquarters. They were supposed to strike with precision missiles. The pre-emptive attack of the Israeli Air Force destroyed the Hezbollah response.' A second source added: 'We have no desire for a regional war at the moment, we want to contain the attack as much as possible, however we will take every measure to protect Israel's citizens.'

But Mr Netanyahu warned further violence would be met with a similar response. He said: 'The IDF has eliminated thousands of rockets that were aimed at northern Israel. It is thwarting many other threats and is taking very strong action  both defensively and offensively.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at a state memorial ceremony for Zeev Jabotinsky earlier this month. Netanyahu on Sunday vowed to strike back at aggressors as tensions in the Middle East intensified

An image grab taken from Hezbollah's al-Manar TV on June 19, 2024, shows Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah giving a televised address from an undisclosed location in Lebanon

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed that Tel Aviv will 'harm whoever harms us' as the Middle East teeters on the brink of all-out war

This photo taken from a position in northern Israel shows an Israeli Air Force fighter jet firing flares as it flies to intercept a hostile aircraft that launched from Lebanon over the border area with south Lebanon on August 25, 2024

One video, reportedly taken in the city of Acre, around 11 miles from the border with Lebanon, showed what appeared to be a family's home partially destroyed by a Hezbollah missile

Rockets fired from southern Lebanon are intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome air defence system over the Upper Galilee region in northern Israel on August 23, 2024

'We are determined to do everything to defend our country, to return the residents of the north securely to their homes and to continue upholding a simple rule: Whoever harms us  we will harm them.'

And in a further warning, directed at Hezbollah secretary general Hassan Nasrallah and the Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei, he added: 'Nasrallah in Beirut, and Khamenei in Tehran need to know this is another step on the way to changing the situation in the north and returning our citizens safely to their homes.

'And I repeat: This is not the end of the story.'

In a televised address, Nasrallah said that the group had been able to carry out its attack 'as planned', denying statements by the Israeli military that its pre-emptive strikes had stopped a wider attack.

He said officials would assess the impact of its rocket and drone attack before determining whether it would carry out further operations.

Nasrallah said the group had intentionally refrained from targeting civilians or public infrastructure, including Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv.

In a televised address, he said: 'If the result is not enough, then we retain the right to respond another time.'

It comes barely a fortnight after Sir Keir Starmer urged the new Iranian president to refrain from attacking Israel.

This photo taken from a position in northern Israel shows a Hezbollah UAV intercepted by Israeli air forces over north Israel

Smoke billows from an area targeted by an Israeli airstrike between the southern Lebanese border villages of Zibqin and Yater

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C) and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant (second right) are pictured at a military base in Tel Aviv on Sunday amid plans for a large-scale attack

Israeli military Chief of General Staff Herzi Halevi directs an operation, at a location given as Tel Aviv, Israel, in this screen grab from video released August 25, 2024

An Israeli fighter jet ejects flares over an area near the Lebanon-Israel border

The attack came as Egypt hosts a new round of talks aimed at ending Israel's war against Hamas, now in its 11th month

A view shows smoke on the Lebanese side of the border with Israel, as a man stands at a beach in Tyre, amid ongoing cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces

An Israeli house was hit as Hezbollah said it had fired more than 320 rockets towards Israel

Smoke rises from the southern Lebanese town of Khiam, amid ongoing cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces

Smoke and fire on the Lebanese side of the border with Israel, after Israel said it had noted armed group Hezbollah preparing to attack Israel and had carried out pre-emptive strikes on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon

In the first contact between a UK prime minister and their Iranian counterpart since March 2021, Sir Keir warned Masoud Pezeshkian of 'a serious risk of miscalculation'. A No 10 spokesman said Sir Keir 'called on Iran to refrain from attacking Israel, adding that war was not in anyone's interests'.

Mr Pezeshkian, who has been in office for a month, is considered a reformist, but vowed to make Israel 'regret' an air strike on Tehran that killed Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.

Yesterday's offensive means Hezbollah have fired more than 7,000 rockets at Israel since it decided to support Hamas's October 7 atrocities.

The fresh attacks came as high-level talks between Israel and Hamas continue in Egypt, aimed at brokering a truce.

Last night Hamas said it rejected unspecified new Israeli conditions for a ceasefire and said talk of an imminent deal was false.

A black-and-white image shows a blast and smoke rising from what the Israeli military said was a strike at a location given as southern Lebanon

The attack came as Egypt hosts a new round of talks aimed at ending Israel's war against Hamas, now in its 11th month
Keir Starmer's top legal adviser has reportedly intervened in the row over the UK continuing to sell arms to Israel.

Attorney General Richard Hermer KC is said to have told Foreign Office officials he will not approve a decision to ban some weapons sales but allow others until they are certain which could be used to break international humanitarian law, The Guardian reported.

It comes days after diplomat Richard Smith quit the Foreign Office over his belief it 'may be complicit in war crimes'.

A Foreign Office spokesman said: 'We have made clear that we will not export items if they might be used to commit or facilitate a serious violation of international humanitarian law. There is an ongoing review process to assess whether Israel is complying with international humanitarian law, which the Foreign Secretary initiated on day one in office.

Attorney General Richard Hermer at the Cabinet Office in Westminster, central London

While in opposition, Foreign Secretary David Lammy (pictured) urged the Foreign Office to publish its legal advice

'We will provide an update as soon as that review process has been completed.'

Former prime minister Boris Johnson previously wrote in the Mail that it would be 'insane' to ban arms sales to Israel, adding it would risk handing 'victory to a bunch of murderers and rapists'.

Since 2008, the UK has licensed arms worth 576million to Israel, according to analysis of export data by the Campaign Against Arms Trade. In June, the Government published data on licences granted to Israel since the Hamas attack on October 7, which showed it had issued 42 licences between then and May 31, 2024.

While in opposition, Foreign Secretary David Lammy urged the Foreign Office to publish its legal advice as to whether Israel was complying with international humanitarian law. He subsequently began a review into whether the UK should continue with the arms arrangement, but the results are yet to be published.

Officials are going through each weapons system to determine what purpose they have been used for. Mr Hermer is said to have told officials they must be certain that any weapon that continues to be sold has not been used to breach international law.
Since marrying the godfather of her pupil Princess Charlotte, Lucy van Straubenzee has become a well-known figure at royal events.

The Prince and Princess of Wales reportedly introduced the then Miss Lanigan-O'Keeffe to Thomas van Straubenzee, a lifelong friend of Prince William, before the couple tied the knot in 2020.

And Lucy, 36, who leads mindfulness and outdoor learning at Thomas's Battersea, has made a name for herself as a fashion icon, earning eighth place on Tatler's prestigious best-dressed list for 2024.

The British magazine praised her recent outfit at the Duke of Westminster's wedding as a 'masterclass in elegance'.

Expertly mixing high street with high-end, she selected a slate blue silk dress, 91.65 Nine West nude platform heels, a 105 navy straw boater by Adele The Dress Fitter and a 45 weaved clutch bag from John Lewis.

For the wedding of the Duke of Westminster and Olivia Henson, Lucy selected a slate blue silk dress, elevated by 92 nude platform heels from Nine West, a navy straw boater and matching 45 weaved clutch bag by John Lewis

Lucy, who is originally from Thomastown in County Kilkenny, Ireland, married Thomas van Straubenzee at Chelsea Old Church, south west London, in July 2020.

She leads mindfulness and outdoor learning at Thomas's Battersea, the prep school previously attended by Prince George and Princess Charlotte - and is also assistant head teacher at its sister school in Clapham.

The royally-approved institute, which charges from 8,209 per term, is one of four that form the exclusive set of Thomas's London day schools.

Lucy runs the social action projects for Thomas's schools across London and is said to have developed a close bond with Kate Middleton during her cancer diagnosis.

She has been warmly welcomed into the Royal fold and has been spotted at various events surrounded by the likes of Sarah Ferguson and Princess Eugenie.

In 2020, she and Thomas were even invited to join the royals for the Sunday service at the Church of St Mary Magdalene on the Sandringham estate.

And the teacher has steadily proved her status as a style maven, showcasing a range of high street and designer labels.

At Royal Ascot, she sported a vibrant green poplin shirt dress by Jonathan Simkhai, priced at 445, with a floral fascinator, 30 Zara 'City' bag and her reliable platform shoes.

She has also been spotted displaying her playful side on a night out, wearing a racy royal blue bandage dress by Herve Leger, worth 400.

Lucy not only teaches mindfulness and outdoor learning at Thomas's Battersea, the prep school previously attended by Prince George and Princess Charlotte, but is also assistant head teacher at its sister school in Clapham

Lucy has steadily proved her status as a style maven and was seen wearing a racy royal blue bandage dress by Herve Leger, worth 400

At Royal Ascot, she sported a vibrant green poplin shirt dress by Jonathan Simkhai, priced at 445, with a floral fascinator, Zara 'City' bag and her reliable platforms. Pictured with Sarah Ferguson (left)

She brushed shoulders with various royals at Ascot, including Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank

Lucy and Thomas van Straubenzee joined the Royal Family for the Sunday service at the Church of St Mary Magdalene on the Sandringham estate in 2020

Falling in love with the future king of England's closest confidante may seem daunting to many, but Lucy appears quite accustomed to moving in privileged circles.

Her mother, Carolyn, is an avid rider and horse owner, while her father Stephen, a barrister, has been successful in breeding show-jumpers over the years.

Lucy's brother is Irish Olympic pentathlete Arthur Lanigan-O'Keeffe.

Her sister, Cathy, who resides in London, worked as an artist liaison at the Blain/Southern art gallery, in Hanover Square, before it went into administration.

It is thought that Carolyn moved to London to be closer to her daughters.

Lucy married Thomas, a lifelong friend of Prince William, at Chelsea Old Church, south west London, in July 2020, with only their parents and siblings present.

At the time of their wedding, Lucy was expecting their first child, Mary, and they later welcomed a son, Albert, two years afterwards.

Their wedding plans were significantly impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, leading to a three-month delay and a scaled-down ceremony.

Prince William was originally set to be an usher and Princess Charlotte was to be a bridesmaid.

Thomas previously married Lady Melissa 'Missy' Percy in 2013, with Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie and Pippa Middleton among the attendees.

The event was famously referred to as the 'Royal Wedding of the North'.

The couple divorced in 2016, with Thomas's disputed 'unreasonable behaviour' cited as the reason for the relationship breakdown.

Before his marriage to Lucy, he had a reputation for enjoying a night out.

Melissa, known as the Hogwarts Heiress due to her upbringing at Alnwick Castle where the Harry Potter films were shot, stepped away from the royal scene after the divorce.

Thomas previously married Lady Melissa 'Missy' Percy in 2013, with Princess Beatrice , Princess Eugenie and Pippa Middleton among the attendees. The event was famously referred to as the 'Royal Wedding of the North'

Lucy changed into a 727 Simkhai 'Maisie' maxi dress for the evening party at the wedding of The Duke of Westminster and Olivia Henson in June

Thomas, a partner at the private office of estate agency Knight Frank, first met Prince William at Ludgrove School, where he and his younger brothers, Charlie and Henry, were students.

The van Straubenzee family is known for its military gentry background, with their grandfather, Lieutenant-Colonel Henry van Straubenzee, having served with distinction.

Thomas's family is recognised as one of the Royal Family's closest allies and his uncle, William van Straubenzee, was a friend of Princess Diana.

Not only is Thomas pals with Prince William, but his younger brother, Charlie, is one of Prince Harry's best friends.

The royals were deeply affected by Henry's tragic death in a car crash at just 18 in 2002.

William and Harry were patrons of a charity established in memory of the van Straubenzees' late brother.

Thomas was reportedly a favourite of Queen Elizabeth and frequently visits Balmoral.

It is believed that she recommended he join William on his first official overseas tour to New Zealand on behalf of his grandmother.

Thomas delivered one of the speeches at William and Kate's wedding in 2011 and he and Charlie served as ushers at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding in 2018.
King Charles has received advice from spiritual leaders that has led him to contemplate repairing his relationship with Prince Harry, The Mail on Sunday has learned.

Sources say the monarch has drawn comfort from their guidance as he comes to terms with both the death of his parents and the challenges of his new role.

Since inheriting the crown, he has spent more time exploring theologies and the teaching of their central tenets  including the nature of forgiveness.

A well-placed insider said Charles had taken spiritual nourishment from his discussions with religious leaders and was now more open to the idea of a rapprochement with Harry, who has spent the past four years living in self-imposed exile in California with his wife Meghan and their two children.

Faith has always been a part of Charless life and something hes explored, but since becoming King it is playing a more central role, the source said. That reliance on faith and quiet contemplation has become a comfort and asset to him and helps him cope with the role as he adapts to being King.

Healing the rift would require the King to put aside his anger over his younger sons deeply wounding public comments.

Advice received from spiritual leaders has led King Charles to contemplate repairing his relationship with Prince Harry, here seen with his son in 2018

In his memoir, Harry called Camilla his wicked stepmother and the other woman. And in a television interview watched by millions he claimed that two members of the Royal Family had made a pejorative remark about the skin colour of his son Archie.

It is well documented that Charles, 75, is pained by the separation which has meant not seeing his grandchildren Archie and Lilibet since June 2022, when the Duke and Duchess of Sussex travelled to Britain for the late Queens Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

Like his mother, whose beliefs saw her through some of the darkest times of her life and for whom faith went before protocol and duty, Charles, a spiritual man and regular churchgoer, has long drawn succour from Christianity.

But as head of the Church of England, he has pledged to protect the multiple faiths of a diverse Britain no less diligently than Christianity.

Charles has always enjoyed a close and supportive relationship with the Jewish community in Britain, for instance. And he is seen as a defender of Islam, with one historian noting that no other major Western figure has as high a standing in the Muslim world.

Charles is a spiritual man, much like his mother, and a regular churchgoer. He has long drawn succour from Christianity [pictured with the Archbishop of Canterbury in 2022]

His Coronation embraced a multi-faith message with a wider range of religions represented than ever before. Hindu and Sikh leaders were among those taking part.

With regard to a possible reconciliation, the source said: Charles misses his son.

He still loves Harry and wants him back for personal reasons  regardless that he and Meghan do not [want to] return to royal life.

Harry will always be Charless much-loved son. He has faith that Harry could return. He misses the bond they once had, and the door will always remain open to him and his family. He does not want years of discord and disharmony clouding his reign.

The possibility of a thaw in the House of Windsor feud comes at a time when Charles is said to be concerned about financial demands from the Sussexes should their television deals dry up next year, as has been suggested.

With regard to a possible reconciliation, one royal source has said: Charles misses his son, he still loves Harry and wants him back for personal reasons'

For his part, people close to Harry say his father no longer takes his calls or responds to his letters. After a positive meeting in February following the Kings cancer diagnosis, relations between father and son deteriorated.

But forgiveness is at the cornerstone of most religions and is seen as key to a healthy relationship with God and spiritual wellbeing.

Such belief systems regard making mistakes as part of the human condition and that those who wish to live a good life should seek forgiveness rather than revenge.

A major barrier to peace, however, is Prince Williams intransigence.

He is said to believe his own relationship with his brother is irreparably damaged and to have rebuffed the idea of a reunion.

Moreover, William is toying with the idea of abolishing the religious oaths of the Coronation  potentially leading to the disestablishment of the Church of England.

Yet his fathers faith couldnt be stronger. News that Charles has received spiritual advice does not surprise those close to him. As King, Charles is also supreme governor of the Church of England with the title of defender of the faith.

During his first Christmas broadcast as King in 2022, he spoke of his mothers faith in God being one which I share with my whole heart, and how he fulfilled a lifelong wish to visit Bethlehem and the Church of the Nativity.

There, he said, he stood in silent reverence by the silver star that is inlaid on the floor and marks the place of our Lord Jesus Christs birth.

He added: It meant more to me than I can possibly express to stand on that spot where, as the Bible tells us, the light that has come into the world was born.

A spokesman for Buckingham Palace declined to comment.
The wide open spaces of Montana have been named the top spot where you are most likely to have a close encounter, as half of locals claim to have seen a UFO.

Half (exactly 50 percent) of the residents of this western state  often called 'Big Sky Country'  also reported that they 'believe in UFOs,' a new study claims.

The findings are sure to be a surprise to residents of Nevada, home to the legendary classified US Air Force base and Ufology mainstay Area 51: their state did not even crack the Top 10 in the study, which integrated sightings with other regional data.

The wide open spaces of Montana have been named the top state where you are most likely to have a close encounter, as half of locals claim to have seen a UFO. Half (50 percent) of the residents of the western state also reported that they 'believe in UFOs,' the new study found

Delaware took second place, with 80 percent of locals admitting to believing in UFOs, but zero reported they had actually seen strange craft or odd lights in the sky.

Other chart-toppers included the state of Massachusetts, as data collected from Google searches shows that the New England state is the most UFO-obsessed in America, with 13,750 monthly Google queries related to the topic (or 19.64 searches per 10,000 people). But New York and New Jersey were not far behind.

The Google search terms incorporated in this analysis included 'UFO sighting,' 'Are UFOs real' and 'UFO video,' among others.

New York's 37,260 monthly UFO-related search queries divided into 19.04 per 10,000 residents, showing that this seemingly high number needed to be adjusted for population density.

New Jersey's 16,820 UFO searches came to 18.1 per 10,000 people, ranking it third.

Despite stereotypes of repeated 'alien abduction' cases in rural America, South Dakota, Arkansas and Louisiana were all ranked at the bottom for search term interest in the phenomena.

South Dakota came in dead last in UFO interest, with only 850 monthly searches, or 9.25 per 10,000 residents.

The findings are sure to be a surprise to residents of Nevada, home to the legendary classified US Air Force base and UFO mainstay Area 51: their state did not even crack the Top 10 in this new study. Above, an alien or an extraterrestrial man (artist's depiction)

Arkansas placed second with 2,870 UFO Google searches, or 9.36 per 10,000 people in state; followed by Louisiana with 4,300 searches or 9.4 per 10,000 residents.

Collectively, one full quarter of all Americans (25 percent) admitted to believing in UFOs, according to survey data.

The number was intriguingly higher than those who were actually willing to admit that they have seen one: only 7 percent self-reported that they had personally witnessed a UFO in the study's surveys.

The total UFO sightings, according to data from the National UFO Reporting Center (NUFORC), as used in the new study, was 132,850 last year.

The new study incorporated a range of metrics to determine which state gave locals and visitors the highest chance of seeing a UFO: including UFO sightings via NUFORC, data on light pollution levels, and survey data from 2,057 people on topics related to UFO encounters across each US state.

The project was sponsored by JackpotCity Casino for reasons that have not yet been fully disclosed.

But the adjustments based on light pollution, statewide population density, and survey data significantly altered the findings when compared to NUFORC's raw UFO sighting figures.

California, for example, would have otherwise topped the list with a staggering 16,354 UFO sightings in total reported to NUFORC.

But the state's high light pollution (57.37) and meager 7 percent of citizens who reported having seen a UFO themselves in the study's survey data weighed down the Golden State's ultimate ranking.

Nevertheless, California's skies remain a magnet for mysterious objects and nearly a quarter, about 24 percent, of its people want to 'believe in UFOs.'
Finally, after four months of damaging headlines and much internal gossip at the BBC, bosses at the Corporation met to discuss the verdict of their long-running investigation into Strictly professional dancer Giovanni Pernice  after his actress former partner complained he had bullied her during training.

There was much relief among many  deeply protective of the BBC's flagship Saturday night show and with the broadcaster's reputation on the line following the Huw Edwards scandal that the truth was to be learned ahead of a public announcement three days later on July 29.

Today, The Mail on Sunday can reveal that Mr Pernice, Strictly's longest-serving male pro, was to be exonerated after Amanda Abbington's accusations that he had displayed bullying behaviour in rehearsals last year. The 33-year-old Sicilian strongly denied any wrongdoing.

Even Abbington, whose side of the story has been well-documented in the media since January, told other members of the Strictly 2023 intake that he was going to be cleared. She was, say those who know her, 'not happy' about the expected decision.

But BBC insiders say there was no evidence that Mr Pernice had bullied her. In fact, what they did see was proof that Abbington was very grateful for his help.

'The BBC wanted to exonerate Mr Pernice because nothing that Amanda said stuck,' said a source familiar with the scandal. 'There was absolutely nothing there to get him on  and, from the messages they saw, the picture was quite the opposite. He had been very supportive of her.

After four months of damaging headlines and much internal gossip at the BBC, bosses at the Corporation met to discuss the verdict of their long-running investigation into Strictly professional dancer Giovanni Pernice after his former partner Amanda Abbington complained he had bullied her during training

'Even Amanda admits she can be a nightmare, she can get very angry and then calm down quickly. It's how she is  and Giovanni tolerated a lot so they were absolutely going to clear his name.

'Amanda had been telling her friends that she knew Giovanni not going to be found guilty. It was obviously a huge disappointment for her after investing so many months in her complaint.'

To make matters worse for Abbington, 50, who's been in TV's Sherlock and Mr Selfridge and is appearing on stage in Finsbury Park, north London, there was also a 28-minute audio tape of a conversation which Mr Pernice's team believed showed that far from bullying her, he was hugely supportive.

Mr Pernice handed the inquiry a dossier of screenshots of WhatsApp messages between the pair, in which she gushes at how helpful he has been, how much she likes him and apologises to him.

It is said to be clear from the evidence that Mr Pernice had found himself managing 'vulnerable' Abbington's 'emotions on many occasions'.

The decision, however, left bosses with another headache  how would they present the findings without having to imply in any way that they thought the actress was lying?

'The problem they had was how on earth would they deliver it without having to basically say that she has been out to get Giovanni. Everything is so thin.' And BBC bosses pointed out that it wouldn't be a great 'look' for the Corporation to take the side of a man and risk implying they hadn't believed the female accuser.

This view is said to have been exacerbated by the broadcaster's increasingly woke agenda that has engulfed its employees in recent years.

Ms Abbington, pictured here in a studio in 2023, has made several claims, including one that her dance partner had bruised her foot during training

'The thought of telling the world that they didn't believe a woman would go against absolutely every bit of their DNA. Imagine having to imply that a woman is a fantasist. That is just so un-BBC. It is a nightmare, an utter mess.'

While Abbington is said to have known she was facing the reality that the inquiry was not going to go her way, she was reportedly crestfallen.

She had, after all, made several claims, including one that her dance partner had bruised her foot during training.

But now it can be revealed that she is so determined to win her case that she is having what friends of Mr Pernice describe as 'one last throw of the dice' by telling the BBC about a short video clip he shared with her on WhatsApp.

Sources within the Corporation say it is 'sex-related' but in its nature was 'very much banter'. And apparently, at the time Mr Pernice shared it, Abbington found it funny. At that point they were friends and getting on well, his supporters claim.

It can be revealed that Ms Abbington is so determined to win her case that she is having what friends of Mr Pernice describe as 'one last throw of the dice' by telling the BBC about a short, 'sex-related' video clip he shared with her on WhatsApp

'The clip was the sort of thing that might be shared around a group on a stag-do. It has a sexual theme but all very jokey. Yet if someone wants to say they are offended by it, that's their right.'

Friends of Mr Pernice insist that she found it amusing at the time and it didn't seem inappropriate to him.

Strictly sources also say Abbington had shown the clip to investigators earlier this year but felt that she could raise it again as it was the only evidence against him that would stick.

It was presented to Mr Pernice earlier this summer among the dossier of the actress's claims.

'This is literally the last thing that Amanda has got, so, of course, she will be hoping that it sticks. It's the only thing that is in any way tangible against Giovanni.' It is understood that the video no longer exists but messages concerning it may do. As such it isn't known if the BBC has seen it.

As if the headache for the Corporation couldn't get any worse, it was a BBC employee who sent it to Mr Pernice. This leaves the investigation in a precarious position.

One source said: 'If they find against Gio, they will be under pressure to take action against any employee who has passed on the clip. This would be another nightmare but as with the BBC, while they back their staff they won't want to be accused of double standards in any way.'

However, it might be decided that BBC investigators choose to use it as a 'half-way house' and say in their report that Mr Pernice's message was inappropriate. 'That way Amanda might be a bit happier,' says one BBC insider.

The scandal unfolded at the turn of the year after Ms Abbington told The Sun she had suffered PTSD as a result of appearing on Strictly. She also reportedly asked to see rehearsal footage so she could pass it to her lawyers.

The BBC refused her request. In April, it launched an investigation into her claims.

Mr Pernice, pictured here dancing with Ms Abbington in 2023, will not return to Strictly

In an interview on Channel 4 News, the actress claimed that an incident of a 'humiliating sexual nature' had taken place on the primetime show.

She also revealed she had received dozens of death and rape threats each day after she complained to the BBC that Mr Pernice had bullied her.

Meanwhile, in another twist to the saga, in recent days, BBC staff have discovered an episode of a drama named Flack, which is currently on iPlayer. It tells the story of a celebrity PR company saving the reputations of their celebrity clients.

During episode five of the second series, which first aired on W in the UK in 2020, Abbington stars as an actress named Alexa Wells who falsely accuses a national treasure named Warren Armitage of sexual abuse to gain popularity.

Eventually, Alexa has to confess that she made it up, saying: 'I didn't make it all up  my story has affected so many women in so many ways.

'Some of the specific details and specific characters of my particular account may have been ever so slightly... fabricated!'

While Mr Pernice has not been accused of sexual abuse, BBC staff have been sharing a clip of the show around, with one saying: 'It's all rather rum.'

As for Abbington, she is currently starring in a play, When It Happens To You, at the Park Theatre. The venue is small and as of yesterday morning, fewer than 100 people had bought tickets to see her in last night's show.

There are, of course, now fears for the actress and her future employment, with showbusiness insiders worrying that networks may be scared to hire her after she spoke up.

As for when the verdict arrives, one BBC employee put it to me: 'How long is a piece of string?' Some of those in charge of the investigation are still on holiday.

'There are a lot of 'out of offices' on!' one source tells me. 'This literally could go on for months.'
French Lawmakers reject no confidence vote in govt of new PM 09 Oct 2024 | 12:00 AM Paris, Oct 8 (UNI) Deputies of the French National Assembly rejected a no confidence vote in the government of new Prime Minister Michel Barnier, put forward by the left-wing New Popular Front bloc, the results of the vote showed on Tuesday. see more..

Putin invites CIS leaders to BRICS outreach summit in Kazan 08 Oct 2024 | 10:44 PM Moscow, Oct 8 (UNI) Russia will be happy to see the leaders of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) at the BRICS outreach meeting, which will be held on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in the Russian city of Kazan in October, President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday. see more..

Norway raises terror threat level to second highest 08 Oct 2024 | 10:12 PM Oslo, Oct 8 (UNI) The Norwegian Police Security Service (PST) raised the national terror threat level from moderate to high on Tuesday, the second-highest level in the country. In response to the heightened threat, police across Norway will be armed. see more..

iPhone 16 not yet allowed to enter Indonesian market 08 Oct 2024 | 8:02 PM Jakarta, Oct 8 (UNI) Indonesian Minister of Industry Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita said Tuesday that the Southeast Asian country had yet to allow Apple's newly-released mobile phone product, iPhone 16, to enter the market as the U.S.-based company had not met the import requirement. see more..
Kourtney Kardashian kept it casual when she was spotted on a recent rare outing with her son Rocky.

The 45-year-old, who was spotted supporting her husband Travis Barker at the Reading Festival in the UK , showed no signs of jet lag as she went on a quick shopping trip in Calabasas, CA with her nine-month-old baby boy on Saturday.

For her laid-back outing, the reality star looked relaxed in an oversized brown, tan and black T-shirt.

She stepped out in a black and white sneakers and a pair of loose fitting white athleisure pants.

Her long dark hair was pulled back in a half-ponytail.

Kourtney Kardashian kept is casual when she was spotted on a recent rare outing with her son Rocky Saturday in Calabasas, CA

She appeared to be wearing natural looking makeup behind her dark sunglasses.

Rocky looked adorable in a black graphic T-shirt and tan joggers.

The Kardashians star and her Lemme supplements company may have found themselves in some legal trouble.

Zimmerman Reed, a class action litigation firm, has begun an investigation into the the company claiming it 'violated consumers rights by misleadingly and deceptively marketing its products,' according to The Independent.

At issue are claims that Lemme Purr Gummies 'support vaginal odor' when there is little evidence a particular ingredient can change vaginal odor for different women,' citing a report from Women's Health Magazine.

The firm is also looking into claims that Lemme Curb Capsules help regulate blood sugar.

The investigators say the amounts of Bitter Melon and Ceylon Cinnamon used in the pill is four-times less and 20-times less than the amount recommended in the scientific literature.

Lemme Debloat Gummies and Lemme Matcha Gummies are also under investigation.

Those products reportedly do not contain the recommended amount of active ingredients research has found to be effective in improving 'the balance of bacterial strains in the gut,' and 'promote vitality and longevity,' respectively.

The reality star, 45, looked relaxed in an oversized brown, tan and black T-shirt. She stepped out in a black and white sneakers and a pair of loose fitting white athleisure pants

Her long dark hair was pulled back in a half-ponytail. She appeared to be wearing natural looking makeup behind her dark sunglasses. The chubby baby, almost 10 months, looked adorable in a black graphic T-shirt and tan joggers

Customers who feel they may have been deceived by lemme are encouraged to fill out an online questionnaire.

Questions include, ' When you purchased the Lemme products, did you expect the products to work as advertised?' and 'Had you known the Lemme products contained ingredients that were ineffective and did not support the advertised claims, would you have purchased the products?'

Each of the supplements sells for $30 online and in stores such at Target or Ulta.

The influencer launched Lemme with her friend Simon Huck in September 2022.
She's joked to her fans about the less glamorous side of motherhood, bemoaning having 'to go and wash baby sick out of my hair'.

But as our exclusive pictures show, Peaky Blinders actress Sophie Rundle has motherhood down to a fine art as she cradles her newborn son on a family stroll.

The 36-year-old actress, who played Ada Thorne in the BBC gangster drama, was spotted in north London with actor husband Matt Stokoe and son Henry, three.

One passerby commented: 'Motherhood clearly suits her. As any mother with two young children knows, it can be tiring but Sophie looks effortlessly elegant and radiant. The family were clearly enjoying their time out.'

Peaky Blinders actress Sophie Rundle has motherhood down to a fine art as she cradles her newborn son on a family stroll

The 36-year-old actress, who played Ada Thorne in the BBC gangster drama, was spotted in north London with actor husband Matt Stokoe and son Henry, three

Sophie Rundle pictured as Ada Shelby on the BBC programme Peaky Blinders

Sophie, wearing denim jeans paired with a white loose-fitting shirt and sliders, carried her newborn son in an olive green sling leaving arms free for a cuddle.

Dad Matt, 35, best known for his role in the Channel 4 series Misfits, protectively held the hand of the couple's eldest son. The showbiz couple met in 2016 on the set of the Sky period drama Jamestown.

The actress, who found fame as PC Kirsten McAskill in the hit TV series Happy Valley, gave birth to her as yet unnamed son just seven weeks ago. Posting an adorable snap of her newborn snuggled against her chest she told her half a million Instagram followers: 'He's here. I am fully ready and expecting to nosedive off the hormonal cliff edge at any moment but for now I am riding this heavenly wave of perfect love.'

She also used the post to thank Stroud Maternity Hospital in Gloucester for 'bringing him here so safely and happily and for looking after us so expertly'.

A fortnight later she again posted a photo of her pushing a pram while sipping a coffee through a straw telling her followers: 'If you've come to my Instagram looking for buzzy showbiz content then hahahahahahaha. Here are some pictures of me and my children. I have to go wash baby sick out of my hair now.'

Sophie also starred alongside her husband in the thriller After the Flood, wearing a fake bump during filming. On The One Show earlier this year she confirmed her pregnancy and revealed how the real and fake pregnancy almost overlapped.

'I am now pregnant in real life. So this feels like the longest pregnancy any woman has ever endured,' she laughed.
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Leonardo DiCaprio's supermodel girlfriend Vittoria Ceretti took off her bikini top as they frolicked on a luxurious yacht off the South Of France this week.

The 49-year-old Titanic star and his 26-year-old flame have spent a chunk of the summer cruising around the Mediterranean, stopping at such fashionable pleasure spots as Sardinia.

While they were in Italy, Vittoria was spotted sporting a ring on her engagement ring, unleashing an avalanche of rumors about the true state of their relationship.

Her left hand was bare of jewelry when she was seen gamboling around on the yacht near Cannes this Friday, accompanied by her shirtless celebrity boyfriend and another bikini bombshell.

Vittoria indulged in a bit of sunbathing on a deck chair - and removing her barely-there swimsuit top, with its straps seen dangling down her sides.

Leonardo DiCaprio 's supermodel girlfriend Vittoria Ceretti took off her bikini top as they frolicked on a luxurious yacht off the South Of France this week

The 49-year-old Titanic star and his 26-year-old flame have spent a chunk of the summer cruising around the Mediterranean and during their latest sighting were near Cannes

The bikini was so tantalizingly skimpy that the cups were completely obscured by her hands as she slid the top off, whilst working on her August tan.

Meanwhile Leo could be glimpsed enjoying a dip in the ocean, then clambering back up onto the vessel, where a crew member was already waiting for him with a towel.

He was dripping wet as he sauntered across the deck, showing off his burly torso by by wearing nothing but sunglasses and a set of blue swim trunks.

The bikini bombshells were evidently unable to retain his undivided attention, as he sat staring at his phone while they flaunted their figures sunbathing in front of him.

Leo had a few round marks on his lower back that resembled the imprints left by cupping therapy, a treatment from traditional Chinese medicine in which hot cups are applied to the skin.

During his latest summer jaunt in Europe, Leo has occasionally been accompanied by his longtime pal Tobey Maguire, who was spotted a few weeks ago taking Vittoria on a jet-ski ride as they all went yachting together.

The two actors share a tight bond stretching back to the 1990s, when they led a group of men about town famously dubbed the 'P***y Posse' by New York magazine.

Leo and Vittoria were first linked over the summer of last year, when she had just turned 25, and have been spotted together on several occasions since.

Her left hand was bare of jewelry when she was seen gamboling around on the yacht near Cannes this Friday, accompanied by her shirtless celebrity boyfriend and another bikini bombshell

Leo and Vittoria were first linked over the summer of last year, when she had just turned 25, and have been spotted together on several occasions since

Vittoria and Leo are said to have met at last year's Cannes Film Festival, where his new Martin Scorsese movie Killers Of The Flower Moon was premiering

Leo could be glimpsed enjoying a dip in the ocean, then clambering back up onto the vessel, where a crew member was already waiting for him with a towel

The bikini bombshells were evidently unable to retain his undivided attention, as he sat staring at his phone while they flaunted their figures sunbathing in front of him

However in March of this year, Leo was spotted putting on a cozy display at a pre-Oscars party with none other than songstress Teyana Taylor, with whom he has been filming the upcoming Paul Thomas Anderson movie.

At the pre-Oscars party, Teyana was glimpsed gently caressing Leo's face, and he in turn was seen tapping her on the derriere, according to TMZ.

However, later that same month, he was spotted enjoying a lunch date with Vittoria in Los Angeles, indicating their relationship was still going strong.

Vittoria was even sporting a gleaming silver ring on her left hand fourth finger - but TMZ confirmed at the time that the couple were not in fact engaged.

Near the end of March, Leo and Vittoria were spotted out to dinner at the Santa Monica celebrity hot spot Giorgio Baldi - and she then drove them away from the venue.

The restaurant has been Leo's favorite for years and he's enjoyed date nights with Vittoria several times,' an insider explained to People.

'She's, of course, Italian, so she takes care of ordering all the favorites,' said the source. 'She is very cute, sweet and charming. Leo seems to really like her.'

Vittoria and Leo are said to have met at last year's Cannes Film Festival, where his new Martin Scorsese movie Killers Of The Flower Moon was premiering.

Vittoria was even sporting a gleaming silver ring on her left hand fourth finger when she was seen with Leo in March - but TMZ confirmed at the time that the couple were not in fact engaged

Near the end of March, Leo and Vittoria were spotted out to dinner at the Santa Monica celebrity hot spot Giorgio Baldi - and she then drove them away from the venue

In March of this year, Leo was spotted putting on a cozy display at a pre-Oscars party with none other than songstress Teyana Taylor, with whom he has been filming the upcoming Paul Thomas Anderson movie

They were first linked in August 2023, after a flurry of rumors that had connected Leo to Vittoria's fellow supermodel Gigi Hadid.

Vittoria was previously married from 2020 until 2023 to the Italian DJ Matteo Milleri, who is part of the Berlin-based duo Tale Of Us.

Years earlier, she was briefly linked to the model then known as Natalie Westling, who has since undergone a gender transition and is now called Nathan Westling.

Vittoria was discovered in 2012 and has since walked over 400 fashion shows, as well as covering various international editions of Vogue 23 times.

The smoldering sensation has spoken candidly in the past about the habits that have enabled her to retain her lithe physique and luminous complexion.

Vittoria was discovered in 2012 and has since walked over 400 fashion shows, as well as covering various international editions of Vogue 23 times

The smoldering sensation has spoken candidly in the past about the habits that have enabled her to retain her lithe physique and luminous complexion

'I try not to eat lots of junk food,' she told W, spilling: 'In the morning I always eat fruit and yogurt with cereal,' and adding: 'And for lunch and dinner I always have vegetables as a side'

'I always try to eat healthily. I go to the gym when Im home or do some yoga if I have the time off,' the Lombard fashion maven explained to Elite Model Look.

'I apply a face mask for when my skin feels tired or if Ive worked for a while,' noted Vittoria, who originally hails from Brescia in the shadow of the Italian Alps.

'I try not to eat lots of junk food,' she told W. 'In the morning I always eat fruit and yogurt with cereal. And for lunch and dinner I always have vegetables as a side.'

As far as beverages are concerned, she shared: 'I love smoothies and Vitamin Water, but I always have some iced tea in my fridge!'

In the workout department, she dished: 'When Im not working I go for runs. I live around many parks, so its nice to feel like youre not surrounded by the city.'
Madison Prewett revealed the sex of her and husband Grant Troutt's first child during a gender reveal party in their backyard with their closest loved ones.

On Friday, the pregnant Bachelor alum, 28, shared the exciting news with a joint Instagram, which featured them beaming with joy as they learned they were expecting a baby girl.

In order to find out the news, Prewett pulled a a golden level that, ultimately, released pink powder into the sky.

'Baby Troutt is a. GIRL!!!!' the happy couple captioned their post, which showed them posting with blue and pink balloons.

In a video, uploaded to her Instagram Story, the mom-to-be gushed that 'the big moment' was 'almost here.'

Madison Prewett revealed the sex of her and husband Grant Troutt's first child during a gender reveal party in their backyard with their closest loved ones

'Every detail is perfect,' she raved while showing off the festive decor and flowers.

She and her spouse appeared ecstatic about their little one's gender as they hugged and celebrated with their family and friends.

Their reveal comes less than a week she revealed she is expecting.

'WERE PREGNANT!!!!!!!!!! Baby Troutt we are SO ready for you and cant wait to meet you,' she captioned her announcement on Instagram.

The Alabama native wore a pretty white dress and cradled her baby bump in the photos from her maternity photo shoot.

Madison starred on Peter Weber's season of the ABC dating show and was the runner-up to Hannah Ann Sluss.

Madison withdrew from contention for Weber's heart when they didn't see eye-to-eye on religion.

Weber proposed to Hannah, but later broke it off after revealing he still had feeling for Madison. The two tried again but ultimately ended things for good.

On Friday, the pregnant Bachelor alum, 28, shared the exciting news with a joint Instagram, which featured them beaming with joy as they learned they were expecting a baby girl

In order to find out the news, Prewett pulled a a golden level that, ultimately, released pink powder into the sky

The reality TV star is deeply religious and married pastor Grant, 28, in October 2022, just six months after meeting.

She previously revealed she was waiting until marriage to have sex.

'Married life is the best! We are definitely learning a lot and growing so much, but its so fun to be married to him and walk through every stage of life with him now,' she told DailyMail.com last year.

'There were so many aspects of my wedding that I loved. Getting to marry my best friend of course is on top,' she said.

Their reveal comes less than a week she revealed she is expecting

'I loved getting to pray with my bridesmaids before the wedding and having our friends pray over us during the ceremony. I also loved doing our own personal vows because that was so special and intentional.

The couple honeymooned in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico and she gushed over the getaway.

'Our honeymoon was perfect! We went to Cabo and it was so fun to spend our first week of marriage in just a beautiful place,' she said, adding, 'Married life is the best.'

'We are learning and growing so much. Its been amazing to get to do life with my best friend.

'WERE PREGNANT!!!!!!!!!! Baby Troutt we are SO ready for you and cant wait to meet you,' she captioned the post

'We have so much fun and laugh all the time and dance in our kitchen. But even more than that, my faith has grown so much! He will pray over us every night before we go to sleep. And he really encourages me and challenges me to be the best I can be.'

Following her gorgeous wedding, she has documented her life as a newlywed online.
Martine McCutcheon has admitted anxiety made her a 'recluse' as she candidly discussed her struggles after her split from husband Jack McManus.

This week, the actress, 48, revealed that Jack, 40, had left her after 18 years together - days after she wrote a heartfelt birthday tribute for him.

She has now recalled feeling as if she was 'losing her mind' as she was overcome by 'huge fear' while dealing with perimenopause symptoms.

Speaking in an interview with BBC Radio 4's Womans Hour, Martine revealed: I didnt want to answer my phone. I didnt want to answer the front door, go outside and I would panic out of nowhere and have to pull over when I was driving because I felt this huge fear and couldnt breathe.

'I genuinely felt I was losing my mind. I didnt know if I really was or if it was something that was perimenopausal.'

Martine McCutcheon has admitted anxiety made her a 'recluse' as she candidly discussed her struggles after her split from husband Jack McManus

This week, the actress, 48, revealed that Jack, 40, had left her after 18 years together - days after she wrote a heartfelt birthday tribute for him.

She added: 'It would just come on out of nowhere and when I spoke to my specialist about it she said, "You know this is sadly the case for many women".'

Martine is now on holiday in Marbella with the couple's son Rafferty, 9, while her ex is staying in their 1.5million house in Surrey.

On Friday, Martine appeared to make a cryptic dig at Jack when she reposted a video from author Alex Elle.

In the video, Alex says: 'The older I get, the less time I have for people who are unsure about me.

'I need people in my life who are certain. People who want to be there. People who make space for me.'

Sharing the video to her Story, Martine wrote: 'I love this lady. @alex_elle soothing, gentle, voice, softly reminding us of our own strength, value, love and true worth.'

Announcing their split, she wrote in a statement: 'After much thought and consideration, Jack has decided it's best for us to separate after 18 years together and I accept his decision.'

'We are both so very blessed and grateful for our beautiful, 9 year old son Rafferty, who's happiness and welfare, has always been, and will continue to be, our number 1 priority.'

She has now recalled feeling as if she was 'losing her mind' as she was overcome by 'huge fear' while dealing with perimenopause symptoms

On Thursday, Martine wrote in a statement: 'After much thought and consideration, Jack has decided it's best for us to separate after 18 years together and I accept his decision'

She continued: 'We both of course, still cherish and look forward to being parents together to our wonderful boy for the rest of our lives...

'Whilst this decision has evolved over a period of time, we are still finding our new way forward as a family and kindly ask for some privacy at this time... Especially for our little boy.

'Our love for Rafferty, is something that will never, waver, or change and we obviously want to protect him and help him feel as safe and secure as possible.

'Many thanks in advance for your respect and support, at this difficult time...And I continue to send Jack, all the love, luck and happiness for the next chapter of his.

'Rafferty and I (as always,) are rooting for you!

'Thank you all, for the love and support, now and always...Martine.xx.'

Speaking exclusively to MailOnline at the time of Martine's statement, Jack had said: 'There is nothing more to add. I will not be saying anything more about this.'

Meanwhile, a neighbour of the pair has revealed they had no indication that the pair were on the rocks while a member of Jack's family has said the split 'was very sudden.'

The neighbour shared: 'That is a big surprise. I'd often see them out with their son. Martine was always very friendly. I do feel sorry for them.'

Speaking exclusively to MailOnline at the time of Martine's statement, Jack had said: 'There is nothing more to add. I will not be saying anything more about this'

On Friday, Martine appeared to make a cryptic dig at Jack when she reposted a video from author Alex Elle

The family of Jack have said their split was 'very sudden' - and was triggered by him two months ago.

Asked today why they had split, Jack's aunt said from the family home in West Wickham, Kent: 'I really can't say. Jack's mum is over there with him now. I am looking after the dog.

'It's been hard. There's been a lot going on. My sister just lost her husband as well. It was very sudden. It was announced two months ago now.'

The couple married in 2012 in Italy's picturesque Lake Como, five years after they started dating.
Christian Slater got an 'ego boost' from beating Channing Tatum in a push-up contest while filming Zoe Kravitz's directorial debut Blink Twice.

'I think I did, like, 52 [push-ups] at that time,' Slater said. 'I could have kept going, but I didn't want to embarrass everyone.'

He clarified that he did all 52 push-ups 'all in one shot,' and joked that the prize he won was an 'ego boost, really.'

'[It was] just a wonderful feeling that I just kicked Magic Mike's a**,' Slater told People. 'It was great.'

The Pump Up the Volume star  who welcomed a son with wife Brittany Lopez earlier this year  further opened up about the mood on set of Blink Twice in an interview with Collider.

Christian Slater got an 'ego boost' from beating Channing Tatum in a push-up contest while filming Zoe Kravitz 's directorial debut Blink Twice, seen here at the premiere of the film

'I think I did, like, 52 [push-ups] at that time,' Slater said. 'I could have kept going, but I didn't want to embarrass everyone.' Tatum seen on Late Night with Seth Meyers in August 2024

'I held her as a baby when she was little, tiny, so to see her grow up and become this great actress and creative person, and she's worked with all these fantastic directors,' he said of Kravitz.

He said Kravitz 'came in and just had a natural ability' to direct.

'And like he was saying, she allowed us to experiment, to have a lot of fun. So that was the experience. There wasn't anybody there with a strong fist,' he added.

'It was a loose, fun, party kind of atmosphere, but when there were serious scenes that we had to do, she really took the time for everybody to sit around and talk about it and discuss,' he explained.

He added that Kravitz would get the cast in the mood by saying, '"These are important scenes to service the story, but let's talk about how we feel about doing these scenes, and how can we make each other feel as safe as possible."'

The film stars, in addition to Slater and Tatum, Naomi Ackles, Geena Davis, Simon Rex, Adria Arjona, Haley Joel Osment, Alia Shawkat and Kyle MacLachlan.

The Heathers actor also revealed the last time he was superstitious.

'At the Biltmore Hotel in Miami, our room was on the 13th floor. They said it was haunted, and I was like, Please. Give me a break. Im going to stay here and Im going to be just fine,"' he told People.

'But there were noises in the middle of the night, doors flying open. I had this horrendous nightmare,' he explained.

He clarified that he did all 52 push-ups 'all in one shot,' and joked that the prize he won was an 'ego boost, really,' pictured in 2024

'[It was] just a wonderful feeling that I just kicked Magic Mike's a**,' Slater told People. 'It was great'; Channing seen on set of Blink Twice in 2022

'I was flailing my arms around. I felt like something was trying to grab me. It was pretty intense. We checked out the next day.,' he revealed.

This spring, Christian and his wife Brittany Lopez welcomed their second child, a son, together.

He and Lopez already share a four-year-old daughter, whose name has not been publicly revealed.

Slater welcomed his first two children Eliana, 22, and Jaden, 25, during his marriage to journalist Ryan Haddon.
Stephen Baldwin is celebrating the birth of his daughter Hailey Bieber's first child.

The actor and film producer, 58, took to social media to congratulate the model, 27, and her husband Justin Bieber, 30, on becoming new parents after their birth announcement.

After the Peaches hitmaker announced that they welcomed a baby boy named Jack Blues Bieber on Friday, his mother Pattie Mallette, 49, shared her excitement on becoming a grandmother with sweet posts on Instagram and X, which Baldwin reposted.

Alongside a series of teary-eyed emojis, she wrote on X: 'CONGRATULATIONS @justinbieber & Hailey. I LOVE YOU FOREVER BABY JACK!!'

In response to her tweet, Baldwin reposted and penned a message back to Mallette and their kids.

Stephen Baldwin is celebrating the birth of his daughter Hailey Bieber's first child

The actor and film producer, 58, took to social media to congratulate the model, 27, and her husband Justin Bieber, 30, on becoming new parents after their birth announcement

'Amen,' he wrote with the prayer hands emoji. 'Congratulations to you and may God continue to bless our family.'

His congratulatory message shared via social media comes after Hailey admitted that she's not as close to her family as she used to be.

'I'm not super close with my family at this point in my life,' she told W Magazine in her cover story for the special summer issue. 'Because I feel like I'm very independent.'

'I'm my own individual now, and I've built my own family. But when I look back on my childhood and how I grew up, I have very fond, beautiful memories.'

She said the distance stemmed from her moving out of their family home as a teenager to pursue her modeling career, which forced her to grow up faster.

She recalled signing with a modeling agency, Ford Models, at 17 and packing her bags to for her move to New York City.

'I started traveling the world, making my own money. I got my own apartment and had to learn how to live on my own,' she said. 'That pushed me into adulthood kind of quickly.'

And for her even earlier childhood years, she recalled having a 'normal' childhood, as normal as it could be being a part of a famous family at least.

After the Peaches hitmaker announced that they welcomed a baby boy named Jack Blues Bieber on Friday, his mother Pattie Mallette, 49, shared her excitement on becoming a grandmother with sweet posts on Instagram and X, which Baldwin reposted

She reposted Justin's photo on Instagram and penned an equally ecstatic tweet on X

In response to her tweet, Baldwin reposted and penned a message back to Mallette and their kids

His congratulatory message shared via social media comes after Hailey admitted that she's not as close to her family as she used to be

In a recent interview, Hailey admitted that she is somewhat estranged from her family and is not 'super close' with them anymore; Hailey is seen on far left alongside father Stephen Baldwin, sister Alaia Baldwin and mother Kennya Baldwin in November 2008

'I had a fairly normal childhood. Obviously, I come from the family that I come from, and I always recognized that that was different,' she said with measured self-awareness.

For her cover story, she showed off her baby bump during the shoot and spoke about her pregnancy announcement.

The couple  who have been married since September 2018  made the exciting revelation when they posted a video of themselves renewing their wedding vows in May.

At the time, Hailey's dad Stephen left a comment underneath their post.

For her cover story, she showed off her baby bump during the shoot and spoke about her pregnancy announcement. The couple  who have been married since September 2018  made the exciting revelation when they posted a video of themselves renewing their wedding vows in May

In her cover story, Hailey made it clear that she was only focusing on herself and her husband during her pregnancy  prior to giving birth on Friday.

'Love you guys,' he wrote to his daughter and Justin. 'Blessed beyond words, praise God, let's get ready to have some fun y'all.'

However, in her W cover story, Hailey made it clear that she was only focusing on herself and her husband during her pregnancy  prior to giving birth on Friday.

'In the beginning [of pregnancy], it was super emotional for me,' she told the outlet. 'Like, "I love this human so much. How can I possibly bring someone else into this?"'

She added: 'I'm trying to soak in these days of it being Justin and me, just the two of us.'
Joey Lawrence's estranged wife, Samantha Cope, broke silence on her divorce from the actor in an emotional Instagram clip uploaded on Saturday.

The mother-of-one, 37, officially filed for divorce from the Melissa & Joey star, 48, on August 13 after two years of marriage, citing 'irreconcilable differences' and listed the date of separation as June 7, 2024.

He has since been accused of having an affair with actress, Melina Alves, during his marriage to Samantha - and reportedly 'loved-bombed' Alves while Cope 'bawled her eyes out.'

Alongside a video montage, Samantha penned in the caption, 'An amazing friend of mine recently told me "don't be afraid of the tears. Let them flow."'

She added, '"Because every tear is God gently squeezing the pain and devastation from your heart to make room for new beautiful feelings to come in."'

Joey Lawrence's estranged wife, Samantha Cope, 37, broke silence on her divorce from the actor, 48, in an emotional Instagram clip uploaded on Saturday

'She also reminded me: "the more you cry, the less you pee." So let them flow. You got this.'

Cope shared a variety of clips in the post as she spent time with her one-year-old daughter, Dylan Rose - whom she shares with Lawrence.

The star also shared candid snippets of herself crying while sitting outside and also inside a vehicle with her baby girl.

The reel then cut to Samantha flashing a big smile on her face as she twirled around with her daughter in her arms inside a spacious bedroom.

In conclusion, Cope could be seen standing next to a horse with a scenic landscape surrounding her, as well as other sweet moments shared with her little one.

Throughout the course of the video, a voiceover could be heard saying, 'Look at you, look how far you've come.'

'You've faced your trauma, and you came out on the other side. And I'm sorry to get a little emotional. But there were some times there that I was really worried about you, miss girl. But look at you today. I am so proud of you. You're a survivor baby.'

Earlier this week on Wednesday, it was revealed that Samantha had filed for divorce from Joey on August 13. She requested that both she and her estranged husband not receive any spousal support.

The mother-of-one officially filed for divorce from the Melissa & Joey star on August 13 after two years of marriage, citing 'irreconcilable differences' and listed the date of separation as June 7, 2024

Alongside a video montage, Samantha penned in the caption, 'An amazing friend of mine recently told me "don't be afraid of the tears. Let them flow"'

'She also reminded me: "the more you cry, the less you pee." So let them flow. You got this,' Cope added

Cope shared a variety of clips in the post as she spent time with her one-year-old daughter, Dylan Rose - whom she shares with Lawrence

The star also shared candid snippets of herself crying while sitting outside and also inside a vehicle with her baby girl

The reel then cut to Samantha flashing a big smile on her face as she twirled around with her daughter in her arms inside a spacious bedroom

She cited 'irreconcilable differences' as the reason for the split, and also asked for full custody of their daughter.

Cope stated in documents obtained by Us Weekly that she will allow Dylan to stay with Joey two nights a week when she turns three.

But in regards to Joey having extended visits with their daughter, Samantha stated that she wants to wait until Dylan is 'older and can consent to such visits.'

Not long after she filed, Lawrence was accused of having an affair with his co-star and fellow actress, Melina Alves. The pair are set to appear in the upcoming film, Socked In For Christmas.

In documents obtained by TMZ, Melina's estranged husband, Edward Rider - who filed for divorce in July - claimed that he discovered Alves and Lawrence were having an affair earlier this year in March.

The affair allegedly took place in California as well as 'at various other times and places,' Rider claimed.

A source recently told People that Joey 'love-bombed' Melina - which was something that he also did with Samantha.

'Joey met Melina Alves on the set of their movie, where she was a producer,' the insider explained. Melina is also the writer and took on the role of Addy in the upcoming holiday flick.

In conclusion, Cope could be seen standing next to a horse with a scenic landscape surrounding her, as well as other sweet moments shared with her little one

Not long after she filed, Lawrence was accused of having an affair with his co-star and fellow actress, Melina Alves. The pair are set to appear in the upcoming film, Socked In For Christmas; Alves pictured above

'He then love-bombed her just like he love-bombed Samantha. He continued to date Melina even after Samantha found out about it and confronted him.'

The insider expressed that Cope had wanted to attend marriage counseling, but Joey 'fooled their counselor' and would still 'get ready for dates with Melina while Sam watched, bawling her eyes out.'

A few months earlier on June 11 - just days after their listed date of separation - Cope shared a cryptic post on Instagram, possibly hinting at the split.

Along with uploading photos of herself with daughter, Dylan, Samantha also included a quote from Brianna Wiest.

It read, 'Not everything you lose is a loss. Some things are freedom. Some things are a second chance. Some things are a miracle in disguise.'

'Some things are a detachment long-needed, a clarity brought to blurry eyes. Some things are an intervention. Some things are an unexpected answer to a long-chanted prayer.'

'Some things are healing. Some things are becoming. Some things are planned long before you ever came to be.'

The quote also stated, 'Some things are a devastation, but others are a kind of virtual guidance, the kind of course-correction you did not even know you needed. The kind you did not even realize you were asking for all along.'

A few months earlier on June 11 - just days after the listed separation date - Cope shared a cryptic post on Instagram

The former couple became engaged in 2021, and said 'I do' the following year in 2022 during a ceremony held in California. In January of last year, Joey and Samantha welcomed their daughter, Dylan Rose

Cope and Lawrence first crossed paths in 2020 while on set of the Lifetime movie titled, My Husband's Secret Brother.

The former couple became engaged in 2021, and said 'I do' the following year in 2022 during a ceremony held in California.

In January of last year, Joey and Samantha welcomed their daughter, Dylan Rose, to the world.

The Blossom actor was also previously married to Michelle Vella from 2002 through 2005. He later tied the knot with Chandie Yawn-Nelson in 2005 but the pair's divorce was finalized in 2022. They share daughters Charleston, 18, and Liberty, 14.
Love Island Australia star Phoebe Spiller turned heads at Bondi Beach on Saturday as she was spotted flaunting her enviable figure in a tiny red and white gingham bikini.

The reality star appeared unfazed by her recent breakup with boyfriend Mitch Eliot, as she soaked up the sun while enjoying a day out with friend Cassidy McGill.

The 24-year-old beauty looked stunning as she strutted across the sand, showcasing her toned abs and sun-kissed skin in the barely-there two-piece.

The halter-style bikini top and matching tie-side bottoms accentuated her fit physique, proving that she's bouncing back stronger than ever after her split.

Despite the recent heartbreak, Phoebe appeared to be in high spirits, perhaps buoyed by the presence of her supportive friend Cassidy.

The two were seen laughing and chatting as they strolled along the beach, with Cassidy sporting a bold leopard-print bikini that accentuated her curves.

The two friends were later photographed all smiles as they strolled along the beach, with Cassidy pointing out into the distance.

The sighting comes just days after Phoebe revealed she was blindsided when her long-time boyfriend dumped her.

Love Island Australia star Phoebe Spiller turned heads at Bondi Beach on Saturday as she was spotted flaunting her enviable figure in a tiny red and white gingham bikini

Phoebe soaked up the sun while enjoying a day out with friend Cassidy McGill

In one clip, Phoebe revealed she thought they were going to get engaged before Mitch, 26, ended their romance.

Alongside footage of her dancing slowly in the rain, she confessed: 'I thought I was getting a ring... But I got dumped on a random Thursday.'

In a second video, she lip-synced along to some famous break-up audio which hinted that Mitch might have already moved on as she shared her heartbreak.

The 24-year-old beauty looked stunning as she strutted across the sand, showcasing her toned abs and sun-kissed skin in the barely-there two-piece

The halter-style bikini top and matching tie-side bottoms accentuated her fit physique, proving that she's bouncing back stronger than ever after her split

Many of Phoebe's followers quickly took to the comments section to share their words of support with the reality TV star.

'I thought you'd be getting married as well. Hope you're doing okay,' one person wrote and a second user added: 'It's a blessing in disguise, I promise.'

Earlier this month, Phoebe shared a heartbreaking plea for help just days after announcing her split from her Love Island Australia co-star Mitch.

She broke her on-camera silence as she took to TikTok to share a tearful update addressing her heartbreak.

The two friends were later photographed all smiles as they strolled along the beach, with Cassidy pointing out something in the distance

She explained that she filmed the tearful video eight days after the break-up, but only shared it to TikTok after the couple finally went public with the news.

Breaking down in tears, Phoebe called on her 118,000 followers for help as she admitted she was feeling isolated and couldn't stop crying.

'Hi guys, if you're seeing this then that means me and Mitch have already announced our break up to the world, which is terrifying. All I do is cry. It's awful,' Phoebe said in-between tears.

The couple announced their break-up in statements shared to their respective Instagram pages at the end of July.

In their break-up statements, Phoebe and Mitch explained that they were going their separate ways because they 'wanted different things'.

The couple, who met and fell in love on Love Island Australia in 2022, said they still shared a lot of love for one another despite the separation.

'Unfortunately, me and Phoebe have decided after two years that we would go our separate ways,' Mitch penned in his lengthy message.

The sighting comes just days after Phoebe revealed she was blindsided when her long-time boyfriend dumped her

'Never thought I'd be one to make a break up post, but I feel like it's needed so we can focus on getting through this and moving on.'

He went on to praise Phoebe for showering him with love over the past two years and said he would 'always be backing' her.

In her own statement, Phoebe wrote: 'I honestly never thought I'd be writing this, but unfortunately Mitch and I have separated.

'As you can imagine, I have been a wreck and not in a good head space as of lately, so I'd really appreciate it if you guys don't ask questions or make assumptions.

'As much as I wanted him to be my forever, we ended up wanting different things. Regardless of that though, I will always love him. Thank you for everyone who has supported us from day 1.'
The stars of Married At First Sight reunited for a glamorous celebration in Sydney's Potts Point on Thursday night.

Fan favourites Alyssa Barmonde, Layton Mills, and Al Perkins were spotted dining with celebrity publicist Jai Evans at Franca, the upscale French eatery that has become a favourite among local celebrities.

Alyssa dazzled in a chic off-the-shoulder black top paired with a crisp white mini skirt that showed off her toned legs.

The mother-of-one completed the look with strappy black heels and a delicate gold chain bag, perfectly complementing her soft, wavy hairstyle and glowing makeup.

Al, ever the trendsetter, opted for a sporty ensemble with a black t-shirt and matching shorts, paired with white sneakers featuring red accents.

His outfit was casual but still made a statement, showcasing his youthful energy and confident demeanour.

Joining the trio was fellow MAFS star Selina Chhaur, who brought a pop of colour to the evening in a vibrant yellow wrap dress adorned with a delicate floral pattern.

The former bride looked radiant as she completed her ensemble with tan sandals and a small handbag.

The stars of Married At First Sight reunited for a glamorous celebration in Sydney 's Potts Point on Thursday night. (L-R: Al Perkins, Alyssa Barmonde, Selina Chhaur and Layton Mills)

Alyssa dazzled in a chic off-the-shoulder black top paired with a crisp white mini skirt that showed off her toned legs

Layton meanwhile kept his outfit sleek and simple, opting for an all-black ensemble that exuded understated sophistication.

He wore a fitted black t-shirt that highlighted his athletic build, paired with slim black trousers that added a touch of elegance to his look.

His choice of footwear was equally stylishblack loafers that complemented the rest of his outfit while maintaining a casual yet polished vibe.

Another snap shows Alyssa posing alongside Selina who appeared on season 10 of the Channel Nine dating show.

Elsewhere, Layton was seen posing alongside PR guru Jai Evans in the venue's private dining area.

The sighting comes just weeks after the 36-year-old groom took to Instagram to announce that he's partnered exclusively with Woolworths to launch the world's first sweetened condensed oat milk.

Layton told Yahoo Lifestyle that the product is a 'game-changer' for those who love to bake and create in the kitchen.

'Times are changing for dairy. Oat-based sweetened condensed milk is not only a sustainable alternative but also a tasty one,' he explained.
Washington, Aug 25 (UNI) After Telegram founder Pavel Durov was detained in France, US entrepreneur Elon Musk said ironically that by 2030, Europe would begin executing people for liking humorous images (memes) on the Internet.

"POV: Its 2030 in Europe and youre being executed for liking a meme," Musk said on X, commenting on a report about Durov's detention.

In a separate post, Musk ironically noted that Durov's arrest was a "convincing" advertisement for the First Amendment to the US Constitution, which states that the state should not infringe on freedom of speech.

Earlier, French media reported that Durov had been detained at the airport in the Paris suburb of Le Bourget. Durov, who has French citizenship, was on France's wanted list. He was taken into custody.

According to media reports, the French justice system believes that a number of reasons, including Telegram's refusal to cooperate with the country's authorities, make Durov involved in a number of crimes.

UNI/SPUTNIK AKS
Michael Klim has revealed that his biggest battle has been mental, not physical, as he grapples with a rare autoimmune disorder which left him unable to walk.

The Aussie swimming legend, 46, was diagnosed with the neurological disorder chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) in 2020.

This weekend, he told The Sunday Project that the 'mental toughness' he had as an athlete is something he had to rediscover to cope with his physical ailments.

'Pretty much all athletes are taught physically, mentally you push on. Even after sport, I adopted that same mindset,' he said.

'For me to be more vulnerable and listening to my body and my emotion is something that I'm still learning to do better and something that's helped me a lot.

He added: 'The biggest thing I had to overcome was accepting the new identity. I'm still in a lot of people's eyes the swimmer guy. And I used to rely on my physicality to give me a lot of mental toughness.

'Now that physicality is actually gone, I need to find other mental strength to overcome physical disabilities.'

Michael went on to say that as his illness progresses, he has grown to value time with his family above all else.

Michael Klim (pictured) has revealed that his biggest battle has been mental, not physical, as he grapples with a rare autoimmune disorder which left him unable to walk

'It's actually changed my perspective on life. I really sort of value the time I have with my kids a lot more than I used to,' he said.

'It's brought my family much closer together. It's reignited a lot of friendships and relationships that I had in my life.'

The former swimmer was on The Project to promote his new biography, KLIM, which is in stores on August 28.

Michael recently shared the devastating details of his 'tough' four-year battle with CIDP.

The former Olympian has spoken openly about the challenging diagnosis, which saw him lose the ability to walk in just six months and left him bedridden.

The swimming legend, 46, was diagnosed with the neurological disorder chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) in 2020 (he is previously pictured in hospital)

CIDP causes the body to attack its own tissue - the myelin sheaths which insulate and protect the nerves - causing weakness and lack of feeling in the arms and legs.

Klim has detailed his 'tough' four-year battle with the disorder and spoke about the mental challenge of going from being an Olympian to not being able to walk.

Speaking at Drew Barrymore and Wanderlust's True North event in Sydney, Klim explained how his leg muscles began 'disappearing' as he deteriorated.

'I had a lot of neural symptoms early on - most people would get cold feet at nighttime or you'd get a tingling on your quad - but I started getting these random feelings in my legs and they started progressing and getting worse,' he shared.

'The biggest thing I had to overcome was accepting the new identity. I'll still in a lot of people's eyes the swimmer guy. And I used to rely on my physicality to give me a lot of mental toughness,' he said

'Towards the end, my legs would give way on me when I was walking back. All my other aches and pains started popping up even more, affecting my everyday lifestyle from my ankle to my back.

'I just almost got tipped over the edge, and within six months, I could not walk. I lost all functionality from the knees down, my muscles were literally just disappearing.

'As many races as I wanted to do, nothing was making them go and activating those muscles.'

Klim - who is now able to walk with the assistance of a cane - admitted the diagnosis also took a mental toll as he struggled to come to terms with his physical symptoms.

'It was really confronting mentally, not just physically,' he explained while speaking to press ahead of actress Drew's talk event at the ICC Theatre.

Klim sys he now appreciates his family more than ever. He was previously married to Lindy Klim and they share kids Stella, 17, Rocco, 15 and Frankie, 12. Since their 2016 split, Klim started dating Michelle while Lindy married Adam Ellis (all pictured together)

'I could look down and see these sticks hanging off my body, which for someone that used to pride myself on my physical ability, that was taken away within six months.'

Klim undergoes rehabilitation including plasma treatment, which has helped him to become more mobile by reducing inflammation and restoring nerve damage.

'The last two years have been OK, but the first two were pretty tough,' he confessed as he discussed the challenges of being diagnosed amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

He also praised his girlfriend Michelle Owen for her support over the past four years as he admitted it has been a difficult journey.

Klim first unveiled his romance with DJ Michelle in October 2019, three years after his split from his model ex-wife Lindy Klim in 2016 after 10 years of marriage.

Balinese princess Lindy has since married property developer Adam Ellis and the pair welcomed a daughter Goldie together in 2017.

Klim and Lindy remain on good terms, often spending time together with their new partners while co-parenting their three children - Stella, 17, Rocco, 15 and Frankie, 12.

Swimmer Klim is arguably best known for his huge triumph at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, where he took home gold for Australia.

In the 4x200m freestyle relay, Klim sent crowds wild when he broke the world record in the first leg of the race, setting his team up for triumph.

Speaking at Drew Barrymore and Wanderlust's True North event in Sydney, Klim detailed the mental toll that came with the challenging diagnosis

Alongside Ian Thorpe, Chris Fydler and Ashley Callus, Klim took the gold medal home, with the previously unbeaten Americans instead nabbing the silver.

Speaking about the landmark achievement on Friday, Klim described the world-famous moment as one of the biggest challenges in his swimming career.

'That was the biggest challenge we could have had, taking on the Americans, who have never lost the event,' he shared.

Klim, who has won six Olympic medals across three Games, admitted he was a huge overthinker throughout his career and relied on meditation to focus on his races.

'I was very much an overthinker, I'd run over the race in my mind maybe 100 times or more,' he shared.

The highly-regarded athlete retired from competitive swimming in 2007 and runs a successful swim school business in Bali.

He relocated to Indonesia with his girlfriend Michelle after he was first diagnosed with CIDP, and he is now an ambassador for Australian Red Cross Lifeblood.
Maggie Beer has been rushed to hospital after a fall in her Barossa Valley home left her with fractured bones and bruising.

An unidentified family member took to Instagram late Sunday evening to update fans on the 79-yer-old chef's progress.

The loved one assured her followers that the food author and restaurateur is in the best medical hands possible and will likely make a full recovery.

'Hello Friends, it's Maggie's family here,' the lengthy message began alongside a smiling image of the food author.

'Just writing to let you know that following a fall at her home, she's unfortunately suffered a couple of minor bone fractures and related injuries.

'Thankfully Col, her husband, was there and she is now in the excellent hands of her doctors who are confident she will make a full recovery. It may just take a little while.

'More than anything else, Maggie hates letting people down. But she has multiple events and public engagements coming up that she may have to miss.

'She has asked us to apologise on her behalf to all those affected - and has asked for your patience as she recuperates.'

Maggie Beer has been rushed to hospital after a fall in her Barossa Valley home left her with fractured bones and bruising. Pictured

'Thank you for your understanding - The Beer Family,' they finished.

No time frame has been given on Maggie's recovery as family members explain it will be based on day-to-day advice given by her doctors.

It wasn't long before the post was inundated with well-wishes for The Great Australian Bake Off and MasterChef Australia star.

Sunrise weatherman Sam Mac wrote: 'Wishing you a speedy recovery Maggie!'

'Take care Maggie! We love you,' Channel Ten star Narelda Jacobs said.

'Get better Maggie and love to everyone,' wore celebrity chef Miguel Maestre, before writing in Spanish, 'Cuidate con amor la mejor medicina' which roughly translates as 'Take care of yourself with love the best medicine'.

Jimmy Barne's wife Jane also shared kind words.

'Love and healing energy to Maggie and family. Take time and mend well,' she wrote.

Maggie's fans also showed their support.

'Get better soon Maggie, sending lots of love to our national treasure!' one person wrote.

'Love and healing energy to Maggie and family. Take time and mend well,' another added.

A third commented: 'Maggie, so sorry to hear this but glad Nurse Colin is in charge. Take care and much love for a speedy recovery.'

Yet another wrote: 'I'm so sorry to hear this, sending get well wishes to beautiful Maggie who I admire so much.'

'Let others care for you now. It's time to be looked after now - to receive rather than give. Take care,' one user commented.

An unidentified family member took to Instagram late Sunday evening to update fans on the 79-yer-old chef's progress

The loved one assured her legion of followers that the food author and restaurateur is in the best medical hands possible and will likely make a full recovery

It wasn't long before the post was inundated with well-wishes for The Great Australian Bake Off and MasterChef Australia star

Maggie is a celebrity chef, author and restaurateur who received the Order of Australia in 2012 for her contributions to the food and tourism industry.

She is best known as one of the judges on The Great Australian Bake Off alongside Matt Moran until she left in 2022.

Maggie also co-hosted the ABC television cooking program The Cook and The Chef with Simon Bryant and made guest appearances on MasterChef Australia.

Maggie will next been seen in a new ABC series that focuses on dining experiences in aged care facilities.

Maggie lives with Colin in the Barossa Valley, South Australia.

Then couple married in 1970 and share two daughters, Elli and Saskia.

Saskia unexpectedly died in her sleep in February, 2020 at age 46.

Maggie is best known as one of the judges on The Great Australian Bake Off alongside Matt Moran (left) until she left in 2022

Maggie also made regular guest appearances on MasterChef Australia. Pictured with the late MasterChef judge Jock Zonfrillo

Speaking to The Australian Women's Weekly in May 2023, Maggie recalled how she turned to her own kitchen as a place of comfort when Saskia died.

'I wanted to give back, and that helped me through [the grief]. I did all these Cooking with Maggie videos. Just my assistant with a phone and me. For a while, I did them every day,' she explained.

'Nothing helps you through the rawness. Nothing. But when you're doing something you love, that you can give to other people It's about having a purpose, and that purpose has helped as much as it is possible to be helped.'

Maggie also relied on professional counselling and the support of her family to get her through this difficult time.

Maggie shares two daughters, Saskia (right) and Elli, with her husband Colin. Saskia died suddenly in her sleep aged 46 in February 2020

'No one wants to experience this. I badly needed help, and the help is to understand that you never get through grief, but it comes alongside you and you continue on with life, and eventually you find joy again,' she noted.

Saskia was a chef and entrepreneur who owned a free range poultry farming business.

Her memory lives on as her family has created the Saskia Beer Churchill Fellowship.

The Fellowship helps young people interested in food and farming to foster and develop that passion.
Tameer Peak - a 15-year superfan of Nicki Minaj - has filed a slander lawsuit in LA Superior Court against her seeking $5M damages for 'reputational harm, emotional distress, and financial loss.'

The 28-year-old Newark, NJ resident claimed the 41-year-old hip-hop star accused him of 'being a paid mole sent to sabotage her' in 2017.

In a TikTok video posted on December 6, Tameer and several fans greet Nicki as she sat in a car but - once she recognized him as 'somebody that's been talking s***' - she put him on blast on her Instagram Live account.

'What's the problem?' Minaj (born Onika Maraj) asked. 'Say what you got to say. You on candid camera, boo.'

Peak replied: 'I be talking s*** because I love you, and I try to keep it real with you.'

Tameer Peak - a 15-year superfan of Nicki Minaj - has filed a slander lawsuit in LA Superior Court against her seeking $5M damages for 'reputational harm, emotional distress, and financial loss'

The 12-time Grammy nominee responded: 'If you love me? Respect me. You better r-e-s-p-e-c-t!'

In the lawsuit, Tameer claimed Nicki had 'invited' him to her hotel during this incident and 'embarrassed him in front of 100K viewers.'

Peak also said Minaj's husband Kenneth Petty allegedly 'battered him' during a Super Bowl LIV event in 2020, and she later sent him a DM referring to the incident.

Tameer claimed the Trinidad-born, New York-raised star told him to 'stop saying dumb s***' this year through third parties and would target him during X stationhead sessions.

'It's clear they're not necessarily, you know, a full basket umm at the picnic,' Nicki allegedly wrote, referring to Peak as mentally ill.

Tameer also alleged Minaj had implied he was on welfare by writing he was 'one sandwich short of a picnic' and called him a 'stalker' who pretended to work for her.

Peak is known to be litigious with 'two pending lawsuits' against NYPD officers as well as one defamation lawsuit pending against X user Cabria Nelson.

The BLM protester - who was charged with obstructing governmental administration in 2021 - told Complex on September 14: 'I was protesting and doing a lot of activism. I've experienced a lot of police brutality by the hands of the NYPD, which has led to multiple lawsuits.'

Tameer is best known as the 'Alien Superstar' who 'blew his savings account' spending 'five figures' to attend eight Beyonce Renaissance Tour concerts while wearing a prosthetic head.

The Big Difference rapper is scheduled to kick off the second leg of her $81.7M-grossing, 79-date Pink Friday 2 World Tour on September 4 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.

The 28-year-old Newark, NJ resident claimed the 41-year-old hip-hop star accused him of 'being a paid mole sent to sabotage her' in 2017

In a TikTok video posted on December 6, Tameer and several fans greet Nicki as she sat in a car but - once she recognized him as 'somebody that's been talking s***' - she put him on blast on her Instagram Live account

'It's clear they're not necessarily, you know, a full basket umm at the picnic,' Nicki allegedly wrote during an X stationhead session, referring to Peak as mentally ill (pictured May 6)

Peak also alleged Minaj had implied he was on welfare by writing he was 'one sandwich short of a picnic' and called him a 'stalker' who pretended to work for her
The Danish Woman Tommy Fury was accused of 'brazenly kissing' during his boozy holiday has fallen victim to trolls.

Jewellery assistant Milla Corfixen, 20, stated in an interview that 'nothing happene' with the boxer when she met him on holiday earlier this year, but a fake Instagram account set up in her name has now falsely claimed she did kiss him.

Tommy jetted abroad for a holiday in Ohrid, North Macedonia earlier this year where he reportedly kissed a blonde woman in a nightclub, leading his fiancee Molly-Mae Hague to announce their split after five years together.

An Instagram Stories post shared on a fake account for Milla says: 'I've had to delete all my posts due to the hate and nasty comments, as stated in the news story I have gave [sic]! I didn't do anything with Tommy Fury....'

'I didn't even no [sic] who he was we only shared a kiss nothing else happened. And if I'd of [sic] known about Molly-Mae I would never have kissed him back'.

The Danish Woman Tommy Fury was accused of 'brazenly kissing' during his boozy holiday has fallen victim to trolls

Tommy jetted abroad for a holiday in North Macedonia earlier this year where he met Milla (stock image)

The boxer's partner Molly-Mae Hague announced their split earlier this month (pictured together in 2022)

MailOnline have contacted Tommy's reps for comment.

Last week Mila denied smooching the Love Island star and insisted: 'He was a proper gentleman', despite onlookers claiming 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.

Speaking to The Sun, she 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 also revealed she had a boyfriend, while Tommy has previously denied he has cheated on Molly.

'I am the girl but nothing happened. We just had fun,' she 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.

An Instagram Stories post shared on a fake account for Milla says: 'I've had to delete all my posts due to the hate and nasty comments'

Molly-Mae pictured without her engagement ring on Monday

Last week Mila denied smooching the Love Island star and insisted: 'He was a proper gentleman'

'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.'

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.'

Tommy was also accused of sending accused of messaging another woman 'after spotting her on a night out in Manchester' while engaged to Molly-Mae.

But the story has now taken a shock twist when the recipient of the messages, a woman called Kay Keogh, claimed she was 'catfished' by an imposter.

At the time, she took to TikTok to share a screenshot of a message from an account which was allegedly Tommy's, which read: 'Are you in Manchester?'

However, she's since returned to the platform to confess she was duped by a fake account and says it wasn't Tommy who messaged her at all.

Sharing a video, Kay told how she'd received a message from someone who told her that they were behind the messages and not the Love Island star.

She claims to have fell for the messages after being at an event in Manchester with someone who 'could've passed for' Tommy, adding that she was 'really confused'.

Speaking in the clip, she says: 'I obviously got catfished. Someone was basically, definitely tolling me because another fake account has messaged me and they've literally said to me "you actually thought that was him? that was me."

The Tommy Fury messaging scandal took taken a shock twist when a woman who claimed he was sending her flirty DMs has claimed she was 'catfished' by an imposter

Last week, a woman called Kay Keogh accused Tommy of 'messaging another woman after spotting her on a night out in Manchester' while he was still engaged to Molly-Mae

However, she's since returned to the platform to confess she was duped by a fake account and says it wasn't Tommy who messaged her at all

Kay Keogh accused Tommy this week of 'messaging her after spotting her on a night out in Manchester' while engaged to Molly-Mae

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?'

Tommy, who shares daughter Bambi, 20 months, with the former Love Islander, has denied any cheating claims and has said he is 'horrified' by the 'false allegations'

'And obviously people are gonna be like "but you said you saw him?" but like I said, I was really confused already. And it was also really weird that I was just in Manchester and we had gone to a private event and there was a group of guys and one of the guys could have passed for being him.'

She continued: 'Like I said, I don't even now know what he really looks like. I know he has brown hair and is like really muscly. But yeah this person has messaged me and basically told me they were trolling me.'

Kay added her apparent surprise that people can now 'buy verifications and change their name' on social media.

MailOnline have contacted representatives of Tommy for comment.

Kay had previously called out Tommy for messaging her, as she said on TikTok; '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.'

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.'

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.

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 pictured last week)

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 (Tommy pictured with a pal in Macedonia)

Molly and Tommy met on Love Island in 2019 (pictured) and went on to get engaged last year, after welcoming their little girl in January 2023

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.
Salma Hayek was a bikini babe as she enjoyed some fun in the sun on a yacht in Ibiza this weekend.

The Frida star, 57, looked sensational in a bright yellow swimsuit with her hair in braids.

She posed on the boat with the Spanish flag flapping in the wind behind her busty display.

'Yellow bikini + White hair = perfect combination,' she captioned the post in English first before switching to Spanish.

'Bikini amarillo + Cabello blanco = combinacion perfecta,' she added.

Salma Hayek was a bikini babe as she enjoyed some fun in the sun on a yacht in Ibiza this weekend

The Magic Mike's Last Dance actress has been enjoying the month of August on various yachts and in various pools in France and Spain with her husband, billionaire Francois-Henri Pinault, 62.

Hayek previously revealed she stays fit by practicing restorative yoga, juice cleanses, and walking her numerous dogs whom she's called her 'trainers.'

'I thought getting older meant I wasn't going to work. I'm working. I thought getting older maybe meant that you're not in love anymore. I'm in love,' the half-Mexican, half-Lebanese American told Glamour last year.

'I don't feel that I lost my flexibility or my agility or even my strength...Hell, I'm still going. Shocker. I'm still here. They tried to get rid of me a thousand ways. I'm still here.'

Salma and Pinault tied the knot in Paris in 2009 - and two years earlier, welcomed their daughter Valentina, 16.

During an interview with Vogue Arabia in April, the From Dusk Till Dawn star opened up about her marriage with Francois while joined by friend and fellow actress, Penelope Cruz.

Her husband is CEO of the luxury group Kering which notably owns high-end brands such as Gucci, Balenciaga and Yves Saint Laurent.

'Some of my friends joke and ask, "How did you land this guy?"' she jokingly expressed.

At one point, Hayek discussed how her fashion sense has changed over the years during her relationship with the businessman.

The Frida star, 57, looked sensational in a bright yellow bikini with her hair in braids

The Magic Mike's Last Dance actress has been enjoying the month of August on various yachts and in various pools in France and Spain with her husband, billionaire Francois-Henri Pinault, 62

Hayek previously revealed she stays fit by practicing restorative yoga, juice cleanses, and walking her numerous dogs whom she's called her 'trainers'

'I thought getting older meant I wasn't going to work. I'm working. I thought getting older maybe meant that you're not in love anymore. I'm in love,' the half-Mexican, half-Lebanese American told Glamour last year, seen at the Blink Twice premiere in London

'It did change my relationship with fashion because it gave me an insider's view on a lot of the interesting parts of fashion,' she said.

The star continued, 'It's not just about going shopping, which I'm not a big fan of. I have a different appreciation for it, so now I enjoy it more.'

Upon saying 'I do,' Salma also became stepmother to Pinault's other three children.

He shares son Francois, 26, and daughter Mathilde, 23, with ex Dorothee Lepere as well as son, Augustin, 17, with supermodel Linda Evangelista.
The American military-industrial complex, coined by President Eisenhower in 1961, has shaped US foreign policy and military strategy while perpetuating global conflicts

The American military-industrial complex, a term popularized by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in his farewell address in 1961, refers to the synergistic relationship between a nation's armed forces, its defence industry, and its political establishment. This complex has played a pivotal role in shaping U.S. foreign policy and military strategy, leading to extensive global influence and numerous conflicts over the past century. While wars undoubtedly bring immense destruction and suffering, they have also generated substantial profits for certain American entities, fueling a cycle of conflict and economic gain. The roots of the American military-industrial complex can be traced back to World War II.

The massive mobilization of resources for the war effort transformed the U.S. into a leading military power, with a robust defence industry emerging to meet the demands of the global conflict. Companies like Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and General Dynamics became integral to the war effort, producing aircraft, ships, and weapons on an unprecedented scale.Post-World War II, the geopolitical landscape underwent significant changes. The Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union necessitated a perpetual state of military readiness, leading to sustained government investment in defence. This period saw the establishment of a permanent arms industry and the proliferation of defence contractors, further entrenching the military-industrial complex in the American economy and politics.

The U.S. emerged as a superpower with global responsibilities and interests, often justified by the need to contain communism. This new role required maintaining and expanding military bases worldwide, ensuring a constant state of preparedness.The Korean War (1950-1953) was one of the first significant conflicts of the Cold War era, where the U.S. engaged militarily to curb the spread of communism in Asia. This war marked the beginning of a pattern where military engagements, often initiated under the guise of ideological battles, served to bolster the defence industry. The Vietnam War (1955-1975) further exemplified this, as it became one of the most prolonged and controversial conflicts in American history. The war generated vast profits for defence contractors but at the cost of immense human suffering and domestic turmoil.

The Cold War Era: Sustained Conflict and Profiteering. Throughout the Cold War, the U.S. participated in numerous proxy wars and military interventions, from Latin America to the Middle East. The Cuban Missile Crisis, the Bay of Pigs invasion, and the support for anti-communist regimes across the globe underscored America's commitment to combating Soviet influence. Each conflict provided a pretext for increased military spending and innovation in weapons technology, ensuring continued profits for the defence industry.

One of the most significant developments during this period was the arms race, characterized by the rapid development and stockpiling of nuclear weapons. The doctrine of mutually assured destruction (MAD) necessitated a continuous enhancement of the U.S. nuclear arsenal, benefiting companies involved in nuclear weapons production.

This period also saw advancements in missile technology, stealth aircraft, and other sophisticated weaponry, all funded by the American taxpayer.The end of the Cold War did not diminish the influence of the military-industrial complex. Instead, new threats emerged, and the complex adapted accordingly.

The Gulf War (1990-1991) showcased America's technological military prowess and reaffirmed the country's commitment to protecting its interests in the oil-rich Middle East. Defence contractors reaped substantial profits from the war, supplying everything from precision-guided munitions to advanced combat systems.

The attacks on September 11, 2001, marked the beginning of the War on Terror, a prolonged conflict that further solidified the military-industrial complex's grip on American foreign policy.

The invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq resulted in a dramatic surge in defence spending, with companies like Halliburton and Blackwater (now Academi) securing lucrative contracts for reconstruction and security services.

In recent years, the military-industrial complex has continued to thrive, driven by ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, rising tensions with Russia and China, and the global war on terrorism.

The U.S. defence budget remains the largest in the world, with substantial funds allocated to developing next-generation weapons systems and maintaining a vast network of military bases. The recent assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, former Prime Minister of Palestine and head of Hamas, by Israel in Iran, with American support, underscores the enduring influence of the military-industrial complex. This act, and the subsequent American military buildup in the region, exemplifies how geopolitical manoeuvres often serve dual purposes: advancing strategic interests and ensuring continued profits for the defence industry. As Eisenhower warned, "In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex." This cautionary message remains as relevant today as it was over six decades ago, reminding us of the intricate and often perilous relationship between war, politics, and profit.

(The writer is an assistant professor at Pondicherry University; views are personal)
PM Modi, reignites the debate on the Uniform Civil Code calling for a law that would apply equally to all citizens, regardless of religion

The BJP-led NDA government, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, did not implement the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) during its previous tenure. The UCC is a proposed law that would apply uniformly to all religious communities on personal matters like marriage, divorce, inheritance, and adoption.

After major ideological milestones such as the abolition of Article 370 and the construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, the UCC became viewed as the final step in the BJP and the Sangh's agenda leading up to the 2024 general elections.

On Independence Day, from the Red Fort, PM Modi emphasized the need for a secular civil code, arguing that laws dividing the country along religious lines should be abolished. He called the current legal framework a communal civil code and highlighted the importance of transitioning to a more inclusive and secular version that aligns with modern societal values.

Addressing the nation, he called on the citizens of India to engage in debate, insisting that communal and discriminatory laws have no place in the country.

From the outset, party and government sources have indicated that the BJP aimed to keep the UCC in public discourse. This sentiment was echoed during a Bhopal rally on June 23, 2023, where PM Modi suggested that the implementation of the UCC might be on the horizon. Top officials, however, emphasized that the law would require extensive research and consultation.

The Sangh Parivar believes that states can take the initiative to implement the UCC. Several BJP-ruled states, including Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat, have begun exploring this. Assams Chief Minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma, confirmed plans to introduce laws targeting child marriage and polygamy. He added that Assam would adopt and modify the Uttarakhand model according to local needs.

The political landscape surrounding the UCC has been contentious, and it has already been implemented in Uttarakhand as of March this year, likely influencing subsequent elections.

Nevertheless, BJP sources acknowledge the complexities surrounding the UCC. Tribal marital practices, diverse inheritance laws, and regional variations are significant hurdles. Modi reiterated from the Red Fort that the Supreme Court has repeatedly discussed the need for a UCC, which many believe would address the communal nature of the current civil code.

According to government sources, however, the UCC presents far greater challenges than issues like Article 370 or triple talaq, as it affects various social and cultural groups across India. The process of drafting the UCC would require far-reaching consultations and deep research.

One BJP functionary noted that codifying the UCC, unlike the Indian Penal Code, would be difficult due to the cultural diversity among tribal groups across regions. The UCC debate is viewed as a positive step toward creating a more uniform legal system, especially concerning women's rights.

The Sangh Parivar, too, has expressed concerns, with the RSS-affiliated Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram advocating for the exclusion of tribal groups from the UCC. Meanwhile, the BJP has encouraged these communities to submit their concerns to the Law Commission, urging them not to be swayed by social media debates.

The essence of the UCC, as explained by PM Modi, is to have a single law applicable to all citizens of India, regardless of religion, caste, or gender, in matters such as marriage, divorce, and inheritance. This is outlined in Article 44 of the Directive Principles of State Policy in the Constitution, which tasks the government with the responsibility of implementing such a code.

(The writer is a senior journalist; views are personal)
Multiple award-winning actor Denzel Washington has sparked retirement rumours after he said that he needs to feel inspired by a filmmaker in order to take up a project as there are "very few films left" that would interest him to go to a movie set.

"The Equalizer" star, whose career spans over 40 years across cinema, TV and theatre, said Ridley Scott was a big draw for him boarding the cast of the director's "Gladiator II".

In the upcoming film, Washington plays Macrinus, a power broker, under whose tutelage Paul Mescal's Lucius -- the grandson of Rome's former emperor Marcus Aurelius and son of Lucilla --resolves to fight as a gladiator.

"There are very few films left for me to make that Im interested in, and I have to be inspired by the filmmaker, and I was tremendously inspired by Ridley," Washington, 69, told Empire magazine in an interview.

"Gladiator II", a follow-up to Scott's 2000 hit "Gladiator" starring Russell Crowe, reunites the master director with Washington after the 2007 thriller action film "American Gangster".

"We had a great go-round, the first go-round and here we are. Hes engaged. Hes excited about life and his next film. Hes an inspiration. We should all want to feel like that at 86," the actor added.

Washington made his film debut in 1981 with Michael Schultz's "Carbon Copy", in which he portrayed the role of Roger Porter alongside George Segal, Susan Saint James and Jack Warden.

The actor, regarded as one of the greatest actors in the 21st century, went on to star in films such as "Glory", "Training Day", "Remember the Titans", "Malcolm X", "The Equalizer" franchise and "Fences".

The story of "Gladiator II" is set two decades after the events of the original movie.

Scheduled for release in November, the film follows a grown-up Lucius (Mescal) living in the northern African region of Numidia where he was earlier sent by his mother Lucilla (Connie Nielsen) to stay away from the reach of the Roman Empire. However, the ongoing events make him return to Rome as a gladiator.
The National Conference-Congress alliance stitched only four days ago amidst cordial relations is showing signs of strain in the run-up to the final date of nominations for the first round of polling on August 27.

Despite holding several rounds of talks the alliance partners are yet to finalise the seat-sharing formula.

The trust deficit between the allies and the absence of consensus on some of the seats going to polls in the first round of polling on September 18, is turning out to be a major roadblock.

Inside reports suggested some of the senior National Conference leaders from the Jammu region expressed their discomfiture over offering seats to the Congress party without making a genuine assessment of the ground realities.

Since National Conference leaders threatened to contest the elections as an independent candidate if the decision was not reversed the partys high command decided to put on hold the final list of candidates.

Following these reports, the National Conference leaders went into a huddle and also reached out to the Congress leaders to put on hold their final list as well.

Efforts were on to pacify the angry leaders. At the same time, the local unit of the Congress party has already submitted a list of 90 candidates for approval to the Election Screening Committee of the party. The Congress leaders took this decision to avoid further flare-ups during negotiations.

We have submitted a list of the party candidates to the election screening committee of the party at the national level after we failed to iron out differences over some of the crucial seats in the erstwhile district of Doda in Jammu province and south Kashmir seats from where a senior Congress leader was keen on contesting, a senior Congress leader told The Pioneer.

The top brass of both parties may have decided to ally but resistance shown by the foot soldiers over the seat-sharing formula is emerging as the biggest roadblock, the Congress leader said. A team of the Central party leaders was also camping in the valley to hold a fresh round of talks with their counterparts in the National Conference on Monday.

The last date for filing the nomination papers for the first round of polling is August 27.

On the other hand, the Central Election Committee of the Bharatiya Janta Party is also meeting in New Delhi on Sunday to finalize the list of party candidates. The core group of the party held deliberations at the residence of JP Nadda on Friday where they had shortlisted the names of the party candidates for final selection during the CEC meeting in New Delhi on Sunday.

Meanwhile, National Conference Vice President Omar Abdullah on Sunday asked the Mehbooba Mufti-led party to not field candidates against NC-Congress nominees for the betterment of Jammu and Kashmir as their agenda is the same.

Addressing a meeting of the party workers in central Kashmirs Ganderbal district, Omar Abdullah said the NC has prepared an extensive manifesto for the assembly polls which has been copied by other parties.

We have not left out anything in the manifesto. Today, everyone has copied our manifesto. They should have kept some differences, he said, referring to the PDPs manifesto which was released by Mehbooba on Saturday.

They (PDP) said if the NC-Congress alliance accepts their agenda, they will not put up candidates. You have put all our agenda in your manifesto. You have already accepted our agenda and now there is not much of a difference between your agenda and our agenda. Then do not field candidates and come, we will build a better tomorrow for Jammu and Kashmir, he said.
In an indirect message to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee regarding the recent shocking rape and murder of a junior doctor, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday that the safety and empowerment of women are top national priorities.

He reminded all State Governments and political parties that atrocities against women are an unpardonable sin and that the perpetrators and their accomplices must not be spared.

Every public institution, whether a hospital, school, office, or police system, must be held accountable for ensuring the safety of women working there. Any negligence in this regard is unacceptable. Governments may change, but our foremost responsibility as a society and Government is to protect the life and dignity of women, Modi said.

The Prime Minister made these remarks while addressing a Lakhpati Didi Sammelan in Jalgaon, North Maharashtra, after distributing certificates to 11 lakh women who recently became Lakhpatis.

He also released a Revolving Fund of Rs 2,500 crore, benefiting about 48 lakh members of 4.3 lakh Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and disbursing bank loans of Rs 5,000 crore which will benefit 25.8 lakh members of 2.35 lakh SHGs. Since the start of the Lakhpati Didi Yoajna, one crore women have already been made Lakhpati Didis and the government has set a target of making three crore Lakhpati Didis, he said.

Having apparently taken cognisance of the Kolkata rape and murder incident and also the alleged sexual abuse of two four-year-old children at a kindergarten school at Badlapur in Maharashtra, the Prime Minister said: The safety of the women is a top priority of the nation as much as their empowerment. I understand the pain and anger of my sisters and daughters, irrespective of the states. I remind all the state governments and the political parties of the country that atrocities against women are an unpardonable sin and the guilty persons and accomplices must not be spared.

The Prime Minister said that the Government was, on its part, making laws stricter to give the harshest punishment to those who commit atrocities on women.

Earlier FIRs were not being registered on time on complaints relating to sexual crimes. As a result, the investigations in such cases used to be very time-consuming. The obstacles have been removed in the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) where an entire chapter has been made on atrocities against women and children, Modi said.

The victims can now register e-FIR if they do not wish to go to the police station and measures are in place to ensure swift action and no tampering with e-FIR at the police station level. This helps in speedy investigation and strict punishment for the culprits, he said.

The Prime Minister said that the new laws had provisions for death penalty and life imprisonment for sexual crimes against minors. BNS clearly defines false promises of marriage and deception to act against cheating in the name of marriage. I assure you, our government is with the state governments in every way to stop atrocities against women. We cannot stop until this sinful mentality has been eradicated from Indian society, Modi said.

Modi, who began his address by offering his condolences to the families to at least 27 persons from Jalgaon killed in a recent bus accident at Tanahun in Nepal, said that the Government had rushed Union Minister Rakshatai Khadse was sent to Nepal immediately after the incident, He said that the mortal remains of the deceased had been brought by special Air Force aircraft and those injured are being looked after. Apart from praying for the speedy recovery of those injured in the incident, he assured the affected families possible assistance from the Centre and State Government.

Averring that the traditions of Maharashtra are known not only in India but around the world, Modi said that he witnessed the culture of Maharashtra during his recent visit to Poland where the people of Maharashtra are highly respected. Recalling the era of World War II when thousands of women and children from Poland were given refuge by the royal family of Kolhapur following the traditions laid down by Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. The Kolhapur Memorial is dedicated to the spirit of service and hospitality of the people of Kolhapur by the people of Poland. I felt proud when such tales were narrated to me during my visit to Poland, he said.

Alluding to the contributions made by women in making India the third-largest economy in the world, Modi lamented that empowerment of women had been neglected in the past. Crores of women in the country did not own any property which caused a major hindrance in availing bank loans to start small businesses.  Thats why I pledged to reduce the burden on women. Our Government took decisions in the interest of women one after the other.

Drawing parallels from the 10 years of the Modi government with the seven decades of previous governments, the Prime Minister said that his government had done work in the interest of women than any other previous governments of the past.

We, therefore, decided to register the houses for the poor in the name of the woman of the house. Most of the 4 crore houses built so far have been registered under the name of women. Even in the upcoming 3 crore houses being built, most of them will be registered in the name of women, the Prime Minister said.

Modi said that even in the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, most bank accounts were opened in the name of women. Seventy percent of the beneficiaries of Pradhan Manti Mudra Yojana are mothers and sisters of the nation, he said.

Recalling how he was warned against giving loans to women in the past, Modi said:  I have complete trust in the Matrushakti and that they would return the loans honestly without fail. Based on the encouraging response we have received, we have increased the loan limit of PM Mudra Yojana to Rs 20 lakh, he said.

Referring to the Swanidhi scheme launched for street vendors, Modi said that even under this scheme, loans were being given without guarantee, whose benefits had reached the women-folk. He said that this government had extended benefits without guarantee to many women of the Vishwakarma families, who are doing handicrafts.

Dwelling upon the importance of Sakhi Mandalis and womens self-help groups was not recognized earlier, Modi said that every village and tribal region was witnessing positive changes brought by womens self-help groups. He said that ten crore women have joined the campaign in the last ten years. Bank loans worth less than Rs 25,000 crore were sanctioned for self-help groups in 2014, while today that number has risen to Rs 9 lakh crore in the last 10 years,

Modi said that in the recent Union Budget, Rs 3 lakh crore had been allocated for schemes related to women. He said that the government was working towards opening all sectors for women which were once restricted for them and gave examples of women officers in all three armed forces including fighter pilots, admission into Sainik schools and academies and increasing number of women in the police force and paramilitary force. A large number of women are managing businesses ranging from the agriculture and dairy sector in villages to the start-up revolution,  he said.

Maharashtra Governor P Radhakrishnan, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, deputy chief ministers Devendra Fadnvis and Ajit Pawar, and Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shivraj Singh Chauhan were prominent among those present at the function
About 150 students from the Indian Institute of Forest Management (IIFM), Bhopal, visited the museum as part of their academic curriculum to conduct research for an assignment. The visit was led by Dr. Ujjal Kumar Sharma, Associate Professor, and Ashish David, Assistant Professor.

During the visit, IGRMS Director Prof Amitabh Pandey, introduced the students to the functioning and various dimensions of the museum in the conference hall of the Frequency Section. In his address, he elaborated on the role of communities in maintaining the museum and encouraged the students to work towards making the museum more accessible to the public through modern information technology.

The visiting group also watched an introductory film about the museum and a film titled "Man in Search of Man." Additionally, under the guidance of the museum curators, the students explored various sections of the museum, including the Inner Exhibition Galleries, Veethi Sankul, Coastal Village and Desert Village Open-Air Exhibitions, and the Tribal Open-Air Exhibition areas.This educational visit provided the students with an opportunity to understand the importance.
The Delhi Police has arrested a 25-year-old man for allegedly opening fire at a sweets shop in Tilak Nagar and recovered one illegal sophisticated automatic pistol and four empty cartridges from his possession.

According to the police on Sunday, they nabbed the accused 25-year-old Vishu alias Kranti after a brief exchance of fire and added that he is believed to be a budding shooter of the Kapil Sangwan alias Nandu gang.

On Friday, two assailants opened fire at a sweets shop in Delhis Tilak Nagar area at around 11.15 pm, according to officials. Police said that bullets hit the front glass of the shop and no person was injured.

Information was received that the accused in the sweets shop firing will come to Dwarka. A team was formed to arrest the accused. A trap was laid and the accused when surrounded by police, started to fire upon the police party and he was overpowered gallantly, ACP Crime Branch Sanjay Bhatia said.

Kranti, is a resident of the Kakrola village and is an active member of the Nandu gang, said the officer, adding that the accused is a history-sheeter. An FIR under section 221, 132, 109(1) of BNS and different sections of Arms Act is registered at Police Station Crime Branch Pushp Vihar.

Elaborating on the role of the accused, the ACP added, In past two days, the above accused along with his associates Vijay Kalu and others opened fire at a plot in Kakrola Village over a property dispute injuring one Pankaj, after a few hours of this incident, the accused opened fire at Singlas Sweets, Tilak Nagar. One person named Pankaj was injured during firing in Kakrola Village.
AIIMS Bhopal announced the initiation of Siddha services in its AYUSH Department, from Tuesday, bringing one of India's oldest and most comprehensive systems of medicine to the forefront of modern healthcare. Prof. (Dr.) Ajai Singh, Executive Director of AIIMS Bhopal, commented on this development, stating, "The introduction of Siddha services at AIIMS Bhopal is a reflection of our commitment to holistic healthcare.

By integrating ancient systems of medicine like Siddha with modern medical practices, we aim to offer our patients a comprehensive treatment approach that not only addresses their immediate health concerns but also enhances their overall well-being. This initiative will help in preserving India's rich medical heritage while ensuring that our community has access to diverse and effective healthcare options."

The Siddha system, deeply rooted in Dravidian culture, boasts a rich heritage spanning over 6,000 years and offers a holistic approach to health, encompassing preventive, promotive, curative, rehabilitative, and rejuvenative aspects.

Renowned for its effectiveness in treating chronic ailments such as neurological disorders, skin diseases, respiratory conditions, and non-communicable diseases like diabetes and hypertension, the Siddha system also offers specialized treatments in pediatrics, gynecology, and psychiatry. These natural and time-tested remedies provide a comprehensive approach to addressing a wide range of health issues.

With the launch of Siddha services, AIIMS Bhopal aims to provide integrated healthcare that combines traditional wisdom with modern medical practices, offering patients a holistic treatment experience. The Siddha facility will be operational from 9 AM to 5 PM at the AYUSH Building of AIIMS Bhopal, ensuring accessibility and convenience for all patients. This initiative marks a significant step in preserving and promoting India's cultural heritage while delivering quality healthcare to the community.

The Siddha services will be available starting Tuesday, 27th August 2024, at AIIMS Bhopal. Explore the benefits of this ancient medical system at AYUSH Department and experience the synergy of traditional and modern healthcare.
In a rapid response to the shooting of an NRI in Amritsar a day before, Punjab Police on Sunday arrested five individuals, including the father of the victims first wife. The shocking incident, which took place on Saturday, saw Sukhchain Singh, recently returned from the United States, shot at his home in Daburji village. The attack has sent shockwaves through the community, with authorities working relentlessly to apprehend the remaining culprits.

The assailants, identified as Sukhwinder alias Sukha and Gurkirat Singh alias Guri, ambushed Sukhchain Singh as he was about to leave for a morning walk. They forcibly entered his home, firing three shots, two of which struck him in the head and chest. Although critically injured, Sukhchain Singh is now reported to be out of danger. The attackers, however, remain at large, and a manhunt is underway to ensure their capture. As per information available, the assailants pistols malfunctioned and they fled the scene.

Amritsar Police Commissioner Ranjit Singh Dhillon disclosed that the attack was orchestrated by the family of Sukhchain Singhs first wife, who had committed suicide in December 2022. The family, holding a grudge against him, allegedly plotted this deadly act. Police have arrested Sarwan Singh, the father of the deceased wife, along with Jagjit Singh and Chamkaur Singh from Tarn Taran, who assisted the assailants before the crime. Hotel owner Digambar Attri and manager Abhilash Bhaskar were also arrested for providing accommodation to the criminals without verifying their identities.

Investigations revealed that the assailants had stayed at Attris hotel both before and after the attack, with the hotel staff failing to follow standard procedures. Additionally, three USA-based NRIs  Sukhchains brother-in-law Sukhwinder Singh, sister-in-law Kuljinder Kaur, and her husband Jasvir Singh  along with the mother-in-law, Nishan Kaur, have been implicated in the conspiracy and booked by the police.

The attack was carried out in the presence of Sukhchain Singhs current wife, his mother, and his two children from his first marriage. Footage from CCTV cameras inside the home captured the horrifying scene, with the family pleading for mercy as the gunmen carried out the attack. This footage has become a key piece of evidence in the ongoing investigation.

Dhillon said that both the suspects were identified and a manhunt was launched to nab them. One of the suspects had 10 criminal cases, including murder bid, theft, loot and NDPS cases. One suspect came out of Kapurthala jail on bail in February this year while his accomplice, who had a couple of NDPS cases against him, was released from the same jail in September last year.

Special Director General of Police RN Dhoke, overseeing Internal Security, visited Sukhchain Singhs family to assure them of the authorities commitment to bringing all involved parties to justice. The case underscored the dire consequences of personal vendettas and highlights the need for stringent security measures to prevent such tragedies.

As the hunt for the main shooters continues, Punjab Police are determined to deliver justice and bring some semblance of peace to Sukhchain Singhs grieving family.
Senior AAP leader and Delhi Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj on Sunday raised questions about the involvement of Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena in the illegal felling of trees in Satbari while citing affidavits submitted by officers before the Supreme Court.

He alleged that Saxena and senior officials were either complicit in or willfully ignorant of the illegal actions and asserted that the trees were felled with the connivance of all involved, with officers now lying to protect the LG. For the last few days, the Supreme Court has been hearing a case regarding illegal felling of about 1100 trees in Satbari Ridge area of Delhi without permission. There was a lot of confusion about this issue, he said.

Bharadwaj added, I and my party (AAP) were constantly saying that LG Vinai Saxena himself had visited the tree felling site on February 3. When the court asked about this, it was misled by saying that LG Saab had not gone there, he had gone to visit the hospital. After that, the Supreme Court asked all the officers to file their affidavits. Some officers have filed affidavits but some officers are still considering it.

He claimed that Principal Chief Conservator of Forest, Sunil Bakshi, says in his affidavit that LG reached the place and the direction to expedite the work were given by LG is written in it. DDA Member Engineering Ashok Kumar Gupta has also written in his affidavit that on February 3, LG, after completing his visit to the Central Armed Police Force Institute of Medical Science (CAPFIMS) Hospital, had a stop-over on CAPFIMS road where he reviewed the progress of the road work, Delhi Minister added.

LG Saab was hiding this till date the fact that he went to this location, he went to the road ROW 1100 trees were to be cut to widen it, and he gave the direction that this road should be widened immediately, he said.

The senior AAP leader further added that the Supreme Court said that it is certain that DDA got these trees cut and the DDA contractor cut these trees. The Supreme Courts question makes a mockery of Delhis bureaucracy and LGs office. The Supreme Court asks that when LG is present with all the senior officers including the Chief Secretary, PWD Secretary, Divisional Commissioner, Principal Secretary (Environment & Forests), Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forest, and DDA Engineering Member, did anyone tell LG Saab that two different types of permissions are required for cutting trees, first permission from the tree officer and the second from the Supreme Court. Did no one tell LG Saab about this?

LG Vinai Saxena has been the LG of Delhi for more than 2 years. LG Saab writes 10-10 page letters to CM Sahab on petty matters. Does Vinai Saxena ji not know till now that permission from the tree officer and Supreme Court is required to cut trees in the forest? How is this possible? What kind of LG is he who does not know this? Everyone in Delhi knows that the permission of a tree officer is required to cut trees, he affirmed.

Reading the Chief Secretarys affidavit, Saurabh Bharadwaj stated that the Chief Secretary mentions that to the best of the knowledge of Chief Secretary, none of the officers present at the site brought to the notice of the LG that the orders passed by the Supreme Court and/or the requirement of obtaining permission of the Tree Officer.
Chief Minister took cognizance of waterlogging on roads in Indore and gave necessary instructions to the officials concerned.

Chief Minister Mohan Yadav reached Indore on Saturday. As soon as he reached the airport, he asked the senior officers of the district administration about the condition of waterlogging after the heavy rain in Indore . Collector Ashish Singh informed him that after the sudden heavy rain, water drainage was obstructed at many places and traffic jam situation was created at major intersections. In this regard, immediate arrangements for drainage were made by the field staff of the Municipal Corporation.

adav said that to avoid such a situation in future, Municipal Corporation Indore and Indore Development Authority should ensure proper and permanent arrangements. During this, Water Resources Minister Tulsiram Silawat, MP Shankar Lalwani, all the MLAs, Indore Divisional Commissioner Deepak Singh, Indore Police Commissioner Rakesh Gupta, Commissioner Municipal Corporation Shivam Verma were also present.
Geeta Bhawan Centers will be opened in all the urban bodies of the state. Spiritual knowledge and teachings of great men and our scriptures will reach the common people through these centers. Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav made this announcement in a lecture series organized by the Culture Department of the Madhya Pradesh Government on the occasion of Lord Krishna Janmashtami at Geeta Bhawan, Indore.

He narrated the various events of Lord Krishnas life in a very interesting manner. Chief Minister Dr. Yadav said that the state government is working to provide information about the Karma-oriented existence of Lord Shri Krishna to the common people through such lectures. Vijay Dutt Shridhar and Prabhu Dayal Mishra gave their lectures.

Water Resources Minister Tulsiram Silawat, MP Shankar Lalwani, Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargava, MLA Mahendra Hardiya, MLA Golu Shukla, MLA Madhu Verma, Gaurav Ranadive, Chairman of Geeta Bhawan Trust Indore Ramchandra Aron, Trust Secretary Ram Vilas Rathi, besides officials and members of Geeta Bhawan Trust were present.

Chief Minister Dr. Yadav said that on the occasion of Shri Krishna Janmashtami, various programs on the life of Lord Shri Krishna are being organized across the state, which also includes lectures. The state government is acting as a small matchstick to light the lamp of knowledge. Through lectures, our seniors are making the lives of our great men and their works accessible to the common people in a very easy way. He said that the entire life of Lord Shri Krishna has been based on karma. He considered karma as dharma, and prioritized karma in his leelas. Lord Shri Krishna has narrated the conversation between Lord Buddha and his disciple interestingly. Lord Buddha said that the cause of death is birth. Every living being born on earth is sure to die. We celebrate the births of Gods because the deeds done by them in human life are worth worshipping. The Gods incarnated in the Manushya Yoni (human form). Birth is necessary for the accumulation of virtue. By taking birth in various Avatars, God gave importance to his actions in human life amidst happiness and sorrow. Chief Minister Dr. Yadav mentioned the sacrifices of Mata Devaki and Vasudev, Baba Nand, and Mata Yashoda. He said that from birth, Lord Krishna kept karma and effort as the main priority through various activities in his entire life.

Chief Minister Yadav talked about providing all possible support to Geeta Bhawan Trust of Indore. He said that the initiative of Har Ghar Krishna-Har Ghar Yashoda is unique in Indore. Chief Minister Dr. Yadav offered prayers to Lord Krishna in the temple and offered a flute. In the program, statues of Shri Krishna and Radha were presented to Chief Minister Dr. Yadav on behalf of the Trust.

On Shri Krishna Janmashtami festival, Vijay Dutt Shridhar, in his lecture on Shri Krishna ke Bhav, Saundarya aur Prema ka Samucchay, said that Lord Shri Krishna has been the pioneer of Indian culture. He presented the story of Shri Krishnas life in a very interesting manner by narrating different stories related to Shri Krishna's life, including Krishna-Arjuna, Draupadi, Rukmini incident. He presented the verses of the Bhagavad Gita and their meanings in a better and more intuitive manner through his lectures. Shridhar said that this event will prove to help know the Sanatan culture, giving creativity and better direction in the society.

Talking on Shri Krishna Samagrata ki Pratimurti, Shri Prabhu Dayal Mishra included the last verse of 18 thousand verses of Shrimad Bhagwad Geeta in his lecture and said that only the work done with utmost concentration and dedication is fruitful. One can control ones actions but not the outcome.
Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati, on Sunday, took a dig at the Congress Samvidhan Samman Sammelan and urged people to be cautious of the double standards of the grand old party and its ally the Samajwadi Party.

She also made it clear that her party would not form any alliance with the likes of the SP and the Congress in any election.

In a series of posts on X on Sunday, the BSP chief blasted the Congress for not honouring BR Ambedkar with the Bharat Ratna.

The followers of Ambedkar will never forgive the Congress, which organised the Samvidhan Samman Sammelan in Prayagraj, for not conferring the main architect of the Constitution with the Bharat Ratna during his lifetime or after his death, Mayawati said.

She also lashed out at the Congress for not declaring a single day of national mourning following the death of Kanshi Ram who, according to Mayawati, gave impetus to Ambedkars movement. The SP government in Uttar Pradesh at that time also did not declare a state mourning, she said. Be cautious of their double standards of thinking, behaviour and character, the BSP chief said in Hindi.

The former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh also attacked the Congress over its demand for a caste census, asking why it did not undertake the exercise during its tenures in government.

The BSP has always been in favour of it because it is very important for the benefit of the weaker sections," Mayawati said.

Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Saturday stressed the demand for a nationwide caste census during the Samvidhan Samman Sammelan and said 90 per cent people of the country were sitting out of the system and the step should be taken in their interest.

They have skills and knowledge but they have no connection with this system. This is the reason why we have raised the demand for caste census, Rahul Gandhi had said.

Mayawati also attacked the Congress, Samajwadi Party and the Bharatiya Janata Party over the ongoing conspiracy to make reservations for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes ineffective and abolish it through classification and creamy layer.

Is this their love for Dalits? Be careful, she said.

Mayawati further said, Will it be appropriate in the interest of SCs, STs and OBCs (Other Backward Classes) to form an alliance with these anti-reservation parties such as the SP and the Congress in any election now? This will not happen at all...

The BSP had an electoral alliance with the SP for the 1993 assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh and the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

Mayawati had on Friday expressed her gratitude to SP president Akhilesh Yadav after the Kannauj MP demanded that a defamation case be filed against a BJP MLA for his remarks against the BSP chief.
Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has said that one village will be selected from each development blocks of the state and developed as Barsana village. These villages will help spread ideals and principles of Lord Krishna. In Barsana village, where on the one hand, ancient culture will blossom; on the other hand, organic farming and milk production will be promoted. These villages will have new dimension of development. A community based on the ideals and principles of Lord Shri Krishna will be created. Chief Minister Dr. Yadav said that Geeta Bhawan centers will also be established in every urban body.

Yadav was addressing the countrys first one of its kind program, the theme of Har Balak Krishna-Har Maa Yashoda on Shri Krishna Janmashtami Mahotsav in Indore today. In this religious and historical program, Yadav greeted the Bal-Gopals and Yashoda Matas by showering flowers.

More than 5 thousand children were present in the form of Bal-Gopal and an equal number of mothers in the form of Mata Yashoda. The venue of the event was completely drenched in a supernatural aura. It was tastefully decorated with paintings depicting various leelas of Lord Krishna. Chief Minister Dr. Yadav shared loving moments with the tiny Bal-Gopals. Chief Minister also fed Makhan-Mishri to the Bal-Gopals as Prasad and distributed Krishna Janmashtami gifts.

The Chief Minister narrated stories about the life of Lord Shri Krishna] events and incidents related to him. He said that we should learn and imbibe his ideals and principles in life. Lord Shri Krishna is the epitome of humility patience, compassion and love. He is also symbol of the protection of mankind. Sri Krishnas Leelas or divine acts were for the welfare of mankind and formed the basis of religion. He taught us to love nature.

Chief Minister Yadav said that to spread the ideals and principles of Sri Krishna, we have decided to select one village from each development block and develop it as Barsana village. Besides, Geeta Bhawan centers will also be established in urban areas. He called upon people to spend their lives on the concept of Har Balak Krishna  Har Mata Yashoda. Mata Yashoda is an epitome of love. He said that the state government has decided to celebrate every festival throughout the state with joy and enthusiasm. Every section of society should celebrate all festivals joyously and enthusiastically.

Chief Minister sings bhajan

Chief Minister Dr. Yadav sang Govinda Aala-Re-Aala, Zara Matki Sambhal Brijbala in the program while those present joined him. Famous flute player Ballu ji and the Madhvas Band performance added grace to the program. The Chief Minister along with the Bal-Gopalas and Yashoda Matas made the entire venue resound with the cheers of Hathi Ghoda Palki-Jai Kanhaiya Lal Ki.

Water Resources Minister Tulsiram Silawat, MP Shankar Lalwani, Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargava, MLA Usha Thakur, Malini Gaur, Mahendra Hardiya, Manoj Patel, Golu Shukla and Madhu Verma, Chairman of Scheduled Caste Finance Development Corporation Sawan Sonkar, former MLA Gopi Nema, Sudarshan Gupta, Sanjay Shukla, Gaurav Ranadive, officials and large number of devotees were present.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi openly praises the sanitation workers of Jhabua district of Madhya Pradesh in the popular program Mann Ki Baat. Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav also listened to the PMs program in Indore.

He expressed happiness over the special mention of the work of sanitation workers of Jhabua and expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Modi. In todays Mann Ki Baat Prime Minister Modi said that the sanitation workers of Jhabua district have transformed the message of Waste to Wealth into reality. The sanitation workers have rightly adopted the 3-R mantra Reduce-Reuse-Recycle. The artwork that the team of sanitation workers has created from the garbage in the park of Jhabua is amazing.

This is a commendable and inspiring initiative for environmental protection.

Prime Minister Modi said that something wonderful is happening in Jhabua, Madhya Pradesh, which everyone must know about. Our sanitation workers in Jhabua have done wonders. Their team has created various artifacts from waste material thrown away in the city. Amazing artworks have been made using waste material like plastic bottles, old tyres, old pipes, etc helicopters, cannons, cars, JMC (Jhabua Municipality logo), betel leaves, traffic signal point, walls, plant beds, pots, comfortable benches, and sofas, etc. The said artifacts and the entire work in Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar Park of Municipality Jhabua have been prepared by the hard work of the sanitation workers working in Municipality Jhabua without the help of any outsider. It has been directed and designed with personal interest by Incharge Sanitation Inspector Kamlesh Jaiswal and Tony Maliya under the direction of the Chief Municipal Officer. The design work has been done by sanitation workers Sachin Kalia and Nitesh Ramesh. The work of collecting waste material from the trenching ground and other places was done by workers Kamlesh Mannu, Mahesh Babulal and Arjun Sohan and the work of dyeing, painting, and finalizing has been done by Vijay Babulal and Vijay Ghulia.

Yadav, on the special mention of Jhabua of Madhya Pradesh by Prime Minister Modi, appreciated the sanitation workers, citizens and administrative staff for the excellent work done under the guidance of Jhabua Collector Neha Meena and Municipality President Kavita Singar under the Swachh Bharat Mission Abhiyaan-2024.
New Delhi, Aug 25 (UNI) Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday said that illicit trafficking of narcotics in India is severely impairing national security and the entire narcotics network needs to be dismantled with a 'Top to Bottom and Bottom to Top approach'.



Shah said that money earned from illicit drug trade promotes terrorism and Left Wing Extremism (LWE) and weakens the country's economy and drugs not only ruin the country's young generation but also weaken the country's national security.



The Home Minister was speaking after virtually inaugurating the Zonal Unit Office of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in Raipur. He also chaired a review meeting on the Narcotics scenario in Chhattisgarh.



In his address, Shah said that the government's resolve of a drug-free India by 2047, is today becoming the resolve of every citizen of the country, an official statement said.



Shah said, "Unless we attack the entire network, we will not be able to achieve the goal of a drug-free India which is significant for building a prosperous, safe and glorious India".



Stating that drugs are not just India's problem but a global menace, he underlined that, "If we fight the battle against drugs in India with intensity, seriousness and a comprehensive strategy, we can win this battle.



Shah said that everyone should move forward together on the zero-tolerance policy against narcotics and fulfil PM Modi's resolve of a drug-free India.



"Today the Raipur Zonal Office of NCB has been inaugurated. This office will play an important role in controlling narcotics not only in the state but in the entire region. Our aim is to have the presence of NCB in every state of the country. Our government will end the drug trade by establishing NCB offices in every state with the cooperation of the state governments," the Home Minister asserted.



He also expressed concern over the changing trend of drug trafficking and its moving from natural to synthetic drugs, and emphasized on the use of scientific methods in the investigation of drug-trafficking cases.



He said that we need to work with a Top to Bottom and Bottom to Top approach and dismantle the entire network in a ruthless manner.



Stating that the user of drugs is a victim while the one who trades in it is a criminal, Shah said, "We can be successful in this fight only by following the four principles of detection of drugs, destruction of the network, detention of the culprit and rehabilitation of the addict. We will get complete success only by adopting a whole of Government approach in the fight against drugs".



UNI RBE RC
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be having dialogue with Lakhpati Didis from Madhya Pradesh. He will also honour them at a grand function at Jalgaon (Maharashtra) on August 25. Five Lakhpati Didis from Madhya Pradesh have reached Jalgaon to attend the program. Prime Minister Modi will give certificates of honour to them.

It is noteworthy to mention here that after the central government's target of making Lakhpati Didis in 100 days, as many as 96,240 members of women's Self Help Groups in Madhya Pradesh have become Lakhpati Didis. They have received financial assistance, market support, and technical support from the Madhya Pradesh State Rural Livelihoods Mission. In order to expand the reach of self-help group products to major markets, online marketing is being encouraged through digital platforms.

Approximately five lakh womens self-help groups operative in Madhya Pradesh have nearly 62 lakh poor families from villages associated with them. Their socio-economic empowerment is at pace. The women self-help group members have been identified as Community Resource Persons who find out the members having potential to become Lakhpati Didis. Minister for Rural Development Minister Prahlad Patel has said that the Lakhpati Didis are valuable assets for the state. They will give all the requisite support in their economic pursuits.

Sangeeta Malviya from Sehore district and Kamini Sharma from Guna district will have dialogue with Prime Minister Modi. Lakshmi Tirke from Chhindwara district and Smt. Roshni Lodhi from Dewas district will also be there.

After the program at Jalgaon, similar events will be organized at the Cluster Level Federation (CLF) in Madhya Pradesh, where all CLF Lakhpati Didis will be awarded certificates. Womens self-help groups across the state will receive approximately Rs. 110 crores bank loans (CCL) and about Rs. 171 crores as Community Investment Fund.

Ganga Ahirwar from Mohalpur village in Guna district has achieved remarkable success at the young age of 28. About 7 years ago, she formed the Uma Self-Help Group with 44 women. Through this, she set up a canteen in the district Collectorate premises in 2019, using the income from snacks and tea to meet household expenses.

Selected as a potential Lakhpati Didis under the Government of Indias 100-day plan, Ganga didi has been operating the canteen in the Collectorate premises since 2019, having daily sales of Rs. 800 from tea and snacks. Having received training from IHM Bhopal, she expanded her business to include meals and tiffin services. Later, she started dining facility, which led to monthly savings of Rs. 15-20 thousand. Ganga Didi now consistently earns around Rs. 15-20 thousand monthly from her canteen, advanced agricultural work, fruit cultivation, and tailoring. All this placed her in the category of Lakhpati Didi.

Roshni Lodhi from Kajliwan village in the Bagli block of Dewas district was helping her in-laws in farming activity. Due to poor economic condition, her family used to borrow money from nearby villages. In 2019, Roshni Lodhi formed a self-help group. Initially, she saved Rs. 20 per week and started meeting household needs through group loans. Roshni formed 50 self-help groups with 600 women as members from neighboring villages and encouraged them to start livelihood activities, earning some income as an active Community Resource Person. Through the self-help group, Roshni received training as a Bank BC and started working as a Bank BC by taking a loan of 50 thousand rupees from the village organization to purchase a computer and printer. She began a sewing school uniform with her in-laws and husband, also involving other village women. During the group formation, she was selected as a bank sakhi for bank-related works.
Jharkhand ATS and Delhi Police have taken major action against Al Qaeda Indian Subcontinent module in Jharkhand with the arrest of eight persons linked with the organisation. Out of eight arrested persons the key person includes Dr Ishtiaq Ahmed a medical practitioner who was running the module in Jharkhand, said sources.

According to sources Dr Ishtiaq, who lives in Al Hasan Apartment in Bariatu, was recruiting terrorists for the Jharkhand module of Al Qaeda in Indian Subcontinent (AQIS). Young terrorists sent by Dr Ishtiaq from Delhi and Rajasthan have been caught training.

Dr. Ishtiaq is originally from Jamshedpur, Jharkhand. He used to work in the radiology department at Medica Hospital in Ranchi. Apart from this, he also has his own clinic in Hazaribagh. It is being told that during his visits to Hazaribagh, he had linked Faizan Ahmed to the organization. The doctor lives in Al Hasan Residency located at Joda Talab in Ranchi. Ishtiaq has done MBBS from RIMS, Ranchi. When asked about the arrest of the doctor of Medica, the Medical Director of the hospital, Dr. Vijay Mishra said that the hospital management has no information about it.

On Thursday, in a major operation, Jharkhands Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has arrested eight persons in a series of coordinated raids across the state. The raids took place at 14 different locations, including Lohardagas Kairo and Hazaribaghs Pelawal, as well as several other districts. The operation marks a significant success in the states ongoing efforts to curb terrorism.

The ATS also recovered a cache of weapons from one of the terrorists apprehended in Lohardaga. Sources said that the eight arrested persons have allegedly been linked to Al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS).

The joint raids were carried out by Jharkhand ATS, Special Task Force (STF), Ranchi Police and Delhi Police across 16 locations in Ranchi, Hazaribag and Lohardaga, following a tip-off from central agencies, he said.

Apart from Dr Ishtiaq Ahmed, Faizan alias Munna from Lohsinghana in Hazaribagh, Mohd Rizwan and Mufti Rahmatullah from Chanho in Ranchi. One person has been detained from Kudu in Lohardaga and three people from Chanho police station area of Ranchi. The arrested people were presented in the residential office of the judge. All will be taken from Ranchi to Delhi. The Jharkhand module of Al Qaeda in Indian Sub-continent (AQIS) was formed by Abdul Rehman Katki. Dr. Ishtiaq was taking it forward.

On the other hand, Altaf, who is associated with this module, has been taken into custody while taking training in handling weapons from Bhiwadi, Rajasthan. He is the elder son of Muslim Ansari, a resident of Kauwakhap village under Chandlaso Panchayat of Kudu block of Lohardaga. Two country-made carbines and an airgun have been recovered from his house in Kauwakhap village.
School Education Minister Uday Pratap Singh said that the School Education Department has the responsibility of building the future of the state. Recognising its significance, a new education policy is being implemented in the state. School Education Minister Singh was addressing the "Panchjanya Sushasan Samvad Madhya Pradesh" held at the Lok Mata Ahilya Bai Holkar Tri-Centenary Jayanti Year Celebration at Kushabhau Thakre Convention Centre in Bhopal today.

School Education Minister Singh said that the state government has decided to start nursery in four and a half thousand government schools so that the foundation of children's education can be strengthened. These schools will be digital. He said that it is the state governments endeavour that the infrastructure of government schools along with the quality of education is superior, so that the public's confidence in government schools is further strengthened. Discussing the new education policy, the School Education Minister said that it will be implemented with full commitment. He said that in order to make children aware of Indian culture, it has been decided to celebrate Janmashtami festival in schools and colleges. He said that the teachings of Lord Krishna are providing energy and inspiration to the society. The example of friendship he exemplified is still remembered with great reverence. School Education Minister Singh said that strict action will be taken against those educational institutions where activities against Indian culture will be conducted.

In this programme, Minister Singh said that today it has been realised that apart from English, other languages ??are also becoming more capable of providing employment. He said that the School Education Department has prepared a programme to teach Japanese and German languages ??to students from class 9. While discussing skill development, Minister Singh said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a separate department of skill development has been created in the Centre. In accordance with his thinking, special attention is being paid to skill development in children in the state. After class 10, children are being counselled and informed about further studies in the right direction.

The School Education Minister said in the programme of Samvad that in schools which have more than 3 acres of land, children will be taught agriculture related activities. Through this education, children will be able to choose agriculture as profession with full confidence. He said that since ancient times agriculture has been considered the best among all professions. Children will be told about modern farming and new research.

In the Samvad programme, journalist Anurag Punetha asked questions regarding the school education system in Madhya Pradesh, which were answered by School Education Minister Uday Pratap Singh.
Delhis former Deputy Chief Minister and senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Manish Sisodia on Sunday embarked on a significant visit to Punjab, marking his first trip to the State since his release on bail from the Supreme Court. Accompanied by Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and other key AAP figures, Sisodias visit to the Golden Temple and Durgiana Temple was both a personal and political statement.

The visit followed Sisodias recent bail after spending 17 months in jail over allegations related to an excise policy case. As he arrived in Amritsar, Sisodia was warmly welcomed by Chief Minister Mann, who joined him in paying respects at the Golden Temple. This pilgrimage is significant not only for its spiritual value but also as a symbol of Sisodias resilience and continued commitment to his party and its principles.

Addressing the media outside Sri Darbar Sahib, Sisodia expressed deep gratitude for the opportunity to visit the sacred site. It is a profound honour to have had the chance to bow down at Darbar Sahib, Sisodia remarked. He acknowledged the support he received during his imprisonment and emphasized that even from jail, he prayed for the triumph of truth and justice. Despite the difficulties and challenges, I remained hopeful and steadfast in my belief that the truth would prevail.

During my time in jail, I missed the people and my team in Punjab. The Punjab government is working efficiently under CM Bhagwant Mann's leadershipTruth must prevail. With Gods grace, I am out of jail and I wish that Arvind Kejriwal ji too would be released soon, he added.

Chief Minister Mann echoed Sisodias sentiments and provided context to their visit. Todays visit is not just a political gesture but a personal pilgrimage. Manish Sisodias return to Punjab and his visit to Darbar Sahib underscore his commitment to justice and his enduring faith, Mann stated. He further asserted that the ongoing legal battles against AAP leaders are part of a broader attempt to undermine the partys integrity and unity.

Mann pointed out that the cases against AAP leaders were baseless and part of a deliberate strategy to weaken the party. We always believed that these false charges would not withstand judicial scrutiny. Our expectation is the same for Arvind Kejriwals case. The BJPs attempts to destabilize AAP by jailing our leaders are designed to break our spirit, but we remain resolute, Mann asserted.

Sisodia also reflected on his time in jail, describing it as a period marked by a concerted effort to discredit him and his party. The charges were always part of a larger conspiracy aimed at undermining the AAP. I am grateful to God and the Constitution for delivering justice. Even during my imprisonment, my faith in truth and justice never wavered, Sisodia stated. He expressed optimism about Kejriwals eventual release, reinforcing his belief that justice would ultimately prevail.

Following their visit to the Golden Temple, Sisodia, Mann, and their delegation proceeded to the Attari-Wagah border. There, they attended the evening parade, an event that draws significant crowds and symbolizes the nations unity and pride. This visit to the border was both a show of solidarity with the nations defense forces and a gesture of continuing support for the people of Punjab.

The days events highlighted not only Sisodias personal and political resilience but also the broader narrative of AAPs struggle against what they perceive as politically-motivated attempts to discredit and destabilize their leadership. As Sisodia and Mann concluded their visit, they reaffirmed their commitment to their partys principles and to continuing their work for the people of Punjab and Delhi.
The orders of Madhya Pradesh government to schools and colleges in the State, to celebrate Krishna Janmashtami (Birth anniversary of Lord Krishna), has caused political flutter in the State. The opposition party Congress has accused the ruling BJP of trying to politicise education system in the State.

The Congress has asserted that centres of learning should remain only for studies. While talking to media persons, Congress MLA MLA Arif Masood questioned, as why this government is engaged in ruining educational institutions.

Chief Minister Mohan Yadav dismissed the Congress' objection, declaring the state had been blessed by Lord Krishna and emphasised the historical and cultural significance of the festival. He pointed to popular tourist sites in Madhya Pradesh including Narayan, Amjhera, and Janapav Dham, that are associated with Krishna, and announced plans to develop these areas as pilgrimage destinations.

"Lord Krishna highlighted the importance of education 5,000 years ago. He came to Ujjain from Mathura to receive education. What could be a more auspicious time to celebrate his teachings? The friendship of Krishna and Sudama at Narayan Dham symbolises the bond between the rich and the poor. What is wrong with promoting the place that represents Lord Krishna's bravery?"

The Chief Minister also pointed out other cities associated with Krishna also celebrated the day, and asked, "If we do not remember places associated with Lord Krishna on Janmashtami, then why remember Mathura? If Janmashtami is celebrated in Mathura, will Congress stop visiting?"

"This is nothing but disrespectful and nonsensical talk," he declared.

BJP MLA Rameshwar Sharma also hit out at the Congress and shot off a jab on furore over the consecration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, for which senior Congress leaders like Sonia Gandhi were invited but chose not to go. "It is a crime only in the eyes of the Congress. They used to be allergic to Lord Ram earlier... now allergic to Lord Krishna," he said.

Issued on Wednesday, the state government's order directs district officials to ensure temples dedicated to Krishna are cleaned and play host to "cultural programs".

The Congress has objected strongly, insisting that schools and colleges, and other educational institutions, should be aloof from religious or political influence. "Educational institutions are for education... and they should be allowed to function as such. There is already a holiday in schools and colleges for religious events and people celebrate these according to their beliefs," Mr Masood said.

He also pointed to the state government "raising questions about our madrasas".

"On one hand you make Janmashtami celebrations compulsory... and on the other you are raising questions about our madrasas. What exactly is the government trying to achieve? I am unable to understand why this government is ruining educational institutions..." he continued, warning also of the dangers of making celebration of any festival mandatory, he added.
A bus conductor was robbed by four miscreants at knife point while another was attacked after the accused boarded the bus at Galla Mandi, miscreants robbed Rs 11000 and escaped in an autorickshaw.

Three miscreants stopped the bus in the Jahangirabad area of Bhopal after obstructing its way. As soon as the accused entered the bus, they put a knife on the conductor's neck. The miscreants snatched the Rs 8000 kept in his pocket. After this, they sat in the bus. When another conductor boarded this bus from Galla Mandi, the accused stabbed him in the ear.

They snatched Rs 3000 kept in his pocket. Along with this, the miscreants also looted his mobile phone and fled. The assailants have also injured another conductor by stabbing him. In this case, the police have registered a case against three people including one named. They are being searched.

According to the police, Rajesh Lovanshi (45) of Mandideep district Raisen, works as a conductor in Rathore Travels bus plying between Mandideep-Bhopal. The bus came to Bhopal with passengers at around 10.30 pm on Saturday night.

Naseem alias Breaker, resident of Mother India Colony, parked a passenger auto in front of the bus near Barkhedi petrol pump. After stopping the bus, Naseem and his two companions boarded it. As soon as they came inside, Naseem and his companions beat Rajesh and put a knife on his neck.

The bus reached further till Galla Mandi, where it stopped, in which two youths named Mashkoor and Shahwar boarded. Both of them work as conductors in other buses. Spotting them, the accused started beating them, stabbed Mashkoor in the hand when he protested, and attacked Shahwar with a knife in his ear.

The accused snatched three thousand rupees in cash and mobile from these two. After this, they got down from the bus near Capital Petrol Pump. Their other companion was chasing them in an auto. Later they fled in the same auto. However, the police have seized the auto used in the robbery. According to sources, two suspects have been taken into custody and are being questioned.

Complainant Rajesh said that the accused have been robbing buses for the last several days. Due to the fear of them, no one complains. Naseem's gang often robs the blue bus running between Mandideep and Bhopal. He was recently released from jail. He was robbed on the second day of his release.

He said that he is still afraid that after complaining, he will definitely take revenge. He will attack again. Similarly, Mashkoor, who was injured in the attack by the accused, also refused to talk about the incident. He said that we have to travel on the bus on this route.
Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said that the Center for Research and Industrial Staff Performance (CRISP) should design and implement versatile training programs tailored to the needs of new industrial units being established in the state. He stressed that these programs should be focused on employment opportunities and should also benefit students from engineering colleges and ITIs.

Yadav expressed his vision for CRISP to become the premier organization for supplying skilled human resources to industries. He shared these thoughts while addressing the general body meeting of the CRISP organization at Samatva Bhawan, located at the Chief Ministers residence today.

Higher Education and Technical Education Minister Inder Singh Parmar, Micro, Small and Medium Industries Minister Chaitanya Kashyap, School Education Minister Uday Pratap Singh, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Skill Development and Employment Gautam Tetwal were also present in the meeting. Panchayat and Rural Development Minister Prahlad Patel and Scheduled Caste Welfare Minister Nagar Singh Chauhan joined the meeting virtually.

Yadav stated that CRISP should focus on providing training in specific, carefully selected fields. He stressed the need to design courses that cater to the youth and acknowledged CRISP's significant role in improving the efficiency of staff in Central and State Government departments. Yadav encouraged CRISP to conduct employment-oriented training programs that benefit the state. He also highlighted the growing demand for training in areas such as pharmaceuticals and mobile repair, urging CRISP to address these requirements.

The Chief Minister emphasized the need for a large-scale, time-bound training program. During the meeting, Secretary of Technical Education M. Raghuraj presented details, noting that this autonomous institute was established in 1997 under the Department of Technical Education, Skill Development, and Employment, with support from the Government of India and the German Government. The institute operates in various areas including training, skill development, consultancy, training-cum-production centers, ICT/software development, and e-governance. In addition to training, the institute has provided support in establishing and operating Shramodya Adarsh ITI in Bhopal for government officers and employees. Youth have also been trained under the PM Vishwakarma Yojana, and training programs have been conducted for major industrial institutions across the country.

Yadav was informed about the progress of works related to Sant Shiromani Ravidas Global Skills Park, Bhopal through a presentation.

It was told in the presentation that more than 100 percent of civil construction work has been completed. The process of necessary appointments and training of teachers and the installation work has been completed. Training related to machines is under process. Similarly, different facilities have been developed in 10 divisional I.T.Is. Chief Minister Yadav was updated on the progress of all these works. Additional Chief Secretary in the Chief Ministers Office, Rajesh Rajoura, Principal Secretary Raghavendra Kumar Singh, and senior officials were present at the meeting.
The Delhi Police issued a traffic advisory on Sunday for arrangements at various temples and other key attractions, including Laxmi Narayan Mandir and ISCKON temple ahead of Krishna Janmashtami, which will be observed on August 26, an annual festival, celebrating the birth of Lord Krishna.

The Delhi Traffic Police have issued a comprehensive advisory that includes the traffic diversions, restrictions and parking information to manage the large devotees influx due to the festival. It informed that the prominent functions of Janmashtami will be held at Laxmi Narayan Mandir in New Delhi, ISKCON Temple in East of Kailash, Dwarka Sector 13 and Rohini Sector 25, Janmashtmi Park in Punjabi Bagh, Adhya Katyani Shakti Peeth in Chhattarpur, Santoshi Mata Mandir in Hari Nagar, DDA Ground in Dwarka Sector 10, Golok Dham Temple in Dwarka Sector 10 and Gufawala Mandir in Preet Vihar.

For Laxmi Narayan Mandir, vehicular traffic will not be allowed from Poundabout Talkatora Stadium towards Mandir Marg upto Peshwa Road to Mandir Marg T-Point and vice versa. Similarly, no vehicle will be allowed on Mandir Lane from Roundabout Shankar Road to Mandir Marg, it stated, while sharing diversion points for buses and commercial vehicles.

It also added that buses originating from Shivaji Stadium and going towards Mandir Marg will be diverted towards Panchkuian Road or towards Roundabout GPO as per the routes of the buses.

For those visiting ISCKON temple in East of Kailash, parking arrangements for general public will be at Captain Gaur Marg, Aastha Kunj Road and near Sapna Cinema. Special invitees can avail parking arrangements near Gate no 3 of the temple and will enter through Gate no 4 on Aastha Kunj road.

It added that the entry of general public will be through Gate No. 1 of the temple and will exit through Gate No. 2 of the temple. The entry of the special invitees will be through Gate No. 4-A. The other invitees will park their vehicles on Aastha Kunj Road and enter through Gate Nos. 4 and 5 and reach the temple in shuttle services, the traffic police stated.

It also said that certain roads will be closed including Raja Dhirsain Marg from Eden Hospital (C-Block, East of Kailash) cut towards ISKCON temple and Raja Dhirsain Marg from Sant Nagar Red light towards ISKCON temple.

The traffic police also issued advisory regarding restrictions and diversions near different temples on the festive day. Further it stated, On this occasion, many Mandir Samitis will also take out Janmashtami Shobha Yatras and processions comprising of rath, jhankis, bands, tempos and others in various parts of Delhi. Traffic will be diverted as per requirement. No Parking shall be allowed on the routes of the processions.

The traffic police advised the general public to be mindful of possible congestion on roads leading to the temples and the routes of the processions. There is likelihood of general slowing down of traffic and congestion on roads. General public and motorists are advised to plan their journeys keeping the festivities and related congestion in mind and keep extra time for their journey so that possible delay can be taken into account. They are also advised to use Metro and other public transport to avoid congestion on roads, the police stated.

It added that motorists are advised to follow the directions of the traffic policemen deployed on duty to avoid inconvenience.
A tribal woman in Ranka police station area has alleged that a Muslim man forced her to convert to another religion and forcibly raped her several times.

The victim alleged that a man from Dudhwal village forced her to convert to another religion, and raped her on the pretext of marriage.

The incident came to light when the woman filed a complaint vide Complaint no. 972/2024 before the court of Anulika Kumar against Mohd Izhar Ansari, Nadeem Ansari and Sultana Parveen on Saturday. On the complaint of the complainant court of Judicial Magistrate First Class Anulika Kumar ordered the Ranka police station to register an FIR.

The victim has alleged that there are 300 houses in the village. She is the only tribal woman among them. She mention in her complaint that Mohd. Izhar Ansari is Mukhiya of Dudhwal Panchayat. In the year 2003, when she was 14 years old, he forcibly entered her house and raped her at gunpoint by threatening her of being a Naxalite. Since then, he continued to forcefully have physical relations with her. Meanwhile, she was forced to undergo abortion three times. His atrocities against the victim increased when he kept pressuring her to convert to Islam by threatening her not to marry in his community.

He threatened that if she did not do so, she would be forced into prostitution. Fed up with the accused, she had appealed for protection by giving an application to the Ranka police station in-charge, Superintendent of Police Garhwa, Deputy Inspector General of Police Palamu and Human Rights Commission, Women Commission Ranchi, Inspector General of Police Ranchi. After no action was taken against the accused, she filed a complaint in the court and prayed for justice.

Ranka Officer in charge Praveen Kumar said that when the order from the court, a case will be registered in the matter and action will be taken after investigation.
Principal Secretary of Urban Development and Housing Department of the State Government and Chairman cum Managing Director of Ranchi Smart City Corporation, Sunil Kumar has said that the Command Center of Smart City is working on state-of-the-art IT based equipment and there is almost no manual intervention in it, so the officials should pay attention to how to make maximum use of it. The Secretary said this while inspecting the Command Control and Communication Center located in Jupmi Bhawan of Ranchi Smart City ABD area.

He took information about the traffic management of Ranchi city, police surveillance, SOS, ECB, VMSB, PA system and many other important equipment being regulated from the Command Center.

On this occasion, CEO of Ranchi Smart City, Amit Kumar told the Secretary that for the last three years this Command Center has been regulating the traffic management of Ranchi, along with this, Ranchi Police is getting full support from it in crime control and crime detection in the city. He also told that apart from Ranchi, this center has also played an important role in the detection of some major criminal incidents in other cities of the state which are also linked to Ranchi.

The Principal Secretary cum Managing Director said that the area of the city is increasing, so it is necessary that cameras and traffic control related equipment should be installed in those areas which are not covered by cameras or other equipment.

He said that now the online challan should be sent directly to the person breaking the rules through AI, there should be no manual intervention in it. The CEO said that now the challan goes directly to the mobile of the traffic rule violator through AI.

This center should have its own revenue model, so that you can broadcast advertisements on variable message sign boards and audio systems. The CEO said that the work of rate determination for this is in process, but the promotion of many important schemes of the government has been going on for the last three years.

The Secretary said that the state government can establish such a center in some big cities of the state.

During the inspection, Ranchi Smart City Corporation CEO Amit Kumar, General Manager Technical Rakesh Kumar Nandkyoliar, PRO Amit Kumar, Honeywell Automation Ltd. Manager Atul Aggarwal, Smart City Manager Utkarsh Kumar, Smart City's Anjani Dubey and Satish Kumar were present.
The INSPIRE (Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research) Awards-MANAK (Million Minds Augmenting National Aspirations and Knowledge), a flagship initiative of the Department of Science and Technology (of the Government of India, continues to shine as a beacon of innovation and creativity among the nations youth. This years edition is seeing an overwhelming participation, with Uttar Pradesh leading the way with over 40,000 nominations, the highest in the country.

The INSPIRE awards aim to cultivate a scientific mindset and encourage young minds to explore science and technology. These awards honour and reward exceptional ideas from students nationwide in classes 6 to 10, aged 10 to 15. Schools can submit up to five ideas or innovations; nominations are open until September 15.

Uttar Pradesh has once again demonstrated its commitment to fostering innovation and scientific curiosity among young minds, securing the top position in the country with over 40,000 nominations for the prestigious INSPIRE awards.

This remarkable achievement results from the collective efforts of the state government, educational institutions and educators.

The Yogi governments proactive approach has encouraged students to explore and excel in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, as evidenced by the overwhelming number of nominations from Uttar Pradesh.

With this impressive participation, Uttar Pradesh leads the nation. It sets a new benchmark for promoting grassroots innovation and scientific inquiry among the youth, aligning with the broader vision of making India a global hub for science and technology.

The states dominance in the INSPIRE awards nominations reflects its strategic focus on empowering students with opportunities to showcase their creativity, problem-solving skills and innovative ideas on a national platform. This further solidifies Uttar Pradeshs role as a key contributor to the nations scientific and technological advancement.

In a significant move to foster creativity and innovation among students, schools across the region are introducing Idea Boxes, offering young minds a platform to submit their innovative ideas for consideration in the prestigious INSPIRE awards.

This initiative encourages students to think critically and creatively about real-world challenges, allowing them to have their voices heard and their ideas recognised nationally.

The collected ideas will be evaluated and the most promising ones will be developed further, potentially leading to their nomination for the INSPIRE awards, a programme designed to promote innovation in science and technology among youth.

Educators hope to ignite a passion for invention and problem-solving by integrating this initiative into the school environment, empowering students to contribute meaningfully to societys progress.
Experience the divine journey of Lord Krishna with Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra's KRISHNA. Directed by Padmashri Shobha Deepak Singh, this captivating production combines mesmerising dance with stunning visuals, vividly portraying Krishnas playful childhood and profound wisdom, says SAKSHI PRIYA

Janmashtami also known as Krishna Janmashtami or Gokulashtami is a festival filled with joy and devotion that celebrates the birth of Lord Krishna. This beloved figure in Hinduism is honoured on the eighth day of the dark fortnight in Bhadrapada (August-September), marking his birth in Mathura to Devaki and Vasudeva. The festival brings people together, uniting them in vibrant celebrations and shared experiences of devotion. Lord Krishnas life, known for its compassion, love and playful spirit, has a profound impact on Hindu culture and philosophy. Janmashtami is not just a religious occasion, its a time when communities come together to celebrate his teachings and spirit creating a joyful and unifying experience for all involved.

A Mesmerising Fusion of Dance and Drama: A Visual Spectacle

One of the most captivating expressions of Janmashtami celebrations was through dance dramas that depicted the life and teachings of Lord Krishna. Among these performances, Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendras annual dance drama KRISHNA, under the esteemed guidance of Padmashri Shobha Deepak Singh (Vice Chairperson, Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra), stood out as a unique blend of art, culture and spirituality. This year, the world geared up to honour Lord Krishna, the Kendra presented the latest edition of this mesmerising dance drama at the Kamani Auditorium in New Delhi.

The production was more than just a performance, it was a journey through the life of Lord Krishna, capturing the essence of his divine playfulness, wisdom and eternal teachings. The stage was transformed into the vibrant world of Vrindavan, where young Krishnas charm and mischief took centre stage. The use of traditional costumes, combined with the captivating storytelling, ensured the audience remained engaged throughout. The seamless transitions and attention-grabbing scenes created an immersive experience, drawing viewers into a realm where Krishnas divine playfulness unfolded with every moment. The choreography executed with exceptional attention to detail, vividly brought Krishnas legendary stories to life. From his playful interactions with friends to his cheeky escapades with the butter pot (matka) and his enchanting dances with the gopis, each scene was a visual delight that resonated on a deeper spiritual level. These moments beautifully captured Krishnas joy, mischief and the simple yet profound essence of his childhood.

The Divine Connection: Krishna and Radha

Every retelling of Krishna's story beautifully unfolded his profound relationship with Radha. Krishnas life was incomplete without depicting his profound connection with Radha, his eternal consort. In this production, their connection wasnt just depicted as a love story, it was portrayed as a deeply spiritual journey. The dance sequences, set to soulful music, depicted the deep bond between Krishna and Radha, with Krishna endearing Radha with his divine presence. The choreography captured the delicate balance between earthly affection and spiritual connection, leaving the audience mesmerised. The dance drama took a mystical turn as Krishna, in his divine form, multiplied himself so that every gopi felt she was dancing with him. This scene, set on a full moon night, was a visual treat with the stage bathed in soft, ethereal light. The dancers, clad in flowing white costumes, moved in perfect harmony, creating an illusion of multiple Krishnas dancing with the gopis.

The Legend of Govardhan: A Tale of Faith and Devotion

One of the most iconic episodes from Krishnas life was his lifting of Mount Govardhan to protect the people of Vrindavan from the wrath of Indra, the god of rain. This tale of faith and devotion was brought to life in the dance drama with powerful choreography and cutting-edge technology. The use of sound to mimic the torrential rain, combined with the visual effects of Krishna lifting the mountain, created a dramatic and immersive experience. This scene was a reminder of Krishnas role as a protector and guide, offering shelter to those who sought refuge in him. The production also delved into Krishnas teachings, particularly his discourse in the Bhagavad Gita, where he imparted profound wisdom to Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra. These moments were portrayed with a deep sense of reverence, with the actors embodying the solemnity and gravitas of the occasion.

The Bond of Friendship: Krishna and Sudama

Another beautifully portrayed scene in this production was the touching story of Krishna and his childhood friend Sudama. The drama captured the essence of their humble friendship, where Sudama, a poor Brahmin, visited Krishna with a small offering of beaten rice. Despite his wealth and status, Krishna welcomed Sudama with open arms, treating him with the utmost love and respect. This scene was a poignant reminder of the value of true friendship and the humility that Krishna embodied. The emotions conveyed in this part of the drama were both heartwarming and inspiring, showcasing the depth of Krishnas compassion and kindness.

A Modern Take on a Timeless Narrative

What set this production apart was its seamless blend of tradition and innovation. The use of a state-of-the-art LED wall enhanced the storytelling, providing a dynamic backdrop that shifted with the mood and tone of the scenes. Whether depicting the serene beauty of Vrindavan, the dramatic battlefield of Kurukshetra, or the divine dance of the gopis, the LED wall brought each scene to life with stunning visuals. The choreography itself was a fusion of traditional Indian dance forms like Kathak, Mayurbhanj Chhau and Kalaripayattu. Kalaripayattu, a martial arts form, was used to depict Krishnas role as a warrior, while the graceful movements of Kathak highlighted the romantic and spiritual elements of his story. This combination of dance forms not only added variety to the performance but also showcased the versatility and depth of Indian classical dance.

A Message of Hope and Peace

At its core, KRISHNA was more than just a retelling of an ancient story. It was a message of hope and peace, echoing the enduring spirit of Krishna. In a world that often seemed overwhelmed by conflict and confusion, Krishnas teachings offered a hope of light. His life, as portrayed in this dance drama, was a reminder of the importance of love, compassion and understanding. Whether it was his playful interactions with the people of Vrindavan or his profound discourse in the Bhagavad Gita, Krishnas message was timeless, resonating with audiences across generations.

Under the esteemed guidance of Padmashri Shobha Deepak Singh, the production had been carefully crafted to bring out the essence of Krishnas teachings. She shared her vision, stating, KRISHNA is a living embodiment of Lord Krishna's timeless wisdom. Through captivating storytelling and artistic brilliance, we bring his life's journey to the stage. Each performance is a symphony of dance, music and visuals, creating a world where divine and human intertwine.

The Enduring Legacy of KRISHNA

As the final scene unfolded with Krishna delivering his message, the audience was deeply impressed by the scale and beauty of the performance. The combination of traditional dance, modern technology and powerful storytelling created an experience that was both entertaining and thought-provoking. It was a production that stayed with everyone long after the final bow, leaving them with a renewed sense of faith and a deeper understanding of Krishnas teachings.

In its 48th edition, KRISHNA continued to captivate audiences, offering a fresh perspective on the story. It served as a reminder that Krishnas story was not just a part of Indias cultural heritage but a universal message of love, wisdom and divine grace. As the lights dimmed and the audience stood to applaud, it was clear that the legacy of Krishna, as brought to life by Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra, was as enduring as ever.

This Janmashtami, as you celebrate the birth of Lord Krishna, take a moment to reflect on his life and teachings. Whether through the lens of this mesmerising dance drama or in the quiet moments of prayer, let the spirit of Krishna guide you towards a path of love, compassion and peace. After all, as Lord Krishna himself said, "Whenever there is a decline in righteousness and an increase in unrighteousness, O Arjuna, at that time I manifest myself on earth." Let his words inspire you to be the change you wish to see in the world.

An Experience Beyond Words

The dance drama was a breathtaking spectacle that left a lasting impression on everyone fortunate enough to witness it. The seamless fusion of traditional dance forms, vivid costumes and intricate choreography captivated audiences across all ages. Children gazed in wonder at the playful and mischievous Little Krishna while older viewers were drawn into the deeper layers of his life story, each moment beautifully portrayed with an authenticity that touched the soul. The meticulous attention to detail in every aspect of the production was evident. The vibrant costumes, reflecting the rich culture of India, were perfectly complemented by the dancers expressive movements. The makeup artistry brought out the divine essence of Krishna, making him not just a character on stage but a living, breathing deity with whom the audience felt a personal connection.

Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendras KRISHNA was not just a performance; it was an experience. It was an annual tradition that rekindled our faith in the enduring legacy of Lord Krishna and his teachings.

As we celebrate Janmashtami, we carry forward the lessons from this dance drama into our own lives, striving for a world where love, compassion and righteousness prevail. The life of Krishna, as depicted in this magical performance, reminds us that divinity resides not in the heavens alone but within each one of us, in the love and kindness we show to others. As we enjoy the festivities, lets carry forward the lessons of love, compassion and wisdom that Krishna embodies, allowing them to guide us in our everyday lives.
Beacon Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF (NYSEARCA:IWF  Free Report) by 23.2% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,430 shares of the exchange traded funds stock after purchasing an additional 457 shares during the period. Beacon Capital Management LLCs holdings in iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF were worth $886,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF by 0.9% in the first quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 7,847,670 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $2,645,057,000 after purchasing an additional 66,923 shares during the period. UBS Group AG grew its position in shares of iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 6,102,415 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $1,850,069,000 after buying an additional 103,652 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its position in shares of iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF by 6.7% during the 4th quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 5,413,232 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $1,641,130,000 after buying an additional 341,407 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp grew its position in shares of iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF by 3.9% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 4,202,517 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $1,274,077,000 after buying an additional 156,995 shares in the last quarter. Finally, M&T Bank Corp grew its position in shares of iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 2,479,622 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $751,769,000 after buying an additional 10,496 shares in the last quarter.

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iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF Trading Up 1.1 %

Shares of IWF traded up $4.18 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $368.11. 717,338 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,335,712. iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF has a 52 week low of $256.01 and a 52 week high of $382.82. The companys 50 day moving average is $362.36 and its two-hundred day moving average is $344.66. The company has a market capitalization of $97.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.64 and a beta of 1.20.

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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Beacon Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Trane Technologies plc (NYSE:TT  Free Report) by 3.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,347 shares of the companys stock after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the quarter. Beacon Capital Management LLCs holdings in Trane Technologies were worth $443,000 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 TT. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Trane Technologies by 0.9% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 18,887,514 shares of the companys stock valued at $5,670,032,000 after acquiring an additional 174,251 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in shares of Trane Technologies by 0.5% in the first quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 17,393,733 shares of the companys stock worth $5,221,599,000 after buying an additional 80,536 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Trane Technologies during the 4th quarter worth $655,804,000. Capital World Investors grew its stake in Trane Technologies by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 2,176,595 shares of the companys stock valued at $530,870,000 after buying an additional 11,930 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in Trane Technologies by 17.3% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,655,459 shares of the companys stock worth $403,766,000 after acquiring an additional 243,996 shares during the period. 82.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Trane Technologies Trading Up 0.6 %

TT stock traded up $2.20 during trading on Friday, hitting $352.91. The company had a trading volume of 871,002 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,121,324. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $335.48 and a 200-day moving average price of $314.52. Trane Technologies plc has a 12 month low of $184.02 and a 12 month high of $355.02. 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 stock has a market cap of $79.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.70, a PEG ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 1.01.

Trane Technologies Dividend Announcement

Trane Technologies ( NYSE:TT Get Free Report ) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The company reported $3.30 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $3.08 by $0.22. The company had revenue of $5.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.13 billion. Trane Technologies had a return on equity of 33.97% and a net margin of 12.33%. The firms quarterly revenue was up 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.68 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that Trane Technologies plc will post 10.83 earnings per share for the current year.

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 6th will be given a dividend of $0.84 per share. This represents a $3.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 6th. Trane Technologiess dividend payout ratio is 35.90%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Raymond D. Pittard sold 1,805 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $328.65, for a total value of $593,213.25. Following 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, EVP Raymond D. Pittard sold 1,805 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $328.65, for a total value of $593,213.25. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 83,517 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $27,447,862.05. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO David S. Regnery sold 29,450 shares of Trane Technologies stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $321.25, for a total transaction of $9,460,812.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 132,946 shares in the company, valued at approximately $42,708,902.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 44,243 shares of company stock valued at $14,216,550 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.38% of the companys stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Mizuho raised their price target on Trane Technologies from $280.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 1st. TD Cowen raised their target price on Trane Technologies from $325.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, May 1st. Barclays upped their price target on Trane Technologies from $385.00 to $394.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Trane Technologies from $355.00 to $366.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 1st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Trane Technologies from $310.00 to $315.00 and gave the company an underweight rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $323.29.

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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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Bowman & Co S.C. grew its position in shares of Edwards Lifesciences Co. (NYSE:EW  Free Report) by 10.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 10,927 shares of the medical research companys stock after purchasing an additional 993 shares during the quarter. Bowman & Co S.C.s holdings in Edwards Lifesciences were worth $1,009,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of EW. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Edwards Lifesciences by 9,720.7% during the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 106,064 shares of the medical research companys stock valued at $8,087,000 after acquiring an additional 104,984 shares during the period. Lindbrook Capital LLC boosted its holdings in Edwards Lifesciences by 6.8% during the 4th quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 3,830 shares of the medical research companys stock valued at $292,000 after acquiring an additional 245 shares during the period. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI purchased a new stake in Edwards Lifesciences during the 4th quarter valued at about $218,000. RWA Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Edwards Lifesciences in the 4th quarter worth approximately $238,000. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its holdings in Edwards Lifesciences by 17.1% in the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 1,125 shares of the medical research companys stock worth $86,000 after buying an additional 164 shares during the period. 79.46% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

EW has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Evercore ISI dropped their price objective on Edwards Lifesciences from $91.00 to $76.00 and set an in-line rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 25th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Edwards Lifesciences from $99.00 to $90.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 25th. Truist Financial cut Edwards Lifesciences from a buy rating to a hold rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $110.00 to $82.00 in a report on Thursday, July 25th. Robert W. Baird cut Edwards Lifesciences from an outperform rating to a neutral rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $102.00 to $70.00 in a report on Thursday, July 25th. Finally, Barclays lowered their target price on Edwards Lifesciences from $101.00 to $90.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $82.10.

Edwards Lifesciences Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of Edwards Lifesciences stock traded down $0.45 on Friday, reaching $70.85. The companys stock had a trading volume of 3,706,630 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,083,428. The company has a market capitalization of $42.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.54, a P/E/G ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 1.11. The firms fifty day simple moving average is $79.04 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $85.39. Edwards Lifesciences Co. has a 52 week low of $58.93 and a 52 week high of $96.12. The company has a quick ratio of 2.87, a current ratio of 3.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08.

Edwards Lifesciences (NYSE:EW  Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The medical research company reported $0.70 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.69 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $1.63 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.65 billion. Edwards Lifesciences had a return on equity of 22.35% and a net margin of 24.55%. The companys quarterly revenue was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.66 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Edwards Lifesciences Co. will post 2.71 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Daveen Chopra sold 1,250 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.95, for a total value of $87,437.50. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 29,333 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,051,843.35. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other news, VP Donald E. Bobo, Jr. sold 5,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.08, for a total value of $330,400.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 46,936 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,101,530.88. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Daveen Chopra sold 1,250 shares of Edwards Lifesciences stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.95, for a total value of $87,437.50. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 29,333 shares in the company, valued at $2,051,843.35. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 24,867 shares of company stock valued at $2,077,526. Corporate insiders own 1.29% of the companys stock.

Edwards Lifesciences Company Profile

(Free Report)

Edwards Lifesciences Corporation provides products and technologies for structural heart disease and critical care monitoring in the United States, Europe, Japan, and internationally. It offers transcatheter heart valve replacement products for the minimally invasive replacement of aortic heart valves under the Edwards SAPIEN family of valves system; and transcatheter heart valve repair and replacement products to treat mitral and tricuspid valve diseases under the PASCAL PRECISION and Cardioband names.

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CLS Holdings plc (LON:CLI  Get Free Report) shares crossed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of GBX 89.53 ($1.16) and traded as high as GBX 91.20 ($1.19). CLS shares last traded at GBX 89.70 ($1.17), with a volume of 192,684 shares changing hands.

CLS Stock Performance

The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of GBX 91.43 and a 200 day simple moving average of GBX 89.50. The company has a current ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 123.30. The stock has a market cap of 364.03 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -176.15 and a beta of 0.99.

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CLS Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 2nd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, September 5th will be given a dividend of GBX 2.60 ($0.03) per share. This represents a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, September 5th. CLSs dividend payout ratio is presently -1,538.46%.

About CLS

CLS Holdings plc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the investment, development, and management of commercial properties in the United Kingdom, Germany, and France. The company operates in two segments, Investment Properties and Other Investments. It also invests in a hotel and other corporate investments.

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First Merchants Corp reduced its position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO  Free Report) by 13.1% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 15,241 shares of the oil and gas companys stock after selling 2,303 shares during the period. First Merchants Corps holdings in Valero Energy were worth $2,389,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Collective Family Office LLC boosted its stake in Valero Energy by 1.5% in the first quarter. Collective Family Office LLC now owns 4,040 shares of the oil and gas companys stock valued at $690,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 4.7% in the first quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,327 shares of the oil and gas companys stock valued at $227,000 after buying an additional 59 shares during the period. Covenant Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 0.4% during the 1st quarter. Covenant Asset Management LLC now owns 14,659 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $2,502,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares during the period. Drive Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Valero Energy by 1.1% in the 1st quarter. Drive Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,797 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $990,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Aua Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Valero Energy by 3.1% during the first quarter. Aua Capital Management LLC now owns 2,261 shares of the oil and gas companys stock valued at $386,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Valero Energy Stock Up 1.7 %

Valero Energy stock traded up $2.44 on Friday, hitting $145.87. 1,523,954 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,482,840. The businesss fifty day simple moving average is $151.01 and its 200 day simple moving average is $155.58. The firm has a market cap of $47.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a current ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. Valero Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $119.88 and a 1 year high of $184.79.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

Valero Energy ( NYSE:VLO Get Free Report ) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The oil and gas company reported $2.71 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $2.60 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $34.49 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $32.97 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 21.01% and a net margin of 4.25%. The companys quarterly revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $5.40 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Valero Energy Co. will post 12.86 earnings per share for the current year.

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 1st will be issued a dividend of $1.07 per share. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.93%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 1st. Valero Energys payout ratio is presently 21.20%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VLO has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. StockNews.com lowered shares of Valero Energy from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. TD Cowen decreased their price target on Valero Energy from $190.00 to $185.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 29th. Mizuho upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a neutral rating to an outperform rating and raised their price objective for the company from $165.00 to $175.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. Piper Sandler lowered their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $187.00 to $169.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, June 14th. Finally, Scotiabank increased their price objective on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock a sector outperform rating in a research report on Friday, July 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued 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 $174.00.

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Valero Energy Profile

(Free Report)

Valero Energy Corporation manufactures, markets, and sells petroleum-based and low-carbon liquid transportation fuels and petrochemical products in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Latin America, Mexico, Peru, and internationally. It operates through three segments: Refining, Renewable Diesel, and Ethanol.

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Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. decreased its position in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY  Free Report) by 2.2% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 804,254 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock after selling 18,400 shares during the period. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V.s holdings in Bristol-Myers Squibb were worth $33,401,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. First Merchants Corp lifted its stake in Bristol-Myers Squibb by 649.7% in the second quarter. First Merchants Corp now owns 31,167 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $1,294,000 after purchasing an additional 27,010 shares during the last quarter. Family Firm Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb in the second quarter worth about $89,000. Silverleafe Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb in the second quarter worth about $845,000. Keynote Financial Services LLC boosted its holdings in Bristol-Myers Squibb by 10.6% during the 2nd quarter. Keynote Financial Services LLC now owns 30,705 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $1,275,000 after acquiring an additional 2,955 shares during the period. Finally, Grove Bank & Trust grew its position in Bristol-Myers Squibb by 14.3% during the 2nd quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 14,903 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $619,000 after acquiring an additional 1,870 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.41% of the companys stock.

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Bristol-Myers Squibb Stock Up 1.0 %

Shares of BMY traded up $0.49 on Friday, reaching $48.11. The stock had a trading volume of 8,328,407 shares, compared to its average volume of 15,685,546. The firm has a market capitalization of $97.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -15.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 12.51 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $44.38 and a 200-day simple moving average of $46.58. Bristol-Myers Squibb has a 12-month low of $39.35 and a 12-month high of $63.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.86, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.16.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Announces Dividend

Bristol-Myers Squibb ( NYSE:BMY Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 26th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $2.07 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.64 by $0.43. The business had revenue of $12.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.54 billion. Bristol-Myers Squibb had a positive return on equity of 12.51% and a negative net margin of 14.06%. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.75 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Bristol-Myers Squibb will post 0.77 EPS for the current year.

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 5th were paid a dividend of $0.60 per share. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.99%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 5th. Bristol-Myers Squibbs dividend payout ratio is -77.42%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have weighed in on BMY shares. 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. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price target on shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb from $53.00 to $45.00 and set a hold rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 23rd. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb from $41.00 to $42.00 and gave the company an underweight rating in a research report on Thursday. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a report on Monday, July 29th. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their price target on Bristol-Myers Squibb from $45.00 to $53.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a report on Monday, August 12th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Bristol-Myers Squibb currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $54.93.

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About Bristol-Myers Squibb

(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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Clear Creek Financial Management LLC decreased its stake in shares of Hewlett Packard Enterprise (NYSE:HPE  Free Report) by 9.3% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 13,245 shares of the technology companys stock after selling 1,365 shares during the period. Clear Creek Financial Management LLCs holdings in Hewlett Packard Enterprise were worth $280,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in HPE. Rise Advisors LLC increased its stake in Hewlett Packard Enterprise by 253.9% in the 1st quarter. Rise Advisors LLC now owns 1,465 shares of the technology companys stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 1,051 shares during the last quarter. Johnson Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in Hewlett Packard Enterprise in the 4th quarter worth about $35,000. American National Bank increased its stake in Hewlett Packard Enterprise by 89.4% in the 1st quarter. American National Bank now owns 1,949 shares of the technology companys stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 920 shares during the last quarter. ORG Partners LLC increased its stake in Hewlett Packard Enterprise by 224.5% in the 2nd quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 1,853 shares of the technology companys stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 1,282 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Founders Financial Alliance LLC increased its stake in Hewlett Packard Enterprise by 52.8% in the 4th quarter. Founders Financial Alliance LLC now owns 2,463 shares of the technology companys stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 851 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.78% of the companys stock.

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Hewlett Packard Enterprise Trading Up 2.3 %

NYSE HPE traded up $0.44 on Friday, hitting $19.21. The companys stock had a trading volume of 7,959,493 shares, compared to its average volume of 15,076,776. The firm has a market cap of $24.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.02, a PEG ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The companys 50-day simple moving average is $19.88 and its 200 day simple moving average is $18.24. Hewlett Packard Enterprise has a 52-week low of $14.47 and a 52-week high of $22.82.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise Dividend Announcement

Hewlett Packard Enterprise ( NYSE:HPE Get Free Report ) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, June 4th. The technology company reported $0.42 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.39 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $7.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $6.82 billion. Hewlett Packard Enterprise had a return on equity of 8.49% and a net margin of 6.38%. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 3.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.32 EPS. Research analysts predict that Hewlett Packard Enterprise will post 1.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 18th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, June 19th were paid a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.71%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 18th. Hewlett Packard Enterprises payout ratio is 37.96%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently commented on HPE shares. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on Hewlett Packard Enterprise from $18.00 to $22.00 and gave the company an in-line rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 5th. Argus upgraded Hewlett Packard Enterprise from a hold rating to a buy rating and set a $26.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Friday, June 7th. Susquehanna increased their price objective on Hewlett Packard Enterprise from $14.00 to $20.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 5th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an equal weight rating and set a $21.00 price objective on shares of Hewlett Packard Enterprise in a research report on Thursday, June 20th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Hewlett Packard Enterprise from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 5th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $21.08.

View Our Latest Report on Hewlett Packard Enterprise

Insider Buying and Selling at Hewlett Packard Enterprise

In other Hewlett Packard Enterprise news, CEO Gerri Gold sold 22,784 shares of Hewlett Packard Enterprise stock in a transaction on Friday, June 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.67, for a total transaction of $493,729.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 57,081 shares in the company, valued at $1,236,945.27. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other Hewlett Packard Enterprise news, CEO Gerri Gold sold 22,784 shares of Hewlett Packard Enterprise stock in a transaction on Friday, June 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.67, for a total value of $493,729.28. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 57,081 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,236,945.27. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Neil B. Macdonald sold 36,671 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.51, for a total value of $752,122.21. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 111,054 shares in the company, valued at $2,277,717.54. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 140,141 shares of company stock worth $2,850,108. 0.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise Profile

(Free Report)

Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company provides solutions that allow customers to capture, analyze, and act upon data seamlessly in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Asia Pacific, and Japan. It operates in six segments: Compute, HPC & AI, Storage, Intelligent Edge, Financial Services, and Corporate Investments and Other.

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Cardinal Health (NYSE:CAH  Free Report) had its price target increased by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $111.00 to $123.00 in a report released on Wednesday morning, Benzinga reports. They currently have a neutral rating on the stock.

Other analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Cardinal Health from $95.00 to $101.00 and gave the company an underweight rating in a research note on Thursday, August 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target on shares of Cardinal Health from $115.00 to $119.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a research report on Friday, August 16th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on shares of Cardinal Health from $130.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Thursday, August 15th. StockNews.com raised shares of Cardinal Health from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th. Finally, UBS Group raised their target price on Cardinal Health from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, August 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $118.45.

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Cardinal Health Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:CAH opened at $109.36 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $26.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.86, a PEG ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.61. Cardinal Health has a 1-year low of $85.44 and a 1-year high of $116.04. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $100.21 and a 200 day moving average price of $103.33.

Cardinal Health (NYSE:CAH  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 14th. The company reported $1.84 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.74 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $59.87 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $58.74 billion. Cardinal Health had a negative return on equity of 54.74% and a net margin of 0.25%. The companys quarterly revenue was up 12.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.55 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Cardinal Health will post 7.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cardinal Health Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 1st will be paid a $0.506 dividend. This is a boost from Cardinal Healths previous quarterly dividend of $0.51. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, October 1st. This represents a $2.02 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.85%. Cardinal Healths payout ratio is presently 89.78%.

Insider Activity at Cardinal Health

In other Cardinal Health news, CEO Jason M. Hollar sold 26,716 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $108.87, for a total value of $2,908,570.92. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 244,091 shares of the companys stock, valued at $26,574,187.17. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Jason M. Hollar sold 46,455 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.02, for a total value of $5,064,524.10. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 197,636 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $21,546,276.72. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Jason M. Hollar sold 26,716 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $108.87, for a total value of $2,908,570.92. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 244,091 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $26,574,187.17. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 113,963 shares of company stock valued at $12,379,980. 0.15% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Cardinal Health

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of CAH. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Cardinal Health during the 4th quarter worth $37,393,000. Lindbrook Capital LLC boosted its stake in Cardinal Health by 23.7% during the 4th quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 945 shares of the companys stock valued at $95,000 after purchasing an additional 181 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC boosted its stake in Cardinal Health by 12.8% during the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 2,532 shares of the companys stock valued at $255,000 after purchasing an additional 288 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd increased its position in Cardinal Health by 3.0% in the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 22,794 shares of the companys stock worth $2,298,000 after buying an additional 672 shares during the period. Finally, CWM LLC increased its position in Cardinal Health by 121.6% in the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 12,164 shares of the companys stock worth $1,226,000 after buying an additional 6,675 shares during the period. 87.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Cardinal Health Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Cardinal Health, Inc operates as a healthcare services and products company in the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, and internationally. It provides customized solutions for hospitals, healthcare systems, pharmacies, ambulatory surgery centers, clinical laboratories, physician offices, and patients in the home.

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Skeena Resources Limited (TSE:SKE  Get Free Report) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of Buy from the six ratings firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is C$16.96.

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on SKE shares. Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their target price on shares of Skeena Resources from C$17.00 to C$17.25 in a research note on Tuesday, July 23rd. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Skeena Resources from C$18.00 to C$20.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Thursday, June 27th. Scotiabank increased their price objective on Skeena Resources from C$12.00 to C$13.50 in a research report on Monday, August 19th. Finally, Desjardins lifted their target price on Skeena Resources from C$19.75 to C$20.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 26th.

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Insiders Place Their Bets

Skeena Resources Stock Performance

In related news, Senior Officer Justin Reed Himmelright sold 8,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of C$8.52, for a total value of C$68,136.00. Company insiders own 1.51% of the companys stock.

Skeena Resources stock opened at C$10.70 on Friday. Skeena Resources has a 12-month low of C$4.20 and a 12-month high of C$11.52. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of C$8.53 and a 200 day simple moving average of C$6.93. The company has a quick ratio of 1.55, a current ratio of 2.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.23. The stock has a market capitalization of C$1.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -6.99 and a beta of 1.64.

About Skeena Resources

(Get Free Report

Skeena Resources Limited explores for and develops mineral properties in Canada. The company explores for gold, silver, copper, and other precious metal deposits. It holds 100% interests in the Snip gold mine comprising one mining lease and nine mineral tenures that covers an area of approximately 4,724 hectares; and the Eskay Creek gold mine that consists of eight mineral leases, two surface leases, and various unpatented mining claims comprising 7,666 hectares located in British Columbia, Canada.

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Republicans from across Ireland gathered in Derry today to commemorate the 43rd anniversary of the 1981 hunger strike.

Ten men died on the hunger strike in Long Kesh. Five of those who died where from County Derry, two of which, INLA prisoners Patsy O'Hara and Mickey Devine, from Derry city.

The march was led by Sinn Fein president and vice-president, Mary Lou McDonald and Michelle O'Neill.

Former Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams was among those in attendance.

This afternoon's commemoration was addressed by Galway TD, Mairead Farrell.

Farrell is the niece of former prisoner and hunger striker Mairead Farrell, who was shot dead by British soldiers in Gibraltar in 1988.

Ms Farrell's full speech can read below:

"It is an incredible honour to be joined here with all of you today, I know that ye have travelled from the four corners of Ireland, as well as many international friends, as we do every year, to remember our Hunger Strikers.

"Today, we also remember all of those who lost their lives during the conflict.

"The crowd here today is testament to the courage and determination of our Hunger Strikers, it is testament to the legacy that they have left behind them and, of course, to our understanding that we must continue in our goal of Irish unity.

"A chairde, first of all, I would like to say on behalf of all of us present here that we are deeply honoured to be joined by the families of our Hunger Strikers and that we would like to show our continued respect and solidarity with them. Bualadhb os a chairde.

"Like every family at any given time, each family who had a loved one on Hunger Strike had their own story, their own things going on and their own very personal memories of that time. The strength of those who joined the Hunger Strike to me is unfathomable and equally I am in awe of the strength of their families.

"To me when I think about the brave ten men who died in 1981, when I think of Galways own Hunger Striker Tony Darcy, Frank Stagg and Michael Gaughan, when I think of my aunty Mairead, Mary Doyle, Mairead Nugent and all the Republicans who engaged in Hunger Strike over the decades, I see ordinary people who lived in extraordinary times whowere from and of their community and who were willing to give everything to achieve Irish freedom and to create a better place for me, my generation and every single one of us here today.

"I am conscious that we are here in Derry, a city which raised Mickey Devine and Patsy OHara and a county which reared Tom McElwee, Kevin Lynch and Francis Hughes. They of course followed in the footsteps of Raymond McCartney and his comrades who embarked on the 1980 Hunger Strike. That this proud county was home to five of our comrades who made the ultimate sacrifice on Hunger Strike in 1981 is something that we can be eternally proud of.

"This week we lost another one of this citys rebellious children Nell McCafferty, a fierce woman, who we too remember here today.

"As a Connacht woman I would like invite all of you here today back to Connacht with me, to Ballina, in Mayo, on Saturday 14th of September as we come together to mark Michael Gaughans 50th anniversary. I hope to see you all there.

"As Irish Republicans we can all pinpoint to moments which inspired and awoke our inner republicanism or as Bobby Sands described it as our inner thing, for each generation after 1981 the hunger strike and the 10 men who died on that Hunger Strike has been a huge source of inspiration. They are remembered in the same breath as the leaders of the 1916 Rising.

"The Hunger Strike was a difficult time for the Irish people but a time in which we saw huge solidarity from across the globe. People gathered in their thousands on the streets of Paris, in New York the Longshoremens Union boycotted British ships and on Robben Island Nelson Mandela noted Bobby Sands death in his diary from his prison cell. Some of these places had a strong Irish Disapora and some did not, such was the nature of the sacrifice that they made.

Sinn Fein president Mary Lou McDonald and First Minister Michelle O'Neill taking part in the National Hunger Strike Commemoration. (Photo - Tom Heaney, nwpresspics)

"So it is no surprise that we as an Irish people show that same solidarity with the people of Palestine. We have an understanding of the suffering that they have endured. We have a responsibility as Irish people to shout stop, to put our heads above the parapet and to do everything we can to stop this genocide.

"Words of condemnation are not enough, the people are clear, we want no hand, act or part in the genocidal acts of Israel, the Irish Government must ensure that there is no complicity in the genocide of the Palestinian people, they must ensure that no airports are used to supply military equipment to Israel and that there is no Irish investment in the occupied territories or in any companies which are profiting off the back of Palestinian suffering.

"In standing with Palestine, we are united in our calls for an unequivocal ceasefire.

"As Republicans we have gone through very difficult times but what has always gotten us through these times is each other. And we should never forget that.

"I have seen this personally in the resilience of communities from Belfast to Cork, Kerry to Derry, Galway to Tyrone and I know that same resilience to be true in republican communities across Ireland.

"Like all movements for self determination which stem from ordinary communities, who are demanding their rights, we are made up of communities which through everything had the determination to keep going and always had each others back. Because a chairde, as Bobby Sands said it is the thought that says Im right which keeps us moving forward.

"And because we are all part of that Republican family we interlinked in so many ways. This morning I had the honour of meeting with the families of our brave hunger strikers, including the family of Kieran Doherty TD, my family like the Doherty's are from Andytown, Mairead and Kieran were close comrades and both ended up on Hunger Strike yet at different times.

"Now, I, like Kieran was, am a Sinn Fein TD and every time I have a meeting in the Sinn Fein party room I see a beautiful mural of Kieran which has been painted in his honour. It shows how things have come full circle that myself and Kierans brother Michael canvassed together for Orlaithi Flynn, we continue to work together for self determination.

"When I mentioned this connection to a comrade of hers she reminded me that Mairead was also very close to Joe McDonnell and that she got all the Andytown sceal from him.

"I find it uplifting that amongst all the heartache that people like Mairead and Joe were still fascinated by sceal from home.

"While me and my auntie Maireads lives could not have been more different in so many ways she like me ran for election.

"Mairead was 24 years old when she ran for election in Cork North Central and it just struck me recently that I was actually the exact same age as my aunt when I ran for election for the first time.

"And what really struck me was the very different circumstances and daily realities we had at the time of our campaigns. Mairead ran only months after spending 19 days on Hunger Strike with her comrades Mary Doyle and Mairead Nugent and had already spent five years in Armagh Gaol. She ran for election on the Anti H Block and Armagh ticket from that Gaol.

"But it is not by some chance that I didnt have to go through what my aunt went through it was as a direct result of the leadership shown by those women that I have spoken of and the leadership of Republicanism. And I am proud now to have in my Dail office my and her nomination papers side by side which serve as a reminder of who we are, where we have come from and where we have yet to go.

"But for us it is about where we have yet to go.

"New energy has been injected into the unity discussion from a broad and diverse cross-section of society across Ireland and a real outreach into that section of people who are against unity or are unsure of its impact is growing also.

"So too is the demand on the Irish government to look beyond its traditional rhetorical republicanism and to properly begin the process of planning for unity.

"Ireland is changing, we are in a decade of opportunity, the unity referendums will be held, and the Irish government has a responsibility to intensify planning and preparation for the referendums and for Irish unity so that they are won.

"Sinn Fein will work hard for everyone north and south and continue the march of progress for a better future for ordinary workers and families.

"We are on the side of local communities.

"Home ownership has collapsed for an entire generation under this Fine Gael/Fianna Fail government.

"So, we need a change of government.

"Sinn Fein will end the housing crisis.

"We will ensure that home ownership is brought back within the reach of working people.

"We believe that you should have a home of your own.

"Ending the housing crisis; transforming health; providing affordable childcare; driving a successful economy where everyone prospers and benefits; uniting Ireland and delivering a fairer Ireland with families, workers and communities at its heart is what we stand for.

"No matter what is thrown at us in the time ahead we must show the resilience and the fortitude that has been shown by our communities throughout our history.

"To me the ultimate commemoration for all those who came before us will be a United Ireland. The creation of a Republic that truly reflects the vision of 1916, the vision of Tone and Connolly, Maire Drumm and Bobby Sands.

"Liam Mellows led the 1916 Rising from my home county of Galway. He described the men and women of 1916 as unconquerable and we too must be unconquerable.

"It was Padraig Pearse who said: If you strike us down now we shall rise again and renew the fight. You cannot conquer Ireland; you cannot extinguish the Irish passion for freedom. If our deed has not been sufficient to win freedom then our children will win it by a better deed.

"Let us be those children, let us do that deed, let us win.

"Beirimis bua!"
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The Oriel Traditional Orchestra (OTO) says it is looking forward to returning to rehearsals as it embarks on an exciting new project. It is inviting musicians from across the region to join its ranks as it celebrates the centenary of Irish-born composer Sir Charles Villiers Stanford.

The OTO will begin this project on Saturday 31 August in the Carroll Building at DkIT, where it will welcome back members and invite new members.

This years project is funded by the Communities Integration Fund from the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. As a community orchestra in the region, the OTO will host a workshop facilitated by an international team of professional musicians leading to a concert in November.

The repertoire for the project will draw on music associated with or named for places in the Oriel region found in the collections of George Petrie, which was edited by Stanford at the start of the twentieth century. These pieces will be reimagined by the OTO and we hope to embrace the diversity of sounds and cultural backgrounds of our communities in the arrangements.

The OTO has established a strong reputation in the community for its activities and welcomes new members from all musical and cultural backgrounds. It rehearses regularly across the region, with activities alternating between Dundalk, Carrickmacross, Crossmaglen, Castleblaney and other locations. For more information on how to become a member or for other information see www.orieltrad.org